by Kit Morgan
“Where are we going?” Nettie asked.
“Oh … er … nowhere,” Cutty confessed. “I just said that to get him to move. Works every time.”
Nettie giggled as Amon unwrapped her arm from his and went to study a small table stacked with books. He picked one up and began to leaf through it.
Cutty peered at him and noticed it was a book of poetry. “Egads! Ya ain’t gonna start readin’ to her, are ya?”
“What if I am?” Amon asked. He looked at Nettie. “That would be rather romantic, wouldn’t it?”
“Romance!” Cutty grumbled. “Who needs it?”
Amon’s mouth dropped opened. “How about a man and woman courting? It is a part of marriage.”
“Nonsense!” Cutty said as he gripped the counter, white-knuckled. Why was he arguing about it? It’s not like he didn’t want them to get married. But he did want to make sure Amon married his daughter for love, something he himself had never fully experienced except maybe once. He wanted to make sure his children did.
“Are you against romance?” Nettie asked.
“I ain’t against it,” he told her. “But ya don’t just … do it. Not without …” He glanced at Amon. “… feelin’s bein’ there. Ya know what I mean.”
He watched as Nettie and Amon locked gazes. “Yes,” Nettie replied. “I believe I do.”
Fifteen
The trio returned to the hotel in companionable silence. Newton was waiting in the lobby when they arrived. “And how did your afternoon go?” he asked.
“Quite well, thank you,” Nettie replied, holding up her half-eaten peppermint stick as evidence. “And yours?” she added, hoping to elicit some hint of what her brother had been up to.
“Very well, very well. Um, Cutty – a word, if I may?”
The two men went to a far corner and spoke quietly, while Nettie’s thoughts kept drifting to how Amon might “romance” her. At the moment, though, Amon seemed to be staring off into space – he could be thinking about hanging lanterns from His Majesty for all she knew. But he wasn’t throwing ifs around at the moment, and that was good enough for her.
Newton finished his conversation with Cutty, then excused himself, telling his sister he wanted to go for a walk. Cutty looked as though he wanted to go with him, but remained at his post.
“You like my brother, don’t you?” Nettie asked him.
Cutty snorted. “That young whelp? Ha! I could teach him a thing or two!”
Nettie laughed. “Like what?”
“Like … like how to bait a hook so we can go fishin’! Bet that dandy ain’t got the slightest idea!”
Nettie laughed again, walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re delightful, do you know that? And I’m sure you’ll show my brother the time of his life whenever you take him on such an excursion.”
Cutty froze and stopped breathing all together.
Amon’s attention had returned to the present. “Are you all right?” he asked Cutty.
Cutty coughed and turned away. “Fine! Just fine …”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Amon said. “Otherwise Newton might get cheated out of fishing.”
“Who said I was gonna take him fishin’?” Cutty snapped.
“You did, just a moment ago,” Nettie reminded him.
“Oh. I sorta did, didn’t I?” He wiped at his face before turning back to them. “Well, maybe I can take him when I don’t have to babysit you two!”
“He’ll be delighted, I’m sure,” Nettie said with a smile. She turned to Amon. “Tea?”
He smiled down at her. “I’m afraid not. I’ve got my share of chores to do at the men’s camp. We take turns on certain things. Today is my day to get the firewood chopped and stacked.”
She sighed heavily. “I understand.” She returned his gaze and felt her heart swell. How could one outing with this man have such an effect on her? But there was a peace about him that permeated her very bones. At least it had the last few hours. “You’ll call again?”
“As soon as I’m able. In the meantime, you’ll be in good hands.”
She cocked her head in curiosity.
“Cutty will take care of you. Won’t you Cutty?”
Cutty turned away and coughed again. “Sure,” he croaked. “Me and Imogene both will.”
“You see?” Amon told her. “You’re surrounded by good company.”
She smiled shyly. “I can’t think of any better.”
He bowed, then headed to his wagon. “I’ll send word, or …” Their eyes locked again.
Nettie thought she might faint as a fireball shot through her from her head to her toes. Her stomach fluttered and her knees went weak.
“… or come knocking on your door. Always be ready for that.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“He means he don’t know when he’ll get the chance to come callin’,” Cutty said and sniffed. “But when he does, he will, sure as shootin’.”
“Are you catching a cold?” Nettie asked, though her eyes were still locked on Amon’s.
Cutty glanced between them. “Nah. But it sure looks like you two caught somethin’.”
Nettie took a few steps toward Amon as he continued to back up. “Something …” she echoed, finding it difficult to speak at this point. She swallowed hard and shivered.
Amon bumped into the hotel doors. “I … I do have to go …”
Cutty looked from one to the other. “Oh dagnabit, Cotter, don’t be an idjit! Can’t ya see she wants ya to kiss her?”
Amon froze. “Wha?”
Cutty put his hand over his face and groaned.
Amon’s mouth moved, but further speech failed him. Finally he shrugged, drew close to her and gently kissed her cheek. “Until next time,” he whispered in her ear before heading out the doors.
Nettie’s entire body shuddered as she watched Amon walk toward the livery stable and out of sight. “Oh my …”
“Well?”
She was startled by the sudden intrusion, and slowly turned to look at Cutty. “Well … what?” she managed.
“Ain’t we gonna have some tea?”
She licked her lips. “Give … give me a moment,” she mumbled.
“Fightin’ a swoon, are ya? Ha! Didn’t think ol’ Amon had it in him!”
She swallowed hard again. “Is … is that what this is?” she asked, her voice shaky.
“What else could it be?”
Another delicious shiver wracked her body. “Oh … my … I do believe …”
“Oh no, ya don’t!” Cutty ran to her before her knees gave out. “Tarnation, you got it bad for him!” he said as he supported her while steering her toward the dining room. “Ain’t never seen the like.”
He helped her inside and guided her to the nearest chair. “Thank you,” she said, embarrassed by her lack of strength. “I can’t understand what’s happening to me. Surely I must be coming down with something.”
“Uh-huh – yer comin’ down with somethin’ all right …”
She narrowed her eyes in determination. “I am not in love with Amon Cotter, if that’s what you’re inferring.”
“I don’t gotta infer nothin’. I can see it with my own eyes.”
“How could I be in love with him? I hardly know the man!”
Cutty laughed. “Like that’s got anythin’ to do with it. Maybe yer heart knows somethin’ you don’t. Ever think of that?”
Nettie put a hand to her chest and tried to breathe. “The idea that I could already be in love with Mr. Cotter is, is, is ridiculous!”
Cutty chuckled. “Yeah, sure …”
She squared her shoulders and pushed herself out of the chair. “I’m going to my room.”
“What about tea?”
“I … think perhaps I’d better lie down. I hope you don’t mind.”
Cutty kicked at the carpet. “Nah, I don’t mind. I can always go drum up a game of checkers or somethin’.”
Her face softened. �
�Thank you.”
“Think nothin’ of it.”
“No, I mean thank you, Cutty, for everything. You’re wiser than you let on, I think.”
He bit his lower lip as his face softened. “Then listen to me if I ever decide to give ya advice, okay?”
She smiled. “I shall.” She turned and went up the stairs.
Cutty took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He had no idea watching his daughter fall in love would be so taxing. Or so strange …
* * *
“Can she cook?” Jasper asked.
Amon looked up from the plate of beans he’d been staring at. “I don’t really know,” he said. He watched Jasper fill another plate and hand it to Lewis Cartwright, a newcomer from the Washington Territory. He was a quiet man who’d only arrived in Clear Creek yesterday. Instead of staying at the hotel, Patrick Mulligan had steered him to the men’s camp, thinking he could earn his keep there. Amon had been so busy with the Whitmans, he hadn’t had the chance to speak with him yet.
When Lewis did speak, it was as if one side of his mouth refused to participate. “Nothing better’n a woman who c’n cook. If I ever marry, I gotta find me one o’those.” He took his plate and sat across the table from Amon. “Best find out ‘fore ya marry her, hm?”
“She’ll be fine if she doesn’t. If there’s one thing this town has plenty of, it’s good cooks.”
“He’s right,” Jasper said as he dished up another plate. “Sally Upton, Irene Dunnigan, Sadie Cooke – heck, I got a couple recipes myself. That little gal can learn from the best.”
“Speaking of good grub, anyone seen Clinton lately?” asked Hugh Fielding, one of the camp’s regulars. He’d grown up in British Canada, drifted south after some minor malfeasance, and arrived in Clear Creek years before with the supply wagons that had brought the church bell. “Not like him to miss a meal.”
“He’s been slinkin’ in here after the rest of us are done eatin’, scrapin’ the pot and sneakin’ out again,” Jasper said a smirk. “You’d think he was avoidin’ someone.” He winked at Amon.
“As well he should. I know we’ve never had to do this, but if he causes any more trouble, I’m thinking we should ask him to leave.”
“Nicely,” Hugh added. Hugh hated conflict.
“Depends.”
“On what?” asked Lewis, a spoonful of beans halfway to his mouth.
“On what kind of trouble he causes,” Amon said.
“I saw him lurking aboot the tree line yesterday,” Hugh volunteered. “But I haven’t seen him since.”
“He must be camping out there,” Amon surmised. “He hasn’t been spending his nights here.”
“Nope – just comes for the food,” Jasper agreed. “I’ll check with the other men when I see ‘em, ask if he’s been goin’ into town when he knows you’re here.”
“If he is, he’d better not bother Nettie,” Amon said then took a bite.
“Nettie,” Lewis said with a sigh. “That’s a nice name.”
“Roond here, any name on a living, breathing woman’s a nice one!” Hugh said with a laugh.
“Ain’t that the truth. I need to get me a wife.” Lewis shook his head.
“Best tell Sadie or Belle Cooke,” suggested Amon. “That’s how I got into this in the first place. They thought I’d be a good match for their cousin.”
“Were they right?” Lewis asked, his blue eyes shining.
Amon nodded, then took another bite.
Lewis stared at his plate. “I don’t know if’n I’m fit to take care of one, though.”
“Where did you say you were from?” Amon asked.
“Nowhere.”
“That’s no answer. You had to have come from someplace.”
Jasper burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Amon asked, confused.
“He really is from Nowhere!” Jasper said through his chuckles.
“It’s the name of a town up north in the Washington Territory,” Hugh explained. “Bowen Drake’s wife is from there.”
“Yeah, and Sheriff Hughes’s sister,” added Jasper.
“It was his relation, Leona Riley, that told me I’d probably like it here,” Lewis informed them. “I’m not one for farmin’, and all they have around Nowhere are apple orchards. So I thought I’d head south to see what I could find. Not sure if’n I’ll go on to Oregon City or stay here – it all depends on if Mr. Van Cleet can give me a job.”
“What are you good at?” Amon asked.
Lewis shrugged. “Well, I’m good with animals.”
Amon studied him. He was a handsome young man, probably not much younger than Amon himself, with dark hair and bright blue eyes. “You might want to talk to the Cooke brothers at the Triple-C Ranch.”
“Mr. Mulligan mentioned that after he told me about Mr. Van Cleet.”
“Sadie and Belle, the matchmakers I mentioned, are Harrison and Colin Cooke’s wives. Go there, and maybe you can get a job and a wife!”
Lewis’s eyes lit up. “Wouldn’t that be somethin’? A plumb miracle.”
Jasper, Amon and Hugh all exchanged a quick look. “Well, ‘round here, miracles do happen,” Jasper said. “Now eat up, boys – I done made baked apples!”
After a baked apple and coffee, Amon went to the barn to get a little work done before turning in. He wanted to make something special for Nettie, but didn’t know what. All he did know was the longing, the loneliness that gripped him when he wasn’t with her. It had started on the drive back to the men’s camp and had been growing ever since – it had been all he could do to choke down his supper and talk with the other men earlier.
He thought that if he worked awhile it might go away, but instead any thoughts of Nettie caused the odd feelings to intensify. He leaned against a post and took a deep breath.
“She is bee-u-ti-ful, dis woman of yours, yes?”
Amon spun around, his hand automatically reaching for a drill he’d been using earlier. Not that it would be an effective weapon against the huge Negro who’d spoken from behind him. It took him a second to process that yes, it was the same one he thought he’d seen almost a week ago. He was still dressed as before, in tattered clothes like an escaped slave. But how had he gotten here? Oregon wasn’t exactly friendly to the likes of him, slave or free. “Who are you? What do you want?”
The big man stood with his hands on his hips, blocking the barn doorway, and chuckled low in his throat. “It is not what I want, little bro-dar. But what you want.”
Amon glanced around. He was alone, the other men back in the cabin, and knew that if the Negro gave him trouble, they weren’t likely to hear him call for help in time. “What do you mean?”
The Negro ignored the question. “Can you tell me where I can find Seth and Ryder Jones?”
“Seth and Ryder?” Amon asked in shock. “What do you want with them?”
“Dey are friends of mine,” he said casually.
Amon looked the man up and down a few times. How on earth did Seth and Ryder know this man? Well, the Joneses were from the South … and Ryder, he knew, hated slavery as much as any Yankee abolitionist. Maybe the Negro was looking to escape to Canada … “Okay.”
“You will give dem a message for me? I sent one, but have not seen dem yet.”
Amon stared at him, still too nervous to think straight. “Why not just go to town and find them yourself?” he asked, then immediately felt foolish. If the giant was an escaped slave, going to town would be out of the question due to the risk of being caught. And he was an Oberlin man, dedicated to equality among the races. Nerves or no nerves, his conscience demanded he assist this man. “Sure, I’d be happy to,” he managed.
The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “You will give dem dis,” he instructed as he walked to where Amon stood and handed it to him.
Gingerly, he took it. “What is it?”
“Dat is for de bro-dars Jones. It tells dem what I need.” Without another wor
d, he spun on his heel and strode out of the barn, his carriage as proud as a king’s.
Amon could only stare after him. After a few moments he shook himself out of his stupor. “What the … what just happened?” He knew he hadn’t imagined the whole thing – there was the note in his hand – but it was odd nonetheless.
He looked more closely at the note - not sealed, nor in any kind of envelope. Was he supposed to read it too? No – it wasn’t addressed to him. Odd stranger or no, it was none of his business. He shoved it in his pocket, glanced around, then walked to the open barn door. The man was gone by now, of course. Which meant there was nothing left to do but seek out Seth and Ryder and deliver the message. And wonder.
Sixteen
Newton returned to the hotel in time for dinner, still puzzling over the African he’d met in the woods the day before. Maybe he should’ve stopped Amon before he left and asked him, but he and Nettie seemed to be having a good time and he didn’t want to pull him away from her. So he’d asked Cutty, but Cutty didn’t seem to know anything.
The stranger had claimed he knew Thackary Holmes! A part of him didn’t want to find out more about his and Nettie’s louse of a birth father. And if anyone in Clear Creek knew him, it was only in passing – Thackary hadn’t been in Clear Creek long, though he’d still managed to cause a lot of trouble. If the African knew him, then he probably couldn’t be trusted.
With that in mind, he determined to talk not only to Amon but to Sheriff Hughes as well. The stranger might be up to no good. Judging from his clothes, he might be seeking a chance to rob some of the townsfolk.
He pushed the thought aside when his stomach growled, and headed for the dining room. But Mrs. Upton was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Nettie – perhaps she was upstairs.
“Howdy, Newton,” Seth called as he entered.
“Good evening.” Newton glanced around. “Where’s Eloise?”
“Upstairs with your sister – they should be down in a moment. Nettie seemed to be in good spirits.”
“Indeed. She’s having a grand time with Mr. Cotter.”
“What about you? Did you have fun too?”
Newton sighed. “I … had an interesting encounter. I really should tell your sheriff about it.”