Blake watched Nellie look with longing at Bertha’s plate. “It won’t be long before you can enjoy breakfast again, will it?”
“No, I get better every day. I’ll wait another few weeks before I try again.”
“Understandable. We’ll leave the containers in the rooms until you are sure it is over.”
“Blake, can I ask you a question?” said Henry as he stood at the sideboard.
“Of course, you can. Anything.”
“Are you my father now too, or just Violet’s since she didn’t have one before.”
“I’m your father, too…if you’ll have me.”
“Yes, sir. I think I would like that.”
“What will you call me, Henry? I need to know what to answer to.”
Henry thought for a moment. “I think I shall call you Papa. My other father was Daddy, so I think you should be Papa.”
“Very good. Thank you, Henry, I’m very honored to be your papa.”
Henry nodded. Then ran to Blake, threw his arms around his neck and hugged him.
Blake enveloped the boy in his arms. He’d been waiting for this. Hoping that Henry would accept him. He glanced at Nellie and saw tears in her eyes and then she smiled. The feeling of completeness was overwhelming. Finally, he relaxed and set Henry away from him.
“Now sit down, son, and eat your breakfast.”
“Yes, Papa.”
Henry walked back to the sideboard and filled a plate with steaming offerings. Blake watched the boy and realized he was growing like a weed. His pants were already too short and topped his ankles.
“Nellie, you need to get new clothes for Henry again. He’s nearly grown out of those.”
“I know.” She let out a sigh. “I’m just waiting a little longer. I’d like for them to last as long as possible.”
“Don’t wait.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Look at it this way, it’s more clothing for the needy people at the shanty town.”
“Speaking of that, I plan to ask the ladies who attend our dinner tomorrow about donating to the widows and orphans of the shanty town. The reverend may not like you, or me for that matter, but he won’t turn down our offerings.” She nibbled on the toasted sourdough bread,. If she took small bites, she found the food more likely to stay down.
Blake placed his hand on top of Nellie’s. “You have a good soul, love, a very good soul. The reverend surely must see that.”
He watched her blush, and felt the warmth in his own chest. He liked to make her blush, especially when they were making love. The rosy color covered her from her breasts to the top of her head.
“I must go to work.”
“Please be careful.”
“I will, now give me a kiss.”
She stood, and Blake took her in his arms. He kissed her soundly, as if it was their last kiss and he wanted her to remember him forever.
❋
Nellie dressed in the black lace evening gown she’d had made. When Blake saw her in it, he wanted to make love to her or forbid her to wear it. He couldn’t seem to make up his mind. She smiled at the memory.
Dinner went well and the ladies retired to the parlor for tea, while Blake and the gentlemen went to the library for brandy, cigars and gossip. Though Blake told her they conducted only business discussions.
“So, Nellie, tell us about this woman who crashed your last party. I’m told it was quite exciting. Do you think she’ll do it again?” asked Mrs. Maude Fairmont. An older woman, she was dressed in dark gray. She was sturdily built and the dress flattered her, with its tight waist and small bustle.
All the ladies sat on the chairs or divan with the tea tray on the table between them. Six ladies in all were present. Nellie had James move two extra chairs into the parlor in anticipation of the evening’s festivities. Maude sat on the divan with Nellie.
“I doubt very seriously she will be making a repeat appearance. She’d had too much to drink the last time and…uh…apologized for her behavior.”
“Oh, how disappointing,” said Maude, as she sipped her tea.
“Yes, well, I have something else to discuss with you all. As you are probably aware, a shanty town sits on the outskirts of our fair city. The women and children there are in dire straits. I’m collecting food and clothing to take to them, and would like to know if you would care to donate to the cause. Anything would be appreciated. We could start a widows and orphans fund.”
“That shanty town is unsightly and should be torn down,” said one of the women with a jerk of her head.
“Hush, Harriet, before you display your ignorance,” said Maude with a narrowed glance.
Nellie suddenly realized that Maude was definitely the leader. The other women would fall into line behind her. “What do you say, Maude? These ladies will do whatever you do.” She swept her arm about, taking in all the finely-dressed women.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea.” Maude leaned forward and looked around the circle. “We’ve needed something to do. We can run raffles a couple of times a year, and have a ball where we raise money. We could build an orphanage for the children.”
“Yes, that’s a marvelous idea. Thank you, Maude,” said Nellie with a smile for the older woman.
“You’re welcome. Now, tell us when you are going to have your baby.” The older woman smiled and patted Nellie’s hand.
“What? How did you know?” Her hand went protectively to her stomach.
“I have six children and eight grandchildren, with another on the way. I can tell when a woman is enceinte.” She nodded. “Besides, my husband told me. Blake told him, and is apparently thoroughly delighted with the prospect of being a father.”
“He’s already a father. My children adore him and he them, but this will be his first experience with a baby.” Nellie sipped her now tepid tea.
“Well, take it from me, babies always scare men. It’s because they are so small, you see,” said Maude.
The other four women nodded.
“It’s true,” said Harriet, a woman of about forty with blonde hair and blue eyes. “My husband won’t have anything to do with the children until they can mind what he says. So far that’s been about age six. He doesn’t like them younger than that.”
“Blake is not that way at all,” said Nellie, aiming her remark at Harriet, who Nellie figured had nothing in her head but air. “My little one, Violet, has had him wrapped around her finger since they first met.” She looked around at the ladies, suddenly aware she hadn’t acted as hostess since entering the room. “Would any of you care for more tea?”
“No, thank you,” was the response from everyone.
“I’ll be around on Wednesday to collect your donations. Then I’ll take them to the reverend at the church on Thursday.”
“That’s sounds fine,” said Maude.
Within moments, the gentlemen returned and collected their wives. James and Nellie saw to it that all the ladies had their stoles and their evening bags.
Maude made Nellie lean down, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You have a good heart, Nellie Malone. Blake was very lucky the day you came into his life.”
Nellie’s cheeks burned. “Thank you. I think we were both lucky.”
“Just so,” said Maude, then she took her husband’s arm and walked out into the night.
Blake closed the door after the last guest left and leaned back against it. Then he walked to Nellie, lifted her into his arms and swung her in a circle.
“Blake,” she squealed. “Put me down.”
He stopped, but continued to hold her, a light in his eyes.
She put her hands on his shoulders for balance.
“They said yes. They’re approving my application, and it’s thanks to you. All of their wives have told them the amusement park is a good idea. That’s what I’ve decided to call it. An amusement park. We’ll have pony rides, paddle boats, places for picnicking all in one place. It’ll be a great place for families to come for the day.”
“I couldn’t have done any of this without you. Come to bed and I’ll show you just how great my thanks are.”
“Oooh, that sounds like a good idea, Mr. Malone. I do believe I’ll take you up on that offer.”
Blake carried her up the stairs, with her giggling the whole way.
When they arrived at her bedroom door, he finally let her down and followed her inside to her dressing room. He undid the buttons at the back of her dress, slipping it off her shoulders, caressing her arms as his hands trailed after the dress.
Blake pulled her back against his chest and slipped his hands into the top of her corset, rubbing his fingers over her nipples and then lightly pinching them.
Nellie’s head lolled back against him and she moaned. “Blake, please.”
“Let’s get out of these clothes and make love, Nellie.”
“Yes, let’s”
With the pile of clothes at her feet, she turned to Blake. He already had off his shoes, jacket, tie and was working on his shirt. Nellie unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down with his underdrawers. She was gratified and her pulse began to race, when his member sprang free of the restraints of clothing.
She smiled. “I’d say you’re looking forward to this. You’ve come prepared.”
“With you, I’m always prepared. Come.” He took her hand and led her to the bed.
She lay down in the center of the mattress. Blake came down beside her. He caressed her, lightly running his fingers over her stomach, up to her breasts. He rubbed, flicked, and pinched her nipples until they stood up, hard little nubs.
“You have beautiful nipples, did you know that?”
“No, I really hadn’t thought about them.”
“You do. They are not too small or too big. Absolutely perfect…for me.” He leaned down and took one into his mouth.
Nellie gasped and felt herself become moist, wanting and ready for him to fill her. She ran her fingers through his hair and coaxed him up to her for a kiss.
They broke apart and Blake said, “Ah, Nell, what you do to me. An hour, a minute, doesn’t go by that I don’t think of you or dream of this, of loving you and you loving me.”
“When we are together, you make me feel special and wanted.” It killed her not to say loved, but she wasn’t ready to admit aloud that she loved him. What if he rejected her love? Rejected her? She wasn’t prepared for that.
“You are both of those things. Very special and most definitely wanted.”
“Blake,” her breath caught in her throat. “Fill me now, don’t make me wait.”
“Your request is my command.”
He filled her to overflowing, loved her as only he could. When they were done, both of them replete, they lay back on the pillows, still touching, still holding hands, and breathing hard from their exertion.
“You’re magnificent, Nellie.” He rolled her into his arms, cocooned her. “I love you.” The words were barely a whisper as they brushed across her temple.
He fell asleep almost immediately so Nellie wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. She wanted to shake him awake and make him repeat it, but she didn’t. For now she’d let him sleep while she wallowed in the knowledge.
Nellie cuddled into him and thought about the declaration he’d made. He loved her. Did she imagine it? Should she tell him back? What if she did imagine his profession, because she wanted it so much? What if she admitted she loved him and he didn’t say it back?
Chapter 15
Four days later, Nellie had Otis take her around to all the ladies homes. They picked up bundle after bundle and crate after crate of clothing and food for the widows and orphans. They picked up so much Nellie ended up riding with Otis on the top of the carriage.
Once they got home she sent Otis to go rent a wagon to take all the items to the shanty town the next day.
Thursday blossomed into a lovely day. Otis and James loaded the freight wagon with all the crates and bundles, including those from Nellie. She rode with Otis on the wagon, much to Blake’s consternation. He wanted to hire someone to drive the freight wagon and she’d take the carriage because it offered more protection. She insisted that it would be fine, she was with Otis.
They pulled up in front of the shanty town church, and the reverend came out to greet them.
“Mrs. Malone, I hadn’t expected to see you so soon, and with such bounty.”
Otis set the brake, climbed down, and came around to help Nellie down from the wagon’s seat.
“Well,” she said, dusting off her dress. “Reverend…er, what is your name? I can’t just keep calling you reverend.”
“Schossow. My name is Lyle Schossow.”
“Well, Reverend Schossow, I enlisted the aid of some of the city’s matrons and we’ve decided the widows and orphans here need our help. We’re donating the clothing and food, but we’re also making plans to raise money and build an orphanage. We thought we could have some raffles and a ball and beg, if we had to, in order to get it done.”
“Mrs. Malone,” the reverend as he dabbed at the corner of his eye. “That is so kind of you. So much more than I ever could have expected.”
“Well, if this isn’t just the sweetest sight I seen today.”
Nellie gasped and swung around to face the woman attached to the deep, throaty voice.
“Maddie Singer. What are you doing here?” Nellie took in the somber black dress that Maddie wore. It definitely wasn’t her usual attire.
“Madeline?” said the reverend. “Do you know Mrs. Malone?”
“You might say that, Reverend, but we’re going to get to know each other even better.” She pulled a gun from the pocket of her skirt and pointed it at Nellie. “Come with me now, and no one else will get hurt.”
“Madeline, put that gun away,” instructed the reverend.
“Not likely, Reverend. I haven’t been coming around to the church this past week for my health. I’ve been waiting for her.” Maddie nodded in Nellie’s direction.
“Are you going to kill me this time Maddie?” Nellie looked around for a means of escape and found none.
“You realized the last time, the shove into the street, was me, did you? Well, that was a weak effort on my part. My timing was off, and you have the luck of the Irish.” She sneered. “Those horses should have trampled you.”
Nellie saw Otis move his hand toward his belt where his gun was.
Her heart pounded in her chest.
Maddie saw him, too. “Don’t do it, Mister Driver Man. I’d just as soon not shoot her now, but I will. If you don’t want that to happen, then you just throw that gun over there behind you into the mud. It won’t be of much use then, even if you get it back.”
After a glance and a shrug toward Nellie, Otis threw the gun as he was told to.
“Now back off to the other side of the wagon. I don’t want you anywhere near us.”
Again, he did as he was told.
Nellie couldn’t blame him, he was only trying to keep Maddie happy and Nellie alive.
The reverend in the mean-time stood stock still, his mouth agape.
“Now Reverend, you go and open the door to the church. Open it wide, and then get out.”
The reverend went up the steps to the door on the old wooden building. He opened it as wide as it would go, and then walked back out and down the steps.
Mattie stood to the side of the stairs with the church building at her back.
“Now you go stand next to the driver around the back side of that wagon. That’s right, don’t try and be heroic, you’ll just end up dead.”
“Don’t hurt them. It’s not them you want it’s me,” pleaded Nellie, clutching the folds of her skirt.
“You stupid bitch, it’s not you I want, I want Blake. He should be getting my message about now. As soon as I saw you drive up, I sent one of the kids here to The Nugget with a note. You se
e, I’ve been coming here every day for the past week, waiting for you to return. Trixie told me you’d come here with your donations. She told me how you were getting the other muckity-mucks wives involved.” Maddie didn’t move and kept her gun trained on Nellie.
“Trixie? She’s your friend. We know she lied to protect you when your husband was killed in New Orleans.” Nellie was shaking and hoped it didn’t come through in her voice.
“Well, poor Trixie didn’t want to die like Sam did.” Her voice rose with each new accusation. “Sam should have agreed with me, he should have let me sell the business and come here like I wanted to. I wanted us both to, but he wouldn’t listen, and so he had to die.”
“So will you kill Blake now, after you kill me?” She hoped her false bravado would buy her some time.
“No! Blake is mine,” she yelled. “He loves me or at least he will after you’re gone. And when he sees you beg for your life, sees how weak you really are, he’ll come to me. He needs someone strong, someone who is his equal. That’s me. I’m the one who helps run the business. I’m the one who arranged to get a mail-order bride. I’m the one he told all his secret longings to. Until you came. Then everything changed, but it will all be better when you’re dead.”
“That’s not going to happen Maddie. Blake loves me.” I pray that’s true. “He’ll care for my children when I’m gone. He’ll not marry their mother’s murderer.”
“No,” she screeched. “You’re wrong. He will love me. He’ll take me back. You’ll see.” She let out a high pitched laugh. Nellie watched as Maddie lost what was left of her sanity. “Actually, you won’t see because you’ll be dead. Now get up those stairs into the church.”
“No. I won’t go inside where you can kill me and might get away with it.” Nellie squared her shoulders. “If you want to shoot me, do it here, do it now.” God, I wished I’d hugged my children just one more time.
“You think I won’t? I shot Sam and got away with it.”
“There were no witnesses in New Orleans,” said Nellie as she waved her hand at the immediate area. “Are you going to shoot, the reverend and Otis as well as me? Who are you going to shoot first?”
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