Rachel (Bride Brigade Book 5)

by Caroline Clemmons

  Curiosity piqued Rachel’s thoughts. She wasn’t sure she wanted to meet any woman who inspired Vic’s apprehension. Although oversized, the box wasn’t heavy. The dimensions made carrying it awkward, so she switched the box to her other hand when she was halfway.

  Two doors east of Zane’s neat home she stopped to assess the Hubbard house. Stark, with no shrubbery, no shutters, nothing to soften the appearance. Bracing herself to meet the woman Vic feared, Rachel knocked on the door.

  A plump, middle-aged woman answered. Her brow was furrowed and her mouth pinched. Before Rachel could introduce herself, she opened the door so Rachel could enter.

  The woman exclaimed, “Well, bring it inside. It’s about time my package was delivered. I asked that this be brought to me as soon as the wagons arrived.”

  “There were a lot of deliveries. I came as soon as I was told you needed this.”

  Rachel opened the box and extracted a tall white birdcage. “Would you inspect this, Mrs. Hubbard?”

  “Set it there.” She gestured to a cluttered occasional table with no room for anything else. Rachel carefully moved items to another table and then did as Mrs. Hubbard asked.

  “I won’t accept damaged merchandise. I swan, Mr. Evans and his employees treat fine things like so much trash.”

  “Please keep in mind that they risk their lives to bring freight to Tarnation. In addition to four robbers who were killed this trip, two of Mr. Evan’s employees were shot and almost died. Mr. Evans was also injured.”

  Mrs. Hubbard fluttered a hand dismissively. “The hazards of his job. I’m sure he’s prepared to lose employees from time to time.” The woman peered at the birdcage from every angle.

  Seething because Mrs. Hubbard valued other lives so little, Rachel took a deep breath to control her reaction. “Does the merchandise meet with your approval?”

  The woman rubbed at a spot. “The paint’s been damaged there.”

  Rachel leaned in to inspect. “No, that’s a mark from the manufacturing process. The freight company isn’t responsible.”

  Mrs. Hubbard turned up her nose. “Well, I suppose this is all right then. Take it into the bedroom and set it on the table by the window.”

  Bristling at the woman’s imperious tone, Rachel forced a smile. “Certainly, Mrs. Hubbard.” She followed directions to the master bedroom and deposited the birdcage.

  When she returned to the parlor, Mrs. Hubbard sat in a chair facing the window. “You need to put that table back as I had it.”

  “Of course.” Rachel restored the clutter by setting each item where the clear space was in the table’s dust.

  Mrs. Hubbard, who had watched the process, said, “I like my things just so. These are expensive pieces and I see no reason not to enjoy them.”

  “As you should, Mrs. Hubbard.” Rachel unfolded the receipt, received the freight charge, and got the cranky woman’s signature.

  As soon as possible she left the Hubbard home. Whew, no wonder that woman intimidated Vic. Rachel hoped she wasn’t a frequent customer.

  She found Zane as Vic had described—restless and in a bad mood.

  He sat in bed with his arms crossed across his broad chest. “I don’t like being stuck in bed. I need to be at my office.”

  She smiled at the picture he presented, that of a small boy acting stubborn. “I’ve never seen you grumpy. Should I be concerned that I’m planning to marry a curmudgeon?” She leaned over to kiss his forehead.

  “Curmudgeon, am I?” He pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers. His touch heated her being. When he broke the kiss, she sighed against him.

  He caressed her face. “Soon we’ll be able to kiss whenever we wish. I look forward to having you here with me, Rachel, all the time.”

  Her chest constricted. “But, I’ll still keep your books at the office, right?”

  His hands skimmed her arms and sent shivers of delight zinging through her.

  “I hope so because I’ll be there most of the time. Then, I’ll see you day and night. You truly are my other half.” He raised her chin to gaze into her eyes. “Is something wrong?”

  She shook her head. “Not exactly. I just delivered a package to Mrs. Hubbard.” With a shrug, Rachel said, “She… oh, never mind.”

  “Ah, you’ve met a thorn in my side.” He caressed her arms and slid his hand to her breast.

  She pretended to be affronted, but she loved his touch. Still, they were only engaged, not married. As much as she enjoyed being in his arms, she moved to the chair.

  “So, she affects you that way too? She was so… casual about the dangers of your job and the possible loss of lives. With a wave of her hand she said she was sure you figured on losing some employees. As if the men who work for you are disposable. Keeping my temper under control was a major difficulty.”

  “Her business is more trouble than it’s worth, but I can’t pick and choose customers. If I could, there are several I’d skip.”

  “With Mick still fighting for his life and Ken barely able to go home and you so badly injured, her comment hit me hard. I… I wanted to smack her. I’ve never hit a person, Zane, but I was shocked to learn I would have loved knocking her to the floor. Even, I believe, would have enjoyed the experience.”

  He chuckled. “I’ll have to be careful not to make you angry.”

  “This is serious, Zane. I had no idea I could be violent. I mean, I’ve had provocation in the past but I never wanted to just rear back and let my fist fly into someone’s mouth.”

  Grinning, he touched his nose with a forefinger. “The nose is a better place to hit. Lots of blood and the injury looks worse than it is.”

  “Don’t encourage my aggression, Zane. Until today, I had no idea I had this… well, vehement force inside me. Look at all I’ve endured. Why is my tendency toward violence suddenly occurring?”

  He took her hand in his. “This is just a guess, but you’re passionate in defending others. When you were threatened, you were sad, angry, shocked. Mrs. Hubbard, the old witch, attacked your friends—well I hope I’m more than a friend—and you leapt to our defense. I’d say that’s a good quality, my love.”

  She didn’t want to be a combative person and his explanation offered comfort. “You always make me feel better. Thank you.”

  He kissed her fingertips. “When we’re married, I can improve on what I’ve done so far.”

  Her face heated in a blush but she enjoyed the thought of being his in every way. “I’ll look forward to you proving that statement.”

  “Not a statement, Rachel, that’s a promise.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  After more than a week in bed, Zane came to work. Rachel walked beside him, her disapproval evident. Vic accompanied them in case Zane needed physical support, but he didn’t. Danged if he wouldn’t make the trip on his own two feet.

  “I’ll park here for a bit.” He sat in one of the chairs near Rachel’s desk. The effort of getting to the office after lying around so long had left him drained. Darned if he’d admit how ragged he felt after walking three blocks. “I want to enjoy the office’s look with the rug here.”

  Vic stood with his hands on his hips. “You sure you wanta be here today?”

  He gripped the chair arms. “I’m sure. Lying around all day was killing me.”

  Rachel sat at her desk and dropped her purse into a drawer, which she slammed shut. “Doctor Gaston said you needed to rest all this week.”

  “Being confined to bed is not restful, Rachel. I was going mad. Soon I’d be foaming at the mouth and Vic would have to shoot me.”

  Vic chuckled. “Them robbers took care of that.”

  Rachel glared at Zane. “The bed’s made up in your office so you can rest whenever you need to. Even has clean sheets.”

  “Thank you.” He turned to Vic. “I need to see some people in town. Let me know if there’ve been any problems with the freight.”

  “Nothing so far, boss. A couple of ranchers haven’t picked u
p their crates, but reckon they’ll come Saturday of this week or the next.”

  “We’re not going back out until everyone is in good shape. Probably be a month or so.”

  “That’s good.” Vic scratched his jaw. “Boss, Mick’s been wondering if he was gonna be fired.”

  Shock hit hard. “Fired? He should know me better than that. I’m going to see him this morning.”

  “You know how you feel being in bed? Well, he’ll be stuck there for several weeks. He’s been pretty worried. I told him you wouldn’t fire him for being shot. It’d put his mind at ease if he heard it from you.”

  Poor Mick couldn’t get well if he was sick with fear for his job. “I’ll go now. Rachel, I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”

  “Should I go with you?”

  “No, this is something I have to do. I’ll let you know the outcome.” He geared up his body and walked across the yard to Mick and Ruby’s house.

  Zane didn’t understand why Ruby swept her hard-packed yard, but noted it was level and clean of even a stray leaf. He rapped on the door. Ruby appeared surprised as she stood aside to let him enter.

  “He’s in the bedroom yonder.” She gestured to the back room.

  Zane walked in and was further shocked at Mick’s appearance. He must have lost twenty pounds since he’d been shot.

  “This is my first day out of the house. If you’re as tired of being tied to the bed as I was, you’ll be doing your best to recover.”

  “Boss, I’m trying but I still can’t walk over two or three steps without my legs giving out on me.”

  “As bad as you were hit, I’m just glad you made it. Now, don’t you worry about anything. We’re not making another trip for a while. Plus, those men had prices on their head. You’ll get your share of the reward.”

  No missing the relief that spread across Mick’s face. “You mean that?”

  “Why would you think otherwise?”

  “You hired me to do a job and I can’t. Won’t be able to for several weeks. Right now, I couldn’t sit on my horse even if someone else saddled him for me.”

  Ruby gazed at her husband instead of Zane. “We was afraid we’d have to move out of this house.”

  He realized she was worried about her future. “Ruby, don’t you remember me saying this house belongs to you and Mick as long as you want it?”

  She looked at the floor. “That was when Mick could ride guard and load freight.”

  “Mick saved my life and I have no intention of repaying him by kicking him when he’s down. Look, I have to get back to the office. You two quit worrying. Mick, concentrate on getting well. Don’t hurry, but when you’re ready your job is waiting for you.”

  Ruby raised her head and her face shone with happiness. “That’s sure good news. I’ll take good care of him and get him back strong.”

  “By the way, thanks for your help with the cactus garden. Makes the place look more professional.”

  Ruby walked him to the door. Before he left, she hugged him and planted a kiss on his cheek. “You’re a good man and we appreciate all you done for us.”

  He smiled at her. “Works both ways, Ruby.”

  The talk had invigorated him, had given him back some of his power. He saw Adam at the office door, his expression grim. What was that about?

  Zane hurried since Adam waited for him. “Hey, Sheriff, you out catching criminals this morning?”

  From the look on Adam’s face, Zane’s joke fell flat. “I have unpleasant business. Glad you’ll be here.”

  Zane put his hand on the doorknob. “What’s wrong? Has something happened?”

  Adam removed his hat and held the brim in his hands. “Let’s go inside. This involves Rachel.”

  She looked up as they entered. “Good morning, Sheriff. What involves me?”

  Adam strode across to sit in front of Rachel. “Come sit down, Zane.”

  Zane took the other chair in front of her desk. “This sounds serious. What’s going on?”

  Adam appeared miserable. “Mrs. Hubbard has accused Rachel of stealing some jewelry when she delivered a package there.”

  “What?” Rachel leaped up and leaned with hands on her desk.

  Adam motioned her to take her seat. “She swears that when you delivered some… birdcage or something that you went into her bedroom and helped yourself to her jewelry. I don’t believe you did, but I have to ask you questions then I have to find the damn jewelry. Pardon my language, Rachel.”

  Zane was poleaxed and he could see Rachel was too. In addition, sheer terror shone from her face.

  She had resumed sitting but appeared as if she couldn’t be still. Her hands shook until she clasped them in her lap. “I can’t believe this is happening. Not again.”

  Adam frowned. “Again?”

  Ignoring the sheriff’s question, Zane said, “Tell him exactly what took place that day, Rachel. Then we can try and figure out what really happened to the jewelry.”

  She took a deep breath. “Just as I was closing at noon, Vic brought the box over. He didn’t want to go to the Hubbard house and he knew I’d be coming by to visit Zane, so he asked me to deliver the box. It was large, but not heavy and Vic had made a handle for me out of cord.”

  Her lip trembled and he stood and went to her side. “Everything will be all right, my love. Adam just has to know what happened.” He parked himself on the edge of the desk.

  “I went there and she was extremely rude. After she checked the birdcage for damage—she doesn’t even have a bird—she insisted I take it to the master bedroom and set the thing on a table by the window. I did and returned to the parlor immediately. If she had jewelry out, I didn’t notice.”

  Adam exhaled. “She says a family heirloom garnet and diamond necklace and earrings set is missing. She noticed it last night when she was getting ready for bed but waited until this morning to see me.”

  “If I’d done anything illegal at her house it would have been to sock her in the mouth. She was so rude about the men who died and were injured. As if human life was of no consequence to her. I didn’t see her necklace, much less steal the thing.”

  Adam worried with his hat brim. “I have to warn you, Jenny Hubbard is a foul gossip. She’s not above embroidering events either. By noon, the story that you’re a thief will be all over town. Don’t pay any attention to the talk. When I find the set, the talk will disappear.”

  With tears in her eyes, Rachel shook her head. “No, it won’t disappear. Some people will always question my honesty. They’ll never forget.”

  Adam shifted rose and shifted from one foot to the other. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this. I’ll keep you informed on the investigation.” He clamped on his hat and left.

  Zane caressed her back. “They will forget, Sweetheart. Adam will get to the bottom of this and vindicate you.”

  Tears stained her cheeks and she dabbed at them with a handkerchief. “That’s what I thought before but that’s not what happened. How can I prove I didn’t take her necklace and earrings? I was in the room alone.”

  “You won’t have to. Adam and I will find out what happened to that woman’s jewelry.”

  “Maybe I should leave and go back to Lydia’s.”

  “Absolutely not. You’ve done nothing wrong so you proceed as if that awful woman’s allegation is nonsense, which it is. Follow your normal schedule as if nothing has changed.”

  “If you’re sure.” Her gaze went to the receipts in the wooden tray on her desk. “I have these records to enter and file. I guess Vic or Buck brought them in over the weekend.”

  “Some are probably regarding our next trip, but that’s not going to happen for at least a month unless there’s a genuine need at the mercantile. This time of year they have a lot of local produce, so I doubt they’ll run short of foodstuffs.”

  “I hope not. Perhaps the stage could bring some small items. Buck and Vic could ride with me and one wagon. I’d rather wait until I know Ken and Mick are doing be
tter.”

  Her red-rimmed eyes sparked with temper and she stood to face him. “And you!”

  She poked his chest with her forefinger. “Zane Evans, you are not healed enough to drive a wagon to and from Fort Worth. Don’t make me a widow before we’ve even married.”

  He slid his hands up and down her arms. “Hey, I’m not as damaged as you believe. I’ve dealt with worse than this and I know my own strength. You’ll have to trust me, my sweet Rachel.”

  “I do… it’s just… I was so worried when you didn’t come back with the others and I learned you’d gone after Bronco. Then, when I heard you were injured as well, I was terrified.”

  He pulled her into his embrace and cradled her against the uninjured side of his chest and she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Aw, Sweetheart. I’m sorry to have caused you distress. Now, I absolutely forbid you to worry about another thing. Lose yourself in your bookkeeping and filing and planning our wedding.”

  Her eyes were moist with tears when she raised her gaze to his. “You know I can’t forget that woman’s accusation hangs over me. All the horrors of the other time have been resurrected in my mind. I came here to start over, but now this may ruin everything.”

  He pressed her head to his uninjured shoulder. “I know, Sweetheart, I know. But, you have to trust Adam and me to help you. Except for a couple of Jenny Hubbard’s cronies, people in town will be on your side.”

  “Thank you for believing in me. You have no idea what a blessing that is.”

  “Come on, get to work and I’ll do the same.”

  “You should rest now and then I’ll go to the café and bring your dinner.”

  “How about I go talk to Adam and I’ll bring dinner on the way back.” When she opened her mouth for what he thought would be a protest, he raised his hands. “Give you my word I’ll rest after dinner.”

  Zane’s strength surprised him. Apparently all he’d needed was something to occupy his mind. Now he strode toward Adam’s office. Half a dozen people stopped him on the way to congratulate him on capturing the Cole gang and saving Bronco.

  When he arrived at the sheriff’s office, Adam was as grumpy as a mountain lion with bad teeth. “I have too many prisoners and the damn Army hasn’t come for theirs.”