Jake ran around and climbed in on the other side.
Although she knew it wasn’t proper for her to be seated next to him like this, she didn’t care. She was proud to be sitting next to him instead of in the back like some spoiled rich girl, treating her friend like a hired servant. As for what the townspeople would think when they saw them riding into town together like this, well, she didn’t care about that, either. Nor did she have to worry about it. After all, she was going to pick up her future husband, so that should keep the tongues from wagging about her and Jake.
* * *
Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to let Leah sit next to him on the way to town. All the way there, Jake struggled with her intoxicating scent of roses and soap. Not only that, Leah looked even more beautiful than she normally did. However, seeing her dressed like that reminded him once again of how different their lifestyles were and how it was a good thing she had turned down his proposal. The two of them marrying would be like mixing fire and water.
Leah squirmed in the seat for what seemed like the millionth time.
“Pretty nervous, huh?”
She nodded and sighed.
“Try not to get too worked up. You’ll make yourself sick.”
“I know.”
The train depot came into sight at the edge of town.
“Jake, could you stop here a moment?”
“Sure. Whoa.” He halted the perfectly matched black and white spotted horses. Lines firmly in hand, he gave her his undivided attention. “What’s wrong?”
“I wondered if—” her eyelids lowered, then rose back to look at him “—I wondered if you would pray with me now.”
She looked so hopeful there was no way he could refuse her. “Sure.” He reached for her hand. They bowed their heads, and when he finished praying, he realized his prayer hadn’t only been for her benefit but for his, too. He knew this was going to be hard, but he hadn’t realized just how hard until that moment. If Leah and this Barrington fellow got along or, worse, fell in love, then he would lose the best friend he ever had. Pain clawed at his heart. If only she would have said yes to him before. But knowing it was a good thing she had turned down his proposal and living with that decision were two very different battles.
“Thank you.” Leah’s voice was soft.
Jake nodded, clicked the lines and headed into town. In the distance, the train wheels clacked against the iron track. Within minutes it would be here. Now it was his turn to be nervous. But, for Leah’s sake, he wouldn’t let it show. He needed to not only be strong for her, but also for himself. His sanity depended on it.
At the front of the depot, Jake helped Leah down. Their boots tapped side by side against the wooden planks as they walked down the plank board platform to meet the train.
The train whistle pierced the air. Smoke billowed from the black stack, and the clanging of the wheels grew louder as it neared.
Leah’s hand touched on his arm. A range of emotions battered across her face.
“Relax. Everything will be okay. You’ll see.” Brave words coming from a man who was as nervous as she was.
They turned their focus to the passengers now disembarking. The conductor helped a lady wearing a green dress every bit as fancy as Leah’s from the train. Behind her was a man in a tail suit, holding a cane in one hand and gloves in another and wearing a top hat. A proud peacock showing off his feathers came to mind.
That dandy had to be Mr. Barrington and the lady with him, his sister.
The man stepped beside the woman, stopped and looked around.
Jake decided to take matters into his own hands. “Wait here,” he said to Leah.
She nodded.
Jake strode over to the couple. “Excuse me. Are you Mr. Barrington?”
The man turned dark, condescending eyes and surveyed Jake with disdain.
Jake pressed his shoulders back. No man, rich or otherwise, would make him feel bad about himself. He’d suffered that sting enough to last a lifetime. “I asked if you...”
“Yes. I heard you. And yes, I am Mr. Barrington. Who might you be?”
“Jake Lure.” Jake offered the man his hand.
All the fellow did was glance at it as if it were poison.
Jake let his hand fall to his side. What he really wanted to do with it was rearrange the haughty man’s face.
“Jake.” Leah’s confused voice sounded from beside him.
He glanced down at her, then shifted his attention to the Barrington fellow. “Leah, this gentleman is Mr. Barrington.” Gentleman. Ha.
Barrington’s face brightened. “Ah. Capital. I see you’ve received my post.”
Capital? What was that supposed to mean?
The rascal removed his hat and bowed. Then he fastened his hand onto Leah’s fingers, raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. When he straightened, his eyes raked up and down Leah’s body approvingly.
Jake’s fists clenched at the audacity of this man. To avoid embarrassing Leah, he restrained himself from ramming his fist in the man’s eyes for disrespecting her like that.
“You are every bit as lovely as I had imagined. Quite striking, actually. It is a real pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Bowen. I am sure we will get along quite famously.”
A smooth talker this one was. Jake was determined to keep his eye on this fellow who portrayed himself to be a gentleman but was nothing more than a shed snakeskin.
* * *
Heat rose into Leah’s cheeks at Mr. Barrington’s compliment. Judging from the admiration on his face, his study of her must have met with his approval. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Mr. Barrington.” Leah gave him a small curtsy and a smile, relieved that she remembered the social graces from her childhood.
He returned her smile. His teeth, although white, were slightly crooked. His brown eyes, hair and long sideburns reminded her of the chocolate squares she indulged in every now and again.
“Miss Bowen, may I present my sister, Miss Elizabeth Barrington?”
The woman, who looked identical to her brother, curtsied, and so did Leah. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Barrington.”
“Please, call me Elizabeth. May I call you Leah?”
“Yes. Yes, you may.” The woman’s silk, royal-blue bustle gown must have cost a small fortune. As had her matching parasol, reticule, ribbon sash hat and matching slippers.
Those slippers won’t last long out here.
“May I call you Leah, as well? I know it is highly improper unless we are courting, but I feel it is just a matter of time before we shall be.” Mr. Barrington smiled.
“Of course. Leah’s fine.”
“Capital. And you may call me Fitzwilliam.”
“Thank you, Fitzwilliam.” Leah loved listening to his British accent. The man was extremely handsome. And tall, too. Not as tall as Jake, but taller than she at least. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve made arrangements at Mr. Barker’s hotel. It is the finest hotel in town.” Leah had done that the day she, Mother and Abby had gone to town to get the material for the dress she was now wearing.
“That was most considerate of you, Miss Bowen. I mean, Leah.” He hooked her arm through his.
Leah looked at their linked arms, then over at Jake.
Jake shrugged.
“You, sir. Get our bags.” Mr. Barrington’s tone boasted with authority aimed at Jake.
Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened. “You mean Jake?” Leah asked.
“Jake? You address your servant by his first name?”
“Servant? Jake is not my servant.” Annoyance rolled inside her at that, but she would not let her face show it— She’d let her voice instead. “Jake—” she emphasized his name “—is my friend. A very dear, very close, very special friend.” She smiled at Jake.
“I see.” Mr. Barrington’s eyes narrowed at Jake, and he looked like he’d just tasted sour milk.
“Brother, I’m sure Mr. Lure or Leah might know someone we may hire to ta
ke our belongings to the hotel.” Elizabeth smiled at Leah and Jake with a hint of an apologetic smile if Leah wasn’t mistaken. Elizabeth’s eyes lingered on Jake rather than on Leah, a fact that Leah did not miss. She found her own gaze going to him and sticking, too.
“No need, Miss Barrington. I’ll see to them,” Jake said, swinging a large bag to his hip.
“Jake, you don’t need to do that.” Leah slipped her arm out of Mr. Barrington’s and stepped beside Jake. “I’ll see if Mr. Barker will send someone over to get them.”
“I don’t mind.” He shrugged.
“You may not, but I do.” She sent him a look to let him know she really didn’t want him carrying them.
He stared at her for a moment, then set the bag down. Leah sent him a smile, letting him know how relieved she was he’d followed her silent request.
Another nod from Jake. She turned toward Fitzwilliam. “If you’re ready, we can take you to the hotel now. If you haven’t eaten, we can eat lunch there.” Leah’s attention slid to Elizabeth. “You must be exhausted from your long journey.”
“I am.”
“If you’d like, you can have a hot bath and rest awhile.”
“That would be lovely, Leah. Yes. You are quite right. A hot bath and a soft bed sound most agreeable. Thank you.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you to consider my sister’s needs, Leah. I must admit, I could use a bit of a rest myself. Perhaps after we’ve done so, we could hire a carriage to take us out to your ranch?”
“Brother,” Elizabeth said. “May we do that tomorrow? I am in need of nourishment and a good night’s rest.”
“Very well, sister. Even though I am quite anxious to spend time with Leah, I can see you need your rest. We shall wait until the morrow then.” Fitzwilliam smiled at Leah. “Though it shall be an interminable wait.”
What a sweet man to think of his sister’s needs, even above his own wants. “Very well, let’s go get you two settled in then. Would you like to walk to the hotel or ride?”
“If it’s not too far, I would prefer to walk. I have been sitting much too long,” Fitzwilliam answered.
“Yes, we have. Taking a turn would do us good.” Elizabeth smiled up at Jake.
She sure seemed to do a lot of that.
“Shall we?” Leah glanced at each one. When Leah turned toward the direction of the hotel, Mr. Barrington looped her hand through his arm again and tugged her forward, away from Jake’s side. She glanced over her shoulder at Jake and was about to mouth sorry when she felt another tug on her arm.
Jake gave her a quick nod to go on ahead.
“Miss Barrington, may I?” At the sound of Jake’s voice, Leah turned her head enough to see Jake offer Elizabeth his arm and smile warmly at her.
Something about that didn’t sit right in Leah’s belly. But she’d think about the why of it later. Right now she wanted to concentrate on Fitzwilliam.
The walk to the hotel was pleasant enough except for the fact that Leah spent more time listening to the conversation behind her than she did to the one she was a participant in.
“Here we are.” She stopped at the large three-story hotel.
“Impressive. Quite impressive. Allow me.” Mr. Barrington turned the brass knob on the large mahogany door.
Leah smiled at him and stepped far enough inside to let the others in. She quickly studied the room, trying to see it from the Barringtons’ viewpoint.
Crystal chandeliers loaded with fresh candles hung from the high ceiling. Light and airy, white swag curtains covered the three big windows in front and the three big windows on the sides. The white drapery material dotted with dainty pink and blue roses matched the fabric on the mahogany Chippendale chairs and the tablecloths that covered the matching tables.
On the far end of the room were two long, curved staircases, one on either side of a long mahogany registration desk. Next to the bottom of the stairs were entryways into the kitchen, one door for going in, the other for coming out.
“Don’t worry, Leah. Even they would have to agree it’s a fine establishment,” Jake whispered near her ear from behind her.
He knew her so well. She went to respond to him but never got the chance because Mr. Barrington clutched her arm and propelled her forward.
Fitzwilliam was obviously jealous of Jake, and Leah completely understood why he might be. After all, he didn’t know how it was between her and Jake. If he did, he would know he had nothing to be jealous about.
“Leah.”
Leah stopped and turned to find Mr. Barker heading her way. “Mr. Barker, how nice to see you again.” She
really did like the man, she just didn’t like the idea of he and her mother married. But she was trying. And she would be polite.
“It’s nice to see you again, too, Leah.”
Leah glanced over at Jake. “You know Jake Lure.”
“Yes, I sure do. How are you doing today, Jake?” They shook hands, and Mr. Barker’s smile radiated his respect.
“Fine, sir. And you?”
“Never better.” He glanced at Leah. She knew what he was referring to. Her mother and their relationship.
She didn’t want to think about that now so she turned to introduce Fitzwilliam to Mr. Barker. Once again, his eyes were narrowed in Jake’s direction, but he recovered quickly.
Poor Jake. He didn’t deserve Fitzwilliam’s disdain.
“Mr. Barrington,” Leah said, liking how refined and dignified he looked there.
Fitzwilliam turned his head toward Leah and the frown disappeared, replaced with a smile that didn’t quite make it to his eyes.
“I’d like you to meet Mr. Barker. He’s the owner of this establishment.”
Fitzwilliam’s eyes brightened considerably then. “Pleasure to meet you, sir.”
Mr. Barker extended his hand, but Fitzwilliam didn’t take it. He bowed.
Mr. Barker did a quick glance in Leah’s direction, then let his arm fall slowly to his side.
“And may I present my sister, Elizabeth?”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Mr. Barker gave a quick nod.
Elizabeth curtsied. “Thank you, sir. It is a pleasure to meet you, as well.”
Seconds of awkward silence passed until Leah spoke up. “Mr. Barker, we’ve come to have a bite to eat before my guests retire to their rooms. I’ve reserved two rooms here for them.”
“I’ll take good care of them, Leah.” For an older man, Mr. Barker was very handsome. She could see what her mother saw in him, still... Not now, Leah, she silently scolded herself. “Follow me and I’ll show you to your table.” Mr. Barker led them to the best spot in the dining area and seated them.
“I’ll send Carina over to take your orders. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have business to attend to. If I can be of service to you for anything, just ask Carina to send for me, okay? It was a pleasure to meet you all.” He glanced down at Leah and smiled. “Tell your mother hello for me.”
Although her insides cringed, she said, “I will.” She watched him walk away.
Jake leaned close to her and whispered, “Remember. It gets easier. I promise.” Like a butterfly alighting on a branch, his hand brushed hers under the table and he squeezed it gently. Gratefulness for his solid presence in her life drifted over her heart.
Their gazes locked for a moment. Leah willed her eyes to show him her gratitude. Jake gave a quick nod, shifted back into his chair and removed his hand.
Leah pulled her focus off of Jake and slid it onto Fitzwilliam, who was once again glaring at Jake. She needed to explain the friendship to Fitzwilliam. Not now, though. And not in front of Jake.
“Hi, Leah.” Carina stepped up to the table, dressed in a light green gown. “Hi, Jake.” Her smiling green eyes lingered on Jake as did her generous, full-lipped smile.
“Carina, this is Mr. Barrington and his sister, Elizabeth.”
“It is a pleasure to meet y’all.” Their pretty waitress glanced at Elizabeth and stared at Fi
tzwilliam.
Fitzwilliam sat in his chair like a statue. Leah waited for him to say something to Carina, but he didn’t. How odd. First Fitzwilliam didn’t shake Jake’s or Mr. Barker’s hands and now he didn’t respond to Leah’s introduction to Carina or even acknowledge her presence. Is that how things were done in England? Or was the man just nervous or shy? Leah hoped it was the latter—that at least she could understand. The other, she couldn’t and wasn’t sure she wanted to try.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, as well.” Elizabeth didn’t seem to have a problem acknowledging Carina. “Carina is such a lovely name.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Carina pressed a finger to her lip. “I don’t recognize the accent. Where y’all from?”
“England. But we live in New York now,” Elizabeth answered.
“Really? What are y’all doing here?”
“Carina, I’m sorry to interrupt, but my guests could use a drink and something to eat.” Leah gave her a small smile. Carina was a sweet girl, but once she got wind of something, the whole town eventually did, too.
“Oh, of course. How thoughtless of me.” Carina smiled a half smile. “What would y’all like to drink? We have tea, coffee, water, milk or wine.”
“Leah, what would you care to drink?” Fitzwilliam asked with a smile.
“Tea with cream and sugar.”
“The lady would like a spot of tea with cream and sugar,” Fitzwilliam told the waitress as if she hadn’t heard Leah.
“‘A spot of tea’? What’s that?” Carina’s face wrinkled.
“A cup, madam. It means a cup full of tea.” There was no condescension in his voice, which pleased Leah.
“Oh.” Carina shrugged and looked at him like he was nuttier than a walnut grove.
“I’ll have the same, Miss Carina,” Elizabeth said when Carina looked at her.
“Jake, what’ll you have?”
“Milk.”
“Milk? How very odd.” Fitzwilliam frowned at Jake, who looked completely unfazed by it.
But she was.
“And you, sir? What would you like?” Carina gazed down at Fitzwilliam with admiration in her eyes. Leah rolled hers at Carina’s obviousness.
“Wine. White if you have it.”
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