Handsome Widower’s Second Chance

by Elliee Atkinson

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  ALICE AND MARK FETCH THE CHILDREN

  ALICE AND MARK FETCH THE CHILDREN

  Alice stopped Mark as they headed toward the schoolhouse, calling his name. He turned in the saddle and lifted his head in acknowledgment, slowing his horse down.

  “Let’s go back by my house and get the carriage. Otherwise, we’ll be riding with the children in front of us and if anything happens, they will be vulnerable. You can leave your horse at my house and bring the carriage back once we’re at Adam’s house with the little ones.”

  Mark nodded. “Good thinking, Ally. Let’s do that.”

  They spent the rest of the time they rode in silence. Alice went in the house to tell her mother they were taking the carriage and fill her in on the plans. Thankfully, Nathan had not returned home. Once they were both in the carriage, Mark leading the two horses, he said, “Do you think your mother is in any danger?”

  Alice shook her head. “No. Nate may not be in his right mind when he’s drunk and it concerns me. However, he will never let anything happen to Mama. He loves her too much.”

  “I thought he loved you, too. And your sister.”

  The mention of Holly made Alice’s heart ache for a moment. Again, she shook her head. “It’s different. Surely you don’t feel the same about your siblings as you do your parents.”

  Mark lifted his eyebrows. “I have no reference to speak of. I have no siblings and my mother died when she gave birth to me. My father raised me before getting remarried to a nice lady that I care about but would never consider to be my mother. She was not the mothering type. She did make sure I was clean and healthy but I was a teenager when she came in the picture. So I don’t know how it would feel to lose a sibling or to feel differently about siblings and parents.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Mark. I didn’t know that about you.”

  Mark shrugged. “There’s no way you could have.”

  “Is that why you still aren’t married? You don’t see a good reason for it? You don’t want a family?”

  Mark gave her a long, amused look. “Well, no, that’s not why. I hope to someday find a lady to marry and have a family with. But I have time; I’m only in my twenties. I can wait. I haven’t really met the right woman yet.”

  “It must have been difficult being best friends with someone who had a good marriage and beautiful children.”

  Mark chuckled. “No, not really. I am not the envious type. And as I said, I figure someday it will happen, if it’s God’s will. I’m perfectly content on my own right now. It gives me the freedom to do what I want, when I want without being restricted for any reason.”

  “And you like it that way?”

  Mark paused before he answered. She could see him thinking about it. He was a handsome man. She didn’t think he’d have any trouble finding a woman to marry if he wanted to. After a moment or two, he shrugged. “I’m not sure I’d say I like it this way. It’s just the way my life is right now. I don’t want to marry just to be with someone. I don’t want to be with a woman who loves me that I don’t love. And I don’t want to marry for any other reason than love.”

  Alice nodded. “I feel that way, too, even though it’s common for a woman to be married early and to be searching for a husband once they are of age. I want to love my husband, like my mother loves my father. I don’t want to marry so that I will have money or anything like that. If I were allowed, I would make my own way in this world. But it’s not really a possibility for me to do some of the things I’d like to do.”

  “Really? What did you have in mind?”

  Alice looked at him. “What do you mean?” She asked.

  “If you could have any job in the world you wanted to have, what would it be?”

  Alice pressed her lips together, thinking about it. “Well, I think I would like to be a doctor.”

  Mark raised his eyebrows. “Oh? That’s a strange job for a woman to have.”

  Alice gave him the same look of surprise. “You think so? Why?”

  Mark shrugged. “Why would you want to have it? I mean, you would be dealing with sick people all the time and some of them would die and… it just seems like a very dirty job to me.”

  Alice shook her head. “It sounds interesting to me. I’d like to know what makes us live. I’d like to study the heart and the organs in the body and even what makes hair grow on our heads.”

  “Really?” It sounded more like a statement than a question to Alice. He sounded impressed. “I’d have to say you are smart enough to learn all that stuff. However, I don’t know anywhere that would teach you such things. Doc Brown would probably think it’s a funny thought.”

  Alice shrugged. “Perhaps. But you did ask me what I’d want to be.”

  “Is there anything else you’d like to be?”

  “I hadn’t really thought about it. I guess… I guess after what happened to Holly, it made me think of it more. I’ve always been interested and papa has even brought home several books for me to read on the subjects, books he borrowed from Doc. I find the pictures and diagrams very interesting. We are made up of so many complex parts. It would be fascinating to know how they all work and what they all do.”

  Mark nodded. “I’m impressed, Alice. I like the way you think.”

  She smiled at him and he returned it.

  They were just pulling up to the schoolhouse.

  “I think we have a few more minutes before they are let out,” Alice said. “Do you think I should go in and get them now?”

  “Yes, do that. I think we should get back to Adam’s as soon as we can. Your papa needs to go find Nathan. No telling what those men are plotting up.”

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” Alice said as she got down from the carriage. Mark held the reins in check, watching as she went, thinking she was an impressive woman. If the timing were right, he could fall in love with her. After the way she and Adam had been looking at each other, though, he was fairly certain her heart was already taken.

  Alice moved quickly over the grass to the front steps of the small schoolhouse. She pushed open the door and passed the empty coat rack to circle around the main room. The children were quiet and all she could hear was the scraping of chalk on their small slates. There was a row of letters on the board, comprising the alphabet, and each child was concentrating on writing one after another, erasing after two or three letters and continuing on.

  Miss Berry was walking around, looking down at the children’s work as she passed, giving encouragement and helping those who were having trouble. She looked up, hearing Alice come into the room.

  “Miss Wesley! Are you all right? You look flushed.”

  “I must get my niece and nephew and take them home, Miss Berry.”

  Miss Berry frowned in concern, her thin face drawing even thinner when she did so. “Is everything all right? Has something… else happened?”

  Alice shook her head. “Nothing that I can speak of at this time. I just need to take them home.”

  Max had already gotten to his feet and was gathering his books, strapping them down in a belt. He moved quickly to Riley’s desk without a word to Alice, urging Riley to hurry.

  “Will they be here tomorrow?” Miss Berry followed them as Alice hurried them to the front door. Alice turned.

  “Yes, I believe so. I don’t see why they wouldn’t be. If they aren’t here, just know they are safe and they will return when they can.”

  “I wish you could tell me what’s going on,” Miss Berry said quietly standing at the door of the schoolhouse as they left.

  Alice shook her head. “You will find out soon enough, I’m sure. Word travels fast in little towns like ours.”

  Alice hurried after the children, helping Riley up into the carriage. Max’s face was very serious. “What’s happening, Aunt Alice?”

  Alice leaned forward and took his hands in hers, looking directly in his eyes. “We’ve had some trouble with your uncle and we just need
to make sure you are safe.”

  “What’s wrong with Uncle Nate, Aunt Alice?” Riley’s voice came out as a squeak. She was scared and her small face showed it.

  Alice looked at her, soothing her with a soft touch on the cheek. “It’s going to be all right, darling. Just stay with us and you will be safe.”

  “Is he alive?” Max’s blunt question hit Alice like a stab in the heart. Mark’s head snapped to the side when he looked at the little boy.

  “Yes, he is.” Alice could say no more on the subject. She knew why the little boy had asked her the question.

  Without another word, Max sat back in the seat, pulling his hand from Alice’s slowly. Riley took her brother’s satisfaction as her own and said nothing more, just looked out at the passing scenery as they went down the dirt road off the main street in town.

  Alice watched the two children without staring at them directly. She didn’t want them to think she was scared, too. Honestly, though, she was. She couldn’t get the memory out of her head of Carl on top of her, her calls to her brother going unheeded, the terrifying thought that Carl would harm her and steal her virtue, ruining what reputation she had and ensuring she would never be fit for a good husband.

  She ran through the memory of Adam bursting on the scene, Mark right behind him, pulling Carl off of her and tossing him across the room. It made her heart melt, his power was overwhelming. It may have been the adrenaline of seeing a woman in distress that caused him to be so strong, or he may just be that strong naturally.

  She fought against a smile. She didn’t want to think of Adam in that way but was finding it increasingly difficult not to. He was such a handsome man and he had been so good to Holly. How could she not want him as well, now that he was left alone and with two children to care for? She ran her eyes over their small faces again. How beautiful they were. Max with his tousled brown curls, making small rings all over his head. His intense brown eyes, so wise for someone so young. Riley being just the opposite of her brother, with blond hair and blue eyes that sparkled with excited innocence. She looked at everything with such amazement, as if she’d never seen it before, whether it was a tree, a flower, or a small animal. She was especially fond of small animals, preferably rabbits.

  Alice had a thought that perhaps that was the reason she and Holly had gone for a walk the day of Holly’s death. To look at the pretty flowers and see the rabbits skipping through the wooded area around their house.

  She pulled her eyes from the children and looked out over the horizon. She and Holly had run through these fields with their friends, gone on hayrides, had bonfires, and more. The memories made her think of Nathan as a teenage boy, how he had laughed and had fun with his friends. What had happened to her brother? How could he have become so vile and cruel?

  She shivered and held in the sting of tears that wanted to flow from her eyes. She couldn’t let the children see her like that. She refused to let them see her like that.

  They approached the house, leaving a trail of dust behind them. Alice scanned the area.

  “It looks quiet,” she said. She glanced at Mark, whose eyes were narrow as he looked closely at not only the house but everywhere around it.

  “Yes, it does. I’m glad. I was hoping we would not see the house…” he stopped himself. He was about to say “burned to the ground” but knew he couldn’t say that in front of the children. He looked at them quickly and then back at the house. “Okay, let’s go see Grandpa, kids.” He said.

  “Grandpa is here?” Riley’s face lit up with happiness. “Oh, I can’t wait to see him. Hurry, Uncle Mark. Hurry!”

  Her excitement made Alice and Mark grin, despite the circumstances.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  A PLAN IS MADE

  A PLAN IS MADE

  Max and Riley both jumped down from the carriage without assistance. They ran to the house and banged through the door, calling out “Grandpa!” as they went. Mark gave Alice a hand and she stepped down from the carriage gracefully.

  “Thank you, Mark,” she said, smiling at him.

  “It looks like you will probably be safe here.” Mark was still scanning the landscape around them, his eyes narrow and suspicious.

  “I’m sorry you’ve gotten mixed up in this, Mark. Thank you for helping me.”

  Mark gave her a funny look and lifted one side of his lips in a half-grin. “Don’t thank me, Ally. I haven’t done anything a decent man wouldn’t do for a woman in need. You may be strong and feel independent, but you are still a woman and there are a lot of men who will take advantage of you if given the opportunity. Not to mention you are a beautiful woman in the prime of your life. You will be looking for a husband soon, if you aren’t already, not for protection or money,” he lifted his hands in the air, letting his smile widen. “But for love. I know. I remember.”

  Alice giggled. He let her walk in front of him and followed her to the door. Alice stepped through and stopped so quickly, Mark almost ran into her. She turned and gave him a sheepish look.

  “I’m sorry, Mark.” She hurriedly stepped to the side. The first thing she saw was her father with Riley on his lap and Max hanging over the older man’s shoulders. He was laughing, bent over slightly with his eyes closed.

  The sight almost brought tears to her eyes. She knew her father was heartbroken after losing Holly. She had not seen him genuinely smile since the day they lost her. Here he was, though, laughing and playing with his grandchildren. It filled her heart with joy. At times, missing her sister had gripped her with sorrow and she broke down sobbing. She tried to be alone when that happened but sometimes it hit her when she was in the general store or outside the schoolhouse. Anyone who was around would wrap their arms around her and hug her until her tears abated. To see her father laughing and enjoying himself was a treasure she would never forget.

  “All right, all right, settle down,” Chuck said, setting Riley back on her feet and untangling Max’s arms from around his neck. “We have business to attend to.”

  “What’s wrong with Uncle Nate, Grandpa?” Riley asked innocently. Chuck looked up at Alice in alarm. She shook her head and shrugged. There was no way to tell him she and Mark hadn’t told the children anything of substance. Mark stepped forward and knelt next to Riley, brushing her hair back and hooking the strands behind her ear.

  “Remember how we said he’s just having some issues? He’s not feeling well and we need to go find him.”

  “I saw him in town. While we were playing outside.” Max said. All eyes turned to him.

  “You did? When was that?”

  “Before Aunt Alice came to get us. We’d only just come inside to finish out our alphabet and writing.”

  Adam leaned over in his chair and looked directly at the boy. “What was he doing, son? Was he alone?”

  Max shook his head. “He wasn’t alone. He was with some other men. They didn’t look happy. But Uncle Nate didn’t look like he was sick. He looked mad.”

  Adam and Alice shared a look. Alice wondered what Nate was thinking, what he was planning. There was no way he was going to let this go.

  “He had a big bruise on his face.” Riley said.

  “You saw him, too?” Adam asked her.

  The little girl nodded. Her eyes had grown wide in curiosity.

  “Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Adam asked.

  She just shrugged.

  “At least we know he’s in town.” Mark said.

  Adam held out a hand to Riley and Max. His children took hold of his large hands and he said, “I want you two to go up in the loft with Aunt Alice and stay up there while we take care of this. Uncle Nate is not feeling well in his head. He’s not sick like the flu. He is just having some problems right now and we need to take care of him. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Daddy,” Riley answered, nodding emphatically.

  “Papa, is Uncle Nate drinking too much? Is it making him mean?” Max’s question prompted the adults to stare at him once again
.

  “What makes you ask that, Max?” Adam responded.

  “Because when I saw him, Timmy said he was stumbling around like Timmy’s dad does when he drinks a lot and comes home from the saloon. He said his dad is always mad at his mom and he has to hide in his room.”

  Pain streaked through Alice at the thought of little Timmy having to hide in his room.

  “That’s very smart thinking on Timmy’s part,” Adam said. “It’s better to stay safe when you’re a little guy than try to get in a man’s way when he’s been drinking.”

  “So is that why you have to help Uncle Nate?”

  Adam nodded. “Yes, we have to see to it that he stays safe and that everyone in our family is safe. We don’t want him to hurt himself or anyone else.” He gave a meaningful look at Alice. She pressed her lips together and looked down at the ground.

  “Okay, we can go play in the loft. Can we go outside later?”

  “For now, it’s best to stay inside. We’ll let you know if you can go out later.”

  Max and Riley moved to the ladder to get up to the loft. Riley went first and Max followed closely behind, leaving the adults below.

  “Do you have a plan, Adam?” Alice asked.

  Adam’s face had taken on a very serious look. He was leaning one arm on the table with the other propped on his leg while staring at the wall in front of him. He looked at her when she spoke to him, paused and then shook his head. “I don’t… want to hurt him.” He looked at Chuck. “What do you think should be done, Chuck? He isn’t stable right now. His drinking is getting the better of him. I am not the one he hurt or threatened to hurt. What happens now must be decided by you and Alice. What do you want to do?”

  “I am going to find my son,” Chuck said, firmly. “I am probably the only one who can deal with him in the state he’s in. He won’t be… it’s best if you and Alice stay here. Mark, you can accompany me, if you’d like. But this is mainly a family situation and I understand if you no longer want to be involved.”