The Secret Admirer Romance Collection

by Barratt, Amanda; Beatty, Lorraine; Bull, Molly Noble

  “Good. Thank you.”

  Luke left by the back door.

  Before reaching for the medicine, Abby glanced out the window just as the children climbed down from the wagon. “Ambrose, it looks like my sisters and brothers are awake and heading this way. I’ll introduce you to them and give you your medicine, and then I’ll get them involved in something outside that will keep them occupied. It wouldn’t do for them to bother you when you’re trying to rest.”

  “Thank you, Abby.”

  “And while the children are playing the quiet game,” she went on, “I’ll fix supper and get the house in order.”

  It was late afternoon by the time the chores were done and the soup was warmed. They all had a supper of fresh milk, biscuits, and chicken soup, and then Abby, the children, and Luke rode back to town.

  Abby still felt guilty for not offering to stay in the barn and serve as Ambrose’s nurse, and from the smirk on Luke’s face, maybe he also thought she should have agreed to do it. Something caused him to step back from her, and if there was another reason, she couldn’t think what it might be.

  She’d hoped that she and Luke would become friends. But he seemed cold to her now. As a result, she had nothing to say to him that Luke would care to hear during the long drive back to Frio Corners. He had nothing to say to her either. If Abby’s siblings hadn’t asked Luke one question after the other, the silence in his wagon might have been overwhelming.

  Yet Luke glanced in her direction several times. The mocking tone in his smile filled her with embarrassment.

  At last it was too dark to see anything but the full moon, peeking out between clouds so dark she wondered if they existed at all.

  Luke probably expected her to run out on Ambrose now that she’d actually seen him. He likely expected Abby and the children to take the next stage out of town.

  Well, she wouldn’t—even if she had the money for their tickets—which she didn’t. She had faults. Some said she was too bold and always jumping to conclusions, but she wasn’t a quitter. Abby would marry Ambrose—just like she said she would.

  So what if Ambrose wasn’t what she expected? Abby shook her head. At ninety years of age, Ambrose was nothing like she expected.

  Still, even Luke admitted that Ambrose was a good man, and according to his letters, Ambrose attended church services every time he could.

  But Ambrose deceived her—no question about it—just like her stepfather did. He failed to mention in his letters some important facts about his life. Wouldn’t that make him guilty of the sin of omission?

  Her late mother warned her never to trust men. She should have listened. Abby should have asked questions, and she should have demanded that Ambrose tell her more about himself. His date of birth would have been a good place to start.

  The Bible said that Christians must forgive others if they hoped to be forgiven. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Abby needed to forgive Ambrose and also Luke. But how could she ever forgive Gary?

  Gary. She wouldn’t think about him now.

  And Luke didn’t like her as he seemed to at first. Perhaps he doubted her integrity, and Abby could see no way to change that.

  When they finally arrived at the hotel, Luke got out of the wagon and helped her down from it. He still hadn’t said more than two words to her since they left the cabin, but at least he cared enough to act like a true gentleman.

  Lanterns hung from the eaves of the hotel, creating enough light to make it possible for her to actually see people and objects. The children jumped down with an air of excitement, as if they couldn’t wait to go inside. Abby didn’t move an inch after Luke set her feet on the ground.

  “Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Conquest. I really appreciate you taking us all the way out to the farm to meet Ambrose. And someday I hope to return the favor.”

  “How?”

  Abby frowned. “How what?”

  “How do you plan to return the favor?”

  “Oh, that.” Abby casually tossed her head back and wiped a curl from her forehead. “I’ll bake you a cake or a pan of cookies after Ambrose and I are married. You do like cookies, don’t you?”

  He nodded. “So you’re really going to marry him?”

  “Of course. Why else would I have traveled all this way?”

  He shook his head. “Well if that doesn’t beat all.” He glared at her. “Good night, Miss Willoughby. Guess I won’t be seeing you again until the day of the wedding, but it wouldn’t be right not to wish you good luck. You’re going to need it.” He turned and started to walk off.

  “Wait,” she said.

  He stopped and turned.

  “Can you suggest a young man willing to go out and stay with Ambrose until the wedding? You know the people around here. I don’t.”

  “He needs help all right, and I’ve been trying to find someone. A rich old man like Mr. Franklin could die on you—before you ever say, ‘I do.’” Without another word, he climbed up into his wagon and drove off.

  Luke waved the leather quirt over the horses’ heads. The animals moved forward at a fast pace.

  He sensed that Abby was watching him, and he wanted to turn around and look at her—see her lovely face and form one more time. But he wouldn’t.

  Luke guided the team through the main street of town and onto a set of bumpy ruts.

  Miss Willoughby wasn’t the princess he thought her to be—not by a long shot. And why did she smile all the time—as if she didn’t have a care in the world? If she wasn’t already an actress who performed on a stage, she should become one. Abby would outshine them all.

  Luke yawned. He should have spent the night at the hotel in town. He was so sleepy, he couldn’t keep his eyes from closing on their own, and the horses looked exhausted. If that wasn’t bad enough, the moon had dropped behind the clouds again. He could barely see his hand in front of his face.

  He slowed, turning the wagon around.

  Sure, he might see Miss Willoughby at breakfast in the morning at the hotel. But what was she to him? Abby was an engaged woman and an opportunist—if not an actress and a gold digger.

  Still, she had to be the prettiest gold digger in the state of Texas.

  Chapter 4

  Sue Ann Reynolds went to the hotel early the next morning to see if she could learn the identity of the young woman with Luke on the previous day. The hotel was also new, and she’d heard the interior was worth seeing.

  The hotel clerk was busy reading a letter of some kind and didn’t look up when she came in. As she stood waiting to talk to him, thoughts of what happened on the previous day flooded her mind.

  She’d just left the general store and was strolling in front of the café when Luke Conquest escorted a tall golden-haired girl and several children toward his wagon, parked across the street from the hotel. Sue hid in the shadows because she didn’t want Luke to catch her spying on them.

  Sue Ann had been in love with Luke Conquest all her life. Now that he was finally talking to her after church on Sundays, this stranger came to town. She wondered who the young woman was and what she was doing in Frio Corners.

  Maybe she was Luke’s cousin from out of town. She’d never heard that Luke had a sweetheart. But what if he did and the golden-haired girl was the one? These questions needed to be answered in order for Sue Ann’s dream to come true—the dream that said she would become Mrs. Luke Conquest one day.

  She’d also dreamed that someday Luke would take her arm as he took the arm of the young woman. Luke and the woman had gone inside the café as if she were special to him, leaving the children behind in the wagon.

  Sue Ann had considered walking over and questioning the children to discover the woman’s identity. Who would know?

  “May I help you, miss?” the hotel’s desk clerk asked.

  Sue Ann was so lost in her own thoughts that his question startled her for a moment. But it also forced her back to the present.

  She had t
o say something but had no idea what to say. She’d hoped to come up with a reason to ask him about Luke and the young woman without being obvious. But so far, that hadn’t happened.

  Then someone said, “Sue Ann? I mean, Miss Reynolds.”

  She turned. “Luke. What are you doing here?”

  “I might ask you the same question.”

  Sue Ann had to think fast—come up with a reason for being there that made sense. “I’ve—I’ve wanted to see the inside of this hotel since it opened,” she said. “This morning I decided to come inside and finally see it for myself.”

  Luke grinned. “I came here yesterday, and one of the reasons was to see the inside of this hotel.”

  She returned his smile as a thought burst forth. Was the other reason to meet the golden-haired girl? But she said, “It’s really nice in here, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  The golden-haired girl came out of the same door from which Luke had just emerged. Did this mean that—? No, it was wrong to think such thoughts. Still…

  “Miss Willoughby.” Luke had smiled as he and Sue Ann had their brief conversation, but his smile disappeared as he gazed at the golden-haired girl. “Meet Miss Sue Ann Reynolds. She is our church organist and an old friend from school.”

  If Sue Ann could have fallen through the floor of the hotel and disappeared forever, she would have gladly done it. A Christian shouldn’t have the kind of thoughts she was having, and she knew it. Miss Willoughby still stood in the doorway, smiling as if she really meant it. The word Restaurant was written in big letters over the door.

  So the two had breakfast together. But what went on before that? And where were the children? Perhaps they were rented out to Mrs. Zack, the owner of the café, or some other unsuspecting person.

  “I’m glad to make your acquaintance, I’m sure,” Sue Ann finally said in a monotone.

  “I’m glad to meet you, too, and I hope we can become friends.”

  Friends? Sue Ann doubted that would ever happen, but it was nice of Miss Willoughby to suggest it.

  Without looking at either of them, Luke stepped up to the hotel desk. “I would like to check out, Mr. Pearson.”

  The desk clerk was looking down. But all at once he looked up. “Right away, Mr. Conquest. Anything else?”

  “Yes. Put Miss Willoughby’s breakfast on my tab, please.”

  “Very well. And what about the children? Did they eat, too?”

  “No, they are still sleeping—as far as I know.”

  Sue Ann knew she was blushing because she felt heat bursting from both cheeks. Yet Miss Willoughby continued to smile as if nothing unusual had happened. If Miss Willoughby wasn’t a fallen woman, she was close to it.

  Luke was still paying his bill, and this might be a good time for Sue Ann to leave.

  “I guess I better go now, Miss—Miss Willoughby. I’m glad I met you and all, and please, tell Luke it was nice to see him, too.”

  Miss Willoughby’s perpetual smile increased sevenfold. “I will do just as you asked me to. And I hope you have a nice day.”

  For Sue Ann, a nice day was not a possibility. But at least she was leaving the hotel before something even more embarrassing took place.

  As Sue Ann crossed the street to the café, she kept thinking about all she’d seen and heard. Luke Conquest was not the Christian man she’d always thought him to be. Yet she still wanted to marry him.

  She’d planned to have breakfast at the café. Now she would go to the church and practice her songs for Sunday. She didn’t feel like eating, and playing the organ always cheered her up.

  Luke noticed when Sue Ann headed for the church. He didn’t want to talk to her. At the same time, he felt guilty for having such thoughts. Sue Ann was a nice Christian girl and a pretty one at that.

  But he had no romantic feelings for her. Clearly Sue Ann had feelings for him, and if he ever had a secret admirer, it would be her.

  Secret admirer. Luke barely knew Abby. Yet he admired her more than he was willing to admit. Was it possible for a man to love a woman at first sight?

  When he could no longer see Sue Ann’s green dress and matching bonnet, he stepped out of the hotel lobby and onto the stoop outside. He planned to stop by Jim’s blacksmith shop, and he would need to pick up the mare he’d bought from Pastor Johnson before he left town.

  Nobody could break that wild and spirited animal. But Luke intended not only to train her but tame her—no matter how long it took.

  He crossed the rocky street and stepped up onto the covered walkway. He needed to get his town business over and done with and get on out to the ranch. Ordinarily, he would have completed half a day’s work by now.

  Jim Turner was Luke’s best friend, and he’d been helping Luke find a single young man willing to nurse Mr. Franklin back to health. If he’d found someone, Luke could drop him off at the Franklin farm on his way home.

  He thought of Miss Willoughby again. Memories of her seldom left him now. Luke liked her. At the same time, he didn’t trust her. Nevertheless, he’d wanted to invite her to sit at his table at breakfast that morning. She probably expected it. Yet her friendly smile told that she wasn’t offended one bit when his invitation never came.

  Well, it wouldn’t look right—them sitting at the same table and Miss Willoughby being a betrothed woman and all. Mrs. Eastland was clearing some of the other tables as they ate eggs and bacon, and at least she knew they sat at separate tables. Still, people in small towns like Frio Corners talked, and gossip at a time like this was something none of them wanted.

  The entry to the blacksmith shop was propped open. Jim Turner had his broad back to the door, hammering a piece of metal against an anvil. At six feet, four inches, Jim Turner was a giant of a man, and some, back in their schooldays, called him names like Washtub and Fat Boy. Jim was the biggest man in Frio Corners, and in Luke’s opinion, he also had the kindest heart. “Mornin’, Jim.” Luke paused in the doorway before going in. “How’s business?”

  “Slow.” Jim turned around and smiled. “What brings you into town so early in the day?”

  “I wanted to talk to you. Have you found anybody willing to stay out at Mr. Franklin’s farm and help him out? I brought him some new medicine yesterday, and he’s still looking poorly. What he needs is somebody willing to stay day and night. I stay some, but not all the time.”

  “I know.” Jim laid down his hammer and moved forward, lessening the space separating them. “And I think I might have found someone.”

  “Who?”

  “Robert Benton. You remember him, Sue Ann’s cousin. The boy’s going to school back east come January—says he wants to be a doctor. But he needs a job now.”

  “He sounds fine,” Luke replied, “but Mr. Franklin never pays folks much. You know what a tightwad he is, and him with all that money tucked away somewhere.”

  “Robert knows how Mr. Franklin is with money. He’s mostly lookin’ for experience helping sick people.”

  “So when can he start?”

  “Today, I reckon.” Jim’s gaze moved from Luke to the tub by the anvil.

  Luke thought he looked nervous.

  “I guess I’ll go on over to his house then and tell him to pack his things.”

  “Yeah, that’s what you should do all right.” Then Jim didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Seen Sue Ann lately?” Jim finally asked.

  “I saw her awhile ago over at the hotel. Looked to me like she was headed over to the church.”

  “Probably went to practice her songs for Sunday.”

  “That’s what I figured, too.”

  Luke had known Jim long enough to know when there was something he was itching to say. Getting Jim to actually say it was another matter. Luke just wished Jim would spit it out and get it over with. He’d wasted enough of the day already.

  Jim shrugged, putting both his hands in the pockets of his overalls. “Are you planning to take Sue Ann to the shindig here in town on Sunday?” />
  “The barbecue over at the church?”

  “Yeah.” Jim looked down as if he were embarrassed to say more. “So are ya taking her?”

  “Hadn’t planned to, no.” Luke held in a grin. “So why don’t you take her, Jim?”

  “Me?” Jim shook his head. “A pretty girl like that wouldn’t want to go out with someone like me.”

  “How do you know ‘til you ask her?”

  “Naw. I can’t do nothing like that. I wouldn’t know what to say.”

  “Just say, ‘Sue Ann, I would like to take you to the shindig at the church on Sunday. How about it?’”

  “What if she says no?”

  “Say, ‘Thank you kindly for considering my invitation, and I hope you’ll go out with me some other time.’ Then you walk off.”

  “No, Luke. I couldn’t do that. She’d laugh at me.”

  “Has Sue Ann ever laughed at you in her entire life?”

  “No, I can’t say that she ever has.”

  “Then she wouldn’t laugh at you this time either. Now, I’m going to walk out of here and go over to Robert Benton’s house—see if he will come work for Mr. Franklin. As soon as I leave, I want you to close your shop, put a BE BACK IN AN HOUR sign on your door, and head on over to the church. Do you promise to do that?”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Think fast, Jim. Neither of us is getting any younger. My papa and mama were halfway to the altar by the time they were my age, and I don’t even have a steady girl.”

  Luke hung around outside after he left the blacksmith shop to see if Jim would do as Luke suggested. He’d almost given up when Jim suddenly left the shop and headed out.

  He was about to go on over to Robert’s when he happened to glance toward his wagon. Someone was seated where Abby sat on the previous day, and it sure wasn’t Robert. What was Abby doing there? He hurried over to find out.

  “Miss Willoughby. What are you doing here?”

  “Waiting for you.”

  “What do you mean, ‘Waiting for me’?”

  “The children and I are going out to that farm Ambrose owns to help him out a bit,” she explained. “And we will need a ride in order to get there. But this time you won’t have to bring us back to the hotel. We’ll spend the night in Ambrose’s barn.”