A pair of young women swept in, laughing and chattering. When they saw her, they stopped, giving each other knowing looks and walking by, almost drawing their skirts aside. Elise frowned. Now what had caused that reaction? She was a stranger to them. What could they possibly have against her?
They took a table in the front of the restaurant by the windows, whispering and glancing over their lace gloves at her.
A large woman in a flowered apron came by, plates balanced in her hands. “Hi, honey, you take a seat anywhere you like. I’ll be right with you.” She sent a kind smile Elise’s way, which acted like a balm to her frazzled nerves.
She chose a small table near a potted fern, mostly out of sight of the twittering duo by the windows. Before the waitress returned, a tall woman in rustling silk strode in, the brim of her hat drooping fashionably to one side. Her eyes, like the blades on a button press, bored through the room, stopping when they struck upon Elise.
“So, you must be the newest Hart bride I’ve been hearing about from Mr. Yost.”
The room went still. News traveled fast. “I am Mrs. Bowie Hart. And you are?”
“Miss Spanner. I am a modiste. My salon is across the street.” She said it with a haughty lilt in her voice that told Elise she was a plain old dressmaker. It was the same way her uncle had used to say “entrepreneur.” “I was sorry to hear you had already married, since I was hoping for a chance to sew a wedding gown for a Hart bride.” She looked Elise over, and her lips twitched. “Ready-made garments, I see.”
Elise’s happiness with the new clothes Bowie had purchased for her dimmed a bit.
“Still, I imagine you’ll be coming by my shop soon. I heard you were in town already to spend some of that lovely Hart money. I don’t blame you. At least the money will sugar the pill of being married to Bowie Hart.”
The waitress returned, cutting in front of the outspoken dressmaker before Elise could form any thought beyond anger.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hart. I’m Tillie, and I’ll be looking after you. Can I get you some coffee or tea? Maybe a slice of apple pie?” She handed a menu to Elise with a smile. “Sure am glad to make your acquaintance, and I’m glad Bowie found himself such a pretty bride. He deserves a little happiness.”
Miss Spanner sniffed and stalked away to join the two women near the window, and Tillie leaned close. “Don’t you mind Evelyn and Hattie over there by the window. Spiteful cats. They both wanted a Hart brother to propose to them, and they’re jealous. And Miss Spanner and her airs. She’s just a frustrated old woman who set her cap for Harley Burton, the lawyer here in town, and he isn’t exactly coming up to the mark, shall we say? She gets spleeny because he runs away every time he sees her coming.”
Elise nodded, but her heart hurt. No wonder Bowie avoided town. She had a feeling that given the choice, she’d avoid the place, too.
Chapter Five
Within a week, the papering and painting were finished, and Elise found herself at loose ends until the rest of the furnishings arrived. Josefina and Carlos did their best to ensure she didn’t lift a finger inside the house or out, and her husband was absent much more than he was present. Bowie worked from dawn until dusk on the new barn and with training his horses and dogs, ate his meals with barely a word spoken, and every night, at the head of the stairs, she turned to go into her bedroom and he into his across the hall. And every night she felt more isolated and lonely. They coexisted amiably enough, but Elise found herself wanting more.
She wanted Bowie to let her into his life.
But how could she get him to open up to her? How could she get to the man she knew existed behind the walls he’d erected? She had glimpsed behind that protective barrier when they’d first met, when he was helpless in the hospital, out of his mind with fever, begging her not to leave him, refusing treatment unless it was by her hand.
She’d seen it again when they had kissed in front of his family, when he’d received the deed to his land. She was sure he had felt something. Not to mention the joy of waking up in his arms. What would it be like to awaken that way every morning? To be desired and cherished like that for the rest of your life? To be able to spend all the love she had been storing up in her heart on someone who would love her back?
Elise wanted that. And she wanted that with Bowie.
But how did she reach the man’s heart?
What she needed was a plan to at least get her husband to spend time with her. That would be a good start. Then she could work on getting past his defenses. And the sooner she started, the better.
She waited supper that evening until well after the regular time, but Bowie didn’t come inside. Finally, she sent Josefina home, saying she would clear up. Bowie had been late before, but not this late, and Elise found herself looking out the window and listening for his footsteps on the porch. Eventually, she went in search of him. She wrapped a shawl around her shoulders against the mid-November chill and headed toward the new barn. Bowie spent his days training a crop of young colts how to be cow ponies. Perhaps one of them had fallen ill. She’d check the corral behind the barn first.
But Bowie wasn’t there. Six sturdy horses stood together, munching hay, swishing their tails, but her husband wasn’t to be seen. Elise turned and started for the barn, but as she rounded the corner, she collided with Bowie. He put his hands out and grabbed her shoulders to keep her from stumbling.
“Something wrong?” His deep voice brushed against her hair before he set her back, sending a tremor through her.
“You didn’t come in for supper.”
“I was with Clara. It’s her time. I was coming in to get you, if you wanted to see the pups born.”
She smiled. He’d thought of her, wanting to include her. That was something, wasn’t it?
Taking her hand, he led her into the barn and into a stall piled with hay. Under the manger on an old blanket, Clara lay on her side, panting and grunting softly. Bowie had lit a lantern, and a bucket of water and a pile of rags waited nearby.
“How long does it take?” Elise sat on some bags of grain he’d piled along one wall.
“This is her first litter, and it depends on how many pups are in there. She’s bigger than I thought she’d be, so there might be quite a few, which is just as well, considering all the folks that want one.” Bowie squatted on his heels, reaching out and running his hand down Clara’s distended side. She turned her head and lapped his fingers. “Good girl. You’re doing fine.”
When the first puppy was born, Bowie handed it to Elise along with a piece of toweling. She rubbed the wet, trembling creature. “It’s been a long time since I was a nurse.”
He took the puppy, laying it alongside Clara. “You haven’t lost the knack.”
She swallowed and gathered her courage. “I was scared the whole time I worked at Fort Slocum. I think the most scared I ever was though, was when I took your bandages off.”
Bowie went still, his lips flattening. “Because you were afraid of how I looked?”
“Of course not. How could you even think that?”
“Because the other day, when you saw me without my eye patch on, you gasped. You were … repulsed.”
“Bowie Hart, that’s the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. When will you believe that I’m not repulsed by your face?” A quiver went through her. “I gasped because I realized you were awake, and there I was, draped all over you when I said I would stay on my side of the bed…” Mortification ran through her from her hairline to her hem. “I was embarrassed that you caught me in such a way.”
He blinked, and a bemused, wary look came over his face, as if he wasn’t sure he should believe her explanation. If he only knew how badly she wanted to wake up in his arms again, he’d run for the hills.
“So, if you weren’t scared of what my face looked like, what were you afraid of back there in the hospital?”
“I was afraid for you, that you would be blind. I cried when you could still see, I was so happy. The rest did
n’t seem to matter compared to that. In fact, I miss seeing your face under all that beard. You have such a nice jaw. I remember from when I shaved you in the hospital. Have you ever thought of shaving your beard and cutting your hair?”
Bowie shook his head, no trace of a smile remaining. “I look bad enough now. Without the beard and long hair…” He shrugged. Clara gave a low moaning grunt, and he turned away from Elise, the subject closed.
Through the evening, Elise marveled at Bowie’s gentleness, even as she longed for him to realize that the people who mattered, the people who cared about him, didn’t see him as a monster at all. That a man’s measure and worth weren’t in his appearance but in his actions. “I wish, just once, you could see what I see when I look at you,” she whispered, her heart aching.
By the time midnight rolled around, Clara was licking and nuzzling seven beautiful puppies.
“They’re so helpless, and yet, they all know exactly what to do.” Elise rubbed the last one with a bit of toweling before placing it alongside its littermates. “Even with their eyes closed and weak limbs, they find her and latch on.” Pup seven was no exception, squirming and working his way toward his first meal.
“God is pretty amazing, the way He made His creatures.” Bowie rubbed Clara’s ears. “They just seem to know by instinct what to do most of the time. Which reminds me, I talked to Hays, and he and Emma will stop by day after tomorrow to take you to church. You missed last week, but nobody would’ve expected you to be there, being a newlywed.”
Elise paused in washing her hands in the bucket, wishing her reason for church had been that she was still on her honeymoon. “Where will you be? I thought we’d go to church together.”
“I don’t go to church. Not anymore.”
“Why not?”
He looked up at her. “In case you hadn’t noticed, church is in town. I don’t go to town.”
“Not even to church? Where do you get your spiritual guidance from?”
Shrugging, he levered himself up. “Parson Longley comes out for a visit most weeks. We talk about spiritual things then.”
“And he is fine with this arrangement?” Elise certainly wasn’t.
“He’s after me to come to church on Sunday mornings, but he doesn’t press too hard anymore. I do my praying and Bible reading privately, talk to the preacher once a week or so, which is more than a lot of folks do, I imagine.”
But how much you miss, cutting yourself off from people, from worshipping with fellow believers. And yet, if what she had experienced at the hands of some of Hartville’s citizens was any example, could she blame him?
“I’ll ride over and join you for Sunday dinner at El Regalo. Hays and Emma can bring you home after that.”
“Actually,” Elise said, grateful for the opportunity to put part of her fledgling plan into action. “I would prefer if you would bring another saddle horse so I could ride home with you.”
“Ride?” He looked up quickly, his hair swinging back from his face, the long strands snagging on his beard.
“I am a rancher’s wife now, aren’t I? I should learn to ride a horse, and I want you to teach me. Surely a short ride from El Regalo to home would be a good first lesson?” She twisted her fingers at her waist, praying he would say yes, that he wouldn’t spurn her.
Bowie studied her, the lamplight illuminating half his face, the scarred half, so that she couldn’t see his good eye. In the semidarkness of the barn, the black-powder burns didn’t show as much.
“I suppose it would be a useful skill. There’s a sidesaddle in the tack room at El Regalo that used to belong to my mother. And I can scare up a gentle horse for you.”
Elise was ready and waiting on the front porch Sunday morning when Hays and Emma drove up. Hays hopped down, grinning, and helped her into the surrey. He and his bride chatted all the way to town, including Elise in their conversation. Elise had to force herself to be cheerful, missing her husband, aching that he chose not to come. I don’t want to be a “church widow” for the rest of my life.
And yet, it felt good to be back in church, worshipping with fellow believers. The Hart family took two-and-a-half rows, and Elise found herself sitting beside GW. He had a nice voice, and he sang every hymn with gusto.
Following the service, nobody seemed in a hurry to leave, and Elise found herself surrounded by townsfolk. GW introduced her as the newest member of the Hart clan. It felt strange being with so many people after spending so much time alone, but the parishioners were friendly, welcoming her to the community.
A pair of little boys laughed and chased one another around the pews, dodging between skirts and pant legs, shrieking and twisting. One bosomy older lady grabbed them both on the way by, hauling them up short.
“Christopher and Manuel, how many times do I have to tell you to take your hooliganism outside? This is a house of God, not a playground. I’ve warned you before what happens to naughty little boys. If you don’t straighten up, Bowie Hart himself will sneak into your window some night and eat you right up.” She gave them a shake.
Elise gasped. “How dare you use my husband as some sort of ogre to scare these children into obedience? My husband is not a monster. He’s a good, kind man, loyal to his family, and a brave war veteran. If this is an example of the Christian love and charity practiced by this church, it’s no wonder Bowie chooses to refrain from attending.”
The woman gaped like a landed fish, her grip on the boys loosening. “Well, I never!”
“Then perhaps you should.” Elise picked up her hem and strode out, her anger carrying her until she reached Hays’s surrey. That awful woman. Elise took a few deep breaths, trying to get a hold on her temper and her dismay.
“Elise?”
She turned. Austin stood there, his face grim. Chagrin bowed her head. What a spectacle she’d made of herself on her first Sunday in church. The Harts must be thoroughly ashamed of her.
“Are you all right?”
The lump in her throat prevented her from speaking, so she nodded, blinking fast.
“I wonder if Bowie knows what a champion he has in you.” Austin helped her into the surrey, keeping hold of her hand and pressing it in a reassuring, big-brotherly way. “Don’t let Mrs. Mulligan’s silly notions get to you.”
“How can people be so ignorant and cruel? They don’t even know Bowie if they can think such terrible things. He’s kind and protective and intelligent and strong.” She gripped Austin’s hand. “He always puts the needs of others ahead of himself, and just because he’s quiet when he’s around other people doesn’t mean he’s hateful or scary or plotting how to harm them.”
Chuckling, Austin patted her shoulder. “Bowie’s a blessed man. It’s as plain as day how much you love him. If you would’ve stayed inside, you would’ve seen a lot of church folks coming to your defense and his.”
“I do love him,” she blurted out, giving voice to the feelings that had been building up inside her since the moment she first saw Bowie in the factory doorway … or was it when she first held his hand and mopped his sweaty brow in the hospital? “Why do people have such a hard time believing he is worthy of being loved? I can’t even convince Bowie of that fact.”
“Bowie is proving stubborn? I’m stunned.” He grinned and winked at her. “He changed after the War, and distanced himself from all the people who love him. I think you might be just the thing he needs to bring him all the way back into this family.”
Bowie joined his family for Sunday dinner. Elise greeted him, rising from her place on the settee and holding out her hands to him, raising herself on tiptoe and kissing his scarred cheek above his beard. He blinked, trying to quell his surprise.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I missed you.” She tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and leaned against him. “Did you bring a horse for me?”
He nodded. “I did. Rode over to Coralee’s brother’s place yesterday. Calvin had a nice little dun mare that I thought would be a good mount for you, an
d he was only too happy to sell her to me. She’s been ridden sidesaddle before, and she’ll be used to a lady’s skirts flapping.” Bowie inhaled the fresh jasmine scent of Elise’s hair, wondering if he would ever tire of it.
His brothers and their wives laughed and chatted, waiting for Perla to announce that dinner was ready. Though Bowie had expected Elise to rejoin Emma and Caro, she stayed by his side. Pa came over, smoothing his mustache and grinning.
“Missed you at church this morning, son.” He said the same thing every week. “Glad to see Elise there, though. She made quite an impression on the congregation.”
Elise’s grip on Bowie’s arm tightened, and he glanced at her. She worried the corner of her lip, a small crease between her brows. She gave a small shake of her head to his pa. Had something happened at church?
Before he could ask, Pa said, “It’s all set in the dining room.”
Bowie nodded.
“Dinner is ready.” Perla made the announcement, and everyone filed across the hall into the dining room. Bowie kept Elise back, waiting to go in last.
“Pa has a little surprise for you.”
Near the head of the table, Pa waited, his hands resting on the back of a chair. “Elise, I’m pleased as can be that Giles finished this so quickly. Bowie, come help your wife get seated.”
Bowie put his hand on the small of Elise’s back and guided her down the long table. She gasped when she saw her own monogrammed chair, twin to his except for the initials. E.M.H. Elise Marie Hart.
“Do you like it?” Bowie asked.
He barely had time to brace himself before she threw herself into his arms, squeezing him tight. “It’s perfect. Thank you.” He didn’t miss how her eyes shone as she released him and turned to hug Pa. “Thank you. Thank you for welcoming me into your family. I couldn’t ask for anything more beautiful.”
Pa patted her shoulder awkwardly, grinning over top of her head at Bowie. “We’re all mighty glad you’re here.”
Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection Page 53