Last Train Home

by Laura Stapleton

  “Some, yes.” She took a few steps toward the bedroom before turning toward him. “I look forward to talking more with you tomorrow.”

  “As do I. Goodnight, Miss Wedgwood.”

  “Goodnight, Mr. Dryden.”

  He watched until she disappeared into the darkened bedroom. Left alone with his feelings, he didn’t know what to untangle first. His attraction for Alice resulting in his betrayal of Ellie’s memory? He snorted. The woman hadn’t died, just ran off. He stood, taking the glass and whiskey with him. His fascination with a young lady didn’t surprise him. She was pretty, and he was a man. Simple as that.

  Jack put the items back where they belonged on the high shelf and walked to his bedroom, treading lightly in his boots so as not to wake the others. As he crept into the room, he eased to the side of the bed and undressed down to his underclothes.

  After he slipped in under the covers and was alone with his thoughts as one of the boy’s soft snoring would let him be, Jack searched his feelings about tonight’s chat. He’d learned so much about Alice yet wanted to know more. As he turned to his side, away from the boys, Jack wondered. Would he be as fascinated with her if Ellie had stayed? He closed his eyes. Maybe? Yes? No? He didn’t know anything for sure anymore. Not since he’d watched Ellie leave and after bringing Alice here.

  Chapter Seven

  Alice felt her way along the bed’s edge in Charlotte’s room, careful to not wake her. The slight breaths from the sleeping girl encouraged her to stay quiet. She found her carpetbag on the floor at the side and knelt, opening it by touch.

  She searched for and pulled out her nightgown. Worried about being caught while undressing, Alice looked toward the doorway. The wood stove’s scant light illuminated the main living area. Jack wouldn’t be able to see her undress here in the darkness. She undid the buttons down the front of her garment, some popping free easier than others. Working fast in the cool air, she pulled off her clothes and quickly put on her worn nightgown.

  The light from the doorway dimmed to nearly nothing and she froze. The floor creaked as he went to his own bedroom. She listened for but didn’t hear a pause in his footsteps. The house quieted, and she started breathing again.

  She felt her way onto the bed and under the covers. The cold from the cotton sheet sunk into her bones. Alice’s body heat took a while to warm the surrounding blankets pressing down on her. In the cocoon of goose down, she stared into the unbroken darkness. If she listened closely, she could hear Jack rustling around as he readied for sleep.

  When the rope mesh of his and the boys’ bed groaned with his weight, she let out her pent-up breath. His drinking had bothered her, but not for the reasons she was sure Jack expected. Alice closed her eyes and turned to her side. As he’d drank liquor right in front of her tonight, all she’d wanted to do was taste the alcohol from his lips with her own.

  No wonder the sisters discouraged young women her age from being agents so far west. If the bottle had been bigger than a pint and he’d approached her with the sweet warm flavor on his lips? She nestled into the blankets. Sister Brigit would have strong words about Jack. Father O’Brien would offer to forgive him in confessional. And yet, Alice didn’t feel as if Jack needed absolution. The man might drink, but it didn’t make him a bum. Not by a long shot and not like others she’d seen in the bigger cities. Alice would rather think about his ready smile and general decency than dwell on anything bad about the man.

  “Miss Alice?”

  She smiled at Charlotte’s sleepy and small voice. “Yes?”

  “Will you let us stay with Mr. Dryden?”

  Alice paused. The hope in the young girl’s voice broke her heart. She didn’t want to say no, yet saying yes right now was vastly premature. She turned over to face her and whispered, “I would like to, but need to interview his references in town first.”

  “Mr. Dryden is so much like Pa. It’s as if he’s come back to us.”

  She winced at the comparison between Dryden and the Hayses. All four of them, with herself included, had let their hopes rise too high. If Alice struggled with remembering to be impartial, the children had to have set their minds on Jack as their new pa. Giving in and letting the Hayses be adopted without a complete investigation went against every bit of her training. The sisters would be horrified, as would Father O’Brien.

  Still, she needed to see the homestead for herself before taking the children back to the Home. They had to understand her motives. She wanted what was best for everyone and replied, “I’m sorry that I can’t give you an answer now.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  The bed moved a little as Charlotte shifted positions. Alice swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping her reasoning was good enough. A couple of shakes vibrated from the girl’s side and then a few quiet sobs. “Charlotte, are you all right?”

  “Yeah,” she replied.

  The shaking continued, and Alice knew the girl hadn’t been honest. She put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Please don’t cry. Everything will be fine. You know what the sisters and Father O’Brien say.”

  “Uh-huh, but what if the committee refuses Mr. Dryden’s request? What if the boys can stay here and I can’t? What if someone mean adopts me and I have to stay with them forever?”

  Alice gave Charlotte a reassuring squeeze. “I promise I’ll do whatever I can to convince the men to let you three stay here and together.” Her eyes adjusted to the low light, she smoothed the girl’s hair from her face. “Mr. Dryden and his wife were approved once. Approving him a second time will be a formality, I’m sure.”

  “Do you really think so?” she asked with a sniff.

  “Yes, I do.”

  She flopped over and snuggled closer to Alice, hugging her for a moment. “Thank you, Miss Wedgwood.”

  “You’re welcome.” Alice smiled before realizing the room was too dark to see in. “Now try to get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Charlotte turned over, facing away from Alice, and stirred under the covers for a few seconds.

  Alice also turned away from the girl and closed her eyes. She didn’t exactly bear false witness. Promising something to a child based on the actions of strangers worried her, though. She consciously relaxed her clenched fists. Either the adoption would proceed as planned or the Hays children would be placed together with a new set of parents. Simple as that.

  The next morning, the smell of coffee nudged Alice awake. She stirred, smiling and breathing in deep as if the aroma alone could fuel her. Voices drifted in and she could pick out Jack and Charlotte’s only. She opened her eyes, the soft light of dawn greeting her.

  She sat up, swinging her legs onto the cold wooden floor. After a little shiver, she leaned to see if anyone would notice before hurrying out of her nightgown and into her dress. Buttoning up while turned away from the door, she looked out the window to see a cleared field surrounded by trees. Frost glittered in the sun’s rays. Alice shook off the lovely distraction and quickly made her bed.

  Wool socks helped but didn’t keep her feet completely warm. She pulled on her shoes and her chilled fingers fumbled a little. Eggs hissed in the frying pan and Alice hurried toward the door to see if Charlotte needed help with breakfast.

  The floor squeaked when she set foot outside of the bedroom. Morning light streamed in through the south windows, showing the dust in the air. Alice stared at Jack as he turned to face her.

  He grinned. “Good morning, late bird. You must have been worn out from yesterday.”

  His reminder of the full the day she’d had yesterday gave her the urge to yawn. She stifled the need and returned his smile with a glance toward Charlotte at the stove. “I suppose I was. Trains are both exhilaratingly fast and exhausting, it seems.”

  Jack stood and went for the cupboard. “I’ve got something that’ll perk you right up.”

  She watched as he reached for a cup. “Not too strong, I hope.”

  “No, well, not to me.” He po
ured coffee for her, setting the tin cup on the table in front of the chair she’d used last night. “Ellie always found it needed watering down.” He paused for a moment before heading to the door. “I’ll be right back.”

  His walking away gave Alice the chance to get up and go over to Charlotte. “Do you need help? Where are your brothers?”

  “The boys are out causing trouble, I’m sure. I was paying more attention to starting breakfast than them.” She slid the last egg onto the serving plate. “I must ask Mr. Dryden what I can use for dinner. He won’t want eggs and bacon every meal.”

  “Ah.” She set the table the same way Jack had done at dinner last night. “I’ll call them in.” Alice hurried to the back door just as Jack opened it. He stood in front of her, his face mirroring her surprise. Even up close, she found him very handsome. His eyes had a hint of dark circles his smile couldn’t hide. Freezing air blew in as they stood there, gazes locked on each other. She shivered and murmured, “I should move,” before stepping out of his way.

  “I wouldn’t mind coming inside where it’s warm.” He walked in, still grinning at her. “Especially when invited so nicely.” Continuing to the table, he added, “I brought fresh water. Figured you might want some with the meal.”

  “Thank you.” After a lingering glance at him, Alice stuck her head out the open doorway. “Boys, breakfast is ready,” she hollered, her breath visible in the cold. A movement caught her eye as Conner and Carter topped a slight hill. They ran toward her, pants soaked to the knees. “What on earth happened?”

  Conner reached her first as Carter trailed by a few inches, saying, “The ice isn’t thick enough to slide on and we fell through.”

  “Oh, for shame, both of you.” She put her hands on her hips. “This won’t do. We need to visit people in town and now look at you.” Alice waved a hand at their feet. Dead leaves, tiny twigs, and clay mud clung to the sides of their shoes. “Your best clothes, too.”

  Charlotte behind her muttered, “Their only clothes, you mean.”

  Also behind her and on the other side, Jack chuckled. “I’ll grab a couple of small blankets. You two stay there for a moment.”

  She frowned as he disappeared then reappeared. “What did you want to do first?”

  “Well,” he brushed past her, putting a hand on her shoulder to steady as he went to his bedroom. “find something of mine for them to wear,” he hollered. “Then, get them out of the wet shoes, socks, and pants and have them eat breakfast while I hang up the wet things.”

  Alice bit her lip at the idea of Carter and Conner in the larger man’s clothes. She glanced over at Charlotte and when their gazes met, both women started laughing.

  Jack reentered with what he’d found for them. After a glance at Alice, he grinned. “I expect it’ll be funny until their clothes are dry.” He unfolded a pair of pants and began rolling up the cuffs. “After taking the legs up a bit, either boy can wear this until noon.”

  “I can help hang up their clothes.” Out of habit, Alice searched his walls for the clothesline. Not even a hint of a cord jutted out and she realized no one in the country needed to keep clotheslines inside. “I’ll be…” she said as the boys shut their bedroom door. “You all can hang everything out to dry and they’ll stay clean.”

  “You all hang your laundry inside?” he asked.

  “Not everyone does,” she said and walked to the window. “We’re just particular about factory soot on our white collars.”

  “I can’t blame you. Everything outside of town is cleaner.” The floorboards creaked a bit as he went to stand behind her. “The fabric might be frozen stiff, but it’ll be dry, don’t worry.”

  She tried to focus on the sunny morning but imagining his body heat so close kept her befuddled. His warm leather and coffee smell appealed to her as much as his way with words. If he’d been a single man, she might imagine a future with him.

  Alice almost shook her head. She wouldn’t be here at all without a Mrs. coupled with the Mr. Dryden to adopt the children. After a sigh, she said, “I spent a lot of time watching the land pass by us on the way here.” She turned to find he stood a little too close, blocking her from seeing anything but him. His eyes reflected the window, his green turned turquoise from picking up the sky’s hue. Her mouth went dry and she whispered, “Maps say we’re only a third of the way across the continent.”

  Jack looked at her, the corner of his eyes wrinkling when his gaze met hers. As quietly as she had said, he replied, “I’ve had family go to the Pacific and come back.”

  “I can’t imagine even taking the chance to travel so far. Have you yourself been?” she asked, and he shook his head. Alice continued, “You have to tell me everything that happened on their journey to and fro. I’ve only ever read newspaper reports.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know if I can. Might take me a week or so to tell you everything.”

  His humor didn’t surprise her as much as the brief longing skirting across his face. Her breath caught. Jack couldn’t feel this attraction she held for him, could he? And return her feelings? She dismissed the crazy notion and tried to smile through her surprise. “I might stay a little long—”

  Charlotte cleared her throat. “I’ll have to cook some more eggs. We were hungrier than I thought.”

  The adults broke off their conversation to check the table. Jack laughed at the empty serving plate while Alice frowned at the children’s bad manners. Hunger was one thing. Eating the new parent out of house and home another, particularly when the food had smelled so good. She went around Jack to the stove. “Oh, dear. What have we discussed about behavior and sharing with others?”

  “Don’t mind them, Miss,” Jack began. She frowned at him and his grin deepened. “I’ll go back to the chicken coop and smokehouse.”

  She waited until he’d left the home before addressing the children. “Well?”

  “We’re sorry,” the boys chanted in unison.

  “And you, Charlotte?” she asked as the girl put her hands behind her and stared at the floor. “Is this how a lady acts?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  Alice’s stomach growled, echoing in the room. She glanced down at her abdomen, shocked at how loud her body had been. A snicker from first one boy then the other got her attention, and she scowled until Charlotte began giggling, too. “Fine. Yes, I’m angry because I’m hungry.”

  The door opened, and Jack came in, saying, “The ham could use a couple more days, but this hunk of belly is ready.” All four of them began laughing and he paused on his way to the stove. “Did I miss something?”

  Conner nudged Carter, who said, “Miss Wedgwood’s belly was talking to us.”

  “My stomach growled,” she added as he handed the food to Charlotte. Alice smiled at the girl. “I can cook our breakfast.”

  “So can I.” She added coffee into both adult’s cups. “Here. I’ve warmed this a little for the wait.”

  “Perfect.” Jack winked at the boys. “Want to help me show Miss Wedgwood our farm?”

  Carter jumped up, catching the chair before it fell backwards. “Yeah!”

  “She can see where we fell through the ice.” Conner hollered while running around the table to their wet coats. He tossed one to his brother. “We’ll show you.”

  “I don’t trust you two yet, and you’ll show her the hole after everything is dried.” Jack ruffled Conner’s hair. “Hang your clothes over the railing and I’ll check on them in a while.” He took a sip before adding, “Miss Wedgwood, bring your coffee and coat. You’ll want both once outside.”

  She enjoyed seeing the children minding Jack so well and wondered how long the good behavior would last. Alice went to where her outerwear hung on its peg and began putting on her coat. “Does laundry take quite a while to dry out west?” She struggled to reach behind for her sleeve. “Some days, my stockings stay damp for hours.”

  “Here, let me help you.” Jack held up her coat for her arm and she slid into the chilly fa
bric. “Depends on what time of year. Winter is faster, but I wasn’t teasing. Fabric can get board-stiff when it’s freezing.”

  She laughed, imagining her skirts on a frosty laundry day. “I wouldn’t need hoops for my dress, then.”

  His face a little red, he said, “No, I suppose not. Spring and summer are a lot more humid around here. Here in the draw we don’t get a lot of wind, either.” Jack grabbed his coat and began putting it on. “Do you have gloves?” he asked, and she nodded. “Good, you’ll need them. A trip to the henhouse is one thing. Showing a pretty lady around the homestead might take longer.”

  Her cheeks burned as she fished in her pocket for her cotton gloves and pulled them on. She was probably being shy for nothing, but still. He’d used pretty to describe her, and Alice wasn’t sure if he was serious. “I don’t know about my appearance.” Her hand shook with a slight tremor as she reached for her coffee cup and took a sip. “I always strive for functional and decent.”

  He held the door open for her as she walked through. “You do quite well in everything, ma’am,” and said to Charlotte, “We won’t be long. I’m not giving my breakfast another chance to disappear.”

  Alice walked down the wooden steps, marveling at the frosty landscape in front of her. Trees on the north side of the house kept her from seeing too far. Their bare limbs almost obscured the cloudless sky. Everywhere shade touched, frost covered. Alice breathed out in a puff to see her breath again and smiled at the small cloud.

  “Don’t tell me you all aren’t this cold in New York.” He nudged her shoulder with his as he walked by. “I’ve heard too much about Nor’easters to believe you.”

  She smiled at his teasing. “You have a point. We’ve had heavy snows in the past few years. Lovely, but difficult to get around all the same.”

  “We get weather like that, too.” He tilted his head to the north. “Come on. I’ll show you where I’ll bet the boys tried to skate.”