He barely resisted the urge to crumple the paper in his fist. Instead, he folded it and slid it back into its envelope. He didn’t want to read any more. Whatever was written there wasn’t intended for his eyes. Besides, it was far too painful. He’d been trying so hard to be a better man so that he could be worthy of his wife’s affections. He’d never considered he might also be competing for them.
He’d asked Helen to tell him everything that day at the creek. She’d told him about her growing-up years and the silly society gatherings she’d been expected to attend. She’d never once hinted at a former romance—certainly not a former fiancé. He’d been too involved with what he’d considered the beginning of their own courtship to even think to broach the subject. Well, he had questions now. Plenty of them.
He started to rise with the intention of going to Helen’s room, then sat back down after remembering that he’d promised not to disturb her. Besides, it would be better to approach the problem with a cool head in the morning, so he’d let her sleep. Tomorrow, however, he intended to get some answers.
Chapter Fifteen
Quinn was gone when Helen awoke the next morning. A note on the kitchen table told her that he’d gone to get the sheriff and search the woods. She was supposed to bar the door until he returned. Bar the door? She’d been hoping to get her chores out of the way quickly so that she’d have more time to prepare the children for their trip. As much as she’d anticipated seeing her parents again, the date of departure had sneaked up on her. She’d had to make several arrangements at the last minute. One of them being arranging to have some formal clothes made for Quinn in Austin.
He had none to take with them, save the suit he wore to church every week. As handsome as he looked in it, it just wouldn’t be enough for the events her family had planned. She’d told him about it, hadn’t she? Maybe not. Everything had been so hectic. She’d make sure to tell him when he came in for breakfast. She’d better start fixing it now. She’d learned that the smell of it was often enough to awaken the children. Perhaps an early start for them would help her get a jump on the rest of the day.
After remembering to bar the door, she accidentally knocked over the stack of papers Quinn had left on the table in her haste to return to the kitchen. She bent to pick them up then hesitated, realizing that mixed among his assignments was the contents of what she’d come to think of as her desk. She suddenly remembered that he’d mentioned needing something from the desk as the reason for coming into her room last night. What could he have wanted with all of this junk? That’s all it was, too, since she’d had the foresight to burn the letter with her mother’s references to that dreadful night she’d almost become publicly engaged to Thomas. She gasped. “Tom!”
She’d completely forgotten about his letter. Dread filled her as she sorted through the papers looking for the note she’d never read. She winced when she found it. It had obviously been disturbed. Was that because Quinn had read it? Or was it simply from her knocking it onto the floor? Oh, why had she been so careless with it? If Quinn had read it, then she needed to, as well.
She set the other papers in a stack on the table then opened the letter to read it just as someone pounded on the front door. She froze. Thinking something might have happened to Quinn, she stuffed the letter into her apron pocket and rushed to the door. She was ready to unbar it before she realized it might not be the sheriff or Quinn at all. It might be Charlie. The pounding sounded again. She swallowed. “Who is it?”
“Quinn. I’ve got Sean with me. You can unbar the door. It’s safe.”
A wave of relief flowed over her then ebbed into tension as she realized she still had that blasted letter in her pocket. However, she couldn’t leave the men out there. She moved the wooden bar out of the way and opened the door to let them in. Almost immediately, she wished she hadn’t because Quinn’s mattress was still on the parlor floor. There was no way the sheriff could miss it. It was too late now. At least the bed was made. “Come to the kitchen. I was just about to put on some coffee.”
“Thanks, Helen,” Sean said. “I may not have time to drink it, though. I’ve got to head into town soon. Quinn and I just wanted to let you know how it went.”
“Y’all said it’s safe? Does that mean you found Charlie?” Helen glanced up from adding water to the coffeepot in time to see Quinn move his stack of papers to the end table. Nothing in his expression told her whether he’d seen Thomas’s letter or not.
Sean picked a chair that faced away from the parlor. “No. We found the place where he’d been camping, but the man himself wasn’t anywhere on the property.”
“Hopefully, he’s moved on.” Quinn settled at the corner of the table with a frown. “It strikes me as strange that he gave the children cookies, though. Usually vagrants don’t just happen to have sweets around to offer children.”
Sean frowned. “You think he befriended them for a specific purpose?”
“I don’t know. I hope not.”
“Well, I’ll keep an eye on the place while you’re gone. I was planning to, anyway. Meanwhile, I’ll look into any new clues I can gather from the letter.”
Helen whirled toward them. “What letter?”
“The one Richardson sent to notify me of my brother’s death. I’d forgotten that I had it.” There was something in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before. An underlying steel. She had a feeling that meant he’d read Thomas’s letter. What if that also meant he knew the truth about her?
The room swayed. Her stomach roiled. She leaned back onto the counter to steady herself. She struggled to sound normal “What did it say?”
“It said all of Wade’s assets had been turned over to the state because he’d made no will.”
Sean nodded. “That should be easy enough to check. I’d better head into town now. Y’all have a nice trip. Don’t worry about anything.”
After seeing Sean to the door, Quinn returned to the kitchen and held up the empty envelope with her name on the front in Thomas’s handwriting. “Who is writing you love letters?”
She blinked. He didn’t know who had written her. Was there a chance he also didn’t know her secret? “You didn’t read it?”
“Only enough to know what it is. The name was written in cursive. Who is this man?”
“His name is Thomas Coyle. He was my fiancé for a few days before he jilted me at our engagement dinner. Officially, it was never announced, but everyone knew.”
“How long has he been writing you?”
“That was the only letter I received. He gave it to my parents and they enclosed it in their letter. I didn’t answer it. I didn’t even read it. I was going to just now, but you came in.” She swallowed. If he didn’t already know the truth about her, she didn’t want to give it away. However, she had to know how much of her past Thomas had revealed. “Did he say anything you think is important? Anything we need to discuss?”
He stared at her for a long moment then shook his head. “No. He didn’t say anything important to me. Although, I do think he was headed toward an apology.”
The pressure building in her chest eased out with a long, slow exhale. Her secret was safe for now. Her relief came a moment too soon, for Quinn asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you’d been engaged?”
“It only lasted a few days. It hardly counts.”
His eyes narrowed. “Did you love him?”
She shrugged. “I thought so at the time.”
“Then it counts. I’m not saying you had to tell me every detail because I don’t expect that. Still, it would have been nice to find out from you and not from his letter.” His jaw clenched. “Will we see him in Austin?”
She frowned. He didn’t sound upset about the prospect. In fact, he sounded downright eager. Did he want to ask the man why he had jilted her or just punch him in the nose? “I doubt it. He ought to know better than
to think I want to see him since I’m married and never responded to his letter.”
Quinn turned the envelope over in his hands. “Why would your parents send such a thing to their married daughter?”
“I’m sure they didn’t read it. They probably assumed he was apologizing, which I guess he did. My mother thought it would be good for me to have a definite ending to what happened between us.” She shrugged. “For me, it ended with the engagement.”
She found him searching her face as he approached her, and she wondered if he could see the wariness within her. “So that’s all there is to this?”
“Yes, that’s all there is to the letter.”
“May I have it?” He waited until she pulled it from her frilly apron pocket to place it in his hand. As soon as she did, she wanted to take it back. What if he read it again? He might have missed something Tom had written about her secret the first time, but he surely wouldn’t miss it again. Her worries vanished an instant later when her husband tossed the letter and its envelope into the fiery belly of the stove.
Pure relief filled her as she erased the distance between them with a single step and slipped her arms around his neck for a hug. “Thank you for understanding and believing me.”
“Well, I’m still a little confused, but I do believe you.” He hugged her closer then released her, though he kept ahold of her arms. “What about Coyle? Am I going to have to compete with his memory?”
She stared at him in confusion. “Compete with his memory? For what?”
“For your heart.”
“You...you want my heart?” Did he hear the awe in her voice? It must have been hard to miss, for he grinned.
“Seeing as I’m your husband, don’t you think I should?”
“Oh.” Happiness wrestled with disappointment. He wanted to win her heart. That was good. However, it wasn’t because he loved her and wanted to be loved in return. It was only because he felt obligated to do so as her husband. “Don’t worry about Thomas. He isn’t going to be a factor. Now, I’d better get breakfast ready and the children up if we want to make it to the train on time. Austin awaits.”
* * *
Quinn could almost feel the tension emanating off Helen as the train chugged to a stop at the station in Austin. It was easy to recognize her anxiety since he was more nervous than he’d been since Helen had discovered his illiteracy. That situation had ended far better than he could have hoped. He was resolved the same would be true in this case. It wasn’t an altogether different situation, for he’d mentally designated this trip as a test of sorts.
Surely if he could make it through four days in a house, society and role so far above his means and come out unscathed, then he ought to be set for the rest of his life. He could stop looking over his shoulder waiting for trouble to catch up and just live his life. No, not just live it. Enjoy it. He wasn’t there yet, but he could be soon. He just needed to get a little help from God, keep thinking on his feet and continue to find new ways to better himself.
He’d been doing well so far. The reading lessons were getting progressively more challenging. However, he was determined to learn as much as possible. The children seemed far less gloomy than they had been when they’d first come to him grieving their parents. That meant he and Helen had to be doing something right. Helen seemed more engaged with him, so his wooing must be having some effect. However, he had hoped for more of a reaction to the news that he wanted to claim her heart. Her excitement had quickly died. That wasn’t exactly encouraging.
As for Helen herself, the longer he knew the woman, the more he was discovering that she was an enigma wrapped in warmth, beauty and fancy clothes. How many more mysteries did those deep brown eyes of hers hold? She revealed another one as they gathered their belongings in preparation to disembark. “Have I mentioned this is the first time I’ve been to Austin since I left only a few weeks after my engagement dinner with no engagement?”
“Apparently there’s a lot you haven’t mentioned.” His comment brought them both up short. She paled. He grimaced. “I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from.”
“I do. You have every right to be angry at me for not telling you about...” She let the sentence fade and he realized that the children’s gazes were bouncing back and forth between them.
“I’m not angry.” Even that came out a little gruff.
Of course, Reece had to call him on it. “You sound angry.”
“No, he doesn’t.” Clara shifted Olivia to her other knee and patted Quinn’s arm. “He’s just grumpy because the train ride was long.”
They began to bicker about whether Quinn was grumpy or angry. The truth was, neither. He was jealous. He had been since he’d found out that Helen had at one point thought she was in love with that city fellow. What would it be like, Quinn wondered, for Helen to think she was in love with him?
“I’m grumpy, too.” Trent crossed his arms while Olivia covered her ears and frowned at Clara and Reece.
Helen sent him a panicked look. Suddenly, Quinn realized they were frighteningly close to someone having a temper tantrum. Deciding it wouldn’t be him, he transferred Olivia to Helen’s care and ushered the older three children into the aisle that had cleared during their tableau. “No one is angry or grumpy. We are all very happy. What’s more, we are excited to meet Helen’s parents and will be on our best behavior.”
By the time he finished his speech, they had stepped off the train onto what might very well be Quinn’s proving grounds. He checked to make sure they were all accounted for as Helen scanned the busy station for her parents. Olivia was in Helen’s arms. Clara was holding his hand. Reece stood beside Clara. Trent was...
Quinn turned in a circle, dragging Clara with him as he raked the area with his gaze and came up empty. Panic tightened his throat. “Where’s Trent?”
Helen whipped around to face him. “I thought you had him.”
“So did I.” Just then a porter moved a huge cart of luggage and Quinn spotted Trent down on all fours at the edge of the platform next to the train wheels. “What in the world? I see him, Helen.”
Those last words to Helen were thrown over Quinn’s shoulder as he raced back to the train. He snatched up Trent just as the boy reached toward the train wheels. Setting him away from the track, Quinn knelt in front of Trent. He ignored his still-racing heart to speak in a reasonable tone. “What do you think you’re doing, son?”
“I wanted to see what makes it go.” Trent made a vain attempt to dodge Quinn’s efforts at wiping mysterious black marks off his face.
“You cannot get that close to a train unless your aunt or I are with you. You could have been hurt.”
“How?”
“You could have gotten your fingers caught in the wheels or fallen on the track. Your aunt and I didn’t know where you were, so we might not have been able to find you before the train started. Remember, we talked about this? You aren’t allowed to go off on an adventure without permission from your aunt or I. Understand?”
While Quinn had been talking, the boy had gone from fascinated to appalled, to downright sober. Finally, Trent nodded. “Yes, but we need to go on more adventures.”
“That’s a deal.” Quinn turned Trent to face the train and explained as best he knew how the steam-powered engine made it move, before herding the boy back to the others. Seeing that Helen’s parents had joined the group, the nervousness he’d forgotten in his panic at losing Trent returned full force.
It did Quinn a world of good to see Helen smiling proudly as she introduced him. “Mother, Father, may I present my husband, Quinn Tucker?”
Helen’s mother was the same height as her, though a bit plumper. She’d given Helen the shape of her large doe eyes, delicate bone structure and oval face. The woman’s hazel eyes sparkled. “I am delighted to meet you, Quinn! You must call us Lucille
and Robert.”
“Thank you, Lucille. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you both.” He turned to Robert, who had passed his dark hair and eyes on to Helen.
The man had a smile on his face. However, the look in his eyes was not exactly friendly. His handshake seemed an attempt to assess Quinn’s strength. “Not as much as I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
Well, that doesn’t sound the least bit threatening. He looked Robert straight in the eye to let it be known that he wouldn’t cower before any man. Then Quinn gave a single nod to communicate his recognition, acceptance and respect of what the man was—a protective father. Not just any father, though. This was Helen’s father and, by law, his own. It would be nice to have a father again. For now, Quinn would just appreciate not having this man as an enemy.
Quinn glanced down when Trent tugged at his hand. Following Helen’s example of a formal introduction, Quinn said, “May I introduce my nephew Trent Tucker? Trent, this is Mr. and Mrs. McKenna.”
Quinn stared in surprise as Trent wrapped one arm in front and the other in back to bow. “How do you, Mr. and Mr. McKenna.”
Helen’s parents returned Trent’s greeting. Lucille waved her handkerchief. “Now, let’s dispense with formalities because I am just dying to hold my grandniece. Do you think Olivia would let me?”
After Olivia went willingly, Robert ushered them all around the corner of the train station to the place where their luggage was being loaded onto not one but two waiting carriages. There wasn’t enough room for all of them in one, so the men rode together in one and the ladies in the other. Robert made the ride enjoyable for them all by pointing out the interesting sights of the city through the carriage window.
The trolley cars, wagons, carriages and horses thinned out once they passed the domed Capitol building to ride through quiet boulevards. Towering oak trees, spindly crape myrtle and yellow mimosas stretched out their branches to the mansions interspersed between them. The carriage finally rolled to a stop in front of a Queen Anne–style house of sea foam green with moss-colored embellishments. They followed a winding brick path leading from the curb to the house’s wide porch steps, which, like the rest of the house, sat on the vast green lawn at a diagonal angle to the street. Quinn paused long enough to glance up to the turret on the third floor before pulling in a deep breath and steeling himself for what was sure to come next.
The Texan's Inherited Family (Bachelor List Matches) Page 17