Standing on the other side of the door, she heard Mr. Dalton say, “She seems awfully young to have a daughter.”
Agnes ignored his statement and asked a question of her own, “What do you do, Mr. Dalton?”
“I am taking a position at the bank in Denver,” he replied.
Leah thought she heard a great deal of pride in his voice. Everything about Mr. Dalton screamed “businessman.” She pushed away from the door and went to help Molly sort beans. There was something about the man that made her feel uneasy. He was nothing like Jake.
How could she think such a thing? Leah realized she knew very little about Jake. She tried to picture him in business attire. A smile touched her lips. She’d soon see him in both, Leah thought. At their wedding surely he would dress in a suit and shiny boots. Or would he? Truth be told, she had no idea what her future husband might or might not wear to their wedding. She just prayed he’d take off the gun belt for their special day.
Leah picked at the beans. Maybe it was a good thing the preacher was out of town. She knew nothing about Jake Bridges, other than he was a stock tender for the pony express.
A flicker of uneasiness swept through her. Did anyone really know him? How long had the Frontzs known him? Hadn’t Thomas said in one of his letters that the pony express had just started up in April?
She looked to Molly who seemed focused on picking rocks and blackened beans from the pile. Had her feelings for the little girl gotten her into a bigger mess than she’d already been in? A tiny flicker of panic began to take root in her thoughts.
Leah bowed her head and silently prayed. Lord, if I’ve made a mistake, please help me to get out of my promise to marry Jake. And if it’s not a mistake, please help me feel your assurance and help me to get to know him better. Amen.
*
Jake dug into lunch with a feeling of accomplishment. He and the others had worked on the cabin all morning. So far, they had cleaned out the chimney, reinforced the windows and the door, swept the floors and removed cobwebs that had developed in what seemed like every corner of the house. Then they’d mixed hay, dirt, water and rocks to pack the cracks in the log walls.
His gaze moved to the stagecoach passenger, Mr. Dalton. The man’s eyes followed Leah’s every move, much the way a hungry cat watches a sparrow hop from branch to branch. At the moment she was carefully cutting Molly’s meat into tiny pieces. Jake wondered if he should start sitting closer to her and the little girl. After all, they would soon be a family.
Mr. Frontz took a sip of hot coffee and then said, “Mr. Dalton, Agnes tells me you’re a banker.”
Mr. Dalton wiped his mouth. “Yes, sir. I’m looking forward to beginning work at Clark, Gruber and Co.” He, too, pushed his plate back and picked up his mug.
Jake thought of the money he had stashed in his room. He’d considered putting it in the bank, but in all honesty, he just didn’t trust them. He’d heard of banks being robbed and folks losing everything.
“That’s that two-story building they built back in July, right?” Will asked from his position at the table.
“I don’t rightly know what it looks like. This will be my first trip to Denver,” Mr. Dalton confessed as his gaze slid back across the table to land on Leah, who gently wiped Molly’s face.
Jake cleared his throat. “Leah, if you and Molly are finished eating maybe you’d like to come down to the stables with me and check on the horses.” He hadn’t planned on taking them, but he also didn’t want her in the same room with a wealthy banker, either.
Leah looked up at Jake and grinned. “I think we’re about done, aren’t we, Molly?”
Molly nodded and pushed out of her chair.
Leah looked to Agnes. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to help clean up the kitchen and this mess.”
Agnes waved her away. “Don’t worry about the dishes, they’ll be here when you come back.”
Leah offered Jake a small, shy smile. “We’ll go get our coats and be right back.” She pushed Molly along in front of her toward the stairs.
“Would you like a slice of pie while you wait?” Mrs. Frontz asked Jake.
“No, thanks.” Jake pushed away from the table. “Lunch was wonderful. Thank you, Mrs. Frontz.”
Agnes smiled. “It was my pleasure.”
“I’d like another slice of that pie, Mrs. Frontz, and then Mr. Dalton and I will need to be on our way. I’d like to beat the storm into Denver.” Mr. Porter held out his plate for her to put the pie on.
She took his plate. “You’re welcome to stay overnight,” Agnes said, cutting out a large section of the apple pie.
Jake silently prayed the stagecoach would be on its way. He didn’t much care for Mr. Dalton, even though he’d just met the man. He moved to the door and pulled on his own coat and gloves.
“Thank you, but I’m sure Mr. Dalton is in a hurry to get to work. Besides, with the storm coming in I really don’t want to get snowed in here.”
Mr. Dalton’s eyes moved to the top of the stairs, where Leah had disappeared. For a moment, Jake thought he’d argue with the stagecoach driver. He turned back to the table and said, “He’s right. I appreciate the hospitality, but the sooner I get to Denver the sooner I start my new job.”
Jake felt himself exhale. The sound of little feet pounding down the stairs alerted him to Molly’s return. He looked to the little girl and grinned. She ran to him and jumped. Instinctively Jake caught her up and swung her around. He marveled that she didn’t squeal with joy.
“She sure is a lively kid, isn’t she?” Disapproval dripped from Mr. Dalton’s voice.
Jake turned to glare at the man only to find him staring up at the stairs and watching Leah descend. Her skirt swished as she crossed to him.
“She is very lively, but we love that about her, don’t we?” Leah replied, looking Jake in the eye. Or was she looking at Molly?
He lowered Molly to the floor. “Yes, we do.” He tweaked Molly’s nose but held Leah’s gaze.
Leah turned and opened the door. Molly ran past her and bounded off the end of the porch.
Jake placed his hand on the small of Leah’s back as she crossed the threshold. He hoped that Mr. Dalton would notice and realize that Leah wasn’t available, to him or any other man. He didn’t understand his possessive feelings and told himself that, if she was to be his wife, he wasn’t sharing her with anyone but Molly. He closed the door behind them.
“Mr. Porter is an interesting man, isn’t he?” Leah asked as she followed Molly off the edge of the porch.
“How so?” Jake hadn’t ever really thought about him.
She glanced at him. “His life seems very adventurous.”
Again Jake felt at a loss. “Really?”
“Well, he was telling Mr. Dalton and me about the time the Indians chased him to Denver. They seemed to think he had something they wanted, but since he didn’t stop and ask them what, he said he’ll probably never know why they were chasing him. And, when I asked if that happened a lot, he said yes, and that he’s even been held up by new settlers, too.” Her eyes shone with excitement.
Jake nodded and tucked his hands deep into his coat pockets. He noticed that Leah shivered in her thin coat. Would she object to him buying her a new one? Maybe he’d surprise her with an early Christmas present. She couldn’t object to that, could she?
“But he told me if I thought that was exciting, I should have some of the boys tell me about their adventures as pony express riders. Do you think the boys would share their stories with me about their rides?” She looked up and saw Molly try to pull the doors to the barn open. “Molly! Wait for us,” Leah said.
The little girl turned to face them. She waved her mitten-covered hand in a way that said, come on!
“We’re coming,” Leah called back to her.
Jake smiled at the way she could seem so young one moment and yet act so motherly the next. “I’m sure the boys would be happy to share their adventures.” He pulled the barn door open an
d grabbed Molly’s hand before allowing her to run inside. “Molly, no running in the barn and remember to watch where you step.”
From the corner of his eye he caught the smile that trembled on Leah’s lips. Jake turned to face her, took one of her hands in his and teased, “Leah, no running in the barn and watch where you step.” He glanced down at her scuffed boots. “We wouldn’t want to soil those lovely slippers, now, would we?”
She laughed and gave him a gentle push. “I’m freezing. Let us in. We’ll remember the rules.” Leah looked down at Molly who was smiling from ear to ear. “Won’t we, Miss Molly?”
The little girl bobbed her head.
Behind them, Jake heard the front door of the cabin open. He hurriedly ushered them inside the barn. Just before he closed the door, he glanced over his shoulder to see who had left the house. Mr. Porter and Mr. Dalton stomped down the front steps and hurried to the stagecoach.
Good. With Dalton leaving, Leah could go back to moving about the house without a stranger gawking at her. What did he care? He didn’t. Did he?
*
Exhaustion filled every bone in her body. Leah slipped into the dining room chair and sighed. How did Mrs. Frontz, a woman twice her age, do this every day? Cook, clean, cook some more, clean some more, it was an endless cycle. Leah had helped out at the orphanage but she hadn’t cleaned up after four pony express riders and visitors who arrived on the stagecoach.
The highlight of her day had been when she’d been in the warm barn with Molly and Jake. Molly had been beside herself with excitement. Jake seemed to relish the child’s enthusiasm and lifted her up so she could pet the horses. Not once had Molly acted afraid; in fact, Leah could see they would have to teach Molly the dangers of getting under the horses’ hooves. She needed to have a bit of fear if she was going to be around the big animals. Leah enjoyed the brief tour of the barn and seeing the various mustangs.
Jake set Molly upon the back of one of the tamer horses. The little girl giggled and pulled her red ribbon from her hair. Molly leaned forward and tied it to the bridle.
When the three of them stepped outside, Leah noticed that someone had placed a sprig of mistletoe and a Christmas wreath over the doorway. A smile touched her face when Jake leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. For a moment, it felt as though they were a family celebrating the Christmas season.
Thirty minutes later, Leah went back to the kitchen to clean up, just so that she and Agnes could start dinner.
After the kitchen was cleaned, the beans put on to boil with a big chunk of ham hock and corn bread set to baking for dinner, Agnes showed her the other two guest rooms and asked if Leah would mind helping out with their cleanup. She agreed.
So, they dusted and swept the two guest rooms. Agnes showed Leah where she kept the clean linen and explained that when guests were staying, the rooms had to be freshened up every day. They didn’t need to change the bedding every day, but the rooms would need to be dusted, swept and all the trash thrown out.
Then they swept the hall and dusted the staircase banister. Agnes hurried back downstairs to finish up dinner and since Leah didn’t know what to do as far as meal preparation went, she set the table and poured coffee into mugs.
She smiled as she remembered filling Molly’s and Jake’s with hot apple cider. The knowledge that soon she’d be taking care of them both gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling deep in her chest. The sound of the men entering the house pulled her from those thoughts.
Chairs scraped against the wood floor as the men noisily took their seats. Leah looked up to catch Jake smiling across the table at her. Molly sat beside him, waiting for them to serve the meal. She lifted her cider cup to her lips and drank deeply of the sweet liquid.
Mr. Frontz made quick work of saying grace and then everyone was clanging dishes as they served themselves. Leah watched Jake take care of Molly’s plate along with his own. They’d spent most of the day together and it looked as though Molly intended to keep him busy for the rest of the evening, too.
“Pass that plate of corn bread,” Agnes said, giving Leah’s arm a little nudge.
“Oh, I’m sorry. My mind was elsewhere.” Leah picked up the plate and handed it to her new friend.
Agnes grinned. “I could see that.”
Heat filled Leah’s cheeks. Had the other woman noticed she’d been staring across at Jake and Molly? What did it matter? Surely Agnes knew that she’d only been concerned with Molly’s care. Leah dipped beans and ham into her bowl and passed the pot to Agnes.
“How did the housecleaning go, boys?” Mr. Frontz asked.
Ike answered in his soft manner. “I think it went well.” He shot a smile over at Leah. “It still needs a woman’s touch, but it’s livable now.”
Mr. Frontz’s next question was more of a statement than a question. “Jake, how about tomorrow you take Miss Hollister to see her future home?”
Jake nodded his agreement while chewing on a big hunk of corn bread. Molly tugged on his sleeve, and when he looked down at her she pointed to herself. Leah watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed and then said, “Sure, Molly, you can come, too.”
The men began talking about horses and things that needed to be done about the station. Agnes caught her attention by saying, “Leah, we’ll see what we have in the way of furniture. I’m sure between the two of us, we’ll find plenty of stuff to decorate the old homestead. It’s not that big.”
Decorate? Leah had no idea where to start with decorating a house. She’d never had a home, and Thomas’s was supposed to have come already furnished. “I’ve never decorated a house before. Will you help me?”
Agnes laughed. “I can’t say I’m any good at it but we’ll sure give it our best. How does that sound?” She patted Leah’s hand.
“Between cooking, decorating and learning how to be a mother, I think I have a lot to learn,” Leah said, just loud enough for Agnes to hear. She looked around the table to make sure none of the men had heard her.
“I’ll teach you how to cook. As for being a mother, well, Charlie and I were never blessed in that department but I’ll sure do all I can to help you.” She nodded her head sharply. “And that’s a promise.” Agnes’s eyes shone with unshed tears.
Leah’s heart went out to her. She would never be a true mother, either, and felt at that moment a kinship to the older woman. Jake had made it clear—theirs was to be a marriage in name only. Leah covered their hands with her other one. “I’ll try to be a good student, so I’m going to hold you to that promise.” She released the older woman’s hands. To soften the mood, she grinned in what she hoped was a mischievous manner at Agnes and continued, “Because I need all the help I can get.”
When she glanced across at Jake he tipped his head slightly toward her. Admiration shone in his brown eyes. Had he heard their conversation? Or just seen the looks on their faces and knew they were bonding? Leah didn’t know but she prayed that he wouldn’t marry her and then up and move her away from Agnes before she could fulfill her promise.
Chapter Five
Leah had surreptitiously watched Jake as he’d eaten his meal. Unlike the riders, and even Mr. Frantz, Jake’s manners had been that of a gentleman. That was good. A gentleman would make a nice, thoughtful husband, right? And he’d taken care of Molly, too. He had wiped her little face when she needed it and carried on a conversation on the little girl’s level even though she didn’t respond with more than a nod or smile.
Oh, mercy. Leah sighed heavily, causing Jake to eye her questioningly. She smiled and shook her head. They stared at each other across the silence. Did he know the uncertainty roiling around in her head? His eyes darkened as he held her gaze. Her pulse accelerated and her breath seemed to have solidified in her throat. She gave a nervous little cough.
Wham! The front door slammed open and crashed back against the wall. The men leaped to their feet. Leah’s gaze flew to Molly, whose eyes were round with fright. Her lower lip caught between her teeth and she twisted he
r hands in her dress.
Jake’s hand seemed to automatically reach for the little girl and he pushed her partially behind him, shielding her from the view at the door. His eyes widened and his other hand reached for the gun at his belt. Leah turned to see the commotion.
Two men covered in icy snow fell into the room. She recognized Mr. Porter immediately and gasped. He held Mr. Dalton upright against his own body with one arm around his waist. Dried or frozen blood smeared the left side of Mr. Porter’s face.
Everyone acted at once.
Jake rushed to the door and looked outside. He closed the door swiftly against the blowing snow and ice that begged to enter the warmth of the room.
Mr. Frontz and the young riders helped Mr. Porter with Mr. Dalton. “What happened?” Mr. Frontz asked.
The boys half dragged, half carried the man’s limp body to the couch. His coat fell open and Leah saw his white shirt was covered in blood. Her stomach lurched. What had happened? She felt a small hand clutch her skirt and looked to find Molly standing beside her chair. Big eyes looked up into her own.
“We were ambushed.” Mr. Porter’s voice held fury and fear.
“Indians?” Mr. Frontz asked, leading the stagecoach driver to a chair at the table.
“In this weather I couldn’t make out any skin color.” Porter slid into the chair Mr. Frontz held for him.
Agnes hurried around the table to the couch. “Leah, go heat some water. Molly, go get the clean rags from the upstairs closet.”
Leah and Molly ran to do as they were told. Leah took deep breaths as she poured water into a small pot. She put it on the stove to heat and then poured Mr. Porter a cup of hot coffee.
She carried the cup back into the main room.
“What did they look like?” Mr. Frontz’s worried eyes met his wife’s.
Mr. Porter shook his head as if to clear it. “They hit us so fast I didn’t have time to really get a look at them. I heard shots, and the next thing I knew I was flying through the air. Must have hit my head because everything went black after that.”
Love Inspired Historical November 2014 Page 54