Christmas on the Prairie

by Frances Devine

  Dog-tired and wrestling with the idea that he might not be able to recover the trunks for Miss Potter, he turned his wagon around and headed out of town the way he’d come. He’d hardly slept all night long, thinking about Miss Potter’s obvious desire to steal the children from him. Well, stealing might be a bit strong a word for what she hoped to accomplish, but the end result would be the same if she succeeded. Would she take him before a judge? The woman was wealthy. That much was clear. She could afford a whole slew of lawyers. Would she bribe a judge to rule in her favor? She didn’t seem the sort to stoop to something like that, but you couldn’t always tell about a person. And she wanted her sister’s children badly.

  He’d also considered her assurance that she didn’t want to take the children away from him and Teddy. But even so, it was clear she wanted to be a part of their upbringing, too. Seth could never agree to the children being carted from Boston to Kansas for equal time between them, so if that was her plan, she could just forget it. He’d mortgage his home to the hilt to fight her in the courts.

  Five miles outside of Martin’s Creek, Seth noted a wagon stopped at the side of the road. He frowned as he approached. A man had climbed into the back of the wagon and appeared to be rummaging through a large trunk...one such as Miss Potter might have stored at the stage station. He pulled up alongside the wagon and greeted a stranger. He fit the station manager’s description: tall, dark hair. The trunk’s contents were scattered along the wagon bed—mainly women’s clothing and a few books. How dare he? He pulled on the reins and wrapped them around the brake. The man stood to his full height in the wagon bed. Seth met his steady gaze. “Those trunks wouldn’t happen to belong to a Miss Potter, would they?”

  The other man eyed him, his hand going slowly to the gun hanging from the belt at his hips. “As a matter of fact, they do.”

  “Mind telling me why you’re riffling through a lady’s private things?”

  The man’s eyebrows went up and his hand gripped the handle of his pistol. “Mind telling me why that’s any of your business?”

  “It so happens Miss Potter is the sister of my late brother’s wife. I went to the station to pick up her things only to discover they were gone. Now, what I’d like to know is why you have them. And why you’re going through them.”

  The man took his hand from his gun. “I suppose it does look a bit suspicious.” He offered a wry grin that Seth didn’t believe for a minute. “But there’s an explanation.”

  “I’m listening.” Seth folded his arms across his chest.

  “I rode into Prairie Chicken on the stage with Miss Potter. She bemoaned being forced to leave the trunks behind so I decided to do the gentlemanly thing and retrieve them for her.”

  Seth couldn’t imagine Miss Potter bemoaning anything, especially the inconvenience of being forced to leave a couple of trunks behind. But he would give the man the benefit of the doubt...at least until he got the rest of the explanation. “Why are the trunks opened and her things lying all over the wagon bed?”

  A rueful smile twisted the man’s lips. “Turns out I don’t handle a team all that well. The wagon hit a rut and the trunk fell out of the wagon and broke the lock. It just opened on its own and spilled the contents.” He grabbed an unmentionable from behind a wheel and winked at Seth as though sharing a private joke at Miss Potter’s expense.

  Seth bristled at the blatant lack of respect. Besides, he knew this fellow was lying. “Well, let’s get her things back in the trunks and I’ll take them off your hands.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Dropping all pretense, the man’s voice went cold. “I like to finish what I start.”

  Not a good answer. “You’ll either hand over Miss Potter’s trunks, or I’ll go to the sheriff and report this. As far as I know, stealing a person’s luggage is a crime.”

  The man narrowed his eyes. But Seth wasn’t the sort of man to be intimidated by a thief and a scoundrel. And clearly, this man recognized that he was in for a fight if he didn’t give up those trunks. He raised his palms and let his arms drop. They slapped against his thighs. “That won’t be necessary. It’s not worth losing time on a frivolous errand to the sheriff’s office. Besides, it’s your word against mine. And my story is reasonable, don’t you think, Mr. Dobson?” He dropped the article of clothing into the trunk and rested his hand on the butt of his gun at his side.

  “How did you know my name?”

  “Kinda hard to live in Prairie Chicken for more than a day and not know who Seth Dobson is. You have a lot of friends.”

  “If you live in Prairie Chicken, how come I’ve never seen you before?” Seth kept a close eye on the man as he jumped down from the wagon. He stayed back with legs planted, in case the other man lunged.

  “As I said, I came in on the stagecoach a few days ago. With Miss Potter, as a matter of fact. I’ll be honest, Mr. Dobson, I was pretty taken with her. I thought picking up her trunks for her might convince her to allow me to come calling.”

  The man’s lies just kept coming, but Seth didn’t bother to call him on this new one. As he’d said, it was his word against Seth’s. And the explanation did seem reasonable. He might have believed it himself if he hadn’t caught the thief going through Miss Potter’s things.

  Seth tensed as the other man stepped forward. Then relaxed as the fellow offered his hand. “My name’s Mitch.”

  Seth couldn’t trust a man who didn’t offer his last name, but he shook his hand nonetheless.

  Mitch picked up a couple of books from the ground. “Must’ve missed these.” He tossed them into the trunk. “Tell you what,” he said. “I’ll help you load these trunks into your wagon, and you give me your word this is just between the two of us.”

  Seth leveled his gaze at the thief. “Just between the two of us? Give me a good reason I shouldn’t warn Miss Potter to stay away from you. Furthermore, I’m still not convinced I shouldn’t go to the sheriff about this.”

  “Look, I work for Mr. Carson. It’s hard enough to be a stranger in town without having this unsubstantiated rumor following me around making folks all suspicious.”

  “You’re Carson’s new man?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Mitch what?”

  “Lane.”

  “Well, Mr. Lane. I’ll take the trunks off your hands. I won’t be going to the sheriff for now.”

  “Sounds fair.” He turned and grabbed one of the trunks. True to his word, he loaded it into Seth’s wagon. Seth loaded the other, still keeping his eye on Mitch.

  “So this is just between us? I’d hate for Miss Potter to think I’ve been rummaging about in her trunks.”

  “But you have been.”

  “No. I was simply putting her things back.” He tossed a grin. “Why do I get the feeling you don’t believe the trunk came open on its own?”

  “I’m not one to call a man an out-and-out liar.”

  “So our agreement stands?”

  “For now.”

  Something about Mitch Lane made him uneasy. He knew almost certainly he had been looking for something in that trunk. He didn’t seem like a petty thief, but looks were, more often than not, deceiving. If he couldn’t trust his eyes, he’d have to follow his instincts.

  * * *

  At twilight, Ansley climbed into the saddle and nudged her new horse forward. Originally, she’d planned to rent a wagon, but she’d quickly found herself unable to control a team. Horseback just seemed wiser. And the price of renting a horse for two months was nearly the same as purchasing this one, so she now owned the mare and had named her Bella. When she left town, she could leave the mare with the Dobsons, or if things went as planned and the children went with her, she could ship the horse to Boston for one of them. Perhaps even Jonah. Maybe the boy would soften toward her by then, and if not, surely his own horse would.
..

  Her face flushed at her thoughts. Imagine trying to buy the boy’s love with a horse. She was as bad as Aunt Maude offering to send Rose abroad for a year after she learned of her “friendship” with Frank Dobson.

  Enjoying the glorious brushstrokes of red and pink in the sky, Ansley gathered in a clean, full breath and relished the sound of Bella’s hooves rustling up the fallen leaves. As much as she missed the bustle of Boston, Ansley had to admit there was a charm and peace that came from slowing down and enjoying the scenery, the feeling that no one was rushing, annoyed, or asking her to move aside. Perhaps this had been why Rose’s last few years had been so satisfying.

  Just outside of town, Ansley met up with Mr. Dobson. He pulled the reins and halted his wagon. “Good evening, Miss Potter.” He touched his hat, and the setting sun glinted off his blue, blue eyes.

  “Good evening to you, too, Mr. Dobson. Didn’t we discuss my transportation to your home?”

  He nodded. “We did. But I picked up your trunks today and thought I’d kill two birds with one stone.”

  “Oh, how thoughtful.” Ansley smiled. “I’d planned to hire someone today, but found myself once again preoccupied with other little errands.” She cringed at her own words. What if he did the polite thing and asked about those errands?

  “Well, now there’s no need. Here they are all safe and sound.”

  Ansley noted the smudges beneath his eyes, the weary rise and fall of his shoulders. It struck her that he would have been riding in the wagon most of the day to have driven thirty miles round trip. The gesture tugged at her heart. “That must have been a great deal of trouble.”

  “No trouble at all.”

  “You must allow me to compensate you for your time.” As soon as she made the offer, Ansley saw it was a mistake. He frowned.

  “That isn’t necessary or desired, Miss Potter.” His voice held a chill, and she knew without doubt she’d offended him deeply.

  “I meant no insult, Mr. Dobson, but since I had intended to hire someone...” And perhaps he could use the extra funds, considering what she’d learned at the bank this morning.

  “Family does not accept payment from family.”

  “Well, we aren’t really family.”

  He expelled a breath. “Close enough.”

  Ansley chided herself inwardly. Why must she always get the last word? “Again, I apologize.”

  “Apology accepted,” he said. “Now, shall we go back to the boardinghouse and unload these trunks?”

  “Yes, please. I am sure Mrs. Boatwright will have no objection to your carrying them upstairs, given the circumstances.” Ansley wasn’t entirely convinced of the truth of her words. But the proprietress had gone out for the evening, so she wouldn’t be there to object anyway.

  Honestly, all the rules Mrs. Boatwright inflicted on her residents were so restrictive, it was a wonder she had anyone living there at all. Besides Ansley, Mrs. Boatwright and Alice’s family, there were two elderly women, Miss Vestal and the sheriff, who wasn’t there very often. None of those folks seemed stifled by the rules, but Ansley had lived most of her life controlled by her aunt and mostly confined to a musty old mansion. She wasn’t sure she could bear two months of Mrs. Boatwright’s rules.

  Ansley pulled the horse around and nudged the animal into a canter as they headed back to the boardinghouse. They rode in silence; she, embarrassed at having offered him money, and he... Ansley couldn’t be sure what was on Seth’s mind but she could imagine he was insulted and angered by her offer. She should have known better. Of course a proud man like Seth Dobson wouldn’t accept money. But couldn’t he understand that where she came from, and with her resources, it was rare to offer payment and have it refused?

  Should she try to make her case to Seth or leave well enough alone? She gave a little sigh and chose the latter. After all, to remind him of her wealth would only reinforce his opinion of her. And heaven help her when he discovered what she had done at the bank this morning.

  At the boardinghouse, she stood helplessly as Seth muscled the first trunk onto his shoulder. “Lead the way,” he said. She hurried up the steps, breathless by the time she reached her room. She opened the door and hung back in the hall so as not to offend Mrs. Boatwright’s sense of propriety.

  “What do you have in these things? Rocks?”

  “I’m sorry. They are quite heavy. It took two men to load them on the train. You must be very strong.”

  He gave her a lopsided grin that made her heart pick up. “Maybe I’m just more determined.”

  Ansley couldn’t help but return his smile, impressed and a little surprised by his humility.

  “Where do you want it?” Seth asked, his breath labored.

  “Anywhere is fine.”

  Ansley headed back downstairs and outside to the wagon before Seth had set the trunk down. A glance inside the wagon bed revealed the other trunk. Something didn’t seem quite right. She looked closer. When she saw the problem, she gasped. The latch had been compromised. Ansley pressed her hand flat on her stomach. Had Seth gone through her things?

  “I apologize for the state of your other trunk.” The sound of his voice turned her toward him. “It fell hard against the side of the wagon. The roads are bad after the rain yesterday.”

  “I see.”

  He ducked his head as he moved around her and reached for the trunk. “Several items fell out, I’m afraid.”

  Ansley gasped as she thought about the breakable items in the false bottom.

  Seth cleared his throat. “I’ll just take this up and set it next to the other one.”

  “Thank you.” She reached out, and then pulled her hand back. “Please, be careful.”

  Ansley mounted her horse and waited for Seth to emerge from the boardinghouse.

  “Sure you don’t want to leave your horse and ride in the wagon? I’m going to see you home later anyway.”

  Honestly, the man was so stubborn...” Well, I suppose there’s no point in riding then.”

  Seth nodded. “Sensible.” He unwrapped Bella’s reins from the hitching post. “I’ll just get her bedded down in the barn. Won’t take a minute.”

  “May I accompany you?” Her cheeks grew warm.

  Seth jerked his head around to meet her gaze. Ansley hurried on to explain. “Mr. Watson explained what I must do to care for her, but it would be helpful to watch the process.”

  A wry grin tipped the corners of his mouth. “You mean to tell me you bought a horse without knowing how to take care of it? Even Lily knows how to do that.”

  The thought of that tiny girl scooping up hay and wandering that close to the massive animal sent a wave of fear to Ansley’s stomach. “Isn’t that dangerous for a child Lily’s size?”

  “Don’t worry, all she does is feed the chickens. But she does know how to take care of the horses.”

  Clearly, his implication was that if a five-year-old could do it, a woman her age certainly should have the knowledge.

  His ungentlemanly reference to her age raised her defenses. “Well, our horses are boarded at the stables. We live in the city after all. So the care and grooming of livestock wasn’t part of my education.”

  “Hey, no need to get riled up.”

  “I am not riled up.” She stomped ahead of him.

  As Seth unsaddled Bella, he handed Ansley the saddlebag. “There’s something in there.”

  “Oh! I would have forgotten.” Reaching inside, she pulled out the gifts she’d purchased earlier. “For the children.”

  “Gifts?” He scowled. “We try not to spoil them.”

  “I see.” Ansley glanced down at the gifts. “Maybe I should take them back to my room, then. I—I don’t have children. I just thought...well, these are simple ribbons for the girls and this...maybe you’re right.”
The gift for Jonah was not as small and simple. She’d seen a bone-handled knife and bought it. But what if Seth and Teddy thought she was trying to buy his affection? And was she trying to do just that?

  “Miss Dobson...Ansley.” Seth’s eyes were kind and his expression softer than she’d seen thus far. “I’m sure the children will be grateful. And maybe it’s not so much spoiling them, coming from you, since you’re not the one raising them.”

  Ansley peered closer at Seth, weighing his words. Had he meant to make her feel better about the gifts, or was he telling her plain and simple that she wasn’t the children’s guardian and never would be?

  Chapter 6

  Seth had to admit he was enjoying the evening more than he’d thought he would. Miss Potter’s humility and willingness to put the gifts away until after supper had been a good start to the evening.

  Jonah’s behavior toward Ansley was beginning to annoy him. The boy had barely said two words to his aunt during supper. While Seth figured Ansley was hoping her gift would soften the boy, he could have told her these children couldn’t be bought. At least that’s what he was counting on. He sat at the head of the table, sipping coffee and watching his family laugh over pie.

  He caught Ansley’s gaze and her silky eyebrows rose in question. He grinned and nodded. At least she was still deferring to his place as the children’s guardian.

  “Everyone listen,” Seth said. “Your aunt Ansley has something for you.”

  The children turned to her. Ansley’s face flushed as she stood and walked over to the counter where she’d set the packages earlier. The children had cast curious glances throughout dinner, but not one of them had asked about them.

  Ansley handed a package to each of the three children. “It’s not much, really. I just thought you might like these.”

  The girls oohed and ahhed over the ribbons. But Jonah made no move to unwrap his. He glanced at Ansley. “No, thank you.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Jonah. I just thought...” Her voice broke around her words. “Perhaps you’re right.”