Nonetheless, the majority of available women he encountered held little fondness for him. Their focus centered on his big house, healthy bank account, and respected position in the community.
He needed a woman who looked beyond his material success and liked him for the person he’d become. He wanted a woman so fiercely in love with him, she would move heaven and earth to be by his side. He dreamed of a woman who made him laugh, cherished his affection, and offered him unbridled passion.
While he waited for a wagon to pass so he could cross the street, Grant rubbed his gloved hands together. Movement out of the corner of his eye drew his gaze to his favorite restaurant across the street. Deputy Kade Rawlings herded his twin sons to the door. The lawman raised his hand in a friendly salutation to Grant before disappearing inside his wife’s Italian eatery.
The fiery Italian woman captured Grant’s attention when she first arrived in Pendleton from New York. He considered courting her, but before he quite knew what had transpired, she’d married the brawny deputy.
Despite his disappointment, Grant wasn’t in love with Caterina. It was easy enough to turn his attention elsewhere.
Briefly, he’d entertained the notion of pursuing lovely Ilsa Thorsen when she moved to Pendleton. Cultured, petite, soft-spoken, and dainty, she would have won the approval of Grant’s contrary mother. Unfortunately, Caterina’s brother, Tony Campanelli, swept the little beauty off her feet and down the aisle.
Grant mulled over his lost opportunities for love as he crossed the street and walked past Ilsa’s dress shop. She and Marnie Jones, now Marnie Thorsen, installed a new display in the large front window with the help of Ilsa’s sister, Aundy. The women waved to him, offering cheery smiles that brightened his day. He grinned at the trio, tipped his hat, and continued on his way.
Aundy was every bit as tall as Grant and had an independent streak wider than the Umatilla River that flowed through town. She arrived in Pendleton as a mail-order bride to one of his best customers, but the poor man died a few days after their wedding. While Grant respectfully observed a proper period of mourning before calling on the widow, she’d fallen in love with her neighbor, Garrett Nash.
If the two of them weren’t so well suited to each other and Garrett wasn’t such a good friend, Grant might have been upset by losing out on another chance to find a proper wife.
At one time, he’d even considering courting Marnie, a past employee of the most notorious madam in Pendleton. The girl straightened out her life and went to work for Ilsa. As luck would have it, she’d already fallen in love with Ilsa and Aundy’s brother, Lars, prior to Grant’s interest in her.
In hindsight, it was probably best Marnie had married Lars. Regardless of her keen intellect and fine manners, Grant’s mother would never have come to terms with a former harlot as a daughter-in-law. Not that he kowtowed to his mother’s every demand, but the woman did live with him part of the year.
Admittedly, Grant didn’t think he could put up with a wife as temperamental as Caterina or with the stubborn independence of Aundy and Ilsa.
No, he wanted a gentle wife. A submissive wife. A meek and mild wife.
Balderdash! Who was he kidding?
He’d take a screeching banshee shaped like a walrus for a wife if she looked at him with even a smidgen of adoration in her eyes in place of the greed he so often saw in the fairer sex.
The sigh Grant expelled turned into frosty crystals as he hunkered down into his coat, grateful for the warmth it provided. On days like today, with a dark gloomy sky overhead, he wanted to cast aside his responsibilities, mount his horse, and ride into the hills.
In lieu of giving in to his whim, he quickened his step and hastened around the corner, right into a soft, feminine form.
Quickly reaching out, he grasped the woman’s arms in his hands, keeping her from falling to the sidewalk.
“I’m terribly sorry, miss. Are you injured?” Grant continued to hold onto the woman’s elbows as she gained her footing and caught the breath he’d knocked out of her.
Almost imperceptibly, she shook her head.
Grant admired the abundance of black hair pulled into a bun at the back of her head. The simple knot contrasted sharply to the elaborate, poufy styles popular with most of the women he knew.
“My sincere apologies. May I escort you somewhere? Offer my assistance in some way?”
She shook her head again and stepped back.
Rather than relinquish his hold, Grant took a moment to study the woman. She was of medium height, wore no hat, and had a black shawl draped around her narrow shoulders. Neat and respectable, her dark blue blouse and wool skirt did little to stave off the cold. Even through his gloves, he felt her shiver.
He experienced the most unreasonable longing to pull her against his chest and wrap his arms around her.
Unsettled by his thoughts, Grant released her elbows, hoping she’d at least lift her chin high enough he could see her face. “Again, my apologies. Generally, I pay some attention to where I’m going but this cold wind must have siphoned the sense right out of my head.”
The woman raised her face and smiled. “The wind reminds us old man winter is in charge of the season, full of bluster and bravado.”
Immediately drawn to her beauty, Grant took in her dark eyes, high cheekbones, and bronzed skin. He wondered if the woman lived on the nearby Umatilla Indian Reservation with a husband. She certainly appeared of a marriageable age.
Something primitive and painful twisted in his gut at the thought of her belonging to another.
Surprised by the smooth cadence of her voice as well as his reaction to her, Grant returned her smile. “I wouldn’t mind if the old man decided he’d blustered enough today and returned another time. Next year would be soon enough to suit me.”
A laugh that put Grant in mind of summer sunshine, full of warmth and light, fell on his ears while his heart skipped a beat, then two.
Mindful of the woman’s thoroughly chilled state, Grant hesitated to keep her in the cold any longer, yet he didn’t want to walk away so soon after meeting her.
Politely tipping his hat to her, he summoned a charming smile. “To compensate for my carelessness, may I please escort you to your destination, Mrs.…?” He paused, hoping she’d share her name.
“Williams.” The woman’s eyes snapped and sparkled with lively awareness. “Miss Lacy Williams.”
“Miss Williams. I’m Grant Hill, at your service.” He executed a gallant bow, earning a delighted smile. “Do you live here in town?”
She took another step back and again shook her head.
Concerned, Grant frowned. “Surely, you don’t plan to travel back to the reservation in this chilly wind.”
“I’m in town on business. As soon as it’s completed, I’ll return home.” Lacy took another step away from him and wrapped her shawl tightly around her shoulders. “It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Hill.”
“Likewise, Miss Williams. I would be more than happy to…”
Lacy ducked her head and turned away, hurrying down the sidewalk and around the corner.
Although everything in Grant urged him to follow the woman, he crossed the street and entered the bank.
Loren Miller, his assistant, glanced up from where he helped a customer at the bank window. He nodded his head in greeting.
Grant removed his outerwear then stoked the stove in the center of the bank, holding his hands out to the warmth. He should have insisted Miss Williams come with him and at least warm herself before she continued with her errands.
For a moment, he considered going back out to find her, but then thought better of it. It was ridiculous to feel so attached to a girl he’d just met, no matter how lovely and enchanting she appeared.
He just hoped she didn’t freeze to death before she made it home.
Lacy Williams dashed around the corner and leaned against the brick wall of the building.
Frantic to gather her wits and her nerve, sh
e smoothed a hand over her hair, making sure none of the hairpins had slipped when the banker almost knocked her down.
The skin on her elbows where he’d held her upright still tingled from his touch. Although she’d never met the man in person, she knew who he was and had admired him from afar. He was even more handsome up close than she imagined.
Hazel eyes rimmed with dark lashes had looked at her so intently, she was sure he peered right into her soul. When he smiled, her heart beat as swiftly as the pounding hooves of the horses that ran wild and free on the reservation.
Her grandmother Rebecca held a special affection for Tony Campanelli and his friends. That particular circle included the Nash family, Deputy Rawlings and his family, and Grant Hill.
During the summer months, Tony delivered ice to the reservation, free of charge. He sometimes brought special treats out for the children, like an entire jar of licorice whips. In the months when no one wanted ice, Tony took beautiful photographs. In fact, a photo of Lacy’s sister, Ruth, hung in Tony’s studio. Rebecca had proudly shown it to her after Tony put it on display.
Lacy liked Tony, Ilsa, and the people in their group. She sometimes wished she could join in their lighthearted fun and teasing. The few times she’d tried, her father had chastised her for her foolishness and cautioned her about melding to the “ways of the white man.”
It was a good thing her father worked at her uncle’s ranch today or he would have forbidden her from riding into town.
While Uncle Charlie embraced the changes that came his way and thrived, Lacy’s father fought against each one. Joe Williams was a good man, an honorable man, but he was a man mired in the past without much hope for the future.
Due to his emphatic refusal to move into the new century and a new way of life, Lacy’s family often struggled to make ends meet. Tired of being cold and hungry, Lacy decided to take matters into her own hands. If she could get a job in town, the money she earned would go a long way toward easing their financial burdens.
Lacy willed her trembling limbs to still. Grant’s presence, not the freezing temperatures, sent shivers racking through her. The only male beyond her family who had dared touch a hand to her was Phillip Redhawk, the man her father insisted she marry.
With enough on her mind already, she forcefully shoved aside thoughts of Phillip and Grant Hill.
Purposeful, she inhaled a calming breath. The scent of Grant’s shaving lotion lingered in her nose. Irritated by her attraction to a man who would never give her a second glance much less the time of day, she straightened her spine. Briskly marching around the corner, she rushed down the street to the telephone office.
Resolved to acquiring a job, she’d refused to go home until she secured one. Lacy hoped she wouldn’t need to resort to seeking employment at some of the questionable business establishments she’d heard her older brother discuss with his friends. The last place she wanted to end up was working in the Underground in one of the shops, or worse, as one of the saloon girls.
She’d already tried the drugstore, the bakery, the stationery store, and the mercantile with no luck. Mr. Johnson at the mercantile was incredibly kind. He suggested she apply for a position at the telephone office, since they were short handed.
Outside the door of the telephone office, she pasted on a friendly smile, bolstered her confidence, then stepped inside.
Three harried women who appeared to be close to her age sat in front of a switchboard with cables criss-crossing each other like a deranged spider’s web.
Lights flickered on the switchboard and the women answered calls. “Hello, Pendleton Central. Number please.”
Impressed and a little in awe as the women rapidly answered calls and made connections, she waited patiently to make her presence known. She watched as they plugged in cables that appeared to be a random jumble.
One of the operators turned to pick up a piece of paper that fell to the floor and noticed Lacy near the door. She motioned for her to step up to a counter and answered two more calls before yanking off her headset and rushing over.
“May I help you?” The woman offered her a warm smile.
“Yes, ma’am. I’d like to apply for a position as a telephone operator. Mr. Johnson at the mercantile indicated you were hiring.” Lacy maintained the proper posture she’d learned at school and from her cousins.
“Do you have any previous experience?” The woman studied her from the top of her dark head to the hem of her skirt. Lacy wanted to fidget under the direct gaze, but stood perfectly still.
“No, ma’am, I don’t, but I am a fast learner and a hard worker.” Lacy handed the woman an envelope. “I have letters of recommendation.”
The woman opened the envelope and scanned through the letters. She tucked the pages back inside and handed the envelope to Lacy. “Can you start tomorrow?”
Lacy grinned. “Yes, ma’am!”
The woman smiled again and pointed to the two other women operating the switchboard. “That’s Bertie Hawkins and Susan Smith. I’m Millie Matlock. Be here at eight in the morning and I’ll put you right to work.”
Millie hurried over to a desk and jotted a note then handed it to Lacy. “That’s what you’ll earn. For now, you’ll work the day shift.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Lacy offered a small curtsey and tipped her head.
“Millie. Call me Millie. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be here.” Lacy smiled at her new employer then hurried outside into the cold. She wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. A day that had started out quite badly suddenly seemed much, much brighter. Not only was she employed, she’d met an unforgettable man.
Watchful of the clouds overhead heavy with snow, she rushed down a side street to the alley where she’d tied her horse, Star. She unrolled a piece of leather fastened behind her saddle and shook out a long buckskin coat lined with fur. Quickly, she pulled the warm covering over her head and tugged it into place over her skirt and blouse. Unpinning her hair, she stowed the pins in a small leather pouch she wore around her neck. She braided her hair and fastened the end with a thin strip of leather. The shawl she’d worn draped around her shoulders went over her head and wrapped around her neck. She lifted the hood on her coat and tugged it down until it blocked the wind from most of her face.
The long wool skirt she wore hid her leather leggings and moccasins as she’d walked around town. The traditional garb provided warmth and comfort as she swung into the saddle and guided Star out of the alley and onto the street. When she rode past the bank, she glanced at the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Grant Hill. Between the lettering on the glass and the decorative iron bars, it was impossible to see inside.
Even if she didn’t catch a departing glance of the banker, his scent along with the vision of his smile would stay with her on the wintry ride home…
Find Lacy and other Shanna Hatfield books available on Amazon.
Pendleton Petticoats Series
Set in the western town of Pendleton, Oregon, at the turn of the 20th century, each book in this series bears the name of the heroine, all brave yet very different.
Dacey (Prelude) — A conniving mother, a reluctant groom and a desperate bride make for a lively adventure full of sweet romance in this prelude to the beginning of the series.
Aundy (Book 1) — Aundy Thorsen, a stubborn mail-order bride, finds the courage to carry on when she's widowed before ever truly becoming a wife, but opening her heart to love again may be more than she can bear.
Caterina (Book 2) — Running from a man intent on marrying her, Caterina Campanelli starts a new life in Pendleton, completely unprepared for the passionate feelings stirred in her by the town's incredibly handsome deputy sheriff.
Ilsa (Book 3) — Desperate to escape her wicked aunt and an unthinkable future, Ilsa Thorsen finds herself on her sister's ranch in Pendleton. Not only are the dust and smells more than she can bear, but Tony Campanelli seems bent on making her his special project
.
Marnie (Book 4) — Beyond all hope for a happy future, Marnie Jones struggles to deal with her roiling emotions when U.S. Marshal Lars Thorsen rides into town, tearing down the walls she’s erected around her heart.
Lacy (Book 5) — Bound by tradition and responsibilities, Lacy has to choose between the ties that bind her to the past and the unexpected love that will carry her into the future.
Bertie (Book 6) — Haunted by the trauma of her past, Bertie Hawkins must open her heart to love if she has any hope for the future.
Millie (Book 7) — Determined to bring prohibition to town, the last thing Millie Matlock expects is to fall for the charming owner of the Second Chance Saloon.
Dally (Book 8) — Eager to return home and begin his career, Doctor Nik Nash is taken by surprise when spirited Dally Douglas captures his heart.
Baker City Brides Series
Determined women, strong men and a town known as the Denver of the Blue Mountains during its days of gold in the 1890s.
Crumpets and Cowpies (Baker City Brides, Book 1) — Rancher Thane Jordan reluctantly travels to England to settle his brother’s estate only to find he’s inherited much more than he could possibly have imagined.
Thimbles and Thistles (Baker City Brides, Book 2) — Maggie Dalton doesn't need a man, especially not one as handsome as charming as Ian MacGregor.
Corsets and Cuffs (Baker City Brides, Book 3) — Sheriff Tully Barrett meets his match when a pampered woman comes to town, catching his eye and capturing his heart.
Bobbins and Boots (Baker City Brides, Book 4) — Carefree cowboy Ben Amick ventures into town to purchase supplies… and returns home married to another man’s mail-order bride.
Can forbidden love blossom amid the constraints of war?
Marnie (Pendleton Petticoats Book 4) Page 30