“That’s an honest answer.” Sterling looked at Bridgette and grinned. “But I have to disagree with you. Bridgette has referred you to me, and she is the greatest of referrals.”
Chad smiled at him. “I hope so. I won’t let you down.”
“Money isn’t everything. I’ve known plenty of miserable rich people.” Sterling gestured for him to sit across from the desk. “Miss Durand should be here shortly.”
Chad sat and took a pencil to the paper. “I agree, Mr. Merritt. Money isn’t everything, but I’ve seen a lot of miserable, poor people.”
“Touché. I’m sure you’re right.”
The door creaked and then opened. Chad turned and saw Hannah enter the room, but the look on her face and the hesitant way she walked in told him something was wrong.
She sighed and sat down in the chair next to Bridgette, leaving him on the opposite of the desk from the other three.
Hannah looked at all three of them. “I have learned some disturbing news that has ruined my day and my dreams.”
Chad stared at her and felt the blood drain from his face. She knew. Someone had told her. He knew that he should have told her this morning.
Hannah cleared her throat. “I have learned that Chad was an outlaw. Is that true?”
Chad stood and gazed at her, hating his past and for not telling her. “I should have told you, but to tell you the truth, just being around you made my brain foggy, and my tongue not work. Yes, it’s true. I was a petty thief and got put in jail in Wyoming for a year. I’ve paid my time. This is my second chance, and I don’t intend to let it slip by me. I’ll make you proud of me.”
Hannah nodded. “That does make me feel better.”
Bridgette took Hannah’s hand. “I wouldn’t bring a woman out here if I thought the man wasn’t determined to go straight and make good use of his second chance.”
Hannah withdrew her hand. “Yes, I don’t suppose you would. But it would have been something that I should have known about before I even left New York.”
Sterling rubbed his wife’s back. “I have told her that myself.”
Bridgette shook her head. “But if we say we can forgive a man for his past, then it ought to mean just that. You, Hannah, you said you felt instant feelings for Chad.”
“Well, yes.” Hannah tried not to look at him, but she couldn’t help herself. And when she looked Chad in the eye, she felt the lightning again.
Bridgette continued, “I look at my notes and what the mail-order bride says in her letter, and then I pray. I was certain this would be a good match.”
Sterling took his wife’s hand. “I told you to stop playing matchmaker.”
Bridgette pulled her hand from his. “The other two are happily married, and I see no reason why these two won’t be just as happy.”
Chad kept watching Hannah. She did seem happier than when she walked in the door. He held up the paper he was filling out. “I’m applying for the job. I won’t go to the saloon. I’ll work hard to make you happy, Hannah.”
That brought a smile to her face. “That does please me. And I can’t deny the feelings I have for you. We will have to get to know one another.”
Chad nodded. “Yes. I can court you properly. I won’t marry you before I can provide for you.”
Bridgette cleared her throat and gave Hannah a look.
Hannah nodded at her. “While we’re telling things, I have to let you know that my father is coming from New York. He didn’t want me to leave, and he has detectives that follow me around. To protect me. From myself, he says.”
Bridgette kept her steady gaze leveled at Hannah.
With a nod, Hannah looked at him. “My father is bringing Pierre Monluc with him. It seems my father thought I should marry a Frenchman and had him come from France to marry me. That’s why I wrote to Bridgette after I saw her ad in the paper.”
Chad sat back as if he’d been punched in the stomach. “Married? You’re supposed to marry someone else?”
“No. I mean, yes, according to my father, but not because I want to. I want nothing to do with a Frenchman who is no doubt an aristocratic snob. I’m American and want to see my country. Pierre will take me back to France.”
“So, you really didn’t want to come and marry me. You’re running from this French guy.”
Hannah stood and put her hands on her hips. “I didn’t know anything about you. Just that I came as a mail-order bride, and Bridgette would have a groom for me. Yes, I am running from Pierre. But when I saw you yesterday, all my reasons disappeared when you looked at me.”
Chad stood. “Is that the truth?”
She nodded. “Yes. I only want you, Chad Dawson.”
Bridgette stood. “I think this meeting went rather well.”
Chad kept his eyes on Hannah. “When are they coming?”
Bridgette took a piece of paper from her reticule and gave it to Hannah. “This is your father’s telegram.”
Hannah looked at it. “He’s on his way. He could be here any day, depending on the trains.”
Sterling put a hand on Bridgette’s shoulder. “We’ll leave them to see what they’re going to do. We need to pick up the boys from school and go home. I know Charlotte is missing her mother.”
Bridgette nodded. “If you need me—”
Sterling interrupted. “You can reach her at home.” He nodded and escorted Bridgette out of the courthouse.
Chad looked at Hannah. “Want to have dinner together?”
Hannah smiled. “Yes. I guess we have more things to learn about one another.”
“I think you know my dark secret. Not that I was going to keep it from you. We’ll have things we have to work out between us when we get married. If we get married.”
Hannah went to him. “The first was correct. When we get married.”
“You’re sure?”
She nodded. “I am. I was hoping we’d be married before I saw my father, but together we can handle Pierre.”
Chad nodded. But how was he going to compare with an aristocrat from France?
Chapter 6
Hannah had enjoyed the dinner with Chad last night, and now she felt she knew him better and trusted him. She hoped he still liked her after telling him of some of her escapades. But it seemed like he had. They’d promised to get together today at breakfast.
She’d just finished dressing and was heading down to the dining room when she heard the train whistle blow. A chill went through her. What if Father was here? Then she chided herself for worrying about things that might not be. A glance at the stairs, and she smiled. Chad was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.
He grinned, looking fresh and ambitious. “I was thinking last night. What kind of house do you want to live in?”
She met him and allowed him to help her down the last step. “House? I don’t know.”
He led her to the diner and opened the door. “I mean in town or in the country?”
“Oh, I’d definitely want to be in town. I like people and like to be around them. What about you?”
“I grew up on a farm. I hadn’t really thought about it, but I want to make you happy. Of course, it’s going to be a while before I can afford anything.”
She glanced at him as he pulled out her chair. “How long do you think it will take?”
“I don’t know. But it’s not like I can marry you today.”
Hannah didn’t see why not. They could stay in the hotel for a while. “We’ll work it out when we have to. I really don’t see why we can’t get married this week. I came all the way from New York, not knowing who I would meet.”
Chad handed her a menu. “I told you. I need to be able to take care of you before we can marry. I don’t even know if I’ll get the job.”
“Well, I guess we can use the time to get to know one another and plan our lives.” She whirled in her seat to face him. “I would like to travel. What do you think about that?”
Chad frowned. “That takes money.”
> Hannah looked at him. “I can ride. We could just take off on a couple of horses and see some sights.”
Chad stared at her. “The land and people are rough. But I guess we could. The Yellowstone has scenes so wild that people thought the first account and pictures of the place were from another planet.”
Hannah’s spirits rose. “Yes. I’d like to see that. When could we go?”
Chad grinned. “Not until next year in the summer. Spring the earliest. Do you get much snow in New York? Because here, we live in the white for most of the winter.”
Hannah shrugged in a coy way. “I figure that will make more time in front of the fire with the man I love.”
A worried look crossed his face. “About that love. How do you know you love me? We just met.”
She frowned. Didn’t he feel the same? Well, she had felt the lightning and the tingles at his touch and the way he looked at her. It had to be love. “I’ve read in books that a person feels a jolt like lightning when they meet the one for them. Their one true love.”
“I see. And you felt that?”
She looked at him with a feeling of sadness. “Didn’t you?”
Chad tilted his head and grinned. “I admit, I felt something, and I sure didn’t want to stop looking at you. Then when you walked past me, I fell over in my chair. So yeah, I definitely felt something. I still do. I like the way your nose tilts up and that your eyes are green and fiery when you’re mad and sparkly when you’re happy. And when you walked past me, I smelled lavender all the rest of the day. You think that’s love?”
She leaned toward him. “I’m sure it must be. I’m willing to give it a try.”
He took her hand in his. “Hannah, when I marry a girl, I’m not going to try. It’s going to be the real thing and for life.”
“Oh, yes. I didn’t mean it in that way.” Hannah smiled but, at the same time, was troubled by her use of the word. What had she meant? He was right. Once married, that was it. What did the vows say, till death do us part? She believed that.
He picked up the menu. “Good. Glad we have that cleared up. What do you want to eat?”
She gazed at the paper. “An omelet sounds good.”
“It does. I’ll have the same.” Chad ordered, and they sat back and looked at one another.
Hannah found it a pleasant task to gaze at him. She smiled. “I love your blue eyes and sandy-colored hair. Your strong jaw and broad shoulders. If I had to draw the man I’d fall in love with, he’d look just like you.” She grinned and continued to stare at him.
Chad unfolded his napkin. “You’re very naïve. I’ve been around mostly to places and doing things that weren’t good. Will that bother you?”
She tapped her knife on the table. “I am not naïve. I’ve had to escape my keepers more times than you’d like to know. I sneaked into a cigar shop and smoked a stogie. I won’t do that again. Then there is the time I dressed like a boy and went into a saloon and saw more than I had bargained on. I won’t do that again, either.”
Chad shook his head while he snickered. “As I said, you’re naïve. I’m not sure you’re ready to marry a man. Maybe the aristocrat would be good for you.”
“How dare you insult me.” Hannah turned from him.
Chad put his hand to her chin and pulled her toward him. Their faces were but inches apart.
Hannah’s heart beat like a crazy drum. She readied for the kiss. Her first real one.
“Hannah Lisa Durand!”
She was so startled, Hannah nearly fell out of her seat. She whirled around to see her father entering the room with a tall, dark, handsome man following behind him.
Chad bolted to his feet.
Hannah regained her balance and stood next to him. “Father. What are you doing here?” She knew, but she didn’t have a notion of what else to say.
Father took off his hat and set it in on a table next to them. “You know very well why I came after you. I hope I have come in time, and you aren’t married to this man.”
Chad tensed.
Hannah moved between Chad and her father. It wouldn’t do at all for them to have a brawl. Feeling Chad’s strong arms, she was sure he could hurt her father, and she wouldn’t want that.
“We were having breakfast. Would you care to join us? Both of you?” While she loved Chad, the stranger, who had to be Pierre, did intrigue her. He was very European looking. Tan skin and dark eyes and hair with a neat mustache that made him look older.
Father glared at Chad, and then back to her. “All right. But you’re not changing my mind. You are returning to New York with me.” He sat next to Chad and gestured for Pierre to sit beside her.
Father nodded at the stranger. “This is Pierre Monluc. He came all the way from France to marry you if you agreed to the match.”
“Ha. I know you, Father. You were going to force me to marry him. As it is, I love Chad. We were meant for one another.”
Pierre smiled at her. “You are a beauty and just as high-spirited as your father said you would be. I’d like to get to know you. Perhaps you’ll have a change of heart.” He took her hand and gently kissed it repeatedly, going up to her forearm.
Hannah yanked her hand from him. “That will be enough of that, sir.”
The Frenchman grinned but never said he was sorry.
Father looked embarrassed and ordered a drink and the same for Pierre.
Hannah shook her head. “The food is wonderful. Aren’t you hungry?”
Her father looked at her. “Frankly, my dear, I lost my appetite when I walked in the door and saw you and this man about to kiss.”
Feeling her cheeks warm, Hannah was embarrassed that her father had almost come in and seen her first real kiss with a man she cared about. Her thoughts paused as she realized she’d thought cared instead of loved. She was confused.
Chad wasn’t. His blue eyes held the look of a coming storm. Yet, he remained quietly seething.
Hannah took Chad’s hand in hers. “We are in love and will soon be married.”
“Over my dead body!” Father yelled at the top of his loud voice.
“Please, Father. You are making a scene.”
“Hannah, you have seen nothing yet. I forbid you to marry this man. Look at him, he’s nothing but a cowboy. I bet he has no marketable skills other than chasing cattle and horses. Or worse, he’s an outlaw on the run.”
Hannah’s knees trembled. She glanced at Chad and saw that remark had hit him hard. She slightly shook her head and squeezed his hand. “Father, I’ll have you know that you are looking at the newest land agent for Shirleyville.”
Father shook his head and turned away from her, nearly kicking Chad’s chair.
Pierre nodded. “That’s a good choice of occupation. I am a chief solicitor in France and on my way to becoming a judge. A position fitting for an aristocrat.”
Hannah glared at him. “I heard France is near broke. I am American and will never leave my country. I am free. How many people in France can say the same?”
“Dear Hannah, all the people of France are free. We had our revolution just like you did. I think you’d love France.”
“Then, you don’t know me very well, Mr. Monluc.”
“Please, call me Pierre. I’m sure we know one another just about as well as Chad knows you. What’s more, I know what a woman like you needs and wants and desires.” Pierre spoke in almost a whisper with a seductive voice.
Hannah leaned closer to Chad. Whether for protection from her father or from Pierre’s alluring ways, she wasn’t sure. She didn’t want to like the man. Not at all. But she did. Her heart raced as she tried to decipher her predicament.
Should she upset her father and marry the man who first struck lightning in her heart? Yet, she had to admit, she did enjoy looking at Pierre and listen to him talk. Confused, she sought refuge by scooting closer to Chad.
Pierre studied her with his mysterious eyes, keeping his distance but keeping a slight grin on his lips as if he knew her secr
ets and wanted to reveal his own to her.
To avoid Pierre’s intense stare, Hannah turned to look at her father. He was fuming. She’d rarely seen him so angry and yell so loudly. She truly was sorry to cause such a breach between them.
Hannah lightly touched her father’s arm. “Father, we need to talk. Alone.”
With an angry glare, he nodded. “You are correct. Your poor Mother. Did you not have any care about her feelings?”
“Yes, I thought of Mother, but I thought I was doing what she would want me to do. After all, she told me countless times how she went against her parents to marry you. Even as far as running away from home so you two could sneak to the Pastor and get married.”
Her father’s cheeks turned red. Apparently, he’d forgotten how his own marriage had come about.
Seeing that she’d hit a nerve with her father, Hannah continued. “I truly want to find the man that I am supposed to live the rest of my life with. I believe Chad is that man.”
Father lowered a glare to Chad. “But you haven’t married my daughter?”
Chad slowly shook his head. “I intend to as soon as I can provide for her.”
“Ha! That will be the day you can provide for Hannah. It would take half the wealth of France to do that. And Pierre is equipped to do just that. Aren’t you, my man?” Father clapped a hand on Pierre’s shoulder.
Hannah watched and thought she detected just the slightest unease in the Frenchman’s eyes. Perhaps he wasn’t all that father thought he was.
She turned to face Pierre. “So, tell us how you are equipped to take care of me. What businesses do you run?”
Pierre lost his smile. “I can take care of you. Don’t worry. And I am sure that I can give you what you’re used to. Which I doubt very seriously that this boy can.”
Chad pounded the table. “I am tired of your insults. You talk as if I weren’t here. Or as if I didn’t matter.” He looked at her father. “I can promise you that I will do all in my power to make Hannah happy. How we can have such strong feelings for one another is a mystery to me, but I agree with Hannah, it must have been a love that was meant to be.”
Turning to Pierre, Chad pointed at him. “You, I believe, are a snake in the grass. I don’t trust your smooth talk and the way you speak to Hannah as if you wish to seduce her. I don’t trust you at all. You might as well know I spent a year in jail. I was an outlaw mostly robbing people and an occasional stagecoach. But I’ve paid my dues and am intent of making this second chance at life count.”
Hannah Page 5