White River Brides

by Frances Devine

  “You’re our own precious Abigail Kentucky Sullivan, that’s who. And I think you’re just fine the way you are.” She wrinkled her brow and bit her lip. “I know I nagged at you about changing, but I would never want you to stop being yourself.”

  “Well, obviously Sam doesn’t feel that way.” She leaned her head back.

  Addy frowned. “What do you mean? What did he say?”

  “Nothing. Not to me, that is.” Pain ripped through her, and she thought she’d be sick. “It seems Rafe overheard him talking to someone on the phone. A woman. He told her he loved her.”

  Addy’s mouth dropped opened, and then she pressed her lips together. Her face crumpled.

  Tuck frowned. “What? What were you going to say?”

  “Nothing,” Addy hastened to say. “Perhaps Rafe misunderstood. Tell me exactly what he said.”

  She repeated everything she’d overheard. “Do you think it’s possible Rafe misunderstood?”

  “Well, it’s possible.” Addy’s face was washed with misery.

  “But you don’t think so.”

  “Well, no.” She licked her lips.

  Tuck stood and looked down at Addy, peering into her eyes. She knew her sister well enough to know she was hiding something. She’d suspected as much for some time but had shoved the suspicion aside. “Addy, you know something you aren’t telling me.”

  Addy’s face crumpled, and she placed her hands over her face. “I should have told you before.”

  Tuck reached down and pulled them away. Addy’s eyes were full of tears.

  “Just tell me, Addy. Tell me now.”

  “I’ve been so miserable.” Addy jumped up and clutched Tuck’s shoulders. “At first I thought it was my imagination telling me Sam was making advances toward me. A wink here, a suggestive smile there. But it didn’t stop. Then one day when I was leaving the store, he approached me and asked me to go for a drive with him. I told him in no uncertain terms what I thought of him for that. And, Abby, he behaved the same way on different occasions to Phyllis Carter and Jane White.”

  Tuck stood frozen. A roaring in her ears drowned out the rest of what Addy was saying. Please, God. Help me. Suddenly clarity returned, and she heard her sister’s voice loud and clear.

  “Abby, are you all right? Should I get Ma?”

  “No, no. Don’t get Ma.” She sat in her rocker. “But why didn’t you tell me? Why would you keep such a thing from me?”

  Addy dropped her hands and shook her head. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I didn’t tell you. Except, I didn’t want to hurt you and I wasn’t even sure you’d believe me.”

  Tuck closed her eyes for a moment. Would she have believed her? Sam had shown more interest in Addy than her at the beginning. She’d been jealous, and even after he started courting her, she still felt unkindly to Addy. Her jealousy must have shown through. No wonder her sister had been afraid to tell her about Sam’s advances.

  She stood and pulled Addy to her, wrapping her in her arms. “I’m so sorry. I should never have let anyone come between us. Can you forgive me?”

  “Oh, Abby.” Addy squeezed her tightly. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  They talked long into the night. And between tears and laughter, the bond that had always been between them grew stronger.

  But there was one more question that Tuck knew she needed an answer for. “Addy, I know you had feelings for Sam in the beginning. And he was interested in you. I shouldn’t have gone after him the way I did.” She paused before continuing. “Do you still have those feelings?”

  Addy drew back in horror. “Heavens, no! When I noticed how he treated you and how rude he could be, any feelings I had for him dissipated. I don’t want to hurt you, Abby, but quite frankly, I can barely tolerate the man, and I know he’s not good enough for you.”

  After Addy had fallen asleep, Tuck lay awake, her thoughts twisting inside her mind. What now? Although she never wanted to see Sam again, she knew she needed to confront him. He had a right to answer the accusations, although she doubted he could defend himself against them. Neither Rafe nor Addy would have lied about it. And she couldn’t think of any plausible explanation that could make him innocent.

  Finally, although she tried hard to keep it at bay, the memory of Rafe’s declaration of love for her filled her thoughts. She had no idea how she felt about that or what to do about it, but it filled her heart with awe.

  Chapter 15

  After a restless night, Tuck got up early and slipped out to the barn to saddle Sweet Pea. The storm had ended, but light rain continued to fall. Ma would have been sure to protest Tuck’s riding off to town.

  A cold drizzle fell on Tuck and Sweet Pea as she rode fast and hard toward Branson’s. She pulled up in front and, after taking care of Sweet Pea, went inside.

  Only one customer browsed the aisles of the store. Tuck glanced around and saw Mr. Hawkins stocking the top shelves. Tuck walked quietly to Sam’s office and tapped on the door.

  Sam started when he saw her. Scorn twisted his face as his eyes took in her overalls. “Abby. What a surprise. Please come in.”

  Tuck kicked the door closed behind her and slipped past him, avoiding his hand that he held out toward her.

  “Whatever will Mr. Hawkins say, my dear?” He flashed her a nervous smile. When she didn’t return it, a thoughtful look crossed his face.

  “I understand I’m not your only dear.” The calmness of her voice surprised her. It certainly didn’t match her desire to scratch his eyes out.

  “Why would you say such a thing? Have you seen me with anyone else?” He frowned. The hurt expression on his face would have fooled her a few weeks ago.

  “I have my reasons, Sam. I know you’ve made advances toward other women.” She took a deep breath. “Did you really think you could get away with it, when I know most of the girls in the county?”

  “Abigail, I don’t know who has been telling these tales, but I assure you they are nothing but lies. I’ve hardly looked at another woman since I met you.”

  She shook her head. “You are pathetic. And how dare you call my sister a liar.”

  “Ah. Well, there you have it. She always was attracted to me.” He chuckled. “Just a little case of jealousy.”

  She planted her hands on her hips and glared. “It’s no use, Sam. Stop lying. Besides, someone heard you on the phone yesterday when you were professing your love to someone in quite a provocative voice.”

  A trapped look crossed his face. Then understanding dawned, and he laughed. A very unpleasant laugh. “Ah, I see. Caught by your devoted Rafe Collins. I don’t suppose I could convince you he’s making a mountain out of a molehill.”

  “No, you can’t.” Thank You, God, for this peace.

  “Well then, I suppose I must confess. I like pretty women. Never could resist them.” He smiled. “I actually was quite taken with your sister at first, I will admit.”

  “Then why did you turn your attentions to me?” The weasel. How could she have thought he had charm?

  “Why, you were very entertaining, dear Abigail. It fascinated me that you were so enamored of me. You actually managed to turn yourself from a backwoods hillbilly into a lovely young lady. Of course, you still have rough spots, but perhaps someday those will smooth out.”

  “I see. So you were simply playing with my affections, leading me to believe that you were an honorable man who wanted to marry me.” She stomped her foot. “Not that I’d marry a snake like you.”

  “Marry you?” Laughter exploded from his mouth. “Let me tell you a little secret, my dear. I couldn’t marry you if I wished to, which I don’t. You see, I’m already wed to the daughter of a very famous surgeon in Kansas City. In fact, we worked out some of our little problems when I was there recently, and I’m sure we’ll be reuniting very soon.”

  She gasped. “You vile man. My pa will tar and feather you when he hears about this. And so will every other man in the neighborhood. You’ll be run out of town
faster than you can say, ‘my dear’ anything.”

  “Hmmm, you may have a point there. And I’m sure your Rafe will lead the pack. Well then, I was bored with this place at any rate, so perhaps I’d best say adieu. There are plenty of other communities in need of a doctor.”

  Tuck gave a short laugh. “Why don’t you go on back to Kansas City to your wife? I suppose she’s the one you were talking to on the phone?”

  “You suppose wrong.” He smiled a mocking smile. “That happened to be a sweet young lady I met in Wichita last year. Perhaps it’s time to head that way until my wife makes the right decision.”

  Tuck laughed. “I thought you were getting back together.”

  “Unfortunately, her father isn’t quite ready to forgive me, and he controls the purse strings and his daughter.” He bowed.

  “Serves you right, you womanizing four-flusher.” She spun and headed for the door.

  His mocking laugh hit her like a sack of potatoes.

  Boiling, seething anger roiled up inside her. Her hand clutched into a tight fist. Spinning around, she slammed her fist into his face.

  He yelled and hit the floor.

  With a tight smile, she rubbed her hands together. “Enjoy your trip.”

  She made it outside before her anger deflated, and she leaned against the front of the store, weak and trembling. How could she have been such a fool? He’d cared nothing for her. He had played with her affections and humiliated her. What kind of woman did he think she was that he would show disrespect to her so?

  Batting tears from her eyes, she stalked over to the hitching rail. She mounted Sweet Pea and rode away toward the Collinses’ farm. She had to talk to someone. She needed Rafe. He was the only one who could always help her think straight.

  A pang shot through her, and she yanked on the reins, bringing Sweet Pea to a stop. How could she have forgotten? Things were different between her and Rafe now. He wasn’t just her best friend anymore.

  Shame washed over her at the very thought of revealing to him the things Sam had admitted to her. Oh, how could she have thought she was in love with such a vile man? If only she could go back and do things differently. But she couldn’t. All she could do now was try to salvage some of her dignity and get on with her life.

  At least she had Ma and Pa and Addy. She’d never tell her parents the truth about Sam. If he was really leaving, they wouldn’t have to know how bad it really was. But she could talk to her sister. Addy would help her through this.

  Suddenly she thought of Ma’s favorite scripture verse. “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” She’d never even consulted with God about Sam. She’d wanted her own way, and it had never crossed her mind to ask God if Sam was His will for her life.

  “Father, forgive me for being so willful. From now on I only want to do things Your way. And Lord, I can’t imagine my life without Rafe in it. But I know I’m the one who messed everything up. Really, I only need You. Please don’t let Rafe be hurt because of me. Have Your way, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

  Peace flowed over her as she headed for home.

  “I tell you, Jim, if that guy hurts her, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

  Jim gave him a commiserating look and nodded. He’d come over to say good-bye before he left for Arkansas and had stayed for lunch.

  Rafe leaned back in the chair and glanced out over the yard. The rain had picked up again, and there wouldn’t likely be a leaf left on a tree if it kept up. They’d held on pretty long as it was, considering this was the third week in November. He threw the piece of wood he’d been chewing on into the yard. “Oh well, enough of my whining. I’m sorry to see you go, Jim.”

  “Thanks, Rafe, but now that Marble Cave is shut down for the winter, I need to go where the work is,” Jim said.

  “Too bad you won’t be around for Thanksgiving. My ma’s pumpkin pies are the best in the county.” His mouth nearly watered just thinking about them.

  “I hear you. She makes a real good turkey, too.” He grinned. “Rafe, I wouldn’t worry about Tuck if I were you. She’s a smart girl and independent. She’ll catch on to Fields sooner or later.”

  “Sooner I hope.” Some women never found out their men were rotten, until they were wed and expecting babies. His stomach tightened at the thought of Tuck in a situation like that.

  “Don’t give up on her. She might care more about you than you think.” Jim’s voice held hope, and Rafe knew he was probably wishing the same about Addy, although he’d barely spoken ten words to her since the first time he laid eyes on her.

  He sighed. “I don’t know, Jim. When I came out of the barn last night after talking to her pa, she’d gone in the house. My horse was in plain sight, so she knew I was there. Didn’t say hello or even ask me to help her carry the supplies in.”

  “Did you go in and say hello to her?” Jim gave him a knowing look.

  “Nope. She’d have known something was wrong, and she has a way of wringing the truth out of me. I couldn’t be the one to tell her, so I left.”

  “Well, she may have had her reasons for not coming to tell you hello.” Jim didn’t sound too convinced, much less convincing.

  Rafe nodded. “Maybe.”

  “You sure you don’t want to go with me to Arkansas? They’re still needing hands. Maybe a change in scenery is what you need. It could help you think clearly.” He snapped his fingers. “I almost forgot to tell you. I found out why they’re buying up land all around the store and mill.”

  “Why?” Rafe turned his attention fully on what Jim was saying. Nearly everyone he’d talked to lately had wondered about that.

  “Seems the Missouri Pacific plans on building a township. They’ll keep the name of Branson, since that’s what most people call the community already.”

  “Is that right? That’s interesting,” Rafe said. “Old man Berry might have something to say about that. You know he owns the land the store and post office are on. He’s the one who wants the mail to be postmarked Lucia instead of Branson. I’d hate for that to happen, but who knows?”

  Jim shook his head and stood. “The railroad will more than likely buy that property, too, so that’ll take care of that.”

  “Yes. If Berry will sell. He’s a hardworking, God-fearing man, but a stubborn old coot as well. If he decides not to sell, his sons will stand behind him. They’re a close-knit bunch.” Rafe stretched and stood up, reaching out to shake Jim’s hand.

  “Well, I’ll be back this way in a few months, if not sooner. It’ll depend on when Lynch wants to reopen.” He mounted his horse. “Good-bye, Rafe.”

  “Good-bye and take care. Depending on what happens here, I may follow you.” He waved and headed for the barn as Jim rode away.

  His pa was currying Paintbrush, the Indian pony they’d had since Rafe was a boy. Pa treated all his animals well, but Paintbrush was special. He got the finest care of any horse they’d ever owned.

  “Pa, I found out why the railroad’s buying up so much land. They plan on building a town over by Branson’s.”

  “You don’t say. What do they want with a town? Must be up to something.” Pa scratched his ear and frowned, two deep lines appearing between his eyes.

  “Or maybe they plan to bring some businesses in here.” Excitement rose in Rafe, almost making him forget his worry about Tuck.

  “Hmm. Well, I sure ain’t selling. They’ll get my farm over my dead body.” Pa gave an emphatic nod and patted Paintbrush on the rump. “There you go, old feller. Pretty as can be and not a burr in sight.”

  “Well, I thought you’d want to know,” Rafe said. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Yes, you can tell me why you been in such a bad mood all day. Your ma’s right worried about you, boy.”

  Rafe cleared his throat before answering. “Sorry, Pa. I know I’ve been sort of moping around lately. I’m a little worried about Tuck and that doctor. I don’t trust him to treat her right.”

  “
Ain’t no use worrying. When a gal takes a shine to a fellow, ain’t nothing can get him out of her head unless something opens her eyes and she sees for herself.” He turned slowly, rubbing his lower back. “But I don’t blame you for not trusting that Fields fellow. I’ve thought he was a bad one ever since I laid eyes on him.”

  Rafe nodded. Maybe he needed to have a talk with Tuck after all. She couldn’t do much more than bite his head off. He took a deep breath. He couldn’t do it. Not yet. Maybe Jack had spoken to her about it.

  Pain stabbed at his heart as he walked to the house with his pa. He had to do something. If he couldn’t talk to Tuck about it, there wasn’t a thing to prevent him from talking to Sam Fields. Tomorrow he’d see the doctor again. This time he’d have a few questions for the man. If he didn’t like the answers, he would talk to Tuck, even if she hated him for it.

  Chapter 16

  Tuck emitted a growl of frustration as Tom hit the wrong note on his banjo for about the tenth time since they’d started practicing, followed by an apologetic look at Mr. Willie. She frowned at all three of the men. “What’s wrong with all of you today? Mr. Willie, your fiddle sounds like a dying cow and Squeezebox’s accordion sounds like a dying bull. I can’t even think of anything that sounds like Tom’s banjo. Someone want to tell me what’s going on?”

  She was exaggerating, but so what? She knew what their problem was. And it was time to bring it to an end. “Look. It’s not that I don’t appreciate your concern, but I’ve told you over and over I’m all right. I don’t care a hoot about Sam Fields hotfooting it out of here last night. I’d already ended things with him. The only thing I’m sorry about is that we won’t have a doctor close by.”

  Tom gave her a look that wasn’t quite disbelief but pretty close. “You sure, Tuck? Because every man in this town is willin’ and ready to go after him and give him a trouncing if he just run off and left you, so to speak.”

  Tuck rolled her eyes and looked upward. “Mercy. What do I have to do to get it through your thick skulls?”