“After trying to eat my own cooking for so long, I could welcome some shoe leather as long as it had enough cinnamon on it.” Samuel took his last bite, then rose and headed for the wash basin just as Beth did the same. They collided two steps past the table, but neither of them moved. Beth found that her feet suddenly wouldn’t work. She had looked up into Samuel’s eyes and was completely transfixed by the little flecks of gold she saw in the rich chocolate brown.
He lifted one hand and traced along the edge of her jaw. “Thank you for dinner,” he said softly.
“You’re welcome,” she replied, startled to find that the zing that had been missing from his touch was now there in full force, tingling all the way to her toes.
“I’m going to turn in early, if you don’t mind. It’s been a long day.”
“No, of course not.” The only thing about it that she minded was the fact that it meant this moment was over, and she didn’t know when there would be another one.
She waited until the door to his “room” was closed before she began the water for dishes, hoping the sound would be muted enough that it wouldn’t disturb him.
She’d reconciled herself to the idea that her relationship with her husband would be more like that of brother and sister, and while it wasn’t what she wanted, it was doable. But now that she’d felt that zip of attraction, she knew she wanted to feel that way often. She pondered on that while she dried the last plate. It had happened in a completely random manner—maybe that was the secret. Maybe she’d been putting too much pressure on herself to fall in love right off the bat, and now that she was relaxing and making friends with him first, the other feelings had more room to follow. It was certainly worth seeing if such a thing could possibly happen again.
Chapter Seven
The next morning after Samuel left for the Mountie office, Beth locked the door, pulled the curtains tight, and set about preparing a bath. Claire had volunteered to carry lunch in for both Nathaniel and Samuel, and Beth was going to take every opportunity to soak in some hot water and relax. She set water to boiling on the stove, then went in search of the tub.
When she opened the door to the store room, she found the tub immediately. It was in the corner of the narrow room, with a blanket and pillows inside it. It became shockingly clear at once—Samuel had given up his bed for her and had been sleeping in the bathtub.
Well, that wouldn’t do at all. They’d be having a talk about that when he got home.
In the meantime, her water was almost hot. She took everything out of the tub and dragged it out into the kitchen, then filled it with hot water. Next came the cold. She shook her head ruefully. She’d become so used to having indoor plumbing back home that she’d forgotten it wasn’t everywhere yet, and this cabin had been built long enough ago that she should have expected it to be lacking in certain amenities. She couldn’t even imagine what kind of project it would be to bring water pipes out this far and was just grateful for the nearby well.
After her bath, she used the warm water to soak the egg and flour out of her dress from the night before. Samuel had made good on his promise and strung new rope on the clothesline, but she wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to use it. The weather had been unseasonably warm when they arrived, but winter couldn’t be kept at bay forever.
When Samuel arrived home after work, Beth met him with a pot roast, but also with her arms folded across her chest.
“Where have you been sleeping at night?” she asked him by way of greeting.
“In the storeroom there,” he replied, nodding toward the doorway.
“Yes, I know, but where exactly in the storeroom?”
“Um, in the bathtub.”
“And why have you been doing that?”
He seemed a little chagrined. “Because there wasn’t enough floor space free.”
“Well, there’s certainly not enough room in the bathtub for someone your height!” She shook her head and exhaled. “Why have you been bunching yourself up in a ball like that every night instead of sleeping in your own bed?”
“Because I wanted you to have your privacy.”
She shook her head again. He was so determined to be a gentleman that he’d hurt himself in the process. “I appreciate that, I really do, but I can’t let you continue. We will share the bed. It’s nice and big, we can each have our own side, and I won’t hear another word about it. No husband of mine is going to sleep in a bathtub. Well, unless he makes me really angry and I throw him out of the room, but that hasn’t happened. Therefore, you are coming back into the bedroom this very night.”
He nodded. “I’ll admit, it will be nice to stretch out.”
“I’m sure your back will appreciate the change.”
They ate dinner and Beth washed the dishes, then Samuel asked her to sit with him at the fire.
“The Mounties are concerned about Sinead,” he said, a crinkle between his eyebrows. “She’s gone up against Dr. Jenkins and told him what she thinks about his medical practice, and his reaction was rather threatening. We’re going to take turns keeping an eye on her, and we’d like to keep her close to home so she’s easier to protect. Would you mind popping over to see her and maybe even pretending to have an ailment so she has something to work on? Matthew feels that if she knows she’s being supervised, as it were, it would be difficult for her.”
“I love how very circumspectly you put that,” Beth said with a laugh. “You mean, she’d lose her mind.”
“Um, yes,” he replied, a smile forming on his mouth. “You know her a lot better than I do, so you’d know her reactions. Miss Hazel will be keeping her busy as well. Between the lot of us, she should have ’round-the-clock company, which is what we’d like.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Beth promised. She hated the thought that her friend might be putting herself in danger, but she knew the right thing was being done—if Dr. Jenkins was hurting people, she was proud of Sinead for calling him out on it.
When time came for bed, it wasn’t nearly as awkward as Beth feared it would be. They each climbed in on their respective sides, and there was room for them both without getting smashed. Samuel fell asleep almost immediately, as Beth had assumed he would—sleeping in a tub for several nights must have worn him right out. She, on the other hand, lay awake, listening to him breathing. At first, it bothered her because she’d never had to share a room before. But then she found the sound comforting, knowing that she’d never have to be alone again, and she drifted off as well.
***
Beth grunted as she pushed her empty luggage under the bed. It was nice to have everything put away—it hadn’t taken long, really, but her time had been spent dusting the cabin and learning her way around the kitchen. Then she stepped back, wiped her hands on her apron, and realized she was horribly bored. Everything was clean, bread was made, and Samuel wouldn’t be home for hours yet. It was time to leave the cabin and go for a walk. Maybe that would help the headache that had been building behind her eyes all morning.
She took off her apron and pulled on a sweater. The air had become a bit more chill, and she imagined snow would be falling soon. Christmas was drawing ever nearer, and that brought up another point—what should she do for Samuel’s Christmas gift? A nice scarf, she decided, and she put going to the general store on her mental to-do list. She checked the pocket of her sweater for the money she’d tucked in there. Samuel had given her some money for groceries, but she felt awkward spending his own money on him. She’d use a bit of the savings she’d had squirreled away and buy some yarn.
As she walked, she heard voices coming from up ahead, and noticed a man standing behind a table that was covered in bottles. Several people had gathered around to listen, and she found herself drawn in too.
“Just think, ladies and gentlemen, of never being in pain again. That’s right—with my specially patented line of Dr. Kinderhawk’s elixirs, you could live a pain-free life. You, sir—what is your ailment?”
�
�I’ve got arthritis in my knee,” the man in the front row answered.
“And I have just the thing for that.” Dr. Kinderhawk—what a strange name!—held up a bottle. “A few teaspoons of this morning and night, and you’ll be right as rain. And you, miss!” He pointed at Beth. “What troubles you today?”
“Oh, nothing,” Beth said, waving him off. “A slight headache.”
“Then you need the general body tonic! It cures headaches, toothaches, backaches—you’ll forget you were ever in pain.”
“No, thank you,” Beth replied. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.” She took a step to move away, but suddenly Dr. Kinderhawk was at her side.
“Come on, my dear. I’ll even give you a free sample. Let’s show these good folks just how effective a dose of my specially patented general body tonic can be.” He poured some into a spoon and held it in front of her mouth.
“No, really, I’m fine.” She had barely finished speaking when he plunged the spoon into her mouth, catching her entirely off guard. It burned like fire, and she gasped. He took advantage of that moment to force another spoonful into her mouth, then turned to the crowd with a look of triumph on his face.
“There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Within just moments, this young woman will have no headache symptoms at all. She will feel revitalized and relaxed, ready to complete her day’s tasks with cheerfulness and ease.”
Beth coughed and swallowed, trying to get the burning out of her nose and mouth. It was the most horrid thing she’d ever tasted, and to have it forced on her twice was ridiculous. She got away from the crowd as soon as she could do so undetected and made her way to the general store.
“I’d like to buy some yarn,” she said to the girl behind the dry goods counter.
The girl looked at her curiously. “Of course. What color?”
Beth had to think about that for a moment. “Probably black,” she replied. Her head felt even fuzzier than it had before, and she was getting dizzy. “Black’s a good color, right? It’ll go with his uniform, and with his top coat . . .” She put a hand on the counter to steady herself. “Yellow’s too bright. I don’t like yellow scarves. Enough black yarn for a scarf, please.”
The girl gathered up a small armful of the right color. “Do you have knitting needles?”
“Yes. Brought ’em from home.” Suddenly, things were spinning just a bit more. “Whoa.”
A moment later, her elbow was caught by a faceless man who guided her to the front of the store. “You’ve had enough, miss. Time for you to head home.”
“Enough what? Where are we going?” She just needed things to stop spinning. That would be nice.
“On second thought, maybe we should go see the Mounties,” he replied as he opened the front door. “Come on now.”
“The Mounties. I like seeing the Mounties,” she said, following him as best as she could.
Chapter Eight
Samuel glanced up when the door to the Mountie office opened, then came to his feet when he saw who was standing there. Beth clutched the doorframe, the storekeeper right behind her.
“Hi,” Beth said when she saw him. She didn’t look quite right.
He came to her side and took her elbow, guiding her over to a chair. She couldn’t seem to put one foot in front of the other, and she was clutching a small parcel to her chest. Samuel frowned, turning back to the storekeeper.
“What’s going on?”
“Well, sir, she came wandering into my shop as drunk as a skunk, just as you see her now.” The man nodded in her direction. “I was just going to send her home, but then I realized, she might be too disoriented to know where home is.”
“You believe she’s drunk?”
“Um . . . did you happen to catch a whiff of her breath, sir?”
Samuel bent down and sniffed. Oh, merciful day. What had she gotten into? It was almost as bad as smelling Old Zeke. “I agree. Thank you for bringing her in.”
“Do you know who she is, sir? Will you be able to get her back home all right?”
Samuel smiled, although without humor. “She’s my wife. I don’t think she’d want this little incident discussed all over town, if you wouldn’t mind keeping it between us.”
“Oh! Of course. Have a good day.” The shopkeeper nodded and left the building, and Samuel turned to his new wife.
“Beth,” he said, “what happened?”
“I’m . . . not sure,” she said, resting her head on her hand. “There was a man with some medicine, and he made me take it, and I don’t feel very good.”
“You don’t smell very good either,” Nathaniel said, standing up from his desk and crossing the room. “Want me to hold down the fort while you get her home?”
“Yes, please,” Samuel replied. “I’ll get her settled, and then I’ll see if I can’t hunt down this man she was talking about. How could he make her take medicine against her will?”
“And if that was medicine, I’m the king of England,” Nathaniel added. “My uncle makes something that smells just like that, but he distills it in his backyard.”
Beth lifted her head. “Are you saying that stuff is moonshine?”
“Or something like it,” Nathaniel replied.
“No wonder I’m so sick,” she mumbled, putting her forehead on the desk. “Never had anything to drink before.”
“Come on, sweetheart,” Samuel said, sliding his arm around her waist. “Let’s tuck you in so you can sleep it off.” He boosted her to her feet, and she sagged against him.
“She’s taking it pretty hard, isn’t she?” Nathaniel asked as he held the door open for them.
“Some people react pretty sensitively. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Samuel held Beth close to his side as they walked toward the cabin, hoping they looked like a young couple in love and not like a Mountie escorting the new town drunk back to her house. “Are you all right?” he asked when she let out a small moan.
“I think I’m going to be sick.”
He helped her off the path and behind a tree as quickly as she could, waiting until she was finished.
“May I just die now, please?” she asked when she emerged.
“No, I don’t think so,” he replied.
“But . . . if I ask nicely?”
He chuckled at the plaintive sound of her voice. “You’ll feel better after a nap. Did you eat anything today?”
“Um . . . I don’t think so. I made you pancakes, but I wasn’t really in the mood.”
“Alcohol on an empty stomach, and for someone who’s never had any . . .” He chuckled again. “Oh, sweetheart. Let’s get you home.”
A few minutes later, she was tucked up in bed. He’d pulled off her shoes and loosened the top button of her skirt, but decided she’d be fine other than that. He was going to do everything he could to preserve what dignity she had left.
“Hey . . .” she said, holding out her hand.
“Yes?” Her fingers felt hot between his.
“Have I embarrassed you horribly?”
He chuckled and bent down to kiss her forehead. “No, you haven’t. Now get some sleep, all right? That’s the best thing for this.”
“Okay,” she mumbled, her eyes already closed.
He shook his head as he closed the bedroom door most of the way, leaving it slightly ajar. It was funny, and yet, it wasn’t. He didn’t like the idea of strange men on the streets of Cougar Springs getting his unwitting wife drunk, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.
***
“And then he said no, I couldn’t die. Wasn’t that mean?” Beth lifted a hand to her forehead. It was so sore.
“It was very mean,” Claire reassured her. “He should have let you.”
“Yes!” Beth closed her eyes again. “At least the throwing up didn’t last long. Thank you for coming over.”
“Of course. I couldn’t leave you here alone, and when Samuel had to leave, I was more than happy to come over.”
“Where did
he go?”
“Nathaniel was concerned about something up at the health institute. I’m sure they’ll be back before long.” Claire pressed a fresh cool cloth to Beth’s forehead. “Are you ready to try some soup? Or maybe some bread and milk?”
“Maybe some bread,” Beth replied. “Or maybe just a short nap first.”
Claire laughed. “All right. You go ahead, and I’ll feed you when you get up.”
***
When Beth woke up, though, it wasn’t Claire sitting next to her, but Samuel. He still wore his uniform trousers and boots, but he’d taken off his jacket and hung it up behind the door.
“Did you survive?” he asked teasingly.
“I think so,” she replied. “I just don’t ever want to go through that again.”
“Agreed.” He studied her eyes seriously. “You’re sure you’re all right?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Why? What’s going on?”
“I should probably wait to tell you this, but if I wait, you’d be upset with me for not telling you sooner . . .”
She tilted her head to the side, exasperated. “Please. What is it?”
He picked up a sheet of paper from the bed. “Just a few minutes before you came wandering into the Mountie office today, I received this letter. It’s from a Mrs. Duesenberry of Ottawa, who says you stayed with her for a short time. This is the woman you told me about, right?”
“That’s right. Why is she writing you?”
Samuel cleared his throat. “She says that she took you in after the death of your father, and that you in return stole a precious broach from her household when you left.”
“What?” Beth sat upright too quickly, making her head swim. “I did no such thing!”
“She also claims that your father, Reverend James, wasn’t fit to lead a congregation, and had been preaching false doctrine for the last year at least. She says that he led you as his daughter down a path of lies and deceit, and she urges me to investigate, not only because you are my wife, but because I am a Mountie.”
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