Katie tried to imagine Daniel working in a store. He didn’t seem the type. Instead, she could see him working with horses. His body was so trim yet muscular. Her cheeks heated as she thought of the way her body had tingled when he had taken her elbow. She wondered how it would feel to kiss him. She took a deep breath as Ellen’s chatter pierced her thoughts.
“Katie has come to be a mail order bride,” Ellen volunteered, looking at her plate as if she wanted to pick it up and lick up the crumbs.
Katie kicked her sister under the table. When was she going to learn to be discreet?
“A mail order bride in Clover Springs? Do I know the lucky man?”
“My groom to be is a man called Mr. Montis Cassidy, but he isn’t from here. He lives on a ranch near Clear Creek. We were supposed to take the train to the next station and from there take a stage to Clear Creek. But after today…” Katie couldn’t continue. Her eyes filled up with tears, and Mrs. Sullivan took her hand to give it a little squeeze.
“You must have been so frightened. Those men are savages, gunning down an innocent man like that. Mr. Smithson was a lovely man. He used to call in here for his dinner occasionally.”
“I was terrified, but our Katie was brave as usual. She wanted to go help the conductor, but your son stopped her. I am so glad he did, as I didn’t like those men. They looked at us as if they wanted to eat us.”
Katie met Mrs. Sullivan’s eyes above Ellen’s head. Her sister didn’t really understand what could have happened, but she was astute enough to realize it wouldn’t have been pleasant. Katie pushed her chair back from the table and went to her sister, wrapping her arm around her Ellen’s shoulders, holding her as she cried.
“Come on, darling girl. Let’s get to bed. It’s been a long day. Thank you very much for a lovely meal, Mrs. Sullivan.”
“It was my pleasure, girls. I trust you will sleep well.”
Ellen cried herself to sleep, leaving Katie awake through the early hours of the night. She sat by the window, looking up at the clear night sky. It reminded her of home.
She didn’t want to think about home. Her thoughts strayed once more to Daniel Sullivan, but she didn’t think that was proper. She forced herself to think positively about her reason for making this trip. On Friday, she was supposed to wed Montis Cassidy and start a new life with her husband and sister. But how would she get to Clear Creek?
She wondered where his ranch was in relation to Clover Springs. He hadn’t mentioned the exact location, only that it was a decent size and he was hoping to expand. She had written of her experience on the farm in Galway. The farm back home bore little resemblance to any land holding she had encountered on their trip west.
Her thoughts flicked back to Daniel Sullivan. He wouldn’t be a ranch owner but a trader. In town. She wanted to live on a farm. Wasn’t that what she had told Mrs. Gantley? What did it matter where Daniel Sullivan was employed? Annoyed, she gave herself a mental shake. All this excitement about robbers and Daniel Sullivan would soon be ancient history. Wouldn’t it?
The next morning, Katie left Ellen chatting to Mrs. Sullivan, who had agreed to look after the younger girl, giving Katie a chance to send her telegram to the office in Clear Creek.
I hope he thinks to go check the post. She explained in as few words as possible that they were stuck in Clover Springs. She asked Mr. Cassidy what she should do next. She didn’t know if she could catch a stage from Clover Springs to him or if he would ride over to her. She hoped he would reply quickly. She didn’t know how much the boarding house would cost. Would she have enough money to last until Mr. Cassidy answered?
Chapter 19
Clear Creek
Montis kicked the dirt. The stage was late. He had better things to be doing than waiting around the town. He looked over at the saloon. Did he have time to go get a drink? Maybe that wasn’t the best idea. No decent girl would want to meet her husband-to-be for the first time and have him stinking of whiskey. Lord. She hadn’t even arrived yet and already he was changing his ways to please her. Darn it anyway.
He stomped over to the saloon and ordered a whiskey. “What you doing all dressed up, Montis?” The barkeep stopped teasing at the look he received and silently filled up the empty glass. Then another. Still no sign of the stage. Eventually, about an hour or so had gone by before Montis heard the distinctive shouts of Fred, the stage driver. He downed his last drink and headed outside.
“You’re late.”
“You work that out all by yourself, Montis?” Fred said sarcastically.
“No need to get uppity. I’ve been waiting and there are chores to be done at home. Nobody else going to see to them. What kept ya?”
“The axle broke. We had to change a wheel. You think you had problems. At least you got to have a drink. My throat thinks the well has gone dry.”
Montis was only half listening to Fred moaning. His attention was fixed on the occupants of the stage. The only woman passenger looked to be about thirty and a proper school marm at that. Had the girl lied in her letter? She said she was young.
Virgil, I am going to kill you for this. Montis swallowed hard before stepping forward, only to be nearly knocked over by another man who reached the lady first.
“Mildred, at last you arrived. I thought you would never come.”
“I’d have come a lot sooner if you had sent me the proper fare, but I can just guess where you have been spending your dollars. I see you been in the saloon again. What’s her name this time?”
“Now, Mildred, don’t be harsh. I’ve missed you something fierce. Come along now and see the little house I got for you.”
“Little!” The woman’s screech caused all the men to stare at her. Her husband blushed. Montis stepped back. She sounded just like his ma. With relief, he watched the man take the woman’s arm and walk her purposely away from the direction of the saloon.
Montis stood for a few minutes before turning his attention back to the stage. He even looked inside to confirm there was nobody hiding in it.
“What you done with my bride?” he said to Fred.
“Your what?” Fred’s eyes nearly burst out of his face.
“You heard. I had a bride coming all the way from Boston, only she’s not here. Did you lose her?” Montis glared at Fred, not liking the way he was laughing at him.
“How much whiskey have you had? Lose a passenger? In all my years of driving the stage, when have I ever lost anything? Maybe she decided not to come. Got sense like.”
Montis bristled, his fists clenching. No man would ever dare to speak to him like that. When Virgil was around. He rounded on Fred, but the stagecoach driver stood his ground.
“When’s the next stage due?”
“Won’t be here till a week on Friday. Are you sure you got your dates right?” At the look from Montis, Fred tried again. “You checked the telegraph office? Maybe your lady friend done sent you a note.”
Montis cursed. Why hadn’t he thought of that? Because you’re not Virgil. You’re the dumb one. He turned and marched off down the street, the sound of Fred’s laughter ringing in his ears. That’s all he needed. Not only would the whole of Clear Creek know he’d been waiting on a woman, but they would know he’d ordered a bride like you would a parcel in the post. Why couldn’t life ever be plain sailing? He thought all he had to do was meet her off the stage, take her over to the preacher and then take her back to the ranch tonight. He knew getting married was a stupid idea. A real dumb thing to do.
Chapter 20
Katie got out of bed carefully, not wanting to disturb Ellen. Dressing quickly, she went downstairs to ask Mrs. Sullivan what time the telegraph office would open. It had been three days, surely long enough to get a reply from Mr. Cassidy. She found her sitting at the kitchen table, her head in her hands.
“Are you all right, Mrs. Sullivan?” Katie asked, although the answer was obvious. Her host’s face was unnaturally rosy.
“Oh, good morning, Katie. I’m sorry. I should
be fixing breakfast, but my legs don’t seem to want to work this morning.” As if to prove her point, she rose but seemed to fall forward. Katie grabbed her in time, putting her arm around her waist to help support her back toward the chair.
“You sit here. I will go get help. I won’t be a minute.” Katie tried to smile reassuringly, but she couldn’t keep the worry from her tone. She ran upstairs to wake Ellen. It didn’t take her sister long to dress and between them they escorted Mrs. Sullivan back to her room.
“Lie down and rest. You will soon feel much better.” Katie set a glass of cool water beside the bed. “Ellen, sponge her head every few minutes. I am going to cook breakfast for the guests. I will be back as soon as I can.”
Ellen nodded. With a house full of brothers and sisters, they were both well versed in dealing with fevers and other ailments. Katie raced back downstairs. She wasn’t sure how many guests were booked and expecting breakfast. There was no time to waste.
Mrs. Sullivan had already put biscuits in the oven and they were just browning nicely. Katie cooked some bacon and scrambled eggs. All she needed now was some butter and molasses.
“Ma, I sure missed your cooking. Something smells mighty good.”
Katie’s heart soared at the sound of his voice. He was back. She pushed her hair back from her face, hoping it wasn’t covered in flour.
“You’re not Ma.”
Katie laughed at the obvious statement before saying quickly, “Mrs. Sullivan wasn’t feeling well so I sent her back to bed. She was worried about breakfast, so I—”
“You did all this? But you are a guest.”
“There was nobody else to do it, and I guessed you didn’t want a house full of hungry guests. It was no different to the cooking I did in Boston.” Only there, she had a pump in the kitchen and a better stove, but she didn’t think it would help to point out the deficiencies in the kitchen.
“It was very kind of you, Miss O’Callaghan, but you are a paying guest. I will take over now.”
“You?” Katie couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice.
“Why not? I’ve helped Ma once or twice before.”
Katie stared pointedly at his whiskers before moving down to his hands.
“Your mother has a reputation to uphold. I don’t think the female guests would appreciate a cowboy serving breakfast.” Not even one as gorgeous as you.
The look he gave her made her think she had spoken her thoughts out loud. She swallowed hard and looked at the floor, hoping he would attribute her rosy cheeks to the heat of the kitchen.
He laughed and her stomach somersaulted once more.
“Okay, you win, Miss O’Callaghan, but do you think the ladies may object to me eating some of that fine breakfast?”
“To be sure they won’t.”
As he turned toward the door to the dining room, she added, “Not so long as you wash up first.”
She giggled at the look he sent her before the slight smell of burning had her racing to the oven to rescue the biscuits.
“Wash up indeed,” Daniel huffed. He had a bath last night when the posse got back to town. They should have still been chasing the raiders, but one of the men took sick and then his horse lost a shoe. It looked like the gang had taken to the mountains. Sheriff Matthews had ordered them all back to town to gather proper provisions, warmer clothes and also to round up more men. They would head out again in a few days when extra men had been drafted from some of the neighboring towns. The railroad had offered a large reward to be shared amongst the volunteers riding with the sheriff. Won’t need the bank loan if we capture those varmints. But it wasn’t just the lure of the money. Daniel liked Clover Springs and didn’t want the type of trouble those men would bring to this town.
He looked down at his hands. They looked clean enough to him. Maybe I’ve been on the trail too long.
It would certainly explain his urge to touch Miss O’Callaghan every time he saw her. He had to count to ten to stop himself from reaching out to wipe a flour trail from her cheek. She looked so pretty standing at Ma’s cooker.
Ma? He had been so caught up with thoughts of Katie he hadn’t thought about what was wrong with his mother. Cursing under his breath, he ran back into the house, taking the stairs two steps at a time.
After seeing how poorly she was, Daniel sent for the doctor, who insisted Mrs. Sullivan stay in bed.
“I can’t stay in bed. Elizabeth is looking after her young’un. There is nobody to look after my guests.”
“Seems to me that the young Irish girls are managing quite nicely. There was such a divine smell downstairs, I am going to ask you to invite me to stay for breakfast,” the doctor said.
“The Irish girls? But they are supposed to be guests. I have to get up.” Mrs. Sullivan went to sit up but swayed and fell back onto the pillow.
“Ma, stop being a stubborn old woman and listen to the doc. He knows best.” Daniel looked at the doctor, who nodded. His mother didn’t look too convinced. He had to find a different way to persuade her.
“You’d be doing those girls a favor. They weren’t expecting to stay in a boarding house. Maybe they would be happy to look after the place in exchange for food and lodgings for a few days. Just until you get back on your feet.”
“Wouldn’t be Christian not to help those young girls. They don’t look old enough to be traveling across the country by themselves,” the doctor added, winking at Daniel.
“Well, I guess you are right. Please ask them, but mind your manners, son. These are nice girls and you’ve been on the trail a long time.”
“Yes, Ma,” Daniel said grumpily. What do you think I am going to do, kiss her senseless? Daniel grinned despite himself. Maybe Ma knew him well after all.
He pulled the colorful quilt covers up over his mother and surprised both of them by giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead.
Chapter 21
Katie spent the day getting used to the routine at the boarding house. Mrs. Sullivan had a number of guests who were stuck waiting for the trains to get back to normal. Ellen had helped her to bake bread, pies and biscuits. Katie saw to the meals. Mrs. Sullivan kept the larder well stocked. Daniel had gone to the store and brought back some additional foodstuffs. In addition to cooking, they also had to strip the bedrooms some guests had vacated and prepare them for the next visitors.
Katie was wondering how to get the laundry done when Daniel came into the kitchen.
“Any coffee going for a tired working man?”
Katie looked around her. “Where is he?”
“Who?”
“The working man?” Katie giggled at the look on Daniel’s face as he realized she was teasing.
“Careful, Miss O’Callaghan, or you just may end up biting off more than you can chew.”
She watched as he picked up a freshly baked cookie. “These sure smell tasty.” As if in agreement, his stomach rumbled loudly, causing both of them to burst out laughing. “My apologies, Miss. Good thing Ma is in bed or she would be taking the switch to me.”
Katie smiled, but the mention of Mrs. Sullivan reminded her of the need for laundry. “Mr. Sullivan, would you mind showing me where your mother keeps her laundry supplies? There is some washing to be done.”
“Ma sends that out to a local woman. Says her back can’t take the scrubbing. I can show you where she’s at if you like. I have to go see the sheriff anyway.”
“Thank you kindly. Please give me a few minutes.”
Daniel nodded, sitting down with the plate of cookies and pouring himself another coffee.
Katie gathered the dirty linen into a bundle. She wasn’t sure how she was going to carry the load down the street. Maybe Mrs. Sullivan had a basket. Daniel would know.
She threw a quick glance in the mirror. Her hair was escaping from the bun she had fashioned that morning. She pushed it back, wishing she had time to go to her room and start over, but she didn’t want to keep him waiting. Was it proper for the two of them to go walking? Sh
e was betrothed to another. Maybe she should ask Ellen to come with them. We are walking through a town. It’s not as if we are going to be alone. He is just showing me the way to the laundry woman.
Katie shook her head. Maybe the sun was getting to her and addling her brain. She picked up her bonnet and ran back downstairs toward the kitchen. Daniel had the basket waiting and once filled, he picked it up as if it were weightless. He has nice shoulders. Flustered, Katie dropped her reticule. He pushed the door open and waited until she was outside before following.
They walked back toward the main street of town with Daniel pointing out places of interest.
“Why did you decide to move out West?”
Katie paused. What should she say? She didn’t really want to admit to being a mail order bride. Why not? There was no shame in it, was there? But what if he thinks I am desperate? He’d be right.
“I answered an ad in the paper. We were staying with relatives and it wasn’t working out too well. I don’t like living in big cities. I want to live in the open where I can breathe.”
“Well, you certainly came to the right place. If it’s one thing Colorado Territory has, it’s lots of space. People think it’s just mountains, but we have big wide-open prairies too. You would have seen that from the train.”
“Yes, at times you didn’t see anything else, just acres and acres of grass. You said your brother lives on a ranch.”
“He sure does. Pa grew up here. His father was one of the first settlers. He started Clover Springs with a few others. Mr. Brook, the old man who owns the mercantile, can tell you stories about my grandpa. I never met him. Pa died a couple of years back, and Davy, my older brother, took over the running of the ranch. Ma says it was too much hard work at her age, but I think she was lonesome. Anyway, she wanted to be nearer Elizabeth. She’s my sister. She reminds me a little of you.”
Katie: Clover Springs Mail Order Brides Book 1 Page 7