Charlotte was the only woman at the way station, and the owner gave her the one bedroom for the night. When the time came to say good night, Frank escorted Charlotte to her room and kissed her again. He lingered, giving serious consideration to joining her in the small bedroom, but he decided to stick to his plan. Once he walked back to the main room, he saw the two male passengers had spread their bedrolls on the floor and had settled in for the night. Frank grabbed a blanket and pulled a chair to the back of the room near the fireplace where he could see the men if they moved. Even though the two men had kept to themselves after that first encounter, he’d caught them eyeing Charlotte when they thought he wasn’t watching. He understood these kinds of men, and he knew what was on their minds. He’d noticed Charlotte’s bedroom door didn’t have a bolt, so he needed to stay alert tonight. Covering himself with the blanket, he quietly pulled his pistol and cocked it before pulling his hat low over his eyes. He was certain he could have persuaded Charlotte to let him share her room tonight, but he was enjoying the pursuit. All things in due time. Wasn’t that what Granny always said? His time was coming soon.
The silence of the room, along with the warmth of the fire, made it difficult for Frank to stay awake. He figured about two hours had passed, and no one had moved an inch, so he closed his eyes. His head bobbed up and down several times before he finally drifted off.
The two men waited for Frank to fall asleep before they quietly moved in their stocking feet to Charlotte’s bedroom.
As was Charlotte’s habit, she kept the oil lamp’s flame low because dark rooms frightened her. But tonight it wasn’t only the dark that disturbed her sleep. Thinking about Frank had her tossing and turning. He’d spent the entire day seducing her, and she hadn’t had a chance to ask him personal questions. She knew very little about him, yet she thought she was falling in love with the handsome stranger. Hours later, she drifted off, thinking about a future with a man she barely knew.
The bedroom door squeaked when the men slowly cracked it open. They waited, listening for movement to let them know if anyone heard the noise. Silence. They peeked through the opening and saw Charlotte was sleeping, so they slipped inside the room.
Charlotte’s eyes snapped open when someone covered her mouth. Before she could react, a strong hand trapped her arms above her head. The stench of the sweaty hand over her mouth made her nauseous. Fear gripped her when she realized she was staring into the evil eyes of one of the men from the coach. She had the presence of mind to try to fight him off, but when she tried twisting away from him, she realized the other man was sitting astride her legs. Still, she tried with all her might to fight them off with her limited movement. If only she could force the man’s hand from her mouth, she could scream for Frank. Her struggles were in vain.
The man sitting on her legs flashed the large knife in his hand. “Stop moving or I’ll cut you. You won’t be so pretty then.”
Her eyes locked on the gleaming long blade, and she stopped thrashing about. Realizing she was no match for this pair of vile miscreants, sheer terror paralyzed her.
The man holding her arms leaned closer to her face. “All we want is some of those kisses you were giving that other fellow.”
The man with the knife snorted. “Yeah, we won’t hurt you as long as you do what we want.”
Charlotte tried to calm herself, hoping to hear someone—Frank—was coming to help her. But the only sound she heard was the pounding of her heart. Tears slipped from her eyes as she grasped her dire situation. No one was coming to help her. She was at their mercy.
“I don’t think the lady invited you to her room,” Frank said from the doorway.
Silence filled the room as both men turned to see Frank’s pistol pointed in their direction.
The man with his hand over Charlotte’s mouth released her. Charlotte gulped in a large breath of air as she tried to move, but she was held firm by the weight on top of her.
“Who wants to die first?” Frank’s voice was deadly calm. He was going to kill them whether they drew on him or not. No one was going to take what was his.
The man who’d been holding Charlotte’s mouth turned to draw his gun, but Frank shot him in the chest and he dropped to the floor. The man with the knife went for his gun, but only got it halfway out of the holster before Frank shot him in the head. His dead weight dropped on top of Charlotte and she started screaming.
Frank holstered his pistol, hurried to the bed, grabbed the dead man on top of Charlotte, and tossed him to the floor. Charlotte leaped into Frank’s arms and buried her face in his chest. She didn’t give a thought that she was wearing only her nightgown. Frank had saved her from a terrible fate, and the only place she wanted to be was in his arms.
The stagecoach driver and the owner of the station came rushing to the room.
“What happened here?” the station owner asked.
Frank nodded at the men on the floor. “They walked into the wrong room.”
The two men pulled the dead bodies from the room, and Frank left Charlotte long enough to close the door. While he didn’t think they would have another uninvited visitor, he pulled the bureau in front of the door for extra security. He walked back to the bed and pulled Charlotte on his lap and held her. “You’re okay now, honey.”
* * *
The next morning the stagecoach driver questioned Frank about the shooting. “I’ll have to report this when we get to Denver.”
“As I said, those men thought they were going to attack Miss Stevens and there’d be no consequences. I’m just glad I woke up when I did, or Judge Stevens would be wondering why you didn’t protect his daughter.”
The stagecoach driver believed Frank’s version because the two men were in the bedroom, and there was a knife on the floor. When Charlotte joined them, he asked her if she could corroborate Frank’s account of what happened.
After Charlotte related her account of the incident, she said, “Frank saved me from a terrible fate last night.” Just thinking about what could have happened made her shiver. She knew it was wrong to allow Frank to stay with her all night, but she wasn’t sorry. He made her feel safe, more so than her father ever had. “I don’t know what I would have done without him.”
“I’ll tell the sheriff in Denver what happened, and he might want to talk to you. Seeing as the judge is your father, the sheriff will have no cause to doubt your word.”
Once Frank and Charlotte were settled inside the coach, he pulled her into his arms. “We’ll be alone now for the rest of the trip. When we get to Denver, we’ll see the pastor and get married. After last night, it’s the right thing to do.”
“Do you want to marry me, or do you think it is your responsibility because you stayed in my room last night? We did nothing wrong, and I’m sure Father would understand.” Frank had kissed away her fears, and they’d fallen asleep wrapped in each other’s arms. To his credit, he hadn’t taken advantage of the situation. Her father would not have approved of their sleeping arrangement, but he wasn’t there.
“I want to marry you. Do you want to marry me? I didn’t ask proper, but I’m asking now.” While he never expected to hear those words from his lips, he meant them. Never before had he stayed with a woman overnight and just held her. His plan had worked.
Charlotte wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Frank smiled. He couldn’t have arranged a better outcome from this trip. When he’d offered to accompany Charlotte to Denver, he thought it was going to take some time to gain her trust and lay the groundwork before he asked for her hand. Now, here he was on the verge of having a judge as a father-in-law. All he had to do now was tell Charlotte about his past before they arrived in Denver. By the time he finished his tale of half-truths, Charlotte would be in his corner fighting for him, and she’d bring her papa along for the ride.
Chapter Seven
“Miss Addie, you sure are a good rider,” Jane said. Addie rode with Claire in front of her so J
ack could teach Jane and Davey how to ride.
“Thank you, Jane. I haven’t been in the saddle for a long time, and I will probably be stiff tomorrow.”
Jack thought she looked very comfortable in the saddle. “Jane’s right, you’d never know you haven’t ridden in a long time.”
“This is fun,” Davey said. They’d ridden around the paddock for an hour while Jack taught them the basics of riding. Once he was convinced they could handle the animals, he took them out on the range at a slow pace.
Addie was thrilled the children were having so much fun. Seeing the smiles on their faces made the pain she would feel tomorrow worthwhile. They’d listened intently to the sheriff’s instructions, and he was wonderful with them. When they made a mistake, he didn’t get upset; he’d focus on what they did right. Addie thought he’d make an excellent teacher. She found herself watching him instead of the children. “I don’t think we could have found a better teacher than Sheriff Roper.”
Jack pulled his horse close to hers. “Call me Jack.”
Addie felt his eyes on her and she started to blush. “You are a very good teacher.”
Smiling at her, Jack said, “I’ll take that as high praise since it’s coming from a teacher.”
Every time she saw him smile, she’d lose her train of thought. She glanced at Jane and Davey and saw they had ridden a few yards ahead of them. “Don’t get too far ahead of us.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And keep your heels down,” Jack reminded them.
“Yes, sir.”
“They really are good kids,” Jack said.
Claire held her arms out for Jack to take her and let her ride in front of him.
“I fear this little one won’t leave you alone.”
“It’s okay with me, if you don’t mind.” Jack waited for her okay before he lifted Claire in front of him.
“Children are very comfortable with you.” Addie thought he was a unique man. His fearsome appearance probably served him well in his profession, but with the children she saw the gentleness beneath the surface. Looking at him, one would never have guessed he had such a tender heart. She always thought you could tell a lot about people by the way children responded to them. She’d never seen the children respond so positively to anyone before.
“I’ve never spent time with children, but I always thought I would like to have a family.” He cast a glance her way. “How about you? Have you thought about marriage and children?”
“I think my time may have passed for marriage.”
Jack was puzzled by her response. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well, I’m not as young as my sister. I’m afraid I’m not nearly as beautiful either.”
“What does age have to do with marrying?” It took him a minute to decide what he should say about her appearance. He knew Rose was considered a real beauty, but Addie was pretty too. “You’re every bit as pretty as Rose.”
Addie laughed. “I believe you are a diplomat, Sheriff.”
“You are—”
Addie held up her hand. “Please stop, I wasn’t fishing for compliments. I was simply stating a fact.”
“Well, I’d say your facts are wrong. You have the prettiest blue eyes I’ve ever seen.” He felt Claire tip her head back and look at him. “That is, next to this little sweetheart in front of me.” His eyes slid back to Addie. “You’ve got more curves than your sister.”
She couldn’t believe he’d noticed her figure, or commented on it. “Probably a few too many. I’ve never been as thin as Rose.” Addie often lamented about her full figure to Granny. She’d developed early, and every year she seemed to be getting rounder.
“A man likes . . .” He didn’t know how to say what he wanted to say. If he said he liked a woman with meat on her bones, she might not think that was very flattering. So he ended his sentence by saying, “a fine, shapely woman.”
Addie knew he was staring at her, but she was too embarrassed to look his way. Prescott had never hinted that he preferred a woman with a fuller figure. As a matter of fact, when Prescott saw a woman who was trim, like Jack’s friend Clarissa, he would mention how attractive they were. Addie always thought it was because his mother was nothing but skin and bones.
“Didn’t you have a beau out East?”
“Beau . . .” Claire repeated.
Jack smiled. “Honey, that means a special fellow.”
“Mr. Adler,” Claire said, and made a face.
Claire’s response stunned Addie. “Claire, do you know what beau means?”
Claire nodded. “He’s not my papa.”
Addie looked nervously at Jack. “I don’t think she knows what it means.”
“Uh-huh,” Claire said softly.
Jack arched a brow at Addie. “So who is this Mr. Adler?”
“The Adlers are benefactors of the orphanage.”
Addie said Adlers. Did that mean this Mr. Adler had a wife? Surely Addie wasn’t in love with a married man. Was she being evasive? “So there is a Mrs. Adler?”
“Oh, yes, and their son. They are a very generous family. They provided the home for the orphanage in Boston.”
“So the son was your beau?”
“Uh-huh,” Claire said.
Addie expelled a loud breath. “He was my escort over the past year.”
Yep, evasive, Jack thought. He’d dealt with enough people to know when someone didn’t want to tell you the full story. He thought he might get more answers from Claire. “Did he mind you leaving Boston?”
“He thought I was making a mistake.”
“Why did he think that?”
Addie didn’t wish to say too much in front of Claire. “I suppose he thought I would miss Boston.”
“Will you?”
“I will miss some friends, but I’m happy to be home.”
Jack wondered if she was including Mr. Adler in the friend category. At least he wasn’t a married man.
“Mr. Adler kisses.”
At first, Addie wasn’t sure if she’d heard Claire correctly, but she was almost afraid to ask her to repeat what she’d said. When she saw her lips puckered together as though she was imitating kissing, she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.
Jack wasn’t at all hesitant to ask Claire a few questions. “Who did this Mr. Adler kiss?”
“Miss Addie.”
“Claire!” Addie searched her memory. She couldn’t remember Prescott ever kissing her in front of the children. That didn’t sound like something Prescott would do, so the children must have been spying on them when he would say good night at the door.
Jack chuckled. Now he was getting some truth. “And where did he kiss her?”
Claire reached up with her little pudgy finger and placed it on Jack’s lips.
Jack kissed Claire’s finger, causing her to giggle.
Addie watched him. It was such a tender moment. She wondered what it would be like to have a man like Jack kiss her. Where did that thought come from?
Jack looked at Addie, but she was trying to rein her horse away from him. “Miss Addie, I think your secret is out.” So, she did have a beau who appreciated a woman with a lot of curves.
“I think it’s time we ride back to the house,” Addie said over her shoulder as she rode toward Jane and Davey. She planned to remind Claire what the Bible said about guarding your tongue to keep you out of trouble. When Addie told Jane and Davey it was time to return to the house, they begged to stay out longer.
“Do we have to, Sheriff?” Davey asked.
Jack smiled at him. “That’s what Miss Addie said. But you can go with us to take some of the furniture to your new home, if Miss Addie approves.”
“Can we?” Jane asked.
“May we?” Addie reminded Jane. “Perhaps we will all go along and help out.” Addie told herself she was offering to help so the children could spend more time with Jack, and not because she enjoyed his company as much as they did. She just hoped Claire didn’t
talk about things best left unsaid.
* * *
At the farm, Addie ran her hands the length of the long table Joseph had built for the kitchen. She thought twenty people could comfortably sit at the table. “Joseph, this is the most beautiful table I have ever seen.”
“More children may come here,” Joseph replied.
Addie smiled at the thought of bringing more children to her home. “There will certainly be room for them at this table.”
“Miss Addie, did you see our beds?” Jane asked.
“I did, and you should thank Mr. Longbow for his hard work,” Addie said.
“Mr. Longbow, I’ve never had such a nice bed. Thank you so much,” Jane said excitedly.
Joseph smiled at Jane. “You are welcome.”
Addie thought she saw tears in the old man’s eyes. “Look at our lovely table, Jane. Just think of all the people we can seat at this table.”
Jane admired the table and glanced up at Joseph. “It’s so pretty.” Her eyes lit up when she said, “Miss Addie taught me how to bake a cake. I am going to make one for you, Mr. Longbow, if you come for dinner.”
“I will come.” Joseph nodded and walked out the door.
Addie hugged Jane to her. “Honey, I think you just did the impossible. Granny always told me that Mr. Longbow rarely eats dinner with anyone.”
Granny walked in the kitchen and overheard Addie. “That’s the truth of it. Joseph’s a very private man.” Granny took Jane by the hand. “I want you to see the quilts and feather mattresses Rose and I made while the men were building the house.”
“Miss Addie has been teaching me to sew,” Jane replied as they left the room hand in hand.
“Then you can help us make the pillows,” Granny said.
Addie walked to the parlor just as Jack came through the front door carrying two chairs. Claire was right behind him carrying a cushion. Addie stopped and smiled at Claire, thinking it was a scene worthy of a painting: Jack and his mini shadow. Earlier when they’d been riding, Jack removed his hat, and Addie noticed the pale blond streaks in his dark blond hair. He could almost pass for Claire’s father. She stopped her woolgathering and realized Jack was staring at her.
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