Seducing Susannah: The Bride Train

by E. E. Burke

  Upon reflection, she could see that her reaction had more to do with her feelings of vulnerability than his perceived failure. She couldn’t meet his requirements, but she couldn’t risk being honest with him. He deserved to have both a proper wife and an honest one.

  She pulled Danny along as she made her way through the crowd pouring out of the O’Sheas’ saloon. Mr. O’Shea kindly allowed Reverend Stillwater to use the building on Sunday mornings. The town had a preacher, but no church. She would talk to the other ladies about circulating a petition and raising the necessary funds. Mr. Hardt might contribute, but she needed to apologize before asking for his help.

  “I’m hungry,” Danny announced.

  “So am I. I’ve prepared a picnic lunch. We’ll find a shady spot to sit and eat after I speak with Mr. Hardt.”

  “Can I get Dodger? He don’t like being tied up.”

  “He doesn’t like, and yes, we can take him along. But you cannot feed him your sandwich.”

  “Can I feed him yours?”

  “No, you may not.”

  Susannah spotted Ross standing across the street amongst a group of businessmen, including the owners of the grocery store and dry goods. One was married, the other a widower at least ten years her senior. Mr. Appleton smiled as she approached. She wished she could work up a twinge of interest, but it was Ross who captured her attention.

  He gave her a polite nod. In the past, he would’ve sought her out. At church, he often took the seat next to her. Not wanting to acknowledge his interest, she’d told herself he only did it to annoy her. Now, she knew better. Today he’d kept his distance, which meant she would have to be the one to make the first move.

  Mr. Appleton broke into a pleased smile. “Mrs. Braddock, good day to you! I’ve just received a new shipment of fabrics. You’ll have to stop by the store, tomorrow of course, this being the Lord’s Day.”

  She couldn’t afford new fabrics, and she didn’t wish to encourage a man whose hands were clammy and whose breath smelled of pickles. She didn’t want to offend him, either. “I’ll be sure to share the good news with the other ladies.”

  Ross hadn’t said a word, but he’d frowned when Mr. Appleton had invited her to visit the store. She wished she didn’t feel a thrill at a sign he might be jealous. Her heart set off at a gallop when she met his deep blue gaze.

  “Mr. Hardt, I wonder if Danny and I might have a word with you?”

  “Certainly. If you gentlemen will excuse me?”

  She led him away, far enough they wouldn’t be overheard and become the topic of the day’s gossip. That might happen anyway. Once she’d gone to work for him, no other men had approached her, assuming Ross had laid claim. After he left to return to Texas, the gossip would die down, and she could renew her search for a husband. The thought of Ross leaving depressed her as much as the prospect of choosing another man.

  Danny tugged her hand. “Can I go get Dodger?”

  “All right, go on. Will you also fetch our picnic basket?”

  Her son nodded enthusiastically.

  “Make certain the dog doesn’t get to the sandwiches—nor should you.”

  A crafty expression flashed across Danny’s face a moment before he whirled away and headed for the rail car.

  “I hope you’re not too hungry,” Ross remarked in a dry tone.

  “I made extra.” Susannah prayed that Danny didn’t sneak more than one sandwich. “Would you join us for a picnic?”

  Ross’s brief hesitation caused her stomach to knot. It would serve her right if he rebuffed her attempt to make peace. “What kind of sandwiches?”

  “Sliced ham with a special dressing I make, and Danny’s favorite, butter with strawberry preserves. I also packed boiled eggs and celery.”

  “Sounds delicious. How could I refuse?”

  Very easily, she imagined. Now it was time to beg his pardon. “I wish to apologize for how I reacted yesterday. It was wrong of me to—” Her mouth went dry. She clasped her hands in front of her to prevent them from shaking.

  “To assume I’m not trustworthy?” Leave it to Ross to strike the nail squarely. “Thank you for apologizing, but you and I both know I contributed to that perception. If you’ll accept my apology, we’ll call it even.”

  “Of course.” She extended her hand, and trembled when he clasped her gloved fingers and held her gaze.

  “Susannah…” The way he said her name, with a slight drawl and roughened tone, set off a flood of powerful emotions, which she feared would overwhelm any attempt to keep him at a safe distance.

  She withdrew her hand. “Yes, well, I think it best if we go back to being on less familiar terms, Mr. Hardt.”

  “I’d rather not go back. Let’s start over.”

  “Start over?”

  “On better terms. We didn’t start out very well. I’d appreciate a chance to make amends…” He turned at the sound of high-pitched barks.

  The puppy yanked and strained at the rope, objecting to being led. Danny held tight, and lugged the covered basket in his other hand. “I didn’t eat any. Neither did Dodger.”

  Danny’s interruption spared her having to answer to Ross’s request. In fact, her son’s reappearance served as a heartbreaking reminder that for her there could be no starting over, no turning the clock back. She wouldn’t even if she could, because that would mean giving up the one thing in her life she was most proud of, and most committed to protecting—her son.

  She had to put aside impossible desires and turn down Ross’s offer. But it could wait until after they’d eaten. “Shall we go find a place to have our picnic?

  * * *

  After locating the perfect shady spot—beneath an oak next to a pasture where he regularly turned the horses loose to graze—Ross enjoyed the feast Susannah had prepared. After filling up on her delicious sandwiches, he leaned against the tree trunk, watching Danny attempt to train his puppy, while Susannah rested, propped on one arm, sitting at a safe distance.

  He still had a ways to go to earn her trust, but her invitation was the first positive sign since getting a kiss out of her. Another kiss might be a few days off.

  The puppy leapt repeatedly on Danny’s legs to get to the ham bone that Susannah had wisely included. After a few good meals and a thorough washing, the dog already looked better. Without all the mud and filth matting his coat, one could see that it was a mottled mix of brown and gray. His clumsiness was due to his young age and disproportionately large paws. Clearly, he was a mongrel, and a lucky one at that.

  Danny laughed, holding the bone high. “Down! Down!”

  The puppy gave a little growl and barked. He was having none of it.

  Ross got up and went over to lend a hand. “Sit,” he said firmly, gripping the dog’s hindquarters and pressing downward until the puppy acquiesced. “Now let him lick the bone.”

  Danny held it down and the dog licked it, then stood and tried to take it in his teeth.

  “Sit,” Ross said, forcing the dog to obey.

  He repeated the exercise several times, until it became clear the puppy was too frustrated to continue. “Good boy, enough for now. Give him the bone, Danny.”

  The dog bounded away and found a spot to stretch out and gnaw on his treasure. When Danny started to follow, Ross restrained him. “He won’t appreciate you messing with him while he’s eating. You both did good, leave him be for now.”

  “I can teach him more later. Can I go see the horses?”

  Ross checked over his shoulder to gauge Susannah’s reaction.

  She nodded. “Do you remember what Mr. Hardt showed you about how you pet them? And if you want to give them grass, how you hold it out?”

  “I remember.”

  “Don’t crawl under the fence. Stay on this side. Let them come to you if they will.”

  “I will…” Danny’s voice drifted over his shoulder as he went full chisel in the direction of the fenced pasture.

  Hallelujah, time alone with Susannah.

/>   She sat with her legs tucked up beneath her full skirt, leaving space on the saddle blanket Ross had brought along. He sat next to her, braced on his hands. When she didn’t scoot away, he marked it as another positive sign.

  “Thank you for what you’ve done for Danny. I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time.”

  Susannah’s praise, and the open friendliness in her expression, made a perfect moment even more perfect. Their relationship had taken a decided turn for the better. His impatience had gotten him into trouble before, so he was determined not to rush things this time.

  Today, he’d get to know her a little better. He tugged up a long blade of grass. “Did your family keep livestock?”

  “Other than the horses that pulled our carriages, no.”

  She kept her gaze trained across the field, which didn’t mean she was ignoring him. Motherly instincts were a good thing. She’d be just as watchful when it came to their children. But he was getting ahead of himself.

  “You lived in a city?” He recalled she’d listed Philadelphia as her home.

  “Yes, very close. My father”—she hesitated, as she had before when talking about her father—“wanted to be near the bank.”

  “He worked for a bank?”

  “No, he…” She dragged her attention away from her son, who was being dutiful for a change and standing on this side of the fence. “He owned the bank.”

  “Was he successful at it? Banking I mean?”

  “Very.”

  She didn’t elaborate, but it wasn’t necessary for her to say she’d come from a wealthy family. That explained a great deal about her proper manners, but it didn’t explain what had happened, or why she’d ended up destitute, forced to work in a factory to support herself and her son. She’d mentioned having a falling-out with her father. Irreparable, was the word she’d used. Piecing it together with what little she’d said about Danny’s father, Ross came up with a theory.

  “He didn’t approve of your choice of husbands.”

  Susannah went back to watching her son, but the flush in her cheeks gave her away.

  Ross had considered his father’s actions mean-spirited, but he’d been able to make a living on his own hook. Women didn’t have the same options. “Only a contemptible skunk would turn out a woman with an infant.”

  She drew her lip between her teeth, and her expression reflected what could only be described as grief. He’d guessed correctly, and he could imagine how much something like that must’ve hurt. As much as he longed to hold her, the stiffness in her posture warned him that would be the wrong move, so he ventured touching her skirt instead, to show his sympathy.

  “If you’d rather not talk about it, I understand…and it doesn’t make a lick of difference to me what your father does, or who you married,” he added, to reassure her.

  Her face got red as a beet, and she still wouldn’t look at him. “We need a church in Centralia, don’t you think?”

  That wasn’t even a halfhearted attempt to make a smooth transition to another subject. She might as well have put up a sign that said Off Limits. A wise man would move on to another topic.

  “Can’t argue that.”

  The tightness around her mouth eased, and she glanced his way, appearing vastly relieved. “Would you be willing to sign a petition to help raise funds?

  “I’ll do better than that. I’ll donate to the cause, and we can round up enough men to help build it.”

  Her face lit up. “That’s a wonderful idea.”

  He’d pleased her, and all it took was doing something he would have done anyway, had anyone asked.

  “All we need are supplies and”—her smile faltered—“land.” She looked around. “This would be a good spot.”

  This spot had been reserved for a railroad hotel. He didn’t think it would go through now that the race had been lost and the railroad’s future was in question, but he couldn’t promise anything. He’d try to convince the board to donate the land. That ought to earn him a hug, at least. “Let me see what I can do.”

  She brushed away loose soil on the blanket. “There is one other thing you might be able to help with, which concerns Reverend Stillwater. If he had a small parcel, somewhere he could build a place, he might ask Miss Waverly to marry him. I happen to know she’d be agreeable.”

  In other words, work something out and suggest the match to the reverend.

  “Consider it done.” Ross shifted forward, drew up his leg, and rested his arm on his knee. He couldn’t blame Susannah for requesting more favors—after all, he’d opened the door. But she wasn’t asking for herself. She wanted him to help her friends.

  Just about everything she did was for somebody else, not herself. He admired her generosity, and he longed to give her things she ought to have, things she deserved to have, such as a permanent home. “What about you, Susannah? Is there anything you need? If it’s in my power to give it to you, I will.”

  Susannah kept her gaze trained on the blanket. “There’s nothing more I need. You’ve already done a great deal to help me and Danny.”

  “Other than give you a job—which, by the way, helps me too—and let you sleep in a rail car, I haven’t done much.”

  “Your rail car, you mean. That’s your home, Ross.”

  “It’s not my home. I don’t really have a home at the moment. I’d like to change that.” He couldn’t push, yet he wanted her to know he still longed to have her in his life. “If you’d consider—”

  “Oh look! The dog is barking. I think it’s scaring the horses.” She got up, faster than he would’ve believed possible in those skirts, and started toward the pasture.

  With sigh, Ross got up and followed her. She’d cut him off intentionally. He squelched his frustration. Patience. He needed to have patience.

  Sure enough, the puppy was yapping its fool head off. The horses had fled to the opposite side of the pasture, but they’d settled into grazing again when they realized the dog wouldn’t pursue them. Danny had a firm hold on the leash, and the dog was too small to drag him along.

  They retrieved the boy and the dog, gathered up the picnic supplies and started back in the direction of town.

  They didn’t get very far before coming across two locals Ross recognized, who were lazing along the fence and doffed their straw hats to Susannah as they approached.

  Ross guided her away from them, not wishing to get waylaid.

  “Hey there, Mr. Railroad Agent,” McLaughlin called. “We got a ques’shun for ya.”

  Corned. Bill couldn’t keep away from the liquor, not even on a Sunday.

  “We’ll talk later.” Ross didn’t think the drunk would be so bold as to steal a horse, but it wouldn’t hurt to come back and make sure he didn’t try. “After I walk Mrs. Braddock back to town.”

  “‘S’ a quick question. Concerns this here land.” McLaughlin swept his arm to indicate the pasture and field. “When d’ya plan t’approve my claim?”

  “This land can’t be claimed, you know that. It’s town site land, owned by the railroad.”

  McLaughlin caught up and stepped front them. “Railroad ain’t doin’ nuthin’ with it, and they ain’t gonna. Not now. Border Tier lost the race, and you know what that means, Mr. Hardt. Means all this land around here ain’t worth what your railroad is askin’ for it. We won’t pay your high prices, not anymore. And you better approve my claim, or—”

  “Excuse me a moment.” Ross didn’t intend to wallop the rascal with Susannah and Danny present. He gave a nod toward town. “Why don’t you and Danny go on? I’ll join you shortly.”

  Susannah gave him a pointed look that said she wasn’t going anywhere. She grasped Danny’s hand and turned to McLaughlin with a sugary smile. “Perhaps you haven’t heard. The railroad will be giving this land to our new church.”

  “Church?” McLaughlin looked so confused, it was almost funny.

  “Isn’t that wonderful news?” She went on with the lie, smooth as a gambler’s bluff. “
We’ll finally have a house of worship in Centralia. The ladies have been circulating a petition—you’ve signed it, I’m sure, being an upstanding member of our community. Any man who hopes to acquire a wife would be eager to support our new church.”

  “Yeah, I reckon…” He turned to the man with him. “You sign that petition?”

  The bearded settler nodded. “Course I did.”

  “When is this church bein’ built?” McLaughlin asked.

  Ross started when Susannah shot him a quizzical look. She expected him to embellish her fish story? He didn’t see that he had much choice. “After the materials arrive. We’re recruiting volunteers to build it. Can I sign you up?”

  “I, uh… I’ll come by the land office to sign up…later.” McLaughlin glanced over his shoulder, seeking support from the other man, but the fellow had already lit out for town.

  Ross doubted either one would build as much as a tepee on the land they’d claimed. Like many others, they wanted to buy cheap so they could turn around and sell at a profit.

  “Then I’ll see you later today?”

  “Tomorrow.” McLaughlin tipped his hat to Susannah before he staggered off.

  Ross didn’t immediately call Susannah out. In fact, he wasn’t sure what to say. She asked for so little, and he could hardly scold her for lying about a church.

  When they reached the rail car, Danny picked up a stick and ran off to play with the dog.

  Susannah’s smile seemed surprisingly free of guile when she turned to him and stated, “You did ask me what you could do for me. If it’s in your power, make sure that land is donated to the church, along with the pasture. It would make a nice place for the preacher to build his house, don’t you agree?

  Chapter 8

  For the next week Susannah spent her mornings schooling Danny. Afterwards, Val would come by and pick him up, giving her time to work at the land office. Rose had insisted on watching Danny, pointing out that Susannah could return the favor when their baby was born.