Until September

by Brenda Jernigan

  “I hope so, ma’am,” Billy said and started out the front door, but not before the butler opened it for him. “Thanks.” It still bothered him that he couldn’t just open the door himself.

  The first thing Billy noticed when he stepped outside was that it was a bright sunny day, and he smelled something sweet in the air, possibly honeysuckle. He looked around and found Claire on the far end of the veranda, her face turned away from him. Her head was bent and the morning sun bathed her with soft light For a moment, she didn’t look real. She looked more like an angel.

  A chill ran up Billy’s arms. It kind of scared him, and he hadn’t been scared in a long time. He felt as though he was looking at a very special person who puzzled him more than he cared to admit.

  Claire seemed engrossed in something in her lap and had yet to see him, so it gave him a good chance to observe her.

  The first thing he noticed was that her long black hair was down and pulled up on the side and fastened with combs. She wore a rose-colored gown that complemented her skin. A delicate white shawl was pulled around her shoulders and had slipped slightly down on her right side.

  Perfection, he thought.

  As he drew closer, he could see a brown journal in her lap. She was jotting down notes in the book. He wondered if she had bothered to write anything about him.

  Claire finally must have heard him because her head came up and she looked his way. She gave him a dazzling smile.

  “Good morning, Mr. West. I hope you slept well,” she said in that soft voice that made Billy’s stomach turn to mush. A voice that he was growing accustomed to much too quickly.

  Billy leaned against the porch rail in front of her. “As a matter of fact, I did. I didn’t sleep well on the train.”

  Claire shut her book and looked up at him. “I’ve never been on a train. This will be my first trip.”

  My first everything, she thought “I would imagine that you might be tired after your journey,” she said as she stood. “But today will be fun. I want to show you around New York. After we go by the tailors, that is.”

  Billy’s pleasant expression turned grim as he shoved away from the railing. “Great.”

  “I can see that you’re not happy with that idea,” Claire said as she moved past him. “But I assure you it’s better than getting shot at all the time.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that” Billy mumbled.

  When Claire reached the steps, she looked back at Billy, who was still frowning, and noticed he was wearing his gun. She would have to persuade him to remove it... later, she thought. “Are you coming?”

  “Do I have a choice?” he grumbled, but Claire was glad to see that at least Billy was moving toward her. And he did look very handsome this morning. He wore denim trousers and a chambray blue shirt that made his brown hair and eyes appear very dark and dangerous in his tanned face.

  “Not today. Today, you are mine to do with as I please.” She grinned at the shocked look on Billy’s face. His eyes spoke to her with a warmly intimate look and she quickly glanced away.

  Together, they started down the steps. Then Claire added, “I’ll have to take your advice once we leave here, so today, you can humor me and let me show you New York. However, leave your gun in the carriage. Nobody wears guns in the city, and you do want to fit in.”

  The carriage was waiting for them at the bottom of the steps, and the driver held the door open, making Billy feel like everyone in New York thought he was incapable of doing anything for himself. “Who says I want to fit in?” he muttered, taking the seat across from Claire.

  “You are ornery this morning, Mr. West.” Claire looked up and gave him a sly smile. “But I do believe that I can handle you.”

  “You think so?” Billy flashed her a devilish smile. “We’ll see about that” He leaned back and folded his arms across his chest in a defiant and confident gesture.

  Claire didn’t say another word, much to Billy’s pleasure, and the lovely blush that stained her cheeks gave him a great deal of satisfaction.

  The carriage ride was pleasant and the open carriage gave him a good view of the countryside. Of course, the view inside wasn’t too bad either. He smiled as Claire pointed out different things of interest along the way.

  Damn it! Billy thought. He liked Claire’s company way too much.

  A little later without warning, the carriage stopped. Billy reached for his gun and was almost out the door, but a giggle from Claire stopped him.

  He twisted around to look at her.

  “You can relax, Mr. West We’re not being robbed.” Claire laughed again. “We have to get out and board the ferry.” She noted his set face, his clamped mouth and fixed eyes.

  “You’re not going to think it’s so funny when we’re out West,” Billy said tersely. “And the name is Billy.”

  “But we’re not out West,” Claire reminded him as she started out the carriage door “Don’t forget to leave your gun under the seat I’ll protect you.”

  Glowering, Billy followed Claire out of the carriage.

  He turned and gave her a long look, brows raised. Were they having their first standoff, she wondered?

  Slowly, Billy untied the holster strap from his leg, then he unbuckled his gun belt Carefully, he folded the leather straps and slipped the gunbelt under the seat “I don’t like this.” He felt naked without his gun, although he didn’t bother to tell her.

  “I know,” she said and grabbed his hand, tugging. Then she gave him a slight smile. “Thank you. Now let’s go and wait for the steamboat” She stopped and pointed. “Look, she’s coming now.”

  Billy glanced out over the East River. It was much larger than anything he’d ever seen, and he couldn’t help being glad he’d never had to cross something like this while they were on the wagon train. The Missouri was bad enough.

  “Why are you smiling?” Claire asked.

  “Just remembering a time we had to cross the Missouri River when we were on the wagon train.

  And believe me, we didn’t have a boat like that.” Billy inclined his head toward the steamboat chugging toward them.

  “What did you have?”

  “Something like a raft It was called a scow, which was basically a flat barge with no sides. We rolled the wagon up on the scow and it was guided across the river by ropes.”

  “I can’t even imagine,” Claire said with a shake of her head. “It would take a very large rope and raft”

  “It was a long rope,” Billy confirmed. “Crossing the Missouri and trying to keep the wagon from plunging into the river wasn’t any small feat When we crossed the river one of my sisters fell in and darn near drowned.”

  “How awful.” Claire wondered what it had been like for Billy without a father and a mother. She knew he must have felt lost more than once, yet he had been brave enough to travel out to Denver. “Sure was, but Mary survived.”

  “How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

  “Too many,” Billy shot back with a smile.

  Claire nodded. “I know the feeling.”

  “I have four sisters, Brandy, Mary, Ellen, and Amy, who doesn’t live with us anymore. She was adopted by a nice family we met on the wagon train,” Billy explained. “And I have one brother, who will talk your ears off. Scott is the youngest.”

  “They sound fantastic. I hope I get to meet them one day,” Claire said.

  Billy looked at her in the oddest way as he softly said, “I do, too.”

  The steamboat whistle blew, drawing Billy’s attention back to the scene at hand. Smoke belched from the large smokestack as the steamboat pulled up next to die dock. The Sylvan Glen was a widebodied boat painted a gleaming white with its name blazed in red on the side.

  The gangplank lowered and horses and wagons started filing off, led by their masters, and then the passengers that had been on the upper deck began to disembark.

  When it was time for them to board, Billy held Claire’s elbow as she stepped up on the gangplank. It w
as amazing how small and delicate she was. The woman needed to put some meat on her bones.

  “Thank you,” she said as they trudged up the stairs. She turned and waited for Billy to join her. “John Roebling will be at my party. Do you know that he is going to build a suspension bridge over the East River?”

  “Impossible,” Billy said, following her to the front of the boat

  “He is supposed to bring his drawings to show Father and a few other men. Perhaps, you can see the drawings for the bridge at that time.”

  “It’s hard to believe a bridge could ever be that long.”

  “Oh, it isn’t the first bridge that Mr. Roebling has built He calls them suspension bridges. They have cables that make them strong.” Claire motioned toward a chair. “Let’s sit here so we can see the city as the boat approaches.”

  Billy sat in one of the big, wooden chairs next to Claire. She reminded him of a very delicate flower, something he needed to protect. He wasn’t quite sure how she was going to do out West Would she be too fragile to survive? Would she feel as out of place as he felt here? That was another good reason not to get attached to the woman. She might not be staying long. She belonged in a fancy house with servants.

  As the city loomed before him, Billy felt as if he were in a completely different world. The buildings were much taller than out West, and it was definitely far more modern than the familiar places he knew.

  Some white birds flew overhead. “What kind of birds are they?” Billy asked.

  “Seagulls. Over that way on the other side of the city is the Atlantic Ocean. It stretches as far as the eye can see. You cannot see the end of it”

  “I find that hard to believe. Every body of water that I’ve ever seen you can always see both banks. However, I do remember reading about the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in school,” Billy said, and then he grew quiet and enjoyed the ride. A ride, for once, where he didn’t have to provide the power... this ferry was a definite plus for crossing rivers.

  As the Sylvan Glen approached the dock, Billy observed that the buildings of the city were all made of brick. He had to admit that they appeared much sturdier than the wooden buildings back home and there were so many of them. He remembered Thunder complaining about that very thing when he’d returned to Boston.

  “Look over there.” Claire nudged him.

  Great Eastern was written on the ship’s hull. “It is hard to believe that anything that big can float,” Billy said. “How is it powered?”

  “Actually, two ways, by steam and by sail. The Great Eastern is a fifty-eight foot paddle wheeler. See those big round things on the side?”

  Billy nodded.

  “That is where the paddle wheels tire, and there are big boilers below that produce the steam. The ship has six masts and carries 6,500 square yards of sails, making her the largest vessel afloat.”

  “Are you sure?” Billy chuckled. “It seems every time you show me something, we turn around and you show me something even larger than the first thing.”

  “Yes, I’m sure. She is the largest”

  “How do you know so much about ships?”

  “My father and brothers built the Great Eastern. So I got to see the ship first hand. I grew up hearing diem talk facts and figures. If we have time, we’ll go by the shipyard, and you can see a boat under construction.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “See, the trip isn’t bad so far,” Claire teased. “Now let’s find the carriage. I believe that we should visit the tailor first”

  “This trip just got worse,” Billy said with a frown.

  They arrived at a small brown building wedged between two taller buildings. A sign hanging out front with a needle and thread painted on it indicated that it was Anthony Wiggle’s Tailor Shop, Billy noticed as they entered the front door.

  A bell tinkled, announcing to the shopkeeper that someone had entered his place of business. Very promptly, a small bald man shuffled from the back room to greet them.

  “Are you Mr. Wiggle?” Claire asked.

  “That I am, Miss. What can I do for you?”

  “I’m Claire Holladay. I believe my mother sent a message that we will be needing to fit Mr. West.” She motioned toward Billy.

  “Yes, she did. I’ll have his suit ready by tomorrow and will have a messenger deliver it to Oak Hill.” Mr. Wiggle wrinkled his nose, and then said, “But first things first. I must measure your young man.”

  Claire’s cheeks heated, but she didn’t bother to correct Mr. Wiggle, and neither did Billy, she noted.

  “Come stand over here, Mr. West I must say that you’re a large one. Maybe just a tad larger than Heath Holladay.”

  Billy thought the little man could have mentioned anyone but Heath. Billy had just gotten the sorry cuss out of his mind. But it wasn’t this man’s fault “They grow ‘em big where I come from.”

  “Where are you from, son? You most certainly are not from around here with that accent,” Mr. Wiggle said as he stretched out Billy’s arm and started measuring.

  Claire watched in fascination. She could observe Billy without getting caught gawking at him. She wanted to get to know the man she’d be traveling with. So far she felt comfortable with him, and she definitely liked looking at him. His shoulders were so broad that they made his light blue shirt stretch across his back. And she really liked the way he wore his brown hair longer than most of the men in the East. It just covered his collar and was streaked with gold on the tip ends where the sun had bleached it

  Her gaze traveled over Billy’s body as she noted everything about him. Even his stance was different from that of the men she knew. He was so sure of himself that he stood tall, not bent over like some men who worked slumped over a desk.

  This man was meant to ride a horse and be surrounded by the wide-open range and green trees: all things she wanted him to show her. Claire wondered what kind of a man Billy was. She had a feeling he had a temper. Like now when he was doing something he considered a waste of time, she could see he was tense and trying to control himself. She glanced at him in the full-length mirror, and found he was staring just as intently at her.

  Their eyes locked. The warm intimate look in his eyes was vibrant, making her heart beat faster. She was very much aware of something going on inside her.

  She felt dreamy, and her legs weak as she remembered him holding her in his arms yesterday afternoon. She had enjoyed their closeness, as she did now. He almost looked at her possessively, she thought There was also a smoldering flame in Billy’s eyes that startled her, but she found she couldn’t look away like any decent lady should.

  Last night she’d dreamt about Billy, of being crushed within his embrace and kissed. Remembering the kiss, she licked her lips. It had made her feel alarmingly alive. She drew in a shaky breath.

  “Mr. West Mr. West” Mr. Wiggle repeated, attempting to gain Billy’s attention.

  “Sorry,” Billy finally said. “Did you say something?”

  “Several times,” Mr. Wiggle replied as he draped the measuring tape around his neck. “That must have been a good daydream you were having.”

  Billy smiled. “It was.” His gaze slid back to Claire’s in the mirror. Knowing that she felt the same attraction to him as he felt for her, they were like a pot of water getting ready to boil.

  And God help them if it boiled over.

  Chapter Seven

  Billy and Claire didn’t say much to each other as they left the tailor shop and headed for the waiting carriage.

  “Take us to South Street, James,” Claire told the coachman as he opened the door for her.

  Once she was settled and the carriage had started moving, Claire glanced to her right at the buildings as they rolled past them, but she quickly fell into thought

  She wasn’t completely sure what had happened a few minutes ago, but she felt that she and Billy had made some kind of connection and she knew that he had felt it too. However, she wouldn’t pursue it now. She wanted to be light-hea
rted today because it was her day to show Billy around the city.

  Besides, she felt wonderful, almost giddy, in the bright sunshine. She really couldn’t ever remember feeling quite this way before.

  For once, she felt like a normal young lady instead of the one who was sick and fussed over.

  She glanced at Billy. It seemed that he found the scenery interesting as well.

  She looked forward to showing Billy things he’d never seen before. She also decided that she wasn’t going to let them ride in silence any longer. She’d just pretend that nothing had happened. It was evident that neither of them was willing to take the next step, but she wanted to have a good mood. “Are you hungry?” she asked, breaking the silence.

  Billy turned and looked at her. “I could use some grub. How about you?”

  Good. At least, he didn’t sound funny. Perhaps, he’d been waiting for her to break the silence. “Grub? What a strange word. I assume it means food.”

  Billy nodded.

  “I’m famished,” Claire said. “I’ve instructed the driver to take us to South Street so you can see the wharf, and then we’ll have lunch. How about a few clams and oysters? I’ll bet you’ve never eaten those before.”

  Billy laughed. “I’m not even sure what they are. But you’re the boss,” he said, then gave her a slow smile. “For now.”

  Claire returned his smile as the coach pulled to a stop. “We’re here.”

  In a moment, the coachman had opened the door and helped Claire out, and then held his hand up to Billy who frowned at him. The coachman quickly dropped his hand and stepped back.

  “Where do you want me to wait for you, Miss Holladay?” The driver asked.

  “You can wait outside Harper’s Publishing. We shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours,” she said. “Make sure you get yourself something to eat.”

  Billy stepped out of the carriage, took one look around, reached back into the carriage and grabbed his holster from under the seat. This place she called the wharf appeared a little unsavory to him.

  “That’s really not necessary,” Claire said from beside him, “But, then again, sometimes the people around the docks can be rough. We will avoid those places today.”