True Heart's Desire

by Caroline Fyffe

  ALSO BY CAROLINE FYFFE

  Colorado Hearts Novels

  Heart of Eden

  True Heart’s Desire

  Prairie Hearts Novels

  Where the Wind Blows

  Before the Larkspur Blooms

  West Winds of Wyoming

  Under a Falling Star

  Whispers on the Wind

  Where Wind Meets Wave

  The McCutcheon Family Novels

  Montana Dawn

  Texas Twilight

  Mail-Order Brides of the West: Evie

  Mail-Order Brides of the West: Heather

  Moon Over Montana

  Mail-Order Brides of the West: Kathryn

  Montana Snowfall

  Texas Lonesome

  Montana Courage

  Montana Promise

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Text copyright © 2018 by Caroline Fyffe

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Montlake Romance, Seattle

  www.apub.com

  Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake Romance are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.

  ISBN-13: 9781503902800

  ISBN-10: 1503902803

  Cover design by Michael Rehder

  Cover illustration by Chris Cocozza

  For Rachel Brown, a beautiful, delightful, and inspirational young woman who brings much love, light, and joy into our lives.

  CONTENTS

  MAP

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER ONE

  San Francisco, California, February 1881

  One ticket to Eden, Colorado.”

  The grizzled ticket agent scratched his oily hair with a trembling hand. “One-way or round-trip, young man?”

  Rhett Laughlin heaved a deep sigh. He hardly felt young, but compared with the slow-moving old-timer, one might call him that. “One-way.”

  A line had formed behind Rhett. When a baby shrieked in his ear, he glanced over his shoulder to see a red-faced boy in the arms of threadbare parents.

  The woman gave an apologetic smile.

  Rhett reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wooden ship. He placed the toy into the tiny hand of the child, who looked to be about one year old. “This might help,” he said, nodding to the baby’s mother. His gaze lingered on the old toy that had been his brother’s when they were boys.

  “We couldn’t,” she demurred.

  “Sure you can. See, he’s already quieted.” With a small smile, he turned back as a welcome silence settled over his agitated shoulders.

  The ticket agent was waiting. “Cantal Pacific Union will take ya into southern Wyoming Territory where you’ll have ta take a stage south, iffin you don’t want ta buy a horse.”

  By the man’s tone, he’d said those words a million times. As if to punctuate his sentence, he rolled his lips over his teeth and then spit behind the counter—into a spittoon, Rhett hoped. Lifting his arm, the agent wiped a wrinkled sleeve across his mouth.

  Uncertainty tried to muddle Rhett’s resolve. Tried to jumble his thoughts. No. I’ve finally made a decision. He shoved forward the fare, the folded newspaper clasped beneath his arm feeling heavy. Not in weight, but for the part the paper played in his decision to leave San Francisco and his father.

  The old-timer slowly counted Rhett’s cash, arranging the money properly in his drawer, unmindful of everyone waiting. He pushed back a large ticket printed in red ink. “Don’t be late. Train runs on time. She’ll pull out not caring if you’re on or off.”

  The deed done, Rhett left the cramped office and strode down the busy San Francisco street, the view of the bay easing his spirits. He’d miss the mist on his face and the sound of the foghorns. The large white gulls always looking for a handout. The city was in his blood. He’d been born and raised here.

  Scents of fish, steam pots, and refuse assaulted his senses—the hustle and bustle a blessing that kept him from thinking, remembering. Rita and Lucy, two women he knew from his time spent at the bars, waved from the opposite side of the road. Lucy called his name and smiled suggestively. After his relationship with Margery, his sweetheart of three years, came to an abrupt end, he’d spent time with both saloon girls, easing his broken heart. But the days of whiling his time away in taverns and card rooms were in the past. He had something else, something important, to accomplish. All he had to do was to stay on track.

  It’s time to make some changes. Not for me, but for Shawn.

  He smiled and nodded at the women but didn’t cross the street to talk. Instead, he turned sharply and entered a two-story boardinghouse.

  Dallas, sitting by the front window, bolted toward Rhett in welcome.

  Rhett leaned down and rubbed the dusty-brown-haired mix on the neck, thankful the dog hadn’t been lost along with his brother.

  “You’re going, then?” Elmer, another boarder, called from a small table where he played solitaire.

  “I am. On tomorrow’s train. But first, I’m going to visit my father. Say goodbye.” He’d lost his father just as much as he’d lost Margery and Shawn. His father would never say so, but Rhett had seen the truth in his eyes: If not for me, Shawn would still be here.

  Elmer smiled at Dallas waiting at Rhett’s heels. “He’s been hounding all day to get out. I’m glad you’re finally back.”

  “Thanks for keeping him. He runs to the dock every chance he gets.” Rhett hunkered down and put an arm around Dallas’s neck, a wave of emotion rocking hi
s resolve. “Shawn’s not coming back, boy. I’m sorry.”

  “The dog going with you?”

  Rhett stood. “He is.”

  Elmer nodded as he dealt out a new hand. “I’m glad fer ya then. Ever since your brother read those stories about those sisters, things changed with him. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

  Rhett only smiled and ascended the stairs, Dallas’s toenails clicking softly beside. He wouldn’t miss this old place. Having a direction, a purpose, would actually feel good. If I don’t buckle down, I’ll end up like Elmer downstairs. Wasting away my life.

  Once he arrived in Eden, he’d make his brother proud, if the doing took every bit of hard work he had left inside him. The plan was already in motion. Rhett had sent an inquiring telegram to Colorado a few weeks ago but hadn’t made a final decision about whether he was actually going or not until this morning.

  Slipping his room key into the lock, he twisted it, then shoved the unwilling door with his shoulder. He’d be more than glad to leave this place. Moving to Eden had been Shawn’s idea, but now that his brother was dead, he planned to fulfill Shawn’s dream. And after that?

  His own future had yet to be determined.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Eden, Colorado, March 1881

  Lavinia Brinkman steeled herself against the coming pain, her heartbreak more than she could bear. She levered her upper body off the hotel bed and onto her elbow, being careful to keep her eyes closed. Even so, a stinging jab cut through her left eye and pierced inside her head, making her gasp.

  What are the chances?

  And today of all days.

  She peeked at the clock. Everyone else was already at the church. Tears leaked from behind her closed eyelids, the thought of missing her sister’s wedding adding a deep, throbbing ache. Each day since their arrival in Eden last September had been building to this day . . .

  Oh, Belle . . . Her chest quivered. We’ve been through so much—all of us, and always together. I want to hear you say your vows. Only a miracle can help me now . . .

  Drawing in a shaky breath, she thought of their father loving them from almost two thousand miles away. For eighteen years he sent support, unbeknownst to them. The tragic story was never far from her thoughts. When he died and they’d been summoned to Eden, she and her sisters had left behind a soot-filled Philadelphia for lofty mountain peaks and fresh, clean air. And that had only been the beginning.

  Unable to keep them in check, Lavinia let the tears scorch her cheeks. She reached blindly toward the nightstand, where a lantern burned in the dim room, and patted around until her fingers closed on the handkerchief Mavis had placed there for her use. By now, the ushers would have seated the guests and Blake would be waiting at the altar. Belle, their other sisters, and their good friend Lara Marsh, who’d traveled all the way from Pennsylvania to be in attendance for the event, would be atwitter with excitement in the entry of the church, safely away from curious eyes.

  Dearest Belle, I’m sending you my love. Can you feel it? I’m with you in my heart.

  This morning, when Lavinia had been putting the finishing touches on the veil she’d created for Belle, a tiny stem fragment from one of the blossoms she’d been attaching to the crown had splintered off and flicked into her eye. The pain had been excruciating, dropping her to her knees. Her sisters had laid her on the bed and then set out to help. Rinsing, crying, and even examining her eye with a magnifying glass. Soon, there was nothing for them to do but dress and go to the church. Her sisters hadn’t wanted to leave her behind, but she’d insisted. She’d not let her accident ruin Belle’s wedding day.

  A knock came at her door. “Lavinia, it’s me, Karen. May I come in?”

  “Of course.”

  Karen Forester, waitress in the hotel café and now Lavinia’s employee, hurried inside. When they’d first arrived in Eden, the middle-aged woman had taken her and her sisters under her protective wing. Looking out for them, introducing them around, and being the mother they’d all lost fifteen years before. Today was no different.

  She heard Karen quietly enter and close the door behind her.

  “You must hurry or you’ll miss the wedding,” Lavinia said softly. She forced a smile, knowing all too well Karen was watching her every expression. Karen, in her generosity, would stay behind in a heartbeat.

  “I’m about to set off, but I’ve warmed a little oil and brought a medicine dropper. There’s a possibility whatever was in your eye is now gone but left a scratch, and that’s what’s causing the pain. Perhaps the liquid will help soothe the discomfort. Do you want to try?”

  “Even if what you say is true, I’d still have to finish dressing. I’d never arrive in time. And now I fear you won’t either. Hurry now, please. Belle needs to see you there.”

  The rumble of the afternoon stagecoach jerked and rattled outside. Lavinia listened as Karen went to the window. She heard the sound of Karen pushing back the curtain.

  “Lavinia?”

  There was a note of wonder in Karen’s voice.

  “Today’s the fifth of March. In the madness leading up to the wedding, we all forgot the new doctor is scheduled to arrive. A man I’ve never seen before has just stepped out of the stagecoach and is coming into the hotel. He’s carrying a small black case . . .”

  Hope surged into Lavinia’s throat. What were the chances? “Oh!”

  “He’s tall and broad, but . . . ah, well, unkempt for any doctor I’ve seen.”

  Karen gasped in what sounded like surprise.

  “A large dog has jumped out of the stage as well.”

  Lavinia clapped her hands with excitement. “My miracle has arrived! The question is, Can he help me in time? Could you please run down and bring him up?”

  “Right away.”

  “Wait! Even if he can extract the object, if we don’t let Belle know I’m on my way, ask her to hold off for a few minutes, I’ll still miss the ceremony. If you can help me to my feet, I’ll manage the doctor and you run to the church.”

  “Wonderful idea!”

  Carefully, so as not to inflict more pain, Karen helped Lavinia, clad only in her corset and pantaloons, to her feet and held wide her robe so she could shrug inside. After a few fumbles, Lavinia cinched the garment tight.

  “I must hurry,” Lavinia breathed, each passing second seeming more urgent. “The side exit will save you a few steps.”

  Once Karen had left for the church, Lavinia navigated the empty hallway as quickly as her infirmity would allow. For the occasion, she had closed the café downstairs so Karen and the other help could attend the long-awaited nuptials between the second-oldest Brinkman daughter and Blake Harding, the man who would become their partner in the Five Sisters Ranch in a few short weeks.

  Lavinia carefully descended the stairs in the silent building. She peeked from her good eye every few steps to be sure she wasn’t going off course, while keeping her left eye closed as best she could. With one hand firmly on the banister, and the other clenching together the lapels of her robe, she arrived on the last step and could see the shadowy figure of a man standing in the vacant lobby. The small black case in his right hand brought a wave of excitement. Help had arrived!

  As she got closer, though, she felt herself shrinking in his large presence. Dark stubble covered his face, as if he hadn’t bothered to shave for two or three days. Hatless, his wavy, dark hair suggested his fingers were the only implements to try to tame the mass. Lavinia’s gaze dropped to the handle of the black case and the fingers holding the bag. There was no dog in sight.

  “Thank heavens you’ve arrived! Please, I need your assistance right away.” When he didn’t move or respond, she took hold of his free arm, noticing an elusive scent of pine, dust, and travel.

  He pulled back, surely surprised to be accosted by a strange woman wearing a dressing gown. Still filled with hope, she carefully opened her right eye, bracing herself against the pain.

  “I have something in my left eye,�
� she explained, “and the pain is just too great for me to open it.” She tugged on his arm again, but he stayed rooted to the spot. “Please, we have to hurry. I’ve a magnifying glass upstairs and—”

  “What?”

  His deep voice sent a wave of awareness skittering around inside her.

  “I’m looking for a meal, but I see the café is closed,” he said. “Where is everybody?”

  “Oh!” she gushed. “Of course. I’ll be more than happy to provide you a meal as thanks for your assistance. I’m sorry, but there’s no time now.” Her efforts had moved him all of three steps. “I can understand how odd this looks, but Belle,” she said more slowly, “my beautiful sister Belle is about to get married—right now! Everyone is already in the church except me. You’ve arrived just in time to help me so I can attend as well.” She tugged, and he came along a few more steps. “All I need is for you to look into my eye and extract whatever is causing the pain.”

  He was moving now. With her eyes closed, but peeking every few steps, she pulled him along. “We’ve tried absolutely everything. Rinsing with water, crying, even blowing—but that really hurt. As soon as you extract the evil object, I’ll slip into my bridesmaid’s dress and run down the street. My friend has gone ahead to let them know I’m on my way. They’re holding the ceremony for my arrival.”

  During her long oration, she’d dragged him halfway up the stairs, amazing even herself. Karen had been right. The doctor was large, possibly taller than Blake or even Clint. The strange thing was, he seemed reluctant to do his job, or even to speak. Perhaps he was put off by her half-dressed state. Maybe he was a Quaker and she had offended his delicate senses. Or possibly she was his first female patient. Could a doctor really be as shy as a newborn bunny? Frightened or not, she was bound and determined that their new doctor help her. She couldn’t miss the wedding!

  Tugging his arm the last few steps, she pulled him inside her hotel room, slammed the door, and then flung herself onto the bed. “I await your assistance!”

  CHAPTER THREE

  And what am I supposed to do with her? Irritation seeped through Rhett as he gazed down at the distraught young woman on the bed, her eyes clamped closed, and the rapidness of her pulse at the base of her throat reminding him of a hummingbird. Her dark hair, done up in some sort of curled fashion, was a bit untidy. Was she disturbed in the mind? She had to be a Brinkman, right here before him on the bed. Belle Brinkman, the sister she’d mentioned, was the second oldest. At the time he’d read them, the papers had said all the sisters were single and the oldest was a widow. He hadn’t been aware of any upcoming nuptials.