A Bride for Cameron

by Barbara Goss

  “Except what?”

  “A fancy carriage rode past my house. It was white and going extremely fast. As I recall, I was worried that Mitzie might have gone into the field across the street, and upon hearing me call, would dart across and be hit by the thing. After it passed, Mitzie darted out from the woods with a mouse in her mouth. She loves bringing me gifts.”

  Cameron chuckled then asked, “Did you tell this to the sheriff?”

  “I would have, but he never asked.”

  “He never came here to question you?” Cameron asked.

  “No. No one did.”

  “Did you see or hear the carriage again that night?” Hannah asked. If someone had dropped off a body, surely they’d return just as quickly past Elsie’s house as the other direction was a dead end.

  “I’m not sure. I fed the cat, made myself a cup of tea, and sat here on the settee, knitting. I thought I heard someone go by at a fast pace, but I am really not positive. It was pitch dark by then, so even if I had looked out the window, I probably wouldn’t have seen anything. It could have even been the wind.”

  Hannah asked, “Elsie, are you ever frightened, living out here all alone?”

  “No.” She pointed above the fireplace where a shotgun was perched. “It’s loaded and ready to fire. So far, I’ve never had cause to use it. Most of the bad guys are in town and not out here.”

  “Are you sure about the carriage being white?” Cameron asked.

  Elsie answered quickly, “That I am sure of.”

  On their slow ride home, Cameron seemed thoughtful and quiet.

  “What’s troubling you?” Hannah asked.

  “It’s nothing... but,” Cameron rubbed his forehead, “the only person I know who has a white carriage is my best friend; there must be another one.”

  “Joe Simmons? Of course! He drove me home from the stagecoach depot. It’s a luxurious, cream-colored coach.”

  “I’m trying to think if anyone else in town has one. I’ve known Joe for years, and he’d never hurt anyone.”

  “Perhaps the livery has a white carriage for hire?” Hannah asked.

  “Excellent idea, partner. Shall we ride over and ask?”

  “Cameron, the children’s nanny leaves at four, and it’s half-past three. I would like to spend some time with them before dinner.”

  “Ah, you’re right again. I hadn’t realized the time.” Cameron slowed his horse to nearly a stop. “Hey, how about we have a picnic supper at Rainbow Falls?”

  “Oh, they would enjoy that. It depends on what Bessie has prepared, though. If it can be packed into a basket, we’ll do it.”

  They urged their horses into a trot, both of them anxious to get home.

  The children jumped into Cameron’s black carriage with glee. They bounced on the seat, impatient to be on the way to the falls. Cameron and Hannah were packing the picnic gear on the top of the carriage. “No more jumping, children,” Hannah scolded, “you’ll frighten the horses.”

  Cameron poked his head into the coach window, “And then you’d get to the falls before us.”

  The children stopped jumping and laughed.

  Cameron helped Hannah up onto the driver’s bench. She thought his hands lingered on her waist longer than necessary.

  He jumped up, grabbed the reins, and said loudly, “And we’re off to Rainbow Falls.”

  Hannah was pleased and surprised that the children ate more than usual. Bessie had made a honey-baked ham, and then made sandwiches using fresh-baked bread. She’d packed pickled beets and turned the mashed potatoes she’d made into fried potato cakes. Everything was delicious, and eating outdoors in view of the lovely falls made everything seem to taste better.

  After the meal, Cameron and Hannah packed up the remains. The children seemed bored and restless.

  Hannah noticed a pile of sand by the shore of the creek. “If you promise not to go near the water, you may play in the sand down there.” She pointed.

  “Yippee!” Annabelle yelled, and she pulled Georgie down toward the sand dune.

  “Remember,” Hannah called after them, “do not go near the water.”

  Cameron and Hannah sat on the tablecloth, watching them scamper down the hill on their way to the sand.

  “This has been such a wonderful day,” Cameron said.

  “Perfect,” Hannah agreed. “Look at them crawling around in that sand. I think they’ll need a bath when we get home.”

  “Hannah... there’s something I need to say.”

  She looked up at him and waited.

  “I never thought I’d be this happy.” He took her hand in his. “I owe you a sincere apology for tricking you. I don’t know what made me do it except for my strong desire to get out of being a lawyer in Hunter’s Grove. The cases are boring. I’d even thought about going to Hays or Abilene. When Joe suggested I run for senator, I literally jumped on it. It was the answer for me. You see, Joe wants Hunter’s Grove to grow, and to do that, he needs the railroad to come through here instead of Great Bend. It would cost the railroad company less since we are due south, and Great Bend is southeast. I was excited about it until he said I needed a family to become elected.

  “I almost backed out of finding a wife and adopting children just so Hunter’s Grove could grow, but then I realized how our legal business would grow, as well as other businesses. I also felt the need for the companionship of a wife.

  “I didn’t just pick the first woman who answered my ad. I read them all, and when I read yours, I felt strangely drawn to you. I filed the others away and concentrated on writing to you.

  “I’ve never seen how a husband should act since I never had a father to imitate, and I’ve never been around children. My letters sounded like legal briefs—I messed everything up.”

  Hannah squeezed his hand. “No, you didn’t mess up. You are learning and doing a wonderful job. I can see the change--”

  An urgent cry interrupted Hannah, “Mama! Papa! Help!”

  Before Hannah could react, Cameron was already half-way down to the sand dune.

  Hannah followed.

  Georgie was up to his waist in wet sand and couldn’t get out.

  Cameron tried to calm him while pulling him from under his arms. “Quicksand!” he yelled.

  Hannah pulled Annabelle close as she watched Cameron fight to get Georgie out of the quicksand. “Pull him out!”

  “No, that’s the worst thing to do,” Cameron said. “I read about this not long ago. Trust me.”

  “Georgie,” Cameron said, taking his hands. “Papa will get you out, but you must stop crying immediately. And stop wiggling—it’s making you sink even further.”

  Georgie stopped crying and looked up at Cameron. “Out, Papa.”

  “I want you to do something very odd: lay on your back until your head hits the sand.”

  “I scared, Papa.”

  “Georgie, Papa would never do anything to harm you. You’re my son. I’ll be right here holding your hand.”

  Georgie did as Cameron directed, and his knees popped up. Cameron slipped his arms beneath the child’s body and lifted him. The sand made an ugly sucking noise, but Georgie was free.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Cameron hugged Georgie to him despite all the mud and carried him to safe ground. He rocked Georgie in his arms to calm the boy.

  Hannah stood with Annabelle in her grasp. She felt like hugging Cameron. He had saved Georgie. What if Cameron hadn’t been there? What would she have done?

  Cameron slowly loosened his hold on Georgie. “We need to get his clothes off. The oils in the quicksand can burn his skin.”

  Hannah rushed over to help Cameron remove Georgie’s clothes until he was naked.

  “Annabelle,” Hannah called, “run and get the tablecloth.”

  Once Georgie was safely wrapped in the cloth, Hannah used a wet napkin to wash his face, arms, and hands. “What about you, Cameron? Now you’re full of that mud, too.”

  “Well, I’m not going
to get naked,” he said with a sly smile and a wink. He removed his shirt, waded out into the creek, and held out his arms for Georgie, who jumped eagerly into them. Cameron ripped off the cloth that had been around Georgie, and threw it to Hannah.

  She watched them splash around in the shallow water. Georgie was laughing, and so was Cameron. She felt something odd in her chest as if her heart had skipped a beat. It was a lovely scene. She’d never seen Georgie laugh so hard. His laugh was so infectious that soon she and Annabelle were laughing, too.

  As the Hart family ate breakfast, Cameron said, “After church, we'll stop at the livery, all right?”

  Hannah nodded. “What about the children?”

  “I’ve taken care of that,” Bessie said as she carried another dish of biscuits from the kitchen. “My friend, Otto, and I will take them to his ranch for dinner. He wants them to see the new litter of puppies that his dog, Sheba, had two weeks ago. Then you may pick them up at Otto’s house later.”

  Annabelle squealed with delight. “I can hardly wait.”

  “Maybe we should get a pet for the children someday. What should it be?” Cameron aimed his question at Annabelle.

  “I love cats and dogs,” she said, “but my favorite animal is a goat.”

  “A goat!” Hannah and Cameron said in unison.

  “Where did you see a goat?” Hannah asked.

  “The orphanage had cows and a goat. A few of the children got sick from cow’s milk,” she said.

  Hannah asked, “And is that where you learned to read so well?”

  “Yes. I had school every day, but I like your school better. Georgie was too little, so he had to go to the nursery.”

  Hannah put her arm around Annabelle and gave her a hug. “I’m so glad Papa brought you home from the orphan train. We both love you and Georgie very much.”

  “How would you like a pony?” Cameron asked.

  “Oh, my! I’d love a pony.” She looked up at Hannah. “Would you teach me to ride it?”

  “Of course, I would. According to the paperwork from the orphanage that Papa showed me, your birthday is in two weeks.”

  “It is? How old will I be, Mama?”

  “Six-years-old.”

  Cameron winked at Annabelle. “I can’t promise a pony, but I’ll try as hard as I can to find one. If I can’t, would you like a puppy or kitten?”

  Annabelle frowned as if deep in thought. “I’ll let you know what I'd like if you can't find a pony after I see Mr. Otto’s puppies today. And I won’t be disappointed if you can’t find one.”

  Cameron got up from the table and hugged Annabelle. “That’s the best attitude. I’ll do the best I can.”

  At church that morning, the Reverend Hollister was still there. He said, “Now that we’ve gone over all of God’s commandments, you're probably wondering what happens if you break one of them. Maybe you took something that didn’t belong to you, or maybe you said a lie, committed adultery, or coveted something that belonged to someone else?” His dark eyes roamed the room, making sure they hit on everyone. “Well, if you did break His commandments, He sent his son, Jesus, to earth to die for your sins, and they nailed Him to a cross until He was dead. He arose after three days and joined His father in heaven. Jesus suffered greatly before He died, for all for us. Because of Jesus, if we are truly sorry for our sins, all we need to do is ask God’s forgiveness and He will grant it.” Hollister gave them all a rare smile. “Otherwise, not a one of us would get to heaven.”

  Everyone laughed, and Hollister closed his Bible. “This will be my last week here as a traveling preacher. The Hunter’s Grove town council has chosen me to be your permanent minister. We’ll start a fund, and with the council’s help, by this time next year, we’ll have a church. Can I hear an amen?”

  “Amen.” The applause given to Reverend Hollister shook the barn’s rafters.

  Hannah and Cameron walked into the livery and back to the office where Sam Hendricks, the owner, sat at his desk. “What can I do for you folks?”

  Cameron introduced himself and Hannah before asking, “Would you happen to have a white carriage to rent?”

  “White? No, never. All our carriages are black. I have a shiny, brand new one, if you’re interested.”

  “No,” Cameron said. “A friend saw one the other night, and I wondered if someone had rented it from your livery.”

  “Afraid not.”

  “That’s all right,” Cameron said. “We were just curious. It was nice meeting you.”

  As they left the livery, Cameron bet they were both thinking the very same thing: Joe was the only one with a white carriage.

  Hannah and Cameron picked up the children from Otto’s house, but they kept their thoughts to themselves as the children sang “Jesus Loves Me.” Georgie was getting better at talking. Hannah turned to smile at them. “Very good singing. Who taught you that song?”

  “Miss Bessie,” Annabelle said.

  Cameron turned to smile at Hannah. When she returned his smile, he knew, at that moment, that he loved her. She was pretty, smart, and an excellent mother, but together, they had something more—they were a family.

  When they returned from church, Hannah put Georgie in bed for his nap. Before she left the room, she peeked out of the window to see Annabelle swinging on the swing Cameron had made her.

  Hannah smiled. Despite what they'd learned at the livery, she had a good feeling that day. Cameron was growing on her. She hated to admit it, but she was starting to like him since he was now acting like a father to the children. She felt that he loved them as much as she did. While Cameron had a few things about him she disliked, little by little, he was chiseling those things away. What she disliked about him most were the acts of dishonesty he’d committed. Could she ever trust him?

  She went downstairs to find Cameron on a large sofa chair in the sitting room, reading a book. She sat on the settee and struggled with whether she should bring up a subject that might spoil the peacefulness of the afternoon. She sighed. “Cameron, what reason would Joe have for killing Mr. Monroe?”

  Cameron put his book down on his lap. He frowned, but his words didn’t sound angry. “I’m sure he didn’t. I just haven’t figured out how his carriage came to be there that night.”

  “You know him pretty well, then?”

  “For years. It was Joe who brought me to settle here in Hunter’s Grove. We graduated from law school together, took our bar exam around the same time, and he and I decided to open a law firm. Joe picked Hunter’s Grove because his uncle had lived here before he passed away. His uncle had left him the building, which was a barber’s shop. We remodeled it, and that’s how we got started.”

  “Do you think Joe knew Monroe?” she asked.

  “He knew him but not well. He mentioned that he’d written a will for Monroe before he married Myra McCracken. According to Joe, that was the extent of their relationship.”

  “A will? I wonder how much she got from his death.”

  “She got the house and five hundred dollars. Not enough to commit murder for. I checked all that for the trial.” Cameron relaxed back into his chair. “I’m going to find out what his carriage was doing at the murder scene tomorrow. That never came up during the trial. No one, including me, thought to ask a neighbor since Wilson lived in such a rural area. No neighbors could have even seen his house.”

  Cameron jumped to his feet. “Where’s Annabelle?”

  “She was on her swing a few minutes ago. Shall we go out and join her?”

  “Yes. She shouldn’t be left outside alone too long—there are wolves and coyotes around,” Cameron said as he rushed out the front door.

  Hannah heard him sigh with relief when he saw her on the swing, singing “Jesus Loves Me” as loudly as she could.

  Cameron stood on the porch and laughed, “On second thought, her singing would most likely scare any wild critters away.”

  Hannah laughed with him, and before she knew it, his arm was around her shoulders
.

  “Hannah,” he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze, “we have the most delightful children.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Early the next morning, Cameron left for the office while Hannah was giving Annabelle her lessons.

  He walked into Joe’s office and slid into a chair.

  Joe looked up and smiled. “Just the man I wanted to see. I have your speech in the town square all set up for tomorrow at one o’clock.”

  “I’ll be there,” Cameron said. “I need to ask you an important question, but first let me remind you about how long we’ve been friends and partners. I want the truth.”

  Joe removed his glasses and sat back in his chair. “This sounds serious.”

  “It is,” Cameron said. “Have you ever loaned your carriage to anyone?”

  “I wouldn’t even lend it to you,” he said. “That carriage cost me five hundred dollars.”

  Cameron leaned forward in his chair. “Then why was it seen on Wilson’s road the night of the murder?”

  Joe’s eyes grew wide. “What? That’s insane. I’ve never been down that road.”

  “A credible witness said—”

  “Dagnabbit!” Joe yelled and pounded his fist on the desk. “I messed up.”

  Cameron stood towering over Joe’s desk, “Messed up? How?”

  Joe nodded toward the door. “Close it, please.”

  Cameron closed the door. “Now, explain.” He didn’t sit, but he stood with his hands on his hips.

  Joe rubbed his face. Cameron could tell he was embarrassed. What would he confess to next?

  In a tone nearly as low as a whisper, Joe said, “I drove the carriage to Lilah’s twice.”