Absorbed in the information she was reading, she jumped when the phone rang. Rushing to answer it, she smiled when she heard the lyrical Irish voice of Mr. O’Connell on the line.
“Mrs. Erickson?”
“Yes, this is Mrs. Erickson,” Aundy said, wanting to dance a jig that the man had called like he said he would. “May I help you?”
“I’d like to think so,” Mr. O’Connell said. Aundy could hear the smile in his voice. “I met a boyo Friday night who indicated the fair and lovely Mrs. Erickson might take a shine to the flock of critters I have for sale. If that is correct, would ya have time to meet me in town today to discuss the details? If they are satisfactory to both parties, we could sign the paperwork and I could bring the animals to ya tomorrow. It’s with haste and hurry I am to be on me way to the sunny warmth of California.”
“That would be satisfactory, Mr. O’Connell,” Aundy said, grinning from ear to ear. She asked him to meet her at her attorney’s office and thanked him for the call. Hanging up the phone, she quickly placed a call to Nash’s Folly, relieved when Garrett answered the phone.
“Mr. Nash, this is Mrs. Erickson,” Aundy said, all too aware of the many ears no doubt listening to their conversation since the phone lines were far from being private. “I have a business matter to conduct today and was hoping you might offer your insight into the matter. Would you be able to provide your assistance?”
“I’d be happy to, Mrs. Erickson,” Garrett said, keeping her formal tone. “What time shall I expect to meet with you?”
“I could stop by around ten on my way into town, if that wouldn’t be in imposition,” Aundy said. Wanting to ask how the Chinese man was doing, if Garrett was still mad at her, and if he’d experienced as much difficulty sleeping as she had after sharing such heat-filled kisses the other night, she instead squeezed her lips together to keep from blurting out something she shouldn’t.
Now that she’d set the wheels in motion for buying the sheep, she was frightened of what she’d done. What if she invested the money in the flock and they ended up being worthless, or causing all her hands to quit?
“I’ll see you then,” Garrett said, then hung up.
Aundy was sure that meant he was still upset over her escapade Friday evening.
Finishing a few things around the house, Aundy took a bath and washed her hair, dressed in one of her nicest suits with a frothy ruffle of lace at the throat of the shirtwaist, and packed a basket with cookies she’d made earlier that morning. Picking up her reticule, she gathered a pair of creamy gloves to go with her buttery-yellow and cream striped outfit, and pinned a hat on her head.
Realizing she should have hitched the horse to the buggy before she got dressed, she hoped one of the men would be nearby. Fortunately, she discovered Glen mending tack at the barn. It took him just a few minutes to hitch a horse to the buggy and have Aundy on her way to Nash’s Folly.
Parking the buggy at the end of the walk, she hurried up the steps and gave a perfunctory knock at the front door before sticking her head inside.
“Aundy, don’t you look like a picture of spring today. That soft yellow color is a perfect complement for your hair,” Nora said, giving Aundy a warm hug as she pulled her inside the house and accepted the basket of cookies the girl held out to her.
“Thank you.”
“You won’t believe what Garrett dragged home the other night,” Nora said, taking Aundy’s hand, once she’d set down her reticule and removed her gloves, leading her to a bedroom near the kitchen.
“A puppy?” Aundy asked, giving Nora a silly grin.
“No, you goose,” Nora said, “A man from China.”
“Oh,” Aundy said, following Nora into the room. The man looked even worse in the morning light than he had Friday night in the evening shadows. His face was a swollen mess and he slept on one side with his knees slightly bent. Aundy felt pity for the man and the pain he had to be feeling. Maybe they really should have the doctor take a look at him. “Will he be okay?”
“I think so. Other than a few cracked ribs and his poor face, he didn’t seem to have any other injuries. He doesn’t speak very good English, but we think he said his name is Li Hong.”
“Li Hong,” Aundy repeated, testing out the foreign name. She hoped Li Hong wouldn’t remember her part in his coming to be at Nash’s Folly.
He opened one eye, the one not swollen shut, and glanced first at Nora then at Aundy. His eyes widened when he saw her, but he held her gaze. When he didn’t appear to plan to say anything, Aundy released the breath she was holding.
“Mr. Hong, this is our neighbor, Aundy Erickson. She lives on the next farm over,” Nora said, making introductions.
Aundy took a step closer to the bed and nodded her head at him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Hong.” Uncertain if she should extend her hand, nod her head or bow, Aundy decided just to offer him a warm smile. “I hope you aren’t in too much pain.”
“No,” Li said, working up something that could have been a smile had one side of his mouth not been swollen. “Li fine.”
Aundy smiled again and backed toward the door. She was glad he could talk and seemed coherent. It must have been frightening for him to wake up in a strange place, beaten and in pain.
“I’ll get you a fresh glass of water, Mr. Hong,” Nora said, following Aundy out the door and to the kitchen where J.B. sat reading a newspaper and drinking coffee.
“Well, look at you, Aundy. Don’t you look like summer sunshine today,” J.B. said, offering her a smile that reminded her so much of Garrett as he helped himself to a handful of cookies from the basket Nora set on the table.
“Thank you, J.B. I need to pay a visit to my attorney and then possibly the bank, so I decided I better be dressed for the part.”
“She has a talent for dressing the part,” Garrett said, giving her a wicked smile as he strolled into the room. Dressed in pressed pants with a crisp shirt, light coat and vest, Aundy thought he looked too handsome for words. The burgundy vest and dark gray coat accented the liquid silver of his eyes and the rich color of his dark brown hair.
“Lands sakes, honey, what’s got you all dressed up?” Nora asked, knowing Garrett much preferred to wear the denim waist overalls the cowhands all wore with a soft cotton shirt than his “fancy duds” as he and J.B. called their town clothes.
“I promised Aundy I’d go with her to meet a man about some business she wants to conduct this morning. If you want more detail than that, you’ll have to pry it out of her,” Garrett said, kissing his mother’s cheek and grabbing his hat off a peg by the back door.
“Shall we?” Garrett asked, holding out his arm to Aundy.
She rolled her eyes, but placed her hand gingerly on his offered arm. “I’ll give you all the details when we return,” Aundy said to Nora who looked at her expectantly. “Can we bring anything for Mr. Hong?”
“I can’t think of a thing,” Nora said, waving them out the door. “Remember, I want all the news when you get back. We didn’t get to visit at all yesterday and I’m feeling neglected.”
“Yes, Ma,” Garrett called, settling his hat on his head once they were outside the door.
Glancing at Garrett from the top of his dark cattleman’s hat to the tips of his freshly polished boots, Aundy thought he looked far more handsome than Ashton Monroe ever would.
She was still irritated at Ashton for treating her so roughly in the saloon, even if he didn’t know who she was. He shouldn’t be that brusque with anyone.
While Ashton was what she’d call aristocratic in appearance, Garrett was all muscle and rugged man with a little rogue thrown in to further discombobulate her senses.
The strong arm that helped her into the buggy made her knees feel wobbly and the friendly grin that promised more teasing drew a smile from her own lips. She breathed in his spicy scent and longed to have his mouth pressed against hers again.
His fervent kisses Friday night were so mesmerizing, she’d completely
lost herself in the experience despite her vow to stay far, far away from men and romance.
Settling her skirts on the buggy seat, Aundy looked over at Garrett to see him staring at her, apparently waiting for a response to a question she hadn’t heard him ask while she was lost in her thoughts of his kisses.
“My apologies, Garrett. I didn’t hear what you said,” Aundy said, feeling flustered under his intense gaze. She fussed with her hat, and tugged at her gloves, smoothing down each finger just to have something to do to keep her hands busy.
Slapping the reins, the horse ambled down the lane at a moderate pace that suited Garrett. It was a beautiful day and he was sitting elbow to elbow with a girl who made his heart thump wildly at thoughts of her kisses while her soft rose scent made him think things he knew were inappropriate.
“I asked how your shoulder is today. You don’t seem to be favoring it, but you’re sure to have a bruise.”
“It’s fine,” Aundy said, appreciating his concern, but not worried about something like a bruise when she had much more important matters on her mind. “Did you find out anything about Mr. Hong, other than his name?”
“Not much. He said he works for different people, doing odd jobs. He wouldn’t say what happened, just that someone asked him to do something he wasn’t willing to do, so they beat him up and tossed him in the doorway. He fell down the stairs and crawled up to the top, where you found him,” Garrett said, trying not to be utterly distracted by the picture Aundy made in her yellow striped dress with her golden hair piled on her head. A few errant tendrils worked their way loose, swirling temptingly along her neck.
It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to keep from hauling her into his arms and kissing her until they both forgot where they were going or what they were doing.
Instead, he turned his attention to the horse and looked out at the rolling fields of green against the bright blue sky. Eastern Oregon was an altogether lovely place to be in the spring, before the heat of the summer turned things brown and dry.
“That’s terrible,” Aundy said, thankful she had found Mr. Hong and was able to help him. She wondered what he refused to do that earned him the beating. They’d probably never know. “Are you sure he’s fine at your house? I could take care of him.”
“I don’t think so,” Garrett said. With his dad in the house, Garrett wasn’t concerned their guest would try anything. If Li Hong was at Aundy’s, Garrett wouldn’t get a wink of sleep, worrying about her well-being. “He’s just fine at Nash’s Folly.”
Deciding to get down to the reason they were heading into town, Garrett broached the subject of sheep. He wasn’t happy that Aundy had agreed to buy the flock and knew her hands would like the idea even less than he did. As she pointed out Friday night, though, it was her decision to make.
“Did you talk to Dent and the guys yet about your sheep?”
“No,” Aundy said, making a point of looking at the green fields they drove by rather than the very good-looking man beside her.
“Don’t you think you should? You can’t exactly hide the sheep from them.”
“I wasn’t intending to,” Aundy said, feeling defensive as she leaned away from Garrett. He looked so handsome and smelled even better. His warmth at her side was making her stomach flutter in a most disconcerting way. If she wanted to be in any condition to negotiate with Mr. O’Connell, she needed to tear her thoughts away from how much she enjoyed being around Garrett and how well he filled out his coat and pants.
Feeling overheated, she wished she’d thought to bring along a parasol or at least a fan. Instead, she fanned her glove in front of her face.
Garrett raised an eyebrow her direction and gave her a mocking grin.
“A little warm out for you?”
“No,” Aundy snapped, wondering why he was goading her. “And to answer your question, I plan to tell Dent and the boys tomorrow. I wanted to make sure the deal was final before I said anything and jeopardized losing Fred. I’d really like to find a way to keep them all working for me.”
“Could you hire someone to tend the sheep and tell the rest of them they won’t have to worry about the woolies?” Garrett suggested. As fiercely as Fred hated sheep, he wasn’t sure that would be enough to keep him from quitting.
“Perhaps,” Aundy said, knowing if she could find someone willing to work for her, she’d hire him in a heartbeat.
“I take it you spoke with Owen this morning.”
“Owen?” Aundy asked, confused.
“O’Connell. His name is Owen O’Connell,” Garrett said, shaking his head. “Did you not even get the full name of the man you’re doing business with? Might be good to know, don’t you think?”
Realizing her mistake, Aundy felt like a chastised child and the feeling irked her considerably. “Yes. Of course.”
“What did you discuss?” Garrett asked, wondering if she’d offered a price, made a verbal agreement.
Aundy repeated the brief conversation she had with Mr. O’Connell. Garrett nodded, pleased that she hadn’t made any promises.
Pulling up in front of the attorney’s office, Owen O’Connell sat on a bench near the door, waiting.
Garrett hurried around the buggy to give Aundy his hand and then turned to the Irishman.
“O’Connell. Good to see you again,” Garrett said in his typical friendly fashion, shaking hands with the man as he stood from the bench. “Hear you’re getting ready to head south and leave our lovely Eastern Oregon weather behind.”
“It’s lovely now, boyo, but when the snow blows and the ice freezes everything, I’ll be sunnin’ meself in the warm, balmy California weather.”
“So you will,” Garrett said, reaching a hand over to place on the small of Aundy’s back and gently pushing her forward. “May I introduce Mrs. Erickson? Aundy Erickson. She married Erik the day of his injury.”
“I’m so terrible sorry for your loss Miz Erickson. Terrible thing that happened to Erik,” O’Connell said.
“Thank you, Mr. O’Connell. I appreciate your condolences,” Aundy said, smiling at the man, noting his eyes looked bloodshot and tired. “Shall we go in?”
“Certainly,” O’Connell said, holding the door for Aundy and Garrett to precede him.
An hour and a half later, they left the bank together and O’Connell shook both their hands. Once he delivered the sheep, he would receive payment in full. For now, Aundy paid him half of the agreed upon price, after drawing up papers at the attorney’s office.
“We’ll be at the farm tomorrow afternoon with your woolies, Mrs. Erickson. See you then,” O’Connell said, tipping his hat and walking down the street.
“While we’re in town, I’d like to go by the sheriff’s office,” Garrett said as he helped Aundy in the buggy and started down the street. “I want to ask about Hong and see if any of them have heard anything.”
“Do you think he’s wanted by the law?” Aundy asked, hoping the man wasn’t. For some reason, she felt a little protective of the poor immigrant who’d been beaten so badly.
“Probably not, but never hurts to ask,” Garrett said, stopping the buggy when he noticed his friend Kade walking toward them. Setting the brake, he turned to Aundy. “Mind waiting just a moment?”
“Not at all,” Aundy assured him, as he ran across the street and enthusiastically shook the hand of a man who looked like an officer of the law with a shiny star pinned to his vest. Aundy thought the tall, brawny man looked familiar then realized he was the handsome cowboy she’d seen at the train the day she arrived in town and at church several times although he usually left before the service ended.
Garrett visited with the officer a few minutes then both of them looked her direction. Far enough away she couldn’t hear what was said, she smiled when Garrett walked back across the street with the man.
“Aundy, this is my very good friend Kade Rawlings. He’s a sheriff’s deputy,” Garrett said, making the introduction.
“It’s a pleasure to
make your acquaintance, Mrs. Erickson,” Kade said as he doffed his hat and nodded to her. “I’ve known Garrett since we chased tadpoles in the creek and terrorized the little girls at school.”
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Aundy said, shaking the man’s hand and offering him a smile. It was hard not to notice his handsome face or towering height. Garrett was quite tall and his friend Kade stood an inch or so over him.
“Garrett tells me he made a new friend Friday night. I might ride out later and ask him a few questions,” Kade said, watching the way Aundy and Garrett snuck glances at each other. So that was the way the wind blew. He’d have to torment Garrett about his obvious interest in the winsome widow later. “He also said you purchased a few head of sheep. Good for you. My uncle raises sheep south of here and does well with them.”
“Thank you, Deputy Rawlings. I hope the sheep will be a good addition to our farm,” Aundy said, catching Garrett rolling his eyes. “Although Garrett has made it clear he much prefers cattle.”
Kade chuckled as he slapped Garrett on the back. “You’ll have to ask him sometime where he got his dislike of sheep.”
Aundy smiled and looked over at Garrett who had narrowed his gaze and shook his head at the deputy. She laughed and offered Kade an approving nod. “I will do that.”
“I better be on my way,” Kade said, tipping his hat to Aundy with an engaging smile. “It was truly a pleasure to meet you, ma’am. If you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”
“Thank you, sir,” Aundy said, liking Garrett’s friend. He was fun and seemed kind.
Garrett took his seat in the buggy and picked up the reins. “Since we’re here, want to have some lunch?”
“That would be agreeable,” Aundy said, pleased at the idea of spending more time with Garrett.
He parked the buggy a few blocks from a busy restaurant and they strolled along, her hand on his arm. Anyone looking at them saw a striking couple, one fair, the other dark, enjoying a beautiful spring day.
Aundy (Pendleton Petticoats - Book 1) Page 15