But neither Althea or Joseph wanted anything like that, and Owen had respected their wishes.
He’d attended, of course, along with Parson Robertson, who’d officiated over the simple ceremony, with the McCourty brothers and their former mail order brides as the primary guests.
The celebration, however, had been much smaller. It consisted of a simple dinner that slowly evolved into a feast, and then round after round of toasts later on, after the meal was done.
This satisfied Althea, and it began another process of acclimation, one in which she became confident enough to host guests for dinners and such.
Mostly, though, she preferred to be alone, or alone with Joseph, with these being two completely different experiences.
Each was satisfying in their own way, for when Joseph was gone she was free to work on her quilting and her predictions, her work with the cards and the tea leaves.
Now, though, things were different. Married life had given Althea a stronger awareness of Joseph—what his moods were, what he wanted at any given moment, and so on.
And some of that had to do with having a better sense of whatever was happening to him when he was away on his scouting missions.
Althea couldn’t have explained this to anyone if she’d tried, but it was almost as if she knew when Joseph was safe and happy, and when he was encountering trouble.
And now the latter was definitely the case. So when Althea finished her business at Town Hall, picking up her award for the quilting and helping Bonnie schedule the tour of the quilting exhibit that would inevitably follow in the spring, she decided to enlist the help of Owen Standard.
When she returned from her conversation with Rachel, however, Althea found that the mayor was no longer in his office.
It didn’t take long to find him, though. She heard Owen’s loud, booming voice coming from the end of the hall, and she realized he must be talking with Casey Taylor.
“Excuse me, Mister Mayor,” Althea said, trying to pick the right moment to interrupt them. Owen was standing just outside Casey’s office, and their conversation seemed quite animated.
But Owen turned abruptly as soon as he heard Althea’s soft, musical voice. She knew her voice often had that effect on people, drawing their attention immediately, but she had no real idea why.
“What is it, Althea?” the mayor asked, his voice tinged with concern. “Did everything go well with Rachel?”
Althea smiled slightly, having already forgotten part of their conversation. “Oh yes,” she said. “She’ll be fine.”
Then her smile grew and turned sly. “I’m sure Rachel will explain it all to you at some point,” Althea added. “And very soon, if my guess is correct.”
Owen blinked, and he returned her smile with a grin. He knew all about Althea’s mystical reputation, and while he himself had doubts about such things, the results of what she’d done and predicted were incontrovertible. Clearly, she was not a woman to be trifled with . . . at any level.
“Well, I’ll look forward to that, then,” he replied, not really knowing what to make of her comment. Then he paused. “But what can I do for you now?”
For once, Althea turned uncertain, and she felt her confidence waver slightly.
“I . . . I need assistance, I’m afraid,” she said haltingly.
Owen blinked. This was very unusual indeed. “You do?” he asked.
“Yes,” Althea replied, and he could tell from her frown that whatever was going on was significant.
“May I ask what this is about?” Owen asked, and then he saw her look over at Casey. “Would you like to come to my office and talk about it?”
Althea looked back and forth from Casey to Owen. For a moment she had no idea what to make of the situation, but then she decided that it seemed like a wise idea.
“I think I would,” she said, nodding. “Would it be too much trouble?”
“Not at all,” Owen said, extending his hand toward the hall. He let Althea lead the way until they came to the end of the hall, and then he took her to his office.
“Closed door or open?” he asked once they were inside, and he pointed to the chair next to his desk.
“Open is fine,” Althea said, feeling a little more decisive. “I just felt like this needed to be a conversation between the two of us.”
“I understand,” he said, nodding, and then he extended his hands. “Well, anything at all. Just tell me, and I’ll be happy to help out if I can.”
Althea took a deep breath. Her dealings with the mayor had been few and far between, and this was a significant request. Moreover, she had no idea what she would do if he didn’t grant it.
Finally she mustered her courage, which Althea knew was considerable.
“I need to borrow the town stagecoach,” she said, her voice soft but firm
“You . . . what?” Owen asked. He shook his head, surprised by the request, but he also knew that Althea had a reputation for doing unexpected things.
“The town stagecoach,” she repeated. “I need to borrow it. For the day.”
The mayor studied her, but doing that brought no new information or revelations. Althea looked as calm and settled as she would have if she’d asked what he’d had for lunch.
“I see,” Owen said, cupping his chin in his hands. “May I ask what for?”
Once again Althea summoned her courage, and she took another deep breath. “It’s about Joseph,” she said, her tone still level. “Something’s happened to him.”
The mayor frowned. “Really? What happened?” he asked, his level of urgency growing by the second.
Althea shook her head slightly. “Why . . . I don’t know, to be quite honest,” she said. “I just know he’s in trouble.”
Owen blinked, and he shook his head.
Normally this kind of thing would have been out of the question; he was required to account for the whereabouts of the town stage at all times, and a tangible reason for this sort of thing was an obvious requirement.
“I . . . I don’t know if . . .” His voice trailed off, and Althea felt her spirits begin to sink.
“But you must,” she said, interrupting Owen before he could voice any further objections. “It’s very important.”
“I can see that,” Owen said with a nod, noting the growing urgency in her voice. “But I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”
“I know,” Althea replied. She felt the pitch of her voice rising, in spite of herself. “But you have to trust me about this. Please.”
Once again, the mayor was taken aback. Althea’s history in Last Chance was brief but noteworthy, but Owen knew about her integrity, and he also knew she wouldn’t make a request like this lightly.
It was a dilemma, for sure, but Owen knew he needed to ask the question again. “Is there anything you can tell me about this?” he asked. “It would help.”
Althea shook her head. “I have told you as much as I know,” she replied. “Beyond that I only know that I will need more than a horse to do whatever has to be done.”
“I see.” Owen pondered the implications for a moment.
He would be asked to account for his actions, of course, but Owen knew all the members of the town council quite well.
He was aware that his actions would be seen as unusual, but Owen had been so reliable over the years that an unusual divergence from the norm would be allowed now and then.
On the other hand, though, what if Althea was right? If something had happened to Joseph—and her prescience had been proven before on several different occasions, from what the mayor had seen and been led to believe—it would be a major loss for the town indeed.
Finally Owen sighed. “Very well, then,” he said. “You may have the stagecoach.”
Althea felt the knot that had started in her stomach begin to loosen slightly.
“Thank you,” she said. Then she realized that she really had no idea how to do this. “Will the stage be at the town stables?”
Owen nodded. �
�Yes,” he replied. “And you’ll need the best driver we have.”
She shook her head. “And who would that be?”
“Caleb Wells,” Owen said. “He takes care of the horses and the stables as well. He should be there now. He usually is.”
“Very well then,” Althea replied. “I will look for him.”
She turned without any further words, and Owen watched her leave, surprised by the abruptness of it, even though he knew he shouldn’t be.
“Oh, and Althea,” he said, raising his voice so she could hear him as she reached the door.
“Yes?” she said, turning and giving him a questioning glance.
“Please be careful,” Owen said, and Althea nodded as she walked out the door. “I get the feeling this might be more dangerous than you’re letting on.”
When she got to the stables, Caleb was indeed there, working inside. He had a pitchfork in his hand, and as she drew closer Althea realized he was feeding the horses while setting aside their evening hay.
“Excuse me,” she said, raising her voice slightly to make sure he would hear her. “You must be Caleb? I was told I’d find you in the town stables.”
He looked up, cradling the pitchfork in his arms as he did.
“Yes ma’am,” he said. “I’m Caleb Wells.”
He leaned the pitchfork up against one of the stalls, and several of the horses stirred as he did. Evidently they didn’t like to be interrupted while being fed.
Caleb walked toward her slowly. He was tall and lean but very young, and for a moment Althea wondered if he was too young and too inexperienced in the way she needed.
Then she thought back to how young she’d been when she’d first arrived in Last Chance, and Althea smiled to herself.
“What can I do for you?” Caleb asked when they were close enough to see one another.
“I need help,” Althea replied. “And the mayor has told me I could use the town stagecoach. He mentioned your name as well.”
The boy nodded. “Yeah, you’re in the right place, then,” Caleb said, giving her a friendly smile. “What’s goin’ on?”
“It’s my husband,” she said. “He’s in trouble.”
He frowned. “What kind of trouble?”
Once again Althea took a deep breath. “This is going to sound quite strange,” she explained. “But I really don’t know.”
Caleb shook his head. “I don’t understand,” he replied. “He’s in trouble, but you don’t know?”
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “That’s why I need the stagecoach, to find him and make sure he’s alright.”
“Hmm.” The boy cupped his chin in his hands. “Alright, then. Well, I can certainly take you wherever you want to go.”
“Thank you,” Althea said, nodding. She decided not to tell the boy anything more for a moment, thinking it would only confuse him further.
Caleb looked at her, waiting for Althea to say more. She stayed silent, though, so he simply led her out of the stable.
She sure is a bit of a strange one, he thought, realizing that Althea hadn’t introduced herself. Takes all kinds, I guess.
He led her out to the stage, which Caleb had just cleaned that morning.
“Well, this is it,” he said, trying to sound as friendly as he could. “All it needs is a horse.”
Althea laughed, realizing he was making a joke. She looked around, wondering which one he would select. Her sense of urgency was growing, and Althea had the sense that they definitely had to hurry.
Caleb saw her looking around, so he walked around the stage and stopped near the front end of the stables.
“We’ll take Thunder,” he said softly, almost to himself, and then he looked over at Althea to make sure she’d heard him. She nodded, so he went into the stables to fetch Thunder.
Thunder was in the last stall, and Caleb brought him out slowly, knowing that Thunder could get agitated pretty easily.
Sure enough, the horse began to prance as soon as he got out into the open. Caleb cinched up the reins just a bit, in case Thunder threw a tantrum, and the horse made a rumbling noise that would have sounded quite ominous.
Then the oddest thing happened. Thunder saw Althea, who was standing next to the stage, and he instantly stopped prancing.
Althea did nothing, and Thunder simply watched her, transfixed. For a second Caleb thought the horse might lead him over to her, but then Thunder simply bowed his head and stood stock still.
“Well, that was different,” Caleb said, half to himself. Then he looked over at Althea to see what her reaction was.
Strangely, she seemed unfazed by the whole thing. Then Althea shrugged, as if that was the best explanation she could offer.
Caleb looked back and forth from her to the horse, and finally he realized that nothing was going to happen if he didn’t initiate it.
“All righty, then,” he said. “I guess I’ll just hitch him up and we’ll get going.”
Althea nodded, and then she decided to walk over to Thunder without really knowing why. The horse bowed his head as if he’d been expecting her to do this, and Althea smiled and began petting his nose.
Caleb was just starting to hitch the horse up, but he stopped in the middle of what he was doing.
“Now that’s something I’ve never seen before,” he said, half to himself.
Althea heard him, though, and she just smiled at Caleb. “He’ll be alright now,” she said. “I’ll just stay here and do this while you get everything ready.
The boy nodded. There were many questions he wanted to ask, but something about the connection between Thunder and this lady told him words were unnecessary, so he went back to hitching up the stage.
Althea watched and waited, until finally it looked like Caleb was done.
“All set, then,” he said, “we’re all set.”
He looked at Althea, wondering if she would need him to help her up onto the stage, but that proved unnecessary. She simply stopped petting the horse, and then Althea walked over to the stage, opened the door and hopped in on her own.
She sure is a strange one, he thought once again. But she does seem determined to get this done . . . wherever we’re going.
“So,” Caleb said finally. “Where are we going?”
Althea peered out the window as he hopped up top, and then she spoke. “Do you know where the McCourty ranch is?” she asked.
“Course,” Caleb replied, nodding. “Everybody in Last Chance knows where that is.”
She nodded. “Yes. Well, we’ll just begin there. I live out beyond that ranch, so that’s where we’ll be headed to start.”
Caleb shook his head. To start? he thought. Then Caleb looked down at the stage door to see if she was going to say anything else, but Althea was already back in the cab of the stagecoach.
He shrugged and whipped the reins slightly, wanting to make sure Thunder knew that he wanted to set a fast pace.
But no prodding was necessary. Thunder shot out of the stable area at nearly full speed, and Caleb found he had to hold the horse back to keep him from running himself out.
Inside the stagecoach, meanwhile, Althea was smiling. She’d sensed Thunder’s need to run as soon as she touched him, and she leaned back, knowing they would quickly reach the McCourty ranch.
Caleb was surprised, though. It was the fastest he’d ever made it to the McCourty ranch, and when they got there, he slowed the stagecoach to see what their next destination would be.
Althea knew what he was doing as soon as the stage began to slow up, and once again she poked her head out the window to give him directions.
“Where to now?” Caleb said as soon as he saw her poke her head out.
Althea twisted herself around so she could point off in the direction of her ranch. “See that ranch over there?” he asked.
“Yeah, sorta,” Caleb replied. “The one out beyond the stream?”
She nodded. “Yeah.” Then she paused. “Well, that’s where we’re going . . . to star
t, at least?”
Caleb frowned. “To start?”
Althea nodded. “Yes,” she continued. “There’s a wide trail out there just beyond the ranch. That’s where we’ll be going next. Do you know it?”
“Uh huh,” he replied, nodding. “Been out that way several times.”
“Good,” Althea said. “Just keep going, then, when we get out onto that trail.”
Caleb nodded and frowned. “Alright then,” he said, still mystified by the whole trip. “Mind if I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” she said, anticipating what he would probably ask. “But I’m not sure I’ll be able to answer it.”
He rolled his eyes, knowing she probably couldn’t see what he was doing. “What exactly are we looking for?” Caleb asked.
She managed to shrug. “I’m not sure,” Althea said, and then she realized she needed to be at least slightly less elliptical. “The best I can do is that we’ll be looking for a man in trouble.”
Caleb frowned, and his level of concern grew. “Out here?” he said, “That’s bad news.”
She nodded. “Yes,” Althea replied. “But he’s a scout, so he does know what he’s doing.”
The boy shook his head in surprise. “A scout!” he exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me? I know all the scouts out here.”
“You do?” she said.
“Sure,” Caleb said. “Mind telling me which one? I might actually know where he could be.”
Althea took a deep breath, not expecting this sudden hint about her husband’s possible whereabouts.
“Joseph,” she said. “Joseph Conway.”
“I know him,” Caleb said enthusiastically. “He comes out this way all the time. I think it’s his main territory.”
She nodded, realizing this could cut hours from their search. Maybe more if they were lucky.
“It is,” Althea confirmed. “But I don’t know exactly where he’ll be.”
The boy shrugged. “That don’t matter,” he said. “None of these scouts know where they’re goin’ in advance, most of the time.”
“I know,” she replied, nodding once again. “That’s why I’m so worried.”
The Mail Order Brides of Last Chance Page 16