Brokken Pursuit

by P. Creeden

  Brokken Pursuit

  Brokken Road Romances

  P. Creeden

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  About the Author

  Don’t miss the other Brokken Road Romances

  This Brokken Road

  Brokken Rising

  Brokken Pursuit

  Brokken Pursuit © 2019 P. Creeden

  Cover by Evelyne Labelle of Carpe Librum Book Design

  Edited by Sheila Hollinghead

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Synopsis: Can a broken and forgotten sister get back the pursuit she’s denied?

  Hannah Beth Walsh isn’t pretty or capable like her sisters. She can’t attract a husband, even when there’s a town full of eligible bachelors. So, she decides to pursue a career she knows she’s more than qualified for—becoming Brokken’s new school teacher. But when the mayor hires another teacher, not knowing about Hannah’s placement, she’s stuck being a teaching assistant until the end of the term, with the promise that one of them will move on next year.

  Oliver Holt lost his leg after serving in the War only two months. To keep his spirits up, he threw himself in his studies in order to be well qualified as a teacher out west. But when he gets to Brokken, he finds himself taking away the position of a fiery young woman who keeps her heart on her sleeve. And he can’t help it, but he’s developing feelings for her.

  Chapter 1

  Hannah Walsh ran a hand through her unruly, light brown hair and peered in the mirror. She wished she was as pretty as her sister, Lydia, or as strong and tall as her other sister, Rebecca. Instead she was just plain, plump, and bookish. She didn’t mind being those things, but part of her always longed for something more. She smoothed down her brown dress and pinned back the sides of her hair. Once satisfied, she gave herself a nod and then headed out of the bedroom she once shared with both her sisters before Rebecca married.

  Lydia’s lilting laugh was the first sound to reach her ears. “It’s going to be grand. Just wait and see. The whole town will be talking about this wedding for years. I don’t want a plain and simple church wedding. Or something thrown together just so the vows are said. Fritz and I plan a beautiful spring wedding. It’s going to be perfect.”

  Blonde curls framed Lydia’s face perfectly. Her eyes sparkled the same shade of blue as her dress. When she glanced up and noticed Hannah, Hannah nearly blushed, because she’d been looking at her sister’s bosom. Hannah swallowed and looked away.

  “There you are, Hannah Beth. If you don’t hurry, you’re going to be late for your first day of class.” Lydia said as she waved Hannah over to a bowl of porridge set in front of her usual place at the table.

  Hannah mumbled a “good morning” to her mother and kissed the matron’s cool cheek. Then she slid in her seat next to Lydia and across from their youngest brother, Noah. Noah’s eyes remained closed as he spooned bites of porridge into his mouth, half-asleep. Hannah lifted an eyebrow. Had Lydia been talking to their half-asleep brother, or to their mother who seemed to have been dealing with fits of dementia for the better part of the year?

  “I don’t really like that man, Lydia, he’s the talk of the town and not in a good way,” Mama said.

  “Hodgepodge, Mama. That’s only because not everyone in town knows the full story. They’d all see Fritz as the hero he is if they did.”

  The kitchen door swung open, letting in a gust of cold air and Rebecca, laughing at something Jake had just said. Rebecca’s cheeks were ruddy, and her face lit up with the joy of life. Hannah wondered how everyone could be so full of energy so early in the morning, when, if it wasn’t her first day of work as the school teacher, she’d be feeling more like Noah than anyone else in the room. Her porridge grew cold. She shoveled it down quickly even though she had almost no appetite. Butterflies filled her stomach instead. If she didn’t know all the children well already, she’d have been shaking. The porridge had even less flavor than usual, but it made no difference to Hannah.

  “Did you hear me, Hannah Beth?” Rebecca asked, making it through the cloud of thought surrounding Hannah’s head.

  She looked up at her sister. “Pardon?”

  Rebecca tilted her head and gave her a wry smile. “I just asked if you were ready for today? I know you’ll do great. Just stay focused, all right?”

  Hannah nodded, picked up her bowl, and stood. “Thank you,” she mumbled as she headed toward the wash basin.

  Before she got there, Lydia pulled the bowl from her hands. “I’ll take care of this. You’d better hurry or some of your students will make it there before you.”

  “Oh!” Hannah nodded and rushed to grab her bonnet before heading out the door.

  The cool air outside kissed her cheeks as she jogged across the railroad tracks to the hotel directly across the street. Gray clouds overhead promised rain or possibly a bit of snow that afternoon. Hannah took some solace that the children would be meeting at the hotel, not too far away from her home or most of theirs, while they waited for the rest of the materials to arrive for the rebuilding of the school after the fire. Miss Edna had been preparing Hannah to take over the school at the start of the next school year, but her untimely death had pushed up the timeline. Before heading into the hotel, Hannah glanced up Main Street and spotted some of the children on their way, puffing clouds of breath behind them in the morning chill.

  Butterflies. They danced a jig in her stomach from both nervousness and excitement. She wanted to do a good job. She’d just turned seventeen in August and didn’t want anyone to look down on her because of her age. Miss Edna had always complimented her as the smartest student she’d had in forty years of teaching in Brokken. She wouldn’t disappoint her mentor now that she was gone. Hannah was determined to do her best so that Miss Edna could look down from Heaven and see that she hadn’t made the wrong choice by making Hannah her successor.

  She stepped into the hotel and found Mrs. Sophia standing at the front desk. “Good morning, Miss Walsh.”

  Hannah offered her a wide smile, hoping she didn’t look as nervous as she felt. “Morning. Have any of the children arrived yet?”

  “Only Missy. Sheriff Vic escorted her over about twenty minutes ago, I believe she’s helping Lavender in the kitchen. We’re preparing a snack for the children’s return. We want them to settle into this strange environment as quickly as possible.” Mrs. Sophia smiled wider.

  “Thank you so much for thinking about the children. I’ll go see what I can do to help also.” Hannah nodded to her and then scurried toward the kitchen. Missy and Lavender were getting small tarts filled with strawberry jam ready. They set them at intervals in front of each seat along the bench at the long kitchen table.

  Missy smiled when her gaze met Hannah’s. “What a fine way to start the first day of school
term, right, Miss Walsh? The children are going to love these tarts, and it’s so warm in the kitchen they are going to really be comfortable here, I think.”

  Hannah nodded toward Lavender. “You and Mrs. Sophia are doing the community a great service by allowing us to have our classes here for the next few weeks.”

  Lavender waved a hand in dismissal. “It’s nothing. We love the children and want to support the community any way that we can.” Then she gestured for Hannah to come closer. “We set up this desk from one of the rooms for you, Miss Walsh. It can stay here in the kitchen until you don’t need it here anymore.”

  “Thank you so much. I’m in awe of your generosity.” Hannah’s heart swelled at their kindness.

  Pink tinged Lavender’s cheeks. “It’s nothing. Really.”

  A small ruckus out in the hallway and a peal of high-pitched laughter let them know the first children had arrived. Hannah went out to usher them into the kitchen while Missy helped to get everyone seated in their rightful places. Each of the children gave her a small hug and told her how happy they were that she was going to be teaching them. Things were going more smoothly than Hannah could have hoped. The children appreciated seeing a familiar face, even if it wasn’t the one they were used to. Once all twelve children were seated, Missy led them in saying grace before they started eating their tarts.

  The moment Missy said “Amen” the volume in the room rose as the children begin to converse joyfully over their morning snack. Hannah had her back to the kitchen door when it swung open toward her. A strapping, handsome young man came limping in with papers and books stacked in his arms. “I’m so sorry I’m late.”

  Hannah blinked at him in confusion. Was he a guest at the hotel? What kind of business did he have? Surely, he should have sat in the dining room, not come into the kitchen. Then behind him, a pale Mrs. Sophia met her gaze with eyes wide and uncertain. Behind her stood Mr. Mathew Knight, the Mayor.

  Mr. Knight stepped forward with a wide smile and spread his arms out to the children. “It’s so good of you to all make it to the first day of class, even though we have yet to restore your schoolroom. Although it’s going to be tough, I know you all will adjust to new things quickly. The first step is to meet your new teacher, Mr. Oliver Holt. He’s the son of a good friend of mine, all the way from Virginia.”

  “New teacher?” Lavender asked, blinking, and meeting eyes with Hannah.

  Hannah’s heart dropped toward her stomach, quenching the butterflies. Confusion gripped her heart. What was going on?

  Chapter 2

  Hannah gaped at the mayor and the man standing next to him. Oliver Holt? Even though he stood six inches taller than Hannah, she was barely more than five feet tall, herself. His dark hair and eyes made him seem brooding, but kindness softened his features. She felt that perhaps his smaller stature would make him less imposing for the children. Kindness and meekness were good traits in a teacher.

  Wait. What was she saying? She cleared her throat. “Mayor Mathew, Miss Edna already appointed me to be the children’s teacher before she passed. I’ve been trained for the position, and the children all need a familiar face right now, don’t you think?”

  The mayor’s brow furrowed, and he studied Hannah as though seeing her for the first time. He set a hand to his chin and tilted his head. “I’d not heard of any such thing happening. As far as I knew, the children were to be without a teacher.”

  “No, sir.” Mrs. Sophia stepped forward. “I thought everyone in town knew that Miss Walsh was to be the new teacher. The children knew, as did their parents.”

  “With all the work we’ve had rebuilding, no one has thought to inform me of this,” Mr. Knight shook his head. “This is a conundrum. There aren’t enough children for two school teachers, and Mr. Holt has traveled all the way from Virginia to take the position. Besides that, he’s college-educated as well.”

  Hannah’s heart sank a little in her chest as Mr. Knight studied her.

  “You seem too young to have finished a college education yet,” he said finally.

  A shudder ran through Hannah, but she did her best to suppress it. She was unused to standing up for herself. As a child, Rebecca, Lydia, or one of her brothers would do it for her. But today, she was taking on a grown woman’s position as teacher for the children, and as such, she needed to defend herself or everyone would treat her poorly. Her hands clenched into fists. “No, sir. I studied under Miss Edna and have a second-grade teaching certificate. I’m studying for the first-grade certificate, to earn it before the beginning of next September.”

  “You’ve been tested then?” the mayor asked, scratching his chin again.

  “Yes, sir. Miss Edna made sure that I passed before she began training me to take over the class.” Hannah’s gaze flicked over to where Mr. Holt stood, one side of his lip tugged up in a crooked smile as he appraised her. She pulled her gaze away quickly as she felt heat rise to her cheeks.

  “I’m not sure how to handle this situation.” Mayor Mathew frowned. “I don’t want to send Mr. Holt back to Virginia, but we have two qualified teachers in Brokken where we only need one. Is there any chance that you would continue in the role of assistant to the teacher we’ve already hired for the rest of this school year? Once the children break for summer, we can make a decision on who will stay and who will find another position.”

  Hannah didn’t like it. She shook her head slightly, but Mr. Knight didn’t see it.

  He seemed so pleased with his compromise, that he just patted her on the shoulder and offered a, “Good girl.”

  Hannah’s heart sunk. She was always the good girl, always the well-behaved, mild-mannered one. For once she wanted to yell and holler and have a fit the way Lydia did to get her way. But her cheeks heated further at the thought of doing that. When she peered over toward the children, she knew it would be a horrid mistake to have such a conniption. She’d never set that kind of example for the children.

  Unfortunately, while she debated such things in her mind, the mayor slipped out the kitchen door. Mrs. Sophia gave her an apologetic look, bowed to her slightly, and then followed after the mayor. Lavender and Missy and even the children all looked at her expectantly. She forced a smile, nodded, and said, “Everything is fine. We’ll work it out. Please, eat your tarts.”

  The children settled back into their usual chatter, filling the kitchen with their joy over the treats and pushing out the discomfiture. Mr. Oliver Holt remained standing against the wall on the other side of the door. He continued to give her that lopsided smile as she stepped over to him.

  Her hands remained in fists as she faced him. She seethed as she spoke in a harsh whisper so as not to disturb the children. “Fine. I’ll be your assistant for this term, but once the school year is through, I expect to take on the full role of teacher for this school. I’ve lived in Brokken all of my life and know these children better than anyone other than their parents.”

  He nodded. “I don’t doubt anything you’ve just said, Miss...”

  “Hannah. Hannah Walsh.”

  “Miss Walsh. And you may call me Oliver.”

  Oliver took an immediate liking to Miss Hannah Walsh. He could see the fear in her wide, doe eyes, and yet she showed great courage when she spoke out before the mayor and stood up to Oliver. She wasn’t going to allow herself to be bullied, even though fear wanted to let her be. He had respect for the young woman’s bravery. Her ruddy complexion and chubby cheeks reminded him of a fresh bread roll and told him that she was barely much older than the eldest student in the class.

  “Fine,” she said. “Oliver. Miss Lavender has a prepared a desk for the teacher at the head of the long table.” She gestured toward it. “You may set your things there. I’ve prepared a lesson for today if you’d like to look at what I’ve prepared. We’re only on a half-day schedule until the new school building is finished, so only need lessons for the next four hours. Then the children will be free to go home for lunch.”

  Even
though Oliver had spent most of the evening before creating a detailed lesson plan, he decided to defer to Miss Walsh for today. Although he enjoyed watching the fire in her eyes when she expected conflict from him and the way her nose crinkled right before she spoke when defending herself, he didn’t want to start any more arguments with her today. He’d rather have peace than have the lovely young woman hate him. He nodded. “Please, show me your plans for the day.”

  The lady’s face softened a bit, and the smallest of smiles appeared. Not enough to light up the room, but enough to ease the tension in Oliver’s shoulders. He followed her over to the teaching desk, taking note of how she peered down at his leg as he limped. He couldn’t help but try to make the leg look as normal as possible, even though it was false. He didn’t want her to show him pity because of it. He preferred not to douse the young woman’s spirit. To Oliver’s relief, she didn’t acknowledge his gait or mention it. Once they reached the desk, she laid out her papers and showed him what she’d had planned for the day. A stack of slates sat to the right-hand side of the desk, and when the children finished their treats, Hannah had Missy pass out the slates.

  As the children began their work, they split into two age groups. The fourth grade and younger children went with Hannah while Oliver took on the four older students. As with most one-room schools, the one in Brokken only taught up to the eighth grade. Beyond that, students had to do special study with a tutor, learn a trade, or go on to college to get further education. It wasn’t what Oliver was used to in the east where he was from. He’d gotten a classical education from tutors for the most part. But the children worked hard and showed a great deal of promise. While the older students were learning a bit about the five epochs of history, Hannah taught some of the youngest children some nursery rhymes and played a game. When Oliver glanced over, he was blessed with the brightest smile from Hannah he had seen thus far, even though it was not directed toward him. His breath hitched, and his heart thundered in his chest.