On the Wings of a Winter Heart (Miracle Express, #5)

by Rebecca Lovell

  “Andrew,” the man said, taking off a battered cowboy hat and scratching the back of his head. His hair was flat and a little greasy, marking him as a man who kept his hat on most of the day. “Jim said you’re working with Mr. Ames. Is it gonna count against me that he and I don’t see eye to eye?”

  “Not in the least,” Franklin said. “Just to satisfy my own curiosity, what is it that you and he don’t agree on?”

  “He wants too much for his cattle,” Andrew said matter-of-factly. “Price he wants, nobody in Mayfly can afford to buy one for himself. He’s selling them all up North and keeping the money for himself.” Andrew sighed. “Guess that’s why you’re working with him on the railroad. Cheaper for him to ship out his cattle if he doesn’t have to pay cowboys to drive ‘em up.”

  “I don’t really know much about Mr. Ames’ cattle ranching practices, all I know is that I want to help open up Mayfly to the rest of the world. The railroad will bring in more people and more businesses, so you’ll have more opportunities than you do now. It’ll be good for everyone, not just our rancher friend.” This made the men chuckle and Andrew smiled at him.

  “Good. That’s real good. I’m glad to be working for you, Mr. York.” He extended a rough hand, and Franklin shook it firmly, only to be surprised when Andrew laughed. “That’s a fine grip you’ve got there. I was expecting someone from the city to be a little weaker.”

  “No one ever accused me of being weak,” Franklin said with a grin. “Now, first things first, this place looks like it needs some serious work. You’ll probably have to gut the place before you start the real work. Do any of you have experience building houses?” To his great relief, one of the men who hadn’t spoken raised a hand. “Good. Then you’re my new foreman. I’ll leave it to you to get this place looking like an office. Nothing fancy, just a good solid business.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ll let you gentlemen get to work, then.” Franklin took some money out of his wallet, then went to each of them in turn, starting with Seth and Andrew. He paused in front of the man he’d called his foreman. “What’s your name?”

  “Jonathan Vickers.”

  “A man of few words,” Franklin said, handing him two dollars. “I assume you’ll know where to get materials, lumber, that sort of thing?” Jonathan nodded. “Excellent. I also want you to make sure these men get food in them at lunch, and call the doctor in if anyone hurts himself.” He took a third dollar from his wallet and handed it to Jonathan. “Give them my name and Mr. Ames’s name if you have any trouble getting supplies, and make sure you get a receipt. Any of this too much for you to handle?”

  “No, sir.” Jonathan put the money in his pocket and cleared his throat. “Mr. York—-”

  “Franklin. Call me Franklin.” He raised his voice so the others could hear. “That goes for all of you. I don’t want to hear any more of this ‘Mr. York’ nonsense.”

  “Yes, sir. I was gonna ask how we’re getting paid. If we don’t know how long the job’s gonna be, how’re you gonna figure what you owe us?” It seemed like all the men were sharper than he’d expected and Franklin couldn’t help being relieved. It would make things go much more smoothly if he didn’t have to explain himself constantly.

  “I’ll pay you in cash at the end of the week. If it takes us three and a half weeks, I’ll pay you for four. That sound good?” There was excitement on every face as they exchanged glances and Franklin slapped Jonathan on the back. “Good men. I’m going to speak with Mr. Ames. When you’re finished for the day, go on home. I’m going to rely on Jonathan here to keep your hours. If you have any problems, you can come to him or me directly.” He nodded at Jonathan, then went to the last of the men. He also looked the youngest, barely over sixteen, and paid him. “What’s your name, son?”

  “Billy,” the boy said quietly. He made eye contact, so Franklin guessed he was trustworthy but he knew he had one question he needed answered.

  “How old are you, anyway?”

  “Sixteen.” Franklin would have been inclined to think he was lying if he hadn’t puffed his chest out so proudly. “This is my first job outside of farm work.”

  “You’ve got some fine men to learn from, but I’ll need you to keep up with them and listen to Jonathan. You got that?” He was pleased to see the boy nod vigorously. “Excellent. I hope you learn enough to make your way once we’re done.” With that, Franklin left his men to start the job, then went out into the street.

  He did have to talk to Ames but he didn’t particularly want to make his way out on foot. There was a small livery stable near the broken-down hotel, and he knew he could rent a horse there but it would just be putting off going back out to talk to Joy Everly.

  Franklin would have been lying to himself if he said he didn’t want to go out there, but not so that he could do business. The way Joy had looked when she walked into his sister’s house for dinner was enough to make his heart stop and he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He wanted to talk to her, land offer be damned. Even if she told him she would never sell to him and pointed her gun at him again, he would agree and just ask to talk to her. Her face, her hands, everything about her was distracting, and he wanted to just sit with her and listen to her voice.

  His mind was made up when he saw a little girl in a quilted coat coming up the street from the direction of the Everly farm. Franklin recognized her as Serenity, who had introduced herself quite eagerly the night before. She was clearly a bright child, and he was considering saying hello when she noticed him herself.

  “Hi!” Serenity hurried over, beaming up at him with pink cheeks. “You’re Aunt Clara’s brother. Mama said I should thank you for the pie again. Will you make it again for us?”

  “Sure, if you come back to Clara’s for dinner again. It was nice to meet you and your mother last night.” A cold gust of wind blew between them and Franklin saw the little girl shiver. “Why don’t you get inside before you catch a cold?”

  “Okay,” Serenity said, sounding a little disappointed. “I’m supposed to go get bottles anyway. Oh, and Mama said I could get some candy too.” She rummaged in her pocket, then held out five pennies in her gloved hand. “See?”

  “I’m impressed,” Franklin laughed. “Why don’t we both go to the store? There are a few things I need to get as well.” He looked up at the sky. Dark gray clouds were gathering rapidly and Franklin realized he hadn’t brought an umbrella with him.

  “Aunt Clara said you came from Santa Fe,” Serenity said as she led Franklin to the general store. “Are you going to make us move out of our house?”

  “What?” Franklin’s attention was fully on the child now. She’d been eating breakfast when he’d first come to Joy’s house but he hadn’t thought she was paying attention, much less able to understand what he and her mother had been talking about. “No, of course not.” It was half a lie, but there was no reason to upset a little girl if he didn’t have to.

  “I don’t want to move,” Serenity said firmly. “I like our house.” She was silent for a minute or two, then looked up at him. “Do you have a dog?”

  “Not unless you count my sister’s dog, Lady. I like them, though.” It was true. He’d had a dog when he was younger, a little black one whose breed escaped him. It had mainly been his mother’s dog but it always was partial to him. “We had one when I was little.”

  “I want one.” A sigh escaped Serenity’s lips that made it sound as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders. “Eleanor’s dog had puppies. They’re just babies right now so I can’t have one of them but I want a puppy. Mama said maybe.” She sighed again. “She always says maybe.”

  “Eleanor?” Franklin wondered if she meant Eleanor Ames, the rancher’s daughter. If the two of them were friends, that might complicate matters. “Is she your friend?”

  “My best friend,” Serenity said as she pulled open the door of the store so Franklin could go through it. “Hi, Mr. Burton!”

  “Well, hello Se
renity,” Louis said with a smile. “You must be here for your bottles.” He reached behind the counter and picked up a small wooden crate, just the right size for a little girl to carry. It was filled with glass bottles and looked heavy, but it seemed as though she’d carried it back and forth before so it couldn’t be too bad.

  “And candy! Mama said I could get some candy!” The grinning little girl slapped the pennies on the counter and Louis burst out laughing.

  “All right, then, little lady. Pick out your candy while I talk to this gentleman.” While Serenity went to look at the penny candy case, Louis turned his attention to Franklin. “What can I do for you, sir? I haven’t seen you around before.”

  “I’m Clara Wallace’s brother, Franklin.” He reached over the counter to shake Louis’ hand. He didn’t give his own last name for fear that it might put some sort of suspicion on his sister for not sharing it. “I’m staying with her for the time being. I didn’t bring an umbrella, though. With the weather looking the way it does, I was hoping you might have one I could buy.”

  “I have a couple nice ones,” Louis said with a nod. “Let me take a look in the back and get ‘em out for you.” Just as he said this, thunder rolled overhead and both men looked upward. “Sounds like I’d better get ‘em out fast.”

  While Franklin was trying to decide whether he should ask to start an account at the store, the sky outside opened up and rain began to pour. With a gasp, Serenity abandoned the candy case and ran over to the window. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

  “Oh no!” Serenity’s face crumpled and Franklin went over to her quickly. He was surprised to see that she wasn’t only about to cry, she looked downright terrified.

  “It’s okay, it’s just some rain,” he said, hoping he sounded comforting. Franklin didn’t have much experience with children so he wasn’t sure how to act around them.

  “I have to go home,” Serenity said, tears rolling down her cheeks. She swiped at them with her mittens but more took their place. “Mama said I have to come right home and it’s raining!”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll take you home. You don’t want to get wet, right? As soon as I get my umbrella we can leave together,” Franklin promised. “We’ll get to your house in no time and I’ll even carry those bottles for you. How about that?”

  “Really?” Serenity stopped crying but was still wiping her eyes and sniffling. Franklin nodded just as Louis came out of the back room with an umbrella.

  “This was the only one I could find, but it’ll do the job,” he said, setting it on the counter. Franklin went to look at it and smiled. It was a perfectly nice umbrella, black with a wooden handle, and he opened his wallet. “If you’re gonna be in town for a while, you might as well open an account with us and we can settle up at the end of the month.”

  “That sounds fine to me,” Franklin said, putting his wallet away. “I might come on behalf of my sister too, and if she comes shopping for food I’d appreciate your putting that on my account too. You don’t have to tell her about it, just charge it to me.”

  “Yes, sir.” Somehow Franklin had known that would put a smile on Louis’ face, and hoped that he would tell other people in town that Clara’s brother was a good man. Anything to soften them to the idea of the railroad, though he was beginning to see that he wasn’t likely to get much interference. If his new workmen were any indication, people would see the benefits to Mayfly without much coaxing.

  “Well, then, are you ready?” Franklin looked at Serenity, who nodded. “What about your candy?”

  “Oh,” Serenity said, looking back at the case. Louis beamed at her.

  “I’ll put some in a bag for you,” he said. “It’ll be a nice surprise when you get home.” He took a paper bag from under the counter and went to get the candy while Serenity bit her lip. She looked more concerned about the rain than the sweets she had been so excited about before, and Franklin wondered why it should worry her so much. “There you go. And a little extra because you’re such a good girl.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Burton.” Serenity took the bag from him and stuffed it into the pocket of her coat while Franklin scooped the box of bottles up and held them under his arm.

  “Let’s go before your Mama starts to worry about you,” he said. Serenity nodded and pulled the scarf she was wearing up over the bottom half of her face. “Thank you, Mr. Burton,” he said to the shop owner, nodding his head instead of tipping his hat.

  “Louis will do just fine,” he replied with a smile. “You take care out there.”

  “You too, if you need to go out.”

  As soon as he stepped outside, Franklin opened the umbrella and Serenity joined him under it. There were no sidewalks or cobblestones to speak of in Mayfly, so by the time he stepped into the street, the hem of Franklin’s pants was soaked and his shoes weren’t far behind. He looked down and saw Serenity’s shoes were just as wet and noticed that the little girl was staying as close to him as she could without touching him. Something was scaring her about the rain but he didn’t want to just ask for fear she would run away from him.

  “Are you excited about Christmas?” It was as safe a topic as any with the holiday coming up in just a couple of weeks and Serenity nodded. “Me too. Did you see Clara’s tree when you were there? She really outdid herself.” Another nod from Serenity, and Franklin wondered if this was how the entire walk was going to go. “Is your tree ready for Santa?”

  “We don’t have a tree,” Serenity said at last, her voice muffled by the scarf. She looked up at Franklin, her blue eyes wide. “We can’t afford one.”

  “No?” The matter-of-fact way she said it was more than a little sad, and Franklin frowned. “Did your Mama tell you that?”

  “No,” Serenity said with a shake of her blonde head. “But she says that a lot and we don’t have a tree so I guess it’s that.” She shrugged. “Santa will still come. I know he will.”

  “Of course he will,” Franklin said, thinking that he would make sure Santa came whether Joy agreed to his terms or not. “Santa comes for everyone, especially good little girls.” He raised an eyebrow playfully at her. “Have you been a good little girl?”

  “Yeah!” She seemed to catch herself, then pulled down her scarf. “Yes, sir.” Serenity frowned for a moment, then grinned at him. “Will you ask Mama if I can have a puppy? It’s my birthday soon.”

  “When you have your mind set on something, you don’t forget it, do you?” Joy’s house was in sight now and he pointed at it as best he could without moving the umbrella. “There’s your house. Shall we walk a little faster?”

  They were walking up the drive when a cold wind blew over them and Franklin shivered. Apart from wanting to get out of the rain, he wanted to get the little girl back into her house before she caught a cold. He knew that her mother would somehow manage to blame it on him, and he didn’t particularly want to argue with her.

  “Serenity!” The door flew open when they were almost to the steps and Franklin held the umbrella over her daughter while Joy bundled her inside, to the detriment of his hat. The bowler wasn’t a sturdy cowboy hat like the others he had seen, but it wasn’t the first time it had seen the rain. As soon as Serenity was safely in the house, he pulled the umbrella back over his head. Joy looked at him suspiciously. “What are you doing here?”

  “I happened to be in the store when the rain blew in and I thought I’d bring your little girl out here so she wouldn’t get sick.” He shifted the umbrella so he could hand her the crate of bottles. “Here. I believe these are yours as well.”

  “Thank you,” Joy said, her tone changing slightly. She sighed and looked him over. “I suppose I should ask you inside. You look like you’re not up for a walk back to Clara’s just yet.” She stepped aside so he could come in and he folded up his umbrella before he did so.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Everly. I appreciate it.”

  “You talk awfully fancy for being Clara’s little brother.” Joy closed the door behind him a
nd he looked around. The living room was completely open, so it was fully visible from the door. Serenity’s wet coat was hanging on the rack and Joy picked it up with a sigh. “Go ahead and hang up your coat by the fire so it’ll dry out.”

  “It’s nice and warm in here,” Franklin said, taking off his coat and hanging his hat on the coat rack by the door. “You have a lovely home.”

  “I’m not selling it to you,” Joy snapped as she took his coat roughly from him. Franklin held his hands in front of his chest.

  “That’s not why I came out here,” he said defensively. “I only wanted to bring your daughter home. This isn’t a business call.” He watched Joy take his coat to the fire and hang it on the mantle. As he did, he glanced around the living room and realized that there really were no traces of Christmas in the house. No stockings by the fire, no Christmas tree, and no pine garlands around the walls. He wondered how much of it was because they couldn’t afford it.

  “I just wanted to be clear about things.” Joy turned back to him. “I wish I could do something about your socks and shoes.” Something seemed to dawn on her and she smiled. “Go ahead and take them off and put them by the fire.”

  “As much as I’d like to oblige, I’d feel a little strange walking barefoot around your house.” It was the truth. He rarely even walked barefoot in his own house. Franklin smiled at her and she looked as if she was trying to decide something, then pointed to his shoes.

  “Take them off. You’re not going to offend me.” She disappeared down a short hallway while Serenity came running out of one of the rooms wearing a much simpler cotton dress and stockings. She didn’t seem to mind dispensing with her shoes but it was her house, after all.

  “Thank you for the candy,” she said, holding up the paper bag that had been in her pocket. “Do you want some?” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Mr. Burton gave me too much.”

  “Sure, I’ll have a piece.” Franklin held out his hand and Serenity dropped a piece of red and green ribbon candy into it. “That’s quite pretty. It’s a shame you only see it around Christmas.” Under Serenity’s watchful eye, Franklin popped the candy into his mouth as Joy walked back into the living room. “Tastes like cherries. Thank you.”