An Agent for Josie

by P. Creeden

  Fear gripped her heart. Guilt. Pain. It was all her fault. She should have seen it sooner. Her father should have noticed it himself. Perhaps he did. Perhaps he’d been treating himself without telling her. He did seem to be short on calomel a little too often in his bag. And maybe that’s why he didn’t want to wait until later in the spring to head west. She frowned. He could have said something. She shook her head. No. She should have noticed the signs. What kind of doctor was she? Maybe she didn’t deserve to even be called by that name.

  Another soft knock at the door, and this time, a feminine voice called in as the door cracked open. “Miss Roth? I’m Miss Camille, the nurse who’s been taking care of you. Is it all right if I come in?”

  Swiping the tears from her cheeks, Josie pushed off the wall to stand at the door and pulled it open. The tall, slender, woman had her silver and brown hair in a tight bun, and behind her stood Mr. Hogge again. Josie met eyes with the large, sandy blond man. “My father...” she shook her head and swallowed before continuing, “How long have I been here?”

  The gentleman bowed his head and didn’t stand up to his full height as though, by crouching, he could become shorter and less intimidating to those around him. “We’ve been in Denver four days, Miss Roth. We buried your father in the cemetery right away. When you’re well enough, I’d be happy to take you to him.”

  Tears blurred her vision as she nodded.

  “Why don’t you lie back down, Miss Roth?” Miss Camille said, taking her by the arm and guiding her back toward the bed. “You need to eat and drink well for a few days before you can think about having the strength to do that. Let’s go ahead and make you some tea and get started on that, hmm?”

  As much as Josie didn’t like it, she couldn’t help but follow the woman’s orders. She was too weak to even consider resisting the woman’s forced bedrest. When she peered up, she noticed that Mr. Hogge was gone. She frowned. “What was Mr. Hogge doing here?”

  Miss Camille handed her a lukewarm cup of tea steeped from the Peruvian bark. “I believe your fever is finally broken so we can stop using this bark tea, but let’s give you this one last cup to be sure.”

  Josie nodded, still waiting for an answer to her question.

  “Mr. Hogge is the one who brought you here to the boarding house after you arrived in Denver. He made arrangements for your father’s funeral and for your care as well. He’s funded it all as your benefactor and has visited you every afternoon to help me, so that I can wash linens and do other chores while leaving you in his care. He’s a kind and gentle man despite what his size might suggest.”

  After taking another sip of her tea, Josie nodded. She’d already noticed he was both kind and gentlemanly. But now she could add generous to that list. He’d made arrangements for herself and her father. “It seems I owe him a great debt. Where can I find him to pay him back?”

  “I’m sure he’ll come tomorrow afternoon.” Camille shook out a napkin from the cart and lay it across Josie’s lap. “Though you might not feel the strength in you yet to visit the cemetery that quickly.”

  Josie grit her teeth, determined to prove her nurse wrong. She’d eat well and get her strength up as soon as possible, since she didn’t want to go another day without paying her respects, if at all possible. When Camille handed her a crust of bread and a bowl of soup, Josie ignored her lack of appetite and ate every bit of it.

  Billy

  On the way back to the Pinkerton bunkhouse at the back of the main offices, Billy’s steps felt a little lighter. Even though it had been touch-and-go for a little while, Miss Roth was doing much better. Without question, she would survive. The sun shone a little brighter than it had earlier in the day, and the bit of breeze that reminded him that winter had yet to loosen its grip felt good against his flushed skin. He’d done his job.

  Billy had always been about saving lives. In Chicago, he worked as a fireman and then mostly as a bodyguard for the agency, and Mr. Pinkerton put him into many dangerous situations. When Mayor Mason had put out the call for all able-bodied men to help with putting out the fires and helping residents evacuate, Billy had been one of the first from the agency to volunteer. But when the fire persisted, the agency itself was damaged by the fire.

  For more than four months, Billy helped work construction and did other odd jobs around Chicago, but he didn’t find any of those jobs as fulfilling as agency work. When he spoke to Mr. Pinkerton about when he could get back to work, relocating to the Denver office had been the answer. Billy resisted for another month before finally giving in.

  March was not the best time to take to train travel, and in Missouri, that proved to be so. But Billy felt at home helping the elder Dr. Roth with getting patients well again. Even though he’d not met Miss Roth at the time, since she worked in the hotel with the women and children instead of the men out in the tents, he’d not been surprised to see the same sense of authority in her that he’d seen in her father. They were both respectable and dedicated doctors.

  He kicked the snow off his boots before entering the bunkhouse. Ben Mercer sat against the headboard of the bottom bunk nearest the door, setting his book down and lifting a brow as Billy walked in. Billy nodded a greeting to him.

  Ben yawned and stretched as he stood. He’d just gotten back from an assignment out in San Francisco the day before and had been sleeping in that morning when Billy had left for breakfast. Though they’d exchanged names and pleasantries the evening before, they hadn’t officially met. Ben offered him a hand to shake. “So, you’re one of the agents that got transferred over from Chicago?” he asked.

  Billy nodded. “I’ve been here for a few days now, getting to know the place and some of the other men.”

  Ben quirked a brow. “Have you met any of the female agents yet?”

  With a shrug, Billy frowned. “You mean Miss Marianne and Miss Pearl?”

  The man pushed back his dark bangs and shook his head. “They aren’t official agents. I’m talking about the ones that go in training for actual missions.”

  Slowly, Billy shook his head. “I’ve yet to meet one of those.”

  Ben let out a slow breath as he grabbed hold of one of the bedposts and started slipping his feet into his boots. “Honestly, me, either. Though I hear that if one comes along, and we get chosen to train them, Archie’s requiring a marriage certificate in order to keep the female’s reputation intact.”

  A ringing began in Billy’s ear. He shook his head. There was no way that he’d heard right. “Marriage?”

  Huffing a laugh, Ben nodded. “I had the same reaction. Disbelief, a little bit of anger. But I hadn’t been assigned a female partner yet, and I believe they might have stopped taking them as agents. I haven’t seen one around in a few months and been going on assignments alone lately.”

  Another sigh escaped Billy’s lips. Good. The last thing he needed was to saddle up a woman with him as a husband. He wouldn’t curse any woman in such a way. He wasn’t handsome or rich, or even smart. He wasn’t the kind of man that women chased after as “eligible bachelors.” At nearly thirty years old, Billy had never been kissed. Most women avoided him when he went into bars and saloons, even working girls. Which was just fine with Billy, since he’d never get mixed up with a woman in that way anyhow. Even at church, though, women kept their distance. When Billy had learned that one of the reasons for it was because his resting face tended to look mean or angry, he’d tried to keep a small smile on at all times. But then someone said that it made him look touched in the head.

  He couldn’t win for trying.

  No matter. He shook his head. “I’ve got no intention of forcing a woman to be married to me.”

  Ben laughed again. “Well, at least there’s a promise that Judge Hotchkiss will annul the marriage upon the couple’s return. So, it’s a temporary situation, at least.”

  Even though Billy nodded his understanding, he still didn’t feel that it would be fair to any woman to be stuck with him, even in a short-te
rm capacity. Torture was torture even when it was for a short time.

  Chapter 3

  Josie

  The next day, Josie was fully dressed and waiting for Mr. Hogge’s arrival downstairs in the parlor. She’d discovered that it was inappropriate for men to come up to the rooms to visit the ladies. The only reason Mr. Hogge had been permitted at the time was because he had made arrangements with the nurse, and he’d had some knowledge of the medicines in Josie’s bag. He’d convinced them that he was her caretaker. She smiled at him once he appeared. Mr. Hogge was more cunning than he first seemed, and that was a good thing—it impressed her.

  “Mr. Hogge,” Josie said with a curtesy when he entered the parlor.

  He removed his hat and ran his hand quickly through his sandy hair, smoothing it down. “Miss Roth. It’s so good to see you up and about, but are you sure it’s not too soon?”

  Her heart sank toward her stomach. She shook her head and swallowed down the apology that rose up in her throat. “My father has been waiting long enough. I need to pay my respects to him as soon as possible.”

  Mr Hogge nodded and then opened the front door for her. Camille clucked her tongue in disapproval from behind her at the top of the stairs. The nurse disapproved, but Josie had put the woman in her place that morning. She knew herself very well, and her own limitations, as a doctor. If anyone was capable of judging their condition, it was the doctor herself.

  After pulling his gaze back down from the second-floor landing back to Josie, Mr. Hogge said, “It seems Nurse Camille disagrees.”

  Josie took two more steps before turning about and narrowing her glare up at him. It made no difference that she was more than a head shorter than the man; she was more than willing to show him how strong she could be. “How is it, Mr. Hogge, that you address Camille with her title of Nurse, but continue to call me Miss instead of Doctor?”

  He blinked at her, his mouth agape for a half a moment before shaking his head. “Forgive me, Dr. Roth. I meant no offense. I had just gotten accustomed to calling your father by that name and title, and it seemed odd to transfer the same title to you. But I have no qualms about addressing you appropriately.”

  Guilt squeezed at Josie’s stomach. She was turning her worry into anger and pointing the anger like a weapon at the wrong person. Her father would not approve. She shook her head and let out a slow breath. “No, I’m sorry, Mr. Hogge. It’s fine for you to call me either Miss or Doctor. I’m used to either one. Use the one you feel most comfortable with.”

  “Yes, Dr. Roth.”

  Somehow when he said it this time, tingles washed over her body at the sound of his voice. Gooseflesh rose on her arms. She swallowed hard and looked up at him through her lashes, afraid he might notice that her cheeks flushed. How had he affected her so just by choosing to call her doctor?”

  She barely gained control of herself as she took his offered arm. Mr. Hogge escorted her directly to the cemetery and a fresh grave marked with her father’s name. Tears filled her eyes as she continued to grip the man’s arm. He remained unmoved, like a statue while she squeezed his elbow, as a drowning man might do to a life preserver.

  She sobbed. She prayed. She poured her heart out to her father about her guilt and fears and regrets. Mr. Hogge remained so still and silent, that she’d nearly forgotten the man was there He was stoic and stalwart. And when she returned to her senses, weakened from the exertion, she leaned upon him hard while he walked her back to the boarding house. His overcoat still had the faintest of smoke scent to it.

  He helped her up the porch steps and into the parlor and then sat her down. He frowned at her as he sat in the chair across from her with his elbows on his knees. “Please stay here while I get you some tea and some crumpets or the like.”

  She nodded slowly, closing her eyes as the exhaustion overcame her. When he returned, she woke, not even knowing that she’d dozed off. Mr. Hogge’s forehead remained wrinkled as he looked at her with that small smile on his lips.

  He offered her a cup and saucer. “Be careful with it. I tried to make sure they gave me water that was a bit on the cooler side so you could drink it without waiting for it to get to a reasonable temperature.”

  “Thank you so much, Mr. Hogge. You have been much too kind to me,” she said before she took a sip of the gray tea.

  Confusion flickered across his features. “No, not at all. I only did what anyone else would have in my situation.”

  She tilted her head and studied him for a moment. He had a strong, square jaw, and a scar that interrupted one of his dark eyebrows. His sandy hair was thin and kept rather short cropped. Although he was a hulk of a man, over six-feet tall, and likely over two-hundred pounds, he seemed light on his feet and didn’t give her the bull-in-a-china-shop impression that his bulk would seem to suggest. She took another sip of the tea while she thought a moment, and when she pulled the cup down, she found him offering her a crumpet with butter and jelly upon a small plate.

  Without a thought, she blinked at it and then took it in her hands as he took her teacup from her. How did fate ever land her in the lap of such a fine gentleman? She’d have to give the Lord extra thanks for that. After nibbling at the crumpet, she found that her strength returned to her. She ate half of it before returning it to the tray. “Mr. Hogge, I need you to give me an accounting of all that you’ve done for me. My father and I have a bit of savings, and I’ll pay you back with it before anything else.”

  His brow wrinkles deepened. “Oh, no, Miss... I couldn’t possibly allow you to do that. I haven’t even kept track anyway.”

  She blinked at him. “But I can’t just allow you to—”

  He smiled. “Of course, you can. If you want to pay me back in some way, just remember that there are other people out there who need help, and that if you help them, you’re paying me back. I’m happy to have helped you in a small way.”

  She shook her head. “This was more than just a small way.”

  “Nonsense,” he said as he stood suddenly, a bit more firmness in his voice than had been there before. He shook his head and then sat back down again, slowly, softening his voice once more. “Your father was kind to me and a great help to all those people in Missouri. You were, too, I understand. Neither of you got paid for the work you did there. If my helping you and your father in this small way helped make up for all you did there, saving lives, then I’m happy to do it.”

  Her heart squeezed in her chest as she nodded. This man was like an angel sent directly from heaven. Josie had no idea such men even existed in the world after the war, and what she’d seen while working in the hospital tents. She didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until her lungs started burning. She released her breath and then said, simply, “Thank you.”

  His smile widened and the smallest dimple appeared right at the corner of the left side of his mouth. It surprised her and gave him a child-like cuteness that she found appealing. Her heart fluttered at the thought.

  He scrubbed a hand through his short-clipped hair and then pulled his cap from his belt-loop. “Anyway, Dr. Roth, I’m glad to see that you’re much better. And now that you’ve paid your respects to your father, my duty is complete. I’m going to be leaving on assignment, soon, and need to prepare for that. So, I won’t be bothering you any longer.”

  She blinked up at him as her heart sank toward her stomach. Was he saying his true good-byes? She wasn’t ready for that. The bit of tea she’d taken a sip of nearly choked her, and she coughed once into her handkerchief before standing with him. “You’ve not been a bother at all, Mr. Hogge. Please don’t think of yourself that way.”

  The dimple appeared again.

  “Kind of you to say that, Miss.” He bobbed his head. “Until we meet again.”

  And with that, he was gone. She watched him step out of the parlor, suddenly feeling the loss of something great in her life.

  Billy

  A shiver ran through Billy the moment he stepped out onto the ladies
’ boarding house porch. He wanted to turn around and go back. Everything in his being felt as though is heart was being rent in two, and he was leaving a piece behind him. He’d spent more than five days taking care of the lady doctor while she was ill on the train and in Denver. Now that she was better, he couldn’t burden her with his presence. It was obvious he was making her uncomfortable, with all her talk of wanting to pay him back.

  The last thing he wanted was for her to feel the need to pay him to get rid of him. He didn’t want to make her feel obligated to him in any way. She deserved better than that.

  The moment he walked back into the main office of the Pinkerton Agency, Ben Mercer rushed up to him. “Billy! Just the man I wanted to see.”

  Billy gave Ben a sideways glance as suspicion rose in him. “Why is that?”

  “Come on. Archie has a case for us in the Nebraska Territory. We’re to guard the payroll for the railroad company from a bandit gang. Between your muscle and my sharpshooting, this assignment will be a piece of cake.”

  A smile tugged at Billy’s lip. It really did sound like a case that was right up his alley. And it also sounded like the perfect cure for the emptiness that he’d gained since leaving the ladies’ boarding house. The sooner he got out of Denver and got to work, the better.

  Chapter 4

  Three weeks later

  Josie

  For the third day in a row, Josie had been waiting at the post office when the stagecoach arrived with the mail for town. She’d begun chewing her thumbnail while she waited and stopped herself as soon as she’d noticed the bad habit cropping up. The small town in Wyoming that she’d been heading to with her father didn’t have a telegraph office, and Josie had been far too sick to travel right away. So, she’d sent the mayor of the town a letter informing him of her father’s passing. They were expecting her father but were getting both of them in the bargain. Her father wanted to establish the practice for both in the hopes that she could take over later. She wasn’t sure if they would accept her without him, even though they were in need of a doctor.