Czytaj książkę: «The Marriage Bargain»

Chapter One

Pine Haven, Texas

January 1881

The sound of shattering glass snatched Lily Warren awake. She bolted upright in bed with a gasp, only to feel her lungs fill with acrid smoke. Coughing uncontrollably, she threw the quilt back and tugged on her dressing gown.

Unfamiliar with her surroundings, she fumbled about in the darkness, searching for the doorway to the stairs that led to her new shop.

Heavy footsteps pounded on the staircase outside her room. Lily turned toward the sound, desperate for fresh air. The coughing racked her chest, and she was getting dizzy.

She cried out between coughs. “Help!”

The door burst open, and the orange glow of flames gave her enough light to stumble toward her rescuer.

Her landlord, Edward Stone, came into the room with an arm across his face in an apparent effort to keep from breathing in the smoke. “Do you have something to wrap up in? A blanket?” His voice was intense.

She reached for her mother’s quilt on the bed, though the coughing hindered her movements.

He snatched it up and, before she knew what he was going to do, wrapped it around her shoulders and picked her up like a child.

She stiffened and argued, “I can walk.”

“Try to keep your mouth closed until I get you outside.” He kicked the doorway open wider and started down the stairs.

“What?” Pressed against his chest, she couldn’t hear over the roar of the growing fire.

“Quiet! The smoke.” He reached the bottom of the stairs and turned toward the back door.

She could see the flames licking up the side of the back wall and climbing across her workbench. All the beautiful hats she’d made for her shop were being consumed by the hungry fire.

Kicking and squirming against Edward, she screamed, “My stock!”

He tightened his hold on her and reversed his direction to take her out the front door. He turned back to face the building and lowered her to stand in front of him.

The church bell rang from the opposite end of the street.

She tried to move away from him, but her hair was tangled in the buckle on his suspenders. She cried out in pain as it pulled.

“Hold still.” He spoke close to her ear. “I’ll try not to hurt you, but I’ve got to put the fire out.” He tugged at the knotted curls.

A voice barked behind them. “Stone! Is anyone still inside?” The sheriff came running up the street.

With a final and painful pull, Lily was free of him. She turned to see what must be most of the town’s population coming from every direction.

Edward shot around her and hollered his answer to the sheriff as he went back through the front door of her shop. “No one else was here. I think it’s contained in the workroom in the back. There’s a rain barrel in the alley behind the back door.” The sheriff ran toward the rear of the shop.

Lily stumbled on the ends of her mother’s quilt when she started up the steps. A man she hadn’t met in the two days since her arrival in Pine Haven restrained her. “You can’t go in there, miss,” he said.

“My stock is inside!” She turned to plead with him to let her go. He wasn’t tall or large, but was strong for his size, and she couldn’t break free. “Everything I own is in there.”

The lady from the general store came up beside them. “Miss Warren, you mustn’t resist. The men need to put out the fire so it doesn’t spread to the rest of town.” Mrs. Croft put an arm around her shoulders. “Doc Willis, I’ve got her. Help them! Please!”

Smoke boiled through the open front door now. Lily could see Edward’s shape through the haze as he swung his coat to beat back the flames. Every available man and woman scurried to form a line and pass buckets filled from the water troughs and barrels near the surrounding buildings.

Lily shrugged off Mrs. Croft’s confining arm. “I’ve got to help at least.” She let the quilt drop to the dirt and ran to fill a wide place in the line of townsfolk fighting to help their newest resident.

It had only been minutes, but seemed like hours, when Edward appeared in the front doorway with his charred coat lifted high in one hand. “It’s out! We did it!”

Cheers went up from the crowd, and the line fell away. Everyone gathered near the steps of her shop.

Lily pushed her way through the people and stopped at the open front door. Water covered the floors she’d polished on her first day. Mud tracked through to the workroom. She leaned against the jamb.

She turned to look at Edward. “How bad is it?” Water ran in tiny rivulets through the soot on his face.

“I’m afraid your stock is ruined. What didn’t burn will be damaged by the smoke and water.” He dragged an arm across his forehead and smeared the soot away from his eyes.

Mrs. Croft came through the crowd at the bottom of the steps. “Miss Warren, please.” The woman held Lily’s quilt up by the corners. She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, and her eyes darted toward the people gathered behind her. “You need to cover yourself.”

Lily gasped and looked down at herself. The tie to her dressing gown had loosened while she passed one bucket of water after another. The lace of her nightgown peeked out where the robe gaped open. She snatched the quilt from Mrs. Croft and wrapped it around her shoulders, clenching it tight, high against her neck. The heat climbing up her throat let her know she was turning as pink as the nightgown everyone in town had just seen.

“Thank you, Mrs. Croft.” The mortification she experienced at the woman’s condemning stare almost dwarfed the loss of her belongings. Almost.

She turned back to Edward. “Thank you for saving me.” She remembered the feel of his arms around her as he carried her from the building. Strong, determined, protecting.

“You don’t owe me any thanks. I’m just sorry we couldn’t save your merchandise.” As her landlord, he’d want Lily’s Millinery and Finery to be a success. How could it be now, with nothing to sell?

Mrs. Croft’s tinny voice broke into their conversation. “How did you see the fire, Mr. Stone?” Her lips were pinched tight, and her eyes narrowed.

“I was on my porch and saw the glow through the shop windows.” He seemed at ease explaining what happened, but Lily’s stomach sank and pressure built behind her eyes when she looked at Mrs. Croft and knew the woman was making an accusation.

The busybody confirmed Lily’s suspicions with her next words. “But your porch faces in the opposite direction.” A hum of low conversations ran through the people who’d only just put out the fire. Now the woman from the general store was trying to start another one. The kind that could destroy Lily’s reputation. The potential damage could forever ruin her business before it opened.

Several of the people gathered looked over their shoulders in the direction of the blacksmith’s shop and home. His porch faced a lane that ran perpendicular to Main Street. Lily held her breath.

Edward’s tone was clipped. “I was leaning on the corner post and watching the night sky. The view of the moon is best from there.”

“I see.” Doubt hung on each syllable from Mrs. Croft. “It’s just that when we came out to help, you were holding Miss Warren in your arms.”

Mr. Croft interrupted. “Liza, he just pulled the woman from a burning building.” He put a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Let’s go home and get some rest. The whole town will be tired tomorrow after the excitement of tonight.”

People murmured around them. Some were in agreement with Mr. Croft, but Lily knew in her soul that others were siding with Mrs. Croft. Only two days in her new town and something beyond her control had drawn her character into question. She couldn’t let them all disperse without an attempt to protect herself.

“Mrs. Croft, I assure you nothing improper went on here tonight. Mr. Stone was merely rescuing me. If he hadn’t come, I’d never have found my way out of my bedroom.”

A light gasp escaped some of the ladies.

“I see.” Mrs. Croft’s eyes swept across Lily from top to bottom and then landed on Edward. “I guess it’s okay where you come from to entertain gentlemen in your home after dark, but you’ll soon learn that in Pine Haven we hold to a higher standard of propriety.”

Edward took a step closer to the edge of the porch. “Miss Warren has told you there was no impropriety here.” He looked at Mr. Croft and then the others standing in the street. “Thank you all for your help. By saving my building, you very likely saved many others from certain disaster.”

Dr. Willis spoke up then. “And at least one life.”

Lily let her gaze move over the crowd then. “Thank you all so much.” She turned to Edward. “Especially you, Mr. Stone.”

People began to walk away a few at a time, the rumble of voices fading into the night.

She pulled up the bottom of the quilt so she wouldn’t stumble and stepped inside the shop.

“Miss Warren, I don’t think you should stay here tonight.” Edward’s voice was kind.

Lily stilled for a moment. “Is the building sound?”

“Yes. And tonight when I say my prayers, I will thank God that the fire didn’t spread to your private rooms. But the smoke and water damage are serious.” He gestured toward the floor and the workroom.

She stepped inside and took in the magnitude of the destruction. There was a trail of muddy water from the front door to the workroom where water had sloshed from the buckets as they were passed from the porch and through the shop to put out the fire in the back room. She picked her way slowly to keep from slipping and stood in the entry to the workroom. Water dripped from the workbench. The stench of the smoke hung thick in the air. And everywhere she looked, the remains of all her hard work lay soaked and covered in soot. Now she had to begin anew. Not from the beginning, but from a new beginning much further behind any point she’d imagined.

She squared her tired shoulders and spoke. “All the more reason for me to stay and get to work.” She nodded in dismissal. “Thank you again for all you’ve done. I’m certain it would have been a lot worse if you hadn’t seen the fire.” She looked down at the quilt her mother had made. “I’m grateful you saved my mother’s quilt. I don’t have many of her things. This one is important to me.” As much as she’d tried to keep her emotions in check, she couldn’t stop the tears from spilling over her lashes now. With a sniff she stood straight and moved to the front door.

Edward followed her and stepped onto the porch. His hand came up to keep her from closing the door on him. “Cleanup can wait until morning. It’s only a few hours.”

She shook her head. “The water will damage the floors if I don’t mop it up now.”

“Then let me stay and help you.”

She’d come to Pine Haven for independence. Her recent failed engagement had driven her to create a new life for herself. The first two days now seemed like a distant dream. Making hats and polishing the furniture her father had sent with her to use in her new shop had filled her hours. The memory of humming while she cleaned the floors and set up the private rooms to suit her needs faded behind a cloud of dense smoke.

This was a major setback, but she wouldn’t become dependent on her landlord. Now. Or ever. “No. You best get home to your niece. I’ll be fine.” She’d met his young charge on the first day and knew the child would be home alone.

He chuckled a bit. “Ellen can sleep through anything. That child wouldn’t hear the church bell or commotion unless it was in the room with her.”

“It’s good she has such peace. Sound sleep is often a sign of contentment.”

Edward looked over his shoulder toward his house. “In all her seven years, I’ve never known her sleep to be disturbed. Not since she was a baby. For her, it’s more about how she wears herself out when she’s awake. The child has more worries than a body ought.”

“All the more reason for you to go home now. In case she awakens and you aren’t there.” When Lily was five, her mother had died. Being young and frightened was something Lily had experienced firsthand.

He dipped his head in agreement. “Please get some rest. I’ll be back in the morning so we can assess the damage and begin repairs.”

Lily stood in the doorway to her workroom after he left. The hats she’d made yesterday were scorched and ruined. What wasn’t blackened by fire was covered in ash or wilted from the water that had doused the flames. She thought about crying, until her bare feet reminded her of the floors and all the work she needed to do.

She shrugged off the quilt, bundled it into a ball and tossed it onto a crate in the corner of the front shop. Lighting a lantern, she went through the workroom into the alley behind her shop and retrieved the mop she’d used to clean the floors. Bucket in hand, she determined to prevent as much damage as possible. Repairing the building would take more skill than she possessed, but she could clean up the mess. Then Edward could get started as soon as he arrived in the morning.

Could she undo the damage done by Mrs. Croft’s words in the aftermath of the fire? Why had the woman so blatantly accused her and Mr. Stone of poor behavior?

Losing a night’s sleep did not compare to what she stood to lose if she didn’t get her shop open before her father arrived in a few weeks’ time. Now she not only needed to get Lily’s Millinery and Finery open for business, she also had to repair the damage done to her reputation in front of the townsfolk by Mrs. Croft’s words. Her own lapse in decorum when she was unaware of her appearance in her dressing gown in front of the entire town added to her problems.

The water on the floor was the least of her worries, but it was the only thing she could control at the moment.

* * *

Edward urged Ellen out of the front door the next morning.

“I want to see what happened.” Ellen protested by dragging her feet.

“You can’t go inside the building until I make sure it’s safe for you to be there.” He stooped to be eye level with her. “Promise me you won’t try to sneak in.”

Her reluctant nod came after a long pause. “What did she do to set Momma’s shop on fire?” This was the reaction Edward had been afraid of. He knew his niece might blame Lily for the fire and use it as an excuse to spew the frustration and fear she was warring with against his tenant. “I said it was bad to let someone in Momma’s shop.” Her face turned into a pout.

“I’m not sure what caused the fire. That’s one of the things I need to find out today.” He pulled her into a quick hug. “Now you need to head off to school so I can get to work.”

“I don’t see why I got to hurry ’cause you got to work.” He reminded himself to be patient. She was at the age where she often wanted an explanation for things. Knowing that was how she learned, he complied.

He put a hand on top of her head and pointed her in the direction of the school. “Because you are one of the reasons I work, ma’am.”

Ellen went a few steps, swinging her lunch pail in one hand and holding her slate close to her chest in the other. Then she pivoted and looked at the shop across the street from their cabin. He watched her study the building, which showed no outward signs of the fire last night except for the film of smoke on the windows. She bolted back to wrap her arms around his middle. “I know you can fix it like new, Uncle Edward. You’re the best uncle a girl could have.”

“I’m going to do my best, Ellen.” He kissed the top of her head. “You know you’re my favorite niece.”

She leaned back and scrunched her face at him. “I’m your only niece.”

Edward peeled her arms from around him. “Just like I’m your only uncle.” He chuckled and turned her toward the school again. “Now get to school, or I’ll be the only uncle at school today being scolded by the teacher for letting you be late.”

The school bell rang, announcing the time, and she kicked up the dust around the hem of her skirt as she ran. “Bye, Uncle Edward,” she hollered over her shoulder.

He laughed as she stumbled and caught herself. The child was fun and loving. He wished he could make her as happy as she deserved to be.

When he’d come back home after the fire, just as he expected, she was curled up in the middle of her bed. The quilt had slid to the floor, so he’d pulled it back over her. He’d marveled that the commotion in the street hadn’t awakened her. Oh, to be so carefree.

Only she wasn’t carefree. She waited every day with him for news from her mother. When his sister had insisted on leaving town with her husband to start a new business in Santa Fe, he’d begged her to reconsider. Ellen needed her mother. Jane and Wesley had wanted to get their business started and come back for Ellen in a few weeks. Edward wished they’d been contented with running the local hotel, but Wesley had lost interest in Pine Haven when he’d heard of the growing economy in Santa Fe. Edward had purchased the building he now leased to Lily in hopes that Jane could convince Wesley to stay and let her open a bakery to add to their business interests in Pine Haven.

In the end, nothing Edward said had changed their minds. And now the weeks had turned to months. No word from them for the past several weeks was causing him to worry. He tried to dampen the fear that pulled at his heart and caused him to wonder if something dreadful had happened. Ellen’s future was his responsibility. He’d have to give her a proper home if his sister didn’t return soon. He said another prayer for Jane and Wesley and went into his blacksmith shop to gather some tools.

He needed to start the cleanup and repairs on his building. Having Lily’s father lease the shop from him had eased the strain to make the mortgage payments. But he couldn’t in all good conscience take money from her while the building was damaged.

He’d stop in at the post office first and see if there was a letter from Jane.

“Quite a night we had, Stone,” Jerry Winters, the postmaster, greeted him. “Glad you saw the flames. Hate to think what could have happened to my family, it being right next door and all.”

Winston Ledford walked into the post office as Jerry was speaking. “It’s a good thing for all of us that you had your eye on Miss Warren. I’ll admit she’s worthy of a second look.” A smirk Edward didn’t like crept across the saloon owner’s face.

Edward’s gut roiled. This was exactly the kind of gossip he worried about after Liza Croft made such a scene in front of most of the town. He refused to rise to Ledford’s goading.

Instead, he nodded at Jerry Winters. “I think we were all blessed by God’s mercy.”

Mrs. Winters came from the private quarters behind the post office and joined her husband. “We all owe you a debt of gratitude, Mr. Stone.”

“I doubt he’ll be missing much of what goes on at the new hat shop, Mrs. Winters.” Winston Ledford came to stand beside Edward at the counter. “Do you have any mail for me?”

The disapproval on Mrs. Winter’s face almost made Edward chuckle. If it wasn’t such a serious subject, he’d laugh at how soundly Ledford’s comments were dismissed. She turned to search the cubbyholes behind her and handed several letters to the man.

Winston shuffled through the small stack, tipped his hat and said, “Good morning to you all.” He opened the door to leave. “I think I’ll stop by and see how our newest resident is this morning. Must have been quite a shock to her.”

Edward’s back tightened, and he drew a deep breath. “That won’t be necessary, Ledford. I’m on my way there now to begin the repairs.”

A cantankerous laugh burst from Winston. “As I suspected. You’ve already staked a claim on our new merchant.” He stepped onto the sidewalk and turned to close the door. “Don’t be surprised if you find yourself engaged in some friendly competition over the likes of Miss Warren.” The door closed, and his grinning face filled the pane of glass before he turned in the direction of the building next door.

Edward followed him at a brisk pace.

“Stone, don’t you want to know if you have any mail?” Mr. Winters called.

“I’ll check back later.” He was through the front door. “It’s not fitting for Miss Warren to be subjected to the likes of Mr. Ledford without warning.”

It was one thing for Mrs. Croft to make unfounded accusations, but for Winston Ledford to think that a fine, upstanding lady like Miss Lily Warren was open to his attentions was another matter. Edward wouldn’t leave her unprotected from the saloon owner’s lack of good manners.

Serving as an unsolicited chaperone was the only right thing to do. It was more about protecting Lily’s reputation in the community, and thus his income from her rental, than anything else.

Edward opened the door to Lily’s shop and found Winston Ledford leaning on the glass display case Lily had brought with her when she’d arrived only two days earlier. She caught sight of him over Ledford’s shoulder. Was that relief in her gaze?

“Thank you for checking on me, Mr. Ledford, but I assure you it isn’t necessary. I’m quite all right.” She stepped from behind the case and walked toward Edward.

Once again he was struck by her beauty. When she’d first come to Pine Haven and stepped from the train, he couldn’t help but notice her. Everyone noticed her. But within moments, her independence had become clear to him. She was lovely, but she wasn’t the kind of woman who wanted to settle down and care for a home and family. Not the kind of woman he’d begun to think he might need for Ellen. After a childhood of being neglected and mistreated by his stepmother, he’d replaced any yearning for love with a mistrust of women years ago. If he did marry for Ellen’s sake, he’d choose carefully.

“Good morning, Miss Warren.” Edward set the wooden box he’d filled with tools on a crate near the front door and removed his hat. “I’ve come to get started on the repairs.”

She lifted a handkerchief to her face and coughed. “That’s very good of you.”

Winston Ledford turned to face them. “If you’re certain there’s nothing I can do for you, Miss Warren, I’ll leave you in the care of Mr. Stone.” He sauntered toward the door. “He seems determined to watch over you.” He tipped his hat at Lily and walked through the door Edward held open for him.

Edward closed the door with a snap. “I hope you aren’t taken in by the likes of Mr. Ledford.” He picked up his toolbox.

“I’m a big girl, Mr. Stone. You don’t have to worry about me.” Lily went back toward the workroom behind the shop. Perhaps the relief he’d seen in her face earlier was imagined. Nothing she’d done since he’d met her upon her arrival in town Monday had suggested she was anything other than a woman determined to make her own way in the world. Her single-minded focus might be the very thing that protected her from people like the saloon owner.

“That’s good to know. Some women are swayed by fancy talk and refined appearances.”

“I assure you, I appreciate fine things. I also look for quality. In people and things.”

She directed him toward the workroom. “Thank you for coming so early. I’ve done what I could about getting everything dry and removing the rubbish.”

Her movements were swift and fluid, like a bird on air. She’d brushed her hair into a loose bun and changed her clothes, but the fatigue of her ordeal showed in eyes. Another coughing spell wrenched her breath.

“You didn’t need to do all that by yourself, Miss Warren. I assured you I’d be here this morning.”

She lifted a hand and waved it in dismissal of his words. “I couldn’t sleep anyway. My schedule was tight before the fire. Now I’ll need to work at a quicker pace than I’d planned.”

He entered the workroom behind her. The back door stood open, and he could see the pile of rubble she’d created in the alley beyond. “You stayed up all night?”

“It’s a matter of no consequence.” She indicated the shelving on the left of the storeroom. “Do you think any of this can be salvaged?”

Obviously she’d moved beyond the fire and had set her mind on repairs. Most women would be wallowing in a pool of pity, bemoaning their misfortune. Her determination was admirable.

“First things first,” he said. “I need to discover how the fire started, so we can make certain we don’t have another incident.” He turned to see her blush and lift a hand to her forehead. She rubbed her fingers across her brow in a smoothing motion.

“We won’t have to worry about it again.” A deep breath caused more coughing. “Please forgive me.” She tucked the handkerchief back in the pocket of her apron.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Just frustrated with the amount of work I’ve caused us both.”

“You caused?”

Could Ellen be right? Had his tenant been the reason for the fire? The last thing he needed was for his niece to discover Lily had put the building in jeopardy. The child already resented her presence in the shop. Edward didn’t have the energy to deal with more trouble in their lives—especially not from a woman he’d just met.