An Irresistible Temptation (5 page)

She took hold of Sophie’s elbow. “I know
you’ve probably eaten already, but stay and keep me company.” She
looked back at Riley. “Thanks, for escorting Sophie to lunch.” To
Eliza, she said, “Good day, Eliza.”

Eliza pursed her lips in reply.

“Ma’am,” Riley said, adding a nod. Then his
eyes fixed on Sophie’s for a moment.

“Sophie,” he said. “I enjoyed the
conversation.”

He tossed some bills on the table and turned
to his fiancée. “Eliza, I’m done here. If you intend to eat,
perhaps you can join these ladies.” And he walked out, slowly,
deliberately.

“Well, I never,” Eliza declared. And without
a word to either of them, she strode out after her man, pausing to
kick at an empty chair by the door, sending it skidding a few feet
before she slammed out of Fuller’s.

Sarah still had hold of Sophie’s arm, which
she quickly released. “Sorry about that. I hope she wasn’t too
unpleasant.”

They sat back down at the table. Sophie
shrugged. “I’ve seen worse.” She thought about Reed’s former
paramour, Helen Belgrave. The widow could make women tremble and
grown men cry. Eliza wasn’t even in her class.

“I really did enjoy the company, though.
Riley told me all about San Francisco.” She lapsed into silence
while Sarah placed her order and chatted with Jessie.

It suddenly dawned on Sophie that Riley, with
his seemingly good nature and easy smile, had been foolhardy enough
to ask a woman like Eliza Prentice to marry him. She swallowed. He
must truly love Eliza—much more than Philip had loved her. She
sipped at the fresh cup of coffee placed before her and thought
about that puzzling fact.

Obviously, Eliza was beautiful, but . . .
Sophie couldn’t picture her even standing close to Riley when he
was covered head to toe in trail dust. It made no sense, so it must
be true love for both of them; either that or he was easily caught
by a swaying bustle and a shock of golden hair.

As for Eliza . . . well, thinking of Riley,
Sophie could see why Eliza would put up with dirt and separation
for the opportunity to be in his muscled arms and kissing his
sensual mouth. Sophie shook her head to clear it and tried hard to
focus her attention on what Sarah was saying.

*****

A day later, a telegram came from Charlotte
asking Sophie how she was faring. Sarah brought it out to the house
and Sophie used the excuse to write back and ask Charlotte to find
out what she could about the music opportunities in San Francisco.
She thought there was an opera house; if so, they might need a
pianist. Or perhaps a music conservatory needed a teacher. It was
useful having a sister-in-law who knew editors around the country
and had the wherewithal to investigate nearly anything.

She sent the telegram the next day and had
only to wait for a response. She found she was in no hurry to
vacate Spring City after all. Everything seemed calm in Spring
after the incident at Fuller’s. Sophie avoided Riley in order to
escape any further interaction with Eliza Prentice.

“What is that woman’s problem?” Sophie asked
Sarah a couple days later when she was sitting with Sarah in the
office and Eliza marched by the window, looking strident. “She
seems very . . . tightly wound.”

Sarah had laughed. “That’s a kind way to put
it.” But she sighed. “Let’s see if I can shed a little light on
her: An unhappy little girl, with no mother from when she was very
tiny, and a very powerful but distant father, and now a spoiled
young woman.” She tapped her fingers on her desk. “That’s Eliza’s
story. Don’t worry about her, dear. She’s either a force to reckon
with or to avoid. Charlotte always chose the latter.”

“Charlotte is a better person than I am,
then. I feel as if I want to poke Eliza with a stick, just to see
what she’ll do.”

“Like a rattlesnake?” Sarah suggested.

“How does Riley stand it?” She wished she
could retrieve the words, as she saw Sarah pause. She had gone too
far now into the familiarity of their lives. But it seemed so
removed from her own real life that it was almost like watching a
play, and she wanted to know more about the actors.

“Sorry,” she said immediately. “It’s none of
my business.”

“That’s all right. Between Riley and Eliza,
they’ve made it everyone’s business anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“Public displays like the one in Fuller’s the
other day are nothing new. We’ve all been treated to an Eliza
tantrum of one kind or another. It’s better when Riley’s away, of
course. Though this time when he leaves, I believe he’s planning on
taking her with him.”

That thought made Sophie cringe though she
kept her reaction hidden.

“So their wedding is planned?”

“Yup, but Eliza has put it off; twice, I
believe.”

“And what does her father think of these
delays?”

“Ah, Elijah Prentice is an odd one. Surly,
controlling—except where Eliza is concerned. He owns most of these
buildings, and makes us pay our rent on time, let me tell you. But
he never leaves his house anymore.”

“How unusual,” Sophie commented.

“He may be an invalid. Only Eliza and their
housekeeper, and Riley, of course, see him.”

Sophie started to feel sorry for the young
woman. Maybe she was tormented by an unhappy home life and thus
tormented everyone around her in turn.

“You’re best to stay out of it,” Sarah
cautioned, seeing the thoughtful look on Sophie’s face.

“No doubt,” Sophie agreed, “though
maybe—”

The sound of an explosion, the shaking of the
ground stopped her mid-sentence. The two women looked at each
other, eyes wide. Doc came flying out of the back room.

“What in the name of God almighty?” and he
ran straight out the door. They picked up their skirts and
high-tailed it after him.

*****

The groans of the injured came through the
black clouds of smoke. The train’s engine was on its side as was
the first car that followed and the second was tilted wildly, with
the last car and caboose having jumped the tracks but remaining
upright.

Everywhere was pandemonium. Most of the
town’s people had come running. Sophie watched Doc disappear into
the acrid smoke that burned her throat with every breath. He came
back moments later to bark out orders for stretchers to be made and
for Sarah to grab his medical bag. Sarah was already kneeling
beside a crying woman lying prone with her child in her arms.

“I’ll get the bag,” Sophie called out to no
one in particular, and she started to run. Breathless by the time
she got back to Doc’s, she saw Riley’s horse tethered outside,
panting as hard as she was. The door was open and she wasn’t
surprised to find Riley in the exam room, already gathering
supplies. He looked up at her footsteps.

“I came back for Doc’s bag, but you already
have it,” she said.

“No, this is mine.” He was stuffing bandages
into it. “Doc’s is over there.” He gestured with his head. “Grab
it, would you?”

She was frozen for a moment, confused as to
why he had an identical black medical bag. “Sophie, please hurry,”
he urged her and she broke into action.

“And smelling salts, right?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said, “in there,” gesturing to a
cabinet. She grabbed a handful of little vials.

“Are you ready?” he called over his shoulder,
already striding out. Her arms full, she struggled to stuff
everything into Doc’s bag and ran after Riley. He was waiting next
to his horse, and without a by-your-leave, he lifted her into the
saddle.

“Oh,” she started to protest that she
couldn’t possibly take his horse, when he swung up behind her.

“Oh,” she said again, as his arms came around
her to grab the reins and hold his bag in front of her. She was
well and truly squished between the pommel, the two bags . . . and
Riley.

“Hold on,” he said against her ear and they
were off, the fastest ride she’d ever experienced, right past
Jessie carrying blankets, right into the thick smoke, right into
the injured and the saviors. Riley slid off his horse before they’d
even stopped. He grabbed both bags and looked back up at her.

“Tether him to a tree, out of the smoke, will
you?”

“Of course,” she said; he gave her a grateful
nod and turned away. He hadn’t asked her if she could ride, she
thought, gripping the reins and squeezing Riley’s horse for all she
was worth to stay on. If a carriage was attached, even a
fast-as-lightning Tilbury, she’d be in her element, but astride the
horse was another matter altogether.

She managed to stay on and make it go in the
direction of the trees, at which point, Sophie half slid, half fell
off its back and tied the rope around the base of the trunk.

She dove back into the chaos. Everywhere
people were reaching out their arms for assistance. By that time,
stretchers had been fashioned out of broom handles and blankets,
and plain old boards, and the injured were being carried back, some
to Doc’s waiting room, some right into his exam room and surgery,
and some to spare beds at Fuller’s.

For her part, Sophie found it easy to offer
comfort wherever she could, either wrapping a blanket around
someone in shock or holding someone’s hand until either Riley or
Doc came over to examine for broken bones or head injuries. At
last, she found Sarah, blood on her hands, grime on her face,
matching Sophie’s own.

With their arms around each other’s waist,
they walked back to the surgery. Sarah explained that they would be
needed long into the night if there were bones to set.

“Are you up to it?”

Sophie was about to answer when she saw Eliza
Prentice sitting on her comfortable front porch, with a book in one
hand and what appeared to be a glass of iced tea in the other.

Sarah followed her gaze. “That’s just how the
Prentices are. She doesn’t know any better.”

“Ridiculous,” Sophie muttered. Then she
called out, “Miss Prentice, why don’t you bring some of that tea to
people who may be parched from the smoke?”

Eliza stared her down coldly, and Sophie
tried to put her out of her head. They were nearly at Doc’s where a
crowd of people were milling around, some passengers from the
train, trying to check on loved ones, others just curious.

Sarah pushed through them, dragging Sophie
with her.

“Good people, please go to Fuller’s where
Jessie will be sure to take care of you if you’re hungry. Let the
doctors do their job.” And they went into the packed waiting room
where many lay on the floor looking only slightly better than they
had earlier.

Another table had been set up next to Sarah’s
desk, with a sheet over both; together, they made a makeshift
examination and surgical table. Riley was already busy setting a
man’s broken arm while he groaned in pain, his wife holding his
other hand.

“What shall I do?” Sophie asked.

“Whatever Riley wants,” Sarah said. “Ask him.
I’ll go help my Doc.” Sophie watched her go and swallowed. She felt
out of her element, having only ever seen the occasional carriage
accident but never having had to nurse anyone sicker than a sibling
with a fever.

“Riley?” She said, after going up to him on
quiet feet so as not to disturb his ministrations. “I’m here to
help.”

He shot her a grateful glance. “I could use
some water. You, too, I bet,” he said to his patient. “You’re gonna
be just fine. My pretty nurse here has all sorts of tricks up her
sleeve.”

He turned away from the patient, his mouth
close to Sophie’s ear, so she alone could hear his next words.
“Quickly now, grab the morphine bottle from my bag. There’s a
measure with it. Put a teaspoon into half a glass of water and
let’s get it into this man. His arm is broken in three places and
it’s gonna hurt like hell.”

She did as she was told. And she kept on
doing it for the next seven hours until everyone was bandaged or
stitched and resting on a bed somewhere in the town.

After the last patient had been tended, Doc
lay on Riley’s makeshift table, his coat balled up under his head,
with Sarah in her chair, her head resting on her husband’s stomach.
Riley and Sophie were on the waiting room chairs, their legs
stretched out in front of them.

“Jesus! What a day,” said Doc without opening
his eyes. “Makes me remember why I went in to medicine. Not for
boils and women with the vapors.”

Sarah chuckled against her husband’s belly,
not even lifting her head, and Sophie opened her eyes to see Doc
stroking his wife’s hair. She looked at Riley, whose head was back
against the wall, his eyes closed.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me Riley was a
doctor?” Sophie wondered into the silence.

“I’m not,” Riley said, eyes still closed.

“Yet,” said Doc.

“Less than a year,” added Sarah.

“That’s what you do in San Francisco, attend
medical school?” Sophie asked.

“Yup.”

“Hell,” said Doc, “he knows more than most of
them doctors anyway. Been helping me since he was thirteen.”

“Twelve,” Riley corrected.

Sophie was impressed by his skill. She’d
flinched when having to help him clean a leg wound, and thought
she’d faint dead away when he started stitching the man’s flesh
neatly together. How she stayed on her feet to blot the blood so
Riley could see to finish, she didn’t know.

“You did great, by the way,” he said, lifting
his head and looking right into her eyes. Sophie felt a flush of
warmth shoot through her.

“Didn’t she though.” Sarah agreed. “Maybe you
want to go into nursing.”

“No, thanks. I’m just glad it’s over. Does
anyone know what happened?”

“A buck,” Doc said.

“A large one, on the tracks,” Riley added.
“Maybe it was deaf or plain ornery, but it’s dead now.”

“No one on the train died, did they?” Sophie
asked.