Homespun Bride (6 page)

“Goodness, are you all right, dear?” Henrietta dropped onto the sleigh's seat, all motherly concern. “Are you catching a chill? I predicted the wind was too cold for you to sit here and wait for me, and now I fear the worst.”

Ashamed, Noelle nodded. What was wrong with her? She did not know, and she had the feeling that if she did, she could not find the right words to describe it. She cleared the regret from her throat before she could speak. “I'm not too cold. Truly.”

She feared Thad had noticed, that he was watching her even now. What did he think about her blindness? Did he pity her? Did he think that she was damaged, less than whole? How could he not? “D-did you post your letter?”

“Certainly I did. Robert, untie Miss Bradshaw for me. I intend to get Noelle out of this bitter wind. In her delicate state, this cold cannot be good for her. If she does not succumb to pneumonia, I shall be amazed!”

Robert's chuckle was loving. “Yes, dear, go on. If you two lovely ladies wish to frequent the dress shop, I'll come by for the horse and sleigh and fetch the girls from the schoolhouse.”

“Mind you don't be late! The school bells ring promptly at four o'clock.” Henrietta took up the reins with plenty of shuffling. “Good day to you, Mr. McKaslin.”

“Good day to you both.” Kindness enriched his voice.

She imagined he was tipping his hat's brim once, the way he always used to do. She tried to picture more of him, tried to imagine the young man she'd known, in his prime now. It was hard to do, for he had surely changed as much as she had. Maybe more.

“Goodbye, Noelle.”

His words sounded so final. “Goodbye, Thad.”

As the cold wind scorched her face, she listened to his boots strike crisp and steady on the boardwalk as he walked away. She could not allow herself to imagine how his wide shoulders would have broadened, how his lean frame would have filled out with muscle and a cowboy's strength. Something cold struck her cheek as she tried not to see—and yet could not help drawing up the image—of how he would look seasoned by experience and a rugged, active life.

“It's snowing yet again.” Henrietta's voice carved into Noelle's thoughts. “When will winter end? I shall never become accustomed to these Montana storms.”

“Yes, sadly we are all likely to be snowed over until Armageddon if this continues.” Noelle knew that dire prediction would make her aunt happy, who huffed decidedly, pleased to have such problems to discuss.

Determined to leave Thad McKaslin out of her thoughts, Noelle set her chin and swiped at the cold wetness on her cheek—tears, and not snow after all. “Then your letter shall never reach the territorial governor.”

“Exactly my brand of luck. Listen to that! That contraption! How blessed we are to have a sensible mare who will not bolt at the clamor and dank coal smoke.”

Only then did Noelle hear the clatter of the incoming train and smell its choking coal smoke. She did not notice much else, not the harmony of the traffic noise or the melody of the town's people going about their busy ways.

Her heart was too heavy to hear any music. Snow began falling in earnest with sharp, needlelike hits that had no rhythm or song as they fell, driven on a bleak wind.

A
s Thad circled a dappled gray mare at the sale—he'd let Robert Worthington talk him into giving his opinion on a few animals he was considering—not even the steadily falling snow could clean away the grit of emotion that clung to him.

This wasn't how he'd reckoned things would be. Seeing Noelle again was going to happen—he knew that when he'd made the decision to come back to Angel Falls. But he figured she'd be a wife and a mother, busy with the fanciful tasks that kept privileged women occupied, like book clubs and church fund-raisers and whatnot. What he didn't figure on was having to realize how complete her father's plan had been. Mr. Kramer, rest his soul, must have known that Noelle would never understand or forgive, even with her generous heart. He'd hurt her then, and he was hurting her now. He hated it. He wished—well, he didn't know what he wanted, but he would do anything, or be anything, to keep her from hurting.

Impossible, he realized. His nearness made her sad. It was as plain as day.

“McKaslin, what's your opinion?”

“Wh-what?” He blinked, realizing he must have been staring at the horse's withers for a rather long time. The sights and sounds of the busy horse sale chased away most of his trail of thoughts, but not all of them.

“She's too old but, McKaslin, you seem to like her better than the gelding.”

Thad knocked back his hat and the snow accumulating on the brim slid off, giving him time to think of the best way to answer. “You'd do well to go with an older horse. This mare is a little long in the tooth, but she's steady and gentle.”

“I suppose I like the brash younger ones. More of a challenge.”

Yep, Worthington had even less horse sense than he'd figured on. “Well, sir, you might not want to gamble your womenfolk's well-being like that. This old mare has a lot of good years in her, she'll be suited to pulling a light sleigh or buggy. Besides, look at the kindness you'd be doing. If no one buys her, she might be sent to the stockyards. That is one sad end for a nice horse.”

Robert gulped at that. “I hadn't considered that before. I'm glad I asked your opinion. You have sound reasoning and a lot of knowledge. You know I'm looking to hire a good horseman to teach me what I haven't learned in books. If it's stable work you mind, I'll find someone to muck out the stalls—”

“You've got that wrong, Mr. Worthington. I don't mind stable work.” Thad shoved his fists into his coat pocket, Noelle filling his thoughts. She was the biggest reason he had to say no, but there were others, too. “Truth is, I've got family trouble to help straighten out and then I've got my own plans.”

“I understand.” Robert pulled his billfold from his pocket. “I need permanent help, but more than that, I need someone like you. It's hard for a man like me to admit, but this horse business is not like banking.”

“No, sir, it's very different. Stacks of money don't kick you in the chest.”

“You're right there. I don't want to tell my wife how many times I've come close to getting seriously hurt. Maybe you'd consider working temporary, if that suits you. I'd be grateful for as long as you could stay.”

It sounded mighty fine, except for Noelle. Remembering the look on her face whenever he was near cinched it. Nothing could make him hurt her like that.

“I see you're considering it.” Robert sure looked pleased.

Thad cast his gaze around the sale. Rows and rows of horses standing in a spare lot between a boardinghouse and the smithy. Men and boys milled through the aisles, the sounds and colors muffled by the softly falling snow.

He thought of what to say to Robert and then of the land office he had yet to get to. He didn't know if he had a blue moon's chance of finding and affording his own place.

“Then come work for me. You can start right now by helping me figure out a good price for this mare.”

“It's sure tempting, but I can't take the offer.” There was no other answer he could give. “I wish I could.”

“Could I ask what the reason is?”

“It's personal, sir.” Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of his older brother ambling along the boardwalk, probably heading to the land office, where they'd agreed to meet.

Best to hurry this along. He'd spent over an hour with Worthington, and the man had yet to take his advice. “Robert, buy this mare. I'd offer low first, say twenty, but she's worth more. If you pay seventy-five for her, it's not too much.”

“Well, I appreciate that.” Robert tipped his hat as Thad did the same.

He left the man bargaining with the horse trader and waded through the fresh snow to the boardwalk. Aiden was leaning over the rail, one eyebrow arched in question.

“I heard that.” He didn't blink, and his dark eyes kept careful watch as Thad hit the icy steps.

The ice gave him something to put his mind on instead of Noelle. “What did you hear?”

“Worthington trying to offer you a job.” Aiden pivoted and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why would you turn down a good wage? Even if you find land to buy around here—”

“Land that I can afford,” Thad pointed out. That was the catch. He'd worked long and hard to put aside every dime he could of his wages, and it didn't add up to nearly what he needed it to be. “I'm not going to work anywhere near Noelle Kramer.”

“Ah, so you've seen her. I wondered what would happen when you did.”

“You could have told me.”

“About her blindness? You could have asked. You left town before because of her.” Aiden nodded in the direction of a shop two doors down from the postmaster's. “Are you going to be leaving for the same reasons now?”

“No. I gave you my word I would stay and I will.” Thad let his brother fall in step with him. There was a lot he hadn't told his brother five years ago and now. Time to change the track of the conversation. “How's Ma?”

“She's at the mercantile buying fabric to start sewing for Finn.” Aiden didn't sound too happy about that.

Thad had learned that Aiden wasn't too happy about anything. “We'll make sure he doesn't let her down this time.”

“We'll do our best. I got his train ticket taken care of. He ought to be arriving two weeks from tomorrow.” Aiden's wide shoulders sagged a notch.

It was quite a burden. Thad could feel it, too. “I'll do my best, too. We'll get him straightened out.”

“It all depends on how the territorial prison has changed him.”

Thad didn't know what to say about that. Life had a way of changing a person in the best of circumstances. “I wish I would have come back sooner.”

“The wages you sent home made the difference between losing our place and keeping it, so put that worry out of your mind. Between us, we've got enough of them as it is.” Aiden checked his watch. “Let's hurry up. I've got to pick up Ma and take her to her church meeting in thirty minutes.”

“Hey, I thought you were going to look at property with me.”

“I'm not going to leave you to do this on your own, little brother. You need a wiser man's opinion.”

“And where would I be gettin' this wise opinion? Surely not from you?”

Aiden smirked—the closest to a smile he ever got. “I've been keeping an eye on the land prices around here. Figured we would take a peek at the sale sometime, too.” He gestured toward the sale. “When Finn gets home, he's got to have something to ride. He's not using my horses.”

Or Sunny. Thad nodded in agreement.

Aiden cleared his throat as they started walking. “You wouldn't be thinking about beauing that woman again.”

“Noelle?” Beauing her? There was an outlandish thought. “No. I learned my lesson and I learned it well.”

“Now it's time for me to worry about you, brother. If it's not Miss Kramer, then what else has put that look on your face? There are the Worthington daughters. A few of them are of a marriageable age.”

He'd hardly noticed the one in the parlor—then again, he would never notice anyone else when Noelle was in the same room. The pang that ached in his heart was best left unexamined. He spotted the land office. “The real question is, brother, why are you mentioning those daughters? Say, you wouldn't be sweet on one of the Worthington girls, would you?”

“Me?” Aiden spit out the word. “You've been gone a long time, brother, or you'd remember my opinion on most women.”

“I remember just fine. But I reckon that you've been alone a long time. That might have changed your opinion some.” Thad tried to say the words kindly, knowing his brother hurt for the wife and the newborn son he'd buried. Years hadn't chased the haunted look from Aiden's face. “Even I think about marrying now and again.”

“You?” Aiden's jaw dropped in disbelief. “Didn't figure that would be likely.”

“Now, I didn't say I was serious about it right this moment, but I've considered marriage from time to time.” He stepped to the side to allow two women to pass by on the boardwalk. “The real trouble is finding a
sensible
female.”

“Brother, there isn't a one of them on this green earth. God didn't make a woman that way, and if you think otherwise then you are just fooling yourself.”

“Spoken like a man destined to live alone for the rest of his life.”

“And you aren't?”

“No, not me.” Thad blinked against the sudden sharp glare of wintry sun as the road curved northeast. “I'm holding out for the kind of woman a man can count on. Maybe someday I'll find a woman who understands that life is a battle you've got to fight every day.”

“Good luck with that one, little brother.” Aiden shook his head. “You've been riding the trail too long. You've forgotten what females are like. They're not like us.”

“And you've been working in the fields alone too long.”

“Then there's no doubt about it, little brother. We are a pair.”

That was something he couldn't argue with. He did his best to steel his heart, to let go of what was past and hope that there would be a new start in life awaiting him. The truth was, he could never forget the pain he'd put on Noelle's lovely face. He had to do his best to stay away from her, for both their sakes. Knowing his luck, there wouldn't be land he could afford—at least the kind of land he wanted—and he'd be moving on after things on the home place were better.

The land office was nearly empty, he noticed as he yanked open the door, but the potbellied stove in the center of the room glowed red-hot. Thankful to be out of the bitter cold, Thad shook the snow from his hat and stepped inside.

 

“I can't tell you how this cheers me up!” There was no disguising the joy in Uncle Robert's voice from atop the mare he'd just bought for himself at the sale. “I feel alive again, I tell you.”

Henrietta tsked as she pulled closed the dressmaker's door. “Robert, of course you are alive. You are driving me to distraction with this nonsense. You are no longer a young man, no matter how many ill-mannered horses you purchase.”

Noelle felt a strange chill shiver down her spine, although perhaps it was the turn of the wind. Another storm was on the way, she could smell it brewing in the air. While her aunt and uncle battled good-naturedly, which was not unusual for them, her cousins spilled ahead of her down the steps and into the family sleigh. Their footsteps and chatter, lively and pleasant, counterbalanced the worry she had for her uncle. She wanted to ask Robert to dismount and join them in the sleigh, but it was hard to get a word in edgewise.

“
Two
more horses?” Henrietta sounded stunned. “How many horses will we need to pull our sleigh?”

“Now, Henrietta, you know I'm trying to start my own ranch.”

“Yes, but you're a banker,” Henrietta pointed out. “This is lunacy, Robert.”

“Our Matilda is old enough to drive. The gray mare is for the girls' use.”

“What? For us?” The chatter halted and footsteps herded away from the sleigh, Noelle presumed, where the old mare was tied.

“What's her name?” Angelina cried out.

“She's sweet!” fourteen-year-old Minnie cooed.

“She's really ours?” Matilda's hand slipped from hers.

Noelle froze in place on the sidewalk. So, Robert really had taken Thad's advice. That was a relief, but now she felt, well, grateful toward the man. She didn't want to feel the hint of gratitude toward the man. A hard knot coiled up in her stomach, and she wished, how she wished, it would stop. Her normally placid emotions were all snarled up ever since Thad had ridden back into her life.

Without Matilda to guide her, she dared not take a step for fear of falling on a patch of ice. She stood alone, waiting while the family inspected Matilda's new mare. Why was one ear searching the sounds on the street for Thad? Searching for his confident, steady gait, and for the low rumble of his voice?