Loving Eliza (33 page)

The woman jerked but stopped and turned to them.  “Yes, Preacher?”

“Can you take this young lady to your home?  I need to discuss an urgent matter with the marshal,” he replied.

Addy nodded and hurried over to them.  “Of course, I can.”

“Good.” He patted Lucy on the arm.  “Stick with Addy.  She’ll take good care of you.  I’ll come by and talk to you when I’m done with the marshal.”

Lucy gripped the handkerchief and watched as he ran across the street.  His words to her had been kind, and she detected the sympathy in his expression.  Did that mean he might go easy on her?  She hoped that’s what it meant because she’d never committed a crime in her life, and she surely hadn’t meant to commit this one!

Addy put her arm around Lucy’s shoulders and led her down the dusty street.  “You poor dear.  Come along.  I’ll get you something to eat and drink.  You need to soothe your nerves, I’m sure.”

Lucy wanted to cry again, but she was able to hold back the tears this time.  With a shaky breath, she said, “Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it.  You’re such a young thing, and you look so scared.”

“Do I?” Lucy touched her face.

“And who wouldn’t be?  You’ve been through quite an ordeal, I assume.”

“Yes.” Her shoulders slumped.  Just yesterday, she’d been happy, thinking a wonderful man was her husband for life, and now…  Bringing the handkerchief up to her nose and mouth, she choked back on a sob.  She didn’t want to think about it.

Addy gave her an encouraging smile.  “You’ll be fine.  There are some good people here.  I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but there’s a purpose to everything.”

Unable to stop herself, Lucy let out a bitter laugh.  It was the most ludicrous thing she’d ever heard.

Addy didn’t admonish her, as Lucy thought she would since she’d been rude by laughing like that.  Instead, Addy squeezed her shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” Lucy whispered.  “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“You’re going through a trying time,” Addy said.

The two women made their way down a road that was lined with houses.  When they stopped at one of them, Lucy guessed it was Addy’s, and she was right.  Addy opened the front door and led her inside.

“We’ll get something to eat and drink,” Addy said as she closed the door and took off her bonnet.

Lucy followed suit, revealing thick blond hair pulled back into a bun even as strands of her curls fell softly to the sides of her face.

“You’re a beauty,” Addy said, reminding Lucy of her grandmother who’d long since passed onto the next life.  “You won’t be single for long in this town.”

Lucy’s lower lip quivered and she turned from Addy.

Addy stayed still for a moment as if she wished to ask Lucy the same questions the preacher had, but instead of asking them, she motioned down the hallway.  “The kitchen’s down here.”

Relieved she didn’t have to answer anything else, at least for the moment, Lucy headed for the kitchen.

***

Brian Evans sat outside the general store and listened to the people as they passed by.  He idly twirled his walking stick in his hand, his mind not on anything in particular.

The vibration on the boardwalk traveled up to his feet and up his legs as someone hustled past him.  “He’s long gone.  I can’t find him.”

Brian frowned.  What was the marshal anxious about?  He straightened in the rocking chair and tuned toward the chatter around him.

“What about the buggy?” the preacher asked, his gentle voice unusually rough.

“I found that just fine, but he took the horse and ran,” the marshal muttered, his voice already sounding faint as the two men hurried down the boardwalk.

“A fine mess he got that lady into,” the preacher said.

And that was all Brian could pick up from their conversation.  Curious, he stood up and used the stick to make sure nothing obstructed his path as he entered the store.

“Did you want to pick out something for me to make this week?” Eliza asked him.

He turned to face his mother.  “No.  I heard some commotion out there and wondered what was going on.  It sounded serious.  The marshal was involved.”

“Oh that,” Frank Garrison, the store owner, began as his footsteps echoed through the place.  “Right before you two arrived, a man came through here trying to sell a bride.”

“Why ever would he do that?” Eliza asked.

“No one is sure yet,” Frank replied.  “It’s too soon to tell what’s going on.  The woman went with Addy to our home.  That poor young thing looked like a frightened mouse backed into a corner.  She couldn’t have been older than eighteen.”

“How awful.” Eliza touched Brian’s arm so he turned to face her.  “I think I’ll go see if I can help.”

“I’ll come too,” Brian said.

“Brian, there will be a bunch of us women talking,” his mother replied.  “I’m sure it’ll bore you.”

“I want to come,” he insisted.  “Remember when you found me?”

She sighed and patted his arm.  “Yes.  It was the second best day of my life.  Marrying your pa was the first.”

He smiled.  There were times when the memories leading up to Eliza and John finding him alone in the fields still stung, even though it’d been twelve years since they gave him a home.  And now, hearing about this woman and how she was abandoned by a man who tried to sell her off brought back the fear and pain from his own past.

“Alright then,” Eliza said.  “I’ll pay for these items and we’ll be on our way.”

Brian nodded and went back outside to see if he could find out anything else pertaining to this new woman in town.  His back rested against the store, and he focused on the conversations going on around him.  Most of it was useless chatter, but he did pick up interesting pieces about a beautiful blond woman with brown eyes.  What blond and brown meant, he’d never know.  He’d been born blind, but he could talk to a person and get an idea of beauty, at least as he saw it.

The sound of his mother’s footsteps on the boardwalk notified him of her approach.  He tucked his walking stick under one arm and held out his hands.  “I’ll take the box to the wagon.”

She set the heavy box on his hands and took him by the elbow to lead him forward.  “The path is clear.”

He proceeded to walk down the boardwalk, counting the steps from where they parked the wagon and turned toward it.  He counted two more steps and stepped down, his foot hitting the soft road.

“It’s a real sad state of affairs when people go about this world unloved,” Eliza softly said.  “It’s just not fair.”

He couldn’t agree more.  He touched the side of the wagon until he found a place to put the box.  After he set his stick on the seat of the wagon, he put the box down.  Then he turned to his mother who took his hand so he could help her onto the seat.  Pushing himself off the ground, he jumped onto the wooden seat beside her.

“It’s a bright and sunny day,” she told him.

The input was unnecessary, for he felt the warmth from the sun.  He tipped his hat back so he could feel it on his face.  He always enjoyed that, even when he was a child.

He heard Eliza unlock the brake and pick up the reins.  “You ready?”

“Yes.” He held onto the seat and adjusted his weight as the horses pulled the wagon forward.

“We’ll stop by the lumber store on our way out of town.  Then you and your pa can work on that kitchen table tomorrow.”

He nodded, not caring about making furniture at the moment.  “I heard the marshal say the man ran off with the horse and left the buggy.  He was in a hurry to get out of here.” Much as his real father had run off that day.  “You can’t help but feel sorry for her,” he admitted.

“No, you can’t,” Eliza replied.  “It’s a real shame.”

They remained silent as the horses’ hooves pounded the dirt and the wagon gave its familiar gentle sway.  When she slowed, he got ready for the slight jerk as the wagon came to a stop and turned to get down.  Once he reached her side, he helped her down.  He decided to leave the stick in the wagon since he was familiar with the layout of Addy’s house.

Eliza took him by the elbow.  “The path is clear.”

Counting the steps to the front door, he caught the sigh that escaped his mother’s lips and knew her heart went out to the young woman.  Well, who wouldn’t sympathize?  Whatever the details were, one couldn’t help but feel bad for her.  They reached the front door and he knocked on it.

Eliza let go of his arm.

He turned his attention to the approaching footsteps and stepped back to allow Addy room to open the screen door.

“Hello, Eliza and Brian,” Addy called out.  “What brings you here?”

“To be honest, we happened to overhear news about a scared young woman and wanted to know if we could do anything to help,” Eliza answered.

“Really, what she needs to know is that she has a home in this town,” Addy said.  “She’s not up for talking.”

“Do you think we should leave?” Eliza asked.

Brian wanted to protest, but Addy said, “Come on in.  I’ve run out of things to talk about.  It’d help to have a chatterbox like you here, Eliza.”

“What do you know?” Eliza told Brian.  “My gift of gab is useful after all.”

Brian’s lips curled up into a smile.  “I don’t think Pa minds.”

“No, he doesn’t.”

Addy chuckled.  “Well, come on in.  We just had an early supper and were about to have some coffee.  I have some cookies you can snack on.”

His mouth watered in anticipation as he followed his mother into the house.  “What kind of cookies?”

“Peanut butter with bits of chocolate in them.”

He noted the amusement in her voice.  “You know my weakness, Mrs. Garrison.” Grinning, he followed the two women to the kitchen.