A Promise to Believe in (30 page)

Well, it had to stop. She gave serious thought to packing her things and leaving. She could live in Bozeman or even Butte. Both were big enough towns to have jobs available.

“But what would I do? I’m better at horses and hunting than I am at womanly chores. Who would hire me? Besides, I’d be too far away to really investigate Pa’s death.”

She felt such a severe sense of defeat that nothing offered her any comfort. Well, there was the memory of Dave’s kiss, but that certainly didn’t qualify as a comforting thought. At least, she was determined that it wouldn’t be such a thing. No matter how many times she found herself daydreaming about the way his lips had felt against hers, Lacy knew there was nothing but danger in such reflection.

“He’s just trying to sidetrack me,” she told herself. After thinking long and hard about why Dave had kissed her, Lacy was convinced that he had meant to distract her. Since Dave couldn’t divert her attention from finding justice for her father in a threatening or nagging way, Lacy was convinced he meant to woo her into a state of cooperation.

“Well, he’s wrong. He can kiss me all he wants. I won’t change my mind.”

At least, she didn’t think she would.

She supposed another kiss might prove her theory one way or the other, but it was a terrible risk to consider such a thing. What if she was wrong? What if it
did
change her mind?

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Hearing Major barking, Gwen looked out her bedroom window and was surprised to see Hank and Brewster Sherman on the property to the north of Gallatin House. Hank appeared to be walking as if measuring distance, while Mr. Sherman was writing something down. What in the world were they up to?

She watched for several minutes, seeing Hank extend his arms and point in first one direction, then another. Mr. Sherman stepped forward, nodding, and seemed to be making his own comments on the matter.

Hank wore the red shirt. He no longer seemed to mind the color, though he had come back from Bozeman with several new white shirts to add to his wardrobe. She couldn’t help but wonder if he would take the dyed shirts back to Boston when he finally departed. Would he keep them as a remembrance of his time in Montana?

Gwen let the curtain fall back into place and finished making her bed. It was hard to imagine Hank leaving. And though it seemed almost ridiculous, she could no longer deny that she’d fallen in love with him. At first she’d thought it was some sort of infatuation—perhaps based on her loss of Harvey. But she knew better now. For all the good it did her.

Smoothing the pink-and-white flowered quilt over the sheets, Gwen knew she would be devastated when Hank returned to Boston. She reminded herself of the foolishness of caring about a man who would leave—who had never promised her anything.

He had said that he cared about her, but Gwen wasn’t sure what that meant or to what depth she could rely on such a statement. Maybe Hank was simply concerned in the way a brother might be for his sister. But that kiss had been no brotherly bequest.

“I have to stop these thoughts,” she chided.

Gwen finished with the bed and made her way downstairs. She had her chores to focus on. There was no sense in being silly or losing herself in daydreams that couldn’t possibly come true.

She spied the stack of newspapers on the counter and remembered why there were there. They were intended for the outhouses. They weren’t the most comfortable thing to use, but they served the purpose and were free. The stage drivers always brought the supply with them from whatever city they’d passed through on the way to Gallatin House.

Remembering the man who’d announced having torn paper from the wall of the men’s outhouse, Gwen picked up a bottle of paste, also, and figured she might as well make repairs while she was at it. With Hank busy elsewhere and Rafe and his bunch still sleeping, the men’s outhouse should be unoccupied.

A knock at the front door interrupted her plans, however. Gwen deposited her things once again on the counter and went to see who might be calling at this hour. Ellie stood on the other side, looking rather sheepish. She wore little more than a cotton skirt without benefit of petticoats and a camisole that did very little to hide her thin frame. At least she had a shawl with which to make the ensemble a bit more acceptable.

“I’m sorry to have bothered you, but I wondered how Miss Beth was doing. I heard she’d taken a fall.”

Gwen noted the young woman’s concerned expression before Ellie turned her gaze back to the floor. “Beth is much better. Why don’t you come inside and see her?”

“Oh no,” Ellie said, shaking her head. “Rafe wouldn’t like that. He’ll skin me as it is if he finds out I’ve been over here.”

“But why? We’re neighbors. He doesn’t seem to restrict himself from coming over whenever he pleases.”

Ellie’s face flushed red. “He says you Gallatin girls are too high-and-mighty—too religious. He’s afraid we might cause trouble for him if we talk to you too much.”

Gwen laughed. “Rafe just feels guilty. He knows what he’s doing is wrong.”

“That’s what Beth said. She mended some clothes for me while you were gone, and when she brought them back, she wouldn’t take any pay. She said she couldn’t take money that had been earned in such a manner. I felt awfully bad about it, but she said it wasn’t anything personal.”

“Of course not,” Gwen replied. “We’ve often spoken about how we might help you ladies…we just haven’t found a simple solution.”

“Oh, I know that well enough,” Ellie admitted. She pulled her shawl close. “I tried to find a lot of other solutions before taking on this one. Believe me.”

“I do.” Gwen recognized the sadness in the girl’s voice. She wished she could offer some kind of comfort, but what could she say that might take away the pain of her circumstance? “Are you sure you won’t just slip upstairs and see Beth? You could do it quickly—even head back out on the side stairs. That way Rafe wouldn’t see you leave the house.”

Ellie seemed to consider this for a moment. “That might be all right. I mean, if he doesn’t see me . . .”

“Ellie!” Rafe’s gravelly voice boomed out as he approached the Gallatin House porch. “What are you doing over here? Haven’t I told you not to be coming around here?” He walked right up and grabbed the girl by the arm.

“She’s my neighbor, same as you,” Gwen declared. “She has as much right to come calling as anyone else.”

“I beg to differ with you. She’s my property, and she has no rights. Not unless I’ve given them to her.”

“I’m sorry, Rafe. I was just checking on Beth. She took a bad fall, and I wanted to see if she was recovering,” Ellie offered.

“I don’t much care what you wanted. Now get back to work. If you’re up this early, you might as well make yourself useful. Help Cubby clean up the saloon.”

Ellie nodded and Rafe released her. She hurried back outside, much to Gwen’s disappointment. Rafe treated the women and his own son as if they were nothing more than slaves.

Rafe turned and offered Gwen a smile. “I actually came with a proposition for you.”

“I told you that I’m not selling the place to you. I don’t approve of liquor or prostitution.” Gwen put her hands on her hips. “There is nothing about your attitude, demeanor, or vocation that I want any part of.”

Rafe shook his head. “But winter is coming, Gwennie-girl. You and your sisters can’t possibly hope to handle all of the needs of this stage stop. Why, the wood needed to heat the house alone will be difficult for you to collect and chop.”

Seeing he had no idea of leaving, Gwen pushed past him and stepped out onto the porch. “I assure you, Mr. Reynolds, we Gallatins are cut from stout cloth. We will be quite capable of seeing to our needs.”

“But along with the firewood, you’ll need more water brought up. You’ll need to make additional trips to town for supplies. Before winter hits, you’ll have repairs to make and improvements to consider. I could help you with all of that. We could be partners.”

“Partners? Have you heard nothing I’ve said?” Gwen picked up the broom and began to sweep. “ ‘What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?’ ”

“Oh, don’t go getting all religious on me. I’m not such a bad sort. We could get married, if that made you feel better about things.”

Gwen’s jaw dropped. Had she really heard his nonchalant suggestion that they wed? He laughed and stepped toward her. Gwen backed up until she hit the wall of the house.

“I could show you a real good time, Miss Gwen. You wouldn’t want for anything. We could run this place and my place together, but you could just stay here and run Gallatin House if you preferred.”

Pushing at Rafe’s chest, Gwen shook her head. “I would never marry you.”

“What’s going on here?” Hank asked.

Gwen looked up to see Hank and Mr. Sherman standing at the bottom of the steps. Relief washed over her and she hurried to step out of Rafe’s reach.

“I was just reminding Miss Gwen that winter is coming, and she and her sisters will soon be hard-pressed to keep up with their work load. Their old man might not have been much of a businessman, but at least he was a man. They are three ladies on their own, and that doesn’t bode well for them.”

“And why would that be?” Hank questioned. “Given your gentlemanly nature, wouldn’t you keep an eye out for their well-being?”

“That’s what I was just suggesting. I proposed marriage, but Miss Gwen isn’t of a mind to take my offer.” Rafe pushed back his stringy hair and smiled. “Even though I could show her a real good time.”

“I thought the point was to keep the ladies safe, not entertained.” Hank stepped up on the porch and took a possessive stance beside Gwen.

“Like I said, those gals are gonna need help. Winter is sure to be fierce, and they’ll need more wood and water, not to mention supplies.”

“And marriage to you would somehow change that?” Hank asked rather sarcastically.

Rafe squared his shoulders. “I made her a good offer. Any single woman should be honored to have a man ask for her hand. It weren’t like I was expectin’ her to live in sin.”

“Of course not,” Hank said, turning to Gwen. “So he proposed a legitimate offer of marriage, but you denied him?” Gwen nodded, and Hank looked back to Rafe. “You have the lady’s answer, Mr. Reynolds.”

“Come winter, she’ll be sorry. Especially when she or her sisters have to drive out for supplies.”

“Well, that’s the beauty of it,” Hank said with a smile. “She won’t have to. You see, Mr. Sherman and I have just struck a deal to open a new store here to the north of Gallatin House.”

Gwen’s stomach tightened. What was he saying? Was he planning to live here, or would he simply be a long-distance partner living in Boston while owning a piece of Montana?

“You got the VanHoutens to agree to sell you a parcel of land? I’ve been after them for months, and they wouldn’t even entertain the idea.”

“Perhaps they didn’t like your plans for the property,” Hank replied. “They seemed quite enthusiastic upon hearing plans for a general mercantile.”

Rafe bit at his lower lip for a moment, then stomped down the porch steps. “It really don’t change a thing. The Gallatins will still find themselves in need of help, and they won’t get it from me.” He paused and turned to look Gwen in the eyes. “You mark my words, you won’t last the winter.”

“Is that a threat?” Gwen asked.

Rafe laughed and continued on his way. “It’s just the facts of life in Montana. You’ve spent winters here before.”

“Such a pleasant fellow,” Mr. Sherman said once Rafe had returned to his saloon.

Gwen shook her head. “He’ll no doubt go back there and take his anger at me out on everyone else. Ellie came over to check on Beth’s condition, and he found her here. He was none too happy. I wish I could do something to make her life better.”

“You can’t save the world, Gwen,” Hank countered. “It’s much too big a place.”

“I don’t want to save the world,” she replied. “Just maybe make my corner of it a little better.”

Rafe stormed through the saloon and into his office. He’d had more than he cared to of those self-righteous Gallatins. Now they had a new friend in Hank Bishop, and the man was planning to stick around.