Handpicked Husband (Love Inspired Historical) (20 page)

Chapter Seventeen

T
hey neared the edge of town near midafternoon the next day. To Reggie’s relief the morning had passed pleasantly enough. By unspoken agreement they kept the conversation to neutral topics and Reggie had shown him some of her favorite spots near the cabin before they left. Adam had even decided to join her in the buggy for the ride back to Turnabout.

It gave her hope that they could make this platonic arrangement work after all.

When they arrived at her house—
their
house now, she realized—Jack came barreling through the front gate.

“Aunt Reggie! You’re finally home.”

Reggie stooped to catch him in a big hug. “I missed you, too.” Then she leaned back and tousled his hair. “I think you must’ve grown a full inch while I was gone.”

Jack stood a bit taller. Then he looked over her shoulder. “Hi, Uncle Adam.”

“Hello, Jack. Have you been taking good care of things while we’ve been gone?”

“Yes, sir.”

Reggie stood, taking quiet pleasure in the bond she could already see forming between these two.

She turned and smiled a greeting as Ira and Mrs. Peavy joined them. Before she could do more than exchange hellos, however, Jack tugged on her hand, reclaiming her attention. “Grandfather Madison sent you and Uncle Adam a wedding present. Wait ’til you see it.”

“Careful,” Ira cautioned. “You don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

Reggie cut a suspicious glance Ira’s way. That amused tone meant there was mischief afoot. “And just where might we find this surprise?”

“It’s at the depot,” Jack answered. “Arrived on the morning train.”

And they hadn’t brought it to the house? Which meant this “surprise” was either very large, of questionable taste, or both.

Reggie swallowed a groan, then glanced at Adam who had a similar look of caution on his face. Of course, he, too, would remember her grandfather’s notorious fondness for new-fangled gadgets.

“I’m almost afraid to find out,” she said.

“Coward.” Adam’s lips twitched in a challenging smile.

“Well, I suppose, once we’ve unpacked and freshened up, we can—”

“I wouldn’t wait that long,” Ira warned. “It’s already getting a fair amount of attention, and besides, Jack might just bust if you don’t have a look.”

“Please, Aunt Reggie, can we go now? It’s really grand. Even better’n that mechanical rug beater he sent last year.”

Reggie turned to Adam. “We just got in from a long ride. Are you up to one of Grandfather’s surprises?”

Adam swept an arm back toward the buggy. “By all means. I admit to being a tad curious.”

Reggie threw up her hands in surrender and allowed Adam to help her back into the buggy. Jack, Ira and Mrs. Peavy climbed in the backseat.

When they arrived at the depot, it seemed the whole town had gathered. Folks stood in clusters talking excitedly. Small children sat on their father’s shoulders, staring openmouthed at something hidden from Reggie’s view.

“Come on,” Jack urged as he jumped down.

The crowd parted for them. Reggie noted various expressions, ranging from excitement to disapproval.

Her first glimpse proved to be rather anticlimatic.

A new carriage? Shiny and impressive, yes. But why all the excitement about a carriage?

Then she heard Adam’s low whistle and took a closer look.

“It’s a motor carriage, Aunt Reggie,” Jack said excitedly. “Mr. Dawson says it’ll run without any horse to pull it. Have you ever heard of such a thing?”

She met Adam’s gaze over Jack’s head and saw that same little-boy excitement under his tolerant grin.

“What in the world does Grandfather expect us to do with such a thing?”

“Ride in it,” Adam responded.

“Can we, Aunt Reggie? Please?”

“We don’t even know how to run the thing.” Reggie’s exasperation rose. As if she needed this gigantic child’s toy to complicate her life right now.

“There’s a packet under the seat,” Chance volunteered. “I imagine it contains instructions on how to operate it.”

Chance had already looked it over, had he? She took in his eager expression and decided it had probably been a major trial for him to
just
look. Most of the men pressing around her wore similar expressions.

Adam reached in and pulled out the packet. After a moment he nodded thoughtfully. “Doesn’t seem too complicated.”

“So we
can
ride in it.” Jack was almost hopping in his excitement.

Over her dead body. “Now, Jack—”

“Not just yet,” Adam intervened. “I want to make certain I can operate it safely before taking on any passengers.”

“I’ll be glad to lend you a hand with that,” Chance offered. “Always wanted to get my hands on one of these.”

There were a number of onlookers who chimed in with similar offers. And others who echoed Jack’s eagerness to ride in it.

Even Reverend Harper stared at the carriage with more than passing interest.

Which gave her an idea.

She turned to Adam. “Do you really think you and Chance can figure out how to operate this thing?”

“Of course.” His frown was a vision of insulted male pride.

She rolled her eyes, then turned back to the crowd.

“Thank you for your offers of assistance,” she announced loudly. “I believe my husband and Mr. Dawson will be able to figure this out on their own. But, assuming they get it running safely, everyone will have an opportunity to ride in it.”

That promise earned her some cheers and applause.

She placed a hand on her hip and smiled. “We’ll have a booth set up at the fair next week, a nickel a ride. All proceeds go to the church organ fund.”

The cheers changed to groans, most of them good-natured.

Jack tugged at her skirt. “Can I stay and watch?”

Reggie hesitated a moment then nodded. “Of course. Just make sure you stay out of the way.” Then she sent Ira a meaningful look. “Why don’t you stay as well.”

“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.” Ira clapped Jack on the back with a grin. The slight nod he gave Reggie, though, let her know he would keep a close eye on her son.

“Well, then, I suppose Mrs. Peavy and I will leave you menfolk to it while we head home.”

She turned back to the crowd. “I wouldn’t stand too close if I were you. I saw some of these at an exhibition in Philadelphia a few years back and they tend to be noisy and unpredictable.”

As she and Mrs. Peavy moved to the carriage, Mitchell stepped from the crowd to help them climb aboard.

“Thank you.” Regina smiled, then she raised a questioning brow. “I don’t see Everett about. Is this excitement not to his taste?”

Mitchell grinned. “I don’t think the arrival of the motor carriage even registered with him. His printing press came in on the same train.”

“Ah. So we can expect our first issue of the
Turnabout Gazette
soon?”

“I heard him mention something about having an issue ready in time to report on the fair.”

A loud wheezing exploded through the depot area. Mitchell grabbed the leads as Reggie’s carriage horse, along with just about every other animal and person nearby, jerked in startled surprise.

Adam’s gaze flew to hers, and she was gratified to see the flash of relief on his face when he realized she was all right.

Then he straightened and turned to the crowd. “My wife was correct,” he announced. “It would be best if you all went about your business and gave us some room to work here.”

Reggie felt a small thrill pass through her at the way he said “my wife” so naturally. It was a start.

She saw some of the women tug their husbands’ arms and lead them away. Bit by bit most of the businessmen went back to their shops and offices. A small crowd remained, however, mostly boys and young men.

Reggie worried her lower lip, concerned they would ignore caution and get too close.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Barr,” Mitchell said quietly. “I’ll stick around and make certain those lads don’t cause mischief.”

Reggie smiled her thanks, then took the reins.

This little distraction for her menfolk would actually work out for the best. The morning of the wedding, she’d left instructions that Adam’s things, and
only
Adam’s things, be moved into Patricia and Lemuel’s old room. Now she’d have time before Adam arrived to make certain Mrs. Peavy hadn’t taken it in her head to alter those instructions.

* * *

Adam stared inside the carriage house one last time before he closed the large double doors. The photography wagon and the motor carriage sat side by side. An interesting combination.

He shook his head at the contrast as he secured the door with a shiny new, solid-as-granite padlock. He’d already gone around inside and secured all of the windows as best as he could.

He and Ira had decided this was the best place for the judge’s gift—out of the weather and out of sight. He didn’t want to tempt some adventurous youth to try the vehicle out on his own.

Adam rattled the door, satisfying himself the lock would hold. Then he stood there, rubbing the back of his neck as Ira’s words echoed in his mind.

Just before the old codger had left to escort Jack home, he’d informed Adam that all of his things had already been transferred from the boardinghouse to his new home.

Home.

Adam rolled the word around in his mind, letting it conjure up images of cozy family gatherings, of putting down roots, of belonging somewhere. It was the same feeling seeing his name in Regina’s family Bible had given him.

But, given his ambivalent feelings toward Regina, did he deserve that honor?

Still wrestling with that question, he turned and headed toward Regina’s house—his house, too, now.

By the time he arrived, supper was ready. Jack chattered on through most of the meal about the motor carriage, then about what he’d been doing while they were away—most notably the merits of a turtle shell he’d found.

Adam noticed Regina pushed food around on her plate but didn’t eat much. She obviously had something on her mind.

After the meal was cleared away, Jack hopped up from the table. “You want to come see my turtle shell?”

“I’d love to,” Regina answered, pushing away from the table.

“Of course,” Adam said almost simultaneously. He’d never been beyond the first floor and was suddenly curious to see the rest of his new home.

Regina took Jack’s hand and mother and son led the way out of the room and up the stairs. When they reached the top, Adam discovered the stairs opened onto a long gallery-like landing with a much shorter open hallway jutting from either end.

Jack tugged Regina to the left and led her to the far end of the corridor.

“So, you have the corner room, do you?” Adam asked.

Jack nodded and threw open the door. “I like it ’cause it has windows on two sides.” He waved Adam over to one of the windows. “You can see a mocking bird’s nest in that tree branch over there.”

Adam made appropriate noises as he admired the view.

“And come see this.”

Adam caught Regina’s indulgent smile as Jack dragged him across the room. He then solemnly examined a rock collection, the rattle from a rattlesnake, a wooden whistle and the promised turtle shell. He felt a small stirring of pride when he spotted the bag of marbles he’d given the boy prominently displayed with the other treasures.

Then Jack picked up a photograph. “This is my mother and me when I was a baby.” He held it up for Adam to see. “She was real pretty.”

Adam cut a quick glance Regina’s way. “Yes, she was.”

Jack placed it back on the chest, carefully aligning it to his satisfaction. “I wish I could have known her.”

Adam heard the wistfulness in the boy’s voice and remembered his own lonely childhood, felt again the awful hole left by the abandonment of his mother. Jack had been cheated of that special relationship as well, not because of his mother’s untimely death, but because Regina had given him up.

This time when he met her gaze, neither of them were smiling.

But Jack seemed oblivious to the strain between the adults. “Your room is a corner one, too,” he told Adam. “It used to be my pa’s.”

“You don’t mind me moving into it, do you?”

“No sir.” Jack’s chest puffed out. “Me and Ira will be glad to have another man around here.”

“Time to get you ready for bed, young man,” Regina said firmly.

Adam took his cue. “I’ll get my things unpacked and meet you downstairs later.”

Regina nodded and led him to the door. She pointed across the landing to the room in the opposite corner. “That’s your room,” she said unnecessarily.

With a nod, he stepped past her and quickly covered the distance to the master bedroom, all the time feeling her eyes on him.