The New Year's Bride (Holiday Mail Order Brides Book Two) (8 page)

Spencer gave him a curt nod.  “Escort Miss Barstow
back to the mercantile for me.” He turned to Elle.  “I’ll have Mr. Turner take you home.  I’ll join you later.  See to it, will you Tom?”

“Yes
sir, Sheriff.”

And with that Spencer hurried out the door, down the street, and out of sight.

Elle stood speechless next to the new deputy and stared after him.  After a moment she finally spoke. “How badly was the doctor hurt?”

“Looked pretty bad, ma’am.  That darn horse knocked him unconscious and he still hadn’t come to when I left him at his house.  I’ve seen what
a horse can do to a man if’n one kicks hard enough.”

“What is Sheriff Riley going to be able to do for him? He’s not a doctor of any sort.”

“No ma’am.  Not that I know of.  But the way Doc Brown done explained things, the Riley boys are like family to them.  The doc’s wife didn’t ask me to fetch Sheriff Riley because he could do anything to help him.  She asked me to fetch him in case Doc Brown doesn’t wake up.”

Tears stung the back of Elle’s eyes at his words. 
Summer had mentioned some sort of strong kinship between the Rileys and Browns. She didn’t understand what it was but knew the two families were close.

“I’d best take you home now, ma’am.”

She looked up into the deputy’s blue eyes and saw the deep concern in them.  “Do you think Doc Brown will be all right?”

“I can’t say, ma’am.  I’m no doctor, but  … well … I need to get you home now.  Let’s go fetch your family from the mercantile and be on our way.”

He motioned toward the door with one hand, his eyes now holding a deep look of concern.  Doc Brown must be very bad off, perhaps dying. Summer said he was like a father figure to the Riley brothers, especially Clayton, but that didn’t mean Spencer didn’t care about the man any less.

She followed Tom Turner back to the mercantile where
Summer waited, but there was no sign of Spencer’s mother.

“There you a
re!” Mrs. Quinn exclaimed as Elle and Mr. Turner came through the door.

“Where’s Mrs. Riley?”

“She’s gone to Doc and Milly’s place.  She told me to wait here,” Summer said.

“I’m t
o take you on home,” Tom told her.

“But then ho
w will my mother-in-law get home?  She can’t very well ride home on the back of Spencer’s horse.  Thank you but we’ll wait for her to return then leave.  Clayton drove us here, he can drive us home.”

“Where is Clayton?” Elle asked.

“I don’t know, I think Billy went to look for him the moment he heard what happened,” Summer said then turned to Tom.  “Have you seen my husband?”

“No ma’am.”

Summer looked to Elle then, her brow raised in question.  “Where on Earth can he be?”

Eight

“But Clayton, she’s clearly not interested in your brother.  Talk to Spencer and send her back before she breaks his heart.”

Clayton eyed Charlotte.  He’d automatically say she was up to no good if it weren’t for the fact he himself could see it was true.  “I’ll speak to him, but don’t count on Miss Barstow going anywhere.”

She smiled prettily up at him.  “Oh, I’m not such a ninny as to think that, but I still don’t want to see Spencer get hurt.”

“Here’s your mama’s dress, Charlotte.” Mrs. Jorgensen set a wrapped package on the counter.  Clayton had gone to the dressmaker’s shop to
order a new dress for Summer.  The annual Valentine’s dance was always a festive event in Nowhere and he thought the gift of a new dress from the only dressmaker in town a fine gift for the occasion.  Unfortunately, or depending on how one looked at it, he ran into Charlotte who was picking up a dress Mrs. Jorgensen had mended for her mother. Even through Abbey was a fine seamstress, Nellie Davies insisted on having Mrs. Jorgensen do her mending.

Mrs. Jorgensen looked expectantly at Clayton. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m here about a dress for my wife.”

Charlotte visibly cringed at the word
wife
and turned her back on him. “I’ll just be going now, heed what I say Clayton.  It’s for Spencer’s own good.”

“Spencer’s or your own, Charlotte?”

Mrs. Jorgensen raised her brow at the remark and quickly looked to Charlotte, eager to soak up any sort of gossip.

“I’m only looking out for Spencer.  Believe it or not Clayton Riley, my intentions are … are honorable.”

Clayton tried not to laugh. Anything coming out of Charlotte’s mouth was usually far from honorable.  There was always something in it for her.  Always.  “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

She turned to him.  “Thank you, I appreciate it.  Now I’d best be getting on home.  Abbey’s probably halfway there by now.”

“You’re walking?  Didn’t you bring the buggy?” Clayton asked.

“Of course, but
Abbey took it on home. I decided to walk.”

Clayton immediately looked to her feet. She had a fancy pair of heeled boots on.  Not the sort of footwear for walking a mile or so across frozen ground.  Clayton inwardly groaned.  She probably planned this, but was going to get a big surprise.  “You know you can’t walk all the way home in those shoes.  Your feet will be blistered
and frozen by the time you get there.  What were you thinking letting Abbey go on home ahead of you?”

“I felt like a walk.”

“You felt like a flirt!” Mrs. Jorgensen quipped as she turned from the counter to go into the back room of her dressmaker’s shop.

Charlotte glared after her then turned to Clayton. “I’ve had a lot of thinking to do lately, that’s all.  I think better when I walk.”

“Mrs. Jorgensen!” Clayton called as he did his best not to roll his eyes at her remark.  “I’ll be back tomorrow. Pink!  I want pink!  I’ll look at your fabric then!”  He grabbed Charlotte by the arm and pulled her in the direction of the door.

“Clayton Riley!  You don’t have to have such an attitude about my shoes!”

“Would you rather walk home, Charlotte? This is what you planned isn’t it?  That I drive you home?”

She looked up at him, her face red. “I can walk just as easily!  I don’t have to let you drive me home!”

“Those shoes are not fit for this weather and you know it!”

“Well I never…”

She didn’t get to finish.  Clayton opened the door, pushed her through, then grabbing her arm once again, pulled her along beside him toward the mercantile and his wagon. He glanced down once and noted the smiled on Charlotte’s face.  He in turn also smiled as he pulled her past the wagon to the mercantile’s steps.

“What are you doing?” She squeaked.  “Aren’t you taking me home?”

“Of course, but first I need to fetch my wife.”

Charlotte’s face fell.  “Oh.  I quite forgot about her.”

“I’m sure you did,” he said as he shoved her through the mercantile door.

“Clayton!” Summer cried.  “Where have you been?” 
Her eyes landed on Charlotte. “What have you been doing?”

Charlotte smiled prettily at her and wrapped her arm through Clayton’s.  “Clayton offered to take me home.”

Summer’s face went flat.

“There’s been an accident,” Elle interjected. “
It’s Doc Brown. Spencer and your mother are already at the doctor’s house.”

Clayton shook Charlotte off his arm like she was a pill of lint. “What?  What happened?”

“Doc Brown got kicked in the head by his horse coming back from the Miller’s place.  Milly wants you over there right away,” Summer told him.

“Good God!  Stay here then, I’ll be back as soon as I can!”

He turned and hurried from the mercantile.  Charlotte watched him go with a look of defeat. “I might as well walk home then.”

Summer’s eyes narrowed. “Is that all you care about?
Can’t you think of anyone besides yourself? Doc Brown could be dying!”

Charlotte raised her chin.  “What would you know of it?  Who says I’m thinking of myself?  But then perhaps I am!  Why in Heaven’s name would I want to stay here with the likes of you?”

Summer gasped as did Elle.

“I’ll just see myself home, thank you very much!” Charlotte spun on her heel and stomped toward the door.

Elle watched as she stormed out into the cold and stomped down the stairs to the street.  “How far out of town does she live?”

“A little over a mile if I remember right.  I was only there once and once was enough for me.”

“It’s terribly cold out to be walking that far…”

Summer closed her eyes a moment.  “I know you’re right, but she irritates me to no end!”

“I can see that, but …”

“You call her back then, I can’t seem to bring myself to do it, Elle.”

Elle thought on it a moment.  She’d witnessed this sort of defiant behavior in the orphanage.  It was easy to see Charlotte Davis was defiant, it was also easy to see how she could have gotten that way.  Even if it was from her own doing, rejection was a cruel master.  Any orphan knew that.

Elle took a deep breath, and went to the door.  Sure enough, Charlotte was standing at the bottom of the mercantile’s porch steps, her shoulders heaving from her tears.  Elle smiled.  Charlotte Davis wasn’t so feisty after all.  But … were her tears real?

“Miss Davis,” Elle called as she poked her head through the mercantile door. “Won’t you come back inside where it’s warm? I’m sure either Clayton or Spencer will be back with Mrs. Riley and we can take you home.”

Charlotte turned toward her.  Her eyes were indeed red from crying
. “Well, I suppose I could do that.”  She turned away, wiped at her tears, then looked to Elle again. “I could do with a licorice whip.” She lifted her skirts as she ascended the stairs and brushed past Elle when she opened the door for her.

Elle watched as the girl went straight to the store counter.  “Mrs. Quinn?” Charlotte called. “Some service please!”

Elle shook her head, closed the door, and went to join Summer near the pot bellied stove.

* * *

“I can’t lose him, Clayton. Do ya hear? I just can’t!”  Milly Brown cried before she buried her face in her hands.

“He’ll pull through Milly, I know he will,” Clayton said to console her. Whether that was true or not he didn’t know.

“Milly, we’ve made him as comfortable as possible,” Spencer added. “What else do you want us to do?”

“I … I don’t want to be alone with him. What if he wakes up and wants out of bed?  You know how stubborn he is!”

“One of us will stay with you then,” Spencer offered.

“I’ll stay, you take the womenfolk on home,” Clayton told him.

Spencer nodded his agreement then looked to their mother as she tucked a quilt around Doc Brown.  “You’ve seen this sort of injury before, Milly’” his mother said.  "You know he can pull out of it.  We’ll be praying.”

“I know, Leona. But I also know that half the time, folks don’t recover.  He may never wake up.”

“Now don’t you go thinking that!” Mrs. Riley scolded. “Doc’s a stubborn man, just like you said.  He’s too stubborn to up and die on us! Isn’t that right Clayton?”

Clayton put an arm around his mother. “That’s right, if anyone knows it it’s me.  Now, how about some of your famous soup, Milly?  If I’m gonna stay here and be just as stubborn over Doc livin’ as you are about him dyin’ then I don’t want to do it on an empty stomach.”

Milly smiled through her tears. “I ain’t arguing that he’s gonna die.  I’m just being practical about it.  Dying is just a part of living, that’s all.  I don’t want to lose him …” she said as her tears fell freely once again. “But …”

“No buts, Milly.” Spencer said. “You let Clayton take care of things tonight
and help you take care of Doc when he wakes up.  He’s gonna be mad as a rattler and want to shoot that horse of his.  Clayton will have to talk him out of it.”

“Yep,” Clayton agreed. “That’s a might fine horse Doc has.  Be a shame to shoot it.”

“Oh you boys!” Milly exclaimed.  “What would any of us do with out you?”

“Heaven only knows, Milly.” Mrs. Riley said. She turned to Spencer. “We best get on home. Those two girls have been down at the mercantile long enough by themselves.”

Clayton flinched.

“What?” Spencer asked slowly.

“I sort of told Charlotte Davis that I’d drive her home. She’s waiting at the mercantile with Summer and Miss Barstow.”

“Oh dear,” Mrs. Riley began. “Well, a little detour isn’t going to hurt anything.  I hear Nellie’s not feeling well, so it’s not like she’ll come bounding out of the house or anything.”

Spencer groaned.  It was bad enough he had to worry about whether or not Elle fancied him for a husband, now he had to put up with Charlotte’s relentless flirting. The fact Elle would be right there with him didn’t matter. Charlotte would do it anyway!  “Very well.  Let’s go then.  The sooner we get home the better.  It’s getting colder by the minute.”

He slapped Clayton on the back. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Clayton gave him a curt nod, hugged his mother, then put his arm around Milly.

Spencer escorted his mother back to the mercantile.  The wind bit into them and had them both shivering by the
time they reached porch steps.  “You warm up while I get the wagon ready,” he told her at the door. “Tell Summer and Elle to bundle up nice and tight. It’s going to be a cold ride home, especially now that we have to take Charlotte home first.”

She nodded and went inside.  He got the wagon ready,
grabbed the blankets and quilts out of the back, and took them inside the mercantile to warm them before they left.

“Land sakes but it’s cold outside!” Mrs. Quinn said as he entered.  “Ha
ve some coffee before you go on home, Spencer.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” He went straight to the stove and dropped the blankets down near it.  His mother and
Summer shook them out and held them near the heat to warm them up.

Charlotte stood off to one side and stared at the stack of wrapped packages Mrs. Quinn had placed on the front counter.  They were the items purchased for Elle’s wedding.  Spencer went to them, gathered them up, and headed for the door.  “I’ll put these in the wagon.  As soon as we warm up a bit, let’s go.”

His mother nodded to him as Mrs. Quinn came from somewhere in the back of the store with a tray of cups, saucers, and a coffee pot.  By the time she was done pouring everyone a cup, Spencer had returned. “Gonna be a cold one tonight,” she remarked.

“Best make sure your livestock is in the barn out at your place, Leona.”

“We’ll get the stock taken care of just as soon as we get home,” Mrs. Riley answered.

“How do you stand it?” Elle asked of
Summer.  She was shivering just holding the freezing blankets up near the stove to warm them.

“This is the coldest it’s been since I got here.  I’m still not used to it, but I’m sure I’m doing better than you are.”

Charlotte smirked at their conversation and sipped at her coffee. She then looked around. “Where’s Clayton?”

“He’s spending the night with Milly.” Spencer said then took a long swallow of the steaming brew.  It was hot, but felt good going down.  It
was
cold out.  The coldest it had been in a long time. He looked at the heavy shawl Charlotte had wrapped around her.  As much as he didn’t like her at times, he couldn’t let her walk home in this cold.  They would have to hurry then if he was to get her home first then see to the comfort and care of his own women.  “Let’s go, if it starts to snow then we’ll have a much harder time of it.”  He immediately looked to Elle.  Out of everyone she would be affected the most by the bitter cold.  For the first time he worried she might seriously suffer if she got too chilled.  Of course, there was a logical remedy to that… too bad he wasn’t married to her yet.  A deep longing cut across his heart as he stared at his future bride a moment. She looked at him, her teeth chattering now and then, and blushed at the heated look he was giving her.  He turned away suddenly. If he didn’t get them all home soon it wouldn’t matter how hotly he gazed at her, it wouldn’t be hot enough in this cold to keep her warm!