Page 6

F our

Brody didn’t get out of bed for five days.

Sad to say, that had nothing to do with his being a newlywed.

Finally, his body stopped howling in protest every time he moved. Or at least the howling was a little quieter.

His pretty new wife had tended him with loving care.

“This has to be the worst honeymoon a woman ever had.” Brody forced himself to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the bed.

“Brody, you lie right back down, now. We are in no hurry.”

Since the men who’d tried to kill him and Ellie, and their siblings, were being transported to San Quentin for a life sentence, there probably wasn’t any hurry.

“I’m up to moving, honey.” Brody reached out for Ellie. “Is that a new dress?”

She smiled sweetly. “It is. I didn’t bring a thing along to town. We thought we’d ride in and head right back home. I got you a change of clothes, too.”

Brody frowned. “I don’t need much.”

Ellie kissed him on the cheek. “Good, because I didn’t get you much. But you have almost no clothes, Brody. You showed up to the Two Harts with a single change in your satchel. As a recent graduate from college, you needed a few new things.”

“It’s all got to be your money. I don’t have any. I haven’t worked long enough as a doctor to have more than a few pennies to rub together.”

Ellie sat down beside him and slid her arm across his back, rested her cheek on his shoulder. “You know I’m a quarter owner of the Two Harts. What I have is yours. We’ve got plenty of money.”

“That’s not right, Ellie. A man needs to provide—”

“That’s not counting,” she said, cutting him off, “the gold you found in your grandpa’s cave.” She sat up straight and turned to face him. “And that’s not counting that you have a profession that’ll support us for the rest of our lives.”

Brody tried to fight down his pride, which he knew to be a sin.

“But you’ve been working for over a month now,” Ellie continued, “and you haven’t been paid a cent. Have your patients not paid you?”

Brody shrugged, which hurt. “I suppose I should charge them something, but the people who come to see me are sick.”

Ellie snorted.

Which made Brody smile.

“The people who live on the Two Harts are well compensated. We pay the highest wages of any ranch in California.”

“Do you know how much other ranches pay? Is that something ranchers talk about?”

Ellie looked sheepish. “Well, I don’t know for sure, but I believe it to be true.” She thrust out a hand. “You have those gold coins with you, don’t you?”

Brody had them in his pocket. “I don’t have a good place to lock them up, so I keep them with my person. Thayne and Lock have the rest.”

“Hand one over. I’ll take it as payment for your new clothes.”

Brody’s smile grew. “All right. Um ... do you want me to carry it for you?”

“That sounds like a great idea. You give me a gold coin, then I’ll give it back to you to carry. Do you mind carrying mine, too? I couldn’t think of a place to lock mine up either.”

Brody watched her pick up her reticule and extract a small leather pouch. “I suppose you’re trying to make the point that all we have belongs to both of us.”

Ellie leaned forward and kissed him.

“Our first kiss since that parson said ‘you may kiss the bride.’” He kissed her this time. But leaning as good as kicked him in the chest.

She was watching him closely enough that she noticed. “We’re going to pool together all we have, and we’re going to be married for the rest of our long lives. I want you healed up thoroughly before we kiss again. I don’t like thinking it causes you pain.”

Brody nodded. “I agree. But I am up to riding a train to Sacramento.” Or he was determined to do it, which wasn’t the same as being up to it. “Is Cord slowly going crazy from the wait?”

“No, he’s being very patient. Listen.”

Brody couldn’t think to what, and then he heard the distant sound of a piano playing. It had been going on since he woke up, but he hadn’t paid much attention. “That’s Cord?”

“Yes, the hotel owner offered him a job. He’s been playing for long hours every day, and the crowds that come in to eat have doubled. He said he just plays for the love of it, and he’s not going to sign on to a job that he plans to quit in a day or two. He did play for church on Sunday.”

Brody grimaced. “I slept through a Sunday? I don’t even know what day it is.” He rubbed the bump on the back of his head.

“We got married on Tuesday. You slept most of the week, including through Sunday. Now it’s just past the noon meal on Monday.”

“I’m ready to move. Thank you for the new shirts and pants. I’ll get dressed and join you downstairs. When does the next train leave?”

“The train passes through most every day—in the midmorning. So it’s already gone today.” She leaned forward and kissed him again.

When she straightened away from him, he teased, “We agreed not to do that until I’m well.” Yet he didn’t mind one bit.

“Oops. I forgot. Do you need help getting dressed?”

He was wearing the shirt he’d worn to town almost a week ago.

It had to be the same shirt, the gold doubloons in the breast pocket being the biggest clue.

He’d been required to unbutton his shirt and show the jury the horrible bruise on his chest. That and his story were all they’d needed to find the criminals guilty.

“I can do it. Thinking about you helping me makes me a little light-headed. You should probably leave the room before I get dizzy and topple over.”

Her cheeks pinked up, and she smiled. Then she got his new clothes out and laid them on the bed and headed for the door.

“We can eat supper downstairs, or I can bring up a plate. You need to get some food in your belly or you won’t have the strength to sit up for the trip to Sacramento.”

“I’ll be right down, but, Ellie?”

She paused as she reached for the doorknob and turned to face him. “Yes, husband?”

That got a smile out of him. “Don’t enjoy the music too much.”

She laughed and nodded. “I promise.”

After she left the room, he got himself dressed to the tune of “Ode to Joy.” It suited his feelings perfectly.

* * * *

“Tilda, your boss says you have to return to New York City immediately.” Michelle came into the kitchen while studying a slip of paper. “Something’s come up that requires your presence.”

Tilda gasped quietly and turned to look at Michelle. The slip of paper she held didn’t look like a regular telegraph wire, but they probably had no need for official documents here on the ranch. “Did Mrs. Worthington say why?”

Michelle handed over the slip of paper.

“There’s nothing here besides what you said.

” Tilda looked from Michelle to Josh, who sat across from her at the breakfast table.

Thayne and Lock had already left for school, and Josh had come in for breakfast after spending the night as guardian in the boys’ dormitory.

Annie had asked Tilda to wait an hour before coming to join her and Caroline at the school.

It would give Annie a chance to settle the children and get them started in their studies, and then she and Tilda would discuss teaching duties.

Tilda said unsteadily, “I d-don’t want to go back. I like it here.”

Michelle narrowed her eyes at Tilda. Tilda had no idea what the woman was thinking, but it was clear she was up to something. Tilda decided to give her time and started on her own breakfast of eggs, bacon, and biscuits.

Josh seemed to be willing to let the silence stretch, and so Tilda, after saying little more than “good morning,” dug into her steaming eggs.

“I’m going to wire Mrs. Worthington again,” Michelle stated. “I’ll ask her to either send a lengthier wire to explain herself or else write a letter. And I’ll repeat that you’re planning to stay here with us on the ranch. Unless ... could it be you have a family emergency?”

Tilda swallowed her bite of biscuit. “I have no family. I was adopted by an elderly couple who have since passed on. There was a bit of money, but they had three grown daughters, and everything my adoptive parents owned went to them. And those girls never befriended me. No, I just can’t imagine what Mrs. Worthington could want.

I worked for her, but she threatened to fire me if I didn’t find my runaway orphans.

She showed no great loyalty to me.” Tilda had no idea why Mrs. Worthington would want her to return. She looked at Michelle and shrugged.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle this,” said Michelle. “I’ll ask her for an explanation, and if she doesn’t come up with something that makes you want to go back, you won’t go. Simple as that.”

All Tilda could think was that her life had always been lived on the edge of disaster.

Running the streets from her earliest memory.

Always cold, always hungry, always scared.

Then a few years in an orphanage where it was crowded and dirty.

She was cold, hungry, and scared there, too.

She’d had a few peaceful years when the Muirheads had adopted her.

But even then, she was more servant than daughter to the elderly couple, and she’d worked hard to care for them as their health declined.

They’d both died by the time she was seventeen, leaving Tilda alone in the world again.

She’d gone to work at the orphanage and loved it, but then she’d lost the MacKenzie boys, and someone was looking for an excuse to close down the orphan trains.

She’d been sent to find her missing charges, and she’d done it.

She’d been eating regular meals since she came to the Two Harts. The work they wanted her to do sounded interesting. No, she wasn’t going back. Mrs. Worthington had no need of her, not with so many people in New York City always eager for work.

“Thank you, Michelle. Now, it’s been long enough. I’d better get over to the school.”

Michelle said, “Josh, will you walk over with her? I want to handle this wire right away. Maybe we can get some answers yet today.”

“Sure, are you ready?” Josh rose from his chair.

“Yes, thank you.” Tilda should have assured him that she could find her own way. She’d been to the large white building before. But she was nervous about being a teacher and liked the idea of someone coming along with her, even if just to see her to the door.

As they walked toward the school, Josh said, “I’m glad you’re staying, Tilda.”

Tilda’s eyes widened as she looked at him. “You are?”

Josh nodded. “I didn’t want to say it in front of Michelle, but, well ... I know you need to settle in and figure out teaching, but I’m glad.”

His cheeks might’ve had just a bit of pink in them. Not easy to tell on a man, tanned from long hours in the sun, so she might be imagining it.

They were almost to the schoolhouse, so their chance to speak privately was almost over. Words seemed to back up in her throat. All she could do was reply, “I’m glad I’m staying, too.”

“Maybe we’ll have a chance to speak later.” Josh reached the school and opened the door for her.

She couldn’t remember a man ever doing such a thing for her before, but then her thoughts were a bit addled by his kind response to her staying.

He let her go in ahead of him before saying, “With the new students yesterday, and a few who’ve gone on recently to work or college, we’ve probably got about thirty-five students in all.

There are four classrooms, with the students divided among those rooms by age.

Annie’s in the room with the oldest students. ”

They stood in a long, narrow corridor with a row of four doors. He gestured to the door farthest to the right, Annie’s room. Tilda supposed Thayne and Lock were in that room, unless the scamps had gotten up to some kind of trouble.

Josh knocked on the door, then opened it without waiting for anyone to come. Tilda saw Annie look up and smile from where she sat behind a desk at the front of the room. “Come on in, Tilda,” she said. “Thanks for bringing her, Josh.”

Tilda stepped into a classroom with around ten students, all boys. Thayne and Lock were indeed there, looking at her and grinning. The door behind her closed, and she walked into her future.