The Convenient Mail Order Bride (10 page)

He looked away from her, and she blinked, as
if coming out of a daydream. Clearing her throat, she forced her
attention to her mother, just now realizing she was saying
something about what a nice sheriff they had in town.

“The world needs more people like him,” her
mother said as she headed for the kitchen. “Do you want something
to drink?”

“Maybe some water,” Phoebe replied, almost
absentmindedly.

“I’ll bring it right out. Why don’t you sit
down?”

With a nod, Phoebe went to the chair and
settled into it, wondering how things might proceed from here.

Chapter Nine

A
be
came in later than usual that evening. He’d purposely delayed doing
the chores, mostly because he wasn’t sure how to act around Phoebe
or her mother after the day’s events. After Eric talked to them, he
figured it’d help put their minds at ease, but the fact remained,
if Eric hadn’t taken the move to put Enoch and Benny in jail,
nothing would have been done.

Abe stared out the doorway of the barn,
wondering if he should stay out here tonight. Who knew if someone
would feel the need to retaliate because Eric chose to stand up for
a half-breed?

The night would be the easiest time for
someone to make their attack. If Abe was in the house, he might not
hear the items he’d set out to jingle if they crossed the property
line. He tapped his foot on the barn floor, giving a careful scan
of the trees. There were far too many places a man could hide. But
he’d been careful to make the string high enough to make them trip.
If he stayed out here, would it frighten the women? Or would they
feel safer?

With a heavy sigh, Abe rubbed his eyes. When
he was alone, he didn’t have this kind of pressure to deal with. If
someone hurt him or his animals, no one else suffered for it. But
now, someone could come after Phoebe or her mother. Too bad Eric
had already promised himself to his mail-order bride. No one would
dare harm Phoebe if she was meant for Eric.

He opened his eyes, this time his gaze going
to the cabin. The front door opened, and he saw Phoebe step onto
the porch. She glanced around until their eyes met. To his
surprise, she closed the door behind her and headed toward him.

He made another scan of the area. He didn’t
think anyone was lurking out there. At least, he didn’t see anyone.
But just because he didn’t see anyone, it didn’t mean there wasn’t
someone there. It was on the tip of his tongue to warn her to go
back to the cabin, but she ran over to him before he could get the
words out.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, keeping her
voice low as she reached him.

“Yes, there’s something wrong. You’re not in
the cabin,” he said.

“I came out to see if you’re alright. We
worried about you when you didn’t come in after the chores were
done.”

She rubbed her arms and gave a slight
shiver. Not only had she come out in the dark, but she hadn’t even
brought something to keep her warm. “I saw you standing in the
doorway and thought there might be something I could do to
help.”

“I was just standing here,” he shrugged,
“and thinking.”

“About what?”

After the day they’d shared, she had to ask
him that? He noticed her shiver again, so he started unbuttoning
his shirt.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Noting the uncertainty in her tone, he said,
“I’m only giving you my shirt so you can put it on.” When she
furrowed her eyebrows, he added, “To warm you up.”

“Oh.” In the light of the lantern, which
hung on a hook nearby, he thought he detected a slight pink in her
cheeks. “Thank you.”

He slipped the shirt off and handed it to
her, leaving on his undershirt. “I wasn’t going to take off
everything.” Unable to refrain from the joke, he inserted, “I
wasn’t going to scare you.”

She laughed as she put the shirt on. “I
wouldn’t be scared if you took everything off.” Her eyes grew wide,
and she gasped. “I don’t mean I expect you to take your clothes
off. I-I…I, um, I know you weren’t going to do it. Take everything
off, I mean.”

His lips curled up into a smile. She was
rather adorable when she was stammering. “Don’t worry. I know what
you meant.”

Relaxing, she chuckled, and the mood between
them grew lighter.

“Look,” he began, giving the area another
good look, “I want to make sure you and your mother are safe. You
should go back in.”

“Why? Eric said Enoch and Benny are in
jail.”

How much should he tell her? He didn’t want
to frighten her, but it wasn’t wise for her to be out in the open
where anyone could find her.

“I’m going to sleep out here tonight,” he
finally said. “You and your mother don’t have to worry about
me.”

“Where are you going to sleep?”

“Up there.” He gestured to the loft. “I have
everything I need in the trunk. You don’t have to worry about me.
Go on in and get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”

She glanced back at the cabin. “I’m not
tired. I’d like to talk to someone.”

“You can talk to your mother.”

“She’s already asleep. Can I stay out here
for a while and talk to you?”

He glanced around the property again, and
not sensing any danger, he nodded. “Alright, but we can’t stay out
here.” He waved her into the barn.

She took a step in and paused. Just as he
was about to ask if she’d changed her mind, she chuckled again. “I
forgot how potent the smell is in here.”

“Is it?” He saw the two cows and two horses.
“I’m so used to it I don’t even notice it anymore. But you’re
right. It smells like a…” The joke his uncle had often told him
fell short of completion.

“It smells like what?” she asked, her
expression indicating she wanted him to finish the joke.

“Nothing.” There was no way he was going to
say it smelled like a white man. While it was funny to him and his
uncle, he doubted she’d find humor in it. “You want to sit?”

“Sure.” She studied the area. “Where do you
sit when you’re in here?”

“When I’m not milking the cow,” he glanced
at the stool he used, “I sit over at that table. But there’s only
one chair, and the table isn’t sturdy enough to hold you, even if
you don’t weigh much. I think the best place would be in the loft.”
He gestured to the ladder that would take them up to it. “I’m not
sure you want to go there, though.”

“Why not?”

He studied her expression, and sure enough,
she was as naïve as the question was, which was surprising
considering what she’d just been through in town earlier that day.
But maybe it was a compliment. Maybe, just maybe, the question
really meant she trusted him, that she knew he’d never hurt her.
And that being the case, it was the nicest thing a white woman had
ever done for him.

“Alright,” he finally said. “I’ll go
first.”

“I thought women usually went first and men
followed,” she replied as he went to the ladder.

“If I followed you, it’d give me a good view
up your dress,” he said.

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.”

“I know. But I did, and that’s why I’m going
up first.”

He climbed the ladder and hurried to get out
a blanket and pillow from his trunk. By the time she reached the
top, he held his hand out to help her up.

Once she was sitting next to him, she asked,
“How can you sleep here? It’s not very comfortable.”

“You get used to it,” he replied. “Besides,
I got more blankets in the trunk.”

She nodded and wrapped his shirt more
comfortably around her shoulders.

There was no denying it was cooler. Even he
felt the slight chill. He retrieved one of the blankets. “Would you
mind sharing this with me?”

“No.”

He brought it around both of them, realizing
too late this meant they would be touching each other. This wasn’t
exactly the image he had in mind when he suggested the blanket. It
was on the tip of his tongue to apologize, but then she leaned
against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice soft.

“It’s just a blanket,” he replied. “I’ve had
it for years.”

“No, that’s not why I’m thanking you. With
everything that happened today, I forgot to thank you for saving me
from Enoch. I might not know much about what happens with a man and
woman, but I know whatever he had in mind, it was going to
hurt.”

“I don’t think it’s supposed to hurt if the
woman wants it.”

At least, his mother never seemed to mind it
when his father paid her visits. Even though he was as untried as
Phoebe in the bedroom, it didn’t take much of an imagination to
know when the woman wanted it, it was something she enjoyed. He let
out a long sigh. He didn’t want to think about that. All his father
had done was use her. Quite frankly, all the enjoyment she got out
of it was quickly driven out by the tears she’d cry when he was
gone.

“Enoch is a sorry excuse for a man,” Abe
said, pushing the past from his mind. “If I’d known Benny wasn’t
going to protect you, I wouldn’t have left you alone. I thought
Benny was one of the few who could be trusted.” He shook his head.
“Even knowing everything I do, I can be gullible.”

“But you still came and stopped things
before they went too far,” she replied. “I was too hard on you. You
did everything you knew to do. The way Benny talked about you and
talked about me, I came to understand why you see things the way
you do.”

He stiffened. Benny talking about him was
one thing, but him talking about her was another. “How did Benny
talk about you?”

“I thought you’d be more curious about what
he said about you than me. But since you asked, Benny said I was a
distraction. He seems to think Carl brought me here so you’d stop
the dispute over the land with the stream on it.”

Benny was probably right. Carl would do
anything to get him to stop claiming what was rightfully his. “Carl
wants that property because he’s convinced there’s gold there.”

“Is there?”

“No. Well, if there is, it’s not much. I
want that stream because I could use the water. White men worry
about money too much. They’ll force everyone off the land if they
think there’s a hint of gold or silver on it.” In a lower voice, he
added, “My people have been forced off their land for it.”

“I never would have come out here if I’d
known Carl was using me like that.”

“I know. Carl used you for his gain. Just as
his father used my mother for his,” he grimaced, “pleasure. And
that’s how I became a bastard.” Whether it was money or lust, it
made little difference. “I’m sorry about what happened with Enoch
and Benny today. I didn’t realize Eric would have listened to me.
Until the stagecoach arrives and I can get you and your mother
safely on it so you can go back home, I won’t let anyone harm
you.”

“I know you won’t,” she said. “I don’t want
to go back. Mother doesn’t either. We want to stay here.”

“After what happened today?”

“Yes. I had time to think about it, and I
can’t think of anyone else who’d be better for me and Mother than
you.” When he shook his head, she added, “Abe, you stood up to
those men in town today, even though you thought it’d mean your
life. You think I don’t know why you set out that string and pots
around the property? I bet you’re sleeping out here because you
want to make sure if anyone does come, you’ll be ready for them.
But more than that, you took us in when we needed a safe place to
stay, and you’ve been a gentleman the whole time. I know I’m safe
up here with you in this loft, too. I have a lot to learn about the
world, but one thing I know is when someone honorable and kind
comes along, that’s the person you want to be with.”

What was wrong with her? Did she really want
this kind of life? Not only did she give up the conveniences she’d
no doubt been used to in Ohio, but she’d been delegated to the same
status as a half-breed. Her lot in life would be much easier if she
took a white husband.

Maybe it was the shock of the day’s events
talking. Maybe she hadn’t had sufficient time to process
everything. Even he had been prone to making foolish decisions when
he hadn’t given enough time to consider all the possibilities
before him. Yes. That had to be it. Give her a couple of days, and
she’d understand leaving was in her and her mother’s best
interest.

Reassured by this logic, he didn’t argue
with her. He didn’t know if it was a trait all white women shared,
but she seemed particularly stubborn. He’d often wished his mother
hadn’t been so eager to let his father have everything he’d wanted.
It would have been better for all of them, especially her, if she’d
learned to stand her ground. But she never had, and to this day, he
blamed her death on her weakness.

“Are you sure you want to spend the whole
night here?” Phoebe asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. “It’d
be warmer in the house.”