Captive Bride (6 page)

She darted back across the road between a tall coach and a low wagon filled with barrels. The horse harnessed to the wagon whickered and its warm breath blew against her hair as she scooted beneath its nose.

Huiann risked a glance over her shoulder. Neither Liu Dai nor the driver were in sight and Madam Teng would have stayed in the carriage. But Huiann heard her pursuers shouting from somewhere behind her.

48

Captive Bride

The only Chinese in a crowd of Yankees, their voices were easy to detect.

Ahead, the bins of bright fruits and vegetables in front of the grocer’s caught her attention. She would be safer indoors. Maybe she could even barter her gown for less conspicuous clothing. But even as she opened the door and slipped inside she realized she could also be trapped here. Why would a foreigner help her? She had no money to offer as a bribe. If Liu Dai pursued her in here, he would tell the owner he was searching for a runaway bride and the man would likely turn her over.

Huiann paused, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dim interior. The place carried items from food to household goods to tools. The walls were packed with merchandise on shelves or hooks, and more shelving units and bins covered the floor. Huiann smelled leather, pickle brine, starch, tobacco and coffee as she moved toward the back of the room.

A Yankee stood behind a glass-fronted counter in which were displayed small items like candy, pen knives, ribbons and watch fobs. He was tall with big features, a wide mouth and a nose that dominated his face. His strange eyes were bright blue like the sky.

She could’ve sworn his eyes widened in recognition as if he knew her.

She pressed her palms together and bowed her head, fearful of addressing him and knowing he wouldn’t understand her. “Please, sir, will you help me? A man is chasing me. I need to hide here for a time until he is gone.”

He frowned and came out from behind the counter.

Huiann stepped back. He was so big and strong-Bonnie Dee

49

looking. What if he grabbed her and…and did what?

Could there be a worse fate than what Xie had already planned for her?

She lifted her face, daring to meet the man’s eyes.

His frown appeared concerned rather than angry. His held out his hand to her slowly, as though she were a bird he was coaxing to land there. Her hand seemed to rise of its own accord, reaching out to him.

At that moment, the door opened with a jangle of the bell that hung above it. Huiann glanced over her shoulder, caught one glimpse of Liu Dai, dove around the tall Westerner and ducked behind the counter, where she couldn’t be seen from the front of the store.

Her racing heart sped even faster as she squatted on the floor, ready to leap up and run again if he betrayed her.

She listened to Liu Dai speak in English to the man.

The shopkeeper answered briefly. Her arms wrapped around her knees and she dug her fingers into her forearms, silently praying to Lord Buddha, all her ancestors and especially Grandmother Mei.
You led me
here. I trust your guidance. Continue to protect me.

Liu Dai said a few more words before his footsteps headed toward the door. The bell rang as he left the store and the door closed behind him. There was a moment of silence before the American’s boots tapped across the wide wooden boards, the floor creaking beneath his weight. He came around the edge of the counter.

Huiann looked up, so high up, to meet his gaze. He was a giant, frightening in his sheer size, but a small smile curved his lips as he offered his hand to her for the second time. He spoke in that strange, flat 50

Captive Bride

language but she could tell he asked a question from the lift of his eyebrows.

Huiann took her arms from around her legs and reached up to him. His big hand engulfed hers and she felt the strength in it as he pulled her to her feet. Even standing upright she had to tip her head back to see his face.

She remembered a childhood story of a giant who terrorized a village. The people feared him and offered sacrifices to appease him. But in the end of the story it turned out that the giant wasn’t the one who’d been ruining their crops or stealing their cattle and children.

In the end, he saved the village from a bandit tribe, sacrificing his life for the people. So a giant could be a hero.

Huiann’s hand grew warm in the storekeeper’s grip.

She curved her lips to match his—her first smile since she’d reached Xie Fuhua’s house.

Chapter Four

Alan felt as if he were in a dream. Not one of his recurring nightmares but a skewed, impossible version of a normal day in the store. He couldn’t believe this woman standing in front of him was the same beautiful creature he’d seen on the dock, the one who’d made his heart beat faster.

Even though she smiled at him, her eyes were worried. He wanted to reassure her that he’d never turn her over to the men who were looking for her. The one who’d come into the store had explained she was a bride on her way to her wedding. The foolish girl had become frightened at the prospect and run away. Her fiancé, the man’s boss, would pay handsomely for her return.

“Sorry. No girl came in here. Hope you find her.” There was no doubt in his mind that the woman was running from something much worse than a wedding.

After watching through the window until the man entered the next shop, Alan had locked the door and flipped the sign to Closed before going to the woman cowering beneath the counter.

She appeared so small, like a child huddling on the floor, but when she looked up at him, her face was a woman’s. How frightened she must be, here in a world where nothing was familiar and those who should’ve been her protectors had her running for her life. The desire to defend and aid her surged through him with powerful intensity. As a boy, he’d read Knights of the 52

Captive Bride

Round Table stories and played at being a valiant knight. Clearly some part of him hadn’t left that childish dream behind.

“Are you all right?” Alan offered her his hand to help her to her feet. The woman’s hand was warm and soft in his and he didn’t let go right away. One moment then two slipped away. The air between them was charged with energy and Alan felt as if he was poised on the cusp of a crucial moment. His life would be forever different after this. He’d felt something similar when the mortar blast knocked him off his feet at Chickamauga. In the second before he’d blacked out he’d thought,
This is how I die.

Only now he thought,
This is how my life begins.

The woman touched her hand to her chest. “Chua Huiann.”

“Alan Sommers.”

Her hand moved within his and he realized it was past time to let go. As he released her, he glanced toward the front of the store. Her pursuer might come back and, even though the door was locked, it was best he get her out of sight.

“Come with me.” He pointed at the door that led to his apartment.

She hesitated and looked toward the street before following him.

Behind the shop on the first floor of the building was his kitchen. Upstairs, a bedroom, sitting room and spare room, which he used for storage. Alan pulled out a chair from the kitchen table. His guest stared at it for a second then smoothed her gown and sat gracefully.

“Do you want something to drink? Some coffee or maybe tea? You people prefer tea, right?” He stirred Bonnie Dee

53

up the coals in the stove. The kettle was already on the top, but it would take some time for the water to heat.

He turned toward Shu-Ann and she glanced at him from beneath her brows. Alan had learned a few things about Chinese culture from Dong Li and understood direct eye contact was considered impolite. Shu-Ann had been quite bold in meeting his gaze up until now.

Alan searched his mind for a way to communicate with her then held up his palm, signaling her to remain seated. “Stay. I’ll be right back.” She gave a slight inclination of her head which set quivering the strings of tiny white shells that adorned her hair.

Behind the store counter, Alan had a roll of butcher paper for wrapping purchases. He cut a length, grabbed a couple of pencils and returned to the kitchen.

Shu-Ann was looking around at the cupboards and stove and the small window which opened onto the back courtyard. When he entered, her gaze swept to him. Such dark exotic eyes with their fringe of black lashes. Her gaze made him hot and hungry in a way that was inappropriate for a man who’d set himself to be her savior and protector.

Alan laid the paper on the table before her and sketched a rough shape of the United States then marked San Francisco on the map. He drew another blob intended to be China and made some waves to indicate the ocean in between. For good measure, he made a fair approximation of a steamship chugging between the two.

He pointed at the spots on the map. “America.

China.” He pointed at Shu-Ann. “China.” 54

Captive Bride

For a moment, she stared at the paper and he feared his geography lesson was gibberish to her. Then she took the other pencil and began to draw on the map of China. A cluster of houses, a river, some stick people and Chinese symbols. She pointed to the steamship he’d drawn and held up ten fingers and seven more, showing how many days she’d been at sea. She looked at Alan.

He nodded his understanding. “Seventeen days to cross.”

Shu-Ann began to talk as she marked the paper. He was intrigued by the rise and fall of her voice as her story unfolded on paper.

In San Francisco, she drew the port and some buildings, then a house and a man with a moustache and a fierce glare. On the upper story of the house she sketched a window with bars and a face behind them.

She pointed to the face then to herself. “Chua Huiann.” Her voice cracked and she fell silent. Her hand stilled on the paper.

Alan wished he could tell her he understood the helpless feeling of being trapped. He’d been a prisoner too. He pointed to the sketch of the glaring man, a suspicion of his identity rising from the conversation he’d had with Dong Li earlier. “Who? Xie Fuhua?” He did his best to pronounce the name as Li had done.

Her eyes widened in surprise and her head bobbed.

“
Shi,
Xie Fuhua!”

The tong boss who owned the steamer she’d arrived on. Alan was sickened as he imagined what the man had likely planned for this innocent woman.

Bonnie Dee

55

“I’m sorry.” He reached out to pat her shoulder, but the kettle on the stove shrieked, breaking the moment of silent solidarity. He went to prepare the tea.

Shu-Ann rose and joined him by the stove. She pointed to the kettle and the tea canister. He stood back and let her take over the task, watching her lovely hands measure the loose tea, lift the steaming kettle and pour water into the teapot. She talked as she worked. Perhaps she told about her family or her voyage to America or the man who’d held her hostage or maybe she was only talking about making tea.

Whatever it was, Alan felt he could almost understand her if he listened hard enough, and listening wasn’t difficult because he liked the sound of her musical voice.

After it had steeped, she poured the tea into two chipped coffee mugs he provided. She lifted one of the cups and presented it to him with a bow.

Charmed by her manners, Alan took the cup and sipped the awful, watery brew. He hated tea and only kept it on hand for the rare guest who enjoyed it. Not that he actually had any guests, and probably the tea tasted so bad because it was so old.

He dipped his head. “Thank you.” His guest smiled. Not the polite quirk of the lips she’d given earlier, but a wide smile that created deep dimples in her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled. Alan’s heart knocked against his breastbone.

At the same time there was an actual knock at the door leading into the store. He jerked and nearly spilled his tea.

Jeremy opened the door and surprise turned his pumpkin face into a shocked jack-o’-lantern. “Mr.

56

Captive Bride

Sommers, I’m sorry to interrupt. I thought… Um, there are people waiting outside and I didn’t know why the store was closed.” He opened and closed his mouth silently a couple of times like a dying fish. “I, uh, signed for the freight at the train yard and arranged for a driver to transport the merchandise.”

“Good.” Alan moved in front of Shu-Ann, blocking her from the clerk’s view. “Go ahead and open up.

Apologize to the customers but, Jeremy, don’t chat with anyone about my…new housekeeper, all right?”

“Yes, sir. Of course.” The young man’s eyes were the size of half dollars. “Discretion. Absolutely.”

“You can go now. When the freight arrives, I’ll help you unload, but meanwhile I’ll be busy showing Miss Ann her duties.”

Jeremy blushed such a fiery red Alan feared his face would ignite. “Okay.” The clerk bobbed his head and backed out of the room.

Alan turned to Shu-Ann. Her eyes were nearly as wide as Jeremy’s.

“It’s all right. He’s harmless. You’re safe and you can stay here until you decide what to do.” He pointed to the narrow staircase. “I’ll show you the rest of the house.”

She frowned and looked from the stairs to him.

“It’s all right,” he repeated. He pointed to the picture of Shu-Ann behind bars and waved his hand as if erasing it. “You’re not a prisoner. You can leave here any time. You’re safe with me.” She swallowed, betraying her nervousness, but nodded and placed her mug on the counter beside his.

Alan led the way up the rickety stairs. He was ashamed at how dirty they were, couldn’t remember Bonnie Dee

57

the last time he’d swept them. He’d never cared enough to make the place look like a proper home. The sitting room was shabby and sparsely furnished. His bed was unmade and clothes lay everywhere in his bedroom so he barely allowed her a glimpse inside.

The extra room was packed full of stock for the store.

“I’ll move all this out and you can sleep here.” He pointed at Shu-Ann then at the few square feet of bare floor in the crowded room. “You, sleep here.” Her gaze darted past him to the open door as though she considered escape.