Second Chance Bride (10 page)

“Why don’t we go in the woods, to look for flowers and identify trees?” That, at least, was something Annie knew. She held out her hand, and Elizabeth skipped over to take it. “We’ll be close to the schoolhouse so we can hear your father when he arrives.”

They found a jasmine twined around a dead tree and listened for the song of a mockingbird and the tapping of a woodpecker. After a few minutes, they heard a surrey stop and a voice call for Elizabeth.

Elizabeth ran through the grove of trees. By the time Annie arrived, she had jumped into her father’s arms and he hugged her.

“I’m sorry, Elizabeth,” John said. “One of the traces broke and Ramon had to find another. Then, well, many little things happened.” He put Elizabeth down and turned toward Annie. “Good afternoon, Miss Cunningham.” He nodded at her.

“Good afternoon.” She noticed he kept his distance.

“Elizabeth, would you please wait in the surrey? I need to talk to Miss Cunningham privately.”

What did he want? Had he found out her background or that she couldn’t read? She had so many secrets. It could be anything. She stepped back. They seemed to be playing a child’s game with one of them constantly moving away.

“Please, don’t be frightened, Matilda.” He took off his hat. “I apologize for whatever I did last night that frightened you.” He paused. “I don’t know what I did exactly that scared you but promise you have nothing to fear from me.”

She struggled to consider a response, but he continued.

“I meant no disrespect. I realize that an innocent young woman like you may be uncomfortable with a man expressing his…” John seemed to run out of words, and she could not help him. “I’ll behave more circumspectly in the future.”

He hadn’t figured that she was a fallen woman. But while she felt great relief that he still thought she was an innocent, she couldn’t help but be embarrassed that she had overreacted and had misunderstood him so completely.

“I’d like to give you this, as a show of my regret for having frightened you.” He held out a book to her.

“Oh, no, I cannot take a gift.” She shook her head.

“I believe you will like this. Please.”

He stood in front of her, tall, strong and determined. But when she noticed the pleading look in his eyes, Annie took the book he held out. She tried to make out the letters on the cover, but the printing was strange and she couldn’t understand what they spelled.

“It’s a book of poetry. The sonnets of Shakespeare.”

The name sounded familiar, but she could not quite place it. She decided to keep her response simple. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled down at her, his eyes now filled with relief. She wanted to apologize to him in turn, but she still could not find the words. He stepped back and glanced toward his daughter in the surrey. “Good afternoon, Matilda.”

“Good afternoon, John.” She enjoyed saying his name almost as much as she enjoyed hearing him say hers.

She watched the surrey drive off. “Thank You again, God,” she whispered. “You are truly generous and gracious.”

She opened a page of the book and could make out the words
Shall I
and
to a summer’s day.
The other words in the first line of the poem stumped her.

Well, she’d just have to keep practicing.

But this time she’d have something better than the children’s readers to work on. This time she had a book of beautiful poetry. What had John called them? Sonnets, yes, that was it. She’d have to find out the difference between a poem and a sonnet.

But the best part was that these poems came from John. She rubbed her hand over the tooled cover of the book and smiled as she watched the last bit of dust disappear beyond his horse.

Yes, John had given her this book, and she’d treasure it forever.

“W
hat fun to have your company for the meeting of the Literary Society,” Amanda said to Annie as she snapped the reins and the cream-colored mare moved a little faster.

In a pale blue phaeton, Amanda sat up straight and held the reins firmly, obviously enjoying the display of her skill. She wore a fur-trimmed cape over a soft blue robe with a bustle that forced her to sit very straight.

Fingering her black skirt, matching basque and wool shawl, Annie felt a stab of envy before Amanda turned to her, tilted her head and smiled.

“You and I are going to have so much fun together, Matilda. Just the two of us going off on our own, even if it is just to town! I hope you’ll forgive my silly chatter, but I’m so pleased to have a friend like you.”

“Oh, I do not think you are silly. Being with you is a delight.” How could she possibly envy Amanda for having so much when she shared so much with Annie?

They had just entered town when Amanda said, “I’m happy John asked me to take you. He usually attends these meetings and escorts the teacher. I do hope there is no emergency.”

“I don’t know why John could not attend, but I do thank you for carrying me with you.”

“I know you’ll have wonderful suggestions for the meetings.” As Amanda stopped the phaeton in front of the church, several men approached the vehicle, except for the sheriff, who actually looked as if he were attempting to escape. Amanda stopped him in his tracks. “Sheriff,” she called, “would you please help me down?” She tossed him the reins.

“At the first meeting, I will just listen and learn,” Annie said.

“Probably wise, but I am so seldom wise.” After the sheriff tied the reins to a post, Amanda put her hand on his arm. Annie could not help noticing how uncomfortable the sheriff looked.

Then Mr. Johnson appeared on Annie’s side and helped her down. “My wife is the president of the Literary Society, Miss Cunningham,” Mr. Johnson said with a proud smile. “As you must know from the other places you’ve lived and taught, this society is the cultural center of our little town. We’re very proud of our group and the example of the women in our community.”

“I know this meeting will be an uplifting experience,” she said, hoping that nothing was expected of her yet.

When they entered the church, she saw Mrs. Johnson in the front of the room. She was a tall woman with ramrod-straight posture, a flinty glare and a firm command of the meeting.

“First,” she said, “I want to introduce our new teacher, Miss Matilda Cunningham.” Annie stood and smiled at the several dozen people assembled there. She knew her students and their parents, as well as the people who attended church, but there were some she hadn’t met before.

“Miss Cunningham, we welcome your suggestions and hope you will make a presentation for us in the future,” Mrs. Johnson said. “Perhaps a patriotic poem?”

Annie smiled and nodded.

After a business meeting, the program began. Ida recited a section of “The Prairie” with lovely hand motions. A very uncomfortable Samuel Johnson stumbled through “Concord Hymn” under the unyielding stare of his mother. Finally, with Amanda leading them, everyone stood and sang “Hail, Columbia” and “My Country ’Tis of Thee.”

When the program was over, the ladies served refreshments. Annie found herself surrounded by the parents of her students, who told her how much their children enjoyed school. After a few minutes, Annie excused herself to look for Amanda. She found her in a quiet corner with the sheriff, one hand on his arm while she flirted, smiling brilliantly.

How could a man resist Amanda’s beauty and charm? Well, the sheriff could. He glanced down at Amanda occasionally but kept his face expressionless. His lack of interest, however, did not deter Amanda. Finally, she took his arm and pulled him toward Annie.

“Isn’t it delightful?” Amanda said. “The sheriff has consented to follow the phaeton home.” She looked back up at the sheriff. “My father will appreciate your making sure I arrive home safely.”

“That’s what he paid me for, Miss Hanson.”

Amanda’s face fell. “He paid you? My father paid you to follow me home?”

“Yes, ma’am. He came to my office this morning. You just tell me when you’re ready to leave and I’ll follow.”

“Well, I have to admit I was surprised to see you here. You usually don’t attend these meetings.”

“No, I don’t.”

“And you usually don’t accede to my requests so readily.”

“No, ma’am, I don’t.” He nodded. “I’ll be waiting outside.”

Amanda watched him saunter out. “Is he the most bothersome man you have ever met?”

“I think he’s a very nice man,” Annie said, trying to keep her amusement out of her voice.

“Yes, I imagine he would find you interesting and treat you courteously.” Then she shrugged. “But he finds me to be a flibbertigibbet and can barely tolerate me,” she said.

“Oh, I’m sure he thinks you’re lovely.”

Amanda sighed. “Well, I wish he did, but I have to admit that he doesn’t. He ignores me or swats me away as if I were of no consequence, although he always does it very politely.” She shrugged. “I guess I’ve lost my touch with men. Or at least with this one.” She sighed again before asking, “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes.” Annie said good-night to Mrs. Johnson and the other parents and then followed her friend to the door.

During the short drive between town and the schoolhouse, Amanda teased the sheriff mercilessly as he rode behind the phaeton on his horse. He answered each comment with a courteous, “Yes, ma’am,” or “No, ma’am.”

“The man is the most frustrating person,” Amanda whispered as she stopped the vehicle in front of the schoolhouse. “I’m going to make him miserable on the way to our ranch.” She kissed Annie on the cheek before the sheriff helped her down.

As they drove away, Annie put her hand on her cheek. No one had kissed her with affection since her mother had died. That Amanda Hanson was a darling.

She continued to watch the phaeton and the sheriff until they disappeared around a curve. Annie felt very sorry for the man under Amanda’s continued assault. If Annie weren’t an upright woman who scorned gambling, her money would be on Amanda.

“Miss Cunningham, Mr. Sullivan asked me to bring you these.” It was almost three o’clock on Wednesday afternoon and all the children had left when Lucia arrived with a bundle. Annie left her desk where she worked to read a story from the fifth reader—she had fairly well conquered the other levels and their moral little tales—and took the parcel Lucia held out.

What could it be? “I shouldn’t accept gifts from Mr. Sullivan.”

Lucia lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t think of this as a gift. Just open it.”

Annie tore the paper from the bundle to find a pair of shoes inside. “Oh, Lucia, I can’t. It wouldn’t be proper.”

“Miss Cunningham, I’ve watched you hobbling around as long as you’ve been here. Elizabeth has worried about you, too. Mr. Sullivan told me you injured your foot in that carriage accident. Is that right? Does it still hurt?”

Annie nodded. “I’d planned to buy myself another pair in town but my foot hurt too much to walk that far.”

“I apologize if I speak out of turn, Miss Cunningham, but it seems to me that people who are as poor as you and me can hardly turn down something practical like this. They’re just shoes, and there’s no one else wearing them right now.”

Annie looked at them. They were black and not as serviceable as Matilda’s, mostly made up of little straps and a small heel. The leather was so soft that Annie could not help but rub it gently.

“I think if he was after your virtue, he’d give you something nicer than a pair of his wife’s old shoes.”

“His wife’s shoes?”

“When he came to breakfast this morning and Elizabeth reminded him about your problem, he asked me to go through his wife’s things. He said he had no idea if her shoes would fit you, but it was a waste to let them sit in a closet if you could wear them.”

Annie tugged off Matilda’s shoes and slipped Mrs. Sullivan’s on. They were a little snug also, but the leather was soft enough that she could feel the shoes give. “I think they’ll get more comfortable as I wear them.”

“They’re dusty. I wanted to clean them up but Mr. Sullivan thought you’d want them right away. Mrs. Sullivan died nearly four years ago, and they’ve just been sitting in her armoire.”

“How did she die?” Annie asked as Lucia started to put cans away in the cupboard.

“She got sick and never got better. She wasn’t a happy woman, always wanted to go back home. She didn’t like the heat or the sun or the wind in Texas. She missed the theater and libraries. She hated the fact that we don’t have electricity or telephones.”

“How could she not love Texas?”

Lucia laughed. “There are folks who don’t.” As Lucia closed the cupboard, the schoolhouse door opened and Amanda entered.

“Does Elizabeth look like her?” Annie asked.

“Elizabeth is prettier. She has a sparkle that her mother lacked.”

“How delightful.” Amanda entered the building with a swirl of her skirt and a laugh. “You’re talking about the late Mrs. Sullivan. Or, as my father says, ‘the first Mrs. Sullivan.’”

“Hello, Miss Hanson.” Lucia picked up her basket. “I’m on my way out. Goodbye, Miss Cunningham.” Lucia nodded at Annie and Amanda as she left.

“Goodbye, Lucia. Thank you for the food,” Annie called after her. “‘The first Mrs. Sullivan’?” Annie asked Amanda.

“Yes, my father hopes
I
will be the second Mrs. Sullivan. I don’t know how to convince him that will never happen.”

“Does John want to marry you?” Annie paused, realizing that her words sounded insulting. “Oh, not that any man
wouldn’t
want to marry you.”

“I used to believe that.” She sighed. “It’s a depressing thought that John is only lukewarm toward the idea of spending the rest of our lives together. And the sheriff runs whenever he sees me.”

“I take that to mean the ride to your ranch did not turn out as you had hoped.”

“Did the sheriff take me in his arms and vow his undying love? I fear not.” Amanda sighed and looked so downcast that Annie had to smile. “You find that amusing? When I go into decline, you won’t laugh.”

“You’re hardly likely to go into a decline.” Annie motioned toward a bench and Amanda sat. “Tell me what happened.”

“Well, after we left here, I slowed the phaeton down so Sheriff Bennett would have to ride next to me. Instead, the man sped up and rode ahead of the carriage. He told me that he was making sure I did not ride into an ambush.” She laughed and shook her head. “I do not know why I bother with the man.”

“Well, I do know why. The sheriff’s the only man that does not come whenever you smile. He’s a challenge.”

“Of course.”

“If he paid the slightest bit of attention to you, you’d get bored and have nothing to do with him.”

“Well, that does sound like me, but only back when I was much younger.”

“And how old are you now?”

“I’m almost twenty, and still not wed.” Amanda smiled sadly. “I don’t believe your statement about finding the sheriff a challenge is completely true. He’s a man I admire and trust, which is unusual for me. I find most men foolish, except for John. And I find
him
boring. Sheriff Cole Bennett is neither.”

“This isn’t a game you are playing with him?”

“Oh, la, I don’t know.” She waved her hand. “Now, let’s forget all about men. I am going to sing a solo in church Sunday and need to sing it for you so you can play.”

“Of course, but first I want to ask you one thing. If ‘the first Mrs. Sullivan’ disliked Texas so much, why did she marry John?” What a nosy question. She opened her mouth to take it back, but Amanda had begun her answer.

“None of us really knows. But once Elizabeth was born, she just wasted away. It was awful to watch, and nothing could cure her.” She slowly turned her gaze to Annie. “You aren’t interested in John, are you?”

“Of course not. He’s my employer,” Annie replied.

“I wish you were.” Amanda sighed. “If you were, my life would be so much easier. If John married you, I wouldn’t have to marry him.”

“Would marriage to John be so terrible?”

“Oh, no.” Amanda sighed. “But it would be dull. I want more.” She stood and twirled. “I want excitement and fun and—Oh, Annie, I want so very much more!”

“I hope you find it,” Annie said.

“Now, listen,” Amanda said, returning to the mundane. “Let me sing my solo for you and see if you can finger the melody.”

The next day, Annie sat at her desk, correcting the twins’ slates during the children’s outdoor time when she heard a loud thumping on the roof of the schoolhouse. She leaped from her desk, frightened that one of the children had fallen. She ran outside, but couldn’t see them. Where could they have gone?

Then she heard loud laughter and was almost run over as the boys ran around the building toward her.

“Children,” she shouted. “What is it? Are you hurt?” Then she looked at their laughing faces and saw a ball in Frederick’s hands.