Grooms with Honor Series, Books 7-9 Page 19

  Same for other families in town. His friend Gabe lived with his father, Reuben Shepard since he was a teenager rather than his mother, Mattie Ringwald in New York. When Reuben married Darcie Robbins, that added her son, Tate, and daughter, Amelia to the family. And Gabe’s mother left his sister, Mary, to live with the Shepard’s because Mrs. Ringwald wanted to be free to look for another rich husband.

  Hmm. Nolan had pushed memories of Mary back in his mind when he joined the cavalry. Well, to be truthful, that was the reason he’d—just as well face it—left home. He’d had a crush on Mary since she moved to Clear Creek when she was twelve, he was thirteen and beginning to notice girls were pretty.

  They had been close, walking to school together, fishing, buggy rides, church functions. Nolan had bought her meal baskets auctioned at socials... He knew exactly when, and where he’d first kissed her.

  But then a new man started working at the bank and Mary was smitten with his attention. Abram Jenkins was nine years older than Mary, dressed smartly, and probably reminded Mary of her real father’s wealth and home.

  Nolan couldn’t compete with Abram and slowly faded back into Mary’s history. He left town the weekend they married and only visited Clear Creek a few times since. The last time Nolan talked to Gabe, he said his sister was living in Chicago and had two children.

  Nolan glanced down, expecting to see Mary’s light brown curls. Funny how a single thought could take you back in time.

  Holly moved, then went still, probably just awakening and wondering where she was.

  “Holly?”

  She slowly sat up, twisting her neck and back one way, then another to get the kinks out of her body after sleeping in an awkward position. Then she realized she had been sleeping against his shoulder.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Nolan, I must have drifted off...”

  “And hopefully feel a little better because of it. Want to go to the dining room? I’m getting hungry,” Nolan said to smooth over Holly’s embarrassment.

  “All right. I need to go to the washroom first,” Holly stood indicating she needed to get past Nolan. He stood and stepped out into the aisle to let her pass, then sat back down. He couldn’t help but think of the different lives Mary and Holly had growing up. One with privilege and wealth, the other on army forts being the subject of people’s prejudice.

  “No! Let me go!”

  Nolan was out of the seat and down the aisle as soon as he heard Holly’s voice. A man had twisted her arm around to her back and had pushed her up against the door of the washroom. Did he have a weapon held on her? Nolan didn’t wait to find out as he barreled into the man, hard enough for the man to hit the floor.

  “Hey! Why did you do that?” the man asked sprawled on the floor.

  “Why?! You were assaulting her!” Nolan roared back, ready to knock the man flat again as soon as he stood up. And why hadn’t the other men sitting closer to the door come to Holly’s assistance before it got to this point?!

  “So? What’s it to you? She’s just a squaw,” the man grumbled as he started to get up on his hands and knees.

  The jerk! Nolan kicked the man’s shoulder to knock him back down again.

  “Nolan, stop it. I’m all right.” Holly touched his arm, and Nolan pulled her behind him out of harm’s way.

  “Hey, what’s the problem here?” The conductor was walking down the aisle from the car in front of theirs. Apparently, someone had gone to the next car to get help after all.

  “This guy just pushed me down, then kicked me for no reason at all!”

  “Because you had a woman pinned against the washroom door!”

  “That wasn’t a woman, that was a...”

  “My wife!” shouted Nolan, indignant that Holly had to face prejudiced people like the man on the floor.

  Nolan heard Holly gasp behind him, and he realized what he’d said. Wife? Well, that was the best way to protect her.

  “Huh. Well, women are scarce in this part of the territory. I guess you take what you can find.”

  “You owe her an apology!”

  “Nolan, please. Let’s go to the dining room,” Holly whispered behind him.

  “Okay, break it up. If either of you causes any more problems on this train, you’ll be thrown off. Understand?” The conductor pointed the finger at both of them. Nolan bit his lip to keep quiet because the conductor knew who was to blame for this brawl and it wasn’t he or Holly.

  “Come on, Nolan. Please?”

  Nolan walked backward down the aisle until he was sure the man wasn’t going to do something else stupid.

  “Okay, Holly, I’ll calm down.” Nolan took several deep breaths as he opened the door and ushered her across the steps to the next car. He hadn’t bothered putting on his coat for the walk to the dining car. He was steamed enough he didn’t need it anyway.

  “Um, I still need to use the washroom,” Holly whispered as they passed the one in the second car.

  “Go in, and I’ll stay close by this time.” Nolan opened the door for her, then turned his back to the door, folded his arms across his chest and glared at the men sitting near them. He took a deep breath, willing his temper to calm down. He never lost his temper like that. What just happened? He’d seen a man hurting a woman, and not just any woman, which would make his temper rise, but Holly.

  My wife? That thought kept bouncing off the inside of his brain, too. Why did he say that? It was more than protecting her. He hung his head, and then rubbed his hand over his face thinking about it. Well, he had to admit he was attracted to her.

  What would Holly think if she knew his feelings? Probably think he was feeling sorry for her. Nolan turned around when Holly opened the washroom door. Right now, it didn’t matter what his feelings were, he’d protect Holly until she was safe in Clear Creek, even if that meant calling her his wife for now. It wasn’t a lie that would hurt anyone, only protect, which he had promised to do in the military anyway.

  “Shall we see what they are serving for lunch today, Mrs. Clancy?” Nolan grandly gestured for her to walk in front of him down the aisle. “After you, my dear.”

  After a second, she matched his grin. “Thank you, dear husband.” Holly took a deep breath and held her head high while walking down the aisle in front of him. Just a few kind words of support had helped Holly tremendously. Why didn’t more people do that instead of cut people down?

  Nolan was glad the waiter had led them to a table at the end of the car because they needed to talk in private. He waited for the waiter to take their order before saying what was on his mind.

  “Holly, while we’re traveling, please let me pretend to be your husband instead of just a friend going to the same place.” He kept his voice low as he leaned across the table with his hand extended. After a moment’s hesitation, she clamped his hand to complete the look of a couple.

  “It’s safer for you, and I’d love to fulfill the role for the next few days. Is that all right with you?” Nolan would never push her to do something she wasn’t comfortable with unless she was in danger.

  “Thank you, Nolan. I...didn’t realize the danger I was in until the man had a hold of me.”

  Holly had been sheltered in a sense, always living with someone until this trip east. She’d have to learn to be on alert, ready for whatever she faced. Part of that needed to be in how she carried herself, and she needed her self-esteem built up for that to happen.

  “I’m sure if a man tries to hurt you from now on, he’ll find himself with a sore gut or clenching his knees together in pain. Right?”

  Holly blushed but put her fist against her mouth to keep from laughing. “Yes, I believe that is true.”

  “Tonight I can show you a few moves to help protect yourself if you’d like.”

  “Tonight?”

  “We’ll be getting off this train tonight because we need to switch routes to get down to Denver. I’m not sure if some nights we’ll be able to stay on the train or stay in a hotel.”

  Holl
y looked distressed now. Because of the length of the trip or...? The cost of the hotels?

  “To continue our disguise as husband and wife, we’ll share hotel rooms, at my expense, but you can sleep on the bed, while I’ll sleep on the floor or on a chair.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I promise you’re safe with me. Am I not safe with you?” Nolan loved how she tried not to giggle after getting the meaning of his question.

  “I promise you’ll be safe with me, too. Thank you, Nolan.”

  “You’re more than welcome, Wife. Looks like our food is here.” They both leaned back in their chairs to let the waiter put plates of steaming bowls of soup in front of each of them. He was starving and couldn’t wait to bite into the sliced ham sandwich tucked beside the hot bowl.

  But first, he held both hands across the table, waiting for Holly to clasp his. It was something his family had always done at home, and he introduced the custom to Holly and Myrtle at the café.

  Nolan bowed his head and softly spoke the simple words he’d heard his grandfather say at each meal. “Dear Father, please bless this food, this family, and this world. Amen.”

  He squeezed Holly’s hands before letting go to pick up his sandwich.

  What would it be like to hold hands with Holly three times a day to share meals—and life—together? And to enlarge the circle of hands whenever a child might be born to their union?

  He glanced at Holly as she quietly nibbled on her sandwich. What were her thoughts when he held her hands and said grace?

  Chapter 9

  After four days of travel with Nolan, Holly felt at ease with him. He was a truly good man, better than any she’d met. Without even counting the number of times they had held hands for their meal prayer, Nolan had given her more genuine affection, than Holly ever remembered getting from her father.

  Holly wished their trip wasn’t ending soon. Instead of being his pretend wife, she’d just be Nolan’s traveling companion. He wouldn’t dare touch her in public in Clear Creek like he’d been doing on their trip.

  Nolan had dozed off a half hour ago, his arm laying on the back of the bench seat, with his fingers on her shoulder. She studied his face, which had become dear to her in such a short time. Holly wondered if his mustache would tickle her lip if he kissed her. Was his scruffy beard wiry or soft? His face wasn’t perfect. There were several light freckles across the bridge of his nose, a small scar dissecting his right eyebrow and a pockmark about an inch from his left eye.

  His hair wasn’t quite long enough to braid, but she tried to envision what Nolan would look like with a long black braid and skin the color of hers. But then he wouldn’t be Nolan.

  Holly sighed and moved to lay her back against his chest to watch the scenery. Nolan automatically wrapped his arm around her without waking up.

  The Rocky Mountains had risen and glowed in the morning sunlight when they left the Denver hotel. It had been dark by the time the train had chugged to a stop that night, so she hadn’t realized what loomed above them in the dark sky.

  Before noontime, the mountains had disappeared, and the landscape turned to rolling prairie. The snow drifts diminished and had turned into a skiff of snow, then back to more measurable amounts as they traveled across Kansas.

  Nolan was so excited to be going home. He’d talked about every memory, person, and the business he could remember in Clear Creek; describing everything in such detail, that Holly guessed she could pick the people out when she met them.

  Holly was dreading meeting everyone since she didn’t look like the typical woman people would expect Nolan to bring home to meet his family.

  Don’t think in those terms. I’m just his pretend wife, for my safety, not his real future bride.

  But she could dream that he was actually her husband, sharing their daily lives, dreaming of their future family, sleeping in bed together.

  Holly wondered if anyone would ever ask for her hand in marriage. Maybe she should travel to the Oklahoma Territory and see if she had family there. But she might not be accepted there either. She was a half-breed who had grown up in the white world, on forts, which housed soldiers who had destroyed the Indian’s way of life, and forced them off land they’d lived on forever.

  “Are we home yet? What was the last town?” Nolan had awoken but hadn’t taken his arm off her shoulder. Holly wanted to answer, No we aren’t home yet, because then his arm wouldn’t hold her anymore.

  “The train stopped a few minutes at Wilson, but didn’t stop at Black Wolf, although they grabbed a mailbag going by.”

  “We’re getting close. The next stop is Ellsworth, then Clear Creek.”

  Nolan took his arm off her shoulder and rubbed his hands on his face. “I look different than the last time I was home. I’m not sure Grandma will approve of my facial hair. What do you think?”

  “I think she’ll be happy to see her grandson no matter what he looks like when he gets off the train,” Holly teased him, trying to sound lighthearted even though she didn’t feel that way.

  “I sent a telegram to my grandparents when we stopped at Hays, so I expect they’ll be meeting the train.”

  Holly looked sharply at Nolan because she didn’t know what he’d done when he’d stepped off the train for a few minutes.

  “Did you tell them I was with you?”

  “You mean, did I tell them that I had a pretty lady along with me?”

  “Well...”

  “No. Sorry didn’t think of it, plus that would have been a lot of extra words to pay. They’ll know you’re pretty when they meet you in a few hours.”

  Holly blushed at his words but enjoyed every compliment Nolan gave her. And she’d miss them once they were in Clear Creek and she was on her own again.

  “Next stop Ellsworth!” the conductor called walking down the aisle.

  Nolan leaned closer to the window to look ahead. “We’ll soon be pulling into town, but we won’t get off here unless you want to stretch your legs for a few minutes.”

  Nolan had talked about Ellsworth’s cattle drive days, so she was curious.

  “Yes, I’d like to walk a bit for some fresh air,” and hold onto Nolan’s elbow for one last stroll as husband and wife.

  Not many people departed the train, so the platform wasn’t busy. Sunshine warmed Holly’s cheeks as she stepped off the train. It was warmer here than their last stop in Hays, and a big difference compared to Denver.

  “Back in the mid-‘70s during the big cattle shipping days, there would be thousands of cattle grazing on the hills around town.”

  “That’s just hard to believe. I can’t imagine the noise, smell, and dust it would have created.”

  Nolan pointed to the rolling hills past the town.

  “If the cattle were on grassland the smell and dust weren’t bad. But when the cattle were driven into town, down Main Street which runs east to west in front of the yards, the dust, manure and flies were a problem.”

  “Are the railroad pens and chutes still around? I’d like to see where they loaded all those cattle.”

  Nolan tucked Holly’s hand around his elbow and started walking along the railroad tracks.

  “Most of the huge holding pens have been taken down, but the stockyards are still used for holding pens for cattle and horses to be shipped to other ranches, or the Kansas City Stockyards. I bet local livestock sales are sometimes held in the pens, too.

  “Where did all these cattle drink their water?”

  “I’ve pointed out that the train sort of follows the Smoky Hill River when going through western Kansas. Well, Ellsworth sits right north of the river. The cattle were driven down to the river to drink, or to many of the streams at the base of the hills. Natural springs in the area were a big draw to come to Ellsworth.”

  “Since Father and I moved in March of ‘72, we would have left before the big herds started coming to this area instead of Abilene, right?”

  “Yes. There were one hundred thousand cattle in Ell
sworth County in 1872. Forty thousand were shipped east on the Kansas Pacific Railroad from summer through fall.”

  “So there had to be hundreds of riders just getting off the trail, too.”

  “There was a reason it was called ‘the wickedest cattle town in Kansas,’ back in the town’s early days. Mix paid drovers glad to get off the trail with liquor, and there’d be brawls and gunfights with not enough law to handle it.”

  “Looks like a nice calm town now,” Holly noticed the streets were quiet.

  “The town was hit hard when the cattle drives stopped at Wichita and Dodge City instead of going on to Ellsworth in ‘76. It went from thousands of people stopping in town for three years to almost no visitors.

  “Businesses closed, moved elsewhere, or in some cases, burned down a few years later.”

  Holly watched Nolan point to the west end of Main Street. “Down at the end of the street was the Drover’s Cottage, a three-story hotel which could hold a hundred guests, with a big corral behind it to hold everyone’s horses.”

  “I imagine there were saloons where they could spend their money, too.”

  “Oh, there was over a dozen and stores selling clothing and boots to replace the worn-out men’s clothing, drug stores, groceries, and a bank to handle all the transactions in town...”

  “I can’t say I remember ever being in Ellsworth, but then my family was living in the fort while father was out on patrol.”

  The train’s whistle blasted a warning it was soon ready to leave so Nolan guided Holly back toward the depot. Holly glanced back at the Main Street, studying the storefronts to see what type of businesses there were. If she couldn’t find work in Clear Creek, maybe she’d come back to Ellsworth. It looked like a nice town now, shedding its wicked past.

  “See the white steeple on the church? We’re almost there,” Nolan was on the edge of his seat trying to see everything as the train pulled into town from the west. Holly should have insisted he sit by the window this time, but then she couldn’t have seen anything because his face would have been plastered to the windowpane like a little kid at a candy store.