Her Wyoming Man (4 page)

Nathan’s attention flickered over her hair and touched on her dress. His gaze warmed in appreciation. “You look lovely.”

She gripped her napkin in her lap. She had evening dresses aplenty, a selection of day dresses and a few skirts with blouses, but she’d never had occasion to own clothing for church. “I wasn’t sure what the ladies in Sweetwater wore to church, is all. I don’t want to make a bad impression. Perhaps I should wear a dress with a jacket.”

“You’d be too warm,” he replied. “I like what you’re wearing.”

“I’ll just go select a hat then.” She stood.

“You’ve barely eaten anything,” he said.

“It was very good, but I’m full. I’ll be down in time to leave.” She hurried from the room and up the stairs, where she dragged a stack of hatboxes to the center of the room and tossed off the lids. Finally deciding, she donned a black straw hat with a small brim. Tiny yellow and red silk flowers adorned the brim, and ends of frothy black netting hung down her back. Standing before the mirror, she settled it just right and stuck a long pearl-headed pin through each side, catching her hair.

She lifted the tray from a trunk and rifled the contents until she found a pair of short white gloves with bead and seed pearl design. This was her debut morning as Mrs. Nathan Lantry. Nerves jittered in her stomach, chipping away at her always-firm composure. These new circumstances were out of her realm of confidence, but she couldn’t let her serene facade slip.

The hat didn’t go well with her dress, so she removed her hat and tugged off the gloves, then changed into a white handkerchief blouse and donned a short-sleeved plum-colored velvet jacket. The color required she select a different hat, so she barely made it down the stairs and out the door as Nathan was helping the children into a buggy.

“You look lovely,” he told her, and held her arm as she climbed in.

“I noticed the carriage house from the window, but where are the horses kept?” she asked.

“I stable two horses at the livery. The liveryman or one of his helpers brings one to the house on Sunday mornings. Whenever you want to go somewhere and don’t want to walk, simply let me know in the morning, and I’ll make arrangements for a driver to come hitch up the buggy.”

She would want to go visit Celeste soon, but for now all she could focus on was this morning.

This was her only chance for a first impression. She hoped for all she was worth that she measured up to the standards of the townspeople…and that Nathan would have no reason to be embarrassed by his hasty choice in a wife.

Chapter Five

T
he oak doors were already closed, so Nathan tugged one open. Organ music swelled as he gestured for Ella to enter ahead of him. She stepped into the white frame church, her boot heels echoing on the floorboards as she hesitated at the rear of the long aisle. Everyone had been seated, and now heads turned as Nathan guided her forward, the children in tow. Discomfort prickled at the collar of Ella’s modest white blouse, and she tried to walk more quietly. Beside and behind her the children’s feet made a clatter.

The only familiar face in an ocean of strangers was Celeste’s. Ella latched on to her smile and returned it. Was Nathan ever going to select a pew and get them out of the center of attention?

He led them almost all the way to the front before stepping aside and gesturing for her to enter and take a seat on a long pew. Settling beside her, Nathan set down a leather book with a worn cover and pulled Robby onto his lap. He withdrew a small leather case from his pocket and handed it to the boy.

With chubby fingers, the child popped open the snap and slid out a pair of miniature wooden sheep and a giraffe.

Reverend Kane, who had married them the day before, announced a song and page number. Everyone stood. Ella glanced around and followed Nathan’s movements. He got to his feet holding Robby on one arm. Nathan gestured toward the back of the pew ahead of them.

It took her a moment to figure out he wanted her to pick up the book that was tucked in a holder. She did so and, following the actions of the person on the other side of her, opened it to the appropriate page.

She read music, so she had no difficulty following along as Reverend Kane led the hymn. Singing in a group of people was outside her experience. Voices lifted all around her, a woman behind them even providing pleasant harmony. Nathan had a surprisingly deep mellow voice, and didn’t appear the least self-conscious; in fact, he looked over at her and smiled more than once as they stood like that, voices and organ music swelling around them.

Brass plates were passed from person to person, and Ella observed the church members tossing in coins and paper currency. She leaned toward Nathan to whisper, “I forgot my coin purse.”

“No worries. I make our offering for the family. You can put it in the offering plate if you like.” He reached into his inside coat pocket, withdrew several bills and handed them to her. She added them to the growing pile of cash as the plate came past.

Reverend Kane stood behind a wooden pulpit draped with a white cloth. “It’s my pleasure to make introductions this morning,” he said in his booming voice. “Mrs. Paul Adams is with us for the first time. Welcome to Sweetwater, Mrs. Adams.”

All heads, including Ella’s, turned toward Celeste. Her cheeks burned a bright pink, but she smiled and acknowledged the introduction with a nod. Beside her, Paul beamed with pride.

“And Mrs. Nathan Lantry is worshipping with us for the first time. Welcome to Sweetwater, Mrs. Lantry.”

This time men, women and children turned their attention to Ella. Warmth climbed her neck until her cheeks burned hot. She made a point of looking at Celeste and smiling.

The preacher opened a book, and Ella missed his next few words.

“Can you reach my Bible?” Nathan asked, around Robby’s head.

Ella must have given him a quizzical look.

“It’s there on the other side of you now.”

“Oh.” She found the book he wanted and extended it toward him.

“Go ahead and hold it for me,” he whispered.

She placed it on her lap.

“Open with me to the second book of Corinthians,” Reverend Kent instructed.

Pages rustles in the silence as people all around opened their Bibles.

Ella opened the book on her lap, only to see a page header that read Ezekiel thirty-five. She peeked at the book the woman on her left held, and noted she had found the Corinthians heading. After thumbing through a few pages, she realized she was the only one still rustling pages, without seeing anything close to a Corinthian. She quickly closed Nathan’s Bible.

His fingers closed over it and he shifted Robby in order to open the book to the correct place.

Toward the end of the service, Robby became irritable, and Nathan kept him quiet by galloping the giraffe across the little boy’s knees until he giggled and Nathan had to stop.

By the time the last song had been sung, the child slept soundly on Nathan’s shoulder.

They stood and merged into a crowd making a way toward the door at the rear of the sanctuary. A dozen townspeople greeted them.

Ella recognized that the men outnumbered females at least two to one. No wonder their meager group of women had been welcomed into this community with open arms.

“Mrs. Lantry?”

At a touch on her shoulder, she turned. The address had been for
her,
of course. A slender woman in a green dress and matching hat gave her a hesitant smile. “I’m Betsy Iverson. I couldn’t help noticing your lovely voice this morning.”

“Oh. Thank you,” Ella said, caught by surprise.

“We have a choral group who sing for special occasions, and we’d love to have you come join our rehearsal this week. Thursday afternoon at two right here. After ward, we go over to Minnie Oliver’s for tea.”

“Well.” Ella had never sung, other than humming notes to learn a musical piece on the piano, and she’d never taken afternoon tea, but apparently these were the pastimes of the women of Sweetwater. She glanced at Nathan to find him observing her uncomfortable exchange. She raised an eyebrow in question. Was Betsy Iverson’s invitation an acceptable event?

“It sounds like a good way to become acquainted with the ladies, and it’s a pleasant afternoon diversion,” he said, coming to her rescue.

She nodded. “All right then.” She glanced back at Betsy. “Thank you. I’d love to join your gathering.”

“Lovely. We’ll look forward to getting to know you.”

Nathan nodded approvingly.

Ella kept the smile on her face, despite all the assessing looks she received. Celeste emerged from the crowd, her new husband beside her. Ella wondered if her own expression was every bit as stupefied as Celeste’s after the morning’s events. She tried to keep her grasp on Celeste’s hand from breaking any bones, but she was so glad to see her, she didn’t want to let go.

“What a morning,” Celeste said. “But church was nice, wasn’t it?”

“Very,” she replied, glancing at a stranger studying her over Celeste’s shoulder.

“Come call on Celeste anytime,” Paul Adams said from beside her. “She’d like your company.”

“I will,” Ella promised. She released Celeste’s hand, and the couple moved toward the open doors.

“Will you take Grace’s hand, please?” Nathan asked. “She barely comes up to the belt buckles in this crowd.”

Ella turned readily and reached for Grace. Once out of doors, he guided Ella up to the buggy, and then held Robby up to her.

She fumbled with the child’s sagging weight for a moment, arranging him on her lap and cradling his head against her breast. “This little fellow is surprisingly heavy.”

Christopher and Grace settled themselves on the rear seat, and Nathan led the team toward his home.

Ella had been too distracted the evening before to notice the even brick streets they traveled or the neighborhood Nathan led them to. Most of the homes were more modest than Nathan’s, but a few were equally as impressive. All were well-kept and painted in attractive colors or fresh white, with gardens and hedges and trees established. It was a far cry from Dodge City with its dusty streets and rows of saloons.

She’d known, of course, that Mrs. Fairchild’s establishment had been a polished diamond among rough stones and that the clientele were businessmen living in Kansas purely for the monetary gain of the burgeoning cattle business, but never had it been as apparent as today.

“As soon as we’ve changed clothing, we’ll set out our meal,” Nathan said to her. “Afterward the children will take naps, and you and I will have a few hours together.”

With a smile, she nodded.

As planned, they met in the kitchen after changing clothes. The children scrambled onto chairs to await their lunch, and Nathan glanced at her skirt and blouse. “Did you bring any aprons?”

She shook her head.

“Let’s borrow one of Charlotte’s.” He found a faded apron in a drawer and unfolded it for her.

She slipped the bib over her head and wrapped the ties around her waist. Nathan stepped behind her, took the sashes from her hands, their fingers brushing, and tied it. He smelled good, like a blend of sandalwood and bay rum. From behind, he placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned forward where she could look up and meet his gaze. They stood like that for a moment, until Ella let her focus drop to his lips.

He released her and glanced at a note propped against the sugar bowl on a lower open shelf. “It seems we have a casserole to remove from the oven and bread to slice.”

“I can slice bread,” she offered.

He set the table and they shared an informal dinner right there at the kitchen table. “Robby will sleep through this meal and wake famished,” Nathan told her.

“I’ll save a plate of food for him,” she offered.

“Jimmy Evans thinks you’re going to be our mama,” Christopher said.

Nathan laid down his fork.

Ella did the same. “Is Jimmy a friend of yours?”

Christopher shrugged. “He’s a little bit of a friend.”

“Do you want me to be your mother?” she asked.

Nathan appeared surprised by her question. Grace just blinked from one person to the next and chewed.

“I dunno,” he replied with a shrug. “Richard Crandall’s mama yells at him a lot, and she doesn’t let him stay to play ball ’cause she says he has to do chores.”

“I assure you I won’t be yelling at you,” she told him. She glanced at Nathan. “Does he have any chores?”

Nathan shook his head before locking his gaze on his son. “I’ve been thinking this will be the year that you help shovel the front walk and the area in front of the stable doors, though. You’re getting to be a big strong boy.”

“Shoveling snow will be
fun!
” he said.

“Most people don’t get to choose their mothers or their children,” Nathan pointed out. “You and Ella are able to choose if you want to be mother and son. No one is going to make you call her mother or love her. That’s up to you.”

His words tugged at Ella’s heart. She still hadn’t figured out how to be a wife. How was she supposed to know how to be a
mother,
too?

“But you must be respectful and kind,” he added. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.” Christopher finished his bread and butter unconcernedly. “May I read before nap time?” he asked.

“Of course,” Nathan replied. “As long as you’re quiet and don’t disturb your sister or brother.”

Nathan asked Ella to accompany them, then wiped Grace’s face and hands and carried her up the stairs. She clung to his neck and stared over his shoulder as Ella followed. Ella had yet to hear her utter a word.

The children’s room was long, with wooden shutters that closed over the inside of the windows. Nathan pulled them shut now, all except for the single panel he left slanted open near Christopher’s bed. The boy removed his shoes, selected a book, and made himself comfortable.

Nathan took off Grace’s tiny boots and tucked her under her covers. She stretched both arms toward him, and he bent over her bed to share a hug. “Rest well, buttercup.”

She closed her eyes.

He moved to adjust the covers around Robby in another small bed, and then they slipped from the room, Nathan closing the door firmly.

“What would you like to do?” he asked.

She thought a moment. “Do you have a piano?”

He shook his head.

“Never mind then. I thought I could play for you.”

“I should have an instrument so the children can learn,” he said.

“I could teach them,” she suggested brightly.

“That would be nice.”

“I have a phonograph in one of the crates that came from the train depot. We could listen to the cylinders.”

He nodded. “Those crates are on the sunporch. Let’s go find your phonograph, and I’ll carry it to the sitting room.”

The spacious area he called a sunporch was an enclosed room on the back of the house with two walls of windows, one of which overlooked a gentle slope leading to a stream, easily identified by the strip of wooded area that wound across the landscape with the flow of the water.

“What a lovely place to live.” Her breath caught. She hadn’t meant to sound so emotional.

“When I selected this site, Sweetwater was still a row of tents and clapboard stores,” he said while moving crates. She turned to look at him. He had rolled back his sleeves over corded forearms with a dusting of dark hair. “I had my heart set on building a house here. Raising a family.” He paused to gaze out over the countryside. “Life takes unpredictable twists.”

He meant his wife’s death, obviously. Ella moved to the simple screen door that opened onto the yard. All she had to do was open that door and walk outside. No one would stop her.

She tested her freedom by flipping up the flimsy hook that held the door shut. She turned to look behind her and confirm that the door that led from the house to the porch was the one that locked for safety purposes.

“Something wrong?”

She shook her head.

“Even if someone broke that hook and eye and came into the porch, they couldn’t get in the house,” he assured her.

“I see that. I was just thinking how easy it would be to walk outside and wander down by those trees along the stream.”

“That’s why I keep the door hooked,” he said. “Grace and Robby can’t reach it. Christopher knows enough to stay away from the water.”

Of course he thought of the children’s safety. She thought only of the lack of restrictions. “I can walk out there anytime I like.”

“Yes, of course,” he replied. “Use wisdom, of course.”

He found the phonograph and removed it from the crate. “I can set it up right out here, if you prefer.”