The Nanny's Little Matchmakers (Love Inspired Historical) (18 page)

“I’m not sure what else we can do until we find out who the owner of the Orrington Grand is,” Will said. “All of my leads have dried up, and unless we have someone come forward with the identity of JB, we’re at a dead end. I was really hoping that Mitch would know.”

A knock sounded at the door, and Uncle Frank poked his head into the room. “I just wanted to see if you were almost finished. I’m supposed to be meeting with a couple to discuss their wedding, but if you’re going to be much longer, I can take them over to the house.”

Will waved him in. “No, we’re done. I was just updating them on what I found on my trip to Denver.”

“Good news, I hope?” Uncle Frank sounded optimistic as always. Sometimes Polly envied him that ability. She’d never spoken to him of her doubts about marriage because his was one of the few truly happy marriages she’d witnessed. How could someone who’d had it so easy understand what it was like to fear the realities she’d known?

“Some promising information, but unfortunately, unless you know who owns the Orrington Grand, we’ve hit a dead end,” Will said, looking regretfully in Mitch’s direction.

“What’s this about the Orrington Grand?” Eleanor Steele, a young lady Polly recognized from Bible study, entered the room followed by a gentleman Polly didn’t recognize. Presumably, Eleanor’s intended.

Eleanor paused briefly, but when no one volunteered information, she continued. “Mother and I stayed there when we went to Denver to do some shopping for the wedding. Not nearly as fine an establishment as the Rafferty, but it’s not terrible. Take my advice, and if you stay there, don’t get caught up in conversation with the proprietors. The wife is all right I suppose, but the husband is a dreadful bore.”

“Who might they be?” Mary asked. “Do we know them?”

Eleanor sighed. “Not likely, though they are staying with us. Laura Haywood Booth is older than we are, and to my knowledge, she hasn’t been to Leadville until now. James, her husband, was a nobody until he married her. Fortune hunter, you know. The family was so convinced that all he wanted was poor Laura’s money that they tied everything up in a trust that he has no access to.”

Polly, Mitch, Mary and Will all looked at each other.

“You said her husband is James Booth?” Will asked, sounding casual, even though Polly knew they were all hanging on the answer.

“You’ve heard of him?” Eleanor sounded incredulous. “He’s of no consequence. The money is all from the Haywood family. I’m quite surprised really. As I said, he’s a dreadful bore, and poor Laura is as timid as a mouse. I can’t imagine what Mother was thinking, inviting them up, but you know how she is.”

Eleanor let out a long sigh. “You can’t imagine what an imposition it’s been hosting them. I had thought they were only staying for a few days, but Mother is constantly making plans for her and Laura. She says Laura is in desperate need of her help. For what, I’d like to know.”

“They’re staying at your house?” Polly tried to hide the excitement from her voice. Could the answer to their woes be so simple?

“Yes. That’s what I’ve been saying, isn’t it? It’s why Mother isn’t here today. She’s taking Laura to see her favorite milliner.”

Will gave Eleanor what appeared to be a sympathetic look. “How long has it been?”

“Forever.” Eleanor let out a long sigh. “Here I am, trying to plan a wedding, and Mother is busy entertaining these people.”

Mary nodded and touched the woman’s arm gently. “Having recently married myself, I can only imagine how trying that must be for you. Planning a wedding is so much work. Why would your mother let them stay so long if it’s interfering with your plans?”

“Well that’s just it,” Eleanor said. “I assume since we’re here in the pastor’s office, you won’t breathe a word to anyone. But honestly, I’m so upset by the whole thing, I have to get it out.”

They all murmured their agreement that of course they wouldn’t share what Eleanor told them.

“Did you hear about that horrible murder that happened in Denver? An actress was brutally killed right there, in the Orrington Grand. Can you imagine? A murder. Right there. Just down the hall from where Mother and I were sleeping. Why, it could have been us.”

Polly bit her lip to keep from reacting. This could be even better information than they’d hoped for.

“The papers say it was the woman’s husband, acting in a jealous rage, but what if it wasn’t? There’s a madman on the loose, and we were nearly victims.”

Instinctively, Polly reached for Mitch’s arm, giving him a sympathetic squeeze. He’d most likely heard worse, but it had to be hard to hear someone sensationalizing what had happened. And at least Eleanor was willing to give the husband the benefit of the doubt.

“After the deputies questioned us, Mother was intent on getting us home to our own beds, where we didn’t risk being murdered in our sleep. But when we went to check out, James Booth was there, and he was absolutely insistent on having us for lunch. It was very kind of him to want to be sure the deputies weren’t too hard on us, but he just kept asking questions, making us miss the train.”

Eleanor let out another long sigh. “By then, Laura had joined us, and she was so upset that a murder had happened in her hotel, and then reporters were there, asking questions, and it was horrible. Mother felt so bad for poor Laura that she invited them to come stay with us until the talk died down.”

With an imploring look toward all of them, Eleanor continued, “James asked us not to let anyone know they were here because he didn’t want the reporters to find them. Who would have thought that the accused murderer would have family in Leadville and he’d come to the very town where the Booths were staying? Fortunately, Leadville is large enough these days that we’re not likely to cross paths, particularly since we don’t spend time in that part of town. Father assures us that we’re perfectly safe. Supposedly, the man’s gone into hiding or some such, but I can’t imagine why the Booths would remain, except that Mother keeps insisting Laura stay.”

Polly glanced at Mitch, whose blank look didn’t reveal any reaction to Eleanor’s words. But she noticed Will taking them in with great interest. No one said anything but let the talkative young lady continue her tale.

“I know Mother means well in befriending Laura, but why should she take such an interest in this other woman when she has her own daughter’s wedding to plan? I probably shouldn’t have told you all of this, but honestly, I am at my wit’s end. How much longer are those people going to stay with us? I fear my wedding is going to be a disaster.”

Eleanor burst into tears, and her fiancé, who’d stood silently by, pulled her into his arms, comforting her. “There, now, darling, it’s going to be all right.”

The gentleman looked over at Uncle Frank. “That’s why we asked to meet with you, sir. Naturally, we’d like to discuss the wedding, but we’re also hoping you could suggest ways of entertaining the Booths so Eleanor’s mother can focus her attention back on her daughter.”

“Oh, Eleanor.” Mary put her hand on the other girl’s back. “You know that those of us in our Bible study group would be happy to help with your wedding. Why, I think even Emma Jane Jackson would be pleased to give her assistance.”

Eleanor turned around, her face reddened with tears. “You think so? Mother said we shouldn’t be so presumptuous as to even invite the Jacksons to our wedding, but if you think Emma Jane would be willing...”

The Jacksons were one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Leadville. And now that Emma Jane was married to Jasper Jackson, her involvement in a project almost assured its success. Even though they seldom took advantage of their friend’s elevated social status, sometimes being able to remind others of their friendship aided their cause.

Eleanor didn’t know it, and Polly was sure none of them would mention it until they saw the case through, but she’d just provided Will and Mitch the breakthrough they needed.

“Emma Jane would be delighted, I’m sure,” Mary said, smiling first at Eleanor, then turning her gaze on Polly. “Don’t you agree, Polly?”

Polly had no idea if Emma Jane would be delighted, and given that everyone thought Polly would be delighted to do any number of things that Polly was not delighted to do, she was reluctant to volunteer Emma Jane for anything.

However, between Mary, Will and Mitch insistently staring at her, and the hopeful stares of Eleanor and her fiancé, Polly couldn’t bring herself to disagree. So, she settled for a compromise.

“We can certainly ask her. She’s always happy to lend a hand when she can.”

The conversation quickly turned toward wedding plans, and Polly was hard-pressed to find an excuse to leave. She’d never planned on a wedding for herself, so she’d never given consideration to things like flowers, music and decor. But every time she sighed at having to think on such things, both Mary and Will shot her sharp glances.

Polly couldn’t bear to look at Mitch. After all, even if all they exchanged were sympathetic glances, it would only add fuel to the fire that they were pining after each other. Which they most certainly were not.

But the few times Polly allowed her mind to wander, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d been wrong in so vehemently opposing marriage.

Chapter Fifteen

M
itch couldn’t believe the gold mine they’d discovered in meeting Eleanor. He would have liked to have explained his side of the story to the young lady, but Will cautioned him not to say anything. The chatty young woman might accidentally reveal too much when she returned home, and it would ruin their chances of getting an unrehearsed reaction from James. Once they finished helping her sort out what she needed for her wedding, they gratefully accepted an invitation to stop in for tea the next day.

“I’ll pay Nick Steele a visit later,” Will told him as they walked back toward the parsonage. “He’s ridden out with us a few times when we needed an extra man. I’ll see what insight he can give us before we have tea. I’d like to have the element of surprise, but I also don’t want to blindside Nick. He’s a good man, and I know he’ll do what he can to help.”

“I should go—”

“No. We don’t know if Booth is there or not, and he might recognize you. Given that he ran even with the blame being placed on you, there’s no telling what he’ll do if he knows you’re looking into him. Right now, he thinks he might have gotten away with it, and public attention is on you, not him. Let’s keep the element of surprise for as long as we can.”

Though the other man’s words made sense, it didn’t feel right in his gut. It made him feel weak and helpless letting someone else fight his battles for him.

“It will be all right,” Polly said, looping her arm through his. “I know it must be frustrating not to do anything, but your time will come. Let’s do this right, so your children aren’t visiting you in jail instead of taking you on picnics.”

Her hand felt warm resting in his arm, a source of comfort he hadn’t been expecting. The generosity in Polly’s spirit was about giving to all, helping all. She meant nothing by the gesture, Mitch knew, but he could feel Will’s questioning glare on him.

Mitch gently disentangled Polly’s arm from his. “If you’re trying to keep people from remarking on our relationship, then you’re doing a terrible job of showing it.”

As her face flushed, Mitch’s stomach fell. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I know you were just trying to be kind, but others seem to think there’s more to it than that.”

Polly nodded slowly. “Of course. I wasn’t thinking. I don’t understand why everyone thinks I have to walk the path they’ve chosen for me.”

The pain in her voice wasn’t about him, and like she’d just tried to do for him, Mitch wanted to comfort her in some way. But even though they’d disentangled and taken a step away from one another, he could still feel Will’s watchful eyes on him.

“I don’t think they mean it maliciously,” Mitch said, still keeping his voice low. “They care about you, and it’s clear they want you to find the same happiness they have.”

“I’m not sure that’s possible for me.” Her voice was almost a whisper, and he barely caught it.

Mitch wanted to argue with her and tell her all the reasons why any man would be fortunate to have her, list all the many reasons why she could have love in her life.

But as he started to think about her kindness, her compassion, her wit, he had to question his own attachment to her.

As much as he tried reminding himself of the heartache he’d faced at Hattie’s hands, he knew they were excuses that didn’t measure up. He would have never described Hattie as having Polly’s qualities.

Polly wanted to leave, yes, but it wasn’t the same wanderlust he’d seen in his late wife. Truth be told, he hadn’t looked any deeper into Polly’s motivations than resisting her family’s meddling.

Was he wrong in dismissing the possibility of romance with Polly?

Mitch opened the door to let the ladies in, and as Will approached, he said, “Hold up a minute. We have a few things to go over.”

“Sure.” He closed the door and faced the other man. “What’s the plan?”

“The plan is you need to be straight with me about your intentions toward Polly. Her brothers are up at the mine, or else I’m sure they’d be having this conversation with you.”

The other man’s stare bore into him like a drill into solid rock. Will might be a younger man, but he had a good few inches on Mitch and broad shoulders that dared any man to challenge him. There was no pretense of politeness or friendliness in Will’s posture, and though Mitch didn’t like having it aimed at him, at least he knew how the other man appeared when questioning people for a case.

Except Mitch wasn’t guilty of anything. He squared his shoulders and returned Will’s look. “She’s my nanny. At times, I’d like to think we’re friends, but too many people keep reading into it more than what it is, so we’re trying to keep our distance.”

That was the real shame. It had been a long time since Mitch could count anyone as a friend, but because of other people’s assumptions and aspirations, he couldn’t rely on his friendship with Polly.

“That so?” Will’s gaze didn’t flinch. “I’ve seen the way you look at her.”

Apparently, everyone thought that he thought Polly was chocolate cake.

“She’s a beautiful woman,” Mitch said slowly. “But I do my best not to dwell too much on that.”

“Exactly. You try too hard not to look.”

Mitch closed his eyes for a moment. There was no winning in this situation.

“What would you have me do, gouge my eyes out?”

A hint of a grin appeared at the corners of Will’s lips, but otherwise, he seemed just as hard as he’d been throughout the conversation.

“If that’s what it takes to keep our Polly safe.” His expression softened slightly. “She might seem like she’s hard as nails when it comes to dealing with men and romance, but her heart’s as delicate as they come.”

“You don’t need to tell me that.” He could have told Will a thing or two about Polly’s delicate heart. Hadn’t he seen it in action as she cared for his children? As she tried to bridge the gap between him and his children? He’d even seen it in the moments when he’d tried to put a respectable distance between them and ended up hurting her feelings.

“Obviously I do.”

What was he supposed to say? In defending his knowledge of Polly’s heart, it would only prove exactly the point Will was making. And yet, Will failed to understand the complexity of the situation.

Will continued staring at him like he expected an answer, and Mitch couldn’t see the point in continuing the conversation. He couldn’t give the other man the answers he wanted, and to keep talking about it would only serve to frustrate them both.

“I understand your point,” Mitch finally said. “But you don’t have anything to worry about on my account.”

The look Will shot him could have slain Goliath himself. “I can’t tell if you’re lying to me or to yourself. Either way, you’d better figure it out soon. I won’t let an innocent man go to jail, but I promise, you hurt Polly, and jail will seem like a far more pleasant place.”

Then he tipped his hat and went inside.

Everyone had been right in saying Will Lawson was the best man to put on a case. Mitch had no doubt that Will would find a way to get the right man behind bars. Now to convince Will that Polly’s heart was in no danger. Had he been open with the man, he would have told him that the heart most in danger was his own.

Mitch went inside to find the others all chatting merrily in the kitchen. Will stood with his arm protectively around Mary, laughing at something Frank said. He couldn’t fault the other man for wanting to protect Polly, and as Polly entered the room, carrying Isabella, Will gave her a warm smile.

“I see someone missed you,” Mary said, touching Isabella’s arm gently. “Emma Jane said the children all behaved for her. And, judging from how she spoiled this little one, I think she’s hoping for a little girl of her own.”

“I wouldn’t mind a little girl,” Will said, patting Mary’s still flat stomach.

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Mary grimaced. “I can’t imagine the torment you’ll put her suitors through. I know your talk with Mitch outside was not just a friendly chat.”

Polly turned to Mitch. “It wasn’t about the case, then?”

Mitch shook his head, not wanting to say much more and risk inciting Will’s wrath.

“Honestly!” Polly gave Will a look far deadlier than any Will had given him.

“I am a grown woman, perfectly capable of looking after myself. I know you all think you know better than me, but this is my life and I’ll thank you to stay out of it.”

Then she turned to Frank. “You asked me earlier about being overworked and why I wanted so badly to make a life of my own. This is why. Mitch has done nothing wrong, but everyone is warning him and then trying to push us together. Even if he were interested in me, I can’t imagine why he would want to get involved with someone with such a meddling family.”

Tears ran down her cheeks, and it took every ounce of strength not to run and comfort her. Though he ached to see her hurting, his actions would only cause more strife among them.

“They only want what’s best for you,” Mitch said quietly, trying to break the rock-solid tension in the room. “It wasn’t so long ago that I didn’t appreciate your meddling in my life, but now that we’re closer to answers than I ever got on my own, I understand that you were able to see things I couldn’t.”

She turned her fiery gaze on him. “So you’re saying that they’re right in how they’re acting over us?”

“No.” Mitch met her gaze, then turned his attention on Will. “The truth is, even though Andrew was good in taking us in to escape the attention we received after Hattie’s death, I’m not as close to my family as I’d like to be. When I met Hattie, they warned me. Told me that I was ruining my life. And when everything fell apart, I never went to them for help, advice or comfort. I had too much pride to listen to one more ‘I told you so,’ and the gap between us widened.”

His throat tightened as he realized just how much he’d missed the closeness he once shared with Andrew. The backs of his eyes stung, and he took a deep breath to calm the emotions he hadn’t realized he’d been stuffing down for so long.

“Andrew used to be my best friend, my closest confidant, and being here with you all has made me realize how much I’ve missed my brother. But every time I think of talking to him about what’s really happening, I hear his voice in the back of my head, telling me not to come crying to him when my life falls apart.”

A tear trickled out of the corner of his eye, and Mitch did his best to ignore it. These people had no idea how much of his insides they’d torn open, allowing the green festering ooze to spill out. It wasn’t fair to dump this all on them, not when the situation was really about Polly, and him doing his best to defend her while keeping his heart intact.

With all that he’d broken open these past weeks, he couldn’t afford to let her run away and take it with her.

“Don’t do that to Polly. She is the strongest, bravest woman I know, but if you push her too hard, her pride will never let her come back. We’ve both told you where we stand on our relationship, and that’s where you need to leave it.”

He glanced at Polly again and gave her a nod. “Polly, you are a good, honorable woman, and were circumstances different for the both of us, there might be a chance of something between us. But you’ve made your wishes clear, and I respect you too much to ask otherwise.”

Eyes filled with tears, Polly whispered, “Thank you.”

Once again, Mitch returned his attention to Will, giving him the steely gaze that he’d subjected Mitch to just minutes earlier.

“Maybe Polly and I are lying to ourselves. And maybe we’re just being honest about the fact that attraction isn’t enough for a lasting relationship. I know all about being led astray by a pretty face, and I’ve lived enough life to know what I will and won’t settle for in a marriage. I’m sorry if you don’t like that response, but I will not answer to you again on this subject.”

Without waiting for a reply from any of them, Mitch turned and walked out of the house. He wasn’t fit company for anyone right now, and now that he’d gotten to the core of where he was hurting, he had a lot of thinking—and praying—to do.

* * *

Polly watched Mitch leave, and somewhere in the haze of her tears, she felt Mary’s gentle hand on her arm. And then Uncle Frank’s on her other arm, gently taking Isabella from her. Somewhere behind Mary was Will. Polly couldn’t speak, and though she knew she was crying, she wasn’t sure she could even feel anymore.

Her pain wasn’t just about how smothered she’d been feeling by her family, but about Mitch’s warning. And how he had lost so much over Hattie. Though she was certain he didn’t blame her for losing his close relationship with his brother, Polly could see where that, too, was another casualty of Hattie’s life.

Somewhere in the recesses of the fog surrounding her emotions, she heard footsteps, and then she could smell the faint lilac smell of her mother, until she was enveloped in her mother’s arms.

Ma... Polly felt like a baby sobbing against her mother’s chest. Feeling the warmth and comfort that she hadn’t had for so long, aching because she’d held everything in and hadn’t needed to.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Ma said. “I didn’t know. So much I didn’t know, and you kept it all to yourself because you didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

The soft brush of lips on top of her head made Polly feel more protected than she ever had. Not by the strength or might of the lawman in the room but by the mother who cherished her.

Ma shifted her weight, and Polly felt the air against her face as Ma turned. Polly wiped away her tears and watched as Ma addressed everyone.

“I know we all want the best for our Polly. But we’ve got to give her room to live her life, to make her mistakes. I thought that if I sheltered her from all the bad surrounding us that it would be better for her. Instead, she took on interpretations that were false, and it’s led her to believe things that I never wanted in her head.”

She gave Polly a look of such love it made Polly’s heart melt like a pile of snow on a hot summer’s day. “I am so sorry, and I know I can’t take anything back, but I want to be here for you now.”

“It’s all right,” Polly said, hugging her mother tight. “I’m sorry, too. I know I’ve been hardheaded, and I should have been more open with you.”