Orphan Train Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 4 Page 12

  She arrived at the ranch with time to spare. Again it appeared quiet when she rode up. After tying her reins to a fence, she walked up to the front door of Mr. Ainsworth’s house. Before she even had a chance to knock, the door was flung open by an exuberant Walter, who threw himself into her arms.

  “Miss Cassie, you made it!”

  “Of course, I did,” she answered with a grin as she set him back on his feet after a tight hug. “But I think I’m a little bit early. Are you boys in the middle of something?”

  “We were just doing some school work. Mr. Charles wants to see what we know before he sends us to school.”

  “That’s wonderful, Walter. But you don’t sound too happy about it.”

  “I would ever so much rather be out in the barn.”

  “I know you would, but never mind about that. We are going to have a wonderful afternoon of riding.” She smiled as the other boys came to join them. “I’m sorry that I have interrupted you. Hurry and finish up while I wait out on the porch. I wouldn’t want Mr. Ainsworth to think I am interfering with your studies.”

  The boys laughed as though she had been joking, but Cassie was truly concerned that the austere man would curtail any future visits if he suspected she would interrupt their learning. She smiled at them, not wanting to interfere with their relationship with their new guardian and let herself back out of the house.

  A few minutes later a gruff voice made her jump.

  “What are you doing out here by yourself?”

  She had been staring out into the sunny landscape, lost in thought, and hadn’t noticed his approach. With a hand on her pounding heart, she turned her head toward Mr. Ainsworth.

  “Good heavens, you nearly frightened a year off my life.”

  He scowled at her words. “You should be paying more attention. This isn’t the city. You need to keep your wits about you.”

  Cassie tried to pull her dignity around her. “After the first couple of days at the hotel, I cannot say I completely disagree with you, but I would think the city would require more attention than out here. There is a pickpocket around every corner in New York. Out here you can ride for miles without encountering a single person.”

  “It’s not necessarily people you need to be concerned about in these parts,” was his cryptic answer before he continued. “But never mind that, why are you out here by yourself? You should have let me know you had arrived.”

  Cassie shrugged. “I got here earlier than we had arranged. When I arrived, the boys were still involved in the assignment you had left for them, and I didn’t want to disrupt their work. I’m good enough company to keep myself occupied until our appointed time.”

  She had thought she was being genial, but he only grunted in reply. Cassie stifled her sigh but kept a smile on her lips.

  “If I had realized you were here, we could have gotten on the way earlier.” His surly attitude put Cassie’s teeth on edge but she refused to rise to his bait. She was determined to enjoy the afternoon with her favorite boys.

  Cassie shrugged again. “Well, now you know, so we can be on our way.” She forced herself to smile at him, not wanting the boys, who had just come out of the house at the sound of their voices, to see them arguing. Even though she didn’t like the grouchy Mr. Ainsworth, she could not undermine the boys’ respect for him or interfere with the relationship they were building together. Despite his unmistakable antipathy toward her, it was obvious that he was kind to the children and they were beginning to care for him. She started to frown as she thought about how confusing the man’s behaviour was but then caught Walter’s watchful gaze on her and smoothed out the crease that had formed on her forehead. She offered him a warm smile, and he came and took her hand.

  Within a few moments, they were all saddled up and on their way.

  The grass was so tall in some places that it was hitting her boots where they hung in the stirrups. It was probably an odd thing to notice, but it really struck Cassie as she took in her surroundings. She had been so preoccupied as she rode around visiting the boys and dealing with her mixture of emotions that she had barely registered the scenery around her. That all changed as they rode just for the sake of getting to know the land.

  Back in the city, everything was so groomed and controlled. She couldn’t quite decide if she found the wilderness beautiful, but it was certainly exhilarating. It made her want to goad her horse into going faster. It made her want to scream and laugh and take the pins out of her hair so it could stream wildly down her back. Clearly it made her run mad.

  She glanced back at Mr. Ainsworth. Cassie knew there was no way he could read her thoughts, but she felt the compulsion to check anyway. Of course, as usual, his face was inscrutable. It frustrated her that she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. But at least he wasn’t falling off his horse laughing at her. Not that she should care what he thought of her, she reminded herself. The handsome man was not for her, she insisted to her heart.

  Maybe she just really needed to get back to the city. She would never have thought trees and grass and a wide, blue sky would be at all appealing to her, but she quite liked being able to see all around her. It gave her a sense of security that did not exist in the crowded avenues of the city. But the city was so much more genteel than this rugged wilderness. Her dithering thoughts were driving her mad.

  Not that it really matters anyway, she mused and allowed her gaze to follow the meanderings of a bird as it flitted along beside them. It wasn’t as though she were considering staying here. In Bucklin, Missouri, of all places. She would be disowned for sure. Even if she had an employable skill, she didn’t think she could stay no matter how attached she was to the boys. She was a New York socialite, and she needed to return to the life she knew. So maybe she ought to simply enjoy the beautiful surroundings instead of questioning why she was enjoying it so much.

  ~~~

  Charles struggled to keep his attention focused on watching for dangers as they rode near the boundary of his property. His eyes kept straying toward the blonde beauty talking animatedly with his new sons. He felt his chest puff up with pride over the thought that he was now a father. He would be the first to admit that he hadn’t even considered being a parent until the nearby town had started to buzz with the news of the incoming orphans. But when he had heard about them, he couldn’t rid himself of thoughts of the poor youngsters and what he could do for them.

  Now that he had the three of them, he already couldn’t imagine his life without them. But their attachment to Miss Morley was a problem he would have to deal with before long, since it would seem she wasn’t in any hurry to leave town. He only wished he didn’t find her quite so attractive. He reminded himself once more that it was merely surface-deep beauty. A socialite from New York couldn’t possibly have any noble qualities, he insisted to himself. Perhaps if he talked to her, he could rid himself of this ridiculous attraction.

  He guided his horse into position next to hers with practiced skill. She appeared startled by his sudden nearness. Charles ignored his instinctive pride over her obvious awareness of him. It shouldn’t matter a jot whether or not she found him attractive; he certainly had every intention of overlooking any attraction he felt toward her. He was sure it would be made all the more easy if he talked to her.

  “You must be finding it difficult being away from the city for so long. When will you be catching the train back to New York?”

  She turned her head to look at him, a frown marring her forehead. “Are you trying to get rid of me, Mr. Ainsworth?” She laughed as she said it, but he could see the seriousness in her eyes. He wanted to ignore the obvious intelligence stamped on her face. It was easier to consider her nothing more than a silly socialite. What was even harder to ignore was the increased pace of his heartbeat when in her presence. He needed to focus on the matter at hand.

  He remembered her question and shook his head. “Of course not, Miss Morley, I was merely wondering what your plans are.”

  He
could hear the sarcasm dripping from her reply. “It’s kind of you to be concerned for me, but you needn’t trouble yourself. I am not feeling the loss of the city overly. I shall survive the deprivation a little while longer. I haven’t decided when I will be returning.”

  “Your parents won’t be too pleased about that.”

  She offered a small shrug and kept her focus on the trail ahead. “That needn’t concern you.”

  Charles clenched his teeth over her attitude. “As a new father, I can tell you that if one of my sons was far away, I would be very concerned about his whereabouts.”

  She grinned at him, and he ground his teeth together. “I’m so happy to hear that you are becoming so protective of the boys.” She paused as she once again turned her focus ahead of her. “I am sure my parents are anxious to hear from me. They will be furious with me for leaving town. And I will probably be locked in my room as soon as I return so that I can never leave again.”

  He was incredulous. “Did your parents not know you were coming to Missouri?”

  Again she shrugged. “They would have forbidden it if I had asked.”

  Charles was appalled at her callous attitude toward their feelings. “Do they know where you are now?”

  “Yes, I sent them a message at the first stop the train made. They would never have understood my need to make sure the children were safe.”

  “Why are those three boys so important to you that you would do that to your own family?”

  “It wasn’t just Walter, Ross, and Anton that I was concerned about. I needed to see that they were all going to be well cared for. But I do have a particular fondness for your sons,” she concluded with a soft smile.

  Charles couldn’t see past the fact that she had left her family to worry about her. “I don’t think I want you around my boys anymore, Miss Morley. I would never want them to show such disregard for my feelings as you have for the feelings of your parents. You are not a good companion for them. You need to go back to New York and let them get on with their lives.”

  The look she turned on him was filled with reproach. “You don’t know what you are talking about when it comes to my family, and I will leave when I’m good and ready to leave. I am most definitely not a bad associate for your sons, who, I will remind you, I know better than you do. You have already given your promise that I can spend as much time as possible with them before I return to New York. I am sure they will not take kindly to you trying to curtail that.”

  His already clenched jaw began to ache from his frustration. He felt as though she were extorting from him. And she was right. The boys would not thank him for removing her from them. They so obviously loved her. He wanted to ignore her but decided further conversation might help him get over his anger with her. His feelings were so divided. It was driving him mad. He didn’t want to be attracted to her, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. With a quiet sigh, he probed a little more.

  “How did you get involved with the orphans in the first place? It doesn’t really strike me as being in keeping with your position.”

  She looked puzzled over his word choices but offered him a polite smile. It was apparent she was happy to move on to some other topic rather than discussing her appalling treatment of her family.

  “I don’t think you really know my position, sir, but you are correct in saying that it wouldn’t have been my first choice, and I have no intention of continuing at the orphanage when I return to the city. I cannot bear the losses. It is too easy to fall in love with the children, but being involved with the orphanage made me much too aware of the challenges that unfortunate people face, and there is far too little that I can do to help. It breaks my heart.” He watched in fascination as she swallowed back the threat of tears. It was the most emotion she had ever displayed in front of him. “I am unsure what I will do with my time when I return to the city. My family will want me to marry, of course, and start a family of my own.” Her gaze was trained on the boys ahead of them. “I am not opposed to the thought, but it is difficult to find a suitable mate, and I don’t want to settle for merely acceptable.”

  He frowned with confusion over her words, but before he could ask her for clarification she continued on. “In answer to your question about how I got involved with the orphanage, I am ashamed to say it was not with noble intention. I had managed to get a reputation as being vain and spoiled, and it was suggested that I ought to do some volunteer work to improve my image.”

  “Why would a girl like you need to improve her image?”

  “Apparently very few eligible men are looking for over indulged young women to be their wives.” She shrugged again as though it really didn’t bother her, but Charles couldn’t decide how genuine her feelings were. “My parents wanted me to do something more genteel like sewing things for needy families, but I wanted to be more involved than that. They were not most pleased by my choice, but they were probably right in their assessment. I was too spoiled to care for their reaction. They were convinced I would catch some dread disease from the children. But nothing of the sort took place. And then I no longer cared about my reputation, I grew to love everyone at the orphanage and spent as much time there as possible, even though most of my friends turned their noses up at the thought of me being in that part of town.” Cassie shrugged again, almost helplessly. “I really don’t know what I’m going to do when I go back. I can probably join some committee raising funds for the needy. But it just doesn’t feel the same as actually helping them with my own hands.” She glanced down at her hands as they held the reins. “Of course, my mother would have apoplexy if she saw the state that my hands are in. I shall have to be sure to buy some salve before I leave town, and hopefully the ride back will give them time to be restored.” She grinned and offered yet another shrug. “Or I will just have to make sure I wear gloves whenever I am in my mother’s presence.”

  Now he was curious. “Why are your hands in a poor state?” He was growing fascinated with watching the girl talk. Myriads of emotions flitted across her face as she spoke. He couldn’t identify most of them, but he was beginning to suspect she wasn’t as depthless as he had thought. This wasn’t helping him find her less attractive, but for the moment, he couldn’t convince himself to mind.

  Now she looked sheepish. “It started on the train. Thankfully there was no shortage of water, so I was able to keep things clean for the children. I cannot think the soot from the train is healthy for them to breathe. So I had to regularly wash the walls and their blankets. My hands were unused to such exposure. At least at the orphanage we have tools and equipment to assist. Then I helped my friends clean their new place here in town. They are going to allow me to stay with them until I return to New York, so helping them was really the least I could do.”

  Charles blinked, unsure how to reply or if a reply was even necessary. The young woman didn’t look as though she were expecting him to say anything, but he felt as though he ought to. But to hear her say that she had been washing the children’s walls and bedding with her bare hands left him a little speechless. He couldn’t fathom a Morley of New York doing such a thing. He grinned.

  “I don’t think you need to worry about your mother. She would never believe that you would do something so menial as chores. She will no doubt blame the weather conditions in such a desolate place as Missouri.”

  His stomach clenched as she released a tinkle of laughter over his words. “You are probably right, Mr. Ainsworth. Thank you for that comforting thought. I may just face my parents’ wrath for avoiding my latest suitor for so long.”

  Surprised by a surge of what could only be jealousy, Charles gazed at her, hoping his mouth wasn’t hanging open. “Have you left a gentleman in the lurch while you are here?”

  She frowned at him and searched his face, obviously trying to divine the intentions behind his question. “Of course not. Not that it is any of your business, Mr. Ainsworth, but I would never leave anyone in the lurch if I could help it.”


  “Not even your parents?” he pursued, although he questioned his own intentions at this point.

  She immediately became defensive. “I swear to you, I sent them a telegraph at the very first stop the train made. I’m certain they were notified of my whereabouts before they would have even realized I was gone. I did not leave them to wonder about me.” She had the grace to blush. She paused before continuing a little more softly. “My parents’ expectations are impossible for me to live up to. They want me to replicate their lives with my own.”

  “Would that be so terrible?”

  She huffed a breath and appeared frustrated. “Not if I wanted the same life as they have. Then it would probably be quite lovely. But I don’t. Want their life, that is. The type of gentleman they wish for me to marry is no longer the type I can see myself spending my life with.”

  He wanted to ask her more about that but suddenly remembered she had mentioned something about trouble at the hotel. “What did you mean when you said you could understand about trouble coming from people in these parts?”

  She looked confused by his question so he prompted her, “Remember, earlier, when you had just arrived, and I was displeased that you were outside by yourself. I said you needed to keep your wits about you. You argued that New York was less safe, but you didn’t seem to completely disagree with me. Did something happen to you at the hotel?”

  He was fascinated but troubled by the blush climbing her cheeks.

  “I handled the situation and will no longer be staying there, so it needn’t concern you.”

  Little did she know, he thought, her words made him all the more concerned, rather than alleviating any worry. He tried to resist the protective feelings building in his chest but feared he was not as successful as he would wish.