Orphan Train Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 4 Page 16

  “That’s not how I would describe it, but I’m glad to see that you weren’t afraid.” Charles examined the child for any signs of injury or harm. “Did they hurt you in any way?” Now that the boy was safe, he was feeling the reaction to all the fears he had kept hidden. He wanted to squeeze the boy to his heart and never let him go, but the youngster’s lack of distress was mixing up his feelings.

  The boy’s grin began to fade, and he couldn’t meet Charles’ gaze. “I was scared some of the time, Mr. Charles. I didn’t think you would come for me, especially when I heard them talking about asking someone for money for me. It didn’t make much sense, but I thought maybe Miss Cassie would come if she knew I was taken.”

  “She has been trying to find you, along with me and your brothers. She is going to be furious when she finds out that we left her behind when we came for you.”

  This helped to restore Walter’s grin. “She’ll probably have some words for you, Mr. Charles.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  W alter had been correct in his assessment. Cassie was furious when she realized Charles had left without her. When she couldn’t find him anywhere in the house, she had gone outside to look for him. Hank, the farm hand who had been left behind to watch over the ranch while everyone else rode out to rescue Walter, had been a little bitter when he informed her of his whereabouts.

  “Left me here to see to you all,” Hank had said in such an aggrieved tone of voice that Cassie would have laughed if she didn’t feel similarly.

  “I’m terribly sorry that you were left behind, Hank. I cannot believe that Mr. Ainsworth would stoop so low as to trick me into staying behind.”

  “He wasn’t being low toward you, miss. He’s that concerned about keeping you safe. Seems to me, you ought to be grateful.”

  Cassie made every effort not to be offended by the man’s words. He was just trying to be honest and defend his employer. He certainly wasn’t trying to hurt her feelings. And he was even hurt himself for having been left behind. She offered him a tight smile.

  “I’m sorry you are stuck with us. We will make every effort not to cause you any difficulty.”

  A few hours later, when they heard the sound of many hoofbeats entering the yard, Cassie felt as though her nerves had frayed. She wanted to yell like a fishwife at Charles for leaving them behind with no explanation. Needing to keep Ross and Tony entertained, while not knowing if Walter and Charles were safe, had nearly done her in.

  Cassie could tell he felt guilty by the way he wouldn’t make eye contact with her when she shot a glare his way. But she couldn’t hold onto her anger for long in the face of her joy at being reunited with Walter. The boy’s safety meant everything to her. How am I ever going to leave them behind? Despite how angry she was toward Charles, she knew he was included in the “them” she would mourn the loss of when she returned to New York.

  Cassie could barely bring herself to let go of Walter but she realized in order to help him overcome his ordeal she would have to try to hide the depth of her own feelings. She forced herself to smile brightly as she released him from her tight hug. He looked at her seriously.

  “It’s all right, Miss Cassie, you can squeeze me a little more, I don’t mind.”

  This sent her off in a peal of giggles. Everyone joined her, and the tension that had accumulated quickly dissipated as they all laughed their relief.

  “Are you hungry? We could make you whatever you would like to eat,” she offered, determined not to hover.

  Her heart rolled over when he smiled sweetly at her. “I would be happy to eat some pancakes, please.”

  She couldn’t resist; she bent down and placed a brief kiss gently on his brow. “There will be plenty of pancakes served momentarily. I think we could all use some sweetness right about now.”

  Cassie had been hoping for a moment or two alone to collect her thoughts and pull herself together emotionally, but the whole gang followed her to the kitchen. Walter didn’t want to be away from Cassie while the other two boys weren’t letting Walter out of their sight, and it seemed as though Charles didn’t want to be left by himself. The four males made themselves comfortable while Cassie bustled around the kitchen.

  There was a moment of uncomfortable silence behind her but then Cassie heard Tony asking Walter about his experience.

  “Were you scared?”

  “Of course not,” the youngster declared. Cassie rolled her eyes and had to resist turning to see the other boys’ reactions.

  “Well, I was scared,” Tony admitted while Ross added, “I even cried.”

  “Really?” Walter seemed shocked that his brothers would admit as much. There was a heartbeat of silence before he continued. “At first I didn’t even realize what was happening. I thought it was a joke or something. The men were talking about Mr. Charles, so I thought they were ranch hands that I just hadn’t met yet. But they weren’t very nice. By the time I realized what was happening, I was too mad to be scared or even to cry, even though I wanted to, especially at night.”

  “Why were you mad?” Tony wanted to know. “How could you be too mad to be scared?”

  “I figured I would get in trouble for running away and it would be their fault.”

  Cassie snorted trying not to laugh and tried to cover it up by coughing. She almost jumped out of her skin when a soft voice at her shoulder admonished, “You need to be quieter if you want to take up eavesdropping as a pastime.”

  She whirled to confront Charles, furious that he would startle her when they had all barely begun to recover from their earlier frights. He must have realized his blunder because he was immediately contrite.

  “I apologize profusely, Cassie, I didn’t realize you were unaware that I was beside you. I didn’t mean to surprise you.” He gave her a significant glance. “Now, please point that knife somewhere else.”

  She glanced down and realized she still held a knife clenched in her hand. She laughed softly. “I had just started peeling some apples.” She followed through and continued with her task before glancing at him with apprehension. “I hope you don’t mind that I have made myself at home in your kitchen without even asking your leave. It was the first thing I thought of, the need to feed the boys, and didn’t even think to ask if you would mind.”

  “Don’t even give it a thought. I don’t mind at all. I don’t think any of us have eaten properly in at least three days. Besides you look far better in here than I do. And from what I’ve seen in the last day or two, you are far more skilled than my cook.”

  “For a socialite, you mean?” she couldn’t help asking.

  He laughed. “You are definitely far more skilled than any socialite I’ve ever met. And I suppose I owe you an apology for having judged you so harshly when I first met you after so many years. I realize you had no idea who I was, but I recognized you almost immediately. Even before I heard your name, I was pretty sure you were Mitch Morley’s daughter. The set of your jaw when you stepped off the train was exactly how he would look when he was considering a new business arrangement.”

  Cassie laughed. “Oh dear. Did I look terribly arrogant?”

  Charles joined her laughter. “Not arrogant, just determined. And I now realize you were trying to hide all your misgivings behind a layer of bravado. I wonder if that’s your father’s strategy,” he trailed off.

  “I doubt it. Father always knows what he’s doing. Or thinks he’s right even if he doesn’t know.” She grinned. “But you are correct. I had no idea who you were. I was only four or five when I saw you last, and I had no thought that there could possibly be a family acquaintance out here in Missouri. No one has mentioned it. I had quite forgotten about your existence in fact,” she added with another grin. “Besides the fact that you are going by a different name out here. I haven’t yet had the chance to ask you about that.” She could feel his eyes watching her closely as she whisked together the apples, setting them to simmer with sugar to make a warm sauce for the pancakes. Cassie willed her
hands not to shake while she measured the flour and other ingredients. Her nerves were already shot from worrying about Walter. She could barely tolerate Charles’ scrutiny. She was relieved that her question caused him to shift his eyes away as he pondered how best to answer her.

  “I was fairly disillusioned when I left New York. My parents’ wealth had so many strings attached to it. I didn’t want to be a puppet on the end of those strings, so I set out to make my own way in the world. I was determined that anything I accomplished was going to be on my own merit, so I needed a new name. I didn’t want to be completely disloyal, though, so I chose two of the names my parents had given me, just not the ones anyone would recognize or associate with them.”

  “Well, your ploy worked. I even know your family, and I didn’t realize you were you.” She paused while she carefully broke a couple eggs into her bowl, ignoring his amused grin over her need to concentrate. “Don’t make fun, Charles. I am sure you realize I haven’t actually spent too very much time in a kitchen.”

  “I would never have guessed. You seem right at home.”

  “Never mind that, I need to ask you something. Did you end up having to telegraph your family to find out anything about Cedric? I forgot to ask you earlier.”

  “No, I didn’t, but why do you ask?”

  Cassie sighed. “I would ever so much rather my parents never discover that I met you out here. You will remain Charles Ainsworth in my recounting of any of my adventures in Missouri.”

  “That still doesn’t answer my question.” When Cassie searched his face, he appeared genuinely puzzled.

  “Are you being deliberately obtuse or have you been gone from New York too long?”

  “That is doing nothing to clear up my confusion, Cassie, but it is certainly making me all the more intrigued to know what you mean.”

  Cassie sighed again. “If it is ever found out that I encountered an Emerson bachelor and did not manage to ensnare you, I will be deemed utterly too stupid to live.” There was a pause where she contemplated this melancholy thought but then she brightened. “On the other hand, perhaps they will realize I am a completely lost cause and will give up on trying to force me into the mold they have designated for my life.”

  Charles gazed at her in silence while she fidgeted with the pancake batter. He finally broke his silence. “Why bother going back to New York?”

  “I can’t stay here. I don’t have skills like Katie and Melanie. They will be able to provide for themselves just fine. There’s not much of a place for a New York socialite outside of New York.”

  “You’ve been pretty great here for the last three days, keeping our spirits up and insisting we sleep or eat, even when you yourself didn’t want to. I would have lost my mind trying to keep Ross and Tony occupied and comforted while also searching for Walter and trouncing my cousin. I have come to realize that even boys need both a father and a mother.”

  Cassie blinked rapidly, trying to clear from her mind the idea that was beginning to form. She feigned amusement. “If I didn’t know any better, I would suspect you were thinking that I might fill that role.”

  “You can’t tell me you don’t want it or that you wouldn’t be any good at it, even if you are a little too young to actually be their mother.”

  She felt hot color flood her face from her neck to the roots of her hair. “I would love to be the boys’ mother, but the title of mother most often accompanies that of wife, and I know nothing about that.” She couldn’t look at him as she busied herself with the stove. “Of course, you probably didn’t think through what you are saying, so let us just pretend this conversation never happened.”

  He watched her fidget with her sauce under his lowered lids. “I actually did give this a great deal of thought over the last couple of days. I think you would make an exceptionally good wife.” He paused briefly before adding, “And mother to my three sons.”

  They hadn’t noticed that the boys were listening. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” exclaimed the three youngsters as they jumped up and down and began running around the kitchen.

  Walter clasped his hands together and earnestly said, “This was worth getting kidnapped for.”

  Cassie could feel that the hot color was once again covering her face, but she laughed over Walter’s words. “Never mind boys, this is not a conversation for you to participate in. Mr. Charles and I will finish discussing it after we have all enjoyed our pancakes.”

  It was perhaps her inexperience showing to suggest because it proved impossible to keep the topic from being discussed by the excited boys but thankfully they were too busy stuffing the delicious pancakes into their mouths to say too much. Their relief and joy lent them huge appetites, and Cassie was kept busy filling their plates. She only managed to force one small pancake down her own dry throat and it tasted like sawdust to her, but the males in the room seemed to be enjoying them so she didn’t worry too much about her cooking, despite her discomfort with Charles’ hot gaze following her constantly. She half expected that she would lose her mind and set the house on fire since she could barely pay attention to what she was doing.

  Cassie was filled with half relief and half despair when the three boys were finally full and they asked to be excused. Charles granted permission and they hurried from the room. But not before Walter stopped beside her and whispered loudly, “Please say, yes, Miss Cassie,” and then quickly followed his brothers.

  Cassie could feel tears gathering in the corners of her eyes and tried to blink them away as she gathered up the plates and fidgeted around the kitchen. Her fidgets came to an abrupt end when Charles’ warm hand closed over hers.

  “Stop squirming around the topic. The boys have gone and left us to our private conversation. You are right to be irritated with me. I shouldn’t have forced your hand by asking you with the boys in the room, but I thought they were fully occupied.”

  “But you didn’t ask me anything,” she protested, blushing.

  He stared at her in amazement. After a brief, stunned silence, he gathered both of her hands into one of his large ones and then with his free hand he held her chin and forced her to meet his gaze.

  “Cassandra Morley, would you please do me the great honor of being my wife?”

  She could feel her chin trembling despite his warm grip on it. “But why would you want to marry me? You keep saying how little regard you have for New York socialites. Surely you would be better off with someone like Katie or Mel. They have skills far more suited to life in Missouri.”

  “Cass, don’t be obtuse now. I’ve barely met Katie or Mel. But I have watched you carefully through what I expect was the most gruelling experience of your life. You remained kind, unselfish, and caring. I realize now that while you are from a wealthy New York family, you are not a socialite no matter what your mother might say. And that makes you uniquely suited to be my wife.”

  Cassie blinked at him. Her puzzlement must have been clearly written on her face. He sighed before elaborating. “Just as I can see you are not cut from the same cloth as the rest of your family, I most certainly am not like the rest of the Emmersons. Don’t get me wrong, I have no interest in living as a Spartan. I’m happy to work hard and provide well for my family. I just refuse to be sucked into the showy lifestyle that my, and your, family seem to love. I have finally realized that you feel the same way.”

  When Cassie made to protest, he hushed her. “I know, you didn’t always feel that way. I’ve heard you protest your questionable motivation for starting your work at the orphanage. But it is how you feel now, isn’t it? You yourself said you don’t want to be pushed into the mold your parents want you in.”

  She wasn’t sure what to say to him in response. She merely nodded, keeping her wide eyes focused on him watchfully. He nodded firmly and continued. “You will fully understand my background and my complicated relationship with my family, but I know you will be a lovely partner for my life here, and you would be equal to the task if we ever decided, as a family,
to return to the city. You are, in fact, perfect for me.”

  Cassie wasn’t sure what to say. The past several days had been a whirlwind for her emotions. She wasn’t sure if she should trust what he was saying. She wanted to believe him, but needed to be certain.

  “Charles,” she began before pausing to gather her thoughts.

  “I will beg if I have to, but please, Cassie, be my wife.”

  She offered a watery chuckle as she fought emotional tears. “I might like to see that.”

  Charles grinned at her. “Are you trying to torture me as revenge for my cold reception to you when you first arrived in Bucklin?”

  “Not at all, but you cannot argue with the fact that it seems to be a rather sudden change of heart. Is this just an emotional reaction to the stresses we’ve all faced with Walter’s disappearance?”

  Cassie was surprised by the emotions that quickly chased themselves across the handsome man’s features before he showed her an impassive face. It slipped a little around the edges, but she was fairly certain she had hurt his feelings.

  “I apologize if I have made you uncomfortable with my words. I can assure you, I am quite sure of my feelings. They are sound and stable, not brought on by our recent stresses.”

  Cassie allowed the silence that followed his words to lengthen as she studied his face carefully. He wasn’t giving much away but she felt he was being sincere. She sighed softly. “The only thing is, Charles, you haven’t actually told me what your feelings are. You mentioned that our backgrounds are compatible and you no longer consider me to be superficial. I am not completely convinced that is sufficient for building a life together so far from what is familiar to me.”

  The silence stretched out after her words while Charles frowned and thought over what she had said. Suddenly his face split into a grin and he eased down onto one knee. “Very well then, begging it is,” he said with a chuckle. Cassie began to giggle but quickly sobered as he tightened his grip on her hands and his grin drifted into seriousness.