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  Cassie just shook her head and grinned. “You’ll have to go and see for yourself.”

  Frowning, Sophie went to the kitchen to remove her apron before hurrying to Mrs. Parker’s office. When she got there, Mrs. Parker too had a wide grin on her face.

  “Sophie, my dear, Mr. Rexford here has a few things to discuss with you. You may feel free to use my office for as long as you need. I shall be in the east classroom if you need me.”

  Sophie hadn’t noticed Renton was there when she first stepped into the room, but as soon as she caught sight of him, she barely noticed as Mrs. Parker left the room. The wide smile on his face and warm twinkle in his eyes made her heart skip a beat and the butterflies take flight in her stomach. But she tried to maintain a dignified façade.

  “Mr. Rexford, you wished to see me?”

  “Yes, Miss Brooks, I did.” He kept his tone serious, to match hers, but she could see his lips twitching with amusement.

  “Are you laughing at me again, Mr. Rexford?”

  “Maybe just a little,” he replied as he stepped forward and grasped her hand. “I’ve come to make sure you uphold your end of our bargain.”

  Sophie’s stomach dipped and danced as her hopes took flight once more. She’d had her hopes dashed so many times in her young life, but her stupid heart refused to listen as Sophie tried to tell it to stay calm. She could feel tears gathering behind her eyes, but she wasn’t sure if they were of joy or despair. Her lips trembled slightly as she took in a breath. Her nerves clenched more deliciously as she noticed his focus narrow on her lips before he dragged his gaze back to her eyes. She managed to find a smile.

  “What bargain are you speaking about, Mr. Rexford?” She needed him to spell it out for her. She couldn’t afford any assumptions.

  “You promised to allow me to court you if I could ensure that you and the children would be safe from my mother’s interference.”

  She had to smile over the gentle way he paraphrased her fears and emphasized his request for a courtship. Her heart clenched with the depth of her feelings for the man. She couldn’t do anything but nod.

  “Is that a yes, that you are still amenable to my courtship?” Sophie couldn’t believe that he would even need to ask.

  “Of course, I am,” she answered with a laugh.

  With a chuckle, he stepped forward, grabbed her and twirled her around in a tight circle, mindful of her skirts in the small, crowded room. Sophie allowed her joy to bubble up into laughter, but she forced herself to remain cautious as he restored her to feet.

  “So? What solution have you found to solve the issues at hand? Were you able to convince your mother?”

  Renton shrugged. “I did speak with her briefly this morning before coming here, merely to tell her that if she wanted to maintain a place in my life and that of any future grandchildren, she would have to ensure that she was pleasant to whomever I chose to share my life.”

  Sophie blinked as her heart soared and sank all at once. It was lovely to hear a man declaring his feelings, or rather she supposed, implying them. But she couldn’t find her own happiness at the sacrifice of the children. She didn’t know what to say. Her wrought feelings must have been written on her face because Renton was quick to continue as he maintained his hold on her hands, squeezing them gently as though in admonition for her doubts.

  “The wife of one of the business partners in our firm, I’m not sure if you’ve met her, Mrs. Fitzhugh, a delightful woman, you’ll enjoy her when you’ve become friends. Anyhow, she is in a constant rivalry with my mother. I visited her two days ago, and she was fascinated to hear about the good works being done by Mr. Brace and the Society. She will arrange a time for you to give her a tour when we go there for tea next week. I visited her again yesterday to hear all the details of the gala she has already made plans for to raise the needed funds to maintain the orphanage for the foreseeable future. Of course, I happened to mention this to my mother when I visited with her for a coffee this morning, so now she is in a tizzy of epic strategizing how she can arrange an even more successful fundraiser than Mrs. Fitzhugh. To benefit the Children’s Aid Society, of course. So you see, my darling, the orphanage and Mr. Brace’s Society will now have at least twice as much funding than it had, and it’s all thanks to you.”

  Sophie broke into a fit of giggles. “Well, I rather think it is thanks to you. I will have to remember never to cross you. You are devious beyond belief but even more brilliant than I had realized.”

  Renton bowed comically to her before growing serious once more. “So, once again, I will remind you, you and the children are now safe. I was happy to be of assistance to the dear orphans, and I have no intention of coercing you into a courtship with me, despite my words of a bargain. But, please, my dear Miss Sophie, do say you will allow it.”

  With a grin, Sophie dipped into a curtsy. “I would be honored, kind sir.”

  Renton grinned. “There’s just one other thing, and I truly hope you don’t think I am trying to take over control of your life because I promise you that I’m not. I know you are a smart, independent woman. It is actually one of the things I love about you, so I wouldn’t want to take that away.”

  Sophie’s joy led her to laugh again at his rambling. “Just say it, Renton, I promise to withhold judgment until you’ve explained yourself.”

  Renton smiled but maintained a worried mien. “It’s about your trip on the train. I was so hoping you would agree to let me court you, and even that we could keep it short and sweet and soon begin our life together, you see, so I spoke to Cass Morley.”

  Sophie was again torn between a soaring heart and a frown over his words. “What do you mean?”

  “She agreed that if you want to remain here, she would be happy to take your place with the children on the train.”

  “Really?” Her frown fled and Renton pulled her close again.

  “Really. If you still want to go, I will try to maintain my patience. I will wait for you as long as you need, but I would ever so much rather get on with our future.”

  Sophie’s heart fluttered and delicious shivers made their way down her spine, but she tried to keep a serious expression. “Do you have our future planned already, Mr. Rexford? I thought you promised me a courtship.”

  “I do promise you a courtship, my darling. One that will curl your toes with delight, I vow to you. But do not doubt that I have already made up my mind about you. The only purpose of the courtship is for you to be sure about me.” He grinned sheepishly at her. “I don’t want to scare you off, but you have met my mother. You aren’t getting the very best bargain with me.”

  Sophie’s joyful heart turned over in her chest, and she placed her palm gently on his cheek. “I beg to differ, Renton. You’re the best bargain I will ever make.”

  With a soft whoop of joy, Renton bent his head and sealed their deal with a fervent kiss.

  The End

  Cassie

  ~ BOOK 2 ~

  Orphan Train Series

  Wendy May Andrews

  ∞∞∞

  Sparrow Ink

  www.sparrowdeck.com

  Copyright © 2018 Wendy May Andrews

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, transmitted, or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  www.wendymayandrews.com

  She ran away and found home

  Spring 1854

  New York City debutante, Cassandra Morley has grown close to a trio of young brothers while volunteering at an orphanage. When the three boys are sent on the train to Missouri to be adopted, she accompanies them despite how displeased her high society family is likely to be.

  Single rancher, Charles Ainsworth
, is glad to be in a position to provide a new home for three brothers. He has no use for the citified young woman who keeps stopping by to check on them, despite how beautiful he finds her. He feels obligated to tolerate her visits to please his new sons.

  Their differences cause them to fight their attraction to one another, but when one of the boys goes missing, they have to learn to trust each other in order to bring him home.

  Dedication

  To Marlene, Suzanne, Monique, and Alfred:

  Thank you so much for the awesome critiques. Your help has been invaluable in moving this series along.

  To Mum & Dad:

  Thank you for being such great fans through this crazy path I’m travelling.

  To Andrew:

  You’re the best husband, friend, travelling companion, and book formatter a girl could hope for. Thank you for being excited about my Orphan Train books. I love you to the moon and back.

  Chapter One

  A s she stepped down from the train, Cassie quickly looked around and couldn’t prevent the momentary scowl of distaste that covered her face before she smoothed out her features. It seemed the bright sun had bleached all color from the landscape, which was surprising since the train had passed enough bodies of water that everything should be perfectly lush. Every building in the small town was a dull gray. She supposed they just didn’t much care about making it attractive. They had practicalities to worry about as they tried to expand and grow their enterprises. Cassie wrinkled her nose again as thoughts flitted through her mind, wondering what sort of activities kept the folks of Bucklin, Missouri busy. Clearly it wasn’t painting their storefronts or planting flowers.

  As she looked around, she saw the new arrivals were drawing considerable attention. It appeared even the townspeople were bleached out. There was very little color other than gray or brown wherever her gaze landed. Except for the piercing blue eyes of a disturbingly handsome man that seemed to be watching her intently.

  Cassie shook her head and wrenched her eyes from the attractive face. “What have I done?” she asked herself for at least the tenth time in the past ten days. Her straw hat, which provided perfectly adequate protection in New York, was insufficient to keep her from squinting as she gazed about under the bright afternoon sun. She lifted her hand to provide a bit more shade for her eyes and a scowl marred her features once again as she saw how grubby her gloves had become.

  That will teach you never to leave without a spare pair, won’t it? she thought to herself with a slightly sardonic twist of her lips.

  She forced her attention away from such senseless worries and back to the youngster holding tightly to her other hand. Cassie forced a cheerful smile to her lips and took a deep breath.

  “Doesn’t the air smell lovely here? Nothing like in New York, is it, Wally?”

  Wally’s worried face rearranged itself into a grin as he shook his head vigorously. “Do you think we’ll like it here, Miss Cassie?”

  Cassandra Marie Victoria Morley blinked at her young charge for a moment, and she swallowed the lump that had appeared suddenly in her throat. “I am quite convinced that you shall love it here, my dear boy. Now come along, all of you. We must gather our things and join the others. Let’s not dawdle. The other children will be getting restless, and we don’t want to keep the manager waiting. Your brand new lives await.”

  She was once again swept with awe and gratitude for the resilience of children. The six boys who had been entrusted to her accepted her feigned enthusiasm and quickly gathered their meager belongings. Cassie forced her eyes not to linger on the sight of her six charges and their small bundles of clothing. The anticipation and trepidation warring in their eyes caused the lump in her throat to grow and she couldn’t allow them to see her distress. She covered her momentary weakness with brusque movement.

  Tightening her grasp on Wally with one hand and her own bundle with the other, she admonished the other boys to stay close to her as they hurried to join the others. Unconsciously she found herself once again counting heads to make sure everyone was there. This wasn’t her responsibility, of course, but she knew she would be unable to cope with the distress if they were to misplace any of the youngsters.

  Finally, genuine amusement was able to make its way through the quagmire of her feelings while she watched the antics of some of the boys as they took advantage of being out in the open air after ten days cooped up on the train. It was futile for her to remind them to keep their clothes clean, but some of the other women were trying their best. Once again Cassie congratulated herself on the exercises she had made her boys do multiple times each day. She was quite certain it was the only reason the six were managing to contain themselves and remain by her side. That and the fact that her six were amongst the youngest of the large group, and they were still fearful of getting lost or separated from the familiar.

  Her heart wrenched again. Cassie cleared her throat and blinked vigorously.

  “Are you all right, Miss Cassie?” Wally’s little hand tugged on her.

  “I am perfectly fine, my dear. I think some dust got in my eye is all.” Her explanation satisfied the small boy before their attention was snagged by the approach of a large, red-faced man.

  “Welcome, welcome,” he boomed, obviously wanting to appear jolly. “I apologize that I was not here before the train’s arrival. It seems it arrived a little ahead of schedule.”

  Cassie grinned as she saw Melanie check her watch and sniff skeptically. Her amusement died quickly when she remembered that her boys’ fates rested in this man’s seemingly incompetent hands. She tried to shake her negative thoughts and determined to wait and see what would unfold.

  “You must be the manager.” Mrs. Parker stated the obvious, but Cassie knew it gave her a sense of control, so she tried not to allow her amusement to show. “We are more than ready to follow your lead, sir. What arrangements have been made for the children?”

  “Well it is good that you arrived when you did. It will give us time to feed them all a little bit so they aren’t too rambunctious before their new families arrive. The last train load I oversaw in another town didn’t go very well because they were late and the youngsters were hungry and tired and cranky. We don’t want to repeat that experience.” The man’s discomfort was apparent, and Cassie almost felt sympathetic for him at that moment, if not for the fact that he had yet to look at any of the boys. She wondered if he even liked children.

  Mrs. Parker must have had serious doubts about the manager’s competence, but there was nothing they could do at this point. She met the eyes of all the women with her as she looked around comprehensively. With a nod she took charge.

  “You are Mr. McDonald, correct?” He had not introduced himself, and she was not about to follow a stranger out of the train station.

  “Yes, yes, where are my manners? I do apologize. I was just so flummoxed from being late. You are Mrs. Parker, if I’m not mistaken?”

  “That is correct. Very well, Mr. McDonald, lead us to whatever you have prepared for us. You are right in your assessment that the children would appreciate a meal and a chance to recover from the movement of the train before we proceed any further.”

  Without much more delay, they collected even the most rambunctious of the boys and made their way from the station.

  By now Cassie’s eyes had adjusted, for the most part, to the bright light, and she allowed herself to gaze about at the sights that confronted her. It was amazing to see how primitive it was. It felt like she had stepped back in time. One would think that by 1854 nowhere would be quite this backward. Obviously she was even more spoiled by her high life in New York than she had realized. It struck her as odd that there wasn’t a single brick in sight. The strangeness of it all made her nervous, but she tried to hide her reaction from the others, ensuring that no one noticed her trepidation.

  She could feel the interest their arrival had stirred in the tiny little town and was uncomfortably aware of many eyes examining her. Cas
sie lifted her chin, tightened her hold on the small hand in hers, and followed the others as they made their way from the station.

  ~~~

  He watched the large group as they made their way from the station. Everyone in the area would easily be able to tell who they were. Most, in fact, were anticipating adding to their households with at least one of the new arrivals. He hadn’t realized the children would be accompanied by ladies, not that he had given the matter much thought. Now that he was thinking on it, it made sense that the children would not be able to travel on their own. He wondered what manner of woman would accompany a bunch of orphans to their new home. The ones he had noticed seemed to be widely varying. The young-looking one had certainly caught his eye. She had actually looked slightly familiar. It was probably just her New York attitude that had been clearly stamped on her face and had almost marred her beauty.

  Charles gave his head a shake. He was not in the market for a wife. Women were nothing but trouble. That was why he was interested in some of the boys who had just arrived. A man in his position needed to have sons. This was the best way to get one, or more, without cluttering up his life with a woman.

  Straightening from the post he had been leaning upon, Charles shoved his hat back on his head after wiping away the perspiration that had gathered. If it was already this hot in April, it didn’t bode well for what kind of summer they’d be having. There was no sense in standing around; they wouldn’t be gathering the children until later that afternoon.

  But despite his determination, he could not prevent his eyes from following the young woman’s progress as she made her way down the sidewalk. He should have been turned off by the look of revulsion he had seen on her face as she gazed about at the town. He had no interest in high maintenance city girls. Her fancy clothes and disapproving glance told him she was far too complicated for the likes of him. But it had also been impossible to miss the tender look she had bestowed upon the boys in her care. And her physical beauty was downright arresting. Besides, he reasoned with himself, she would obviously not be staying in town for more than a couple of days; there was no harm in feasting his eyes upon her. Convinced, he relaxed back into a slouch in the shade of the overhang in front of the saloon.