A Bride for Hamilton Read online

  Sadie still appeared hesitant. Hamilton tried to be patient as he waited to see if she would express her thoughts.

  “Could we maybe go next week?”

  “Sure, we can. We’re not so very busy around here right now. And we have enough men to do whatever is necessary anyway.” He surprised himself when he added, “If you don’t want to wait a week, we could go sooner, if you want.”

  “Really?” she asked again, setting Hamilton’s teeth on edge. He might not trust her, but he wanted her to trust him. Perhaps he was being a hypocrite.

  “Really. You name the time, and I’ll go with you.”

  The grin she gave him was all the payment he needed. Which angered Hamilton. He shouldn’t be so easily swayed by a pretty smile.

  “Maybe in a few days,” she answered eagerly. “I don’t want to allow my chores around here to slip, and also I’d like to prepare some supplies for them, so that will take some time.”

  “Today’s Tuesday. Will you be ready by Friday?”

  Her vigorous nodding made him smile. His smile stretched into a grin when she suddenly yawned, and it seemed to surprise her.

  “You’re going to fall over if you don’t get yourself off to bed soon. Maybe I shouldn’t let you go over there if it’s going to exhaust you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she assured him earnestly. “I’ll be better prepared next time. Besides, I’ll have you with me.”

  He was humbled by her trust.

  “Are you going to be able to eat some supper or are you going straight to bed?”

  Suddenly she appeared affronted.

  “I’ll not be shirking my responsibilities just because I enjoy helping the other women in the area. I didn’t mean to be gone quite so long, but I did prepare for our supper before I left. I can have it on the table in fifteen minutes. I just have to clean up first.”

  “If you tell me what you had planned, I can get things started while you’re doing that.”

  Her surprise turned to shyness. “That’s not necessary, at all, Hamilton. I can surely manage.”

  “I suppose we are a team. It’s fine.”

  She seemed to like his words, offering him another shy smile.

  “You could put the kettle on and make sure the fire is stoked, and I’ll be right down.” With those words, she hurried into the house before he could say anything more. With a shake of his head, Hamilton followed her into the house at a slower pace.

  Chapter Five

  “There’s something you need to hear about, Boss.”

  “What is it, Herman?”

  “There is a man in the village asking about Mrs. Foster.”

  Hamilton stopped what he was doing and turned to glare at his foreman. “What do you mean there’s a man asking about Sadie? What kind of man? What is he asking?”

  Herman held up his hand. “I don’t really know. The postman told me when I was there. I figured you would want to know.”

  Hamilton frowned, looking around. “She’s not here or we could ask her about it.”

  “She might not know anything about it. How would she know who might be asking about her?”

  “Nobody ought to be asking about my wife.”

  “You’re not sounding completely rational now, Foster. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you.”

  “Of course, you should have. Never mind, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  ~~~

  Sadie was just about to climb into the wagon when a voice behind her made the blood chill in her veins.

  “Life in the West seems to agree with you Miss Fitzsimmons.”

  She turned slowly to face the man, wishing for the first time in her life that she had a gun in her hands. Fear filled her, but she tried to remain rational as she battled to stay calm.

  “Hello, Patrick. I never expected to see you so far from Boston.”

  “Oscar sends his regards.”

  “I have no wish to receive his regards, thank you all the same.”

  “Still so uppity, despite everything, I see.”

  Fear almost choked her as the man stepped closer to her, but Sadie fought to hide it. “I really must be going.”

  “What do you think your new husband would think if he heard about the rumors that swirled around you in Boston?”

  “Those rumors were untrue slanders, probably made up by you or Oscar.”

  The man shrugged. “Many people believed them.”

  “No, they didn’t,” she protested weakly. “There was no one who would care what was said about me one way or the other.”

  “Your husband would care.”

  Sadie tried to keep her voice cold and steady as asked, “What do you want, Patrick?”

  “I’m trying to fund my trip further West to see if there’s any more gold to be found. I think you ought to help me out.”

  “Why would I do that? And what makes you think I have access to anything that might help you anyway?”

  “I’ve heard enough about your husband to know you have access to plenty. And I’m quite sure you wouldn’t want him having any doubts about you.”

  Sadie didn’t say anything in response, merely turning her back on the bounder and climbing into the wagon, as she should have done right from the start.

  “I’ll be in touch,” he called after her, chuckling as she slapped the reins on the horses back, prodding them into a faster pace. She had no desire to hurt the poor beasts, but she needed to get as far away from the reminder of her past as quickly as she could possibly manage. She felt the urge to have a bath to wash the experience off herself, but she had to force herself to a calm she didn’t feel.

  Sadie’s mind was exploding in panic. She and Hamilton had been making so much progress in getting to know one another. Despite her original resistance to remaining in the marriage, every day she had more reasons to be glad she had done so. And even though she never wanted to love another after the pain of the losses she had experienced, Sadie felt drawn to the strong, handsome man who was her husband.

  But she knew he resisted warm feelings toward her. Every time they seemed to be drawing closer together, it was as though he caught himself and tried to pull further back, colder toward her for a day or two until he relaxed his guard and they had a warm moment again.

  If Hamilton were to meet Patrick, he’d never warm up to her again.

  Sadie was fairly certain Hamilton was trying not to like her. She couldn’t put her finger on why she thought that, as it seemed rather ridiculous. The man sent for her. It wasn’t her idea. She hadn’t imposed herself upon him in anyway. One would think he would want to like his wife. One could even be excused for thinking he might want to love her. But it seemed every time they shared a good experience or seemed to be enjoying spending time together, he clammed up and avoided her for a day or two. It was disconcerting to say the least.

  Sadie would think he wasn’t quite right in the head if not for the fact that she had reason to believe he was hugely successful as a businessman. She was making assumptions, of course, as he was never willing to discuss his business or finances. Not that she wanted to pry into his affairs, but as he had said his house was her house, she rather thought that might apply to everything he owned. But it didn’t really matter. She didn’t need anything as long as she was fed, clothed, and housed. It wasn’t as though she would understand his business affairs if he were to tell her about them anyway. Of course, he could explain them, she thought with a little huff.

  Not that these thoughts were at all conducive to her purpose. Sadie gave her head a shake as she slowed the wagon to nearly a walking pace. She needed to think before she got home. What was she going to do about Patrick? How had he found her? And why? What could possibly make him think she could give him any money?

  What was she going to tell Hamilton?

  This was the only question that mattered. If she thought there was a way she could get away with not telling him, she absolutely would avoid it at nearly any cost.

  She still hadn’t
come to a clear decision by the time she saw the house in the distance.

  ~~~

  Hamilton watched his wife drive the carriage into the yard. It was obvious she had been crying.

  “What has happened?”

  The tears, which had dried before she arrived, began to fall again much to Hamilton’s dismay. He had already nearly reached the wagon but when he saw her face crumple, he closed the distance with long strides, reaching for her and pulling her from the wagon. Barely checking his pace, he hurried toward the house.

  “What has happened? Are you hurt?” He ignored how good it felt to have her in his arms. She even seemed to snuggle in, as though she wanted to burrow into him, as though she too was enjoying the contact. But Hamilton couldn’t become distracted by the pleasure, as she was clearly upset. He tried to pull back to look into her face. “Where are you hurt?”

  “In my heart,” she finally said through her tears, and Hamilton nearly dropped her. Now they were decidedly out of his depth. He wished he hadn’t seen her arrive in this state. He had no idea how to cope with it.

  He still had her in his arms when he sat down on the stairs of the porch. He didn’t really want anyone to witness the scene that was about to unfold, but he couldn’t really manage carrying the weeping woman and opening the door. Now that he was thinking about it, it was probably possible, but his brain could barely manage the task of not throwing her as far as possible, which was his first instinct. He would rather wrestle an angry bear than try to comfort a crying woman. But he was stuck with one now. He would have to muddle through.

  Clearing his throat, Hamilton tried to think of something to say.

  “Do you want to tell me about it?”

  “No,” was her less than helpful response.

  “Why not?” While he didn’t want to be in this situation, he didn’t like the thought of her keeping things from him.

  “Because you’re not going to like it.” Her answer prompted even more weeping, much to Hamilton’s dismay.

  “Well, I don’t like your crying, so it’s not likely to get worse.”

  Hamilton wanted to snatch back the words as soon as they left his mouth but to his surprise, they seemed to stem her tears. She actually laughed a little, even if it was a little watery. But at least her sobs had subsided.

  She pulled back to look him in the face. He pulled out what he hoped was a clean handkerchief from his pocket and tried to wipe her face. She looked so very woe begotten that Hamilton’s heart actually clenched in his chest.

  “It can’t be as bad as all that. Come now, tell me and we’ll find a solution.”

  Tears continued to leak from the edges of her eyes but she didn’t make any more sobs as she examined his gaze seriously, as though to gauge the sincerity of his words. She finally nodded.

  “I don’t want to keep secrets from you. You are my husband, after all. But this is just so dreadful that I would keep it if I could.”

  “You’re right, you shouldn’t keep secrets,” he promptly replied, ignoring the prickling of his conscience over all that he was keeping from her.

  She sighed and took a deep, shuddering breath before speaking. “I don’t know if he came after me specifically or if he has just decided to stop in because it was convenient, but there’s a terrible man from Boston here in the village, and I’m fairly certain he intends to blackmail me.”

  Hamilton blinked. Even though Herman had warned him someone was asking about Sadie, he hadn’t expected her to tell him about it, at least not like this. He cleared his throat again, uncomfortable with the need to offer her comfort.

  “Why does this hurt your heart? Did he threaten you in some way? Or did you have feelings for this man in the past?” He tried not to sound angry, but a wave of jealousy rose up within him and it was difficult to suppress. His own feelings almost made him miss the shiver of obvious revulsion that passed through her.

  “The only feelings I have for him are angry ones. I’ve tried really hard not to hate him, but it’s difficult.”

  Hamilton was no closer to feeling enlightened. “What makes you think he will try to blackmail you?”

  “Because he did.”

  Hamilton’s arms flexed around her. “Someone accosted you in the village?”

  He could see her features filling with worry over his obvious anger, but he couldn’t help it. No one had any right to frighten his wife. Not even him, he tried to remind himself in an effort to restrain his fury.

  “Did he lay his hands on you?”

  She shook her head vigorously. Hamilton took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice low and steady.

  “Maybe you ought to just tell me everything from the beginning.”

  She again stared into his eyes as though trying to read his soul. “What will you do when you get mad?”

  “I’m not going to get mad.”

  “You will, so I want to know what you’ll do.”

  “I might get mad just from this question,” he replied.

  She actually giggled. Hamilton’s heart clenched again. She was the sunniest person he had ever encountered. He squeezed her once more.

  “Listen, sweetheart—” They both blinked over his use of the endearment, but he ignored it and continued, “I promise, if you tell me the truth, I won’t get mad about what you say. Well, I won’t get mad at you, all right? But you have to tell me everything, every single detail, do you understand? I might get mad about the situation, or at this man, but I promise I won’t be angry with you.”

  “How can you be sure?” she whispered, more tears swimming in her eyes but this time she managed to keep them from falling.

  “Because I’m beginning to see that you aren’t the sort that would cause someone to be angry.” He couldn’t go into the details with her now, but he was starting to suspect she might be a special woman, nothing like his mother, despite the fact that there was a strange man in the village asking about her, probably the same one who was trying to blackmail her.

  Her pretty forehead continued to be marred by a worried frown but she nodded, took a deep breath, and tried to explain.

  “Remember, I told you about my mother and sister and the doctor’s bills?”

  Hamilton nodded but didn’t interrupt, hoping she could tell him the problem, realizing suddenly that this was stemming from Boston and rooted in an emotional mire he would much rather not tread through.

  Her voice wavered, but she continued. “We had to move to a worse part of the city when they got sick because we could barely afford the rent. As it was, I was always behind on something. If I bought food, I couldn’t pay the rent. If I paid the rent, I couldn’t pay the doctor. The doctor was so kind and was willing to take small payments each week, but I still could never get caught up. Our landlord wasn’t kind. He kept making me offers.” She hesitated and could no longer look at him as one of the tears finally escaped and trickled down her salty cheeks. She took another shuddering breath. “Unacceptable offers. It would have solved our problems, but I just couldn’t do it. The only thing I had left was my honor. I don’t know if I did the right thing. Maybe if I had been able to get them better or more food they would have survived. Or if I could have bought more medicine. But I just couldn’t do it.”

  Hamilton’s throat hurt as he forced the words out, trying to be gentle. “You absolutely did the right thing. Surely you realize your mother and sister would never have wanted you to…” He couldn’t even say it. “And if the doctor was so kind, he surely would have ensured you had enough medicine for them.”

  “I don’t know, Hamilton. Oscar finally tried to put more pressure on me by starting rumors that I had already done what he was asking of me. So, he said I might as well since already everyone believed it. And people did believe it, Hamilton.” She looked at him with heartbreak in her eyes, and Hamilton wanted to weep at the sight. “The doctor didn’t come around as often, and then I was fired from my job.”

  It was all Hamilton could do not to bellow with rage ov
er her ill treatment, but he tried to remain calm so she would tell him the rest.

  “I’m certain that was Oscar’s intentions. If I was truly desperate, he probably thought I would finally have to do what he said. But by then Mama and Sister were dead. So there was nothing left to fight for. And then Jane said I could marry you, and I was able to pay off all the bills and come here.”

  He tried to keep the anger out of his voice but he had to ask, “Did you pay the rent, too?”

  “I am a woman of honor,” was all she said, but he could hear a note of pride in her voice despite all the sorrow.

  He realized she truly was. Her honor wouldn’t allow her to run away without paying all of her bills. But that was why his bride had arrived with so few possessions and an empty stomach despite the money he had sent.

  Chapter Six

  Hamilton fidgeted. He had been avoiding Sadie for a week. Really, one could say he had been avoiding her since she had arrived. He knew she had noticed, but he couldn’t help himself. Of course, he went in and ate whatever meals she had prepared whenever she rang for him. But with as few words as he could get away with, he gulped down the food and then was back out the door.

  The meals were delicious. Far better than he ever could have prepared. But Hamilton could barely stand her watchful gaze as she stared at him, clearly aware that he was trying to stay far away from her.

  She had been in Nebraska, in his home, for more than a month. Five weeks, if one was counting. Hamilton felt like there weren’t enough chores in the world to get him through the day and away from Sadie. He was trying to resist the pull she had on him but was failing rather miserably. He was just about to pack up and head out to California to check on his mining operations as an excuse to create the needed space. Surely there was something requiring his attention there even if he hadn’t yet received word.

  “Running a homestead takes a great deal of work, doesn’t it?” Her soft voice stalled him from getting up from the table.