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  “Oh, I believe you — that’s not the issue. I know the boys have a far better chance here than they ever did back home. But how could you bear to part with them?” To her dismay, a tear slid down her cheek as she said those words. She hated to admit to such feelings. Her mother would be aghast at such a display of emotion. But she would have to be made of stone to feel nothing over parting with the dear boys.

  “Oh my poor dear,” Katie crooned as she pulled Cassie into a warm hug.

  Cassie chuckled through her tears. “You can barely reach me and yet you’re going to comfort me?”

  Katie joined her in laughter and shrugged lightly. “Just because I can barely reach your towering height doesn’t mean I can’t still offer you a shoulder to cry on.”

  Cassie laughed again but then pulled herself together. “Morleys don’t cry.” She offered her friend a soft smile to take the sting out of her rejection of the comfort Katie was offering.

  Much to Cassie’s regret, Katie looked embarrassed. She quickly rallied and smiled kindly at Cassie. “Morleys may not cry, but I know for a fact that you have a huge heart, and it is perfectly all right to have feelings, you know.” There was a slight pause before the older girl continued. “To answer your question, it was far from easy to make any of these trips. And I don’t think I can do it anymore. I am actually planning to stay here in Bucklin. There is nothing for me in New York. I need a fresh start. I was working at the orphanage to try to get over the loss I had faced. But as you pointed out, it carries the pain of continual loss, and I don’t want to face any more.”

  Cassie was fascinated with the other woman’s decision. “What will you do here?”

  “In a town like this, there will be no shortage of opportunities. With an influx of children like this, they will probably need at least one new teacher. The town could probably use a seamstress. The doctor might need an assistant. I doubt I will have trouble finding something to occupy me.”

  “I have noticed that the male population far outnumbers that of the female. You would have no trouble finding another husband,” Cassie pointed out.

  “I will never remarry.”

  Cassie was surprised at the vehemence in Katie’s declaration and regretted her statement. She had only been teasing. From what she could see, all the men were much too rough for her taste, so she couldn’t blame her friend for not wanting any of them. But she couldn’t help her concern and had to point it out to the other woman.

  “Don’t you think this is a little bit rough of an environment for a woman on her own? Won’t you be a little nervous staying here?”

  “Cassie, my dear, New York is just as dangerous, perhaps even more so, for a woman on her own. Most of us don’t have rich, protective fathers to provide for us.”

  Cassie felt hot color creeping up her cheeks at her friend’s words, no matter how kindly her tone had been. She could no longer meet Katie’s gaze. Katie must have regretted what she said as she quickly changed the subject.

  “Never mind about me, I have no idea yet what I’m going to do. What about you? Are you going to catch the next train back to New York? I’m pretty sure there’s supposed to be another train the day after tomorrow.”

  With a sigh, Cassie shook her head. She couldn’t prevent her frown as she allowed her gaze to sweep over what she could see of the town. “No, despite my discomfort here, I cannot leave yet. The man who was placed in charge of the orphans here does not inspire me with confidence. I have to stay and make sure the children are going to be all right. I know they haven’t all yet been placed with families. And I mean to check on all of the ones that have been.” When she saw Katie’s puzzled expression, she quickly continued, “I feel responsible for them, Katie. I never should have started spending time at the orphanage, but now that I have, I have grown quite fond of the children. And since I made the impulsive choice to come as an escort with the children here to Missouri when one of the others who was supposed to go got sick, I have to make sure they will be well cared for. My conscience would never let me rest if I found out later that they were placed in a bad situation and no one had done anything about it.”

  “Since I’m staying here, you could leave it with me.”

  Cassie squeezed her friend’s hand. “I know, my dear, but I feel like I need to see with my own eyes that each one is fine. Then I will get myself safely back to my own life. And as soon as I get back to New York, I will find something else to do with my time. I have absolutely no intention of spending any more time with orphans. My weak heart cannot bear it.”

  “I’ve always meant to ask you, what ever prompted you to volunteer at the orphanage in the first place? I must say, when you turned up, no one expected you to last longer than the first day.”

  There was so much truth to the statement that Cassie could not take offense. “The whys and wherefores are a much too long story. We need to be seeing about getting some food for ourselves. I have a sneaky suspicion that tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

  ~~~

  Cassie squinted against the bright sun filling her room. She had slept deeply, her first night in almost two weeks not spent on a train. She hadn’t realized quite how tired she had been. But now, feeling fully restored, she regretted not asking to be awakened at an earlier hour. If she wasn’t careful, she would allow the day to pass her by with nothing to show for it. She mustn’t tarry in this town; it would be hard enough to convince her parents to forgive her as it was. Overstaying in Missouri would surely anger them further.

  With that thought, Cassie resolved to visit the telegraph office in order to inform her family that she had arrived safely in Missouri and would be returning shortly. She needn’t tell them how long shortly might be. She could see her own wry smile on her face as she glanced in the mirror while she arranged her hair. Getting back to civilization would certainly have its perks, she reminded herself as she lamented her poor skills at styling her hair and wished for her mother’s maid to have accompanied her.

  She couldn’t help chuckling over that thought. Her parents might be upset with her for leaving New York on impulse, but her mother would never have forgiven the breach of taking her maid from her. Cassie’s critical eye surveyed her appearance. She was sufficiently satisfied with the efforts the hotel’s staff had gone to in order to tidy up her clothes. The worst of the travel wear had been removed, so she was adequately presentable. And she doubted anyone would be able to find fault with her hairstyle. This was far from New York, and no one here knew her or her family. All she really needed was to be clean and tidy. And she could easily manage that without the help of a maid.

  Cassie was determined not to be the spoiled rich girl others thought she was. Out here in Missouri, no one knew who the Morleys were, and she rather liked it. Others would judge her for herself, not any preconceived notions. Even if she was only going to be here for a few days, she was determined to make the most of them.

  With one last pat to her blonde curls, now under firm control with a multitude of pins, Cassie frowned at her reflection before pinning a neutral smile to her face and sweeping from the small room. First on her agenda would need to be food, she realized as her stomach began to grumble when she caught the smell of baking bread wafting up the stairs. She went down one flight into the saloon. She had been put to the blush the previous night when she had realized that the only accommodation available was over the saloon. Fortunately the owner had appeared to be reasonably respectable. Cassie comforted herself with the realization that no one in New York need ever know where she had slept while away. As long as she was kept safe and warm, she would accept what was on offer. It wouldn’t be for too long, she reminded herself once more.

  Refusing to dilly dally like a widgeon, Cassie hurried to seat herself at a table. The bartender had promised that there would be food available, and Cassie was starving. Before long she was served. She quickly disposed of the meal and then hurried from the room. Despite it being empty, Cassie could not be comfortable spending any ti
me in what she suspected would be a disreputable place at night.

  She was glad that Katie was sharing her room but hadn’t heard her leave that morning since she had slept so deeply. Now she realized they would both be pursuing their own interests while here in the town, and she shouldn’t feel dismayed that her friend had not waited for her. And were they really friends, anyway? More like acquaintances, Cassie reminded herself with a sniff. All this ridiculous self reflection was going to turn her into a watering pot, she acknowledged to herself with disgust.

  Cassie walked briskly, trying to escape the discomfort of her own thoughts. She was hoping to catch the placement manager before he got busy with his day. Cassie wondered how busy the man could possibly be if he hadn’t managed to arrange for all the children to have homes organized before they arrived. She reminded herself that she couldn’t give in to her indignation. One caught far more flies with honey than with vinegar. In her experience, men were far more likely to accommodate her wishes if she smiled at them than if she frowned. She determined to hold onto her temper no matter the provocation.

  She found Mr. McDonald sitting at a dingy desk at the back of the train station. He was leaning back in his chair and had his feet propped up on the edge of his desk, staring off into the middle distance. He didn’t seem to notice her approach. Cassie held her breath and counted to ten before she rapped on the door and straightened her smile.

  “Good morning, Mr. McDonald,” she called as pleasantly as she could manage. His startled reaction made it easier to maintain her smile as genuine amusement flooded her for a moment. And then she once again remembered the children and had to fight to keep her smile in place.

  “Miss Morley, what a pleasure to see you this morning.” His ingratiating tone lacerated her nerves, but she made an effort to ignore it. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

  “That is kind of you to say, Mr. McDonald. I was just stopping in to see if you had made any progress in placing the last few children.” She could see that he was not happy about her question so she batted her eyelashes a little bit, being careful not to roll her eyes, and explained her feelings to him. “It just worries my poor mind and heart what will become of the children if we don’t find them a good home.”

  She must have been convincing because the belligerent look on his face was replaced with a rather smarmy grin. Cassie suppressed her shudder of revulsion and blinked a little more.

  “Now you shouldn’t be worrying your pretty little head about anything, but I can assure you that I am making every effort to get those boys situated as quickly as possible.” He chuckled and winked at her. “You can be sure I don’t want them on my hands for any longer than necessary.”

  “No, of course you don’t.” She tried to keep her distaste out of her voice. He would at least be motivated now that the children were here since he would be responsible for them until he could find them somewhere to live. Cassie sighed but then managed to turn to him with a smile. “If you need any help, you be sure to let me know.”

  “But of course, my dear.”

  Cassie was glad that he seemed to be accepting her interest in the children as natural, so she persisted. “Would it be possible for me to visit with the children while I’m still in town? I’m sure they’re feeling a little left out since the other children have already gone to their new homes.”

  “Well, isn’t that sweet of you to be thinking that those orphans have feelings.”

  She held onto her temper with the last shreds of her self control. “Of course, they have feelings, Mr. McDonald. Just because their parents have died doesn’t mean they aren’t normal children.”

  Now it was his turn to blink at her as though he had never even thought such a thing were possible. Cassie wanted to smack the obtuse man but managed to keep a smile pinned to her lips and she batted her eyelashes a little more. She started to wonder if she might perhaps be starting to look like a cow with all the vacuous blinking, but since it was working, she couldn’t stop now.

  Mr. McDonald looked at her as though he couldn’t fathom why she was still there.

  Trying not to sigh over how dimwitted he seemed to be, Cassie reminded him gently. “What do you think, Mr. McDonald? If you wouldn’t mind, I would like to visit the boys this afternoon, just to try to bolster their spirits, you know?”

  “Yes, yes, but of course. You’re probably right. Of course they would like to see you. I don’t see it to be a problem. I won’t be able to be there, seeing as I have to keep working on trying to find them homes, you know?”

  “Of course, it is such an important job you have, Mr. McDonald. You must sleep better at night knowing what a service you are performing for these poor children.”

  The flattery was working like a charm on the incompetent man, and once again, Cassie had to fight not to burst into laughter. Cassie watched in amazement as the man puffed up his chest like a little rooster. Her flattery clearly put him in mind of his duties. Cassie wondered if perhaps he was not as bad as she had thought. Mayhap all the man needed was a little appreciation. She regretted for a moment that she had been insincere in her words until she remembered that incompetence was inexcusable when the children’s future was at stake. She maintained her smile, though, hoping that the man’s new motivation would hold and he would manage to find homes for all the children before many days had passed. It would have to be disheartening to the ones left behind!

  Cassie renewed her determination to visit the youngsters. “Thank you, Mr. McDonald. I know how busy you must be, so I will not keep any more of your time. If you could just point me in the right direction, I will be on my way to see the children.”

  Within another moment or two she was on her way. Of course, the boys were all happy to see her. Ten of them were squeezed into the inadequate accommodations along with Mrs. Parker and Miss Jones. The two ladies were delighted for additional help in keeping the youngsters occupied. Before long, Cassie had persuaded them all to accompany her out of doors where they wore off some of the boys’ excessive energy with a vigorous game of tag.

  By the time she took her leave of the group, Cassie was very much in need of tidying and wondered if she should postpone the idea of visiting Walter and his brothers. But those three might be in even more need of her visit than the group had, since they were in unknown surroundings without any adult they were familiar with. After combing some neatness into her curls and washing her face during a brief stop at the hotel above the saloon, Cassie made her way to the smithy to arrange for transportation and directions to Mr. Ainsworth’s house.

  Cassie wondered if the man could tell she was an excellent horsewoman or if he was trying to get her killed when he walked out of the barn with a huge horse that was tossing his head restlessly. It didn’t really matter because she was a skilled rider, but it didn’t fill her with confidence in the man’s reliability. She would have to trust his directions, but she determined to pay attention to her surroundings so she could find her way back to town, just in case she couldn’t find Ainsworth’s spread.

  “You’ll be on to his land before you know it, miss. I’m fair to certain he’ll be glad for a visit from you.” The wiggling of the man’s eyebrows did nothing to add to her confidence.

  “I am going to check on his children,” she replied firmly.

  With a shrug, the smithy spat what she could only assume was chewing tobacco, toward a pail not far from her feet. It didn’t quite reach the pail but luckily missed her boots. Cassie had to repress a shiver of revulsion. “Anyways once you reach his land you’ll still have a good fifteen or twenty minutes of riding before you reach the house. The man bought half the state or thereabouts.”

  Cassie was surprised at the note of jealousy she heard in the man’s voice. She tried to tell herself she didn’t care what the man thought of Ainsworth. It only mattered how it might affect the boys, she insisted to herself then decided to ignore the matter all together.

  “Thank you for the directions,” she
replied politely as she stood on the mounting block and climbed onto the huge horse. She allowed her joy at being on horseback to momentarily shake away her concerns as she gave the horse its head and hurried away from the smithy.

  Chapter Five

  C harles had been momentarily confused when he awoke to the sound of young laughter that morning. Thinking about it as he worked was enough to make him smile. It was definitely something he was looking forward to getting used to. His smile remained in place as he watched the three boys playing in the field. He had been given the impression that they hadn’t had very much clean air and open space in their young lives. They hadn’t yet talked about it, but he knew there was a great deal of tragedy in their past. There must be; they were orphans after all. But at least they had each other and they were with him now, making a fresh start. He determined once again that he would do his very best to make a good life for them.

  His thoughts strayed to Miss Morley, or Miss Cassie, as the boys liked to call her. It had been obvious that she doubted his ability or sincerity in taking on the task of raising the boys without the assistance of a wife. He allowed her doubts to trouble him for a moment. What if she was right and I won’t be able to provide everything the youngsters will need. He pushed the ridiculous thoughts from his mind. She was probably concerned about their feelings, he scoffed, but if they are to grow into confident men, they needn’t concern themselves overmuch about such distractions as feelings, so a woman won’t be necessary. He could provide everything they would need.

  Had he conjured her with his thoughts? he wondered almost fancifully before he shook his head for even more foolishness as he watched her approach. It was obvious to Charles that she had a great deal of skill, as he watched her controlling the nearly wild animal the smithy had chosen to lend her. What the man had been thinking to send the young woman off alone with such an ill trained beast, he couldn’t imagine, but Miss Morley seemed well able to handle him. She had a wide grin splitting her face, so she obviously didn’t mind the effort it had taken to find his property.