The Engagement Charade

“Hmm?” Slowly sitting up, she stretched like a cat after a nap in the sun. Her vision must have cleared, for she appeared startled at the sight of him. “Oh! Alexander... I—I mean, Mr. Copeland.” Glancing about her, she passed a hand over her face. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was more tired than usual.”

Watching her gain her feet, Alexander wondered if he was working her too hard. He experienced a pang of guilt. While he was the proprietor and could do as he saw fit, it went against his upbringing to allow others to shoulder the majority of the hard labor while he sat behind a desk balancing ledgers. The state of affairs hadn’t bothered him before she’d come around. But then his previous cook had been a stout, gruff man in his late forties who could shoulder fifty-pound sacks of flour without breaking a sweat.

Ellie pushed her chair in, took one step toward the door and swayed on her feet. Alexander caught her around the waist. Her palms found his chest to balance against. Her mouth slack, her big doe eyes blinked up at him.

“I’m sorry. I got a tad light-headed.”

The scent of vanilla surrounded him like a warm hug. “Can you stand on your own?”

She nodded. Her hands fell away, and he released her.

“I’m fine,” she said, smoothing her hands along her skirt. Then she gasped. “What time is it?”

“A quarter until ten.”

“I have to hurry.” Brushing past him, she selected a kerosene lamp from an upper shelf and quickly lit it. “My in-laws aren’t thrilled about my working. They’ll pitch a fit if I come home late.”

Alexander realized he had no idea where she lived. “How far is it?”

“About a twenty-minute walk,” she said matter-of-factly.

He hid his consternation. In a bustling city with lots of people around and gas streetlamps, that might not be a problem. In mountainous, sparsely populated terrain, a single woman walking alone at night courted trouble.

“Do you have a horse? Or mule?”

She opened the door, giving him a glimpse of the star-studded navy sky. “No. I don’t mind walking, though. Helps clear my head.”

No wonder she was exhausted. Walking that distance after a good night’s sleep wouldn’t be a burden. However, after a full day of slaving over a hot stove, her feet had to be sore and her body begging for rest.

“I’ll take you.”

She twirled the reticule dangling from her wrist in endless circles. “I don’t want to trouble you. I’m accustomed to walking.”

“No trouble.” Waving her onto the stoop, he locked the door behind him. The cooler air hinted that autumn was around the corner. “I’ll just be a moment.”

He had the team hitched and ready in a matter of minutes. Once Ellie was settled on the high seat, he climbed aboard and listened to her instructions. They rode along the back lane past darkened businesses. His passenger fell silent. Considering her typically chatty nature, Alexander attributed it to fatigue.

Glancing at her profile, he noted the weary slump of her shoulders and the tight clasp of her hands in her lap. He’d bent the truth a bit. Giving her a ride home was inconvenient and awkward. Outside of the café, he hadn’t been alone with a woman since before leaving Texas. In fact, he’d had limited interaction with anyone. Alexander had always been one to enjoy his own company, but his hermit-like existence would shock his brother and sister.

Grimacing, he absently rubbed his midsection. What had stirred these thoughts of Thomas and Margaret? Nothing good could come of dwelling on everything he was missing.

“Are you in pain?”

“What?”

She pointed to his middle. “You do that a lot.”

Resting his forearm on his thigh, he shook his head. “Force of habit.”

“How long have you suffered stomach troubles?”

Since my wife and son were murdered.

Curling his fingers into a fist, he said aloud, “A couple of years.”

“That must be difficult.”

“My flare-ups happen when I’m not careful with my diet. Or when I go long stretches without sleeping.” He clamped his lips shut. Why had he told her that?

Thankfully, she didn’t pepper him with questions, and his tension ebbed. The clop of the horses’ hooves competed with whirring wheels. When the distant yowl of coyotes echoed through the mountains, she didn’t react.

“I had a great-aunt who suffered from ulcers. She was adamant that cabbage juice was the only true remedy.”

Stifling his curiosity about her background, he kept his focus on the dark lane as they entered a thick-growth cove. The avenue was barely passable. More than once, his black bowler was nearly lost to overhanging branches. She apologized.

“Howard, my father-in-law, has been promising to trim this for weeks. As you’ve surely heard, the list of farm chores is endless.”

Images of his family’s vast ranch surged unbidden in his mind. Farm or ranch, living off the land took energy, determination and raw grit. Homesickness rose up so fast he felt robbed of breath. What he wouldn’t give to see those rolling green pastures dotted with cattle, the ranch house and stables framed by boundless cerulean skies. And his siblings... His throat became clogged with emotion as he imagined how they’d changed. They exchanged letters every now and then, but it wasn’t the same as seeing them in person.

Memories of the fire that had stolen his home and his wife and child threatened, and, in order to stave them off, he sought conversation he normally wouldn’t have.

“I heard you arrived in the area in May. Where are you from?”

If she was startled by his interest, she didn’t show it. “Originally Lexington, Kentucky. Beautiful country. My parents died when I was ten, so I went to live with my grandparents in a different part of the state. Their farm abutted the Jamesons’ property. That’s how I met Nolan. My husband.”

Like him, she was no stranger to loss. “My mother died giving birth to my youngest sister,” he said. “I was eight.”

“I’m sorry. Is your father still alive?”

“His heart gave out on him the year I turned twenty.”

Lionel Copeland had seemingly enjoyed good health. His death had blindsided everyone. Thomas and Margaret, their cook and mother-figure Rosa and even the ranch hands had turned to Alexander for reassurance that their way of life would continue as it always had. While it had been an immense burden for one so young, he’d embraced his duty without complaint.

“Loss like that stays with you, doesn’t it?” she sighed. “The normal days are hard enough, but the momentous occasions are worse. Those are the days you really grieve their absence.”

Again his thoughts turned to a painful place. His wedding day had taken place four years after his father’s passing, and yet he’d craved his steadfast presence. He would’ve given anything for his father to have had the opportunity to meet Sarah. Then there was the day Levi was born...

He must’ve gasped aloud, because Ellie angled toward him. “Is something wrong? Are you hurting?”

Alexander glanced into her liquid brown gaze. The wagon lanterns swinging from their hooks had light patterns playing across her face. He felt suddenly like a man who’d been encased in ice, his mind and body numb, and now the ice was thawing and he was beginning to sense every pinprick of discomfort. He gritted his teeth. I’m not ready. I can’t relive the nightmare. Not yet.

“I’m perfectly well, thank you,” he told her in stilted tones.

With a skill born of practice, he locked away his past and concentrated on his surroundings, soaking in details he could transfer to paper later. He’d taken to sketching in his free time, mostly nature scenes and animals. He didn’t possess natural talent, but his work no longer resembled a child’s scribbles.

Unfortunately, Ellie did not sense his need for retreat.

“Nolan was excited about this move. Everyone was, including me. I had hoped it would provide us with a fresh start. We couldn’t have known what lay ahead.” Her voice hitched, and she cleared her throat. “The men started on Howard and Gladys’s cabin first. Nadine, Nolan’s sister, was insistent that she and her husband, Ralph, would have theirs built next. Within a month, they had both cabins finished. And then they started on ours. They were felling trees one drizzly June day, and Nolan was standing in the wrong spot. I wasn’t there... I didn’t see what happened. I was dressing a rabbit for stew I’d planned to serve that evening.”

Up ahead, lights shone in the windows of two dwellings situated on opposite sides of a stamp-sized yard. Relief coursed through him. He hadn’t asked to travel memory lane with her. Getting sucked into other people’s problems was a sure way to lose his hard-won control. Living their pain brought his own rushing to the surface.

As he guided the team to a stop, she didn’t seem to notice his lack of response. She appeared to brace herself as the door on their left banged open and an older couple already in their nightclothes emerged onto the porch. The gray-headed man with square features sported a rifle.

“Do you have any notion what time it is?”

The woman Alexander assumed was Ellie’s mother-in-law studied him with ill-concealed malice. Probably in her early-to midsixties, she was tall for a woman and big boned. Her dark hair hung to her waist and was striped with wide swaths of silver.

Ellie hurried to disembark. “I apologize, Gladys. I accidentally dozed off after my shift.”

“You know not to bring strange men here.” The man balanced his weapon against his hip.

“This is my boss.” Ellie’s voice was low and strained. “I’ve told you about him.” Not looking at Alexander, she waved her hand between them. “Alexander Copeland, meet my in-laws, Howard and Gladys Jameson.”

He touched his hat brim. “I’m sorry for the disturbance.”

Shooting him a baleful look, Gladys gestured behind her. “Get inside, Ellie.”

Even in the darkness, Alexander could sense her resistance.

“It’s late,” Ellie hedged. Motioning to the other cabin, she said, “I’d like to go to bed. How about we talk tomorrow?”

“We’ll talk now.”

Spinning on her heel, the older woman stalked inside, holding the door ajar. Howard reeked of suspicion.

Something inside Alexander demanded he seize his employee and take her back to town.

“Thank you for the ride, Mr. Copeland.” Her reticule balled in her hand, she started to follow her mother-in-law.

“Ellie.”

Her eyes widened. “Yes?”

“Do you have need of anything more?” Will you be all right?

She hesitated. “No, sir.”

She continued inside the cabin. Howard joined them, shutting the door firmly without a word of goodbye. As he set the team in motion, he was startled at the sight of a man on the other cabin’s porch. Shrouded in shadows, he didn’t nod or wave, and his intent gaze followed Alexander’s progress. Must be the brother-in-law she’d mentioned. Apparently, these Kentucky natives weren’t keen on visitors.

Beyond the cabins, a crude shelter housed several horses. Ellie had indicated she didn’t have a mode of transportation. He realized it was more a case of not being allowed to make use of it.

The situation hauled him back years to another young woman who’d been bullied by her father and his twisted crony, Cyrus Pollard. He’d rescued Sarah from both men by marrying her, but there’d been consequences. If Ellie needed help, she had resources, men like the sheriff or Deputy Ben MacGregor. Alexander wasn’t about to get involved.

* * *

“Are you lookin’ to sink your hooks into that highfalutin businessman?”

Gladys had spun to face her, her hair in disarray and her bloodshot eyes shooting accusations. Harold remained by the door. Ellie felt hemmed in.

Shock ate at the bone-deep weariness weighing her down. She yearned for her bed. “Certainly not. I’m not in the market for a new husband.”

“You don’t behave like a woman who’s in deep mourning,” Gladys spit. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re relieved my Nolan’s dead and gone. You act as if four years of marriage meant nothing to you.”

“That’s not the case, Gladys. I’m as sorry about what happened to him as you are.”

Guilt wormed through her defenses. Of course she hadn’t wanted any harm to befall Nolan. Whatever his faults, he’d been a faithful husband, a hard worker who provided for her needs. Her physical ones, anyway. She’d never had to worry about a roof over her head or enough food and clothing.

But part of what she’s saying lines up with the sense of freedom you feel, doesn’t it?

Not long after the wedding, Nolan began displaying a troubling side to his personality. He’d become suspicious and controlling and had doubted her commitment to him and their marriage. He’d forbidden her to socialize with her friends and had limited her outings to church services and the occasional trip to the mercantile—always in the company of him or one of his family members. The isolation had chafed. She’d battled loneliness and had turned to God for comfort and strength.

If only Nolan had kept his misgivings to himself, she might’ve received support from her in-laws. But he’d complained to them to the point they’d become hostile. The youngest child, Nolan had almost died at the age of three. Because of this brush with tragedy, his parents and older sister had cossetted him. They thought he hung the moon and stars and refused to attempt to see Ellie’s side of things. Their treatment of her had grown more antagonistic since Nolan’s passing, and she worried for her child’s quality of life in such an environment.

“If you loved my son, if you respect us at all, you’ll give up your position.” Grief made the lines in Gladys’s visage more pronounced.

“I did love Nolan.” Maybe not in the way God intended for a wife to love her husband, but she’d loved him as a fellow human being. She’d wanted good for him. Had tried to please and honor him. “And I can’t express how grateful I am to you for providing me with a home. However, I can’t do what you’re suggesting. I enjoy cooking. I haven’t done much of that since we got here. More than that, I need the income.”

“For what? We feed you. Clothe you. We need you doing chores around here. Poor Nadine is working her fingers to the bone.”

The stench of Howard’s cigars permeating the room made Ellie’s stomach churn. “She wasn’t complaining when I paid her my portion for room and board. She’s bought enough fabric for three Sunday dresses since I started work.”

Gladys shot forward and gripped Ellie’s forearm so hard she yelped. “Don’t you sass me, girl. My Nolan may be gone, but that doesn’t give you the right to disrespect us. This is our home you’re standing in, don’t forget.”

How could she? The Jamesons hadn’t welcomed her into their fold. They’d treated her like an outsider from the start. “You’re hurting me.”

Howard finally spoke. “It’s late.”

He moved to stand beside his wife. Tall and muscled from years of physical labor, his craggy features were so like Nolan’s it made her chest twinge with sorrow. She wished she’d been better at making her husband happy. She wished they’d had a stronger marriage.

“We can discuss this tomorrow morning.”

Uttering a huff of disgust, Gladys released her and trudged off to bed. Ellie didn’t waste time making her escape. “Good night, Howard.”

Outside in the inky-black night, she breathed in fresh air tinged with scents of earth and pine and lightly rubbed the sore spot on her arm. She gazed at the star-studded heavens. You hung those stars, God. You placed the planets in the sky. My problems seem mighty to me, but to You they’re easily managed. Lead me, Father. Give me wisdom.

She put a protective hand over her stomach and felt a rush of joy tempered with uncertainty. Please God, I beg You, let me keep this one. My husband is lost to me. The other babies are in the arms of Jesus. I want this child with every fiber of my being. I promise to love him or her and teach them to love You.

“Ellie.”

She jumped. “Ralph! I didn’t know you were out here.”

“I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Is there something you needed?”

Quiet, gentle-giant Ralph Michaels had been a surprising ally. While he didn’t possess the backbone to go against his wife and mother-in-law, he’d provided subtle support, especially since Nolan’s passing.

The lack of a lantern made it difficult to make out his expression. “I know your secret.”

Her heart slammed against her ribs. Was he referring to her desire to find a place of her own? Couldn’t be. She hadn’t voiced that to anyone, which meant...

“You know about the baby?”

“I saw you being sick the other morning out behind the barn, and again the other night.”

Pressing her hands to her throat, she pleaded, “I beg you to keep this between us. I’m not ready to tell Nadine or Gladys.”

“I haven’t said anything.”

“Then why...”

“You should leave this cove.” His eyes gleamed with purpose. “I love my wife. I’m aware of her faults, however. Never could figure why she and Gladys treated you the way they did.”

“I wasn’t good enough for Nolan. I failed to make him happy.”

“They worshipped him,” he agreed. “I’m afraid of what they’ll do once they learn you’re carrying his child.”

Apprehension coiled tight. What if they tried to turn her own child against her? If she hadn’t been good enough for Nolan, she certainly wouldn’t be a satisfactory mother for his child. The fact that Nadine had never been able to conceive added an extra layer of worry.

His fingers brushed her upper arm. “Do you have enough money saved for a place of your own?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t spent any besides the portion I’ve been giving Nadine.”

“You should make inquiries in town,” Ralph said softly.

Her mind spinning, she agreed. “I think you’re right.”

She’d been toying with the idea for months—now it seemed she had to put thoughts into action. Ellie would go to any lengths to protect her child.

Chapter Three

Ellie was patting out the biscuit dough the next morning when Alexander descended the stairs earlier than usual. Her pressing problem was momentarily forgotten as embarrassment stung her cheeks. She could only imagine what he thought about her tactless in-laws.

“Good mornin’, boss.” Flo cracked another egg into the bowl of flapjack batter. “Would you like breakfast?”

He stopped on the bottom tread, his inscrutable blue gaze locked onto Ellie. “I already ate.”

Shrugging, Flo went back to cracking eggs.

Alexander was in the habit of fixing his own breakfast in his apartment. No doubt he stuck to bland foods like oatmeal or scrambled eggs with toast. She wasn’t sure what he’d done for lunch and supper before she came, but since the day he’d returned from the doctor, she’d prepared special dishes that wouldn’t aggravate his stomach. He ate them alone in his office, a sad state of affairs in her opinion. Not that what she thought would make a difference to him.

As usual, his formal attire accentuated his natural reserve. Clad almost completely in mourning colors—midnight-black vest, pressed black trousers and polished, round-tipped shoes—a bottle-green dress shirt provided welcome color. His clothing fit his whipcord-lean frame to perfection. His glossy raven locks were combed off his forehead, the ends curling around his collar. He’d shaved today. Ellie admired the clean planes of his handsome face before jerking her gaze back to the biscuits.

I’m happy his health seems much improved, that’s all, she assured herself.

His footsteps didn’t carry him to the hallway, as expected. Instead, he approached the table near the stoves where she worked.

“Mrs. Jameson.”

She frowned, wondering exactly when she’d come to dislike being called that. “It’s Ellie,” she countered. “You call Flo and Sally by their first names. Why do you refuse to use mine? Did you have a schoolmate named Ellie when you were young? A girl who teased you unmercifully? Or an old, crotchety aunt named Ellie who pinched your cheek too hard and made you eat beets?”

Flo’s chuckling filled the sudden silence. Alexander looked taken aback. “You’re the first Ellie I’ve encountered.”

“Then may we cease with the formality?”

“Ellie, I’m going into my office now.”

“Can I get you a glass of milk? Or chamomile tea?”

“No milk. No tea. No weak coffee. Under no circumstance do I wish to be disturbed today. I do not want to hear the day’s menu or be consulted about decorations. Is that clear, Ellie?”

Irritated, she slapped the dough with more force than necessary. Flour puffed about her fingers. Why must he be so determined to resist her attempts at friendship? “Perfectly clear, sir.”

“Good.” Turning on his heel, he stalked toward the hallway.

“Oh, Mr. Copeland?”

Shoulders tensing, he twisted around, one haughty brow lifted in impatience. “Yes?”

“Does fire warrant your attention?”

“Excuse me?”

“Fire. Do you wish to be told if there’s a fire?”

Flo ceased stirring the batter, humor touching her fleshy features.

Alexander opened his mouth to speak.

Ellie cut him off. “What about a robbery? Would you like to be informed of such an event? Or an altercation between customers?”

He tilted his head to one side, an errant lock of hair sliding into his eyes. “Did you skip breakfast?”

Her fist slipped from her hip. “Sir?”

“I’ve noticed you have a tendency to lose your equanimity when you skip a meal.” He made a circling motion to indicate their workspaces. “Perhaps you should eat something.”

He quit the room, his office door closing with a decided click.

Flo’s chuckles brought Ellie out of her stupor.

“What just happened?” Ellie spread her hands wide.

“Our boss revealed he’s not as oblivious to goings-on as we thought.” She winked. “He’s right, you know. You do get tetchy when you’re hungry.”

“Humph.”

Ellie tried not to take her frustration out on the dough. Her customers wouldn’t be satisfied with biscuits as hard as river boulders. She contemplated the puzzling exchange all while bustling about the kitchen. Part of her was inexplicably pleased that he’d paid enough attention to notice something as personal as her moods. The other part quailed at the prospect. What else had he concluded but hadn’t voiced? Could he have added her extreme fatigue and frayed emotions together to equal her current condition?

She wasn’t sure why the thought of his knowing unsettled her. Pregnancy was a sensitive time for a woman, especially one without a husband. Alexander was her boss. Not only that—he’d created an emotional barrier between himself and his employees. He was neither amiable nor approachable. Alexander Copeland was not a man to invite confidences. Hard and aloof, he didn’t possess finer feelings. Why, he probably had never even courted a lady!

By the time ten o’clock rolled around, Ellie was eager to embark on her mission to find lodgings. Ralph’s warnings resurfaced, dislodging her consternation over Alexander. She had more important matters to attend to, like securing a future for herself and her baby.

After explaining her intentions to Flo, who readily agreed to start on the potato gratin that would accompany the roast at the noon meal, Ellie went to inspect the room for rent at the post office. The owner of the building, Lyle Matthews, was a pleasant man who’d likely be a good landlord. However, the room was narrow and musty and the weekly fee far beyond her means. She thanked him for his time and, disappointed but trusting God would provide for her needs, hurried across the street to the mercantile to pick out material for the café.

The proprietor and his wife, Quinn and Nicole Darling, were exceptionally helpful. No matter how busy, the couple remained patient and kind and treated each of their customers with respect. Today, Nicole laid out bolts of fabric for Ellie to peruse. She came close to choosing a ridiculous lime-green cotton printed with pink birds simply to irk Alexander. She reined in the impulse and, for the curtains, chose a sensible, soft yellow that would lend cheer to the space. The tablecloths would be white with matching yellow overlay. With her purchases recorded in Quinn’s ledger, she was on her way out the main entrance when a board of announcements caught her eye.