In Love's Territory: A Western Historical Romance Read online

  “These are for you. Just a little something to brighten the room.”

  Kate raised the flowers to her face and breathed deeply. The delicate sweet scents of the flowers—marigolds, black-eyed Susans, cornflowers and several kinds she didn’t recognize—blended together in a delightful perfume. “They’re lovely,” she said. “Thank you, Sam. Becky, put these in a vase and bring them to the dining room, will you?” she said, handing her the flowers.

  Kate turned back to Sam. “Shall we go in? Everybody else is already here.”

  “After you.”

  They stopped in the parlor only long enough for Sam to greet everybody before taking their seats in the dining room. As the staff served dinner—roast chicken with herbed potatoes and corn bread—Kate’s eye was drawn to the vase of wildflowers that Becky had placed upon the sideboard. She smiled a bit at the thought of Sam traipsing around the property picking flowers; it really didn’t seem like the sort of thing she could have expected from him. But then again, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time she’d been wrong about him. She glanced across the table to Sam and found him staring right at her, returning her smile, and she couldn’t help but let a broad grin form as she looked away.

  The dinner passed, like all good things, too quickly. Edward’s father turned out to be a talented storyteller and regaled the group with his personal history of Mineral Point as he had built up the mining business over the years. He also served as a new audience for Kate’s father, who never liked to pass up an opportunity to tell his own stories. The two made for an entertaining evening and Kate was exhausted from laughing by the time the last plates were cleared away.

  “I have to say, Mary sure can cook,” Mr. Thompson said, laying a hand on his belly. “That was simply delicious.”

  “Well, I hope you saved room for dessert,” Kate said. “Mary made her rhubarb pie this afternoon.”

  Thompson’s eyes grew as wide as a child’s on Christmas morning. “I do believe I have room for that,” he said, grinning as Mary entered, bearing the pie on a platter. Thompson was like a cat watching a mouse as it crossed the room.

  Mary first served Edward’s father, Kate and Mrs. Thompson, all of whom waited for the others to get theirs. Mr. Thompson did not.

  “Mary, you should really enter this pie in the fair,” he said, his voice thickened by the mouthful of pie he was still chewing.

  “What fair?” Mary asked as she placed slices in front of Mark and Jake.

  “The county fair, of course,” Thompson replied. “It’s in two weeks. You know, they always do a bunch of tasting competitions, like for bread, cheese, preserves, things like that. The pie contest is one of the most competitive, but I think you stand a good shot.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Mary said.

  “Seriously, you should consider it,” he said. “I’m actually going to be a judge. I can’t promise you anything, of course, but you could win a prize and everybody in the county would hear about your baking.”

  “How would she enter?” Sam asked.

  “Couldn’t be simpler,” he said. “John Gray has a registration book. She just puts her name in the book, shows up at the fair with her pie, and they’ll take care of the rest.”

  “Very interesting,” Sam said quietly. “Yeah, Mary, you should think about that.”

  “It could be tough competition, though,” Thompson said. “Last year, Linda Bixby won with her cherry pie, and I hear she’s planning to enter it again this time around.”

  “You gotta be kidding,” Mary said. “That woman couldn’t bake a decent pie if her life depended on it. I had some of her cherry pie last summer, and I still ain’t right.”

  “Well, it won her five dollars last year.”

  “Five dollars?” Her eyes narrowed as she seemed to consider things. “Oh, all right. You talked me into it. I’ll do it.”

  “Well, now that that’s decided, perhaps we could enjoy some brandy with dessert,” Carter said, rising from his seat and going to the sideboard. “You wouldn’t mind, would you, Tom?”

  “Absolutely not. Aids the digestion.”

  “Now I should point out that this is a particularly fine liquor. Normally, one should enjoy this all by itself, but with Mary’s pie alongside, I think it’ll be in good company,” Carter said. He peeled the lead foil away and drew out the cork with a flourish. “This bottle came all the way from France. I brought it for Mr. Taylor this evening,” he added. He poured several glasses of brandy, distributing them to the men before recorking the bottle and placing it next to the vase.

  “The flowers are beautiful, by the way,” Carter said.

  “Thanks,” Sam said. “I brought them for Miss Taylor this evening.” He smiled slightly and held his gaze as Carter glared at him.

  Thomas raised the brandy snifter to his face and inhaled deeply before letting out a sigh of pleasure. “That’s superb,” he said. “I’d say a new drink calls for a new toast.”

  “Tom, if you wouldn’t mind, I actually have something I’d like to say,” Carter said. He returned to Kate’s side and raised his glass. “It’s wonderful to be with you all tonight. It’s so nice to be surrounded by friends and family when I have an important announcement to make,” he said. “I mean when we have an announcement to make,” he added, gesturing towards Kate.

  What is he doing? Kate felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck.

  “Ever since I arrived here in Wisconsin I’ve been consumed with work. Running a successful business can be a demanding task—some of you surely know what I’m talking about—and I had begun to think that I’d never have the chance to marry and have a family. I sometimes don’t know how you did it, Dad.” He paused and looked at Kate, a lopsided grin on his face. “But then I met Katherine Taylor. You know that we’ve been seeing each other for some time now, and you know what a wonderful girl she is. She would make any man the happiest man on earth.” He paused to look around the table, drinking in the attention. “So as the happiest man on earth, I would like to announce that I asked Kate for her hand in marriage, and she said yes. Isn’t that right, my dear?”

  It felt like she had been thrust onto a stage without a script, and as all the guests turned their attention to her, Kate could feel herself turning a fine shade of tomato. “Yes, of course that’s right,” she murmured, and the room erupted in cheers. Kate’s father stood and was at her side in a flash, pulling her close in a wordless hug before then embracing Edward; her brothers crowded around her and also each gave her a hug.

  “Kate, I’m so proud of you,” Jake said, a glint in his eye. “I never thought you’d talk somebody into marrying you,” he teased before she slapped his arm.

  Even Becky quickly approached her for a hug, her face split into a huge grin. “Miss Taylor, I’m so happy for you!” she said. She leaned close to whisper. “I’ve been hoping this would happen ever since I first laid eyes on Mr. Carter. You two make such a wonderful couple.”

  “Thank you, Becky,” Kate said, forcing a smile onto her face as she turned to the elder Mr. Carter.

  “My dear, welcome to our family,” he said, taking her hand between both of his. “Edward couldn’t have found a more beautiful, intelligent girl. If I’d only known, I would have brought his mother along on this trip so she could meet you too.”

  “Thank you, sir,” she said. She could feel her cheeks getting warm. “I’m flattered. We’ll have plenty of time to meet later on, I’m sure.”

  Once the room had quieted a bit and everybody had returned to their seats to resume dinner, Kate rose and displayed the warmest smile she could for her guests. “If you’ll excuse us for a moment, my fiancé and I need to talk,” she said.

  There was another round of glasses raised to the new couple, and Kate led Edward out of the dining room, down the hall and out to the porch, closing the door securely.

  “My darling, I’m so happy,” Carter said.

  “I am furious with you!” Kate hissed, spinning to face him. “How coul
d you do that to me?”

  Carter smiled, which only made Kate’s blood boil even hotter. “Sweetheart, like I told you before, I am not accustomed to waiting when I’ve made a decision. Now if you really didn’t want to get married, I’m sure that you would have said something about it just now,” he said. “But in fact you told everybody that you’d marry me, which must mean that you’re serious about it, right?”

  “Only because you put me on the spot like that,” Kate said. “What else was I going to say in front of a roomful of people?”

  “That’s really the only reason why? You’re saying that you don’t love me?”

  “Edward, I—”

  “You don’t love this man who is desperately, hopelessly lost over you?” As his eyes drilled into her, Kate couldn’t help but remember the way he had looked at her on an earlier night, right there on the same porch, not so long ago. That look had lit a flame within her which burned still, and as her eyes swept over Carter’s chiseled features, she felt her anger draining away.

  “Of course I love you,” she said, and this time his smile only warmed her gently. He moved to her and took her by the hands.

  “So let me ask you again, in a more private setting,” he said quietly. “And this time you have your chance to say no, though I hope you won’t. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes, Edward,” she said. “I will.” She slapped him on the arm. “And if you’d just waited a bit more, maybe you would have gotten the same response without getting me so upset. It’s a big decision, after all, and one that shouldn’t be rushed into.”

  “Darling, sometimes decisions are too big to delay, on the other hand,” he said. “And as I’ve said, when I first met you, I knew how things were going to turn out.”

  “Oh, is that right?”

  “That’s the truth,” he said, and he leaned in for a kiss. The touch of his lips sent a thrill through her body and she stepped closer, wrapping herself in his arms.

  “I never expected to find a man like you in these parts,” she said. “When we first came out here I was afraid that I’d only find, you know, farmers.”

  “I thought the same thing,” he said. “That just goes to show you that you can never tell where you’ll find a treasure.”

  Kate raised her mouth to meet his again, but their lips had barely touched when the front door suddenly opened. They stepped apart quickly as Sam came out onto the porch, passed them on his way down the steps, and started up the hill to his cabin.

  “Sam, you’re not leaving, are you?” Kate said. “It’s so early.”

  “Afraid I’m not feeling well,” he called, without even looking back. “Thanks for having me.”

  As she watched him go, she stepped back to Carter’s side. He likes you, Becky had told her. Kate let her hand drop down to Edward’s; he squeezed it gently and turned to her.

  “We have a lot to do,” he said. “There are a lot of plans to be made.”

  “Mmm-hmm.” Sam was almost racing up the hill, as if he couldn’t get away from the house fast enough.

  “There’s probably not enough time to plan a proper wedding before the weather turns.”

  “Okay,” Kate said. She watched as Sam reached his cabin and stepped inside without looking back.

  “Darling?”

  She turned and looked at Carter as if waking up, and realized that he had said something else she didn’t catch.

  “I asked you what you thought about a spring wedding.”

  “Oh, that would be lovely,” she said. “Of course, let’s have a spring wedding.”

  “You seem distracted,” Carter said. “Is everything all right?” He glanced up the hill to Sam’s cabin.

  “Everything’s fine,” she said. “Come on, let’s go back inside before they think we ran off to elope.”

  Carter kissed her again quickly. “Don’t give me any ideas,” he muttered, holding the door open for her.

  ~

  Sam felt like a teakettle with the spout stopped up, and stepping out onto the porch to find the two of them practically going at it had only made things worse. As he stomped up the hill, he found it difficult to keep himself from screaming in anger and frustration, and his hands shook as he changed out of his coat and shirt collar. There were certain times when he wished that he liked to drink, because he could certainly use something to help him forget about this evening, at least for a while.

  It was almost like she had arranged the whole thing just to humiliate him. An invitation to dinner, just to hear the announcement that she was going to marry another man. If she had thought that was something he’d have wanted to witness, she’d been sorely mistaken. But then, she had almost looked shocked when Carter spilled the news. Had she been taken by surprise too? I guess in the end it doesn’t matter. She said yes, after all.

  How could she marry Carter? Sam let himself collapse heavily onto the chair and let out a long sigh. What could she possibly see in him? Of course, as soon as the question formed in his mind, he was able to supply several answers. Carter was tall and handsome, rich and well-educated. Sam studied his reflection in a water glass. Not bad, he thought. Just not Carter.

  He shot to his feet again and began pacing back and forth in the small room. Well, there was no way for him to beat Carter on money, that was for sure. And although Sam had educated himself just fine, it didn’t match up to Oxford. So this was a fight he couldn’t win. But was that all that mattered? It seemed unlikely. Of course, he hadn’t known Katie all that long, and she definitely came from a different world compared to the frontier, but she had never struck him as the kind of woman who cared only for money and fancy names.

  Whether from the emotions of the evening or from all the pacing he was doing, Sam realized that a sheen of sweat had formed on his brow. He stepped outside and plopped down onto the stump, letting the cool evening air flow around him. The porch was empty now, and as he gazed down the hill at the house, it looked almost as it had every other night since Kate had shown up in his life. If you ignored the guests’ carriages parked in front, it could have been any night at all, in fact. It was nearly possible to imagine that the last hour had been a dream—or a nightmare—and that come morning, everything would be back to normal. Sam would go to bed shortly, toss and turn for a few hours and rise bleary-eyed to begin the day, but there would be no bad news hanging over his head, no wedding date ominously approaching on the calendar, no wound in his heart that would bleed afresh every time he saw Kate’s face. It was nearly possible to imagine that, but sometimes nearly possible was a damn sight not good enough.

  I never should have let myself even think about her this way. I should have just kept going along, working the plan and plugging away. It was silly to think that I could land a high-class girl like her anyway. We’re from different worlds. Sam let out a long sigh and leaned back against the wall of the cabin. But then…maybe that’s not true after all.

  He leaped to his feet again, more out of a need to burn off some energy than out of a desire to go anywhere. He started pacing back and forth again, now creating a ringed path in the dirt outside his door. She may think I’m just a farm boy, but there’s more to me than that. And if I think she’s just a rich girl who only cares about superficial things, maybe I’m wrong too.

  He stopped to stare down the hill again toward the house. If he listened closely, he thought he could almost hear laughter drifting up to him. Perhaps he had been too hasty in leaving the party. He ran one hand through his hair, brushing it back and out of his eyes. It was hard to know what to do with women, that was certain. Maybe it was best just to put this whole idea out of his head and concentrate on his business. Things had been going great up until Kate arrived on the farm, and he’d let himself get distracted. Distracted over nothing, as it turned out.

  Sam stood up and stepped inside to retrieve his journal, returning to his stump to review his progress. So far, so good. He’d talked to God knows how many men around Mineral Point, trying to scratch up every nugg
et of wisdom, every piece of information that could help him get his own business going, and he’d finally figured out a way to do it.

  With a little luck and a lot of hard work, Sam had calculated that he’d be able to quit his job and start working for himself in only five years. Seems like a hell of a long time, now that I think about it. Still, since I’m starting with nothing, I guess that’s not too bad.

  As he looked down the hill at the farmhouse, however, he realized that he had made a fatal miscalculation, one which could destroy his whole plan. Sam’s head dropped, and it was as if a cold wind had filled him up. Ever since his parents had died, he had tried to convince himself that he was strong enough to make it on his own. He had slipped into his father’s position seamlessly, supporting his mother until she died, and then he’d struck on his plan to start his own business. With only hard work and determination, a man could make something of himself. Bill Taylor had said that a thousand times. Hell, Bill had lived that way too.

  But staring at his journal, looking at the notes and figures that were telling him that he was on his way, Sam realized that it was all a lie. It didn’t matter how well he did, it didn’t matter how he was progressing if he didn’t have somebody to share his eventual success with. His mother had once passed on some family wisdom, telling him that even in paradise, living alone would be hell. At the time, it had seemed like just another proverb, but Sam felt its truth now.

  He stared down the hill again. So you got knocked down a little bit. You gonna lie there in the dirt? Or are you gonna pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start again? Sam stood up and took a deep breath, letting the night’s air rush into his lungs and clear out the chill that had filled him. Nothing’s certain until there’s a ring on her finger, he thought. And who knows, maybe that ring will be mine someday. Stranger things have happened. I just can’t think of any right now.

  ~

  The sun had dropped down behind the hills by the time the guests were ready to depart. Kate couldn’t remember the last time she’d been the focus of so much attention, and she was frankly relieved to see the evening winding down. As she stepped out onto the porch to see the guests off, she realized that she was exhausted.