CHAPTER 10

C HAPTE R 10

Just as Gordie made his move against Ava, they heard pounding hooves on the gravel laneway, alerting them to a new arrival on the property. She used the distraction to her advantage, pulled away from her assailant's grip, and began to run in the newcomer's direction, but her clumsy feet caught in the hem of her dress and sent her tumbling to the ground.

Gordie was there in an instant, offering his helping hand, "Can I aid you to your feet, Miss Gardner?"

Ava cringed at the man's grimace. His scowl was hidden from the approaching rider, but it clearly sent a warning to her: ‘Keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you.' When she didn't accept the hand he offered, he reached down and yanked her to her feet. His action was swift and might appear as aid to an onlooker, but Ava felt the fingers dig into her flesh in an unfriendly manner. "There you go, miss. Best keep a steady pace next time you set off running to see whose calling." He winked at the person who stopped his horse where they stood and Ava turned to see who had unknowingly come to her rescue.

"Orson," she exclaimed, bringing one hand to her heart in relief, using the other to hook the loose strands of her hair back into place.

He slid from his saddle and was instantly at her side. "Are you all right?"

"The woman was just a mite too excited to see you, is all," Gordie jumped into the conversation.

Orson frowned at him, and he backed off.

Passing a clean handkerchief to Ava, he said, "I am excited to see you. It's been a long week but a successful one."

"I understand you've been visiting family?" she said as she wiped the dirt from her face before handing the soiled cloth back to him.

"I was. Sheena is growing so fast—I hate to miss any of it."

"You should have brought her," Ava said, thinking it would be nice to meet the child.

"My thoughts exactly. That is why I cut my visit short, packed her bag, and boarded the next train back to South Dakota."

"She's here in Blazer?" Ava looked around. The area appeared vacant, and she raised her brow questionably.

"I left the overactive girl at the hotel with the storekeeper's daughter, who has agreed to help mind her when I have to work," Orson explained. "She was exhausted from the trip. I never thought I'd see her tire, but the girl's barely been twenty miles from home her entire life."

"I can't wait to meet her."

"I've told her all about you," Orson said, moving closer.

Ava bit her lip and glanced at Gordie, who was lingering nearby, probably making sure she didn't spill the beans as to his misconduct earlier.

"Gordie," Orson said, and the man stood to attention, "what are you doing out here today? I do allow my workers the weekend off."

"Just thought I'd do some fishing, and when Miss Gardner showed up asking your whereabouts, I was here to tell her. I wasn't expecting you to show up today. It's nice to have you back, boss."

"Well, off you go, now—either fishing or to town, you take your pick. Anywhere but here, if you catch my drift."

"Yes, sir. Think I'll mosey on back to town. Got me some drinking to get started on at the saloon."

They watched as he went to the tree cluster where his horse was tied, mounted the animal, and sped off down the lane.

Ava breathed easier. "I don't like that man."

"I don't much either, but he can hammer a nail, and I need all the local help I can get to build this place. I can't spare my regular teams."

"Will you and your daughter stay until the building is up and its owner comes to claim it?"

"We shall indeed." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I've missed you."

"You left without saying goodbye. I thought…" Ava stammered, unable to vocalize her doubts.

"What did you think? Surely not that I had lost interest in you, although I do admit my neglect in not sending you a note," he said. "I apologize, but I got this sudden hankering to see Sheena. Mother gave a bit of a fight, saying her tutoring would suffer, but I assured her the girl was young enough to catch up on her education."

"I could help if you bring her around on your way to work."

"You are busy enough without having a little girl attached to your skirt."

"Blanche would love company. You'd be doing us a favor. She is always the first at Jacob's crib when he whimpers."

"Ah, the new baby in the house—Sheena would love to see him."

"Then bring her along," Ava said. "Maybe Monday on your way to work."

"Perhaps I should introduce you two first. Are you available to come to the hotel dining room for dinner after church on Sunday?"

"I am," she said, twisting clear of his captivating stare. "I was pleased to see that you incorporated my kitchen ideas into the plans."

"I used your entire layout. I love the sketch and have labeled it ‘The Ava Gardner Design' after you."

"Every one of your lady customers shall consider it your best design, mark my words."

"Do you have time for a stroll to the water?"

Ava smiled and nodded. He reached for her hand, and she tried to hide the heaving in her chest in response to his touch. For an hour, she listened as he talked of his home, but she sensed it lacked passion, for his eyes did not light up the same way they did when he'd surveyed the property.

"Would you ever consider moving?"

"I might, but I doubt my mother would be too pleased."

"I suppose a son considers it his duty to care for his widowed mother and make her happy. It's very commendable."

"We had that very talk while I was home. I felt my energy decline only hours after being in the house I shared with my deceased wife. I suspect I have too many memories to bog me down there. If I must stay, I shall look for new housing when I return. Coming to Blazer has boosted my zest for life, and I wanted Sheena to have a taste of it."

"I wonder if Slate and Gracie would let you go to the gold mine for a couple of days. Listening to them, you'd think it was a slice of wilderness heaven. They vacation there yearly."

"The gold claim? Now, Sheena would simply wear herself out racing around there, panning for gold, and the wildlife all around her as she snuggled in her bed at night would delight her."

"I will inquire if you'd like."

"Would you be able to come?" he asked, then quickly added. "I'll sleep in whatever outbuilding is on the land, of course."

"Always the gentleman," Ava said appreciating that the man actually thought enough of her to protect her reputation.

"I have told you all about me, and you rarely indulge anything about you."

"You know all the good parts. Can't we leave it at that?"

His gaze reached deep into her soul, and if she didn't know better, she'd think he knew her as she had been in the Dodge City Saloon, working alongside women just like his sister. It was possible, yet every dream clamoring within her balked at the idea of opening that discussion.

"We can," he said. "You should know that I don't judge people on their past. Granted it, some folks choose their own fate, but I am not so ignorant as to know that sometimes, fate plays a bad hand. A person deserves to be recognized in the present and what they do to build their future."

Again, he poured on that intense gaze she could not shake. Were they having the dreaded discussion in a roundabout way? Was he letting her know that acceptance, forgiveness, and love could be hers with a bit of trust on her part? She'd decided never to tell a decent man of her background, least of all the brother of the woman whose dead baby she'd held in her arms.

She had stayed away the day the family had come to pay their respects at Frances's gravesite, for she figured her face would give away the secret dread of the infant lying in his mother's arms under the ground. It was enough to lose Frances, but to lose her child as well? They just did not need to know.

Fate had found her and brought her face-to-face with the man while the secret still burned inside her. To make it worse, she had fallen in love with him, and the common experience she shared with his sister would destroy any chance she might have of happiness.

"I should return to the house and finish the supper preparations. The baby was a bit cranky last night, and Gracie is on edge today, having not had enough sleep."

"Understood." He took her hand, and they walked to her horse in silence. He boosted her into the saddle. "Let me ride back with you, just in case Gordie is hanging out."

She looked at him sharply. "You don't suppose I have to fear him sneaking around after me, do you?"

"I'll tire the man out so badly before sunset that he won't have the energy to even go for a drink, let alone bother a respectable woman."

"How did you know?"

"A man sees it in another man," Orson said, "but not to worry. I have my eyes on him now. His right leg is lame and a good kick would render him harmless, should you find yourself cornered again."

"Thanks for the tip."

"Just taking care of my girl." He winked and headed for where he'd tied his horse.

His girl—had she heard that right? If it meant anything permanent, she'd have to tell it all, lay her whole miserable life out on a slab, and hope he didn't slay her mercilessly.

He left her at the house and headed in the direction of the hotel. It would be nice to meet his daughter. Ava couldn't wait until Sunday.

Orson had hoped Ava would open up during their discussion at the lake, that she'd be the one to denounce her past and usher in a future for them. It had taken him over a year to find the winning candidate. Ava had been number three and unlike the others, had given him a run for his money, not following his instructions and sending him on a wild goose chase to Blazer. Perhaps even that was a godsend. He loved the town and the people with whom he'd become acquainted. In South Dakota, he'd found some rest for his weariness.

The entire plot had been his wife's dying wish to rid him of the demons that plagued his soul but his mother had been a harder sell. When he introduced a reputable matrimonial agency as a mediator, his mother eventually agreed to his bizarre plan to avenge Frances. Of course, her thinking was that Orson would observe his target, and play his ‘games' to see if the mail-order bride would appreciate the freedom he offered.

Mrs. Shilling had been relieved to hear the interruption to their lives was nearing its end, but she was not pleased with the unexpected romance outcome.

True, Ava had balanced the scales. Since he couldn't help his sister, he felt pleased to have succeeded in rescuing one lost maiden from the clutches of saloon life. This third candidate seemed willing and eager to turn her back on the past. Her final gift from him would be the home on the lake. The start-up money, the few gifts from the secret admirer, and getting acquainted had been the easy part—but the fact that he had fallen in love with the ex-saloon girl, had surprised even him and managed to make his mother crazy. They had argued heatedly, but Orson would not back down.

He knew what he wanted—Ava—and if she'd have him, they'd marry, and the success rate of Mildred Crenshaw's matrimonial service would remain intact.

His first two candidates had failed miserably, and the matchmaker had insisted this new woman would be the last prospect she would entertain under her agency's umbrella. She had taken a risk in supporting his strange mission, but in giving in to his pleas, she had caught the fire of his pursuit for the betterment of mankind. Understandably concerned that its reputation was in jeopardy due to his previous failed attempts, the agency had offered up Ava Gardner as his final redemptive opportunity.

The girls of his choosing were sent to a town, thinking their groom awaited them. That ended the initial set-up involving the Crenshaw Matrimonial Agency. From there, Orson set off on his own agenda, testing the lure of sin against the righteousness of mankind. Separating the two eased his emotional pain and the ache in his heart. His search for closure was nearing its end, and he did not regret shedding a few dollars for the sake of satisfying his principles.

It was by chance that he was in Dodge City's train depot the day Ava had purchased her ticket, not to Crater Valley as instructed, but to some location in South Dakota, many miles from what remained of his beloved family.

He sighed. It had been a challenge.

The Ace Hotel came into sight, and he rode to the back and put his horse up for the night. He could use some rest before he got to work finishing up Ava's house. She'd be surprised when he'd give her the key. Secretly, he hoped she'd invite him to share the home with her—him and Sheena. It was a family unit he sorely missed. He worried that the secrets on both sides might put an end to any chance he had of keeping the mail-order bride of his choice.