Chapter 2

2

A s Josiah plodded along, the cadence of his horse's hooves lulled him into deep thought. He leaned forward and patted the mane. "Home, boy." Fireball picked up speed.

He had been hoping, no, expecting, more friendliness from Katherine. After rescuing her a second time, he'd thought she would show more than a rush to get out of his sight. She had even trusted him with a quick hug before. Why the coldness now? By the look on her face, she longed to be anywhere but in his presence.

Truth be told, since that day a month before, he had thought of little else. A thaw had begun inside his cold and protected core. She was in his head, under his skin, and had even wiggled her way into the heart he'd thought was boarded up and closed down. Could this be what people referred to as love at first sight? Did such a thing even exist?

He hoped his offer would be met with her approval. That she would be happy to get out of the cramped quarters they lived in, and help out her family at the same time. Obviously, if she had accepted a job to clean the saloon, things were pretty desperate. He could save her from such dire circumstances. He could give her a life she'd never dreamed possible, a life most every available girl in town would clamor for.

And since she was the first woman since Georgina who showed enough spunk to catch his attention, why not take the leap? His plan would solve a problem for both of them. She would have a home and future, and he would have a wife and family. Then, all his hard work in building the best horse ranch in the valley would have meaning. His cousin Tom back in Williamsburg didn't fit as his beneficiary. His views on the plight of the black people were decidedly different than Josiah's, and he couldn't risk someone not loving Abe and Delilah as much as he did. No, the legacy he dreamed about passing down had to go to a strapping son, or a brilliant daughter, who would have the opportunity to learn anything his or her little heart desired.

He chuckled. With the likes of a spitfire beauty like Katherine, life would be anything but dull. He had better act fast before some younger man snatched her up. A nagging jab churned in his gut. Was he too old for her? He pressed down the worry.

He was falling for the girl, there was little doubt. For the first time in a long time, he allowed a full grin to split free. He had the where-with-all to make it happen, so why shouldn't he?

"He what?" Katie paused with the stack of dishes she was removing from the table to the washbasin. She swung around so fast the top plate went flying, landing on the floor with a thud.

"He wants to marry you." Pa eyed her, his expression impossible to read.

"He doesn't even know me." She slammed the stack of dishes down and bent to retrieve the plate.

"He told me you've met a couple times, and he found you both intriguing and interesting."

She straightened with the dish. "Since when do people marry for intrigue or interest?"

"His offer is generous."

"Offer?"

"He would supply a house for our family and work for me farming his land. And, as a wedding gift, he's offered the orchard and all the proceeds, so I can pay him back for the house in time. Do you understand what this means?" The excitement built in his voice. "You would live in luxury. A big house. Maids. Beautiful clothes. Anything your heart desires." His toothy grin grew wide.

"Anything my heart desires except love."

Pa's smile dissolved like sugar in a teacup. His gaze hit the floor.

Katie turned from him. She would rather run down the streets of Lacey Spring naked than get forced into an arranged marriage. Mr. Richardson was too old for her. Had Pa lost his mind? No wonder he'd cleared the cabin of everyone so they could talk privately.

"So, that's why he showed up out of the blue a few days ago, all friendly and sure of himself. I wondered what brought the high and mighty Mr. Richardson to our humble door." She intentionally flashed Pa a stormy scowl. "Apparently, I was his reason."

Katie slammed the last stack of dirty dishes into the wooden tub and grabbed the dishrag. She stomped to the table and scrubbed with all her strength. The walls of the cabin room pressed in around her, much like the marriage arrangement her pa had just presented. How could she give him the answer she knew he wanted? She drew deep breaths past the knot in her chest. A loveless marriage couldn't be the only solution to their dire situation. There had to be another way.

"You're twenty-one. Don't you want to marry and have a family?"

"I want to marry, but not a stranger. I would've married Charles in a heartbeat." The thought of the strapping young man she had kissed good-bye brought instant tears. She turned away and squeezed her eyes tight, refusing to allow the flow.

"Charles is gone." Pa's warm hand touched her shoulder.

She moved out of his reach. "I know he's gone. But that doesn't mean I'm free of him." Heat filled her cheeks at admitting something so personal. "Besides, you and Ma have always talked about how important both friendship and love are in a marriage. I'll have neither."

"Katie girl…" The crack in his voice pulled at her heart strings. How could she deny him?

"I wouldn't ask if there was any other way." He brushed his hand through his thinning hair as the crevices deepened on his furrowed brow.

"I'll find another job and give you and Ma the money."

He remained silent. His soft brown eyes filled with sadness.

As quickly as the feeble solution surfaced, it dissolved. Room and board in trade for work would be hard to find, but to earn cash would be nearly impossible. Even if she could take care of herself, it wouldn't change the dismal picture for the rest of her family.

Pa lifted his hand toward her. "Can you give this opportunity some thought? He would like to be married by month end?—"

"Month end? Opportunity?" Katie threw down the dishrag. "You call this an opportunity?" She sank onto the wooden bench. Her trembling hands pressed her face, covering the tears she could no longer hold back.

The solid strength of Pa's callused hand squeezed her shoulder. He slid down beside her and placed his good arm tenderly around her shoulders. "I'm so sorry." He drew her head to rest against his wiry frame as if she were seven again. She sank into his embrace. She shuddered and pressed a hand to her mouth to still the scream that lay just below the surface.

Pa pressed a handkerchief into her hand, and she dabbed at her eyes.

"Talk to me. Tell me what you're thinkin'."

"I remember the day they lowered the age to seventeen and the twins enlisted." She gulped back a sob. "They looked so strong and proud straddling their steeds and spouting off about how they'd whip those Yanks into surrender and be back before we had time to miss them. I was so jealous, Pa. I wanted to join in the adventure and hated that I was a woman and had to stay behind."

He squeezed tight.

"When they never came home, I thought the Yankees had taken everything we had. But no." She shook her head. "Their looting and burning took our home next, and now it's demanding my life, my freedom, my opportunity to find someone who loves me." She crumpled against him.

"I'll find another way, Katie girl?—"

"There is no other way. You and I both know it." She wrenched free of his arms and pushed up from the bench. "I suppose Ma finds this arrangement more than acceptable? Where is she, anyhow? Thought for sure she'd be in this discussion making sure I agree to this marriage."

"I asked her to stay out of this until I talked to you. The two of you seem to argue about most everything."

"No matter what I do, I'm not good enough."

"It's not you."

"That's what you always say, yet she doesn't treat the others the way she treats me."

He looked away.

Katie stood and crossed to the small window and stared out. The yellow calico curtains fluttered in the breeze. Their cheery color mocked Katie's abysmal plight. All hope of a future with true love was disintegrating as fast and ugly as that Yankee-built fire had destroyed their home.

She squared her shoulders, lifted her head, and turned to her pa with a jut to her chin. "I need a week to decide."

"He's a good man. Otherwise, I wouldn't ask this of you."

Her fists tightened into balls as she stomped back and forth. "Is he? Why do you think he chose me? He knows nothing about me except what all men see and want." She pointed from her face down her body. "I loathe the way I look. It's brought me nothing but sorrow."

His expression crumbled and the lines on his weathered face deepened. Katie rushed to his side. She'd said too much. Again. It wasn't his fault they were homeless.

He stood and held out his arms.

She fell into his warm embrace. "I'm sorry, Pa. I just need a little time to get over the shock."

He soothed a weathered hand down her back. "I understand."

She wanted to help her family, especially Pa, but where would she find the courage to marry a stranger?

"You know how much I love you, don't you?"

Katie nodded, relishing the arms that had always protected her.

"And that will never change. Even if…your answer is no." Pa leaned back and looked straight into her eyes without wavering. "I couldn't bear to see you unhappy." He enfolded her in his arms again and held on for a long moment before pulling back. "I'll leave you alone to think." He walked across the room, and without turning around the door clicked shut behind him.

The silence lasted but a moment. The rest of the family crowded back into the cabin. Her ma, her sisters, Aunt May, and young cousins filled the small room. Two sets of expectant eyes stared intently at Katie—Aunt May and Ma. Their expressions held a question for which she had no answer. A flicker of hope lit Ma's despondent gaze.

The weight of her impending decision loomed heavy. With nothing to say and cooped in like a hen surrounded by a gaggle of chicks, she brushed past them. The swish of her homespun dress swirled around her ankles as she rushed out. The hinges groaned and the door slammed shut, much like the future of her dreams.