Seth (Prairie Grooms, Book Three) Read online

  She scrunched up her face. “It shows that much?”

  He nodded. “Uh-huh. Edith looks like that when she can’t find an ingredient for a recipe she’s cookin’ up.”

  Eloise laughed. “Well, this hardly constitutes as a recipe problem, but it is a problem all the same.”

  “Yeah, so I heard.”

  “You… you did?”

  “I was in the kitchen while you were in the dining room talking about it. Darn shame to be warring with your sister like that over something so silly.”

  “I wholeheartedly agree,” she said. “But there’s not much to be done about it.”

  “Picnic’s in a few days,” said Jefferson, blissfully changing the subject. “I can’t wait for the tug-of-war this year.” “He looked at her with a big smile. “Be the first year Mr. Berg isn’t here, which means it’ll be an even fight.”

  Eloise stared at him. “What are you talking about? What fight?”

  He laughed. “I keep forgettin’; you’ve never been to one of our town picnics.”

  “I dare say, but I’ve not attended any of your town’s annual functions. You will have to excuse my ignorance. We’re still learning, my sisters and I.”

  “Well, then you and your sisters are in for a real treat.”

  Eloise smiled. “I do hope so, because lately, everything else seems to have gone sour.”

  * * *

  The next day, Eloise, Sadie, Belle, Constance, and Penelope, met at the mercantile to finish the wedding dress and make final preparations for the picnic. Eloise, having gone to bed with a headache after her talk with Jefferson the night before, forgot about the last- minute details of her dress. But no matter, they would finish it today and she’d be married on Saturday. Funny, but the thought didn’t make her feel as giddy and excited as she thought it would; probably because Constance hadn’t spoken a word to her all morning. The tension between them was palatable, and filled the mercantile the moment Constance joined them a half hour ago.

  Penelope put the final stitch on a sleeve, and glared at them both. “If you two don’t start speaking to each other, I may have to scream.”

  Constance fidgeted in her chair. “I have nothing to say.”

  “Neither do I,” said Eloise.

  “Well, I have plenty to say,” announced Penelope. “You two are being ridiculous! I’ve not heard either of you utter one word to each other all morning. This has to stop!”

  “Penelope,” said Sadie. “Let them be; they’ll come around soon enough.”

  “They’re my sisters,” Penelope said. “It’s my job to ensure they get along.”

  Belle giggled. “This makes me wish I had sisters. I grew up an only child and had no one to disagree with.”

  “Me, too,” said Sadie. “And even though Belle and I are like sisters, we’ve never had a disagreement that caused us to give each other the silent treatment.”

  “I say,” said Eloise. “You’re making a big fuss over nothing. Constance and I have had a disagreement, that’s all.”

  “Yes,” added Constance. “And we ask that you respect our right to disagree and… Oh, what would an American say?”

  “I know what an Englishman would say,” said Eloise.

  “What?” asked Constance.

  “Bugger. Off.” Eloise said in a flat tone.

  Penelope gasped. “Eloise! Mind your manners!”

  Constance giggled. “Why, sister! I’ve never heard you say such a thing!”

  “As long as it has the two of them talking, it’s fine by me,” said Sadie.

  “Really,” said Belle in exasperation. She returned to her sewing, and smoothed out the section of dress she’d been working on. “Now, let’s see how this looks.” She stood. “Eloise, are you ready to try this on?”

  “Try it on? Here?” she asked.

  “Well, of course,” said Belle, “Unless you’d like to try it on at the saloon?”

  Eloise quickly shook her head. She then looked at the dress. Her eyes widened. “Oh, ladies, we’ve out done ourselves.” The other women stared at the dress as well. It was quite beautiful, and had much more intricate stitching than either Constance or Penelope’s had.

  “Come with me,” said Belle. “You can try it on upstairs in my old room.”

  Eloise got up and followed Belle through the curtained doorway behind the mercantile counter. Upstairs in the Dunnigans’ living quarters, Mrs. Dunnigan was just taking something out of the oven. “Is it done?” she asked.

  “Yes, Auntie,” said Belle. “We’ll let you see it just as soon as she has it on.”

  “I’m sure it’ll look fine. We’re gonna have ourselves some picnic this year!”

  “Everyone keeps saying that,” said Eloise.

  “Well, it’s true,” said Belle. “We’ve never had a wedding during the picnic before.”

  “I hope this dress looks as good on me as it does by itself,” said Eloise. “Do you think Seth will like it?”

  “Of course he’s going to like it,” said Belle. “It’s the most beautiful wedding dress we’ve done to date.”

  A shiver of excitement went up Eloise’s spine. About time, too, she thought. She was beginning to worry if she really wanted to get married. Still, she did have her reservations. There was something about Seth, something that just didn’t quite fit well with her. Sure he was handsome, level-headed, smart to a degree, and forthright. But something felt … off. If only she could figure out what it was.

  “It’s beautiful,” said Belle as she took in the sight of Eloise wearing the dress for the first time. “Turn around and I’ll button it up,” she said.

  “Do you have a mirror? I want to see,” said Eloise.

  “There’s one in my aunt’s room. As soon as I get these buttons done, we’ll go take a look.”

  Eloise clapped her hands together with excitement. But was it for the dress, or for her wedding? A pretty dress was one thing, the wedding something else. Why couldn’t she be as excited about her wedding day as Constance and Penelope had been about theirs?

  “All done,” said Belle. “Let’s go have a look, shall we?”

  Belle led Eloise from the bedroom, down the hall, and into her aunt and uncle’s room. Eloise stared at the full-length mirror in one corner of the room, and hesitated. Now why on earth would she be afraid to look at her reflection? Was it because she’d been hit up-side the head with the fact that she’d be married in a few days? Oh, Eloise, get over it …

  “What’s the matter?” asked Bell.

  Eloise glanced at her, but said nothing. She then looked at the mirror, stepped in front of it, and gasped. “Oh, my!”

  “Indeed,” said Belle. “You’re absolutely beautiful. Seth is going to love it!”

  “Makes me want to get married just so I can wear it,” said Eloise.

  Belle gave her a quizzical look. “You sound as if you don’t want to get married.” Eloise turned from the mirror. “Belle, what if I told you a part of me doesn’t?”

  “What are you saying?”

  Eloise wrung her hands together a few times. “I do want to get married. It’s just that a part of me … doesn’t.”

  Belle pulled Eloise from the mirror, led her to the bed, and sat. “I can understand having reservations before getting married. A lot of mail-order brides do. After all, you don’t know Seth very well, and haven’t had much time to court. If you like, we can always postpone the wedding and give the two of you more time to get acquainted.”

  “I don’t know if Seth will agree to that. He really wants to get married.

  “Eloise, he’ll understand if you need to wait.”

  “Will he?”

  “Of course he will. Sure, folks get married quickly around here. Colin and I courted just a couple of weeks before we were married, and I wasn’t even a mail-order bride. The important thing is that you know you’re doing the right thing. I had no reservations when I married Colin, none whatsoever. Are you having second thoughts about getting ma
rried? Or marrying Seth?”

  Eloise bit her lower lip before speaking. Tears formed at the back of her eyes and something in her gut twisted. “Maybe it’s just me,” she said. “Seth is a fine man, anyone can see that. But, there’s something about him, Belle, and I don’t know what it is. Please tell me I’m doing the right thing by marrying him.”

  “I can’t tell you if it’s right or wrong, Eloise. I’ve known Seth for a couple of years now, and I can honestly say he is a good man. None of us have ever seen him or his brother act out of turn, be unkind, or not lend a helping hand when one was needed. But if you’re having some sort of reservation about marrying him, then you need to wait. But you also need to tell him.”

  “I don’t know how. I’m not even sure if what I’m feeling is valid.”

  “A lot has happened since you and your sisters arrived in town. First Penelope is attacked, then Constance and Ryder. But until the sheriff returns, I guess we’re going to be left in the dark for a time. But none of that should matter when it comes to your wedding. What does is what’s in your heart. Is it or isn’t it, the right thing to do?”

  Eloise blinked back the first of her tears. “I want to get married, really I do, but … I’m going to have to talk with Seth first, and ask him something.”

  “What?”

  Eloise wiped away a tear. “I have to ask him who he is.”

  Eight

  The next day, Mrs. Dunnigan, Mrs. Mulligan, and Fanny Fig came to the Triple C to help with the picnic preparations. Excitement was high when they arrived, as it wasn’t only the picnic they were to plan, but the wedding, too. Sadie and Belle bristled with excitement as they answered the front door. “Good morning” said Sadie. “I can’t wait to get started. Refreshments are in the dining room. We’ll work in there.”

  The three ladies followed Sadie, and seated themselves at the dining room table. “I’ve made up a list of who is to bring what,” announced Mrs. Dunnigan.

  Sadie looked confused. “Are you referring to the food?”

  “Of course,” said Mrs. Dunnigan. “What else?”

  “But I thought I was taking care of the food this year,” said Sadie.

  “Yes, but I’m helping out. I’ve done this a lot longer than you have.”

  Sadie smiled and did her best to suppress a giggle. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t mention it,” barked Mrs. Dunnigan.

  Eloise came into the dining room. “Morning; how is everyone?”

  “We’re just dandy,” said Mrs. Mulligan. “And how are you? Are you excited about your upcoming wedding?”

  Eloise smiled as a blush crept into her cheeks. “I suppose so, but there’s a lot of work to be done, considering that we have to plan the picnic as well.”

  “There most certainly is!” exclaimed Fanny. “I, for one, think we ought to get started right away. Now, what games shall we play?”

  “Fanny,” said Mrs. Mulligan “It’s your job to figure it out what they are. Have you decided?”

  “I haven’t decided anything yet, you silly goose! That’s why I’m here; so you can help me!”

  Mrs. Dunnigan rolled her eyes. “Let’s just play the same games we played last year. It worked out fine, and everybody had fun.”

  “I don’t rightly recall what games we played last year,” confessed Fanny.

  Mrs. Mulligan groaned. “You’ve got to be joking.”

  “Well it has been a whole year!” fussed Fanny. “How’s a person to remember every detail after such a long time?”

  “Ladies, please,” said Sadie. “We must get this figured out. We only have three days left.”

  “Should we decorate for the wedding?” asked Belle.

  “Oh, that would be lovely,” said Eloise. “But what will we use for decorations?”

  “That’s easy,” said Belle. “We pick flowers; what else?”

  “Flowers?” asked Eloise.

  “Flowers would be beautiful,” agreed Fanny.

  “We could get Mabel Turner’s children to weave garlands for us,” said Sadie.

  Eloise thought for a moment, then said, “I can picture that; yes, how pretty! Thank you for suggesting it.”

  “Now that that’s settled,” huffed Mrs. Dunnigan, “let’s get down to business. Sadie, here’s the list of who’s to bring what dish. All you have to do is tell them.”

  Sadie took the list from Mrs. Dunnigan’s hand, and looked it over. “That’s easy enough. I’ll get started on it right away.”

  “Is there anyone around who doesn’t know about the picnic this Saturday?” asked Mrs. Mulligan.

  “Everyone must know by now,” said Sadie. “Your husband has been telling everyone who comes into the saloon.”

  “Of course,” said Mrs. Mulligan. “But some folks only come into town once a week, and unless they go into the saloon or Irene and Wilfred’s place, they might not find out about it until the day of.”

  Sadie was about to comment when Harrison stepped into the room, a concerned look on his face. “What’s the matter?” she asked.

  “Logan just came from town. The sheriff is back. I’m going to ride in to see what he found out.”

  “Did they… catch the outlaws?” asked Eloise.

  “No, I’m afraid not. They came back empty-handed,” said Harrison.

  Eloise’s shoulders slumped as disappointment assailed her. “They didn’t find them?”

  “I guess not, but I still want to see what they did find, if anything.” said Harrison. He turned and left the room.

  “Don’t worry,” said Belle as she put a hand on Eloise’s shoulder. “I’m sure they found something.”

  Eloise stared at the table. “I hope so,” she said. “Otherwise, who knows how long I’ll have to go without Constance speaking to me.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly.” said Belle. “She’ll speak to you the next time she sees you.”

  Eloise sighed. “I hope so.” She looked at Sadie and Belle. “Would you mind if I went into town with Harrison? I want to speak with the sheriff.”

  Sadie and Belle exchanged a quick look. “I don’t’ see why not,” said Sadie. “But you’d better hurry; Harrison’s planning on riding to town. If you go along, he’ll have to hitch up the wagon.”

  Eloise got up from her chair and hurried from the room. She ran down the hall, through the kitchen and out the back door. There was no sign of Harrison anywhere. She ran to the barn and found him saddling his horse. “Can I go with you?” she asked, out of breath.

  Harrison glanced at her, noted the concerned look on her face, and nodded. “Fine, but give me a few moments to get the wagon ready.”

  Eloise smiled in relief. “While you’re doing that, I’ll check to see if Sadie or Belle needs anything from town. Is that all right?”

  “Sure.”

  Eloise hurried from the barn back to the house, praying that the sheriff had found something, anything, that would help solve this mystery. She spoke with Sadie and Belle, waited for Sadie to scribble down a list of things she needed, and then went back to the barn. By the time she got there, Harrison had hitched up the wagon. He helped her up, sat beside her, and off they went. “I’m going to need to get right back, Cousin,” he said. “I’ll speak to the sheriff while you run down to the mercantile and have Wilfred fill Sadie’s order.”

  “But I wanted to speak to the sheriff as well.”

  “I understand, but I can find out more information than you can.”

  She stared at him, her mind already full of questions. “But Harrison…”

  “Eloise, I know what to ask,” he told her with an arched brow.

  Eloise sighed in defeat. “Oh, all right.”

  “I know what it is you want to ask,” he said.

  She looked at him, but said nothing.

  “You want to know if that Cutty fellow is still alive, don’t you.”

  She turned away and gazed across the prairie as the wagon rumbled along. “How did you know?”

  “B
ecause it’s all any of us have been talking about for the last two days,” he said.

  “You’re right, of course,” she said. “I’m sorry if I’ve made it the sole topic of conversation. I’m sure everyone’s tired of hearing it by now.”

  “It’s a serious matter, Cousin; one that needs to be discussed, especially since it involves all of you. I’ll be the first to say that I don’t take kindly to others trying to kill my family.”

  “You didn’t have to put it that way.”

  “What other way is there?”

  “I see your point,” she said. They rolled along in silence after that, and Eloise did her best to still her mind, and the questions running through it. She didn’t want to bother Harrison further, and knew he had to be tired of her constant musings.

  When they got to town, he brought the wagon to a halt in front of the sheriff’s office, set the brake, and jumped down. Once he helped her out of the wagon she smoothed her skirts, took Sadie’s list from her reticule, and motioned toward the mercantile. “I’ll just be off then,” she said. “Please, Harrison, I have to know…”

  Harrison held up a hand to silence her. “Eloise, stop. You’re going to make yourself sick worrying about this.”

  Her lower lip trembled. She was not going to cry, yet she wanted to; needed the release it would bring. But there were people around, and she didn’t want to embarrass Harrison by her tears. “I understand,” she said as she turned from him and walked away. Within moments she reached the mercantile, went inside, and was surprised to find Seth at the counter talking with Wilfred. “Seth,” she breathed.

  “Well, hello darlin’,” he said. “How’s my future bride?”

  “The sheriff’s back.”

  He studied her, and she noted the sudden look of concern on his face as he crossed the room. Not caring what Wilfred thought, she let him take her in his arms. “I know he’s back,” he said. “I’ve already spoken to him.”

  “You have?”

  Seth nodded as he brushed a loose wisp of hair out of her face. “Yep. I done already found out everything I needed to know.”

  “What?” she asked in surprise. “What did he tell you?”