When kindred spirits uni.., p.5
When Kindred Spirits Unite, page 5
The two men on either side of Theo got to laughing, teasing him about what he could have done to cause this. He kept his gaze on the young woman even as she hurried around the next corner.
Was she doing that just to avoid him?
He shifted his hat on his head in confusion, not certain what he had done to face her fierce manners. The young woman had been defensive and impolite, almost as though she was ready to fight him. He hadn’t known many women to talk like that to him. It left him both confused and curious.
Glancing at the other men, Theo spoke up. “The two of you have been here longer. Do you know who she is?”
“I know all the fine ladies in town,” Bowen replied. “But I haven’t seen her around here before. She must be new or maybe passing through. Trust me, I wouldn’t forget a face like hers.”
He had a point.
There was something about the young lady that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Thinking about the brightness in her eyes and the crease on her forehead when she frowned at him made his heart skip a beat.
While Theo had passed by many a pretty woman throughout the years, this stranger captivated him in a way that he didn’t understand. She was pretty in an exciting and dreamy sort of way, different than most women back East.
They were all so poised with their perfectly coifed hair and proud ways. Even in Mississippi, they were different, talking in loud voices with loud flirtations.
This stranger, whoever she was, didn’t seem to be from either sort of place. He wondered where she had come from and where she was going.
She had looked simple at first glance. Theo could admit to that. But then she had opened her mouth and caught his attention in a way that he hadn’t anticipated. It had been difficult to take his eyes off her even when she made her accusations.
The hair had been a bright yellow that reminded him of sunlight. Some would probably call it the color of corn, but it was brighter than the vegetable. It hung all the way down to her waist in two thick braids. Parts of it had been bound in leather wrappings like the natives kept their hair.
It was those lips that had kept him staring. A soft, pale pink mouth set in a frown on a square chin while it looked at him. He remembered looking at her and wondering what it would be like to see her smile. He had a feeling it would be incredible.
He had nearly missed those eyes of hers. They were a dark brown, wide, and entrancing when they had stared back at him. Just remembering that moment made his hands tighten on the reins. His horse flicked his ears and glanced back at him as though to tell him to calm down. There was no reason for him to get carried away.
And yet, he couldn’t get her off his mind.
She had been short. While Theo knew this was technically the case, he hadn’t been prepared to notice that when she had taken a step toward him while talking. The young woman was a head shorter than he was. He knew that he was tall, and this was the situation among many of the women, even some men, but she had appeared so small for a second. That changed when she opened her mouth. Talking, the young lady had become larger than life.
When had he noticed this? How? Theo hardly knew. It had taken place so quickly that she had disappeared before he felt he had even blinked.
He followed the men down the lane so they could make their way back to the ranch. They had spent enough of time here in town, and so now it was time to get back to work.
Looking around, Theo tried to distract himself from the slightly rude, headstrong young woman. There were trees he had never seen before and plenty of creatures everywhere. His horse seemed to be enjoying it as well now.
“I’m just saying,” Bowen spoke loudly as they reached the empty road. “Maybe I don’t know her now, but I certainly could soon. There are plenty of ways to get to know a lady. I’ll find the right way and tell you about my findings. How does that sound? No need to be strangers with a pretty one like her.”
The jokes were growing coarser by the minute.
Frowning, Theo glared at Bowen and then at Lyle as they started to laugh. The humor was turning crude. Though he had worked alongside men who often liked to talk in that way, it wasn’t something he had ever gotten used to. He didn’t want to get used to it and he didn’t want to allow it.
“That’s enough,” Theo told them. “Let’s act like gentleman, shall we?”
He could have sworn Lyle rolled his eyes before turning away. But the men still quieted, and that would have to be enough for now. He was technically their boss now, something they all remembered in that sudden moment of silence.
It was a quiet ride back to the ranch. At least, it was quiet for Theo. Just like the way they had ridden up into town, Lyle and Bowen moved alongside each other to talk quietly.
This left Theo on his own. He didn’t mind that too terribly.
They eventually made it back to the ranch. Once they had unloaded their purchases, the other men went to tend to the animals. A few horses needed reshoeing before the day was done. As for Theo, he made a trip around the property to check on the men before making his way back up to the house.
He found his uncle reading a newspaper in the sitting room. Racer glanced up and nodded at him before putting his eyes back on the paper.
“How was town?” the man asked him blandly.
Nodding, Theo ruffled his hair and glanced out the window. “It’s a nice place. I can see why you settled here. Strange folks, though. Do you know the shopkeeper?”
Racer snorted. “Which one? It doesn’t matter. No need to mind them and their contrary ways. Those are the folks who prefer spreading gossip and falsehoods. Leave them alone, and I’m sure they’ll leave us alone.”
It had been a warm summer day, but Theo could feel a coolness settling in. Soon the sun would go down, and it would be a cold night. Looking outside through the window, he found himself wanting to explore and get lost among the beautiful world around them. As he thought this, he suddenly pictured the young woman with the sun-bright hair.
“Uncle,” Theo spoke up slowly, choosing his words one by one, “I met someone today. She was rather interesting. Her hair was this bright yellow. Had a sharp tongue on her, too. Do you know anyone like that in Minerston?”
When he looked over, his uncle hadn’t bothered to lift his head from the paper.
Theo couldn’t see the man’s reflection and waited impatiently. Though he didn’t know why learning about that young woman mattered, he couldn’t stand having her in his head and knowing nothing about her.
“No, I don’t pay much mind to the women either,” his uncle responded at last. He turned to the last page. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “How is everything on the ranch?”
The topic of conversation had changed. Theo answered the question, and they began discussing their plans for the summer. It took a few other turns. His uncle didn’t seem to care talking about anything personal, so it was always some variation of business. But even as they went on, Theo’s thoughts kept coming back to that woman.
Who was she? And if she didn’t live in town, he wondered, what was she doing there?
Chapter 7
Nora stepped into the building with the blue shutters like Mr. Elder had told her to visit.
It didn’t have that much light with only one window on the back wall. Candles were set around the room to give it a warm glow. She shifted uncomfortably in her thick dress as she looked around at the strange place.
Books were everywhere. She hadn’t thought about books that much in years. But there was a bookcase all along one wall covered in books. The other wall to her left had papers scattered about. And in the middle of the room were three desks. Two were smaller and close together while the large one was settled in the back near the bright window.
“Welcome. I haven’t had visitors in a while, I must say. Do come in, miss. What can I do for you today?”
She finally noticed the man at the back desk. He was so thin that he nearly disappeared when he was still.
Moving forward now, the man clasped his hands together before giving her a smile. He came closer, and she could tell that he was hardly taller than herself. He titled his head. That only seemed to emphasize his beady eyes and large glasses. Immediately, she thought of a turtle.
“Hello,” Nora said. Remembering her manners, she returned the smile. “Good afternoon, sir. I believe I’m looking for the mayor’s office. I was told that I could find the information that I seek here.”
He nodded before gesturing to the room around him. “You have come to the right place. I must admit it is rather unorganized, at the moment. You must excuse me. I have been wanting to chronologically organize everything for quite some time. What information are you looking for? I manage all town records since the bank closed down last year and the judge hardly comes by anymore. That’s Judge Elder, you know.”
Though Nora didn’t know what he meant by all of that, she nodded all the same. “That is nice.”
“I don’t believe we’ve met before, have we?” he asked kindly. “Mayor Thomas Beckell at your service. You may call me Mayor Tom like everyone else does. It seems that even my children these days call me that.”
“Oh, that is…nice,” Nora added, repeating herself but not knowing what else to say on that subject. “It is good to meet you, Mayor Tom. I have only just arrived in town. I’m here for a friend to find a record of her old home, you see.”
Falsifying her story had been one of the ideas she had come up with the other night. She felt safer doing this, though she couldn’t explain the reason behind this. It just made sense to her that she didn’t want anyone knowing the truth about her. All she wanted was to know some information that was, she prayed, safe and not dangerous.
The mayor nodded. He still held his hands clasped together up to his chest before he went on to say, “I would be glad to help. Your friend, you say? And what is the family name of your friend?”
Nora swallowed. “Henning. It’s Henning.”
He considered it for a minute, sounding the word on his tongue. “Henning. I can’t say I recall that name. We haven’t been here all that long, you see. We moved here for my wife’s health. Her name is Anne. It’s been three years. She’s doing much better and we’re quite happy here, I’d say. Now, Henning. Let us see…Property, yes? Hmm.”
Watching him start shuffling around, Nora wondered if he had any idea how this room was organized. Half the books were lying down, a few had been set on the floor. As for the papers, it really just seemed like various piles that had been set wherever there was room. Unable to imagine being around all these pages on a regular basis, she slowly followed the mayor around.
“There’s Hastings and Henderson,” he mumbled under his breath. “What about Henning? I wonder…it could be the year, I suppose. What if I go over here…?”
They went from the books over to the papers.
Nora watched him and glanced at the pages. She hadn’t read English in years. A vague memory came to mind as she recalled reading from the family’s Bible. It had seemed like such a big book. She had enjoyed reading once, but that was a long time ago. She looked over the words now out of curiosity. After all this time, the letters still made sense. Smiling to herself, she turned back to the mayor.
“The Tysons. Oh, I remember them. They were here when we first arrived, you know. Lovely little family. Our children got along so well. I do miss those days. They’re all growing up now, especially little Christine,” the mayor rambled.
“It does happen quickly,” Nora agreed politely. “Did the Tysons know the Hennings?”
Mayor Tom shrugged. “I don’t quite know. They left for California last year. They thought the ocean breeze might be better for their health. I don’t know about that. Minerston is a pleasant place with plenty of air. My children have thrived here, you know. Even little Timothy. He doesn’t go outside much, but I believe he’s doing well.”
He talked on with her as they sorted through the papers and books. Mayor Tom seemed happy to have someone there. Nora had the feeling that not many people visited him. But he was friendly and kind, inviting her to feel comfortable.
“I don’t believe I’m finding any paperwork,” he said with a sigh.
Nora’s shoulders slumped. “Nothing? Aren’t there papers about land ownership? Or something to do with the bank? I could really––my friend, I mean––use some information. We just want to see where the house was once. It may have burned down over ten years ago, though.”
That caught his attention.
Fixing his spectacles, the man squinted at her. “You don’t say? Well, that changes things. I don’t have much paperwork that goes past five years. People come and go, you see. And it burned down? Maybe I don’t need paperwork then. But what? Oh, I know. A map! Yes, that would do perfectly. You know, my Rachel is quite an artist. She doesn’t think she can do much, but I do think she could become a good cartographer. They draw maps, you see. I have some old ones in the desk right over here….”
Her mouth grew dry. She could feel that they were getting closer. He surely had something that would help her. He had to. Standing nearby, she watched anxiously for anything he might find.
“Aha! A map. Nearly fifteen years old. I’m sure this would work, don’t you think? It has the properties marked out in the nearby territory. Now, let’s see. Hennings, you said, that’s right. Come close, it’s alright. Let’s look at what we have here.”
Nora spotted it in seconds.
“There!”
She gestured to a faded outline of a property that encompassed nearly one hundred acres. The land around it was wild and unclaimed. Just off the road, after a grove, was a little box to signal a structure. It had more trees surrounding it at a short distance. And there was the letter ‘H’ encircled within the box.
It came to her clearly now, seeing the land her family had once owned.
She recalled the path to the road. The only thing that made no sense was how her family must have owned all that property around it, those ninety-three acres. Had she known about that once? Her parents had always kept her near the house.
“Ah, well. It appears so. What a lovely little spot of land! I haven’t been there, of course, but it certainly looks nice. I don’t stray much from these streets. I think it’s my little Evangeline who loves to explore all around us. She wandered off when she was four. That was seven years ago. She wandered down the street and kept going. My wife was so afraid….” The mayor talked about his daughter while Nora studied the map.
Just like she had thought, her family’s home had been a distance out of town. She studied the terrain before deciding the cabin must have been a little over eight miles out of the way.
The moment Mayor Tom finished his story, she straightened up. “That is just what I needed. Thank you so much for your help, Mayor. I’ll go now.”
His eyes widened. “Oh! Oh, well, yes, I suppose you should be on your way. Well, don’t be a stranger. You’re welcome back here any time. It was a pleasure speaking with you and I hope you find what you wanted.”
She hoped so too.
Once mounted on her horse, Nora tugged on the reins. There were a few people still in the street. A few glanced her way. With the new knowledge she had gained, she found herself feeling uneasy.
What if people were watching her?
Moving off the main road, she left Minerston behind on her way toward the old Henning property. There was no way that her father had sold the land. Surely, that meant it was hers now. Her heart hammered as she headed off the trail into the nearby trees. Branches brushed against her shoulders on her way.
