Sunlight streamed through the windows onto the bare wood floor of Adelaide’s new bedroom in Peppin. She followed its path to kneel on the broad window seat. She raised the pane up as high as it would go. A gust of wind filled the room, teasing at her hair and bringing with it the heady scent of honeysuckle. She took a deep breath of it before leaving the bedroom and heading down the stairs.
She edged past the servants who were on the way up with the headboard for her parents’ room. This was most of the staff’s last day, since their services wouldn’t be needed in Peppin. They would each receive a bonus at the end of the day and a train ticket back to Houston. That’s why Rose stood on the front porch directing traffic with the finesse of a seasoned policeman. Adelaide gathered her courage, then ran over to give her mother a quick hug. “Thank you for changing your mind.”
Rose froze in surprise before hugging her back. “You’re welcome, dear. Although I’m altogether convinced I’m going to regret this decision.”
“Uh-uh. It’s too late to change your mind now.”
“Don’t I know it?” Rose’s focus shifted over Adelaide’s shoulder into the house. “Wait! You can’t leave the settee in the dining room.”
Adelaide stepped aside to let her mother rush off to deal with the latest crisis. Taking the brick-paved path across the front lawn, Adelaide met up with Everett beside the wagons parked on the street. He took the hug and thanks she offered before nodding toward the front porch. “That was nice to see. I’m hoping that moving here will allow us to spend more time together as a family and help us grow closer.”
Wondering if that actually might be possible, she glanced back at the two-story Queen Anne–style house. Painted in shades of blue with white trim, it had a porch that spanned the entire front of the house. It was substantially smaller than the house they’d had in Houston, but there was still plenty of room for the three of them. It represented a fresh slate and brand-new memories. She figured those memories might as well be good ones, so she nodded. “I hope so, too.”
“Speaking of family, or perhaps I should say possible future family, where’s Chris? I thought for sure he’d meet us at the station.”
She bit her lip. “I didn’t tell him we were coming. He’s done so much for us already. I didn’t want him to think he had to help us move in, too.”
“You mean he doesn’t know you’re here?” Everett waved a hand in the general direction of Main Street. “Go find him. He’ll want to see you. If he offers to help, just tell him we have it covered.”
“Shouldn’t I stay and help, though?”
“There isn’t much that you can do while we’re unloading the wagons. We’ll need you to tell us how you want your furniture set up in your room, but we’re a couple of hours away from that stage. Go on, now. Get going.”
“All right, I’m going.” She laughed as she set off down the street. It only took a few minutes to reach Johansen’s Mercantile. Olan was the first to greet her so she went over to lean against the front counter. “Mr. Johansen, you’re looking well. It’s good to see you behind the counter again.”
“It’s good to be back and thank you. You’re the second person who has told me that today. I guess all that resting Doc Williams told me to do must be paying off. Does Chris know you’re back in town?”
“No. I was looking for him.” She glanced around the store, but only saw August near the back helping a customer. “Is he working right now?”
“He’s off today, but he did pass through on the way to the café a few minutes ago. I think he’s still there.”
She thanked him and hurried across the street. The moment she stepped into the café she spotted Chris facing away from her at one of the tables across the room. A flurry of butterflies took flight in her belly. She hadn’t seen him in nearly two weeks. What if he’d changed his mind about courting her? Well, she still had every intention of going through with a real courtship even though it didn’t seem one bit less terrifying or foolhardy than it had when she’d first agreed to it.
She swallowed hard, lifted her chin and tried to ignore the curious glances she drew. If the folks in this wonderful, nosy town expected another exhibition like the one they’d seen in the mercantile, they would be sorely disappointed. Noticing that he was intent on his newspaper, she paused, trying to decide how to best approach him without startling him. She could simply call his name, but that was such a boring way to surprise someone. And now folks in the café were really staring.
Decision made, she backed up a few feet to ask Maddie for a little help. The woman loaned her a pencil and a page out of her small order book. Adelaide scribbled a quick message, then handed it to Maddie before slipping outside to wait in the soft shadows of the alleyway beside the café. Maddie must have delivered it immediately for Adelaide heard the hollow ring of footsteps on the wooden sidewalk in a matter of seconds. Chris stepped into the alley, caught sight of her and grinned. “Well, it’s about time. Get over here.”
She laughed and stepped right into his waiting embrace for a tight hug. She finally eased back just enough to look into his eyes. The relief there made her realize that he hadn’t been entirely sure she’d actually return. She was glad that he’d actually wanted her to. Her hands slid down to wrap around his waist while she let her head rest on his shoulder. His deep voice rumbled in her ear with a hint of uncertainty. “You’re here to stay?”
She took a step backward out of his embrace, but he caught her hands so she couldn’t go much farther than that. She nodded. Her knees began to bounce with nervous energy to a happy beat only she could hear. Swinging their hands back and forth, she widened her eyes. “I’m so excited!”
He laughed, then leaned down to place a feather-light kiss on her mouth. “We should go back inside.”
“But there are so many people in there.”
“Exactly. There’s safety in numbers.” He stepped behind her to catch her waist in his hands and propel her toward the sidewalk. “Have you eaten dinner?”
“No.” She leaned back against his chest, using her weight to bring them to a stop before they reached the sunlight. “Wait!”
“What?”
She placed her hands over his. “We can’t step out there like this. We have to at least pretend to be respectable.”
“Says the woman who sent me a note in front of the entire café that told me to meet her in an alleyway.” He released her waist with a light squeeze. He guided her onto the sidewalk and back into the café where he pulled out her chair for her, then seated himself. “All right. Tell me everything. When did you get here?”
“We arrived about twenty minutes ago on the train. Pa had sent the wagons ahead with our things so we met up with the drivers at the livery. We brought almost our entire house staff down for the move. They’re all unloading the wagons now, but they leave tomorrow, so that’s when the fun begins for my family when it comes to unpacking. Right now, everything is pretty hectic. I think part of the reason Pa shooed me off to find you was so I’d be out of the way.”
“Well, I’m glad he did.” His smile turned into a concern frown. “How were things in Houston?”
Adelaide shrugged. “Honestly, I was too busy packing to see much of the fallout from the newspaper crisis while I was there. Mother went on a few farewell visits, but she didn’t tell me how they went. Pa had so much to do that I could barely catch him coming and going. Speaking of fathers, I saw yours a few minutes ago at the mercantile. He seems to be doing better.”
“We’re still working through a few things, but you’re right. He is improving. In general, he’s more relaxed now, which means he can rest better and actually get some sleep. Apparently he wasn’t doing much of that before, which only made his symptoms worse. All of that means he doesn’t have nervous spells as often.”
“Good. I’m so glad to hear that.” She bit her lip. “What about us? I mean, has he said anything?”
He grinned. “Not a word. I think he kind of ended up scaring himself with that whole mail-order bride scheme. I’m guessing it seemed like a good idea in theory but it became too real too quickly when the actual stranger showed up at his door wanting to marry his son. It didn’t help that Britta was a little different than how she’d been presented in the letters.”
“Different how?”
“She’s younger for one thing. The letters said she was nineteen. She admitted to seventeen, but I wouldn’t put it past her to be only sixteen. She also said she had a better command of English than she actually does. However, I can’t really fault her on that because learning a new language and having to live immersed in it are two different things. Besides, you know how much I struggled with the transition myself. I guess the main thing is...” He stopped himself with a shake of his head. “I probably shouldn’t say all of this. I feel like I’m gossiping about her.”
She took his hand. “You aren’t gossiping. You’re informing me, and it’s only right that I know. After all, she was brought here for you.”
“All right. Well, this isn’t a big problem anymore because I talked to her about it, but when she first came...” He lowered his voice. “She was a little bold.” He shrugged. “You saw her kiss me at the station so you know what I mean.”
“Yes, I do,” she said, battling the ridiculous urge to wipe his mouth with a napkin as though that would erase her memory of that kiss. “Has she done anything since then?”
“Not really. At least, nothing I couldn’t handle.”
That did not sound good. She frowned. “Chris, girls like that don’t need to be ‘handled.’ They need to be avoided.”
“That’s kind of hard to do since my mother is giving her English lessons. She eats supper with my family most nights. If I avoid her, it means avoiding my family. They feel responsible for her since she came to America in response to my parents’ erroneous promise. She has no family of her own here, no one else to look after her. We tried contacting the chaperone she traveled with, but haven’t heard anything back yet. The situation isn’t ideal by any means. I’ve got it under control, though. Trust me.”
Adelaide met his honest blue eyes and didn’t doubt for a second that he thought he had everything under control. Whether he truly did or not was still to be seen. Her past actually didn’t give her much guidance on how to deal with this. As far as she knew, her father had been the one chasing women. But with Chris, women simply came chasing after him. She wanted to trust him, but how long could a man in his position hold out when a woman like Britta had set her sights on him? She could only hope the answer to that question was forever. She just wasn’t sure she could trust that it would be.
* * *
Chris was determined to follow Rhett’s advice by wooing Adelaide to the best of his abilities. He hadn’t had much of a chance to do so in the week since she’d arrived. He’d had work and she’d needed a chance to settle in to her new house. Today was his first real opportunity, so after his shift at the mercantile ended, he made sure to pick her up on time for Rhett and Isabelle’s housewarming party. Chris introduced her to the few people she didn’t already know. Then Rhett and Isabelle asked for everyone’s attention.
Rhett put an arm around his wife’s waist. “We just wanted to take the chance to thank all of y’all for coming and for your gifts.”
Isabelle added, “Violet begged me to let her be in charge of our first game today. I think most of you already know this, but my little sister has a flare for the dramatic so I apologize in advance for any theatrics.” Isabelle lowered her voice to a stage whisper. “She also wanted to make an entrance so... Violet, we’re ready!”
The sixteen-year-old stepped into the parlor, setting off a twitter of laughter. She’d donned a long coat, a policeman’s cap and a handlebar mustache. She affected a deep Scottish brogue. “My name is Inspector Bradley of Scotland Yard.”
“Good accent, Vi,” Wes called before elbowing Gabe Nolan who was standing next to him. “I helped her with that. Got in touch with my roots.”
The dark-haired artist rolled his eyes. “I know. I was there visiting the Bradleys with you.”
Violet lifted her chin and glared at them. “Gents, please. Simply because you were boarders in the former Bradley Boardinghouse does not mean you get to interrupt.”
Nearby, Britta shook her head and leaned toward Chris’s brother August to ask in Norwegian, “Is that English? What is she saying?”
Britta listened intently to August’s quiet translation as Violet continued. “The name of the game is Murder. In my hands are the cards that hold your fate. Take one and pass them on. If you receive an ace, that makes you the murderer. Your weapon of choice? A simple, stealthy wink. Everyone else, I’m afraid you’re potential victims. When you’re winked at you must silently count to five and then die without revealing the murderer. I get three guesses. If I fail, then I’m afraid you’re all dead. Y’all are all standing pretty much in a circle so the game can begin once all the cards have been dispersed. Just keep talking amongst yourselves, and keep an eye out for the murderer.”
Chris took one of the cards, then glanced down at it to find he had the ace. Sticking it in his pocket, he passed the remaining two to Adelaide. She passed the last one to Helen, who stood beside her. The two women seemed to have hit it off immediately. Since Helen had grown up in Austin, they’d spent the last few minutes comparing experiences of society life in the big city. Chris had been content to stay by Adelaide’s side and listen to them chat. He knew how important it was to Adelaide that she make new friends at this party. Now he was too busy locking eyes with potential victims to listen. His first two winks went to Rhett and Isabelle. Five seconds later, they cried out in unison. They looked at each other in surprise, then embraced and collapsed to the floor as one. Violet hurried toward them to investigate, then scanned the circle of suspects with narrowed eyes.
Adelaide shook her head and glanced around the circle. “Now, that’s just rude.”
Chris caught Lawson Williams’s eye and winked. “What is?”
“Murdering the host and hostess after they went to the trouble of inviting you.”
Chris shook his head. “Some people have no scruples.”
Lawson grabbed his stomach as though he’d been hit by a bullet, then dropped to his knees before landing on his side. Chris’s brother Viktor was next. The boy stumbled into the circle and grabbed on to the hem of Violet’s coat before meeting his demise. Lorelei O’Brien, the sheriff’s wife, chose to carefully stagger backward to sit on the settee rather than fall to the floor as everyone else had, which made Chris wonder if there was some truth to the rumor that she might be expecting. As Chris searched for his next victim, his gaze fell on Adelaide, only to find her already watching him. They stared at each other for a second and he knew that she knew he was the murderer.
There was something else in her look, though. Something he couldn’t quite identify—and didn’t like. For a second, it made him feel as though a distance had suddenly come between them. But how could that be? They were only playing a game. He couldn’t think of anything to do but wink.
A few seconds later she gasped, then turned and swooned backward into his arms. She locked her desperate eyes on him before going completely limp. He gently lowered her to the floor. Kneeling beside her still form, a strange sense of foreboding stole over him like a soft breeze. That lessened the game’s fun for him. He purposefully took more risks in choosing his victims. Much to his relief, the game ended only a few minutes later when Violet caught on to him.
He helped Adelaide off the floor and swallowed the strange urge to apologize to her since he wasn’t sure what specifically he’d be apologizing for. He was grateful when Isabelle suggested they start an indoor game of hide-and-seek. Having been to the Grangers’ house several times before, Chris immediately thought of the perfect place to hide. He caught Adelaide’s hand and rushed from the room amidst the other scrambling guests. Muffled laughter filled the air at the many near collisions. Chris turned a corner and nearly knocked over Britta, who covered a small yelp a moment too late, then rushed up the stairs with August. Finally making it to the spot he had in mind, Chris pushed a large coat-and-hat rack out of the way to reveal the door to a slim coat closet in the foyer. He gestured Adelaide to go inside. She slipped inside, thanked him for finding a spot for her and closed herself inside. He frowned at the closet door for a second, then opened it and ducked inside. Adelaide’s whisper sounded over Rhett’s counting. “Chris, you aren’t seriously trying to hide in here with me, are you?”
“Hey, this is a great spot. Trust me. I play this game with my brothers all the time. I’m a master at it. Scoot in farther. Try to hide behind a coat. That way, even if someone opens the door, they won’t see us.”
“This is as far as I can scoot. Be realistic.” She elbowed him in the side—and probably not accidently, either—as he did his best to turn around.
“I am being realistic.” He left the door open a crack to let in some air and light, hoping the rack in front of the door would cover it. “I’m also being strategic.”
She didn’t seem to notice that he’d caged her in with his hands resting on the wall on either side of her. “Chris, how can you possibly think there’s enough room in here for both of—?”
“Very, very strategic.” He lowered his head so that they were in kissing range.
She froze. Her gaze fell to his mouth before her thick lashes lifted. Her green eyes deepened as she captured his gaze. The realization he saw there shifted to an amused admonition. She lifted her chin. “You and I ought to have another talk about respectability, Mr. Johansen.”
Something in her words triggered a flash of memory—Britta rushing upstairs with August. That was followed by recalling Britta’s gaze on August’s mouth as he lowly translated the rules for her. What if they were hiding together...the way Chris and Adelaide were? He stiffened.
“Chris, I was teasing. Or I suppose maybe I was flirting. I don’t know. Apparently, I’m not very good at it.”
“It isn’t you. It’s...we’ve got a problem. Come on.” He helped her out of the closet, which in retrospect, and as Adelaide had pointed out, hadn’t been the most respectable choice of a hiding spot for an unmarried couple. He’d only meant to steal a kiss. That plan had been prompted at least partially by his desire to erase the memory of that strange feeling of distance he’d experienced between them during the game. They made it to the parlor just as Rhett finished counting. Chris wasted no time in saying, “We have to stop the game.”
Rhett frowned. “Why? What’s wrong? Did someone cheat?”
“There are a lot of unmarried people at this party.”
“So?”
Chris rolled his eyes. “So if you weren’t ‘it,’ who would you hide with?”
“Isabelle,” Rhett said without hesitation.
“Right.” Chris nodded. “And what would you be doing?”
“I’d be... Uh-oh.” Rhett stepped into the hallway. “Olly olly oxen free! Everyone come back. We’re going to change the rules.”
There was grumbling and questions as everyone filtered back into the parlor. Chris’s suspicions proved correct when Britta returned walking arm and arm with... Viktor? She was with Viktor now. August entered a second later with Violet in tow. However, Violet went to stand beside Viktor while Britta and August shared a smile. Chris tilted his head in confusion. What was going on there?
He wasn’t worried about Violet. She and his brothers had been friends for a long time. She’d also befriended Britta, which was probably how the mail-order bride had been invited to the party. He shook his head. He shouldn’t let himself think so badly of Britta. It made sense for her to be friends with his brothers since she spent so much time at their house. She’d been bold with him in an attempt to persuade him into marriage. That didn’t mean she’d try the same tactic on his little brothers, who would be more innocent, unworldly, unsuspecting and immature in their responses to any wiles she might... Oh, man. He was going to need to have a talk with his brothers and his parents. Maybe Sophia should listen, too. She could help keep an eye on...
He froze. Where was Sophia?
She finally entered alone and came to stand beside him. He looped her into his side for a quick hug. She smiled at him even as she gave him a questioning look. He didn’t bother to explain his relief about having at least one sibling present whom he didn’t have to worry about.
He changed his mind about that only thirty minutes later when he watched Gabe whirl her around the parlor’s improvised dance floor. The two of them weren’t saying a word to each other. Gabe was staring at Sophia as though trying to memorize her every feature. Granted, Chris had seen the artist look at people like that before. Gabe had explained his creative process to Chris on one of his visits to the mercantile to pick up art supplies, so Chris knew that look meant the man was getting an idea for a painting. However, Chris didn’t appreciate the man getting ideas about Sophia, creative or otherwise. It didn’t help matters that, although Sophia avoided the man’s gaze at first, she eventually returned it in full measure and even agreed to another dance.
Chris would have cut in, but doing so would have meant stopping the music altogether since his fiddle was carrying the melody. That would embarrass his sister, which he had no desire to do. He had to content himself with glaring at Gabe. Chris couldn’t even manage to keep that up for long because his attention kept being drawn across the room to where Britta was flirting with not one, but two of his brothers. They each reciprocated without seeming to realize the girl’s attentions were split. Meanwhile, he saw Wes ask Adelaide to dance. She accepted and Chris watched them twirl and laugh around the floor.
It was all Chris could do not to throw his beloved violin in its case and drag all of his people home by their ears. Well, not Adelaide. He’d hold her hand, but the rest of them deserved no less. Suddenly Chris realized that, in his overprotectiveness, he was turning into his father. The scariest part was that he didn’t care a whit. In fact, he completely understood why Olan had been so anxious. Chris’s hands were sweating so hard that he could hardly grip the bow. One more song. He’d play one more song, then the party was going to be over for him, his family, Britta and Adelaide if no one else.