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“I can’t believe we finally made it to Denver!” Sarah exclaimed to her mother when the Packards’ hansom cab pulled into Thaddeus and Hazel Baldwin’s vast property. Behind them, the hansom cab carrying the Bryants, along with Amy and their children, pulled in, too. Yet a third hansom cab contained their luggage, and a groomsman from the Baldwins’ stables had been sent to the train station to retrieve Majesty. Though she had been enthralled with train travel when they and the Bryants first left Virginia, the newness of it wore off while rumbling over mile after mile of track. Additionally, though she would never admit it to anyone, after sitting for so long on the lumpy seat she and Amy had been assigned, her rump was so sore that she had trouble walking when the wedding party finally disembarked at the Denver station. Who knew? She might even still be walking down the aisle funny in a few days.
When Amy emerged from the cab, Sarah noticed Amy surreptitiously rubbing a hand over her own hip. She must be experiencing the same stiffness and soreness from the long trip.
But none of that mattered anymore. She was here, ready to reunite with her fiancé after two weeks of being apart from him. Within the week, she would be married.
“There’s your fiancé,” Amy told Sarah unnecessarily. Sarah watched in rapture as Derrick, who hadn’t even waited for his butler to open the door, came down the stone walkway and met them all with a huge smile.
“I’m so glad you’re finally here!” he said before planting his hands at Sarah’s sides and swinging her up into the air.
Sarah shrieked at the unexpected move, then laughed and held her hands out like a bird’s. “I’m flying.”
Derrick brought her back down close to him and let his hands rest loosely on her waist. “Straight into my arms,” he teased. “Right where you belong.”
“Aw.” He was so romantic. Her heart gave a flutter and she leaned closer to him, but before their lips could meet for a quick kiss, her father cleared his throat. Closing her eyes, she said with a laugh, “I think that is our cue, Mr. Baldwin, to end our embrace.”
Opening her eyes again, she saw genuine regret in his eyes. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, “For now. Only a few more days, my love, and then we’ll have all the time in the world—just the two of us.”
A shiver went through Sarah at the thought. But before she could decide if it was a welcome one, her mother interrupted them. “Mr. Baldwin—Derrick—how nice to see you again.”
Reining his manners in, Derrick turned to greet her mother. “Mrs. Packard,” he said, bending over and placing a respectful kiss on her hand, “and Mr. Packard, welcome. Tell me, how did your foal fare? When Sarah wrote me about the death of your mare, along with the filly’s inability to nurse from one of your others, it nearly broke my heart.”
“The filly is doing better now,” her father said proudly. “Rhoda decided to give the filly another chance, and we were at last able to convince the filly to drink.” Catching Chas’s eye, he nodded. “We owe it all to this man here. I knew Deidre and I were fortunate when we met him and his good wife. They’ve been an asset to our business.”
“Wonderful news!” Derrick shook Lyle’s hand, then Chas’s, and nodded at Mrs. Bryant. “Mr. and Mrs. Bryant, glad you could come and support us when we make our vows. And Miss Flanders, always a pleasure.”
Something in his droll tone, along with the teasing glint in his eye, when he addressed Amy bothered Sarah, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
When Amy answered him, her lips looked like they’d been formed from granite. “Nice to see you, too. Thank you for inviting us to your spacious home.” The way she said spacious brought a frown to Derrick’s lips. Sarah bit her lip, knowing that Amy had not enjoyed her engagement party for all the dandies that had interrogated her over the subject of money. But Derrick wasn’t like that. She’d told Amy as much, but there was no convincing her.
“Of course,” he answered easily, turning away from Amy and wrapping his arm around Sarah’s shoulders. “Any friend of my bride-to-be is a friend to me. And I’m glad you all are here as my special guests. Father and Mother are thrilled, too, and we’ve all been working feverishly to make sure you’ll have a pleasant stay.”
Sarah’s parents beamed. “We appreciate your hospitality and are looking forward to the big day,” Mr. Packard said.
“As am I,” Derrick assured him with a certain twinkle in his eye directed at Sarah, then turned back to them. “Father is at his office right now and will be home later. Let me introduce you to the rest of my family. Follow me inside and I’ll have the staff serve tea and light refreshments.” Taking Sarah by the hand, he winked at her. “Shall we, my love?”
“Y-yes.” She let him tuck her hand into the crook of his arm as butterflies started flitting around in her stomach. Why was she so nervous? She’d met his parents, Thaddeus and Hazel, of course. But she had met none of his brothers and sisters, of which there were four. Derrick was the oldest child, followed by his sister, Phoebe, who was married. After Phoebe came Michael, Bruce, and Madeline.
Derrick led Sarah and the others into his spacious home, which looked rather like a castle with its grayish stone exterior and parapets. The inside was as regal as the outside with high ceilings and a magnificent curved staircase, the banisters of which were a deep mahogany.
“Please be seated.” Derrick smiled at each member of the wedding party in turn as they shuffled into a room that was twice the size of the parlor at home and found a spot on one of the many chaise lounges and wingback chairs strategically arranged in the room for conversing. “I’ll have Kathryn serve tea.”
As Sarah watched him leave, the butterflies danced in her stomach. She cast a nervous smile at her mother, who returned the gesture. Next, she caught Amy’s eye and mouthed, “Is this real?”
Amy arched one brow and then the two childhood friends snickered. “Girls,” Sarah’s mother reprimanded. “I realize this is all new to you, but you must remember that you are no longer schoolgirls.”
“Yes,” Jessica Bryant said from the other side of the room, holding her squirming nine-month-old son, Andrew. “Amy, remember what I told you before we arrived.”
With a sigh, Amy muttered, “Yes, Jessica.”
“Thank you.”
Sarah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Amy was such a bright, intelligent, and fun companion. Why her older sister always had to reprimand Amy, Sarah couldn’t guess. Amy would go far in life if her sister didn’t harp on her so much and would allow her to make her own decisions.
Footsteps could be heard down the hall and a moment later, Derrick’s mother, Hazel, entered the room with a girl of about twelve. This must be his sister, Madeline, whom Sarah had heard Derrick affectionately call Maddie. Following them were Derrick and two young men with similar features and hair a couple shades darker than his.
Mrs. Baldwin made a beeline toward Sarah and took her hands in hers. “I can’t tell you how happy we are that you are finally here, my dear, and that the wedding is now upon us. Tell me, how was your trip?”
Mrs. Baldwin always took Sarah aback with her boldness. Women in the South were generally more genteel. “A little long, but otherwise uneventful. There wasn’t much to look at as we passed through the plains, but I have to say that your Rocky Mountains more than made up for it.”
“Yes, they are quite breathtaking, aren’t they?” Mrs. Baldwin straightened so that she could face Sarah’s parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Packard, and Mr. and Mrs. Bryant, so nice to see you all again. Welcome to our home. We hope that you will be comfortable here. I would like you to meet my son, Michael, my other son, Bruce, and my daughter, Madeline, Maddie for short.”
Michael gave a slight bow and said, “Hello,” while Maddie waved to the group as if she were on parade. “Welcome.” Beaming, she gave Sarah an impulsive hug. “I’m excited to get another sister.”
Smiling indulgently at Maddie, Derrick sat beside Sarah on the chaise lounge. The group engaged themselves in small talk while enjoying their tea and scones. Maddie, so vibrant with her pigtails, proceeded to tell them all about her collection of drawings. “I like to go into the woods behind our house and sit very quietly.” The girl lowered her voice to a dramatic whisper. “And then I am able to watch the birds come to their nests and feed their babies. Or sometimes watch a squirrel gathering nuts. I try to draw them afterward. Sometimes the pictures look like they’re supposed to, but not very often.”
Bruce, the youngest of the Baldwins’ sons, scoffed. “More like never.”
Putting one hand on her hip, she glared at him. “That doesn’t give you the right to destroy my drawings.”
“I already told you, I never destroyed your drawings.”
“Oh, yes, you did!”
“Maddie!” her mother scolded, mouth agape. “I’ll not have you quarreling with your brother in front of our guests. Furthermore, we don’t know who destroyed your drawings.”
“He did, Mother!”
Mrs. Baldwin’s eyes narrowed and her brows pinched together. “Young lady,” she said in a steely tone, “I said that was enough. You are being rude in front of our guests.”
With a petulant look, Maddie sat back in her seat.
Bruce smirked at his sister, and Maddie stuck her tongue out at him.
Oh, my! Sarah could see this was a lively bunch. I’ll just have to get used to them, she mused.
When their tea service was finished, Kathryn removed their trays. “I imagine you all must be tired from your long journey. Shall I have our maid, Susy, show you to your rooms? There you could rest a bit before dinner.”
“That would be wonderful,” Sarah’s mother said with a grateful smile.
Sarah and the others followed Susy upstairs and down a spacious hall where several portraits hung, including ones of Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin. She made a mental note to ask Derrick who the others were later.
First, Chas and Jessica Bryant were shown to their room. “It has a built-in nursery if you would like to keep your children with you,” the maid said. “Or you may hand them over to one of the other maids, Hannah, who is very good with young children.”
Jessica smiled and said, “Thank you, but we’ll keep our children with us. Amy’s a good helper as well.”
The maid said, “I’ve put Amy in the room across from Sarah, but if you’d rather she stay in the nursery with the children . . .”
Jessica shook her head. “No, I don’t think that will be necessary. I simply meant that Amy has helped me in the past. She’s become quite adept at changing a diaper. Should we need any help, I’m sure she’ll be willing to lend a hand.”
A grimace formed on Amy’s face, but only after she had turned away from Jessica. Sarah sent a look of sympathy toward her friend.
With a nod, the maid continued, “Let me show you to your room, Mr. and Mrs. Packard.”
She led Sarah’s parents into a well-appointed bedroom with an elegant four-poster bed and lovely deep cherry wood armoire with curved lines. A fireplace on one end of the room with two matching wingback chairs in front presented a cozy place to relax and enjoy each other’s company.
“It’s lovely,” Sarah’s mother said, coming to the bow window with its partially open drapes. “Such a magnificent view of the mountain peak in the distance.”
Mrs. Baldwin, Derrick, and Michael came into the room at that moment. With a proud smile, she said, “Isn’t it, though? I’ve always loved looking out at that beautiful scene.”
“And you have a lake tucked back in among all the trees. I didn’t notice it when we first arrived.”
“A pond, really. The water is quite cold even in the summertime.”
“But refreshing, Mother,” Derrick said, chuckling. “Michael and I spent many wonderful hours out there, jumping in and scaring the frogs and other creatures. I still remember the time Michael thought he could get away with not wearing any—”
“Hey!” Michael shouted as their mother cleared her throat loudly. Whatever Derrick was going to say, the interruption effectively cut him off.
Sarah’s fiancé laughed out loud. “Sorry, Mother. I seem to have misplaced my manners.”
“Might I suggest you find them?” she intoned in an overly sweet voice.
“Yes, Mother,” he said, pressing his lips together in an obvious attempt not to laugh again.
Sarah caught his gaze and stifled her own laugh. The scoundrel. Derrick didn’t usually allow his sense of humor to show, but when he did, it was quite refreshing.
