Over the next month, Bella baked bread and kept her little house in tip-top order. She was pleased that they were becoming a family. Philip and Caleb worked on furniture for the house. Mark loved the horses and helped Philip feed and water them daily.
Bella admired her new rocking chairs and small couch. She finished wiping off the table and then hurried to her bedroom to grab her sewing box and fabric. Today Josephine and Hazel were coming over to make pillows.
Philip had left that morning on the Pony Express trail, so the boys were playing checkers on the floor. She smiled. Neither of the boys really knew how to play, but they enjoyed pretending.
Box and fabric in hand, Bella hurried back upstairs. She heard a knock on the door. As she passed the kitchen table, Bella laid down the fabric and box, then hurried to open the door for her friends. Bella pulled the door open with a big smile, but it quickly faded.
Marlow Brooks, her ex-fiancé, stood in the doorway. “Are you going to invite me inside?”
How had he found her? Why had he arrived? Bella had no intention of inviting him into her home. “No. My husband, Philip, isn’t home and it wouldn’t be proper.”
He laughed. “You’re going to be proper, even out here in the sticks?”
Caleb and Mark came to stand beside her. Caleb asked, “Who is he?”
Marlow bent down and offered the little boy his hand to shake. When Caleb took it, he said, “I am Marlow Brooks, your aunt Bella’s fiancé.” He looked up at her and smiled. “If she will have me back.”
Bella gently pushed Caleb away from Marlow. She turned to the boys. “Go back to playing your game. Mr. Brooks is leaving now.”
Marlow stood slowly. He leaned against the door frame and stuck out his boot to stop her from shutting the door in his face. “Aw, Bella. I’m sorry I hurt you. I was wrong.” He reached out and touched her cheek lightly with one manicured finger.
She jerked away from him. Why had she ever found him attractive? He was a handsome man, but his behavior appalled her.
“I don’t know how you found me, Marlow, but now you know I’m already married. Go home, Marlow.” She tried to shut the door.
He planted a hand on the door above her head. “You don’t love him, Bella. I know. I can see it in your eyes.”
“If you see anything, Marlow, it’s anger.” She heard a horse and wagon come into the yard. Bella sighed with relief.
Marlow turned to look over his shoulder at the newcomers. “Friends of yours?”
Bella looked under his arm. Thomas had pulled the wagon up to the barn. “My brother-in-law and sister-in-law.”
“Pretty wife.” He dropped his hand from the door. “I’ll be back. I have business to discuss with you.” Marlow turned and walked down the steps. He waved at Thomas and Josephine as he climbed back on his horse and then spun away.
Thomas waved at her from the barn. Bella returned his wave and motioned for Josephine to come inside. She turned to find the boys standing in the doorway. “Boys, get in the house. It’s too cold for you to be standing out here in your stocking feet.”
She turned back and saw Josephine walking to the house. Bella decided she didn’t want the other woman to know any more about Marlow than she intended to tell her. She smiled at Josephine and then walked back to where the boys were playing with the checkers and their wooden horses.
Bella leaned close to them and whispered, “Don’t say anything about Mr. Brooks to Josephine, Thomas or even Philip. I want to tell them. Understood?”
“All right, Aunt Bella,” Mark agreed. He used his horse to knock Caleb’s over. “I got you!” he yelled.
Caleb shouted, “Did not! That wasn’t fair. I was listening to Aunt Bella.” He picked up his horse and pretended to trot it around the checkers.
Satisfied they’d already forgotten about her visitor, Bella stood. Josephine entered the house and quickly shut the door. “It is getting so cold out there. I feel bad about Philip being on the trail in this weather.” She took her sewing box and fabric to the table. “Thomas talked to a rider this morning that said they are getting snow in the direction Philip was riding.”
Bella walked to the water kettle. “Would you like hot tea or coffee?” Thankfully the water was still piping hot. “Boys, say hello to Josephine.”
They looked up. “Hi, Aunt Josephine.”
“Hello, boys. Tea, please.” She eased into her chair. “I wonder if it’s too cold for Hazel to come out and join us.” Josephine took the cup of hot water from Bella and reached for the tea and tea strainer.
What had Marlow meant when he’d said he had business with her? They’d broken off all their business when he’d told her he didn’t want to be saddled with someone else’s kids. Bella looked to the door. “I hope she comes.”
Josephine looked at Bella. It was obvious she wanted to ask who had been visiting, but politeness kept her from doing so. “Have you given any thought as to what we can stuff the pillows with?” she asked instead.
Bella grinned. She decided to push her worries away. “I was thinking beans.”
“Like pinto beans?”
“Sure, why not?”
Hazel came through the door with a puff of snowy air. “It’s so cold out there, I thought about not coming.” She grinned. “But you two don’t know how to have fun without me, so here I am.” She hung up her coat and walked into the room. “What are you boys playing over there?”
“Checkers.”
“Horsies.”
“Which is it?” Hazel asked. She walked over to see for herself.
Josephine turned her attention back to Bella. “I guess you could use beans. We have lots of those and they aren’t too expensive.”
“What were you thinking of using?” Bella asked, taking the tea strainer from Josephine and dumping the spent leaves in the slop bucket.
“I hadn’t given it any thought until I got here.”
Hazel joined the conversation. “We could use rice, too.”
“Did you know that rice will hold heat?” Bella asked. “Coffee or tea?” She directed the question to Hazel.
“Coffee. How do you heat the rice, and other than to eat it, why would you want to?” Hazel sat down across from Josephine. She placed her sewing box on the table and opened it up.
Bella poured hot coffee into one of her best mugs. She handed it to Hazel, then returned to start her own cup of tea. “Well, back home, they were putting it in a pan and warming it up. Then when it was nice and hot they’d pour it into the sleeve of a shirt, they’d tie off both open ends and then drape it around their neck or lean against it to make their back stop hurting.”
“Who is they?” Hazel asked. She took a sip of the hot coffee and sighed. “That sure warms an old woman’s bones right up.”
Josephine tried not to laugh as she mimicked Hazel. “Yeah, who is they?”
Bella carried her cup of hot water to the table. “They are the ladies I worked with at the bakery.”
“I wonder if I could wrap that around my feet at night. Sure would beat having a hot brick at the bottom of the bed. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve kicked that thing in my sleep.” Hazel looked around the kitchen. “You got any pie lying around here?”
Josephine laughed. “Have you known her not to have pie, or cookies, lying about?”
Bella grinned. “I made an apple pie this morning.”
“Were you saving it for dinner?” Hazel asked.
“No, I made it for us this afternoon.”
While she got the pie, Hazel and Josephine began working on their cushions and pillows. Bella slid a slice to each of them and then sat down again.
“I’m glad you talked us into doing this, Bella,” Josephine said as she savored the sugary pie.
“Me, too,” Bella admitted. She pulled out her fabric and began working on a pillow for the couch. It was a light green print with little leaves.
Both Josephine and Hazel worked on their cushions. They chatted back and forth. Bella smiled. Moving here and marrying Philip had been the best decision she’d ever made. Her gaze moved to the boys, who were happily playing with blocks.
Marlow’s voice floated through her memory. Why was he here? She’d told him she was married, but he had asked her to marry him anyway. What was Philip going to say when he found out her ex-fiancé was in Dove Creek—and that he’d been out to see her?
Dread filled her.
* * *
Philip had been home for two days. Bella seemed quieter than normal. The house looked wonderful. While he was gone she’d made pillows and curtains for the window over the kitchen washtub. Maybe she simply needed some fresh air.
Now that he was rested, they could take a drive to Dove Creek. He could take the rocker and table that he’d made to sell at the general store. The boys were downstairs changing clothes. They’d managed to fall in the mud while feeding the pigs at the relay station.
“Bella, how would you like to ride into town? I could take the rocker and table to the general store and we could eat at the new boardinghouse.” He took a sip of his coffee.
Bella’s big eyes seemed to grow in her face. “I’d rather eat at the little diner, if it’s all the same to you.” She laid her dishcloth on the counter.
“We could do that.”
Caleb and Mark came racing up the stairs.
“Boys, how would you like to ride into Dove Creek?”
Mark asked, “Can we get a peppermint stick each?”
“I don’t want a peppermint stick. I want lemon drops,” Caleb said and shoved his brother sideways.
“I tell you what. You boys help me load the table and chair into the wagon and we’ll get both.” He pushed up from the table.
The boys ran to get their coats. “Do you think we can stop at the livery, too?” Mark asked.
Philip went to put his coat on also. “Why?”
“Mr. Morris said I could sit on ol’ Snowball next time we came to town.”
Bella called from the kitchen, “While you men do that, I’ll go to the dress shop.”
Philip laughed. His small family seemed very happy with his idea of going to town. “We’ll be ready to leave in about fifteen minutes, Bella. Do you think that will give you enough time?”
She nodded. “I’ll put this food away and go put on a more suitable dress.”
“That dress is fine,” Philip told her. It was a light blue dress that brought out the blue in her eyes. He hated to admit it, but he’d missed Bella and the boys more than ever this trip. She’d greeted him with a smile and hot apple pie when he’d arrived home. He was getting used to such greetings.
“Thank you, but I’m still going to change,” she told him and headed down the stairs.
Caleb watched her go. His young face had a worried expression on it. Did the boy know the reason for Bella’s quietness?
“Can we go now?” Mark asked with his hand on the door.
“Sure can,” Philip answered.
The little boys jerked the door open and ran down the porch stairs. Mark yelled, “Last one there is a rotten egg.”
Caleb yelled back, “First one there has to eat it.” He waited for Philip to step off the porch and then continued to walk with him.
“Anything exciting happen while I was gone?” Philip asked.
“Naw, we did the same ol’ stuff. Aunt Bella won’t let us do anything at Uncle Thomas’s. We just stay here.” Caleb kicked at a pebble.
“Is it just me or do you have something you want to get off your chest?” Philip asked, watching the boy from the corner of his eye.
Caleb looked to the barn. “Did Aunt Bella mention any visitors?” he asked in a low voice.
Philip stopped. “No. Did you have a visitor while I was gone?”
Mark came running back to them. “No fair, you didn’t even try.”
Caleb grinned. “You have to eat it.”
“No, I don’t. You cheated.”
Did they even understand what they were saying? Philip shook his head. “Mark, would you go make sure that Blaze has finished her breakfast? I think we’ll let her pull the wagon today.”
Excited to get to do something with the horses, the little boy took off running again. “All right!” he called over his shoulder.
“I’ll go help him.” Caleb started to make a run for it, but Philip caught him by his collar.
“What’s this about visitors?” he asked.
“Promise not to tell Aunt Bella I told you? She wanted to tell you herself.” Caleb looked down at the ground.
He’d been home two days and Bella hadn’t said anything about a visitor and she’d sworn the boys to secrecy. Philip laid a hand on his shoulder. “No, don’t tell me. If she wants to tell me, then she needs to be the one to do so. Go ahead and help Mark.”
Relief washed over the boy’s face. He ran to the barn and disappeared inside. Philip’s legs felt like mud was caked to the bottom of his boots. He walked to the side of the barn and pulled the wagon around to the front. His mind chanted, Bella has a secret. Bella has a secret. Bella has a secret.
Ten minutes later, Bella came from the house. She carried a basket with her and her purse. Her blond hair shone in the sunlight. She wore it in a braid down her back. Bella had changed into a green dress with blue flowers. He still thought the blue one looked prettier on her, but he would never tell her that.
The trip to town had been quiet. Philip assumed it was because both he and Bella were thinking about the strange visitor. Of course, he had no idea what or who she was thinking about.
Her gentle voice pulled him from his thoughts. “Are we going to the general store first?”
“Yes, I thought we could drop off the furniture, then we’ll drop you off at the dress shop and then me and the boys will go to the livery for a little while. Does that sound all right with you?” Philip pulled in front of the general store. He jumped from the wagon and then turned to help her down.
She smiled as he placed her on the ground. “That sounds like a good plan.”
Philip moved to the back of the wagon to get the furniture. Bella walked to the front of the store and waited for him. Caleb helped him pull the table out and carry it to the door, where Bella stood holding it open. As they passed, the sweet scent of vanilla pulled at his senses.
He carried the table to the front counter, where the owner was finishing up an order. “Let’s set it here and go get the rocking chair,” Philip told Caleb.
The bell jingled over the door.
“Aunt Bella is carrying it in,” Caleb announced.
Philip turned in time to see that Mark held the door open and Bella was carrying the rocking chair in front of her. He hurried to her side. “Honey, you should have let me get that.”
Honey? Had he just called her “honey” in front of everyone? From the shocked expression on her face, he had. Philip took the rocker from her and walked back to the counter.
What was wrong with him? He knew his feelings for Bella were growing stronger than friendship, but what he didn’t know was how to stop them. Philip told himself he was not meant to fall in love.