Loving Eliza Read online

  When they entered the church, she noticed the shocked looks on the people’s faces. Well, this she could handle. She’d dealt with those types of stares before whenever she ventured out of the saloon in Omaha.

  She searched the group and found Charity and her aunt. Reaching for John’s hand, she led him forward. “Good morning, Charity, Bethany. How are you doing?”

  Bethany was the first to answer. “Eliza! How good it is to see you again. We wondered how you fared.”

  Eliza’s body relaxed. It felt good to be talking to people she knew. Not that she knew them well, but after spending a long time in a stagecoach with them, she felt that they had become friends. She motioned to John. “This is my friend and employer. Did you hear what happened to Melissa Peters, the one I was supposed to work for?”

  “Yes, and what a terrible tragedy that was.”

  “It was terrible. I’m sure she’s singing with the angels now.”

  “Yes.”

  A moment of silence hung in the air as Eliza tried to think of what to say next. Finally, she patted John on the arm. “You know, it was really a godsend when John ran into me in town. I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t.”

  “Oh. That’s good,” Charity said, appearing to be uncertain.

  Eliza searched her mind for another topic and quickly found it. “How are things with the marshal?”

  Charity blushed. “Ralph is a very kind and good man. I’m lucky I was his mail-order bride.”

  “That’s wonderful! Isn’t that wonderful, John? Apparently, John’s mail-order bride was supposed to come on the same stagecoach we were on but never made it. Maybe she’ll show up on the next one. I read her letter. She sounds like a real nice lady. Who knows? Maybe you two will like her.”

  Bethany and Charity exchanged looks that couldn’t be good.

  Did they think the same way some others in this town did? That John was stupid just because he couldn’t talk? She couldn’t go through this service without setting them straight. “Excuse us for a moment,” she politely said. She found a pew in the middle of the church and led John to it. “Why don’t you sit here for a bit and I’ll see what’s going on with them,” she whispered.

  His eyes grew wide and he shook his head.

  “I’ll be right back, John. Just sit tight.”

  He obviously wasn’t happy about it but he obeyed her.

  She returned to Charity and Bethany who stood with the marshal. “He’s not dumb,” she told them. She didn’t care if they found her manner offensive or not.

  “Who?” the marshal asked.

  “John Evans.”

  “We never said he was dumb,” Charity protested.

  Eliza eyed them. “Then why were you put off by him just now?”

  “That should be clear,” Charity replied. “You are living in sin. It’s wrong.”

  “I am not!” she argued, careful to keep her voice low. “I’m staying in the workshop on his property. I really didn’t have a job, and he gave me one so I could stay here.”

  “I don’t know,” Charity slowly said. “It doesn’t seem possible for a man to keep his hands off a woman when there’s no one around.”

  Before Eliza could correct her thinking, Ralph threw back his head and laughed. “Charity, my dear, I assure you that John Evans is as safe as they come. He’s not like other men.”

  Now Eliza focused her intense stare on him. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  He sighed. “He doesn’t have all his lights on.” He tapped his head.

  “That’s not true. He can’t talk but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think like everyone else.”

  “I’m two years older than him. We practically grew up together. His parents sheltered him a lot, but we all knew he’d never be like the rest of us.”

  She gripped her purse. “I’m teaching him how to read and write.”

  “Young children can learn to read and write. I’m not saying that he doesn’t have some things to learn, but he’ll never be like a full-grown adult.”

  So this is what he typically ran into. It was no wonder why he protested coming to church today. Her initial impression had been so wrong. When Frank and Addy had spoken well of John, they were the exception to the mentality of this town. She had no idea. But John knew. No wonder he was in a hurry to leave town and didn’t think Daphne would be coming for him.

  Eliza looked the marshal square in the eye. “I assure you that John is as normal as any grown male.”

  He folded his arms and stared right back at her. “So you’re saying that you’ve been sharing a bed with him?”

  “No. I’m saying he acts like a grown man. He doesn’t act like a child.”

  “Then you are naïve about men.”

  Eliza almost laughed. That showed how little he knew, but she could never tell him that. So that was why no one thought anything of her staying on John’s property. No one thought he was capable of sexual desire. They thought he had the mentality of a child. Except Charity and Bethany didn’t know him at all, so they assumed the worst.

  She glanced at John who was sitting with Frank and Addy who were talking to him. Did they think he was like a child too? Or did they realize that even though he did think and feel like a man, he had enough self-control to restrain his urges? She knew that John held back. She knew what the looks he gave her meant, except there was a tenderness that was new to her. He’d never take advantage of her. He was a gentleman.

  Eliza returned her attention to Charity and Bethany. “I assure you that I wouldn’t engage in that type of behavior. I’m sorry that our time in the stagecoach gave you such a poor impression of me. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you to yourselves.”

  Without waiting for them to respond, she joined John.

  Frank looked up at her. “Oh, hello there, Miss Sweet. I heard you already met my wife, Addy.”

  Forcing aside her irritation with the people she’d just been talking to, she smiled. “I didn’t realize that, but it’s certainly nice to see you again.”

  “We were asking John if you two would like to come to our home for lunch after the service,” Frank offered.

  Addy smiled at her. “We’d love to have you both over.”

  Eliza glanced at John. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking but decided that she’d had enough of people for the time being. “Maybe next time. I already set out the ingredients I’m going to use for lunch.”

  Addy looked disappointed but nodded. “Next time then.”

  “It looks like everyone’s sitting. I guess I should follow suit.”

  “Do you mind if we sit with you?”

  “No.”

  She stepped past John whose expression remained unreadable and sat next to him, making sure she left enough space between them so people wouldn’t get the wrong idea...if that was possible. If everyone assumed he had no romantic inclinations at all, then they probably likened her to sitting with a little boy. The whole thing was absurd.

  “You would have liked Melissa,” Addy said. “She always spoke of her cousin, the preacher. She was excited about meeting you.”

  “I looked forward to coming here and meeting her too.”

  And she had looked forward to arriving to this place. A chance at a new start. And while it was true she got a new start, she also discovered that things were not going to be as pleasant as she’d hoped. Well, things didn’t always go according to plan. She’d have to bend and adjust as she had in the past.

  Addy talked a little more about Melissa before everyone stood up to sing a couple of hymns. Eliza didn’t know the words since she wasn’t familiar with them. Beside her, John kept his hands folded in front of him while Addy sang loud enough for all of them. She had a nice voice too.

  After the sermon, they sang another hymn and left the building.

  Frank shook John’s hand. “It was good to see you. I hope you’ll come on back, and we mean it about having you and Eliza for lunch next time.”

  El
iza watched the scene. That meant that Frank considered John an equal, didn’t it? He wouldn’t be directing that invitation to John if he thought of John as a child. At least, she wouldn’t think so.

  Addy gave her a hug. “Now if you need anything, you let us know. Anyone who knows a relative of Melissa’s is a friend of ours.”

  “Thank you,” Eliza replied.

  “Miss Sweet,” someone called out.

  The voice sounded familiar. She turned and saw one of John’s brothers making his way toward them.

  “I just wanted to say you look lovely today,” he said.

  She noted that John stiffened next to her but kept her gaze on the man. “You’re Guy, right?”

  “Troy,” he corrected.

  Blushing, she said, “Forgive me, Troy. I’ve met so many people that it’s hard to remember names and faces, and to be honest, all you brothers look so much alike. Well, except for the facial hair, but I can’t remember who has a mustache or a beard. John’s easy to remember. He doesn’t have either one.”

  Troy smiled. “There’s nothing to forgive. I’m sure we overwhelmed you by showing up at the same time.”

  Addy chuckled. “The five of them together is an impressive sight.”

  Frank nodded. “They are the only Evans in town, and they’re all men too.”

  “A force to be reckoned with then,” Eliza chimed in, slowly feeling better.

  “You could say that,” Frank joked.

  John nudged her in the side.

  She turned to him.

  He pointed in the direction of his wagon.

  “I guess we should get back,” she said.

  “But I didn’t get a chance to talk to you,” Troy argued.

  Eliza inwardly groaned. Not another Evan’s brother being more interested in her than he ought to be. The trouble with this town was that there were more men than women, and apparently, being single had made her an easy target. Why didn’t Preacher Peters warn her of this? She might have considered another location...like somewhere out in the middle of nowhere so she could spend the rest of her life alone.

  “We’ll see you soon I hope,” Addy stated. “I’ll have the curtains ready for you this Thursday.”

  “Really?” Eliza did want to hang up those curtains. She looked at John. “Can we come back then and get them?”

  John’s gaze shifted to Troy and despite his obvious uncertainty, he nodded.

  “We’ll be by then,” she said.

  Addy waved good-bye before she left with Frank.

  “I could take the curtains out there,” Troy offered.

  “That might be a good idea,” Eliza reflected.

  John quickly motioned to her and shook his head. Then he pointed to himself.

  She shrugged. “John must have some business he needs to do that day. I’ll come in with him.” She suspected that wasn’t really the case, but she didn’t feel like dwelling on John’s feelings for her.

  “Well, then I’ll have to keep an eye out for you,” Troy said. “It would be rude if I didn’t make you feel welcome. Good day.”

  She caught the warning look Troy gave John before he passed them to walk down the boardwalk.

  Great. Just what she needed. Two men, brothers no doubt, vying for her attention. This was getting much more complicated than it needed to be. Daphne would be the solution to John’s interest in her, but if Troy was as persistent as John, then she might have to end up leaving town altogether. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She had nowhere else to go...except back to Omaha, and she didn’t relish that, though she might ask Preacher Peters for another place to go.

  Chapter Seven

  John was working on the last chair for the table he’d made when Aaron stopped by. He glanced out of the small window and saw that Aaron carried something. John wondered what his brother wanted. He set the chair down on the floor and leaned forward so he could see if anyone came with him. He breathed a sigh of relief. Aaron was alone, which meant Troy was safely out of sight.

  Eliza said she had gone to do some washing at the creek. He had wanted to join her. Not because he liked to wash clothes but because it meant he could be near her and hear her talk. But she’d protested, saying he needed to finish the chair so he could deliver the complete dining room set to the Chapmans. He also realized his money was getting low, and there hadn’t been any house repairs to take care of for over a month. So he stayed in his shed and worked.

  Now he left the shed to see what Aaron wanted.

  “Good afternoon, John,” Aaron greeted.

  John motioned to his house.

  “I could use a cup of coffee. Alright.”

  John led him into the kitchen and pumped water into a coffee pot. After he set the pot on the cookstove, he listened to Aaron.

  “I haven’t seen anything at the post office for you. It’s been three weeks and Daphne hasn’t showed up. Maybe you should look into another mail-order bride. I brought a paper to look at.”

  As soon as he was done getting the coffee ready, John glanced over his shoulder and saw Aaron open the paper up.

  “I think the school teacher might be a good one. She’s a little older than average. That might work to our advantage though. I mean, she won’t be as picky as someone who’s younger.”

  John snatched the paper off the table and shook his head.

  “I’m sorry, John. I’m not trying to be mean. I know you’re as smart as I am.”

  John shook his head again. That’s not what he meant. He picked up a piece of paper and wrote ‘Eliza’ on it and then pointed to Eliza’s little cabin.

  Aaron frowned. “You aren’t sleeping with Eliza, are you? You know that goes against our values. You can’t do that until you’re married.”

  John waved his hand in a way that indicated he wasn’t sleeping with her.

  “Good.” His brother looked relieved. “I don’t care what others say. I know you’re fully capable of doing it.”

  For some reason, that made John feel good about himself. Aaron saw him as an equal.

  Then Aaron raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to marry Eliza? Is that what you’re saying?”

  John nodded.

  “Troy’s not going to like that, you know.”

  He scowled. What did he care what Troy thought? He picked up the paper full of the mail-order bride ads and wrote a ‘T’ on it before he handed it to Aaron.

  Aaron chuckled. “I don’t think Troy’s going to seek a mail-order bride. He’s too interested in Eliza. He talks about her a lot. The only reason he hasn’t been out here is because his boss has been working him overtime on the farm.”

  Well, good. John didn’t become a farmhand for that very reason. They could work long and rough hours. He much preferred the idea of setting his own hours and working with things that didn’t depend on the weather to grow.

  “There is that town social coming up. I suspect Troy will ask her to go with him if you don’t give her the invitation first.”

  He grimaced. That meant he’d have to be around people. He wondered if Eliza would say yes if Troy asked her. The only reason he’d even go was to stop Troy from taking her, and apparently, Aaron knew it or else he wouldn’t have brought it up.

  Aaron shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. A pretty woman like Eliza isn’t going to be single for long. Even that Old Willy and Buck Stanley are keeping a lookout for her.”

  That made John’s face harden.

  “You better get a ring on her finger fast, brother.”

  John gritted his teeth as he grabbed two cups from the cupboard and slammed them on the counter.

  “Let me guess. You’ve been trying to get her to marry you, but she keeps saying no?”

  How could his brother know that? John sighed but didn’t deny it.

  “Is it because you’re mute?”

  John shrugged. Maybe. Though for some reason, that didn’t seem right. She treated him like Aaron did, as an equal. So no. It couldn’t be that. But what was the re
ason? He sensed that she was hiding something. But he had no way to ask until he learned to write his words out.

  “Being mute is not a crime. Don’t be with a woman who judges you on that.”

  John nodded. Of course, he wouldn’t. It was bad enough to deal with it from people in town. He refused to deal with it in his own home.

  “Good.”

  John poured the coffee in the cups and handed one to Aaron.

  “Just in case things don’t work with Eliza, you should at least consider these ads.” Aaron picked up the paper. “It looks like there’s some nice women in here. Two especially caught my attention.”

  He didn’t have the heart to search for anyone else. He wanted Eliza. No other woman would come close to her.

  “I’m going to read these to you. I’m not saying we’re going to write any letters today, but at least think about it. Alright?”

  Reluctant, he nodded. Why not? The best thing that could happen was he wouldn’t need to do it. The worst...? Eliza would marry one of the other men in town and leave him alone...to send another letter out requesting a bride. That wasn’t something he relished.

  “And to be fair, I’ll show this to Troy too.”

  That part made him feel better. John nodded and listened as his brother read the ads to him.

  ***

  Two weeks later, Eliza decided it was time to do some painting. “It’s cooler outside than it has been. This way, we won’t sweat as much.”

  John thought she might be willing to consider marrying him if he agreed so he quickly got to the task of covering the furnishings so they wouldn’t get paint on them. He glanced at her dress and thought it would be a shame to get paint on it. She obviously hadn’t painted before if she thought her clothes wouldn’t suffer.

  He went into his bedroom and dug out a trunk full of things from his past, including his mother’s old dresses. He knew that he should throw out the clothes his parents wore, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, especially not his mother’s things. While he was rummaging around, he found her wedding ring. It was a simple gold band. He lifted it and tried to judge its size. Would it fit Eliza’s finger? He quickly shoved it into his pocket and retrieved a dress. It’d be loose on Eliza, but it’d do the trick.