An Enduring Love to Heal Her: A Historical Western Romance Book Read online

  “Sure,” she answered, scooting a little further towards the window to give Janie room.

  “Why did your uncle get off and leave you alone on the train, anyway?”

  “I’m going to Plainsview to live with my aunt for a while. He has some business here in, um…” Emilia wasn’t sure what the town’s name was.

  “Dallas,” Janie supplied.

  “Dallas,” Emilia repeated thoughtfully. She was sure she had heard that name before, but wasn’t sure where. “So, where are you headed?”

  “Oh! I’m going to Plainsview, too. I live there.”

  Emilia wasn’t sure whether to be happy or disappointed. It looked as if Janie would be here with her for the remainder of her journey.

  And that also meant she would follow Emilia into her new life. “Really? Where are you coming from now?”

  Janie frowned and looked away. “I went to visit some… family in another town. It didn’t work out how I expected, you know?”

  “I’m not sure. I have never really been out of my town before now.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “I’m from Desmond, Ohio.” Emilia’s mouth felt a little dry as the name of her family’s town rolled out of it. She missed home. It was like a twisty knot growing bigger in her stomach every mile she traveled farther from her mother and sister.

  “Well, I didn’t exactly go to visit family. It was actually my fiancé’s family I went to visit,” Janie added with a troubled look.

  “You’re getting married?” Emilia was a little surprised. Janie looked a little young to be engaged. But, now that Emilia thought about it, she had seen even very young women get married in the city.

  “I was getting married. It turned out that he didn’t exactly tell me the truth about his… situation.”

  Emilia frowned. “His situation?”

  “He wasn’t very well off. I thought he was, and that’s why I left Plainsview for him. But then he really wasn’t, and I couldn’t marry a man who was broke. How would he take care of me without any wealth? It's not the first time it’s happened, either. It is really hard to find a good and wealthy man to marry. ”

  Emilia shrugged. “I don’t know. Why does a man have to take care of a woman? Why can’t two people work together for things?” As soon as the words left her lips, Emilia wanted to draw them back in.

  She had heard some women talking like that in the square sometimes. Lots of people laughed at them and said that they were silly women. She knew her mother believed those types of things. That was why she had not married again, even if it meant she had to work harder than she should have to.

  Mary was not inclined toward modern ideas, however. She seemed fine with the thought of marrying for wealth and security.

  “Don’t tell me you’re one of those new-fangled thinkers who is speaking nonsense all over the place.” The appalled look on Janie’s face made Emilia’s heart quake.

  She wanted to tell Janie that she was, that she thought it was silly to marry a man who would treat you like a possession, something pretty to add to their collection. But the words got stuck in her throat and instead a quiet, “no,” managed to squeeze its way past her lips.

  “Thank goodness. You worried me for a moment. As women, it is our place to look beautiful and be there for the man we marry, but that doesn’t mean we have no control over the situation.”

  “It doesn’t?” There was so much that Emilia was thinking, but her fear kept her from saying it. Even this conversation would have been something she would have walked away from long ago, had she been back home.

  “What a lot of people don’t know is that women have all of the control. It is our place to find a man suitable for us, who can provide us with everything we could ever want—and, in exchange, he gets to show us off. That is, unless you’re ugly, of course, which you and I aren’t.”

  “What about love?” There Emilia went again, words coming out of her mouth without her brain’s approval.

  “Love, nonsense. Of course, if you happen to find a suitable match, I suppose you might grow fond of a man. But love will not put bread on the table or dress you in pretty gowns.”

  “I don’t reckon I need pretty gowns.” Emilia could feel her cheeks growing hot.

  Janie burst into a tinkling bit of laughter that sounded like a glass shattering on the floor. “You are amusing, you know. I figured you would be when I laid eyes on you. That’s why I so wanted to talk to you. You look so innocent.”

  “Thank you,” Emilia mumbled. She wasn’t sure how she felt about being called amusing or innocent. It sounded more like an insult instead of a compliment.

  “You’re welcome.” Janie let out another one of her laughs even though Emilia was quite sure she had said nothing funny. “I do believe we will be friends, don’t you think?”

  Emilia nodded, a bit dumbfounded. Maybe having a new friend in Plainsview wouldn’t be such a bad thing. She couldn’t imagine being as close with Janie as she had been with Mary, for certain, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t be friendly with each other.

  Emilia was certain she would never agree with Janie’s view on men and marriage, but friends didn’t have to agree on everything. Her mother had taught her that.

  ‘Just because someone doesn’t believe the same as you, doesn’t mean they aren’t a lovely person, too.’ She could almost hear her mother’s words.

  She wondered what her mother would think of Janie. She was almost certain she would say that Emilia should be friendly to her because every friend counted or something like that.

  Emilia knew how much it meant to her mother that she might have some friends. She would probably be happy to know that she had found someone like Janie to accompany her the rest of the way to Plainsview.

  Night had taken over the dusk, and the only sound was now the whistling of the train in the black night. Most everyone on the train had fallen asleep; the little family in front of them seemed to fold into each other as they slept. Emilia wished that her mother and sister could be here. She imagined they might look like that together.

  “We should get some sleep,” Emilia finally whispered.

  “You’re right. I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.”

  Emilia whispered goodnight to Janie and turned back to the window. It took a few moments to adjust herself to a comfortable position and then she closed her eyes, letting the gentle rocking of the train lull her to sleep.

  Chapter 5

  “Emilia, wake up!” It took Emilia a few seconds to recognize Janie’s voice.

  She was accompanying her instruction by shaking Emilia’s shoulder slightly.

  “I’m awake, I’m awake. What’s happening?”

  “I think we’re there. Look! You can see the town already.”

  Emilia squinted against the early morning sun glaring through the window. Janie was right. She could just start to make out the outline of the little town on the horizon.

  It was considerably smaller than where Emilia was from, but somehow, it still looked bigger than she had imagined it would be from her mother’s description.

  As the train pulled up, she made out a general store, a sheriff’s office, and several other buildings. There were plenty of people in the streets and a decent crowd on the platform.

  “That’s a lot of people waiting.” Emilia wrung her hands uncertainly.

  “Of course it is. Everyone is here to see who is getting off the train and to get the supplies from the city. They don’t come every day, you know. Are you all right? You seem very nervous.”

  “Yes.” Emilia made sure her voice sounded strong. She realized that no one really knew her here. Janie had been proof of that. To these people, she was just another young woman. Somehow, the anonymity made her feel safer.

  Maybe Mary was right—if she had confidence and wasn’t afraid, she could be whoever she wanted to be. Despite these thoughts, her legs still felt like strawberry preserves as she stood and gathered her things.

>   Following Janie down the aisle of the train, Emilia felt like she might faint as worries hit her one after another. What if her aunt forgot she was coming? What if her cousins didn’t like her? What if she hated it here and had no way of getting home?

  Suddenly, the train felt like her friend. It was almost like her last link to home. Without that, she would be truly alone out here in the belly of Texas.

  She paused at the front of the train and saw the conductor standing there. “Thank you,” she said softly. She wasn’t sure if he had heard her or not, but it felt good to say something to someone first. It was the first step, anyway. Maybe she would do more than just get over her sickness here in the west. Maybe she would learn to be more outgoing.

  “That’s my pa, so I’ll be going, but I’m sure we’ll run into each other around town.” Janie pulled her into a tight embrace and went striding happily across the platform toward a tall man in a suit nearby.

  Emilia watched her go with a bit of sadness. Getting to meet and talk with Janie had certainly been an experience. In a way, it already felt like Janie was her friend, and now that she had left Emilia alone, she felt vulnerable and uncertain once more.

  Her eyes swept the people around her, though she really wasn’t sure what her aunt looked like. She imagined she might be something like her mother.

  A tap on her shoulder made her turn quickly around. A young woman was standing there, about Emilia’s age, she would guess, and the same height as her, too. Her black hair was pulled back into a single braid. Her brown eyes sparkled with energy, and she wore a quirky smile that immediately put Emilia at ease.

  “Are you Emilia Johnson?” The girl's voice was as energetic as her appearance.

  “Y-yes. Who are you?” Emilia didn’t want to sound rude. If she had to guess, this would be the cousin her mother had been talking about.

  “I’m Lily, your cousin, silly,” she exclaimed, taking Emilia by the hand. Lily giggled and Emilia joined in.

  “Oh, it’s nice to meet you. Did my aunt come, too?”

  “Of course. She’s waiting with the twins in the wagon.”

  Emilia nodded and followed Lily through the crowd. She wasn’t sure what to think of her cousin, or what to think of the fact she had twin cousins. Her mother didn’t talk about their extended family much.

  Just as Lily had said, Aunt Carolyn was waiting in a wagon nearby with two little energetic boys hopping about in the back of the wagon. They had blonde hair and light complexion.

  Emilia was sure about who her aunt Carolyn was almost immediately. She looked so similar to her mother, for a moment, Emilia thought her mother had gotten here ahead of her, somehow.

  She was slender, with wispy blonde hair and blue eyes. All three of them had a light tan as if they spent considerable time in the sun, but none of them were as dark as Lily.

  Emilia wasn’t about to ask why, though. She knew that would be rude. Her aunt climbed down from the wagon and wrapped her into a warm hug that again reminded her of her mother. “Oh, Emilia, I’m so glad you made it here safely. We’ve been so anxious since your mother told me you were coming.”

  “Thank you.” Emilia pulled back. “I-I didn’t expect you to look so much like my mother,” she admitted sheepishly.

  “Oh, yes, she is my sister, you know!” Aunt Carolyn laughed. “How was your trip?”

  “It was fine. I met a nice young woman on the train. It was a little longer than I expected, though, and it got pretty warm on the train toward the end.”

  “Texas is a big, hot place. Speaking of which, we should get going, the ranch is a little way out there and we don’t want to get home too late.”

  “Here, I’ll help you.” Lily grabbed one of Emilia’s suitcases and put it in the back of the wagon. Emilia placed the second one beside it and clambered into the wagon with the twins.

  “I’m Eli,” the one with freckles said.

  “I’m Eddy,” said the other.

  Emilia was fairly certain that she wouldn’t be able to tell them apart, except for the fact that Eli’s face was covered in red freckles.

  “Are you going to live with us forever? Will you be like our sister now?”

  “I don’t know.” She really didn’t. She didn’t like the sound of staying here forever. This was supposed to be temporary, but what if she never left?

  “We already got your room ready. You can stay if you want. We don’t mind.” Eddy was watching her with puppy-dog eyes. Emilia remembered dreams long ago when she had longed for a brother.

  If she had ever gotten one, he probably would have looked like Eddy.

  “Aunt Carolyn—”

  “Nonsense, just call me Carolyn.” Her aunt looked back at her and smiled before turning in her seat to concentrate on the horses.

  “Carolyn, did my mother say how long I’d be here?” When Emilia had asked, her mother hadn’t answered and had instead simply looked away. She’d wondered what it meant.

  “I don’t know, dear. As long as it takes to get you healthy. How are you feeling, by the way?”

  “Fine, I suppose.” It wasn’t really the truth, but Emilia needed her aunt to believe she was all right if she wanted a chance at getting home sooner. Her heart already ached with longing for Mary and her mother.

  “Well, I’m sure that with this Texas weather, you’ll be ship-shape in no time.”

  Emilia nodded, even though she knew her aunt couldn’t hear her. They rode the rest of the way in silence.

  It took what felt like hours to reach the ranch. They drove down a long winding road through trees and around bends until, finally, they stopped in front of a large flat area.

  There was a cabin built right smack in the middle. Off to one side stood a big red barn, and Emilia could see some horses and a cow inside. Right next to it was a large chicken coop with lots of hens running about and even a few roosters.

  A large dog was jumping around the wagon, wagging his tail and jumping up, seemingly trying to get close to the twins who were spilling over the sides as Emilia watched.

  “Come on, we want to show you your room!” Eli called back as he headed toward the cabin at full speed.

  “Whoa! Hold on, boys. I need help putting the horses up.” Carolyn leveled them with a stern look and Emilia felt glad she hadn’t followed them with the same enthusiasm they had shown.

  They walked back with equal energy or more. “Come on, Eddy, let’s finish quick,” Eli spoke in encouragement to his brother.

  Emilia took her time getting down from the wagon and had to brace herself as the dog rubbed up against her, searching for a pat.

  “That’s Red. He wants you to pet him,” Eddy informed her with a shy grin.

  Emilia looked down at the shaggy beast. She had no idea how they had decided to call him Red, as his color was far from it. In fact, he was white with some black speckles near his neck and ears.

  “Hello, big boy.” Emilia knelt down and patted the dog around the ears. She knew that a lot of city girls wouldn’t dare touch a dog like this for fear they would dirty their dresses, but Emilia didn’t mind.

  Red reminded her of the little mutt that often came searching for a morsel behind their house back home.