Her Irish Surrender (5 page)

“What brings you to Oregon City, Miss Dermont?” Mr. Van Cleet asked.

She knew one of them would, she just wished it would have been later rather than sooner, but no use stalling. “I was a mail order bride.”

“Oh
, how nice!” Mrs. Dexter said. “A mail order …
was
?”

“Things didn’t work out,” she said and looked at Mrs. Brown. “Which brings me to inquire, do you know if anyone
is hiring, Mrs. Brown? I’ll need a job if I’m to stay on.”

“Oh, you poor dear.” Mrs. Brown said, her face full of compassion. “I had no idea … now let me think … oh, I’m not sure if I’m going to be of much help!”

Adaline swallowed her potatoes too fast and almost choked. “Surely you know of something?”

“I might be able to help,” said Mr. Van Cleet. “But it would mean leaving Oregon City.”

“Leaving? I just got here,” Adaline told him.

“When did you get … ah … who was your intended?”  Mrs. O’ Halloran asked.

“Abigail, it’s none of our business,” Mrs. Dexter scolded. “Let the girl be.”

“I don’t mind,” Adaline said.  They would probably find out soon enough anyway
, so she might as well tell them.  “I was to wed Lorcan Brody.”

“Lorcan Brody? And it was he who brought you here!” Mrs. Brown huffed. “Well, that is a surprise!”

Adaline stared at her a moment, then asked, “Why do you say that?”

“
I’ve known the Brody’s ever since they settled here. Must be going on four years now. They came out west after Lorcan got done with his schooling. He attended one of those fancy schools back in Ohio. Note dome I think it’s called.”

“Notre Dame,” Mr. Van Cleet corrected.

“Yes, that’s it, Notre Dame.” Mrs. Brown agreed. “He came to help them with the store, and to start his own business, only he never did, just works with his folks God bless him, and looks after them.  Has a heart as big as they come, and the strength of a bear,” she said, and stopped. She looked Adaline over and shook her head. “Why he would turn away such a beautiful girl, I’ll never know. It’s a mystery it is …”

“He didn’t know I was coming.” Adaline confessed.

Mr. Van Cleet and Mr. Dixon looked at each other across the table, and laughed.

“Stop it, you two!” Mrs. Brown admonished. “Can’t you see the girl is heart-broken?”

Mr. Van Cleet brought his napkin to his mouth to stifle his chuckles. “I’m not laughing at you, my dear.  On the contrary, Mrs. Brown is right. There’s no good reason Lorcan Brody should turn you away, other than he hasn’t had time to think about it.”

“How do you know?” Adaline asked.

“I’ve been coming to Oregon City for years, and acquainted with the Brody’s.  They’re good people, and my guess is poor Lorcan is still in shock. Isn’t that right, Polly?”

“Oh yes,” Mrs. Van Cleet agreed. “We come
to Oregon City twice a year and always frequent Brody’s Books.  I’m sure Mrs. Brody wants to see her son happily married as any mother, she just went about it … well, I suppose this is Mr. Mulligan’s fault.”

“Mr. Mulligan?” Adaline inquired.

“He owns the saloon in Clear Creek. Our Sheriff has a sister up north, and she ordered brides for her sons without telling them.  Worked out fine too.  Sheriff Hughes told Mr. Mulligan, and he wrote Mrs. Brody and told her.  She being his sister you see.”

“Ah, I do see …
” Adaline began. “I also see that it doesn’t work out for everyone.”

Mr. Van Cleet smiled. “Tell you what, if that man hasn’t come around by the time we leave for Clear Creek at the end of the month, then you can come with us and I’ll give you a job in our hotel.”

“Oh, it’s a beautiful hotel!” Mrs. Brown commented.

“And we have lots of single gentlemen in Clear Creek,” Mrs. Van Cleet added. “A pretty girl like you would have no problem finding a husband there.”

“That’s very kind, thank you.” Adaline said.

“But mark my words,” Mr. Van Cleet said. “I don’t think you’ll be going with us, in fact, if I were you, I’d go ask Mrs. Brody for a job!” he s
aid with a laugh.  Mr. Dixon giggled in delight at his remark and nodded enthusiastically.

Adaline stared at them both
before a smile began to form.  A small part of her was still angry and liked the idea.  “Mr. Van Cleet, I believe I’ll do just that.”

* * *

“Of course there’s the dusting to be done, there’ll be a lot of that, keeping track of the inventory, and speaking for myself, I could use the extra time to bake.” Mrs. Brody set down her teacup and picked up a pencil. “Let’s see, aside from the dusting and inventory, ye’ll keep track of the sales.”

Adaline nodded as she watched
the woman scribble things down.  They were seated at a small table tucked into a corner of the bookshop, and been going over her duties for the past half hour, though Mrs. Brody spoke more of her son than anything else.

“Oh, and he likes things kept in order, not a book out of place. Disorder irritates that boy to no end
,” Mrs. Brody added and set the pencil down. “There, I think that does it.” She handed the list to Adaline. “What do you think, dearie?”

Adaline picked up the list and stared at it.
Mrs. Brody had her duties in one list, Lorcan’s likes and dislikes in another.  The latter was far longer than the former …

“I’m sure I can prove myself capable, Mrs. Brody.”

  “Excellent, then the job is yours.”

“I can’t thank you enough, I’m sure I can work off my train and stage fares …”

“Don’t worry about that righ
t now, I’m just glad to have ye here.”

Adalin
e smiled, and noticed again when the Brodys’ were calm, their Irish brogue was less pronounced. She hoped Lorcan Brody would be as calm as his mother was, when he found out she’d been hired to work in the bookshop.

“Now, let me show ye
how to take the cash.”

Adaline looked at her, thankful the woman had pulled her out of her thoughts.  She didn’t want to start imagining what Lorcan would do when he saw her working behind the counter.  He was out helping his friend Finn again today, and wouldn’t be home until late afternoon.  With any luck, she will have
finished her work by then, and be back safe and sound at Upton’s Boarding House.

But Adaline had no such luck.

“
Maither,
what’s this?” Lorcan asked as he invaded their corner. He stared at her, his eyes wide, as if seeing her for the first time.

Adaline swallowed, feeling the same way he looked. “Good morning, Mr. Brody,” she told him.

He stood and continued to stare, before he pulled his cap from his head. “Good morning. I … I didn’t expect to see you.”

She looked away for a second, then turned
back to face him. “Surprise.”

A hint of a smile tugged at his mouth, then was gone. “Aye,” he said. “I best be about purchasing tickets to get you home.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” his mother admonished. “Miss Dermont is staying.”

Lorcan’s eyes fixated on her, and Adaline tried not to squirm under his scrutiny. “What was that?”

“You heard me, she’s staying.”

“But, how will she live?  What will she do?”

“It may interest you to know, Mr. Brody,” Adaline began with a smile, “that I’ve already found employment.”

“What?” he croaked. “How did you …” he looked to his mother, his eyes wider than before. “
Maither?
”

“She’ll start immediately. In fact, she’ll start right now.”  Mrs. Brody stood. “Come Miss Dermont, I’ll show you where we keep everything.”

“But
Maither
…”

“Don’t you but
Maither
me, Lorcan Brody. I’ve made up my mind!”

“We don’t need the extra help …”

“We do if I say so, and today, I’m
saying
so.”

Lorcan slapped his face with hand and held it there. “Saints woman, what are you trying to do?”

Mrs. Brody walked over so she could look up at him. “My job.” She shoved past him with Adaline on her heels, and headed for counter at the front of the shop.

A
daline couldn’t help but look at him as she passed, and gave him a small nod. He watched her go and swallowed hard. “What is that supposed to mean,
your job
?” he called after them, his face a mask of confusion.

Adaline
peeked over her shoulder at him, and shrugged. She had no idea what Mrs. Brody meant either, but was glad the woman said it.  The look her words put on Lorcan Brody’s face, was priceless. 

Four

Several days passed before Adaline saw Lorcan again. He avoided her by leaving the shop early to help the
Mullanys, and came home after she was gone.  But today was different as Mrs. Brody mentioned Finn’s family no longer needed the extra help, and Lorcan would be working in the shop today.

“He’ll be down any minute,” Mrs. Brody whispered as if it were some great secret.  She finished putting fresh baked cookies into the display case and stood. “I’d best go make another batch
, these will be gone within the hour.”

Adaline nodded as the bell above the doo
r rang.  Men came into the bookshop early to buy the treats and take them to work to munch on.  Mrs. Brody’s baking was more popular than the local bakery down the street.

“Good morning, Miss Dermont,” a voice called. 

She looked up, Mr. and Mrs. Van Cleet were coming toward the counter. “Good morning, what brings you here?”

“Mrs. Brody’s cookies of course,” Mr. Van Cleet told her. “That and Polly fancies a book about Scotland. Do you have any?”

“Oh, I’m not very familiar with the entire inventory yet, but I know where I can look,” Adaline said as she came out from behind the counter. They followed her toward the back of the store to a low shelf.  “Let me see, yes, here’s something.” She pulled the book out and handed it to Mrs. Van Cleet.

She took it and smiled, then glanced at her husband. “Do you thin
k we’ll find anything in here?” she asked in a quiet voice.

“We won’t know until we look, will we?” he answered with a smile. 

“Would you like to browse through it?” Adaline asked.

“Yes, thank you,” Mrs. Van Cleet said as footsteps could be heard on the nearby stairs.

Adaline froze and closed her eyes a brief second. When she opened them, Lorcan stood behind her. “What are you looking for, Mr. Van Cleet?” he asked.

“The young lady here
found what we needed,” said Mr. Van Cleet. “Thank you, Lorcan.”

Lorcan lips formed a firm line. “I’m glad to hear it.” He turned on his heel and made for the front counter. Adaline sighed at his retreating form.

“Don’t you worry none, Miss Dermont,” Mr. Van Cleet whispered. “He’ll come around.”

“I hope you’re right,” she whispered back. “Or it’s going to be a long day.” The Van Cleets smiled in understanding, then opened the book and began to leaf through it. Adaline sighed again, and looked at Lorcan who stood behind the counter, his head bent over the sales ledger. His bruises and black eye were much better today, and she couldn’t help but feel a small flutter in the pit of her stomach.  He was indeed a handsome man, and as she thought on it, the finest looking one she’d ever seen. Her heart fluttered along with her stomach, only to fall into despair at the same time.
  He’d not taken to the news that she would be staying on and working in the shop. Even for only as long as it would take to work off the fare to bring her out west.

Today was the first day to see Lorcan, to look into his eyes and see his disapproval of the situation.  Yet, it wasn’t there. Not really.  True, he’d tensed at the sight of her when they made eye contact, but now he looked as if all was normal.  Maybe he wanted to get through the day with as little interaction between them as much as she did. But even so, the thought he didn’t want her there, stung. She turned away, grabbed a feather duster, and began to clean the nearby stacks.

* * *

Lorcan closed the ledger and leaned against the counte
r.  Mr. and Mrs. Van Cleet had settled into another cozy corner of the bookshop and examined their book.  There were several sets of chairs placed through out the shop so patrons could peruse a book before purchase.  He did his best to focus on the elderly couple instead of the pretty woman dusting shelves. Unfortunately, his best wasn’t good enough. His eyes slowly traveled toward the back of the store.  He swallowed when they found her, and he had to steady himself against the counter as the bell above the door rang.  Several men entered, and went straight to the case containing his mother’s baked goods.

“Morning
, Lorcan,” one of them said. “What’s today’s special?”

“Sugar cookies
and apple pie,” he answered. “But she’s not brought the pies down yet.”

“I’ll take the cookies,
” another man said. “I haven’t the time to wait for pie.”

The first two men worked at the livery stable and feed store.  The other man was a stranger to him. “Can I help you, sir?” Lorcan asked.

The man’s eyes glanced at his surroundings. “These two gents tell me your mother makes a fine pie.”

“Yes, on that I’ll have to agree,” Lorcan said. “She’ll bring them down shortly, if you’d like to wait. Folks take them home, or to work with them. I’m sorry we haven’t a place for you to eat here, but I can wrap up a slice for you.”

“I understand
, I’ve no problem taking one with me.”

  Lorcan nodded and
went to help the other two, as he stole glimpses of Miss Dermont in the back. He wasn’t the only one. The stranger also caught a glimpse and turned to look at her. Lorcan’s gut went cold.

“My, what do we have here?” he heard the stranger say.  The man began to stroll in Miss Dermont’s direction.

Lorcan felt a ripple of …
something,
crawl up his spine,
and hurried to get the two men taken care while he kept an eye on the back of the store.

“We’ll take it,” Mr. Van Cleet spoke out of the blue.

Lorcan jumped at his voice and almost dropped a cookie. “Set the book on the counter, I’ll be right there.” He finished with the two men, collected their money and glanced to the back of the store as they turned to leave.  They’d shared no parting words with the stranger, and Lorcan began to wonder who he was. He appeared to be quite interested in Miss Dermont, and began to engage her in polite conversation.

“There a problem, son?” Mr. Van Cleet asked.

Lorcan pulled his attention back to the task at hand. “No, sir. Is this the only book you want?”

“Yes, this should do fine. Polly and I plan on visiting Scotland one day. Want to read up on it first.”

Lorcan looked the Van Cleets over. They were well into their seventies now. He stared at the book a moment, glanced in Miss Dermont’s direction when he heard her laugh, then forced his attention back to Mr. Van Cleet. It was harder than he thought. He stood there like a dote, and said nothing.

“Oh I know what you’r
e thinking,” Mr. Van Cleet said, thinking his look was for them. “What are two folks our age doing planning a trip like that?  Well, you’re never too old, is the way we look at it.” Lorcan continued to stare, his eyes darting to the back of the shop of their own accord. Mr. Van Cleet chuckled. “He got into town last night. Got himself a room at Upton’s.  Nice enough fella. Seems like he’s pretty interested in Miss Dermont …”

“Lorcan shook himself. “He’s staying at the boarding house with you?”

“Yesiree,” Mr. Van Cleet said as he turned his gaze toward the rear of the shop. “Name’s Walker, says he’s from Colorado. Come out west to farm and ranch.  Told us last night he’s looking for two things, one of which is land.”

Lorcan continued to watch as the man called Walker carried on his conversation with Miss Dermont. “What’s the other thing?”

“A wife,” Mr. Van Cleet said matter of fact.

Lorcan met his gaze and felt his body go
stiff, his hands already clenched into fists. It was a gut reaction, one he had no control over unless he really thought about it.  But why would he want to punch the man’s face all of a sudden?  He had no claim on Miss Dermont, he was the one trying to put her on a stage a few days ago to be rid of her! Thanks to his mother, that wasn’t about to happen. Maybe he should be praying Mr. Walker took more than a liking to the girl, court, and then marry her.  She’d be off his hands, out of his hair, and life could get back to normal.  That, and he wouldn’t have to work with her and feel guilty about marching her straight to the boarding house almost the moment she got off the stage ... 

But right now, it wasn’t guilt Lorcan was feeling.  Instead, he felt like punching the poor
fellow’s lights out. Before he knew it, he had moved out from behind the counter, and was marching to the back of the shop. “Miss Dermont?”

She’d been laughing at something Mr. Walker said, and looked up at Lorcan with a b
rilliant smile. It took his breath away. “Mr. Brody?”

He stared at her a moment, “There’s work to be done,” was all he said. He nodded to Mr. Walker, then turned on his heel and strode back to the counter.

“Abrupt, isn’t he?” he heard the man say at his retreat.  Lorcan glanced over his shoulder and both were staring after him.

He went behind the counter, and proceeded to collect payment from Mr. Van Cleet just as his mother came down the stairs, a tray in her hands. “Good morning, sir. Have you found a book you like?”

“No ma’am, I’m not here looking for a book. I came because I heard you were the best pie maker in Oregon City.”

Mrs. Brody blushed a deep red. “Oh, dear me. I can’t say that I’m the best, but I do try.”

Lorcan had Mr. Van Cleet’s purchase wrapped in brown paper at this point, and was tying it up with string as he watched Mr. Walker turn his attention back to Miss Dermont. “I’ll see you at supper tonight, then?”

She smiled. “Yes.”

The
string broke. “Bugger,” Lorcan mumbled.

“Having trouble there, Lorcan?” Mr. Van Cleet chuckled.

  Lorcan stared at him, his jaw tight. “Bad string.”

Mr. Van Cleet leaned toward
his wife. “Bad string, he says …”

She smiled in response and glanced between Lorcan and Miss Dermont.  M
eanwhile, Mr. Walker headed their way, trailing behind Mrs. Brody. “I’ll take two slices of the apple, if I may,” he said as she set the tray on the counter.

“Lorcan, see to the man,
will you?” She then turned to their patron. “Are you new in town? I don’t recall seeing you before.”

“Why yes, ma’am, I am. I’m Herbert Walker, at your service.” He took her hand, bent at the waist, and brushed it with a kiss.

Mrs. Brody giggled. “Oh, my, what nice manners.”

Lorcan stiffened. Had he kissed Miss
Dermont’s hand like that? He looked at her, but she was busy straightening a stack of books. When he looked back to his mother, Mr. Walker was giving her a huge grin.  He didn’t realize he’d picked up the serving knife until he noticed it in his hand. It was then the door opened, and Mrs. Brown from the boarding house came in.

She went straight to the counter, her face flushed. “Mrs. Brody, thank goodness you’re here.”

“Heavens, Mrs. Brown, what’s the matter? You look like you ran all the way.”

“Of that you are right. It’s Mrs. Fitzsimmons. She’s got herself in a terrible fix this time.”

Mrs. Brody sighed and shook her head. “What has she done now?”

Mrs. Brown
looked between Mrs. Brody and Lorcan. “She’s up the oak tree again.”

“Wha
t?” Lorcan barked.

At this point Miss Dermont came forward, her face a mask of concern. “Is she all right? Does someone need to fetch a doctor?”

Lorcan burst out laughing. “Hardly, Miss Dermont.”

“Well, you’re taking this good naturedly,” M
r. Walker said in a sarcastic tone. He quickly looked at Miss Dermont to see her reaction, then turned back to Lorcan. “The poor woman must be delirious to try to climb a tree, especially if it’s the one behind the boarding house. Why, it’s gigantic! How can you act so unconcerned when a woman’s life is in danger?” He looked directly at Miss Dermont on the word
danger
, and Lorcan saw his veiled satisfaction as she gasped.

Lorcan
tried not to groan as he stepped out from behind the counter. “I’ll see to her,
maither
.” He headed for the door, and could sense Mr. Walker’s indecision on what to do or say next, in order to impress Miss Dermont.

“I’d like to offer my services to the lady. Perhaps I could be of some help in re
scuing her?”

Lorcan turned, noted the feigned concern on Mr. Walker’s face, and the wide-eyed innocence of Miss
Dermont’s. He sucked in a quick breath. She was a beautiful woman. What man wouldn’t want to try and impress her?  Speaking of which, why wasn’t
he
trying?

Before he could answer his own question, Mr. Walker made a show of striding over to Lorcan and standing at his side. “I’m going with you!”

Lorcan raised a single eyebrow at him. “You sure you’re up to the task? The deed could be wrought with danger,” he told him, then winked at his mother.

Mrs. Brody had a fist to her mouth as she went around the counter and took up the serving knife. Even Mrs. Brown looked like she was about to explode with laughter.  Miss Dermont, intent on Lorcan and Mr. Walker, didn’t notice.
Lorcan mustered up the best look of concern he could. “I just hope we’re not to late.
Maither,
where’s the  grappling hook?”