Mail Order Melody (8 page)

Calvin shook the other man's hand. "We came to see about the puppies. Are they still available?" He almost hoped they weren't available. If they couldn't get a puppy today, maybe he

could talk some reason into his wife.

Tom nodded, opening his door wide. "They sure are."

"How old are they?" Calvin asked.

Eliza preceded the men inside, stopping to wait to find out where the puppies were. The tiny yipping sounds she heard were hard not to follow, but she didn't want to be rude.

"They're eight weeks. Follow me." He led them through the small house to a room that was shut off. As soon as he opened the door, three puppies spilled out of the room, bounding around happily to be free.

"What kind are they?" Eliza giggled. They were a big breed dog. There was no doubt about that.

Tom shrugged. "Well, I don't really know. Mutt is the best answer I have for you."

"Can I have all three?" She didn't care what breed they were or how old they were. She wanted one of those puppies. She squatted down to meet them and was greeted by three tongues vying for her face.

Calvin made a face, "just one." Unlike Eliza he'd had puppies before, and he was well aware of how much work they were. "Pick one."

The puppies were all white with black spots. She looked from
dog to dog trying to decide which one she wanted the most. Finally she settled on the one who stayed with her after the other two had wandered off. "This one. Is it a boy or girl?"

Tom looked at the dog she'd chosen. "That's a boy."

"Does he have a name?" She liked the idea of naming him herself, but if he already had a name, she could live with that. She briefly considered letting Calvin name the puppy. She could never let him saddle a child with a name he chose, so better to let him name a dog and getting naming out of his system.

"I didn't bother naming them, because I knew I'd just have to give them away." He looked at Ca
lvin. "You know what you're get
ting into?"

Calvin nodded. "I've had puppies before." He scooped up the dog that Eliza had chosen.
"Thanks, Tom."

"I appreciate you getting him out of my hair. Just two more."

Calvin waited until Eliza was sitting on the seat on the front of the wagon. "Hold him tight. He's going to want to get away."

Eliza cradled the puppy to her, hugging him tightly. "I love him." She imagined looking at that puppy was almost like looking at her own baby for the first time. The love was instant.

Calvin nodded. "We'll see if you still feel that way the fifteenth time you've had to scrub the floor." He reached over and petted
the puppy's head. "What are you going to name him?"

Eliza thought about that for a moment. "I don't know. How about Spot?"

He shrugged. "Whatever you want is fine by me." He pointed the wagon toward home and drove along, waiting for the puppy to cause a ruckus. "You know he's not going to be much help protection wise, don't you?"

"I do, but he'll be a great companion while you work all day." She couldn't contain her excitement about the puppy. "Isn't he beautiful?" She rubbed her face on his fur, feeling his heart pounding beneath her cheek.

"I don't think you're allowed to call a male beautiful. It's against the law or something."

"Handsome then. Yes, you're a handsome little boy!" She scrubbed her hands through the puppy's fur happy that he was putting up with her dinginess.

Calvin shook his head. What was she thinking getting a puppy instead of a dog? A puppy couldn't do anything to protect her, and that was the whole purpose behind getting a dog. He couldn't say no to her though. She had looked too sad.

As they drove through town, Eliza saw Sebastian arguing with the marshal in front of the train station. She didn't even want to
think about what they were arguing about. She knew if the marshal hadn't been there earlier, it would have been much worse for her. She doubted that Sebastian would have left without her.

After they were home she put the puppy on the ground, waiting for it to do its business. Instead he wandered around, exploring the area with intense interest. "Let's go in the house, Spot!"

Spot looked at her for a moment before going back to his exploration. "How do you get a dog to know his name?"

"You just use it a lot and eventually they realize you're talking about them. Dogs are smart." Calvin looked at her and shrugged.

"Here, you play on the floor while I fix our supper. What do you want tonight, Spot? How does fried chicken sound? Or I could make baked chicken. Fried sounds better doesn't it?" Eliza picked the dog up under one arm and carried him into the house.

Calvin walked over to Eliza and kissed her forehead. "You two behave. I'm going out on the range, and I'll send someone back to guard you."

After he'd left, Eliza looked down at Spot. "What kind of mischief does he think we'll get into all alone here?"

There was a knock on the door thirty minutes later while Eliza was sitting on the floor playing with the puppy and a piece of string. She almost didn't hear it over the sounds of the puppy
yipping and her own giggles.

Getting to her feet, she walked to the door, a smile still on her face. She peeked out the window before opening it to a man she'd never seen before. He must be the man that Calvin had sent.

Sure enough, the man tipped his hat. "Mrs. Simpson? I'm Carl Slater. I wanted to introduce myself to you. I'll be standing guard for the rest of the day over by the barn."

Eliza nodded. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Slater." If she had to have a man standing guard over her, he should be a friendly one.

"You can just call me Slater, ma'am." He turned and walked away, going to lean against the barn, his gun in a holster at his side.

Eliza closed the door, shivering slightly. "I'm glad I don't have to stand out there in the cold aren't you, Spot?" She didn't see the puppy anywhere. "Spot?" Finally she saw him. He was under the table with an entire skein of
yarn
in his teeth that he wanted to fight her for. She refused to fight, and waited until he tired of the
yarn
before putting it back on the table much worse for the wear.

"No more
yarn
for you. Bad puppy!"

Spot simply wagged his tail at her before going to find a corner to relieve himself in. When she spotted the wet spot, Eliza
sighed. "You're going to be a handful, aren't you?" She scooped him up and carried him outside. He curled up in the grass to sleep as soon as his feet touched it.

From his vantage point beside the barn, Slater yelled, "Go back inside ma'am. It's cold out here. I'll watch him."

Eliza wondered for a moment if she could trust him. She realized that her husband knew Slater better than she did, and Calvin trusted him with her. That should be enough right there. "Thank you!" she called.

She finished her supper preparations, slipping the chicken into the oven to keep warm while she peeled and cooked potatoes to mash. Abigail had taught her to make chicken gravy, and she knew she'd make that with the meal. Hurrying down the stairs she found a jar of carrots to complete the meal. They could eat the bread she'd baked earlier and fresh butter with it.

The sound of barking had her looking out the window. Slater was throwing a stick for the puppy who kept running to fetch it back to him. Spot seemed to be in his own personal version of heaven.

When Calvin came in for supper thirty minutes later, it was with a sleeping puppy in his arms. "He fell asleep on Slater, so he asked me to bring him in."

"He's such a sweet dog." Eliza took the puppy burying her face in his fur.

Calvin nodded going to the basin to wash his hands. "I just hope he stays sweet."

Eliza made a face, putting the puppy on an old quilt she'd arranged in the corner earlier. "He will. How could he not?"

Calvin said nothing as he took his seat for supper.

*****

Spot woke her up with his barking four times during the night wanting to go out each time. When he was out, though, she discovered that what he really wanted was to chase his tail in the cold. Once he laid down in the grass as if he planned to go right back to sleep.

She scooped him up and carried him right back into the house glad he was small enough that she could do that. It wouldn't be long before he'd grown into his feet, and she wouldn't be able to carry him any longer.

Eliza stumbled back into bed, vowing she was going to take a nap the following day. The puppy would wear her out otherwise. She'd never met a creature quite like him.

Beulah jumped at the knock on her door. Both boys were in school so she knew it wasn't one
of their friends. Probably some
one else to look at the house. She had sold most of her household goods and thought she would probably be on her way to see her sister within the week.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Sebastian. "How can I help you?" she asked. She knew that Eliza was married and living in Missouri now, so there was really no reason for Sebastian to be in New York. What could he want with her?

"Beulah, it's good to see you." He stuck his hand out for her to shake, and Beulah responded mechanically, uncertain why he was touching her. He'd always acted as if she were beneath him.

"What can I do for you, Sebastian?" she asked, keeping her voice calm. She'd never liked the man. He had always done his best to control her sister in every way possible, and it had been obvious to her that he'd had no affection for her at all.

"Eliza's not doing well. She asked me to come and fetch you to take care of her."

Beulah's eyes widened. How could she be sure the man spoke the truth? "She wants me to join her in Texas?" she asked.

"Your sister's in Missouri. You thought she was in Texas?" The man looked confused.

As soon as he said 'Missouri,' she knew that he really had been sent by Eliza. "My boys should be home from school in about thirty minutes. I'll pack what we need, and we'll go." If Eliza was sick, she wanted to be there for her sister.

Sebastian nodded. "May I come in and wait for them?"

Beulah shook her head. "No, I don't think so. We'll be out as soon as we're ready." Going on a train with him was one thing, but she wouldn't be alone in a house with the man. She quietly closed the door in his face, knowing she was being rude but just not caring.

She was thankful she'd already purchased carpet bags for their journey as she rushed into her bedroom and threw her clothes into one. After she'd packed for herself, she took care of both boys' clothes and then made sandwiches for them all to eat on the train.

She left a note on the table saying Eliza had needed her earlier. All she had to do then was wait for the boys to be home from school. They knew they were going and had told their teacher. No
one would really worry if they disappeared. Even her mother-in-law knew she probably wouldn't see them again. What difference would it make if they left a few days early?

When the boys got home Ted, the elder of the two, looked at the packed bags. "What's that mean man doing out front? I thought Aunt Eliza didn't work for him anymore."

Beulah handed him one of the carpet bags to carry. "She doesn't, but it seems they're still friends. She sent him here be-cause she's ill and needs us to come sooner." She knew her boys would obey her whether she gave them reasons or not, but she felt that explaining what they were doing to them was important.

Jack looked at her in confusion. "That's odd. I never really thought she liked him to start with."

Beulah shrugged. "It's not my place to question my sister. I just need to get to her as soon as I can." She opened the door and walked out to the buggy. "We're ready." She didn't meet Sebastian's gaze, knowing he'd be angry with her for making him wait outside. There was several feet of snow on the ground, and she knew he was cold.

Sebastian looked at her, his eyes filled with loathing. "It's about time. It was quite rude of you to leave me in the cold for this long."

"I don't entertain men in my house alone." She handed him the bags she was carrying. "I'm sure you wouldn't want to do anything to damage my reputation." Beulah knew that Sebastian cared nothing for her reputation or anyone else's, but she enjoyed making him angry. She always had.

Sebastian said nothing more as he stowed her bags and helped her into the buggy.

"Are we going by train?" she asked, hoping the answer would be in the affirmative. She'd only taken a train once so she could see her sister perform. It had been an exciting experience for her, and she wanted more than anything to do it again. The boys had never been on a train, and she knew they would enjoy the experience a great deal.

"Yes, of course." He looked down his nose at her as she made sure both boys were seated. "There's no other way for a civilized person to make a journey that long."

Beulah couldn't believe what an overbearing, pompous man her sister had put up with for sixteen years. How would she last on a train with the man for two days?

*****

Beulah and the boys rode in the passenger car with everyone else while Sebastian took a sleeping car. She should have known he had no intention of speaking to her during the long ride.

In the dining car on the first evening she overheard a conversation. "I've got L'Angelina booked for Chicago on Wednesday evening. You really need to hear her sing. No one can sing like she can. No one."

Beulah was surprised to hear Eliza was going to be singing. Wasn't she ill? What was really happening?

*****

When they arrived in Pudsville, Missouri, Beulah stepped down from the train hoping Eliza would be there to meet them. She truly didn't expect her to be because of her illness. If she was planning on singing in just a few days, perhaps she wasn't as ill as Sebastian had led her to believe.

She waited for a moment on the platform before Sebastian walked up behind her. "We'll need to rent a buggy. Give me a moment." He walked off toward a building clearly labeled 'livery.' He came back several minutes later with a horse and buggy.

"I want you boys on your best behavior when you see your
aunt Eliza," she told her sons once they were on the road. "She's ill, so she's going to need us to stay calm and quiet." She looked at her younger son with a warning glance. "You can handle it. I know you can." Being quiet wasn't in Jack's nature, and she knew as well as he did what a struggle it would be.

Jack made a face. "I hate being quiet."

"She's living on a ranch now, so I'm sure you can spend time outdoors if you're too loud inside. We'll enroll you in school first thing on Monday morning." She knew the boys weren't looking forward to starting at a new school. She felt it was better to get it over with as soon as they could.

She looked at Sebastian not wanting to talk to him but not feeling as if she had a choice either. "How far is it out to Eliza's house?"

"Only about thirty minutes." He said nothing else, leaving Beulah to stare at the landscape they passed.

She was thankful that it was warmer here than it had been in New York, but she was still ready for spring. The winters seemed to get longer every year.

The boys bickered about something in the back of the buggy, and Sebastian turned. "You will both be quiet until we arrive at your aunt's house. One more word out of either of you, and I'll
leave you on the side of the road."

Beulah's eyes flashed with anger. "You will do no such thing. Eliza would never speak to you again if you hurt one of those boys." She couldn't believe he would even consider such a thing. Did he not have even a drop of humanity within him?

"I didn't say I'd hurt them. Only that I'd leave them. Mind your business
woman. Disciplining boys is men's work."

"Disciplining any child falls to that child's parents, not to some random stranger. You will not raise your voice to either of my boys again. Are we clear?" She wouldn't put up with anyone speaking to her children the way Sebastian was.

Sebastian said nothing else, but his color got darker as if he were angry.

After a few minutes of silence, Sebastian pulled the buggy off to a side road and eventually to a house. Beulah didn't wait for Sebastian to help her but hopped down on her own instead. She hurried from the wagon to the house, knocking loudly.

The sound of a dog barking made her smile. Eliza had always wanted a puppy. She was glad her sister finally had one.

When Eliza opened the door, Beulah looked at her with surprise. "You're not ill?" Had Sebastian lied to her after all?

Eliza was elated to see her sister and didn't really listen to the
question she was asked. Instead she pulled Beulah into a tight hug. "You're early. You should have wired ahead so we could have met you at the station."

"But...Eliza? Why did you send Sebastian for us if you're not ill?" Beulah turned and looked over her shoulder, her face turning white.

Eliza froze following her sister's gaze. Sebastian had his arm wrapped around Jack's neck with a pistol against the boy's temple. Her eyes went to the barn where Slater spent most of his days, but he wasn't there. Calvin had needed him for just an hour, and he was due to be back any moment.

"What do you want, Sebastian?" Eliza kept her voice deliberately calm, knowing showing him her fear would only make things worse for both her and her family.

Sebastian smiled his lips curling in a way that frightened Eliza. "You, Jack and I are going for a ride. You're going to come along calmly and you're going to get on the train with me. If you don't, this child will never live to see adulthood."

Eliza asked no questions. She removed her apron and handed it to Beulah. "The puppy's name is Spot. My husband is Calvin. Don't let him do anything stupid."

She walked to the buggy toward Sebastian, not willing to do
anything that could harm her nephew. "Why can't you just let him go, Sebastian?" she asked calmly. "I'll come with you if you want, but I don't want to separate Jack from his mother."

Sebastian shook his head. "Once we're gone I'll let him go. I need to make sure you come with me."

Eliza sighed looking up at the man who had been a huge part of her life for sixteen years. "Why?"

He waited until she'd climbed into the buggy before pushing Jack to the ground and driving off with her beside him. "Who's going to sing for my supper if you're not around? I need you." He drove with one hand while using the other to keep his pistol trained on Eliza.

Eliza sighed. "I figured it was something like that. I have no desire to sing for you." She turned to him. "How will you force me to sing now that I know my family is safe?" She was bluffing. She didn't know her family was safe. The threat letters had followed her, so there was a good chance her family wasn't safe, but she didn't want him to know that.

He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "Do you really think I'm stupid? You'd be afraid I'd send someone to your family now that I know where they are. Oh, you'll sing for me. You wouldn't dare not sing."

She shook her head. "Whoever was threatening me found me.

I wouldn't dare sing." She wasn't going to let anyone hurt her family no matter what. She wouldn't sing. She couldn't.

"So you'll risk
your
own neck?"

Eliza took a deep breath and gambled. "You won't hurt me. We've been together too long." She knew he had no real feelings for her, but she had to try. She couldn't sing.

"Don't be so certain! I promised you'd sing in Chicago on Wednesday, and that's just what you'll do!" He pulled the buggy in front of the train station and watched as she jumped down without waiting for help.

Eliza looked around for a way to escape starting off across the street toward the mercantile. Surely someone would help her!

She'd only gotten a few feet when Sebastian's hand clamped over her arm. "You're not going anywhere."

The owner of the mercantile was watching her as she walked with Sebastian toward the train station. "People know me here. They're watching me and wondering why I'm with you." Why was no one rushing to help her?

"I don't care. No one knows where we're going. We'll be long gone by the time your husband realizes we're in Chicago."

She stopped walking and turned to Sebastian speaking as
loudly as she dared. "Please let me go! I want to be with my husband. I'm carrying his child!" Her hand automatically went to her abdomen as she said the words, wishing she could protect the child within her from Sebastian.

Sebastian made a face. "If you really do have a brat in your belly, we'll send it to him as soon as it's bo
rn
. Your sister will help him take care of it. She's raised two brats of her own." He laughed. "Would you believe she came here with me because I told her you were sick?"

Eliza didn't say another word as she walked toward the train. She was certain someone would come along and help her. Someone had to.

He grabbed her by the elbow, escorting her to the ticket counter. When the clerk looks up he recognizes her. "Where are you going with that man, Eliza? Where's Calvin?"

Sebastian squeezes her arm, hurting her. "She's going with me. I'm her manager, and she's been singing for me for years."

The man whose name Eliza couldn't recall looked back and forth between them, his face puzzled. "You do have a beautiful voice, Eliza."

"Thank you." She got no other chance to warn him as Sebastian took her arm and pulled her away from the counter.

He forced her onto a bench, taking the seat beside her. "I don't want you speaking to anyone else until we're out of this town. You hear me?"

Eliza nodded not saying a word. She wouldn't risk her family or her husband. There was no telling what Sebastian would do to Calvin.

Their train was there just minutes later, and he pushed her onto it ahead of him. She sat in the seat he told her to sit in and stared out the window, wishing Calvin were there. He would have known what to do.