Chapter 18
18
Micah hadn’t slept much the night before. With Charlotte’s announcement that she and Lewis Bradley were to be married, he had found sleep all but impossible. Why was she doing this? She didn’t love Bradley. Love had never even entered the conversation. Not only that, but she was clearly upsetting her mother. Lucille had been beside herself. It was a wonder, in fact, that any of them were able to finish dinner.
Breakfast had been no better. Charlotte refused to make an appearance. He and Nora had joined Lucille at the table, but no one was really talking or eating. The only thing Lucille had said was that she wanted Micah to take her into town after breakfast. So now he was hitching the wagon and preparing for the trip.
No doubt, Lucille would want to talk to him about Charlotte, and frankly, Micah was hard-pressed to know what to say. His own feelings toward Charlotte had changed over the last few weeks. Prompted by what Rich had said and Charlotte’s own words and actions, Micah had begun to wonder at them having a future together. Now that was no longer a possibility. At least not if she married Bradley.
“Are we ready to go?” Lucille asked, joining him in the yard.
“Yup. Just finished.” Micah walked around the horses and came to where Lucille stood beside the wagon.
He helped her up onto the seat and then joined her. “You ready?”
“As ready as I can be.”
He glanced at her and noticed her eyes were still red- rimmed. What could he say to ease her misery and worry? He flicked the lines and directed the horses down the long drive. What was there that he could possibly offer to give her comfort?
“I’m surprised Charlotte didn’t want to go.”
“I told her I wanted her to stay home and help Nora. I needed time to talk to you alone without worrying about her overhearing me.”
Micah kept staring straight ahead. “Say what you want to say, then.”
“Micah, I can’t bear any of this, and I will not allow Charlotte to marry Lewis Bradley. Not so long as there is breath in my body. I don’t know what he has over her, but I figure he has threatened her with something.”
“Charlotte has nothing to hide. What could he possibly threaten her with?”
“That’s what I intend to find out. I’ll take Mr. Bradley his money, but I’m going to demand some answers.”
“Do you really think he’ll willingly give them? If he’s forcing Charlotte to marry him, I doubt he’s going to easily give up that hold.”
“All I know is that I must try. Charlotte won’t even talk to me about it. I tried several times last night after Bradley had gone, but she told me to trust that she was doing what she needed to do.”
“Is it possible she has fallen in love with him?”
“No. It’s not at all possible. She loves you. She’s only ever loved you. From the time she was four years old, you have been her focus.” The words were delivered as if she were saying nothing more important than what the weather was to be for the day.
Micah looked at Lucille, feeling a sense of elation and disbelief. “She’s never said anything to me about it. She used to follow me and Frank Jr. around all the time, but I figured that’s what little sisters did.”
“Oh, Micah, I don’t know what to do. She can’t marry Bradley when she’s so obviously planned a life with you. She will never love him.”
“I wish I’d known about her feelings for me. I mean, I guess I knew she cared deeply, but I figured she felt like she was my sister.”
“Do you still feel that way about her, Micah? She mentioned that you only see her as a little sister.”
Micah chuckled as his nerves tried to get the best of him. “No, ma’am, I do not see her as my little sister. I might have at one time, but no more.”
“Do you think you could fall in love with her? Want to marry her?”
Micah was surprised at the look of hope in Lucille’s expression. “It may have already happened. It’s only just started to dawn on me, I’m sorry to say.”
For the first time that day, Lucille smiled. “Micah, we must stop this wedding. At least I’ve managed to buy her some time.”
“I don’t know what we can do if Charlotte is determined to marry him.”
“Maybe tell her how you feel. Give her something else to think about. Maybe if she sees what it is she’s going to miss out on, she’ll change her mind.”
Micah considered this for a few moments, then shook his head. “But whatever Bradley has done to force her hand, whatever he’s threatening, it won’t go away just because I tell her how I feel.”
“But she’s in despair over this. I can see it in her eyes,” Lucille protested.
“And that despair will only get worse if what you say is true. If she truly does love me and I tell her that I love her too, it’s going to be all the harder for her to go through with her decision.”
“Good. I want it to be impossible.”
“But we both know Charlotte. If she’s convinced this is her only recourse, she’s not going to change her mind unless the threat is gone. We’re back to needing to know what Bradley has threatened to do.”
Lucille folded her hands together. “Then I’m going to find out. When I take Mr. Bradley the money, I’m only going to give it to him upon the condition that he explains what he’s done.”
Lucille sat across from the bank president as he handed her the bank draft. He looked up with a grave expression.
“Mrs. Aldrich, I do wish you would reconsider this. Five thousand dollars is a lot of money.”
“Yes, I’m well aware, but it’s necessary.” She folded the paper and put it in her purse.
“I did see the announcement of your daughter’s engagement in the paper this morning. She’s to wed Lewis Bradley. Since the draft is made out to Mr. Bradley, I presume it has something to do with that.” His stern expression was that of a worried father. Lucille could remember her own father looking at her with such a gaze.
She forced a smile and nodded. “Yes. It’s a dowry that my husband and Mr. Bradley agreed upon. It’s a perfectly acceptable practice.” She got to her feet, and he rose quickly as well. She had no desire to further discuss the matter. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must see Mr. Bradley.”
She hurried from the bank and found Micah waiting at the wagon. Lewis Bradley’s office was very close by, but she didn’t want him and Micah to have an encounter. Not just yet. It was hard to know what might happen, and she didn’t want to bring about a fight.
“Micah, here’s my list. Would you go ahead over to Armstrongs’ and get these things?” She pulled the list from her purse. “Nora wanted five dozen quart jars, but I think you’d better see if you can get double that. We still have a lot of canning left to do.”
“Sure, but wouldn’t you like me to accompany you to Bradley’s office?”
“No, I have to do this myself. I intend to get the truth from him, and he might not be forthcoming if you’re there. Please just go get these things, then meet me at the Cheyenne Café. We’ll have lunch before we head back home.”
She could see doubt in his expression and reached out to touch his arm. “Try not to worry. I’m sure nothing will happen to me. Mr. Bradley may be cunning and conniving, but he’s no fool.”
Micah didn’t look convinced but took the list. “I’ll meet you at the café, but if you’re not there in half an hour, I’m coming back for you.”
She nodded. “I understand.”
Walking away, Lucille couldn’t help but think that this might all just go away if Charlotte and Micah married. Lewis Bradley could hardly force a married woman to leave her husband. Could he?
Lewis Bradley’s law office looked rather deserted when Lucille opened the door and stepped inside a small outer office, where an oak desk sat with a typewriter on a stand to the right. The leather chair behind the desk looked well-worn. There were three chairs along the wall in front of the window that faced the street and little else in the room.
Lucille glanced at the door that she figured led to Mr. Bradley’s office. Since there was no one else around, she went to it and knocked.
“Come in,” Lewis Bradley called.
She opened the door and gazed inside. Lewis sat behind a massive mahogany desk. There was a row of floor to ceiling bookcases behind him and two brown leather chairs placed opposite his desk.
“Come in, Mrs. Aldrich. I’ve been expecting you. I had heard you were at the bank, and I sent my secretary to lunch early, knowing you would soon be visiting me.” He rose slowly. “I’m so glad that you were prompt to see this done.”
Lucille stared at him for a moment and then took a seat without waiting for him to suggest it. She held her tongue, trying to think of what she wanted to say. She knew he wasn’t going to like her delaying the transfer of the money, but she wanted answers.
“Where’s Charlotte? I presumed she would come with you today.” He closed the office door and returned to his desk. He didn’t retake his seat, however, but stood at the corner only a foot or so away from Lucille’s chair.
“She had a great many things to tend to. As I told you, we’re very busy at the ranch.”
“Yet you brought Mr. Hamilton with you.” He looked down at her with his eyebrows raised.
“We had to get chicken feed, canning jars, and several other things for the ranch. It seemed the best thing to do. He’s also helping me gather information from the Stock Growers Association since they don’t allow women to attend their meetings.”
“You’ve grown very close to Mr. Hamilton, haven’t you?”
“He’s like a son to me.” Lucille knew her tone sounded defensive, and she tried to calm her voice. “He grew up with Frank Jr. and Charlotte. His folks were our best friends.”
“Yes, I suppose I knew that.” Lewis stared down at her another moment, then finally went to sit at his desk. He smiled. “Now let us move forward with our business.”
Lucille steadied her resolve. “Before we do, I want some answers.”
Lewis Bradley looked at her in surprise. “Answers about what?”
She could hear the sarcasm in his voice. He knew very well what she was asking. This was all a game to him. “I want to know what you threatened my daughter with to make her agree to marry you.”
“Oh, really, Mrs. Aldrich.” He chuckled. “You have it all wrong. Charlotte changed her mind because she wanted to honor her father’s wishes. We spoke, and I told her how important it had been to him that the Aldrich Cattle Company make a national name for itself. I was an important part of that and didn’t like that her father’s dream, as well as my own, should be destroyed because of a harsh winter.”
“You know as well as I do that she doesn’t love you.” Lucille expected anger, but Lewis only smiled.
“And we both know that if others stay out of it, love will come in time.”
“Not when she’s in love with someone else. My daughter loves Micah Hamilton, not you. Nor will she ever love you.”
“That’s hardly fair to say. Her feelings for Micah are nothing more than a girlish obsession with the dear friend of her brother. She probably holds on to a part of Frank Jr. by pretending to be in love with Micah.”
“No, she has loved him for a very long time. Her heart will remain his forever. As her mother, I know this for a fact.”
Lewis’s smile never wavered, but there was a cold glint in his dark eyes. “I assure you ... she will forget him.”
“I won’t argue that point with you, Mr. Bradley. I do want to know, however, what you did to force her to agree to marry you. Once she realized there was no contractual agreement that could force her to wed, she was happy. Just as I was.”
Lewis gave another chuckle. “Rather than berate me for loving your daughter, you should be thankful. I’m a man of sterling reputation and can give her a life of ease and splendor. Unlike Micah Hamilton, who will forever battle the ghosts of his past.” The sound of the front door opening drew his attention. “That will be my secretary returning from lunch. Now, if you’d please hand over the five thousand dollars, we can conclude our business, and I can get back to work.”
Lucille stared at him for a long moment. She could see he would say nothing more, and if she was going to get answers, they would have to come from Charlotte. She reached into her purse and withdrew the bank draft.
She stood and wasn’t surprised when Mr. Bradley remained seated. “Here is the bank draft for five thousand dollars. I will expect you to uphold your end of the bargain and wait until November for the wedding. Good day.”
Lewis watched Mrs. Aldrich march from his office. She hadn’t bothered to close his office door, and so he could see her continue her determined steps to leave his workplace. She was a handsome woman and had she not had a daughter of marriageable age, he might have gone after her for matrimonial purposes. That thought made him laugh out loud.
This brought his secretary to the door. “Did you need something, sir?”
“No. Close the door and get back to work.”
“Yes, sir,” the middle-aged man replied and quietly closed the door.
Lewis looked at the draft in his hand. He had five thousand dollars. It would allow him to go on pretending to have great wealth. At least for a short time. At least long enough to get Charlotte to the altar.
“And it’s not going to be a November wedding, my dear Lucille. When I’m done with Charlotte, she’ll be begging me to marry her immediately.”