Prim (Biides 0f Needful Texas Book 2) Page 2

  “You go feed that little girl of yours,” Olive said. “I’ll tend to the food and any customers that come by. The dinner rush is over, so it should be quiet.”

  Rosa smiled, she liked Mrs. Hampton and the steady job at the Hampton House was an added boon for her and her small family. She also loved the feeling of belonging and not being alone when Raul was gone for long weeks at a time.

  “Olive,” Orville called some twenty minutes later as he walked into the dining hall. “Alice said she’ll be over after she finishes the dishes and Daliah, Spencer, and Chat will be along too.”

  “Thank you,” Olive said smiling at her husband. He had put a long day in at the recently constructed sawmill already, and although he wasn’t getting any younger, the adventure of building up this new town seemed to have added a spring in his step she hadn’t seen in a while.

  “Why don’t you get some coffee and set up a table for us?” she asked her husband with a sweet smile. “I have a pound cake just begging to be eaten when everyone gets here.”

  Orville leaned over kissing his wife of thirty years on the cheek. “Sounds like a plan,” he said heading toward the big kitchen.

  ***

  By seven thirty most of the guests had cleared out and Olive sat around the table with Alice Scripts, a dark haired woman with warm brown eyes, and Daliah Gaines, the girl who had traveled all the way from Smithfield with them, only to marry the wagon master, much to Olive’s delight.

  “Now that the men are busy,” Olive began, leaning over her tea cup and plate of cake, her dark eyes twinkling conspiratorially, “I wanted you to know we got a letter.” Pulling the letter from her apron pocket she opened it reading the simple words.

  “Dear Sir,

  My name is Primrose Perkins and I am looking for a new home. I am a fair cook, and housekeeper. I am a simple girl with no pretense who would like to settle down and start a family of my own.

  I am from Tennessee, but am interested knowin' learning (know) more about your town of Needful. I know little about cattle or horses, but am willing to learn.

  I am twenty years old, and not in attractive, ( not ugly) (hard on the eyes) (with dark hair and light blue eyes.

  You will find me hard working, dedicated, (dependable) and loyal.

  If I seem like the type of woman you are interested in I hope to hear from you in the very near future. (soon)

  Sincerely Yours,

  Primrose A. Perkins.

  “So what do you think?” Olive asked. “We need more decent women here in town to help calm down the wild and reckless men of Needful.”

  “She sounds like she needs somewhere to go,” Daliah said remembering how frightening it was when she had no way to support herself before she started on the trail with the Hamptons.

  “I think we should write back to her.” Mrs. Scripts said pushing a lock of her mahogany hair behind an ear. Alice Scripts had been a part of the wagon train from Smithfield traveling the long trail to meet her husband in Needful with only her son to help. “She can come here and meet Dan before she has to decide on anything. If they don’t suite, she can work for you, Olive, but if we plan it right, they might hit it off first thing.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Olive said.

  “I’m not sure I like you ambushing Dan this way,” Daliah said speaking of her brother-in-law. “It really isn’t fair to either of them.”

  As one of the first to start ranching in the area, Daniel Gaines, now the mayor of the half built town, had invited his brother Spencer to join him and bring people that would help turn the place into a proper metropolis. He had also hoped that Spencer, already widowed five years would work with him on the ranch, giving Chad a permanent home. Spencer had set out on the trail with his young son leading the wagon train and unexpectedly falling in love with Daliah along the way.

  “Daliah,” Chad Gaines came running from the other side of the house. “Can I have another piece of cake? Pa said I had to ask you cause it might not be good for me,” the boy finished sliding to a stop at the side of Daliah’s chair.

  Daliah smiled down at her adopted son running a hand over his dark golden locks. “Half a slice,” she said laughing as the boy raced back into the kitchen calling to Rosa.

  “All right then,” Olive said. “I’ll write a letter and see if we can bring this young woman here. I hope she’ll be just what Dan needs. We’ll try to judge the day as best we can, and I’ll send Orville to fetch her. Daliah you and Spence try to get Dan into town at the same time.”

  Chapter 3

  Prim smoothed her dress and picked up the faded bag Aunt Betsy had given her. It was time to go, and though it grieved her to leave her sister and mother behind, she had to find a way to provide for all of them. Aunt Betsy couldn’t afford to feed everyone through the winter, but three had a better chance of surviving on what was stored than four.

  From the letter she had received from Needful, she believed that Mr. Gaines might have enough space and enough money to provide for her as well as her family. As the owner of a cattle ranch surely two more mouths to feed wouldn’t be a problem. She wondered once more if she were doing the right thing by not including this information in her return letter. She simply had to believe that if the man did not think he could take on all three of them, she might find work in a new town along with a fresh start as something other than a moonshiner’s daughter.

  “You look fine,” Peri said handing Prim her straw hat. “I’m sure everything will work out, and even if you don’t like him, perhaps you can find a job,” the younger woman added with a sniff.

  Prim dropped her bag and pulled her sister into a tight hug, not at all surprised that Peri’s thoughts had echoed her own worries. “I don’t know what I’ll do without you,” she said. “I’ve never been further than Rockington in my whole life, and you’ve been right beside me ever since I can remember.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Peri assured feeling the tears spilling down her cheeks. “You’re strong Prim, you can do this. I’ll keep looking for work here in Rockington, so you won’t have to worry about me and Ma.”

  Prim released her grip on her sister, drying her eyes and nodding. “I know God will see me through,” she finally said retrieving her bag one more time. “Now, I’d better say goodbye to Mama. I hope she understands.”

  Mrs. Perkins was sitting in her rocking chair by the window, a pool of sunlight brightening her dark hair and sparkling in her dark eyes when Primrose stepped through the door.

  “Mama,” Prim said kneeling before reaching out and taking her mother’s hands, “I’m leaving now. I’m going to Texas to be a bride.”

  Her mother’s eyes flicked toward her for a second and her work weary hands twitched under Prim’s grasp.

  Prim stood wrapping her arms around her mother and hugging her tight. As a child her mother had been invincible, but when that old cow had kicked her more than five years ago, the ensuing headaches and final fit had changed everything, leaving her much as she was now. In the beginning, her mother was only capable of gurgling, but now her constant humming was a sweet and soothing background to their lives.

  The soft strains of her mother’s humming filled Prim’s ears as she kissed a weathered cheek, but she took it as her mother’s sign of understanding. “I love you Mama,” Prim sniffed turning and retrieving her bag as she headed for the door.

  ***

  Prim had thought the three-day train journey from Nashville to Little Rock had been grueling until she climbed onto the stage in Arkansas. She was tired, sore, and dirty, and she wondered if this trip would ever come to an end. The incessant rocking of the coach had given her a headache many hours ago, and she just wanted the day to end.

  By the time she reached Colbert’s Ferry on the border of Texas, she thought she would die of exhaustion before ever reaching her new home. The added strain of uncertainty and doubt only made her more miserable, and she was sure she wasn’t good company to any of her traveling companions.
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  “End of the line Miss Perkins,” the stage driver called as he pulled his horses to a stop amidst a cloud of dust in the middle of nowhere.

  The portly gentleman in the tweed suit, by the window opened the door and stepped down helping Prim out of the stage box and onto the prairie.

  “There’s nothing here,” Prim said looking up at the driver who was handing down her bag. “What am I to do?”

  “This is as close to the town as I can get you,” the driver said holding tight to the reins of his anxious team. “You walk about four miles south, and you should come on something,” he finished with a shrug as the other man climbed back inside and latched the door.

  In a jangle of harness and a cloud of dust the stage raced off once more leaving Prim alone and confused on the grassy plains.

  “Four miles,” she muttered her heart beginning to race. “How am I even to know which direction to go?” Prim wondered gazing around her at the rolling hills and low-growing shrubs that were so different from her lush green mountains.

  As tears threatened, she scanned the sky for the location of the sun. They had been traveling steadily westward all day, and if she judged correctly, that meant that south was in the direction she was facing.

  “God, please don’t let me die out here in this forsaken waste land,” she pleaded with a sniff as she looked down at the browning grass under her feet. “I’m trying to help Mama and Peri. I don’t know what to do, but I know you’re with me,” she finished lifting her chin and adjusting the handle of the bag in her hands.

  Hefting her bag one more time Prim lifted one foot, then another, and headed in the direction she thought led south. Surely Mr. Gaines would be coming to fetch her. If not, why would he have sent train fare? If she could find a wagon road or trail it would only be a matter of time before she came upon her intended.

  The stage driver had indicated it was four miles to something. She could do that. Growing up in the mountains of Tennessee she had walked miles and miles daily to get anywhere. It was nearly five miles just to get to school each day as a child. Patiently putting one foot in front of the other Prim headed out looking for any sign of civilization.

  After nearly half an hour of walking Prim came upon a narrow beaten path that twisted across the rolling fields and turned down it hoping it would lead to a house or road. The sun overhead was hot even this late into fall, and dust covered her shoes with each new step, but she trudged on.

  The sound of rustling in the bushes nearby made her call out hoping that Mr. Gaines was coming to collect her, but her heart leapt in to high gear when no one replied.

  “Hello,” Prim called again trying to see past the thick scrub. “Hello, is anyone there?”

  A loud huff was her only greeting and Prim felt the hair on her neck rise as a large long horned steer stepped around the bush lowering its head menacingly as the sunlight glinted off steely pointed tipped horns.

  Prim watched in horror as the beast pawed the earth and bellowed, shaking its head as the whites of its eyes flashed at her. Then she screamed.

  The sound of galloping hooves made Prim turn only to see a man on a huge horse charging her from the other direction. She was pinned between the horse and the mad cow, and with nowhere to go, she did the only thing she could think of, falling onto the ground, she clamped the battered bag over her head and prayed for survival.

  Her eyes tight shut, Prim heard the steer bellow, and the sound of hooves tearing up the ground. The horse whinnied, and a muffled curse drifted down as something whirled overhead. Another bellow from the steer made Prim cringe tighter into a ball as she prayed she wouldn’t be gored to death by the bull or trampled by the cowboy’s horse.

  Silence echoed around her as Prim squeezed her eyes shut then the sound of a bird’s soft chirp filled the quiet prairie like the sound of a symphony.

  “Miss, are you injured,” a deep voice with a strange accent asked as Prim peered out from under an arm at a pair of dusty boots. “I drove that old bull off,” the voice returned, and this time Prim could see a man in a black suit squatting at her side.

  Lifting her head carefully Prim gazed into the dark green eyes of the man before her blinking as he smiled. “I’m not hurt,” she said, her head still reeling from her narrow escape.

  The man reached out offering his hand and helping her unsteadily to her feet. “What on earth are you doing all the way out here on your own?” he asked, that clipped tone and subtle lilt giving him away as someone from another land.

  “The stage dropped me,” Prim said looking down in chagrin at the dirt and grass stains on her dress.

  “Here?” the man’s eyebrows rose as much as his voice. “I can’t believe it. Why would they leave a woman alone and helpless miles from anywhere?” he asked suspiciously.

  “I’m going to Needful,” Prim said raising her chin. “I’m expected,” she added her voice shaking slightly at the end. If she had truly been expected someone would have come for her, wouldn’t they?

  “I’m Anderson Bowlings,” the man spoke again reaching for her bag. “I have a ranch near Needful and I’d be glad to take you to town.” His green eyes scanned her face willing her to trust him. She couldn’t stay out here on the prairie. It wasn’t safe for a woman on her own.

  Prim took a full breath for the first time in what seemed like days and smiled. He was willing to take her to Needful. She didn’t have to find her way there alone. “Thank you,” she breathed, “I’m Primrose Perkins,” she added offering her hand.

  Anderson took the young woman’s small hand in his with a grin. She was a sturdy little thing, and her warm firm grip heated his hand so unexpectedly that he dropped it then hurried to cover his surprise.

  Taking her bag in one hand and her elbow in the other, Anderson led the young lady to his horse, a smile twitching at his lips. She was a pretty little thing and even in a moment of sheer terror had kept her wits about her. Falling to the ground and covering her head with the dilapidated old bag was the best thing she could have done when she’d startled that old bull from the brush.

  Lashing the bag to his saddle Anderson turned toward the young woman. Her face was smudged with dirt, her dress ruined, and her hair falling down from under her wide brimmed straw hat, but she didn’t even make a fuss.

  “If I may,” he said in his sharp Oxford tones, before lifting her into the saddle and then climbing aboard behind his saddle.

  Prim grabbed the saddle horn her heart racing at the man’s touch. She hadn’t sat on a horse since she was fifteen years old when her pa had sold off the good stock, leaving them with only the aged mule.

  Stiffening her spine she leaned forward a bit trying to get her balance as the man behind her kicked the horse into a walk, his broad chest a warm barrier between her and the trail.

  “I’ll take you to the road,” Anderson said. “If you were meeting someone, they’re probably coming this way now, and I wouldn’t want you to miss them.”

  “I didn’t see a road,” Prim said twisting in the saddle to look up into the man’s face. He had a strong square jaw, and his nearly black hair was trimmed neatly to even sideburns along his sun-bronzed face.

  “Who d' you say you were meeting?” Anderson asked looking down with a smile at the young woman’s pert face. He liked how near she was and was enjoying his moment as white knight in shining armor.

  “I have been corresponding with Mr. Gaines,” Prim said.

  Anderson raised one brow still studying the woman. “Which one?” he finally asked. Dan Gaines had been one of the first ranchers to settle in the area and Anderson had been a late comer by comparison. The rancher’s brother on the other hand was the law in Needful, and it seemed that every other day Anderson was riding in to bail one of his riders out of jail after he’d been nabbed for drunk and disorderly conduct. Perhaps with more women arriving in Needful he might have to do something about his riders’ behavior.

  “Excuse me,” Prim asked turning again.

  �
��Which Gaines?” Anderson asked again. “There are two of them. Spencer is the Sheriff in town, and Dan runs a ranch Northwest of Needful.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t know he had a brother,” Prim said a feeling of unease settling in her stomach. “I’m to marry Mr. Daniel Gaines.”

  Something prickled up Mr. Bowlings’ spine at the young woman’s words irritating as much as prickly pear spike in your finger. Dan was a good man, but at the moment he was the Double B’s biggest competition. “I hadn’t heard anything about Dan having a sweetheart,” Anderson said, guiding his horse onto the wagon track that wound across the prairie toward the town. “It seems that if he were expecting you, he would have bothered to meet you though.”

  Prim shivered as the man’s words echoed her own doubts. Had the man sent for her and already forgotten she was arriving? Or worse, had he changed his mind and decided not to meet her at all?

  “Are you sure you’re unhurt?” Anderson asked as he noticed Miss Perkins shiver. “Perhaps you’d like to rest.”

  “I’m fine,” Prim said as she pushed her doubts and fears away. “Is that a wagon?” she asked in the same breath, sitting up taller once more and gazing along the road.

  “Looks like Mr. Hampton,” Bowlings said guiding his horse in the direction of the wagon.

  “Perhaps Mr. Gaines sent him to fetch me,” Prim said hope quivering in her voice, as fear boiled in her belly as she studied the tall white haired man with the dark eyes.

  “Orville,” Anderson called as he approached the wagon with a grin. The old sawyer was well known and respected in the recently birthed town. His knowledge of wood and building made him invaluable to those who were settling in the area and trying to make a go of it in Texas. After the war, men had straggled into the state from many walks of life, leaving behind tragedy and loss for new hope. Men like Orville helped to draw that hope into action and industry.