Lost in Laramie (Yours Truly: The Lovelorn Book 4) Read online

  “It’s so big,” she exclaimed.

  “Too busy if you ask me,” Jake said as he scrutinized their surroundings through slightly narrowed, assessing eyes. He wore a gun belt with twin holsters containing pearl handled guns. If she didn’t know better, she would have picked him for a gunslinger.

  Jake pulled the buckboard up outside a double storied hotel with wooden shutters on the front windows.

  “This is the most expensive hotel in Laramie,” he said. “Only the best for my two gals.” He gave Katie an indulgent smile.

  “It looks very grand,” she said worriedly, gnawing her lower lip. Until they gave her back the money for the coach tickets, she had little money left.

  “Don’t worry about the cost, dear, Jake is paying, aren’t you, son?”

  “Sure am.” He linked his arm through Katie’s as they stepped on to the boardwalk.

  “What about our luggage?”

  “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it, darlin’, they have people here who attend to those things.”

  In the lobby, a smiling aristocratic man sat behind a large carved desk. “You’re back, Mr. Sawyer. How do you do, Mrs. Sawyer, Charles Jones at your service. And this beautiful young lady is….”

  “Katie McMullen, my betrothed,” Jake said, giving her a wink.

  “Three single rooms, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah.”

  Mr. Jones pushed a book toward them.

  “I’ll sign us all in,” Jake said. “My gals here are exhausted after the long coach trip.”

  “I can imagine, very tedious. I’ve got your rooms ready, all up on the first floor.” He handed them each a key. “I’ll have your luggage brought up in a few minutes.”

  “Take the large trunk to my room,” Ma said, “Katie’s belongings are in there, too.”

  “Very good. There’s a small private dining room on the ground floor. We serve breakfast, luncheon and supper for our guests.”

  Katie decided the man was English by his accent.

  “Oh, good. I’m choking for a decent cup of coffee. Aren’t you, dear?”

  Katie would have much preferred to explore Laramie but didn’t like to say so.

  “I’ll leave you two gals to get settled,” Jake said. “I’ll take the buckboard back to the livery.” Kissing Katie on the forehead and bestowing a smile on his mother, he strode off.

  How she envied the obvious affection between mother and son, and soon she would officially be part of the family. She inwardly hugged herself. At long last lady luck is smiling on me.

  Upstairs, the Sawyer’s rooms were at one end of the hallway, hers the other.

  She had hoped they might all be together. “Couldn’t they have put us all next to each other?”

  “Certainly not, dear. If your room is too close to Jake’s, well, for the sake of propriety it wouldn’t do. We need to protect your reputation at all costs.”

  “I suppose so.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll probably only be here for a couple of days. Jake will find us something better if we decide to stay. If Laramie doesn’t prove suitable for me to set up my business, there’s always Cheyanne. A lot of opportunities there.”

  The luggage was brought up. “Just the small trunk in my son’s room and the large one in mine. Katie and I can sort things out later. We’ll go downstairs now and have a coffee.”

  Katie didn’t particularly want a coffee yet didn’t like to say so. They returned downstairs and she saw a door running off the lobby. Gold writing on the glass proclaimed this to be the guest dining room.

  It was set up with tables for four. A large basket shaped chandelier dominated the center of the room. She glanced at it in awe, having never seen such grandeur.

  A waitress hurried up to them.

  “A table for two.” Ma smiled. “That one near the door will do.”

  “The ones at the back are cozier, Ma’am.”

  “No, no, this one will do. I’ve hardly got the energy to walk another step. We’ve had a long coach trip and we’re both planning on taking a nap after we have a coffee.”

  “Just as you like, Ma’am.”

  “Thank you. Two coffees with cream and plenty of sugar.”

  “I’ll bring the cream and sugar over so you can help yourself.”

  “I don’t normally drink much coffee,” Katie said.

  “I know, dear but a nice rich coffee with plenty of cream in it will be perfect for us after our long journey.”

  The waitress came back within a short time carrying a tray containing two cups of steaming coffee, a sugar bowl and a jug of cream, all the crockery was of white china with gold trim.

  “Ah, this looks perfect. Put it on my son’s account. Jake Sawyer. Room eight.”

  “Very good, Ma’am. Would you like me to pour it out for you?”

  “No thank you, you must have plenty of other things needing to be done. I can do it.”

  Katie watched Ma pour out the coffee, adding plenty of cream.

  “I won’t have any sugar, thank you.”

  “You should have a spoonful to help you relax.” Ma waved her hand about and knocked a spoon off the table.

  “Would you mind picking it up, dear. I’m a bit stiff in the joints these days.” She laughed. “If I get down there, I mightn’t be able to get up again.”

  “I don’t mind getting it.” Katie got up from the table and bent down. The spoon had dropped right over in the far corner of the table. She had to squat down and reach out to retrieve it. If it had landed another couple of inches away, she would have just about had to crawl under the table to get it. She grabbed it and straightened up to find Ma vigorously stirring her coffee.

  “There you are, dear. I’ve just stirred in your sugar.”

  “Thank you, I could have done that.”

  “It’s the least I can do as I was careless enough to knock the cutlery off the table.” She took a mouthful of coffee. “Ah, nectar of the Gods. Come along, dear, drink yours up.”

  Katie took a mouthful and it tasted bitter. If it hadn’t been so well sugared, she would not have been able to swallow it.

  “Coffee okay?” The older woman’s eyes darkened with concern.

  “It tastes sort of bitter.”

  “Mine does too, dear. I think it’s the brand of coffee. Drink it all, it will do you good.”

  Under the older woman’s urging she drank it all even though it tasted foul. Jake’s mother seemed so concerned about her welfare she did it to allay her worry.

  Once they had finished, they made their way upstairs.

  “We’ll have a lie down for an hour or so, it will do us both good. When Jake gets back, perhaps we can take a stroll around town.”

  “I’d enjoy that. I do feel quite weary now.”

  “It’s the coffee.” Ma patted her hand. I told you it would relax you. Slip out of your gown, make yourself comfortable and rest. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.” There was a twinkle in her eye now.

  “Thank you.” Katie gave her a hug. “You’ve been so kind to me.”

  “Well, you’re nearly family now, and that’s what families do – care for each other.”

  Not mine Katie thought with a twinge of bitterness. She really did feel tired now. Her hand was trembling so much she fumbled with the key.

  Ma took it from her hand and unlocked the door. “I’ll give you a call in about an hour.”

  “Thank you.” Katie thought her voice sounded distorted, yet Ma didn’t seem to notice anything amiss.

  After the door closed with a click, she was starting to feel quite strange. She wanted to call out for help, but somehow the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth. She staggered to the bed and collapse on it. “I’m so tired, so tired….”

  Chapter Four

  When Katie woke up it was dark outside. She must have slept for several hours. Why hadn’t they woken her? She felt a little nauseated. She tried to
get up and the room spun. Please, God, don’t let me get ill now, just when life was starting to look good.

  Her stomach grumbled and she realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Carefully raising herself from the bed, she stumbled over to the dresser and glanced in the mirror. She was pasty faced and her hair hung in disarray. After splashing water on her face and patting it dry on a towel, she tidied up her hair. Her dress was crumpled, but not too bad once she ran her hands along the sides to straighten out the creases.

  She pinched her cheeks to bring back a bit of color, opened her reticule and pulled out a bottle of lavender water to apply a couple of dabs to each wrist and the pulse at the side of her throat.

  Would there be a bath available here she wondered? How heavenly that would be lying in warm water with scented soap. For one who had only been allowed to fully bathe once a month in cold water using the hard lye soap which she had to make a couple of times a year, it would be a dream come true.

  Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she left her room and made her way down to Jake’s and knocked on the door several times without getting a response. The same thing happened at his mother’s room. Maybe they were downstairs having supper. Now she was up and moving she felt much better, obviously she had been exhausted from the unaccustomed travel.

  Halfway down the stairs, she met up with Jake. “Ah, darlin’, I was just coming up to fetch you. Did you have a good sleep?”

  “I did. Your mother was right, I must have been exhausted.”

  He had changed from his travel clothes and was now wearing black pants with a white shirt and black vest and was so handsome. He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek and she smelled whiskey on his breath.

  “I’ll escort you into supper.” As they got to the doorway of the dining room, she spotted his mother sitting at a table near the window and waved. She had changed into a mauve dress with a black frill around the wrists and collar, making Katie feel even more disheveled.

  The blue dress she wore had been one from the Sawyer’s shop. It had only been worn a few times and was much better than anything she had ever owned before, although it would be nice to have something new to wear.

  “Did you have a nice sleep, dear?”

  “Yes, I slept like a log.”

  “You were fast asleep when I looked in on you.”

  “How did you get into the room? I had the key.”

  Jake gave his mother a hard look.

  “I was worried about you, so I got one of the maids to unlock the door and poked my head around.” She smiled. “Now sit down and order supper.”

  “I’m having beef steak with potato and greens,” Jake said.

  “I’m having roast suckling pig with apple sauce and vegetables, dear. Why don’t you try that? You won’t be disappointed.”

  “All right, thank you, I will.”

  Jake beckoned a waitress over and put in their orders. “Apple pie and cream for dessert?” He raised his eyebrows in query.

  “Oh, yes please,” Katie said. Had she died and gone to heaven? For once she wouldn’t worry about the cost as Jake had insisted on paying for everything. She shouldn’t let him spend so much money on her, but for once was going to accept his extravagant gesture.

  “Tomorrow morning we’re going shopping.” Ma smiled.

  “That will be lovely.” Katie clapped her hands. “You’re spoiling me.”

  “You deserve it, darlin’, later I’m going to ask your something that’s very important to me.”

  Her heart slammed against her ribcage in anticipation. Hopefully it would be a marriage proposal.

  Ma tutted. “Why not do it right now. Put the poor girl out of her misery.”

  Katie smiled. “Yes please. Ask me now?”

  Jake hesitated. “Will you consent to be my wife, Katie McMullen.”

  “Yes, yes, a hundred times yes.”

  He leaned across the table and kissed her trembling lips. She wanted to cry tears of pure joy. “I love you Jake and I’ll be the best wife ever to you.” This is the happiest day of my whole life she thought.

  “Thank you, darlin’, I love you too. You’ve made me a very happy man.”

  “I’m thinking you should get married sooner rather than later, son. Maybe within the next couple of days if we can arrange it.”

  “Would that be too soon?” he asked.

  “No, the sooner the better.” Katie smiled at him. “I can’t wait to be your wife.”

  “You’ll truly be part of our family then, dear.”

  Katie nodded; her heart was so filled with happiness she feared it might burst.

  “As a family we always stick together. Isn’t that right, son?”

  “Sure is.”

  The food arriving interrupted the conversation. Katie had never tasted anything so good as this in her life before, hadn’t believed she ever would. The meat was so soft and tender it almost didn’t need chewing. “Oh, this is lovely. I’ve never had anything this good before.”

  “Once we’re married, we’ll try to have a nice meal like this at least once a week. You deserve to be spoilt after the hard life you’ve led.”

  “Quite right,” his mother said. “You’re one of us now and families like us look out for each other no matter what.”

  They ate at a leisurely pace, otherwise she never would have been able to eat all this beautiful food. Jake drew a fancy gold watch from his vest pocket and glanced at it. “It’s nearly eight o’clock.”

  “That’s a nice watch,” she said. “I’ve seen one like it before.” She tried to grapple with the memory.

  “Oh?” Ma lowered her voice. “It belonged to my late husband. You’ve probably seen the bank manager or someone else of importance with one.”

  “I suppose I must have, but….”

  “Forget the watch,” Jake said with an edge to his voice. “Like Ma said, it belonged to my father.” He slipped it back into his pocket. His lips had thinned with annoyance, so she didn’t say anymore. It certainly hadn’t been the bank manager or anyone of importance as she had never been close enough to anyone like that to notice.

  While the women had coffee, Jake partook of a glass of whiskey.

  “I think we should all have an early night,” Jake said. “Katie looks tired and we’ve got a lot to do tomorrow.”

  He was sitting opposite her while his mother sat to the left of her. She watched a look exchanged between mother and son but couldn’t decide what it meant. Suddenly Jake leaned across the table, cupped his hands around her face and kissed her on the lips. He deepened the kiss and Katie felt light-headed by the time he released her.

  “Oh, Jake.” She sighed.

  “Drink your coffee and we can all go to bed,” Ma said.

  Once again it tasted bitter, but she didn’t like to complain. Why would a place like this serve such horrible coffee? Maybe it was an acquired taste. She glanced around at some of the other tables and no-one else seemed to have any problems drinking it. It must just be me.

  By the time they had escorted her up to her room, she felt exhausted. “I feel so tired.” She could barely get the words out.

  “You’re probably still tired from the trip, you’ll feel fine in the morning.” Jake kissed her on the lips and unlocked the door.

  “Goodnight and thank you both. The meal was lovely.”

  As she closed the door, through the fog in her brain she thought she heard Jake say. “You gave her too much.”

  She staggered to the bed and was able to remove her dress and shoes, before collapsing on to the quilt.

  ****

  Next morning Katie woke up to loud knocking on the door.

  “Are you awake, dear?”

  She got out of bed and stumbled to the door. “Just a minute, is Jake with you?”

  “No, I’m on my own.”

  After unlocking the door, she pushed it open. Ma was standing there holding her clothes. “Good mornin
g, I wanted to go down to breakfast with you. I’ve brought you a change of clothes.”

  Ma was dressed in the mauve dress she had worn last night, her wrinkled face wreathed in smiles. “Jake has got business to attend to but left us money to go shopping with. He picked out a dress, had it specially altered for you.”

  “Oh, I would have liked to choose something myself to surprise him.” She couldn’t hide her disappointment.

  “Well, Jake told me he saw this pretty dress and had to have it for you. Said it was perfect.”

  “Oh, in that case, I’ll gladly wear it.”

  “My boy has a good eye for women’s clothing.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, in my younger day I used to sew gowns for rich ladies and somehow he inherited the gift of knowing just what material and design would suit a woman. My other son, Peter.” She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. “He’s Jake’s half-brother and is four years older than Jake. He’s one of the reasons we’re here in Laramie.”

  “He is?” Katie’s mind was reeling. She hadn’t known Jake had a brother.

  “I’ll help you get dressed.”

  Ma had brought in a change of undergarments, her hairbrush and another dress she had given her, a simple pale green cotton with covered buttons in a deeper green, starting at the neck and finishing at the waist.

  Once Katie had changed, Ma brushed out the knots in her hair and pinned it up leaving a few tendrils to straggle around her face. “You have beautiful white skin, Katie. I can’t believe it didn’t become burned and toughened with the life you’ve led. You really are a beautiful young lady and my Jake is a lucky young man.”

  “What happened to Peter?” She picked up the older woman’s hand.

  “It’s tragic really. He was accused of a crime he didn’t commit. They said he robbed a bank.” She sniffed. “He was just an innocent bystander, but a member of the gang who was caught blamed Peter. He got a pardon for himself by implicating my son and another young man.”

  “How awful, I’m so sorry.”

  “We fought hard to get him off, spent most of our money, but the trumped-up evidence was too strong. Fifteen years they gave him. I shouldn’t be telling a young lady like you such a horrible story and worrying you. Jake didn’t want you to know. He loves you and thought you might, well, hold it against him.”