With Autumn's Return (Westward Winds Book #3): A Novel (9 page)

“How could you behave like that?” he demanded, anger coloring his words and turning his voice harsh as he closed the door to the small parlor behind them. Though he doubted the servants had any illusions about the state of his marriage, there was no point in exposing them to the sordid details, even though the generous salaries he paid would ensure their silence. His staff was loyal; his wife was not.

“Like what?” The smile that accompanied Tabitha’s seemingly innocent question was the sweet one that had fooled him at the beginning. It fooled him no longer.

“Like a slut.” He spat the words. “You’re my wife, Tabitha. I expect you to remember that and act accordingly.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her smile faded. “I danced the first dance with you. What more did you want? You were
out of breath by the end of it. I did you a favor by letting you sit down.”

As she turned, Nelson grabbed her arm. “The only reason you danced with me was because Jason had the sense to refuse you. Give him credit. He’s not simply my attorney; he’s a wise man.”

Ironically, it had been Jason, the man she had tried to seduce this evening, who had cautioned him when he’d begun courting Tabitha. “She’s so much younger,” Jason had said, his voice as calm as if he were discussing nothing more important than the weather. “Are you certain she’s the right one for you?” But Nelson had refused to listen. It had seemed like a miracle that beautiful, young Tabitha Barclay loved him. Who was he to question miracles? Now he knew the truth. It had been no miracle, simply cunning on her part.

“Jason’s handsome too.” The smirk had returned to Tabitha’s face.

Nelson tightened his grip on her arm. Though he’d never hit a woman, he felt an almost irresistible urge to slap her smirk away. “This has got to stop right now. I will not tolerate any more of your flirting. I’ve given you everything you wanted, and even though the only part of our wedding vows that you heard was the part about ‘for richer,’ you owe me something in return.”

Wincing as she tried to pull her arm away, Tabitha glared at him. “What did you have in mind?”

“Respect!” He wouldn’t ask for love, for he knew that was impossible. Tabitha did not love him; she never had. After observing her for the five years of their marriage, Nelson wasn’t certain she was capable of loving anyone other than herself. Respect was different. She owed him that much.

He glared at the face he’d once thought so beautiful. “When you’re in public, you will conduct yourself in a manner becoming to your position as my wife. You will not flirt with Jason Nordling or anyone else. You will not humiliate me.”

Tabitha’s eyes filled with fury. “Or what? Will you kill me like Adam Bennett did his wife?”

The urge to wrap his hands around her throat grew stronger. “Don’t tempt me, Tabitha, and don’t forget that without my money, you’d be nothing more than a common shopgirl.”

“I wish I’d never married you.” Her lips curved with scorn as she jerked her arm from his grip.

Nelson nodded. “For once we agree on something.”

If it hadn’t been completely out of character for her friend, Elizabeth would have said that normally cheerful Gwen was sulking. She’d burned the eggs, and the toast was barely warmed. More alarming, she’d snapped at Rose, leaving the child with a bewildered expression. Though Elizabeth had wakened filled with pleasant memories of the previous evening, it appeared that Gwen had not.

By the time Elizabeth returned, Gwen had been in her room with the light extinguished, giving Elizabeth no opportunity to ask about her friend’s experience. This morning Gwen had deflected each of Elizabeth’s questions about the party, leaving little doubt that it was the cause of her ill humor.

Elizabeth waited until breakfast was over and Rose was playing with her doll before she broached the subject again. “What’s wrong, Gwen? And don’t pretend that nothing’s bothering you.”

Pursed lips were the only response.

“C’mon, Gwen. Why are you so unhappy?”

Gwen poured herself another cup of coffee, making a production out of reaching for the sugar bowl. When she spoke, her words were little more than a mumble. “I shouldn’t have gone to the party.”

“Why not?” To the best of Elizabeth’s knowledge, no one had snubbed her, and other than the time he’d spoken to a few men, Harrison had not left her side. “I thought you enjoyed it. Almost every time I looked at you, you were smiling.”

Gwen stirred another spoonful of sugar into her coffee. “I wasn’t smiling on the inside. Seeing everyone there reminded me of all the things I’ll never be: smart and pretty and thin. I’m hopeless.” She took a sip of coffee, frowning as she put the cup back on its saucer. “Look at me, Elizabeth. I’m a failure. The only thing I want is for Rose to have a father, but how will I attract one when I’m fat and ugly? No man will marry a woman like me.”

Something had triggered Gwen’s bout of self-pity, but Elizabeth doubted she would learn the cause. The only thing she could do was try to convince Gwen she was mistaken. “You’re not ugly, and you’re not fat.” Admittedly, Gwen was a bit heavy, but not dangerously so. And some men, or so Elizabeth had heard, preferred women with extra meat on their bones.

“You don’t have to lie.” Gwen drained her coffee and poured herself another cup. “I know what I look like. No man would give me a second glance.”

“I think you’re mistaken. It seems to me that Harrison has given you more than a second glance. If you ask me, he’s interested in you.”

“Hah!” Gwen spat the word. “Harrison’s interested in me all right. That was clear last night. He told me I was a better cook than the Taggerts’ fancy French chef. Don’t you see, Elizabeth? I’m the woman who feeds him, nothing more.” And before Elizabeth could respond, Gwen burst into tears.

 6 

I
need your advice.”

Jason ushered Nelson Chadwick into his office, wondering if it was his imagination or whether the man had aged since he’d seen him. It had been only a couple days since the party at the Taggert mansion, but the lines on Nelson’s face seemed more deeply etched, and Jason didn’t recall so many gray strands in his hair.

“Advice is why you’re paying me,” he said as lightly as he could. Despite Nelson’s somewhat haggard look, Jason was glad to see him. He’d been afraid that their first meeting since Richard’s party might have been awkward because of Tabitha’s behavior. Jason had found it embarrassing. He could only imagine how Nelson felt. The woman’s overtures had been blatant, far more than the mild flirtation some women enjoyed. Uncertain whether he should say something or wait for Nelson to mention it, Jason decided on silence. The truth was, even if he were interested in Tabitha—which he was not—he would never have accepted her offers. Not
only did Jason not trifle with married women, but she was the wife of a client. That made Tabitha doubly off limits. The fact that he was here this morning suggested that Nelson knew that.

Settling into the chair behind his desk, Jason pulled out a piece of paper and prepared to take notes. “What can I do for you?”

“I believe it’s time to expand the lumber company.”

“That makes sense. I’ve heard that your business is good.” A smile of satisfaction lit Nelson’s face. “We have more work than we can handle, especially with the capitol and the depot under construction. It’s making people realize that Cheyenne is a great place to live.”

“It is.” Jason had certainly found that to be true. With the exception of the Bennett case, his time in Cheyenne had been both pleasant and profitable. Unlike Elizabeth’s. While she had seemed to recognize the truth in his statement that it took a while to establish a practice, he imagined that she had hoped that Richard’s party would bring her at least one patient. So far, it had not, and that had to be discouraging.

Jason hoped she would not be so disheartened that she’d leave, for though he had not expected it, he’d found himself replaying his conversation with Elizabeth and wishing for the opportunity to continue it. No other woman had lingered in his memory the way she did, and he . . . Wrenching his errant thoughts back to his client, Jason scribbled a note on the sheet of paper.
Invite her to supper
. With a frown, Jason crossed out the words, carefully inscribing
Chadwick Lumber
Expansion.

“The problem is, expansion is expensive. We’d need more equipment as well as additional space.” Nelson pursed his
lips and shook his head slightly as he continued. “I thought it might be time to offer shares in the company.”

Jason made another note. “And become a corporation.”

“Exactly. What do you think?”

“You’ve probably already considered this, but in exchange for the money you’d raise, you’d be giving up some control. You’d have to establish a board of directors, and you’d be responsible to the shareholders.”

Nelson nodded. “My plan was to keep a controlling block. I intend to hold 51 percent of the stock.”

“That’s wise. You’re the current owner and the founder; you ought to retain control.” Jason scribbled a few notes on his pad before he looked up. “It shouldn’t take me more than a couple days to draft the papers for you.”

Most clients would have been happy, but Nelson appeared concerned. “There’s a problem. Even though he knows how important this is to us, Oscar is reluctant to expand at all if it means bringing in investors.”

“Did he say why?”

Nelson’s face reddened. “He told me he was worried about what would happen if I should die. You know the terms of my will. Tabitha inherits the business, but Oscar is guaranteed his position for as long as he wants it. I think he’s afraid he could be voted out of the company if I wasn’t there.” The veins on Nelson’s hands protruded as he gripped the chair arms. “I told Oscar I wasn’t planning to enter the pearly gates any time soon, but he’s adamant. He barely listened to my arguments, just told me he’d leave if I incorporated. That’s why I need your help. Do you have any suggestions?”

“That depends on how valuable Oscar is to you.”

“Very. He handles all the workers, and there’s no one who
does that better. More than that, he’s loyal.” Nelson relaxed his grip on the chair arms as he leaned forward to emphasize his words. “I have to admit that I wasn’t happy when Tabitha insisted that I hire him. I doubted he could do the job, but Oscar has proven to be the best employee anyone could ask for. I couldn’t run the company without him.”

Jason scribbled a few notes, then looked up at Nelson. “You could leave him a portion of the company. Maybe not your full share, but enough that he’d have a say in running it.”

“But he wouldn’t have full control.”

“No.” Unless he married Tabitha or could convince her to let him vote her shares along with his.

Jason tried not to frown at the thought of Oscar and Tabitha together. He’d witnessed Tabitha’s flirtations with her husband’s foreman on too many occasions to think Tabitha would be unwilling to marry Oscar if she found herself widowed. The question was whether Oscar was enamored with Tabitha. That was not a question Jason would raise. “Let’s see what else we can come up with.”

They were discussing alternative approaches to convincing Oscar when a shadow darkened the front window. Nelson turned and grinned. “It looks like the lady doctor has a visitor.”

Like Nelson, Jason had recognized the woman. “I imagine Miriam’s here as a friend, not a patient. It seems to me that the people of Cheyenne aren’t yet convinced that women are cut out to be doctors.”

His grin fading, Nelson gripped the chair arms again. “Some aren’t cut out to be wives, either.”

“Miriam! What a nice surprise.” Elizabeth hurried across the waiting room to greet her friend. “Would you like some coffee? I keep a pot going.” She wouldn’t add that the primary reason was that the caffeine helped her stay awake during the long, boring days.

“No, thank you.” For the first time in their acquaintance, Miriam appeared uneasy. Normally she was the picture of poise and elegance, but this afternoon her smile seemed forced and she clasped her hands together as if to keep them from trembling. “I’m here as a patient,” she said softly.

Elizabeth tried to mask her surprise. “What’s wrong?”

Miriam shook her head. “Nothing. Unless I’m mistaken, something is very, very right. I believe I’m going to have a baby, and I want you to attend me.”

A shiver of delight made its way up Elizabeth’s spine. She had her first patient and for the best of all reasons. “Come into my office.” She gestured toward the next room. “Let’s see if I can confirm your diagnosis.” Ten minutes later, Miriam climbed down from the examining table, her face sober as she looked at Elizabeth. Her own heart pounding with excitement, Elizabeth smiled. “Your diagnosis was correct. By the middle of January, you and Richard should have your first son or daughter.”

“And you’ll be there?”

The hesitation in Miriam’s voice surprised Elizabeth. While her colleagues had disparaged female ailments as figments of women’s imagination and claimed that childbirth should be relegated to midwives, Elizabeth believed women deserved the same level of care as men. Childbirth was often routine, but when it was not, a physician’s skill could mean the difference between life and death. “As my mother used to say, I wouldn’t miss it for all the tea in China.”

A smile wreathed Miriam’s slender face. “I’m so glad. Mama doesn’t speak of it very often, but I know she had a difficult time when I was born. That’s why I’m an only child.” Miriam clasped her hands so tightly that her knuckles whitened and her face grew pale. Concerned, Elizabeth led her patient to one of the chairs in front of her desk and took the other.

“Mama said she almost died,” Miriam continued, “and she claims it was the midwife’s fault. She won’t tell me what happened, just that it was a ghastly experience, but as soon as Richard and I were married, she insisted that I needed to have Dr. Worland attend me when I was with child.”

Miriam wrinkled her nose as if she smelled something unpleasant. “You know how determined Mama can be. Richard says she only wants the best for me, but that’s not Dr. Worland. I think he’s a scary old man. The medicine he gave me made me sicker, and he even tried to put leeches on me when I was a child.” A shudder accompanied Miriam’s words. “I screamed so much that Papa sent him away. Oh, Doctor, I hate leeches!”

“So do I.” Elizabeth had been warned about leeches and purges her first month of medical school. “Modern doctors don’t use them, especially for a woman who’s expecting a child.” Elizabeth gestured at the cabinets that lined one wall of the room. “You can look around if you like, but I assure you that I have no leeches.”

A smile once more lighting her face, Miriam nodded. “I knew you wouldn’t. Pastor Saylor always said God has perfect timing, and you’re the proof that he does. He sent you to Cheyenne just when I needed you.”

When Miriam left half an hour later, Elizabeth was still
beaming with happiness. What a wonderful day! She had her first patient, and despite Miriam’s fears, she had seen no reason why that patient would have a difficult delivery. Miriam and her minister were correct. God did have perfect timing. He’d known that Elizabeth was becoming discouraged, that she feared she would never be accepted as a physician, and he’d sent Miriam to her. What a wonderful day!

She was humming when the doorbell rang again.

“You sound happy,” Jason announced as she greeted him.

“I am. I have my first patient.”

“Miriam Eberhardt?”

Elizabeth blinked, momentarily surprised that he’d known about Miriam’s visit. How silly of her. “I should have known you’d see her.” After all, she saw most of the clients who entered Jason’s office.

He nodded. “There are few secrets in Cheyenne, especially among neighbors.”

Afterwards, Elizabeth couldn’t imagine what had caused her to blurt out the question. Perhaps it was because she was so happy that she wasn’t thinking clearly. Perhaps it was because the question had haunted her for days. All she knew was that she heard herself saying, “There is one secret. Did you know Adam Bennett had killed his wife when you took on his case?” The instant the words left her lips, Elizabeth regretted them. How gauche of her. She’d put Jason in a difficult position, all because her curiosity had overruled her common sense.

“You don’t mince words, do you?” To her surprise, he didn’t sound angry, simply a bit startled.

“I’m so sorry, Jason. Sometimes my tongue runs away with itself. I had no right to ask that.”

“Yes, you did. We’re friends, or at least I’d like to think we are, and friends don’t keep secrets from each other.”

“Thank you for not being annoyed with me. And thank you, too, for counting me as one of your friends.” Elizabeth liked the idea that she and Jason were friends. Her first patient and a new friend. It was indeed a good day.

His expression serious, Jason said, “To answer your question, no, I didn’t know my client was guilty until he announced it in the courtroom. He swore he was innocent every time we met, and I believed him.”