Saffron Page 14

  Mrs. Samson cocked her head to the side the black feather on top tipping slightly in Saffron’s direction. “Whatever do you mean, young lady? I believe I made myself very clear at the circus. People like that shouldn’t be out in public.”

  Saffron’s blood boiled and her chest tightened as she narrowed her eyes at Mrs. Samson. “Aside from the fact that you seem to believe you have the right to dictate who goes where, do you realize that you cause Carol harm? She was injured when you caused the accident at the circus. How could you have been so thoughtless?”

  Mrs. Samson sniffed as she pulled off her gloves. “My dear girl, I was merely trying to educate the young creature about what is appropriate and inappropriate in public. Don’t you think she would want to know that her presence makes people uncomfortable. I would have thought she would want to know that and act accordingly.”

  Rose stepped forward and Saffron had a flash of awareness that Mrs. Samson was, in fact, Rose’s employer. She didn’t want to cause trouble for Rose, but how could this woman be so insensitive, suggesting Carol “stay home” so that she didn’t make people uncomfortable? Carol had a right to be anywhere she pleased, just like anyone else.

  Saffron fumed and tightened her grip on the apples, and gasped as a hand grabbed her other elbow.

  Saffron turned quickly and looked up to see Adam, his face flushed and his eyes trained on Mrs. Samson as he said, “You have no right to dictate what people do and do not do in the library or anywhere else. Whoever gave you the idea that you could was wrong.”

  Chapter 34

  Adam gripped Saffron’s arm tighter as Mrs. Samson took a step back at his words.

  “And who is this?” the widow sniffed as she peered up at Adam, his square jaw tight.

  “This is the brother of the young girl you tried to harm,” he said, his fist clenching at his side. “This is another resident of Tombstone here to tell you that you have no right to tell that beautiful, kind young woman that she doesn’t belong out in public. From what I’ve seen, it’s you who should spare us all and stay at home.”

  Mrs. Samson and Mrs. Claiborne gasped in unison and took a step backward. Saffron’s heart swelled as she heard the words, thrilled that Adam saw in Carol what she saw—and told Mrs. Samson so.

  “Mrs. Samson,” Rose cut in as she stepped forward and looped her arm through Saffron’s. “Certainly you can understand that someone in your position has influence and your opinions hold value in this community. A young girl like Carol can benefit by participating in community activities, and certainly that would benefit the library and Tombstone as a whole.”

  Saffron sighed, remembering that diplomacy was always one of Rose’s strong suits although certainly not one of her own—at least in this instance. Mrs. Samson held her eyeglasses over her nose and peered down at Rose. “Certainly you remember your place, my dear,” she said as her eyebrows lifted.

  “Yes, your place,” Mrs. Claiborne parroted as she peeked around Mrs. Samson’s shoulder.

  Suddenly, Mrs. Samson’s face pinched even more tightly, then her lips spread over her teeth in an almost comical attempt at a smile, her eyes trained at something over Saffron’s shoulder.

  Saffron turned and stifled a laugh at the sight of her father as he crossed the boardwalk in quick strides, his long legs covering the distance quickly. He stopped behind them, his hands resting on Saffron’s and Rose’s shoulders.

  “Mr. Archer. How lovely to see you,” the widow managed with a small curtsy in his direction as Mrs. Claiborne followed suit behind her.

  “Good day, Mrs. Samson,” he said as he tipped his hat in her direction, his eyes twinkling and his smile wide. He looked around at the group and then turned his smile back toward the widow. “You all look rather deep in discussion.”

  Mrs. Samson cleared her throat as she glared at Saffron. “Yes, we were just discussing the new library, Mr. Archer.”

  “Did I hear correctly that the young Carol Benson will be working at the library? What a grand idea, for her and for the town. As the primary benefactor, I think it’s splendid. Wonderful of you to facilitate it all. It will certainly look well for you come next time the school committee is appointed.”

  Mrs. Claiborne coughed into her handkerchief and Mrs. Samson poked her in the shoulder with her elbow, her eyes still trained on Saffron. “Thank you, Mr. Archer. Marvelous that you see all the good I’ve done for the community,” she said as she turned and grabbed Mrs. Claiborne’s elbow. “Good day,” she said over her shoulder as they skittered down the boardwalk.

  Rose let out a loud sigh and dabbed at her forehead. “Thank goodness you two came along when you did.”

  Adam laughed and squeezed Saffron’s elbow. “Honestly, it didn’t look to me like you two needed much help. I was just so darn mad that I couldn’t stop myself. Who does she think she is, wanting Carol to stay away? At home?”

  Mr. Archer, Rose and Saffron all turned their surprised expressions in his direction.

  “What?” he said, feeling sheepish. He sure had been an idiot and apparently everybody knew it.

  “Rose, would you care to join me for a cup of tea at the Occidental?” Saffron’s father asked. “I think these two might need a little privacy.”

  Rose laughed and took her father’s arm, following him into the restaurant as she winked at Saffron.

  Adam had realized his mistake about Carol after he’d talked to her and she told him what had really happened about the accident. He still felt responsible, but he had a much better idea about her and how she wanted to live. And it was much like he did.

  He’d ridden as fast as he could to apologize to Saffron and had been surprised when he’d seen her, Rose and the widow talking in front of the mercantile. He’d been even more surprised when he overheard what they were talking about—Carol!

  As he heard the passion and anger in Saffron’s voice, he stopped and watched, holding the horse’s halter, just mesmerized. The fact that he’d been so wrong about Carol became even more clear as Saffron argued her right to go anywhere she wanted and be anything she wanted to be.

  And as he listened, his heart swelled with the realization that he’d been wrong about Saffron, too, at the end. Her heart had been in the right place, and he’d never known someone to advocate so much for his family...and for him.

  The whole ride into town he’d wanted to apologize, but having watched this all unfold, he knew he had to do more than that. He had to make Saffron see that they needed her—he needed her—to make their family whole again.

  He’d acted badly, he knew, and he started slowly. “Saffron, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for my family. I don’t think anybody’s believed in us, and in Carol, the way you have, and I behaved badly sending you away.”

  Saffron lifted her eyes to him, searching his face. “Adam, you were so sure. So clear. I tried to tell you it wasn’t your fault—”

  “Ssh. Please let me finish. I’m afraid if I don’t now—”

  “Then you won’t want to. I remember,” she said wryly, a small smile playing on her lips.

  He returned her smile and said, “All right. I deserved that.” He reached for the basket of apples and took her hand, pulling her to sit on the bench in between the mercantile and the Occidental. He wasn’t sure what to say—only knew that he had to let her know what he realized now. All of it. And that he was sorry and he loved her. And that his life would be empty without her and the thought of her never coming to the house and seeing her laugh and make bread and play with the boys—well, it just left a hole in his heart.

  “Adam?” Saffron said quietly as she raised her deep, brown eyes up toward him.

  He cleared his throat and lowered his hat down his forehead. “Yes. Uh, I wanted to apologize for being such a dolt about Carol. You were right. She wants to be outside. She needs to be with people.”

  Saffron clasped her hands in front of her and smiled up at him. “Oh, Adam, she is so dear. She needs to be out. People need t
o meet her. She’s very special.”

  He paused for a moment. “Yes. And she needs you at the house, too, and so do the boys. Nobody wants to miss your fine bread, and Lord knows you make better beans than I do.”

  Saffron laughed and his heart swelled at the sound, now so familiar. A sound he didn’t ever want to live without.

  “And, well, I guess I should say it all. I want you there, too, Saffron. Just the thought of you not coming around—well, it’s just not right.”

  “Oh, Adam,” Saffron said as she dropped her eyes.

  He thought she sounded sad, and he held his breath when he looked at her and saw a tear trickle down her cheek. “Yes?”

  “I didn’t know until you’d sent me away that I felt the same way. Just the idea of never coming back was more than I could bear. And then when I saw Mrs. Samson, I’m afraid I took it out on her a little bit, and was less than kind.”

  Adam wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “You could never be anything but kind, Saffron, and I’ll never forget it as long as I live. I promise.”

  He looked up as Saffron’s father cleared his throat, his thumbs in his vest pocket. He jumped up, pulling his arm from around Saffron’s shoulders as quickly as he could, feeling the heat creep into his cheeks. He looked at Saffron, her sweet smile beaming up at him and he turned to Mr. Archer.

  “Sir, I know that we haven’t know each other long, but I’d like to ask you if I could have your daughter’s hand in marriage. I love her, and my family loves her, and I just can’t imagine living without her. Might I have your permission to ask her to marry me?”

  Beau tilted his head back and let out a rich, deep laugh. “Oh, son. You have a lot to learn about the Archer family. You’re the first to ask me for permission to marry any of my children, and if I know Saffron, she’s got her mind made up and nothing I say or do will stop it.”

  Rose came out of the Occidental, her eyes wide. “What’s going on?” she said as she looked at the group on the boardwalk.

  Saffron smiled and stepped toward Adam, taking his hands in hers. “I believe that Adam is going to ask me to marry him, and I’m going to say yes.”

  Epilogue

  “It’s time.”

  Saffron turned to the door of her bedroom and squeezed Sage’s hand as she heard Maria’s soft voice.

  “I can’t believe it’s already the big day,” Sage said as she turned and closed the window.

  Saffron looked down at her billowing, white dress. Carol had gone with her to the dressmaker after telling her she didn’t need to wear her mother’s blue one that Clara had worn, or any other one. She was special, she said, and needed a dress of her own, and she’d wanted it to be her wedding gift. Just Carol’s.

  Saffron smiled at the memory of getting ice cream again afterward, just like the first time they’d been.

  Carol. She’d sure been a bright light for her these last few weeks since Adam had asked her to marry him. She’d never forget the brightness in her eyes as they went back to the Benson house and told her—together. If Saffron had had any misgivings at all, they were dispelled that second as Andy and Luke rushed to her, hugging her skirts and jumping up and down like the schoolboys they were.

  When she’d sat down beside Carol on the settee and rested her hand on Carol’s shoulder, they’d both cried.

  “I can’t believe how lucky we all are. Especially that Adam came to his senses,” she said, shooting a glance at Adam as he leaned against the mantle, his handsome blue eyes happily cast over his family.

  Wedding preparations had taken over since then, Maria recruiting any and all Archer girls in the effort.

  “They won’t mind, Saffron. You stay out of the kitchen for this one. It’s your wedding! It wouldn’t do for you to cook,” she’d said, and Saffron had had to laugh and glance away as she passed Tarragon and Pepper in the hallway, their faces covered with flour—something she’d never seen before. She guessed they were all growing, learning.

  Now, as she reached for Maria’s hand and let herself be pulled down the hall, through the parlor and to the threshold of the glass doors that led to the garden, she ran straight into her father’s outstretched arms.

  “Papa,” she said as she rested her head on his shoulder. “I never thought...”

  “Never thought you could be this happy?” he said as he pulled her in tightly, then stepped back and brushed a ringlet from her forehead that had escaped from her veil. He looked her up and down, smiling with contentment.

  “I did. I always knew that my special girl, the one with the heart of her mother, would find her own family to take care of. Saffron, I’m very happy for you.”

  She flushed as she heard the violin begin to play and spotted Lucy and Lily giggling in the front by the pastor even as Suzanne shushed them and turned her kind eyes toward the back of the garden where she and her father stood.

  Her eyes stopped when they met Adam’s—her stomach fluttered as he ran a nervous hand through his hair. He’d been through so much, as had she. That they’d found each other had been a miracle, one she would be eternally grateful for.

  She blinked several times as her father nudged her, holding out his arm and handing her a bouquet of beautiful, white roses that she recognized as coming from the imported rose bush Mrs. Gee had started in town, a cutting sent to her all the way from Scotland.

  What a special day! She followed her father’s lead as he started walking through the people in her family’s garden.

  Saffron walked slowly, taking in the people who had come to witness their union and wish them the best.

  Saffron’s heart lurched as she passed the Widow Samson and her friend, Mrs. Claiborne toward the very back. She looked quickly at her father and he smiled down at her and squeezed her hand. Leave it to her father to mend fences, but she sure hoped the widow would keep her opinions to herself on this special day.

  She looked up at all her sisters, standing off to the side, the sweet tones of their harmonies wafting over the crowd at Sam’s piano accompaniment and she felt a twinge in her heart that she wasn’t there with them. But this was her special day, and she was grateful for their gift of song.

  She stepped lightly over the ground and looked down at her feet as a rock stopped her path. She looked over at a sniffle, and Maria dabbed at her eyes as Mr. Bailey, the owner of a diner in town, patted her hand, his children squirming beside him.

  As she neared Adam and the pastor, she nodded at Mr. Carter, the mayor, as his wife nodded in her direction, her elegant hat shifting slightly as she did. Her smile was wide, and Saffron was glad they were there to celebrate.

  Finally, she passed the front of the group of friends and family, Hank and Clara along with Rose and Michael smiling warmly at her.

  Lucy and Lily, along with their parents Suzanne and James were in the front of the crowd, next to Sadie and Tripp. Tripp held his arm protectively around Sadie and she smiled at Saffron, her hand resting on her growing belly.

  She missed a beat as she passed the final row and spied Mrs. Allen sitting next to Carol, Andy and Luke. Carol sat next to Will, the young blacksmith, and Saffron sighed deeply as Carol looked over at him and smiled shyly.

  She shook her head as she heard Luke say, “Stop staring. It’s not polite,” to his younger brother.

  She stifled a laugh as Andy rolled his eyes and said, “I have to look at something, don’t I? And she’s the prettiest thing here.”

  As she reached the pastor and Adam reached for her hand, she turned to her father and pecked him on the cheek. “Thank you, Papa. For believing in me,” she said. Her eyes fell to the ground. Her father sighed and said, “Always, my dear Saffron,” as he pulled her hand and placed it in Adam’s warm palm.

  She looked up into Adam’s clear, blue eyes and turned to the pastor, ready for her future to begin.

  She bowed her head as he began reading, wondering what the future would hold for all of them. All of these people who loved them, here to send them off into the fut
ure, gave her great comfort. As she sank into the moment and looked forward to going home with Adam, Carol, Luke and Andy—their new home, all of them—her heart swelled as Adam gripped her hand tightly.

  Thanks so much for reading this story and I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to hear about new release discounts, promotions or contests, sign up for my new release alerts at:

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  Saffron: Bride of Archer Ranch is Book 1 in this series, but is a continuation of the following, although each book can be read as a stand-alone:

  Wild West Frontier Brides Series

  The Chef’s Mail Order Bride (1)

  The Wrangler’s Mail Order Bride (2)

  The Bartender’s Mail Order Bride (3)

  The Teacher’s Mail Order Bride (4)

  The following Cindy Caldwell books are part of the unprecedented, 50-author American Mail Order Brides series.

  50 days, 50 books, 50 states.

  Michelle, Bride of Mississippi

  Josephine, Bride of Louisiana

  This book has gone through numerous proofreaders, professional and otherwise . If you find any typos or grammatical errors, I’d love to hear about them. I want this to be the best it can be. Please let me know at:

  cindy@cindycaldwellauthor.com

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