Sweetwater (Birdsong Series) Read online

  “One more week. One more week,” became her mantra. She’d clip a stem and repeat, “One more week.” It made her smile.

  She made Blake smile, too. There she was, his ideal woman, bent over a rose bush with her tidy little bottom stuck up in the air for him to admire. She sure could fill out a pair of pants. Blake noticed she had a very tiny waist with round curvy hips, topping long, slender legs. His mouth had gone bone dry. Parts of his body were voicing their approval of the ravishing beauty, growing harder and pulsing with need. He could have stood there for hours, admiring her, until she stood up and turned toward him.

  “Can I help you with something, Doc?” Emily asked in a soft, sultry voice.

  At least, Blake thought it was sultry. She could probably scream like a banshee and he would still think it was sexy.

  Taken by surprise, Blake could barely find his voice. “Oh . . . Emmie. I was just watching you . . . I mean . . . I was just watching you work.”

  “Do you like gardening, doctor?” she smiled, as she pointed her shears in his direction. She wasn’t stupid and she was old enough to know exactly what he was watching.

  He nodded. “No.”

  She laughed. “Which is it? Yes or no?”

  Blake blushed like a schoolboy. “It’s no. I don’t like gardening, but I do like to watch you garden.” He noticed that the buttons across Emily’s full round bosom were straining to keep closed. If she weren’t very careful, those fragile little buttons would fly across the yard and free her exquisite mounds, giving them room to expand and jiggle on their own. Blake moaned aloud.

  “Excuse me. Did you say something, Doc?”

  “You’re nice to watch, Emily. And I’m glad you bought those clothes.” His face turned bright red, once again. “I mean . . . you look more at ease now.”

  Emily giggled. “Now Doc, you and I both know that’s a lie. These new clothes barely contain me. Look! I’m in real danger of busting out of this shirt, and the pants are so tight I can hardly sit down. I know I must look absolutely ridiculous. After today, I will wash them up and give them to the church. It wasn’t money well spent, I’m afraid.”

  Blake walked up to Emily and handed her one of her roses. “Emmie, you look anything but ridiculous. In fact, I think you look amazing. You’re the finest woman I’ve ever seen. Would you allow me to see you, socially? I’d like to take you for a ride this evening, if you’re up to it.”

  “I’m flattered, Doctor Donovan, but I don’t do that sort of thing. I’m much too busy here, at the hotel.” Emily looked down at her plants and away from the handsome doctor.

  “I’d like to take you to dinner, then. I know you have to eat.” Blake pleaded.

  “We have the finest food in all of Hays, right here, at the Birdsong. Why would I go anyplace else?” She stopped and looked directly at him. “Please understand. I don’t see gentlemen . . . ever. I’m sorry. You’re a nice man.”

  Blake hung his head. He’d tried and she had refused his offer. She really wasn‘t interested in him. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I won’t bother you, again.” He turned around and quietly left, the same way he’d come.

  Emily watched the good-looking doctor disappear into the hotel. He didn’t see the tears forming in her eyes, or the rise and fall of her aching chest. She had lied. He was just the sort of man she’d like to spend time with, and perhaps, one day, fall in love with—if only she wasn’t so undeserving of his admiration.

  She’d been born on a poor farm in Sedalia, Missouri, twenty-three years earlier. It had been a hard and dangerous life for a little girl, and after having been mistreated in the most grievous way, she ran off—never to see Sedalia or her kin again. Now, she was determined to find her own piece of heaven, and there was no time for romance. But she still felt an emptiness within her, which she was certain, only Blake Donovan would be able to fill.

  Friday morning, a boy came to the Birdsong with a note for Miss Emily. It was from the bank. Emily read, “Could you meet with me at the lunch hour, Miss Falkenrath, to discuss the purchase of the tract of land outside of town? Respectfully, George P. Johnson, President.”

  “Yay! It’s finally going to happen. Dora! Cassie! Patty! Where are you?”

  The three women ran in to see what all the excitement was about. They discovered Emily dancing around the large room, with flushed cheeks and brilliant blue eyes sparkling like diamonds. They had never seen her so happy.

  “Land sakes!” Dora exclaimed. “I thought the place was on fire,” she chortled.

  Emily was twirling around the lobby like a top. “I got a message from the bank. Mr. Johnson wants to talk to me about my farm. My dream is coming true,” she shouted.

  Cassie ran up to Emily and grabbed her hands as she started bouncing up and down. Emily joined in. Such was the scene, when Dr. Donovan arrived.

  “This looks promising,” he muttered to Patty.

  “This is wonderful news, Doc. Emily is going to buy her farm, today. She’s been in love with it, for months.” She sighed. “I guess it won’t be long before she moves out and leaves just the three of us gals at the hotel. I’ll miss her. I don’t know how we’ll get along without her.”

  Blake’s eyes grew enormous. “Move out? Emily’s moving away?”

  “Well, naturally. If she buys a farm, she intends to live on it.” Patty paused for a moment, staring at the startled look on the man’s face. “Did you have that talk, Doc?”

  “Yeah, for all the good it did. She’s not interested in me, and that’s that.”

  “You certainly give up fast. If I were in love with someone, I’d try again and again. What do you have to lose? I know her. She seems to have a chip on her shoulder, but she’s really quite fragile. Just be there for her, Doc.”

  Emily stopped to catch her breath and noticed Blake had walked into the hotel. It was obvious he had caught her and Cassie celebrating like two young schoolgirls. Instinctively, she smoothed her hair, straightened her skirts, and smiled up at him with genuine happiness. She had no way of knowing what that smile did to him. How it stole his very breath away.

  “Oh, Doc! Forgive me. I was just enjoying the moment. Congratulations are in order, I believe. At the noon hour, I will become a landowner . . . and not just any land, mind you, but the prettiest little farm you’ve ever seen. It has a lake fed by a sweetwater spring, an orchard, and hills covered in wildflowers. I intend to live my entire life there.”

  “Well, ma’am. I will miss you.” That was all he could manage to say, as his throat was encumbered with an enormous lump that threatened his speech. Refusing to allow anyone to see the pain this caused him, he turned away abruptly. “I’ll be going now.”

  “That was odd,” Cassie lamented. She liked the cute doctor and had forgiven him his previous rudeness. Today, he had rushed away before she could coax her usual compliment from him. “Oh, well, I guess he’s got things on his mind.”

  “I’ll go upstairs and change out of this dress, and run straight to the bank. I can’t wait to buy my farm.” She glanced at the bewildered faces of her friends, and it dawned on her. They were all ready missing her.

  “Oh, my darlings, please don’t misunderstand,” she beseeched. She captured one of Dora’s strong hands in her own and held it close to her heart. “I love you all so very much, but I have dreamed of owning my own farm, all my life. I can still work here, for a while, and you know you’re welcome to visit me anytime. Heck. You could come and live with me, if you wanted. We’d make a go of it. Please . . . be happy for me?”

  The three women stepped up to the pretty brunette, throwing their arms around her in a group hug. They laughed and cried and laughed some more. This was a truly happy moment and a fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

  Wiping her eyes on her ever-present apron, Dora said, “Now . . . get on with you, Em. You don’t want to keep the president of the bank waitin’,” she sniffed.

  The woman, standing before him, was simply ravishing and extremely seductive. The banker h
ad always admired Miss Falkenrath, but today, she was exquisitely beautiful. Her eyes were filled with a brilliant blue light and her cheeks shown a delicate pink. He found it nearly impossible to take his eyes from her luscious lips. They were plump and moist . . . and so very tasty looking—made for a man to take his delight. It was an effort not to drool on his tie.

  Mr. Johnson cleared his throat. “Please, make yourself comfortable, Miss Falkenrath,” he said rather nervously, as he offered a chair.

  He watched as she glided gracefully over to the chair provided for her. Her back was straight . . . her waist was incredibly small, and her breasts . . . well, they were the kind of breasts that made a man’s hands itch to explore them. Concentrate! He scolded himself.

  “Uh, yes . . .” He was sweating profusely, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the weather. “Where was I? Oh, yes, now I remember. Miss Falkenrath, I have asked you to come by my office today, to speak with you, privately. The matter concerning your farm requires our immediate attention. I am afraid I must deliver some bad news to you, my dear.”

  Emily wasn’t prepared for bad news. She was here to buy her farm. “Bad news? About my farm?”

  Mr. Johnson reached out for her lovely white-gloved hand. “Yes, my dear. I have located the present owner of this farm. It’s the Lassiter Farm, actually. He has denied your request to purchase it from him. He is, in fact, toying with the idea of moving there and taking up permanent residence. I tried to persuade him, but he was adamant. I am truly sorry, Miss Emily.” His fingers were massaging her wrists and trying to gain access to the sweet white flesh under her cuff.

  She didn’t notice the use of her Christian name, nor the liberties he was trying to take with her hand. She was too stunned with this setback. It was impossible. “Can you try again, sir?” she begged. Her huge eyes were filling with tears and her chin began to tremble.

  The banker looked sincerely disappointed. “I really tried, my dear. You must know that I would do anything for you. I admire you, Miss Emily.”

  She pulled her hand back suddenly, and stood up, gazing down at the man behind the desk. “I am grateful, sir, for your considerate attention to this matter. It is not your fault that the owner of my farm is a skunk! A pig in a man’s hat! A lily-livered sidewinder! I hope he does come to town. I hope I meet him.” The more she said, the madder she got and the stronger her resolve. She would not fall apart, now. Her voice raised in volume along with her temper. “He’ll never forget tangling with me! Goodbye, Mr. Johnson. Oh . . . and by the way . . . my name is Miss Falkenrath, sir!” Emily marched out of the office and down the street, holding her head high, and looking as if she was a general, mustering his troops for battle.

  “What a woman,” the banker sighed.

  Emily’s bravado was fueled by rage and it left little room for self-pity. She needed a plan, and she’d get the girls to help her. Maybe she could persuade Blake to help her, too. He was handy with his fists—why was that, she wondered? Oh, well, she knew he could handle himself in a fight. She’d seen evidence of it, before.

  Slamming the door, Emily got the attention of everyone in the hotel . . . even a few of the guests were intrigued.

  “Well.” She stood, just inside the door, out of breath and filled with righteous indignation. “It seems I am not the owner of my own farm. The owner refuses to sell.” Against her will, her bottom lip began to quiver. She could feel her strength begin to leave her body as her knees began to tremble. “He may come to town, though, and I pray he stays here, for a night or two. I’ll get even with that mangy polecat!”

  The guests, sitting in the lobby, looked uncomfortably at one another, feeling a bit of apprehension. What was this lovely lady capable of doing to a paying guest?

  Patty saw the guest’s looks of concern and she needed to reassure them that everything was just fine. “Please, if you’d all like to go into the dining room, I believe Dora is serving a cold dessert, just for today. We want you to be comfortable here, at the Birdsong, and we hope you’ll recommend us to your friends.” Patty expertly guided the men and women to the elegantly appointed dining room for refreshments. Hopefully, Dora had something prepared, Patty prayed.

  Cassie took her cue. “Psst. Emily,” she whispered. “I think you should go into the kitchen if you want to yell. Yes?”

  Emily looked around her, as she realized the scene she had created in front of paying guests. “Oh, no. What have I done? Is Patty mad, do you think?”

  Cassie grinned. “Heck no. You should have been here when Ben Singleton came by. He wanted to follow me around the hotel while I did my work. He got as far as room number three, before Patty caught up to him.” Cassie’s eyes were filled with mischief. “I swear . . .the kiss she saw? It was the first one, all day! Really!” She smiled broadly. “Now—that made Patty mad.”

  Both women giggled at the thought.

  “I’m sorry you didn’t get your farm, Em,” Cassie muttered.

  Giving the young girl a hug, Emily smiled. “It’s not the only farm in Kansas, kid. But I vow to make the owner sorry he didn’t sell it to me!”

  “I believe you will.” Cassie nodded.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The railroad was pushing westward, slicing through the wilderness and connecting cities and towns. With its expansion, came a flood of immigrants. The men worked laying track and the women followed their men, trying to keep some sort of home.

  Fort Hays was busy during this time, as well. All of this activity meant the Birdsong Hotel was usually filled to capacity. There was precious little free time, and that was good enough for Emily. It kept her mind off revenge.

  Patty and Dora were never idle, it seemed. With vast amounts of cooking to be done, the never ending ordering of supplies, and the overall managing of the business, the two women fairly dropped into bed at the end of each day.

  Cassie worked hard, too, but it didn’t make it any easier to keep an eye on the silver-blonde beauty. Young men were always trying to find an excuse to get her alone. She tried to dissuade them, but in the end, she could be found behind a closed door or under the stairwell, giggling at their boyish antics.

  Dora was adamant. “Cassie. Enough of this nonsense! We can’t be watchin’ out for you all the time, and these boys are up to no good. You’re gonna find yourself in a peck of trouble, one day. Act like a lady and see that you don’t get in a tight spot with these cowboys.”

  “Of course, Dora. I don’t know what could happen, though.” Cassie sighed and rolled her big eyes. She really was as innocent as she seemed, and that was one of the many things the young men found so attractive. “I’ll be more careful. I promise.” She crossed her heart.

  Blake Donovan was beat. There were never enough hours in the day to see to all his patients. He’d been out visiting the newly arrived workers and their families. The complaints and injuries ran the gamut . . . fevers, cuts, scrapes, and a few women in various stages of pregnancy. Now, all he wanted was a soft, clean bed. He was even too exhausted to enjoy one of Dora’s delicious dinners. As he stumbled into his room, he heard something that sounded like a scuffle coming from behind the utility door. Laying his ear against the panel, he could barely make out the sound of a frightened woman.

  Instantly, he pulled the door open, and a tiny blonde fell out onto the floor with a dirty cowpoke falling directly on top of her.

  “What the hell ya’ doin’?” the scruffy stranger demanded to know. “Shut the damn door and get outta’ here,” he yelled. “I’m havin’ me some fun with this little bit.”

  That was the last thing he’d remember, as a fist of iron smashed into his surprised face. Again and again, it pummeled him. Too soon, he was past seeing or knowing what was happening to him, and still the fists flew into his face and midsection. His attacker was oblivious to the big and powerful hands trying to pull him off the unconscious man. Finally, totally exhausted, Dr. Blake Donovan staggered back and surveyed the damage he’d done.

  Emily had her
arms around his shoulders, cooing something into his ear. He didn’t understand what she was saying; he could only stare at the bloody pulp before him, which had once been a face. She gently turned him away from the ghastly sight and quietly led him down the hallway to her room.

  Cassie was hysterical, with bruises of her own and a dress that had been ripped down the front, exposing her soft flesh. Dora was leading her away. That left Patty to make some semblance of order.

  Whiskey stood with his massive fists clenched tightly, gazing down at the inert cowboy. “I’ll keep an eye on him,” he growled. “You go get what you need to fix him up.”

  Almost immediately, Patty returned with some clean towels and water, from her own room, and proceeded to cleanse the man’s badly beaten face. He had sustained serious wounds. She had seen beatings before, but nothing quite like this. Apparently, Dr. Donovan had some secrets of his own, and she would demand an explanation before she encouraged his courting of Emily.

  Blake took a deep, soul-cleansing breath and forced himself to focus on the most amazing blue eyes, he had ever seen. Fringed with long black lashes, curling up at the corners, they were intelligent, compassionate, and wholly wonderful eyes.

  “There you are. I was beginning to worry you had left us, Doc,” Emily said softly. “That was quite a scene, back there. Where did you learn to fight like that?”

  “Huh? I fought?” He was confused. “I never fight.”

  “Ha! Tell that to the man lying in the hall. Seriously. You don’t remember any of it?”

  Blake shook his head. “I’m sorry, Emmie. I’ll go and see if I can do anything to help.” He tried to sit up, but felt weak and unsure of himself.

  “Whoa, Doc. Just lie back. I think you’ve done quite enough for one evening. Mind telling me what happened to set you off like that?” She put her hands on his chest and gently coaxed him back down against the pillows. “You really hurt him, Blake.”