A Love to Cherish Read online

  “It’s as good as done. I best get on home before Ma comes lookin’ for me.” Jimmy jumped off the step and raced down the street, his dog trotting beside him.

  Reese leaned against the wall, one booted foot tipped up. He meant to stay there until Victoria left the store.

  “What are you doing?” Lisa’s voice so close behind Victoria made her startle.

  “Shh.” She held her finger to her lips.

  Lisa leaned around Victoria’s shoulder. “Are you eavesdropping on Jimmy and whoever he is talking to?”

  “I might be.” Though she couldn’t hear the conversation now with Lisa whispering to her.

  “You know what they say. Eavesdroppers never hear anything good about themselves.”

  Victoria moved away from the door knowing she wouldn’t hear anything more and would likely give away her presence to Reese. “That’s where you’re wrong. I heard good things.”

  They went to the back of the store to a little area Lisa’s brother-in-law had set aside for the family to sit in when the store wasn’t busy.

  Lisa put her hands on her hips and faced Victoria. “Tell me what you heard.”

  Victoria had started listening even before she reached the store. As soon as she heard Reese’s voice and realized he and Jimmy were talking, she had stayed out of sight around the corner of the store, overcome with curiosity.

  “Jimmy and Mr. Cartwright have something in common. Both of them lost fathers who drank and gambled.” The way the two had talked about their losses had tugged at something deep within Victoria. “At least they know what they lost. I don’t even know that. Do I have family who wonders what’s become of me?” Her parents had died in the train wreck that left Victoria the only survivor.

  Lisa hugged her. “I’m sure you do.”

  “It’s easy to say. But if I do, where are they? Why haven’t they found me?” She lifted her arms in a gesture of impatience. “Oh, what does it matter? I am Victoria Kinsley now.”

  “Yes, you are. What else did you hear?”

  Victoria chuckled. “Jimmy was telling him what a good teacher I was, and he said I had taught him about the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition. Honestly, I’m surprised he remembers a thing I said.” She laughed again. “Mr. Cartwright said he should maybe go to school.” She sobered. “It seems to me that Mr. Cartwright asks entirely too many questions about me.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Why is he asking? Does he know me from before?”

  “Do you have any reason to suspect he does?”

  Victoria considered what she knew of the man and realized it was very little. “He says he’s from Chicago.” She caught Lisa’s hand and shook her arm. “He looked at me like…like… Oh, I don’t know. I suppose I’m being overly suspicious.”

  “Norm said Mr. Cartwright asked about you, but said he seemed interested in you as a woman, if you know what I mean?”

  Victoria face went cold and she sank to the nearest chair. “That’s not possible.”

  Lisa sat beside her. “Why not? You’re a beautiful young woman. I can’t say I blame Mr. Cartwright for wanting to get to know you better.”

  Victoria sucked in a strengthening breath. “But what if…”

  “Victoria, are you going to spend your entire life wondering what if?”

  “I can’t help it.”

  “You ought to try. A handsome young man has asked about you. I expect he will want to see more of you. When he asks you to go walking with him or whatever he asks, why not say yes?”

  “I’m afraid of my past.”

  “Maybe you’ll never have a past. Only today and the rest of your life. Are you going to waste that? It seems to me you’ll grow to regret such a choice.”

  “You make it sound so reasonable.”

  Lisa chuckled. “Maybe because I’m such a reasonable person.”

  Victoria laughed. “If you say so.” Both of them knew Lisa didn’t mind doing rash and wild things from time to time. And sometimes persuading Victoria to be part of it. “Remember skating on the river?” They’d found a quiet spot where it was frozen over, but the ice was not as thick as they thought.

  Lisa shuddered. “We were fortunate to hear the cracking and get off the ice before it broke. But at least we won’t repeat that mistake.”

  “So, you think Mr. Cartwright is only interested in courting me?”

  “I do. And I think it’s time you moved forward. Will you do that?”

  Victoria considered the request. “I guess I can try.”

  “So, if he asks you to walk with him or whatever, you’ll say yes?”

  “Yes, okay. I’ll say yes.” Something fluttered in the pit of her stomach. For the first time in her memory, she considered embracing the future. Heaviness quickly replaced the fluttering. Since the day she’d wakened with no memory of who she was, she had felt as if the future could be snatched from her as easily as her past had been.

  “Now let’s practice for Friday night.” Lisa’s words allowed Victoria to push away her fears. Something she was adept at.

  Sometime later, Victoria said goodbye to her friend. She paused before the door to look through the screen. Of course, he wasn’t still there. Why did she think he would be? Lisa, with her romantic dreams, was causing her to have foolish thoughts.

  She went out to the wooden step, turned right to return home, and almost plowed into Reese where he lounged against the wall, half hidden by the afternoon shadow.

  “Oh. I didn’t see you.”

  “Didn’t mean to startle you.” He unwound from the wall. “Are you going home?”

  “Yes.”

  “May I walk you there?”

  Her first instinct, born of years of guarding every association, was to say no, but she remembered her promise to her friend and wouldn’t have been surprised if Lisa listened at the door. “That would be nice. Thank you.”

  He fell in at her side. “Jimmy was telling me how you taught him some history. He thinks a great deal of you.”

  “He’s a good boy.” She must be careful of what she said so as not to reveal that she had listened to Reese’s conversation with Jimmy. “He lost his father before we came here. It’s hard for him and his mother to manage, though people try to help them out.”

  “I lost my pa too, under similar circumstances.”

  She paused to look at him. “I’m sorry. How old were you?”

  “I was fourteen, so older than young Jimmy. I was already working in the iron foundry in Chicago. Just like my pa. It was hard work. Are you familiar with a foundry?”

  “Can’t say that I am.” She realized they had passed the intersection where they should have turned toward the manse. Was this Reese’s way of spending time with her? Well, having agreed to accompany him, she let him lead the way.

  “When my ma remarried after my pa died, I decided it was time for me to move on.”

  “I see. Was it because of your stepfather?”

  “Mostly. But I’d never enjoyed the foundry work and, knowing Ma was going to be looked after, I was happy enough to leave. Just as they were happy to let me go.”

  “Doesn’t it make you bitter?”

  “I admit it hurt a little at the time but now I’m grateful. I have made arrangements to buy Abe Shaw’s ranch and cattle, so I will soon be a rancher.”

  “It sounds like that’s your dream come true.”

  “Guess you could say that.” He didn’t sound totally convinced but before she could ask him to explain, they reached the river where a bench had been placed so people could watch the water flow by. “Do you want to sit a spell?”

  “That would be fine.” They sat side by side.

  “May I call you Victoria?” he asked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “And you must call me Reese.”

  “Thank you.” What would he say if he knew she’d been calling him that in her mind since the first?

  “Victoria, what’s your dream
?”

  A jolt ran through her body. Her fingers curled. To know who I am, she silently wailed. But she could not say so knowing how self-pitying it sounded. “I’m adopted. All the Kinsley girls are. There are six of us. Tilly and Adele stayed back in Verdun, Ohio. Adele is married with a young son. Tilly is working for a well-to-do family. Then there’s Josh. He was born to the family, but we haven’t seen nor heard from him in almost two years.” She wondered if he, too, had had an accident and lost his memory. “It’s why we moved west. You see, he’d gone west, and we’re hoping to locate him.” Trying to find Josh made her realize what a difficult job it would be for someone to try and find her. Except she’d been a youngster. Maybe fourteen or fifteen. Shouldn’t any family have known where to look for her? Which brought her back to the only conclusion she could draw. She understood her parents had died in the crash and, other than them, she had no family. Or at least no family who wanted anything to do with her. She had often considered scenarios to explain the latter. Her mother had married against her family’s wishes and so was estranged from the rest of the family. Or her mother had run away from her family and they didn’t know anything about Victoria. Or the worst, the one she prayed was false. She’d been born out of wedlock and her mother’s parents had disowned them. And her father didn’t even know about her.

  “I had heard that you are adopted. The Kinsleys have given you a good home.”

  “Yes, they have and I’m grateful especially—” Her breath shuddered. “They don’t know anything about me.”

  He shifted to study her face. “That doesn’t seem unusual. Aren’t many orphaned children abandoned without any knowledge of their family?”

  She nodded. “Like Adele. She was left on their doorstep as a baby. Flora and Eve’s parents died. Josie came when she was twelve. She knew her family. I came when I was older. Maybe fourteen or fifteen, but I have no knowledge of my family.”

  His eyebrows went up. His eyes widened. “How can that be?”

  “I was injured in a train accident. I was the only survivor. My parents were killed in the accident. I was unconscious for three days and when I came to, I had no memory of who I was.” Cold vibrated through her. “No one came looking for me.” Her teeth chattered.

  “Amnesia. Four years of it. That’s incredible.” He shook his head, as if the idea was too far-fetched to be believable. Then he looked at her more closely. “You’re shaking.” He touched her hand. “You’re cold as ice. Come on, I’ll take you home.” He pulled her to her feet.

  Her legs wobbled. She couldn’t walk, could barely stand, and she grabbed his arm for support. She should never have told him her story. It left her weak and frightened.

  When she first came to in the hospital, she had looked intently into every face she saw, hoping for a sign of recognition. She’d cried when no one offered to tell her about herself.

  Now she feared someone would come along and snatch her from her happy life.

  But at the moment, all she wanted was to get home, crawl into her bed, pull the covers over her head, and stay there.

  Chapter 3

  Reese had his arms about Victoria’s shoulders and held her upright as they made their way to the manse. It was bold of him to touch her so intimately, but she shook so badly she couldn’t stand without his assistance.

  Amnesia! Was it possible? Victoria certainly seemed affected by relating the story. The pain in her voice at telling him no one had come looking for her was real enough to sting his own heart. However, it didn’t make sense. And claiming her parents were dead. Reese knew they certainly had not been killed in a train accident. Mr. Hayworth had searched far and wide. He’d questioned everyone in the foundry, including Reese, who was only sixteen. His questions were so severe that Reese had felt he’d been accused of abducting the girl. Indeed, the man’s suspicions grew with each passing day making Reese even more anxious to leave the foundry. Perhaps Mr. Hayworth had seen Reese watching his daughter that day he walked by their house and considered him a likely suspect. Finding Constance Hayworth would effectively prove the man wrong.

  Mr. Hayworth had offered a generous reward for any information regarding his missing daughter. It wasn’t possible that the girl had been overlooked. But it seemed too much of a coincidence to think Victoria was in an accident and lost her memory at the same time the Hayworth girl disappeared. Victoria was well educated. More so than the other Kinsley girls.

  He would write a long-overdue letter to his mother and ask if Miss Hayworth had been found.

  He reached the manse and opened the back door without knocking.

  Mrs. Kinsley turned from tending something on the stove, took one look at Victoria, and flew to Reese’s side. “Victoria, child, what has happened?”

  Victoria rolled her head back and forth, her teeth rattling together.

  “Josie, Eve, come quickly,” Mrs. Kinsley called. “And bring some blankets.” Footsteps clattered down the stairs as Reese and her mother eased Victoria to a chair that Reese dragged close to the stove.

  The girls rushed into the room, saw their sister, and wrapped blankets about her, making soothing noises.

  Mrs. Kinsley poured some water into the kettle and set it to boil. She put a handful of tea leaves in a brown pot. Then she knelt before Victoria while she waited for the kettle to boil. “Child, what is wrong?”

  “I don’t know.” Victoria’s tight whisper carried an ocean full of tears.

  Her mother rose and faced Reese. “Tell me what happened.”

  “We went for a walk to the river and she was telling me about the family. She told me about being adopted. About having amnesia.” His throat grew tight.

  He drew Mrs. Kinsley away and bent close to whisper. “It was when she told me that no one came to find her that she got like this.”

  The woman nodded and patted his hand. “That explains it. Thank you for bringing her home. You’re welcome to stay for supper.” She made tea and held a cupful to Victoria’s lips.

  “Drink this, my child. You know you will always have a home with us. We love you and cherish you as our daughter.” Josie and Eve huddled close to her, murmuring words of love and comfort.

  Reese hovered nearby watching Victoria. Her shock was real enough. But how was it possible? Instead of getting answers to his questions, he ended up with more questions.

  Victoria’s hands steadied. “I’m all right now.”

  Her mother and sisters remained clustered around her.

  She smiled at each of them. “Thank you.” She saw Reese, and her smile faltered. “I’m sorry to be such a nuisance but thank you for bringing me home.”

  “No reason to apologize.”

  She held his gaze a moment, seeking, searching…for what, he couldn’t say. He knew how essential knowing the truth and believing it was to her peace of mind. Perhaps the letter to his ma would settle the matter once and for all about whether or not she was the missing Hayworth girl. But if she wasn’t, then who was she? For her sake he wished he could provide the answer.

  The young widow Reese had met on Sunday entered the house, her two children racing in ahead of her. It took him a moment to recall her name. Stella Norwood. The boy, Donny, five years old, if Reese recalled correctly, saw Reese and planted himself in front of him.

  “You were here afore.”

  “On Sunday, yes.”

  “How come you’re back? It’s not Sunday.”

  “Donny, mind your manners,” his mother said. “I apologize,” she said to Reese.

  At seeing a stranger in the house, little Blossom clung shyly to her mother’s side. Again, Reese struggled to recall what he’d been told. The blonde child was three years old, he thought someone had said.

  Reese chuckled at Donny’s question. “I take it that Sunday is the day for company.”

  “Mostly,” Donny said.

  “Well, it so happens I was at the store and so was Miss Victoria, so I walked her home.”

  Stella, from her chair by the
table, glanced from Victoria to Reese, her expression full of interest.

  Reese pretended not to notice the questioning look in her eyes.

  Victoria shrugged from the blankets and got to her feet. “It’s getting on to suppertime.” She went to the stove and stirred the pot her mother had been tending.

  Josie folded the blankets and took them away.

  Eve started to peel potatoes.

  “I can do that,” Stella said, and took over the job, but she remained seated as she worked.

  The women were soon busy, leaving Reese to stand by, feeling about as useless as a cold stove. “What can I do?”

  Four women turned to look at him.

  “I’ve been known to help my mother when I lived at home. And I know how to make a few things as a matter of survival.”

  It was Victoria who asked the question that surely all the others thought. “Exactly what do you make?”

  He grinned, pleased to be able to provide an answer that would surprise them. “Baking powder biscuits is my specialty.”

  “Then by all means.” She pointed him toward the flour bin and the other ingredients he’d need.

  Aware that they all, including Donny and Blossom, covertly watched his every more, he measured out what he needed, chopped in lard, mixed in milk to make a batter the right consistency. He rolled out and cut biscuits and put them on a baking tray. The potatoes were already cooking so he judged it time to bake the biscuits and slid the tray into the oven.

  He stood back and dusted his hands, feeling rather pleased with himself. He glanced around at the others, who suddenly looked very busy. “Surprised you all some, didn’t I?”

  Victoria chuckled. “Are you gloating?”

  “A little. Am I allowed?”

  Mrs. Kinsley patted his shoulder. “You’ve impressed me, and I have to admit that doesn’t happen often.”

  He laughed and looked around at the others.

  The girls looked at each other and grinned.

  Stella hugged her children close. “I’m going to teach both these young ones to cook basics.”