Orphan Train Sweetheart

Ah, the sisters’ illustrious aunt. Simon couldn’t help smiling. “It’s my pleasure, ma’am.”

She waved his formal greeting off with one hand. “It’s Lily to everyone around here, son. No need for fancy niceties with an old woman like me. Now, I wanted to talk to you.”

That caught his attention. He’d never even met this woman. Giving her his full attention, Simon watched her expressive face as she spoke. “It’s about my other niece, Catrina. Have you met her?”

“Cat? Yes, I’ve spoken with her several times.”

Lily continued with a brisk nod. “Then I’m sure you’ve noticed the way she has of flitting around from thing to thing. She doesn’t seem to have much interest in settling down and getting married, which is fine for now. But I’m afraid if she doesn’t fill her time with something beneficial, she’ll get herself into trouble out of sheer boredom.”

Simon tilted his head, trying to understand why Lily had stopped him to discuss Cat’s flighty personality. “And what does that have to do with me?”

He immediately flinched at the way his words sounded. Why did he always have to act tough and cold? Thankfully, his tone didn’t slow Lily down one bit.

“I hoped you’d consider finding a way to include her in some of your work. If she had a cause, something to care about, she might lose a little of that restlessness that could get her into a mess.”

Running one hand over his chin, Simon thought for a minute. He could understand a restless spirit. He knew what it was like to wander with no purpose. And he could see how Cat’s self-assured air could be covering up a disquiet hidden deep inside. But he was already in over his head spending so much time with Cecilia. Could he stand working with another woman for the next few weeks?

Lily stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for his answer. “Let me think about that, Lily. I’m sure there’s a way to involve her in working with the children.”

“Thank you, Simon, my boy. Now, you have a nice day and make sure you stop by my place sometime for a meal. Lily’s Café, over on First Street. It’ll be on me.”

With a wink, Lily turned and walked away, a spring in her step that belied her age. Simon started to smile until he remembered that promising to find a way for Cat to help meant letting another woman into his space. Cat was the sort of woman who drew most men’s attention, but Simon couldn’t let himself get distracted by a pretty face. Yet the face that flashed in his mind wasn’t Cat’s. It was Cecilia’s wide eyes and flushed cheeks that filled his thoughts.

With a shake of his head, he forced thoughts of women away. He had things to do. There were reports to write and send back to the Children’s Aid Society. And he had to organize the paperwork the approval committee had completed when the children were placed out. Then he would take a few days to call on prominent residents of Spring Hill and enlist their assistance in helping the children acclimate to their new homes, as he did at every stop. It was one small way he tried to ease the transition for the orphans and the town.

With all he had to do, the week went by quickly. It was Monday before Simon was able to figure out how he could include Cat in his work. He sent the boy who ran errands for the hotel to deliver a message to Cat, asking her to meet him at the café for supper that evening, so he could explain his idea.

Simon had been able to spend some time exploring the town of Spring Hill and had found the café on one of his walks. Tonight, he took his time, ambling down the boardwalk to enjoy the crisp evening air. The town had captured his interest over the last few days. It was both wild and quaint, frontier and civilization rolled into one. He had seen many towns, large and small, on his travels with the orphan train, but none had grabbed his attention like Spring Hill.

This place had somehow gotten him thinking about what it would be like to settle down. To stop traveling the country, indulging his restlessness. He could almost see himself marrying, building a house, having children of his own. But every time the blissful vision played in his mind, it was interrupted by the memory of his best friend’s youthful face covered in bruises.

He could feel the fear again when he remembered Michael telling him about the horrors of life with the cruel couple who’d taken him from the children’s home they’d been in together. He couldn’t help shuddering when the cold emptiness crept back in like it had the day Michael had died trying to escape them. And, every time, the overwhelming guilt renewed Simon’s determination to help every orphan he could, even if it took the rest of his life. He refused to fail another person like he had Michael.

In spite of the pull he felt to remain in Spring Hill, he prayed his growing attachment didn’t have more to do with a certain teacher than the town itself. Of their own volition, he’d found his eyes scanning the streets as he’d walked, watching for her familiar figure. At church the day before, he’d hardly heard a word of the sermon. His mind kept drifting to how pretty she looked sitting in the pew wearing a green dress with a delicate lace shawl wrapped around her shoulders.

But no matter how his heart betrayed him, Simon couldn’t even consider staying on the frontier. He could visit the town now and then if his travels brought him to the area. But marriage was out of the question. He couldn’t keep helping the orphans and settle down to married life at the same time. He’d never known a woman who would choose to travel the country helping abandoned and neglected children rather than having her own and he didn’t expect to find one out here.

When Simon reached Lily’s Café, he was surprised by how busy it was. But he managed to find a seat at a small table, the right size for two people. He had barely settled into his seat when the sound of footsteps close by grabbed his attention. Expecting Cat, he looked up and lost himself in lovely, intelligent eyes instead of flirtatious ones. Cecilia.

Her smile was a bit shy and Simon wondered if she felt as awkward as he did after the way they’d left things the week before. “Hello, Simon. It’s nice to see you here at Lily’s.”

Simon stood to greet her. “Well, she introduced herself last week and invited me, so I thought I’d take her up on the offer.”

Cecilia tucked her bottom lip under straight teeth. “Could I join you for a minute? There’s something I’d like to say.”

He gestured at the open chair with a shrug. Cecilia seemed to avoid his gaze as she seated herself while Simon did the same. An awkward silence fell between them. Simon glanced around the room, taking in the other patrons and trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t make the moment more uncomfortable. But Cecilia broke the silence with a rush of words. “I think I owe you an apology. I know I was a bit rude last week when we parted and I’m sorry for that.”

Her face was so earnest that Simon couldn’t have held a grudge against her even if he’d wanted to. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure I pushed too hard. I’ve been told I can be overbearing.”

Amusement crossed her face and he wondered if she would have made a joke about his words if he hadn’t made her so uncomfortable before. The look passed and she shook her head. “No, I don’t want any distractions or tension when we’re out visiting the children, so I need to explain. It isn’t that I didn’t trust you to take me home or that I have anything to hide. I simply value my independence. Men so often treat single women like we’re unable to handle ourselves, but I’ve been doing fine for several years on my own. I don’t want you to think you need to take special care with me. I’m not weak and fragile.”

* * *

The statement wasn’t untrue. Cecilia didn’t want to be coddled because she was an unmarried female. There was just so much more to it. But she couldn’t tell him about the years she’d spent pining over men who were never interested in her. Or about how, after Mama died when the girls were small, Papa used to treat Cecilia like she was a china doll, so delicate he was afraid to touch her. He’d never treated her sisters like that. Coralee’s strength always commanded respect rather than overprotection. And Cat’s carefree confidence tended to keep people at arm’s length. All too often, people treated Cecilia like she wasn’t able to handle life on the frontier on her own.

Simon’s tilted head and furrowed brow confirmed that keeping her deepest reasons to herself was the right choice. It was clear he didn’t see why being treated as if she couldn’t manage alone was a bad thing. And how could he? A man who had spent most of his life with no one to answer to would never understand why she had to work so hard to do things independently.

She was quite glad when he nodded and the confusion on his face cleared as if he’d considered all the angles and decided to accept her simplified explanation. She felt a little of the tight knot in her stomach relax. Spending hours side-by-side with him when they visited the children would have been unbearable if that awkwardness had persisted.

Looking across the small table at Simon, she was struck by the urge to stay and learn more about him. She’d seen him at the church service the day before, but she had wondered all week what he was doing and if she’d run into him around town. “Were you able to fill the rest of your week with any interesting activities?”

Before Simon could even open his mouth to answer her question, the room stilled and Cecilia turned to see Cat. After making her usual dramatic entrance, she sashayed to their table in a cloud of delicately flowered skirts. Every dark hair was in a perfect, flattering arrangement that looked like it had taken her hours. And had she pinched her cheeks before coming in? How else could she have such a charming pink flush on her skin all the time?

Cat’s dusky voice grated on Cecilia’s nerves as she flashed her favorite flirty smile at Simon. “Hello, Simon. Cecilia.”

Cecilia raised an eyebrow at her sister. “I’m surprised to see you here today. You usually do anything you can to get out of helping at the café. There was no excuse Aunt Lily would accept this time?”

Cat’s eyes flashed with humor. “Oh, I’m not here to work today. But can you believe she didn’t think I really agreed to help rescue a child from a well outside town yesterday? There’s no reason that couldn’t be true.”

A sudden cough brought both women’s attention to Simon, who had his mouth covered with one hand. In spite of her irritation with Cat, Cecilia bit back her own laugh. He was trying so hard to be polite. Cat caught his concealed humor, as well, responding with an audacious wink. “Well, I suppose it could be a little far-fetched.”

Cat and Simon burst out in laughter, but Cecilia couldn’t help the sudden burn of jealousy that hit her heart. Every male eye in the room turned and locked on her sister as her tinkling giggle echoed. Cecilia was certain that nothing she did had ever garnered that kind of attention.

Simon’s deep chuckle drew her gaze back to him and Cecilia was surprised to find that he was looking right at her, rather than watching Cat. She turned away, hoping the sudden flush in her cheeks wasn’t showing as much as she felt it. Unlike Cat, she looked splotchy when she blushed. But she was soon distracted when Cat pulled an empty chair from the next table and joined them without even bothering to ask if she was welcome.

Cecilia plastered a smile on her face. “Don’t you have any business that brought you to the café, Cat?”

Her sister nodded, oblivious to Cecilia’s irritation, then turned to smile at Simon. “Yes, of course. Simon, won’t you explain why you invited me for supper? I’ve been dying to find out what’s going on since you sent that messenger.”

Cecilia’s gaze shot to Simon to see him blinking rapidly, his face blank. “Uh, well. Yes, supper.” He was usually so self-assured. Had Cat’s presence affected him more than he let on? Cecilia’s heart sank. She would have loved to think that Simon was different, impervious to her sister’s stunning beauty rather than enthralled by it. But he was as distracted by Cat as every other man.

Shoving her chair back with more force than she’d intended, Cecilia felt eyes around the room shift to her. Sure, they looked at her now, when her face must be redder than the flowers embroidered on Cat’s dress. Fighting to maintain some dignity, she thrust her chin in the air and spoke so only Simon and Cat could hear. “Well, allow me to get out of your way so you can get to that important business.”

She turned to walk away, but it didn’t seem that a graceful retreat was possible for her. Her foot caught on the leg of a chair that was pushed out too far and she stumbled. And found herself falling straight toward Simon.

His hands shot out and grabbed her upper arms, holding her steady against him even as he stood to help her gain her footing. She had a horrible suspicion that he could actually feel the heat coming off her cheeks. She tried to shake off his hands, but he held her for a moment longer, leaning close to speak in a low voice. “Cecilia, you aren’t in the way. There’s nothing private about what I need to discuss with Cat.”

Unable to pull her gaze from the intensity in his eyes, she instead managed to pull her arms from his grasp and force false cheer into her voice. “Oh, I know. It’s all right. The school term starts next week and I have so much to get done before then. I can’t afford to waste a minute.”

Cecilia hurried out of the café before she made another foolish mistake. Honestly, she’d almost fallen straight into Simon’s lap. That was the sort of thing that made men think she wasn’t able to handle herself and turn their attention right back to Cat, the graceful, confident one.

As she hurried around the corner of the building to the house she shared with Aunt Lily and Cat, Cecilia’s steps slowed. What were they doing now? Had Cat started to giggle at Cecilia’s abrupt and clumsy exit? Had Simon sat across from her and rolled his eyes at Cecilia’s blunder? Or had he become transfixed by Cat’s dancing eyes and perfect complexion and forgotten all about Cecilia?

Leaning against the side of the house, Cecilia let the ache wash over her for a brief second. Part of her quest for independence meant putting aside her previous habit of convincing herself that men shared her romantic notions when they didn’t at all. Time after time, she’d put herself in a position to have her heart broken because she couldn’t keep her feelings realistic. Changing that impulse was far from easy. It hurt every time she confronted the fact that she would never be sought after the way Cat was.

But that was her reality. Turning her face toward air laced with the hint of fall chill, she let her head fall back against the rough wood boards. Keeping her heart steady and unattached was harder than she imagined. But the scene with Simon and Cat was exactly what she’d needed to remind herself how important it was to her future. Her solitary future.

Rushing footsteps echoed from the boardwalk in front of the café. Cecilia looked up to see Cat hurry around the corner. A bright grin broke out on Cat’s face when she caught sight of Cecilia. “I don’t know why you had to rush off, but you’ll never guess what Simon wanted.”