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  Tea for Two

  Cowboys and Angels Book Fifteen

  by Amelia C. Adams

  With thanks to my beta readers—Amy, Cissie, Erin, Mary, Melissa, and Shelby.

  Copyright © 2018 Amelia C. Adams

  Cover design by Erin Dameron-Hill

  Table of Contents:

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  Regina Stoker alighted from the train and stood for a moment, looking at her new surroundings. She’d been told that Creede, Colorado, was as different as it could be from her home in London, England, and that had most certainly not been an exaggeration. Where she was used to smoggy, crowded streets and tall buildings, now she saw mountains that rose up higher than anything she’d ever imagined, and the sky was a brilliant blue. She pulled in a deep breath and then exhaled, ready to put her long journey behind her and start afresh.

  “I’ve never been so glad to set foot on solid ground in my entire life.” Ariadne Stoker, Regina’s sister, descended behind her and shook out the folds of her skirt. “Are we finally here?”

  “We are finally here.” Regina lifted her arms and motioned around in a circle. “Have you ever seen anything more alive and free?”

  “Or primitive or dusty?” Ariadne shook her head. “I don’t know how you get these ideas in your head, Regina, but I must say, this one is far and beyond any of your previous schemes. And why I came along with you, I may never know.”

  “Because you couldn’t bear to see me go off into the wilderness of America alone. You were being a kind and thoughtful sister.”

  “No, it’s because I was mentally imbalanced.” Ariadne shook her head again. “It’s not too late, you know. They haven’t even taken our trunks off the train. We could go back.”

  “They’d have to take our trunks off the train if we went back—this train’s going to California, and it likely won’t be back this way for a few days.”

  “Why must you always point out the logic?”

  Regina smiled. “Because one of us must. Come on now—you don’t really want to go back, do you? There’s nothing for us in London anymore. When Father died, he took all our ties with him. Now we can create whole new futures for ourselves.” They’d had this conversation multiple times on the boat and multiple times on the train, and Regina was beginning to feel as though they’d be having it forever. Even though Ariadne was the older sister by thirteen months, she seemed to need constant reassurance to do . . . well, almost anything. Regina had always been the leader.

  “I just can’t imagine it here. It’s so . . . rustic.”

  “Compared to what we’re used to, yes, but you can’t compare a city like London, which has been in existence since 50 A.D., with Creede, which was established practically the other day. They haven’t had time to build theaters and museums and whatnot. They will, given time, and we’ll have a chance to be a part of it.”

  Ariadne groaned. “You and your motivating speeches. Very well—where are we going from here?”

  “First, we’ll ask the stationmaster to hold our trunks. Then we’ll find a boarding house or hotel. Once we’ve done that, we should track down this Reverend Bing and tell him we’ve come in answer to his summons.” When the sisters had landed in New York, all they’d known was that they were looking for something new. Then they’d caught sight of a newspaper advertisement pinned up on the wall of a small lunch counter asking for people to come take up residence in Colorado. Ariadne, of course, had been resistant, but something about the idea had spoken to Regina, and now, here they were.

  “And what if he’s changed his mind and doesn’t want us?” Ariadne said. “He could have had several responses already and might not need more.”

  Regina turned and looked her sister full in the eye. “I know this is hard. I know this is frightening and wild and most likely not even ladylike, but here we are, and we’re going to make the most of it. Now tell me, so I know what to prepare for. Are you going to keep feeling sorry for yourself forever, or do you imagine you might stop it at some point?”

  Ariadne opened and closed her mouth a few times. “I . . . I suppose I have been rather difficult to get along with lately,” she replied at last. “I’ll try to have a better disposition about the whole thing.”

  “Thank you. Now, they’ve just unloaded our trunks—let’s speak with the stationmaster and be on our way.”

  ***

  Jake Honeycutt lifted the saddle off the back of Butternut, his horse, and imagined that he could hear the animal sigh with relief. He chuckled. “I know, boy. It’s been a long day for all of us.” He’d been riding the perimeter of the Circle K doing needed repairs on the fencing, and the sun had been blistering hot. He wished he knew how much longer he’d be on that particular task. The Circle K was sixty-five thousand acres, with fifty thousand of that being grazing land and the rest covered in timber. He didn’t have to worry so much about the timber portion, but the grazing land was important, and there was a lot of it.

  It wasn’t that he disliked working with his hands—it’s just that he’d rather be working with the animals. On a ranch, though, you did what you had to do, and you didn’t bellyache about it.

  He grabbed a brush and gave Butternut a good working over, figuring the animal deserved extra attention. Then he realized he could use some attention himself and took a bath, going a little hard on the soap. By the time he hoisted himself out of the tub, he felt a whole lot better. He pulled on some clean clothes and made his way to the dining room.

  When he sat down at the dinner table, Ginger, one of the other ranch hands, slapped him on the back. “Gettin’ all prettied up for something?”

  “No, just tired of smelling worse than my horse.” Jake took a bite of stew and washed it down with a gulp of water. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he sat down, and now he felt like he could eat the whole pot of stew.

  “Mrs. Clark came by a bit ago and asked if you’d ride into town for her tomorrow,” Finny said from across the table. “Needs some things from the mercantile and said she’d make a list. Something’s coming in on the train for her, too.”

  Jake nodded. He didn’t mind going into town on errands. Sure, sometimes he was asked to pick up ribbons or lace or some other feminine doodads, but the mercantile folks were real good about packaging it up for him so it wasn’t flapping in the breeze behind him as he rode. And he enjoyed the view along the way—the ranch was situated between Topaz and Creede, and he believed that God had never made such pretty country as He did out that stretch.

  The next morning, he saddled up and headed over to the main house to find Mrs. Clark. She handed him a list and thanked him, and he was on his way. The sun was just as relentless as it had been the day before, but it didn’t seem so punishing this time because he wasn’t lifting poles or stringing wire.

  A stream ran along the edge of the road a few miles out from Creede, and he stopped and dismounted to let his horse have a drink. He noticed a girl of about twelve years old sitting on the bank with her feet in the water, a long fishing pole clutched tightly in one hand. She wore a pair of faded overalls with holes in the knees, and her blonde hair came down her back in two braids. She was a stranger to him, but with all the new families moving in, he supposed that was to be expected.

  “Mornin’,” he said. “Any luck?”

  “No, not yet,” she replied. She squinted up at hi
m, shielding her eyes from the sun with her free hand. “That’s all right, though, because I was just keeping myself entertained until you came along.”

  That perplexed Jake. “You’re waiting for me? Whatever for?”

  “How should I know what for? I only know what is.” She hopped to her bare feet and leaned the pole against a tree. “See, here’s the thing. I just take my assignments as they come. I don’t ask questions. Questions are a waste of time, usually.”

  “Assignments?” He glanced around. “Do you live in the area somewhere? I don’t recall ever meeting you before. Who’re your folks?”

  “Well now, that’s where things get a little complicated.” She folded her arms across her chest. “I’m an angel, ya see, so I’m not what you would say from these parts.”

  Jake blinked at her. “I beg pardon?”

  “An angel. A heavenly being.” She pointed upward at the sky. “Sent from above. Gracious—have you ever read a Bible or been to church?”

  “Many a time, but I don’t recall reading or hearing anything about little girls with fishing poles.”

  She shook her head. “I hope you’re not going to be this impossible the whole time I’m here. That would just make things a whole heap harder than they need to be.”

  “What do you mean, the whole time you’re here? What’s going on, anyway?” Jake was pretty sure he was dreaming. He never touched alcohol, so there was no other way to explain it.

  “Every so often, certain people need a nudge or a little help, and today, that just happens to be you, Jake Honeycutt.”

  He blinked. “How did you know my name?”

  “Because you’re the one I’m looking for.” She shook her head again. “I can see that we’re not going to get too far trying to have a real educated conversation, so I’m just gonna lay it all out there. Sometimes we get a little too stuck in our ruts, and then we don’t get all the good things life has in store for us. I’ve been sent here to tell ya to loosen up a little and be willing to try some new things out, stuff ya might never have thought of before. See what sorts of other things life has for ya.” She picked up her pole and started walking up the creek bed.

  Jake stared at her retreating back for a minute before calling out, “Wait. You were sent by heaven to tell me not to be such a stick in the mud?”

  She turned around and flashed him a toothy grin. “Sometimes people need a pretty good kick in the pants.”

  And then she was gone. Jake didn’t even see her finish walking away—she was just plum gone.

  He wiped a hand down his face, then gathered up Butternut’s reins. “I’ve lost my mind,” he muttered as he climbed back into the saddle. “That’s all there is to it.”

  There was nothing to be done but to push it from his mind, so that’s what he did as he continued on to town. No point in fretting over something he had no control over, and if he was for sure losing his mind, he couldn’t stop it now. He might as well just enjoy it.

  Chapter Two

  Regina looked up and down the main street of town, a bit bewildered. There was so much construction going on, it was hard to determine which businesses were open and which were closed, and she wasn’t seeing a sign for a hotel or a boarding house right off. The man at the station had said that he could hold their trunks for two days without a storage fee, and that was nice to hear, but she’d just as soon have them back as soon as possible. He seemed trustworthy enough, but she’d always been overly cautious.

  “At least there are lots of women in town,” Ariadne said in an undertone. “I hardly saw any on the train platform, and I was starting to wonder if they were a rarity out here in the west.”

  “They are, actually, from what I’ve been reading,” Regina said. “Most of the people out this way are men who have come to work on the railroad or the mines. The ratio of men to women definitely favors the men.”

  “I would say something about our chances for romance being rather good, but I haven’t caught sight of a man yet who isn’t covered in some sort of filth.” Ariadne shook her head, disgust on her face. “Have they never heard of baths in this town?”

  “You must understand, my dear ladies, that Creede is situated near a mine, and mining is very dirty work indeed.”

  The sisters turned at the sound of the new voice. A man stood there dressed in a fine suit, clutching his lapels. He gave them a small bow. “My name is Archibald Grady, but you may call me Archie. It’s much friendlier, I believe. Welcome to our humble town.”

  Regina nodded. “We’re pleased to meet you. I’m Regina Stoker, and this is my sister, Ariadne.”

  “Ah, Ariadne. From Greek mythology, the lovely maiden who helped the hero escape the minotaur.” He gave another little bow, and Ariadne giggled.

  Regina was not amused. Anything that made her sister giggle was likely not good for her.

  “I’m impressed,” Ariadne said. “Most people don’t know where my name comes from.”

  “Don’t be too impressed, dear lady. The bits of knowledge in my head are few and far between. That was mere chance.” He held out his arm. “I wonder if I might invite you into my saloon. There are certain aspects of it that are still under construction or repair, but I’ll buy you a drink to welcome you properly.”

  “A drink? Mr. Grady, we were brought up as gentlewomen in a gentleman’s home. Offering us a drink is hardly the way to win us over, or whatever you might be trying to do.” Regina tried to keep her voice modulated, but she couldn’t help the flash of irritation she felt. She’d thought they’d met their first friend in town, but now she was sure that they’d met their first snake in the grass. She liked that expression—it sounded so very Western.

  Archie pressed his lips together, but then smiled. “My dear ladies, I meant no offense. We serve lemonade as well as liquor, and that’s what I meant to offer. I regret that I was so unclear.”

  His apology sounded well-meaning, if a bit flowery, but she’d seen the glint of anger in his eyes, and she wasn’t any likelier to trust him now than she had been thirty seconds before.

  “I’m afraid we’ll have to decline. Thank you for your offer.” She tipped her head at him, threaded her arm through Ariadne’s, and all but forced her sister to march down the street.

  “What on earth? Regina, how could you be so rude?” Ariadne snatched her arm away. “He was being polite.”

  “He was being predatory. Gracious, Ariadne, with all those novels you read, I would have thought that you’d recognize a villain when you met one.”

  “Really? You think he’s a villain?” Ariadne turned to look, but Regina grabbed her arm again and flipped her to the front.

  “Yes! And why must you sound so excited about it?”

  “Because I’ve always wanted to meet a real-life villain. And you just ruined it for me!”

  Regina looked skyward. “We need to find a hotel or boarding house. Once we’re settled, I’ll do my best to find you at least three real-life villains to choose from, but none of them will be Archibald Grady. He makes my skin crawl.”

  “I thought he was handsome.”

  “You’re only interested in him because he recognized the origin of your name. Choose someone else, I’ll buy him a book, and then he’ll know too.” Regina nudged her sister to keep walking, ignoring the curious looks of the men they passed. “Look—over there. I think we just found a hotel. Let’s go inside and see if it’s decent.”

  ***

  Jake had just dismounted in front of the general store when he caught sight of two pretty blonde ladies walking down the street. They were both striking, but it was the one on the left that caught his attention the most. She had a lively, intelligent face—which, sadly, she turned away from him when Archie Grady came up from behind and started a conversation.

  Archie Grady. Jake disliked that man in every which way he could think of. He was always scheming, always trying to push ahead, always grasping for whatever he could get. Jake doubted he even knew what it meant to speak the t
ruth, and now it rankled on him that these two pretty young women were having a conversation with him.

  Before he knew what he was about, he’d tied up his horse and was heading that direction, thinking he’d interrupt before anyone got bamboozled. Of course, he’d never met these ladies and he didn’t know how they’d feel about a perfect stranger busting in, but he had met Archie, and he was willing to risk breaking whatever rules of etiquette this fell under. He’d never been much for etiquette anyway.

  Just before he got there, though, he suddenly found himself flanked by the younger Crowther sisters. He never could remember their names, just that they had a fondness for cowboys, and they certainly weren’t shy about making their feelings known.

  “Hello, Jake,” one of them said, tucking her arm through his. “We haven’t seen you in town for a while. Been busy?”

  “Just doing some chores around the ranch.” He tried to pull his arm free, but she was stronger than she looked, that one was.

  “What kind of chores?” the other one asked.

  “Mending fences, that sort of thing.” He tried to keep his eye on what was going on with Archie and the two ladies, but those Crowther girls . . . they were determined.

  “We’ve been talking about having a little party, and we’d sure like it if you came,” the first one said. Was her name Penny? Seemed like it was Penny. “You could even bring a few of your friends from the ranch. Couldn’t he, Lissy?”

  That’s right. The other one was Lissy. Jake cleared his throat. “They aren’t much into parties, and I’m not either, sorry to say. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”

  “Why, that’s silly! Everyone likes parties,” Lissy said. “Even if you don’t care for dancing, we’ll have all sorts of food, and we’re inviting lots of the new people in town so we can all get a chance to meet them.”

  “There are lots of new people, you know,” Penny added. “We can’t let them feel unwelcome.”

  The two ladies had turned and were walking away from Archie now, and Jake breathed a sigh of relief. His objective hadn’t been met at all, but at least they weren’t in Archie’s clutches. He wished he could say the same for himself and the Crowthers’ clutches. Their older sister, Benita, had been the town’s biggest flirt until she found herself married, and it seemed that her younger siblings had decided to take up her banner.