A New Beginning Read online

  A New Beginning

  Kansas Crossroads, Book One

  by Amelia C. Adams

  This is a work of fiction, and the views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author. Likewise, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are represented fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Copyright © 2015 Amelia C. Adams

  Acknowledgements

  With special thanks to Kirsten Osbourne, for encouraging and mentoring me through the process of trying something new.

  Thanks also to my beta readers—Anne, Bobbie Sue, Cissie, Kristi, Lachele, Nancy, and Ronda.

  My gratitude to my formatter, Karen Hoover, who did a fantastic job; and I love my cover so much—you are amazing, Steven Novak!

  Chapter One

  Topeka, Kansas

  1875

  Adam Brody stood on the dirt road and squinted up at the hotel, the incessant Kansas sun beating down on him, causing a thin trail of sweat to trickle down the back of his neck. He waved at the building in front of them with a grand gesture, hoping that the heat of the day wouldn’t detract from the moment. “This is it, Aunt Caroline. What do you think?”

  Caroline Hampton looked up at the massive two-story structure, from the holes in the roof down to the sagging porch. “When your father wrote his will, I’m not sure this is how he meant for you to spend your inheritance.”

  Adam tried to ignore the negative note in her voice. She had always been pragmatic—he hadn’t expected her immediate approval. “He said I should find something useful to do with it. Can’t you envision what this place can become? With a little hard work and some imagination, it will be the most successful hotel and restaurant in Topeka.”

  Caroline put her hands on her hips. “And just how many hotels and restaurants are there in Topeka?”

  “All right, so there aren’t many. The point, my dear aunt, is that we have a chance to create something wonderful.” It wouldn’t be too hard to make this place functional again. He’d have to call in a brick mason and a carpenter, a flock of maids, and certainly a chimney sweep, but none of that was out of the realm of possibility.

  Caroline shook her head, the soft wings of hair over her ears reflecting the sunlight. “I can’t believe I came all the way out here from New York to help you with this impossible dream, Adam. When you said you wanted my help running a hotel, this was not at all what I pictured.”

  “But you will be helping me run a hotel. It’s just not quite ready yet.” He took his aunt’s arm and threaded it through the crook of his elbow. “Come with me. Let’s take a tour of the Brody Hotel.”

  She shook her head again. “You’ve already named it—and after yourself?”

  “I could very well be naming it after Father, the benefactor.” He led Caroline through the gate and up the walk. The yard certainly needed work—the grass was sparse and yellow, and if there had once been any flowers in the beds, they were now dead and gone. Amazing how a few years of neglect could take a lovely mansion and leave it a virtual graveyard.

  Adam unlocked the door, and they stepped into the foyer. “Picture a desk,” he said, motioning to the right. “Here, the hostess will welcome our guests and either assign them their quarters or show them through into the dining room. These cobwebs will be gone, of course.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Caroline said. “You might say they add a certain something to the décor.”

  He chose to ignore that comment. “The floors will be polished, and look at this staircase.” He walked over and touched the balustrade. “This is some of the finest craftsmanship I’ve ever seen.”

  Caroline looked, but didn’t touch, gripping the handle of her parasol instead. “It is lovely, I’ll admit. A good cleaning will bring out its beauty again. But the carpeting—Adam, this entire staircase will have to be redone. What happened here? A stampede?”

  “I know, it looks rough. But the possibilities! Do you see the crystal wall sconces, the paneling, the—”

  Caroline chuckled and laid a hand on his arm. “You certainly are enthused, and yes, I can see the possibilities. Now show me around the rest of this place so I can see what all I’ve signed on to do.”

  Adam had been afraid that touring the place with his aunt would make him realize the foolishness of his investment, but instead, as he showed her his visions for each room, his excitement only grew. He’d long dreamed of going into business, and this particular venture would allow him to create not only a future for himself, but give Caroline and many others jobs as well. The nation’s expansion into the western states was all anyone could think about. At the rate people were moving, before long, there would be no one left on the East Coast at all—or so it seemed. If he happened to provide a service that was badly needed while at the same time making a profit, it was for the best all the way around.

  “When you asked me to select the linens, you weren’t very specific about the colors in this place.” Caroline sighed. “I only hope that when they arrive, we can make them work.”

  “I’m sure that whatever you chose will work,” Adam said. He hadn’t given a moment’s thought to the colors—that’s why he needed Caroline. He’d probably made several such mistakes already and would continue to make many more.

  “We’ll see. I was promised they’d come on Thursday’s train.” Caroline picked up her skirts and headed back down the staircase, careful of her footing. “You said you’d be bringing in a carpenter, didn’t you? Some of these treads squeak.”

  “Yes, that will be one of my first tasks. Now, let’s get a bite to eat and talk things over. You’ll be glad you came. I know it.”

  Caroline shook her head yet again—Adam was beginning to wonder if she’d had any positive feelings at all that day. “I don’t know about you, Adam. You’ve always been such a visionary.”

  They walked back out onto the porch, and Adam locked the door behind them.

  “You, my dear aunt, should explore the possibilities of life. Admit it—New York society doesn’t suit you anymore. You’ve been secretly pining for an adventure, and this could just very well be your opportunity.” He flung out his arm to encompass the whole town.

  Caroline looked around, a skeptical expression on her face. “This is my opportunity? Forgive me if I sound doubtful, but I hardly see how this qualifies. And with the train station so close, I expect your guests will be rumbled right out of their beds!”

  Adam laughed. “I knew as soon as I saw it that this was the right investment for me. Kansas is the crossroads to the western states. As the railroad extends clear to the coast, we’ll be here, welcoming everyone who wants to see this progress for themselves.” He took her elbow and steered her onto the street.

  “I hardly call it progress,” she said as they walked. “People traipsing here and there, leaving their perfectly good homes in the east to go find something they think will be better, no guarantees of anything. All that craziness about finding gold . . . at least that’s settled down somewhat, but still. Whatever happened to cultivating family land, staying to build up the communities where you were born?” She reached up and adjusted her hat against the slight breeze. “I only came because you’re my sister’s son, and you asked me. I take no part nor pleasure in this ‘progress,’ as you call it.”

  Adam turned and looked her full in the face. “Why, Aunt Caroline, if I didn’t see a young, vivacious woman standing in front of me,
I’d think you were quite elderly and ready for your afternoon nap. I’m surprised you feel this way.”

  “Young? Vivacious?” Caroline laughed. “I’m hardly either. A nap sounds delightful, and I’d love a cup of tea. You promised something to eat. Where are we going?”

  “There’s a small boarding house up ahead. It’s where I’ve been staying while I’ve concocted my nefarious plans. It’s run by a Mrs. Dempsey. She makes an excellent pot of tea, and her scones are quite good. She’s a busybody, but a kind one, and I’ve asked her to prepare her nicest room for you. That’s where the porter took your bags when we brought them off the train.”

  “Oh.” Caroline looked around like she had just now noticed that all her things had vanished. “That’s where they disappeared to.”

  Adam chuckled again. He supposed his news had been rather distracting.

  “There’s the boarding house just ahead.” He nodded toward a yellow clapboard building with a white board fence and petunias planted around the edges. It was all a bit too feminine for him, but it wasn’t his house, after all. He’d make sure the hotel was furnished to suit both male and female tastes, if there was a way to strike that balance.

  For all Caroline’s protests, she was not an old woman. She was thirty-nine to his twenty-five, his mother’s youngest sister. He’d often thought of her as being more like his cousin than his aunt. After his mother’s untimely passing the previous year, she had taken him under her wing and given him wise counsel, and now that his father was also gone, he relied on her more than ever. He needed her common sense, the stabilizing force she gave him. If he was to make a success of this new business, he’d need her at his side—if for no other reason than to rein him in if he got too carried away in his enthusiasm.

  When they reached the boarding house, he opened the gate and stood aside, gesturing for his aunt to precede him up the sidewalk. She did, but paused on the porch, waiting for him to catch up.

  “Mrs. Dempsey,” he called out as he entered, “I’ve brought you my maiden aunt, as promised.”

  Caroline swatted his arm. “You’ll have me in my grave in another minute.”

  Adam grinned. “You’re the one who’s been making claims of old age.”

  Mrs. Dempsey bustled out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. “There you are. When Mr. Brody said you were coming in on the first train today, I immediately felt sorry for you. Those things are death traps.”

  “Oh, come now, Mrs. Dempsey. Rail travel has come a long way, and will only continue to improve over time.” Adam took off his hat and hung it on a peg near the front door. “Allow me to introduce my aunt, Caroline Hampton.”

  Mrs. Dempsey bobbed her head. “It’s a pleasure to have you here, Miss Hampton. I dare say you’ll help bring some culture and civilization to this place. I understand you’re from New York.”

  Caroline nodded. “I am indeed, but I’m not sure what I can contribute, I’m afraid. I’ve never been one for socializing and keeping up with the trends.”

  “Well, it will be nice to have another woman around, regardless. Let me show you to your room so you can get settled, and I’ll put on a pot of tea.”

  “That’s exactly what we hoped you’d say.” Adam excused himself, leaving the two women to their chatter while he stepped into his own room to clean up a bit. He’d been walking around his new property since early that morning, and he felt grimy. A lot of work would go into making the place habitable again, and the first step would be a good scrubbing.

  A few moments later, Adam was seated across the table from Caroline, chewing one of Mrs. Dempsey’s delicious scones. Caroline seemed somewhat refreshed. She’d taken off her hat and changed from traveling clothes into a day dress of some sort of sprigged muslin, or whatever the women called it. He ought to pay better attention, but he never could hold such things in his head.

  “Now, Adam, let’s discuss this new proposition. To properly manage a hotel that size, you’ll need at least six young ladies to prepare the rooms and help serve the meals. You’ll need a cook, a porter, and some sort of maintenance man. Just from the little bit we discussed a moment ago, I can see that the repairs may be substantial. Are you prepared for this kind of undertaking?”

  Adam nodded. “If I’ve worked the figures correctly, I’ll have enough money to run the place for one year. At the end of that year, it will need to pay for itself.”

  “What will you do if the year comes to an end and you’ve seen no profit?”

  Adam let out a long breath. “We’d have to see, but I suppose I could get a bank loan or sell the place.”

  Caroline set down her teacup. “I doubt a bank would give you a loan if you weren’t making money. Many new businesses fail, Adam. I just want you to prepare yourself for that possibility so that if it happens, you won’t feel caught off guard.”

  “I appreciate that, Aunt Caroline. However, I do have a strong positive feeling about this. Topeka is growing—why, we’re at nearly nine thousand in population right now. We’re seeing a great increase in the numbers of people coming through every week, and those people need hot food and a place to stay.”

  “Yes, you spoke to me before about progress.” Her voice was wry. She took a scone from the plate and spread it with freshly churned butter. “Are there enough young ladies in Topeka to fill your need for employees? Mrs. Dempsey seemed to indicate that there aren’t many women around here—or maybe she just meant here in the boarding house. I did see more men than women out on the street just now, though.”

  “I don’t know. I suppose we’ll find out.” Adam flashed her a grin before taking a sip of his tea. He knew she found him irrepressible, but she still endured him anyway.

  “We’ll need to make a plan and determine how long it will take to get the property ready. What was it before? A hotel as well?”

  Adam shook his head. “No, it was a mansion. Robert Garrison, one of the men who struck it rich in the Gold Rush, brought his money here, built a home, and planned to live comfortably until his old age, but he wasted the rest on drink and gambling. He abandoned the house to go back to California in hopes of finding more gold, but he was killed by a jealous prospector, and the place has remained empty for about eight years. No one could imagine what to do with it until now.”

  Caroline dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. “That’s quite the dramatic tale. It seems more suited to a novel or the stage than the story of a man’s life.”

  “I agree. Hopefully, his folly will turn to our advantage.” Adam ate the rest of his scone and followed it with tea. “Back to the topic at hand. Today, why don’t you rest from your journey and get settled in here. Tomorrow, we can go back over to the property and make a list of everything that needs to be done. Once we’ve established that, we can advertise for the help we need.”

  Caroline nodded. “I wouldn’t mind lying down for a bit. I believe I can still feel the rumble of the train under my feet.”

  Mrs. Dempsey came back to gather up their plates. “Can I get you anything else?”

  “No, thank you, Mrs. Dempsey. This was delicious and quite satisfying.” Caroline paused for a moment. “I wonder if you’d mind a rather personal question.”

  “I won’t tell you how old I am, if that’s what you’re aiming at. We’ll just say that I’m old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyway.”

  Caroline laughed. “I would never ask a lady her age. Perhaps, though, my real question is even more sensitive. Do you run this establishment for your living? I assume Mr. Dempsey has passed on.”

  “You’d be right. I’ve been a widow these five years now.”

  “I am sorry to hear that.” Caroline paused again, and Adam wondered what she was leading up to that would make her so hesitant. “When my nephew opens his hotel, won’t he be your competition? Will that be difficult for you?”

  Mrs. Dempsey shook her head. “Oh, I imagine I’ll see some loss, but to be honest, he’ll be doing me a favor. Why, these rough men
come through here after working on the railroad for six months, and they’re dirty and coarse, and they’re just not the kind of guest I aim to attract. If Mr. Brody puts them up in his place instead, I do believe that would be a weight off my mind.” She raised a hand. “Now, heaven knows those men need a comfortable bed and a good meal just like anyone else, but I’m a single lady, and one never can be too careful.”

  Adam’s lips twitched at the thought of someone desiring to do Mrs. Dempsey a harm, but he supposed she was right to be cautious. “I’m very glad to hear that my new enterprise won’t be a burden for you, Mrs. Dempsey. You’ve taken very good care of me in my time here, and I wouldn’t want to repay your kindness with anything but the same.”

  Mrs. Dempsey’s cheeks colored a little. “You and your fancy talk. Go on with you, now—I have biscuits to make for your supper.”

  Adam chuckled as he held Caroline’s chair for her. “I’ll begin writing up the advertisement while you rest. We’ll make a go of this. I have no doubt.”

  Caroline paused before leaving the room. “Adam, I’m sure I must sound critical, and I apologize for that. I promise to put my misgivings aside and do whatever I can to help you succeed. After the year you’ve had—” Her voice caught. “You deserve every happiness, and if this will make you happy, I will be right there with you.”

  Adam reached out and caught her hand. “Thank you, Aunt Caroline. That means everything to me.”

  She nodded once and then turned away. Adam listened to her receding footsteps, wondering about the meaning of the word “happy,” wondering if he would ever truly feel such a thing again.

  Chapter Two

  Elizabeth Caldwell laid her sleeping baby in the cradle in the corner of the room. The child had been up all night, no doubt overly excited from their travels and getting settled into their new home, such as it was. Elizabeth had reached the threshold of exhaustion hours before. She tiptoed away and took a seat at the kitchen table, where her mother pressed a mug of hot coffee into her hands.