The Bitter and the Sweet (Kansas Crossroads Book 9) Read online

  Sarah laughed and put her arm around her aunt’s shoulders. “Rest. We can’t solve all the problems of the world right now, but we can get you well.”

  As the train moved out of the station one chug at a time, she thought she saw Stephen on the platform. She’d never gotten a chance to say good-bye.

  ***

  “What do you mean, Sarah Palmer is getting on the train?” Stephen looked up from the paperwork on his desk.

  The porter shrugged. “I just helped her aunt climb aboard, and I wondered if we should build a ramp and have it ready for things like that so we don’t have to come up with ideas every time.”

  “Yes, yes, of course. See to it, would you?” Stephen was already out of his chair and grabbing his coat. He was out the door before the porter could even reply.

  He ran down the length of the platform from his office just as the train started into motion. Where was Sarah? Perhaps that was her in the window seat there, but he wasn’t sure, and then she was gone. He kicked at the platform as he turned away. Where was she going, and why so suddenly?

  He should have gone to see her. He should have forgotten everything his brother said—Gilbert was probably lying anyway. But being told that Sarah wanted nothing to do with the entire family—that had stunned him, and he hadn’t known how to react. He thought he’d give it a few days and then pay a call to see what she really meant, but that chance just slipped away, riding a train out of town.

  He walked over to the ticket office. “Sarah Palmer and her aunt just left on the train. Can you tell me where they were going?”

  The ticket agent looked flustered. “I don’t know, Mr. Howard. You told me yourself that ticket sales are confidential, and that I should never tell anyone where someone’s going. I mean, you’re the boss, so maybe I’m supposed to make an exception for you, but maybe this is a test, and if I tell you, you’ll fire me. I don’t know, Mr. Howard. What do you want me to do?”

  Stephen shook his head. This young clerk was trying to do the right thing—he shouldn’t give him a hard time. “You’re right, of course. You should never tell anyone, including me. Fine job.” He smiled and walked away, looking for a cab for hire. There was more than one way to get the information he needed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Denver, Colorado – Topeka, Kansas

  1875

  As the train rumbled ever eastward, Dr. Wayment kept a close eye on Aunt Clasby, listening to her heart whenever the train stopped and checking her pulse. Sarah could tell that her aunt was tired, but she had no way of knowing if the change in altitude was helping or if it was making any sort of difference at all. After a while, she took her own advice and drifted off, trying anything she could to make the trip seem shorter. She very much disliked having to sit still for long periods of time, and train travel felt like the ultimate punishment.

  When at last they pulled into the station at Topeka and she saw the Brody Hotel through her window, Sarah felt like shouting for joy. She didn’t think that would be entirely appropriate or ladylike, though, and she didn’t want to embarrass her aunt, so she held back. Inside, though, she was gleefully dancing.

  Once Aunt Clasby was safely on the platform, Sarah took her arm and Dr. Wayment took the other, and they guided her over to the hotel. Elizabeth met them on the front steps.

  “Mrs. Clasby, welcome. Dr. Wayment sent us a telegram and told us you were coming, and I’ve prepared a room for you.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Brody. I appreciate that a great deal.”

  Elizabeth gave Sarah a quick hug, and then they set about helping Aunt Clasby get situated. Tom carried the trunk upstairs, Mr. Brody and Dr. Wayment lent their arms while Aunt Clasby navigate the stairs, and then Sarah helped her aunt undress and climb into bed.

  “My goodness,” Aunt Clasby said as she relaxed on the fresh sheets, “I never realized that getting ready for bed could be so difficult.”

  “You just rest,” Sarah told her, then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “That’s all you need to think about now—resting and getting better.” But her aunt was asleep before Sarah had even finished speaking.

  Dr. Wayment was in the dining room, eating a piece of cherry pie, when Sarah found him. She took the seat next to him and rested her chin on her elbows. “What do you think, Doctor? How did she do on the trip?”

  He finished chewing, then took a sip of water before answering. “I think she did very well. She’s going to be fatigued for the next few days, but I expect that come Sunday, she’ll feel quite a bit better.”

  “So we’ll know by then if this worked?”

  “That’s right. I have every reason to be hopeful, and it’s just a matter of time now.”

  Sarah nodded. “She fell asleep as soon as she climbed in bed.”

  “That’s exactly what she needs. Send for me if you need anything, and I’ll be by tomorrow.” He stood up and pushed his chair back into place. “If this does turn out to be the answer, that’s something else, isn’t it? Quite a fascinating case.”

  “Yes, it would be something else.” Sarah watched him go with amusement on her face. For as long as she’d known him, he’d always been obsessed with science. It was almost like watching a little boy study his bug collection.

  ***

  Ruth threw her arms around Sarah and gave her a tight squeeze. “Oh, I’m so glad to see you! Everyone’s been wonderful to help out, but running this kitchen is hard. I don’t know how you’ve done it so well for so long.”

  “I don’t either, but now I have you, and hopefully, we’ll never go back to what it was before.” Sarah looked around the kitchen with appreciation. “I haven’t been gone very long, but I really missed this place. I didn’t realize how much I loved my pots and pans and all my sharp knives.”

  “Speaking of your sharp knives . . .” Ruth held up her left hand. The first finger was bandaged. “I had to learn to make peace with those on the first day you were gone.”

  Sarah shook her head. “How many times have I told you to be careful with those?”

  Ruth laughed. “You won’t have to tell me again. I learned my lesson.”

  The waitresses told Sarah they had everything under control for the rest of the day so she didn’t need to worry about it, but she still took a minute to walk around and check on everything. There seemed to be enough bread, and they should have plenty of pie. She’d need to order more flour and sugar, though. She smiled at the warm familiarity of being home. Yes, the Brody was home—she was more convinced of that than ever.

  ***

  The sun dawned bright and warm the next morning, casting rays through the attic bedroom window. Sarah stretched in her own bed, content and warm, before crawling out from beneath the blankets and into the frigid air.

  “I don’t like winter. I really don’t like winter.” Nancy Ann got up, but she took her blanket with her, keeping it wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

  “Just think—another few lifetimes, and it will be over,” Giselle said good-naturedly.

  Sarah couldn’t tell what Nancy Ann muttered in reply, but from the tone, she could tell it wasn’t all that complimentary, and she laughed.

  As soon as Sarah was dressed, she headed downstairs to check on Aunt Clasby. Her aunt had taken some dinner the night before and then gone right back to sleep. It was probably the best thing for her, but now, Sarah was ready to talk to her and see how she was feeling, and she was glad to see her sitting up in bed.

  “Good morning,” Sarah said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “How did you sleep?”

  “On my back, mostly, although I did spend a little time on my side, and some on my stomach.”

  Sarah grinned. “You sound like you’re feeling some better.”

  “I’m definitely better rested, and I believe my headache is gone. I don’t want to jinx anything by saying that too loud, though.” She whispered the last, and Sarah nodded.

  “I understand. Let me go down and get you some tea and breakfast, and then it wil
l be time for the first train.”

  “Thank you, my dear. That would be very nice.”

  Sarah made a tray for her aunt, putting on a wide variety of nice things. She was so glad to see her aunt’s improved spirits—even the color of her skin seemed healthier. Of course, Sarah could just be imagining things, but she really hoped not.

  “All right,” she said, coming back into the room. “I brought you corn bread, jam, scrambled eggs, sausage, tea, and plum pudding.”

  “My goodness. Are you trying to fatten me up so you can cook me and serve me to all your hotel guests? I’ll never be able to eat all that.”

  “Then eat what you can and leave the rest. We’re celebrating today, and you can’t celebrate without a nice meal.”

  “Oh? What are we celebrating?”

  “The fact that you’re going to get better.” Sarah paused as she heard the whistle of the train. “That’s my signal to get to work. I’ll come back up after I’m done serving, all right?”

  Aunt Clasby had already dug into the plum pudding, and waved her spoon in agreement.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Topeka, Kansas

  1875

  Sarah was well into her routine of scooping up beans, slicing bread, and filling trays when Giselle came into the kitchen, a worried look on her face. “Sarah, can you come out into the dining room for a minute? One of our customers wants to talk to you.”

  “What? Is something wrong with his food?”

  “He didn’t say. He just was very insistent that he see you.”

  Sarah bit her lip. She’d tasted all the food herself—she always did—so she knew there was nothing wrong with it. “Well, we can’t have him upsetting the other customers. Please ask him to wait for me in the parlor, and I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “All right.” Giselle went through the swinging doors to the dining room, then returned a moment later. “He’s waiting for you. Here—let me take over.” She picked up a knife and sliced more bread.

  “If I’m not back in a few minutes, you might want to call the sheriff,” Sarah said, pulling off her messy apron. No matter how tidy she tried to stay, she was always covered in food by the end of each meal service. “I’m not sure what they do to cook killers in Topeka, but I hope it’s harsh.”

  Giselle smiled. “Just go. I’m sure it’s not going to be that bad.”

  Sarah walked through the dining room and down the hall toward the lobby and parlor. Mr. Brody was there, visiting with his guests—as usual—and she breathed a sigh of relief. If this customer was in a bad mood, all she’d have to do was scream, and Mr. Brody would come running. He was well known for his commitment to keeping his employees safe, and wore a Colt under his jacket at all times just in case.

  She stopped short on the threshold when she saw who was actually waiting for her in the parlor. “Stephen?”

  He grinned, but he seemed ill at ease. “Hello, Sarah.”

  “What . . . I’m sorry, but I’m just so surprised to see you. Why are you here?”

  He motioned to the sofa, and she sat down. He didn’t, though—he seemed too agitated. “You left Denver in a hurry. I went to your cousin’s house to find out why, but Charlie answered the door, and all I could get out of him was that Grandma needed to go live at your hotel.”

  Sarah smiled. That was so Charlie. “Dr. Wayment arrived and examined my aunt, and he believes she’s suffering from altitude sickness. Denver is apparently four thousand feet higher than Topeka. He suggested that we bring her here immediately to see if it would help her.”

  “And has it helped her?”

  “It’s a bit too early to tell, but she looks more lively this morning than she has for quite some time.”

  “Good. Good.” Stephen rocked forward and back on his heels. For some reason, Sarah found it annoying.

  “Would you like to sit down?”

  “What? Oh, yes. I suppose I’d better.” He sat, but didn’t seem comfortable.

  “I answered your question about why I left so suddenly, but you haven’t answered mine yet. Why are you here?”

  “I suppose . . . I suppose I needed the answer to a question.”

  “All right.” A question? He came all the way to Kansas to ask a question? “What would you like to know?”

  “Gilbert . . . Gilbert told me that you told him . . . That sounds a little convoluted, doesn’t it?” He gave a nervous chuckle. “Did you tell Gilbert that you wanted nothing to do with our family ever again?”

  “Yes, I did say that. For some reason, he had the gall to show up at the house and invite me out for the evening. This was after everything I’d been through with your mother that day. I was more than ready to be done with the entire Howard clan.” She chuckled, but then she caught the look on his face. “I didn’t mean you, Stephen. Of course I didn’t mean you.”

  He pressed his lips together. “When you say ‘the entire Howard clan’ so emphatically, how am I supposed to know that I’m excluded from that statement?”

  “I should be more clear. I’m sorry.” Sarah couldn’t believe she’d been so thoughtless. He must think she didn’t value their friendship at all. “Is that why I didn’t see you for so long? You thought I was done with you?”

  He stood up and walked over to the window. A light snow had begun to fall, and it looked rather pretty through the curtains, something like lace upon lace.

  Sarah stood as well and joined him. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize how my careless words must have sounded. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful for our friendship.”

  “Friendship?” Stephen turned and looked at her. “Friendship?”

  Before she even knew what was happening, he slipped his arm around her waist, pulled her close, and kissed her, his other hand cupping the back of her head. She was so surprised, she almost pulled back, but then the deliciousness of his kiss overwhelmed her, and she threw her arms around his neck. Tingles rushed up her back and down her arms, and she could hardly believe what was happening.

  After a moment, Stephen loosened his grip, but didn’t let her go. “Is that what you call friendship?” he whispered.

  “I . . . I don’t know what to call it. Unexpected, maybe?” Sarah gave a shaky laugh, and he dropped his arms.

  “Unwelcome?”

  “No. Not at all. Just . . . unexpected.” She sank into the chair nearest the window, her knees a little weak. “How long have you felt this way?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t even realize it until I saw the train leave the station. That was rotten timing, wasn’t it?”

  “It wasn’t the best.” Sarah made her hands into fists, trying to stop their trembling. She didn’t know what was happening to her. She needed a moment to think, to figure out what had just happened, but she also wanted to throw herself in his arms again and forget that logic even existed.

  “What am I going to do with you, Sarah Palmer?”

  “Me? What do you mean, me? The real question is, what am I going to do with you? I wasn’t planning on this—not at all.”

  “I certainly wasn’t planning on you either, but here we are.” Stephen plunked down beside her. “I’m afraid it’s hopeless.”

  “It is?”

  “It is. I tried to talk myself out of it all the way here. It’s quite a long train ride, as I’m sure you realized yesterday, so that was hour upon hour of telling myself that this was a really bad idea, that you hate the Howards, that I was going to make a fool of myself. And now that I’m here, I have to turn around and go back.”

  “What?” Sarah pressed a hand to her forehead. “You’re giving me a headache. Why do you have to go back so soon?”

  “Do you remember that situation with my father?”

  She nodded.

  “For better or worse, I brought Gilbert in on my concerns and asked for his help. Right before I left, literally as I was walking out the door, I got a message that he has what I need. I have to take care of this, whatever it is that he found.” />
  “You have the evidence you need, and you still came to see me instead of checking it out?”

  “I did.”

  Sarah grinned. “That’s possibly the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “You think so?”

  “I do.”

  “Well, how about this.” He scooted his chair a little closer to hers and picked up her hand. “What if I came back as soon as I’m finished in Denver? Would that be romantic?”

  “Yes, I think it would be.”

  He kissed the back of her hand. “I won’t be gone any longer than necessary. You and I deserve a chance to figure this out, to see where this is going, don’t you think?”

  “Yes. Most definitely.”

  He stood up and pulled her into his arms again. “I need to go—the station manager gave me the arrival time of the next train, and we’re getting pretty close. Don’t go anywhere, all right?”

  “Me? You’re the one who’s getting on a train.”

  “Oh, yes. That’s right.” He kissed her again, starting with her nose and then moving to her mouth. This time, she wasn’t surprised, and she relaxed fully in his arms. She liked his arms. They were wonderful arms.

  “I promise, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Then he was gone, dashing toward the train station.

  Sarah watched him through the curtains until he disappeared into the crowd on the platform. Then she let the lacy fabric fall back into place and held back a sigh.

  “I don’t usually let strange men come in the hotel and kiss my employees, but I figured I’d let that one slide,” Mr. Brody said, coming into the parlor.

  “I’m sorry about that. I hope I didn’t embarrass any of the customers,” she replied.

  “I didn’t hear any complaints.” Mr. Brody sat on the couch and considered her. “I take it Denver was more of an adventure than you thought it would be.”