from a desperate woman. But I can’t go alone. It would be going from frying pan to fire. Without the respectability of traveling with my family, I’d be but a poor widow at the mercy of men who would think I’m no better than I have to be. I’ll have to wait even though the talk here will be worse now.” She sighed, then tried to smile. “Isn’t this just like my luck. I’d nearly earned the right to hold my head up ‘round here again.”
“You’ve always had that right, Abby girl.” Her father’s eyes narrowed. “It’s that son of Satan who hasn’t. He’s the one who abandoned you. You did nothing many a young girl hasn’t done since Eve. You loved the wrong man too soon. ‘Twas a sin to be sure, but it wasn’t the crime small-minded folks make of it. Now, that said, I’ll be takin’ meself off to bed.”
Nearly overcome, Abby jumped up and hugged her father. “Thank you, Da.”
“Don’t be thankin’ me. It should have been said long ago, and I should have protected you from it ever needing to be said. I failed you.” He sighed tiredly, and patted her cheek. “Now not another word.”
Once their father was out of hearing range Brendan looked up from his reading. “I wish you’d go alone, or I at least wish we could protect you, but we can’t.”
“We should all go. We don’t owe much to Harlan now,” Abby pleaded. “We could do it! We could all just leave.”
“Da needs a chair. We all know he does. Thomas could build one but even the parts would be costly and set us back further from leavin'.”
Abby stuffed her mending in the bag hanging from the arm of her rocker. “Da was hurt in Wheaton’s mine and it’s him that’ll provide a chair if I have to camp on his doorstep to get it.”
“What about Joshua?”
Swamped suddenly by roiling doubt, Abby stiffened her spine. She would not be cowled by the likes of Joshua Wheaton. “He can step over me same as anyone else, including his guests. Let him explain who I am.”
“Oh, sister, that won’t be botherin’ the likes of Helena Conwell. She’s sniffin’ after a man her guardian will approve. No matter what she’d be sayin', that’s all that could matter to the likes of her. Comfort is all she’s ever known. How could it be any different?”
“So you think they’re to wed?” Abby asked, hating herself for caring what Joshua did with his life, and wondering why Brendan was suddenly more melancholy than angry.
“Luther Dancy says so but it’s not official.”
Abby cursed the surge of joy her brother’s words set to blooming in her heart. It isn’t too late.
“’Tis ten years too late!” Abby hissed, then felt her face and neck flame when she realized she’d spoken the words aloud.
Fortunately, Brendan put his own thoughts to her words. “True. Had another girl been in the picture back then, none of us would have let him within a mile of you. We should have protected you then. He fooled all of us. Ma, as well. To think I called him friend. I hope he’s bright enough to stay out of my way, or we may be run out of town rather than be leavin’ on our own.” Brendan sighed. “I best turn in. Don’t you be stayin’ up too late at your mendin'.”
Abby stared after Brendan. He’d championed Joshua the longest, keeping her hope alive until after Daniel’s birth. He’d been the one to encourage that last shameless letter she’d written. Brendan had just grown quiet about the subject when no answer came from Germany. In fact, he’d never spoken a word against his former friend until tonight, and now he was filled with anger and threats. She wondered why the change but shrugged off the thought. Perhaps as with her, Joshua’s return had opened the wounds of betrayal.
Chapter Two
Joshua stopped outside his father’s study. When they’d arrived Harlan had been sleeping, so Josh had decided to unpack. When he’d seen his room redone in an adult—if not an ostentatious—decorating style, he’d let himself hope his father saw him as a man now. But when Henry brought word that Harlan wanted to see him, old feelings brought doubt. He wondered if he’d ever truly be his own man in Wheatonburg. Here he felt like a rich man’s puppet. His father’s puppet.
He forced himself to remember who he was—who he’d become. He was one of the world’s most sought-after mining engineers. He’d answered to no one for years, and had a reputation for being an independent thinker. Straightening to his full six foot one inches of height, Josh opened the study door.
“Son. Come in. Come in,” Harlan called.
Joshua braced himself for the sight of his once robust father confined to a wheelchair. But he wasn’t prepared for how old the man looked after ten years. His blunt Germanic features were now rounded with excess weight. His once muscular chest seemed to have caved in, the rubble falling in an enormous bulge on his lap.
Forcing himself forward, Josh wanted to allow his father as much of his dignity as possible regardless of the bad blood between them. He advanced steadily and shook Harlan’s hand.
“It’s good to have you home, son,” Harlan said. His voice wobbled a bit. It gave Josh hope that the old man really was glad to have him back and willing to accept him as he was.
“It’s good to be home,” Josh answered, though he qualified it in his mind as feeling only a bit better than he’d expected.
“Sit down, Joshua. I asked Franklin to sit in on this meeting for several reasons. First, I thought there should be a witness.” Harlan reached beside him, and picked up a set of keys and a piece of paper. He handed each to Joshua in turn. “Here is the combination to the safe, and these are the keys to this office and all the buildings owned by Wheaton Coal. As I agreed, you’re free to run the mines as you see fit. It’s what I’ve always wanted. A family business. There are only two of us, but I’m sure there’ll be more soon.”
“There is no woman in my life. I thought I’d made that clear,” Joshua countered. “I’m not averse to marriage, as I told you. But I haven’t met anyone in recent years I’d want to spend the rest of my life with.”
“You have to forget what’s past,” Harlan groused, shifting restlessly in his chair. “You can’t go back. There’s too much water gone over that dam. Which brings me to the second reason I asked Franklin to be here. We’d … Franklin and I … uh …”
Gowery chuckled. “What your father is trying so carefully to say is he and I would like you and Helena to make a match of it. As soon as possible.”
Joshua blinked. “Pardon me?”
“I want you to marry my ward.”
“Franklin, don’t take this as an insult, but, no. I scarcely know her.”
“You must admit she’s a lovely young woman.”
From the implacable expression on his father’s face, Joshua knew there would be no diplomatic way to extricate himself from this situation. “Be that as it may, I don’t want to marry her.”
Gowery nodded. His patronizing expression irritated Joshua even before
