Colorado Courtship. Cheryl St.John

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      Chapter Three

      A night’s sleep stretched out on the comfortable bed in sublime relaxation did wonders. Violet was rested and had breakfast on the table at six. She sat to share the meal with the men, and had finished eating when a loud chime rang from the front hallway.

      Ben Charles pushed back his chair and stood. “That’s the bell next door. I’ll get it.”

      He returned a few minutes later. “Guy Chapman passed on during the night.”

      A death.

      Violet strove to keep her composure, but panic rose in her chest. A myriad of sensory images—memories—curled around her heart like a squeezing fist. She forced her body to relax and she took several slow deep breaths.

      Ben Charles resumed his seat. “That was his son. I’ll need you to assist me in bringing him back this morning,” he said to Henry. He glanced at Violet. “We won’t be but an hour. Henry will return and drive you to town.”

      He spoke of their chore in a matter-of-fact manner, not at all as though they were headed out to do something unpleasant. This was his work. She had to get used to it. After the men had gone, Violet did her best not to think about their task, but she happened to glance out the back window as a pair of the magnificent horses pulled a long black hearse from the carriage house. After that she avoided the windows, in case she might glimpse their return.

      Tessa arrived to nibble at the bacon and a piece of toast while they waited. “Who passed on?” she asked.

      It was only a conversation. She was in a warm kitchen, safe and sound. “Someone by the name of Guy Chapman.”

      She nodded. “I went to school with his granddaughter.”

      “Were you friends?”

      Tessa poured tea into a cup. “I can’t say we were. She was one of the girls who made a show out of avoiding me as though I had a disease.”

      Violet studied her with surprise. “Why did they avoid you?”

      “I’m sure you can figure it out.”

      Taken aback by her reply, Violet considered the girl’s words for a moment. “Because of your brother’s occupation?”

      “And the fact that we live here. Some people think it’s morbid.”

      “I suppose they do.” Violet thought of Tessa as a child, and tried to imagine what she’d experienced.

      “They taunted us and called my father and Ben Charles hatchet men and body snatchers, things like that.”

      “That’s cruel. So you don’t attend school any longer?”

      Tessa shook her head. “Ben Charles removed me. He sent me to a boarding school, but I was homesick and begged him to let me come back. He rode the train all the way to Pennsylvania to get me.”

      “He loves you very much.”

      Tessa looked up from her cup, thoughtfully. “Yes, he does.” She shrugged. “I don’t really care what others think of us. Ben Charles is happy doing what he does, and I’m happy living here with my books.”

      The connecting door opened, and Violet jumped a foot from the seat of her chair.

      “The wagon’s ready,” Henry called.

      “We’ll be out front in a moment,” Tessa replied.

      Violet took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and stacked their cups beside the enamel dishpan. “I forgot to ask. How do I pay for the purchases?”

      “We have accounts at the stores,” Tessa replied.

      “I’ll just get my coat and boots.”

      The sky was blustery, and the wagon offered no protection from the bitter-cold wind. Even though they huddled behind the seat, Violet tied a wool scarf over her face and Tessa held her rabbit fur muffler to her nose and mouth the entire way.

      Their first stop was the mercantile, where Violet handed her list to the man who greeted them. “Ben Charles told me he’d hired a new cook,” the bald man said. “I expected you’d be older.”

      Amused, she smiled. “I’m Miss Bennett. Pleased to meet you. Henry will load our items.”

      She and Tessa browsed the aisles, adding a few things to their purchases. A group of white-haired men sat around a potbellied stove. “That you, Tessa Hammond?” one of them called.

      Tessa introduced Violet to the gathering.

      “Heard old Guy went to glory durin’ the night,” Frank Turner said with a shake of his head. “Is he out at your place?”

      “Ben Charles is attending Mr. Chapman now,” Tessa told the elderly man in a comforting voice.

      The old man nodded. “Yeah. Old Guy never liked the cold weather much. His bones was achin’ something fierce this winter. Think he’d a had the sense to die durin’ the summer.”

      Tessa didn’t respond to that, but she nodded and said her goodbyes.

      “Tell Ben Charles to take real good care of Guy now.”

      “I’ll do that.”

      Tessa and Violet stood near the door, pulling on their gloves and scarves. “They seem to like you just fine,” Violet whispered.

      Tessa met her eyes. “They’re older. They’ve had more experience getting to know our family. And no doubt they see the inevitability of needing an undertaker sooner than later.”

      Violet blinked, but after her initial surprise Tessa’s deduction made sense. “Where to now?”