Catalina’s Cause: The Alphabet Mail-Order Brides Book 3 Read online

  Oliver couldn’t help but laugh. He took the fencing and carried it outside, loading it into the wagon they’d take out to the surrounding areas. He wasn’t sure if Nathaniel was serious, but the look on his face told him not to ask.

  “Separate! Separate!” The crowd chanted.

  Minda crawled onto Catalina’s lap, burying her face in the hair hanging over her shoulder. Catalina was awe struck, her voice trapped in the depths of her belly, buried beneath fear and disbelief.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Judith was worrying her hands on the reins as she attempted to steer them away from the gaggle of well-dressed women and men, all pale skinned and chanting words that made places within Catalina ache for the small girl on her lap.

  She’d grown up knowing she was different from her sisters, but none of them had ever made her feel as such. It had only been when she’d go certain places within that city that she’d feel out of place because of the way she looked. Despite not knowing where she’d come from, Madam Wiggs had made sure that Catalina knew she had a home and a firm foundation of who she was. As they wove through the mass of people, taunting them and even occasionally throwing something into the buckboard, Catalina realized she’d underestimated Arizona in more ways than one.

  True that her life specifically was different, in one day she’d not only become a wife but also a mother, and as scary as those things were, she hadn’t been more fearful than in that moment. She’d thought that the differences between the newcomers and the original peoples had been settled. That the American government had been working with the Indians to make sure that they had their land and was even offering to educate their children. Living in New York had kept her from experiencing any of it firsthand, but she’d read all about it in the papers. The scene she was a part of now made it very clear that she had been underprepared for her new life. “He probably hates me.” It came out as a soft whisper, and Catalina wasn’t sure if she’d even wanted the idea to be audible, but the moment Judith reached over for her hand, she was glad she had.

  “No one hates you. Least of all Oliver. That little girl curled on your lap like she’s always been there is the light of his life, and even if he wasn’t smitten with you just for you, he would be for her.”

  Catalina’s throat was tight. Her eyes were burning. “But they won’t accept me.” She looked around as they were finally rolling out of the crowd.

  “Probably not.” The bluntness of her words shocked Catalina. She gasped and stared at Judith, who turned to face her, shaking her head. “No one said they had to though. There will always be those who think their way is the better way or that the way they look is superior to the way another does, but none of it changes what actually matters.”

  “Which is?”

  Judith moved her hand and ran it down Minda’s back. “Family.”

  Chapter Seven

  “Bethany!” Catalina was thrilled to see her friend as soon as they hauled themselves down from the wagon. She brushed her skirt, settling it back to its rightful state. The other woman turned immediately and came rushing to her.

  “Oh Catalina, did you see? Isn’t it horrible?”

  Catalina had been trying not to cry since they’d first spotted the mob of people, swallowing hard to dislodge the lump in her throat. She nodded, closing her eyes. “We saw.”

  “We won’t let it happen. It can’t. Joshua said he’d help. He’s been here for a while; most of the folks know and trust him. He said he’d talk to the council and write letters to the bureau.”

  Catalina didn’t normally like to be touched, but when Bethany stepped forward and closed her in a tight hug, she was grateful. It gave her a moment to block out all the things that were happening around her, giving her the ability to pretend that she could remain naive to the injustice that was happening. “The bureau?”

  Bethany stepped back, releasing Catalina from her hug and nodded. “Yes. The Bureau of Indian Affairs Office, the people…” Bethany’s eyes narrowed and her mouth puckered, “they want them to build a boarding school on the outskirts of town.”

  “A boarding school?”

  “Yes. For Indians.” She lowered her voice, though the look on her face didn’t change. “So they can be Americanized. They’ll be taught English and Christianity. They’d be taught the same as the white children but in separate classes. They don’t want them together, even though they want them to be taught the same.” She shook her head.

  Catalina was at a loss. Having grown up so far away from the issues of the day in places like Shady Creek had her at a huge disadvantage, but she’d been planning to build a school. She had planned to start small with just Minda and the Harvey children, but she’d welcome others. Especially if it meant they could live the way they wanted to. “I’m starting a school. Can’t we just let the local people know they have another option? They can bring their children out to the ranch, and I’ll teach them there. The Indian children can come as well. Judging by her response when she saw that we looked alike, I would guess, Minda would enjoy having children around that looked like her.”

  Bethany smiled but not really. Catalina noticed it didn’t reach her eyes. “But that’s the thing… THEY…” Catalina watched as Bethany narrowed her eyes at the now dispersing crowd, “don’t want their children around children like Minda.”

  Catalina didn’t want to believe Bethany, but everything she’d seen supported her friend’s assessment of the situation rather than her own. The ladies in their fancy dresses alongside the ladies in saloon costumes, women that wouldn’t be seen in public together under other circumstances, were standing in solidarity, chanting to keep children apart. The men…they stood in the back, not fully participating but making it very obvious that they approved of their wives’ and the other women’s ideals. Catalina felt her stomach roll.

  Folded over from the waves of nausea that were assaulting her, Catalina decided that she couldn’t do a lot at the moment. She was having such trouble even thinking past the red haze of anger that had begun to tint the world around her. Sucking in a breath, she gathered the strength that Madam Wiggs had made sure all her girls had and stood straight. Grasping Minda’s small hand tightly, she looked between her friends. “We need many things from the mercantile. After I’ve taken care of my home, I’ll focus on this situation. Children deserve to be able to learn in a place where anger and hate don’t influence decisions about their education.”

  Oliver and Nathaniel had the boys finish loading the fence into the wagon and made sure the gate on the paddock was shut before all four of them headed to the broken spots in the fence out toward the stream. Shadow Point Ranch and Oliver’s property had been blessed by a small stream, which, had the land office known about it, they both were sure they’d never have gotten the land. The government wasn’t in the habit of giving away land with water sources in the driest parts of Arizona. They could make money off cattle, sheep, and crops if they had people to work the land, so why give it away?

  Nathaniel was smart. Really smart actually. He’d laid out a plan for the both of them that would have both properties solvent and producing more than either of them could ever possibly need within the next five years. Oliver loved the idea of having something to give his children. He knew that Minda would have wonderful memories of the ranch and the Harveys, but he wanted her to have more. He wanted her not to have to need to do anything, and now that he had Catalina to care for, he wanted it even more.

  The moment she entered his mind, all thoughts of ranching, fencing, homesteading, any of it…all gone. He was a lost man. She was beautiful in ways he couldn’t explain but didn’t feel the need to. It was obvious. As was how kind her heart was. He’d spent most of dinner the night before and breakfast that morning staring at the way the light hit her hair, making it shine, and the way her cheeks dimpled when she smiled.

  “You with us?”

  Oliver shook himself from the visions that had held him captive. “Sorry.”

  “Thin
king about that pretty wife of yours?”

  Oliver shook his head. “No. Thinking about the crops we talked about.”

  Nathaniel laughed. “Yeah…sure you were.”

  “I was.” Oliver’s voice got more indignant each time he tried to defend himself but mostly because he knew it was useless. He was a terrible liar. Always had been. “Fine.” He shook his head and attempted to stand his anger, forcing him to his feet. He immediately regretted it. His body rocked and tipped as the wagon rolled over the rocky, dry terrain. He grabbed hold of the bar behind the bench seat so he didn’t get bucked from the wagon.

  “I dare say you could have been a rodeo star had you not been born up north.” Nathaniel laughed so hard he rocked in his seat, clutching his stomach.

  The holes in the fencing had grown. Neither Oliver nor Nathaniel could figure out how. There wasn’t another homestead or ranch for miles, and those folks that did live upstream knew that neither of the men were stingy with the water supply. Folks in unfriendly places had to help one another out. Be there for one another if they were down on their luck. It was sort of an unwritten code, but there was no doubt that the holes were being made and widened by a human. At first, they’d thought a wolf or a cat had managed to break through but not now. Whoever it was didn’t seem to be too concerned about being found out. They’d made no effort in hiding the way they’d broken, sawed, and clipped what needed to be severed in order to force their way inside.

  The Harveys hadn’t lost any cattle…yet. Thankfully, they’d been staying close to the barn, and the weather had held, giving them lots to drink and green grass to eat, even if it was temporary. Oliver stood beside the latest hole, his hand on his hip holster. “After tomorrow, this is going to be a major issue.”

  Nathaniel nodded. “Which means we need to make sure it stops today.”

  Oliver nodded and took in the cold strength in his friend’s tone. “I don’t like it anymore than you do, but it has to be done. We can’t sit back and let it happen.”

  Nathaniel’s head drooped, his chin touching his chest and his hat almost tipping from his head as his boys ran over. “Pa…look!”

  Isaac stood next to his father with his little brother practically on top of him. The two had big, bright eyes that were currently full of curiosity and the desire for approval. Nathaniel looked up at his sons. Oliver was the only one who noticed the change in Nate as he lifted his head. Gone was the insecurity and doubt, and in its place was a cool calm that turned to ice-cold anger as he took a revolver from his eldest son’s hand.

  “Where’d you get this?”

  Oliver put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. The boys looked up at him with terrified eyes.

  “Jasper found it over there by that rock. There’s a duffle with it as well.”

  Nathaniel’s angry gaze moved to the spot his son had described. Oliver stepped into action, making his way to the large rock as Nate emptied five rounds into his right palm.

  Oliver lifted a worn bag and a bed roll. Crouching down he opened the bag and looked through it. It didn’t take long to discover that whoever it was that had been trespassing on their land knew what they were doing. Which also meant that since they’d only found one gun, he was somewhere fairly close by, maybe even watching them, with the other revolver.

  Catalina hesitated in the doorway. More than a few of the well-dressed women that had just been a part of the mob in the square were milling around and turning the pages of catalogues. “You can’t let them stop you from living your life. They’d love to see that.”

  Judith’s words came from behind her. Soft and encouraging, they gave her the fortitude to move her feet and enter the store. Forcing herself to keep her head held high, she moved straight to where she saw large sacks of flour stacked against a wall, knowing that the bulk of what she needed today was for the kitchen. Bethany and Judith both followed. She could feel them lending her their strength as she bent down to pick up Minda who had begun to fuss about not being allowed to run around.

  “Sweet girl, we can’t play here. I’m sorry. It won’t take long, and when we’re done we’ll have some lunch.”

  “How about after your new momma and Mrs. Harvey order we go back to my house, where you and Issie can play and have sandwiches?” Bethany leaned in and tickled the girl as she spoke. The warmth that spread through Catalina as her friend referred to her as Minda’s momma couldn’t be matched. She filed through all her happiest moments in life and knew this was something different. She’d known from the beginning, the moment she’d decided to respond to Oliver’s advert, that her life would change and drastically, but never would she have thought it would have been so swift. The girl wiggling in her arms, squealing with glee, had wormed her way into her heart and reshaped it.

  Minda nodded. “Bacon.”

  Bethany laughed and looked between Judith and Catalina. “This child really has been being raised by a man, hasn’t she?”

  All three women laughed, which immediately brought them to the other women’s attention. Catalina felt it the moment they’d noticed her. The light, fun air in the mercantile had turned sinister and stale, making it hard to breathe and even harder to think. Catalina took a breath as a stern looking older woman came up to their group. “May I help you ladies with something?”

  Catalina couldn’t tell if she was trying to be kind and helpful or subtly suggesting that they leave. She instantly hated that seeing the mob and feeling the change her presence had brought to the atmosphere had made her question everyone’s intentions. Bethany spoke first, sticking out her right hand and offering it to the gray-haired woman. “We haven’t met yet. I’m Mrs. Bethany Landry, Doctor Landry’s wife.”

  The older woman’s lips parted, but Catalina wasn’t sure if she was trying to smile. It was hard to tell.

  She nodded and took Bethany’s hand. “Prudence Weatherby.” Her eyes flitted between Bethany, Judith, and Catalina. “My husband and I own this store.”

  Bethany smiled hugely and turned the octave of her voice up at least two notches. “Wonderful! I was just about to go in search for a catalogue for fabric. I see you have a small selection, but I’d like to order something from New York.”

  Catalina held her breath, waiting for the woman’s response. Tension filled the room, tainting the air as the other women watched and waited wondering, just as Catalina was, to see how this exchange would go.

  “We order from New York for fabric three times a month. I have a catalogue behind the desk.” Her eyes once again flitted to Judith and Catalina, lingering on the latter while she finished her thought. “Would your friends be interested in seeing it as well?”

  Bethany nodded as Prudence held Catalina captive with her deep green eyes.

  “Not today, but Catalina needs staples and other items to make her kitchen function. She’s newly married and hasn’t been able to stock the kitchen yet. As for Mrs. Harvey here, I’m sure you two are well acquainted; she’ll have no problem finding the things she needs.”

  Prudence nodded. “Mrs. Harvey, I’ve moved the baking soda to over by the sugar rather than the flour.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Weatherby.” Judith smiled encouragingly at Catalina, but she was only able to see it briefly. Prudence still held her captive.

  “Catalina?”

  She nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” She shifted Minda to her opposite hip and stretched out a hand for her to take. Prudence looked down at her hand, releasing her while the entire place held their breath.

  Catalina sighed, and her eyes even closed as she felt the older woman’s hand settle into her own. She tried to force herself to shake, but the red haze of anger had dissolved into a numbing mist in her head that made it hard to push ideas through her body. So they stood there, one older white hand clasped in a younger, darker one. “Welcome to Shady Creek, Mrs. Wilson.”

  Catalina’s eyes flew open. “But how…”

  Prudence’s eyes went directly to Minda. “Miss Minda here is very popular ‘round th
ese parts. We love her dearly.”

  Catalina almost laughed as the little girl stretched her arms out to be cuddled by Mrs. Weatherby. She realized pretty quickly as the woman pulled a peppermint stick from her apron why the girl had been squealing. Issie rushed to them and started tugging on her skirts. She leaned down and handed her one too. “You too, Miss Isabel.”

  Catalina let out the breath she’d been holding, and tears started to roll down her cheeks. She couldn’t take her eyes off the two little girls and Mrs. Weatherby. They were thrilled by her attention, just as she was with theirs. But she didn’t need to look around to know that the moment Prudence had touched her hand the mood in the mercantile had shifted once again. This time less sinister, but she knew that was because most of the other patrons had left. The bell above the door was ringing as if it were Christmas morning and they were calling folks into chapel.

  Bethany stood with her while she gathered herself, wiping her eyes on the handkerchief she kept in her sleeve. “Thank you. You didn’t…”

  Bethany put a hand over Catalina’s as she was dabbing her eyes. “Don’t. None of this is your fault, and those women are horrid. Why normally decent people are standing by watching as people they see, know, work, and shop with on a daily basis are being treated unfairly, or not even standing by but actively participating, is beyond comprehension. It’s neither decent nor Christian, and one of these days they’re going to see the error of their ways.”

  Bethany dropped her hand. “Now. Let’s get the things you need. I’m famished, and I’m sure those girls will need something to soak up the sugar in their bellies. We can go to the clinic. We have an apartment upstairs, and thankfully Joshua had the kitchen stocked before I arrived. I have a feeling Mrs. Weatherby may be the one I should thank for that.”