Once Upon a Montana Christmas

Chapter 1

Chapter One

M ontana, December 1

Eva stood stunned, glaring at the dark, solid-oak door, her heart pounding with anger against her chest. She could not believe that Mr. Strauss had slammed it in her face. It’d never occurred to her that he would not believe her. That she would have come all this way, altered her plans, endured countless hours on the train, and for what?

Nothing .

He’d rudely refused to even hear her out.

The sound of thunder rumbled in the distance. Startled, she jerked around and saw dark storm clouds looming over the gently rolling hills. Her sudden movement caused the bundle in her arms to stir.

“Shh, Lily,” she said as she patted the baby’s back. “Don’t you worry. I made a promise and I will keep it.”

Blast that cursed promise , she thought as she clenched her jaw. If it wasn’t for her pledge to a dying woman, she was certain she could have provided a fine life for herself and Lily. But she had made the pledge and intended on seeing it through. At the very least, she would make every effort to set things to rights.

Picking up her grey wool skirt with one hand, she walked down the steps. Mr. Strauss had made himself clear. She would not give him the satisfaction of another argument, but rather, would think out her options and decide on the best course of action for herself and Lily.

She walked down the drive, then turned and glanced at the two-story home. In this wild part of the world, she supposed the house would be considered quite grand, but compared with her late father’s estate in England, it was rather simple.

Nonetheless, she found its simplicity charming. The wraparound veranda would probably be most pleasant on warm summer evenings, and the sound of a nearby babbling creek would soothe the soul after a long day’s work. The horse pasture and barn looked to be large and well maintained. Mature cottonwoods graced the scenery. It would have been a perfect place to raise a child.

Eva wondered what had made its occupant so cold and distant, so unwilling to hear the truth, let alone accept it.

As she took in the surrounding landscape, she thought of tales of the Wild West that she had often read aloud to her stepmother’s aunt, Lady Edith. When she’d sat in Lady Edith’s parlor in England, it had been easy to lose oneself in the dream of an exciting frontier land and a better life. Her own life, up to that point, had been boring and dismal. She’d spent long hours either reading to Lady Edith, or writing the woman’s correspondences.

After years of hoarding, when she had finally saved enough money, she’d gathered what possessions she had, snuck out of the house while her domineering stepmother was away, and left that comfortable but boring life behind her. She doubted that her stepmother or brother would even miss her.

She certainly did not miss them.

Another rumble in the distance brought her back into the present. The driver she had hired to bring them out to the ranch had not wanted to wait, instead promising to return—for a substantial fee—in two hours.

Her encounter with Mr. Strauss had taken all of fifteen minutes at best. She had no other choice than to walk back to town. She hugged the now sleeping baby closer to her chest, protecting her from the chilly wind as she picked up her pace, hoping the rain would stay at bay until she reached the hotel in town.

* * *

Hunt watched with a mixture of anger and curiosity as Miss Kenward walked down the dirt lane. He could not stop staring at her elegant form; the sway of her hips was most enticing. He was absolutely certain that she had an ulterior motive. They all did. He knew she was like all the rest. They only saw him for his wealth and vast land holdings. He would not be taken for a fool again. Besides, she had no documentation showing that the child was any kin of his. A wild tale about a turbulent voyage, and a stolen purse that contained a letter claiming Lily was his niece, was not substantial proof.

“Why did you send that poor girl off? You did not even hear her out,” Aunt Carol scolded. His relative had the softest heart and would take anyone in without hesitation.

Hunt did not have the patience to deal with his aunt today. He had other worries on his mind at present.

But true to form, Aunt Carol wasn’t about to back down. Eyebrows drawn together with worry, she began to ramble, “What if she doesn’t make it to town before the storm hits? What if the baby…”

Slipping his hands into his pockets, Hunt responded, “She’ll be fine.” Even as he said the words, he had his doubts and looked out onto the landscape.

The weather was turning dark as rain-filled clouds threatened in the near distance. Damn . He would not want another death on his conscience. Without looking at his aunt, he growled out, “Tell Smythe to take her to town.”

He didn’t need to see his aunt’s face to know that she was smiling. Her warm heart would be his undoing, but that would be the only act of kindness he offered Miss Kenward.

* * *

Despite the turbulent weather during the night, the day after proved most pleasant, the sun shining brightly in the endless blue sky. Streaks of light filtered into their simple room at the McBurney Hotel. Lily was nestled against her in quiet repose. Eva loved the feeling of this little one against her.

She had lain awake most of the night, staring at the ceiling, trying to determine her next course of action. She would not let the arrogant—albeit handsome—Mr. Strauss dictate her future. There was only one solution.

Within an hour, she had readied herself and Lily. Satisfied with her appearance, she left the hotel and walked with determination to the train station.

The town had yet to rise to the level of activity that she had witnessed the previous day. However, upon reaching the station, she saw a cluster of travelers milling about outside.

Brushing past a group of well-dressed couples, she entered the ticket office. She was greeted with the smell of unwashed bodies and loud conversation; the room was overflowing with disgruntled passengers. She pushed through the crowd, all the while protecting the sleeping Lily, wondering what the commotion was about.

As she reached the clerk’s window, she overheard an elderly woman complain about the lateness of the train. She had the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that her plan conceived in the wee hours of the night was about to change yet again.

Having approached the clerk, she did not even manage to ask her question before the small-statured man answered her without even glancing up. “Train’s delayed.”

Heat rose in her cheeks as she muttered, “What do you mean the train is delayed?” This was not how it was supposed to be. She had little time left to reach San Francisco and find her uncle all before Christmas Day. She was determined not to spend another Christmas alone.

Still not glancing her way, the clearly irritated clerk said, “Delayed. Late. Not…”

Tired of his insulting tone, she cut him off and tried to focus on the problem at hand. “When do you think the train might depart?”

When the man glanced up at her, his tone and features eased. She did not know if it was because she was holding a baby, or if her despair showed on her face. Whatever the reason, she was thankful. “Don’t rightly know, ma’am. Could be two hours or two days. Problems with the track ‘bout hundred miles west of here.”

Hot tears began to sting her eyes. Don’t cry , she told herself over and over. Her voice wavered with restrained emotion. “There must be some way to meet up with the train.”

“Wouldn’t recommend it,” he started with a shake of his head, “not with the babe and all.”

In a daze, she thanked the clerk and left the station. This was an utter disaster. How was she to accomplish everything she needed to by Christmas? She did not even know if her uncle still resided in San Francisco. The last correspondence she had from him had been dated two years ago. She had to find him. He was all that was left of her family. Well, except for her stepmother and brother.

As she walked along the boardwalk heading back toward the hotel, the dismay she thought she had long since stamped down started to rise again. She had not felt this way since her father died eight years ago. What would she do? Where would she go? When she’d started this journey several months ago, her future had seemed so bright. But all her planning, all her sacrifices, all her good intentions had been for naught.

Lost in contemplation, looking down at the baby in her arms, who was as much an orphan in this world as she, Eva did not see the man in front of her until it was too late and she had collided with him.

“Oh, pardon me,” she started as Lily began to cry at the sudden disruption to her nap. She rubbed the baby’s back to quiet her as she glanced up into the unsmiling face of Mr. Strauss. “Oh, it’s you!” she exclaimed as she tried to sidestep him.

Blocking her way, as he tipped his hat with his right hand and responded with sarcasm, “ Pleasure to see you again, Miss Kenward.”

“What are you doing here?” Her tone sounded harsh, even to her own ears.

“I believe this is a public street.”

Casting scorn was not going to help the situation. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to sound rude.” With her apology, his expression softened. He was a most handsome man, and those green eyes stirred an unfamiliar tingling feeling in her limbs that she chose to ignore. Clearing her throat, she continued, “I just received news that the train is delayed. It appears that I… we …are stranded here for the time being.”

He drew in a deep breath through his nose. “You’re not leaving Cottonwood, then?”

“No.” She looked away, not wanting to make eye contact. She’d dreaded this conversation since she conceived this plan, but it was now or never. “I am actually glad that I ran into you, Mr. Strauss.” As he stood listening to her, watching her, her insides did flips. “I wanted to discuss the matter of Lily.”

“I told you…”

“I understand your feelings. I am not going to try and sway your opinion, but I do have a request.”

Through gritted teeth, he asked, “What?”

“That you allow me to take custody of Lily.”

When Miss Kenward said she had a request, the first thought that crossed his mind was that she wanted money. When she asked him to give up custody of the baby, he had the uncomfortable feeling that she’d been telling the truth yesterday. However, his initial suspicions were confirmed a moment later.

Worrying her bottom lip, she started, “There is one more thing I would like from you.”

He knew it. She was just like the others. The thought of past betrayals were reeling in his head when she stated her demand. “I would like Lily to have her mother’s favorite china doll, the one wearing a ruffled petticoat and a pink and white floral dress with puffed sleeves.”

How did she know about the doll?

In the dark hours of the previous night, he had convinced himself that somehow Miss Kenward had learned of his trouble with CeCe and concocted an elaborate scheme to drain the family coffers. Here was her opportunity to strike, and instead, she stood before him, never asking for a cent, only for his sister’s doll. What the hell was all this about?

Doubt began to rear its head, but he shook those thoughts away.

He still did not believe her tale—or trust her, for that matter—nor did he like the feelings she stirred in him. Just now, when she was talking, he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her soft pink lips. He wondered what it would be like to kiss them. Damn , he had to get those thoughts under control and deal with the situation at hand.

“I need to think this over.” He was not going to make any rash decision about a child he hadn’t known existed less than twenty-four hours ago, or think about CeCe.

Her face reddening in agitation from his response, Miss Kenward cleared her throat. “You clearly do not believe me, so why wait to be rid of me and Lily?”

Noticing they were attracting unwanted attention from passersby, he said, “It is not up for discussion. I will be in contact with you at your hotel soon.” Not wanting to hear any remarks from the woman who was muddling his thoughts, he walked away.

He spent the remainder of the day trying not to think of Miss Kenward. He had enough worries with a pregnant mare, the annual Christmas festival hosted by his family to organize, and a fast-approaching winter.