An Agent for Gillian Read online

  Gillian was the complete opposite of what his wife, Madeline, had been. Madeline had been gentle, quite, serene, and thoughtful. Gillian seemed to be wild like a tornado, doing what she wants, when she wants. She was vibrant and vivacious. She was smart, or seemed to understand what he couldn’t say in so many words – simply because she had the same experiences, or close to what he’d gone through losing a loved one.

  Cade didn’t want a partner nor a wife, yet he’d been saddled with one that seemed to be a fierce yet tender little thing. He liked her spunk and the thought terrified him. He didn’t want to get along with her -on any level- because if they developed a friendship, that could lead to caring. Emotions meant that there was some sort of importance or a bond between them. He didn’t want to have any sort of bond or relationship. Caring meant that you could be hurt again and he knew that if he was pushed any farther, he might break. Madeline and Allen’s deaths nearly destroyed him.

  Gillian got up and walked back towards the sleeper car. He saw her look over her shoulder, back at him, from the corner of his eye. He hoped that she would sleep well the remainder of the night and uttered a prayer that he slept decently tomorrow when it was his turn. They had to get through this for another day or two until they arrived in Pennsylvania and then they could put space between them somehow. He wanted to be left utterly alone.

  Didn’t he?

  Chapter 6

  Pennsylvania

  Arriving in town, Gillian ignored Cade’s offer to help her down from the train. There was something about the man that just grated on her nerves. He was the complete opposite of Michael and a reminder that he was gone. But he was so very personable too, she thought wretchedly. It felt like betrayal to have married someone else and she was so glad that it wasn’t due to emotions but rather work. In her mind, she could justify it because Michael would want her to be able to take care of herself and earning an income would enable her to do so.

  “Fine, have it your way,” Cade muttered, moving to pick up his bag and leaving hers on the plank walkway that ran along the length of the building that stood as a rail depot. Angrily and without a word, Gillian hauled her bag up and felt grateful in that moment that there were more possessions to be moved.

  Each time she tried to speak with Cade it seemed like they ended up arguing or dismissing each other. One moment, it seemed like they could mend the breech between them and potentially become friends – the next moment they were at each other’s throats. He was a boor on so many levels and she was saddled with him. The sooner this task, this mission, was done, the better off she would be. Archie had promised that the false marriage could be annulled if they wished once they returned. She hoped that was the case!

  “Do you even know where you are going?” she snapped, seeing Cade walking ahead of her.

  “I am heading for the O’Malley house. It’s supposed to be along the main street and we are supposed to see a woman named Fallon Byrne for the key.”

  As they walked into town nearby, Gillian took a moment to admire the scenery around her. It was a breathtaking, quaint town in the middle of nowhere. The hills around them looked to be covered in a green velvet blanket as the tree line was so very thick and lush. A cobblestone road ran up the center of town, angled upwards towards a hill.

  She could see a dark gaping hole that resembled a mouth on the side of the embankment up ahead. There were men walking to and from it, resembling ants going into a mound from a distance. Small houses and buildings lined the streets, with people milling about everywhere. Unfortunately, it was not a very welcoming reception.

  In fact, it was downright chilly. They stared at the strangers arriving into their town with a veiled hostility that gave Gillian goosebumps. They didn’t like outsiders and it was obvious. Seeing a woman nearby, Gillian stepped forward and smiled openly.

  “Hello, we are looking for Fallon Byrne. We’ve just arrived and if you could…” the woman abruptly turned her back on Gillian and stepped inside of the house. Gaping, she stood there dumbstruck at the rudeness that she was shown.

  Cade walked forward and knocked on the door boldly, his jaw tight. A man quickly jerked it open and met him, looking him square in the eyes.

  “My wife was asking where we could find Miss Byrne. We’ve just arrived in town.”

  “Name?”

  “Malone.”

  “You Irish?”

  “No,” Cade uttered in surprise and Gillian saw the door begin to close in Cade’s confused face. She’d seen this before when she was a young girl. This small town was a close-knit Irish community – and she could work this angle!

  “I am! Jakoby is my maiden name. My husband will come around soon enough,” she said with a bright smile. Cade glared at her interruption and the tall man shutting the door chuckled. His entire demeanor changed suddenly at her outburst.

  “Jamie Sullivan,” he said congenially, stepping forward and extending his hand politely towards Cade. The two shook hands and Gillian let out her breath in relief that her assumption had been correct.

  “I knew with that red hair one of ya had ta’ be. We don’t take kindly to strangers in these parts. There’s too many rabble-rousers showing up in town and we are bound to draw the attention of the law at some point if things don’t settle down.”

  “We don’t intend to cause trouble,” Cade said calmly, slipping a hand around Gillian’s waist. She plastered a tight smile on her face and looked at him with hard eyes at the boldness of the man she was saddled with. “We’ve moved to the area and looking to settle down in a home of our own.”

  “Where ya from?”

  “Here and there,” Gillian said vaguely and watched the man’s brow darken before blurting out, “… but my true home is Havertown. That’s where my parents grew up before we began to move about.”

  “A true daughter then,” he huffed. “Thirty-third county of our blessed homeland. You’re lucky and a long way from home, lassie.”

  “That we are - and beyond tired,” she said gently as a reminder.

  “Fallon’s a wee thing with black hair about four doors down. You can’t miss her. If she’s not there, her man Rourke will be working at the mine and can fetch her for you both. Welcome to Shenandoah.”

  “How did you know?” Cade asked her quietly as the door closed again.

  “Growing up with bright red hair and a heavy accent, you were either welcomed or hated for your Irish blood. A lot of people can’t stand Irish immigrants and they think we are trying to take their jobs away from them. We aren’t. We want a home of our own and a chance. My parents travelled from town to town, looking for work, and eventually settled in Havertown. That’s where I met Michael.”

  “So when he reacted…?”

  “I took a guess that he was one of the ones that liked the Irish. He’s Irish himself. Sullivan is an Irish surname. You’ll find that out here there’s a lot of communities that are very strong in their faith, their heritage, and their families. You are either in - or you’re out.”

  “I guess we are now in,” Cade said ruefully. “Thank you.”

  “It’s nothing,” she said, feeling pleased at his words. “Jameson was Michael’s name. My maiden name was Jakoby - another Irish name. We’re only here to get things done. Right?”

  “Exactly.”

  Knocking on the door they stopped in front of, Gillian put on her brightest smile knowing now how to play the game. It was odd taking the lead but Cade seemed to give way easily, letting her wrest control of the day and watching everything. As the doorway opened, a small woman with dark eyes and jet-black hair looked at them both warily.

  “Can I help you?”

  “We’re looking for Fallon Byrne?” Gillian began with false cheerfulness. “We’ve just got to town and renting a house from her. This is my husband, Cade,” she uttered, feeling almost ill at saying the term.

  “You’re the Malones?”

  “Yes.”

  “Irish? No’ union sympathizers?”

>   “No, we aren’t union,” Gillian answered looking at Cade. Maybe there were more hurdles to overcome before they could finally settle down in privacy somewhere.

  “Good. Union’s not welcome here. What brings you to town?” Fallon asked quietly, stepping out of the house. “Follow me.”

  “I’ve come looking for work and wanting to settle down with my wife.”

  “Arranged marriage?”

  “How did you know?”

  “You two don’t look quite cozy yet?” Fallon said ruefully. “If you’d been married a while, you’d be more comfortable with each other. If it was a love match, you’d be downright tender with each other. It’s obvious you are still strangers not only to yourself but this town too.”

  Gillian and Cade looked at each other in surprise.

  “We just married a few days ago.”

  “Well Shenandoah is a lovely town to raise a family in… if you like tiny mining towns. You won’t find anything glamorous or worldly here. We’ve got busybodies galore though.”

  “Yourself included?” Gillian said candidly, looking at the woman.

  “Och, I do like you!” Fallon said merrily, her dark eyes glittering with humor. “Just a warning to be careful with who you talk to or befriend in these parts. There’s Molly Maguires, union spies, and Pinkertons in the area. You never know who’s friend or foe anymore.”

  “Why are you telling us this? Should we even trust you?”

  “To be honest, I just want things to settle down. I’m getting married soon myself and want out of this powder-keg, but my Rourke won’t go. He says the mine brings in too much money and he wants to be able to support us. There’s not much else here in these hills. Ah, here we are,” Fallon announced with a flourish, smiling at Gillian.

  The woman didn’t look to be much older than her in the slightest. Truthfully, she wondered if they were the same age but leading very different lives. Gillian had up and run away to get married, but this woman looked very cautious – like she planned everything around her.

  She looked up at the house in front of them and frowned. It was a tiny little house towards the end of the main road from where they’d just walked. The train depot was closer than what was comfortable and was certain to make sleeping tough at night. Looking in the dim house, Gillian glanced at Cade’s neutral expression and followed Fallon inside as she illuminated a gas lamp. The young woman looked awfully hopeful and Gillian knew that Archie had probably paid top dollar for the house intended for them. She didn’t have the heart to say anything bad about the place. It was quaint – to put it mildly.

  “Perfect, thank you very much, Fallon,” Gillian said politely with a nod. She could see the young woman’s breath escape her in relief, which confirmed her suspicions about the price.

  “If you need anything, just come find me up the road. I’ve had blankets and sheeting set aside for you and since you are getting in so late – why don’t you join us for dinner?”

  “I need to go to the mining office to get a job,” Cade spoke, before Gillian could say a word. This surprised her. She’d not expected him to get a job while they were in the area. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Perhaps being a Pinkerton wouldn’t involve sneaking around at night, darting out of bushes, and spying on others. The super-sleuth she dreamt of becoming was quickly turning into a normal person with daily chores and needs.

  “Rourke, my fiancé, can help you with that. He works at the mine and should be at dinner as well.”

  “Then we’d love to go,” Gillian said gently, “Thank you for the kind offer.”

  “It’s not much but it will be filling.”

  “I’m sure it’s going to be better than what I might manage to scrounge up tonight.”

  “Amen to that,” Cade muttered under his breath, garnering a sharp glance from Gillian and a bark of laughter from Fallon.

  “I’ll leave you two alone now,” Fallon excused herself, smiling. “We’ll be eating dinner in about an hour.” As she stepped out of the door, Cade shut it firmly behind her, leaving the two of them alone.

  Gillian looked around the small house in dismay. It was certainly better than the tent she’d been living in since Michael’s death, but nothing like her pretty little home they’d shared. The wooden boards making up the walls had been whitewashed to give it a clean appearance. A small cast iron stove sat in the corner of the one-bedroom house. A fireplace separated the bedroom from the living area. Glancing out the window, she saw that there was an outhouse not far from the building.

  “What’s going through your mind?” Cade said quietly in the stillness of the house. Gillian glanced at him and saw by his expression that he expected her to balk at the conditions they would be living in. Sure, the house had the most meager of possessions to it, but it was clean and enclosed so it would protect them from the weather. She’d been in worse but was positive that this man looking at her didn’t realize it.

  “I was wondering if you actually had mining experience,” she admitted truthfully. Picking up the blankets off the small table nearby, she walked straight to the back of the house towards the single bedroom.

  As she saw the stripped bedding she almost sagged in relief. It wasn’t a single ticked mattress but rather two small beds pushed together to make up one larger bed. She dropped the blankets onto the bedding and began to shove at the frame, pushing it away from the other bed. Cade apparently had the same idea as he followed her into the room. He gestured to Gillian that she should step aside and quickly moved the beds to opposite corners of the room.

  “Can you find something to make a curtain?” she asked.

  “Decorating already?” he quipped and Gillian rolled her eyes.

  “No. I just think that if someone happened to come by and take a peek that they shouldn’t see two separate beds, do you?”

  “I was more worried about putting a door up to the bedroom.”

  “That’s a good idea too. That will give each of us privacy.”

  “You know I won’t touch you like that,” he said flatly, looking away. Surprised at his words, she stopped making the bed and glanced up at him. She’d suspected he was shy and obviously she was correct. His cheeks were quite ruddy and he was avoiding her eyes.

  “Probably a good thing too or I’d be a widow again,” she retorted and saw his smile just before he turned away from her again. Grinning, Gillian went back to finishing her work and then quickly made up the bed that Cade would be using while they stayed here. Looking around, she saw he’d disappeared.

  “Cade?” she asked and heard nothing. Walking into the living area, she saw that it was also empty. Peering out the window, she wondered if he was in the outhouse and flushed at the thought before jumping in alarm at the noise outside. Opening the front door, she was amazed to see Cade walking out from beside the house.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I thought I would gather some kindling while there is daylight,” he shrugged. “We are in the hills and I imagine you’d like some wood for a fire later if you want tea or coffee.”

  “We don’t have any tea or coffee,” she blurted out, staring at him like he was speaking a foreign tongue. “We have nothing but our things and I certainly didn’t pack anything like that…” she began and hesitated in surprise.

  “Did you?”

  “Maybe,” he said slyly, looking up at her as he straightened up the pile of wood against the house. “We’ll have a little coffee for in the morning and go to the mercantile for more things once we see what we have combined together.”

  “You think we are mixing our personal items together?”

  “I do, wife,” he said pointedly, glancing past Gillian. She whirled around and saw several people looking at them curiously. She raised a hand to wave and turned back to Cade, masking the inner turmoil she felt. She’d been alone for a while now and the idea of being part of a couple with someone she didn’t know made her feel alarmed – but the idea that people around them who were wary of
Pinkertons or outsiders guessing their identity… that made her even more on edge.

  “Of course, husband. I will go unpack our things and we’ll talk some more.”

  “I’ll fetch some more wood and then we’ll head to Miss Byrne’s for dinner.”

  Stepping inside away from prying eyes, she quickly unpacked her bag of things. She had a few dresses, a few teacloth towels she’d embroidered when she was younger, ribbon for her hair, and a shawl. Then she had the essentials that were necessary to get by: knives, ammunition, twine, whetstone, matches dipped in wax to start a fire. Things she’d discovered she needed around a campfire.

  She couldn’t help but jump guiltily as she stared at Cade’s bag. She’d announced she would unpack their things but the idea of going through his items seemed so personal. She hesitated for several moments and saw his back disappear into the darkening forest to fetch more wood. Getting to her feet, she stared at his bundle on the floor and picked it up, placing it on the bed.

  Opening it, she saw he had three shirts, a pair of pants, some woolen socks, and leather baggies tied with twine. Opening the first bag, she realized this was what he’d meant. The first bag had salt in it. The other bags revealed that they contained coffee, tea leaves, pepper, gunpowder, and surprisingly enough – sugar. Smiling at the last extravagance, she realized that Cade must have a penchant for sweets. Jumping, she let out an exclamation as the front door opened nearby. She gathered up the leather bags and whirled around to head into the front part of the house, only to see Cade standing there.

  “Are you ready to go?” he asked, looking at Gillian. She stood there and flushed guiltily at unpacking his things. She assumed he would get upset at the invasion of privacy or the fact that she’d snooped around, but instead he was acting as if nothing had happened.