Caterina: A Sweet Western Historical Romance Pendleton Petyticoats Book 2 Page 15

  “What can we do for ya, Mr. Mar-tell-o?” Kade accented the drawl that he could inflect into his voice when he chose. No doubt, convincing the Italian mobster he was nothing more than a stupid, country bumpkin would work in his favor.

  “I’m still trying to find Mr. Saverino’s fiancée. She’s been missing nearly a month now, and he is quite distraught about her return. We’re most concerned for her safety.” Vito attempted to sound sincere. He’d teach her a thing or two about respecting his boss if Luigi wasn’t so intent on him bringing the girl back for his pleasure. As much as he’d like to rough her up a bit, he would have to bring her back with every hair on her head unharmed or face Luigi’s fury.

  “Well, doggone it. Thet’s sure enough a bad turn of luck.” Kade removed his hat and scratched his head.

  The sheriff raised an eyebrow his direction but assumed the deputy knew something he didn’t. The shifty-eyed man had asked any number of questions about young Italian girls that got off the train in Pendleton in the last several weeks.

  Not inclined to give him any details, the sheriff had been mulling over his response when Kade arrived. From the good ol’ boy routine his deputy performed, and the look in his eye when he saw the Italian, the sheriff decided to let Kade take charge of the situation.

  “Mr. Martello was just telling me he’s been traveling for several weeks, trying to track down the girl. He started in Wyoming, investigating every place the train has stopped,” the sheriff said, giving Kade an imperceptible nod of his head.

  Kade plopped down at his desk, leaned back in his chair, and thumped his boots down on top of the file-strewn surface, making a show of contemplating the details. Pretending he’d suddenly remembered some information, he snapped his fingers and dropped his feet to the floor.

  “It must be yer lucky day, mister. I jes recollected some fellas said they’d been down to Baker City and seen a real purty gal workin’ in the dinin’ room at thet fancy hotel. Ah, shoot, ya know the one I’m a meanin’, boss, don’t ya?”

  “Sure, it’s the um…”

  “What did this girl look like? Did they say?” Vittorio demanded. He’d had enough of these two backwoods imbeciles. No wonder the town was a little on the wild side with people like this upholding the law. Then again, he didn’t really care. The law had never been something he worried about anyway.

  “They all said she had a pile of dark curly hair on her head, purty brown eyes, and a figure like this.” Kade held his hands in front of him and formed a perfect outline of the number eight. “Have ya got that photo ya done showed me the last time ya was here? I could run down one of the fellas and see if he remembers.”

  “No, I don’t have the photo. It somehow disappeared on my last trip.” Vito again wondered where he lost it. He knew he’d shown it to the deputy and recalled putting it back in his pocket, but when he arrived at the next stop on the train route, the photo was gone.

  If someone had picked his pocket and found the photo instead of money, it was no wonder they kept it. Caterina was a very beautiful woman. Curious as to the means Luigi used to have it in his possession, he had no plans to tell the boss he lost it.

  “Ain’t thet too bad.” Kade shook his head despondently. “Wouldn’t have minded seein’ thet picture again. She was shore a purty lil’ thing.”

  “Yes, well, I suppose I’ll travel to Baker City and look around myself.” Without a word of thanks, Vito stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

  Kade sauntered to the door and waited a moment to open it. The Italian marched off in the direction of the train station. Not trusting the man, Kade put on his hat and told the sheriff he’d be back soon.

  From the shadows across the street, he watched the man board the train and waited as it started down the tracks, noting the man’s profile in one of the window seats.

  When he returned to the office, the sheriff had plenty of questions, so he patiently answered them all. They agreed whatever trouble Caterina ran from, the last thing she needed was the nasty man taking her back to New York.

  “If we’re going to protect her, it would sure help if we knew from what,” the sheriff said, straightening a pile of papers on his desk.

  “I know that and you know that, but convincing Caterina of that is something else entirely.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Honey, it’s going to be wonderful.” Nora squeezed Caterina’s trim waist as they stood in the restaurant building looking around.

  “I can almost taste the spaghetti,” Nik said, sniffing the air and coughing when he inhaled a whiff of dust.

  At the last moment, Aundy and Garrett decided it would be a good experience for Nik to travel to Portland, so he joined the group.

  On their way home from the train station, they all agreed they’d like to see the building, so Caterina took the key from her reticule and unlocked the door as the other four people waited anxiously to walk inside.

  Dust motes danced in the air, but no mice raced across the floor and it looked like all the debris littering the corners was gone.

  “Maybe we can whip some up for dinner tonight,” Caterina said to Nik as they wandered back to the kitchen. “Nora, you and J.B. could join us.”

  “We might just do that.” J.B. had underestimated the abilities of the Italian girl his daughter-in-law befriended.

  After she somehow managed to talk the owners of the building down in price, although they’d already stated they’d come down as far as they would go, she went on to dicker and bargain with a restaurant supplier, two Italian grocers, and a company that could ship fresh seafood to her via train car.

  Ready to step in and help with the negotiations, Aundy quietly suggested he let Caterina try before offering his assistance. Apparently, he’d been concerned for no reason. The way she could haggle down prices and get the most for her dollar, he might have to take her with him the next time he went on a cattle-buying trip.

  “I wonder who did all this.” Caterina looked around, pleased at the progress made in the building while she was in Portland. The restaurant still had a long way to go before she’d consider it clean and ready for business, but someone had removed all the garbage, set mousetraps, and sealed the cracks in the walls and floors.

  When she opened the back door, she noted the new step and repairs made to the porch.

  The only person she could think of who’d do all that work was Kade. She would have to make him something special in thanks for his efforts.

  “Does all the equipment work?” J.B. asked, looking around the kitchen space.

  “I don’t know, but as soon as I get everything clean, I plan to find out.” Caterina was anxious to open her restaurant.

  Her restaurant supplies would ship at the end of July with the first order of food from the Italian grocers set to arrive after wheat harvest.

  J.B. told her she wouldn’t want to start any new enterprise until after harvest because the crowds could get a little rowdy. Besides, she’d already promised to help Nora and Aundy cook for the harvest crews.

  It looked like her restaurant would open toward the end of August, which was fine, because the worst of the summer heat should be past by then, or so Nora assured her.

  “Shall we get on home?” Nora asked, anxious to be back at Nash’s Folly.

  Between Nik and the two girls, she and J.B. had all they could do to keep up. Once Caterina concluded her business and shopping for restaurant supplies, they visited a variety of shops, attended a play at a theater, and took a ride on a boat across the Columbia River.

  “I’m anxious to get home and see how much hay Garrett and the men cut while we were gone.” Aundy tried to hurry everyone out the door.

  Caterina giggled and nudged Aundy with her elbow. “I think it’s Garrett and not the hay you’re anxious to see.”

  At Aundy’s blush, Nik refrained from making the comment that had started to work its way out his mouth. He was good at teasing, but was also smart enough to know when to leav
e well enough alone.

  On her knees in the garden, pulling weeds before the day’s heat descended, Caterina lifted her head, surprised to see someone riding up the lane so early in the day.

  Although they’d eaten breakfast an hour ago, it was still too early for a social call. Squinting, she couldn't decide who rode toward the house.

  When she recognized the tall figure on his handsome horse, she jumped to her feet and raced for the kitchen door. That morning, knowing she would just get hot and dirty working in the garden, Caterina scraped her hair back in a tight bun and donned an old stained dress. At this particular moment, she couldn’t even remember if she’d taken time to brush her teeth.

  The screen door flapped behind her as she scurried into the house and ran by Aundy, tossing off her dirt-covered apron.

  Curious what lit a fire under her friend, Aundy picked up the apron and hung it on a peg by the door, wiped off her hands, and walked to the front room. She peeked around the lace covering the window and watched Kade stroll down the front walk.

  “You better hurry, he’s almost to the door,” Aundy called out with a laugh toward the guest room where Caterina frantically changed.

  Amused, she opened the screen door and welcomed Kade inside with a smile. “Hello, stranger. What brings you by this morning?” Aundy gave Kade a sisterly hug.

  “I just got off work and I wanted to stop by and ask Caterina something, if that’s okay?”

  “Certainly.” Aundy motioned for Kade to follow her back to the kitchen. “Have you had breakfast?”

  “No, but don’t go to any bother.” Despite his statement, Kade hoped Aundy would go to some bother on his behalf.

  He wasn’t disappointed when she fried three eggs and a thick piece of ham then set leftover biscuits along with fresh strawberry jam in front of him. After pouring him a cup of coffee, she made herself a cup of tea and sat at the table, visiting while he ate.

  “You’ll still be able to join us for the Fourth of July picnic won’t you?” Aundy asked. Most everyone from Nash’s Folly would attend the planned festivities that included speeches from some of the town’s prominent citizenry, a picnic, and a dance afterward.

  “I’m planning on it.” Kade slathered jam on a fluffy biscuit and took a bite. “That’s actually the reason I stopped by.”

  “I see.” Aundy hid a grin behind her teacup.

  “See what?” Caterina asked as she breezed into the room wearing a fresh dress with her hair pinned up properly. Aundy grinned as she motioned for her to sit at the table with Kade.

  “I forgot I need to ask Nik to take care of something for me. I’ll be back in a minute.” Aundy stood and hurried out the kitchen door.

  Caterina studied the cloth covering the table instead of the man sitting across from her. “I’ve been meaning to say thank you.”

  “For what?” Kade stopped the bite of ham on his fork halfway to his mouth.

  “For setting the traps and doing the repair work at my restaurant.” Caterina stole a glance at Kade before returning her gaze to the table. It was easier to hold her thoughts together if she wasn’t looking at the deputy. When she did, it was all she could do to keep from getting lost in his bright green eyes and engaging smile. “It was very kind of you.”

  “You’re most welcome.” He was glad Caterina noticed the work and assumed he'd done it. “I’m still working on redeeming myself.”

  “I think you’ve completed the job.” She lifted her gaze and flashed small, perfectly formed teeth as she smiled at him.

  Intently watching her mouth, Kade thought each tooth looked like a lovely little pearl. Thoughts of her mouth led to a desire for a kiss, so he returned his attention to his breakfast.

  “That’s good to know.” He worked to keep his expression unreadable when he really wanted to offer her an inviting grin. “When you’re ready to do some work there, let me know. I’m happy to help.”

  “I appreciate that. I might need to enlist the services of someone with muscles stronger than mine to help get the equipment cleaned and running.”

  It was impossible for her to move some of the heavier pieces to clean behind them and she would clean every square inch of the place before she began cooking food there.

  “You mean like these,” Kade teased, holding up his arm and bunching the muscles in his bicep.

  Caterina blushed and dropped her gaze, but not before she took note of the bulging muscles and raw masculinity Kade exuded. The word “yes,” came out in a whisper as she tried to calm the fluttering in her stomach.

  Anxiously grasping for a safe topic, she’d overheard him mention the Fourth of July as he spoke with Aundy. “Are you still going to be able to attend the Fourth of July festivities in town?”

  “Yep. I was wondering… I mean, um …” Kade mistakenly thought it would be a simple thing to ask Caterina to accompany him for the day.

  It proved to be more challenging in person. The depths of her brown eyes and the richness of her black hair, piled in a jumble of curls on top of her head, left him distracted. Not for the first time, he wished he could remove her hairpins and see the silky tresses flow down her back.

  After inhaling a deep, fortifying breath, he plunged ahead. “Will you go with me, to the picnic and dance? I’d really like to spend the day with you.”

  Caterina’s head whipped up in surprise at Kade’s request. She heard herself say, “I’d love to,” before she could reel the words back in.

  What was she thinking? The appearance of the man set her off kilter, being in close proximity to him rendered her incapable of rational thought. An entire day spent in his presence might do irreversible damage, particularly to her emotional state. She was in perilous danger of losing her heart and still wasn’t sure she fully trusted him.

  Unable to retract her words once she saw the pleasure that filled Kade’s face, she returned his smile. “It sounds like fun.”

  “Great. Would you like me to pick you up here?” Kade finished the last bite of his biscuit and took a drink of coffee.

  “Why don’t we meet in town? I can ride with Garrett and Aundy. If you want to bring me home after the celebration that would be fine.” Excitement spread through her as she anticipated spending time with the deputy, even if she knew better.

  “That sounds like a fine plan.” Getting any more involved with Caterina was pure stupidity on his part, but he couldn’t seem to keep away from the feisty girl. “Wear your dancing shoes.”

  “There’ll be dancing?” Caterina clasped her hands under her chin. She hadn’t danced in what seemed like forever. The fun she’d had at parties in the past, dancing with her brothers and their friends, floated to mind. She greatly looked forward to being held in Kade’s strong arms.

  “You bet. However, you should know I’m not planning on letting too many fellas cut in.” Kade winked as he set his plate and cup in the sink.

  Not wanting to mar the fun of the holiday with the news the Italian ruffian had been back for a visit, he decided it best to wait until another day to talk to Caterina. Given enough time, he’d find out what, exactly, brought her to Pendleton and who sent her into exile. If she was in trouble or hiding from someone, she really needed to tell him the truth.

  From experience, though, he knew as soon as he started asking questions, she’d push him away and shut him out, refusing to talk about her past.

  She hadn’t shared much information with Garrett or Aundy either, although Garrett did mention Caterina awaking them one night, screaming from a nightmare.

  Anticipating their growing friendship would build her trust, he hoped if he remained patient that she’d eventually tell him the truth.

  Patience, however, was not Kade’s strong point when it came to the fiery Italian girl.

  At the door, he gave Caterina one last, long look before tipping his hat and stepping outside. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the picnic.”

  Caterina and Aundy spent the rest of the day preparing food for the picnic, incl
uding a big platter of fried chicken, an assortment of cookies, and several pies.

  Early the next morning, Caterina helped Aundy make breakfast and set the house to rights before she took a quick bath and donned her favorite summer dress. She and Aundy took turns styling each other’s hair, erupting into giggles as they fussed with their clothes.

  “That color is perfect on you,” Caterina said as she fluffed the lace trim on the collar of Aundy’s sky blue gown, the same shade as her eyes.

  “Thank you. Kade won’t know what to think when he sees you.” Aundy admired the white lawn dress Caterina wore. It featured a square neckline lined with delicate white ribbon. A froth of lace floated at the elbow-length sleeves and in vertical rows along the front of the skirt to the hem. Determined to look patriotic, Aundy helped her stitch red roses on a bright blue sash she wore tied around her tiny waist. More blue ribbons adorned a white hat along with plump red silk roses.

  “I hope he can pull his thoughts together long enough to appreciate the work we put into this sash and the trim on my hat.” Caterina smiled at her friend.

  The clomping sound of boots on the porch announced Garrett’s arrival. Aundy and Caterina both jabbed pins into their hats to hold them in place and picked up fans.

  “I do believe Garrett’s ready to go.” Aundy hurried toward the door. “Let’s save him the trouble of blustering about being tired of waiting on us.”

  Swiftly opening the door and sailing through, the two girls caught Garrett by surprise. It took him a moment to realize the women rushed down the walk to the waiting wagon.

  He jogged after them, kissed Aundy’s cheek, and helped her into the wagon then walked around to the other side to assist Caterina.

  “You both look lovely, as always,” Garrett said, climbing onto the wagon seat and heading the horses down the lane. Someone had braided red and blue ribbons into the manes of the team and they tossed their heads, making Caterina and Aundy smile.