Wilderness Courtship by Valerie Hansen Read Free Book Online

That, or he had been spirited away overland, which was an unlikely scenario given the inherent difficulties in getting all the way back to New York via that route. Thorne had to assume that delivering Aaron to Louis was the kidnapper’s assignment, else why take him at all?
    No, Thorne had reasoned, they had to have left the city by sea. Since there was no use trying to catch up to the individual boats at this late date he had telegraphed ahead and already had dozens of men working on the puzzle. Until one of them wired back that he had located Aaron, there was nothing for Thorne to do but keep his vigil at the hotel.
    He was relieved when Mrs. Montgomery summoned everyone for dinner. As soon as his gaze met Charity’s he shook his head slightly in answer to her unspoken query.
    She relieved Naomi of her hat, gloves and reticule, then guided her to the same chair she had occupied the last time she and Aaron had eaten at that table, hoping it might trigger her memory. It didn’t.
    Thorne took a seat opposite his sister-in-law and gave Jacob the chair beside him, as usual. Many of the guests they had met during their stay had moved on. At present there was only Charity and her father, the proprietress and the young desk clerk, Thorne, Jacob, Naomi and two single men sharing the table. To Thorne’s disgust, one of them resembled the fool who had tried to take Naomi out for a stroll and the other was the prattling idiot who had delayed him so long that she had almost escaped.
    Thorne tried to make polite conversation with Charity while tolerating the other men for the sake of propriety. He was running out of things to say when a gangly, hatless youth with black elastic bands holding up his shirtsleeves burst into the hotel. His boots clomped on the wooden floor as he made straight for the dining room.
    “Mr. Blackwell. I’m plumb glad I found you,” he said, panting and looking extremely agitated.
    Thorne’s breath caught when he recognized the telegrapher. He pushed back his chair and stood. “What is it? Do you have news?”
    “Yes, sir.” The younger man handed him a slip of paper.
    Reading it, Thorne tried to hide his distress. One quick glance at Charity’s concerned expression told him he had failed.
    She arose and circled her chair to join him. Gently laying her hand on his coat sleeve she urged him to share the message. “What have you learned?”
    “They’re absolutely certain that they traced Aaron and two other men to the port of Los Angeles, where they all boarded a ship bound for New York, as I had suspected they might.”
    “Then that’s good news, isn’t it?”
    He shook his head. His heart was pounding and the hand that held the paper was trembling. “No. Not if he actually was aboard the El Dorado , as they believe. That ship just sank in a hurricane off the coast of Mexico with all hands reported lost.”
    Feeling Charity’s fingers tighten on his forearm and seeing the compassion in her blue eyes, he covered her hand with his before he said, “It appears Jacob has no one left to look after him and his mother but me.”
    “What are you going to do?” Charity asked softly.
    “I don’t know.”
    From across the table, Naomi spoke as if she hadn’t understood a thing they’d just said. “I must be going home to my mama soon. She’ll be worried.”
    Thorne’s gaze traveled from Naomi to Charity and then to the wide-eyed child. “You’re right. You should go to your mother. We’ll pack tonight and leave as soon as I can book passage on a packet boat headed north toward Puget Sound.”
    His fingers closed around Charity’s. “I know this is sudden, Miss Beal, but will you come with us? Jacob needs care and Naomi should have a gentlewoman like you as a traveling companion.”
    She pulled away. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
    “Why not? I’ll pay you well for your trouble and treat you as if you were part of my family. I know it may be an arduous journey but surely, if you won’t do