Head in the Clouds

Karen Witemeyer

Description

Adelaide Proctor is a young woman with her head in the clouds, longing for a real-life storybook hero to claim as her own. But when a husband-hunting debacle leaves her humiliated, she interviews for a staid governess position on a central Texas sheep ranch and vows to leave her romantic yearnings behind. When Gideon Westcott left his privileged life in England to make a name for himself in America's wool industry, he never expected to become a father overnight. And five-year-old Isabella hasn't uttered a word since she lost her mother. The unconventionality of the new governess concerns Gideon--and intrigues him at the same time. But he can't afford distractions. He has a ranch to run, a shearing to oversee, and a suspicious fence-cutting to investigate. When Isabella's uncle comes to claim the child--and her inheritance--Gideon and Adelaide must work together to protect Isabella from the man's evil schemes. And soon neither can deny their growing attraction. But after so many heartbreaks, will Adelaide be willing to get her head out of the clouds and put her heart on the line?

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441213235
• Langue: English

Extrait

Head IN THE Clouds
Books by Karen Witemeyer
A Tailor-Made Bride Head in the Clouds

Head in the Clouds Copyright 2010 Karen Witemeyer
Cover design by Dan Thornberg, Design Source Creative Services
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Witemeyer, Karen.
Head in the clouds / Karen Witemeyer.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-7642-0756-3 (pbk.)
1. Governesses-Fiction. 2. Ranches-Texas-Fiction. 3. Texas-History-1846- 1950-Fiction. I. Title.
PS3623.I864H43 2010 813 .6-dc22
2010016353
To my mom. We ve shared so many dreams. I pray you will share my joy as this one comes true.
And to my second mom, Hilda. You shared your son with me and believed in my abilities while I floundered in uncertainty. You re welcome to raid my book closet anytime!
A man s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps. P ROVERBS 16:9
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
About the Author
Prologue
C ISCO , T EXAS -A PRIL 1883
Tonight is the night. She could feel it.
Adelaide Proctor stared at the man across from her, so many flutters dancing in her stomach she couldn t possibly eat a bite of the apple pie he d just ordered for her. The secret smiles he d sent her that morning over breakfast at the boardinghouse, his request to dine with her so they might discuss the future
The future! How could it be anything else? Henry Belcher was finally going to propose.
Is the pie not to your liking, my dear? He set his fork down and glanced up at her. Always solicitous, that was her Henry.
I m sure it s delicious, Adelaide said, looking down at her lap and fiddling with the hem of the white tablecloth. It s just that you mentioned you wished to discuss something with me this evening, and I m afraid my curiosity has stolen my appetite.
Of course. How thoughtless of me. He pushed his plate of half-eaten pie to the side and reached across the table, holding his hand palm up. I should not have kept you in suspense all through dinner.
With a hitch in her breath, Adelaide drew one arm from her lap and eased her fingers into his. His thumb rubbed the back of her hand-an intimate gesture that infused her with hope. And if it didn t stir her deeper emotions well, what did that matter? Not all marriages were based on a grand passion. She and Henry shared something much more likely to last: common interests and mutual respect. If carefully cultivated, she had no doubt such attributes would bloom into love.
You have come to mean so very much to me over this last year, Henry said, his tone oozing sincerity. Every month when I start my route anew, I long for the day the train brings me to Cisco so that I might see you again. You ve been so loyal to me, ordering books for your classroom or yourself. I can t tell you how much your generosity has stirred my heart.
Adelaide met his gaze, her own heart stirring. I love to read, and I I try to instill a similar value in my students. She gently squeezed Henry s fingers and watched as his mouth curved into a warm, masculine smile. You always go out of your way to find just the right books for us. Other peddlers try to foist only their most expensive volumes. But not you. You care about your customers. I could tell that right from the start.
I care about you , my dear.
Adelaide s pulse hummed through her like a whirligig picking up speed. Before the T P brought Henry to town, she had despaired of ever finding a husband. She d signed a two-year teaching contract that precluded her from marrying within that time frame. The few suitors who had demonstrated interest when she first arrived lost patience and married elsewhere. But all her waiting was about to pay off.
Henry reached across the table with his other arm and cocooned her hand within both of his. I care about you a great deal, Adelaide. That is why I ve been reluctant to spoil our dinner with the news I must share with you.
Spoil our dinner? Unease slithered through her. What do you mean?
I received word from the home office. I m to be promoted from salesman to regional manager.
Relief so keen it nearly hurt washed over Adelaide. Henry, she scolded, shame on you. You had me thinking the news was going to be dreadful. A promotion is cause for celebration. I m so proud of you.
Henry patted her hand in a way that felt less like reassurance and more like sympathy. You don t understand, darling. I ll be working in Fort Worth permanently. I won t be traveling the rail lines any longer. There will be no more visits to Cisco.
Adelaide didn t care if she left Cisco. Didn t he realize that? She d gladly resign from her teaching position and move to Fort Worth if it meant having a husband and family of her own. She d yearned for such a blessing since the day her father died.
It breaks my heart to think that I ll not see you again. Henry s expression was so somber it frightened her. Was he not going to propose? Could he be so unsure of her answer that he d not risk asking her to choose him over her students?
Yes. That must be it.
How could she embolden him without being too brazen? Adelaide nibbled on her lip and leaned forward in her chair. With all the tales you ve told me about Fort Worth s burgeoning society-the concerts, the fancy hotel dining rooms, the parties of the wealthy cattle barons-I would think you d be pleased to settle in such a town. She lowered her lashes. I would be happy to call such a place home.
Adelaide peeked at Henry to judge his response. His sad smile remained fixed, his eyes unchanged. After a year of acquaintance she should have been able to decipher his mood better, but in truth, if she tallied all the days she d actually spent in his company, they would barely add up to a couple of weeks. That s what came from stepping out with a traveling book salesman. Riding the rails was his business. She d only seen him once or twice a month. Yet, in those few days, she d come to believe that Providence had brought him to her.
Henry released a heavy sigh and then slid his hands away from hers as he sat back. I wish I could take you with me.
Why can t you? Adelaide withdrew her hand and fisted it around the dinner napkin in her lap. He s leaving me?
Before the panic could fully claim her, Henry smiled-a beatific expression void of all worry and disappointment. Who knows? he said. Fate may bring us together again.
Adelaide loosened her grip on the napkin and successfully inhaled a full breath. Everything would be fine. It would. Something was holding Henry back, but he still cared for her. He wouldn t have hinted at a future together otherwise. Perhaps this was simply the Lord s way of testing her commitment.
As she looked across the table at Henry, she straightened her spine and nodded. They would meet again one day. She d see to it. It didn t matter what obstacle kept him from offering for her tonight. They would overcome it. The happy ending she d longed for was within her grasp. She d not let a little distance or a hesitant suitor steal it from her.
Chapter 1
O NE MONTH LATER
The grandest adventure of her life waited on the other side of these tracks. That or the most humiliating debacle she d ever created. Either way, there was no going back.
Adelaide Proctor drew in a deep, hope-filled breath and nearly choked on the pungent odor of cattle dung wafting up from the stock pens farther down the rail line. She sputtered and wrinkled her nose but stepped forward nonetheless. It was of little consequence that Fort Worth smelled like manure or that gray clouds darkened the afternoon sky. She had traveled there to capture her dream, and nothing would deter her.
Adelaide waded across the depot platform through a sea of people who bustled about with energetic purpose. Returning travelers hurried to greet loved ones. Station attendants unloaded mailbags and other cargo. Hotel drummers plied newcomers with solicitations, each representative promising finer accommodations than the last. Adelaide drifted through them all, uncertainty dimming her excitement.
A gust of wind swirled around her and tugged at her straw bonnet. She smashed it back down on her head and stopped for a moment to adjust her hatpin. As she wiggled the pin into place, the locomotive behind her let out a burst of steam, its loud hiss startling her into motion. At a loss over which way to go and already missing the simplicity of small town life, Adelaide allowed herself to be swept along with the crowd.
It certainly hadn t taken long for the first pangs of homesickness to hit. She d only left Cisco a few hours ago. Aunt Louise would be tsk ing up a storm if she could see her. One would think that a young woman who had spent four years in Boston furthering her education and polishing her social graces would be right at home in a place the size of Fort Worth. Yet Adelaide remained a country girl at heart.