They got an early start the next morning, and arrived in Grandville shortly before noon.
Emma was glad to be done with the trip, as her behind was sore from the jouncing stagecoach. Her ears were also tired of the incessant chatter of the newlyweds, who'd managed to ignore her for the entire trip
After Angel Eyes had helped her down from the stagecoach and retrieved her things, Emma looked all around with concern. Not seeing her sister or brother-in-law, she said. "They're not here. I wonder what could be keeping them? I hope they got the telegram."
"How about I take you to the house?" he said. "I'll rent a wagon or something at the livery stable and drive you out there. If you didn't have the trunk, we'd have just gone on my horse."
"Thank you," she murmured.
Angel Eyes didn't respond, but headed to the livery, which was, fortunately, right next to the stage depot.
Emma waited on a bench in front of the depot for him to return.
A short time later, he returned with a light buggy, with his own horse hitched to it.
"Figured this buggy would be better than a heavy wagon; easier on my horse" he told her as he stepped down to stow her stuff behind the seat. "Do you know how to get to your sister's place?"
"I've never been there, so no," she replied, frowning.
"Don't worry, I'll ask someone inside the depot if they know," he told her. "What's the last name?"
"McKechnie."
"Be right back."
A short time later they were headed to her sister's house. The stagecoach agent had even drawn Angel Eyes a map to the McKechnie place, so they weren't having any trouble finding their way.
About two miles from town, they found the right house.
"It's nicer than I expected," Emma remarked, her tone uncertain.. "But my brother-in-law is a carpenter and I think he did most of the work himself."
Angel Eyes just grunted. He'd stayed in worse places, but this house left a lot to be desired. The house he intended to have built would be better than this.
As he helped Emma down from the buggy and went to get her stuff, a young woman appeared at the front door.
Seeing her sister, Eliza McKechnie rushed out, after giving a quick glance to her baby in the cradle. Immediately embracing her, Eliza exclaimed, "Emma, it really is you. I wasn't sure when I saw the buggy coming up the lane."
At this moment, Angel Eyes came around from the back of the back of the buggy with Emma's things.
Eliza gasped involuntarily at the sight of this tall man with a hard, intense stare.
Because of their intimacy and familiarity with one another, Emma had forgotten how sinister Angel Eyes could appear to some people. These were the same features that had attracted her to him in the first place, and after getting to know him, she knew that he enjoyed intimidating people at times.
Before Eliza could react further, Emma stepped in. "Eliza, this is my baby's father. He wanted to make sure I got here safely." Not waiting for a response, she asked, "Where can he put my trunk?"
"Oh! Of course!" Eliza had collected herself. Heading back to the house, she said, "Follow me."
She led them to a small bedroom, furnished with a narrow bed and a dresser. Angel Eyes set the trunk down on the floor at the end of the bed, and the carpetbag on the bed. Looking around, he realized he and Emma wouldn't be intimate here.
As the three left the bedroom, Eliza tentatively turned to him and said, "You are welcome to stay the night and give your horse a chance to properly rest up for the trip back to Cactus Flats, Mr ah, uh…"
"People call me Angel Eyes," he told her, not elaborating further.
Eliza gave Emma a puzzled look, but Emma avoided her gaze, knowing she'd be questioned later about it.
"Well, uh, Angel Eyes, you can put your horse in the barn," she told him. "When you come back, lunch will be on the table." After a beat, she added, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to sleep in the barn, as there's no room in the house."
"It's all right," he told her. "I don't mind." Giving Emma a meaningful look, he headed to the back door to go attend to the horse.
Emma followed him out to where he unhitched his horse from the buggy, then led the animal to the barn to feed him.
"I expect you to come join me in the barn for the night," he told her. Smiling down at her, he continued, "It'll be our last night together for awhile and I also have a few things I want to discuss with you."
"I'd already planned on doing that," she assured him. "Someone has to keep you warm, and I think I smell better than your horse."
"Just a bit," he teased, chuckling.
"I'd better go in and help Eliza get the food on the table," she said reluctantly. "See you shortly." She stretched up to give him a quick peck on the cheek before heading inside to assist her sister, but he pulled her in for a real kiss before letting her go.
Eliza had been watching from the kitchen window and smiled to herself. The couple cared more for each other than either was willing to admit. It was a shame they had no plans to marry.
As Emma entered the kitchen, she asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"You can set the table," Eliza told her. Turning to face her sister, she asked, "Angel Eyes? Why does he go by that handle rather than his real name? Do you even know his name?"
"He has his reasons," Emma replied evasively. "And of course I know his name."
"I'll tell you why," the other woman said. "He's an outlaw, that's why. I could tell just looking at him. Only outlaws use monikers like that."
"I know," Emma admitted. "That's part of what excited me about him. You know I'd have been bored to tears with a wholesome church boy."
"Just as long as he's good to you, I suppose," Eliza said uncertainly.
"He didn't run when I told him I was in the family way with his child," her sister said. "He paid for me to get here and will pay you and Henry board, so it doesn't put you out to keep me here."
Angel Eyes came back inside at that moment and the women's conversation ended. Before seating himself at the table, he went over to Eliza and handed her some money. "I trust this should be enough to cover Emma's board for about three months?"
Eliza almost gasped when she saw how much he'd given her. "More than enough," she finally managed to say. "Thank you!"
He didn't say anything, but dug into the food that had been set before him.
Later that night, Emma quietly sneaked out of the small bedroom that would be hers for the next three months and crept out to the barn to be with Angel Eyes.
She found him sitting outside smoking his pipe.
"I was about to give up on you," he said.
"I wanted to wait until they fell asleep," she told him, pulling her blanket closer around her shoulders.
Snuffing his pipe a few minutes later, he said, "Let's go to bed. It's up in the loft.
Once they'd situated themselves in the hay, Angel Eyes told her, "While we were riding up here, I came up with an idea that should benefit us both."
"I'm listening," she said as she snuggled close to him.
"I've decided to have a house built, so I have a place to stay in between jobs. That way I won't need to pay for a hotel room any more," he began. "As for you, I imagine your family's rooms over the mercantile are pretty cramped and adding a baby won't help things."
"That's for sure," Emma corroborated, loudly expelling a breath. "I share a bedroom with my thirteen year old sister."
"I want you to move into the house to raise our child," he told her. "That way, I can come and go as I please, and see you and the baby."
"Oh, I like that idea, even though my parents won't like it at all* she said, laughing.
"I know your mother wants you to make up a cockamamie story about a quick romance and marriage, after which he promptly gets himself killed, so you can pass yourself off as a widow," he said. "You'll have to come up with a story to explain the house, saying something like he came from money back East and his parents sent money for a house, and so on."
As he idly rubbed her back, he added, "But that story won't hold up for long, as people will count the months. People will eventually see you as my kept woman. I don't care what people think if you don't."
"Your kept woman!" she repeated. "Sounds deliciously decadent. It's my mother mostly who wants to keep up appearances."
"She shouldn't worry," he said. "Something else will inevitably come along to scandalize the town and we'll be old news."
"You're right."
"Anyway, I'll have it built somewhere on the outskirts of town and it should be done by the time you come back. It'll have basic furnishings and you can add other things as you see fit."
"Sounds wonderful."
"As for now we have better things to do," he said, kissing her neck. "It'll be quite awhile before we can do this again."