Which Way Did She Go?

By Beth Perkovich

It is the 1890s and Evie Logan is attempting to escape an arranged marriage to the arrogant and nasty William Douglas. A month after she dons a disguise, flees Philadelphia, and travels two thousand miles to begin anew as a chef in the Wild West, she has no idea that chance is about to lead her straight to a head-knocking encounter with Williams cousin, Jackson.

Jackson, who is already aware William is offering a hefty reward for Evies return, quickly realizes her true identity. Intrigued by her red hair and natural beauty, Jackson offers her a chance to escape her lustful boss and become his personal cook. Seemingly left with no other choice, Evie accepts and begins a new chapter once again, this time in Ironton, where she and Jackson eventually stage a fake wedding in an effort to rid her of William once and for all. But there are just two little problems: William has not given up his pursuit of the feisty woman he intends to make his wife and Jackson is falling in love with Evie.

In this historical romance, a rebellious young woman fleeing a marriage of convenience is led to a new destiny where she discovers that love always comes when one is least expecting it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491765777

Beth Perkovich

I have lived in Southwest Colorado for twenty years. It is one of the most beautiful areas in the country. I love Saturday mornings in the summer when my husband and I ride his Harley along the Million Dollar Highway from Ouray to Silverton. The wildflowers, the towering pines, and the red mountains are simply breathtaking. I’m a mother of three and grandmother to one. Like most women today, I juggle a full-time career and the maintenance of a household. children were young, I spent numerous evenings helping with their homework, baking cupcakes for school bake sales, and attending their sporting events. A perfect way to end my day was getting lost in a great book. My children are grown and on their own now, but I still love a good book after a tough day. The more humorous the better. I’m hoping my book will bring smiles and laughter to others.

Book preview

Which Way

Did She Go?

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Beth Perkovich

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WHICH WAY DID SHE GO?

Copyright © 2015 Beth Perkovich.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4917-6576-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-6577-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015908199

iUniverse rev. date: 6/30/2015

Contents

Acknowledgments

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

About The Author

Acknowledgments

I want to thank my entire family for encouraging me and giving me all the support I needed to pursue a dream. Thanks to my husband and daughter for cooking dinner numerous nights so I could write. Thanks also to my daughter-in-law for reading my work and adding her input. Even my sons, who have never picked up a romance novel in their lives, pushed me to go for it. Most of all, I want to thank God for always being with me, for guiding me each and every day.

CHAPTER 1

E vie’s beautiful dress was beginning to stick to her. It was another hot, humid day. The satin and chiffon Gibson girl design was the lightest gown she owned. It had capped sleeves; however, the long gloves she wore counteracted any relief from the heat. She had only been to Philadelphia a few times, but she did not remember the humidity being so insufferable. Especially this late in the evening.

The weather was one thing; her father was another. She scanned the room, looking for him. Where had the old scoundrel gone off to? Evie was really hoping they could start saying their good-byes.

This was supposed to be her engagement party; however, her fiancé, William, had excused himself and disappeared. Not that she really cared; her future husband had been as dull and boring as ever. The more she got to know him, the more she didn’t think she was going to be able to go through with this. What had her father been thinking, arranging a marriage in this day and age? It was the 1890s, for heaven’s sake!

William was arrogant and nasty. Evie wondered why he had so many friends. Earlier in the night she decided people flocked to him because of his wealth. Her father had told her the Douglases were one of the richest families in the Northeast. She had believed that until just a little bit ago. Several times during the party she had overheard hushed, whispered conversations pertaining to the Douglas fortune. If what she had overhead was correct, the family wealth did not really belong to William, but to some other family member.

She scanned the room again. No sign of William or her father. She was beginning to get angry. Until one of them made himself present, she was stuck listening to William’s mother and her close friend Mrs. Henderson. Evie felt as if she had been sitting here for hours, enduring their silly, mind-numbing conversation. They were so annoying.

She knew she had a tendency to exaggerate. Nonchalantly she lifted the locket that hung around her neck and opened the clasp. Instead of containing a lock of hair, her locket contained a timepiece. She closed the locket and wrinkled her nose. Okay, so it had only been twenty minutes, but still, twenty minutes was twenty minutes!

She tried not to pout. Why couldn’t she be at home, curled up with a good book and eating one of her tarts? A smile touched her lips at that thought. William’s mother looked at her and arched her eyebrow. Evie ducked her head and looked away.

She wished the evening could be over. Stuffy dinner parties were not her cup of tea. Not to mention the stifling heat that continued to hang on. It had a tendency to make Evie grumpy, which was odd. Why could she not handle the humid air but could spend hours upon hours in the kitchen? The heat from her cook stove must have been different. She could endure that for endless amounts of time.

Why couldn’t she be there now, putting the final touches on her latest creation? Evie loved to bake. Pies and tarts were her specialty. She had just perfected a chocolate filling that would be perfect in a tart. Sweet, crisp little pastry shells filled with rich chocolate custard, topped with a dab of whipped cream. Evie shivered at the thought. They were going to be so tasty. She had a feeling they were going to be almost as good as her lemon cream. She had achieved the top grade in her class thanks to that sweet little tart. Too bad she had not been able to graduate.

Evie had recently completed several pastry courses at the Cooking School of Boston. Not only did she enjoy creating tasty tarts, but she also loved experimenting with cakes, pies, and crème brûlée. Nothing was better than creating delectable desserts.

Of course, a toothache would be better than what she was dealing with right now. She pushed out her bottom lip. Instead of enjoying one of her tarts while curled up with a good book, she was listening to the opinions of Mrs. Douglas and Mrs. Henderson. Evie thought she was going to lose her mind if she listened to their wearisome chitchat for much longer. She couldn’t care less what Mrs. Douglas did or did not approve of. She had been told the woman was a gossip. William’s mother was proving everything Evie had heard about her to be true.

For the last twenty minutes, Evie had had to listen to her discredit and smear the reputation of Jane Stuart. Jane was the mayor’s daughter—the mayor of Philadelphia, for Pete’s sake! Jane had just returned from abroad wearing the latest fashions. Evie thought the gown Jane had worn the evening before was beautiful. Mrs. Douglas did not agree.

You should have seen her at the opening last night! William’s mother shook her head, causing her droopy cheeks to jiggle. They reminded Evie of gelatin. She had learned how to make a simple gelatin dessert just by adding certain flavors. Cherry-flavored gelatin with whipped cream was almost as good as her lemon cream or chocolate tarts. William’s mother kept talking as she looked from Evie to Mrs. Henderson. I don’t know what has become of young women today. When I was that age … She gestured toward Evie. Evie looked around to see who she was pointing at. Mrs. Douglas ignored Evie’s puzzlement and went on to say, A proper lady would never think of exposing her shoulders in that manner! She continued to look at Evie, shaking her head and cooling herself with a hand-carved ivory fan.

Why is she looking at me? Evie wondered. I wasn’t showing off my shoulders last night! She glanced at her shoulders and saw that one of her sleeves had begun to slide off. Evie quickly pushed the dress back in place and tried to give Mrs. Douglas a sweet smile. The woman looked down at her and turned back to Mrs. Henderson.

Thank goodness these two had not wanted to expose their shoulders. That might have caused a panic in the theater the night before! Evie frowned. Dear Lord! What was happening to her? That wasn’t a nice thought. She had never questioned such things before. It was these women. She looked from Mrs. Douglas to Mrs. Henderson. They definitely were not a good influence.

Mrs. Douglas stopped fanning herself for a moment and added, I tell you, a young woman of good standing would never think of adorning such attire.

Mrs. Henderson nodded in agreement. Evie shrugged at the comment. Why was there always one woman who thought she was an authority on everything? She would love to quote Luke 6, verse 27, to William’s mother and her little friend: Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.

They probably wouldn’t care. Like so many other people she had met recently, these two women would just construe that verse into something to suit themselves.

Evie decided she had had enough. She rose from her chair. Mrs. Douglas, Mrs. Henderson, if you would excuse me—she forced a smile—I need to freshen up a bit. Evie turned to make her escape.

Mrs. Douglas started to rise. I’ll show you the way.

Lord have mercy! Evie was so glad her back was to the women. She was sure her annoyance was showing. She carefully composed herself, turned, and placed a hand on Mrs. Douglas’s shoulder, stopping the woman from rising. Evie smiled and shook her head. Oh Mrs. Douglas, I wouldn’t think of interrupting your little tête-à-tête with Mrs. Henderson. She tried her darnedest to continue smiling. She felt as though her lips were sticking to her teeth. Evie could not remember a smile hurting so much. I am sure Mrs. Henderson would like to hear more about Jane’s new wardrobe. She patted Mrs. Douglas’s shoulder and rushed away before it was too late.

That was more than Evie was used to. She headed down the long hallway, looking back every now and then to make sure William’s mother was not in hot pursuit. It appeared safe. She rolled her shoulders as she looked around. Evie had not been this tense since cooking school, when she had had to prepare and bake a lemon meringue pie in a timed test.

At least the night was almost over. Evie looked toward the ceiling. Thank you, Lord! That chocolate tart and good book weren’t too far off now. She was almost finished reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. She felt as though she knew exactly how it had been for Huck and his friends when they had floated down the Mississippi on a wooden raft. It was too bad she could not get on a raft and float down the Potomac to escape this dreadful dinner. The end to this evening couldn’t come soon enough.

She absently glanced at the old paintings hanging on the walls as she ventured farther away from the dining room. She hardly noticed the artwork; her mind kept going back to her father. He had really done it this time. He always thought he knew what was best for her. How could he? He didn’t even know her, had never spent an ounce of time with her. And now he was marrying her off to a snob! William Douglas and his mother were two of the nastiest people she had ever met. However, it went beyond that. Evie felt as if they were hiding something. What, she did not know, and she really did not want to find out. She wanted out of this marriage and away from these people.

She could not believe that the people she had met tonight were her father’s friends. Everyone she had met this evening had been rude and stuffy. Evie was finding out the hard way she didn’t care to socialize with them. In fact she abhorred it, really. It wasn’t that she didn’t like people; she did. She just was used to spending time with people who were more unpretentious, as she would put it—people who were more down-to-earth. The women she had just been exposed to were bigoted and annoying.

Dining and socializing with her future fiancé and his friends was, as much as she hated the thought of it, something she would have to get used to if she went through with this marriage. Evie didn’t think she would be able to accomplish that feat without an extreme amount of patience, and a lot of chocolate and lemon tarts. She was probably going to gain a lot of weight because of this arranged marriage.

She glanced around again, taking in what would be her new surroundings come October. William had not even taken the time to show her around. She shrugged slightly. Even though she did not care for him, she had to be fair. They had not spent much time together yet. So far they had gone to a few plays, a picnic, and two dinner parties.

At the first dinner party they attended, she was introduced to a man by the name of Lawrence Rockford. She shuddered at the thought of that man. Mr. Rockford had openly flirted with her in front of William! And as if that were not bad enough, his eyes had moved over her as if he knew what she looked like without her chemise. That was alarming, but worse was the fact that William had done nothing to discourage Mr. Rockford’s behavior! What a knight in shining armor.

Evie had thought there might be hope for William when he escorted her to the picnic. The picnic had included several games of croquet and then a shooting contest. Her granddaddy had taught her about guns when she was younger. He had explained the difference between rimfire and centerfire cartridges and the importance of how to care for and properly maintain a firearm. He had also had the patience of a saint when it came to teaching her how to sight in, aim, and hit her target. Her experience and knowledge of guns had her thoroughly enjoying each and every event that day. William, on the other hand, spent the entire time talking to everyone about himself. Evie rolled her eyes. What a snob.

She continued down the long corridor. She had calmed down enough now to take in her surroundings. The walls were papered with a gold-and-cream-striped satin. The oil paintings were of various men and women framed in embossed gold. She stopped in front of one. The woman was stunning. Her eyes were a golden brown, the same color as Evie’s. Brandy eyes, her granddaddy had told her. Her hair had a reddish shade to it, but not the flaming red of Evie’s. That was why the woman was stunning. Evie had always wished for hair that shade.

As far as Evie was concerned, her hair was some sort of curse. The flaming red shade was bad enough; the unruly curls were a whole other matter. Evie took in the woman’s beauty and sighed. She would have to ask William who she was. She assumed the woman was one of his relatives.

After studying several other portraits, Evie came to a doorway and peeked into the room, her eyes widened in surprise. It couldn’t be. Not even in her wildest dreams!

Evie held her breath as she entered the room and slowly looked around. She was positively speechless. It was as if she had just entered utopia! She looked around in awe. This was the best wish she could ever have been granted! She turned a slow circle as she surveyed the room.

Holy Cow! A library! There had to be hundreds, maybe thousands, of wonderful books. Evie loved to read as much as she loved to bake. Everywhere she looked there were books, shelves and shelves of books, from the floor to the ceiling. If she had to go through with this ridiculous marriage, she at least knew where she was going to spend most of her time.

Evie continued to scan the room. The furniture was a rich, dark cherry upholstered in green satin prints. Paintings of various fox hunts hung on two of the walls. The window coverings were rich, green velvet trimmed in corded fringe and hung from the ceiling to the floor. It was the most elegant library she had ever seen.

William’s home was what some would call a mansion. The library was just one of the many rooms decorated with the finest furnishings. This brought her to her biggest question—why had William agreed to this arranged marriage? Surely he could have found a woman on his own. He wasn’t an ugly man. He actually was rather good looking. Too bad he is such a toad, she thought as she ran her index finger over the backs of the books, scanning their titles. At least with a library like this she would be able to stay out of his way.

Evie browsed the shelves for several minutes, then made a selection—David Copperfield. While she skimmed through the first chapter, she became aware of voices that were raised in anger. She looked up from the book, trying to figure out where they were coming from. What had she heard?

It was then that she noticed a door at the end of the room, slightly ajar. Slowly she moved in that direction. Eavesdropping was not something she had ever considered before, but she could have sworn she had heard her father’s name mentioned.

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William paced behind his chair. I don’t give a damn what her father wants now! Who the hell does Logan think he is? His voice rose in anger as he pounded his fist on his desk. The bastard should be happy I am taking that stupid little bitch off his hands!

Carl Schilling, William’s assistant, inwardly groaned. Here we go again, he thought. William, calm down, Schilling said, trying to hide his frustration with his employer. He had worked for William for five years now and was accustomed to smoothing his feathers. The arranged marriage, however, was playing its toll. Schilling was finding it more difficult every day to deal with the constant fury that William exuded. Recently everything, no matter what it was, caused his employer to explode.

Yesterday he had had to spend almost a half hour dealing with William’s socks not being the right color, his hat being too high, and his riding gloves being too tight. Today his temper had been all about his new bride-to-be. Schilling could not blame him. He was sure that most men would find the little redhead attractive at first glance. The trouble was, the woman never shut her damn mouth.

Schilling felt she did it on purpose just to annoy the hell out of William. Nobody could talk that much, especially about the topics of her discussions. Just earlier that day she had explained to them why early Egyptians wore makeup. Both he and William had been thrown off guard. Who the hell cared? According to the little know-it-all, the Egyptians believed that eye shadow would prevent blindness. Seriously? It hadn’t stopped there, either; she had gone on to tell them that the Egyptian people also thought that eyeliner kept evil spirits away and that lipstick would guard against food poisoning. Schilling was still unsure how they had even begun a discussion on Egyptians, lipstick, and eye shadow.

He glanced back at William. He appeared to have calmed down but was still pacing behind his desk.

Just who does he think he’s dealing with? William looked at him for an answer.

Shit! Schilling thought. How was he to know what the hell Logan thought? If the man were anything like his daughter, he would have explained it in complete detail to William. Maybe he thinks you are getting a real deal?

William just glared at him.

"Think about it, William; you’re acquiring his business. Douglas Contractors will be the largest commercial construction company in the Northeast! He shrugged. Undoubtedly he thinks throwing Evelyn into the deal is a bonus for you."

With a huff William sat down and drummed his fingers on the desk, still glaring at Schilling. "I still think he is an ass. The business is not worth what I am paying him, and after spending a few days with Evelyn, I think he should be paying me to take her off his hands!"

Schilling agreed, but then he had never been attracted to the opposite sex.

William’s voice had begun to rise again. It was almost reaching a high, squeaky level. Not a good sign. Schilling knew a tantrum was about to erupt. When William’s voice became this high and whiney, he usually lost control. Deep breath, Schilling thought. William, William, William, you are not thinking this through. His kept his voice quiet and calm. You’ve been eyeing a Senate seat. In order to obtain that seat, you are going to need Rockford’s backing.

William gave him a befuddled look.

Rockford seemed to be very interested in your little redhead the other evening. Utilize that interest. Schilling waited a beat for William to catch his drift.

Instead William narrowed his eyes and glared at Schilling. You want Rockford to marry Evelyn? He’s already married, you fool!

What is William, the town idiot? Schilling ran a hand down his face in exasperation and tried another tactic. William, what I am trying to point out is that Lawrence is a powerful man in Philadelphia. I watched him admire Miss Logan openly. Think of the possibilities that might arise if you—Schilling hesitated a moment while he considered carefully what he was about to propose—let’s say, consider sharing her, if you know what I mean? He had William’s full attention now, so he went on. Push Evie in his direction, and he might consider helping you even more than you hoped. What do you care if she satisfies his sexual appetite? Schilling’s grin started slowly, but it consumed his face when William caught on to his proposal.

I knew there was a reason I put up with you. William gave Schilling a sly smile and chuckled at his assistant’s little scheme.

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She recognized William’s voice but wasn’t sure who he was talking to. Probably his mean assistant, Mr. Schilling. Evie did not know what it was about that man, but her intuition told her to stay away from him. She shook off her dislike and strained to hear their conversation.

It was what she heard next that got her anger flaring. It was not just her father William was yelling about. He was also complaining about her! It appeared she was the reason he was so mad. What had he said? Stupid … Little? What nerve!

Most of William’s rant fell on deaf ears. Little Evie frowned and narrowed her eyes. She really hated it when people referred to her as little. Yes, she was only about five feet tall. She couldn’t help that she was shorter than most people. That one word, little, was more than she could take. Anger getting the best of her, Evie started for the doorway. They were going to get a piece of her mind! Little! She would show them little!

What she heard next stopped her dead in her tracks. She slapped her hand over her mouth and slowly backed away from the door. Oh my goodness! What had William just said? Murder? Who had been killed? An aunt and uncle? He had murdered his aunt and uncle? He wasn’t a toad; he was worse. So much worse! He was a sick, evil snake. She really needed to get away from him. Yes, she had to get out of here, and quickly, before anyone saw her, and before William or his ugly assistant became aware of what she had just overheard.

Evie turned to run and hit a wall. No, not a wall, a man. A huge man. Oh my God! She looked at the white shirt in front of her. Whoever was wearing this shirt sure was big! Slowly she glanced past the white collar, past the tan skin of his chin, past his nose, and finally into his gray eyes—very mean, very angry-looking gray eyes! Who was this? Her heart was hammering so loudly she was sure the giant man could hear it. Think, she told herself. Do something; do something fast!

CHAPTER 2

I t was another hot, dusty day. It had not rained since early August. That was almost a month ago. Horses and wagons stirred up the dust to the point it was almost hard to breathe. Jackson almost wished he was back in Philadelphia. Almost being the key word.

His family, what he had left, were not the type of people he wanted to associate himself with. His aunt and uncle were so despicable he could not stand to be in the same state with them, let alone the same city. William, their son, Jackson’s only cousin, was a sniveling shit. Jackson had gone to any and all extremes to avoid them for the last several years. He had spent the last year traveling, drawing up plans and calculating pricing for the road project in Ouray, Colorado. Being awarded this job was the best thing that could have happened to him. He had hesitated moving out West, leaving the everyday charges of the office. However, his father, God rest his soul, had made sure Douglas Contractors was staffed with the best. From top to bottom, the company practically ran itself. He did not need to be there every day to make sure things were running smoothly.

When this opportunity arose, he and his best friend, Sam, were on the next train headed west. He and Sam Porter had become friends at the age of fourteen and since that time had done everything together. They had met at Carson Long Military Institute, a school located near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From there they went to LaFayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where Jackson and Sam both received degrees in engineering. The need for excitement had them joining the Secret Service. There were some unbelievable times. The Secret Service was a specialized division of the government that President Lincoln had decided to start in order to control and monitor counterfeiting. Of course, everyone involved in the formation of this secret department knew it had been created to deal with the KGC, the Knights of the Golden Circle. Lincoln had been assassinated before