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“That’s our sheriff, Quincy Davis,” Will continued.

Willowy little Pippa Neely made a show out of patting her pockets and checking the roll of reddish-gold hair on the back of her head as though searching for weapons. She peered into the beaded reticule that dangled from her elbow, then shrugged and shook her head. Even traveling by train she’d managed to make her hair and clothing look lovely. Leah had felt rumpled and dirty since the second day out of Chicago.

The men in the crowd loved Pippa’s pantomime and laughed uproariously. The vivacious young woman had been great fun on the trip west. Always cheerful and often playful, she made the best out of every situation and had bolstered the spirits of the other passengers when the trip grew long and tiresome. Reverend Taggart just shook his head and grinned at her antics. He’d grown accustomed to Pippa’s mischievous showmanship.

“How about you, Reverend?” someone called from the crowd. “Are you packin’ a gun?”

The reverend raised both hands in the air as if prepared for a search.

Daniel stepped forward. “We figured you’d be tired after the long journey, so the Cowboy Café will bring a meal to each of your rooms. After today, Aunt Mae will be planning on your eating at the boardinghouse, unless you tell her differently. Let’s go get you settled.”

The crowd applauded as the newest residents made their way down the stairs onto the boardwalk and headed to the next block. Eden Street boasted several businesses. On the right was a telegraph, a barber and a doctor’s office. They passed the sheriff’s office and a newspaper office before reaching Aunt Mae’s boardinghouse. It wasn’t a fancy structure, but it was two stories with an abundance of windows and two sets of stairs, one leading to a balcony that covered the front of the whole upstairs and the set on the side leading to a second floor entrance. The building was freshly painted and someone had planted fledgling rose bushes on either side of the entrance.

The short stocky woman who greeted them was every bit of sixty, with a square face. Her gray hair held a few remaining streaks of reddish brown. She wore a green dress with a white collar and white trim. When she smiled her cheeks folded into wrinkled pleats to match her lined forehead.

“Welcome! Welcome to Cowboy Creek. Oh, just look at the lot of you. You’re as welcome here as a rain on an August day. Tell me now, who is who? You’re the reverend, of course.”

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

“Shoosh now, not ma’am. Just Aunt Mae.”

The women introduced themselves and Aunt Mae greeted them as though they were family, exclaiming over their dresses and hair.

“You’ll meet my permanent boarders soon enough. Gus and Old Horace spend their days sitting on benches in front of the mercantile, but they never miss a meal.” She explained about meal times and continued, “There’s a bathing room beside the kitchen. You can heat water on the kitchen stove. I have a lad who brings in wood and empties the tub. I figured you’d all want baths today, so I have water ready and will keep the kettles full.”

Aunt Mae gave them their room assignments. “Mrs. Swann, you’re on the south corner in front. Miss Hannah, you’re right beside her. The fellows carried up your trunks. There’s soap and toweling ready. If you need anything else, just let me know.”

Hannah, looking especially tired, thanked their hostess and trudged up the stairs.

“I’ll help you settle in, dear.” Aunt Mae gathered the hem of her skirts and followed. Pippa thanked everyone and climbed the stairs behind them.

Leah met Daniel’s piercing green eyes. Looking at his tanned face and chestnut hair bleached gold from the sun, she noticed a few lines that hadn’t been there last time she’d seen him. He was broader and more muscled than Will, his strength unrestrained by the fabric of his neatly pressed shirt, but his features were harder, leaner than she remembered. The war had seasoned his still-handsome face, but it was now a man’s face. No doubt they’d both lived a lifetime in the years that had separated them.

Overshadowing her relief at seeing his familiar face was a rush of regret and loss. As youngsters the three of them had been close until Will had declared his feelings for her. He had seemed a good choice for a husband. His family were merchants, and he had a head for business and figures. Daniel had been the adventurous one, the one talking about heading west and starting a ranch. Back then thoughts of the unknown seemed reckless and frightening. She’d sought only security and familiarity.

She’d had no idea what was coming. None of them had.

When the two friends had joined the army, she had implied that she would wait for Will. Time and distance had quickly come between them, and through sporadic letters they’d agreed to end their courtship. That’s when Leah met and married an academy graduate. At the time a future in the east, living the life of an officer’s wife, had seemed safe, protected—glamorous even. However, Charles had turned out to be shallow and self-centered. His assignments had taken them to truly uncivilized parts of the country.

She’d been terrified. In the ensuing years, she’d had plenty of time to regret her choices. She’d come here to make a fresh start, but how could she plan for the future or hold on to a shred of dignity when she had to face both men who’d known her when she’d still had hopes and dreams? That had been a lifetime ago. Everything was different now—everything except the fact that she was still looking for security, but this time for two.

Daniel gave her an awkward nod. “Send for me if you need anything.”

“I will.” She wanted to bury herself in his strong embrace and seek comfort and safety, but she had no right. They’d once been the best of friends, but now they were estranged friends with years between them. She was going to have to move on as planned.

He exited the boardinghouse, and she felt as though a light had gone out. Turning, she made her way up the stairs.

Aunt Mae had shown Hannah to her room and now opened the door for Leah to enter hers. “It’s freshly cleaned and gets morning sun.”

“It’s perfect, thank you.”

Leah was strong and determined. She would find work. She would select a kind and thoughtful husband. Feelings were too complicated, and she couldn’t trust them. She was here to rest and take care of herself. Because this baby was going to live. She would take no risks. No more travel. Cowboy Creek was her new home, and she was going to make the best of it.

* * *

Daniel entered the Cattleman Hotel and glanced into the restaurant. Will sat at a table with Reverend Taggart, so he joined them. The reverend stood and shook his hand. “That was quite a welcome, Mr. Gardner.”

“Call me Daniel, please. And we’re honored you and your daughter chose our town. How is your room at the boardinghouse?”

“It’s more than adequate, thank you.”

“Will and I want to show you the church. We’ve been meeting on Sunday mornings, and those willing to take turns have led services. It will be good to have a real preacher. Your house is being finished and should be ready to move in to by the end of the week. Maybe you or Hannah would like to pick out the furniture.”

“I’m a simple man, and my daughter won’t be staying with me for long once she finds a suitable partner. I don’t need much, but if it makes your job easier, I’d be happy to select a few items.”

“There’s an adequate furniture store at the corner of First and Grant,” Daniel said. “Select what you need and put it on my account. Irving will know you’re coming.”

“That’s mighty generous.”

“It’s our job to take care of the man God has called to our town. We appreciate your willingness to come.”

“When we saw the advertisement for brides, Hannah and I felt we should write you. I didn’t want to send her off alone, and she was determined to come. It felt right.”

“Did you have a church in Chicago?” Daniel queried.

“Indiana, actually. Lafayette.”

“Wasn’t that where a man set out in an air balloon to try to make it to New York City with mail several years back?” Will’s eyes lit with interest.

“Yes, indeed. That was quite an event. Due to weather, the fellow landed in Crawfordsville, however, and the mail was delivered the rest of the way by train.”

“Have to give him credit for trying,” Daniel added. “Would it work for you if I show you the church and your house tomorrow morning?”

“That sounds good. I’ll meet you outside the boardinghouse?” The reverend stood and extended a hand.

Daniel nodded and both he and Will stood to shake his hand. The reverend left the restaurant.

“He seems like a good choice,” Will commented.

“He does.” A stocky young man poured Daniel coffee and took his order. As soon as he’d walked away, Daniel looked at his childhood friend. “What are we going to do?”

“About what?”

“About Leah, of course. Her lieutenant husband died and she’s a widow.” He shook his head, still stunned by her arrival. “Leah’s a widow. Her folks are gone, too. It pains me to think of her being alone and feeling so desperate that she answered our ad.”

“All of the women who answered the ad were desperate,” Will replied with perfect logic. “We have to figure that much. Most places have very few men of marriageable age left.”

“I know. The women all have their reasons. But this is Leah.”

Will tilted his head in concession. “You’re right. It may not have worked out for the two of us, but she’s the closest thing either of us has to family.”

And family was the most important, yet rarest commodity these days. “Like you said, it’s safe here,” Daniel said.

“The streets are not dangerous for a woman,” Will agreed.

“But we don’t know every last man. You can bet those gals will be buried under invitations to dinners and invited for rides and asked to picnics and all manner of social things. It will probably be confusing to have so many different men as husband prospects.”

Will raised his eyebrows. “We can’t choose for any of them.”

“I know. But maybe we could give Leah our guidance.” They sat in silence until Daniel’s meal arrived. He picked up his fork. “We need to talk to Noah. I wish he’d come today.”

“You knew he wouldn’t. He didn’t want any part of it. He only comes to town when he has to.”

“After I eat, I’m going to see him. Come with me.”

Will took a sip of his coffee and grimaced. “Cold. All right. I’ll go change and head for the livery.”

Will had Daniel’s brown-and-white skewbald gelding saddled when he arrived. They headed west. A few miles away from town, they encountered a small herd of buffalo. Interrupted from their grazing, the beasts lumbered away. Daniel and Will sat astride their horses and watched. As they stayed there without moving, several turkeys strutted out of the long grass and pecked at the ground. Daniel patted his horse’s neck, then slowly drew his rifle from its scabbard on the back of his saddle, aimed and fired. The horse beneath him didn’t flinch. One of the birds flopped on the ground and the others scattered.

Daniel got down to retrieve his kill. “I’ll take this to Noah for dinner. Maybe we’ll make a night of it.”

Will leaned on his saddle horn. “You know he’ll get cantankerous when he figures out we’re hoping he’ll want one of those brides.”

“Yep.” He used a leather thong to tie the bird to his saddle.

Will tipped his hat back and looked at Daniel. “Maybe he’ll take a shine to Leah.”

“Maybe.” Daniel didn’t like the arrow of discomfort that pierced his thoughts and made him turn away to look at the sky. He relived a brief moment of jealousy, remembering the hug Leah had impulsively given Will. His friend had appeared startled and exchanged a glance of confusion with him over her golden head. Daniel prayed he’d either get used to thinking of Leah with someone else or the good Lord would send him his own wife to change his confusing feelings about her.

Before the war Daniel had stood back and watched as Will courted Leah. She had shown his best friend favor. Daniel had never told either of them how he felt about her, but Will had figured it out. Things had been tense at first, and they hadn’t talked about it at length, but Daniel had assured Will that if he made Leah happy, so be it.

After the men had joined the army, Will and Leah’s separation had made communication difficult, and eventually the two had ended their courtship. Daniel and Will had come to terms with the past a long time ago. Life was too uncertain to hold grudges stemming from circumstances that were out of their control. They’d seen each other through days and nights with little to no rations, dug graves side by side, mourned comrades left where they’d fallen and bolstered each other’s grit and determination when death had seemed the easy way out. Leah’s arrival might muddy the waters in respect to their plan for brides, but her presence wouldn’t come between them. He’d see to that.

They spotted Noah digging a post hole. It appeared a section of fence had been broken or trampled. “Did buffalo do that?” Will called. “We saw a small herd.”

Noah squinted at them from beneath the brim of his hat and leaned on the handle of his shovel until they got close. His hat shaded his face and eyes from the sun, and beneath the brim his collar-length hair was dark with sweat. “What brings you two out here? Wasn’t this the big day?”

“It was.” Daniel got down and hobbled his horse. Will did the same.

“Everything go as planned?”

“Cowboy Creek has a friendly preacher and four new marriageable women,” Will told him.

“That’s what you wanted.” Noah gripped the shovel and continued digging the hole.

Will went for one of the posts in the back of Noah’s wagon and Daniel grabbed a sledgehammer.

“So, it all went well and you came out here to be ranch hands this afternoon?” Noah still had a Virginia drawl. The burn scars on the side of his face stood out white in contrast to the rest of his face, which was red from exertion and the sun. The scars extended down his arm and on his chest, as well, and were the biggest reason he stayed to himself and rarely went into town.

They’d met the southerner when the 155th Pennsylvania Regiment had marched to Washington. Opposed to slavery, Noah had left behind his home and family to fight for his beliefs and joined the army at the Potomac in ’62. Only a year later, as they joined the fray at Gettysburg, Noah’s gun backfired at the Battle of Little Round Top and ignited a fire that left him badly burned.

His discharge from the army had been all the more difficult for him because Noah had always believed that as a born southerner he had to fight harder than any northerner. His bravery had been an example to all the men who fought with him, but he’d been forced to leave due to his injuries. That’s when he’d come to Kansas and staked his claim.

“I shot a turkey for supper,” Daniel said. “Thought we’d stay.”

“Daylight’s burnin’.” Noah’s reply was terse as always.

Daniel and Will glanced at each other and bent to the task.

Near sundown, the fence repairs were finished and the men headed to Noah’s cabin. Noah’s black fierce-looking companion, a cross between a dog and a wolf, greeted Noah and watched the other two men dismount. Wolf accompanied Noah to town on the rare occasions he went, and folks were wary of him. Like Noah, Wolf came across more dangerous than he was.

The men washed at the pump in the yard, and Daniel prepared the turkey, splitting it and roasting the meat over a fire pit. Noah brought turnips from his root cellar and Will baked biscuits in a skillet. It was dark by the time they ate under the stars.

“You remember us telling you about Leah Robinson?” Daniel asked.

Noah tossed a turkey leg to Wolf. The dog snatched up the meat and trotted several feet away to eat. “Wasn’t that the woman Will was engaged to before the war?”

“That’s her. She showed up today on the bride train.”

Noah looked at them with a quizzical expression. “I thought she got married.”

“Her husband died.”

“In the war?”

“I assume so.”

“So she’s looking to remarry.”

“She is, and I’m concerned about her.” Daniel removed his hat to rake a hand through his hair and then settled it back on his head. “The three of us grew up together. I don’t want her to make a wrong choice. She needs to find the right husband. Someone who will take care of her like she deserves.”

“Too bad Will’s got himself a fiancée. He could marry her.”

Daniel’s supper felt like lead in his belly at the thought.

“We were barely more than children when we were engaged. Like it or not, the war changed us all,” Will objected. “Besides, Leah isn’t cut out to be the wife of a politician. Dora is well aware of my ambitions, and she shares my vision. What about you?”

Noah tossed a bone into the fire and rubbed his hands together. “Don’t need a woman. There’s nothing wrong with my life the way it is.”

“You have a great life out here,” Will agreed. “But companionship is a good thing.”

“Don’t need a companion, and don’t ask me again.”

“All right, all right,” Will said in exasperation. “Don’t get your tail feathers all ruffled.” He glanced at Daniel. “How about Owen Ewing then? He has a flourishing business. He’s a fine cabinetmaker.”

Daniel cast him a dark scowl. “He’s also the undertaker. That would never do. Not for Leah.”

“You’re not getting squeamish on us, are you?” Noah asked.

“I wouldn’t be the one marrying him. Leah is a lady of refined sensibilities. She can’t live in a home where there are bodies in the basement. The other ladies would snub her.”

“He might have a point,” Will said.

Noah shrugged. “Quincy’s a good man. Honest as the day is long. Hardworking. He’s only in his thirties. He looks like a man women would take to, doesn’t he?”

“A lawman’s job is too hazardous,” Daniel objected. “He’s not salaried, you know. He gets paid by the arrest, so he’s motivated to get himself into some tight spots going after criminals. A wife would worry about a man in that position. And, worst case scenario, he might get killed. You never know. She’s already lost one husband.”

Will and Noah both nodded, and Noah poured them cups of coffee. “This is like the old days, the three of us eating under the sky,” he commented.

“Except the food is better and there’s more of it,” Will said.

They sipped their coffee and discussed a couple more candidates that Daniel rejected for one reason or the other.

The firelight flickered across Noah’s scarred cheek as he peered at Daniel. “Seems the best choice for Leah’s new husband is you.”

Chapter Three

Daniel’s last sip went down the wrong way and he choked. He coughed and cleared his throat. “Me? I don’t think so.”

“Why not? You don’t have dead bodies in your basement. You aren’t a lawman, so your life isn’t at risk. You don’t have an old father to take care of and you don’t scratch your neck all the time.” Noah listed all the reasons for which Daniel had just rejected the last husbands under consideration. “She knows you. She is fond of you, am I right?”

“She’s fond of him,” Will supplied. “She tucked her arm right into his and chatted with him all the way to the boardinghouse.”

“That doesn’t mean she’d want to marry me.”

His friends raised their eyebrows at Daniel’s ardent objection.

“She doesn’t see me like that. Never has.”

He’d thought of nothing but that walk to the boardinghouse, about the delicate curve of her cheek and the sweep of her lashes. She was still the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. She’d been wearing her pale hair caught up on her head, but he remembered it curling around her shoulders as a girl. Leah had always been full of life. She’d ridden with them, run alongside the riverbank barefoot, practiced shooting at tin cans and held her own.

Some nights during the war while he’d been sleeping on the ground in the cold and rain, he’d dreamed of seeing the sun glint from her hair as it had that afternoon. He’d heard the sound of her full-throated laughter that turned his insides to warm honey. And then he’d awaken and the present would grasp him in its cold, unforgiving fingers. The notion that she was here in Cowboy Creek now, looking for a man to marry, tied him in knots.

Will tossed the dregs of his coffee into the fire and it hissed. “You’re one of the three wealthiest men in Cowboy Creek, probably in all of Kansas.”

“I wouldn’t want her to marry me for my money.”

“You’re reasonably handsome. To a woman,” Noah added.

Daniel signified his annoyance with a snort.

“You already have a house ready and waiting for a wife,” Will said. “Don’t try to say you didn’t build that house with a woman in mind. You want a wife. She needs a husband. You can help establish her in town.”

“That seems so...” Swallowing hard, Daniel sat with elbows on his knees and rubbed his chin. “Calculated. Impersonal.”

“Any marriage she makes now will be calculated,” Noah pointed out. “And marrying you is more personal than marrying a stranger. You’re already friends.”

To her they were friends. To him she was the woman who had always been just out of his reach. This idea seemed like a backhanded way of fulfilling his boyish dreams. But the war had changed him. He was no longer the naïve, lovelorn boy he’d once been.

“Who else do you trust with Leah?” Will asked.

Daniel scraped a knuckle on his jaw as he thought. No one. He didn’t trust anyone with her welfare...her future. Nor did he want her marrying another man. “I’d...” He stopped short and considered. “I’d have to propose to her. Court her.” He glanced up and regarded the two men. “Would I have to court her?”

Will grinned.

He would have to swallow his pride to ask her to marry him. And even if he did, there was no guarantee she’d have him. “What if she won’t have me?”

“If she won’t have you, then I’ll court her,” Noah said. Which told them all how profoundly he believed Leah would marry Daniel. “Let her decide for herself.”

He would do it. He would ask Leah to marry him. He would lay out all the reasons why he was the best choice. And then he’d let her decide.

Daniel felt something more than he’d felt for a long time. He didn’t want to let himself think of Leah in the big house he’d built on Lincoln Boulevard just yet. He didn’t want to picture her in the rooms he’d walked through when the house was a mere shell, before burnished flooring, paint and fixtures had made it a home. He’d always had a faceless woman in mind. As he’d surveyed the land and overseen construction he’d planned that one day he’d share the home with a wife. But Leah’s image, with her bright blue eyes and soft pale hair, was all he could envision now. He had his doubts about the wisdom of this decision, but along with his reluctance he felt more than he’d felt in a long time.

He felt hope.

* * *

Leah woke early and ate breakfast in Aunt Mae’s dining room with the other brides and the full-time boarders. Gus Russell had stark white hair and still stood straight. The lines at the corners of his wise dark eyes were evidence of his years in the sun. “Cowboy Creek got a windfall when you young gals showed up,” he said.

Old Horace wore his long gray hair pulled back with a leather thong. He had been tall in his day and was still lean, but his back was hunched so he was always looking up. “Why if I’d a knowed these fillies would be so purdy, I mighta got a haircut and throwed my hat in the ring.”

“Wouldn’t any of these young ladies want a dried-up old coot like you,” Gus countered.

Old Horace bristled. “I still got my charm. Down in Mexico I was quite a ladies’ man.”

Gus stabbed a piece of sausage from a platter. “The Mexican War was over twenty years ago and you were an old man then.”

“Did you fight for the annexation of Texas?” Hannah asked.