The Baby She Carried West (Preview)

Chapter One

Old Saywood, Connecticut, 1884 

There’d been a lot more rain than usual recently, turning the churchyard into a muddy field. Adeline’s feet slipped and slid underneath her, and she tried desperately to keep her balance while Pastor Evans hurried through the prayers for departing souls. She couldn’t afford to fall, not with the baby in her arms. Around her, she could tell that other people were having the same trouble.

It was drizzling, making the ground muddier by the minute. The pile of earth beside the open grave had turned into a slick mound of mud, and she didn’t envy the gravediggers who would have to fill in the grave. On cue, the gravediggers began to lower the plain pine coffin down into the ground.

Somebody cleared their throat beside her, and Adeline tore her eyes away from the disappearing coffin to the middle-aged woman, tall and stocky, with gray hair pulled back into a knot and a face like a bulldog, standing beside her. 

“Want me to hold the baby for a spell, honey?” Mrs. Sweeney asked quietly. “You look tired.”

I feel tired, Adeline wanted to say. How could I not? 

“It’s okay,” she said aloud instead. “Mae wanted me to look after her boy, didn’t she? So I’d better start as I mean to go on.”

Mrs. Sweeney pressed her lips together. “I suppose now isn’t the time to talk about that. We’ll discuss it when we get home.”

Adeline answered with a brief, silent nod. 

“And as Mae Taylor goes to her final resting place,” Pastor Evans said, sounding as though he were finishing up, “we hope that…”

The baby squirmed in Adeline’s arms as if he’d heard his mother’s name. 

“Hush up, Joey,” she soothed. “She’s not here, sweetheart. I’m sorry.”

Joey was six months old and large for his age. He was a round, cherubic little thing with black hair, pink cheeks, and piercing blue eyes, exactly like his mama. Another similarity that Adeline had noticed was the birthmark, a strawberry-colored mark on the side of his neck shaped almost like a heart. Mae had had an almost identical one. He would never be taken for Adeline’s son, no sir. 

She was short and thin, verging on too thin, with too-pale skin, honey-blonde hair, and large brown eyes. Beside Mae’s round, lovely face and strong features, Adeline had used to feel almost see-through.

Pastor Evans rushed through the last prayer, not even bothering to hide his eagerness to get it over with. If he’d had had his way, Mae would have had no funeral at all. She’d have been buried outside the churchyard with the heathens and the nameless paupers and the fallen women, without so much as a prayer said over her. Well, Mrs. Sweeney wouldn’t stand for that. 

“That girl came to me with a wedding ring on her finger,” she’d said firmly. “If she lied about it, that’s between her and her Maker, but it’s a Christian’s duty to believe her. Besides, what do we know about what she’s been through? She never missed church while she was here, said her prayers every night, and lived as a good Christian should. So, she’ll get a good Christian’s burial, you hear?”

Few people had the backbone to stand up to Mrs. Sweeney, and Pastor Evans was not one of them. 

The service finished, and people began to file away. Mrs. Sweeney laid a hand on Adeline’s shoulder. “I’ll meet you back at home,” she murmured. “Don’t take too long.” 

Adeline nodded silently, staying where she was. She wasn’t even sure why she wanted to remain—to watch cold muddy earth cover her friend. She couldn’t even talk to Mae, what with the gravediggers working. She adjusted her grip on Joey, who was quieter than a baby of his age should be. 

The churchyard was a peaceful place—when it wasn’t churned up by countless feet and thick with mud—and bordered by a forest. Adeline was just turning to walk away when a flash of movement caught her eye. She paused, frowning, and squinted. 

There were two men standing on the edge of the forest, both of their gazes fixed on Mae’s grave. They weren’t local men, she knew that much. One was tall and broad-shouldered, his face set and grim, with a red handkerchief knotted around his neck. The other was smaller and thinner, with a drooping brown mustache. 

Sensing eyes on him, the man with the red handkerchief glanced her way, and his face tightened. He tapped the other man on the shoulder, murmuring something that she could not hear, and they disappeared into the woods. 

It was hard to shake the feeling of unease after that. Suddenly, the graveside wasn’t peaceful at all, and the cold and wet was almost unbearable. Holding Joey closer to her chest, Adeline turned to leave. 

***

Mrs. Sweeney’s boarding house was much talked about in the town. For one thing, unlike other hotels and boarding houses, she would accept single women and wouldn’t accept single men or groups of men. When the place was first set up over a decade ago, the locals had sniggered behind their hands and taken bets on how long it would last. 

They weren’t laughing now. Nobody laughed at Mrs. Sweeney. 

A thin, anxious-looking girl by the name of Joan waited for Adeline in the doorway. Joan was a mail-order bride, here to marry a rosy-cheeked young rancher in town. She was staying here while they got to know each other a little better. 

“Mrs. Sweeney’s emptying out Mae’s room,” Joan said, in her babbling, rushing way. “I told her not to do it just yet, but she didn’t listen to me.”

Adeline set her jaw. “I’ll talk to her. Here, take Joey.”

She pushed the baby at Joan and paused to glance at herself in the hallway mirror. 

Well, she looked a sight. Her hair was wet and flattened to her head, strands stuck to her neck. Her face was paler than ever but blotched red on the cheeks, her eyes heavy and dull with lack of sleep. 

Biting her lip, she turned away. 

No wonder he didn’t want me. 

Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, Adeline headed straight up the narrow wooden staircase that led up to the bedrooms. Hers was the first on the left, and Mae’s was the last on the right. The door stood open, and she could hear voices and commotion coming from inside. 

She stood at the doorway for a moment, taking in the scene. 

All the rooms at the boarding house were the same: a narrow bed pushed into the corner, piled with quilts and pillows, a washbasin, a bedside table, a trunk, a wardrobe, and a little writing desk and stool. 

Long-term residents like Mae and Adeline could move things around as they liked. Mae had added a few extra items of furniture, including a crib for Joey and another chair. There was a rag rug on the floor, as well as a bundle of sewing and knitting things in the corner.

The long-term residents of the boarding house all had to make their money some way. In Mae’s case, she scraped along by mending and knitting things to order for people in town. She had been a nurse but was forced to give up once her pregnancy became known, shortly before she moved into the boarding house. 

It was clear she was telling the truth. Mae was a nurse, and it was in her blood. She’d been assisting the local doctor nurse his patients for a while, until she caught the fever that eventually took her life. 

“Mrs. Sweeney, what are you doing?” Adeline asked shortly. 

Mrs. Sweeney, who was bent over Mae’s open trunk, glanced briefly over her shoulder. 

“What does it look like?” 

Adeline pressed her lips together. “She’s barely cold in her grave, Mrs. Sweeney. I’m surprised at you.”

Mrs. Sweeney straightened up, rounding on Adeline. 

“Don’t be haughty with me, my girl. What would you have me do? Keep the room as a shrine, so I can remember poor Mae every time I walk by? Sit in here and cry myself to sleep at night? Mae’s not coming back, and it’s up to us to decide how we’ll get by without her. Don’t you dare take me to task for how I choose to grieve. Don’t you dare.”

Her voice cracked on the last word, and Adeline flinched. She dropped her gaze, swallowing thickly. “I’m sorry. I…I shouldn’t have said that.” 

Mrs. Sweeney shook her head, passing her hand over her face. She suddenly looked exhausted. 

“Mae wouldn’t want us to tiptoe around her things,” she said wearily. “You know how practical she was. I’m going to divide up her things amongst the girls and keep a few bits and pieces back for Joey when he’s old enough. You should have first pick of what you want, Addie. You and Mae were thick as thieves.”

Adeline crossed the room, sinking down into the wooden rocking chair Mae had nursed her baby in. “I can’t believe she’s gone,” she whispered. “I…I’m not the sort of person who makes friends easily. I’m not…I’m not interesting like Mae was.” Mrs. Sweeney chuckled, bending over the trunk again. “Don’t be so harsh on yourself, Addie. Not every woman would give up a wealthy life the way you did.”

Adeline snorted. “I hardly gave it up. It gave me up. I’m an orphan, remember? Just like everybody else here. You know, Mae and I used to sit up in this room for hours, talking and talking. She’s traveled to so many places. She went out West, Mrs. Sweeney. Can you imagine it?”

“The West is not the golden frontier people think it is,” Mrs. Sweeney answered firmly. “You just trust me on that.”

Adeline sat in silence for a few minutes, watching Mrs. Sweeney carefully catalog Mae’s things. Now and then, she’d take something out—a chemise or a pair of newish stockings—and murmur something like, “Joan’ll fit these,” or “Catherine wanted a new nightgown,” and set it aside. 

It took a few minutes for Adeline to gather her courage. “I’m going to stay with Louella for a while,” she announced at last. Mrs. Sweeney shot her a look. “That overbearing sister of yours? Well, if you like.”

“And then I’m going West.”

Now that got Mrs. Sweeney’s attention. She paused, stared, then got to her feet again, hands on her meaty hips. “You’re going to do what?” she snapped. “Have you gone mad, Adeline? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there for anyone, let alone a young woman? How will you live? How will you work?” 

“I’m not going to work,” Adeline responded, steeling herself. She’d gone over this conversation countless times in her head, and on no occasion had Mrs. Sweeney ever responded well. “I promised Mae I’d take Joey to her brother, so that’s what I’ll do. She wanted Joey to be raised by family, you know that.”

“Family? Family?” Mrs. Sweeney repeated, voice pitching higher in anger. “She was here for just over a year, and not a single letter or visitor did she receive. She never mentioned this brother except right at the end, and the fever had gotten her by then. You can’t hold yourself to that promise, Adeline.”

“I have to,” Adeline responded stubbornly. “I can find him, I’m sure.”

Mrs. Sweeney shook her head sympathetically. “How? The West is bigger than you think, girl. Much bigger.”

Time for her winning card. Drawing in a breath, Adeline withdrew a sheaf of papers. “But I know where to find him.” Mrs. Sweeney stared at the papers. “Letters? Where’d you get those?”

“They were under Mae’s mattress,” Adeline confessed. “She told me to get them out. They’re all addressed to one Benjamin Taylor in Wyoming. She…She never sent them. I’ll take them with me when I take Joey. And I don’t plan to go alone.”

The older woman cleared her throat, recovering herself. “If you’re thinking that I’ll come with you, then…”

“No, I don’t think that,” Adeline clarified quickly. “I’m going to ask Louella to come.”

Mrs. Sweeney looked skeptical. “And you think she’ll agree?”

Adeline sighed. “I have to try. Anyway, I’m not expecting to be gone more than a month. Two at the most. And then I’ll come back here just in time for the harvest to end and start everything afresh.”

There was a brief silence. Mrs. Sweeney closed the lid of the trunk with a snap and lowered herself down to sit on it. 

“I can’t hold your room for you, Addie,” she said, sounding more tired than ever before. “Not if you can’t afford to pay. You know how tight things are for me. There’s a new crop of mail-order brides coming in, and if I don’t have rooms for them, they’ll find somewhere else. I need the money, sweetheart.”

Adeline had expected this, but it was still a blow. She had savings, of course, but almost all of it would be eaten up on the trip West. 

For her part, Adeline made a meager living by working as a teacher in the local school. Of course, what with autumn and the harvest coming on, almost all of the children had been pulled out of school to help their parents to get in the crops. Adeline had tried her best to convince them that education mattered, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. As usual, her wages had been docked for a few months on account of having no students. 

She sighed. If it comes to it, I’ll have to borrow money from Louella. She’d lend me some, I’m sure of it. Probably. 

“I understand, Mrs. Sweeney,” she said at last, smiling as bravely as she could manage. “I’ll come home, you know. I will. And Joey will have a better life being brought up by his real family, by his uncle, than if I brought him up.”

Mrs. Sweeney eyed her for a long minute, then shook her head, turning away. “Well, I think we’ll agree to disagree on that one. You just be careful, you hear?” Adeline got to her feet, smiling weakly. “I hear, Mrs. Sweeney.”

She headed to the door but was stopped by another comment.

“I sure hope this visit to Louella has got nothing to do with that doctor of yours getting married.”

Adeline froze, fingers clutching at the door handle. “I…I don’t know what you mean.” She could almost feel the sharp, knowing look that Mrs. Sweeney must be throwing her way. 

“Mae used to tell me things, too,” said the older woman, sighing. “Her work here as a nurse gave her a lot of insights. I happen to know that Doctor Cohen is getting married soon.”

Adeline swallowed. “That was a long time ago. I don’t care about that anymore.”

Silence. Then Mrs. Sweeney said, “See that you don’t, Addie. You’re better than this. Much better.”

No, I’m not. 

Aloud, Adeline merely gave an affirmative grunt and headed out into the hallway. She half-expected Mrs. Sweeney to come after her, but she didn’t. 

***

It was a relief for Adeline to shut herself back into her room. Like Mae, she’d made the space her own. She’d been in town for two and a half years, and it did feel like home these days. She was just plain old Miss Pierce, the well-spoken, polite little schoolmistress. It was better than back home, where she was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Pierce, the poor couple who’d had a surprise baby at an age far past respectable. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce, who had lost all their money and left two daughters cut adrift. She missed her parents every day and hoped that Louella was tending their graves regularly.

Adeline took a moment to look around her room. All of it would have to go—the books, the shelves, the rugs, the pictures she’d pinned up on the walls, everything. The room would be stripped down to its bare basics once again, and some other woman would move in here. 

I hope there’ll be space for me when I come back. 

I hope I can afford to pay. I hope the school board doesn’t take the opportunity to sack me while I’m gone. 

She shuddered at that thought. It had been hard enough to find a decent job the first time around; heaven only knew what it would be like the next time. This world wasn’t a friendly place for unmarried women. The town might have gotten used to Mrs. Sweeney and her boarding house—colloquially known as ‘the ladies’ house’—but that didn’t mean they were willing to make room for more single women living and working. 

Most of the girls in the boarding house were here to get married or to look for husbands. Some worked as domestics in various homes around town, but everybody knew they wanted to find a decent husband and marry before too long. 

People loudly wondered when Adeline would find herself a man, too. She knew they were wondering it because they tended to ask her, to her face, why she wasn’t married yet, and give advice on what she could do better to secure herself a man. 

Instead of explaining herself, it was generally easier for her to smile and nod and then ignore all the advice anyway. 

There was packing to be done, but Adeline couldn’t quite bring herself to start. Instead, she moved over to her writing desk, perched on the hard stool provided, and began to write. 

Dear Louella, she began. I’ve got some news…

 

Chapter Two 

Hope’s Hill, Wyoming, 1884 

It was market day, and that meant the town was packed. Benjamin bit back irritation at the slow-moving, meandering crowds jamming up the roads and gawking at the herd, and did his best to concentrate on his task. If the cattle stampeded through the town, folks would get hurt, likely die. And Benjamin would be responsible for all of that. 

The last of the cattle waddled into the paddock, and Earl Christiansen, his head cattle handler, jumped down from his horse to close and lock the gate. Benjamin let out a sigh of relief, reaching up to sweep off his hat and wipe away a sheen of sweat. 

“Done,” Earl said, with that grinning optimism that sometimes made Benjamin want to throw something at him. “We got a while before we meet the buyers. We can leave the boys to keep an eye on the herd and grab something to eat. I’m starved. What do you say?”

Benjamin hesitated. It was a big sale, and he was reluctant to leave so many of his cattle under the care of the ranch hands. Still, it wasn’t as though there was any crime in Hope’s Hill, and any cattle rustler who could steal that many animals under the nose of an entire town probably deserved to have them. 

Besides, he’d been pretty brusque with Earl recently. His old friend deserved better, and Benjamin’s conscience had been needling him recently. 

“Sure, why not?” he said, swinging himself down from the saddle. “My treat.”

Earl beamed. “I won’t say no to that.” 

The two of them made a funny-looking pair. Benjamin was just short of twenty-nine, tall and muscular, with a headful of thick black hair, skin that tanned easily, and a pair of bright blue eyes that—so he was told—stood out under his dark eyebrows, particularly when he was scowling…which was often. 

Earl Christensen, on the other hand, was a short, portly man of about forty-three, always grinning, always happy, with a wife who looked like the female version of himself. Folks said that he was one of the best ranch workers in the county, and they would generally follow that up with loudly wondering why he’d come to work for Benjamin Taylor, of all people. 

It wasn’t a complimentary comparison, Benjamin knew. Still, he had never had many friends, and had even fewer these days, so he’d do well to hang onto Earl for as long as he could. 

It was only when they walked into the post office that Benjamin realized he’d been tricked. He narrowed his eyes at his friend. Betrayal, it turned out, was a sharp sensation. “This ain’t the diner, Earl.” 

Of course, he should know better than anyone what betrayal felt like.

Earl winced. “I thought we could take a little look at the personal advertisements, you know.” He pointed at the Notices board that hung on the wall.

Benjamin glowered at him. “If you’re talking about mail-order brides…”

Earl held up his hands. “I’m not telling you anything, son. But you know how I feel about you living all alone up in that big old house. I’d feel better if you could move in with me and Norma for a while. Just a little while. We’ve got room, and you know how Georgie loves you.”

“I’m not good with children, you know that.” Benjamin sighed. “I’d only get in the way. Besides, I like my space.”

“Well, you could have it. You’d have your own room, and there’s a little room off the pantry we could make into a real cozy little parlor and…”

“No, Earl. I’m sorry.”

Earl’s face fell a little before he recovered himself. It only lasted a moment before he recovered his composure, and the smile came back. “Just as you like, Ben, just as you like. But isolating yourself never did anyone any good. You need company, and you could do with a little help in the house. You should consider getting married again.” Benjamin stiffened. “No, Earl.”

“I’m not saying now. But in the future…”

“Earl, can we just drop it? I’d like to eat, and we don’t have a lot of time.”

Earl eyed him for a long moment, then sighed, shaking his head. “Well, all right. But you think on what I said, okay?” 

“I’ll think on it,” Benjamin lied easily, swallowing down any feelings of guilt. 

Shaking his head, Earl turned and headed back out of the door. Benjamin made to follow him but found himself staring at the Notices board instead. Advertisements jumped out at him. 

Widow, childless, of thirty-one years old seeks husband and comfortable home in return for housekeeping and companionship. 

Young Woman Seeks Husband. Experience in accounting and housekeeping, one younger sister as a dependent. Twenty-six years old. Ready to marry immediately. 

Woman seeks husband urgently, can offer companionship, good home cooking, housekeeping, etc. in exchange for protection and a comfortable home. Comes with children, quiet and well-behaved, willing to have more. 

So many people wanting marriages. Women looking for husbands, men looking for wives. 

I could warn them that it’s a waste of time. Nothing but humiliation and heartbreak. Benjamin pointedly turned away from the notice board and strode out of the post office. And walked smack-bang into Cash Andrews. 

Both men staggered backward, and it took a moment before each fully realized who the other man was. Mr. Andrews turned red, and Benjamin felt the color draining out of his cheeks. 

“Benjamin,” Mr. Andrews stuttered. “That is, Mr. Taylor. I…I didn’t think you’d be here. You’re not in town often, I mean. Not that you shouldn’t be here, only…” He trailed off, turning redder than ever. 

Benjamin swallowed thickly. “Sure. Well, do excuse me. I didn’t mean to walk into you like that.”

“No, no, nor did I! It was just an accident,” Mr. Andrew gabbled, beginning to look nervous. 

Outside, on the boardwalk, Earl apparently realized that Benjamin wasn’t following him. He turned to peer through the front window and flinched when he saw who Benjamin was talking to. He began to hurry back—not fast enough. 

“I…since you’re here,” Mr. Andrew continued, with an air of determination, “I’d like to thank you.”

Benjamin stared at him. “Thank me? What for?”

Mr. Andrews swallowed thickly. “For signing the papers she sent you.”

She. He hadn’t said her name, but Benjamin heard it anyway. 

Emily. 

There was a flash behind his eyelids, a young woman with a heart-shaped, freckled face and a curtain of red hair falling down around her shoulders. Full lips, blue eyes. Beautiful. The most beautiful woman in the world to him. 

“If you’re talking about the divorce papers,” Benjamin heard himself say, as if he were pressing on his own wounds to make the pain worse, “then, of course, I signed them. What point is there in taking my time?”

Mr. Andrews paled a little at that awful, awful word. Divorce. There weren’t many grounds for divorce. Abandonment was one. Adultery was another. 

Emily fitted neatly into both categories. 

“Some men…” Mr. Andrews began, his voice a little weak. He paused, clearing his throat, and went on more strongly. “Some men might have been cruel. Spiteful. Might have dragged their heels and made it difficult for her. Made her suffer, you know. I think she was afraid you wouldn’t sign. I told her you weren’t that sort of man. You’re a good man, Benjamin. Always have been. The bigger man, that’s what you are.”

I don’t feel like the bigger man. 

“I wanted it done,” Benjamin shot back, more harshly than perhaps was wise. “I wanted rid of her, and now I am. She can do what she likes. I don’t care. It’s done and over, and I’m glad.”

Mr. Andrews flinched backward, rocking on his heels a little. “I…I understand, of course. And I’m sorry.” Benjamin met his eye, and there was a moment of silence between them. 

“So am I,” he said at last. “But regret won’t get us anywhere, will it?” He made to move around the man, but Mr. Andrews spoke again. 

“I know a lot of people in town think I ought to cut my daughter off, and I…I don’t want you to think that I agree with what she’s done, to any extent. But she…” He sighed, shrugging. “She’s my only child. I love her. But I don’t want there to be any discomfort between us.”

Discomfort? Benjamin paused, staring at his now ex-father-in-law. Discomfort? He’d eaten family meals at this man’s house. They had been family, and now they were…well, now they weren’t even friends. 

“There shouldn’t be any,” he heard himself say. “My quarrel isn’t with you.”

Earl reached them, smiling nervously at Mr. Andrews. “Howdy, Cash. Me and Benjamin here were just going to grab a bite to eat. Excuse us.” 

“Of course, of course,” Mr. Andrews said, looking ready to faint with relief at the sight of another person. “I’ll see you round.”

I hope to goodness you don’t. Benjamin strode away bitterly with Earl at his side. 

They reached the diner, which was pretty full for that time of day, but Earl managed to secure them a little booth. “Sorry, I didn’t see him coming.” He grimaced, settling himself down. “I would never have left you alone to face him otherwise.” Benjamin sighed. “Hope’s Hill isn’t a big town, Earl. I can hardly avoid the man, can I?”

“I guess not. You were pretty composed, though. Well done.”

Benjamin was only half listening. Earl ordered stew and some coffee, while he stared at the counter and thought of nothing but Emily. 

“You know, I sat down with Cash Andrews and asked to marry his daughter, not five years ago,” he burst out once the waitress was gone. “I finally thought I’d get over the fact that my own sister abandoned me. I was happy with Emily. The whole thing blindsided me. Am I dumb, Earl, or just unlucky?”

Earl sighed, sliding a hand across the table to grip Benjamin’s forearm. “You’re unlucky, Benjamin. Sometimes life does this…It throws things at you that you don’t deserve to handle. But you’re young, and life goes on. Holding malice in your heart won’t do you any good.” 

“I don’t feel malice. I feel…” Benjamin paused, trying to sort out his feelings. 

Did he feel anything? Hollow? Empty, like a bare room that was once full of life and warmth? 

Ugh, I don’t know. He left the sentence unfinished, and Earl didn’t pressure him to finish it. 

“I know you don’t like hearing it,” Earl continued after a moment, “but getting married again will do you good. You’re getting bitter and sour, and it’s not a good look on a man as young as you.”

“I don’t want to get married again!” Benjamin snapped, and the words resonated.

“Well, if you find the right woman, you might. You have to start looking at women again, if you know what I mean.” Earl dropped a wink. 

Benjamin only sighed. “Leave it, Earl.” 

Earl, of course, could never leave anything alone. He glanced around the diner, then nudged Benjamin, nodding in the direction of the booth opposite. 

A pair of young women sat there, both looking their way. They were young, neither of them older than about twenty-five, with brown hair swept up and pretty, open faces. One had brown eyes, and one had gray, and they were dressed simply in plain-colored traveling gowns without aprons. Perhaps they were traveling through the town in search of work for husbands. The gray-eyed one was looking quite boldly at Benjamin, and when he caught her eye, she smiled and got up. 

“Try and smile, son, can’t you?” Earl hissed, just before the woman reached their table. 

“I’m sorry to bother you,” she said, smiling down at Benjamin, “but my sister and I are passing through town, and it looks like we’ll have to stay the night. Do you know any places that would be safe for a pair of women travelers like us? Unless, of course, you’re one of those men who doesn’t approve of women traveling alone,” she added, a mischievous glint in her eye. 

It was Earl who answered. “Not at all, ladies,” he said, laughing. “I’ve got a wife who crisscrossed the country before she married me, and she’s got plenty of stories to tell. I think it’s fine that the new generation of women are spreading their wings a little.” 

The woman’s face creased into a smile. “Your wife sounds like a great woman, sir.”

“I’m a lucky man, sure enough. Benjamin here, of course, is not married—you’ll see he wears no wedding ring—and I keep telling him that marriage is the way to get happy. He won’t listen to me, though!”

Smooth, Earl. Benjamin felt a flare of annoyance. He managed to refrain from glaring at his friend.

The woman shot him a quick, calculating glance. “Well, I think just about everybody would like to settle down and have a family, myself included,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “It can be a tricky business to arrange, though.” 

“Certainly, certainly,” Earl said comfortably. “You should stay a few days, ladies. This is a safe enough town, and I daresay you’d appreciate the rest. You might even stumble upon Benjamin’s ranch and take a look around.”

First, he’d made a point of telling the woman that Benjamin was single, and now he mentioned that he was a landowner. Benjamin resisted the urge to kick his friend under the table. 

Interest jumped in the woman’s eyes, and she turned to look at him again. “Well, what a piece of luck for you, sir. My name’s Mary Greenwood, and my sister is…” 

“If you’re looking for somewhere to stay,” Benjamin interrupted, a hint of desperation in his voice, “there’s Tabb’s boarding house just down the road. They take in ladies, and the prices are decent. But they’re often booked up, and rooms go quickly. I’d go down and secure a room as soon as you can. Right now, in fact. Don’t waste time talking to us.”

He didn’t look at her but sensed that the interest was dying out of her eyes. 

“I see,” she said, her voice flat now. “And it’s safe?”

“Said to be very safe,” Benjamin murmured. “Run by a couple, but it’s Mrs. Tabb who runs the place, really.”

“I’m obliged for your recommendation, sir. Thank you both,” Mary responded and turned away. She gestured briefly to her sister, who abandoned her half-drunk coffee at once. Arm in arm, the two women walked out of the diner without looking back. 

“That wasn’t very polite,” Earl said, sounding resigned. 

Benjamin sighed. “I wasn’t impolite.”

“I’d say you certainly were.”

“She was flirting with me, Earl,” Benjamin responded tartly. “I’m not vain, but I’m not blind, either. It’s not right to allow that sort of thing. Gets her hopes up.”

Earl leaned forward. “She’s a pretty, pleasant girl. What’s not to like about her?”

“I didn’t say she wasn’t pretty or pleasant. I did say to you, Earl, that I didn’t want to get married again. You know fine well why I don’t. So please, can’t you just leave it?”

He met Earl’s eye squarely, and they stared at each other for a long minute. 

At last, Earl gave a sigh, shaking his head. “I can’t make you do a thing, Benjamin. Not a thing.” Then the stew and coffee arrived, and the conversation ended. Benjamin should have felt triumphant, but instead, he felt wrung out, as if he were in the wrong somewhere. 

They ate in silence, with Benjamin counting the minutes until he could reasonably go back to his cattle. Work was the thing. If he was working, he wasn’t thinking, and that was how he liked it.