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“No, you haven’t. And I know you wouldn’t, either. But with this concerning Jake, too, I just thought I would remind you, that’s all. Okay?”
“Okay.”
They rode in silence for a time. The only sounds were the horse’s hooves clunking on the hard road and a flock of geese honking above them.
“It’s too bad you have your heart set on moving to New York. Otherwise, Jake would make a great husband for you,” Abby said out of nowhere.
Leah glanced over at her sister. “Jake is a friend and nothing more. But if I wasn’t so dead set in pursuing my dreams, who knows, I might have considered Jake.” Turning down his proposal hadn’t been easy because she enjoyed his company immensely. Good thing she wasn’t in love with Jake. Saying no would have been extremely hard, but necessary.
“You would?” Abby clasped her hands together and her eyes sparkled.
“I said if, Abbs, if.”
“But Jake is sooo handsome,” Abby said dreamily with her clasped hands pressed against her heart.
“If you think he’s sooo handsome, then why don’t you marry him?”
Abby yanked her hands away from her chest and her wide eyes stared at Leah. “Me? He’s way too old for me. But if he wasn’t, I sure would try for him.”
“Why?” Leah found she really wanted to know.
“What do you mean, ‘why’? Just look at him. He’s dreamy and so handsome.”
Handsome, yes. But dreamy? She never thought about Jake as being dreamy. “Jake is handsome. I’ll give him that. But looks aren’t everything, and he is not my type.”
“I know, I know.” Abby rolled her eyes. “Your type of man is one who wears waistcoats, ties and fancy suits and lives in a big city.”
Only because that was how her father used to dress. Another pleasant memory she held on to.
Abby laid her hand on Leah’s. Gone was the humor from her face. Serious now replaced it. “What if you find someone, Lee-Lee, and once you get out there, it isn’t anything like what you dreamed it would be? Then what?”
Good question. Just what would she do? What if she got out there and the nightmares didn’t stop? No. She couldn’t think that way. She had to hold on to that hope. She just had to. “That won’t happen, Abbs, because before I go anywhere, if a man intrigues me, I’ll request a picture of him and ask a lot of questions. If I like his answers, then I’ll go out and meet him in person first.”
“You know Mother won’t let you go alone.”
“She won’t know.”
“You mean you’re not going to tell her?” That same horrified look she saw on Phoebe earlier now shrouded her sister’s face.
“No. And neither are you.”
“I don’t like this, Leah. Not one little bit.”
Neither did she. But her heart was set on moving out East and nothing would stop her. Not her mother, her brothers or Jake. Jake? What did he have to do with any of this?
Chapter Two
Jake rode into the yard of his farm faster than ever before, unsaddled his horse and turned Dun loose in the corral. He ran to his house and stepped inside. One glance told him it was as bad as he had feared. Boots and jackets were sprawled on the bench and floor, dishes covered the table and newspapers surrounded his living room chair.
Every time Leah had come to his house, their visits had been planned and he always had a chance to spruce up the place first. This time that wasn’t the case because he hadn’t expected to see her today, much less invite her over. “Better hustle, Jake.” He snatched up his jackets and hung them on the hooks, then lined his work boots neatly underneath the bench.
Dishes rattled and clanged as he gathered the breakfast mess, tossed the dishes into the sink and covered them with a towel. After washing the table down, he flocked the pile of newspapers together and laid them in a neat pile on the coffee table he’d made.
Next he plucked his clean undergarments, shirts, pants and socks down from the clothesline he’d rigged near the cookstove, tossed them onto his unmade bed and closed the bedroom door behind him.
Banjo’s barking reached his ears. He peered out his living room window and saw Leah’s carriage coming down the lane.
He darted toward the wash basin and checked his reflection in the shaving mirror. His thick blond hair, part of his Norwegian heritage, stuck out everywhere. He snatched up his comb and smoothed the strands down, then headed out the door and met Leah and Abby right as they pulled in front of his house.
“Hush, Banjo.” His mottled-colored Australian shepherd tilted her head both directions, then darted onto the porch. Banjo laid down on the top step, placed her head between her legs, leaving her front paws dangling over the step, and let out a slow, pitiful whine.
Jake looked back at the ladies sitting in the buckboard phaeton with the parasol top, another reminder of the differences in their financial statuses in life. This phaeton was only one of the expensive carriages the Bowen family owned.
“Hi, Jake!” Abby waved.
“Howdy-do, ladies.” He nodded, then offered Leah a hand.
“Thank you.” She smiled up at him when she reached the ground.
He returned her smile, then helped Abby down.
“Thanks, Jake.” Abby looked around the yard. “Where’s Meanie?”
“In the barn. Had to put her in a stall.”
Leah tilted her head. “How come?”
“Kept running off. Down to Mabel’s barn. Eating all her grain. Caused all kinds of ruckus. Ornery old goat anyway.”
“Jake!” Leah gasped and her eyes widened. “That isn’t nice. Once you get to know Mabel, you’ll discover she’s really a very sweet lady with a soft heart.”
Abby giggled and darted up the steps, flopping down next to Banjo.
Jake couldn’t help but laugh. “Wasn’t talking about Mabel. Was talking about my pet goat, Meanie.”
Leah’s cheeks turned a nice shade of dark pink, the same color as the dress she had on, and her perfectly formed lips formed an O.
“Shall we get started?” He motioned toward his house. They walked side by side up the wide steps, past Abby and onto the porch. Jake opened the door and moved out of the way.
“You coming, Abby?”
Abby turned sideways. “Do you mind if I stay out here? It’s too nice to go inside. Besides, Banjo’s better company. Isn’t that right, girl?” Abby rubbed his dog behind her ears.
“Hey.” Leah planted her hands on her slim waist.
Abby glanced back and winked. “Just kidding, Lee-Lee. But I would like to stay out here on the porch, if you don’t mind. Even though the air’s a little nippy, the sun sure feels good.”
Leah looked up at him as if to question if it was okay or not.
Jake shrugged, seeing no reason why she couldn’t. “I don’t mind if you don’t.”
“I don’t mind. That’s fine, Abbs.”
“Would you like something to drink, Abby?”
“No. I had a cup of hot cocoa at Phoebe’s house right before we left, so I’m fine. But you two go ahead if you’d like,” she said, keeping her back to them as she continued to pet Banjo.
“You change your mind, just holler,” Jake said before he and Leah stepped inside his house.
“Where do you want to sit?” Leah asked him.
“The table. That way we can spread the letters out and be in plain view of Abby.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Jake took Leah’s wrap and hung it on a peg near the door before Leah headed toward his kitchen table.
The slab table with pine legs and the kitchen chairs made out of lodgepole pine with slab seats looked shabby next to Leah’s fancy kitchen furniture. Never once had she turned her nose down at them, though. She even made a comment one time about what a great job he’d done making them, how nice his handiwork was and how beautiful she thought they were. It meant a lot coming from her.
“Want something to drink?”
“No, thanks.”
A quick nod, then he hurried around Leah and held out one of the chairs and waited for her to be seated before he sat in the chair on her right. He removed the stack of envelopes from his inside vest pocket and laid them on the table in front of him.
Leah scooted her chair closer to his, and her skirt brushed against his legs when she did. Lilacs and crisp spring air swirled around her. “Well, which one would you like to read first?”
He glanced down at the pile and thumbed through them until he came across one from Tennessee. “This one.”
“Any particular reason why you chose that one first?” Curiosity fluttered through her eyes.
“Yep.”
“Care to share?” She looked hopeful.
He debated whether or not to tell her. She might think he was strange if he did. Clasping his hands in front of him on top of the table, he drew in a deep breath and said, “Know this sounds odd, but ever since Michael brought Selina here, I’ve been hoping to find someone like her.”
She shook her head and grinned. “You sound like Michael.”
“Come again?” he asked, not understanding her meaning.
“Well.” She dropped her hands onto her lap. “Ever since Rainee arrived, Michael wanted someone just like her.”
“He did?” That was news to him. Shocking news at that.
“Yes.”
“Don’t get it. Selina’s nothing like Rainee.”
“I know. Everything in her letters indicated she was like her, but her friend had written the letters for her and lied so Selina would find a good husband. It was a deceptive thing for her to do, but I’m so glad she did. Selina is a remarkable person. And I’m so thrilled to have her for a sister.”
Everything Leah just mentioned made him rethink what he was about to do. What if he, too, got a woman who lied to him and wasn’t what she said she was? Or even worse, what if he found someone who interested him and she turned him down because he wasn’t what she expected? After all, he’d been turned down twice before. Could he handle another rejection?
* * *
Leah studied Jake’s face. It went from fear to confusion to sadness.
“Maybe I shouldn’t do this. Maybe I should just give up this whole crazy idea.” Jake plowed his hands through his bulky blond hair and sat back from the letters, staring at them.
“Why?” Leah couldn’t imagine what had caused him to change his mind so suddenly.
“Well, what if the woman who writes me is nothing like she portrays herself to be?”
Oh, that’s why. Leah let out a relieved sigh. “Jake, because Michael was needed on the ranch, he married Selina without going out to meet her. You don’t have to do that.”
“I can’t afford to leave, either.” Again his fingers forked through his hair. Only this time they went all the way down the back of his head until they reached his thick, muscular neck where they lingered.
“You don’t have to. You can have her come here.”
His hand dropped to the table. He frowned. “Why didn’t Michael do that?”
“Because Selina’s father wouldn’t let her leave until she was married. Michael had prayed about it and had peace so he married her sight unseen.”
Jake scooted back his chair, scraping it against the rough wood floor, and rose. Leah’s eyes trailed up his tall, broad frame, wondering what he was doing.
He went to the sink, which she noticed was stacked with what she presumed to be dirty dishes, though a large towel covered them. Nervousness permeated his every movement. “I know I already asked you this once, but would you like something to drink now?”
“Yes. Thank you. A glass of water would be great.” Her mouth felt dry as trail dust. She watched as he held the glass under the spout and raised and lowered the water pump handle in the sink. His broad shoulders and arm muscles bulged as he filled the glass. Only a few drips of water landed onto the dish towel. She hoped to find someone as tall as Jake. He had to be at least six-foot-four or -five. And at five-foot-eight-and-a-half, she was either the same height as most of the men she knew or taller. The thought of being taller than the man she married bothered her.
Jake turned and walked back toward her. What a fine male specimen he was. He would make some woman a good husband. Of that she was certain.
He set a glass of water in front of her and one in front of himself before lowering his bulky frame onto the chair. Worry creased his forehead. This time she thought she knew why.
Wanting to put his mind at ease, she laid her hand on top of his arm, and his hard muscle jumped under her fingertips. She removed her hand and rested it on the table in front of her. “Listen, Jake. Before you get too involved with someone, you could always make it clear you want to meet them in person and spend time getting to know them before either of you make any real commitment. And...” She sat back in her chair. “I don’t know what your financial situation is, but you could inform her that you would send her a round-trip ticket in case things don’t work out.”
His shoulders relaxed and the creases in his forehead disappeared. “That’s a good idea. Think someone would do that?”
“Of course they would. It’s done all the time. I know I’m going to. There is no way I’m going to marry someone without meeting him and without spending time with him and his family first.”
“You scared, Leah?”
Was she? “A little. But the sooner I get away from here, the happier I’ll be.”
“You sure about that? Won’t you miss your family?”
“Yes and yes. To be perfectly honest, the idea of staying here bothers me more than the idea of missing my family or the fear of the unknown does. I actually find that part rather thrilling.”
“What do you find thrilling?”
