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“Thank you.”

  Quincy Davis spotted her as she passed, and he came out to greet her. “Morning, Miss...”

  “Mrs. Swann,” she supplied.

  “Mrs. Swann. I trust Aunt Mae has made you comfortable?”

  “Yes, indeed.” She glanced across the street and spotted Gus and Horace settling onto chairs in front of a building. The sign above the door read Booker & Son—Purveyor of Dry Goods from Nails to Cloth.

  “Is that the mercantile?”

  “It’s one of ’em. The largest, in fact. Gus and Old Horace loiter there all day, except when they go back to the boardinghouse for lunch. Sometimes if I don’t see them, I can hear clanging and I know they’re playing horseshoes behind the store. There’s a lot between the store and the church.”

  She continued on her way and found the doctor in his office. He was rail thin and his hair was balding on top, but he still had gray fringe around his ears.

  “How do you do?” Leah said. “I’m Mrs. Swann.”

  “Welcome to Cowboy Creek.” He had smile lines in both cheeks and his dark eyebrows were thick. “You’re one of the widows? You ladies are the talk of the town, you know.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ve come to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about me. I’ve had midwife experience and I’m hoping to put my knowledge to use.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be quite useful,” he replied. “As soon as we have more women and babies on the way. Right now there is only Opal Godwin here in town, but I know of two more women on nearby ranches who might appreciate your services.”

  “I wanted to make sure I wasn’t stepping on your toes before I called on Mrs. Godwin,” she said.

  “Goodness, no. I’ll be happy to be relieved of those duties. I have more than enough to keep me busy with all the rowdy cowboys, snakebites, scrapes and cuts, and the occasional construction accident.”

  “That’s good to hear. Not the part about the snakebites and the accidents, of course. The part about you being relieved to turn over some of your cases.” She paused and he studied her. “There is one more thing I need to mention.”

  The doctor waited.

  Leah’s nerves fluttered. She hadn’t told anyone yet. Saying the words aloud brought back her past losses. “I’m going to have a baby myself.”

  “I see.” He nodded. “Best you find yourself a husband soon then.”

  “Yes,” she agreed. “But I’m concerned for my baby.”

  “Of course you are.”

  “No. What I mean is, I’ve lost two babies before it was time for them to be born.”

  “I’m real sorry to hear that, ma’am. Would you like me to check your health now?” he asked. “How did you fare on your trip?”

  He did a routine exam, asking questions about the circumstances leading to previous issues and finding her healthy. “I see nothing that would warn us of a problem,” he said.

  “This time feels different,” she said. “I don’t know how to explain it, except I don’t feel the same way I did the other times.”

  “I trust your intuition, but I caution you to get plenty of rest and not overtax your body.”

  “That’s my plan,” she assured him. “I don’t want anything to happen this time.”

  “I think you should come see me every few weeks,” he suggested. “We’ll keep a close watch.”

  “Thank you, Doctor Fletcher.”

  “Now head back to your room and rest.” He grinned. “Doctor’s orders.”

  Leah said a silent prayer of thanks. This time was going to be different. This time she would have a child to hold in her arms and love. Her heart ached with the joy of gain and the sorrow of loss. One crucial component remained—the reason she’d come to Cowboy Creek. She still had to find a father for this baby—a husband.

  Chapter Four

  Daniel and Will had spent the night at Noah’s and lit out at first light. Daniel gathered clothing and headed for the bathhouse, then around the corner to the barber for a shave. He met Will and Reverend Taggart outside the boardinghouse and couldn’t resist glancing up at the room where Aunt Mae had mentioned Leah was staying. He’d lain awake most of the night, and it hadn’t been the other men’s snores that had disturbed his sleep. It had been thoughts of Leah and how she would react to what he was going to ask this morning.

  The reverend was appreciative of the white frame church building on Second Street, with its steeple and fresh paint. The interior smelled of new wood and plaster. The council had voted for and commissioned twelve stained glass windows that lined the east and west walls, six on each side. The morning light streamed through those windows and reflected colorful rainbows on the polished wood pews and floor.

  Reverend Taggart walked up the middle aisle in devout silence, examining every beam and board of the interior as he slowly reached the front. His steel-gray eyes were moist when he turned to face the other men. “God is so good and merciful. This is more than I ever expected. I know our Creator can use this building, and I pray He can use me to minister to the people of this community. I wish my wife could have been here to see this.”

  “When did you lose her?” Will asked.

  “Five years ago. It’s been only Hannah and me since then.”

  “Let’s go have a look at your house,” Daniel suggested.

  Virgil Taggart nodded. “I can’t wait to come back here.”

  Daniel dropped two keys into his hand. “It’s yours and God’s.”

  The parsonage had a front porch and a yard large enough for a garden. Daniel settled his hat back on his head. “There are three bedrooms, a kitchen and small dining room. The workers are finishing up the plaster and paint this week. They’re digging a root cellar. You’ll share a well with the church. For now we’ve planned for your meals at the hotel, but I hope to hire a cook and housekeeper for you.”

  “I’m a simple man, Mr. Gardner. Hannah and I have been on our own for some time. Once she’s married I can look after myself.”

  “You can, but your time is better spent looking after the people,” Will said.

  “You should be able to move in at the end of the week,” Daniel explained. “Monday at the latest.”

  “That will be fine. The boardinghouse is perfectly comfortable until then.”

  They parted in front of the parsonage, and Daniel headed up Eden Street toward Aunt Mae’s. Removing his hat, he held it against the front of his coat. He took a deep breath and rang the bell. Pippa answered the door.

  “Mr. Gardner! It’s so nice to see you.” She wore another fancy dress, this one in green with puffy sleeves at the shoulders. Beads at her throat and dangling earrings glistened in the sunlight that filtered through the window on the landing above. “Aunt Mae is making a pot of tea. Would you like to join us?”

  “Thank you, but I’ve come to see Mrs. Swann.”

  “Oh, of course. She’s upstairs. I’ll run up and get her for you.”

  A few minutes later, Pippa descended the stairs. “She’ll be right down.”

  He waited impatiently, pacing the foyer. Each time he came up to the framed mirror, he looked at his intense reflection and reminded himself to relax his features and smile. It wouldn’t do to scare the poor woman away.

  A stair squeaked. “Daniel.”

  He glanced toward the landing. The light caressed her hair through the panes of glass and turned it to spun sunshine. She wore a white dress with sprigs of tiny blue flowers and light blue trim. Ivory lace stood up around her throat. Blue fabric buttons on the jacket matched another row of buttons on a flounce that covered the hoop skirt. She reminded him of a fresh floral breeze on a spring day.

  “This is a nice surprise,” she said with a soft smile. “I thought you’d be busy working.”

  “There’s something I want to show you.
”

  “Oh. Well, all right.”

  “We won’t be long. You won’t need anything. Are you up for a short walk?”

  “Yes, of course. That sounds nice. How far?” She came down the rest of the steps and he held open the front door for her.

  “Only a block to the east.”

  “I’m intrigued.”

  Leah was delighted to see her friend. He offered his arm and she tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. Daniel looked dashing in his gray jacket and black tie. His polished black boots sounded on the boardwalk that ran in front of the businesses on Eden Street, around the corner and down two steps. The side street had only a dirt path for walking, and she was thankful it wasn’t muddy.

  Across the street was a saddle shop. A minute later, the sound of a hammer ringing drew her attention. A square building was under construction on the street behind the boardinghouse.

  “That will be the schoolhouse soon,” Daniel told her.

  They reached the corner of the block, and across the street from them on the opposite corner sat a large gray three-story house, trimmed in white, with arches above the windows, two chimneys and trees no taller than the first floor planted at intervals in the yard. “What a beautiful home.”

  “It’s Second Empire architecture,” he said. “And the porch is colonial, but together it has a Victorian look without being frilly, don’t you think?”

  She nodded. “I guess so. I don’t know much about architecture.”

  “I saw this style used in Boston, so I studied it. The style evolved from seventeenth-century Renaissance buildings. The house has eleven rooms.”

  He led her across the street and toward the house.

  “Do you know the people who live here?” she asked.

  His gaze moved from the house to her face. “I live here.”

  “It’s your house?” She stared up at the stories above as they approached.

  He used a key in the lock and opened the front door. “Please come in.”

  Leah stepped into the enormous foyer and studied the ceiling with plaster-designed leaves and scrolls, and a sparkling chandelier. Their heels echoed on the shiny wood floor. Only one small table and an umbrella stand occupied the space. He led her through a wide doorway into a parlor with crown molding, wood embellishments, built-in window seats and a beautiful blue-and-white-tiled fireplace. Curtains had been hung at the windows, but the room was bare of furniture.

  He showed her each room, pointing out special features. She sensed his assessing gaze on her several times, but when she looked up at him, he went on with the tour. Only one room was completely furnished, but he showed her his bedroom from the doorway.

  “And that’s it,” he said.

  “It’s lovely,” she told him honestly. “It’s even nicer than any of our homes back in Pennsylvania. You paid attention to every detail.” And it was his attention to detail that revealed his intent. She pictured him returning from war, joining Will to create a town, and taking on this project that held so much hope and meaning. He’d chosen everything so carefully and overseen the construction. He intended to share this home with a wife. Raise a family here. Perhaps he had his eye on one of the brides with whom she’d traveled. It was entirely possible his intended wife would arrive on the next bride train.

  “I did,” he agreed in the deep, smooth voice she remembered well. “I wanted to get it just right.”

  She opened the front door and walked to the end of the porch. “There’s plenty of room for gardens. And the trees will shade the porch. You’ve planned everything.”

  “Almost everything.”

  She looked up at him.

  “Leah.”

  Their gazes remained locked.

  “Let’s sit on the steps for a few minutes.” He took one hand while she used her other to smooth her skirt under herself and sit. “I’m sure you recognize that I built this house for a family.”

  She nodded. “I can see that.”

  “Nothing is as it used to be. The war changed this country. It changed its people. There is opportunity for so much here in the North. Industry is flourishing because of that wretched war. A lot of people are getting wealthy. The railroad changed this land, too. And the cattle are making Cowboy Creek rich.”

  He raised his chin a notch. “Riches sure aren’t everything, and we all know that. But they’re a way to be comfortable now, to make a good life. We can have good lives here.”

  “New lives,” she said. “That’s why I came. I need a new start. There’s something I need to tell you, Daniel.”

  “Before you say anything, Leah, I’d like to speak. I have been thinking a lot about the future.”

  “All right.” She already knew, of course, that he was making plans for a wife and children. His ambition and planning were remarkable, actually. Leah had always known him as the one who suggested fishing spots, foot races and expeditions into the woods. She fondly recalled the two of them sharing evenings around a roaring campfire, telling tall tales, laughing. Always laughing. She wouldn’t have pictured him here in this town, intent on building a community and securing a family. If she’d imagined what he’d be doing, she would have pictured him settling down on the ranch he always talked about.

  But he was right. Nothing was as it used to be. And Daniel was a grown man now. A man who’d experienced things she couldn’t imagine. Stability and security probably sounded pretty good to him, too.

  “I would be a good husband. You already know what kind of man I am. I can provide for you. I can give you this home. And a family. We could raise children here. I own the stockyards and a lot of the property and even homes. I’m building more all the time.”

  He’d be a good husband and provide for her? They could raise children, he’d said. His words penetrated her reminiscent musings and registered with more than a little surprise. She purposely kept the astonishment from her expression, but rested a palm on her chest, where her heart had skipped a beat.

  “I’ve hired workers to build the houses,” he continued. “And I’m selling them to the arriving families. Besides having a respected position in the community, I’m rather well off. You can have your fresh start and never have to worry about anything again.”

  All that information about the property and obvious money would have mattered more before. It still mattered, of course, because he was talking about securing her future. He was looking right at her, in that intense way he had when he felt strongly about something, his green eyes bright. But the words that rang in her head were those that offered her heart’s desire. A new start with nothing to worry over.

  She’d hoped for a decent man to ask for her hand in marriage. She’d prayed for someone kind and God-fearing. She’d asked the Almighty for His protection for her child and a husband she could tolerate.

  She had nothing to fear from Daniel Gardner. He was gentle and kind—a man of his word, a man of integrity. He wanted to marry her and have children together. Her mouth was dry.

  She stood and moved down to the stone path, where she turned and looked back up at him sitting on the top stair. “Daniel Gardner, you’re asking me to marry you.”

  “I’m asking if you will allow me to court you.”

  Raising a trembling hand to her forehead, she shaded her eyes from the sun and gazed down the street at the schoolhouse that would soon hold children. Their cheerful voices would be audible from this porch, perhaps their singing would even reach the kitchen window. The imagery stole away her breath and pierced her heart with want and loss.

  Daniel had a dream. He’d survived the horrors of war and traveled to this place with hopes. He wanted children of his own. He deserved a selfless young wife who would love him as he deserved.

  An ache grew in her chest, an ache like a gnawing hunger. She felt as though she’d lost someth
ing perfect and beautiful. An ache so big and ugly she couldn’t bear it spread to her belly. She didn’t want him to change his mind, but once he knew the truth, she didn’t want him to marry her out of duty or obligation—and most of all not out of pity.

  “Daniel, I’m going to have a baby.”

  His bright green gaze immediately flickered over her dress and back to her face. A line creased his forehead. “Now?”

  “Not this moment,” she said in a wobbly voice. “In a few months. I’m carrying a child. My husband’s child.”

  He appeared to turn that information over in his mind before speaking. “He didn’t die in the war?”

  “No. He died five months ago.”

  Daniel straightened and came down the stairs. Standing beside her he seemed taller and broader. The faint scents of cedar and starch touched her nostrils. She looked up into his face, rethinking her image of him, rethinking her options. Either her options had just become a whole lot more appealing, or her losses had become even greater—if he didn’t want her baby.

  Nerves fluttered in Leah’s chest. Her mouth was dry.

  “Your suffering’s the same no matter how or when he died, Leah. I’m sorry you lost your husband.”

  You have no idea. I don’t want you to know. “Thank you, Daniel.”

  “I understand the hurt is fresh.” His tender, caring tone brought tears to her eyes. “And I know you’re doing what you must do in order to move on and make a life for yourself. For your child.”

  She blinked and looked over his shoulder at the long narrow double windows reflecting the sky.

  “I’ll take care of you and the baby. I’ll raise him like my own. He’ll never want for anything.”

  Oh. There it was. The promise of a good man. An earnest and kind man. The one requirement from which she couldn’t be budged. Tears burned behind her eyes. “I believe you,” she managed. “You’re a man of your word. A devoted man. You have ambition and foresight. And you’re good-hearted.” She reached for his sleeve and rested her hand on his arm. “Most importantly, you’re kind.”

  His hesitation was barely perceptible. “Will you marry me?”