Want Ad Wedding. Cheryl St.John

saw. Back then it was land as far as the eye could see, and the Union Pacific hadn’t come this far. We staked claims, bought up sections and we were here when the railroad decided this was the best place for a terminus.” He took a breath then went on. “We saw the future of this as a cattle town and grabbed on to it. After that, men looking for new starts poured in. There aren’t many women yet.”

      “But now there are four more.”

      He nodded. “This was a trial to see how brides would be accepted. We’re seeing now how much excitement there is at the prospect. So we wait and see what happens.”

      “As the women find husbands.”

      “Yes.”

      “Well, it looks as though there are plenty of men to choose from.”

      A muscle in his jaw worked. He looked decidedly uncomfortable about that. “Looks like it.”

      “I was hoping to put my experience as a midwife to use.” The wind gusted around them. A strand of her fair hair fell to her shoulder, and his gaze followed as she tried to tuck it back in place. “I want to be useful.”

      “You’ll want to meet Mrs. Godwin then,” he said. “Amos and Opal are a young couple who have started a boot shop just up the street and across from the boardinghouse. They’re going to have a baby, so Opal will appreciate a visit from another woman, especially a midwife. We have a doctor, but I think Doc Fletcher’s more suited to fixing up cuts and broken bones.”

      “I’ll be sure to go see Mrs. Godwin.”

      “This welcome won’t take long, and then you can get settled and rest. Is there anything you need?”

      She looked up at him. Security. Safety. A place to raise a family. “Not that I can think of.”

      “Well, you only have to ask. You’ll find the boardinghouse comfortable and the proprietress a good cook. If you need something, give Aunt Mae’s lad a message and he will find me.”

      “Thank you, Daniel.” Daniel Gardner. It couldn’t be chance that she’d ended up in a town where both Daniel and Will were living. Perhaps this was how her prayers had been answered. Her clothing still hid the mound of the new life growing inside her, but she had no intentions of keeping her baby a secret. She wanted this baby more than anything, and she’d been willing to make this trip to find a new and better life for his sake. She needed a husband, but whomever she married would have to accept her child as his own.

       Chapter Two

      A platform had been constructed smack dab in the center of an intersection. On the four corners sat the Cattleman Hotel, a bank, the Cowboy Café and what looked like another hotel called Drover’s Place. All the buildings were wood structures, some had wood awnings and most boasted glass windows with gold lettering. Men of all sizes and dress filled the boardwalks and gathered in the streets. It appeared the entire town and its outlying residents had shown up for this momentous event.

      A cowboy band played “Sweet Nightingale” with dulcimers and fiddles as the four women and Reverend Taggart were escorted to the platform. The song reminded Leah so much of home, of afternoons and evenings in the company of her family, that her throat grew thick with tears. Her gaze met Daniel’s, and he signaled the band. The strains of that song faded away, and they played “Lincoln and Liberty.” Men’s voices joined the instruments and swelled until the singers drowned out the musicians.

      “Hurrah for the choice of the nation!

      Our chieftain so brave and so true;

      We’ll go for the great Reformation—

      For Lincoln and Liberty, too!”

      The song ended and the crowd cheered.

      Will moved to the front of the platform. Leah searched the gathering of men, easily spotting a pretty dark-haired young woman watching with rapt interest. Was she Will’s fiancée?

      “Our newest residents have had a long trip,” Will began. “So we’re going to get them settled in their rooms at the boardinghouse. Their belongings should have been delivered by now.” He turned back to their guests. “Welcome to Cowboy Creek, ladies and Reverend. We hope you’ll find your accommodations comfortable. Our town is safe for women and families. We enforce a no-gun law in town, so if any of you are carrying a weapon, you will have to check it with Sheriff Davis.”

      A rumble of male laughter rolled through the crowd at Will’s announcement. A broad-shouldered, lean-hipped fellow with a huge mustache gave a mock salute from the corner of the platform.

      “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