Unexpected Hope (Book 2 in the Red Valley series)

Chapter 30

"Um, no. It's not." She replied in a soft southern drawl, then looked around at the half empty car. For the life of her, she did not know why this man would want to sit with her when there were so many empty seats. Shrugging mentally, she decided that maybe he was just bored and wanted to talk with someone to help pass the time.

Dark brows shot up; what a delightful surprise, a Southern Belle out here in the middle of nowhere. Her midnight blue traveling dress was of the finest quality as well as the fetching hat that sat on her rich chestnut hair at a jaunty angle. This impressed him, it had been a long time since he'd been in the company of a true southern lady. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Philip, Philip Huntington. I know it's not proper to come and speak to you without a formal introduction, alas we are in the middle of nowhere. " He bowed slightly.

"I'm." She thought quickly, should she give her real name or not. Surely her family wouldn't send someone after her. She'd been gone for days without a proper chaperone and her reputation would be in shreds if she went back now. Her parents would rather die than be ostracized from society. "I'm Faith Matthews."

"Miss Matthews, how nice to make your acquaintance." Philip said in a velvety smooth tone that he knew the ladies adored. After bowing slightly, he took a seat across from the lovely Miss Faith Matthews. "I detect a southern drawl. Do you mind if I ask where you are from?"

It was all Faith could do to not roll her eyes. It took a whole two seconds to realize that Mr. Philip Huntington was just like all the other pompous asses she'd had to put up with her entire life. When she finally got married, it would be to somebody completely different from anybody she'd ever known. Someone capable of taking care of her the way a man should, not someone whose hands were softer than her own.

"You can ask, but I won't be telling you." She said with her most dazzling smile.

"Ah, well then, may I ask where you are going all alone? You know it's just not safe for a beautiful young woman to be traveling without an escort, especially out here in the wild-west." His smile was still easy but there was an undertone of danger lurking in his voice.

A tingle of fear very different from what she'd felt earlier ran down her spine and settled in the pit of her stomach. She would say and do all of the right things, just like she'd been taught her entire life. This was one man she did not want to cross, and she did not want him to know that she was not only alone, but running away from home. "I'm meeting my brother and his new wife in Red Valley. I was told that we should be there in a day or so. He was so excited when our Papa finally allowed me to travel out here to see him again." Faith said a prayer asking for forgiveness for the falsehood she'd just told. Her brother was probably going to be mad as hell when he found her on his door step, and insist that she turn right back around and go back home. Except that she was pretty positive that she no longer had a home to go back to, not that she would. But she was not going to let this man know anything about that.

A gleam entered the man's eyes, and she decided right then that she wanted as little to do with him as possible. Had there been any doubts about his character before, they were gone now. He was not what or who he wanted everyone to believe he was. "And you, Mr. Huntington, where are you headed?"

"As luck would have it, Miss Matthews, I'm headed to Red Valley to pick up my fiancé." Could he get so lucky that this was that man's sister? Quickly Philip thought back to the information he'd been given on Levi Matthews. He'd been from Charleston, came from a wealthy family, and had several sisters. He was almost positive that he'd read the name Faith. It was all he could do to contain the excitement coursing through him. This was unbelievable, and it almost made up for everything Hope had put him through, almost.

Faith had seen the change in his eyes and face during their conversation, almost like the realization of something. Every one of her senses was on high alert warning her that this was a very, very dangerous man, and she would definitely have to watch everything she did. Somehow she managed to keep the conversation light and steered clear of anything personal. The less this Philip Huntington person knew of her, the better.

The conductor opened the door at the front of the rail car letting in the pounding wind and rain sending droplets of water in every direction. Although, he'd only been outside long enough to go from one car to the next, he was soaked to the skin. Water trickled off his clothes and puddled on the floor. "Ladies and gentlemen." He said loudly, gaining everyone's attention. Once all eyes were on him, he cleared his throat and continued. "Due to the weather we will be making a stop in Flat Rock, the next town on the line. The engineer is concerned that the tracks may have washed out in several places. We will pull out as soon as we know the rails are safe."

"How long will that be?" A gentleman behind them asked.

"It could be as soon as tomorrow afternoon or as long as a couple of weeks. Again, it all depends on the condition of the tracks." The conductor was still speaking, but Faith didn't hear him. All she could think about was being stuck with this man in front of her. There was no way she would be able to deal with Philip Huntington for two weeks. Frantically, she began to pray that the tracks would be safe to pass.