She was coming.
Elizabeth was actually coming! As I went about my daily routine, that thought was never far from my mind. By winter time, she would be in Wyoming and, if all went as well in person as it had on paper, we would be married.
If we were compatible when we met, that is. I tried to keep reminding myself that it wasn't a guarantee that she would marry me. It was up to me to prove myself worthy of her. The concerns she had were valid. She was giving up a lot—family, friends, and everything she'd known—to come west.
Would she see the potential in my land? To an untrained eye, it wouldn't look like much. I tried not to think about how much smaller my new barn was than the one it had replaced. Although I wanted everything to look the best it could for Elizabeth, the barn—small and cobbled together with weathered and new wood—was a testament to friendship. I could only hope she would see it in the same light.
My little cattle herd had suffered no lasting harm from the fire. They had calmed down and seemed content with their new home. They'd certainly gone through the grass growing in the corral, and I finally had to set them loose to graze. Then, I did my best not to ride out to check on them every day.
Only every other day, which seemed reasonable.
Given that my daily chores were a routine that didn't require concentration, I had plenty of time to think. Travel had changed a lot since I had come West. I'd needed a team of oxen and a Saratoga wagon. I'd loaded it with everything I might need, abandoning at least a third when the going became hard on the trail.
Now there was a railroad that stretched from New York City all the way to California. What had taken me months to travel would only take a matter of weeks for Elizabeth. No doubt her journey would be more comfortable than mine had been. It would be interesting to compare notes when she arrived.
What would it be like to actually talk to her in person? Given how much I enjoyed reading her letters, I was certain conversation would be just as interesting.
"You look like a love-sick puppy."
Earnest's words brought me back to earth. With a start, I glanced over at him. Though his ankle had mostly healed and he could get around more easily, I still stopped by to help him as much as I could. As I faced him, I felt my face heat with embarrassment. This was the second time in an hour he'd caught me preoccupied with my thoughts.
"Sorry," I mumbled without really meaning it. "Were you saying something?"
"You really are excited about her coming." My friend's voice was bland, not giving anything away.
"Of course I am. If our face-to-face meeting goes well, she is the woman I intend to spend the rest of my life with," I said defensively. I swung the ax down into the log, splitting it into smaller pieces. "Am I meant to be going about life like everything isn't going to change?"
He gave a huff, shaking his head. "Well, a man of your age shouldn't go around with such a dreamy look on your face. It just ain't right."
Ever since I'd told him what I considered to be good news, Earnest had been going around with a long face. Was he jealous I was going to be married? Or was there something else on his mind?
"I will do my best not to be 'dreamy,'" I told him simply. I used my sleeve to wipe the sweat from my forehead. "I'm sorry I offended you with my excitement."
Earnest ran his hand over his face and scowled. "Now don't take that tone, Noah. You know I'm not offended."
"You're sure doing a good impression of it."
My friend sat down on one log we still had set up to split. "Have you been to town?" he asked abruptly.
That was a question I knew boded only bad news. "You know I haven't. Not in the last couple of weeks," I told him warily. I was torn between wanting and not wanting to know what had happened now. "Why? What have you heard?"
"Who did you tell about your bride-to-be?"
What? I frowned as I tried to think. Was someone spreading rumors about Elizabeth now? Why would they do that? What was there to gain by maligning a woman who had never stepped foot in town?
"I told the preacher, you, and Collins," I said slowly. Was that all? I'd been writing to Elizabeth for months. Had I ever mentioned her, even in passing? No. There hadn't been anyone else who would talk to me. "The Harpers, of course. And Mrs. Royal might have heard me telling the preacher. Why?"
"The whole town is saying you weren't satisfied to ruin girls here and now you're taking advantage of ladies in the east who don't know what you are."
He can't be serious, but his expression was exactly that. No flinching, no looking away. "Who?" I demanded.
It was bad enough my name had been slandered, but now Elizabeth had been dragged into it? She wasn't even here to defend herself! At least, it seemed she was only being accused of naivety.
"Well, I heard it from Collins, Mrs. Royal, and Evans, and none of them would make up something like this," Earnest answered with a shrug. "It seems this is something that most of the town is talking about since the preacher was in town." He hesitated before he added, "I'm afraid the majority of the town believes it is true."
Appalled, I stared at him. "And you didn't think to come tell me?"
"I had to think on it awhile," Earnest protested, holding his hands up. "It's not as if you knowing was going to make any difference."
"How? There's another rumor that threatens my reputation and you don't think I should at least know about it?" I demanded, annoyed at his reasoning. "Elizabeth is coming. What is she going to think if she gets here and the whole town wants to convince her that I'm some kind of cad or fraud?"
"That's what I'm worried about," Earnest admitted. "Our neighbors have got it in their heads that you're some kind of villain."
How had things gone from bad to worse? First, I'd been accused of trifling with Annie Burns and now I was accused of doing something similar to other ladies? Where would it end? What was I supposed to do?
I'd insisted until I was blue in the face that I was innocent, yet few people believed me. I doubted anyone would believe my protests now. My reputation had been stained, and I was afraid there was no coming back from it.
I would have to write to Elizabeth and warn her about this recent development. Would a letter reach her before she left? How much more would she accept without being frightened off by the trouble that surrounded me? I wouldn't blame her if she turned tail and ran.
"There's no proof I've done anything wrong.' That was the heart of the problem, the injustice that burned inside. No proof either way, so why was the worst of me being assumed? Frustrated, I swung the ax and embedded it in a log. "What does Burns want from me?"
"I have no idea." At least my friend wasn't fighting me about whether the Burns' were to blame for this latest catastrophe. "Maybe you should ask your lady to wait before she comes. Give the town a little time to cool off before anything else happens."
"Absolutely not!" The last letter from her had been full of all of the plans she was making. If she was going to join me this year, she couldn't wait much longer. Even with the railroad, it wasn't easy to travel in the winter. Waiting would mean putting our meeting off until spring.
Call me selfish, but I wouldn't do that to either of us. Not when I knew what staying where she was would do to her.
"Then what are you going to do?" Earnest asked.
That was the question, wasn't it? "I'll make sure I'm in town when she arrives, so no one has a chance to ambush her," I answered. It didn't seem like enough, but it was the only answer I could give. "Which reminds me, I need to find her a place to stay once she's here."
While larger towns had hotels and boarding houses, there was nothing like that in our little town. There was no need for them as there were seldom any visitors. Strangers that did come were drifters, who went on their way soon enough or family who would stay with their kin.
Earnest shook his head. "I don't think there is anyone in town who will do you a favor, Noah."
If what he'd told me was true—and I knew there was no reason for him to lie—I could well believe that assessment. Mrs. Royal had been reasonable before, but she had a houseful of children to take care of. I wouldn't ask her to take on another mouth to feed, even for a short time.
Breathing out, I straightened up my shoulders. "Well. It's a good thing I have friends who are not in town."
~*~
The very next day, I skipped checking on my herd and instead rode over to the Harper spread. It was about ten miles to the north of where my land was. As soon as I entered the yard, I was reminded that they were prospering like few in the territory were.
Mrs. Harper had a large house now, an improvement over the side dwellings most started out with. There were even flowers planted in front of the porch. Around their barn, they had a variety of stock animals: cows, pigs, horses, and chickens.
Maybe one of the reasons they keep their distance from the rest of the territory was to keep jealousy from spreading? It would be all too easy
"Noah Coleman!" Mrs. Harper called out as she stepped onto her porch. She waved a hand in greeting. "This is a surprise! What are you doing out this way? Have you run into more problems?"
"No... Well, if I'm completely honest, yes, I have," I called back.
"Come on in and tell me about it. The menfolk are out in the fields, but I expect them back for food soon enough. You'll join us."
She said it as though there was no question, which I wouldn't have dreamed of refusing the invitation. I wasn't a complete idiot to turn down good food when it was offered.
"I'll be happy to join you," I said with a laugh. Just as quickly, I remembered why I was there. "Well, maybe you better wait until you know why I've come. You might think differently about keeping company with me."
Mrs. Harper crossed her arms. "Is that so?" she said and for a moment I was shaking in my boots at the thought I might be the target for her ire. "Never say those idiots in town are causing you more trouble."
"That depends on which idiot you're referring to," I said as I dismounted.
"At this point, I am doubting the intelligence of the entire territory." She heaved a sigh and shook her head. "Well, tell me about it."
After tying Valiant's reins to the hitching post, I followed her inside. Mrs. Harper poured me a cup of coffee and set a plate of cookies in front of me. Then, she sat down and listened as I explained what Earnest had told me.
"Well, that confirms it. The whole territory had lost the good sense God gave them," she declared once I finished. "Earnest ought to have told you as soon as he knew. What good will come from letting a false story be repeated?"
"I can't really fault him for hesitating," I said in defense of my friend. "What good will come from me protesting? It didn't do any good before."
"As for the rest of the town," she continued as if I hadn't spoken, "they seem too eager to believe the worst of a person when there's no reason for it. What can they be thinking? Well, you're going to have to set them straight."
"How? There's no way to prove my good intentions towards Elizabeth."
"Sure there is. You're going to marry her, aren't you?"
Reminded of that prospect made me smile. "That's the plan. If we decide we can make a success of marriage when we meet, that is. She's said she will marry her, but I'm not going to force her to do anything if she just... doesn't like me when she sees me."
Smiling, Mrs. Harper reached over to oat my hand. "If I wasn't sure before, now I am," she declared. "You're a good man, Noah Coleman. Of course she is going to like you. She must if she's coming all this way in the first place."
Clearing my throat, I hurried on. "Well, the point of me being here is I forgot to plan for something. We might need a bit of time when she gets here for us to decide if we're going to marry or not. There's no hotel or boarding house, and at this point, no one in town would do me any favor."
"Then she'll stay here," the woman said immediately. She paused. "I take that back. I will ask John if he will agree to your young lady staying with us. You'd think after thirty years of marriage I would remember not to make big decisions without talking to my husband first. Remember that, Noah. Communication is important in a marriage. Essential, even."
I had to smile. "Communication is important in every aspect of life."
After a moment's consideration, she gave a nod of agreement. "And that's another thing. Don't think that just because you communicate well once that you don't need to keep it up." She wagged a finger at me. "You're human. You're going to make mistakes."
Biting my tongue, I nodded. I felt like a teenager again, getting scolded for something I hadn't done yet.
"Martha, are you scolding our neighbor?" Mr. Harper asked as he entered the kitchen via the back door. He nodded at me before focusing on his wife. "What has he done to deserve that?"
"I'm not scolding," Mrs. Harper responded as she stood up. "I am simply offering him important life advice. Henry, would you mind terribly if his young lady stayed with us before they are married?"
Mr. Harper raised an eyebrow. "Did you already say she could?"
The woman huffed. "Well, yes, but then I said I would have to check with you first."
"Hmm. So I will appear a terrible person for not helping my friend if I say no?" A moment later, he let out a laugh and kissed the top of his wife's head. "Of course his girl can stay with us. We'd be happy to have the company."
Mrs Harper swatted at him as he turned towards me. "Are you sure that's what you want, Noah? We're far from town. A young lady from a city might not like the distance from other people."
Though I knew it was a valid question, it unsettled me. Elizabeth wouldn't have a problem with the distance from town, would she? "I wouldn't exactly say she was from a city," I responded. "And I'm not exactly close to town either, which I've told her. Maybe being with you will help Elizabeth decide if she can survive in Wyoming or not."
Some couldn't. There were the harsh winters, not to mention the long stretches of time when you didn't see another person. The howl of the wind had driven men and women to abandon their dreams because they couldn't take the lonely sound.
Living in the Wyoming territory was not an easy thing to do.
Both of the Harpers nodded in understanding. "It will be nice to have another woman close by," Mrs. Harper said with satisfaction. "Husbands and sons are all well and good, but there's nothing like having another woman to talk to."
And yet, she didn't encourage her husband to bring her into town for Sunday services when the preacher was in town. I checked that thought before I let it go any further. Their beliefs and who they chose as friends were no one's business but their own.
"Tell him the rest of it, Noah," Mrs. Harper urged, catching my attention.
"The rest of what?" Her husband asked, raising an eyebrow.
Once again, I recounted what Earnest had told me the day before. I made sure to point out that I hadn't been to town to verify the situation. Maybe there was some kind of misunderstanding, even if I didn't think it was likely.
"Well, it's clear that someone has it out for you." Mr. Harper went to the stove and poured himself a cup of coffee. He brought the pot over to refill my cup. "To hold a grudge like that...I can't imagine how exhausting it must be. What do you intend to do?"
Though I felt like throwing up my hands, I simply shrugged my shoulders. "Honestly, I do not know. I tried to just put my head down and hope it would all blow over. It has become worse than ever. I've tried explaining my side of the story, but no one believed me. That obviously hasn't accomplished anything. What is left for me to try? Call Burns out and have a showdown in the middle of town?"
"Absolutely not!" Mrs. Harper exclaimed in horror.
"It can be difficult to know what is the right choice to make when you're in the thick of a situation," Mr. Harper said, his tone sympathetic. He took a seat at the table. "The only thing I know for sure is that violence only begets violence."
Heaving a sigh, I nodded. "I know, and I don't really want to hurt Burns. The whole point behind leaving my home years ago was because I didn't want to have blood on my hands. That hasn't changed. I just feel backed into a corner now."
"Have you had a conversation with Burns himself or even his daughter?"
"No," I said in surprise. Hadn't I told them? "He's shouted insults, but it has been months since I have been face to face with him. His wife threatened to shoot me when I rode out to their property, so I haven't gone back. I don't think anyone in town is going to let me anywhere near Miss Burns."
My neighbors frowned as they considered the matter. "Now, I'm not your mother, and I'm not going to tell you what to do. But if I were in your shoes, I would try to have a conversation with Mr. Burns," Mrs. Harper said slowly. "Communication, remember? It doesn't just apply to marriage."
It sounded good, but how was I supposed to have a conversation with a family that clearly hated me?
~*~
Dear Elizabeth,
My days have been filled with making sure everything will be just right when you arrive. I hope you like the land here. Some can't stand the openness or how lonely it can get during the winter months. It is not like other places back east.
The new railroad should bring you close to -. There will be a stagecoach that will take you from - Once you are here, we should exchange notes on the journey. I'm sure yours will be much better than mine was. It has been years since I was on a train. I wonder if it has changed much.
I'm sorry to say that matters have become worse than ever. Now my neighbors insist I am not content to trifle with innocent girls and am doing so with ladies in the east. I swear to you it isn't true. I don't know what to do about it! I've tried ignoring it in the hopes that if I don't react, it will die down. But that didn't help. I've tried to defend myself to my closest neighbors, but only a few believe me. What is left? Violence? I refuse to go down that path, but there have been times I have been so frustrated I could punch Burns for being... Well, I don't know what I would call him! Should I try to talk to him? Maybe you will be able to offer some insight.
I believe I have mentioned one of the neighboring families, the Harpers. They have been such a help these past few months, and they are doing us another favor. When you arrive, you will stay with them. They are eager to meet you, but Mr. Harper wants you to understand that they are far from town and they rarely make the trip. I hope you are prepared for that.
My other neighbor, Earnest, had accused me of going about like a giddy schoolboy since I apparently talk of nothing but your arrival. I don't think that's quite true, but I am eager to meet you in person...