Love & Marry by L.K. Campbell Page B

at the medical college. He wanted to be certain that his father hadn’t been poisoned. Annabelle hadn’t thought that her life could get any worse until several days after the funeral when Jacob’s lawyer came to the house to read Jacob’s Will. She’d known that something was amiss when Mr. Peterson had taken her aside and had told her that he’d held off as long as he could. To her horror, Jacob had left her nothing—not one penny to sustain herself. Everything went to Byron.
    Receiving Aunt Julia’s letter had been like a beacon of hope to her in more ways than one. Her aunt’s generous gift had paid for her travel expenses. With no more than the clothes on her back, she had left Baltimore to begin what she hoped would be a new life in the west.
    She refolded the letter and stuffed it back into the envelope. She removed her hat and loosed her dark brown tendrils from the tight bun at the back of her head. She eyed her bedding. I wonder when the linens were last changed, she thought. Without taking off her clothes, she reclined on top of the bed covers. Before long, she somehow managed to fall asleep.
     
    Early the next day, Annabelle boarded a different train en route to a town called Yankton in the southern Dakota Territory. It wasn’t long into the journey when she began to feel as if she’d left civilization behind her. The small towns that passed by her view from the train window seemed to sit isolated in the middle of open plains—land as far as her eyes could see. No wonder it takes days to traverse it , she thought.
    The wail of the whistle and the slow jerking of the train as it came to a stop roused Annabelle from her cat nap. “All off for Yankton,” the porter called out.
    She stood on legs made wobbly by sitting for hours and followed several other passengers out of the car. She glanced around at the good-sized town with modern buildings that served as the Dakota territorial capital. The hotel and restaurant across the street from the depot appeared to be quite nice, but she hoped that she wouldn’t have to stay long before she continued on her journey.
    She walked toward the ticket office. A tall man, wearing a badge, emerged from the depot and held the door for her. He removed his hat and raked his fingers through his sandy blonde hair. His steel blue eyes met hers.
    “Ma’am,” he said with a tilt of his head.
    She nodded, and her gaze followed him down the sidewalk. The brown canvas pants he wore caressed his muscular thighs as he walked. His long brown coat and dark vest accentuated his strong build. She hadn’t meant to stare, but she’d never seen such rugged and raw masculinity—not in her privileged, sheltered world back east. He mounted a horse and rode off at a gallop.
    “May I help you, ma’am?”
    She turned to the ticket agent. “I need to inquire about transportation to Red Gorge,” she said.
    “From here,” the man told her, “It’s a six-day journey by stagecoach to Red Gorge. Luckily, the stage should be here in less than an hour if it’s running on time, so you won’t have to wait long.”
    Annabelle smiled. For once, things appeared to be going her way.
    “I’d like to purchase a ticket for the stage,” she said while opening her drawstring purse. “Do you think I’ll have time to get something to eat before it arrives?”
    “The hotel restaurant might not have the quickest service for you, but you can get finger sandwiches and cookies at the tea room. It’s a short walk from here, and you’ll see the stage come in from that direction, so you won’t miss it.”
    She thanked him and laid a hand against her growling stomach to quiet it. Perhaps a small meal was best considering that butterflies were dancing around in her chest. She’d read the dime novels that told of stagecoaches being attacked by bandits and Indians. She said a quick prayer that her trip would be uneventful.
     
    Her traveling companions on the stage were a young brother and sister