She called in to see Sheriff Bob on her way home. It was the right thing to do to let him know his cousin had written back. “Howdy, Bob.”
“Howdy, yourself. He was grinning from ear to ear. “What can I do for you?”
“Nothing really. You look pleased with yourself. Someone die and leave you a couple of hundred dollars?”
“Nope. I’ll be leaving here within the week.”
“Really?”
“I’ve trained the deputy up and he’s keen to take over, so I’ll be off to Wyoming and Lotte.”
“I’ll be sorry to see you go,” she said sincerely. “I wish you every happiness.”
“Thanks. I want to leave here quickly without any fuss. What did you want to see me about?”
“I received a reply from Rowan and thought I would let you know.”
“Good, is he interested?”
“I haven’t read the letter yet. Alf at the mercantile wanted me to open it there, can you believe it? He would have been hanging over my shoulder reading every word, then he would spread it far and wide - Miranda Kingston is so desperate for a husband she has to become a mail-order bride.”
“Who cares what anyone thinks, it’s your business what you do. Yours and Rowan’s.”
“Maybe he’s writing to say he isn’t interested.” Her heart dropped to her boots. “I did tell him to write and tell me if he wasn’t interested.”
“He’ll be interested.”
Miranda’s hands trembled as she slid her nail under the envelope flap and took out the single page of writing and glanced at it. “He is interested in writing so we can get to know each other before we decide whether to wed or not.”
“Sounds good. I told you he’d be interested.”
“Do you want to read it, Bob?”
“Of course not. I’m pleased to know you are going to start corresponding with each other. He would be a fine man for you.”
“I hope so, early days yet. In case I don’t get to see you before you leave. I wish you every happiness Bob, you and Lotte. Keep in touch with Rowan, won’t you? I’m sure he will want to know how things go.”
“We do correspond occasionally. Once I get settled, I’ll write to him and give him the address. We haven’t made up our mind whether to sell Lotte’s farm and buy something a little larger. There’s no rush, I guess. Goodbye, Miranda and good luck.” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
She swung away to hide the tears springing to her eyes. She would miss Sheriff Bob, the whole town would. He had been a trusted confidant for her now she thought about it.
If Helen had not been working at the diner, Miranda would have called in and bought a coffee and a slice of apple pie. I would rather drink water out of the gutter than go anywhere near that woman. She had never thought of herself as a nasty, vindictive person before. In fact, she had liked virtually everyone in town until Helen arrived on the scene. It distressed her to think of Jacob falling for such a witch.
Pa would be rolling over in his grave at his son’s choice of a wife. He had always hoped his son would marry one of the neighboring rancher’s daughters. At least they would know how a ranch worked and would be an asset to him. Helen wouldn’t know a cow from a horse.
Chapter Five
Over the next couple of months Miranda and Rowan exchanged letters on a regular basis. The more she knew about the man, the more she liked him.
His last letter held undertones of anxiety, as his ranching friend and boss had moved to Colorado Springs for health reasons. Rowan had asked her to marry him and promised to send her a telegram with the two dates most suitable for him. All she had to do was choose the one she wanted and let him know so he could make the arrangements for the wedding in Mountview.
Things were becoming even more intolerable here and she would be glad to leave. Jacob had married Helen who reigned like an evil medieval queen at the house, doing nothing except issuing orders and complaining. Jacob might like being bossed around, but not her.
In the end, Miranda could stand it no longer, and moved to the barn loft, which she had made comfortable enough for herself. She did her cooking over an open fire or ate at the diner in town now Helen no longer worked there. They could not go on like this. Once winter came, the bitterly cold winds blowing directly into the barn from the mountain ranges would end up freezing her. If she got desperate, she could always move to the old cabin they used for casual cowhands during busy times as a last resort.
Each day she had started calling in at the telegraph office only there was nothing from Rowan. She couldn’t understand why he hadn’t sent word like he promised. Had he decided he didn’t want to marry her? Found someone else? Surely, he would have had the decency to let her know.
This one particular day as she passed by the bank, Jacob came out. “Oh good,” he said. “I wanted to see you.”
“She let you off the leash, did she?”
“I’ve told Clem to organize for you to have my share of the ranch. He’ll fix everything.”
Clem Justice not only owned the bank but was also an attorney at law. She had clashed with him a few times. She knew he disliked her, and the feeling was mutual.
“You did?”
“Yeah? Helen and I are all packed and ready to leave town.”
“What! You can’t. How can I run the ranch on my own?”
“That’s your problem, not mine.” She could scarcely believe
