Mrs. Smith’s brown eyes widened in surprise. She placed a hand on her chest. No reaction from her husband. She must be one for dramatics. The obviously new and very stylish dress hugged her body. They certainly seemed to come from money and might be the only well-off people here in the town if what Esther saw was any indication. “Oh, please forgive me for not speaking up more on the ride. If I’d known, I would have told you more about this place.” She gestured with her hand at the town around them as she spoke.
“Nothing to forgive, Ma’am,” Esther replied.
“If you need anything, please come find me in town. You see, my husband is the mayor. We can help you find anything you need. Who are you waiting for?”
“Mr. Longtree.” They both replied.
Mrs. Smith blinked a few times as she turned to look at her husband. A slow smile curved his lips, the kind of smile that made Esther wonder why. She didn’t have to guess long, and as his wife turned back, Esther masked her emotions. “I see.” Mrs. Smith lifted her gaze over their heads and nodded. “Well, there they are. Over on the other side of the boardwalk. I wish you luck. I do mean it when I saw if you need anything— and I have a feeling that you might— please come and see either of us.”
The couple left without another word.
Esther’s nose scrunched up. Ruth let out a nervous laugh. “The way she reacted was odd, wasn’t it?” Esther asked.
Ruth swallowed. Long moments passed without Ruth replying. Even happy go lucky Ruthy couldn’t put a good spin on this. What if their husbands were criminals or something? Had they traded in one bad guy for another? Esther pressed a hand to her stomach to calm the nerves fighting to come up. They’d make it through this. They had to. There were no other options.
Finally, Ruth said quietly, “A little. It will be okay. Do you want me to go with you to meet him?”
Esther mulled over the offer. Of course, this would make her feel better, but she didn’t want her new husband to think she was a child and needed a friend to hold her hand. No, this was something she must do on her own no matter how afraid she was. Please God, help me. Taking a deep breath in, she slowed her breathing, so that she would not pass out. Her sweaty hands slipped on her reticule; she grabbed the strap at the last moment. “No. This must be done alone. We’ll see each other soon.”
They hugged one last time, holding on a little tighter, giving one another the strength to do this walk. Once they pulled away, Esther went to the right and Ruth to the right. She steered her gaze away and over to her husband. One man paced back and forth, like a squirrel trapped in a cage. The other leaned against the pillar, one foot raised, a hat low over his eyes and arms across his chest. She heard her friend talking to the other man. Of course, she got the one who looked to have an attitude.
“About time you got here.”
Esther cocked her head not believing the words that came out of his mouth. Did his Ma forget to teach him manners? She steeled herself from replying with a smart remark. It wasn’t proper for women to talk back. Except no one at their former home would describe her as proper. She’d always been the one to speak her mind. “I couldn’t come any faster than the stagecoach goes. I’m assuming—”
A smile cracked on his lips. He pushed off the beam coming to his full height. He was tall. Her neck hurt as she followed him with her eyes. The wind blew some strands of jet-black hair to the front of his face. It was very long. Unheard of for a man to have long hair. She caught herself staring and cast her gaze downward but notbefore she saw him raising an eyebrow.
“I’m your husband.” Not a question.
This must be a joke. This massive tan man, muscles straining against his white shirt and suspenders was her husband? What was wrong with her? The long trip must have affected her head. She shifted from one foot to the other. “Well, then. At least I found the right man.” She stretched out her hand to him and he shook it while shaking his head. Was she too forward? This proper stuff was often a mystery to her. How do you greet the man you married by proxy? For sure not a hug or kiss! Oh, gosh, what if he had expected that?
“That would make for a funny story though.”
She ignored his comment. “Anyway, I’m Esther. Which way is our home? I’d like to get freshened up and then we can sit down to talk about this marriage.”
“Ma’am, I don’t know how to break this to you. We’re not going to our home.”
He has lost his mind. What did he mean? Where did he expect them to go from here? It wasn’t like there was much to this town. She didn’t expect to see any more stores or anything close by, so they’d have to be staying somewhere. She crossed her arms, staring him down, her forehead creasing. He didn’t give a thing away. The sly smile was still planted on his lips irritating her more by the minute.
“Well, where pray tell are we going?”
“On an expedition. Come on, we must hurry to get there on time. My brother will take your trunks to the house, but I suggest you get a few dresses out that you don’t mind getting messy. I have a bag for you to use.”
He started toward her trunk,
