But, it seemed Myrtle and Aggie couldn’t do anything in a quiet and ladylike manner, including boarding a train. As he watched Aggie swing her valise onto the steps of the train he gasped.
Instead of landing on the step, the bag whacked into Elizabeth, sending her and her luggage tumbling forward in a swirl of blue silk.
* * *
Lizzie had been scanning the crowd, though it was difficult with the sun beaming directly into her eyes. She raised her hand to shield her gaze, but she was nervous and having a bit of trouble focusing. Then a commotion caught her attention. Two women dragging heavy-looking suitcases approached the train. An older gentleman stood behind them, arms crossed and a stern expression on his face. She wondered why he didn’t assist them, but got the distinct impression he was displeased with the two young ladies. And based on their sharp words for each other, she could understand why he gave them a wide berth.
“Hurry up, Myrtle. You’re always so slow.”
“Oh shut up. The train won’t leave without us. What’s your rush, anyway? It’s not like leaving was our decision.” She shot an insolent glare toward the man accompanying them. He shrugged and pointed to the train.
“Quit stalling. I want you two out of town today. If you don’t make the train, it’ll be on a pair of mules.”
Elizabeth was a bit taken aback by the statement and she wondered if running young ladies out of town was a regular occurrence in Juniper Junction. And what would warrant such an eviction?
“You two are a couple of lying troublemakers and I’ve had it with you. Now quit messing around and get on the dang train.”
Apparently lying troublemakers got run out of town on the rail. Literally.
Looking past the commotion, her heart caught in her throat as her eyes made contact with the gaze of a man who had to be none other than Mr. Matthew Foreman. Her intended.
She gasped. She’d hoped he’d be handsome, but this was even more than she’d dared to conjure in her imaginings about him. And there had been many. Ever since the first letter arrived from the sincere yet romantic cowboy.
So mesmerized was she by the man as he approached that she failed to pay sufficient attention to the warring young ladies. Just as Lizzie raised her leg to step off the train, one of the troublemakers swung her heavy case onto the step and slammed it into Lizzie, creating a stabbing pain in her side.
With a surprised squeal, Lizzie propelled forward. Her valise flew from her hand and her skirts billowed all around. In her mind, all she could think was This is hardly the kind of entrance I wanted to make.
She eyed the hard wood of the platform as she spiraled toward it and braced for impact, covering her face with her arms and holding her breath.
But, instead of slamming into the unyielding surface of the train platform, Lizzie found herself cradled in strong arms. Slowly, she blinked and gazed up into a pair of mesmerizing amber eyes. Her lips parted in surprise and she tried to think of something to say, but her breath had stalled in her chest.
His eyes warmed to a golden glow and he gave her a heart stopping smile. “Are you Elizabeth?”
She nodded.
“I’m Matt Foreman. Welcome to Juniper Junction.”
Chapter 3
Loud cheers erupted all around, but Matt hardly noticed as he gazed into the startled face of Elizabeth, his bride. He'd had some lingering doubts, wondering about the wisdom of marrying a woman based on a few letters, but as her soft curves pressed against his body, Matt knew she was exactly the woman for him. There could be no other. They were meant for each other.
A feeling of contentment—and more than a small amount of lust—washed over him. The piece that had been missing from his life, that he wasn't even aware he needed, had flown into his arms and landed in a sweet-smelling heap of blue silk. His heart swelled and he sent up a silent prayer of thanksgiving for her arrival, and this feeling he had, one he'd sometimes doubted would ever really happen to him, was nothing short of a miracle.
"Hello, M-Matt," she said with a shy smile. "It's nice to m-meet you."
Her voice was like a lark singing from a tall tree on the prairie.
A crowd gathered around them and all Matt could think was that he wished they'd go away and leave him alone to bask in the beauty and sweetness of his bride-to-be.
"You can probably put her down now, Matt." Jake's deep voice broke through the chatter. "I got her bag." He held up Elizabeth's worn valise. Somehow it had withstood the flight from the steps of the train and the hard landing on the platform without bursting open. Matt nodded to acknowledge his friend's words before returning his focus to Elizabeth.
"Were you hurt?" Matt asked, his eyes searching her face for any sign of distress.
She shifted a bit in his arms and touched her side, then winced. “I feel a bit bruised here on my side, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
When she winced, it was like he felt the pain too.
He swore silently and then glared at the train where he could see the forms of Myrtle and Aggie fighting over who got the window seat. They could not be gone soon enough.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, returning his gaze to the much more pleasant visage of his bride’s face, though she still had a pained expression. “We’ll stop off to see Doc before we see the preacher.”
“Oh no,” Elizabeth shifted again to look at him directly, “I’m sure it’s nothing.” She blushed prettily. “Besides, isn’t the preacher waiting for us?” Then a look of worry flashed over her face. “Unless you’d rather wait?” Her pink tongue darted
