She stood when he approached.
“Elsie?” he practically whispered.
She nodded and smiled.
She wasn’t an ugly woman by any means—she had a clear complexion except for a few freckles and a beguiling smile. She also wasn’t a beautiful woman by any means—not pretty, but cute. He thought she might be pretty if she fixed herself up. Her eyes were enormous and quite charming, but her appearance was rather disheveled. She wasn’t at all what he’d expected.
Always a gentleman, he held out his hand, and she took it. “Nice to meet you, Elsie. I’m Conner.”
Conner released her hand. “I’m sorry for my lateness. A patient came into the clinic needing treatment just as I was leaving. I’m the only doctor in town, so I had to treat him before coming to meet you.”
“You’re a doctor?” she asked.
Conner nodded. He detected a slight accent. It wasn’t a deep Southern accent but more of a... well; he wasn’t sure. Her speech resembled a man from Missouri he’d known who’d been from a coal-mining town in Southwest Pennsylvania.
He’d planned to take her to the café for lunch before the ceremony, but he wondered if he shouldn’t take her home to Bertie first—Bertie would know how to make Elsie more presentable for the wedding ceremony.
He took her arm gently. “My wagon is over there.” He pointed. “Where are your trunks?”
She shrugged and held out a gunny sack. “This here’s it.”
As they walked to the wagon, Conner asked, “Where are you from? The matchmaker didn’t say.”
“Gobbler’s Knob, West Virginia.”
“Of course. I was trying to figure out your accent. I’m from Missouri. I’ve only been in Hays a short time myself.” He helped Elsie into the wagon and noted her worn shoes and the holes in the soles, but he felt pity rather than disgust, which was his first thought when he’d first saw her. She seemed to be one of those people who always had a smile on their faces, even when there wasn’t a reason, and when she smiled, her big blue eyes lit up and her dimples widened.
When he first realized the girl was Elsie, his first impulse was to make some excuse and run, but her smile had stopped him. He’d have Bertie clean her up, and he’d have himself an ever-smiling bride.
Elsie’s first look at her groom-to-be made her smile. He was clean-cut and had a likable face. So many men wore beards and mustaches these days, and she preferred a clean-shaven man. He had a serious face, at least he did when he first approached her. She hoped he wasn’t disappointed with her looks as she’d done her best to look decent, but it had been a long trip.
When the man asked if she was Elsie, he’d said it so softly she almost hadn’t heard him. She saw the look on his face when she’d assured him who she was, and she felt his disappointment. In the past, she’d been told that her smile made her more attractive, so she kept smiling the whole time, even though her heart was breaking. He didn’t care for her. She knew it.
As he spoke, she decided that if he were willing to marry her today, she’d definitely agree. He was the man of her dreams. His tall, lean but muscular body and gentle-looking face had won her heart already. Since she’d arrived west of the Mississippi, she’d noticed that most of the men wore shirts, pants, and boots, but this man—who’d introduced himself as Conner—was dressed in a suit with a string tie, which made him look professional and intelligent. Still, if the matchmaker had put them together, they must have a lot in common.
They didn’t speak much on the short trip to his home, which was on the main street but at the opposite end from the hotel. He helped her from the wagon and grabbed her gunny sack bag. The little white house had a sign on the front porch that read “Dr. Conner B. Van Gates.”
So, her name would be Elsie Van Gates. She liked the sound of that.
A full-bodied woman met them at the door with a surprised look on her face, but Elsie kept smiling.
Conner pushed her forward gently. “Bertie, this is Elsie.” To Elsie, he said, “Bertie is my housekeeper and office manager.”
Elsie noticed that Bertie’s eyebrows had raised at Conner’s remark before she held out her hand to Elsie. “A pleasure to meet you. You two surprised me, as I thought—”
Conner cut her off. “We decided to come here first. Elsie’s had a long trip, and she needs to freshen up.”
“Of course. Come right in, dear. I’ll have you ready for the wedding in no time at all.”
Elsie was guided through the clinic to a door in the back which led to a small but nicely furnished apartment, where Bertie led her to a small, dark bedroom.
Bertie opened the shade and let the sunshine stream into the room. “I like to keep the room cool during the daytime.”
Conner followed them in with her gunny sack, which he laid on the bed. “I have some paperwork to finish in the clinic, but remember that we need to be at the church by three.”
Bertie nodded and closed the door after him. “I’ll go to the laundry room and bring up a tub. A nice warm bath will help you relax.”
Elsie surveyed the room after Bertie had left. She tested the mattress on the bed and was
