“Hope Carlson?” he asked.
She nodded. Though she felt disappointed, she tried not to show it. “Callum?”
“Yes. Come along. We need to marry as soon as possible because the wagon train is due to leave in two days.”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her down the wooden walkway. “I have a hotel room for us, and I have the license. We’ll go to the church right now. The minister is waiting for us.”
Hope hadn’t expected it to happen so fast. Had she made a huge mistake?
Chapter Two
On their walk to church, Callum explained the importance of being ready when the wagon train set off on its journey.
After a hasty reciting of vows, Callum rushed her to the hotel, but Hope froze and stopped short before Callum opened the door to the inn.
“I can’t sleep with you yet, Callum. We need to get acquainted first.”
Callum shrugged. “That’s fine. I realize we’re strangers. I never expected it to happen right away. It’s not a problem, but I only have one room. I’ll ask for a cot for our room. The hotel is full as you can imagine just days before the train leaves.”
Hope felt relief. She walked into the hotel and up a flight of stairs to the room Callum ushered her into.
“You can get ready for bed, and I’ll see about the cot,” he said.
He left the room, and Hope lit the lamp and looked around. She was in a small room with a four-poster bed, an old dresser, and a straight-backed chair. Hope pulled the shade down and undressed. How she yearned for a bath. She put her flannel nightgown on and crawled into bed. She felt exhausted after the long days of traveling and fell fast asleep before Callum returned.
Callum couldn’t believe how pretty Hope was. He’d gotten lucky, but he couldn’t touch her until they were on their way to Oregon or he’d scare her away. The whole purpose was to seem like a normal couple traveling to Oregon for land. With her good looks, it wouldn’t be easy to keep his hands to himself, but if he didn’t, he’d spoil the whole plan.
He vowed to be as nice as possible—at least until the train got underway.
Knowing it would be difficult to keep his hands off such a lovely wife, he only had two mugs of beer before going back to the hotel.
Hope opened her eyes in the morning and for a moment, she couldn’t remember where she was. Then she saw Callum lying on a cot at the foot of her bed. His hair was long and very red. His skin was so white she wondered if he ever ventured outdoors. His blue eyes popped open, and he smiled.
“Good morning, Mrs. Butler.”
“Good morning.” The reminder that she was his wife left a bad taste in her mouth. Maybe he wasn’t much to look at, but he might be a good husband. She told herself to be patient and get to know him before judging him.
He turned around and slid his trousers on quickly. Then, he threw on the same shirt he’d worn the day before, donned his wide-brimmed hat, and walked to the door.
“I’ll check us out of the hotel and meet you down in the lobby. We’ll be staying at our wagon from now on. We need to settle in and get ready.”
Hope simply nodded. When he’d gone, she washed in a bowl of cold water and put on a simple cotton dress. It had been on Callum’s list of things to bring. He’d also put on the list: sturdy shoes, aprons, bonnets, and toiletries. She slipped on the Oxford shoes and grimaced—they were ugly, but comfortable.
She felt two emotions: fear of the unknown and the excitement of a journey. She also felt a distaste for romance with her husband. She couldn’t even imagine kissing him, yet she knew that, eventually, she would have to do more than that with him. She cringed and packed up her belongings.
They had breakfast at a crowded diner. The long wait for their food gave Hope the chance to study the surrounding people. Most of the women dressed the same, in plain cotton dresses, bonnets, and sturdy shoes. The men, like Callum, wore pants and shirts and some wore suspenders. Most wore beards, mustaches, or both. Callum had explained that shaving on the trail would take a lot of time and most of the men didn’t bother, but some shaved or trimmed their facial growth on Sundays.
Callum treated her with cool kindness, showing no sign of forcing her into intimacy. It relieved Hope to know it was just being put off temporarily; it was a reprieve, nevertheless..
After they ate, Callum led her down the main street to the edge of town. There, to Hope’s amazement, were a myriad of wagons all lined up with people buzzing around them doing odd jobs.
“Oh, my!” was all she could say.
As they weaved between the wagons, Callum told her, “I’ve been loading things in our wagon all week. We need to label the barrels and crates and put them in order.”
“Will there be room for us to sleep in it?” she asked.
“No. We won’t be sleeping in the wagon. It’s full. We can sleep on blankets under the wagon or in the tent I bought.”
Hope winced. “Is it safe to sleep out in the open?”
“Pretty much, but I have my rifle and shotgun at the ready at all times, just in case.”
Callum stopped in front of a large wagon much like the others, with its
