“Where is she?” Lester yelled, the poor flower still held tightly in his fist.
Colten shook his head. He hoped Lester wouldn’t antagonize any of the poor passengers who might get off to move around a bit. Debating for a moment on whether he should go try to move Lester along again, Colten wasn’t sure he really wanted to deal with the man. He would watch from the wagon and if things got rough when the passengers got out, Colten would act then. There was no use riling up the drunk any more than he already was. He was mostly harmless until he got a hornet up his nose.
Lester dropped the flower and bent to pick it up, then lost his balance and fell. He got up enough to turn around and sit with his legs bent in around him and watched. Colten chuckled again. That would keep him out of the way for now.
When the doors of the train opened. Three young ladies and an older woman stepped off the train onto the stool that was placed for them by the conductor. Lester struggled to stand and Colten knew he’d have to get up there and stop him before any embarrassment occurred.
“Which one of you is mine?” Lester asked and Colten jumped off his wagon and ran to the stairs of the platform, taking the steps two at a time.
The women turned around in confusion and stared open mouthed at Lester. Colten tried to apologize to the women but Lester just shouted again. “Danged if I can’t remember yer name. It’s a pretty one. Sounds like a bell. Or something.”
The women hurried away in the other direction and Lester tried to follow them. Colten stepped in front of him but Lester tried to push him out of the way. If the man hadn’t been drunk, he might have been able to do something, but as it was, Lester merely knocked himself off balance.
“Now Lester,” Colten said, trying to calm the man. “Let’s think about this for a moment.”
Lester stopped trying to get past Colten and just shook the busted flower in his face. “Don’t need to think about it. I already paid for her. She’s coming today.”
Colten stared at the man, trying to understand what he was talking about. “Paid for her?” The only women who got paid for weren’t the kinds of women like the four Lester had tried to get to. Colten turned around just enough to look behind him while still keeping Lester on the other side away from the passengers still leaving the train.
“That might be her!” Lester tried to push his way past Colten, but Colten kept hold of the man’s shoulder. “Honey! Are you my bride?”
The little thing that stood in the center of the platform away from the others had a look of horror on her face. Colten turned back to Lester, trying to get the man to quiet down, but instead Lester took a swing at Colten and managed to place a solid strike to the jaw.
Colten lost his hold on Lester and the man tore past him right for the girl in the dark blue dress. She placed her hands over her mouth as if trying to draw in closer to herself and when Lester was ten feet away, she began shaking her head.
“Oh no. It can’t be.” She took a few steps to the side away from the train as if trying to look for something else. Lester’s direction changed, but he didn’t manage to correct his steps enough to head toward her anymore. Instead, with the momentum he had, and his unsteady gait, Lester managed to walk right off the edge of the platform and fell flat on his face in the dirt four feet below.
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Laura D. Bastian
Other books by Laura D. Bastian
STAND ALONE ROMANCE:
Sink Or Swim
Never Trust the Rain
The way it should be
SEASONS OF LOVE
Echoes of Summer
Winter’s Kiss
Autumn’s Embrace
Promise of Spring
ROYAL ROMANCE
Dancing with the Prince
Forgetting the Prince
Rejecting the Prince
The Reluctant Royal (time Travel)
BRIDES OF BIRCH CREEK
The Blacksmith’s Bride
The Clerk’s Bride
The Widower’s Bride
CRAZY RICH CRUSH SERIES
Crazy Rich Vacation Crush
Crazy Rich Ex High School Crush
TWICKENHAM TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE
Love’s Past
There’s Always Tomorrow
Only A Moment
YOUNG ADULT SPECULATIVE ROMANCE:
Eye On Orion
Beyond Orion
Heart of Orion
FANTASY
Burden of Blood
Guardians of the Gate
NOVELS UNDER L.K BASTIAN
URBAN FANTASY
Claire
Denise
Kegan
Emily
Kat
About Laura D. Bastian
Laura grew up in a small town in central Utah and now lives in another small town in northern Utah. She always loved stargazing and imagining life out-side her own little world. A graduate of Utah State University with a degree in Elementary and Special Education, Laura has been using that training as she raises her children and writes make believe worlds. You can usually find her on her laptop either typing away, or on social media interacting with friends when she’s not playing in her garden
Connect with Laura D. Bastian
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Amazon Author page
Goodreads Author page
The Blacksmith's Bride: A Golden Valley Story (The Brides of Birch Creek Book 1) Page 11