by Jaclyn Hardy
***
Papa stood near the stagecoach with tears in his eyes. “I’m going to miss you, my love. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“You know I do, Papa. Please don’t make this harder than it already is.” Samantha glanced over to make sure that all her bags were loaded into the stage coach. “Besides, I’ll have you come and visit as soon as possible.”
“I’ll be waiting for your letter.” Papa leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Your mama will come around. It just might take a while.”
Samantha nodded and blinked back the tears. Mama had chosen to stay inside rather than see her off. “Let her know I love her.”
“Of course.”
She went to the stagecoach to make sure that Clover was harnessed correctly. It was going to take longer to travel simply because she wasn’t used to traveling so far each day, but Samantha wasn’t about to leave her behind. It had been her intention to just ride her horse all the way to Idaho, but Papa had managed to find someone who would use Clover to help pull the stagecoach.
The stagecoach was to be shared along the way, but for now, she was alone. It was probably better that way. As they pulled away from the house, Samantha allowed her tears to flow while she waved goodbye to Papa. It would be months before he would be able to come and visit because of work on the plantation and all his travels. Part of her wanted to run back to him and cancel the marriage. But she knew she could never be happy here. Not with suitors being thrown at her practically every day. Samantha settled into the stagecoach and pulled out one of the many books her father had given her as a going away present. At the rate they were traveling, she would have plenty of time to get through them all.
***
Samantha had underestimated the time it took to get to the Idaho territories by days—possibly even weeks—and she was bored senseless. She was half-tempted to climb out and take off on Clover, but then she would have had to wait for her luggage to get there anyway. She stared down at the letter in her hand that she’d been writing to Papa until it got too dark. She’d sent a few already, but knew she wouldn’t hear back from him until she reached her destination.
Night had fallen, and while they usually stopped for the night, they had decided to continue. There had been talk of a late winter storm rolling in, and they wanted to get as far west as they could before it hit. Between that and some unrest among a few of the towns, it wasn’t safe for her to be there. They’d already experienced problems along the way and she didn’t want it to happen again.
Samantha yawned and leaned her head against the wall of the carriage. Perhaps sleeping would help make the time go faster. She pulled her coat from one of the bags and draped it over herself like a blanket.
It seemed as though she’d just drifted off when a loud thud threw her off the bench and onto the floor. Samantha lay there for a moment trying to remember where she was. Shouts sounded outside, making her freeze. Was their wagon under attack?
She sat up and peeked out of the window, careful not to be seen. The sun had already started rising, which meant she’d slept for longer than she’d thought. A small town spread out just ahead of them, but judging by the distance, it would still be another hour or so before they reached it.
The door flew open and a man with a large beard and mustache grinned up at her. “Get out here, darlin’. We need to take inventory of your belongings.”
Samantha glared. “You’ll do no such thing.”
“I’d say you’re wrong about that, sweetheart. Now get out here and no one will get hurt.”
This was exactly what Papa had been afraid of when she mentioned what she was doing. Samantha glanced over the man’s shoulder where the driver stood with his hands behind his back. He nodded to her, so she took a breath and climbed down, straightening her shoulders.
“If anything is missing when you’re finished, I will have your head.” Samantha stepped away from one of the other men. “You will not touch me.”
The first man laughed. “You’re quite the feisty one, aren’t you? We could have use for you here.”
He climbed inside and opened one bag after another, throwing things all over the wagon. Samantha seethed, but said nothing. No need to make it worse than it already was. When he picked up the hairbrush and mirror that she’d received from her grandmother, Samantha had enough.
She stepped forward and shook her arm away from the man who tried to grab it. “You will not throw those. They’re heirlooms.”
The man froze and turned, glaring. “Did you just tell me what to do?”
“I did. And I will again. Get away from my things and let us be on our way. Unless you want every sheriff in that town after you.” Samantha stepped forward until she was at the door. “Out.”
The man grinned and jumped down. “Y’know what boys? I think I might just take her as my wife. I could use a little fire.”
He lunged for her, but Samantha was faster. She kneed him in the stomach, then punched him in the face, just like she’d been taught by her brothers. He groaned and fell over, cursing at her. Samantha stepped over him and up into the carriage. “Philip, I would really like to be on my way.”
Philip yanked his arm away from the others and climbed up onto the stagecoach. Samantha’s heart continued racing as they made their way to the next town. It wasn’t until they’d found a place to sleep that she finally had a chance to relax. She really didn’t want to have anything like that happen again.
Samantha was too restless to try to sleep, so she left her room and went down to find something to eat. With any luck, she would be able to send off the letter, but first she had to figure out where she could do that.
The main room was filled with early risers getting their breakfast. Samantha found a booth near the back and ordered some sausage and eggs for breakfast. Hopefully they would be able to stay long enough that she could also get some sleep, but for now, she was starving.
Philip joined her a few minutes later, clearly exhausted from staying up all night. “You have to tell me where you learned to do that.”
“Do what? Order my food? I can wave someone over—”
“No, not that,” he said. “The way you took him down. Who taught you how to do that?”
Samantha laughed. “My brothers. I’m the only girl my age, so I learned to rough house with them. They’re also the ones who taught me how to climb out the window on my balcony.”
Philip shook his head. “I’ve seen that move done before, but I have to admit you’re the first woman I’ve seen do it. At any rate, you saved us.”
“You would have stopped them, I’m sure.” Samantha thanked the waiter who brought her food and waited for Philip to order. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“The same reason you aren’t. Our last meal was hours ago.”
Samantha took a bite of her eggs. They could have used a little salt, but otherwise they were decent. “Where are we?”
“Salt Lake City. We’ll be heading north from here and should be there in three days at the longest. I’ll be looking for fresh horses here, so we should be able to go faster—as long as your horse can keep up.”
Samantha’s heart lifted. They were almost there. All she wanted to do was take off right then and go, but Clover had to be exhausted. “Let’s take an extra day and let her rest. I wouldn’t mind walking around to see what Salt Lake looks like. I’ve been sitting almost nonstop for three weeks and I could use the break.”
Philip studied her. “Are you sure? We’re nearly there, and I should be heading back in the other direction soon.”
“Please. If you need to move on, I can find another ride, but she needs to rest.”
“I wouldn’t leave you here. We’ll give it another day. Which means as soon as I’m done with my food, I’m going back upstairs to sleep for the next twenty-four hours.”
Samantha laughed and went back to eating. She was relieved that he was willing to stick around, but did feel bad that it meant one more day away from his f
amily. She would have to pay him extra when they reached her new home.
***
Samantha looked up from her book when the carriage stopped. Surely, they weren’t already in Oakley. She looked out the window, waiting for another band of outlaws to appear, but the only one who came to the door was Philip.
“These last few miles have been pretty hard for Clover. I’m going to unhook her from the carriage. If you follow this path through these rocks and down into the valley, you’ll reach Oakley. I’ll come down not too far behind you. If she needs to stop and drink, you’ll be alongside a creek most of the way. We can catch up there.”
Samantha was more than happy to leave the carriage. The storm that was supposed to hit never came, and it was replaced by the blazing sun. The mountain breeze was cool on her skin, masking the heat of the day.
“I wouldn’t mind riding her as long as you don’t get too far behind. I’d rather not get lost before I ever start my new life.”
“You could start fresh here as well. There’s a nice little settlement just up ahead.” He chuckled. “I will stay nearby.”
Philip unharnessed Clover and led her to a water trough to drink while Samantha found her sun bonnet to wear. She didn’t want to burn and be miserable when she met David for the first time.
Clover stood in the shade eating grass when Samantha found her. She lifted her head and shot Samantha a mournful glance.
“I know, Clover. You’ll be able to get all the rest you need as soon as we get there. But for now, we must get going. Ready?”
She climbed up and adjusted her dress. It wasn’t exactly the best dress to be wearing while on a horse, but it would do. Philip climbed up onto the stagecoach and pointed in the direction they would be going.
The ride was beautiful this early in the spring. Grasses and wild flowers popped up against the large rock formations on each side of her. Samantha stared in awe as she passed through. It was as if they stood guard for the land behind them. Those who had come before had signed their names. Samantha was tempted to write her own, but all her bags were in the carriage behind her. The path was nice enough that Samantha climbed down to walk alongside Clover. With the birds and the other wild animals surrounding them, it was peaceful, and Samantha almost didn’t want to leave. She would have to ask David to bring her up here sometime.
As soon as they passed the last of the rock formations, Samantha climbed back on and they galloped down the hill. The constant rumble behind them told her that Philip was still back there. She alternated walking and riding until they made it down into the valley. Samantha stopped, eyes wide. A small town sat at the base of the mountain, surrounded by more mountains on three of the sides. Instead of heading straight to the city like Samantha, Phillip turned onto another road and waited for her to turn around and catch up.
The small town lay to the right of them, and Samantha wondered where they were going. Maybe this wasn’t the place she was supposed to be. Her stomach knotted, thinking about how much farther she had to go.
They circled around the first mountain and stopped at the base of the second. A small settlement stood there with people going about their business as if the stagecoach hadn’t just rolled in.
Samantha climbed down and rubbed Clover’s neck. “Well done, girl. We made it.”
Clover was too tired to even respond. She nudged her way past Samantha and went straight for the water trough near the station. Samantha was hesitant to just let her stay there, but she needed to help unload her luggage and ask around to see where David was.
Philip set the last of her bags down. “Best of luck with your new life. Perhaps we’ll meet again on my way back through here sometime.”
“Thank you.” Samantha pulled five coins out of her purse. “This should cover the extra night in Salt Lake.”
“You don’t need to do that.” Philip raised his hands.
Samantha raised an eyebrow and held out the coins. “Please take them as a token of my appreciation.”
Philip finally sighed. “Thank you. And I do believe that man may be looking for you.”
Samantha followed his gaze. A tall, well-built man stood at the station, his hands in his pockets. He matched the picture that he’d sent with the letter, and the flutter in Samantha’s stomach turned to a dull roar. He was incredibly handsome with his strong chin and jawline, his blue eyes, and a lopsided grin.
She lifted her skirts to climb the steps. “Are you David?”
“Yes, I am. You must be Samantha. I recognized you immediately from your photo. Although, I must admit that you do not look quite as sad as you do in your picture.” David studied her face.
Samantha looked up at him in surprise. He was right. She was already much happier after the long trip than she had been at home. “I rode Clover down through the mountains, and spending time with her always seems to cheer me up.”
David nodded toward her horse. “I assume that’s Clover?”
“She is.” Samantha rubbed her hands together nervously. “How far is home?”
David pointed in the direction of the town behind her. “It’ll take us about half an hour to get there. If you’re ready, we can go now. Otherwise, we could stay here. There’s now a local priest who will marry us.”
Samantha’s breath caught. She’d been so excited about the prospect of leaving South Carolina that she had forgotten about the marriage part. They could put it off if she decided to go into town, but she needed a break after all the travel she’d been doing.
“We can marry here. My horse needs to rest, and I don’t want to push her any farther right away.” Samantha bit her lip. “I hope you don’t mind.”
David shook his head. “I don’t mind at all. We met several of the neighbors here while we waited for my house to be built, and this way they can attend.”
Samantha tipped her head. “We?”
“Yes, Mother, and my brother. Mother is here working at the inn. She lives with me—unless you’d rather she live somewhere else—and Matthew is up in the mines somewhere.”
“Ah.” If his mother was anything like Mama . . . Samantha realized David was waiting for an answer. “It sounds like right here would be the perfect place to marry.”
David’s face brightened. “Wonderful. I’ll contact the priest and my friends if you would like to freshen up before the wedding.”
Samantha glanced down at her dress. It was wrinkled after being in the stagecoach for so long. She may have wanted to get away from her family, but that didn’t mean she would turn her back on her upbringing. “I would like to change if at all possible. Is there a dress shop nearby? I would like to get something new to wear.”
“There is one just down the road, but I don’t know that they would have anything to wear for a wedding.”
“That’s all right. I will settle for something that is clean and unwrinkled at this point.” Samantha found her coin purse in her bags and stood straight. “How long do I have before the wedding?”
David blinked and scratched his head. “Let’s say an hour? Or do you need more time than that?”
Samantha frowned. She had nowhere to get ready, and her hairbrush was packed away. “An hour will be fine, as long as I can find a dress.”
“I’ll meet you at that inn right over there in an hour then.” David set her bags into a wagon, then strode toward the inn, and Samantha went the other way toward the dress shop.
The store was small with little selection, and the fabric was not as fine as she was used to, but at least the styles were somewhat fashionable. Since there was no white, Samantha decided to go for the dress with the richest fabric. That way she could at least feel like a bride, even if she didn’t wear the right color.
“May I help you?” A woman smiled over at her holding a tape measure in her hands and a pin cushion hung from her waist.
“I’m getting married today, and I was hoping to find something that I could wear for it. This dress seems to work the best.” Samantha pulled out a dark pur
ple gown.
The woman shook her head. “That won’t do. Not for your wedding. Let me see if we have anything in the back for you to wear.”
“Unless it’s white, this one will work.” Samantha pulled it off the hanger and held it up. “I don’t know that it even needs to be altered.”
“I can package that one up for you as well if you’d like, but please give me a moment.” The woman walked to the back, leaving several other women to stare at Samantha.
She would have thought that with them being settled around a stagecoach line that they would be used to strangers. She left the dress on a rack and walked over to the hats and gloves. These were closer to what she was used to back home. She found a nice pair of white satin gloves, and a hat that had a small veil attached. These would be perfect.
“I believe this should work for you.” The woman held out a white gown with small flowers. “It’s not completely white, but I think—”
“It’s perfect,” Samantha interrupted. She took the dress from the woman. It seemed to be the right fit, and the fitted bodice was the style she liked. “Do you have anywhere for me to try it on?”
The woman pointed behind her. “You can change in there.”
Samantha walked into the small room and set the dress down on the bench. She had to move quickly because the wedding would be soon and if anything needed to be altered, they would need all the time they could get.
The dress was a little difficult to put on herself, but it was a perfect fit. The bodice hugged her nicely, and the skirts flowed out around her. The gloves and hat she picked out would work wonderfully with the dress as well. There was no time to change back into her other gown, so she picked it up and left the room.
“I will take this as well as the purple gown and this hat and gloves.” Samantha pulled out several bills and a few coins. “Will this suffice?”
The woman’s eyes widened at the money in Samantha’s hand. “That’s too much by at least double.”