by Annie Boone
Dropping her tray in the front room, she slipped out a back door and made her way towards the barn. Tugging at her clothes along the way, she picked up a cloak by the barn that one of the girls had left behind and made her way up the side stairs.
In the attic, there were empty beds and cots everywhere since the other girls were still working. Rowena stumbled over to her bed, changed out of her work dress, and slipped beneath her blankets. Only then did the shivering stop, knowing she was safe now, and alone. Just the way she liked it.
Chapter 2
April, 1881; Pine Ridge, Colorado
“Easy, now,” Lucas’s hands slipped around Susannah’s waist as he eased her off the horse. Only once both feet were on the ground did she let out her breath. He gave her a look upon hearing it, but they both knew it was an old habit. “You’d think after eight years of riding her she’d be more…”
Distracting him, she ran a finger across the buttons on his shirt. “She’s the sweetest thing, Lucas. But some habits die very, very hard. Now, would you be so kind as to help me with the saddle?” She offered him a smile and her husband complied. Together, they lifted the saddle and brushed their horses down before heading towards their house.
The sun was setting behind the mountains, leaving the sky streaked in a stream of beautifully warm colors. Susannah sighed, linking fingers with her husband. It was something she never tired of, having such good company in a lovely place like this. Such a moment was nearly perfect.
Nearly.
Absently her fingers drifted over her stomach, and Lucas stopped humming when he noticed. The scar on his face tightened as he slowed their pace and reached the porch. “Susie?”
She dropped her hand and turned with a forced smile. His gaze drifted back up to her face, looking at her in wary concern. “I was just admiring the sunset. It’s lovely, isn’t it?” But after nine years of marriage, there was no chance of her lying to him. They knew each other too well. The man waited for her as she sighed and shrugged. “It’s just so empty, Lucas. A big house, and no one to fill it.”
He guided her through the door into the warmth. Winter was gone but the evenings were still cool. Lucas wrapped a shawl over her shoulders and she followed him to the fireplace, bringing the embers back to life. “We still have our stragglers,” he reminded her.
She smiled at the name. It wasn’t very kind, but it was a joke of theirs. With such a large home, and with him in town so often working as the Pine Ridge sheriff, it was normal for him to return with the occasional weary traveler when the town’s hotel was booked full. In fact, that morning before church they had dropped off a family of four at the train station so they could continue west. A darling family, with energetic twin boys. They’d had blonde hair and brown eyes, just like she’d imagined their own children would have been like.
For a minute her thoughts drifted, trying once again to imagine what it would be like to have their house filled with the children they had dreamed of. Having been raised in a small home in Boston, she had only been able to imagine having perhaps two children. But out here in the west, why, some folks had even ten little ones running around. She couldn’t imagine that many, but something in between would have been nice for them. And most days when he worked, Lucas could be found playing with the children in town and she knew he would have liked all the little bustling feet and loud laughter within their own home. It wore down on her, the happy dream that couldn’t happen.
The spark of a flame drew her forth and Susannah joined Lucas closer on the hearth, pulling out the poker so he wouldn’t hurt himself. Just last month he’d nearly lost his hand trying to move a log without using the iron. His thumb was still bandaged, and slowly healing. “We do have our stragglers,” she echoed after a moment, and then looked at him hesitantly. “But I still think we could… well, we could have more folks here.”
He raised his eyebrow. “And what, turn this into a hotel? It’s a little far from town, darling.” But after a moment, the tall man remembered what they had discussed in pieces and parts over the last few years. Luke sighed heavily. “No, not that again. We don’t need more mouths to feed, and strangers walking in and out every day.”
“They wouldn’t just be any type of stranger,” she hurriedly corrected him. “Girls, young women who want to come west and they’d soon be friends. And they wouldn’t just be taking things from us. They could pay, and earn their keep. After all, they’d need to learn how to live here and farm. I’ve been thinking it all through, honestly.” She looked at him again with a hopeful smile.
“We have the rooms, Lucas, and we could build more as necessary. With them helping with the farming and the cooking, there’s plenty of help to make sure we have the food we need. They’ll bring their own clothes and I have plenty of sewing tools. I can teach them laundry, and you can teach them about… oh I don’t know, horses maybe? And then,” she hesitated and scrunched up her nose.
She didn’t like the expression on his face, the consternation mixed with pity. “And then what? I don’t know if we really have the time for this, to take on the—”
Though she hated to interrupt him, something forced Susannah to push on, hoping he would really listen and agree with her. Taking his hand, she caught his expression. “Take on the what? Lucas, we have plenty of time and you know it. I can’t just keep doing this, pretending nothing is wrong.” She stopped to take a deep breath before forging on. “I want to be helping others if I have the time to spare. We’re Christians, aren’t we?”
He looked at her and shook his head in continued disagreement. She ignored his negativity and kept going without giving him another chance to butt in.
“Why, just think of it. What if I’d had a place to go when I first arrived here?” She pointed out, trying to appeal to his sense of kindness. “I wouldn’t have been bothered by that man and I wouldn’t have been alone. And I hate to say it, but it definitely took a long time for me to learn how to farm and especially to ride a horse. What if we could help other women learn to do this?”
For a moment he just looked at her, slowly thinking it through. It was hard to read his expression now, and Susannah waited. Her heart pounded in her chest, wondering what he was thinking. “A boarding house for young women,” he said at last. “That’s what you really want?”
Opening her mouth to respond, she paused and considered this. After all, he appeared to be really considering her idea and she had to respect that. They didn’t joke about things like this, and Lucas took his decisions very seriously. “Yes,” Susannah nodded at last. “I think it would be nice for me. For us to have people here more often. People we can help.”
“How often are we talking?” He asked her carefully, glancing away now to add more logs to the fire. A small beat of her heart skipped, knowing he was now working out how this might work out for them.
Brightening, she scooted closer so their hips were touching, and she left an arm draped over his. “A few at a time, I’m sure. I don’t know how long they would stay. A few weeks, a few months, perhaps? And I’d be working to set them up with suitable men, of course. And obviously they’d have to be good men, you know. The really good men. Mostly from here. I know there are plenty of bachelors in Pine Ridge, after all,” she added. “And why, I think that even—”
His hand grabbed hers. It was dirty from the wood, but it was warm. “Are you saying you want to play matchmaker?” He raised an eyebrow at her and she saw the twinkle in his eye.
“Why not?” She pouted. “It worked with Eleanor.”
“Yes, but it doesn’t mean that it will work every time,” he articulated carefully. “And that’s a lot more responsibility than just running a boarding house.”
She offered him a sheepish smile. “Well, I’ve always been up for a challenge.” But he just sighed and wrapped an arm around her as they stood up and went over to the settee together.
Wrapped in his embrace, Susannah brushed her hair away from her shoulder and listened to his heartbeat.
Luke didn’t need to say anything more to let her know that he was considering it. This meant she was getting to him, and hopefully in a little more time the man might oblige. But she wouldn’t push it now, she decided, and would give it some time.
He wasn’t loving her idea, but she was determined to show him it would be worth their time, just as soon as he told her yes.
* * *
If you want to find out what happens next for Rowena, find out more information here:
http://www.annieboonecom/Colorado-Matchmaker/Rowena
About Annie Boone
Bestselling author Annie Boone admits that sweet love stories are a passion for her. She also enjoys history, so writing about the two together is the perfect combination for her. Her love of history was passed down by her father and cultivated by her husband.
Annie has always had a quiet story teller hiding inside and now she has the time to put those stories on paper and share them. Her hope is that her stories will entertain readers and her words will inspire the ones who need it the most. The Christian elements she includes often help remind her of her own faith as she writes.
Annie lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and the two most wonderful cats in the world. She loves to travel, cook for her family and friends, and watch as much sports as possible. She also loves to read. Of course!
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Also by Annie Boone
Annie is a bestselling author with books in series and stand alone stories. Each series is a set of books with a common thread, but stories don’t have cliff hangers and each one always has a happy ending.
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Cutter’s Creek Series – Collaboration Series with Kit Morgan, Vivi Holt, and Kari Trumbo
God Bless the Children
Kansas Mail Order Brides
The Parson’s Daughters
A Ready Made Family Plus the Sequel – Two for one special package
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