Was that too simple of a life for her? She was an intelligent woman. Daniel was an attorney. For a time, he'd taken over as teacher in the one-room Bear Creek school.
In the beginning, Seb had teased Edgar about having a bookworm for a brother-in-law, but he'd come to know Daniel as smart-as-tacks, even if he could be awkward at times. And Emma had often been found with her nose in a book.
Had Emma gone away because Seb was so different from Daniel? Because he wasn't smart like her brother? He had an eighth-grade education and could read and write well enough. Daniel had finished both upper school and college.
Seb hadn’t thought his lack of education mattered to Emma, but he couldn't figure any other reason why she would've left. Not after the declarations they'd made. Not after sharing that kiss.
He'd go after her if he had to. Denver was only a train ride away. He'd never been to a big city, but he wouldn't let that stop him, not if Emma needed him.
Determined, he sat down to pen her another letter. Maybe he hadn't been clear enough about his feelings. If Emma needed to know he loved her, he’d say it straight. He'd win her back.
"Who's in trouble?"Cecilia's greeting over the tinny telephone line make Breanna chuckle. Then emotion caught in her throat, and she had to blink back tears.
"Me."
She glanced over her shoulder even as she tucked herself further into the downstairs corner of Maxwell's house in town. Her brother and Hattie were getting ready for their day at the clinic. Or maybe house calls. Who knew? The two doctors were kept busy caring for the folks around Bear Creek. She'd hated to barge in on their morning, especially this early, but she knew Cecilia's classes started early in the day, and Breanna hadn't wanted to miss a chance to catch her niece at the boardinghouse where she stayed in Cheyenne. They usually exchanged a letter a week, but what Breanna had to say couldn't wait.
The last thing she needed was her brother eavesdropping and then reporting back to the family. The way everyone had acted yesterday had made it obvious that no real help would come from that quarter. Last night Ma had smiled a knowing smile when Breanna had come in.
Was it so obvious she'd been kissed? Or had Ma been guessing?
"What's happened?" Cecilia's voice came through the line, cool and practical. Just like the woman. Unflappable.
"There's a... man," Breanna whispered.
"What?"
"A man," this time she spoke louder and then tried to press herself further into the corner. Someone was rattling around in the kitchen.
Cecilia laughed. "Breanna! You finally got yourself a beau? Who is it? Tommy Larsen? Or someone from out of town?"
Tommy. Stung, Breanna couldn't believe Cecilia would've guessed him. Would Breanna have settled if Adam hadn't come along?
"Do you remember the morning walk we took in Philadelphia? Just the two of us?"
There was a beat of silence on the other end of the line.
"Breanna, are you in Pennsylvania?" This time, Cecilia sounded rattled.
"I'm in Bear Creek."
Another pause. "I can't imagine what you're going to tell me." There was the sound of voices in the background and then Cecilia’s voice was muffled when she spoke to someone else. "Go on to breakfast without me. Yes, I'll be there in a bit.” Cecilia’s voice was strong again when she said, “All right, tell me everything."
Breanna drew a deep breath. "Do you remember the young man that I"— she glanced toward the kitchen but could only see a shadow moving on the floor—"raced?"
"Vaguely."
"Well, his name is Adam Cartwright, and he came to Bear Creek to find me. He thinks he's smitten." The words burst out now. "With me!"
Cecilia's voice was warm with humor. "This is your trouble that's so important I'm missing breakfast?"
"He lives in Philadelphia."
Her statement was met with an appropriate amount of silence. "And you don't want to go back there."
"I can't." Cecilia was the only one who knew that had really happened. Breanna had snuck out of their shared hotel room and walked several miles to the swanky neighborhood where her birth grandparents lived. She'd approached the man who must have been her grandfather—only to be rejected outright. He'd threatened to call the authorities if she didn't leave.
She'd been heartbroken. Cecilia understood why she couldn't go back.
