And as she left him alone in the office, she prayed harder than she ever had before. He was considering the marriage, and that was something. He hadn’t thrown her out or asked someone to escort her back to the depot.
Mrs. Bell appeared in the hallway, and with only one look at Catherine, was at her side immediately.
“He knows,” was all Catherine could manage to say before the tears she kept inside strangled her voice.
“It will be well,” Mrs. Bell replied as she wrapped an arm around Catherine.
She laid her head on the older woman’s shoulder and imagined Mrs. Bell was Mama. She closed her eyes and felt those words deep down inside.
How she hoped they would be true.
Chapter Eight
IT DIDN’T TAKE LONGfor Jonathan to make up his mind. Catherine had stood here before him, utterly bereft and yet proud. His suspicion had been correct—she hadn’t tricked him. He wished she’d mentioned the situation yesterday, and he could almost pinpoint when he thought she’d meant to, but he wouldn’t hold that against her.
The facts were what they were. She needed a husband. He needed a wife. And, heaven help him, he had a hard time not thinking about her. Those bright eyes, her lovely curls, her graceful demeanor, her immediate friendship with Mrs. Bell, and even the easy way with which she interacted with his lodgers.
He couldn’t have chosen anyone more perfect on his own.
Even now, as he leaned against the doorframe, she sat in the parlor, conversing with two of the newest guests, a pair of brothers who’d come to Grover’s Gulch in search of business opportunities.
“Well, I would never have imagined you capable of such a thing, Mr. Carter,” she said, and both of the men laughed.
Jonathan smiled. She was naturally gifted at making conversation, despite being thrust into a situation where she knew no one. When she turned to see him standing there, her soft blue eyes and glowing skin made him momentarily forget where he was and why he’d come in search of her.
“Pardon me, gentlemen, but I must take Mrs. Lee away from you for a while,” he said from the doorway.
The elder brother, Fred Carter, rose and placed a hat on his head as he grinned at Jonathan. “I tried to persuade Mrs. Lee to marry me instead, but she seems set on her choice.”
“Does she?” Jonathan glanced at Catherine, who blushed a pretty shade of pink that made him want to push both the other men from the room and take her into his arms.
He gripped the edge of the doorframe. He’d be making the same decision if Catherine was homely, he told himself. This had nothing to do with the way she made his mind spin or his stomach feel as if he’d swallowed a herd of dragonflies.
To his everlasting relief, both brothers left immediately, and he crossed the room to sit beside Catherine.
“Mr. Carter and his brother are quite the entertaining duo,” she said, clasping her hands in her lap.
