Jolie wasn’t certain about what to say to all of that, but one thing became clear. Mama wanted her to marry someone she’d never met. Jolie had a hard enough time imagining herself as a wife, much less to a man she didn’t know.
“My agency is called Westward Home and Hearts,” Mrs. Crenshaw said, her eyes crinkling around the corners as she spoke.
Westward. The word turned itself over in Jolie’s head as Mrs. Crenshaw continued.
“Now, not all of these men come from the most highly regarded families. Many have worked hard to gain the opportunities available to them in our territories and western states. But all come with strong references. If I have any doubt, I don’t accept the gentleman. And in return, I promise to find them ladies of similar character. And you, my dear, are certainly made of such mettle.”
Jolie’s heart warmed at the compliment. “Thank you.” From Mrs. Crenshaw’s smile, she knew the woman saw her as more than a girl from a fine family. More than the daughter of a highly regarded professor of biology, and more than someone who cared only about social occasions and pretty dresses.
“My Jolie is a sensible girl, and any man would be lucky to marry her,” Mama said, her eyes shining with pride. But the second Mrs. Crenshaw reached for the envelopes in her lap, Mama’s smile twitched, and a shadow of sadness crossed her face. All Jolie wanted to do was run to her and embrace her and promise her she’d never leave.
“Let’s see, I think we might start with these three gentlemen.” Mrs. Crenshaw extracted three envelopes from her stack and handed them to Jolie. “Read through them and discuss them with your mother. If one seems promising, you may write to him at the address he’s provided. I’ll return in a few days to collect the other letters, and I’ll bring more in case none of these are suitable.”
Jolie wrapped her fingers around the envelopes, her heart thumping as Mama thanked Mrs. Crenshaw. They saw her to the door, and as soon as Mama closed it behind her, Jolie ran to her.
“I can’t leave you,” she said, her head buried in Mama’s shoulder. “You’re all I have left, and I . . .” She was all Mama had left too, but a great gulp of sadness made her unable to speak the words. She couldn’t leave Mama and go somewhere so far away.
“I know.” Mama’s hand ran a circle over Jolie’s back, the way she always did when Jolie had been upset as a child.
“Is it really all that bad? Our situation here?” Jolie leaned back to see Mama’s expression.
The fine lines on Mama’s face—ones Jolie had never noticed until her father’s passing—deepened. “It is. I loved your father deeply, but he never had a mind for business, and I’m afraid that extended to our family’s funds.” She sighed, and Jolie thought she could feel every ounce of her mother’s pain. “The bank will take the house and our land by the end of summer.”
Jolie tried not to let her surprise show. Mama was worried enough; she didn’t need to add to that. “We can find another home. I can . . . I can find work, and you could take in laundry and—”
Mama shook her head. “I have it all arranged. My cousin in New York has an extra room and need for help at their shop. It will be good for me, to be somewhere else. But that’s no life for you, my Jolie. You’d be unhappy in the city.” She placed her hands on either side of Jolie’s face, and tears stung Jolie’s eyes.
“I want to see you married to a good man, living a life in the country where you can pursue all that you love, with children and space for them to grow up. None of that will happen if you come with me.”
“I don’t care about any of that,” Jolie said fiercely. “All I want is to be with you.”
Mama shook her head sadly. “That may be what you want now, but in five or ten years, you’ll have wished you chose differently. And so I’m choosing for you, now.”
Tears streamed down Jolie’s face, but deep in her heart—as much as she despised acknowledging it—she knew Mama was right.
And as she melted into Mama’s arms again, she decided she would make the best of it. She would give it her best effort, but if the man was a brute, or the territory was too dangerous, or her heart simply ached too much—she would leave it all behind and return to the only family she had left.
Chapter Two
NearCrestStone,Colorado— September 1877
This couldn’t be the place.
Cade Harris shifted in the saddle and leveled his gaze at Sam Mahoney, the hunter and town butcher who’d agreed to take him to the ranch.
“It’s not much to look at, is it?” Sam said unnecessarily.
“You sure this is the place?” Cade eyed the half-built house. There weren’t any cattle in sight, and it looked as if his brother had abandoned the place long before his death last month.
“I am. I bought some beef off Lucas in June. He was having a rough go of it then, if I remember correctly.”
Cade frowned at the long spikes of grass that grew up between the boards of the house. Sam’s words shouldn’t have surprised him. Nothing had ever come easy for Cade or his brother. Lucas had at least taken a chance at turning his life into something good.
“I was sorry to hear about what happened to him,” Sam said.
Cade nodded. He didn’t dare say anything. That crease in his heart was still too raw, and he didn’t trust his voice not to shake when speaking of Lucas’s death. So he chose not to speak of it at all. Instead, he rubbed a hand over his chin and urged his horse forward.
“You suppose anyone in town is looking for work?” he asked Sam over his shoulder as he inspected the house more closely. “I could use some help getting these buildings done before it snows.”
