Biting back the anxiety that threatened to rise, Eleanor pulled out one sheet of paper. She unfolded it, drew in a deep breath, and prepared for the worst.
My Dear Mrs. Stevens, the letter began in a careful, simple hand.
I was happy to receive your letter of inquiry in response to my advertisement. I read your words with great interest, and I believe we would get along very well.
Eleanor forgot to breathe. Unable to exercise any more patience, she skimmed the remainder of the letter to the very end.
I have enclosed a sum of money to purchase your fare to Crest Stone. It should be enough to allow for the purchase of food and sundries along your journey. I look forward to your arrival.
Yours,
Mr. Merrick Benton
“What does he say, Eleanor?”
Eleanor opened the second sheet of paper to find bills tucked inside. She lifted her eyes to Rebecca’s anxious face. “Yes. He says yes!”
“Oh, thank heavens!”
Eleanor stood and embraced her sister, crushing the letter from Mr. Benton between them. But when she let go, Rebecca’s face was pinched in sadness.
Eleanor gripped her sister’s arms, knowing exactly what was on Rebecca’s mind because it nagged her too. She pushed aside her own feelings. “He would understand. John wouldn’t want his children growing up without a father.”
Rebecca nodded, her lips pressed together. “I know,” she said in a resigned voice. “I just can’t stop feeling as if I’m betraying him.”
All Eleanor could do was give her sister another hug. There was nothing else she could say to ease Rebecca’s pain, especially when her own gaping loss still sat buried beneath her determination to move forward. She had to be strong, she’d told herself again and again. For Rebecca’s sake, and for the sake of her nieces and nephews.
When another one of the widows had mentioned writing to a fellow who had advertised for a bride to join him out West, Eleanor seized the same opportunity. There was nothing for her and Rebecca here in West Fork, especially after so many of the men had died in the explosion. And to be honest, Eleanor couldn’t stomach marrying another man here, in the place where she’d met and fallen in love with David. And even if she could, she’d fear for his life every day.
It was fortuitous that she’d stumbled upon advertisements from two upstanding sounding gentlemen in the same small town in Colorado. She’d taken it as a sign from God, and with a little prompting, Rebecca agreed to write to one of them while Eleanor wrote to the other.
And now it seemed the chance she’d taken was going to pay off. She and Rebecca were going to escape West Fork and its bittersweet memories. They were going somewhere new, somewhere Rebecca’s children could grow up happily.
It was enough to make her forget about the other nagging worry at the edge of her mind.
Chapter Two
CREST STONE, COLORADO
The blast of cold air was precisely what Merrick Benton needed. Hands on his hips and coat wide open, he drew in a deep breath, hoping it might calm his nerves.
