“She’s awfully pretty,” the boy was saying. “Big green eyes and hair like a tree.”
“A tree?” Liam choked back a laugh.
“Like the bark. Tree bark.” Danny’s expression was wistful as he circled around a portly gentleman in front of the hardware store.
“Danny, I’m going to give you some advice. Never tell a lady her hair looks like tree bark.” He slapped a hand on the boy’s shoulder and squeezed. “Choose something she might find beautiful and compare it to that.”
Danny nodded, teeth digging into his lip as if that would help him remember.
They reached the land office quickly, and after spending a moment out front in conversation with the preacher of the only church in town, Liam followed Danny inside.
Gilbert was busy working with a pair of men seated at the counter, but there—waiting in one of the chairs Gilbert had installed near the windows—was a young lady who looked just as Danny had described.
“I found him for you, Miss . . . I’m sorry, I didn’t ask your name.” Danny’s face reddened as the woman stood up.
“It’s quite all right,” she said with a kind smile. “It’s Miss Wright. Matilda Wright, although I prefer Tilly.” She turned her smile toward Liam, and the sides of his throat seemed to stick together.
Greenwas not an apt description of her eyes at all. They were a vivid hue that matched the color of aspens in the summer. Her hair was a soft shade of brown, warm and pulled back into a simple style beneath the dark blue hat that matched her dress. She had fair skin with pink cheeks, but it was her smile that made it impossible for Liam to draw a breath.
“Will you introduce me to your friend?” she asked Danny, who appeared at as much at a loss of words as Liam was.
Liam swallowed, realizing too late that he’d been staring at her like a buffoon. “I apologize, miss. I’ve just come from a meeting, and I’m—” He caught himself before he could throw out some ridiculous explanation. It was best to leave it be. He found his own smile, infused as much charm as he could muster into it, and said, “I’m Liam Hannan. I heard you wished to meet with me. Are you looking to buy or sell?”
She blinked at him as if his words confused her. Then she shook her head ever so slightly and gave a laugh. “Oh, no, I’m sorry. I’m here because . . . for . . . well . . .” Her cheeks had gone a deeper shade of pink as she opened the carpetbag on the floor and retrieved a folded sheet of newsprint. She handed it to Liam.
He opened it. His own words stared back at him.
Liam's mouth dropped open, but nothing came out. He blinked, thinking he had to be looking at something else, but the words were still there. The ones he wrote months ago, on a fanciful flight of thinking that he'd advertise for a wife through Mrs. Gilbert's agency.
But he hadn't given it to Mrs. Gilbert. He'd put it in a drawer to save for next year . . . hadn't he?
“Where did you find this?” he asked Miss Wright, who was watching him expectantly.
“There was a lovely little sectionplaced in our local newspaper, full of men such as yourself seeking brides,” she said cheerfully. "But you ought to know that, since you wrote it.”
“I . . .” For the first time in his life, Liam truly was at a loss for words. He'd certainly written it. He couldn't deny that. And then he'd placed it into an envelope, written Mrs. Gilbert's name on the outside, and . . .
Liam ran a hand over his forehead as he handed the paper back to Miss Wright. If he hadn't put it away, he would've left the envelope on his desk. Which was where he left the mail that he occasionally asked Danny to post in order to give the boy something to do that made him feel useful.
The young man was standing off to the side now, pretending as if he weren't hanging on every word.
“Danny,” Liam said slowly, almost not sure that he wanted to know the truth. “Did you by chance deliver a note from me to Mrs. Gilbert a few months ago?”
“I did, sir. I remember it because you don't normally send correspondence to ladies.” Danny grinned, clearly proud of himself for remembering, while Liam fought the urge to cringe at his words. The implications of what had happened were as clear as glass in a mirror.
Miss Wright smiled at him expectantly while Jake Gilbert watched the entire situation unfold from behind the counter.
“And you’re here because you wish to answer this advertisement?” Of course she was, but saying it out loud was something else entirely.
“Yes.” Her pretty grin flickered as her eyes darted toward Danny and then back to Liam. It was the first hint Liam had seenthat she was anything other than completely confident in her venture.
He couldn’t decide if that made him more or less nervous about the entire thing. And nervous wasn’t an emotion he was used to feeling at all. The room had gone still, and Liam could feel both Gilbert and his customer’s eyes on them, not to mention Danny’s eager anticipation.
He swallowed and straightened his shoulders. “You’re here because you wish to marryme.” He hated the way he sounded so uncertain, but it was precisely how he felt.
Miss Wright’s smile grew broader, as if she somehow thrived on finding her way through awkward moments. “I am, if you’ll have me.”
