Hannah smiled at her friend and let Mercy guide her to the other girls. Seeing their happiness made her feel lighter. One by one, the new couples left the room over the saloon. Rafe held the door open for Hannah, and she slipped through and down the stairs after the others. They left Vivi gazing around the saloon—her new husband’s business—with a disappointed look.
“I’m not far from here,” Rafe said as they stepped out into the sunshine. He paused. “Unless you’d prefer to return to the boardinghouse?”
She couldn’t tell how he wanted her to answer that question. All Hannah wanted was to race back to the secluded room she’d slept in the night prior, but she knew she couldn’t keep that up forever. Besides, if this little town were anything like the neighborhood around the orphanage, tongues would wag once they discovered she and her new husband were living apart.
“No,” she said. “I only need to collect my bag.”
Rafe nodded. They walked in silence to the boardinghouse, where Hannah retrieved her worn carpetbag from her upstairs room. There was no sign of Beth, and Hannah hoped she was settling into her new situation with Mayor Cabot.
Rafe’s home was only a few buildings down, tucked away around the corner from the main road. It was a decent-sized building, and Hannah wondered how much of the space was his. She waited while he unlocked the door, and then followed him inside.
The large room almost took her breath away. Off to the left, it held a bed and a chest of drawers. Before her, there was a somewhat dilapidated settee. And then to the right, she saw a table with chairs setout in front of what looked like a kitchen. A steep set of stairs climbed up near the rear wall. Hannah’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. She turned to Rafe.
“The kitchen is through there.” He pointed unnecessarily at the back corner. “I don’t use the upstairs room.”
“This is all yours?” Hannah couldn’t imagine what she would do in all of that space, not when she was used to sharing a home with a hundred other girls.
He shrugged. “I took it off the hands of a man desperate to leave town a little while back. He’d made the mistake of bringing a wife and child here. He was so eager to leave, he left the entire place furnished.”
He didn’t appear to notice how his words stung her. Hannah turned and set down her carpetbag so he wouldn’t see the tears in the corners of her eyes.This is better than New York, she repeated to herself.
If she kept saying that, maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much that he didn’t want her.
She turned around after a moment, and Rafe was still standing several feet away, hands on his hips as he surveyed the place. When he caught her looking at him, he dropped his arms and ran a hand over the side of his face, almost as if she made him nervous.
“I know it isn’t as large as what you might find in a city,” he began. “But it’s warm in winter, and the windows catch the breeze from the mountains this time of year.”
Hannah couldn’t believe he thought she might not approve of this house. “I’ve never lived in a home so grand.”
The smile he gave her was warm, and for a moment, she forgot that he preferred not to marry her at all. Then it was as if he caught himself. The smile fell, and he stepped toward the door.
“I’ll leave you to settle in, then.” He set a key on the little table by the door. “Be sure to lock up if you leave.” And then he was gone.
Hannah stood alone in the big room, a hundred questions coming to mind. She wished he’d stay a while longer, show her around, tell her about the schedule he was used to keeping, let her know where—and how—to purchase food and other items.
She set about exploring and putting away her things the best she could. The pantry in the kitchen was almost bare. Hannah had plenty of experience in making ingredients stretch and last. Cooking wasn’t her primary responsibility at the orphanage, but she’d helped Mrs. Strothman in the orphanage kitchen whenever they needed an extra hand. It was something she enjoyed.
The house was clean enough, save for the upstairs room which bore a fine layer of dust on the bed and other furniture. Hannah paused in the doorway. The sloping ceiling and the little rocking horse indicated this had originally been a child’s room. She wondered where the family was now. It tugged at her heart, knowing there had once been a child here, and it made her miss the little ones she’d helped care for back home. So many boys and girls had come and gone. The lucky ones found themselves adopted. The others fended for themselves once they were old enough. Very few, such as herself, remained to work at the orphanage.
Hannah shut the door and turned, determined to focus on the present rather than missing the past.
Downstairs, she returned to the kitchen and frowned at the empty pantry. There wasn’t a slice of meat or a hunk of cheese in sight. Only a half-filled tin of sugar and a sack with a few stray coffee beans stared back at her. What did Rafe do for meals?
This wouldn’t do, and yet she had no money of her own. He’d left her here with no instructions.
Hannah debated her options and came to a single conclusion.
She would find Rafe and ask him.
Chapter Seven
“Ididn’texpectyouback this afternoon.” Hawk stood in the doorway to the sheriff’s office, kicking dust from his boots as he eyed Rafe.
Rafe shifted in the chair behind the desk and looked down at the mail he was sorting through. It was dull work, but anything was better than letting his colleague suss out his thoughts by simply looking at him. Hawk had a knack for reading the things people wished to keep to themselves. It made him a great lawman, and an annoying friend.
“Too much work for you alone,” Rafe muttered as he pretended to read the address on an envelope.
“I can handle it for one day.” Hawk remained in the doorway, eyes on the main road through Perseverance. “Lina says she’ll go around and visit the new ladies.”
