He wasn’t there.
Hannah felt unexpectedly disappointed. She was certain she’d heard the sheriff say that man was one of this group. Perhaps he’d been mistaken. Except . . .
She counted the men before them again. Five. Five men for six women. Her heart leaped into her throat. There was hope then that the missing one was the deputy who wasn’t present. She clenched and unclenched her hands and reminded herself not to get her hopes up. It was no use fixating on him, especially when someone else could have chosen her letter.
The girls all looked to her as the men stood across from them. Hannah hitched her shoulders back, tried to forget a certain pair of dark brown eyes, and stepped forward.
“Mayor Cabot, thank you again for our accommodations. We’re all happy to be here.” She smiled to hide the anxiety racing up her spine. “I’m Miss Hannah White.” She turned back toward Natalie and began introducing the girls. The men reciprocated, and Hannah tried to remember who was who. The fellow with the black bag was indeed a physician, while a couple of the other men served as occasional deputies to Sheriff Rodgers.
That only made Hannah’s mind wander back to the missing man. Would he come to supper? She hoped his absence hadn't meant he'd changed his mind about marrying one of them.
“I thought it might be nice to sit in pairs,” the mayor said, conveniently avoiding any reference to marriage. “If you’ll follow me to the dining room?”
It sounded quite awkward, Hannah thought, meeting one’s intended across the table at supper. But she figured no matter how or where the introductions happened, it would be uncomfortable.
The boardinghouse’s dining room was simple but clean and well-arranged. Hannah wondered what had happened to the other residents, considering no one else was in the room.
“Everyone else staying here has already eaten,” Mayor Cabot said, answering Hannah’s silent question. “So we won’t be disturbed, and there’s no reason to hurry along with our meal.” He smiled as if it were a given they’d all get along excellently and would want to linger in the room for hours.
Hannah hoped his wish would come true.
He gestured at the largest man of the group, the older of the two deputies. Mr. Jackson, if Hannah remembered correctly. He was the man with a bit of a beard who looked uncomfortable in his suit. He caught Hannah’s eye, and she gave him a smile in return. He smiled back, and her heart stuttered. Was he the one who’d chosen her letter? He seemed kind enough, but the thought left her feeling disappointed.
“Miss Marshall?” he said, hopefulness shining in his eyes as he turned his attention to Ada.
Next to Hannah, Ada brightened and smiled before joining Mr. Jackson at the table. One by one, each of the girls took a seat. Vivi’s eyes narrowed when the doctor called Natalie’s name. Natalie didn’tappear to notice as she locked eyes with the friendly physician. The mayor went last, and Beth happily joined him.
There were no men left, only Hannah standing awkwardly alone at the end of the table. Natalie cast a concerned gaze in her direction.
Mayor Cabot paused before taking his seat across from Beth. He gestured at the empty chair next to her. “Please sit, Miss White. Deputy Garland will be here shortly. I apologize for his delay.”
Hannah swallowed, torn between the pure excitement that shot through her at hearing Deputy Garland’s name and hesitation at wondering why he wasn’t there.
She nodded at the mayor as she composed her face into something that didn’t betray her wildly swinging emotions. She took the seat next to Beth at the end of the table.
Mayor Cabot excused himself to go to the kitchen. Beth immediately turned to Hannah. “What do you think?” she whispered.
It was easy to tell Beth’s thoughts—her joy made her face slightly pink, and she couldn’t stop smiling. Hannah focused on her friend’s happiness instead of her own nerves. “I think it’s going well, don’t you?”
“Better than I could have imagined. I cannot believe I’ll be the wife of the townmayor,” Beth said. “Who would have ever thought such a thing when we were living at the orphanage and hoping for a glance from a factory man?” She tucked an escaping lock of chestnut hair behind her ear and gave Hannah a shy grin. “You and I got the best-looking ones, don’t you agree?”
Hannah nodded, the words drying up in her throat. She shot a glance toward the parlor. There was no sign of her future husband.
Mayor Cabot returned at that moment and announced that supper would be brought out shortly. He took his seat, and Beth immediately returned her attention to him.
Hannah busied herself with examining the plate and silverware before her. It was nicely made, better than what they’d had at the orphanage. But a plate and a fork could only hold her attention for so long.
She found herself eying the door that led to the parlor once again. What could be keeping Deputy Garland? Surely he knew they’d be sitting down to eat and she would be alone.
Her fingers worried the napkin she’d placed on her lap.
Two women—one broad and round-faced, the other looking barely fifteen—began to bring out bowls of soup. The younger one hesitated at placing a bowl at the empty seat across from Hannah.
“You can leave it,” the mayor said. “Deputy Garland will be here momentarily.” He gave Hannah a kind smile.
She tried mightily to return it, but her relentless optimism was beginning to fade a bit.
Why wasn’t he here? It couldn’t be his work. After all, the other two men who worked as deputies had managed to arrive in time.
