THREE
COURTNEY MILLS STEPPEDout of the hotel, wearing a dark gray gown, hoping to give the appearance of a widow. Her bonnet had light black netting that fell over her face, and she had pulled her hair back into a chignon. Since she had to wait around town for a few hours – hopefully, not longer than twenty-four – she must appear that she was in mourning. That was the only way to keep busy-body women of the town from trying to talk to her. Smaller towns seemed to be friendly, and although this wasn’t the smallest town she’d been in, neither was it the largest.
The sun shone brightly this lovely morning, giving her a ray of hope that things would go as planned. Last night, after shedding tears of relief for being able to get away from an unwanted marriage – and away from people who would probably blame her for their father’s death – Courtney realized that her new life had just been shown to her. The preacher advertising for mail-order brides must have been a sign from God. If that were the case, then she must believe that everything would work out for her.
The first thing she did was stroll down the boardwalk, looking at everything the town had to offer. It was relaxing just to enjoy herself, especially since her time would be limited for these pleasures since marriage would put a stop to them. From what she could see, there were two barbers, three saloons, and one very large livery, along with the normal shops that she was used to seeing. Her favorite places had been the mercantile and millinery, but she enjoyed a spending spree at the jewelers on occasion.
Many people moseyed along the boardwalks, and as time passed, the streets became busier. Courtney tried not to make eye contact with anyone, but occasionally, her attention met with someone she passed. The men usually tipped their hat and smiled. Most women gave her a nod, but they didn’t smile very much. They seemed too busy to get from one store to the next.
Courtney’s life had been easy. Her parents always had servants to do the cooking, washing, and cleaning. Courtney even had a maid to help her dress and fix her hair. Not that she needed one, but Courtney at least had a friend. Her parents wouldn’t allow her to associate with anyone else but people of herclass, which was why she had been sent to one of the best boarding schools for girls in California, but once she returned to live at home, she had no other friends other than the servants.
She wandered into a clothing store and moved to the rack of the lovely blouses. She didn’t need any more clothes, but she must keep her mind busy before she went mad from waiting to hear from Mr. Graham. The telegraph clerk told her to check back later today, even though the man acted as though she probably wouldn’t hear from Mr. Graham until tomorrow.
A sky blue blouse caught her interest, and she lifted it off the rack. Since blue was her favorite color, it was difficult to pass by anything lovely that held this color without admiring it. As she studied the silk blouse, she imagined what skirt would complement this garment the most.
“Are you about ready to come out of mourning?”
The woman’s voice startled Courtney, and she jumped and quickly spun around. A woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties gave Courtney a polite smile. She tried to ease the fast beating of her heart by breathing slower.
“Um, yes. I am.”
The woman with wild red hair nodded. “I was in mourning once, and I recall counting down the days. Honestly,” she folded her arms and stepped closer, “I don’t know why they make us wait so long.”
Courtney sighed. “That’s exactly what I’ve been wondering, too.”
The woman gingerly touched Courtney’s arm. “Was it your husband?”
Trying to keep her best melancholy expression, she nodded and took a shaky breath. “It’s been very difficult to bear.”
“Indeed, it is.” She motioned toward the rack of clothes. “And you’ve picked the best way to deal with it.”
“Thank you.” Courtney turned back toward the clothes, hoping the woman would see that she didn’t want to talk about it. But as she turned, she bumped into another person. The sudden contact made her drop the blouse.
“Pardon me, ma’am.” The man bent and lifted the garment off the ground.
As he straightened and she looked into his face, she nearly lost her breath. Heavens, he was sinfully handsome with those incredible green eyes. And when he smiled, a dimple flashed in his cheek. Indeed, he would be a hard man to resist. Thankfully, she wouldn’t see him after today.
He brushed his hand across the garment as if making sure it was wiped clean from the fall, and then he handed it to her. “Forgive me for knocking this out of your hands.”
“No, it was my fault entirely.” She tried not to stare into his eyes for very long for fear of becoming entrapped in their depths.
He gave her a full smile before tipping his hat and stepped past her. Courtney breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn’t like the other woman who wanted to chat. Men usually weren’t like that anyway, so she had nothing to worry about.
As she mulled around the shop a while longer, she kept from making eye contact. Already, she’d talked to too many people in this town. She still feared that Albert Greenwood’s children might send the law after her, thinking she’d killed their father. They all hated her, and she would never make them see that she was just a victim, too.
Her mind argued with itself, telling her that the sheriff would come looking for her soon. Yet, she thought she’d covered her tracks so that they wouldn’t be able to follow her. Hopefully, by the time the sheriff was led to this town, she’d be long gone and married to Mr. Graham.
