EIGHT
Blaze paced her bedroom, frustrated with the way the morning had turned out. Why did Colt have to ruin everything? The way he acted was like a jealous beau, but that was far from the truth. Why would he be jealous if he didn’t want her as a wife?
If he had to stay in Last Chance for a year, she couldn’t be around him. He would be watching Kent like a hawk, waiting for the moment to swoop in and find her new husband doing something that Colt wouldn’t approve of.
Growling, she threaded her fingers through her hair. This was maddening! Perhaps it was time she move across town once she married Kent, only because she knew that seeing Colt all the time would make her upset. Maybe Kent would want to find somewhere else to work since he and Colt would be at the same place.
Her heart twisted from indecision, but she couldn’t live her life this way. How was she expected to eventually fall in love with Kent if Colt was always in the way?
The knock on her bedroom door stopped Blaze’s pacing. She moved to the door and opened it. Emma stood in the hallway, wringing her hands against her middle. Worry grew inside of Blaze, wondering why her cousin looked this way.
“Can I talk to you in private?” Emma asked.
Nodding, Blaze opened the door wider to allow her cousin inside before closing it to keep their conversation private. All of Blaze’s life, she had wished she was as pretty as her cousins. Emma’s hair was a strawberry-blonde, and Dakota’s hair was a pretty brownish- blonde. Both girls had angelic faces, and both were sweet and very well-mannered. Blaze definitely hadn’t been brought up like that.
“I hope you don’t mind me interrupting your alone time. Ma told Dakota and me to let you be by yourself for a while.” She shrugged. “But I needed someone to talk to who can understand.”
Blaze arched an eyebrow. “You think I will understand you?”
“Of course. After all, you had placed an ad for a mail-order groom.”
Surprised, Blaze blinked with wide eyes. “You are going to look for a husband, as well?”
Emma shrugged her slender shoulders. “There aren’t enough single men in town, and women my age need to do what everyone else has done – put an ad in the newspaper.”
Blaze moved to her bed and sat on the edge, patting the space next to her. “All right, let’s talk.”
Emma sat on the bed, twining her fingers in her lap. “Thank you for helping me. I fear I cannot wrap my mind around the possibility of marrying a stranger. It scares me something fierce.”
Blaze nodded. “It’s a harrowing thought, that’s for certain. How can you fall in love with someone when you can’t bring yourself to trust them?” After the words left her mouth, she realized it was easy to fall in love with Colt, even if she didn’t trust him to stick around just to get married.
“I’ve been thinking,” Emma said, “that maybe I should just move away from Last Chance and find employment in a bigger town that has more men to marry.”
“I had thought of doing that myself. However, men don’t usually find a womanwife-worthy when she wears trousers and works on wagons.” She placed her hand on her cousin’s cold hands. “But you’re nothing like me. If you went to live in another town, you’d have dozens of men lined up to court you.”
Emma’s cheeks turned pink. “You’re just saying that because you’re my cousin.”
Blaze chuckled. “No, I’m saying that because it’s the truth.”
“So, do you think I should move to a bigger town?”
Blaze sighed. “That’s up to you, but if roles were reversed, I would certainly spend some time away from Last Chance just to meet some available men.”
Emma’s shoulders dropped, and her expression changed to one of worry. “I thought you might say that. I... I just don’t know what I’d do by myself in a big city.”
“Find employment of some kind. You like to paint, so maybe look for something that involves painting.”
“Actually, I don’t like to paint.” Emma shrugged. “But out of everything there is to do in George’s shop, painting is the only thing that’s not strenuous.”
Blaze snorted a laugh. “Oh, you’re too much, dear cousin. However, I’m sure you’ll find something that will entertain you as well as earn your keep. Between you and your sister, I believe you are the one who will be able to pull it off.”
A smile stretched Emma’s mouth, and she leaned over and hugged Blaze. “Thank you. I needed to hear that from you.”
Blaze pulled back. “And if you need any help, let me know.”
“After you’re married, where will you live?”
Blaze sighed. “Mr. Dalton and I will have to build a house, I’m sure.”
