The snow fell all the next day. It piled up deeper and deeper, especially at the sides of the little cabin, like dollops of cream that had been scooped there by a huge spoon. Linette made numerous trips to the window to measure the snow with her eyes and to mentally exclaim over its beauty. The way it mounded and drifted in the wind, creating sharp edges and subtle shadows. At first, she had voiced her pleasure. “It’s unbelievably beautiful.”
Eddie shot her a disgusted look. “It’s too early. I can’t imagine how many animals we’ll lose.”
After that she kept her happy comments to herself and learned to take turns at the window with Eddie, who grew more and more glum, sighing heavily as he turned from the view. Then, as if searching for something he couldn’t find, he poked through the bookshelf, picked up objects and put them back. After a few moments, he returned to the window. He was understandably concerned about the herd.
Linette watched with a degree of caution. Would his worries make him harsh? Lord, keep his cows safe. Help him trust You.
She wanted to tell him of her prayer but feared he would not find it comforting. But to his credit, his actions did not escalate and something inside her relaxed. He was a man not only noble, but self-controlled. The winter might be pleasant enough after all. And provide ample opportunity for her to prove her worth to him.
He jerked toward the door and donned his coat. “I have to see to things outside.” He ducked out into the storm.
She rushed to the window, but already the snow blocked his view. “I hope he’ll be safe,” she murmured. She shivered. A person could get lost in the snowstorm. She’d read about such disasters. What if he met with misfortune?
“I guess he knows what he’s doing,” Cassie said and resumed her knitting.
“I suppose you’re right.” But she couldn’t see any other building from the window. How could he know where he was going? She had to find something to do to keep her worries at bay. The floor in front of the door was soiled. She prepared hot water and got down on her hands and knees to scrub it. Wouldn’t he be impressed with her attention to the needs of the house—small though it was?
She finished and sat back on her heels to admire the job. The floor shone with cleanliness. A fine job indeed.
The door banged open and Eddie entered. As he stepped, his right foot skidded toward her. He windmilled his arms. His left foot went sideways. He flayed madly, but his feet continued their mad journey and he landed on his bottom with a thud that shuddered up Linette’s neck.
Her breath whooshed out. She’d done this. Unintentionally but by her hand nevertheless. “I’m sorry.”
He rested inches from the basin of water and looked up at her with a mixture of surprise and shock.
For a moment, time stopped as they considered each other. Again she felt an unfamiliar twinge in the region of her heart. Then his eyes burned like a smoldering fire. “Have you decided that if I won’t marry you you’ll kill me?”
She swallowed hard then tipped her chin. “No, sir.”
“Why else would you ice the floor before the door?”
How was she to know the water would freeze rather than dry? Though if she wasn’t so keen on proving how much he needed her she would no doubt have realized it. So far all her good intentions had served to give him more reason to reject her. “I don’t want you dead, because unless I marry you my father will force me to return.”
He sat up slowly. “Were you this vexatious to your father?”
“I fear so.”
He rolled his eyes. “In that case he should pay me to take you off his hands.”
“Indeed, if you recall I did offer you my dowry.” She rose.
“I doubt your dowry could be enough. No matter how generous it might be.” He gingerly got to his feet and rubbed his right hip.
She wanted to offer a hand but hesitated for fear he would jerk back and perhaps fall again. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll live.”
If she wasn’t mistaken he sucked back a groan.
How could everything she tried turn into a disaster? She pulled in air, along with a hefty dose of courage and determination. She would learn. She would get better. He would soon view her as an asset to his life. Unbidden, a deep-throated longing rose within her. She wanted to belong here.
But only as a partner, she reminded herself.
For the rest of the afternoon, she avoided meeting his gaze because every time she did, some stubborn, wayward thought reared its head pointing out that perhaps she had developed a foolish, romantic view of him while reading his letters. Over and over, she reiterated that she only wanted a way out of her constraining life in England and the marriage her father had arranged. Nothing more than a marriage of convenience.
The following morning she stepped from the bedroom and blinked at the sun streaming through the window. “It’s stopped snowing.”
Eddie cradled a cup of coffee as he stared out the window. “I need to get going. Can we have breakfast as soon as possible?”
“Certainly.” She’d pried a few more details from Cassie about cooking and served up a decent-enough breakfast—no fire outside the stove, no raw meat and no hard beans. But did he notice or comment? No, indeed. His neglect enabled her to focus on her goal—a businesslike marriage.
He barely finished before he donned his coat. “I have to check on things.” And he was gone.
She released air from her tense lungs and contemplated Cassie and Grady. who both relaxed visibly. “We’ll get used to each other.”
Cassie grunted. “I can’t wait to get out of here.” She stared out the window. “Maybe one of those miracle-working Chinooks will melt the snow. and the stagecoach will head back to Fort Benton. If it does I intend to be on it.”
“Well, I don’t.” Linette fixed the woman with a challenging look. “Where do you plan to go?”
Cassie shrugged. “I expect I can be a housekeeper for someone at the fort.”
“How would that be better than here?”
Cassie’s defiance deflated. “Like I say, a woman has few opportunities in life.”
Linette examined the contents of the pantry shelf wondering what to make for the noon meal. “Cassie, we make our own opportunities.”
“Like your father is allowing you to do? At least George made an effort to take my feelings into consideration. Trouble was, he never thought my opinions held any weight.”
Linette didn’t reply, though she more than half agreed that men too seldom thought women had an opinion of any worth. She pulled down a sack and opened it to investigate the contents. Oats. Tilly had taught her how to cook porridge. A breakfast she could handle successfully. She brought her attention back to Cassie. “There’s always something we can do to improve our circumstances.”
Cassie laughed. “Like ice the floor so a man tumbles at your feet?”
Linette met her gaze, saw the first flash of true amusement the woman had ever revealed. “I wish it were that easy. He did fall though, didn’t he?” She chuckled.
Cassie giggled. “Like a tree cut down by an ax.”
They laughed until they both wiped their eyes.
She hadn’t meant to create a booby trap for him. He might have been hurt. Linette tried to sober, but every time she did she’d look at Cassie and start to laugh again.
The door rattled open and her amusement fled as Eddie stepped inside. He gave them a curious look, having no doubt heard them laughing.
Cassie gave her knitting her full attention.
Grady, who had been watching them with amazement, ducked behind the table.
Eddie shook his head as if to say he wasn’t interested and crossed to scoop up the roll of furs he slept on each night. “I’m going to find the cows.”
“You’re going overnight? Where will you sleep?”
“I’ve spent many a night on the ground.”
“But the snow? The cold?” Her heart beat a rapid drumbeat against her ribs. She’d barely stepped from the cabin and apart from the first day when she’d met two of the cowboys, she knew no one else. She and her companions would be alone. Isolated. That was her only reason for the worry that clawed at her throat. Not, she firmly informed her wayward brain, not that she already missed Eddie and he hadn’t even left.
“I thought you’d read about the cowboys. Didn’t any of your books mention sleeping out in the cold?”
She’d read about how men pushed away the snow to dry ground or dug shelters in a drift, but they were nameless heroes. “What if something happens to you?” She barely managed to keep her voice calm.
He faced her. Met her gaze. She didn’t care if he saw her concern. It was honest, sincere. With supreme effort she banked her worry.
“I have to check on the animals.”
She nodded. “I know. I promised to pray for their safety and I have.”
The air settled heavily between them, full of her unfulfilled dreams, her aching longings, her nervous worry. In God I trust. No need for her to be anxious. She jerked her gaze away to look at the bright window. “I pray God will keep you safe as well.”
“He has in the past. But don’t worry yourself. If something happens to me the men and Cookie will see you are taken care of. They’ll make sure you get back to your father.”
Her eyes burned. She was concerned about his safety, but he wouldn’t let an opportunity pass to remind her of his intention to send her back. She gave him a look laden with every ounce of anger and denial flooding through her. “I’m quite capable of managing on my own.” Never mind her temporary flight down a fear-filled path. Put it down to the unfamiliar circumstances. And thinking of Eddie being out in the wintry weather. After all, he was her means of escape from her father.
“I’m sure you are, Miss Edwards.” He filled her name with resignation then ducked out of the house before she could respond.
She jerked about. “Oh, that man.”
A few minutes later she heard the thud of horses’ hooves riding away.
Cassie reported from her station at the window. “Eddie and three others.”
Linette reached the window in time to see the snow kicked up by the departing riders. She tried to remember exactly how many men were on the place. Had he left at least one behind? Surely someone had to take care of the stock on the ranch. Would that person also check on the occupants of the cabin or were they completely on their own? The cookhouse stood across the roadway. She assured herself Cookie was there. Wasn’t she? Perhaps she had left to visit someone while the men were away. Would it have hurt Eddie to give her a little reassurance?
Unable to soothe her pounding heart, she spun on her heels. Her father would be expecting a letter soon, and if he didn’t receive it. . .
She shuddered. She would not let him drag her home. Any more than she would let Eddie send her back.
She yanked paper, pen and ink from the shelf. But what could she say? If her father thought Eddie didn’t intend to marry her he would send someone after her, not giving any leeway for the weather. If he ordered it, he expected a man could overcome simple obstacles like snow and cold. Yet she wouldn’t—couldn’t—lie, and say they’d proceeded with wedding plans. In the end, she reported she’d arrived safely and didn’t offer to send proof of a wedding because she couldn’t.
Two days passed. She’d not seen another soul apart from the occupants of the house. With each hour Linette’s insides twisted tighter. Had Eddie abandoned them to starve and freeze? She eyed the shelf. How long would those supplies last? He’d directed her to the wood in the attached shed, but they used an alarming amount in a short time.
“Still think he’s going to marry you?” Cassie asked. “If you ask me, he’s left us to manage on our own for the winter. I guess we’ll see if you’re as good at pioneering as you think.”
Cassie’s words served to jolt Linette from her worry. “Cookie is across the way.” Although she’d seen no evidence of it. To divert herself, she pulled out one of Grady’s shirts and mended a torn seam. With each jab of the needle, annoyance at Eddie mounted. If her father heard how he’d treated her—
Heaven help them all if he did. She’d pay as dearly as Eddie. The thought only served to anger her more. She’d come in good faith. Eddie could at least allow her that.
Cassie stared out the window, as she often did. She never commented on the beauty, never saw any blessing in their situation. Linette knew she saw few blessings in her life.
Right now Linette didn’t see a whole lot more. She’d forgotten to trust God. She calmed her breathing, slowed the speed of her needle.
“Someone rode into the yard.” Cassie said it with resignation rather than the curiosity and anticipation Linette felt as she sprang to the window.
A man—a cowboy—with a snow-crusted buffalo-hide coat slouched low in the saddle. Eddie followed, sitting tall on his horse, his buffalo coat equally coated with snow. The others did not appear. Perhaps they’d stayed with the cattle.
He was back. Relief melted her muscles and she clutched the logs of the wall to hold her up.
He certainly looked regal. Born to rule.
He rode closer to the cabin. Despite his upright posture, his face seemed drawn. No doubt he was worn out by riding in the cold. She’d make certain he had a hot drink when he returned to the cabin. He rode by without glancing in her direction.
Hmmph. Her relief twisted into frustration. Was he too high and mighty to take note of the newcomers in his cabin? To give a thought to their comfort and security?
The pair rode to the barn.
She watched until they were out of sight. Only then did she realize she held her breath, and let it out with a gusty sound.
Cassie left Linette’s side. “I expect it’s bad news.”
Linette strained for another glimpse. “Why do you say that?”
“Hasn’t Eddie been expecting it? How many times has he told us how cows can die in deep snow? How they can’t find anything to eat? Stupid animals. Buffalo are built for this land, but what happened to them? People shot them for their hides.”
Linette kept her face toward the window. Buffalo coats certainly looked good hanging from the shoulders of a cowboy. “It’s natural Eddie should worry. His responsibility is a heavy load.”
If only he’d allow her to share the weight of his responsibility, lighten his load in any way she could.
Lord, show me how to help him.
“He’s coming.” She spun away and hurried to the table. She didn’t want him to think she’d been staring after him. She barely found her way to a chair and picked up a shirt to mend before he flung the door open and stepped inside.
“They’re safe.”
Linette nodded. Her anger fled and she grinned at him. “Glad to hear it.”
Their gazes connected and held. A strange feeling of accord trembled in her heart. Then Cassie made an impatient noise and diverted her gaze from Eddie’s dark eyes.
He hurried to explain. “The boys had the animals all gathered and when they sensed the snow coming, got them into the shelter of a wooded area. Ward says they even had some grazing.” He rubbed his hands together and looked thoroughly pleased.
“I prayed God would keep them safe and He did,” Linette gently pointed out.
“So you did. Do you want me to thank you?” His voice carried a hint of teasing.
“Would it hurt you?”
He tipped his head back and laughed.
His amusement danced across her nerves until she could hardly remember what they’d been discussing. She ducked her head and returned to the mending in order to get her thoughts sorted out. In her hurry, she jabbed her finger and found the pain erased everything else from her mind. She sucked her fingertip and tried to be annoyed that he’d caused her to be so careless. Except it rather pleased her to know he felt comfortable enough to tease her.
He stopped laughing, though he grinned so wickedly she had several errant thoughts of further enjoyment. She tried to remember that she didn’t want to feel anything toward him. But he had a smile that made her forget everything else.
“Thank you for praying,” he murmured, his voice thick with amusement. “Me and the boys...and the cows...appreciate your help.”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “So what happens now to these wonderful cows of yours?”
“The boys will hold them there until the snow melts then ease them down. A Chinook is already blowing in. Can you feel it?”
“The wind?” Linette turned toward the window and listened. The door rattled. A sound sighed around the cabin.
“Yup. You’ll soon be throwing open the door to let in some warmer air.”
The room did seem warmer. Or was it only her churning emotions? She drew in a deep breath and settled her tremulous feelings. “A Chinook. How exciting.” Already melted snow dripped from the eaves and she caught sight of a puddle on the road.
“It certainly makes a mournful noise.” Cassie hugged her arms around her and looked about as pleased as if stung by a hornet.
Linette laughed. “Seems you have to take the bad with the good. I try to overlook the bad so I can enjoy the good.”
The look Cassie shot at her held the power to curdle Linette’s breakfast if Linette had a mind to let it. She didn’t.
Eddie rubbed his hands together and considered the view from the window, looking as pleased as if he had personally invented sunshine. His pleasure drew her to his side.
“’Net?” Grady whispered. She turned from the window to answer Grady’s insistent tug at her arm. She bent to hear his question. “I go see horses now?”
She glanced toward Eddie and met his brown eyes.
He smiled. “This change in weather makes a person want to go out and play, doesn’t it, Grady?”
Grady pressed to Linette’s side but nodded agreement.
The change in the weather must be the cause of her emotions swinging so wildly from worry to fear to...pleasure? Of course she was happy Eddie had returned safely. He was her means of escaping Lyle Williamson.
“We’ll give it time to melt more of the snow and then I’ll take you. You just be patient.”
Grady nodded again and Linette’s heart crowded her ribs at the way Eddie smiled at the boy. Grady needed to know not all men would look at him and dismiss him as a nuisance the way his father had. Eddie’s gaze had softened as he smiled at the boy. For a moment his eyes held hers in a strong grip, as if silently promising her something she could not identify...
She managed to divert her attention to something beyond his shoulder. This was to be a marriage of convenience. Nothing more. But something inside her had shifted as she realized he was a man of his word. What he said, he would do. They could all take comfort in the fact.
Except his word to her had been that she was safe here for the winter and then he would send her back to her father.
And to Lyle Williamson with his pudgy hands and leering eyes.
She tucked in her chin and pulled herself tall and straight. Somehow between now and spring Eddie would change his mind.
From the corner of her eye she saw Eddie watching her.
She allowed herself a steady glance at him, saw what looked like concern in his eyes.
Then he blinked. “I’ll take you up to the big house before it gets muddy. Then you can tell Margaret about it.”
It wasn’t an invitation. It was an order. Just as the “tell Margaret about it” was an order. However, she didn’t care. She’d stared at the house for two days and her curiosity had built with each passing hour. She couldn’t wait to see it up close. If her prayers were answered, her plan fulfilled, the house would be her home.
“I’d like to see it.” She reached for her coat.
“I come?” Grady whispered.
Linette looked at Eddie for his approval.
He shook his head. “The hill will be slippery. Best you stay here with Mrs. Godfrey this time, Grady.” He held the door open for Linette.
She stepped out. The wind tore at her. She pulled her collar tight and laughed as the bottom of her coat whipped about her ankles.
“Hang on to your coat.” Eddie bent into the wind and headed across the yard.
She pushed after him, the wet snow heavy on her boots. Lifting her head, she sucked in air laden with promise. God had kept Eddie’s cows safe. He was faithful. She trusted Him to continue to provide the ways and means for her to avoid marriage to her father’s choice.
Eddie paused at the bottom of the hill. “I don’t have a proper trail up to the house yet. Think you can manage the slope?”
Snow covered whatever path had been there. In most places the snow was sticky as it melted. “I’ll be fine.” She put a foot forward, following in Eddie’s footprints, and discovered the ground was slippery where the snow had melted. She went down on one knee.
“Here.” He held out his hand.
She grabbed it and straightened, tipping her head back to meet his gaze. “Thank you.” Something flickered in his eyes as if seeing her for the first time. See me, she silently begged. Give me a chance.
His grasp was firm, his hand strong and reassuring. His gaze, however, warned he had only one plan in mind and that plan did not include Linette staying permanently. He turned and resumed his climb.
They reached the top and she looked back. “Oh, my. No wonder you picked this spot.” She looked down on the ranch buildings, on the snow-covered river wandering through the land and past red-painted buildings, past the ridge of dark green pine trees to a white-topped mountain, purple in the distance. Strong and powerful. “I could never get tired of this view.”
“I can see the whole ranch at a glance from here.” He paused. “Not all the land, of course. Our lease is thousands of acres. It takes several days to ride it. Some areas are practically inaccessible on horseback.” For a moment, they both took in the view.
Her breathing was ragged from the climb. His came loud and clear, matching her own. They breathed in and out in unison. She admired the landscape and knew he did as well, though he might be seeing his cows and his responsibilities while she saw the strength and beauty of God’s creation. Her hope and faith drew sustenance and renewal from the sight.
They exchanged a glance of understanding then he turned away. “I’ll show you the house.” His brisk tone reminded her of his expectations—see the house, report on its fineness to Margaret.
The feeling of sharing something special ended with his words.
“It isn’t finished yet.” He sounded almost apologetic.
She couldn’t imagine why. “It’s a big house. No doubt it’s required a great deal of work.”
“Two stories.” He pointed. “A balcony off the main bedroom.” A stone chimney dominated the roof. Bay windows were capped by the round balcony he referred to. “Servants’ quarters at the back.”
Did he intentionally emphasize the word servants as if to remind her he didn’t need or want a pioneer wife?
She would not acknowledge the possibility.
They climbed the steps to double doors and he threw them open to a large foyer. She could see through to another set of double doors at the far end with glass panes allowing light to flood through. Wide stairs rose to the second floor and curved toward a landing. Doors opened off the foyer to various rooms. Disappointment twisted through her.
“It’s like...” A manor house.
“The plans were drawn up in London, a replica of the manor house on the Gardiner estate.”
Linette shook her head. “This is the West. Full of possibility for change. Why would you want to replicate the old ways?”
His look was rife with disbelief. “The Gardiners are proud of their heritage.”
The Gardiners? “What about you?”
“I’m a Gardiner.” He seemed to think that said it all. He slid back the pocket doors to the right. “Our dining room. Those doors lead to the kitchen.” He pointed to a wooden door in the far corner.
“Very convenient.” Oak panels covered the walls. She could almost see a long table with heavy chairs surrounding it. But she didn’t like what she saw. The room was so official and stiff. “Is there some other place for family meals?”
He led her to another pair of pocket doors and silently slid them back to reveal a smaller room filled with sunlight. The bay windows she’d admired from the outside made the room almost circular. She could easily imagine matching wing chairs in green brocade before the windows, a basket of sewing nearby and a book opened for reading. At her feet, a circular rug in burgundy and green. She stepped toward the curve of the windows and looked out at the mountains. “This is a lovely room. I expect you can see the sunset from here.”
He stood at her side. “You can. It’s spectacular at times. I’ll bring you up some evening so you can see for yourself.”
She wanted to thank him for his offer, but after a glance at the hard lines in his face she guessed he wished he hadn’t spoken the words.
Again she had the peculiar feeling they breathed the same air, felt the same draw to something outside themselves, something big, inviting and exciting. Wishful thinking on her part. He would certainly deny the notion vehemently if she mentioned it.
The cattle in the wintering pens down below shuffled, sending up a cloud of steam.
“Come along. I’ll show you the rest of the house so you can give Margaret a complete description.”
She sighed. Of course, he was only thinking of the impossible hope of persuading Margaret to reconsider. Though a tiny doubt poked at her brain, perhaps once she learned of this manor house Margaret might indeed change her mind. Heaviness caught at Linette’s limbs, so it took a great deal of effort to follow him.
He showed her the rooms on the other side of the foyer—the big parlor, a den, and the library with empty shelves. “Do you have enough books to fill these?”
“They’re in crates waiting to be shipped come spring.”
Come spring. Seemed everything hinged on that season.
He led her across the hall to the kitchen, stark and empty. A door from the kitchen led to small bedrooms. “For the servants.” He turned from the area and led her up the wide, curving staircase with a flawless wooden banister that gleamed as if he’d spent hours polishing it.
Upstairs, to the left of the landing, he opened the door to a huge bedroom. A door with the upper half in glass gave her a view of the balcony. “Oh, what a lovely place to sit and read.” She could see herself ensconced in a wicker chair, the sun warm on her face as she read her Bible and prayed. “Or draw.”
“I saw the initials L.E. on those paintings in the cabin. Did you do them?”
She wished she hadn’t mentioned her little hobby. “It’s a pleasant way to spend a few hours.”
“They’re good.”
Her cheeks burning with pleasure, she spun about to face him. “You think so? Really?”
“They have...” He paused, his gaze steady and unblinking. “Heart.” His eyes slid away as if he was embarrassed by his comment.
She swallowed hard. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said about my painting. Father considers it an occupation suitable for a female. In other words, a waste of time.” But he encouraged it. Found it preferable to some of the other pursuits she chose, like speaking to the people she saw on the street, or handing out coins to beggars. Which was the only reason he’d allowed her to study with one of the finest art teachers in the city.
Eddie met her look again. “The world would be a poorer place without the art of great men and women.”
Surprise flared in her heart. She floundered in the depths of his gaze, got lost in his look, his words, his approval.
He jerked away, freeing her to find balance and sanity. “There’s more.” He crossed the room and opened the door. “The nursery.”
“Ah.” Thinking of babies while standing next to the man she had planned to marry filled her with hot embarrassment. But she could not stop from dreaming of little boys and girls playing noisily, happily, in this beautiful room.
She noticed three smaller rooms branching off the larger area.
“Bedrooms for children and a nurse,” Eddie murmured and moved away quickly, leading her across the hall and opening the doors to a water closet and four generous bedrooms.
The size of the place awed and inspired her. She could see so many possibilities. “This is wonderful. I can see using this wing to help others. The ill. The brokenhearted.”
He spun about and faced her. Any sense of connection, promise or hope fled in the anger wreathing his face. “This house is for the Gardiners. These rooms are for family.” He waved toward the main suite. “My wife and children.” He waved his other arm down the hallway. “These rooms are for my parents and grandfather, should they choose to visit. Or other family members and friends of the family. For company when I entertain.” He indicated she precede him down the stairs. “Once Margaret learns how fine the house is, she will change her mind about coming West.”
Linette’s heart lay wounded and heavy. She’d momentarily imagined the house as hers. Why had she so foolishly revealed her thoughts to him?
She glanced to her right as she reached the bottom of the stairs and fought the truth crashing in upon her. She could see he wasn’t thinking pioneer wife, but rather, lady of the manor. She sucked in cold air and stiffened her resolve. She could be that, too. She’d been raised to be such. Taught to show interest in only ladylike activities, pretending no interest in the real things of life. But the idea sent shivers up and down her arms. She wanted more. She wanted to participate in life, enjoy shouldering a challenge. She wanted to be part of building a new world where women could be more than objects in a fine home.
Most of all, however, she wanted to avoid marrying Lyle Williamson and being subjected to some of the obscene things he had whispered in her ear on their last encounter.
She had only one recourse. Pray.
How foolish of her to see Eddie as her future husband before she’d even met him and given him a chance to say yea or nay. Though, in fairness to herself, she’d thought his letter meant he said yes. She wouldn’t give up her dream. Not yet. With God all things were possible.
They stepped out into a warm and promising wind that caressed her face. She turned and smiled at Eddie. “I enjoyed seeing your house. It’s beautiful.”
The remnants of his anger fled, replaced by a look of pride. “Be sure you tell Margaret that.”
She exhaled loudly. “Of course.” She’d also be sure to mention the deep snow and moaning wind. Perhaps, too, the long distance to the nearest town, or what passed as a town out on the frontier. Oh, and not to forget the fact that there were only three females on the place and two of those would be leaving if Eddie insisted on sending her back to England.
Not that she had any intention of going. As she’d said the first day, there was many a slip between the cup and the lip.