A Sheriff for Christmas by P. Creeden

Author:P. Creeden [Creeden, P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-14T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

The houses had steadily been coming closer together as the train approached the town of Sherman. Naomi’s heart squeezed in her chest. She pressed against the cold glass, trying to see ahead of the train. But as the train went around the bend, she barely got a peak at the station in the distance. Outside, the hazy blue sky and bright sunlight lulled everyone into the false sense it would be warm outside the train, but when Naomi breathed against the glass, it immediately fogged up. The conductor made an announcement, but Naomi couldn’t hear it well over the chatter that began in the train car. Many of the passengers seemed to be preparing to disembark from the train.

Would they have loved ones waiting for them at the station?

Would Naomi have anyone waiting for her? Mrs. Parson had sent a telegram to her sister the morning of the day Naomi disembarked for the trip, so she hoped that Sheriff Aaron King knew that she was coming. The man had offered her the one thing that she’d needed in order to come. Freedom. She wasn’t prepared to become a wife in every sense to just any man, but the sheriff had offered for her to define her position at will. Because he’d sent the money for the fare, it felt as though he were a serious man and generous. But would he also prove faithful to his word? Naomi hoped so.

The whistle on the train two long times, announcing its arrival to the station. Then the train began to slow. Inside the public train car, the volume grew as people chattered with even more excitement.

Would the sheriff wear his badge so that she could recognize him?

Once the train pulled to a stop, surprisingly only four people besides Naomi stood in the car. It seemed the rest were traveling on to the next town. She steeled herself, took hold of her carpet bag with both hands and straightened the skirts of her traveling dress once she stood. Then she stared toward the exit of the train.

When she reached the exit, her eyes went wide. There were over a hundred people in the station on the platform, and the moment she stepped into the doorway, they cheered. A group of children held a banner with the word “welcome” on it. And a woman who looked almost identical to Mrs. Parsons stepped forward, on she was a few years younger with fewer gray hairs. “You must be Naomi. It’s lovely to meet you. I’m Mrs. Eugenia Heartwood. My sister and I are the ones who helped prepare this arrangement.”

“Oh,” Naomi said with a small smile as she stepped off the train and onto the platform. Even though she’d been hoping that someone would meet her at the train, she’d been expecting to see the sheriff himself, not the crowd that stood before her. Heat rose to her cheeks as she was unsure how to respond to so many people appraising her. She only hoped that her traveling dress met with their approval.

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