Sweet Proposal by Eliza Ester

Author:Eliza Ester [Ester, Eliza]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Majestic Owl Publishing LLC

Six

Caroline

The trip into town the next morning was refreshing. Caroline had spent the last couple of days working hard at the ranch, proving that the Davison brothers hadn’t made a mistake to let her stay. She’d sorted out the ranch house as best she could, cleaning what two men hadn’t been able to take care of.

The morning was crisp, the night air still present. The sun hadn’t been out long enough to drive away the cold. Birds chirped in the trees. As they descended to the town of Carson Valley, the air was colder still.

“I can’t get used to the beauty out here,” Caroline said to Cole. He’d been silent save for a click of the tongue or a whistle to speak to the horses pulling the wagon.

“You never get used to it,” he said. “I’ve been here going on three years now and it’s still as beautiful as ever. Spring is my favorite, when the flower buds burst through the snow.”

Caroline nodded. She could imagine it. Richmond had been full of dust and black carriages, wooden houses, and smoke. The women’s multi-colored dresses had provided the only color.

Cole stopped wagon in town and helped Caroline off.

“You’ll find Reverend Shreve in the meeting house,” Cole said, pointing at a white building with a notice board set up in front. “I’m going to run some errands. You come and find me when you’re done and we’ll head back together.”

Caroline nodded and Cole walked off. She turned and took a deep breath before walking into the meeting house. She was nervous. It had been a difficult thing to up and leave everything she knew behind. She had been prepared to come out to the West and marry a man she had never seen before, only heard of in letters.

Now she was here and attempting the same thing over again, and she was just as nervous as she’d been before, even if she didn’t have to make a journey all over again. She would marry a stranger all the same, and the stay here, although pleasant, hadn’t been without unpleasantries.

Reverend Shreve was kind about the situation when Caroline explained it to him.

“Let’s sit down and have a chat in my office, you and me,” he said. “I should have known something was up when Cole came to see me. I was just so happy he was thinking about settling down. He’s never thought about marrying before, you see.”

Caroline nodded. She didn’t want to know about how unlikely it was that she would be wanted but she didn’t want to be rude.

“Now, I have a whole list of men who are interested in a wife,” he continued. “I’m sure we can find you the right match with little effort at all. We just need to go through it.”

“Will it be possible to meet the men?” Caroline asked. “I would prefer hearing it from his own mouth if a man wants me. I don’t think I can handle this kind of rejection twice.”

Reverend Shreve smiled and nodded.

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