Love's Story by Christner Dianne; Billerbeck Kristin;

Author:Christner, Dianne; Billerbeck, Kristin; [Christner, Dianne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 4683617
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2000-12-14T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 3

After nearly three hours, the dust from the stage was becoming unbearable. The ride had been fraught with rough spots along the steep grade, pauses for every slow-moving, redwood-hauling oxen wagon, and numerous mail stops.

Rachel, the coach’s only passenger, felt as though she hadn’t bathed in days and was not looking forward to meeting her new employer in her condition. I’m sure they’ve seen many a dusty passenger arrive on this stage, Rachel thought hopefully but without conviction. She lurched forward and the stage came to a final abrupt halt.

Her first view of Searsville brought only melancholy; the sight was nothing like she’d imagined. There were no beautiful redwoods shadowing the land, only a dry, dusty valley scattered with whitewashed buildings and a few oak trees. Rachel stepped down from the coach, her disappointment evident. The town certainly wasn’t much.

The stage had stopped in front of the primitive Searsville Exchange and Post Office. Not far to the right was Eikerenkotter’s Hotel, a simple two-story building. On the porch several men stood speaking with a questionable woman.

A young man dressed in a black suit approached Rachel, a welcoming grin on his face. “Miss Phillips?” he inquired.

“Yes. Mr. Lathrop, is it?” Rachel replied, surprised at the man’s youth. As the patron of Searsville’s school, she was expecting a much older man.

“It is. Robert Lathrop, the local blacksmith and benefactor of our new school. Welcome to our humble Searsville.” Mr. Lathrop’s arm made a sweeping motion to introduce the town. “Your trunk will be taken over to the hotel where you’ll stay until you find a boardinghouse that suits you.”

Rachel looked to the hotel and uneasiness gripped her. “Don’t worry, Miss Phillips. You’ll be well taken care of, August Eikerenkotter runs a respectable business.”

Rachel watched her dusty brown trunk being pulled roughly off the stage and shook her head in disbelief.

“What is it, Miss Phillips? You’ll be safe at the hotel,” The blacksmith reassured her.

“Oh, I’m sure I will, Mr. Lathrop. I was just thinking of all the colorful dresses my stepfather purchased for me before my trip. Obviously, he’s never been here or he would have only let me buy brown.” Rachel’s smile told Robert Lathrop that she knew how to make the best of a situation.

Mr. Lathrop’s voice turned falsely serious in mock lecture. “Brown’s a very popular color around here, and rightly so, I might add.” The lighthearted conversation warmed Rachel to her new home and she decided she would reserve final judgment until after she’d had a bath.

“By the way, the schoolhouse is straight up the main road a spell.” Mr. Lathrop pointed north, then continued. “My blacksmith shop is to the right there and my home is on the left. The schoolhouse is just beyond my ranch.” Rachel looked in the direction of the schoolhouse, but it was not in her line of sight.

Mr. Lathrop spoke again, his voice low. “Miss Phillips, I need to be frank with you. You were selected for this position because of your faith.

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