His name was Reese Barclay, currently residing near Denver, and he was making his way here to Turnabout as they spoke. In fact, according to his travel plans, the man should be here any day now. He had enclosed no likeness of himself in the several letters she had received, but he had described his looks as fair-to-middlin’, with hair halfway between brown and buff, and eyes that speckledy color of a trout you see jumping out of a river into the sun.
“A poet,” Gabe approved. The young fellow must have some experience with women, if he could put words together that might touch, then bind, a maiden’s susceptible heart.
“He has some scars—I’m not sure where, but he wanted to warn me so I wouldn’t be shocked by his appearance.”
“Any idea what he does for a livin’? How he’s gonna support you?”
“He—uh—he didn’t go into great detail. I gather he has some experience in—in a great many fields...”
The doctor’s thick brows twisted, as always when he was considering both sides of an issue being presented. “And your plan is to be married as soon as he gets here?”
“Oh, no!” Letitia’s spine straightened and her chin went up. “Not at all. We’ve both agreed to try each other on, first, before any decision is made.”
“Letty. What does that mean, to try each other on?”
Her hand, freed from his, described an aimless circle in the air. “Well...get to know one another. Courtship. Romantic walks in the moonlight. Dinners together. Talking. You know.”
No, Gabriel didn’t exactly know. His sigh expressed the regret he occasionally felt for having missed out on that part of life. There were certainly times when he would have appreciated being blessed with a loving companion by his side, for support and compassion and sharing. Now, with this discussion of a potential wedding in the future, was one of them.
She was following in her youngest sister’s footsteps, all right. Molly had demanded exactly the same considerations of Paul (who was besotted enough to agree to every one of them). Or perhaps it wasn’t just these two. Perhaps it was most females, everywhere. He wanted to think about that.
“So you’ll have a trial betrothal, if I’m hearin’ you right. And he’s agreed to this?”
She nodded.
“He has no problem uprooting himself from wherever—Denver, you said—he’s settled?”
“Apparently not, since he agreed to that, as well. In one of his letters, he called himself a rolling stone that gathers no moss.”
“A vagabond, then, not puttin’ down roots anywhere. Oh, Letty, Letty.” Shaking his head, he reached for the bottle of rotgut he kept hidden in a bottom desk drawer. “Have you learned nothin’ from Molly’s sad experience?”
Again that precocious triangular chin raised up. “Well, I hope I’m not such a fool as to simply accept whatever he tells me. Once he arrives here, and I’ve introduced him around, I intend to ask Paul to find out what he can about this man who plans to take part in my life. After all, the sheriff is almost a member of my family, isn’t he? He should be delighted to save me from the disgrace Molly fell into.”
Ahuh. Definitely a sisterly rivalry. He wondered if the two had shared a single room at Mrs. McKnight’s boarding house, and how they had gotten along. Any knock-down, drag-out cat fights?
“And meanwhile?”
“Meanwhile, what? You mean here?” The remarkable moonstone blue eyes flashed with independence and humor. “Oh, I intend to keep working with you, if you’ll have me. Marriage won’t interfere with what I hope to accomplish. And I am a help to you, Gabe, am I n
ot?”
“You are, most assuredly, a great help to me, my dear,” he could promise her warmly and sincerely. “And you’ve not mentioned a word of this yet to Camellia?”
The long black lashes swept down. As forceful a protest as the doctor had just bellowed forth, she knew that her sister’s would, most likely, be more so. Doubled, in fact, by Ben.
“Well, honey, I’m honored by your confidence, I truly am. Your secret is safe with me until you decide to spill the beans. And I’ll back you up, any way I can.”
“Thank you, Gabe. I knew I could count on you.” Rising with her usual graceful elegance, Letitia gathered up her things. “I checked on Willie, just before you returned, and he’s still sleeping soundly. No sign of fever or distress.”
“Good girl. Then I reckon it’s time for you to skedaddle on home. C’mon, and I’ll walk you back.”
Letitia had bravely crossed one Rubicon. There was still another crossing to come.
Chapter Four
“YOU’VE GONE AND DONE what?” The words, so similar to Gabe’s, came out in a baffled roar exactly like his.
Letty sighed. She had stopped by her sister’s house just at dinnertime, with a fresh apple pie from the bakery for sweetening, and joined in the convivial conversation around the table. They touched on Ben’s plan to take himself and his wife over to Manifest next week, with the hope of finally getting his second store up and running. They discussed the welcome fact that Turnabout’s Lumber Mill, on the very outskirts of town, was hiring a couple more day laborers. They conferred about the increasing intensity of Paul and Molly’s romance, and what a delight it was to see both of them so happy, and wondered how soon anyone might expect a wedding date to be set.