Page 144 of Conveniently Wed
Leah loved the way Miriam’s eyes sparkled when she talked. She seemed to have a zest for life. Unlike her stoic, silent brother.
“Would it be all right if I sleep in the barn too? I’ll be leaving with him in the morning, of course.”
Leah watched Miriam for a response. The girl’s eyes flared and she rose to her full height, which was still a half-head shorter than Leah.
“Absolutely not.” Miriam dropped the tin dish and rag on the counter, and placed a fist on each hip.
“First of all, you willnotsleep in the barn. You’ll sleep in our spare bedroom like any other guest. And second, there’s no way I’m letting you leave after just one night. I haven’t had a woman’s company in years, and I plan to keep you as long as possible.” Her shoulders sagged a bit, and her smile returned. “You need to stay a few days, at least, until we figure things out.You came here at Abel’s request, and he’d turn over in his grave if he knew we threw ya out.”
Leah couldn’t help but love the fiery little magpie in front of her. She reached for Miriam’s nearest hand and gave it a squeeze. “You’re a kind soul, Miriam Bryant. Thank you.”
10
Adistant clatter pulled Leah from the comfortable dream that clutched her. She sat up, trying to place her surroundings. The room was small and the cotton sheets were worn soft, cozier than the silk bed clothes she was accustomed to.
At last it came to her. Montana Territory. The Bryant Ranch. She sank back with a groan. She had finally made it—and there was nothing here for her after all. She needed to move on with Ol’ Mose today.
After throwing back the covers, she rolled over to place her feet on the cool floor. The small movement made her muscles scream so much she had to bite her lower lip to keep from crying out. Before leaving Richmond, she’d never known she could hurt like this. And just from riding in a wagon…it was amazing.
Through sheer determination, she forced her muscles to go through the process of dressing in her navy suit again and pinning up her hair. It would be so wonderful to have a hot bath and fresh clothes, but that was not to be if she planned to leave with Ol’ Mose right after breakfast. All her other clothes were still packed in trunks, tied down in the freight wagon.
He was usually ready to pull out by the time the sun crested the tops of the trees. She could already see daylight through the pale blue curtains over the window, so Mose was surely chomping at the bit. Probably just waiting to eat breakfast with Miriam and Mr. Bryant.
She checked her reflection one more time in the small oval mirror over the washbasin, then picked up her hat and pulled open the door.
In the cabin’s main room, Miriam greeted her with a smile as she scraped white goo out of a frying pan. The kitchen held a medley of smells, but not anything Leah expected. No crackle of bacon or spicy aroma of cinnamon toast. Instead, it smelled of charcoal and grease and…maybe bread.
“G’mornin’.” Miriam looked as fresh as a flower. Her cream-colored hair was platted in a long braid and wrapped in a knot on the back of her head. Today, she wore a faded blue dress, but her apron was clean and white, if a bit frayed. Her green eyes shone, even in the dimness of the cabin.
“Good morning,” Leah murmured as she moved toward the kitchen. “I’m sorry I wasn’t up to help you with breakfast. Is there something I can do now?” She looked around for an extra apron.
“Not a thing.” Miriam wiped the goo from the frying pan into a tin jar. “I left you a plate of food and a mug on the table. The coffee on the stove is still hot.”
Leah’s mind jumped to alert. “You mean breakfast is over? Why didn’t you wake me? Is Ol’ Mose ready to go? I need to help him load up.”
Before her flurry of questions was half finished, she’d pinned her hat in place and moved toward the door. Ol’ Mose would be itching to leave if he had finished eating.
“Leah, wait.”
She ignored the call as she hurried out the door and across the yard to the barn.
“Leah!”
After jerking open the big barn door, she stopped for a moment in the shadowy building to get her bearings. A row of stalls stretched down the right side, and a wagon stood in front of hay piled on the left—an empty wagon. No sign of Ol’ Mose’s freighter or the two tired mules.
Leah spun around to face a breathless Miriam. “Where is he? Has he taken the wagon with your brother somewhere?”
Miriam shook her head, panting from her wild dash to catch Leah. “That’s…what I was…trying to tell you.” She swallowed, her labored breathing slowing a little. “Ol’ Mose left for Butte City this morning. Said he’d give us a chance to sort things out, and he’ll stop on his way back through to check on you.”
“Nooo…” Leah slumped against the side of the barn, thoroughly frustrated with the way things were going. He was supposed to take herwithhim. She needed to get to Butte and find work there.
Miriam tentatively stepped toward Leah, placing her hand on Leah’s arm. “We can’t just let you show up and leave again so soon. It wouldn’t be right. We want you to stay on for a few days at least, until we figure out what to do next.”
Still slumped against the barn, Leah raised her head. Miriam’s eyes were so earnest. Did her own show her desperation? “But you and Mr. Bryant don’t owe me anything. You didn’t ask me here, and it’s obvious your brother doesn’t want me to stay. I need to make my own way, and the best place to start, at this point, is in Butte.”
A mischievous look came over Miriam’s face. “If I could have asked you here, I woulda. I’ve wanted a friend for so long now, you’re like a gift from God, Leah Townsend.”
It was hard not to smile at that. “My trunks?”
