Page 6 of A Steadfast Heart
Chapter2
What if he doesn’t want me?
Kaitlyn hurried along the walkway, the boards uneven beneath her feet. Habit had her glancing over her shoulder. After three days of broken sleep on a rocking train, her nerves jangled at every sound. Michael might be a thousand miles away, but who knew what threats lurked here?
Behind her, the train whistle screeched and the porter shouted, “All aboard!”
She could turn around. Buy a ticket for farther west. Find a school that needed a teacher.
She shook her head. And Michael would find her as soon as that school contacted her alma mater to check her references.
She forced her feet to continue moving forward. She had practically memorized the letter Drew had left at the train station. A man willing to go so far as to find a mail-order bride because he was concerned for his children was a man worth knowing.
And Michael couldn’t force her to marry Brian if she was already married to Drew.
Her heels clicked on the boardwalk. It didn’t matter if Drew didn’t want her. She ignored the ache of loneliness the thought brought. Better to be needed than wanted any day. But she couldn’t convince him he needed her until she got to his ranch. A town like this must have a livery. She just had to find it.
A door opened a couple of buildings down, and two people strode out onto the boardwalk. Here was someone who could help her. One of them was a bear of a man, unsmiling, his hands on his hips. He towered over the…woman? Kaitlyn’s jaw dropped. A woman in pants?
The woman stood tall, her shoulders straight. Then she turned, and Kaitlyn saw the metal star on her vest. A woman as sheriff? Or deputy? Were things that different in the West?
She hoped so. She really did.
Kaitlyn moved closer. “Ma’am? Deputy?”
The woman pivoted, her boots squeaking against the wooden boardwalk. “Marshal, actually.” Her coffee-colored gaze was coolly assessing.
Kaitlyn straightened her shoulders a fraction and pushed away the worry that told her not to talk about her destination in public. What did it matter if she left traces for Michael to follow? By the time he picked up her trail, she’d be safely married.
If Drew McGraw would agree.
Please let him agree.
“Could you give me directions to the livery?”
“It’s at the end of this street.” The marshal cocked her head questioningly. “Where are you headed?”
“To the McGraw ranch. Do you know them?”
The big man shouldered his way next to the marshal. “What business do you have with the likes of them?”
“The McGraws are good folks.” The marshal sliced a look at the man, as if daring him to say different.
“Of course, Marshal.” His gaze swept Kaitlyn from head to toe. “My spread is out that direction. It’d be the neighborly thing to do to offer a ride. Traveling alone in these parts can be dangerous.”
Kaitlyn eyed the man in front of her. Neat suit and tie. Dark hair and eyes. Mustache. Traveling alone was dangerous anywhere, but could she trust this man she’d barely met? She shook her head. No, the livery was her best plan. “Thank you, Mr…”
“Quade. Heath Quade. Glad to be of service.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I think I’d better stick to my original plan.”
Kaitlyn stepped past the two on her way to the livery. The spot between her shoulder blades itched, as if the man’s gaze bored into her back. She resisted the urge to glance over her shoulder. Instead, she slipped into a business two doors farther down and made her way to the window. The marshal and Mr. Quade had disappeared. She let out a pent-up breath. Her imagination was working overtime.
She left the store and continued toward the livery. A block farther down, a crowd spilled onto the boardwalk from the saloon. Loud laughter. Shoving. A man at the back of the crowd noticed her and nudged his neighbor, who also looked her way.
She crossed the street. Rowdy groups of men could be trouble. No point in getting any closer than she had to. She kept an eye on the two men. They crossed the road toward her. Heading to the business she’d just passed, no doubt. Most men weren’t like her brother.
Except their angle would take them right in front of her.
