Page 10 of A Letter to Adaya
A brief laugh broke through her melancholy. “Well, there went my plans for the trip.”
“It is good to see you smile, miss. How about a spot of tea? I can walk to the dining car and fetch a pot.”
Adaya slid onto the bench and adjusted her skirt. “You don’t work for me, Walter. In fact, you don’t work for the family anymore. So how about you don’t call me Miss Adaya and you just enjoy the trip?”
“I dunno if I can do that, miss. Too many years of watching you grow up.”
She gave him a small smile. “Well, then I’m asking you to try for me. There should be someone coming through shortly to see if we need anything. It will be nice to see someone wait on you for a change.”
Walter’s face broke into a wide smile as he took a seat on the adjacent bench and extended his lengthy legs across the space between the seats. His back leaned against the outer wall.
“You remember what we decided?”
“I’ve come at the request of Mrs. Pickett, and you are my father.”
“Right.”
“What if a lawman asks?”
“Just keep to the story, and you’ll be fine. I don’t know what your papa has gotten himself into, but he only wants the best for you.”
“How will Papa know where I’m going?”
Walter had looked up at the ceiling as if asking the Lord for support before answering. “Well, if he goes to Richmond and you aren’t there, then he will understand you’ve gone to Nebraska.”
“What would you have done if I hadn’t come home from Richmond?” The idea of her things being left for a banker to sort out horrified her.
“I would have packed everything up and sent it to you in Richmond, along with the letters.”
“And you would have gone to Nebraska by yourself?” He nodded, his face saying he wished to be anywhere else, instead of being the one to answer her questions. “To do what?”
Sighing, the old man adjusted his position. “I would have set up at the homestead and waited to hear from your father. Maybe taken on a job in town. None of that matters now. Instead, I’ll be escorting you and making sure you get settled.”
The train pulled out as a man entered the car. Walter ordered a pot of tea and a small tray of sandwiches, paying the man before returning to his position against the window.
“Do you think we’ll have the car to ourselves?” he asked, stretching out his legs once more.
“I don’t know. Sometimes we get lucky, and we might be alone. Other times, there might only be one more person. Why don’t you rest for a bit? I’ll let you know when the man arrives with the sandwiches. We’ll be in Flat River before you know it.”
“We aren’t going to Flat River.”
Adaya frowned in confusion. “What do you mean we aren’t going to Flat River?”
“I talked to the station master. Apparently, the train only goes as far as Grand Platte. We must take a stagecoach from there. But don’t you fret none. It’s only a six-hour ride by stage to get to Flat River. You’ll meet your beau soon enough.”
“Did you send the wire to Mrs. Pickett, letting her know we were arriving?”
“Just as you asked.”
“Thank you.”
He gave a slight nod of acknowledgement before lowering himself further onto the luxurious bench and shutting his eyes. She wasn’t sure if he was asleep, but she welcomed the moments of stillness and peace after having him as her shadow for the last four days.
Guilt rushed through her as she thought about not being home when the letter initially arrived. She wondered how Mrs. Emily Pickett could have known that she’d need a break more than a marriage proposal. There was something special in the invitation, an almost mystical bond they shared despite never meeting before.
It felt like this expedition would be the greatest adventure of her life, but she also knew that if it went wrong, she always had a safe place to return to—her grandmother’s house. But she was determined to refuse any proposals from the banty roosters waiting for her back in Richmond.
Snorting, she knew what she needed to do, as she had no intention of returning.Ever.
