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“Spring’s never going to find a husband because she doesn’t want one and Anna may not either if I let Spring have more of a say in her raising.”
“I agree. Let me go empty this basin.”
Ben’s exit left Colt alone with his thoughts. He loved his sister, but he worried about her defiant and rebellious nature rubbing off on his daughter. He had no quarrel with women moving into the once all-male bastions like medicine, teaching, and business, nor did he begrudge them a college education. However, like most men in the country, he continued to believe the goal of a well-raised young woman centered on a husband and raising a family. Adele had been a perfect example. Soft-spoken, well-mannered, deferential even upon the few occasions they’d disagreed. But his sister? Spring couldn’t spell the worddeferential, and based on what he’d seen and heard from Miss Regan Carmichael today, she probably couldn’t either. His ears still burned from her blunt assessment of who she perceived him to be. And it made him wonder if she’d answered his advertisement because none of the men she knew back home would take her as a wife. She’d sounded so sensible and right in the letters they’d exchanged. She’d impressed him as being educated and refined, but he never imagined that education included being a crack shot. And this neighbor she’d referenced? Who was he? He’d obviously influenced her raising. Was he family? Colt had so many questions. Due to the positive nature of their correspondence, he assumed an arranged marriage between them would be an easy undertaking. Now, things seemed as complicated as a knotted skein of yarn, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to do the unraveling for fear of what he might find.
“I think you should send her packing,” Ben said, reentering the parlor. “Her shooting might have been accidental but what other accidents will she bring? You have enough challenges being the only doctor around here without giving your name to an unsuitable woman. Find someone else.”
Colt slowly ran his hands down his bearded jaw and replied, “That might be easier said than done. I’ve been placing advertisements in the Colored newspapers for almost a year, and counting the response from Miss Winchester there were only three.” One came from a Pennsylvania widow five years older than him with four children, and the other from the Kansas parents of a girl of seventeen, who’d been honest enough to admit their daughter was carrying another man’s child. “I’ll speak with her tomorrow, then decide whether she stays and gets to meet Anna. I need to reconcile the woman in her letters with the one who shot me today.” If he could.
Colt saw the disapproval. His grandfather had little tolerance for opinions different from his own. Despite his advanced age, the old fur trapper remained as formidable and unrelenting as a Wyoming winter. Few crossed him. Colt did when necessary.
“Right or wrong, I’m prepared not to like her,” Ben stated.
“Noted.” Being a curmudgeon was another of his grandfather’s traits.
A glance at the clock on the mantel of the stone fireplace showed it was time to get Anna from school. If he wasn’t tied up with a patient he usually drove over to get her. His wounded shoulder would make handling the reins difficult. “Can you drive to the school? I’ll ride along.”
Ben nodded and they set out.
On the way, they came upon the sheriff. “Hey, Whit,” Colt said, “Miss Carmichael get settled in with Minnie?”
“No. Instead of offering her one of the upstairs rooms, Minnie tried to make her stay in that run-down addition built on the back.”
Colt’s lips tightened. He’d hoped her stay with Minnie would give them a chance to get acquainted and help deflate Minnie’s opinion that his remarrying disrespected Adele’s memory. He should have known better. Minnie Gore was as judgmental as she was sanctimonious. “So, where’d you take her?”
“To Spring.”
It was not what Colt wanted to hear.
Chapter Three
When Regan opened her eyes in the shadow-filled room, it took a few moments to remember where she was. Getting out of bed, she padded barefoot to the large window and looked out. The sun was just coming up over the trees and mountains, and the sky held the pinkish gray streaks of dawn. She realized she’d slept the balance of yesterday away. It wasn’t what she’d planned, but she felt less tired so she supposed she’d needed the extended rest. What would the day hold, she wondered. Would she and Dr. Lee be able to put yesterday behind them and move forward? Was he somewhere thinking of her and wondering the same thing? Regan had no answers. The smell of bacon scented the air and in spite of her musings, her stomach growled with eager anticipation, so she set thoughts of the grim Dr. Lee aside for the moment. After making use of the facilities and the washroom, she opened one of her trunks, dug out a pair of denims and a shirt, and left the room to seek out her hostess.
Spring was standing at the stove tending strips of bacon frying in a cast-iron skillet. “Morning, Regan. How’d you sleep?”
“Like a bear in winter.”
“Feeling better?”
“Yes.”
“Hungry, I’m betting.”
“Starving.”
“Bacon’s almost ready. There’re biscuits, and my hens graciously allowed me some eggs.”
After filling their plates with the offerings, they stepped outside and ate at a small table set behind the house. The peaceful setting temporarily overrode her worries about her future. “Do you eat out here often?”
“As much as I can. Winter comes early, and once it arrives we’re forced inside for years it seems sometimes. Eating outdoors is one of my small pleasures.”
Regan liked the idea of that. She liked Spring as well. “I grew up on a ranch that was also a hotel, so if there are chores I can help with, please let me know. I’d like to earn my keep.”
“After your fancy dress yesterday, seeing you in denims this morning surprised me.”
“You can’t muck out stalls in a ball gown.”
Spring nodded over her raised coffee cup. “You’re not what my brother is expecting, believe me.”
