Chapter Seven
Prudence appreciated Hubert.
Traveling with a companion was a whole new experience compared to her solo trip from Boston. Instead of feeling trapped between strangers, he made sure she had a window seat so she could take in the passing landscape at her leisure.
“We’ll be in Sterling soon.”
She tore her eyes away from the swaying tall grasses of the prairie and turned to face her husband. “Are they expecting us?”
They hadn’t really talked about what would happen once they arrived in town. Instead, their discussion centered on learning as much as they could about each other. Hubert mentioned the Sunday service and that there would be a dinner to welcome her to town.
“They know we are coming, but I didn’t mention which stage we’d be on.”
“Oh.” She turned her face back to the rolling landscape. There were just three of them on the stage now, and if she kept her voice low, perhaps they wouldn’t disturb their traveling companion. “How far is your house from the stage depot?”
Hubert coughed, but he didn’t answer. Turning away from the window, she studied him again. They had a home, didn’t they?
“Not far.” He averted his gaze from her and assumed an appearance of intense interest in examining the window covering.
“What aren’t you telling me?” The passenger next to her shifted in the seat.
Prudence didn’t want to have this conversation in front of a stranger, but if they didn’t have a home, it was something that her husband should have mentioned.
She reached out, tugging on his coat sleeve.
“Hubert!” she whispered, trying to get his attention.
When he turned his eyes towards her, she mouthed the words, tell me.
He exhaled heavily and ran his hand down his face. “The boarding house is just across the street.”
“Boarding house?” Prudence repeated. She blinked several times. Was he dropping her off at a boarding house?
“We hadn’t talked about arrangements and, honestly, we’ve not had two minutes alone since leaving. You are welcome to share my room with me, and the entire house is at our disposal. But I thought you might also like a room of your own. At least until we are more familiar with each other.”
Frustration hung thick in the air, making it difficult to breathe. She tried to untangle the knot in her throat. “What do you mean, the boarding house is at our disposal? What about the parsonage?”
“STERLING! Coming up!” The driver’s voice carried from the top of the stage.
“I guess you’ll see in a minute.” Hubert leaned down and started shifting their bags around.
“I think you should probably tell me now,” Prudence scoffed, but the stage was jolting now in the irregular rhythm she recognized as it prepared to stop.
“Sterling, Colorado!” The driver’s voice boomed once more. The stagecoach jerked to a halt, causing Prudence and the woman on the bench to jolt forward in their seats.
What did he mean they didn’t have a home? A room of her own did sound nice, but she couldn’t help but feel let down. As if she were a secret, he’d been guarding closely.
Or was he ashamed? The quiet thought drifted through her mind as the door opened and the driver extended his hand to help her down.
As Prudence swept her gaze across her surroundings, she suddenly realized that this was not a typical town.
The only signs of civilization were a small mercantile and the distant bell tower of a church.
Two other buildings peeked out from behind the trees, but they seemed almost insignificant compared to the vast expanse of nature surrounding them.
Impatiently, she turned to face Hubert as he exited the coach and engaged in a conversation with the driver. She fidgeted with anticipation. Their journey had been long and tiring, but they only had two bags to retrieve. Surely it wouldn’t take much longer.
The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, and Prudence couldn’t help but feel a sense of isolation in this remote location. As she looked out at the peaceful landscape, she couldn’t deny the beauty and tranquility of their new home.
“If you want to come in for a minute, my pot of tea should be done brewing,” a very feminine voice said from behind. “There are also facilities just around the corner.”
Prudence noticed the woman with long dark hair, and the toddler peeking out from behind her skirt. “Thank you. I’ll be right in. Tea sounds lovely.”
“Do you need sugar or milk?”
“No, thank you.”
Prudence scurried around the corner and quickly went about relieving herself and righting her clothes.
As she walked back towards the front of the building, she heard the rumble of the stagecoach pulling away.
Her heart sank as she scanned the area, but there was no sign of Hubert anywhere.
This was not how she had pictured their first moments in their new home.
She brushed away a tear and realized that her expectations had once again betrayed her.
She took a deep breath and let go of any remaining hope for things to go according to plan.
Letting herself in the door the woman had appeared from, Prudence was surprised to find that it was a good-sized mercantile and it smelled like vanilla and sugar.
“There you are! I’m Emily Easton and this is Alex.” The little boy had his thumb in his mouth, and the friendly greeting went a long way to soothing Prudence’s ruffled feathers.
“I’m Prudence. It’s nice to meet both of you.” She took the seat at the small table along the back wall, grateful for the opportunity for a warm drink and a moment to gather her thoughts. “Do you know where my husband went?”
Emily settled across from her and smiled. “Hubert took your bags across the street. I’m sure he’ll be right back.”
Prudence wasn’t so sure about that, but it wouldn’t matter.
Silence drug out between them, but it was comfortable. She really needed a bath and to change out of her travel wear, and a nap wouldn’t hurt, either.
“You look like you have many questions. Is there anything I can answer for you?”
Prudence jumped, Emily’s voice cutting straight through her daydream of sprawling on the nearest bed. “I’m sorry. I’m exhausted, and my thoughts wandered for a moment. This town is not what I thought it would be like.”
“Where did you move from?”
“Boston. My father lives in Boston.” Prudence shook her head, thinking of Papa. She hoped he would stay in Boston as well.
Emily picked up the kettle and poured the tea. “Ah. Yes, we moved from Omaha in ‘63. The town isn’t really a town yet. It is more of a community. I’m sure Hubert told you some things, but I’m happy to share with you my thoughts.”
“Hubert spoke of the people, but it seems we have different ideas of what those thoughts meant when put together.” Prudence sipped her tea and waited to see what Emily would say.
“Of course he did. Men and women view things differently. So, in the town proper, there is my family. We, of course, own the mercantile and live upstairs. Then there is the sheriff and his wife. They arrived in town recently and are currently at the boarding house. When building season starts in June, I expect them to be building a house behind the sheriff’s office. ”
“You have a sheriff?”
“Well, we have a marshal who is the acting sheriff. Though I expect his title will change before long. That’s Jackson and Chloe. She’s from Pittsburgh.”
Prudence nodded and hesitantly reached for the teapot. At the nod of her hostess, she poured another cup for herself, feeling a bit more settled.
“Then there’s the banker, Irving. He built an apartment for himself behind what will be the bank. Silas is staying at the boarding house as well. The others are out of town a couple of miles. You’ll meet them on Friday, I’m sure.”
“That is a lot of information. Do you like it here?”
The bell over the door jingled. Prudence turned to see her husband enter the store, and her heart stilled. Hubert came back to her.
“I do. My best friend is here. It’s not as busy as Omaha, but it has its own charms. There also isn’t a saloon here, which I appreciate.”
“Hey little man.” Hubert’s voice echoed as he crouched down to greet Alex, who raced across the floor to him.
Prudence watched them embrace and Hubert straighten up, taking the toddler up with ease and settling him on his side.
The toddler chattered, and Prudence turned back to Emily. “Thank you for the insight. Could we maybe have tea again sometime?”
What she wanted to say was, I fully intend to cling to you like a lifeline since my husband seems to only dole out information when asked.
Instead, her new friend laughed merrily. “I’ll see you for dinner. Those of us in town gather at the boarding house. Otherwise, I fear the single men would starve. Aside from that, I always have a kettle and a coffee pot on during the day so that people can come and go with ease.”
“Oh. Oh! That’s wonderful!” Relief rushed through her, alleviating her fear of being isolated with the partner she was still getting to know.
“Did I miss anything?” Hubert asked, walking over and placing his hand on her shoulder.
Despite being irritated by him, Prudence was fascinated by watching her husband interact with the surrounding people.
“I think everyone held themselves back, knowing how you don’t like to be left out,” the other woman teased.
“Good. I see Alex is still growing like a weed. I’m shocked at how tall he’s gotten in the last ten days.”
“Children will do that, Hubert. You’ll see soon enough.” Emily rose and collected her son. Her words rushed through Prudence like ice water.
They hadn’t talked about children. She also would never allow another child to live how she had.
Her chest grew tight as she stared at Hubert with what she could only assume was horror in her eyes.
He gave her a gentle smile and then winked.
How could he wink at her when she was sure that she was going to suffocate at any moment?