Chapter One

“Is something burning?” Laurie demanded.

Sabrina looked up at the sound of Laurie’s heavy boots making their way into the room. She’d been lost in her thoughts, as she often found herself in the weeks since she’d moved in with her cousin. Sabrina did register the smell of smoke and char now that he’d mentioned it. She looked over at the hearth, and sure enough, the toast was blackened. Not the golden brown she’d been aiming for and barely edible at this point.

“Were you always this useless?” Laurie demanded. Sabrina looked up to find him sneering at her. She quickly looked away, moving to right the wrong before things got worse.

“I’m sorry. There’s still some bread left. I’ll make you fresh toast and make do with the burnt pieces. I’ve already worked dough for another loaf. It’s rising, and I’ll bake it while you’re at work today.”

“You’re always sorry about something,” Laurie spat.

At least it was morning. Laurie’s head must be pounding after another night drinking whatever he could get his hands on. The nights were worse. She was grateful to have her small room when he was getting into his cups.

Some men were jovial drunks. Some men were incoherent drunks. Some men were quiet drunks. But Laurie? Laurie was an angry drunk.

It seemed the world had done Laurie a great deal of wrong in his years. Sabrina could certainly relate to that. From her early childhood, the world had done very little other than take away the things she loved. But she was a woman, and a woman didn’t have the luxury of getting angry about her lot in life.

She had her place here. It wasn’t where she would have chosen. It wasn’t where she wanted to be, but it was where she had to call home now.

“How long is the toast going to take?” Laurie barked from across the room.

Sabrina held her hand over the fire and counted. After twenty seconds, she could no longer stand to keep her hand near the flame.  It hadn’t gotten too low. She hurried to throw another piece of coal on the fire and stoke it.

“Just a few minutes,” Sabrina assured him. She didn’t want him to linger any longer than he had to.

“Well, hurry up. I’ve got to get to the shop.”

Sabrina brushed the burned bread off of the grates and placed the fresh slices onto it. She examined the burned pieces. She could likely scrape much of the charred pieces off and make a passable meal of it. It didn’t take long for Laurie’s toast to cook.

She spread a bit of butter and jam across the slices, mindful not to use too much. She’d been chastised about frivolities and what a financial burden she was on Laurie far too many times to think she could win any favor with him for treating him to extra jam.

She watched him take a bite, relieved when he had nothing to say on the matter. He kept a short beard, hair in a low pleat. He had been quite handsome when he was younger. The drink hadn’t taken all of that from him. In his day, many women hoped to call him husband. Sabrina could remember that much. She remembered a kind smile on a clean-shaven face.

With all the women in the world to choose from, he chose the one who didn’t choose him back. Sure, she’d allowed him to court her, to develop feelings for her. But when it came time to accept his proposal, Laurie found that she already arranged herself with his closest friend.

“I’ve left some money for the weekly shopping,” Laurie said in a brusque tone, taking the final bite of his toast. Had he been this rude to the girl he’d paid to keep house for him before Sabrina had been forced to move in? He pushed back his chair and stood to prepare for work.

“Your lunch is packed. The last of the soup.” Sabrina hurried to grab his lunch pail and handed it to him after he slipped his jacket on.

He took the pail wordlessly. “Mind you get the cleaning done today,” he said.

It seemed a thank you was too much to expect. He hadn’t asked to take her in. He hadn’t asked to be her last living relative. Had there been someone else she could have gone to, she would have done so. She imagined that he would have encouraged her to do so. Sabrina didn’t enjoy being a burden on her cousin any more than he enjoyed being burdened by her.

“Have you got any wash?” Sabrina asked. “I was hoping to drop mine at the laundress today.”

“I suppose you’ll be needing more money, then?” Laurie snapped. A few weeks ago, his tone would have made her flinch. Now it was just another fact of life.

There was no reason to ask other than to reassert that she was a burden to him. It was a common theme of their conversations. She didn’t drop off the wash nearly as often as she would have liked. And she’d just concluded her ladies’ time. Her hand washing only did so much, and her clothes needed proper attention.

“I will wait until you have need of the laundress,” Sabrina offered.

Laurie didn’t answer for a time. It had been weeks since they last had their clothes cleaned. Sabrina wondered if he was mentally calculating how much he would have left for drink after the grocery and laundry. She could practically see him wondering if clean clothes were worth it.

“You may collect my soiled clothes from my room.”

He placed another two silver coins on the table and left for the day. There was no way of knowing whether he would come home a bit more sober and therefore less angry, or worse, for his lack of drink.

Sabrina decided it best she have all of the housework done and supper ready before Laurie came back home. If she could simply serve him his evening meal and retire to her room, she might avoid the worst of it.

She settled in and smeared a bit of butter and jam across what could no longer realistically be called toast. It wasn’t nearly as bad as she’d anticipated. The bitterness of the burned bread played rather nicely with the richness of the butter and the sweetness of the jam. Not a ruined morning after all.

She would need her strength for the day ahead. Going to the general store meant having to carry the wares back to the apartment. Luckily the apartment Laurie rented was on the second floor and not the fifth. On more than one occasion, she’d helped a neighbor up to the higher floors. She’d never asked for anything in return, but occasionally the ladies she helped would give her pieces of shortbread or other sweets that Laurie didn’t tolerate her wasting their flour on.

It was incredible how different her life had been only six weeks ago. She’d been happily married to a handsome and charming man. Preparing breakfast hadn’t been such a chore when it meant feeding the man she loved. It was a task she’d relished. Toasting bread by the fire and spreading on jam from the local market were tasks she’d taken joy in doing. Even the most mundane of chores, like boiling the water for tea or sweeping the dust out of the corners of their small apartment, were fond memories now.

She often lost herself in memories of that beautiful year. It led to mishaps, like burned toast or water boiling away until there was too little left to brew tea. Laurie had a few choice words for her whenever it happened in his presence.

When she’d met Alan, she’d been charmed by his friendly manner and his kind eyes, with the smile lines around them. He’d swept her away from the life of a maid. When he’d talked to Sabrina about his dreams, she could see them laid out before her. He had passion and ambition, and he’d passed away far too soon.

Dwelling on her time with Alan didn’t change what she had ahead of her today. She’d become practiced enough to know that the fire would take time to cool enough for her to clean it out. So, Sabrina collected Laurie’s soiled clothes and placed them in the cloth bag with her own.

She pulled her hair back from her face, braiding it behind her to avoid getting ash and soot into it. She wouldn’t heat water for bathing for another two days. When the fire had cooled, Sabrina cleaned the hearth out. She wished there was a small stove like she and Alan had in their apartment, but Laurie lived in an older apartment.

The small basin of water in her room did well enough for cleaning important areas until bath day. Thus, Sabrina cleaned herself before heading out with the wash. She hid the coin purse well in the pleats of her skirts, tied off and unseen.

The laundress weighed the wash and demanded only one of the silver coins Laurie left. Perhaps she could calm him when he came home by putting the coin back into his pocket. Maybe he’d head back out to the saloon and not come home until morning.

She picked up the items she would need to feed the two of them for the week at the general store: a small bag of flour, some coffee, eggs, milk, hard cheese, root vegetables, and some venison for stew. She could stretch that until the following week, especially since she planned to dry some cuts from the venison for jerky.

When she returned to the apartment, she stoked the fire back up, grateful that she needn’t have bought more coal this week. She placed the dough she’d prepared earlier into the Dutch oven and placed a few pieces of hot coal on top of it. Slicing and hanging the venison from the top of the hearth was a job she didn’t enjoy, but it would help feed them for the week.

The water in Laurie’s bedroom needed changing, as did her own. She collected the two basins and headed out toward the street, where there was a pump. A line of other women doing the same greeted her.

“Heard that cousin of yours fussing again last night,” Florence said. Sabrina mostly kept to herself, but Florence often struck up a conversation. She lived in the apartment above Laurie’s and always seemed to have something to say about everything. Of course, she couldn’t confront Laurie about his behaviors, so Sabrina was left to deal with the women’s complaints about him.

Florence leaned in close. “He was into the drink again, wasn’t he?” she asked in a whisper.

“Surely you know I am not going to speak ill of my only family member who has graciously taken me in?” Normally she would simply ignore the comments and go about her tasks. Something about the day had her in a mood.

“Of course not. I only mentioned it out of worry. I hope he doesn’t ruin his prospects with his habits.”

Laurie was the apprentice to a cobbler who’d lost his only son. In recent months the old man who owned the shop was getting tired and allowing Laurie to take on more responsibility. It was rumored that when the shop owner passed, he would be leaving the business to Laurie in the absence of his own kin.

Laurie was many things after his workday finished, but he was professional and good at his work when he was at the shop. Many of the shoes on the feet of the women waiting for the pump were either made or repaired by him. He was a part of the community, even if they didn’t appreciate his evening antics.

“Your concern is appreciated, I’m sure. Laurie does very well at the shop.”

The woman was cleaning out and filling her own basin, which was a relief. Sabrina knew that the other ladies believed she should somehow straighten up her cousin’s drinking habit, quiet him down in the evenings when they were trying to get their babies to sleep.

In truth, she’d never tried. His demeanor when he was drunk intimidated her, and she had no desire to find out how angry he could get by confronting him. Things were easier when she simply stayed out of sight and let him drone on about his lost love.

So long as she had food and coffee or tea ready for him in the morning, he never spoke of his rantings. Never asked why it was that she stayed in her room after supper. It was a quiet understanding that even if they were stuck in this living arrangement, they could easily leave one another alone.

She had a place to live, and in exchange for the increased food costs, he no longer had to pay a maid a dollar-and-a-half per week to clean his living space. She did her best to pull her weight.

Once both basins were filled with fresh water, she headed back into the kitchen. Using the poker, she moved the coals off the top of the Dutch oven and back onto the fire, which had gotten lower than she’d hoped it would. She used the same poker to lift the heavy lid off and peered at the bread.

She’d let the dough rise for a bit too long. It wasn’t the round and fluffy loaf she’d been anticipating. Surely, Laurie would have something to say about that. There was nothing to be done for it. She couldn’t scrap it and start over. Laurie might not measure the flour to see if she was using too much, but he wouldn’t take kindly to being asked for more money than usual to replenish their supply sooner. Sabrina believed it was better to face the admonishment for flattened bread than request more of his drinking money.

Her next task was to peel the root vegetables for the stew. She placed the meat into the Dutch oven and layered the potatoes and carrots over it. Over time, she’d managed to put together a little store of spices. Some salt and a bit of dried herbs went into the mixture. She then covered the meat and vegetables with water. She would have to pay close attention to keeping the fire low and steady, or the venison would be tough. Perhaps if the meat were tender, Laurie would overlook the imperfect bread.

Alan wouldn’t have admonished Sabrina for the mistake. If she had served him flattened bread, he simply would have smiled and thanked her for baking it. He didn’t have grand and unreachable expectations for her. He was charming and kind, patient with her in a way that the aunts and uncles she was raised by after her parents’ deaths hadn’t been.

She’d anticipated working as a maid for most of her days; there wasn’t much work aside from cleaning for women in Madison, Georgia. She didn’t have grand dreams. She just wanted a quiet life with a kind companion. And for a time, she’d had that. Then Alan passed, and she was left with nothing but a few of his possessions, which were sentimental but not worth much.

In the end, she did end up doing maid’s work. Rather than for strangers and for a wage, it was in Laurie’s apartment and for room and board. So, clean the apartment, she did. Until the late afternoon, she cleaned and scrubbed. She was grateful for the small size of the apartment. She shuddered to think of how much work it would be to keep an entire house to Laurie’s standards.

Sabrina checked the stew and found that it was nearly finished. It was with some trepidation that she sliced a small piece of the meat off. She was relieved to find it soft, with a pleasant flavor. Her knife slid into the potatoes and carrots easily. The fire was low enough to simply keep the meal warm until it was time to eat.

The strips of meat she’d left to dry were coming along nicely. After she cleaned the hearth for the night, she would need to salt the meat for a few days to finish preserving it. Between the stew and the jerky, she felt she had made good use of the money Laurie left her.

Sabrina looked around the apartment. She was satisfied with the completion of her tasks. Her feet ached from being on them all day, and she finally took a seat, intent to rest until Laurie came home.

“This is what you do while I’m working all day, then?”

Sabrina’s eyes jerked open. Two things hit her at once. The first was the thunderous expression on Laurie’s face. The second was the smell of ale. He smelled as though he’d been drenched in drink. Sabrina stood. She would quickly serve him his dinner and clean out the hearth.

“I’ll fix your plate. There’s new water in your rooms if you’d like to freshen up.”

Sabrina opened the Dutch oven, deeply relieved that the stew was warm and thick. She sliced a hunk of the break off and placed it on the plate next to the bowl of stew. She turned toward the table and found that Laurie hadn’t moved from where he stood.

“I work all day long, and you doze.”

“No, I—”

The back of Laurie’s hand connected with Sabrina’s cheek. She felt her lip split at the impact. The plate fell from her hand as she staggered backward. Her hand flew up to her face, cradling the lip as it bled.

She looked up at Laurie in shock. He’d yelled at her before. She’d endured watching spittle fly from his mouth as he screamed. Never before had he put a hand on her.

Laurie wiped his hand off on his vest. He walked over to the dining area and picked up another bowl. He made his way over to the pot and served himself. He sat at the table and began eating. For a few minutes, Sabrina simply sat there in disbelief.

Then Laurie grabbed a cloth napkin from across the table and threw it in her direction. He nodded at the spilled food. He stared at her as if to dare her to contradict him again. Sabrina didn’t. She cleaned up the floor, then the hearth. She placed the dried meat into a dish of salt and brought a piece of the bread with her to her room for the night.

Chapter Two

After two long weeks of work, hands roughened by the process, Gus, at last, placed the final stone on the fireplace. He took a step back to stand next to Cole, the only man he trusted to help him build his home.

The cabin was modest, to be sure, but it was sturdy and well-planned. Painstaking efforts had been made to seal every crack. There were two windows at the front of the cabin, facing south to allow natural light into the house. In front of the house was a large, covered porch. He could imagine two high-backed chairs out on that porch and drinking a cup of coffee in the morning to watch the sunrise.

It took nearly two weeks with two sets of hands to build it, but that was Gus’ own fault. He could have chosen to do things a bit simpler, but that wasn’t his way.

He had a mind toward starting a family, and while this cabin wouldn’t be the last house he built, it would hold for quite some time. It wasn’t common to have more than a single room in a cabin like this one, but it would be necessary should he find a bride.

“Thank you for all your help, Cole. I couldn’t have built this on my own,” Gus said.

“Well, you could have. It just would’ve taken you two months.” Cole flashed the same boyish grin Gus had been getting since they were kids. Cole was impossible not to like. Gus didn’t have the same charm. The other men at Cole’s ranch were fond of him because he was a good, hard-working, and fair man. Cole could have been none of those things and still gotten by. The fact that he took pride in working the land his father left him only added to the respect Gus had for him.

“You’ve got yourself a fine piece of land here,” Cole said, looking out of one of the windows.

The land the cabin sat on was yet to be tamed, it was overrun with errant weeds, and Gus would need to mark off the lines of his property. It didn’t look like much now, but it would be something with time and attention.

Owning this piece of land was like a dream made real. He currently lived in the room provided for him at Cole’s ranch. Working on Cole’s ranch came with many benefits. He earned a decent wage, and he liked the work. The room and board he received there had helped him save to afford the lumber and stone for the cabin.

“We ought to start heading back to Haggerty before Diana has our heads for missing supper,” Cole said.

Cole spoke of Diana with such affection. Even her stubborn nature was something he relished. They were an even match. Where Cole was friendly and easy-going, Diana made sure that the ranch ran smoothly. One would expect Cole to be the firm hand, but the woman who fed the men was where the real power sat.

Gus was pleased for his friend but couldn’t help feeling a bit envious of their happiness. There was no malice in the feeling. He wanted the two of them to be happy. He simply wished to find that same happiness for himself. Now that he had land and a home on that land, he felt more keenly that he wanted someone to share it all with.

Both men climbed up onto the seat of the wagon. The journey between Haggerty Ranch and Gus’ land didn’t take long. It was around twenty minutes from the edge of Cole’s property to Gus’.

True to form, Diana was standing out in front of the dining barn. The apron she wore, stretched over the bump of her pregnancy, was well-used. If Gus had to guess, they were having stew today, a regular occurrence on the ranch. It was nothing to complain about. Diana had a way in the kitchen.

Cole swept over to her and kissed her cheek. She let him linger there for a moment before pushing him away playfully. Gus hoped he would be able to find such easy comfort, himself.

“Tell me you’ve finally finished the cabin,” she said, fixing him with a demanding stare.

“Good evening, Diana,” Gus greeted teasingly. “It’s great to see you too. How was your day?”

Diana didn’t blush. Cole often joked that she was born without a sense of shame. He didn’t mind that she wasn’t the picture of a demure lady. Diana was a hard worker, a necessity out in Dakota territory.

“It would’ve been better if my husband were here,” Diana said, never one to be shamed even jokingly. “Thanks for asking. Now, answer.”

“We finished it,” Cole interjected.

Her demeanor changed almost immediately, her stern gaze replaced by a brilliant smile. “Well, congratulations, Gus!” Diana exclaimed.

“You just want me to clear out of my room, don’t you?” he joked. Cole laughed aloud, and Diana shot him an annoyed look, which broke into a grin after a few seconds. They were a match for one another. Gus was happy to see the joy they brought to one another, even if it did remind him that he had yet to find someone to settle down with.

“You know I do! We can get some more help out here once you’re living in your cabin,” Diana replied. She kept her tone light, but Gus knew there was truth there.

It went unsaid that they would eventually need to replace Gus. His goal was to open his own small ranch. Something he could handle on his own or with another ranch hand or two. It would take time to establish himself enough to bring help on, but the day would come that Haggerty would need another set of skilled hands.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to do without me tomorrow afternoon, as well. We’ve got to head into town and buy furniture for Gus’ cabin,” Cole reminded Diana. She cut Gus a conspiratorial look.

“You sure you don’t want to take me along? I’ve got much better taste than Cole,” she said.

“Hey, now. I chose to marry you, didn’t I?” he asked, feigning offense.

Gus moved quickly, bodily nudging Cole. They weren’t children anymore, not keen to wrestle one another in the fields when there was work to be done, but they still occasionally tried to knock one another over.  “Only after I sent for her.”

Cole stumbled slightly, not expecting the push. Then he came back full speed and sent Gus a step or two out of his original path.

“Alright, boys. Come and eat,” Diana scolded, but it sounded fond and indulgent.

It was a fine meal. It always was. Gus didn’t often dine with just Cole and Diana, but the other men were already cleared out of the dining barn. The other men weren’t the type to claim favoritism, except for Evan.

Gus was sure he’d endure annoying behavior from him for the next few days. He was keen to take Gus’ place as Cole’s right-hand man. And once Gus started his own ranch, he was the next likely choice. The thought annoyed Gus only because of how antagonistic Evan was toward him. If he were less of a pain, Gus would have taken him under his wing and prepared him to take over, but there was little chance of that currently.

“I’ll surely miss your cooking once I’m living at my cabin,” Gus complimented.

Cole and Diana exchanged a look. Gus looked between the two of them. He felt the pang of longing for someone to have those intimate moments and secrets with.

“What is it?” he asked.

Cole didn’t say anything, looking back over to Diana. Diana gave him a quick nod. “Diana penned an advertisement on your behalf. We’ll leave it to you to mail it out tomorrow, but we think you should.”

Gus considered his own home, on his land. His mind was turned to the prospect of a wife as well. He wondered if living in the cabin alone would feel lonely in a way that the single room hadn’t. There was also the tending to the housework to think of. Gus wasn’t of a mind that all home-keeping should be done by the lady of the house. He didn’t mind doing a fair share to keep things running well, but it was a daunting task to take on alone and would cost a significant amount of coin to hire someone on.

Cole and Diana were doing their fair share of meddling. Gus would have to take the meddling in stride. He had, after all, stepped in to get Diana out here.

“If it worked out for us, it could work out for you too,” Cole insisted.

Gus recalled the way Cole had insisted things wouldn’t work with Diana. He’d seen the two of them warm to one another, and that warmth blossomed into an enviable love. The type of love Gus hoped he, too, would find.

Hopeful as he was, Gus had a hard time believing that he would be as lucky as the two of them. The fact remained that there were no eligible women in Spring Sky. It wasn’t as though women moved out to Dakota territory on their own. Married folks continued to make their way west to carve out a life for themselves, but not single women.

Gus also knew that there were not always such happy matches from these advertisements. Looking for a companion in this manner could be hit or miss. Cole and Diana were extremely fortunate to have found each other.

“Well, alright.”

***

“Gus, are we still heading into town? I’ve spoken to Evan, and he’ll cover your duties today,” Cole said. Gus looked up from tending to the horses. The morning had passed quickly. The sun was already high in the sky.

That wasn’t the best news for Gus. He couldn’t disagree that aside from himself, Evan Black was the most capable hand on the ranch. But he was also a cunning, ambitious man who would gladly see Gus removed from his position and take his place.

It nearly made him not want to buy furniture. He hated to give Evan a chance to feel too big for his britches. All of the other men on the ranch were friendly with Gus and made no secret their distaste for the way Evan conducted himself when Cole and Gus weren’t around to see.

Evan would stomp around, barking out orders at the other ranch hands. There was little need to do so. The men knew their jobs and did them well. Cole and Gus had to have the rare conversation when they saw someone slacking, but they did so privately. There was nearly always a reason for it, sick child or wife most often. Haggerty Ranch ran as well as it did because Cole didn’t speak down to the men who worked with him.

Gus had been told that Evan had a bad habit of making his opinions of Gus known when he wasn’t around. Gus knew much about ranching, he practically grew up on Haggerty Ranch, but he was still human. Mistakes did happen from time to time. Evan liked to point out all of his shortcomings and make them into something bigger than they were.

“Yes, no use putting things off,” Gus said.

Haggerty would survive one more day without Cole and Gus. They hitched four horses up to the largest wagon Cole had, with the hopes of hauling some of the furniture to his land today. Evan stood at the front gate, looking too smug for Gus’ liking.

“Don’t worry, Cole. I’ll keep the ranch going while Gus does his shopping.” Evan didn’t even bother sounding sincere.

“There’s a downed fence post on the northern part of the property.” Gus watched as Evan nodded eagerly. He clearly didn’t know Cole the way Gus did. There was mischief around Cole’s eyes. His gaze turned abruptly hard. “I trust you’ll handle it personally?”

Even looked like he’d been smacked. It was something Gus wouldn’t have been tasked with. Hammering a post back into the ground was busy work, something for a new ranch hand. It was to Cole’s credit that he knew Evan liked to pick at Gus and handled it calmly. He didn’t need to say anything else to put Evan in his place.

“That man would go far if he could stop getting in his own way,” Cole said. Gus only nodded. He had no desire to stoop to Evan’s level. He would leave the gossiping to the lesser man. Cole never said to Evan that he should run a ranch of his own, and for good reason. When handed the reins for a single day, his treatment of the men at Haggerty said plenty about his lack of leadership qualities.

Men wouldn’t follow him, wouldn’t want to make his ranch succeed if he ever managed to get a plot of land. Without good men to work with him, he would be doomed to fail. Gus sometimes wondered if some of the men at Haggerty would want to work with him, but he wouldn’t consider poaching any of Cole’s men.

Sure, the nature of the work was such that men often moved on to other places after a time. But Gus wouldn’t be the reason Cole’s ranch might suffer.

“What are you looking to buy for the cabin?” Cole asked.

“First thing is a bed. Can’t be making do sleeping on the floor. A table, some chairs. A chest of drawers for each bedroom,” Gus replied.

“You know you’re welcome to take your meals at the ranch until you find a wife.”

That was a thought he hadn’t considered. Gus was sure he could learn to cook if need be, but he wouldn’t have much time for pulling meals together. Ranching was long hours by definition, and cooking was no small task. He knew Diana got up early to start arranging meals, and she had help in the kitchen.

The more he considered how much went into running a ranch and running life, the more he was determined to find a wife. He thought of coming home at the end of the day to a warm meal prepared by a kind woman, and his heart ached for it.

“That makes sense. I appreciate the offer,” Gus replied. “I suppose I should have a kettle and a pot for boiling water.”

“I’d offer you extras from my home, but they’re in heavy use already.”

“You’ve done more than enough for me, Cole.”

The ride into town didn’t take too long, and soon enough, Gus had chosen a table and four chairs. He found a simple wooden chest of drawers and a bed with four posts.

“You shouldn’t choose such a small bed. It won’t be suitable for sharing.”

“I haven’t got anyone to share a bed with, Cole.”

“You will. I saw that ad Diana wrote for you. The way she talked you up, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think she was sweet on you. The letters are going to come by the dozen.”

It was a stark reminder of the envelope he held in his breast pocket. He’d decided to send it. He was moving toward where he wanted to be in life, and part of that was sharing it with someone.

In the end, Gus purchased two beds. A larger one for the bedroom he planned to use, and a single for the second bedroom. There was a moment where Gus wondered if it was foolish to ready his home for things he didn’t have yet, but it would be better to be prepared.

The beds would need to be shipped out to his cabin; they were more than the wagon could handle. The table and chairs and the chest fit, so Gus and Cole tied them down to the wagon.

Gus excused himself and made his way to the Postmaster’s office. He paid the coin to send the advertisement out to Madison, Georgia. It was the same town he’d sent Cole’s, and he hoped to have the same good fortune.

Cole was grinning when he returned to the wagon. Gus found he was glad to have done it. If he didn’t find a wife in that city, he could always try sending another ad to another city. It was time to stop being envious of his friends’ relationship and find a wife of his own.

“If I’m ever going to start a ranch of my own, I’ll need horses. I’m thinking of building a stable toward the eastern border of my land.”

“That’s a good place to start. Are you going to keep cattle or sheep?”

Cattle were the more profitable and manageable, but Cole’s ranch was well-established. Even if Gus wanted to compete with his friend, he wouldn’t have a chance with his piece of land, which was small compared to Haggerty.

“My plot isn’t far from yours, and you’re in the cattle business. I think going into sheep makes sense. The community could use the wool for clothes.”

“They’re horrible animals. They need much more attention than cattle and eat everything in sight. You’ll need good help,” Cole said. Gus knew his point on sheep to be accurate, but Gus didn’t want to compete with Haggerty.

“Maybe I’ll just stay on at Haggerty. I can handle a chicken coop and sell the eggs.”

“Don’t be discouraged. It’ll take time and hard work. I think if you kept a small herd that you could handle with a few men, you’d do well.”

Once they arrived at Gus’ land, they loaded the furniture into the cabin. The cabin looked better, more like a home, with the furniture in it. Gus hoped it wouldn’t take too long for the beds to arrive.

They made it back to the ranch by the afternoon. Evan hadn’t run it into the ground in the hours they were gone. The men seemed relieved that Cole was back.

“Find yourself something pretty?” Evan sneered. Gus had patience, but Evan’s antics were tiresome.

“Sure did.”

Gus had mastered the art of ending a conversation with Evan Black. He looked forward to the day he could head home to his cabin after the work was done instead of the room across Evan’s.

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