Anna thought of the photo of her papa—the only remembrance she had left—wrapped safely in her carpetbag. Thought of his face staring back at her. Thought of his smile when they’d first arrived in America, of the sparkle in his eyes, and knew they must be sparkling now.
“Our dream will finally come true,” she whispered.
~*~
Several days later and long past Chicago, Anna sat in the dining car, watching the scenery unfold before her eyes. The landscape spread out for miles. Occasionally, she’d spot a small farm or a ranch, but most of the land was wide-open spaces with fields and rolling hills of yellow, brown, and green. She sipped her tea, noticing the empty plate before her. She hadn’t eaten this well in a long time.
“May I join you?”
A young gentleman with a black handlebar mustache stood next to her table. He smiled, put his hands behind his back, and rocked on his feet. “There are no available tables in this car, and I see you are nearly finished.”
“Oh yes, please, sit down,” she said, ashamed she hadn’t spoken sooner.
“Steven Kane.” He tipped his hat.
Anna introduced herself, then stood and prepared to gulp down the rest of her tea.
“No need to rush. Take your time, enjoy your tea.” The man sat across from her.
“Thank you.” She settled back into her seat and tried to relax. She’d never shared a table with a man before.
“And what’s your destination, if I may ask?”
“Denver City.”
“That’s where I’m going.” The man’s smile broadened. “So, you’ll be taking the stage from Julesburg.”
Puzzled, she shook her head. “No. I’ll be taking the stagecoach from Cheyenne.”
“Cheyenne? There’s nothing in Cheyenne. Why would you go that route?” He chuckled, and then his brows rose in question. “Are you meeting someone?”
She took a sip from her tea. She didn’t want him to know she wasn’t meeting anyone, and yet, what if she were about to get off at the wrong stop?
“I was told in New York that I could take a coach from Cheyenne to Denver.” She cleared her throat, trying not to sound too ignorant. “It’s much closer, isn’t it? I mean, closer than Julesburg is to Denver City.” She recalled all her studies of the railroads, and where they were being built, and according to the map, Cheyenne was definitely closer to Denver.
“Hmm.” Mr. Kane rubbed his chin. “I suppose you’re right, it is closer. But you still have to go a ways on the train, and I know for a fact that the service from Julesburg is much faster. The stagecoach from Julesburg to Denver City has won competitions for its speed.”
Mr. Kane cocked his head, and his gaze swept from her waist to her face. “You could get off with me. I can assure your safety. That is, if you’re not meeting someone.”
Anna forced a smile, shifting uncomfortably. “Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Kane, but I’m meeting my fiancé.” With that, she stood and bade him good day.
Her conscience bothered her dreadfully for having told such a blatant lie.
~*~
The Pacific Railroad took Anna to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and what a desolate place it was. She stood on the platform, and tumbleweeds followed behind the train’s path as it moved out onto the flat horizon. It felt good to finally be outside in the fresh air, no longer tucked away in the train’s cabin car, and that much closer to the new life awaiting her.
After days of travel, and still enthusiastic with her newfound freedom, she went to purchase a ticket bound for Colorado Territory. No passengers were on the platform. Actually, no other passengers had gotten off the train. She recalled the large number of people that had gotten off near Julesburg. Surely, if that was where she should have gone, the man in New York would have told her so.
Her boots echoed off the wooden planks, and she glanced outside the station where three covered wagons and travelers milled about. Good. She wasn’t alone.
“One ticket to Denver City please,” Anna said to the man behind the window. The mere thought that she had made it this far and was just a few days from her final destination made it difficult for her to stand still.
The man behind the window looked up with crossed eyes. She couldn’t tell if he was looking at her or at the wall. “I’m afraid the stagecoach to Denver City has already left.” He gnawed on a toothpick. “Won’t be back for another two weeks.”
“What about a train that will take me back to Julesburg?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure when it’ll be coming through again. Could be a long while. There’s been trouble on the tracks, so we’re running a bit slow at the moment.”
Her heart sank. That meant she would have to stay several nights. “Where’s the nearest boarding house?”
He chuckled as if she’d asked something funny and flipped the toothpick in his mouth with his tongue. “I’m afraid there ain’t no boarding house available, ma’am. But we have a hotel, just across the street here.” He frowned and shook his head. “Mighty expensive though, especially for a whole two weeks’ stay.”
Anna resisted the urge to cringe. She didn’t want to spend more money than she had to.
“I’m surprised you didn’t get off near Julesburg. Their service to Denver City by stagecoach is much faster. Most people coming from the East get off there.”
She bit her lip, remembering the gentleman on the train. Now what would she do?
“I’m sure those settlers,” he said, pointing toward the wagons, “would let you camp with them.”
Camp? She hadn’t brought any provisions to go camping.
“Heck, they might even be headin’ for Denver City. You’d get there a lot faster if you traveled with them.”
Anna studied the travelers. She could save money if she did that. She counted three women and three men who were probably their husbands. She heard the cry of a baby. They were family people. Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to travel with them. Besides, it could prove to be an exciting experience, an adventure.
“Why don’t you go ask?” The man leaned on the counter, closing one eye so she knew without a doubt he was looking at her. He clenched the toothpick between his teeth. “Watch out for them snakes though. They’ll crawl into your boots at night.”
Snakes?
She’d sleep with her shoes on. “Thank you for your help.”
“Much obliged, ma’am.” He winked.
Anna grabbed her carpetbag and went toward the wagons hitched outside the station. She stepped off the wooden platform and onto the dusty road. There were a few buildings, and some homesteaders behind those, but none of them looked inviting. Even the new hotel looked empty and dusty. In fact, everything looked dusty—and hot.
She wiped the sweat from her brow and pulled her hat farther over her head to block the sun. Tumbleweeds rolled at the base of the platform. No trees were in sight, and as far as she could see, there were nothing but hills and plains beyond the buildings. Quite a contrast from the bustling streets of New York City and the busy cobblestone avenues of Amsterdam.
She looked for the most inviting person she could find and chose the woman holding the baby. The slender woman’s dress was dirty, and loose strands of dark hair fell from her bonnet. Anna felt overdressed as she neared the weary traveler.