Leave it to him to pick a bride who wanted to marry, but only for love. Why hadn’t he gotten the missing letter? In the last one he’d received she’d said yes, that she’d like to come to Granite and meet him. Had she mentioned a long engagement? No, he felt sure he’d have remembered it if she had.
Upon reflection, he realized she’d said “meet” him, not marry him. His assumption that all mail-order brides had to get married might have cost him his ranch.
* * *
Hannah followed behind Daniel Westland. His straight shoulders and tight jaw screamed of his anger and confusion. She believed him when he’d said he hadn’t gotten her letter, but Hannah held fast to the dream of marrying for love.
She’d already been left at the altar once because the young man didn’t love her. It was too bad he’d decided to tell her so in front of all their friends and family. It was a hard lesson, but she’d learned it well. Now Hannah refused to marry a man until she was sure of his love and she heard him proclaim the words I love you with his own lips. Hannah didn’t think it was too much to ask.
“Miss Young?”
She turned to see a smiling Levi Westland strolling beside her. He looked a lot like his older brother, with the same green eyes, even white teeth and sandy-brown hair. Only where Daniel’s was short, Levi’s touched his collar, and twin dimples winked from his cheeks. He was shorter than his brother by a few inches. “Yes?”
He cleared his throat and spoke in a louder-than-necessary voice. “If my brother isn’t willing to agree to court you, I will. I’ll even wait until you fall in love with me before we marry.” Levi held out the wildflowers he’d been holding tightly, and offered her a bright smile.
If the situation had been different, Hannah would have laughed at the comical way he’d gallantly made his announcement. Levi seemed very sure that he could make her fall head over heels in love with him. Her gaze moved to Daniel as he lifted both her bags into the buckboard. What did he think of his brother’s declaration?
Hannah took the flowers Levi offered and smiled sweetly at both men. “Thank you, Mr. Westland. I’ll keep that in mind.”
A low growl came from Daniel as he turned from the buckboard. Hard green eyes swept over his younger brother.
“Levi, leave Miss Young alone.”
Mischief danced in Levi’s face. His dimples deepened as he grinned. “Why, big brother? Have you changed your mind already?”
Daniel ignored him and came to stand in front of Hannah. “Would you like to eat at the hotel dining room? Or The Eating House?”
She squared her shoulders and asked, “Which is more private and offers a pot of hot tea?” Had Daniel changed his mind? She didn’t think so. From the set of his jaw and the fire in his eyes, she’d almost bet that he hadn’t.
“Probably The Eating House,” he said, stepping to her side and cupping her elbow in his callused hand.
She marveled at the gentleness of his touch. Even though he was mad enough to spit nails, Daniel’s hand betrayed none of the anger Hannah was sure he was feeling.
Levi moved to the other side. “I think pot roast and fresh bread are the special today,” he offered as he grinned across at Daniel.
Hannah felt small as she walked between the brothers. She straightened to her full height of four feet eleven inches and was still almost a foot shorter than Levi. Daniel towered a few inches over his brother, making her feel even smaller.
Aware of the limp she’d attained as a child, she tried to keep her footsteps strong and even with theirs. So far neither Daniel nor Levi had mentioned her slight hobble; perhaps it wasn’t as important to them as she had feared it would be.
Normally Hannah would have relished the silence among the three of them, but when she’d made the decision to start a new life, she’d also decided to become more sociable. Talk more, express more, live more.
So to break the tension-filled stillness she asked, “Mr. Westland, who is Millicent Summer?” She turned her gaze on Levi.
He cleared his throat and looked away. “She’s the woman who answered my mail-order bride advertisement. It seems I’m not the only one who had that idea.” Levi cut his eyes toward his brother once more.
Hannah followed his gaze. Daniel continued walking, but his jaw worked and his lips had thinned. Confusion warred within her. “But why did you both send for a mail-order bride?” She looked about the small town. Maybe there just weren’t enough women to go around here in Granite, Texas.
“Let’s get a pot of tea in front of you and I’ll tell you everything,” Levi answered.
Hannah nodded. A sick quiver churned her already unsettled stomach. She prayed it was simply because she hadn’t eaten since the early hours of the morning, but knew it was her normal reaction to forthcoming bad news.
Daniel growled between gritted teeth. “Don’t you think I should be the one to tell her?”
They walked toward a large building with the name The Eating House painted over the door. The fragrance of fresh bread drifted from an open window, which sported red-and-white curtains. Hannah’s stomach growled.
Levi followed them and chuckled. “You should, but I didn’t think you would.”
Daniel ignored his brother. He released her arm and yanked the door to the restaurant open. His green eyes blazed in Levi’s direction.
Hannah entered in front of the men. The rich fragrances of coffee and roasted meat filled her nostrils, but she ignored them. Her mind circled the question: What secret was Daniel Westland withholding from her?
Once more he took her arm, and began to direct her to the back of the room. They passed wooden tables and chairs. Salt and pepper shakers were the only objects on the tables. She was happy to see that the tabletops looked clean.
Why wouldn’t Daniel tell her? What had he been keeping from her in his letters? She’d thought him an honest and hardworking man. The letters had hinted at long hours and a busy life. Hannah had been looking forward to working by his side.
Now dread caused her hands to shake. Daniel stopped at the last table and held out a chair for her. She laid the flowers down, slid into her seat and then clutched her hands together in her lap.
What did she really know of the Westlands? Had she allowed her romantic thoughts to put her in a mess of hot water? A new knot developed in the pit of her stomach as Hannah realized her friend Eliza might have been right. Becoming a mail-order bride might have been a bad idea.
Chapter Two
Daniel noticed Hannah’s limp for the first time as he guided her to the back of the room. The sweet scent of honeysuckle drifted from her as he pulled out a chair and waited until she was seated before gently pushing it forward. Hannah Young was not what he’d expected. He knew from her letters that she was a schoolteacher, but he hadn’t expected her to be a stubborn woman or to have a limp. Maybe he should put her back on the stagecoach and send her home to New Mexico. Ranch life was too hard on a healthy person, let alone someone with a disability. He wondered if it caused her pain, and realized that, come winter, she might suffer in her joints.
Levi hurried around the table and sat with his back to the wall, opposite Hannah. His knowing grin forced Daniel to reconsider his earlier thought. If he sent Hannah home, then he’d have to start his hunt for a bride all over again, giving Levi time to marry and have the first child.
Daniel thought about the conversation they’d had earlier in the week. He regretted taunting his brother and telling him he could always work on the ranch once he won it. The realization that Levi could still win and that the tables could easily