Still, it hurt.
Hannah fought tears.
She stopped at the porch railing and looked out over the Westland Ranch. Cows grazed in the pastures and horses stood in the corrals. A pond could be seen in the distance and dots that might be ducks floated on its watery surface. Chickens scratched in the dirt. Several fruit trees stood off to one side, with blooms of various colors promising a healthy harvest. To Hannah it was the most beautiful place on earth.
“I’m sorry for my mother’s brisk behavior. Normally she is not this ill-mannered.”
Hannah turned her head and looked at Daniel Westland. His dazed expression spoke volumes about his confused feelings. She sighed. This day hadn’t gone well. “Maybe she’s right.”
“No, she isn’t.” Daniel’s gaze moved to the orchard. “She wanted me to marry and I will. But I will chose who I wish to wed.” His chin rose stubbornly. The glint in his eyes matched that of his mother’s.
“But where will I stay?” Hannah didn’t know what else to say. Right now she was homeless, and disliked by the only woman she’d seen on the place.
“The schoolhouse.” He picked up her bags and headed down the steps.
“You have a schoolhouse?” Hannah hurried after him. “Won’t the schoolteacher need it?”
“School’s not running right now.” Daniel continued across the yard. His feet carried him over a grassy pasture to the edge of the orchard.
Hannah picked up her skirts and hurried after him. The sounds of a gurgling stream played in her ears as she looked about. Green, lush trees surrounded them as they continued on. She wondered how much farther they’d have to go. Just as she opened her mouth to ask, they came out of the orchard and she saw the schoolhouse sitting on a hill.
It was whitewashed and rather large, with two big windows looking out over the yard. She wondered if more windows were on the other side. A tall tree stood in front and she saw where a rope had been hung over one limb. A loop at the bottom indicated it was a swing.
Daniel’s legs were too long for Hannah to try to keep pace with, so she gave up and looked about. Her sides were aching and she felt out of breath. The stream she’d heard earlier wound behind the school, with tall cedar and pine trees lining its banks. Birdcalls filled the early evening air.
A sense of peace enveloped her. The schoolhouse felt like a beacon in a storm. Could she be happy here? At least for a little while? Hannah believed she could.
She slowly began to follow Daniel again, watching his wide shoulders sway as he climbed the hill. He’d seemed annoyed with his mother, but not truly angry. Had Hannah chosen a man with a slow temper for a future husband? She hoped so.
He put her bags on the porch and then turned to wait for her. She was aware of his eyes upon her as she climbed the short hill. He had yet to comment on her limp. Hannah tried to walk without favoring her injured ankle.
She pretended to ignore him, and took in her surroundings. Wildflowers grew about the building and she wondered when the school had been built. It looked and smelled new.
Once she’d climbed the steep, widely spaced steps and stood beside him, Daniel asked, “Ready to go inside?”
“Yes.” She felt a little out of breath.
He must have heard it in her voice because he said, “Good. I hope you can manage that climb. When I built the stairs it didn’t occur to me that...” He let the sentence hang between them as he opened the door.
Hannah took mercy on him and continued his sentence. “That a small child might have trouble making the climb? Maybe if you added another plank between each step that would help. They are a little steep.”
He nodded. “I’ll get on that first thing in the morning.” Daniel retrieved her bags once more.
“Thank you,” Hannah said, entering the room. The scent of fresh-cut wood filled her nostrils and she inhaled deeply.
The bags looked small in his large hands. Hannah knew they were heavier than they looked. She had packed at least ten of her favorite books, along with her dresses and two pairs of shoes. The muscles in his arms bulged. What would it feel like to someday have those same arms around her in a tender hug?
She shook the thought off and turned from him to focus on the large room. A bookshelf filled each of the four corners. He’d placed a blackboard on the far wall. She turned and looked back the way they’d come. There were several hooks beside the front door, low enough for children to hang their coats and jackets on, but there were no desks.
A fireplace rested on the west wall, between two large windows that matched the ones she’d seen while coming up the hill. It was made of red bricks, and he’d placed a metal screen in front of it—to keep the children out and the wood within, she assumed. She’d expected to see a stove there, but was happy the fireplace was so large.
To the right of the blackboard was another doorway.
“What is through there?” she asked, even as she walked toward it.
His boots clopped on the wooden floor behind her. “That would be the storage closet, but I think we can fit a bed in it, and maybe a side table for you to use, until we get married.”
Hannah opened the door to find a nice-size room. About ten feet wide and twelve feet long, it was much larger than she’d expected. Built-in bookshelves lined the far wall, and a window on the west end let in the setting sun. A smile touched Hannah’s lips. It was perfect.
“Yoo-hoo!” The call came from the front door.
Hannah looked to Daniel. He’d already turned and was heading in that direction.
“Well, hello, Opal, girls,” he said as he walked toward an older woman and two little girls.
A warm sensation enveloped Hannah at the pleasant kindness in his voice. It curled around her heart, creating a space of its own. During the past few hours she hadn’t heard that tone from Daniel, but decided it was one she’d love to hear all the time.
Opal wore an apron over her day dress and a flush tinged her cheeks. “Your mother sent me. There is a bed and bedding in the back of the wagon, and I brought a basket of food, just in case you two might be hungry.” She handed Daniel the basket and stepped around him.
Hannah watched her approach. After the reception she’d received from his mother, she wasn’t sure what to expect from this woman.
“I’m Opal Dean and these are my granddaughters, Daisy and Mary.” She pulled the girls in front of her and offered a wide smile.
Daniel set the basket on the floor and headed toward the door. “Thank you, Opal. I’ll go unload the bed.”
Hannah smiled at the children. Daisy looked to be older, perhaps eight or nine. As Mary chewed her fingernail and stared up at her, Hannah decided she was probably five or six. “It’s nice to meet you all. My name is Hannah Young.”
“That’s a pretty name,” Daisy offered.
“Thank you. I think Daisy is a pretty name, also.” Hannah raised her gaze to Opal.
“I’m sorry about Bonnie’s behavior earlier. I don’t know what has gotten into her lately. She’s normally very kind and levelheaded.” Opal shook her head as if trying to figure the other woman out.
Hannah wanted to ask how she knew Bonnie, but felt it wouldn’t be appropriate at this stage of their relationship. “I’m sure she was having a bad day,” she murmured politely.
“No, she’s just gotten ornery over the past few months. I’m her housekeeper and best friend, so I should know. It’s not like her to be so rude.” Opal stroked Mary’s