~~~
As soon as he could get the buggy hitched, Wes drove it around to the store and halted the horses. He swung down and handed the girl up into the rear seat, although he would have preferred having her beside him. It was the father's place to sit up front, so he could see the house straight away as they approached it. That was more important than Wes being able to make a pitch for the daughter's attention. Even so, his toes tingled slightly.
As Wes drove out of town, he endeavored to make light conversation in order to save his sales push for when Mr. Badger saw the place.
“Have you folks come a long way to reach Haught Springs?”
“Montana,” Mr. Badger replied.
Wes kept quiet, hoping the man would expand on the one-word explanation. When he said no more, Wes asked, “Brutal winters?”
“Very.”
“You'll find the winters to be moderate in our area. You've made a good choice, coming here.”
“My sister, little Annie, couldn't get used to the cold,” Nina said from the back seat. “It made her ill.”
Wes envisioned a small girl shivering in a threadbare coat, like a character in a Dickens story, and then figured that was foolish. This man had enough money to keep his family warm.
He tried again. “What sort of commerce are you in, Mr. Badger? The bank building will need renovations, I imagine.”
“Not so. It suits as it is.”
“It does?”
“I'm opening a bank.”
“Well, that's good news. We could use a bank hereabouts. Business has picked up lately.”
“So I hear.”
And that was as far as the conversation stretched. Wes wondered what his father would have done to prod more responses from Mr. Badger. He hoped Miss Nina was more of a conversationalist. He could scarcely wait to get her alone to find out.
The silence continued as he drove the horses at a sprightly rate down onto the river road, thoughts of the lovely girl behind him filling his mind.
Miss Nina laid a hand on his shoulder and asked, “Is the house much farther? I’m so anxious to see it.”
He swung his head to look toward her, his toes tingling so much he could scarcely respond to her question. “It’s not so much farther on,” he finally managed to say. Her hand lay so softly upon him that he wondered if it was really made of flesh and bones.
“I’m glad. We’ve traveled so far in anticipation of arriving at a good place.”
“Haught Springs is the best place hereabouts to settle, Miss,” he replied. “We have abundant water from the river, and good weather. Your family has made a good choice.”
“Father is quite astute,” she murmured, and patted his shoulder.
He thought he would melt. The skin around her huge blue eyes crinkled a bit as she smiled at him.
~~~
Discount pricing for Read an Ebook Week lasts through tonight, March 12, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
Click here to go to my Profile Page at Smashwords.com, where you will find a list of my books and stories.
Use the coupon code RAE25 at checkout for the following discounted items:
The Zion Trail
Gone for a Soldier
The Man from Shenandoah
Ride to Raton
Trail of Storms
Spinster's Folly
Western Stories: Four Tales of the West
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The Owen Family Saga Sampler
Thumps and Losers: Two Short Stories
Rapid Recipes for Writers . . . And Other Busy People
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