Letters and Love

Chapter Six: Noah

After my reassuring conversation with my friend, I found myself wondering what he had said to the Burns' when he visited them. Had he had any success in reasoning with them? Had he learned why they had been so set on ruining my reputation?

Given that Rollin hadn't sent a message, I decided to assume that he'd run out of time before he had to leave for the next town. He would have made sure to let me know if there was something I needed to know, right? The thought haunted me over the next several weeks as I went about my usual routine.

Since so many in town had reacted negatively to my presence, I decided to stay away for as long as I could. Perhaps distance would allow time for tempers to cool and the townspeople to forget why they were so angry. Well, I doubted that would actually happen, but maybe they'd be more open to hearing my side of the story.

Or everyone would just think about it and get more and more upset.

The only downside to that was I couldn't check for any letters from Miss Garrison. I'd never received an answer from Miss Jones and I hoped she had sought out another opportunity. The last time I was in town, I'd received two from other ladies, late readers to the advertisement.

It felt impolite not to acknowledge them, so I'd penned brief letters to thank them for their interest,but that I was unable to pursue an attachment any longer.

I took advantage of the time on my homestead to straighten the inside of the barn. There were a few bags of feed left from the previous winter, and when I shifted them closer to the stalls, I noticed a pile of grain on the ground. Further inspection showed that at some point, something had chewed through the canvas.

"Just what I needed," I said, sitting back on my heels. "Rodents."

"Talking to yourself, Noah?"

With a start, I spun around, nearly falling over. A tall, familiar man stood in the doorway. "Sneaking up on people should be considered a crime," I complained, pulling myself up. "What are you doing here, Earnest?"

My friend and closest neighbor let out a laugh. "When I was in town, Collins mentioned he hadn't seen you in a while," he answered. He held up a small package. "SOmething came for you on the last stage"

"I didn't think Collins was supposed to give out the mail to just anyone."

"Well, you can take it up with him the next time you are in town," he said with a grin. "If you are truly upset, I can take it back to town and give it back to Collins. Then, you can ride to town when you want and collect it."

Shaking my head, I held my hand out. "That won't be necessary."

He handed me the envelope. "You've never been concerned about me bringing your mail before," he commented. "In fact, I remember doing it for you most of last year. Is Collins right?"

"Right about what?" I asked, recognizing Miss Garrison's handwriting. What had she sent me?

"He said that this package was important."

Great. At least Collins hadn't actually said that it was something from a lady I was courting. "I don't actually know what is in the package, so I can't say if it's important or not," I said, though I knew that wasn't exactly right. Anything Miss Garrison sent would have some importance.

If it was important enough for her to send across the country, I would value it as well.

"Well? Aren't you going to open it?"

"I'll open it when I'm good and ready ." Why was he so curious? Because packages of this size were rare. I slipped it into my pocket. "Do you want some coffee while you're here?"