Letters and Love

Chapter Twenty-One: Elizabeth

After so many days of sitting on the train and then sitting in a jolting stagecoach, it was a relief to stand for a while. From Chicago to the Wyoming territory, nothing of note had happened. I'd been half afraid there would be some attack by the native people or from bandits.

There had been stories at each stop from other travelers that had made my blood run cold. But I had reached the territory city of Cheyenne and then made the journey further into the territory.

There had been five other men on the stage and one woman. Conversation had been difficult to keep up as the stage traversed the rocky, uneven path that was the 'road.' The constant motion did nothing to calm my nerves.

And now, here I was. Sitting across from Noah Coleman.

I'd only had a vague vision in my head of what he would look like. Tall and rugged. Maybe dark hair. And I will admit I thought he would have a beard and wear furs and skins like some kind of mountain man.

Being met by a man who was only a couple inches taller than me had been a bit of a surprise. His hair was a sandy brown with streaks of silver at his temples. He was shaved and was dressed as many men I'd seen on my journey: brown pants, white shirt, a brown vest, and boots. While most men wore a gun, Noah did not.

His voice was a low baritone that made my heart skip a beat every time I heard him speak. How had a man who sounded so great not had women falling at his feet? Did he just not talk to people, and they didn't know?

We drank coffee and ate dried apple pie. Mrs. Royal, a lovely woman who couldn't have been much older than me, had welcomed us into her cozy cafe and then given us space to become better acquainted.

Not that we talked about anything important. Merely how the weather had been for my journey and how long it had taken me to get there. Awkward conversation strangers might have had anywhere in the country. How could we get past that?

An unwelcome solution presented itself ten minutes after we sat down. A burly man entered the cafe. He immediately removed his hat as he stepped towards our table. "Mr. Jones," Mrs. Royal exclaimed, trying to get his attention. There was an odd note of panic in her voice. "This is a surprise. What can I get you?"

"I don't need anything, Mrs. Royal," he responded, without even looking at her. "I'm here to speak to the lady."

Noah tensed, pursing his lips. Well, I could guess what the man thought he needed to tell me.

"We have not been introduced, sir," I said, doing my best to imitate my mother at her most disapproving. It felt impossible to look down my nose at him when I was sitting down, but I tried to do it, anyway. "Who are you?"

His face flushed. "I'm doing my moral duty, ma'am," he said stubbornly. "You don't know this man and what he has done—"

"This man is Mr. Noah Coleman, is he not?" I interrupted to ask. Confirm the facts first and attack the discrepancies after.

"Well, yes, he is but—"

"Then I must tell you that I know him." I cut him off again. "We have been corresponding for many months now. He's told me there have been baseless rumors being spread about him this summer. You intend to tell me that he has trifled with a young girl's affections, do you not?"

"Well, that's not—"

"From what I have been told, this is a rumor that has not been proved one way or the other," I continued, without giving him a chance to speak. "Do you intend to tell me you have proof of his misdeeds? A witness, perhaps, who saw him with the girl?"

The man tugged at his collar. "Well, not exactly, but—"

"Then what can you possibly have to tell me? When you have someone with proof and not just something someone said at some point, you may bring up the topic again," I informed him. "I do not know you, so I cannot think why I would take your word against someone I ‌know. You haven't even had the courtesy to give me your name."