Chapter Four

Gail wished she had brought a fan with her because all of her layers of clothing were making it difficult to cool down. Sitting in a train station always made her unusually warm. She'd been hot on the train, too, but that was because she'd been sitting next to Lucas. It was hard to relax whenever he was nearby. Even when they were younger, she'd felt a spark of excitement go through her whenever he was around. He didn't even have to look her way or talk to her. He just needed to be in the same room.

In the past, she hadn't fooled herself into thinking anything would come of her childhood fantasies. He hadn't given her a reason to think he felt the same way she did. She figured he would eventually find someone else to fall in love with and marry. That was why no one was more surprised than her to find out he had developed feelings for her.

She still recalled the day a couple of ladies told her they overheard him speaking fondly about her. She hadn't dared to believe them until her parents confirmed it. The day her father told her Lucas had asked for permission to court her, she couldn't concentrate on anything. She hadn't even been able to sleep that night.

The courtship seemed like such a whirlwind. Lucas had been so sweet. He came with flowers and candy. He took her to the theatre so she could see her favorite play. He only danced with her at dinner parties. He asked her to go on walks in the parks. He even brought a picnic for them to enjoy one time. She didn't fool herself into thinking she had the beauty that could rival Brenda or Whitney, but he made her feel like she was the most attractive lady in all of Pennsylvania. Others commented on how devoted he was to her. A few ladies even confided that they wished their husbands were like him. Within a couple of months, he had proposed to her, and today, they had the fairytale wedding she'd always dreamed of. Everything had been perfect.

What she wanted most was to be there for him when he needed help, which was why she couldn't let him go all the way to Arizona alone. When she made her vows before man and God, she meant them. She was going to help him find his sister. She might not have spoken much to Bernadette, but she liked her well enough, and she knew that Lucas was close to his sister. He had to be fraught with worry. She hoped that, by distracting him with games, he wouldn't worry himself sick. Bernadette would need him to be of sound mind when it was time for him to rescue her.

They had already spent a couple of days on the rails. At the moment, they were at the train station in Little Rock, Arkansas. They were waiting for the train that would take them down to Texas. From there, it wouldn't be too long before they reached Arizona.

They had only managed to get a little sleep on the train since they didn't have a sleeping car. She was looking forward to resting in a hotel. She hoped they had those in Arizona. She knew nothing about the West. Did people even bathe there? She sure could use a bath.

Lucas came over to her and gave her a glass of water. "The train is late. We'll be here for another half hour."

She thanked him for the drink as he sat next to her. She took a drink of the water and grimaced. It was warm. She supposed she should have expected this. Ever since they crossed the Mississippi River, the train stations had gotten smaller and hotter. But she knew that even as uncomfortable as she was, she was better off than poor Bernadette. She tried not to think about the kind of things outlaws might do to a lone woman, because when she did think about it, it made her sick to her stomach. She might have been sheltered all of her life, but even she understood that a woman was vulnerable when faced with danger.

A snicker from nearby caught her attention. Swallowing the last of her water, she glanced over at three men who were chuckling and pointing at her and Lucas.

She hurried to avert her gaze back to the glass in front of her. Maybe if she ignored them, they would stop. The technique had always worked in the past. Not being the prettiest girl in school, she'd had her share of being laughed at by others, especially the other girls who were prettier than she was. It wasn't that she was ugly, per se, but she did seem to lack that certain something that made the other girls more attractive. She didn't understand what that certain something was. Her maid had taken measures to fix her hair into attractive styles, and she always wore the latest fashion. She made an attempt to look as beautiful as she could. For some reason, however, her efforts just weren't good enough.

The snickers from the three men did not stop. If anything, they seemed to be getting worse.

"I've had enough of this," Lucas said as he rose to his feet.

She grabbed his arm. "There is no sense in confronting them. All it'll do is embolden them."

He hesitated, sat back down, and whispered, "I can't let them continue laughing at us."

Her face warmed with pleasure. He cared about her so much that when people laughed at her, he felt that they were laughing at him, too? It was a wonderful testament of his love for her. She didn't know what she had done to earn his devotion, but she was going to do everything in her power to be the wife he deserved.

"They aren't worth the argument," she whispered in return. "Besides, we won't see those men after today."

He glanced back at the men. With a sigh, he settled back into his seat. "All right, I won't go over there."

To show him that she appreciated his concern for her, she slipped her arm around his and leaned into him.

The minutes slowly ticked by while the three men continued to stare at them. She had to fight the urge to wiggle in her seat. Why couldn't those men get bored and leave her alone? Surely, they had seen other women who weren't the prettiest around. She could not be the only plain one in the entire country.

To her shock, one of the men gestured for Lucas to go over to them. Oh no. What did they want to do now? Did they want to ask Lucas why he would be married to someone like her?

"I'm going over there," Lucas told her.

Before she could stop him, he marched over to them.

Her heartbeat picked up in dread. She didn't think anyone back in her hometown had ever come up to him and pointed out that he could've done better than her. Even if the girls in her school had been blunt when they were younger, they did have enough manners to stop once they grew up. She attributed that to the fact that they were in polite society. Out here, people might not care about certain civilities.

She told herself not to look over at them as Lucas spoke to them. She was certain no good would come from it. However, there was that other part of her – the one that was upset someone would insult her to her own husband – that prompted her to listen in on the conversation. On the pretense of returning her glass of water to the counter where the man was selling drinks, she edged in close enough to hear what they were saying.

"I'm just saying that you and your wife don't belong in these parts," one of the men told Lucas. "What are you? Royalty or something?"

"Yeah," another man said. "We fought you British in the war. We won't have the likes of you coming out here telling us what to do."

Gail frowned. What were they talking about? She turned her gaze directly to them.

One of the men gestured to the clothes Lucas was wearing. "You aren't the new marshal who's supposed to be coming to these parts, are you?"

"We don't care if you're from the law," another added. "If you're going to be dressing like you're highfalutin' society, you can take yourself elsewhere."

Gail's eyes grew wide. Those men didn't have a problem with her. They had a problem with what she and Lucas were wearing!

Were she and Lucas really dressed too fancy to be out in this part of the country? She scanned the people in the room, taking careful note of the clothes they were wearing. Then she examined the clothes she and Lucas had on. She supposed the men had a point. She and Lucas did look out of place here.

She made her way over to Lucas and touched his arm. When he glanced in her direction, she asked, "Can I talk to you in private?"

"I have something I need to do here first," he told her as he gestured to the men.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she whispered. "And what I have to say is important."

"What I'm doing here is important, too. I need to settle something."

"You ought to listen to her," one of the men said.

"I can talk to her when I'm done with you," Lucas argued.

Oh, dear. Lucas was only going to make things worse. She tugged on the sleeve of his shirt. After a moment, he turned his gaze back to her. She nodded toward the corner of the room where they could have their privacy.

"That woman you have with you is showing good, common sense," another man spoke up. "You would do well to heed her warning."

Lucas' face turned red. Though she didn't want to upset him, especially so soon after their wedding, she realized if she didn't put a stop to the argument, things could get worse. Right now, the men were giving him the chance to back out. The last thing Lucas needed was to get into a brawl. He was better off saving his energy to find his sister.

A tense moment passed before Lucas relented and motioned that he would follow her to the corner of the room.

Relieved, she led the way. When they were safely away from the men, she gave a tentative glance in their direction and saw that they were chuckling to each other. At least they were staying on their side of the room. "I hate to say it, but I think we need to buy new clothes."

Lucas didn't hide his surprise. "I am going to Arizona to find my sister. I'm not going there to get a new wardrobe."

"I know, and I want to find her as much as you do. The thing is, we are out of place here. Take a good look at what everybody else is wearing. We look like we think we're better than these people. That will make us stand out, and standing out could hinder our chances of getting your sister."

He frowned. "How will it hinder our chances?"

"These bandits who kidnapped your sister may realize that we're coming to rescue her when they hear that people dressed up in fancy clothes are in Arizona."

"We are not dressed in anything fancy."

"That's true in Pennsylvania, but it's not true out here. We are in a completely different environment. These people don't look anything like us."

Understanding lit his eyes. "So you think if we wear the kind of clothes these people are wearing, then the bandits won't know us when they see us."

"Yes. We have a better chance of sneaking up on them and saving your sister if they don't know who we are."

"Do you think we have enough time to get new outfits before the train comes in?"

She nodded. "If we pick out the first things that will fit us, we have the time."

"Alright, let's do it," he agreed.