Pony Express Courtship by Rhonda Gibson Page A

Miller.”
    â€œI’m sorry, no one works here by that name,” the man said, looking down at the pile of papers in front of him.
    He realized his mistake and tried again. “No, I don’t expect she does. I was wondering if you could direct me to her house.”
    Once more the man looked up. “No, I’m not sure that I could and even if I could, I’m not sure that I would or should.” His eyes moved up and down Seth as if assessing his appearance.
    â€œIs there someone here that can tell me?” Seth asked, beginning to feel flustered and realizing that he was drawing quite a bit of attention from the others.
    The man sighed and stood. “Wait right here.”
    Seth nodded. The man walked toward one of the offices. He knocked on the door and entered shortly afterward. Maybe the bank wasn’t the best place to ask for directions, he thought as he waited.
    It felt as if everyone watched him, but Seth knew that was ridiculous. The line continued to move where the two bank tellers were working. He looked down at the chair in front of the desk and thought about sitting down to wait, but at that moment the man reappeared.
    When he was within hearing distance, he said. “I’m sorry, sir. Bank policy is to not give out personal information on our depositors.”
    Well, that was good to know. Seth nodded his understanding and then turned to leave. The man laid a hand on his arm. He looked at him. With a nod of his head toward the old-timers playing checkers, the man said in a low voice, “But there is nothing to stop you from asking around.”
    Seth grinned. “Thank you. I think I will see how the game is going.”
    The man nodded once and dropped his hand. “Thank you for coming in. If you ever need help opening an account, come on back in.”
    The two men looked up when Seth approached their table. “Good morning, gentlemen. I was wondering if either of you could tell me where Mrs. Miller lives. My name is Seth Armstrong and I’m supposed to pick up her and Mrs. Young this morning, but I forgot to get the address from Jacob.”
    One of the men held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Armstrong. I’m Caleb Smith and this is my brother-in-law, Marcus Boyd.” He returned to his game.
    Seth leaned against the wall and waited. Sometimes older fellas wanted time to think about their next move both in life and while playing a game. Mr. Boyd jumped two of Mr. Smith’s pieces.
    With a grin, he looked up at Seth. “She lives behind the bank here. Her house is the one with the windows boarded up. I saw that landlord of hers boarding them up this morning. Just go to the end of the block and turn left. You won’t miss it.” He returned his focus to the game.
    â€œMuch obliged.” Seth walked out of the bank.
    The bright sunshine felt good on his face. He hurried to the livery and climbed aboard the wagon. If all went well, he’d have the ladies out to the farm by dinnertime.
    As the horses rounded the corner, he saw Rebecca carrying a box to the edge of the street. He waved at her as he set the brake.
    â€œGood morning, Mr. Armstrong.”
    Mr. Armstrong? Seth didn’t like that. “Good morning, Mrs. Young.” He frowned, not liking how that sounded any better.
    â€œWe’re just about done packing,” she said as she turned to walk back to the house. “I thought Jacob or Andrew would be coming for us.”
    Seth jumped down from the wagon and caught up with her. “I had Pony Express business to take care of.”
    â€œAre you finished with your business?” she asked, turning to face him.
    â€œNo, I wanted to find you first.” Seth looked down into her pretty blue eyes. He should have taken care of ordering the saddles and tack before searching for her. Confusion filled his mind as he questioned his own motives for coming to her first.
    â€œWhy?”
    That was the question of