Seth quickened his pace. If he hurried he'd get there in time to help Eloise out.
She turned on the wagon seat just in time to see him approach. Her face broke into a wide smile. “Good morning, Mr. Jones,” she said.
“ Mr. Jones, is it? What happened to calling me Seth? We are getting married tomorrow, after all.
“ Yes,” she sighed. “We most certainly are.”
He held his hands up to help her down. Eloise stared at them a moment. She was going to have to get used to allowing her husband to help her in and out of a wagon. But it wasn't so much his polite gesture that gave her pause, but rather, her reaction to it. Would his hands on her waist give her a thrill of excitement, or nothing at all? Again she questioned herself as to why she would have any doubt about marrying him. When it came right down to it, she had no valid reason for doubting it all. Yet, there was just that something…
“ Does everyone have a basket?” Sadie asked.
Eloise reached into the back of the wagon and grabbed the last one. “I have mine,” she said.
“ Don't tell me, let me guess,” said Seth. “You're going to pick flowers.”
“ They certainly are,” said Logan. “You wouldn't happen to want to go with them, would you?”
“ I think I can manage that,” said Seth as he gave Eloise a wink. “Why? Where will you be?”
“ I need to speak with the sheriff. I'll catch up with you later, and then you can head back to the hotel.”
“ Sounds all right to me, except for maybe the part about going back to the hotel,” Seth winked at Eloise again, and then offered her his arm.
She blushed as she took it, and looked to Sadie. “We're ready.”
“I can see that,” she said. “All right then; let's go.
They crossed the street and went down to the saloon to fetch Mrs. Mulligan. After that, they stopped by the hotel for Constance. Ryder had already left, and was on his way to the Whites’ farm to see about breeding Othello to one of their mares. “I do hope we find enough flowers to meet our needs,” said Eloise.
“ I don't see a problem with that, darlin',” said Seth. “Just look around; you got miles and miles of prairie near to bursting with them.”
“ It's not the amount of flowers that worries us,” said Sadie. It's the time we have. We need to be getting back to the ranch in an hour.
“ What's your hurry?” asked Seth.
“Belle isn’t feeling well,” said Sadie. “And I left Honoria with her.”
“I'm not a parent, but isn't it bad to leave a baby with a sick woman? Aren't you afraid she'll catch whatever Belle has?”
Mrs. Mulligan laughed . “There ain’t no chance of that, son. What Belle has ain’t contagious to a baby.”
“ I thought youngins catch everything,” he said. “Since when is someone who’s sick not contagious to a baby?”
“ Trust me,” said Sadie. “Honoria isn't going to catch what’s afflicted Belle anytime soon.”
Constance laughed. “You can say that again!”
Seth eyed the women with suspicion . “Why do I get the feeling you all know something I don't?”
Constance snorted.
“Ah ha! I knew there was something!” Seth said in triumph.
“No, there’s not! Now mind your own business!” blurted Mrs. Mulligan. “Besides, what does Constance’s snort have to do with anything?”
“B ecause Eloise told me that her sister snorts like that when she knows something everybody else doesn't!”
Constance s topped and spun to Eloise. “You told him that?”
“It might have come up in conversation,” Eloise said innocently.
“Your secret is out now!” Seth teased.
“You didn't tell him that Belle was pregnant, did you?” huffed Constance.
“ I didn't have to!” Eloise chastised. “You just did!”
Constance's hands immediately flew to her mouth. Her eyes went wide as she turned to Sadie. “I'm so sorry,” she mumbled through her fingers.
Sadie looked to the sky, and closed her eyes in resignation . “It's all right. In fact, I
She turned on the wagon seat just in time to see him approach. Her face broke into a wide smile. “Good morning, Mr. Jones,” she said.
“ Mr. Jones, is it? What happened to calling me Seth? We are getting married tomorrow, after all.
“ Yes,” she sighed. “We most certainly are.”
He held his hands up to help her down. Eloise stared at them a moment. She was going to have to get used to allowing her husband to help her in and out of a wagon. But it wasn't so much his polite gesture that gave her pause, but rather, her reaction to it. Would his hands on her waist give her a thrill of excitement, or nothing at all? Again she questioned herself as to why she would have any doubt about marrying him. When it came right down to it, she had no valid reason for doubting it all. Yet, there was just that something…
“ Does everyone have a basket?” Sadie asked.
Eloise reached into the back of the wagon and grabbed the last one. “I have mine,” she said.
“ Don't tell me, let me guess,” said Seth. “You're going to pick flowers.”
“ They certainly are,” said Logan. “You wouldn't happen to want to go with them, would you?”
“ I think I can manage that,” said Seth as he gave Eloise a wink. “Why? Where will you be?”
“ I need to speak with the sheriff. I'll catch up with you later, and then you can head back to the hotel.”
“ Sounds all right to me, except for maybe the part about going back to the hotel,” Seth winked at Eloise again, and then offered her his arm.
She blushed as she took it, and looked to Sadie. “We're ready.”
“I can see that,” she said. “All right then; let's go.
They crossed the street and went down to the saloon to fetch Mrs. Mulligan. After that, they stopped by the hotel for Constance. Ryder had already left, and was on his way to the Whites’ farm to see about breeding Othello to one of their mares. “I do hope we find enough flowers to meet our needs,” said Eloise.
“ I don't see a problem with that, darlin',” said Seth. “Just look around; you got miles and miles of prairie near to bursting with them.”
“ It's not the amount of flowers that worries us,” said Sadie. It's the time we have. We need to be getting back to the ranch in an hour.
“ What's your hurry?” asked Seth.
“Belle isn’t feeling well,” said Sadie. “And I left Honoria with her.”
“I'm not a parent, but isn't it bad to leave a baby with a sick woman? Aren't you afraid she'll catch whatever Belle has?”
Mrs. Mulligan laughed . “There ain’t no chance of that, son. What Belle has ain’t contagious to a baby.”
“ I thought youngins catch everything,” he said. “Since when is someone who’s sick not contagious to a baby?”
“ Trust me,” said Sadie. “Honoria isn't going to catch what’s afflicted Belle anytime soon.”
Constance laughed. “You can say that again!”
Seth eyed the women with suspicion . “Why do I get the feeling you all know something I don't?”
Constance snorted.
“Ah ha! I knew there was something!” Seth said in triumph.
“No, there’s not! Now mind your own business!” blurted Mrs. Mulligan. “Besides, what does Constance’s snort have to do with anything?”
“B ecause Eloise told me that her sister snorts like that when she knows something everybody else doesn't!”
Constance s topped and spun to Eloise. “You told him that?”
“It might have come up in conversation,” Eloise said innocently.
“Your secret is out now!” Seth teased.
“You didn't tell him that Belle was pregnant, did you?” huffed Constance.
“ I didn't have to!” Eloise chastised. “You just did!”
Constance's hands immediately flew to her mouth. Her eyes went wide as she turned to Sadie. “I'm so sorry,” she mumbled through her fingers.
Sadie looked to the sky, and closed her eyes in resignation . “It's all right. In fact, I
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