This must be the
Red River written about in so many dime novels, she thought,
looking for any signs of the west along the banks of the endless river. As the
train moved along the tracks across the river to the land, she sighed in both
relief and disappointment. Relief that they would soon be traveling back on
solid ground. Disappointment that she hadn’t
seen any signs of cowboys and cattle trying to cross the river. She had hoped
to see something of the west depicted in those popular novels.
“Well, a city girl could hope,
couldn’t she,” she laughed as she settled back against the seat. Had she
really expected to find the scenes she’d read about in novels? Her educated
self laughed at her. Her romantic self was deeply disappointed. “Even
so, at least one cowboy would have been nice.”
Unwrapping
the other half of her sandwich, Mollie nibbled at the cold breakfast. She was
still very travel-weary and more than ready to arrive at her destination where
a new life would begin. She wasn’t
clear as to who would be meeting her at the station. Surely, it would be the
man whose daughter she was to care for. It couldn’t be anyone else unless he
sent a ranch hand in his stead. Back home it may well have been a servant sent
to meet her, but here in the unknown of the west, she couldn’t imagine there
were many servants.
Thus
the reason for her being here. Well, that and out of necessity of course.
She
wiped away the threat of tears that she’d
had to leave the Fitzgerald household in Boston. After almost fifteen years of
living with the Fitzgeralds and caring for their daughter Annie, Mollie grew to
consider them the only family she had ever known in her life. She had hoped
they felt the same about her, but obviously, once Annie had passed, they were
no longer in need of her services. Otherwise, she’d still be back in Boston
where she belonged.
Stop feeling sorry
for yourself! You were a mere companion to Annie, not her sister, Mollie scolded
herself and dried her tears. Another
family needs my help, and that’s all I’ll ever be. The orphan who would only have a family
at arm’s length. And although it may not be ideal, it is better than what some
of the orphaned children had been through these past years. For that I should
be grateful.
“Next stop: Fort Worth, Texas!”
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