pin on a badge and suddenly folks feel it’s their duty to speak to me.” He scowled.
“It’s a nice change from how things used to be. You started this town. No reason you shouldn’t interact with the grateful residents.”
“We started this town. I’m happy to leave the mingling to you and Will.”
“Back to the widow Miller. How did she react to your scars?”
“Didn’t seem to mind. The girls, either.” He squinted at Daniel. “Don’t get that look.”
“What look?”
“The dopey one that makes you look like you’re seven,” he shot back, wondering where his anger had gone. Maybe if they’d meant it as a joke or as a way to hurt him, he could’ve nursed his ire. But it had been a misguided attempt to improve his life. “I’m not marrying Constance. In fact, I was on my way to the hotel to secure her a suite. Will’s largest and finest, as he’ll be footing the bill.”
He started walking through the grass toward the dusty street. Daniel blocked his retreat.
“Whoa. Are you sure that’s such a good idea?”
“It’s the logical choice.”
“Tell me what she looks like,” the other man prodded. “Is she pretty?”
“Pretty isn’t the right word. She’s like an exotic bloom that needs an awful lot of care and attention.”
Daniel’s gaze intensified. “An exotic bloom, huh?”
The tips of his ears burned. “Why does it matter?”
“You don’t remember the crush of men at the train station the day Leah and the others arrived? The locals are starved for female companionship. If you put Mrs. Miller up at the Cattleman, she’ll be accosted by marriage-minded men, not all of them worthy of a woman’s hand.”
“Not my problem.” Sidestepping him, Noah continued walking.
“You’re refusing to marry her.” Daniel spoke to his back. “In doing so, you’re putting her and her daughters at risk. Do you not feel an ounce of responsibility toward them?”
Noah halted, his gaze on the bustling traffic ahead—wagons, single riders and pedestrians. Clusters of crude, rowdy cowboys whistling and gesturing to Pippa Neely, one of the original mail-order brides and the town’s resident actress, as she traversed the boardwalk.
Daniel came abreast of him. “It’d be a shame if she chose the wrong sort of man. You’d be forced to see the evidence of her poor choice for the rest of your life.”
Noah ground his teeth. He couldn’t deny that if he found out she or the twins were being mistreated, he’d wind up locked in a cell for beating the guy within an inch of his life. “There’s another possibility.”
Settling his derby on his head, Daniel waited.
“She might fancy a drover,” Noah pointed out. “She wouldn’t be sticking around then.”
“That defeats our purpose. We want to grow Cowboy Creek, not provide brides for itinerant cowboys.”
He threw up in his hands in frustration. “What do you propose I do?”
“Allow her to stay at your place until the three of us—you, me and Will—help her make a wise and proper choice.”
Noah snorted. “She’s not the sort of woman to be led about. Despite her helpless appearance, Constance knows her own mind.”
“We won’t make her choice for her. We’ll simply be advising her on her suitors’ characters and reputations.”
He closed his eyes, wishing he could rewind time a couple of days. “Fine,” he growled. “They can stay for the time being.”
“Do you want Will and I there when you explain things?”
“Oh, no. It’s best if you leave the explaining to me.”
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