When the train pulled into the station Lucy felt her stomach lurch. She looked out the window and realized the town was nothing like she’d thought it would be.

She’d pictured trees, bushes, green grass. There’d been a lot of greenery on the way to this town, and granted, the surrounding hills and mountains were green enough, but the town itself?

Dusty, was the word that came to mind.

Also, far more crowded than she’d expected.

She heard Ada calling for her to hurry, and quickly left her seat and gathered her possessions.

She exited the train with help from the usher, gave the man a tip and a smile, and quickly found herself on the platform.

She glanced over to see men unloading luggage, looked around for Ada, and finally found the girl, waving in the distance. She quickly joined her.

Ada, her face lit with happiness, gathered a rather battered suitcase from the pile forming against the wall of the wooden building. “I’ve found someone to take me to my hotel. Would you like to ride with us? Or have you found the gentleman taking you to the schoolhouse?”

Lucy couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve barely had time to catch my breath.”

“Do you want me to wait?”

“No, you go ahead. I’m sure that Mr. Newby will arrive momentarily.”

“Well, if you’re sure?”

“I am.”

The younger girl threw herself at Lucy and gave her a quick hug. “Alright, you know where to find me. I’ll be at the McDermott hotel, one of the grandest hotels in the entire Northwest!” Ada giggled, and added a small curtsy. “Of course, I’ll be in the servant’s quarters, but I bet they’ll be nice as well.”

“I’m sure they will be.”

Lucy watched the younger girl go, and glanced around for her own transportation. She wished now she’d had more time to get ready for her adventure, a chance to write letters back and forth. The few telegrams exchanged between her and the school district had not mentioned a description of Mr. Newby.

A young gentleman wearing blue jeans, a belt, and a sturdy tweed jacket and bowler hat looked a likely prospect. He stood talking to a couple of older gentlemen, who were much better dressed than himself. She moved forward, reluctant to interrupt, but as she reached the gentleman, the two others tipped their hat and walked off.

“Excuse me?”

When the gentleman turned Lucy was unprepared for the sheer handsomeness of the well-favored male before her.

He ripped off his hat to reveal well-trimmed dark hair, and stunning green eyes. “Ma’am? Can I help you?”

Broad cheekbones, a strong jaw, and tanned face. Lips curving into a smile made her realize she was staring.

“Ma’am?”

“Oh.” Heat rushed into her face and she cursed her fair skin. “Excuse me, I am Miss Rickman, from New York City. Are you Mr. Newby?”

“And if I am?” His green eyes seemed to tease, as he settled his hat back on his head.

She didn’t appreciate the provocation. “Well, if you are Mr. Newby, then you’re the gentleman I’m looking for.”

When he looked blank, she tried to be patient. “You are to drive me to Mrs. Collier’s boarding house, isn’t that correct?”

He was staring at her, his gaze slightly calculating.

“Mr. Newby?”

“Of course.” He gave his head a shake. “Of course, it would be my honor to take you there.”

“My trunk is right over there. The big brown one.”

The man gave her a quick nod. “If you’ll excuse me for just a moment, Miss Rickman?”

“Of course.”

She watched as he crossed the boardwalk and intercepted another man, had a quick chat with him, and sent him on his way. After that he hurried to her trunk and lifted it by himself.

The man was strong.

“Right this way, Miss.”

Feeling slightly breathless, she followed, admiring the easy way he carried her trunk, and then forced her gaze away.

She took a deep steadying breath and glanced around at what she could see of the town once more.

There seemed to be people of all ethnicities walking the streets, and tall buildings rose throughout the town.

She tried to find some of her former excitement, and had to admit what she felt was a bit scared.

She felt the reticule hanging at her side, comforted by the fact that she carried a return ticket.

She lifted her chin. She was a grown woman. A schoolteacher, and a woman of the world. So what if this was the first time she’d traveled without her mother? It most certainly wouldn’t be the last.

She followed Mr. Newby to a wagon where he set her trunk down hard.

“Careful now!”

He turned and grinned at her. “Sorry.”

“That trunk has traveled with me to Paris, Italy, and, of course, New York. It’s lasted well, and I don’t want to see it damaged.”

He tipped his hat and looked genuinely contrite. “Ma’am.” He offered her his hand.

Again, she took a deep breath. She’d never had to deal with situations like this alone. The realization that she would be sitting next to the man on the wagon left her feeling somewhat flustered. Had she ever even been on a wagon? If so, she had no memory of it.

She took his hand and he helped her up onto her seat.

Once again, she looked at the dirty streets and rough terrain which were the backdrop of some impossibly beautiful buildings. The place seemed to be a mishmash of differences.

“It’s nothing like New York City.”

He grinned at her again, charming, attractive. A ladies’ man, no doubt. “Did you expect it to be?”

Even his voice, deep and husky, was attractive.

“No, of course not. Just making conversation.”

“I take it this is your first time visiting here?”

“It is.”

“And you’re here to teach at the school?”

“I am.”

“Well, you’ll have your hands full. The last schoolteacher ran off and got married, and I swear I heard the mayor saying that he wouldn’t hire another woman.”

“It’s just for the next few months. Then we are both to reevaluate.”

To be perfectly honest, she wasn’t even sure she wanted to continue teaching after the summer break. What she did want, was to get away from New York City at the moment. And perhaps to establish a bit of independence.

She was very aware of the man beside her, and assured herself the feeling was not unusual. The last man who’d sat this close to her was her fiancé.

Once again, anger flared within her. If he’d wanted to conceive children with other women, why had he bothered asking her to marry him?

Did he realize she thought he deserved nothing from her, that the ugliness he’d brought into her life absolved her from a face-to-face meeting? Or would he think she’d scrambled out of town like a scared rabbit?

Perhaps she should write him a scathing letter to be sure he understood the situation.

Would he have tried to talk her into marrying him still? Or would he have been relieved that his secret was out?

She didn’t know, and hopefully sooner, rather than later, would no longer care.

“Hold onto your hat!”

Lucy did just that as the horse pulled the wagon up a steep street. When they turned the corner, they leveled off once more. “What a beautiful home!” Lucy looked at the Georgian style mansion that would’ve looked at home on any New York street.

He smiled again. The man really was a charmer. “You like that?”

“I do.”

“That’s the Smith home. You’ll see several others just like it. Well, not just like it. All of them are very different. But you’ll see some of similar quality all through the town.”

“I have to admit that this is nothing like what I expected.”

“What did you expect?”

“I don’t know, I’ve been around the world, but never out West. It has its own mythology, if you will. Gunfights, saloons, cattle ranches. But also, small towns with churches and white picket fences.”

“We have some of those as well.”

“I suppose because this is a mining town, it’s different from what I’ve imagined. The people, for one thing. I wasn’t expecting so many different ethnicities.”

“Word gets out fast when gold or silver are discovered. Entire towns can fill up almost overnight.”

“Tell me, Mr. Newby…”

“Please, call me Boone.”

She hesitated a moment, the inappropriateness of calling him by his given name making her pause. The phrase ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’ popped into her head and she decided to lose some of her starch. “Boone, then. And you must call me Lucy.”

Boone’s lips curled once again, and Lucy ’s heart pounded as she felt a flare of excitement at her own daring. Her mother would die on the spot if she heard Lucy make such an offer to a man she’d just met.

But why not? She was an independent woman now, with a broken engagement behind her, and employment in her future. Her life was going in an entirely new direction.

And without her mother and father there, heavens, without any family, shouldn’t she be able to choose her own friends and associations?

This man, who she’d be working with, seemed like a perfect place to start.

The fact that he was incredibly attractive had absolutely nothing to do with it.

The next time he smiled at her, Lucy smiled back.

* * *

Boone was going straight to hell.

He could not believe he was doing this.

When Miss Lucy Rickman had approached him at the train station, mistakenly thinking he was her ride to the school, one look into her stunning sky-blue eyes, and he’d flat-out lied so he could meet her.

He’d had a bad moment when the school handyman, Pete Newby, had shown up. But he’d told the man he would take her out to the school if Pete would just run out to the new hotel Boone was building and check on the indoor pool.

The man was always looking for extra work around town and had jumped at the chance.

So, now here he was, escorting the prettiest girl he’d ever seen to the school, and she had no idea who he was. She was a bossy little charmer, telling him where and how to load her trunk.

He’d been out to the mine this morning and was a little bit dirty, a little bit sweaty, and he supposed he did look the part of a handyman.

And, if he wasn’t mistaken, the girl was flirting with him. Just a little bit.

It was something of a rush to realize that for the first time in several years, he didn’t have to wonder if a girl might like him for himself or for his money.

She was a schoolteacher, he was a handyman. This ruse probably would not last throughout the day, and that was too bad, but he was going to have fun with it.

The chance to court a girl who wasn’t after his money?

Priceless to him.

And with such a pretty girl, too.

If he could just have one good day with her where she didn’t know that he was rich.

School handyman? He could definitely work with that.

Anyway, in a town like this, he needed to move fast, before she got snatched up.

He couldn’t help but wonder if his sudden fascination came from the fact that his mother was pressuring him to marry.

No matter, he wouldn’t take that into consideration, and he wouldn’t let that deter him.

One good day. That was all he asked. Just one day with a pretty girl who didn’t know he was rich.

* * *

Lucy was aware of the man sitting next to her to an uncomfortable degree.

She wasn’t naïve. She was experienced enough to realize what she was feeling was attraction. She probably shouldn’t be sitting so close to the man, but the bench wasn’t very wide, and as the man needed room to hold the reins, they were forced to sit closer than would have been normal.

Asking him to move over would probably cause even more awkwardness, so she stayed silent, and instead, took in the sights of the new town.

“There’s the bank. Mr. O’Brian is the manager. He looks like an easy-going gentleman, but don’t let that fool you, the man is a shark.”

“A shark?”

“You know, a slippery animal one finds in the water with lots of teeth that would probably tear you to bits given the opportunity.”

“I know what a shark is, Mr. Newby. I’ve just never heard that expression before.”

He chuckled. “Well, now you have.” He pointed to a building off to his left. “This here is the Mercantile. The Andersons run this store. They’re a nice couple, and a fine family. Of course, there is Mr. Anderson’s little problem.”

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling and after a momentary debate with herself, asked the question. “What little problem?”

Boone lifted his hand and tilted it back a couple of times.

“What does that mean?”

He made the motion again. “I’m tilting my head back to indicate the man has a drinking problem.”

She grinned at him. “I actually did know that. I just wanted to see you do it again.”

He laughed out loud.

She was teasing him, and she liked it.

He was fully grinning now. “All right, Miss Smart Mouth, if you will look off to your right, you will see the Jenkin’s place. They’re a good family as well, and you’ll most likely have some of their kids in your class.” His tone was dubious.

“But?”

“I’m glad you asked.” His grin was contagious. “Mrs. Jenkins was once a schoolteacher herself. Rumor has it she’s run off several teachers with her sharp tongue. But I’m sure you’ll be the best of friends.”

She laughed. “Well, as a first-time schoolteacher, perhaps I’ll get some pointers from her.”

He barked out a laugh. “With an attitude like that, you’re sure to.”

Lucy found herself enjoying the town, and looking forward to her adventure more than she had before.

What a difference a friendly face made.

She found Mr. Newby’s flirtatious attitude welcome. In fact, he was making things better.

As they pulled up in front of a pretty white house with a white picket fence she glanced at Mr. Newby and they both started to laugh.

“I’m sure you’ll be very happy here.”

“With a fence like that, how could I not be?”

“That’s what I thought.”

He set the brake on the wagon and jumped down to help her disembark.

Rather than taking her hand and helping her down, he gripped her by the waist and easily lifted her, swung her around and set her on the ground.

She pressed a hand to her thumping chest.

The move had been so unexpected, so effortless, and so intimate! With the feelings he’d aroused within her, she almost felt as if she ought to slap his face or something, but he was casually going about his business, and she felt foolish to be the only one affected by the movement.

She’d never been treated so casually in the past.

She found herself turning away to survey the boardinghouse she was to stay in, the white clapboard house, the pretty rosebushes in front, the two trees growing on either side, not even nearing full maturity. All in all, a pretty little place to come home to.

It was working. Her heart slowed in her chest, and she could feel the heat in her cheeks receding. Thank goodness!

Mr. Newby carried her trunk to the door, and she followed behind. He set the trunk down. “Well, this is goodbye then.”

“I’m sure I’ll see you at the school.”

“I hope so. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“I do have an appointment with the mayor this afternoon at two o’clock.”

“I’ll be here.”

“That’s awfully kind. Thank you.”

And with a quick glance at the front door he was down the step, jumping in the wagon, and heading down the road.

She blinked at the abruptness of it all, and then shook her head and knocked.

A moment later the door swung open to reveal a woman who looked as cheerful as the house. Slender, with thick brown hair pulled up into a bun, and a frilly white apron covering her gingham skirt.

She smiled widely at Lucy. “You must be Miss Rickman. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long? I was in the kitchen and didn’t hear you arrive.”

“Not at all.”

“Come in, come in. I am Mrs. Collier. Welcome to my house.”

“Thank you.”

“No doubt your tired and hungry. Let me show you to your room and you can freshen up.”

“Thank you. Mr. Newby dropped me off, but had to leave abruptly. Do you know of someone that could carry my trunk inside for me?”

Mrs. Collier glanced at the case. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. I’ll have my boys carry it upstairs later.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course. Supper will be on the table at noon.”

“That sounds wonderful. You have a lovely place here, Mrs. Collier.”

The other woman smiled. “Thank you.” She started up the stairs. “If you will follow me, we’ll just get you settled in.”

Lucy followed.

“I’m surprised Mr. Newby took off so abruptly.”

“Do you know him?”

“Of course, I know him. He usually stops in for a bite to eat when he’s over this way.”

Lucy probably shouldn’t ask, but, why not? This was a new life for her, wasn’t it? She didn’t have to adhere strictly to the proprieties like she did in New York City any longer, and so she might as well start as she meant to go on.

“Do you happen to know if Mr. Newby is unmarried?”

Mrs. Collier looked startled at the question. “Why, yes. He is a bachelor.” The lady turned at the top stair to study Lucy’s face. She looked baffled. “I hope you’re not interested in him. Perhaps I might warn you that the man is a drinker.”

“Of course, I’m not interested. I was just curious. He has a weakness for alcoholic beverages?”

“Sadly, he does. Occasionally, when he is supposed to be working for someone, he won’t show up, because he’s sleeping it off.”

Lucy was very surprised by that fact. “The man didn’t seem like a drinker.”

“Didn’t he? I would have said the opposite. Though, I understand he is doing much better since the school district hired him.”

Lucy thought back on his handsome face, that her mind had shown zero signs of dissipation. But, she supposed she was new to town, so what did she know?

What a shame. The spark of attraction she’d felt for the man now seemed unfortunate.

What was she thinking, anyway? The man had driven her to her boardinghouse. She wasn’t planning to marry him.

Still, she was sad for him. She’d liked him very much, and wouldn’t have minded getting to know him better.

She followed Mrs. Collier to her new room, knowing she should simply feel grateful that she’d been warned.

So why, instead, did she feel disappointed?