The following day, John Jackson was all Patience Graham could think about. She bustled about the restaurant, attending to different chores and tasks, but her mind was on the handsome man who had helped her the day before.

Even though he had flirted with her the evening before, he didn’t seem like the type who would be interested in settling down. Patience had always longed for a husband and a house full of babies. She was worried that if she waited too long, that might never happen. She tried to think of someone else. Surely there was another young man in Creede who was more suitable, but her thoughts kept returning to John and John alone.

Meanwhile, on his delivery route, John Jackson fantasized about taking Patience Graham out on a proper date. He didn’t know how he would convince her father—or her, for that matter—that he was responsible enough to do so, but he knew that was what he wanted.

He was so distracted that he made a wrong turn on the way to one of their usual delivery spots, and Willie, the young boy who assisted him on his route, had to point it out to him.

“What did you do that for, John?” Willie cried. “We’re going to be late for Mrs. Franklin!”

Mrs. Franklin was the kind woman who ran one of the many boarding houses in Creede. John was grateful there were good women like her in the town. He enjoyed his life there, but it had more than its fair share of problems. Greedy individuals came to Creede attempting to find wealth and fortune and ended up working grueling hours in the mines. Too many men turned to drink or women for comfort.

That would have been bad enough, but there was also a corrupt sheriff, a crooked businessman, and the businessman’s cruel nephew, Archibald Grady. Archie had arranged for several women to be kidnapped, but he remained free from jail because of his connections. He had been arrested and then released, with the former sheriff claiming that he didn’t have enough evidence that Archie committed the crime. John was relieved that the women had been found alive, but he worried about something like that happening to Patience. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if anything happened to her. Even though he wasn’t her husband, he felt a sense of responsibility for protecting her and keeping her safe.

“Come on, John! We’re here!” Willie pointed out, hopping out of the buggy while John just sat there, staring at something. Willie waited for John to step down and unload packages from the back of the wagon. John handed the packages to Willie, and Willie ran to the front door of the boarding house. He knocked on the door.

A young woman answered the door with a baby in her arms. Willie recognized her as Becky Bowen, a young woman who had found herself in a precarious position after her fiancé had died just a week before her wedding. She and her fiancé had anticipated their vows, and she had ended up pregnant and alone, staying with Mrs. Franklin. Fortunately, Amos Bowen had been boarding with Mrs. Franklin and was taken with the beautiful woman. He hadn’t judged her for her mistake and instead had proposed to her on the day they’d met. Now, they lived just outside of town in a big house Amos had built.

“Hi, Willie,” Becky said softly, not wanting to wake the sleeping baby. “I’m just here visiting Mrs. Franklin. What have you got for her today?”

Willie was quiet, too. “There are two packages. Where would you like me to put them?”

Becky opened the door a bit wider. “You can set them right here on this table.”

Willie came inside and set the packages down. “Goodbye, Becky!”

“Bye, Willie.” Becky whispered. She watched him walk out the door and back to the wagon, and she waved at John Jackson. She was impressed. John looked much nicer than he usually did. She liked his father, Mortimer, a great deal, but all she knew about John was that he had taken up drinking after his mother’s death. He was a handsome man, but she had often seen him look sloppy and unkempt. Today, his hair was combed neatly, and he was wearing a crisp white shirt and pants.

John waved back at Becky. She was a kind woman, and he was grateful things had worked out for her and Amos. Life would be hard for an unwed mother anywhere, but it would have been especially terrible in Creede, where women seemed to be in constant danger. If Becky had gotten a second chance, John mused, maybe he could, too.

“John! Are you even listening to me?” Willie complained. “We are going to be late again!” He didn’t understand why his boss was so distracted. Willie and John were normally a great team, getting done with all of their scheduled deliveries by the end of the day. Sometimes, they even had time to stop by the mercantile, and Toria would sneak a few cookies or loaves of bread to Willie that he could share with his family.

Since Willie’s father’s accident, his mother had struggled to keep food on the table for her five children. Luckily, she had fallen in love with a doctor who had come to serve the people of Creede, JT Thomas. Before his mother had remarried, Toria and Mortimer had provided a little extra food for the family. Now that generosity was no longer needed, but Willie still liked the treats Toria continued to offer him. He didn’t eat as many as Mortimer and John did, but he liked them just the same.

“I’m sorry, Willie. I guess I am a little distracted. I’m thinking about a lovely young woman. I think I have feelings for her,” John admitted.

“That’s gross! I don’t want to hear about it!” Willie put his hands over his ears, and John chuckled. Willie was too young to understand what it felt like to be in love. The thought startled John. Was he really in love with Patience Graham?

“What’s our next stop?” John asked Willie, wanting to think about something else for a change.

“Graham’s Grub,” Willie replied.

John groaned.

“What’s wrong with the restaurant? They make good food, and sometimes, Patience gives me a biscuit if they have extra.” Willie was puzzled.

“I was there yesterday. I was hoping to have a little break.” John didn’t want to tell Willie that Patience was the young woman on his mind. Word got around town fast, and he didn’t want to tell Willie something the young boy might repeat.

“Well, we should get going, if you want us to make it there before the end of the day.” Willie grumbled. He didn’t know what had gotten into his boss, but he didn’t like it. He enjoyed having a job and the responsibilities that came along with it. He did not enjoy being late.

“You’re right, Willie.” John laughed, and they set off for the restaurant.

When they arrived, John parked in his usual spot. Willie hopped out, but John held up a hand. “Actually, Willie, I’d like to make this delivery myself.”

“But then I definitely won’t get a biscuit.” Willie pouted.

“I’ll be quick. I promise.” John picked up the package that was addressed to Robert Graham and went to the front door of the restaurant. It was morning, too early for the restaurant to be open for lunch, so he knocked on the door.

To his relief, Patience was the one who opened the door. Surprise danced across her pretty face. “John! You’re back again so soon?”

“You fed me that strawberry pie. That was a mistake because now I’m going to be chasing after that for the rest of my life.” John smiled. She was even lovelier in person than she was in his mind when he was thinking about her. He held out the package. “This here is addressed to your father.”

“Thank you, I’ll take it to him.” Patience took the package from John and paused, as if she wanted to say something else. Then she bit her lip. “Thank you, John.”

“You’re welcome, Patience. You know, after last night, I was thinking . . . what are the chances I could take you out one night? We could go to the ice cream parlor or one of the other restaurants in town, if that wouldn’t count as betraying your parents.”

Shock flooded over Patience’s face. John immediately felt like he had made a mistake. She looked down at the ground for a while, and then looked back up at John. “I feel I would need to get to know you better before I would feel comfortable with that. I also think my father might have something to say on the matter.”

John nodded slowly. “I understand completely. I should get going.”

“Goodbye, John.” Patience watched John walk away, his shoulders slumped and sagging. She felt awful for disappointing John. She had been taken aback by his question. She also hoped that as an only child himself, he could understand her perspective. Her parents were overprotective of her, and for good reason. She was their only child.

Still, she had wanted badly to accept his offer. A real date with John Jackson! If he was asking to take her out on a proper date, did that mean that he truly cared for her? She had thought he just wanted to have a little fun, but if that were true, he could go to one of the saloons and find a woman to spend time with. She hoped she hadn’t scared him away with her rejection.

Patience took the package back to the kitchen, where both of her parents were preparing lunch. “Package for you, Father.” She brought it over to him, and he smiled.

“Thank you, dear.” Robert opened the package and began unloading its contents. There were jars and jars of exotic spices, and they didn’t all fit onto the crowded kitchen shelves. “I’m going to take the rest of these into the storeroom.”

Patience sat down at the table in the kitchen her parents used to prepare food on. She loved to watch her mother prepare for lunch. Patience enjoyed cooking, but baking was her specialty. Her mother, on the other hand, was excellent at everything she set out to make. There were some men in Creede who dined there every single night; that was how much they loved her mother’s cooking. She hoped John would become a regular like that. Then she could see him every day!

“Penny for your thoughts, dear?” Patience’s mother’s gentle voice interrupted her daughter’s daydreams. She was peeling potatoes and putting them into a pot to boil.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Patience wasn’t sure if she could tell her mother about the feelings she’d been having.

“Patience! You do know you can talk to me about anything, right? It’s okay if you don’t want to. But if you want to, I’m here. I was your age, too, once, remember?” Lydia Graham smiled. She knew mothers and daughters didn’t always get along, but she and her daughter had always had a special kinship. It was more like a friendship than a traditional mother-daughter relationship.

Patience thought about it. It would feel good to open up to someone. “Thank you, Mother. I was thinking about John Jackson.”

“The young man from church who does deliveries? The one who was here last night for strawberry pie?” Lydia began to piece together what was going on.

“Yes, that’s the one.” Patience couldn’t help but smile as she thought about him and his broad shoulders and silly grin.

“Oh, my. I’ve never seen you this way about a young man before.” Lydia sighed. Her daughter really was growing up.

“I’ve never felt this way about a young man before,” Patience admitted.

“You know, he seems perfectly nice, but I don’t know John or his family very well. I know his father from the mercantile, of course, but I would feel more comfortable asking some of my friends from church what they know about him.” Lydia was already planning ahead for what might happen down the road—courtship, marriage, grandchildren. She was hopeful for her daughter, but also cautious. She had heard more than a few stories about the wild and unscrupulous men of Creede, and she wanted to make sure John was not one of them.

“Mother! Please don’t make such a fuss about this.” Patience knew she had made a mistake confiding in her mother. She didn’t want the entire town to know about her feelings.

“I won’t make a fuss. My friends are very discreet.” Lydia seemed offended.

Patience had to laugh. She loved her mother, but Lydia and her friends were everything except discreet. When one of their daughters was getting married or having a baby, the entire town knew within a day. News of her feelings for John would surely spread throughout all of Creede in a manner of hours. “Please, Mother. Don’t say anything.”

“I won’t mention your name,” Lydia promised.

Patience sighed. She wished she had a sister or brother to share the burden of her parents with. She knew they loved her and wanted what was best for her, but sometimes, being an only child was truly exhausting. “Mother, I have a feeling you are going to ask your friends no matter what I say.”

“Darling, you know I only want what’s best for you!” Lydia protested.

“Yes, Mother. I do know that.” Patience didn’t want to argue anymore. She was already exhausted.

“Cheer up, Patience. You don’t want your face to get stuck in a permanent frown, do you?” Lydia smiled warmly at her only daughter. She hoped there was an upstanding young man in Creede who would make a good husband for her daughter. Patience was truly special, and she wasn’t going to stand idly by while some ordinary man tried to win her affections. Patience was young and inexperienced. Lydia considered it her duty as a mother to guide her toward the right husband. The problem was, she wasn’t sure who exactly that was or if he lived in Creede.

Patience turned the corners of her mouth up ever so slightly and stood up. “You’re right, Mother.”

“Right about what?” Robert asked, coming back into the kitchen.

“Nothing, dear.” Lydia and Patience exchanged a secret grin. As overprotective as Lydia was, Robert was at least ten times worse.

Patience shuddered as she imagined Robert finding out about her feelings for John. She was actually a bit concerned at the lengths her father would go to if he didn’t think John was a worthy candidate for her love. She was glad that her mother at least had the good sense not to say anything about John in front of her father.

Robert trusted his wife enough not to ask for further information. He decided to change the subject. “What’s on the menu tonight?”

“Roast chicken with sautéed spinach and mushrooms,” Lydia replied.

“Wonderful. And what about dessert?” Robert asked, looking at Patience.

“Chocolate custard, Father,” Patience said dutifully.

Robert walked over and kissed Patience on the forehead. “You’re wonderful, sweetheart, do you know that?”

Patience blushed. “Yes, Father.”

Robert put his arm around his daughter. “There’s no way we would be able to keep going without your hard work and all that you do around here. When I see some of the other young people in this town, it makes me grateful to have you as my daughter.”

“Thank you, Father. You and Mother taught me the importance of family and respecting your parents. I’m thankful to you two for making sure I learned the value of hard work and discipline. I’m glad I didn’t grow up in Creede, but I’m glad we live here now. There’s so much good that can be done here.” Patience felt like she had gotten a little carried away, but it was true. Creede seemed to attract a very specific type of person, and if anything went wrong, it seemed like terrible things started to happen. But there was a small group of people who were banding together to fight the darkness and corruption in power, and Patience was proud that she and her family were part of it.

“Well said, my dear.” Robert said as he walked over to a small desk in the corner where he kept his ledger. It was time to work on the daily accounts.

“I need to get some cocoa for the custard.” Patience excused herself.

As she walked the narrow hallway toward the storeroom, she thought about John Jackson and what he might be doing that very moment. She thought he’d still be out on the delivery truck, making stops and helping carry the heavier boxes.

She opened the door to the storeroom and found a large, heavy crate to prop the door open while she was inside. She didn’t want the same thing that had happened the day before to occur again. As she walked back inside the dim storeroom, she was shocked to find a woman standing in front of her.

“Oh, honey.” The woman clucked her tongue. Patience realized with a start that it was the same dark-haired woman as yesterday. “There are things you don’t understand yet about your parents and their beliefs.”

Patience blinked in confusion. “How do you know that? Are you friends with my parents?”

The woman shook her head, seemingly impatient with all of Patience’s questions. “We don’t have time for that. I just needed to tell you that you are going to have to go against your parents’ wishes very soon. You need to do it, Patience. Your future depends on it.”

Patience was frustrated. Who was this woman, and why was she telling her what to do? “I don’t even know what that means. And I know my parents can overdo it a little because they want to protect me, but I respect their opinions, and I intend to obey their rules while I live in their house. With all due respect, I don’t even know who you are.”

“I can’t help you if you won’t help yourself.” The woman shook her head sadly. “Just remember what I said.”

“Patience! Did you get lost?” a voice called out. Patience looked around the storeroom. The strange woman had vanished, and now someone was crying her name. Patience wondered for the second time in as many days if she was losing her mind. She quickly found the tin of cocoa powder, removed the crate propping open the storeroom door, and shut the door to the room.

Patience hurried down the hallway, tin in her hand. “Yes?”

“Just wanted to make sure you weren’t daydreaming about a certain young man.” Lydia eyed her daughter sternly as she bounded into the kitchen.

“No, ma’am.” Patience tried to catch her breath. She wanted to tell her mother what she’d really been doing, but she was afraid her mother would say she needed to take a trip to the local mental institution. She stood there for a moment, lost in her thoughts.

“Patience! That custard isn’t going to make itself,” Lydia warned.

“Yes, Mother.” Patience snapped to attention. She would have to figure out who the mysterious woman was after she had finished her duties at the restaurant. All afternoon, the question troubled her. The woman had said that soon, she would need to disobey her parents. But why? And what would the consequences be?