Love is Patient - Kay P. Dawson Page 0,2
up on this land, and no matter how many times he looked at it, pride swelled up inside him. His parents had been the first settlers in the area and had been a driving force when creating the town of Promise all those years ago. Even though there had been times when it would have been easier to sell everything and move somewhere with better opportunities, instead of struggling to bring in enough to feed his family, he knew he could never leave.
This land was in his blood and he was determined his own children would know the same sense of pride he did.
Some days, he wished he could have been more like his younger brother, Luke, who’d joined the cavalry as soon as he’d been old enough so he could see more of the country. He’d always been more of an adventurous type than Colt and had never really seemed to enjoy farming anyway.
They’d both worked alongside their father from the time they were old enough to walk, tending to the chores and helping with the crops, but it had always been obvious Colt was more interested in taking over the farm. After their father had passed away when Colt was just seventeen, he’d stepped up and carried on supporting the family the best he could.
A wagon coming up the road toward the house caught his eye and he cursed under his breath. He didn’t have time to be making small talk with the new schoolteacher in town, but his mother had given him a stern lecture this morning that he was to be present and cleaned up when she arrived.
Now he was going to have to face them both wearing clothes covered in dirt and sweat. He knew his face was likely the same color as the land he stood on, so any chances of making a good first impression were gone now.
Not that he really cared much anyway. He’d known the Reeves in town for many years, and they were wonderful people, so he was sure their niece was a nice enough woman. But she came from the city, so he knew she would hate it out here from the start.
Oh, she’d be excited and think it was a grand adventure in the beginning, just like his wife, Arlene, had when she first came to live here. But within a few months of being here and seeing the reality of life on the frontier, she would quickly realize it wasn’t as romantic as she’d imagined.
He just hoped the children of Promise didn’t get too attached to her before she ran back home.
He flicked the reins to get the horses moving, cringing as he imagined the scolding he was going to get from his mother once the guests were gone. He was a grown man, but she wasn’t afraid to still put her foot down now and again to remind him of how she’d raised him to know better.
He knew, though, that even if he ran to the house, he wasn’t going to make it there before them. So any chance of cleaning himself up to be presentable was gone.
As soon as he led the horses around the corner of the barn into the yard, he could feel his mother’s disapproving glare. He quickly unhitched them and pretended he wasn’t intimidated at all by the looks he was getting from the people standing just beside the wagon.
He walked toward them with a wide grin on his face, acting like he was dressed in his finest and wasn’t covered from head to toe in grime. His eyes immediately fell on the woman who had to be the new teacher, and his step faltered slightly. His chest gave a tug as he realized he’d never anticipated that she would be so beautiful.
She was smiling back at him and didn’t seem to be in the least bit disgusted that he hadn’t cleaned up to meet her.
“Miss Reeves, this is my son, Mr. Colt Hammond. I apologize for his lack of manners, but obviously he forgot he’d be showing you around the place today.” His mother shot him a disapproving stare before continuing with the introductions. “And, Colt, this is Miss Kathryn Reeves, the new teacher at the school.”
He smiled sheepishly at the woman who’d already put her hand out for him to take. He slowly removed his tattered and worn work gloves, wondering if it would be rude to wipe his hands on his dirty pants before offering his hand. “I’m