Page 6 of Valley of Dreams

She would be “through town” in the blink of an eye. Not too far ahead, near enough to be easily seen, the dirt road did, indeed, fork, and a house sat directly in the middle of the fork.

The bear man glanced her direction, still carrying her trunk.

“I’m meant to go to that house up ahead, at the fork in the road.”

“Aye.” He continued on.

“Isn’t ‘aye’ more of a Scottish word? Have I guessed your origins wrong?”

“‘Aye’ is heard more in the north of Ireland.” With a multi-syllable response like that, she had no doubt he’d come from the Emerald Isle.

“Are you meeting anyone in particular in Hope Springs?” she asked as they continued on down the road.

He didn’t answer, which, she’d discovered, was as unwavering a response as a spoken one. Mr. Bear spoke only when he chose to. Perhaps on closer acquaintance he would be more inclined to talk.

They reached her destination. Eliza stopped at the bottom of the porch steps and turned to her companion. “You can leave the trunk here. I’m certain someone in the house will carry it for me.”

He shook his head. “I’ll see it to wherever it’s meant to be placed.”

She climbed the steps and knocked on the door. A moment passed. Eliza bounced Lydia on her hip, grateful the girl was too in awe of her new surroundings to be nervous.

The door opened. Eliza had fully expected to be happy at being reunited with Maura O’Connor—now Maura Callaghan—a friend so dear to her they were like sisters. She hadn’t anticipated being overjoyed to the point of immediate tears.

“Eliza!” Maura burst through the doorway and pulled her and Lydia into a tight embrace. Apparently, Hope Springs had brought out Maura’s more expressive side; she used to be rather reserved in her shows of emotion.

“Maura!” Eliza clung to her tightly. “Oh, how I’ve missed you!”

Maura pulled back without releasing her, enough to give her a glance over. “You seem to have survived the journey.” Her gaze settled on Lydia, and her eyes widened with amazement. “This can’t be our tiny girl. She’s grown so much.”

“We’ve been apart a whole year,” Eliza reminded her.

Beside them, Eliza’s trunk carrier had stiffened. He’d been very distant the first hour or so they’d shared the stagecoach. After a time, he’d grown more at ease. Now, faced with a new set of strangers, he withdrew once more. Perhaps he was shy.

“Do come inside.” Maura pulled Eliza all the way in. “I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone.”

She didn’t want to overwhelm the man who’d so willingly offered his help, nor keep him from retrieving his own trunk.

“Where ought my trunk be set?” she asked Maura.

“The house has a room specifically for the housekeeper,” Maura said. “We’ll set your things there.”

The inclusion of room and board had made possible accepting a job in such a faraway position.

Her traveling companion followed her inside, keeping his distance from Maura.

“Back this way.”

They passed through a sitting room, then a dining room, and into a kitchen. It was fairly large and neat, but far simpler than the fine home she’d once worked in back in New York.

Maura motioned to a side door. “That’ll be your room.”

Her trunk was carried across the kitchen. Maura eyed the man, as he passed, then turned a curious look on Eliza.

She gave her friend a quick smile and simple explanation. “He arrived on the stage as well and kindly carried my trunk here.” There’d be time enough for all the details—what few there were—when they were alone.

Maura looked over at the mysterious man, who’d just stepped back out of the room, having left the trunk inside. “I hadn’t heard anyone else was expecting an arrival on the stage.”

Maura studied him. The scrutiny clearly made him uncomfortable. He tugged the brim of his hat in acknowledgement but moved swiftly past her, retracing the path that had taken them into the kitchen,

---