She continued reading once she had the car to herself. It didn’t matter if she’d only finished the book a few weeks ago. She still enjoyed it.
Ella was distracted from the book with wandering thoughts of what this man and his four small sons would be like. According to the one and only letter she had received in response to her own initial correspondence answering the ad, his name was Andrew Robinson. He worked in a carpentry shop in town. She couldn’t tell whether he owned the business or was an employee there. He said that his ranch was big enough for all of them to live in comfortably and that he’d been having some trouble finding someone who was willing to take care of so many small boys. His request was for her to be kind to them, understanding and compassionate to their troubles.
He sounded nice and reasonably intelligent. She only noticed a few errors in his grammar and spelling. She hoped that the boys she would be raising were well-educated or on their way to being so. If they weren’t, she would be glad to help out. A good education, as far as she was concerned, was one of the cornerstones to growing up to be a successful adult. It was what she had taught her younger brothers, and they seemed to be much the better for it.
She caught herself staring at the pages on her book instead of actually reading the words. She smiled. It was going to be a brand new life for her. A brand-new life.
When the train pulled into the station, Ella was ready to get off. She had been sitting there for hours, only getting up once to go to the dining car and get a few pieces of fruit. She was craving an orange, but they didn’t have one.
She picked up her sewing bag once the train was at a complete stop and the attendant opened the door.
“This is Elko?” she confirmed with the attendant, who just nodded and smiled at her. She could see the appreciative look on his face and felt a bit flattered. She didn’t feel young and pretty. She felt like an old mother.
She stepped down onto the wooden platform and looked both ways. There were quite a few people around her, more than she expected. Families were seeing other family members off on whatever trip they were making to their wherever destinations. She felt like her bag was heavy all of a sudden and felt a little overheated.
She took out her hand fan and flipped it open, fanning herself with hot air. She laughed a little and continued to fan even though the breeze it created was not very cool. When she didn’t see a man with four boys around him coming her way, she strolled over to a white painted wooden bench and sat down to wait. She was sure she wouldn’t miss him when he finally arrived. She had no idea what time it was, and there were no clocks anywhere around. A train station attendant approached her after a moment and inquired as to whether or not she was okay.
“You look a bit flushed, Miss. Are you all right?” he asked. He was an older gentleman with a thin face and a ready smile.
“I am.” She looked up at him. “I am just waiting for the man I came here to be with to come and fetch me. I’m sure he’ll be along any time now.”
“Yes, Miss.” The attendant nodded. Ella caught a glimpse of his shiny nametag, which said “Alfred.”
“Alfred is my younger brother’s name,” She said in surprise. He grinned.
“Well, he must be wonderful then!”
They both laughed, and the old man wandered off.
She looked back down the platform when she heard the sound of little running feet. It was a familiar sound, and she knew what it was immediately. She stood up when she saw the family approaching. She greeted them with a smile, looking up at her soon-to-be husband, admiringly. He was a handsome man with dark hair cut short, a trim beard and mustache and a big, broad chest. He smiled at her, and she was happy to see a row of healthy looking teeth. They were so healthy; she wondered how he did it.
He held out his hand, which she took. “You are Ella Barrett from Virginia?”
“I am. You are Andrew Robinson?”
“I am. We’re glad to have you here. Boys, say ‘hi’ to Miss Ella. She will be taking care of you from now on. Papa’s going to marry her and make her his wife. Do you understand?”
The older boys nodded, but Ella could tell that Carl, the youngest, had no clue what his father was saying and only nodded after he saw his brother’s doing so.
What an agreeable, adorable little boy! She thought.
Andrew pushed each of his sons out in front of him as he introduced them. He caught Carl first and held him so that he would be still in front of Ella.
“Say Hello to Miss Ella, Carl. Carl is six.” Andrew said gently.
Carl dropped his eyes to the ground and barely whispered out, “Hello.”
“Well, hello Carl!” Ella said in an excited voice. “How are you today?”
“Tell her you’re doing fine, Carl.” Andrew prompted him. He gave Ella a glance. “He’s a little touchy with strangers right now.”