bother.â
Fannie, who had remained outside, poked her head in. âIâll be there in a minute,â she said to Toni.
Toni nodded and closed the canvas flap in order to give her friend some privacy. She heard the low tones of an intimate conversation and then silence. They must be sharing a goodnight kiss. Toni smiled. And just earlier today, Fannie had been on the verge of calling the whole thing off. Thank goodness the girl had come to her senses. Blake wasnât always the most sensitive of men, but it was clear he loved Fannie a great deal.
A few more minutes passed and finally Fannie returned. âHow was the celebration at the fort?â Toni asked, practically pouncing on the chance for conversation with her dearest friend. She couldnât wait to tell Fannie about her swim and Sam rescuing her after the snake swam across her legs.
But one look at Fannieâs face and Toni knew her friend needed to talk about something much more important.
âWell?â Toni asked, her patience scarcely allowing for Fannie to change into her bed clothes. Fannieâs hands trembled as she worked the buttons on the blue dress, but her eyes shone.
âThe scouts were right. Thereâs a preacher at the fort.â
âIs Blake speaking with him?â
She nodded and slid onto her pallet, lying on top of the covers. âHe already did.â Taking a quick, deep breath, she lay on her side, head resting in the palm of her hand. âTomorrow is the day. The Captain said we can hold another dance and heâs arranged for Blake and me to have private quarters for the rest of our stopover.â
âFannie, thatâs wonderful.â And it truly was wonderful. Only a twinge of regret pinched Toniâs heart now that the plans had indeed been made.
âBlake is purchasing a wagon and team.â
âI assumed he would.â Toni tried to keep the tremble from her voice.
âDo you know what that means?â
Toni turned on her side, facing Fannie and rested her head in her own palm. âYouâll be driving your wagon since Blake has to ride on horseback.â
Fannie nodded. âAre you going to be all right driving the wagon alone every day?â
âIâll be fine.â But she wasnât sure she would be. There would be no one to take over when she needed to walk, no one to talk toâ¦Toni hated things to change. As happy as she was for her friend, she was beginning to see her future for what it was. Alone on the trail, and once they reached Oregon sheâd be alone for the rest of her life. She knew Blake would not allow Fannie to be her friend once they arrived at their destination. It would bring too much shame to their home. Tears burned her eyes. She brushed them away quickly.
As though reading her thoughts, Fannie sat up and reached for Toniâs hand. âThe right man will find his way to you, Toni.â
A short laugh escaped Toniâs lips. âThere is no right man out there for me.â
âWhat about Sam?â
At her friendâs words, Toni once again relived the moments of comfort in Samâs arms. But it was useless. âOh, Fannie. Weâve discussed this before. Samâs first love is God. A woman like me could never be good enough. He deserves someoneâ¦better. Pure.â
âButâ¦â
Toni slid her hand away from Fannieâs. âLetâs not discuss this. Iâd rather talk about tomorrow and how lovely youâre going to look in your new wedding gown.â
âOh, Toni. I wishâ¦â
âDonât wish, Fannie. Iâm resigned to knowing Iâll be alone forever.â
âBlake says there are several men to every one woman in Oregon. Surely you could find a man.â
âGoodness, Fannie. Iâd rather be alone than marry a man that settled for me just because he needs a wife.â
âI suppose youâre right. Still, some women think itâs better to
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley