A warm, rich laugh that made several people turn toward them.
Nathaniel smiled despite himself.
Then he noticed the toolbox resting beside her luggage.
It was old.
Heavy-looking.
And covered in scratches.
He frowned.
“Is that yours?”
Clara followed his gaze.
“Yes.”
“A toolbox?”
“Yes.”
He looked toward the trunks.
Then back at her.
For a moment, he seemed genuinely confused.
Clara raised one eyebrow.
“Were you expecting embroidery?”
Nathaniel almost laughed.
“I was expecting a bride.”
She smiled.
“Then perhaps you'll have to get used to the idea that a woman may know how to use a hammer.”
Mateo burst into laughter.
Nathaniel looked toward him.
“Not a word.”
The foreman raised both hands.
“Wouldn't dream of it.”
Clara studied the two men.
Then looked toward the wagon.
Her expression changed.
She noticed the reinforced frame.
The stable seating.
The carefully arranged boarding provisions.
And the fact that someone had clearly spent considerable time preparing the vehicle for her journey.
For a moment, she didn't speak.
Then she looked toward Nathaniel.
“Did you arrange this?”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
Her eyes softened.
“You didn't have to do so much.”
Nathaniel frowned.
“You told me what would make the journey safer.”
“I did.”
“Then I figured I'd best listen.”
Clara stared at him.
For several seconds, she seemed unable to find words.
Then she smiled.
A different smile.
Smaller.
More vulnerable.
“Thank you, Nathaniel.”
He looked toward her.
For the first time, she had used his given name.
Something shifted inside him.
He couldn't explain it.
And he didn't try.
He simply offered his hand where useful, made sure the boarding arrangements were comfortable, and asked whether she needed a rest before they began the journey.
Clara looked toward the mountains.
The forests stretched into the distance.
Golden sunlight touched the peaks.
And the autumn air smelled of pine and cold earth.
For a moment, she closed her eyes.
Then she opened them.
“No.”
She smiled.
“I think I'm ready to see this ranch of yours.”
Nathaniel nodded.
He looked toward Mateo.
The foreman grinned.
Then climbed onto the driver's seat.
As the wagon rolled away from the station, Clara looked toward the mountains with an expression Nathaniel couldn't quite understand.
There was wonder in her eyes.
But also recognition.
As though she'd been imagining this landscape long before she ever saw it.