Their first stop was the boardinghouse.
It was run by Mrs. Esther Vale, a widowed woman in her fifties who knew nearly everyone traveling through Bitter Creek. She had a reputation for good food, clean rooms, and an unwillingness to tolerate foolish behavior beneath her roof.
Caleb had stayed there several times during winter storms.
When they entered, Esther looked up from a ledger.
"Well, Caleb Montgomery. I thought the mountains had swallowed you."
Caleb smiled.
"Not yet."
She looked toward Martha.
Then her expression softened.
"And this must be the young woman you went to collect."
Martha nodded.
"Martha Higgins, ma'am."
Esther came around the desk.
"Welcome, Miss Higgins."
Martha looked surprised.
"Thank you."
Esther glanced between them.
Then she smiled faintly.
"I've heard some things about the stagecoach arrival."
Caleb's expression tightened.
Martha looked down.
But Esther continued before either could answer.
"Most of them from men who ought to spend less time speaking and more time working."
Caleb laughed despite himself.
Martha looked up.
Esther reached for her hand.
"Don't let town gossip trouble you. People who spend their afternoons judging strangers rarely have much worth saying."
Martha felt a warmth she hadn't expected.
"Thank you."
Esther arranged two rooms without making assumptions about their relationship. Caleb accepted the arrangement, even though he knew the cost would reduce their limited winter funds. He wanted Martha to have privacy and a place she could remain if she decided not to return to the cabin.
When Esther led them upstairs, Martha paused beside the window.
From there, she could see the town square and the road leading east.
She looked toward Caleb.
"Would it be possible to send a letter to Miss Norton?"
He nodded.
"At the post office."
Martha thought for a moment.
"Could we send a telegram? It might reach her sooner."
Caleb considered the expense.
Then he smiled.
"Let's ask."
The telegraph office occupied a narrow room near the freight depot. A young operator sat behind a desk covered with messages, his sleeves rolled neatly to his elbows. He listened while Caleb asked whether they could send a message to the matrimonial agency in Missouri.
The operator nodded.
"If the connection holds."
Martha stepped forward.
She dictated a short message asking the agency to confirm the circumstances of her match with Caleb Montgomery and whether anyone connected to Harlan Tate had requested information about her travel.
The operator wrote it down.
Then he read it back.
Martha approved.
Caleb paid the fee.
As they turned to leave, the operator looked toward Martha.
"Miss Higgins?"
She stopped.
"Yes?"
He hesitated.
"Someone came asking about you last week."
Caleb became still.
Martha felt cold.
"Who?"
The operator looked uncomfortable.
"A man from Tate Western Freight. Said he was expecting a traveler from Missouri and wanted to know whether the stagecoach had brought her through."
Caleb's jaw tightened.