His expression softened.
“I need help.”
Martha stepped forward.
“A housekeeper?”
Nathaniel looked at her.
“No.”
“A wife.”
Martha’s expression brightened.
That single word carried status.
Property.
Ranch.
Marriage.
A future.
The unmarried women standing nearby suddenly became more attentive.
Nathaniel saw it.
He seemed uncomfortable.
“I should explain.”
A blonde young woman near the dry-goods window smiled.
“That might be wise.”
Nathaniel looked directly at the gathered women.
“I am not offering courtship in the usual sense.”
Interest cooled slightly.
“I cannot promise romance.”
More cooling.
“My children come first.”
A young woman stepped backward.
Nathaniel continued.
“The ranch is isolated.”
“There will be weeks in winter when no one reaches town.”
“The work is hard.”
“I have enough money to feed everybody, but I am not wealthy.”
“There are five children.”
“And they are grieving.”
The blonde woman’s smile disappeared.
Another woman whispered:
“Five.”
Nathaniel heard.
“Yes.”
“Five.”
He pointed toward them.
“Elias is thirteen.”
The oldest boy raised his chin.
“Ruth is eleven.”
The girl holding the toddler looked toward the crowd.
“Daniel is eight.”
A boy near the back of the wagon nodded once.
“Rose is six.”
The small girl lifted one hand.
“And Samuel is four.”
The coughing boy frowned.
“Almost five.”