“Well, the St. James Hotel is a wonderful place to be stranded,” Rachel said.
Eliza nodded. “Yes. It is more elegant than I’d anticipated. My understanding of the frontier included visions of dilapidated buildings, poor food, and primitive conditions. Splendor is not what I expected.”
Gabe chuckled. “We may be somewhat isolated, but we take care of our own. I moved here from New York after the war. Lena came from New Orleans. Splendor offered us, and many other residents, a fresh start.”
Lena nodded, touching Gabe’s hand. “We met and were married here.”
As the conversation went on, Eliza found herself captivated by her new acquaintances. Strong, resilient, and full of humor and wisdom, they embodied the best of this little town. She felt connected to people on a deeper level than she’d found possible during her many years of education or her brief medical practice in St. Louis. To her surprise, Eliza realized she hadn’t enjoyed the company of others since before entering university.
Their dedication to community service inspired her, and their easy warmth made her feel welcomed. She found herself wondering if all the people in Splendor were so open.
Eliza enjoyed the growing sense of connection as she conversed with Nick, Suzanne, Gabe, and Lena over coffee. Though they came from different backgrounds, she found common ground with the group. Their lively discussion brought her out of her shell.
Eliza laughed at Nick’s humorous anecdotes, Gabe’s dry wit, and Dax’s stories about his ranch. Listening to their various stories, she admired the women’s resilience living in a remote frontier town.
St. Louis had the railroad to deliver supplies, including food, clothing, and medical supplies. As far as she knew, Splendor only had the stage, which couldn’t bring large stores of meat, vegetables, and staples. How did they obtain such essentials?
Watching the snow continue to fall, Eliza took in the elegant restaurant and the smiles around the table. Though the storm had stalled her travels, it had brought an unexpected gift—a better understanding of the type of people who ventured away from their familiar lives to begin again in an unfamiliar land.
Eliza lingered at the table, reluctant to end the interesting conversation. There was still so much more she wanted to learn about her new acquaintances and their charming town.
“We should get going, Lena. I need to check back at the jail.” Gabe stood, nodding at the others. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Eliza.”
“The pleasure was mine.” She prepared to leave when the sound of approaching boots with spurs caught her attention.
She turned to see a towering figure in a sheepskin coat walk toward them. Eliza didn’t recognize the man’s grim visage as one of the few people she’d met since being stranded in Splendor.
Gabe held out his hand. “Lucien Hunt. I didn’t know you’d returned.”
Grasping the outstretched hand, he didn’t return Gabe’s grin. “Just rode in with a group of cowboys from Big Pine. With the storm, we darn near didn’t make it. The weather is a wretched beast.”
Dax chuckled at the wording. “Why didn’t you wait until the storm passed?”
Lucien reached into a pocket, pulling out a wanted poster. He handed it to Gabe. “You’ve probably seen this.”
Looking it over, Gabe’s mouth twisted in disgust before he handed the paper to Nick. “The Tom Wolf gang. They’re supposed to be a bad bunch.”
“They aren’t just bad,” Lucien said. “I’ve seen some real bad characters. Wolf’s gang is a breed of outlaws equal to Quantrill’s Raiders or Bill Anderson’s bunch.”
“Why are you showing me this?” Gabe asked.
“Sheriff Parker Sterling asked me to deliver this and tell you to be on the lookout for them.”
“Why didn’t Sterling send me a telegram?”
“You don’t know?” Lucian asked.
“Know what?”
“The storm has taken down the telegraph lines between Big Pine and Splendor.”
A hush fell over the group before Nick spoke. “Bernie Griggs hasn’t said anything.”
“I doubt he knows about it unless someone has tried to send a telegram from here.”
“Best we get moving,” Gabe muttered. “Come on, Lena. I need to let my deputies know to be on alert.”
“I’ll talk to Horace,” Nick offered, mentioning the bank president, Horace Clausen.
