I'll pick you up at 8:00 tomorrow. That evening, Catherine sat with Kathleen on the boarding house porch, watching the sunset paint the mountains gold and crimson. Your brother has been very helpful, Catherine remarked. Kathleen smiled knowingly. Kieran's always had a soft spot for those in need, but he doesn't usually escort them all over town.
Catherine felt her cheeks warm. He's merely being neighborly. Of course, Kathleen agreed, though her eyes twinkled. He's a good man, my brother, too long alone if you ask me. Was he ever married?
Catherine asked before she could stop herself. No, Kathleen replied. There was a girl years back, Mary Sullivan. They were sweet on each other, but she took sick the winter of '67. Consumption.
"I'm sorry." Catherine said softly. Kathleen nodded. Kieran threw himself into the ranch after that, built it up from almost nothing. He's done well, but a man needs more than cattle and land. Catherine didn't know how to respond to that, so she changed the subject, asking about the other residents of Prosperous.
As Kathleen described the town and its people, Catherine found herself wondering about the mine and what tomorrow would bring. Dawn broke clear and cool the next morning. Catherine dressed in Kathleen's green cotton dress, which she'd modified slightly for riding, and plaited her hair tightly to keep it from the wind. Kieran arrived promptly at 8:00, leading two horses, his own bay gelding and a gentle-looking chestnut mare. "Morning." He greeted, his eyes taking in her riding attire with approval.
"Ready to see your property?" "As ready as I'll ever be." Catherine replied, trying to hide her nervousness. Kieran helped her mount, his hand strong and sure at her waist. The side saddle felt strange after so many years, but her body remembered the posture. Once she was settled, Kieran swung easily onto his own horse. "The mine's up in those foothills." He said, pointing to the mountains that rose west of town.
"Good trail all the way." As they rode, Catherine marveled at the landscape. The vast open spaces, the towering mountains, the clarity of the air, all so different from Boston's crowded streets and skies. "It's beautiful." She breathed. "Gets in your blood." Kieran agreed. "Can't imagine living anywhere else now." They rode in companionable silence for a while, the horses' hooves making a rhythmic sound on the hard-packed trail.
Catherine found herself studying Kieran's profile against the backdrop of mountains and sky. There was something solid about him, something trustworthy that she'd rarely encountered in the men of her previous life. "Tell me about Boston," Kieran said eventually. "What was your life like there?" Catherine hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "It was different.
My father was in banking. We lived in a fine house on Beacon Hill. I had the usual education for a young lady, music, French, watercolors." She paused. "It all seems very far away now." "What happened?" Kieran asked gently. Catherine stared straight ahead.