Sarah Lawrence waited for news that would change her life. Each day she paced the living room waiting for the mail to arrive. She had not confided in anyone as to why this was so important.

The high-pitched, persistent ring of a bicycle's bell had her rushing to the front window. A peek past the ruffled curtain showed Tom had come with the mail delivery. When he saw her, he waved a handful of letters above his head. She rushed out to the porch. His wide toothy grin, along with the teasing glint in his eyes, greeted her.

One of those letters had to be for her. The moment she came down the steps, he mischievously threatened to put them back in his mailbag strapped across his gray uniform.

"Don't you dare," she called out to him as she approached his side.

Instead of handing them to her, he sorted through them to make her wait. He had always been a big tease and the kind of boy to dip a braid into an inkwell or put a frog in a lunch pail. She had been the recipient of both when they were children.

"Did I receive another letter from Texas?" she asked while trying not to give in to her desire to snatch the letters.

"There might be one that has a return address from there," he teasingly replied as he offered the small stack of letters to her. When she looked at him with suspicion, he threw his head back in laughter and that's when she snatched them.

She riffled through each one, knowing he buried the one from Texas among them. When she discovered it, she excitedly waved the letter above her head like a child who got her ribbon back from a boy who had taken it. Which was something else Tom enjoyed doing. In reaction to her behavior, he crossed his arms as if he hadn't been teasing her.

"I'm hoping this is news about my escort to visit the Forester's ranch since that Texas Ranger couldn't help me."

"Arrangements take time. But because of what you told me about that girl, I'm certain she'll make it possible for you come. This trip sounds like a great adventure to spend time on a big ranch. Your students will love hearing about it when school starts. Well, I gotta go. Enjoy your letter, Sarah." He adjusted his mailbag behind his back, rang the small domed bell once again on his bicycle handle, and waved as he peddled to the next house.

Sarah hurried inside, dropped the other mail on a table by the door, and then began prying a fingernail beneath the seal of the envelope as she walked to the kitchen to sit at the table. The moment her fingers reached inside the envelope and pulled the letter out, disappointment flared. There was only a single sheet of paper. After unfolding it, she flipped it over finding the back was blank. The fact that it wasn't even a full page gave her pause.

The first letter she received from her new friend had included a surprising letter from Frank in which he shared the hope of courting her. His request had been quite a surprise as well as flattering that he would be that interested in her. The fact that he mentioned his desire to escort her to their ranch had settled a problem and assured her safe arrival. However, his desire to court her created a different problem. She'd tried multiple times to write to him explaining her circumstances and each time she only created more questions. At last, she decided to meet his train and explain things then.

Sarah focused on the letter and discovered the message was from Frank. She picked up the envelope again and saw Lori's name, not Frank's and wondered why he hadn't posted it with his name.

Franklin David Forester

Clear Creek Post Office

Clear Creek, Texas

General Mail

Dear Miss Lawrence,

Because I have not heard from you since sending you my letter, I have no way of knowing your thoughts concerning my desire to court you. I will not push you for an answer in regards to this but will continue to hope you are considering my suit. If you wish to wait until a later date after you arrive at the ranch, I promise to be patient.

For now, I am writing to inform you that a problem has developed in Virginia that demands our immediate return. Lori and Jacob are leaving with me on the train in two days, which will be on the 5th of June. Since we do not anticipate our stay to take any time at all, I should be arriving in your fair city ten days from my departure. However, Lori and Jacob are not accompanying me because of my offer to court you.

To further my suit and relieve you of any anxiety concerning your love of teaching, I would like you to consider my thoughts concerning this. The distance from our ranch to town, in a buggy, takes an hour and the school is over-crowded. Because of the distance, some of the younger children do not attend at all.

If you choose to accept my hand in marriage, I will build you a schoolhouse here on our ranch and stock it with what you need. With families close by, that would solve a problem for them and fill a schoolroom. If you have a desire to teach adults a few times a week, many have shown an interest in advancing their education. Many cannot read or write.

I hope this will give you something to consider as to a future with me and the need for you in our small community.

After I arrive, we can discuss your thoughts on this matter, but I hope my escort to Texas is acceptable. Also, because my arrival could be inconvenient for you, I will get a room at the hotel and send you a message. I look forward to seeing you once again.

Yours truly,

Frank Forester

Sarah read the letter over at least four times. His offer to build her a schoolhouse to make her happy revealed another side of Frank and his thoughtfulness. From the beginning, his tenderness and intelligence were apparent. His confidence and accomplishments were part of what she admired about him. But, she was still puzzled how he could make the decision to court her when they had spent a mere hour together having tea.

Most men went their own way after they were grown, but instead, their family decided to build a business together. She could tell Frank and his brothers were excited about the move when he began giving her examples of what they hoped to do. By what he said, their ranch had a blacksmith shop, sawmill, cattle, and horses, which they caught and trained. There were farm animals for food and a garden big enough to feed everyone who lived and worked on that ranch.

The Foresters were honest, hard-working people and there was strength in a family such as theirs. They had saved and sacrificed and then moved away from all they knew to start a new life together. There was no doubt that Frank was asking her to do the same. Leave everything behind and start a new life with him. And a new life was exactly what she wanted.

Starting one with him was possible as long as he wasn't a tyrant.

She stared at the letter and slowly set it down. The first time she had seen him he had looked at her as if unable to look away. What woman would not be flattered by such a reaction? He was an incredibly handsome man. He had dirty-blonde hair that curled and fell over his brow framing eyes so blue they reminded her of forget-me-nots.

When they'd been introduced, he had taken her hand and held it for a long moment. Then he smoothly transferred her hand to his arm, escorted her to a chair, and sat beside her. They shared things about their lives as if nothing was more important. His brothers asked questions too, but each time her attention returned to Frank.

Now he was coming for her.

With no time to waste, she slipped the letter inside her pocket and hurried out the backdoor to call to her mother who was busy working in the flower garden. She explained she had an errand to run, and then quickly mounted her bicycle and rode towards the train station. There were two schedules she needed—the arrival time from Kansas City and train leaving towards Fort Worth through Oklahoma. By the date Frank supplied, he would be in Virginia now, and if all went as expected, he would be here within days.

Sarah peddled down the brick road thinking of all the things she needed to get done when the sound of a squawking horn urged her to move aside. In haste, she steered her bike to the side of the road for the buggy to pass. The passengers waved a greeting, and in return, Sarah rang the bell on her handlebars and waved back. The little boy sitting in the rear seat had moved to his knees and waved with his entire arm grinning hugely. He had begun school last year. Seeing him brought thoughts of how her students had been the main source of her happiness ever since she began teaching.

Frank's offer to build her a schoolhouse proved he already knew how important that was to her. Now, she hoped he would listen as she explained her situation to him without mentioning anything to her father. If he refused to see the need in her request, she would know they wouldn't suit. Someday, she would still go to see Lori.