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it’s not so simple when you’re sitting across the table from each other.”
    “I don’t see what’s so hard. Either she wants to marry you or she doesn’t.” Welt had been the one to convince Russ to consider a mail-order bride. He had actually written the letters for Russ.
    “Right now I’d say she’s not sure,” Russ said. He put the saddle on the corral pole and started to rub down his horse.
    Then why not send her back where she came from?”
    A good question, for which Russ didn’t yet have a good answer. “I don’t like jumping to conclusions.”
    “I’d know right off.”
    Welt probably would, but the only woman he’d ever loved was Russ’s sister, and she’d left him for Toley Pullet. Since her death, Welt had been bitter about women and depressed about his life.
    “I thought I would, too, but I’m glad she said we ought to take a week to see if we’ll fit.”
    “People used to meet in the morning, get married in the afternoon, and start making babies that night.”
    Russ was glad his back was to Welt. He didn’t trust his face not to show he’d thought a lot about the making babies part. Well, not about babies, exactly, but about the rest of it. Tanzy wasn’t a flirty kind of woman, nor was she provocative, but she sure was sensual. She was just nineteen, but she had the body of a woman, round and filled out in all the right places. Russ wasn’t the kind of man to dwell on things like that, but all during dinner his gaze had been drawn to her mouth. Just watching her eat was an erotic experience. Welt would probably think he was crazy if he tried to explain. Hell, he’d have thought he was crazy before he met Tanzy.
    He couldn’t figure out what it was about her that kept him thinking about what it would be like to be able to touch her anywhere he wanted. It would be a good thing if they ended up married, but it wasn’t so good if thinking about it kept him from having a clear head. He wasn’t considering marriage just to have a convenient way to satisfy his physical needs.
    What did he want from marriage? He’d only thought of someone to take care of the house, have kids, cook, do all the things a wife was expected to do. But meeting Tanzy had confused him.
    “I don’t think I’d like getting married to any woman that quick,” Russ said.
    “Then why did you agree to a mail-order bride?”
    “Because you wouldn’t get off my back.”
    “You weren’t doing anything about getting yourself a wife.”
    “I didn’t feel desperate to have one until you started telling me if I didn’t get one soon I’d be too old for anybody to want me.” Russ straightened up from cleaning his horse’s hooves. He pulled back a pole and let the animal into the corral. “It’s too late at night, and I’ve been up too long, been in the saddle too much, to think about it anymore. Besides, my arm is hurting.”
    “What’s wrong with it?”
    “I surprised two bandits holding up the stage. They’re sitting in the sheriff’s jail, but one of them got a bullet into me before I could get to him.”
    “I’ll see to it.”
    “Doc Lindstrom already looked at it.”
    “What did you do, hold a gun to his head?”
    “No. When he refused, Tanzy broke a couple of pieces of his wife’s best china. Threatened to smash all the rest if he didn’t look after my arm. Stood over him to make sure he did it right.” Russ chuckled at the memory. “With Endora screaming and begging him save what was left of her china, he couldn’t wait to get us out of the house. You should have been there. It would have made even you smile.”
    “I hate the old bastard,” Welt growled.
    “I’m going to bed,” Russ said. Tell Tim if he wants to do something useful, he can check on the cows in the highest valley.”
    It didn’t take Tanzy’s first full day in Boulder Gap long to get off to a bad start. She met Stocker Pullett in the lobby when she came down for breakfast.
    “I heard you had dinner last night with