Chapter One

The sun was at its highest in the sky when there came the distant sound of a wagon rolling down the road. Lou looked up from the fence they were building, leaning against the newly sunken post, with the mallet hanging at their side. Their muscles burned and they could feel the sweat dripping down their face and threatening their eyes. They quickly wiped their face with the back of their sleeve, their hat pushed askew as they squinted into the distance.

No one came down this road unless it was on purpose; it was the reason Lou had chosen this piece of land. Far enough away from the main road and Ghosthallow that they felt safe from any people that might come after them.

Ghosthallow was a small, quiet town, but one that harbored its fair share of secrets. Everyone had something they were hiding. The town was just far enough away from the gold rush to keep the miners away—unless they were the ones running away. Even still, people would usually give up before they reached Ghosthallow unless they were desperately determined. It became a safe haven for all sorts of criminals and various riffraff. Everyone knew and no one really cared. While they would gossip amongst themselves about this dirty secret or that, they’d never tell an outsider. Never snitch.

That’s why when Lou saw the mail wagon slowly rolling toward their ranch, they figured after a few long weeks it finally might be the house plans and supplies they had ordered from Old Man Franklin at the general store. They let their mallet fall to the ground and walked toward the road. Taking their hat off, they ran a hand through their wavy black hair to push it back from their face before adjusting their hat back on their head.

Their property was offset just enough that they didn’t have to worry about people riding past it all the time, but they could still monitor it from anywhere. The house itself wasn’t much, just a small one-room shack with a bed, fireplace and stove. They had a barn and a wide amount of acreage, much more space than they needed for the few cows and chickens they kept, but they were ready to expand, and a nicer, more spacious house was the beginning.

The wagon stopped just as Lou made it to the edge of the road. They stared at the top of the enclosed wagon, suspiciously free of house supplies. The driver looked down at his ledger, his young face scrunching up as he ran his finger down the list. He scratched at the patchy stubble on his chin and looked back up at Lou.

“Ramirez?”

“’At’s me,” Lou confirmed, making sure to deepen their voice as they spoke. The driver thrust the ledger at them and jumped off the wagon.

“Sign ’ere. I ’ave to say, I’m glad’a be rid o’ this one. Wouldn’t stop complainin’.”

Lou signed next to their name and handed him the ledger with a frown. “Complainin’?”

“Yeah. Yer in for a handful,” he said before banging on the carriage door. “Come on ’en.”

Lou could do nothing but stare, confused as to how their house plans could be a handful in any way. Maybe he’d just been in the heat too long and was acting looney. Their confusion only deepened when the carriage door swung open and a girl stepped out.

A pretty girl.

A beautiful woman.

Dressed in a simple blue calico dress with dark-brown hair done up in a braid only to be twisted and pinned to the back of her head, Lou couldn’t help but stare. She was petite with light-brown skin, and nervous hazel eyes looked up at them as she stood in front of the carriage—nervous eyes that betrayed the purposeful hard look she was trying to give off. Lou noticed her jaw was tight, lips pressed into a hard line as she looked Lou over.

They managed to pull their attention away from her and look back at the driver. “What’s this?”

“Well that ain’t no way to talk ’bout a lady. I mean, she’s a bit on the skinny side but I’m sure you can fatten’ ’er up a little.”

The woman scoffed and Lou blushed. “No, I mean, I didn’t have…Why is she ’ere?”

The driver sucked on his teeth and shrugged. “Yer the one that ordered her.”

Lou’s first reaction was a guffaw of a laugh. Loud and grating and harsh in a way that made the driver cringe, but the woman’s face softened just the slightest. Lou wasn’t sure why the smallest twitch of this girl’s face was wholly distracting, but they found themself forgetting what they were saying for a moment until they heard the driver suck his teeth again.

Their gaze flickered back to him and they shook their head. The driver pointed at the description of the order next to Lou’s name in the ledger.

“Says right ’ere. Wife.”

“I ordered house plans. Plans. Not a housewife.”