She laughed. “Only when you cross me and then there is hell to pay.”
The man grinned at her. “Remind me to never cross you.”
She gave him a wink, knowing she was flirting outrageously, but not caring. With a shrug of her bare shoulders, she smiled. “Who knows, it could be fun?”
The man standing beside Anthony pushed his way in between them, a wide smile on his fresh face. “Wesley Pickens, ma’am. You must be glad to be here.”
“I’m thrilled,” she said. “And I can’t wait to meet all of you and choose a husband. I’m ready to settle down. Maybe you’ll get lucky.”
The girl behind her gave her a little shove.
“Keep going,” she whispered.
It was that damn Alice.
“See you at the party,” Anthony said.
“Can’t wait,” she replied and moved to the next man. It was odd that the men seemed to be paired in sets of twos.
When she reached the end of the line, Alice came up behind her and growled, “Keep your filthy paws off Anthony. He’s mine,” she said.
Pearl turned and smiled at her. “Alice, honey, he’ll choose who he wants. And, frankly, most men prefer a fiery redhead to a wimpy blonde with an acidic tongue.”
A gasp escaped from Alice.
Pearl turned and walked off. Where she was going, she didn’t know, but she followed the other women.
Suddenly a loud whistle grabbed her attention.
“We’re having a supper tonight at Uncle Owen and Aunt Grace’s home at six thirty. For now, we’re going to let the ladies get settled in, clean the dust off, and rest before the evening’s festivities,” one of the men in line said.
Good, a chance to rest and prepare her strategy on how to grab Anthony’s attention. A bath and clean clothes would feel wonderful right now.
An older woman named Aunt Grace smiled and took charge of the gathering. “We have a pig roasting and our cook is making lots of good food for tonight. You are to dress in clean attire to meet these ladies. And, of course, we will expect everyone to be on their best behavior.”
Aunt Grace walked to the front of the line. “Follow me, ladies.”
As they strolled down the street toward the biggest home she’d seen, she took the time to study the small town. A bank, a mercantile, several boutique shops, and the sheriff, plus, several homes lined the street.
Small. Very small and she was glad. Hopefully no one could find her here. She’d left that awful woman in Charleston.
When they walked inside, Aunt Grace divided them into two people per room. Pearl stood close to Mary avoiding Alice.
“Ladies, dinner is at six thirty. Wait up here and we’ll call you all down one by one. We’re so excited you’re here. Tonight, I hope you meet men who fulfill all your dreams. Now get some rest.”
The women walked into their bedrooms and shut the doors.
“A bed. I’m so glad that journey is over,” Pearl said.
Mary busted out into tears. “I’m so afraid. Those men are big and muscular. Really terrifying.”
Why had the woman come this far only to be a scared, frightened lily?
“Calm down, Mary,” she told her. “One of those men is going to be your husband. Let’s rest and then we need to prepare for tonight. This evening, we choose our man.”
That brought a fresh round of sobs from Mary.
Pearl groaned and lay on the bed. Tonight, she would do everything she could to snag Anthony.