The man sitting next to her on the bench seat slowly tilted toward her. For the fourth time since he’d boarded the train in Knoxville, he’d fallen asleep. His body pressed against hers and his head dropped onto her shoulder. She scowled at the top of his balding head in disgust. How could anyone sleep so much?

To get her mind off of her own troubles, she glanced around the still-crowded car. Most of the people were well dressed with a definite air of wealth as they turned up their noses at the few who weren’t. A little girl lay curled up on the seat closest to the door, her head resting on the thigh of the man next to her. Lucie raised her gaze from the little girl’s to the man’s very handsome face. She couldn’t help but notice the resemblance between them. His brown hair was the same shade as the little girl’s. Their skin was lightly tanned.

They were definitely related, yet Lucie hadn’t seen a woman with them. She wondered if they, too, were traveling to Chattanooga, and if the little girl’s mother was already there waiting for them to arrive.

The man looked up from the paper he’d been studying and met her gaze. Her heart did a strange flip-flop in her chest, which seemed unnaturally tight. She fidgeted in her seat, but the pressure remained as she stared into his brown eyes.

“Lucie! Lucie!” Alex exclaimed, pulling her attention away from the man. Her brother’s eyes were bright, and excitement filled his voice. He pointed at the houses passing by through the train’s large glass window.

She raised her brows, loving his enthusiasm, inhaling the calming, wood-scented air. It would do neither him nor her any good if she became maudlin.

The man lying against her mumbled something then jerked, his elbow jabbing her in her side. She scooted closer to Alex, but what she really wanted to do was shove the bald man to the floor. She rubbed her sore ribs, mentally tallying how many times he’d done that—four or five at least. At this rate, she was going to be black-and-blue before reaching Chattanooga.

She bit back a sigh and rested her head against the back of the seat, not wanting Alex to see how worried she was. She forced her gaze on the narrow door leading to the next train car…but she wanted to look at the man again.

At nineteen years, she felt old and worn. She could only hope and pray that their new home was an improvement over the filthy tenant room they’d lived in. Eating real food would be a nice change as well.

She picked at her only dress, the baggy fit unbecoming. Alex’s clothes weren’t much better. Not only had he outgrown them, but there were holes in the knees and elbows, and he was missing a button. Even his shoes were too small, but she had no extra money to buy him anything new.

Staring down at her tightly clasped, gloved hands, she let out a small sigh. She was tired of trying to provide and miserably failing.

Alex tugged on her arm, again pointing to something outside. “Look, sissy—look at all the trees. And there’s mountains here, and the train looks like it’s headin’ straight for them. Are we gettin’ close to our new home?” He turned and gave her a big grin. “Do you think your new husband will let me have a horse?”

She chuckled. “From what Mr. Crenshaw wrote in his letter, he lives in town, so I think you will have to wait on the horse.”

“Figures.” His smile slipped then widened again. “Maybe I’ll find somebody my age who has one. Maybe even two!”

“That’s a good possibility. We’ll get you enrolled in school and before you know it, you’ll have lots of friends.”

His attention moved back to the passing countryside. “I know. Not worried ‘bout that much. Had me a ton of friends back home.”

Lucie followed her brother’s gaze, but the green and blue blur of trees and hills held no real interest. She wondered what her new husband was like. In his letter, he’d written that he was a businessman…but hadn’t stated what his business was. Other than his impersonal description of himself—slightly overweight with a full head of blond hair and mutton-chop whiskers—she knew nothing about him other than his name. Harold Crenshaw. Even his name didn’t stir any interest.

The train jerked and the constant clacking of the wheels slowed. “Sissy, we’re here! We’re here!”

“Shhhh. I can see that, and now everyone else in the car knows too.” She glanced at the handsome man in the seat ahead of her, the hint of a smile on his lips. Her heart did the strange flip-flop again, and she dropped her gaze to her brother’s small face.

He gave her a chagrined look, one side of his mouth raising. “Sorry. I’m just excited is all. We’ve never gone on a trip before. Papa always promised he’d take me on a train, but…”

She pushed the lock of light brown hair off his forehead. “I know.”

His shoulders drooped a bit. “He would’ve though.”

“Of course he would have. Papa always kept his promises, Alex. If our parents hadn’t died, many things would’ve been different.” With her finger under his chin, she raised his face. “Let’s look at this as a fun adventure, all right? I’m sure Mr. Crenshaw won’t mind if we explore the city together after we get settled in.”

Alex grabbed her hand, clasping it between his own. “Like we used to?”

“Like we used to. Deal?”

He gave her a wide smile, his eyes twinkling. “Deal.”

The train slid to a jerky stop and everyone rose, grabbing their belongings and heading toward the door. She waited until they were the last ones, then pulled her own small bag out from beneath the seat. She hugged it to her chest and stepped onto the wooden platform. Glancing behind her to make sure Alex followed, she walked through the wide arched doorway and into the station’s large interior.

Along the far wall were the ticket and baggage offices. To their left, she watched men enter another room while the women and children waited on the wooden benches in the center of the station. The man and the little girl were nowhere to be seen.

She led Alex over to an empty bench and sat, placing her bag beside her. “Mr. Crenshaw must be running a bit late, so we’ll make ourselves comfortable here until he arrives.”

“Do you think he’ll get here soon? I’m starving.”

She gave him a mock scowl. “I swear. What did you do with the two sandwiches you inhaled?”

“That was close to three hours ago! It’s almost time for dinner now.”

She shook her head. “Four o’clock is not almost dinnertime. I’m sure Mr. Crenshaw will arrive shortly, so you’re just going to have to be patient.”

He frowned and slumped down in the seat.