Dismay settled into her sore bones, bringing a fresh wave of weariness. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but not a cabin that looked as though it could fit into the spacious kitchen of her childhood home. Although modest, the two-story farmhouse had been airy and open with plenty of windows that afforded natural light along with several stoves for warmth in the winter. With four upstairs bedrooms, she’d always considered it too small for everyone living there. But it was a mansion compared to this place.

As Wyatt blessedly brought the wagon to a halt, she attempted to mask her disappointment, especially in light of how proud he was when talking about it. She’d seen other log structures over the past weeks, and Wyatt’s was well constructed compared with some. He and Judd had obviously put many hours of labor into it, and she couldn’t complain.

“The barn is there.” Wyatt cocked his head to the east.

She followed his gaze to another building, this one slightly bigger, with a zigzag log fence forming a corral off to one side. It was all very basic, almost rudimentary. But from what she could tell, he kept his place tidy and in good repair.

He hopped down and started rounding the wagon bed. “The river’s not far, maybe a hundred paces behind the house and Judd’s garden.”

She had to find her voice and say something. This might not be the kind of life she’d envisioned for herself, not after Phineas’s letters detailing the big house he was building for her and the furniture he was buying to fill it. But this was better than being homeless.

“Looks like you’re off to a good start,” she offered as he came to her side of the wagon.

“Yep.” He reached up to assist her. “We’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us to make something of the ranch. But it’s a start.”

We. Not I. But we.

She gave him her hand and allowed him to aid her down. Was that the real reason he’d married her? Because he needed the help to get his ranch working? Maybe he couldn’t afford to hire more workers and had decided on a wife instead.

It made sense. Maybe that’s what he’d meant when he mentioned having a partnership.

His hand in hers was firm but polite. And as he steadied her on the ground, she breathed a silent prayer and tried to be grateful. Maybe her new home and situation weren’t ideal. But she’d work hard alongside him and do her best to help him succeed. It was the least she could do after all he’d done for her.

He released her without lingering and started toward the door. “I’ll light a lantern and show you inside before unloading.”