So why did Luke feel so suspicious of him? Gloriana had mentioned that Sedgwick had lived in Pennsylvania, and Sedgwick himself had admitted to living in Philadelphia before the war and just before coming here. Maybe Sedgwick had done something illegal during that time and it had been written up in the newspaper. Maybe Sedgwick had wronged someone. He tried to remember any mention of Sedgwick’s name, but nothing came to mind.

He shook off the feeling. It probably had nothing to do with Theodore at all. It was this cursed railroad line and all the problems of the black muck and floating islands. Only recently had Luke learned that one of the smaller townships near Duluth was built entirely on this floating debris. There was no sense of security or promise that it would even be there the next day, and yet people had built a small village on it and called it Freemont.

He shook his head. He wanted permanency and a solid foundation. He wanted a future that would bear fruit and leave a legacy of truth behind. A legacy that would last for the ages. Why did everything suddenly feel so temporary?

He breathed a sigh of relief when the boat returned to Duluth. There had been a lot of ice, making the journey difficult, but the ship’s captain knew how to navigate the water and managed to get them back without issue.

Luke walked home without saying much to anyone. The officials and dignitaries were headed to the Clark House to celebrate, but Luke had no heart for it. He felt tired—weary from the entire façade. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but there was such a sense of disappointment that he was actually considering giving up his job with Jay Cooke.

He headed to his little cottage and then thought better of it and headed to the main house. He needed his family. He needed at least to pretend they were his. No. Pretense was not what he needed nor wanted. He wanted Gloriana and JT to be his family. He wanted Gloriana to marry him.

He knocked on the door and smiled when JT opened it with great gusto.

“Luke! You’ve come home early.” Jack started yipping. “See, even Jack is happy you’re home.”

Home. That word sounded so perfect. He was home. This was home.

“Did you have the celebration for the railroad? We talked about it at school today,” JT declared, helping pull Luke’s coat sleeve down.

Luke shed his coat and let JT hang it up.

JT scooped up the puppy. “Jack has learned to use the newspapers if I don’t get him outside in time. Isn’t that great?”

“It is,” Luke said, rubbing JT’s head and then Jack’s.