Chapter 12 - A Town Divided Again
Their return should have been peaceful.
Instead they found Dry Creek divided over the railroad.
The company wanted a route through Naelli’s inherited land.
Some townspeople saw prosperity.
Others feared losing farms.
Investors arrived.
Money changed attitudes quickly.
Naelli refused to sign until protections were guaranteed.
A businessman named Harold Vane accused her of blocking progress.
Public meetings became heated.
Elias worried history was repeating.
Naelli remained calm.
“We can have progress without taking everything from someone else.”
She proposed a route that preserved farms, protected Cottonwood Creek, and provided compensation.
The company resisted.
Then workers discovered her route was actually cheaper because it avoided unstable canyon terrain.
The compromise passed.
Dry Creek gained a station.
Families kept their homes.
Naelli reserved part of the land around Cottonwood Creek permanently.
“No one owns water forever,” she told Elias.
“What will you do with it?”
“Make sure children can still find frogs.”
Elias laughed.
“You're never letting that go.”
“Never.”
But their happiness faced another question.
Elias wanted to marry her.
He had not asked.
Not because he doubted his love.
Because he feared marriage might feel like another institution demanding Naelli surrender part of herself.
He wanted her to choose freely.
Naelli, meanwhile, wondered why he had not asked.
Both became increasingly ridiculous.
Sheriff Burke finally told Elias:
“If you stare at that woman any harder, you're going to burn a hole through her.”
Elias glared.
“Mind your business.”
“I've spent a year making your business my business.”
“What if she says no?”
Burke laughed.
“What if she says yes?”
May you like
That possibility frightened Elias even more.
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