Excerpt: Prairie Dawn

Preface

For the rest of her life, Emily would remember this moment. Locked in time and in her memory, she would see the dust around her fiancé, Travis' feet, the copper glints in his curly hair, and the intense look in his hazel eyes. For a brief second she was stunned into silence, and when she found her voice, it was almost too shrill and panicked.
“Illinois? Illinois? Travis, we can't go to Illinois! It's wild country, and there are, are, bears and wolves and Red Indians there. It's not safe! Why in the world would you want to go there?” Emily tightly gripped the top of the fence post in her hand, but the splinters and rough wood had no effect on her at all.
Travis simply laughed, shifting his bare feet in the soft dust of the road. Sometimes Emily hated his laugh. It could sound so patronizing at times like this, as if her feelings weren't important or didn't matter at all. Travis shook his head at her, and patted the top of her hand.
“No, no... Emily, there are no bears or wolves in Illinois. And the Indians? They've been pushed out of the country, you know that. So it's safe. There is land opening up there, cheap land, too. You know I can't abide working in my father's store. I want to be my own man, do my own work, and tame the land. I can't cater to people for the rest of my life! The idea of being hut up in a dark building, unable to feel the sun, hoping that I make enough money for more stock to please people makes me angry. Please, Emily, think about what I've said. John Welker came back from his trip out there last night, and he says that the land is incredibly fruitful. All a man has to do is drop some seeds, and the land does the rest! Can you imagine?”
Emily nodded slowly. She could, indeed, imagine that Travis preferred to do things the easiest way possible, whether it was school work when he was a boy, working in the store, or now with his half-baked idea of becoming a farmer. Then again, she had known for years how much Travis hated working in his father's store. Perhaps his idea was a good one, and he would be happier in Illinois. They were to be married, soon, and she would have to obey him, so she quickly made her decision.
“Yes, Travis. You must do what you have to do. I will come with you to Illinois.”