Laura Dunwell had arranged for a car and driver to meet her at the station. She also drove their Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser 98 to the station. Standing outside her car she spotted Charles and the baggage cart. They made eye contact and Charles headed her way. He didn’t know what to expect but he figured it wasn’t good. She pointed to the hired car and the driver got out to help with the bags. With a look that meant serious business she approached her husband. “Charles Dunwell, what the Hell is going on” she demanded. “Laura, it’s been a long two days and there’s so much to tell. But, for right now, please just follow my lead and I promise you can yell at me all you want when we’re alone.” Laura clenched her teeth and nodded, but not before she punched him solidly in the arm. “Ouch” he cried.
By now Samuel had seen Charles and Laura and had herded the family toward them. Harold and Ida had been briefed on the train ride from Burlington about Laura. Apparently she was not a woman to be trifled with.
A strong willed woman now in her late 50’s, Laura Daniels Dunwell had a classic elegance about her. Her natural good looks belied her business acumen. She was born and raised in California’s Central Valley to wealthy fruit growers. But, at 18 she received a scholarship to attend the University of Colorado’s College of Commerce (now know as the Leeds School of Business) in Boulder. While pursuing a business degree she met a handsome classmate named Charles Dunwell. Growing up Laura Daniels was no stranger to competition. With two older brothers she was always good naturedly vying for attention from her father.
At an early age she learned to speak her mind and make her opinions known. Laura also learned all about farming at her father’s knee. She and her brothers were given important routine tasks around the farm. Everyone worked, there were no slackers in this family. She would often set out on horseback, checking daily for leaks in the orchard’s irrigation systems. She was well versed with the business end of wrenches, pipe cutters, and farm machinery. In Laura’s world if something needed fixing you fixed it. As a teenager she was also helping with the business books and sat in on numerous negotiations with suppliers and customers. In the male dominated world in the first decade of the twentieth century it wasn’t considered lady-like to pursue business interests. The problem was someone forgot to tell Laura.
Blossoming early, and wise beyond her years, Laura soon learned to use her savvy and charm for her own purpose. Many a young high school lad would make the mistake of underestimating this gorgeous filly. College boys didn’t fare much better. Her driving spirit, good looks and charm made for a lethal combination. Charles Dunwell was intrigued from the moment he saw her. How rare was it to find a woman at a business college. Rarer still, to find one so beautiful. Charles had several classes with her and spent almost as much time studying Laura Daniels as he did studying his profit and loss assignments. Seeing the mistakes his classmates were making he realized the direct approach to Miss Laura was getting them nowhere. Under the guise of wanting help with an assignment Charles struck up a conversation with the lovely young woman. After some discussion, Charles arranged to meet her at the main library after class the following afternoon. And so began a carefully crafted scheme of winning the heart of Miss Laura Daniels.
