“That sounds like good news, right?” He nodded absently, and her exuberance faded as anxiety clung to his features. “What’s wrong?”
He broke from his thoughts and gave her a small smile. “Ach, it’s nothin’ lass. I just”—he let out a breath and gazed at the back of Proctor’s wagon—“I just don’t trust him.”
“But he’s led trains before; he must know what he’s doin’. Everyone says he makes the best time to Oregon.”
“Aye, you’re probably right, Katie-bird.” He smiled a little more convincingly. “And now I must be gettin’ back to the stock, or your brothers will never let me hear the end of it.”
Kate’s cheeks ached from holding a smile. An entire hour of chitchat, inviting people to the Sunday service Pa had planned. So many people!And here they were, stuck at the Schmidts’ wagon. They really were an amiable couple, and she shouldn’t hold it against them that they just happened to have a daughter whose talkative and outrageously flirtatious nature, coupled with blonde curls and eyes the color of forget-me-nots, held Danny in such sway that he didn’t seem to notice the subtle jabs in the ribs Kate gave him. She gritted her teeth. Judging by the look on Danny’s freckled face, Kate figured Hannah would soon have every eligible young man on the train following her around like a litter of lost puppies.
Danny was telling one of his elaborate stories, gesturing wildly, sending not-so-subtle winks in Hannah’s direction. The entire family stood enthralled, so she murmured a quiet “excuse me” and slipped away. No one noticed her go. She sighed in relief and let her face relax. What a morning! She could sleep for a week.
Nearly back to their wagon, she spotted the scouts’ camp set back against the hillside amidst a jumble of cast-off furniture abandoned by one of the thousands of families that had taken this route before them. She groaned. Would they even want to come to Sunday services? They didn’t seem like the type, at least Sebastian certainly didn’t. Did Pa really mean it when he said talk toeveryone? She supposed it wasn’t a very Christian thing to exclude anyone from going to church. Kate imagined lectures on what Jesus thought about the judgmental Pharisees. She grimaced. She would never hear the end of it.
Kate looked around for Danny to accompany her, but she could spot his freckled face still mooning over Hannah Schmidt. She snorted. Well, services would be starting soon. Her mother would probably have something to say about her waltzing up to three young men unchaperoned, but she went anyway. Besides, Jacob and Sebastian weren’t really strangers, and what’s more, she’d known Andrew for years. She gathered her energy and courage. Just a bit of small talk, that’s all, then she’d be done.
Andrew sat writing in a little notebook he always kept close at hand. Sebastian was in his shirtsleeves, carefully shaving in the broken mirror of an abandoned armoire that sat at an absurd angle, one of his ever-present cigarettes dangling from the corner of his mouth, and Jacob, surprisingly, fastidiously scrubbed out a stain from one of his shirts, a cake of soap in his hand and small pot of water at his feet, his blue eyes intense under brows furrowed in concentration. They were each so engrossed in their tasks that they didn’t hear her approach.
She took a breath and put another smile on her face. “Good mornin’, gentlemen.”
All three heads whipped around. The look of complete surprise was mirrored so perfectly on each of their faces that she laughed. Then they were all scrambling to their feet, wiping faces, tugging on coats and tipping their missing hats, their hasty actions accompanied by a chorus of soft “mornin’”s and “howdy ma’am”s. They shifted on their feet.
“What are you doin’ here, Miss Kate?” Andrew’s question sounded almost accusing. She frowned and he rushed to continue. “I mean, you shouldn’t be here by yourself, comin’ to a man’s camp like this.”
Kate stiffened. “I’m not a hundred paces from the wagons, Andrew. ’Sides, I shouldn’t have cause to be concerned, seein’ as how it’s your job to protect travelers such as myself.” Kate couldn’t help the slight edge that crept into her voice. Andrew looked somewhat discomfited. She let out a small breath and continued on, trying to be more agreeable. “I was sent by my Pa; he’s hostin’ a Sunday meetin’ for the train, and everyone’s invited. Would you gentlemen care to join us?”
Sebastian, some shaving soap still lathered in his mustache, looked almost panicked at the thought. Glancing at his wiry friend, Jacob answered for the both of them. “Thank you kindly, ma’am, but me and Seb, we, ah, had some huntin’ planned for today.”
“It won’t be very long, really. You could hunt in the afternoon and still have plenty of time.”
Jacob coughed and continued. “Game is gettin’ real scarce on the trail these days. You never know how long it’ll take to bag somethin’.”
Kate glanced pointedly around their camp, where their belongings were strewn about and not a thing prepared for a day’s hunting trip. She sighed. Sebastian avoided her gaze, but Jacob’s was steady. He knew that she was fully aware of their deception. She studied him for a moment. Perhaps he simply wanted to remain respectful and courteous, for her sake. She nodded. “Well, I mustn’t keep you from your duties,” she said and turned to go.
Andrew quickly stepped up to her and offered his arm. “I’d be happy to accompany you to the service, Miss Kate.”
Kate glanced up into his dark eyes shadowed by the black hair that fell across his forehead. His expression was sincere. At least Andrew had his priorities straight. Hesitantly taking his arm, she called over her shoulder, “Enjoy your hunt!” and they turned to the circle of wagons.
Kate tried to ignore the awkward feel of Andrew’s arm and the sense of someone staring at her. Glancing back, she saw that Sebastian had turned to finish shaving, but Jacob stood there watching her leave, a curious expression of sadness and longing on his face. She furrowed her brow.
“Those two aren’t likely to find the Good Lord too welcomin’,” Andrew said, interrupting her thoughts. “I wouldn’t waste your time. They’ve lived hard and they’ll stay hard.” And he set off with a confident stride, making her quicken her steps to keep up.
Swinging easily into the saddle, Jacob gathered his reins to set off on this impromptu hunting trip. Seb heeled his horse out of camp, grumbling about his plan to play cards all day being ruined. Jacob smiled, looking back at the circle of wagons. He would’ve heard a lot more grumblingfrom him if he had accepted Kate’s invitation. Seb going to church? Jacob snorted and nudged Kip into motion.
He had been impressed when Aaron McGrath had convinced Proctor to rest for Sundays. Jacob could rarely convince him of anything. But later that day he had heard the hulking captain muttering about the Irishman leading a mutiny and taking all the cash with him, and then it made sense. Proctor knew that Aaron's genuine charisma could easily sway these impressionable pioneers into splitting the train, leaving Proctor with far less commission than he had signed up for. It all came down to money.
Jacob settled into the easy rhythm of his horse’s stride, trying to clear his mind of anything save the coming hunt, but it kept wandering back to Kate McGrath. There was something intriguing about her: her perceptive gaze, her spirited yet gentle nature. He grinned in satisfaction, remembering her plucky response to Andrew’s castigation. And she had seen this hunting trip as just an excuse, yet she graciously went along with his lie, saving them from being discourteous. He had the sense that nothing got by her.
He thought of her standing at the edge of the firelight the first time they had met, her stately, quiet grace drawing his attention even amidst the excited chatter of her family. There was a strength in Kate McGrath, and not just because of her surprising height. A strength of will and conviction. Fascinating. A part of him had wanted to accept her offer, to loop her arm in his and get to know her more. He scowled. Of course Andrew had jumped at the chance. He jumped at the chance to best Jacob no matter what the circumstances.
The breeze shifted and he could suddenly hear a chorus of voices raised in a joyful song. He stopped abruptly. Memory washed over him. He was a young boy again, standing between his mother and brother, singing this very same song. Jacob was transfixed with remembrance. He had been so happy, so safe, like nothing in the world could evermake him sad. That little boy had no idea that a year later both his brother and mother would be gone, and he would live in a world washed gray in grief and loneliness and despair. Oh, to be safe and happy and loved. Jacob’s throat constricted as every fiber of his being longed for that feeling again, for that something in his life he knew was missing. He wanted to run down to the people singing, to beg them to tell him where they found their joy, how they could be so content in a world full of pain. He sat like a statue on the hillside, frozen with the fear that the answer would cause more pain than never knowing.
“Jake!”
With a start, Jacob jerked Kip’s head around, eyes wide.
“You comin’ or what?” Seb called irritably over his shoulder.
Jacob shook his head and took a deep breath, trying to calm his heart and climb out of the mire of emotions that dragged him into the shadowed regions of his soul. He booted Kip forward and set off after his friend. Let the wind clear his head. He needed to escape the last strains of music that reached out like tendrils of ivy on the air, threatening to crumble his carefully built foundations and tear his world apart.
