Eddie peppered Jace with questions. What was his horse’s name? How long had Jace had him? Did he run fast? Could Eddie have a ride on him?
Dianne answered that one. “He’s too big for you.”
Jace cleared his throat. “You might consider letting him ride while we return to the way station. It’s a long walk for little legs. There’d be no danger as I would lead the horse, and Sam is an agreeable animal.”
“Mama, I cans ride?”
How was she to refuse his eagerness? After all, if things went as planned, he’d be living on a ranch. Besides, she’d stay right at his side each step of the way.
“I guess you could ride a short distance.”
Eddie laughed. “I’s gonna be a cowboy.”
Dianne shook her head. “What have I started?”
Her eyes met Jace’s, and her smile flattened at the way his pupils narrowed. He held her gaze, and she couldn’t pull away, not wanting to show any weakness in the face of his intense study.
Then Eddie nudged her, freeing her from the stare. “I done. We goes now?”
“Let me finish first.” Her beans had been forgotten. Both she and Jace scraped up the food. She gathered up the dishes, but when he stood before the washbasin, she slipped them into the water and stepped back, locating the drying cloth.
He cleared his throat. “You’ll need a foreman to run the ranch for you.”
The spoons she dried clattered to the floor. She scooped them up and handed them back to wash again. A pulse throbbed behind her eyes. “I can’t run a ranch. Nor can I hire a foreman. I’d be as likely to hire a rustler as anything else.”
While he wiped the table, squeezed the rag dry, and tossed the water out the door, she shook her skirts, though it did little to remove the wrinkles. She was ready to depart.
“I’ll get Sam.” Jace trotted away.
“I go, too.”
But Dianne caught the little boy and stopped him. “We’ll wait here.”
“Mama,” Eddie wailed. “How’s I gonna learn to be a cowboy if I doesn’t help?”
“You’ll learn when the time comes.” She gripped his hand as they made their slow way toward the pen where Jace saddled his horse. They stood by the fence until he finished and led the animal through the gate.
“I ride now?” Eddie bounced foot to foot, his impatience bursting through.
Jace picked up Eddie and set him in the saddle. “How’s that, young man?”
“I’s high.”
“Do you want down?” Dianne would be only too happy to take him off that big animal.
“No. I ride.”
“He’s safe,” Jace murmured. “I’ll be right here.”
“And I’ll be right here too.” She stayed on the opposite side, her hand clamped to Eddie’s leg.
“Then let’s be on our way. Thesooner—” He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to. The sooner he got them back to the way station, the sooner he could return to his cabin and hide from whatever it was he was avoiding.
A narrow path led through the trees. “This isn’t the direction I came.”
“It’s shorter and less rocky.”
The trail, although wide enough for a horse, forced her to drop back. Jace stayed at Eddie’s side. The branches hung low. One slapped Eddie in the chest. He cried out and slipped to the side.
