Those weren’t at all the words Juniper expected from her.“What?” Rosie must have meant something different from what it sounded like.
She gave a firm nod. “You love him, don’t you?”
The question brought a new stab of pain, but she nodded.
“I saw it back that first day we rode south to the Peigan camp and met all those women. There’s something special between the two of you. It reminds me of the way Papa and Mama were together. As though you can sense what the other is thinking and feeling. Like you don’t always need words to communicate.” She took in an audible breath, then released it. “He’s a good man, June. I wouldn’t let you go to anyone who wasn’t.”
Confusion warred with hope inside her, clouding her mind. “But ... our horse farm. We have plans. And Faith and Lorelei. I can’t leave you all when you need me.”
Rosie advanced the two steps between them, then reached out and took both of Juniper’s hands. “June, you can’t stop living your life because of us. Our horse farm was a wonderful plan, and I won’t say I’m not going to miss you powerfully. But you can’t turn away from the man you love—the man God made for you—to stay with your sisters. That’s not the way God intends things.” She squeezed Juniper’s hands. “We’ll always be there. We’ll always be connected, both by blood and by heart. And we expect you to come visit any chance you can. But you have to choose Riley if he’s the one you know in your heart God has for you.”
Juniper had long ago lost the battle with her tears, and they flowed in steady streams down her face. A sob worked its way up her chest as all the realities of Rosemary’swords sank in. Could she really leave her sisters? Rosie wouldn’t hold her to their plans? She was free to choose Riley?
“Oh, honey.” Rosie pulled her into a hug, and Juniper clung to her sister as their tears flowed.
Twenty-Eight
Hope rose within Juniper as she strolled through the early morning light the next day. Fog still lingered low to the ground, but on the eastern horizon, what looked to be a brilliant sunrise had just begun.
She was going to talk with Riley this morning, as soon as she could get him away from camp. Hopefully, she hadn’t hurt him so much that he would reject her change of mind.
For now, though, she needed these quiet early dawn moments to settle her heart. The coyote pup had begun whining early, and taking him for a walk had been a good excuse.
Boots frisked in front of her, charging ahead until he reached the end of the rope, then spinning around to gnaw at the tether. He’d grown so much that he would be old enough to release soon. He could eat meat with no problem now, but the main question was whether he could protect himself and bring down his own food in the wild. Perhaps not quite yet, but the day would come soon, probably long before Lorelei was ready.
She was walking around the side of the slope they’d camped on and had nearly reached a cropping of rockswhere she would be able to see what lay on the other side of this small mountain.
The pup perked its ears, freezing as it stood at attention. “What is it, boy?” Her heart picked up speed as her thoughts slipped back to the last time she’d been walking this little fellow and he’d alerted to something. Just the memory of the snake’s rattle sent shivers down her spine.
She kicked the grass and rocks around them in the early morning light. Riley had said rattlesnakes liked the sun and heat, so maybe it wasn’t warm enough for them to be out for the day yet.
She took a step toward the pup, who still stood at attention. “What do you see?”
He glanced up at her, then turned forward again, hopping two steps so he strained at the end of the line once more. His tail wagged a little, though, and he wasn’t whining like he had last time. Maybe this wasn’t danger, just a rabbit nest or something similar.
She stepped toward him and leaned down to scoop him up. He needed to learn how to hunt his own food, but she wasn’t ready to be his teacher this morning.
But as her hand closed around his body, the pup writhed, twisting out of her grasp. She scrambled for a better hold, capturing part of the rope tied around his chest, along with a clump of hair.
He squealed and fought harder, his teeth clamping down on her hand.
“Agh.” She clutched tight to keep from losing him, even as she lost her footing and landed on her knees and forearms.
The pup slipped from her hands and darted away, his leash dragging behind him.
“No!” She scrambled to her feet, tripping on her dress before she righted herself.
The animal had run around the side of the mountain, and she sprinted after him. After one more stumble, she righted herself and rounded the cluster of boulders at the side of the mountain. The view on the other side brought her up short.
A valley spread before her, with at least a hundred animals grazing there.
Horses.
Where had this huge herd come from? She placed a hand on the rock beside her as she studied the animals. Such a variety of colors, but they were beautiful creatures. It felt like a lifetime since she’d seen this many horses together. Not since Papa began selling off his stock before they left the farm.
But whose animals were these? Was there a large native village in this area? Could this possibly be the same herd they’d seen the tracks of in that other valley after they left the Gros Ventre camp? Likely not. This was far away from that place. And many of the animals had the swayed backs of horses who’d worn saddles for many years. Did the Indians use saddles?
A flash of movement at the base of the slope caught her attention.
