At last, Ol’ Henry returned the cup to his lap. “So ol’ Joe Meeks was up there, swayin’ in the treetop, and the bear didn’t give any sign he planned to stop pushing on the trunk. Like any good mountain man, Meeks kept his Hawkins loaded, so all he had to do was point the rifle, aim, and fire. Just like shootin’ a rabbit from a bucking horse.”
Henry paused again and lifted the cup to his lips. Miss Rosemary leaned forward. Maybe she really was going to snatch the drink this time.
Riley took a step. He’d heard this story before, and it might be better if he finished it off before blood was shed. Every now and then Ol’ Henry drew out the suspense a little too far. “Joe Meeks managed to get the rifle to his shoulder but didn’t aim so well.”
All eyes turned to him as he reached the circle around the fire. “The first shot hit the bear’s front leg. At least that stopped the swaying of the tree, but it made the grizzly even angrier. Meeks loaded again while the bear roared, then it rose up against the trunk once more. Meeks aimed and fired just half a heartbeat before the bear could start the swaying. This shot struck its neck, but still didn’t do the beast in. It took two more bullets before the grizzly dropped to a limp heap on the ground.”
The women’s eyes were all rounded, but Ol’ Henry looked like he was holding in laughter. Almost as if he’dbeen trying to get a rise out of someone, and Riley’s stepping in suited him just fine.
A hush had fallen on the group, and everyone was still staring at him. His neck itched beneath his collar. “There’s a race beginning in less than an hour. That would be a good time for us to ride down to the Peigan camp. I’ll unpack my supplies, then we can go catch our horses.”
He turned and began unstrapping his goods. Dragoon moved to the other side of the mule to help, which gave Riley a good chance to enlist his aid for the journey. He kept his voice low and his back to the women as he relayed the details. Dragoon’s brows raised, though his fingers never stopped working the ties.
When Riley finished, Dragoon hoisted a barrel of gunpowder onto his shoulder. He kept his voice low and turned his back to the women. “You think they’re telling the truth that they don’t know anything more about her? They’ve come all this way with only those few facts?”
Riley shrugged as he hauled a barrel of salt off the saddle. “Not sure. That might be why they insist on going themselves. For now, my only job is to keep them safe. When I get a better feel for the situation, I’ll worry about the rest.”
He followed Dragoon into the lodge and set his barrel beside the one Dragoon carried in. The man had hit on what was really bothering Riley about this situation.
He knew they hadn’t given him all the information. They said they had, but they were holding back. They had to be.
He shouldn’t blame them. After all, they’d only met him the day before. They had no idea if he could be trustedwith their secrets. Maybe they’d figure that he could be soon enough, and then he could better help them find the woman.
Until then, he’d consider his only job to be keeping them alive.
Five
Getting to the horses proved harder than Juniper expected, especially with the circuitous route Riley led them to avoid the crowd gathering along the raceway.
He’d said the Lord must have planned the horse race just for them, to give them a chance to leave camp while the men were distracted. God had occupied so few of her thoughts these last months since Papa’s death, or maybe even the past few years. It seemed strange to attribute something like a horse race to His planning.
She’d once believed He oversaw their daily lives, that He worked things out for their good. But she’d never been able to see the good in Mama’s death, nor in the way her grieving father had sold off their horse farm and moved them to the city. Richmond had been a dark, depressing, smelly place compared to the open air and sunshine of the ranch.
A few voices rang across the distance, pulling her from the memories.
“You gals planning to race?” a grizzly-looking man yelled.
“I’ll put my money on any one of you.” This one shecouldn’t see, but his voice slurred like he’d spent the morning in a rum house.
“Will you come be my lucky lady?” A tall stranger waved his hat from the middle of the crowd.
But the men were far enough away to be ignored, especially when Riley moved his horse to shield them from the onlookers. His gaze shifted back and forth, his stance uneasy. He didn’t speak, but his eyes urged them to hurry. He didn’t need to say it aloud.
Dragoon also eyed the men gathering for the race, but the strain didn’t tighten into new lines on his face the way it did with Riley.
Juniper’s hands trembled as she tied the saddle straps. What had they been thinking not to bring a guardian when they came west? Riley seemed to have taken that task on himself, and he appeared trustworthy enough. At least he hadn’t done anything to make her think otherwise. He was a bit overbearing, but that wouldn’t endanger them.
She pulled the cinch tight, then patted her mare on the shoulder. Her finger traced out the figure eight pattern of the brand her father used to apply on the shoulders of all the ranch horses. These were the few riding animals he’d kept when they sold the land and moved to Richmond after Mama’s passing. This brand held so many happy memories. Even now, seeing the symbol steadied her.
Once they’d all saddled and began riding southward, the horses fell into an easy stride. As the flat land they rode on widened, she and Rosie rode beside Riley, with Faith, Lorelei, and Mr. Dragoon bringing up the rear.
As the sounds of the horse race faded behind them, she heard Mr. Dragoon speak. “I must say, I’m surprised tosee you ladies riding astride. Figured gals from a fancy city would ride sidesaddle.”
Juniper glanced at Rosie. Mr. Dragoon would have been a great deal more surprised if he’d seen her in trousers that morning. Riley hadn’t even mentioned that detail. Normally, Faith would be the sister most likely to shed her skirts for men’s pants, but Rosie had thought she’d be less conspicuous as she searched out Mr. Provost.
“We all grew up on horses.” Faith piped up in answer to Mr. Dragoon. “Papa raised champions that people traveled for hundreds of miles to purchase.”
Riley’s gaze shot to Juniper, but she didn’t meet the questions she could feel in his look. “Do you still ...?”
