Jericho couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. "He loved chore time in the mornings. He'd come bounding out with the first person, and run full-out from one brother to the next. Getting in the way, scaring the new foals. But he really just loved the mornings. The babies would get used to him after a few days, and he'd play tag with them."
Dinah chuckled. "Sounds like a great dog."
Her smile stayed as she turned forward again, the breeze brushing the loose hairs back from her pretty face. Maybe it wasn't so bad to have another person on this trip. A friend to keep him company on this long, winding road.
CHAPTER11
"There it is."
Dinah sat up at Jericho's voice and peered into the darkness before them. The sun had long since set, and she'd nearly nodded off several times. Now she blinked to focus her gaze.
Lights shone ahead, outlining the forms of buildings. A little town along the river. Not at all the size Helena had been.
And not the same level of noise either. She and Naomi had ridden through that raucous town at dusk, and every building seemed to be a saloon, hosting drunken miners and the occasional flamboyantly dressed woman. As much as they'd been hoping for a night in a hotel with a bathing tub and a warm meal, they kept riding and found a quiet place to camp farther down the road.
Missoula Mills had more the look of a peaceful town. Figures walked the dark streets but—at least from this distance—they didn't appear drunken or disorderly.
Dinah let out a relieved breath. "Looks like a nice place."
Jericho grunted. "I wouldn’t say that."
The horses' hooves clopped against rocks as they approached. To the right ran the Blackfoot River, and a building at its edge must be the sawmill she'd heard about. The sounds of the town drowned out the waterwheel though.
Most of the structures were dark, but a few had open doors with light and people spilling out. Those looked more like the saloons from Helena.
They passed one such place, and she peered inside at the men surrounding several tables. Jericho kept the team moving, so she couldn't see more than that.
He reined in before a quiet building marked with the words "Trading Post." "I'll see if anyone's here. We might have to track down Higgins or Worden to get supplies tonight." He jumped to the ground and strode to the door.
She'd been counting on getting loaded tonight so they could be on the road at first light. She'd left Jude and Lillian careful instructions about how to care for Jonah, along with plenty of medicine and clean bandages in case their trip went an extra day or two. But in her mind, she'd been planning to be back tomorrow night.
If they had to spend a second night away, sleeping on the trail… It was already indecent enough her traveling alone with this man. But spending a night with him? Away from town or the ranch, and any possible chaperone…
She didn't fear that he'd take advantage. He'd had plenty of opportunity and never gave her a moment’s concern. The opposite actually. He seemed to go out of his way to keep distance between them.
But her reputation. It was all a woman had sometimes.
Really though. Who in this land except his brothers and her sister would know or care that they were alone? And they would all know well that the overnight together was innocent.
But what of the children? The last thing she wanted was for Lillian or Sean to think it acceptable for a man and woman to spend a night alone together. It simply couldn't happen.
If supplies couldn't be purchased and loaded tonight, she'd have to insist she and Jericho stay in Missoula all day tomorrow, then leave before first light on the third day.
No one had answered Jericho’s knock, so he returned to the wagon, stepping up to the bench in an effortless motion. "There's a hotel down a ways where I usually stay. I'll get you settled there, then look for them." He released the brake and signaled the team to walk.
"Where will you look?" Surely he wouldn't have to enter the saloons. If he did, would he stay on for a drink while he was there?
A knot tightened inside her. Pop and Nana had warned so often against alcohol and how it affected people. She and Naomi had so rarely seen anyone who over-imbibed—before leaving Wayneston anyway. They'd seen plenty since then, and that experience certainly hadn't made her think better of the stuff.
She'd been relieved to find no fermented drinks in the supplies at the Coulter cabin. But he might avail himself readily enough when in town. If he did, at least she could stay clear of him here. That might delay their trip a day, but so be it. Maybe she should have brought her gelding after all. She could ride back tomorrow and let Jericho sleep off his headache.
They passed three more saloons filled with men before Jericho reined in at a building at the far end of town. The front rose up two stories, and a light shone through the window. But it looked far more like a respectable hotel than a saloon.
Jericho jumped to the ground and turned to help her down, as he had the other times they'd stopped to rest the horses. She took his hand, ignoring the warm strength of his grip. Certainly far sturdier than Pop's hands had been. Pop had the touch of a physician, the careful and sensitive hold of a man used to feeling for fever and crafting tiny stitches to mend torn flesh.
Jericho's calluses seemed natural for this man, an expected part of someone so large and virile, tanned from working every day under the expanse of the Montana sky.
When she reached the ground, he released her hand, turning to stride toward the door. She couldn't move as quickly though. Her body needed a moment to adjust to the sudden loss of his touch.
