“Mama.” The child gave a slow nod, the motion bouncing her brown curls.
“That’s good.” Juniper seemed to be faring better this time around, not casting up her accounts every few hours, asshe had done with Bertie. Still, June carried dark shadows under her eyes, and her face had swelled early.
Keep her and the babe safe, Lord. Please.
Lorelei too.
So much had happened since they’d traveled to this land. The other of their sisters who’d recently married had just announced last week that she and Tanner were expecting. So far, she’d shown no signs of sickness, only a constant glow that made her beam all the time.
Bertie rested a hand on Faith’s cheek, then seemed to catch herself. She pulled her hand back and ducked her chin, peering up at Faith with a shy smile that nearly melted Faith’s heart.
She pulled her close and gave her a tight squeeze. “I love you, Bertie girl.”
Bertie squirmed, as she often did when constrained, and Faith released her, adjusting the girl on her hip.
“Owie.” Bertie reached into the pocket on her pinafore, as though something had poked her during the hug.
“Did I squeeze you too tight? I’m sorry.”
Bertie pulled out something that flashed in the sunlight.
“What is that?” Faith squinted against the sparkle. Whatever it was, the child probably shouldn’t be playing with it. Had she absconded with Rosemary’s locket that had been passed down from their mother? At least Rosie had something of Mama’s.
Faith pushed down the old familiar twinge of jealousy. The one thingshe’dhad to remember Mama by—the stones the two of them had collected together—had been lost when they moved from their Virginia ranch to Richmond after Mama’s death.
The child tucked her hand behind her back, her lips pinched, likely knowing she wasn’t supposed to have the item.
Faith reached for Bertie’s arm. “I’ll bet Aunt Rosie wouldn’t want you to have that.” She kept her voice light and pleasant. “Can you give it to Auntie Faith?”
When she pried Bertie’s hand from behind her, the girl finally raised the trinket with her precious grin. “Da.”
Faith’s breath caught as she focused on the necklace in her niece’s hand. This wasn’t the locket on its thin gold chain. She reached for the blue crystal beads, but when Bertie tried to pull them away, Faith caught her wrist instead. “No, ma’am.”
Bertie’s face pinched, and she made a fussing sound, so Faith eased her grip. “You can’t play with these, honey. They’re very special.” She used her other hand to pry the child’s fingers open and slip the strand out of her hold.
With the necklace safe, she sighed and held it close to her chest. What would they have done if Bertie broke the cord and lost the beads? This keepsake could never have been replaced, not even if they somehow found the exact same type of beads and string to repair it. The meaning of this treasure would be lost.
Rosie poked her head through the doorway. “Stallion was good today?”
A flash of frustration gripped Faith. These beads were far more important than pleasantries. “Rosie.” She held up the necklace. “Look what Bertie had in her pocket.”
Rosemary squinted into the sunshine, then flashed a dismissive smile. “Ah. I was showing it to her yesterday. She must have seen which drawer I put it in.”
Faith fought to keep anger from her tone. “Why wouldyou keep the beads where she could reach them? She might break the cord or the beads themselves, and the entire thing would be ruined. We’d never be able to accomplish what Papa asked.” It was the entire reason the four of them had left everything and come west.
More than that, this strand had once saved their father’s life. A rush of emotion surged through her, stinging her eyes. She turned away so her sister didn’t see her childish display. None of the others cried for Papa anymore. It had been three years since his passing.
“Faith-ie.”
She hated the way Rosie dragged her name into two syllables when she used that tone.
Her sister tipped her head like she was cajoling a selfish child. “She’s not going to hurt the beads. And if she happened to break the cord, we could fix it. I don’t think White Horse will mind. You know how much he loves Bertie.”
What did White Horse have to do with this? Just because he was the son of the woman who’d saved their father’s life more than a decade ago, and just because he’d been the only member of Steps Right’s family they’d found when their father’s final wish sent them west to find her, didn’t mean he wasin chargeof the beads.
Or that he really had any say-so in what happened with them.
Papa had said to take the beads to Steps Right.
