Margaret slid onto the seat next to her and began the prayer. Keturah listened intently but could not seem to commit her heart to the words. If she had to take a husband, it ought to be a man she could come to love and cherish as Margaret did her husband. However, especially under the circumstances, that seemed too much to ask.
She breathed in a deep breath and let out a shaky sigh.Lord, please just dinnae let me lose the farm.She would gladly settle for a marriage of mere contentment if only she could make the farm a success.
Daniel sat astride the beautiful chestnut mare he had purchased for his trip west as he surveyed the green waters of Big Brush Creek. It was to be their last water crossing before reaching James Skaggs’s Station, which was situated near one of the creek’s tributaries. It appeared much more the breadth and depth of a river, rather than a simple creek, though. A muscle rippled in his mare’s shoulder, causing him to grip the reins tighter.
While Cinnamon was stunning and sure-footed, the man who had sold her to Daniel had neglected to explain that she was also skittish and high strung. Not exactly the greatest fit for an inexperienced rider whose confidence in his horsemanship skills was still lacking after more than a month of travel. Back east, his family had always had the use of a carriage and driver, so he had never had a reason to gain experience. And unlike his five brothers, he had never taken a personal interest in the activity. While he did hold an affinity for animals, he was more likely to be found in the stables talking to the horses rather than out riding them.
A clatter of rocks drew Daniel’s attention from his musings to the family that had approached the water’s edge to his right. Worry lines stretched across the middle-aged mother’s forehead as she watched the first men crossing. Her husband gripped her shoulder tightly while three small children gathered around them. The youngest, a toddler with white-blond hairmatching that of his parents, crept closer to the water, a hand outstretched. But the woman took hold of his shoulder before his fingertips could reach the liquid. Daniel glanced about. With no horse near and their bodies laden with packs and supplies, it appeared that they were traveling on foot like so many of the impoverished families in their travel party.
“One of the children can ride across with me,” Daniel offered. Though the waters appeared relatively still, he had quickly learned during their crossings that creeks such as this still held a dangerous current that could sweep away an inexperienced swimmer. Like a child.
The mother looked at her husband, who nodded. He stepped forward and lifted the toddler into Daniel’s arms. “Take Charlie here, if you do not mind. He has not yet learned to swim.”
“Of course, I would be glad to.” Daniel smiled down at the man. “He will be quite safe up here on Cinnamon with me.” As Daniel accepted the boy and settled him in front of him in the saddle, the man nodded. But his gaze lingered on his son as though he was not quite convinced.
Still, as it was his turn to cross, Daniel held tightly to the boy and asked Cinnamon to step forward into the creek. The mare had taken only two steps when she dislodged a large flat rock with the edge of her hoof. Her weight flipped the stone upward with a loud splash before it smacked against the side of her hock.Cinnamon went reeling backward, her head high in the air and nostrils flaring. The black stallion behind her lashed out as she encroached upon his space, nipping her flank with his teeth.
Daniel’s heart rate kicked up a notch as the mare surged forward and spun away from the other horse. Suddenly, his perch in the saddle seemed quite precarious. As Cinnamon plunged into the creek, water and muddy debris sprayed all around. Daniel jerked on the reins. In protest of his rough handling, she reared. Time seemed to freeze as her brown mane flew up into Daniel’s face and he slipped from the saddle. Frantic, he gripped young Charlie tight to his chest and allowed the reins to slip through his hands. His body slammed into the rock-strewn bank just before Cinnamon’s weight crashed atop him and the boy. Blinding pain seared through the back of his skull.
“Char…” The child’s name started as a hoarse whisper before it died on his lips, black spots claiming his vision.
Daniel gripped the smooth edge of the rocking chair’s arm as his foot bounced against the hardwood floor beneath. Guilt and worry gnawed his insides in turns. Fire crackled in the Skaggs’s fireplace a few feet away. And though it had worked to dry his wet breeches at first, the warmth had grownstifling as he waited for word on Charlie’s condition. If it were not for Mary Skaggs’s watchful eye as she prepared the evening meal and the fact that dizziness claimed him if he attempted to stand, he would be pacing the room. Still, he chanced a glance in the middle-aged woman’s direction.
As though she felt his gaze, Mrs. Skaggs lifted her eyes from the potatoes she was peeling and raised her dark brows as if to inquire if he needed assistance. Daniel forced a tight-lipped smile and lifted his hand to acknowledge all was well. But all was not well.
Upon their arrival at the station, Daniel had been whisked inside so that the stationmaster’s wife could tend to the gash on the back of his head. Meanwhile, Charlie had been taken to the nearby home of the acting physician. If any lasting harm came to the boy due to his incompetence…
His chest tightened, and the pounding in his head intensified. Daniel closed his eyes against the pain.
They snapped open a moment later when the cabin door scraped across the floor. Martin Brown, the leader of their expedition, stepped in from the gathering dusk. His mouth was pulled into a grim line as he approached, causing Daniel to sit up straighter.
“Is the boy well?”
“Yes, he is well.” Mr. Brown did not elaborate, his gaze on the crackling fire as he sat down on the low stone hearth beside him.
Daniel’s pulse picked up as he stared down at theman. What was the man not telling him? And why did he avoid his gaze?
When Martin finally looked him in his face, his blue gaze held a heavy dose of regret. Daniel’s heart plummeted. “The boy suffered a broken arm. It will mend, though, and he is resting now. Children are resilient.”
All the breath left Daniel’s lungs as he sagged back against the rocker. A chill swept through his body. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Mr. Brown held up a hand to stop him, asking his own question instead. “How is your head?”
Daniel attempted to focus despite his racing thoughts. Did his head even hurt anymore? He gingerly placed a hand near where Mrs. Skaggs had stitched him up. “Um, nothing too terrible.” Not when there was a child suffering.
“Good.” The other man nodded and took a deep breath. “Even so, ’twill be best for you to stay here and recuperate for a few days. For your horse as well.”
Daniel’s gaze jerked up. “What happened to Cinnamon?”
Mr. Brown’s countenance relaxed slightly. Evidently, the topic of the horse was an easier subject. “Only a strain to the left hind. She will be well in a couple of days. But everyone else will be leaving in the morning to push farther west.”
Daniel’s heart plummeted. “Without me.”
Another thin-mouthed nod from the man beforehim. “This will be a good place for you to settle. Here, near the station.”
Where Daniel would be safe, looked after. Where there would be people to help him because he was not capable of succeeding on his own. Though Mr. Brown tried to make the situation sound appealing, Daniel knew what he really meant. He had failed too many times and was a hindrance to the group. No longer was he allowed to travel with them. Daniel pushed a smile onto his face despite the lifelong wound that was opening inside his chest. “Yes. You are quite right. This will be a wonderful place to settle. A beautiful land, indeed.”
Mr. Brown stood and clasped him on the shoulder. “I am glad you are able to see it that way.” Then he strode from the cabin, leaving Daniel to accept his fate alone.
For the millionth time, it seemed, he had been cast aside, unwanted. Just as when his father had hired a nanny to tend to his raising so that he would not have to face the child that had taken his wife from him. When his father had restricted his brothers from consorting with him or purposefully left him behind during family outings. And finally, when his father had pressed money into his hand on his eighteenth birthday and revealed that he had secured Daniel passage west to make a name for himself. Not a tear was shed upon his departure. In fact, no one besides Nanny had bid him farewell.
