Chapter 24

The wagon ride to Theo’s land proved Lily’s theory that the stagecoach route had been littered with the bones of the dead, a path to the devil’s playground that no one should travel. When they set out she feared this journey would be the same, but she should have known better.

The man beside her hummed a pleasant tune, turned to smile at her every few minutes, and handled the reins with a gentle touch. He certainly did not seem the type to drag a woman across bumpy miles of hard road.

The landscape out of town proved a surprise. She’d imagined endless dusty acres dotted with withered, dead vegetation. As with the stagecoach route, lots of grave markers and discarded bits of broken wagons. She scanned the plains, but she saw none of that.

Endless plains stretched toward the horizon. To the north, a ribbon of railroad track with a mountain range in the distance. She supposed it must be the one she’d admired from the bench on Sunday, before the chicken flew at her. The hills had been pretty from town but were even more captivating now, with nothing to distract from their magnificence.

Theo stopped humming. “Pretty, isn’t it?”

She nodded. “It certainly is. Honestly, this isn’t what I expected.” Turning to face him, she raised her shoulders, then let them fall. “After the ghastly trip out, I thought this would be a continuation of that desolation. But it’s nothing like that, and I’m glad.”

His smile sent her heart tripping in her chest. It took so little to please the man.

“Well, I’m glad to hear it. And I believe you’ll be even more surprised when you see where I’m taking you.”

“Is it far?” She wondered if she should’ve left a note for her sisters. What if they worried?

Well, maybe it’d do them some good to worry about her. Neither had been very compassionate about her situation last night and it still peeved her. Yes, they could fret a bit.

“Nope. I’m fortunate, the claim is nearer to town than many others. It makes it easy to come in for supplies and such.” He turned to her and winked. “Also a good thing for courting purposes.”

Heat flooded her cheeks. The man’s charm, a burst of cool air after a long, hot stretch, nourished her. It had been too long since a man showed kindness. She’d missed it more than she realized.

“Ah, yes, that would be an advantage.” She lifted her cheeks toward the sound of birdsong before swinging her head around to meet his gaze. “Tell me, are you courting anyone special?”

The passed a stand of scrub pines. The wagon wheels quieted when they rumbled over fallen pine needles. The debris sent a sweet scent into the air. They rode through the pine cloud without speaking.

“I’d say I’m calling on a very special lady. One of unrivaled beauty and refinement. A lady who travels across endless miles, arrives in a distant land, and settles in so swiftly that I can’t remember a day when she didn’t live here.” He paused, then shot her a fast grin. “And she cleans up real well, too.”

She let the words sink in for a long moment. Theo had returned to humming and didn’t seem to expect a reply, so she didn’t scramble to come up with one. How different to speak with a man who didn’t wait for her to twitter and gasp over his every proclamation. A nice change of pace, this western cowboy.

But he’d come out west, too. He hadn’t been born here, yet he fit in so well.

“You’re from back east, aren’t you?” The question tumbled from her mouth. It didn’t flow with their conversation but that couldn’t be helped. “You weren’t born in the territory, were you?”

They’d reached a river, so he turned the wagon toward the trail that ran along its banks. The air here, soft, cool, and fresh, swept over them when he slowed the horse to a leisurely walk.

“I hail from Pennsylvania. Moved out here a few years after Thomas and his wife.” He nodded toward the mountains that were now in front of them, a stunning vista she could barely take her gaze from. “Lived in town, planned to stake my own claim…then, the unthinkable happened.”

Alexia hinted that her mother did not reside with her and Thomas, but she hadn’t said precisely why that was the case.

She turned to the man beside her. His presence, so strong and rugged, made her feel safe. She’d heard of attacks on innocent travelers and had worried about being accosted on a lonely trail, but his confidence chased those fears away. “What happened?”

Theo quirked a brow and glanced over at her. “You mean your sister hasn’t told you?”

She shook her head. “Violet and I aren’t that close. I mean, I am older than she is and, well, you know how that is.”

“I’m surprised. She always speaks so highly of her sisters. I thought you were all thick as thieves.” He softened the last bit with a small smile. “To answer your question, Thomas’ wife died. In childbirth. That’s why he vacated his homestead. All that hard work, so much time and money, sweat and even blood put into the place, yet he couldn’t stand to remain without her.”

“He must have loved her very much to walk away from the life they built.”

He spoke softly. “I’ve never seen a couple more devoted than they were.”

They rode in silence for a few minutes.

Deserted prairie had given way to a more inviting view. Bursts of green foliage dotted the shadows beyond the trail. Ponderosa pines scented the air. Clumps of wildflowers spilled from crevasses between rocky outcroppings. Moss clung to rocks at the edge of the river.

“That must have been so sad, losing someone like that.”

He nodded. “For everyone. Alexia suffered greatly. She’d been waiting on being the big sister to the new baby for months. It never occurred to any of us that the birth would take such a bad turn.” He looked over at her and she saw sadness lingered in his eyes. “No one wants to lose a baby, or a wife, for that matter—and Thomas lost both in one heartbeat. How could he stay out here after that?”

A change of subject seemed in order, so she waited a few moments, then asked, “How much longer before we reach your place?”

He grinned. “We’ve been on my land for a while now.” He tipped his head toward a rise ahead. “See that? Right on the other side is the house. A fine view of the river, tucked into the slope of a small hill, nice stand of trees beside it. Wish I’d been the one to choose the site, or the claim. Thomas did real well with it all and I’m grateful he sold it to me but still, a man wants to stake his own claim, doesn’t he?”

The horse moved faster now. As they crested the rise in the road, the homestead came into view. She hadn’t known what to expect. Sod houses and tiny cabins were spoken about so she thought Theo might own something like that.

But a solid wood-frame structure, complete with porch and a second story, came into view. She spotted a fenced garden, a couple of outbuildings, and a good-sized barn.

“Son of a bitch!” Theo urged the horse to move faster.

“What’s wrong?” She grabbed the side of the wooden seat to keep from being jostled out of the wagon. She scanned the property but saw nothing concerning. Certainly no reason for the man to swear. “Why are you barreling to the house as if the devil is on our tail?”

He jutted his chin toward three riders. They were headed toward the house and by the set of Theo’s jaw he knew who they were.

“I’d rather have Old Scratch himself on my property than that bunch.”