Trail of Golden Dreams

by Coverstone, Stacey

  She stole a glance at him, and felt her face grow warm when he caught her looking. Her heart began to patter when he winked. Turning away quickly, she stared up at the full moon. All of creation seemed so right at that moment. A slight breeze rustled the tops of the reed grass. The sheep and working dogs rested together. The fire was warm, her stomach was full, and she’d experienced the beautiful miracle of bringing life into the world. Josie felt safe, despite Grey’s early morning premonition, and she’d made a new friend in Mr. Garde. Best of all, she was feeling closer to Grey, and the growing attachment seemed mutual.

  She snuggled against her saddle, wrapped in the striped blanket. When her gaze drifted to Grey once more, he was asleep. She watched his head bob as he dozed with the tiny snoring lamb sprawled in his arms.

  Mr. Garde sat hunched on the cot, shaving a blister off his foot with his knife. Josie whispered, so as not to wake Grey or the lamb. “Thank you for sharing your supper with us tonight, Mr. Garde. And for letting us stay with you here in your cabin.”

  “It’s my pleasure, Miss Hart. I owe you a debt of gratitude for all you did for my flock today. I don’t know how I would have managed without you and Mr. Paladin.” He shoved the knife into its holder, which was still fastened around his waist, and stretched upon his side on the cot.

  “Please call me Josie, Mr. Garde. Miss Hart sounds so formal.”

  “Alright. Then I insist on you calling me Leandro. After all, we are friends, are we not?” He folded his hands under his head to form a pillow.

  “Yes, we’re friends,” she agreed. “I’ve been wondering about your accent, Leandro. Where are you from?”

  “I was born in Isaba, Spain.”

  “Spain? That’s real far away, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. It’s another country, far across the ocean.” When one of the dogs whimpered, he patted the cot, giving the animal permission to join him. After the dog curled up at the shepherd’s feet, it sighed and began to snore. Leandro ran his hand down its back. “This one’s young. He likes to sleep with me. I don’t mind. He’s a good worker.”

  Josie grinned. “I’m going to see the ocean,” she told him softly. She felt like a child spilling a secret, and she bit her lip to suppress a giggle. “One of these days soon, I’ll be traveling to San Francisco.”

  “Ahhh,” he sighed. “The ocean is like the most magnificent lover. She holds much power and beauty, and once she has drawn you in, you will never want to leave her embrace.” He gazed past her into the dark.

  The faraway look in his weary eyes made Josie think he was missing the ocean and his home in Spain. Perhaps a woman, too. She felt embarrassed by him mentioning the word lover, but a sudden unexplainable yearning seeped into her bones. It was a yearning she’d never experienced before—that of wanting to be held, kissed, and loved, the way a man loves a woman. She snuck another peek at Grey. He held the lamb lovingly in his strong arms. Would he hold a woman with such care? How would his lips feel pressed against hers? Would his kisses be rough and frenzied, or tender and soft? He’d put his arm around her waist earlier, for only a moment. But she’d never forget how it felt—strong and protective. When she closed her eyes and dared to imagine how his body would feel touching hers, tremors coursed through her veins.

  “Are you riding all the way to San Francisco together?” the old man asked after yawning. “You and Mr. Paladin?”

  Josie snapped back to reality. “No. We’re headed north of Santa Fe. We have some business to take care of, and then I’ll be striking out to California on my own.” There was no need to tell him more, especially not the part about the posse that might or might not be following them.

  She gazed at Grey once more and knew any dreams about him would come to no good end. He was bound and determined to keep her from owning all of the gold nuggets, and she wasn’t about to let that happen. Heartfelt emotions would not sway her from her goal. Until the time was right to inform him otherwise, she had to stick to her plan and make him believe she’d be satisfied with the forty percent. Her entire future rested on the gold Pa hid. Nothing would deter her from making her dreams come true.

  “It’s a long way to Santa Fe,” Leandro said. “My nephew is coming from there. He should arrive any day now. He will help me watch over the lambs until they are stronger, and then we will drive the flock into the mountains.”

  Josie nodded, happy that the shepherd would soon have the assistance and company of his family. Before long, she heard him whistling through his nose. The second dog padded over and laid against her leg, allowing her to stroke his head as he went back to sleep. Tiny whimpers escaped through the dog’s lips, and she wondered if he was dreaming about chasing sheep.

  The myriad of human and animal noises mixing together formed a symphony of sounds reminding her of music. For so long now, it had been just her and Traveler. She was used to quiet when she went to bed at night. How would she get to sleep with all this snoring and breathing and soft bleating? She smiled and thought, quite easily.

  * * * *

  When Josie woke in the morning, Grey had already saddled Lightning and Traveler, and Leandro had packed them some food to take on the trail. The two men were drinking coffee together. Josie rubbed her eyes.

  “Good morning,” Leandro said cheerfully.

  “Morning.”

  “It’s time to hit the road,” Grey told her, gulping down the contents of his tin cup.

  “Where’s the baby lamb?” she asked, standing and stretching. “Did he make it through the night?”

  “Yes, he made it.” Leandro smiled and pointed to a box on the ground, where the lamb lay in a bed of reed grass. “Mr. Paladin was up early picking grass and fixing up this bed.”

  “I fed it more milk this morning,” Grey said. “Leandro promises he’ll feed the little guy until he gets stronger.”

  Josie grinned at them both, pleased.

  “Are you hungry?” the shepherd asked.

  “I’m famished. What’s for breakfast?”

  “Whatever you can get down your throat in a hurry,” Grey answered, curtly. “We’ve gotta get going if we’re to ride twenty miles today, or more.”

  She frowned. “Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, grumpy?” He didn’t reply, just ignored her and strutted over to Lightning and the mule. She shook her head and accepted the cold biscuit and slice of meat Leandro handed her, as well as a cup of strong coffee.

  “I think he’s going to miss the lamb,” Leandro whispered behind his hand. Josie reached into the box and petted the tiny thing.

  “So will I.” When the lamb opened his eyes, she said, “I hope you grow big and strong, little man.” Before she had a chance to drain the coffee, Grey waded through the flock leading Lightning and Traveler. “We have to go,” he said, thrusting the reins in her hand.

  “Can’t I even finish my coffee?” she asked, wondering why he was in such a hurry.

  His eyes narrowed, and she followed his pointed gaze across the flats over the hills to the south. “What’s wrong, Grey?”

  “It’s time to get on your mule, Josie. For once, don’t argue with me. Just do as I say.” His tone was brusque. He shook hands with Leandro and then jammed his foot in the stirrup.

  It hit her in a flash. This had to do with the bad feeling he’d had yesterday. She’d barely thought about Marshal Kendall and the posse since they’d seen no sign of them after the shootout in the canyon. She’d figured she and Grey had thrown them off, or the men had given up their pursuit. The expression on his face now indicated she’d been naïve. He must have spotted riders in the distance and that’s why he was so anxious to move out.

  “Good luck to you both,” Leandro said.

  Josie hugged him. “I’ll never forget our time with you. Good luck to you, too.” She climbed into her saddle and held Traveler to a walk behind Lightning until they cleared the flock.

  The old man waved as they rode off.

  “What did you see?” she holle
red to Grey, once they’d urged heir mounts into a lope.

  “A reflection in the hills.”

  “What kind of reflection?”

  “Like the glare of binoculars.”

  “Do you think it’s the marshal?”

  “I’d say it’s highly likely, wouldn’t you?” Grey’s dark eyes glared at her from over his shoulder.

  She didn’t answer, just prodded Traveler’s ribs harder in order to keep up with the flying white stallion.

  * * * *

  It was early evening when they stopped beside a creek, which was running high in the spring runoff. A clump of trees nearby was where they’d make camp for the night. Grey had not wanted to take any chances that the posse would catch up to them, so he’d pushed the animals, and Josie, hard all day long. He’d not even allowed them to break for lunch. During the highest point in the day, they’d run across a tiny stream where the animals had quenched their thirst and rested a bit. Then they were back on the trail. Josie had nibbled on hard tack as they rode.

  This creek was a welcome relief from the blistering sun they’d endured all day. Grey had hoped to make it this far, and was glad they had, since he’d been this way in the past and remembered the creek. He guessed Josie would appreciate the chance to wash up, as there hadn’t been an opportunity to do so in days. He knew women were particular about those things. He was particular about cleanliness himself. There was a little piece of lavender soap in his saddlebags that a nice lady in a boarding house had given him the last time he slept in a real bed. That had been a long time ago, but he’d been carrying that bit of soap with him ever since. He liked the way it smelled, and the scent reminded him of his ma.

  Grey led the mule and his horse to the edge of the creek and let them paw at the water. They drank in noisy gulps that seemed never to stop. When he fastened his gaze on Josie, a twinge of guilt twisted his gut. Her cowboy hat was off, sitting on the grass beside her. Her long braid was pulling apart, and her face was sweaty. She reclined on a big rock rubbing her thighs. She probably had blisters, but hadn’t made one complaint. The girl was a tough nut for being so young, he thought. Since he always kept a tin of axel grease with him, he made a mental note to offer her some for the blisters.

  Lightning and Traveler finally had their fill of water and set to munching on grass after Grey tied them to a tree. He opened his saddlebags and fished around inside. When he found what he was looking for, he snapped the bag shut and walked over to Josie. She had laid down on the rock and had her eyes closed. He wasn’t sure if she was asleep or not. One thing was for sure; he wouldn’t jiggle her awake. He’d learned his lesson the morning she drew her derringer on him.

  “Josie, are you awake?” he asked.

  “Huh?” She sat up and shielded her eyes with her hand. “Yes, I’m awake. I needed to rest my eyes a bit. I must feed Traveler.” As she moved to stand, it was obvious it pained her to do so.

  Grey put out his hand to help ease her up. When their fingers touched, he was surprised at how soft and dry her skin was. Light as a feather, she let him pull her to her feet.

  “Your mule is taken care of,” he told her.

  “Oh.” Her face smoothed into a mask of relief. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  They stood staring at each other a moment, and then her gaze wandered over the creek bed. Her eyes had little creases around them, and her shoulders slumped. She had to be worn to the bone. He cleared his throat. “I picked this place to stop because I thought you might want to clean up a bit. We’ve been riding hard the past couple of days. I have some soap, if you’d like to use it.” He offered her the small piece of lavender soap. “I’m not insinuating you’re not fresh,” he added quickly. “I just know girls like to smell nice.” The words sounded stupid, but his intentions were good. He flashed her a lopsided grin to show her he meant no disrespect.

  Josie’s eyes widened and latched onto the soap, and then her gaze searched his face. She smiled. “That’s very thoughtful of you to share your soap with me.” All of a sudden, she seemed to come alive again, like she’d gotten her second wind. She snatched the bar out of his hand and started for the creek. “Go behind those trees and let me have some privacy. You can start a fire and think about what we’re going to have for supper.” She pulled off her boots and yanked her filthy shirt out of the waistband of her pants.

  “Still a bossy little thing, aren’t you?”

  She spun around and shooed him away with her hand. “I heard that. Go on!” she hollered.

  “Alright!” He turned on his heel and sauntered off, chuckling. Slipping behind the clump of trees, he started to gather sticks for a fire. “If she thinks she can keep bossing me around, she has another thing coming,” he mumbled half-heartedly. Secretly, he enjoyed her sass. It kept things interesting between them.

  After tossing some broken limbs on the ground, he knelt down and started to break them into smaller pieces. When he heard her singing, he stopped and tilted his head. The cheerful tune was one his ma had sung to him when he was a boy. As he listened, the words he’d long forgotten suddenly popped into his head. The girl had a sweet voice. When the song ended, he heard her laughing and splashing in the water. It sounded like a child playing.

  Her laughter thrust him back in time when Ma and Pa were still alive. They’d been a poor, but happy family. Ma had loved to sing, and she’d had a beautiful soprano voice. Grey’s pa had always encouraged her to lift her voice in church, but she’d been a shy woman. Pa had told her she had more talent in her pinkie finger than the whole congregation had in their hands all put together, but she hadn’t held with being prideful. She’d sung the hymns in church, but not so loud that anyone else could hear. Ma had felt most comfortable sharing her music with her small family.

  Grey’s memories stirred within him. Rusty would never go to sleep until Ma rubbed his back and sang him a lullaby. Being so much older, Grey had not admitted it at the time, but her music had given him comfort, too. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed that feeling until now. He’d give just about anything to feel his ma’s soft touch and hear her voice again. That included giving up his share of the gold nuggets.

  When Josie squealed, Grey was pulled from his reverie. His head pivoted toward the creek bed. With curiosity getting the best of him, he snuck to the row of trees, spread some leaves apart, and peeked through. She’d stopped playing and was standing waist deep in the water. Her back was to him, and she was washing up with his soap. His throat tightened. The first thing he noticed was that her hair was down. It was long and wavy, and as black as a starless night sky. It reached almost to her narrow waist, which flared into curvy hips that disappeared into the water. Despite being as small as a whipstitch, her back was broad and looked strong. She rubbed the soap under her armpits and then across her brown shoulders and over the nape of her neck, and finally scrubbed some into her hair.

  Grey watched, knowing it was wrong to spy on her this way. But it was as if his boots were frozen to the ground. He couldn’t turn away, no matter how much he knew he should. His gaze was riveted. When she slipped under the water, he blinked and stretched his neck out like a giraffe. There were no bubbles floating to the surface. The water was as smooth as ice. The air around him suddenly grew as still as the quiet before a storm. When she didn’t emerge after a few moments, an icy feeling slid up his arms. Was she drowning? The pulse in his neck began to throb. Pushing through the trees like a bear, he reached the clearing and wondered what he should do. Could she swim? Would he have to dive in and save her?

  Just as he put his hand on his holster preparing to rip it off and drop it and go in after her, Josie sprang up. She’d turned under water, and her brown body faced him. He couldn’t help where his gaze was drawn—to her small breasts and flat belly. Her mop of hair was wet through and through, and water rolled off every square inch of her. Her hands shot to her face, and she cleared the liquid beads from her eyes. When her eyes opened, they looked
straight into Grey’s. Her blue eyes bulged, first with shock and then with pure rage. “How dare you!” she shrieked.

  To his amazement, she started splashing out of the creek. It seemed to him she was a demon possessed, or had lost all her senses. She’d just screamed at him for seeing her half-naked. Now she stomped toward him in her birthday suit with her fists balled up, screeching like an owl. He turned tail and ran back through the trees.

  When he craned his neck around to see if she was behind him, he stumbled backward and tripped over the sticks he’d built up for a fire. Some deep chuckles caught his attention. Grey glanced over his shoulder. Two men stood next to Lightning and the mule. One had his hand stuck in Josie’s saddlebags. He looked old, lean and hard—the kind of man who was looking to get something for nothing. The other one was a puny runt wearing round spectacles.

  Grey jumped to his feet, and his hand flew to the pistol at his side. He leveled it at the strangers. “Those animals don’t belong to you, and neither do the contents of those saddlebags. Walk away.”

  The runt hollered, “Don’t shoot, mister!” The other one grinned and slowly removed his hand from Josie’s saddlebags.

  “Take it easy, pardner,” that man drawled. “We were just looking for some grub. We ain’t et for a couple of days. You got anything you can share?”

  Grey kept his gun trained on them. “Move away from the mule and show me your hands. Both of you.”

  Both men raised their hands to show they were unarmed. Grey didn’t like the looks of either of them, but decided to offer them some of the meat Leandro had packed and then suggest they move along. He lowered the gun and nodded for them to sit. “I’ve got a bit of mutton I can give you.”

  “Thank you, young man,” the old one said, smiling. “That’s mighty friendly of you.”

  Grey took the packs of meat out of his pouch that was slung over Lightning’s back. All the while, he kept his eye on the two men. When he handed them the meat, they began to gobble it up like starved animals.