Jason turned. His eyes met Katie’s and held. She lowered her gaze, but not before she saw the intensity in his gray eyes as if he were trying to read her thoughts.
A flush warmed her face, and she turned away. They would soon need a fire. She began gathering sticks.
“May I be of assistance, Miss Donovan?” Jason’s voice was much too close.
She dropped her sticks into a pile and shook her head. “I’m sure I can build a fire.”
He tossed more sticks with hers then stepped back.
Katie arranged the smallest twigs on the ground. She took a match from their newly purchased supply and struck it against a rock. Cupping her hands carefully around the flame, she held it against the kindling. Her feeble flame went out.
If Karl’s friend would leave, she might be able to get the fire started. Her hands trembled as she reached for a second match.
Jason squatted beside her and picked up a small stick. Katie turned enough to see his hands. He opened a pocketknife and cut a pile of shavings from the stick. Without permission, he plucked the second match from her fingers and struck it on the rock she’d used earlier. Using the shavings as kindling, his fire sprang to life.
Warmth rose to Katie’s cheeks. Who did this man think he was, coming into their camp and taking over as if he belonged there? She sprang to her feet, planted her hands on her hips, and opened her mouth to tell him her opinion of brash young men.
“Oh, how nice, Mr. Barnett.” Mama hurried toward them. “You got our fire started. To tell you the truth, I wondered if we could. Everything’s so wet. God must have sent you our way. First Karl and now this.”
She bestowed a warm, motherly smile on Jason. Katie clenched her teeth. Make that two conquests for Mr. Barnett. First Karl and now Mama.
“We’ll soon have our noon meal. Won’t you stay and take it with us?”
Jason turned with a broad smile. “Thank you, ma’am, but I’ll have to come another time. I’m expected at my own camp for nooning. I’m sure I’ll hear about it if I’m late, too.” He laughed and with a wave that included them all, he turned and left.
Katie’s air whooshed from her lungs. He was expected at his own camp? So he was a married man? An irrational sense of loss took the place of her anger. There had been something different about Mr. Barnett. Something powerful and sure. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but Jason Barnett was different from any other young man she’d met, and that intrigued her.
“Tommy, before you go, could you set up a spit on either side of this fire so I can hang a pot from it?” Mary called to her oldest son as he started off with his father.
“Sure.” Tommy grabbed a hammer and the iron bars that made the spit then anchored it in the ground.
He spoke in an undertone to Katie. “I heard there’s going to be a dance tonight. Wagon trains almost always do that the night before they head out.”
Katie’s eyes widened. “You’ll take me, won’t you?”
Tommy shrugged and grinned. “Figured I would.”
Chapter 2
Katie wiped the last plate to the sound of a guitar thrumming and someone tuning a banjo. She hurried to stow the clean dishes away. The disjointed notes soon merged into a lively tune of invitation to the many campfires twinkling in the gathering dusk of evening. Her toes tapped with the urge to dance. She ran to the edge of their camp as others nearby headed toward the music.
She twirled toward her older brother leaning against a maple tree. “Tommy, are you ready to go? This may be our last chance to have fun for a long time.”
Tommy hopped up and bowed low. “At your service, Ma’am.”
“You aren’t going to a dance our first night out, are you?” Mama sat in her rocker with mending in her lap.
Dad perched on an upright barrel, whittling. He shook his head. “Oh, let them have a little fun. Katie’s right. There’ll not be time for socializing once we get under way. Tonight is the time to get acquainted with our traveling mates.”
Mama’s eyebrows drew together as she picked up her sewing again.
Katie took Tommy’s arm and almost skipped across the grass to where several couples were already dancing. A crowd of spectators stood in a circle around the dancers and watched.
“Are you going to dance with me?” Tommy glanced to the side where some young men stood. “Or do you want one of them?”
Katie tossed her head. “I’ll start with you. If anyone else wants to dance with me, he’ll ask.”
Tommy chuckled. “My poor, shy sister. I’ll bet you don’t even know what a wallflower is.”
“Of course, I do.” Katie smiled and kept her steps in time with her brother’s. She loved to dance and seldom sat out. She knew what a wallflower was, she’d just never been one.
As the first dance ended, a tall, handsome man with dark hair stepped forward. “May I have the next dance?”
The dimple that flashed in his cheek caught Katie’s attention. She moved from her brother without a second thought.
“I’m Clay Monroe. And you are?” He took her hand.
“Katie Donovan.” She turned, but Tommy had already walked away. “That was my brother, Tommy Donovan.”
“I thought I saw a family resemblance.” He grinned. “Facial features, not hair color. Did you know your hair looks like burgundy wine sparkling in the sunshine?”
“Wine?” Katie laughed. “Is that a compliment?”
“Most certainly.” He drew back as if offended. “I’m partial to wine.”
Katie lifted her eyebrows. “You’re a drunkard?”
He threw back his head and laughed. “That’s a good one. No, Katie Donovan, I’m not. I seldom drink. A glass rarely, which may be why I enjoy it.”
Katie relaxed and enjoyed Clay’s company. His steps were sure and smooth, his conversation as lively as the music that surrounded them. Her feet kept time, and she couldn’t remember when she’d had more fun. When the dance ended, she moved to another partner, but kept Clay in sight.
He headed her way as soon as that second dance ended. “Hey, my turn again.” He stepped between Katie and the other fellow.
She didn’t mind.
He took her hand in his and bent close to her. “I’ve decided to dance with you the rest of the evening. What do you think about that?”
She pulled back to look into his eyes. “I don’t know. It doesn’t sound like you’re asking.”
He grinned. “I’m not.”
The music started before she could think of a good response, and Clay swept her toward him as they danced in perfect rhythm. He pulled her closer than she was used to, but when she tried to step back, his arm tightened. He leaned near and spoke in a low voice. “Did you know you are very beautiful, Katie Donovan?”
A flush rose in Katie’s cheeks. “Are you trying to turn my head, Clay Monroe?”
“Oh, no.” His dimple flashed. “I’m stating a fact.”
Excitement bubbled within Katie. If only he would loosen his hold on her. She pushed back as if making light of his compliment. “Oh, really? You’re trying to flatter me because we dance so well together.”
He laughed. “That may be.”
His face grew serious as he looked into her eyes. He again tightened his arm around her, his hand splayed across the back of her waist. “You really are beautiful.” His voice rumbled low and soft next to her ear.
Katie caught her breath. Never had a man looked at her in such a way. Or held her so close. Mama would say this is what came of dancing. She laughed and tossed a strand of long hair from her face while she eased back. “You’re trying to turn my head and it won’t work.”
“Oh, really? Then how can I turn your head?”
“You can’t.”
“Oh, but I will some way. I intend to win you over before we’re half way to Oregon. You do know that, don’t you?” Clay grinned. “I’ll watch, Katie, and find out what you like, then I’ll win your heart.”
“Win me? For what purpose?” Kati
e kept her voice light despite the pounding of her heart. Could he hear it?
Clay’s hand caressed Katie’s. “What do you think? I’m twenty-one and on my way to Oregon to claim land. I’m ready to marry, Katie, and I think you’re the girl I want.”
Clay rested his cheek against Katie’s as he held her tight in his arms. His words ran through her mind, but before she could sort them out, he lifted his head and stopped dancing. She looked up to see her brother had cut in.
An angry frown drew Tommy’s brows together. He took her arm and pulled her away from Clay, then stepped between the two of them before she realized what was happening. Clay’s face looked as shocked as she felt.
“What’s the matter with you, Tommy?”
“Hey, what’re you doing?”
“I’m her brother.” Tommy answered Clay as if being her brother gave him the right. He turned his back on Clay and whirled her away.
Clay stood with a stunned expression on his face. Katie’s mind whirled. She still hadn’t absorbed Clay’s outlandish proposal. Or proclamation. Or whatever it was. And now this. She caught her breath and matched her steps to her brother’s. Should she be angry or grateful? “Why’d you do that?”
Tommy scowled. “That fellow was practically pawing you, and you acted like you were enjoying it. That’s why.”
She tossed her head. “I can take care of myself.”
Tommy snorted. “Sure, you can take care of yourself. Right into trouble.”
Katie stopped short, jerked away, and lifted her chin. “Thank you so much, Tommy, for rescuing me. Now that you’ve ruined my evening, I’ll go back to the wagon and turn in early. That’s what you wanted anyway, isn’t it?”
“Oh, Katie, why do you have to be so hot-headed?” Tommy shook his head. “You don’t even know when I do you a favor.”
“Some favor.” She swung away from her brother. Clay no longer stood where they’d left him. She searched through the gathering and didn’t see him. He’d probably forget that ridiculous proposal, if that’s what it was, soon enough. What she had said was the truth. Her evening was ruined now. She headed toward the wagon. And hesitated.
Standing at the edge of a group of onlookers was Karl’s new friend, Jason Barnett. His gaze caught hers and held. There was that awful feeling of having her inner thoughts revealed. How did he do that? He had no idea how she felt or what she believed in.
He didn’t smile or turn away. He looked at her with a sad expression as if he pitied her. Or maybe his eyes held disappointment as Mama’s often did. Maybe he’d seen her dancing with Clay. He had no right to accuse her of wrong doing. Mama and Karl might think he was wonderful, but she didn’t.
She walked on, yet her gaze shifted to either side of him. He stood in a group of men. Ha! He’d left his wife back at camp while he watched the dance. If so, he had no business condemning her. She turned away with the intention of ignoring him if their paths crossed again. In fact, she wouldn’t even waste her time thinking about him. Yet when she climbed into the wagon and lay on the narrow straw mat topping a row of boxes that served as her bed, scenes of Jason Barnett and Clay Monroe intermingled in her mind until she finally fell into a restless sleep.
~*~
“Well, this is it.” Dad called over his shoulder. He picked up the reins and settled on the wagon seat.
Katie took a quick breath and let it out in a rush as their wagon jerked forward. She peeked out the back end of the wagon into early morning confusion as so many wagons prepared to begin the long trail to Oregon. Susanna cuddled close to her, her blue eyes darting back and forth as she looked from one wagon to another in the long line behind them.
Confusion certainly was a good word to describe what was going on. With all the abrupt starts and stops of the wagons it was obvious that most of the drivers didn’t know what they were doing. The newly elected wagon master, Jack Colton, along with Jeb Larson, rode their horses up and down, shouting instructions and encouragement to the men who were trying to position the wagons into four columns, seventeen wagons long. Sixty-eight wagons in all. Katie still had trouble realizing so many people wanted to move west. Finally, the wagons gained a resemblance of order and the train began its slow trek out of Missouri.
“Do we have to sit here all day?” Susanna’s lower lip stuck out.
Katie stretched. She was tired of riding too. “No, we can walk if you want to.”
Susanna sat up straight and peeked over the tailgate. She turned big, blue eyes on Katie. “The wagon’s moving.”
“We’ll be careful.” Jumping out of a moving wagon, especially with another rolling toward them was a dangerous thing to do, but Katie didn’t care. Dad couldn’t stop for them so she gathered her skirt close and climbed over the backboard. When her toes touched the edge of the frame, she lowered herself until she could jump nimbly to the ground. When she caught her balance, she walked behind, keeping pace, with her arms out toward her little sister.
“Come on, Suzy. Reach for me, and I’ll lift you out.”
Susanna didn’t hesitate and soon stood on the ground with Katie. “That was fun, wasn’t it?”
Katie pulled her to the side away from the wagons. “Yes, but don’t you ever do that without me or Tommy to help you. Do you promise, Suzy?”
Susanna looked up at her with wide, solemn eyes and nodded. “I promise.”
Mama’s nanny goat tied to the backside of the wagon bleated at them as if adding her warning to Katie’s. Or more likely threatening them if they didn’t move on.
Katie looked up at the overcast sky and took Susanna’s hand. “Come on, Suzy. Let’s walk in the grass away from the wagons.”
By the time the call for nooning sounded, Katie longed to sit and relax. Instead she helped Mama get out the leftovers from breakfast and the night before. Every muscle ached to relax, but it was not to be. After they ate, the dishes had to be cleaned and put away.
In spite of her lack of rest, Katie searched the company for either Jason or Clay throughout the afternoon and saw neither man. Both intrigued her. Clay because of his bold proposal. Jason because he seemed so mysterious. If he had a wife, he kept her hidden.
That evening, Katie sat in camp with the rest of her family. She fixed a plate for Susanna and another for Karl while Mama fixed for Dad and Tommy.
“We had it easy today, I hear.” Dad took his plate from Mama and sat on the barrel he’d rolled from the wagon for a chair. “Colton and Larson made our first day on the trail as easy as possible.”
“Easy?” Katie couldn’t stop the word from leaving her lips. She longed for a decent bed where she could rest. Even a chair to relax in would be wonderful, but Mama’s rocker was all they’d brought.
Dad laughed. “You aren’t the only one who thinks that way. From here on, we can expect to put in a full day’s travel.” He rubbed his hands together and looked at Mama. “Let’s eat and get bedded down quick as we can. Tomorrow will come soon enough.”
Katie had no argument with him this time.
After she helped Mama clear the meal away and wash the dishes, Mama read a few verses from her Bible. As soon as she closed the cover and put her Bible away, Katie took Susanna to the wagon. Never had bed looked so inviting. Even Susanna didn’t dawdle.
~*~
The blast of a bugle jerked Katie from a sound sleep. She sat up and stretched before opening her eyes to the dark interior of the wagon.
“It’s still the middle of the night. It’s pitch black in here,” she grumbled.
Her mother’s soft voice came through the darkness. “It will become light soon enough. There’s so much to do before we can start the wagons moving.”
Katie watched the dark silhouette of her mother as she climbed out the back of the wagon. With a sigh, she reached for the dress she had placed beside her the night before. The lumpy straw mattress barely held both her and Susanna. She jumped down from the crates that made up her bed to the narrow aisle in the middle of the floor. She pulled her dr
ess on, letting the cotton material fall around her. Getting dressed in the dark was not something she looked forward to doing for the next six months, but she refused to sleep in her dress. It would wrinkle terribly, and even if no one else cared what she looked like, she certainly did.
The smell of brewing coffee and frying bacon penetrated the wagon. The silence of the night faded with one voice after another calling out some word of instruction or greeting. The entire camp came alive in the space of a few minutes.
A loud smack on the end of the wagon made Katie jump. “Hey, you girls, get a move on.” Dad called to her. “This is your last morning to sleep in. The boys are already up and working.”
Katie clenched her jaw tight to keep from saying something she would regret. She rolled her eyes and made a face toward the end opening, knowing her father would never know of her rebellious feelings. Maybe there was an advantage to this darkness after all.
“I’m about ready,” she called out to him.
His footsteps sounded as he moved away.
She stood by her bed to help Susanna dress. “Turn, sweetie, so I can fasten these tiny buttons down your back.”
“Katie, what’s wrong? Why am I having to get up at night?” Susanna’s voice sounded small and sleepy in the darkness.
“Because we’ll be traveling today, and we need breakfast first.”
“I’m not hungry.” Susanna lay back down. “I’m sleepy.”
Katie looked down at the dark spot of her sister against the white sheet. What help would a sleepy five-year-old child be, anyway? She didn’t care what her father said. Susanna needed to sleep more than she needed to be outside in the way. She turned toward the rear of the wagon.
The cool night air hit her as soon as she stepped down. She rubbed her arms and joined her mother who stood adding wood to the glowing coals she had raked out of the bed of ashes. A fire soon blazed, and Mama started the side meat frying. Katie stifled a yawn as she reached for the dishes to help her mother get breakfast ready and dished out for the family. She worked quickly. She needed to get Suzy up before her father and brothers returned.
Mama's Bible Page 2