Wagon Train Cinderella

by Kennedy, Shirley

  “You can handle it. Your doormat days are gone.”

  Doormat days. His words hit hard. “You’re right. I’m not like that anymore.”

  His hands still rested on her shoulders. As an orange sliver of sun rose above the nearby hills, he drew her closer. “Not anymore.” His voice shook. As his hands explored the hollows of her back, his dizzying masculine smell jarred her heart. Buckskin mixed with gunpowder, and a touch of the towering pine trees thrown in. “Callie,” he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. She sunk into his cushioning embrace, slid her arms around his neck, and tilted her head back to gaze at him. His mouth covered hers, hard and hungry. It was a kiss that was urgent, as if a dam had burst, releasing a flood of pent-up emotion. An aching need flowed through her. She wanted nothing more than to press tighter against him than she already was. He broke off the kiss and backed away, shaking his head in disbelief. “My God, I vowed I wouldn’t do this.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because…” A wry smile tipped one corner of his mouth. “What is it about you that I find so damnably attractive?”

  She stepped back, held out her faded skirt and gave him a little curtsy. “The stylish way I dress perhaps?”

  His face lit. “That’s it! You make me laugh. You make me think of you in the middle of the night. You…” He seemed at a loss for further words, so instead pulled her back into his arms. Her heart was thundering as he pressed her tight against him. He was trembling. “I’ve never met a woman like you. I’ve never wanted a woman like I want you.” Again his mouth covered hers, his lips hard and searching. This time his tongue explored the recesses of her mouth, sending shivers of desire racing through her. At last, with a shuddering intake of breath, he raised his lips from hers and looked into her eyes. “The sun’s coming up. I don’t want this to end but it must.” Gripping her arms, he thrust her away. “Go now. If you need help, remember, I’ll be standing by.”

  Chapter 11

  “You cooked a good breakfast.” Caleb Whitaker helped himself to more bacon.

  “Thanks, Pa.” Compliments from her stepfather were rare. If her stomach hadn’t been clenched tight with anxiety, Callie might have laughed. This would be the last of her happiness for a while, probably forever. As it was, she hadn’t even tried to go back to bed. To keep her mind off what was bound to be a horrible scene, she’d thrown herself into the task of fixing breakfast, adding stewed apples and extra bacon to their usual morning fare.

  Pa looked toward the tent. “Where are the girls? Time to get going.”

  “Go get them up, Callie,” Ma said.

  “Yes, Ma.”

  When she entered the tent, Lydia was already dressed, sitting on her bedding, twisting her dainty hands together. “Pa’s going to kill us. I’m afraid to come out.”

  Callie sat beside her. “Don’t be silly. You’ll be fine. I’m taking the blame for Nellie’s leaving. When Pa asks, you tell him you didn’t hear her leave, you didn’t know she was gone, you don’t know a thing.”

  Lydia gazed at her with frightened eyes. “He won’t believe me.”

  “Yes, he will. I’ll tell him it was nobody’s doing but mine. You knew nothing about it. Believe me, you’re not the one he’ll be after. It’ll be me.”

  A shadow of sympathy stole across Lydia’s face. “All you did was help her. I hate to think what he’ll do to you.”

  Despite her anxiety, Callie managed a smile. This was the first time Lydia had said something nice to her and meant it. “You let me worry about that. Now, go have your breakfast. Act like it’s just another day. If Pa asks about Nellie, tell him what’s closest to the truth without giving anything away.”

  “Like I thought she was already up?”

  “Perfect. Remember, the longer Pa doesn’t know, the farther away Nellie will be, and the better chance Pa won’t go after her.”

  The morning went by with Pa busy driving the wagon and Ma sitting beside him. Doubtless they assumed Nellie was in the wagon or walking behind, out of sight. In an attempt to calm her nerves, Callie took a short ride on Duke. That didn’t work. Her stomach remained tied in knots. She ended up walking behind the wagon with Lydia and Tommy. Her anxiety grew as each hour passed, even though she kept telling herself every mile they traveled made Nellie safer.

  Not until they stopped for the noon break did Ma climb down from the wagon and look around with curiosity. “Where’s Nellie? I haven’t seen her all morning.”

  Callie stepped forward. “I know you haven’t, Ma.” She drew a trembling breath and called to her stepfather who still sat perched on the wagon seat. “Pa, will you come down here? I have something to tell you.”

  Pa climbed down slowly, a frown on his face, almost as if he suspected bad news was coming. He stood in front of Callie and looped his thumbs through his suspenders. “What is it, girl?”

  “Nellie’s gone.”

  Ma frowned. “What do you mean, she’s gone?”

  Callie’s heart pounded in her chest. “I mean she’s really gone. She left because…”

  She told them how Nellie had fallen in love with Coy, how he had promised to marry her, how he’d run off, joined the Donovan Train and they knew what happened there. “You see, the reason she was so upset was because…”

  Callie had to pause. This was like standing at the edge of a cliff about to jump. When she did, there would be no return, not ever. “Nellie got herself with child. That’s why—”

  “What?” Ma’s mouth dropped open.

  Pa had listened stony-faced and unmoving. He remained so. “How long have you known this?” His voice sounded so deadly calm it was frightening.

  “Just about from the beginning.”

  Pa’s body stiffened. His face turned red. “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “Nellie was afraid.”

  “Where has she gone?”

  I’m in for it now. Judging from the murderous look in her stepfather’s eyes, not only had she jumped off that cliff, she was fast falling to total disaster. The best she could do now was try to save Nellie from the same fate. She pulled the note from her apron pocket and handed it to her stepfather. “This is from Nellie.”

  Pa snatched the note from her hand. Without taking his eyes off Callie, he handed it to Ma. “Read it.”

  Ma unfolded it and read aloud in an unsteady voice.

  Dear Ma and Pa,

  I am sorry I run off. I love you and hope you will forgive me. I will be all right. Please, please don’t follow me. I hope to see you again some day.

  Your loving daughter, Nellie

  “Nellie wrote this?” Ma stared at the note, as if she couldn’t believe what she was reading. “She never said a word to me.”

  Pa ignored her. He had yet to take his eyes off Callie. “Where has she gone?”

  Callie’s driving instinct was to flee, but she forced herself to stand her ground. “Nellie didn’t want me to tell you. You see—” The rest of her words died in her throat as he took a menacing step toward her.

  “I don’t want excuses.” Pa raised his hand. “Where has she gone?”

  Nothing could strike more terror in her heart than when Pa got angry. Now he was angrier than she’d ever seen him, his face twisted with rage, his hand raised and ready to strike her. Every fiber of her being said run. By God, she would not. “I’m not going to tell you, Pa, except she’s in safe hands.”

  His hand came down on her so fast, she didn’t see it coming. She staggered back and almost fell but caught herself in time, a throbbing pain on her cheekbone near her eye. Lydia screamed and rushed to her side. “Oh, Callie, you’re hurt.” She looked toward Pa. “Don’t you hit her again!”

  So stunned she hardly knew what happened, Callie touched the throbbing spot on her face.

  Ma yelled, “For God’s sake, Caleb, stop it. That’s enough.”

  “Shut your mouth, woman!” Pa’s enraged gaze went back to Callie. He was going to strik
e her again.

  Ma screamed and grabbed his arm. “Caleb, stop! The whole camp is watching.”

  Pa ignored her, but before he could strike another blow, Lydia grabbed his other arm. “Stop it, Pa! I’ll tell you where she’s gone.”

  He lowered his hand. His breath coming hard, he swung his gaze to Lydia. “Tell me now or I’ll—”

  Lydia recoiled, as if Pa’s next blow would be aimed at her. “Nellie ran off with that man from New York.”

  “Abe Jonckers?” He looked incredulous.

  Callie found her voice. “Yes, Mister Jonckers. She doesn’t want you to follow. Please don’t follow. She’s not a child. She’s twenty-three. She went of her own free will.”

  Callie was fully prepared for Pa’s next blow, but before he could deliver it, Luke strode into their campsite. “What’s going on?”

  Pa glared back at him. “It’s a family matter. Don’t interfere.”

  Luke looked closely at Callie’s face. From the way his jaw clenched, the blow must have left a mark. He turned to Pa. “You hit her again, you’re a dead man.” Callie couldn’t miss the bridled anger that lay beneath his lethally quiet voice.

  “You keep out of this!” Pa cried.

  Ma cringed. “Caleb, for Lord’s sake, the whole camp can hear you.”

  Callie looked around. Dear God! She hadn’t realized the usual bustle around the campsite had ceased. Everyone in sight had stopped in their tracks, all eyes turned toward the spectacle at the Whitaker wagon.

  Pa saw them, too, and uttered a furious “Damnation.” Through gritted teeth he replied, “I can handle my family, Mister McGraw. Just go.”

  Luke cast a concerned look at Callie. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.” She wasn’t fine but wanted only to have this horribly embarrassing scene come to an end. “You can go. It’ll be all right.”

  Luke looked back at Pa with eyes that were flat, hard, and filled with anger. “Will it be all right now, Mr. Whitaker?”

  Pa made a growling sound. He let loose a sigh that was half frustration, half an admission of defeat. “You can go now, Mr. McGraw.”

  “You won’t hit her again?”

  Pa looked ready to burst with fury but gave Luke a curt shake of his head.

  For a long, tension-filled moment, Luke stood silent, as if he wanted to make sure Pa understood. “All right. Callie, call if you need me.” Quickly he strode away.

  Pa glared after him. “Bastard!” he muttered under his breath. When Luke was out of hearing distance, Pa faced Callie again, icy rage in his eyes. “So you knew about Nellie from the beginning?”

  She would not cringe with fear. She would try to explain. “Quite a while. Ever since…”

  Pa listened intently while Callie described in detail Nellie’s so-called romance with Coy and how he had deceived her. “Like I said, Nellie is with child. Surely you can see how desperate she was and why I wanted to help her.”

  Pa showed no reaction, just continued staring at her with his cold, granite eyes.

  “After Coy died—and you know how horrible that was—she was afraid what you’d do when you found out. So, when Mister Jonckers arrived, and I saw he needed help, I figured he could hire Nellie to be his cook and help with his children. So that’s…that’s…” Her courage was failing fast under her stepfather’s withering gaze. “It was my idea. Ma didn’t know. Until today, Lydia didn’t know either.” She was in so deep now, what did a little lie matter? “I’m to blame and nobody else. Just, please, don’t go after Nellie.”

  A long, terrible silence followed. She, Ma, and Lydia stood unmoving, as if they were frozen in time, waiting for a response from Pa. When he finally spoke, it was in a voice so cold and distant she would have preferred his anger. “I will not go after Nellie. She’s dead to me. I never want to hear her name spoken again. Is that clear?”

  Nellie was safe! Pa wasn’t going to chase after her. On the other hand… Callie struggled with both grief and despair. Poor Nellie. What an awful thing to be cast out forever from your family.

  Ma stood dazed and totally bewildered, as if she had yet to understand. “Nellie…gone forever? You can’t mean it, Caleb. It’s not too late. You must go after her.”

  He ignored her. Fastening burning eyes on Callie, he raised his arm and pointed away from their campsite. “Get out of my sight. You’re no longer welcome in this family.”

  Ma gasped and turned pale. “You can’t mean that.”

  “She’s no daughter of mine.”

  “But we need her, Caleb. Who will do the cooking? Wash the clothes? Take care of Tommy?”

  Despite the turmoil of the moment, Callie clearly saw how she stood with the family. Even though she called him Pa, he’d never thought of her as a daughter. As for Ma, she was only concerned she might lose her slave. That’s all she ever was to her stepmother, not like a daughter at all. So far, Ma had uttered not one word of affection or concern. Her one feeble attempt to come to Callie’s defense was only because the neighbors were watching. Ma had never loved her. Never would, no matter how hard she tried to please.

  Pa still stared at her with his stony, hate-filled eyes. “Go, Callie. Now.”

  I must leave. What will I do? Where shall I go? It didn’t matter. Rather than stay another minute and beg, she’d sleep in the woods if she had to, exist on roots and berries, probably be eaten by some wild animal, but right now she didn’t care. “I see now I was never your daughter. I’ll get my things.”

  “Where will you go?” Ma called.

  “I don’t know and I don’t care, as long as it’s as far away from here as I can get.”

  Numb from shock, she went to the tent. She could hardly think straight as she collected her possessions and blindly stuffed them into a canvas bag. Lydia arrived, her face stained with tears. “Oh, Callie, this is terrible. Please don’t go. We’ll wait ’til Pa calms down and then—”

  “He means it. You know Pa. He’s not going to change his mind.”

  “But to throw you out like that is so cruel. Maybe if I went to him and told him I knew, too, so I’m as guilty as you are.”

  “Don’t you dare. This was my idea, not yours. You don’t need to be involved.”

  Lydia truly looked stricken. “You lied to save me.”

  “You must be strong now. Ma needs you. So does Tommy. He—” Callie choked up, thinking about the little boy who needed her so much. “Don’t let Ma be mean to him. Pa, either.” She reached out and caught Lydia’s hand. “Now, will you please stop crying? Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

  Lydia wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry I was ever mean to you.”

  Any other time Callie would have been amazed to hear such words of regret coming from her stepsister’s lips. Not today. “It doesn’t matter now. Really, it doesn’t.” Callie picked up the small bundle that held her possessions. “Tell Tommy I love him. Tell him he hasn’t seen the last of me, and I—”

  She choked up again and could say no more. After giving Lydia a heartfelt hug, she slipped from the tent and walked away from the only family she’d ever known. For a moment she stopped and surveyed the circle of wagons around the campground. By now she knew the family in each wagon, how many children, where they came from and where they wanted to go. If she asked, out of kindness someone would take her in, but how humiliating to have to beg for help. And besides, how could she impose on these good people when, after months on the trail, their food supplies were dwindling? Just the other day Florida had mentioned she was running low on flour. And her with seven mouths to feed. She seemed the best choice, though. I’ll be a burden, but where else can I go? Maybe I can earn my keep.

  She was about to walk to Florida’s wagon when she heard a familiar voice. “Where are you going, Callie?”

  Magnus. “To Florida’s wagon, Mister Ferguson.” Her voice trembled, but she couldn’t control it. “Pa threw me out.”

  Magnus’s eyes swept over her in
a raking gaze. He’d been doing that a lot lately. “Come with me.” His fingers touched her arm with gentle authority, giving her a small measure of comfort. Maybe she wasn’t completely alone. She walked with him to his campsite where his two hired men, Hank and Seth, had built a fire and were cooking the noon meal. “Sit down, Callie. Hank, fix her a cup of coffee.” Apparently Magnus had forgotten his disgust of last night. Now his gray eyes brimmed with sympathy. “So you’ve been banished by Mister Whitaker? Tell me what happened.”

  There wasn’t much to tell he didn’t already know. When she finished, he stroked his chin thoughtfully, taking his time to form an answer. “By far the best solution is that you come to me.”

  “I was thinking maybe Florida—”

  “I have need of a woman. You’ll be much better off with me.”

  Need of a woman? She didn’t like the sound of that. “Thanks for your kind offer, but I already have a plan. Florida always needs help and I’m thinking if I go with her, I won’t be a burden.”

  Magnus frowned with concern. “Have you forgotten Florida is heading for Oregon? We’ll soon be reaching Fort Hall, and you know what that means. We’ll be splitting off. Half the train, including myself and your family will turn southwest to California. The rest, along with Florida and Luke, will head northwest on the Oregon Trail. Is that what you want? Never to see your family again?” He paused to chuckle. “Perhaps it’s for the best. I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to get as far away as possible from that family of yours.”

  Oh, no. For the moment she’d forgotten Florida was heading to Oregon. Her whole being rebelled at such a thought. “They’re my family. I don’t feel that way at all.”

  “Of course, I can see how you feel. There’s always the hope your stepfather will relent. At any rate, you’ve got to realize if you go to Oregon with Florida, it’s doubtful you’ll ever see your family again.”

  He was right. What would become of Tommy? How could she desert him? She could not. Even though Pa had thrown her out, she had to find a way to watch over the little boy who needed her so much. Did she want to go with Magnus? Despite the dissension among the captains, he was still their leader. Everyone still looked up to him, except Luke, of course, who thought him a fool and worse. Magnus had always been kind to her, though. His harsh words about Nellie had shocked her, but if she had any sense, she would put them out of her mind. Considering her situation was desperate, who was she to be particular? “I accept your offer, Mr. Ferguson. I promise I’ll work hard to earn my keep.”