“Hmmm, a baker. That’s what you’re planning to be?” he asked, mainly in an effort to stay awake.
“Yes.” Her tone was a bit defensive. “Men can cook too, you know.”
“True enough. My favorite person on a cattle drive is usually the cook. If he’s any good, that is.” He laughed softly.
A moment passed before she went on. “Just so you know, our grandmother worked in an eatery when she was young. She fell in love with the owner and they married. The restaurant flourished under her management. Our ma grew up there and passed on the recipes that made the business successful. I’d like to follow in their footsteps.”
“What about your ma? Did she follow her mother’s dream, too?”
“She always wanted to, but we moved around a lot. She was able to make a little money by baking bread and pies and sold them from our home. But it always seemed that just when she was getting well known, and started doing a good business, we up and moved.”
Sam glanced over. Cassie’s brow was crinkled and he couldn’t miss the longing in her expression. “That’s an ambitious dream, Cassidy. Takes a lot of capital to start a business from scratch.”
“I agree. But we’ll get it going, I know, and it’ll be a success. My grandma Cookie was known far and wide for her creations. All I need is a small shop to lease in a town somewhere. Sweat and knowledge don’t cost a thing.”
“And that’s where the gold comes in?”
She nodded.
“Your family moved around often?”
“Yes. My ma never wanted to be left behind. Love demands a presence, she’d always say. She said we’d stay together and take care of each other. Even when…”
She paused. “They died,” she said, finishing her sentence.
Moments slipped by in silence.
“Love demands a presence,” Sam mumbled to himself. Thoughts of all the years pining for his father, not knowing where he was, if he was dead or alive, flitted through his mind. With a conscious effort, he shoved the hurtful feeling away, not wanting to spoil this newfound closeness with Cassie.
“It’s true, Sam. Think about it.” She pushed up on her elbow and gazed down at him, her eyes now as emerald as the grass they laid upon. “People always claim they love something, but in reality don’t give it a second thought. If you love something you desire to be around it and spend time there.”
He grunted, not having a reply, but enjoying her nearness immensely.
She lay back down. “Look.”
“What?”
“Don’t you see it? A steamboat. Just like the boats going up and down the Mississippi. That big fluffy cloud right over there. There’s the waterwheel. And the smokestack. Let your imagination go.”
Sam looked. He didn’t see anything but a vast sky filled with clouds.
Cassie scooted closer until her head was almost touching his. She pointed, and then her finger swirled around as if she were drawing something in the air. “That extra puffy spot is the waterwheel.”
He could feel her disappointment, hear it in her voice. But, dad-blast it, he couldn’t see any boat in the clouds.
Slowly she dropped her hand. “Sam Ridgeway, don’t look with your eyes. Look with your heart. Relax. It’s turning,” she said, pointing again.
He laughed out loudly in surprise. “Yes! It’s bigger than I was looking for, is all. Now it’s as clear as the nose on my face.”
He felt her looking his way and turned to catch her velvety soft gaze.
“Didn’t your ma ever teach you that your heart has eyes too?” she murmured, her look reaching deep inside him.
Sam cleared his throat and looked away. “Has anyone ever told you you’re a different kind of lad?” He couldn’t help it. He hoped she’d offer to tell him on her own that she was, in fact, a girl. Couldn’t she feel it herself? This cloud-watching and whatnot was an odd activity for two men.
Before she could answer, a piercing scream shattered the moment. They both leapt to their feet.
Chapter Ten
Cassie ran through the open meadow up to the forest’s edge, one stride behind Sam. “Where are you?” she shouted.
“Here!” came the reply from deep within the woods.
Sam pushed past some low branches.
Scrambling through the trees, the two burst out of the thicket together, emerging into an open area. Josephine still wasn’t in sight and dread scorched Cassie’s heart. Turning a complete circle, Cassie scanned the area. Panic pushed her forward, and she ran for the other side of the field, where a steep incline threatened to block them.
Side by side they climbed. At the top of the rock face, they bolted forward.
“Where are—” Before Cassie could finish calling, Sam skidded to a halt and grabbed the back of her shirt, saving her from falling into a deep crevasse directly in front of them. Eight feet across, perched on a narrow ledge, was Josephine, her back pressed up tight to the red earth wall. Ashes was clutched tightly to her chest with her left arm and her right hand, in a white knuckled grasp, held the root of a tree to keep her balance.
A low moan came from the child’s lips as dirt and a few pebbles under her boot gave way and fell in a clatter against the rocks below. Ashes squirmed. The frightened cat looked as if she was on the verge of panic. If that happened, Josephine was sure to fall to her death.
“Drop the cat,” Sam demanded.
The shake of Josephine’s head was almost imperceptible. She held tightly to her beloved pet, her eyes never wavering from those of her sister.
Sam changed tactics and his voice became pleading.
“Joey, you need to let her go. She’ll be okay. You’ve seen cats jump from very high places, haven’t you? Please, son, let her go.”
Still Josephine refused. “He’s in shock,” Sam said to Cassie. “I’ll get my rope.
With Sam gone, all Cassie could do was pray. “Just stay still, Josephine. Don’t move a muscle. Sam will be back soon. Stay still, honey.”
Josephine moaned as the cat scrambled up around her neck, trying to find some sort of security. Her little legs shook violently, and her smooth leather sole slipped off the edge. She cried out.
Cassie gasped. She couldn’t bear to lose her sister. “Hold on!” she choked out. She reached out her hand, wanting desperately to touch her, stroke her velvety soft cheek. Every moment felt like an hour. “Sam will be back. He’ll get you out of there. Just stay very, very still.”
Right then, Sam came bursting through the trees on Split Ear and slid to a halt. He slung his leg over the saddle and dismounted his rope already in his hands. He tossed his reins to Cassie.
“Joey, there’s another branch a few inches above your head. It’s bigger than the one you’re holding. I’m going to toss this rope and lasso it. If I miss and the rope lands on you, don’t let it knock you off. Just keep holding tight to that root, okay? Keep your eyes focused on your sister.”
Cassie jerked up straighter and heat rushed to her face. He’d known!
“Here it comes.” He hesitated. “You sure you won’t drop that cat first?” When Josephine didn’t respond, he slowly swung the rope over his head.
Cassie gripped Split Ear’s reins tightly in sweaty palms.
Sam let his loop fly. Gracefully, as if in slow motion, it went up and then began to descend towards Josephine. Cassie sucked in a breath when it stopped short, snagged by another root above its intended target. It dangled for a second and Sam gave a gentle tug. It dropped onto the branch above Josephine’s head, teetering precariously.
“Okay, Joey, now you have to let the cat go and reach up for the rope with your left hand. Don’t worry; the cat’s not going to let go of you. Just try not to react if it moves. When you get the rope, slip the loop over your body. This might be difficult. Be very careful. Go on now. Take your time.”
Josephine didn’t move.
“You must,” Cassie said softly. “Sam’s not going to let you fall.”
Josephine’s small
body turned slightly once her hand found the rocky cliff wall. As Sam had predicted, Ashes gripped tightly to her mistress. Bit by bit, Josephine’s hand edged higher until her fingers touched the branch. The rope was only inches away.
“Very good,” Sam encouraged. “Now, take hold of the rope and bring it down over your body.”
It was so hard to watch. Minutes crawled by. The rope was now around Josephine’s body, looped under her arms. She had a white-knuckled grip on the root in her right hand and the rope with her left. She wobbled, unbalanced, her face ashen. Sam ran to a tree near the cliff’s edge and tossed his end of the rope over a thick branch a few feet over his head. Striding to Split Ear, he secured the end of the line to his saddle horn.
“You’re going to have to swing across, Joey. Try to take the impact with your legs. They’re strong. Sam turned to Cassie. “Hold tight,” he whispered hoarsely, motioning to the gelding. The apprehension in his eyes gave him away. “If there happens to be a jolt on the rope I don’t know how he’ll react to the pull on the saddle.”
She nodded.
“I’ll pull you up, son. It’s not far between us. It won’t hurt much.”
“What about Ashes?”
Sam shrugged. “She’ll just have to hold onto you. When you go, take hold with both hands.”
Gripping the rope he braced his foot against a large rock. “Back the horse up until the rope is taut,” he called out to Cassie, and then waited as she did what he’d asked.
“Okay, Joey—now!”
Cassie was astounded that her sister had the courage to drop off the ledge. A muted thud prompted Sam to pull hand over hand, until Josephine’s scruffy head appeared over the edge of the ravine. Cassie wanted to run to her but forced herself to hold fast to Split Ear, reins in hand. Once Josephine was lying safely on the ground Sam rushed over, dropping to his knees. Ashes jumped to the side, scampering a few feet before stopping. She sat down, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened, and began licking her paw.
“Are you hurt?” Sam asked, brushing dirt from Josephine’s body and picking sticks from her hair.
Josephine opened her eyes and looked around. She seemed surprised to have made it. “Am I alive?” she asked, her childish voice awash in disbelief.
A cry of anguish tore from Cassie’s throat as she hurried over. She engulfed Josephine in her arms, holding her tightly to her breast and rocking back and forth.
“Sam, you saved her! You saved my little sister.” Her voice was hoarse as tears began to flow. “I can never thank you enough!”
Several moments of complete silence made Cassie look at Sam, who was staring at her wide eyed. He sat back on his heels; a shocked expression marked his face. With his thumb, he tipped his hat up and then pointed an accusing finger at the scraggly little person snuggled next to her chest. Finally, he opened his mouth, “Not you, too?”
Chapter Eleven
“I’m sorry for not being truthful with you from the beginning,” Cassie said, her voice was still hollow with fear as she clung to Josephine. “It was just too risky. We didn’t know anything about you.”
He was surprised by the magnitude of the relief flooding through him now that Joey—what was her real name, he wondered fleetingly?—was sitting safely on the ground. His own secret prickled his conscience, telling him this was the perfect time to reveal what he in turn was keeping from her. If he’d been waiting for the ideal time to speak up, this was it.
“I didn’t like fooling you,” Josephine said, laying her small hand on his arm. “My real name is Josephine Elizabeth.”
“Well, that’s a real pretty name, Josephine Elizabeth,” he responded, again amazed at his own stupidity. He’d thought the little brother was extremely different, actually a bit strange. He should have put two and two together after learning about Cassie. “Why the pretense?” he asked, looking at Cassie.
“When everyone started leaving town, our being alone didn’t seem like such a big deal at first. Then, when there were only a few people left, I suddenly realized that living in Broken Branch with Klem and Bristol Sherman was not a safe place for either of us.” She didn’t want to share the fact that Uncle Arvid was accused of stealing Klem’s personal property.
Josephine looked up at him with her big blue eyes from the safety and warmth of her sister’s bosom. “They’re not nice! Klem watches everything I do,” she said innocently, not understanding the implications. “He always smiled with his stinky breath and tried to give me candy. Cassie said I could never take it—ever.”
Sam and Cassie exchanged knowing glances.
“I really didn’t think our boy costumes would trick them, but I guess we weren’t around long enough for them to figure it out.”
“Did Bristol ever see you? He recognized your voice right away.”
“So that’s how you found out.” She cocked an eyebrow. “You could have enlightened me, you know. Instead, you let me make a fool out of myself. I’ll bet you were laughing the whole time.”
Cassie released Josephine and stood up, pulling her sister to her feet. She turned her in a circle as she inspected for injuries. Finding nothing broken, she brushed at the dirt clinging to her back.
Sam shrugged. “At times.” He took his handkerchief from his pocket and went over to Split Ear for his canteen. Returning, he dabbed at a few abrasions on Josephine’s face.
“Ouch.”
“Don’t be a baby,” Cassie said gently.
Sam winked at Josephine. “I think you and your sister make darn fine-looking men. I can’t picture the two of you as girls.”
Josephine puffed out her chest proudly and patted her trousers, but Cassie blushed and looked away.
“You ride a horse better than most men I know,” he added, giving Josephine a friendly man-to-man pat on the back, but looked at Cassie. “I’ll bet you can drink ’em under the table, too.”
She turned on him, angry, shaking her finger in his face. “I never drink. We all saw how it affected our fa…uncle. He was…” she shut her mouth, leaving the sentence unfinished.
He winked again and gave her a nod.
Her expression softened when she realized he was jesting. “Sam Ridgeway?”
“Yes?” he answered innocently.
“Don’t go treating me like some girl,” she shot back. “I am capable. I probably shoot better than you, too.”
He burst into laughter. “That’s just it. I’m agreeing with you!” He struggled to get the words out. “You put that bullet square between Bristol’s boots. I didn’t know what was happening.” All the nervous tension over the near tragedy with Josephine escaped, and he laughed until his side hurt and eyes watered. Josephine looked back and forth, clearly confused by the exchange, and began laughing with him.
Cassie was having none of it. “I don’t see what’s so darn funny.”
“Well,” he answered, and once again took out his handkerchief and dried his eyes. “I guess you wouldn’t. But, I have to say, between that event and now this—I think we make a darn fine team, Cassie Angel. How about you?”
She ignored his question and looked at Josephine. “Now, I’d like to know how in the world you ended up on the other side of that cliff?”
“It wasn’t my fault.” Josephine’s expression darkened and tears pooled in her wide eyes, most likely going for sympathy so she wouldn’t be punished. “Ashes ran off into the woods and I went to find her. Farther up, the ravine isn’t wide and I jumped across and then followed Ashes back to where you found me. When I went to pick her up, I slipped.”
“I thought we’d agreed to leave Ashes in Broken Branch. Where she’d be safe and have plenty of food. What happened to that?”
Ashes, sitting on a log nearby, mewed, as if trying to plead her own case.
“I just couldn’t leave her, Cassie. Look how sweet she is.” Josephine cast a glance at the cat. “I love her. Please don’t be mad.”
Cassie wrapped her in her arms again. “Actually I’m rel
ieved that Ashes is coming along. I’ve felt horrible all day leaving her behind. Promise you won’t go looking for her without telling me first.”
Josephine pulled away and nodded, wiping her nose with her sleeve. “I promise.”
Sam went over to his grazing horse and picked up his reins. “Time to move on. We need to make a few hours before stopping to camp.” He chuckled. “That is—if you men are up to it…”
***
Darkness had fallen, making the forest seem even spookier as Cassie listened to the horses’ hooves plodding along. Sam, now as grumpy as a bear, couldn’t seem to find a place he felt comfortable making camp. Every time they found a clearing, he’d find some reason not to like it. Too close to the river. No forage for the animals. An abundance of animal droppings. Too open. Too dense.
Exhaustion and irritation grated inside Cassie. She was starting to think he was the one that was too dense. Josephine had fallen silent two hours ago, and Cassie wouldn’t be surprised if her sister was asleep on her pony’s back.
“Sam,” Cassie called out to him, one horse length in the lead.
“Whoa,” she heard him say. He waited as she came up alongside.
“Sam, we’re tired. Look, over there. That seems like as good a spot as any.”
“How can you tell in the dark?”
The moon outlined his silhouette as it made its appearance above the hills behind him. His face was shadowed by darkness, but she could see the whites of his eyes as they regarded her.
“I don’t like it. Too close to the rocks.”
“Sam!”
“Okay, let me check it out first.” He draped Blu’s lead rope across the pommel of her saddle.
It took him a few minutes to make his way to the spot she’d pointed out. He dismounted and stood quietly. After a moment, he bent over and tossed a rock into the boulders nearby.
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