Wagon Train Wedding: Christian historical romance (Love on the Santa Fe Trail Book 2)

by Linda Ford

  Gil stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. She lifted her hands to his and he caught them and held them. Perhaps sharing the sunset with Gil this way also made it different.

  They stood like that while the sun descended out of sight, throwing color to the sky in its wake. She would have remained staring at the sky until the last vestige of color had vanished but Gil’s hands slipped down her arms and he turned her to face him.

  “I’ve seen hundreds of sunsets but this one was special.”

  She was about to ask why but the warmth in his eyes stalled her words on the back of her tongue.

  “It’s all the more beautiful because I shared it with you.” His voice deepened, the sound rumbling inside her chest.

  She couldn’t tear herself from the look in his eyes, realized they’d captured the gold of the sunset. He was a man with strong features, but never before had she noticed how that strength promised tenderness and protection and maybe several other things.

  His gaze dropped to her mouth.

  Was he about to kiss her? Her heart bounced inside her chest as if anticipating pleasure.

  But with a gentle smile, he took her by the hand. “We need to get back before it’s too dark to see the trail.”

  He was right, of course. But still, she regretted the necessity of ending the evening so soon.

  Gil wanted to stay on the hilltop, Judith in his arms. He longed to claim a kiss and had every right as her husband. But he wanted something more enduring than one evening. He wanted her full-hearted loyalty. Not just a promise that he knew she would keep in her own way, but the sort of loyalty that would cause her to forsake everything else for him.

  They headed back down the hill. He held her hand to keep her from falling.

  “I see a rock Anna would like.” Judith pulled away.

  He turned to watch her pick up a rock from beside the trail. As she returned to the path, her foot caught on a tangle of grass. He knew before it happened that she couldn’t regain her balance and he reached out to catch her.

  The force of her body slamming into him threw him backward. He fell to his back, his arms holding Judith. She lay across his chest.

  She lifted her head and looked into his eyes, hers wide with shock. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

  Laying there with her in his arms, he was better than okay. “I think I’ll survive.”

  Her gaze held his. He watched the emotions in them shift from shock and worry to awareness of her situation.

  He looked deep into her eyes. It was as if the fall had broken down walls in her heart and he let himself believe he saw longing for love and home. The very things he wanted. That thought might have been triggered by what her brothers had said but it didn’t matter. He saw what he saw. Knew what he knew.

  He tightened his arms about her and lifting his head, caught her lips in the kiss he’d been wanting. Her lips were warm and welcoming and he lingered even as he knew it was too soon to think she would be ready to forsake everything to be his wife.

  Another second of enjoyment then he shifted from under her and helped her to her feet. “Are you hurt?”

  She seemed to spend longer than necessary dusting her skirt. “No, I’m fine.” Her hands slowed and she straightened, her eyes filled with concern. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine.” Though a little impatient. Something he must keep in check.

  He took her hand and continued down the hill. They skirted the freight wagons where Pete still played the mouth organ, and returned to the smaller camp where a warm fire burned.

  They joined the others.

  Anna ran to them. She’d been prepared for bed. Someone had tried to tame her wild fair hair but it sprang into the customary fuzz about her head.

  Gil’s heart overflowed with love for the child and he brought her to his knee and kissed the top of her head, surprised to discover a sting at the back of his eyes.

  Judith jerked as if something had hit her. “I just thought of something.”

  Everyone turned toward her.

  The words spilled from her mouth. “Those two—” She gestured over her shoulder. “They might know Frank’s stepbrother. I need to ask them.” She was on her feet in an instant.

  Gil and her brothers also bolted to their feet. Anna giggled at being jostled.

  Warren spoke first. “That’s why you came with us? To find some relative of Frank’s. If I’d known that…” He didn’t need to finish his sentence in order for everyone to understand he wasn’t pleased with this turn of events.

  Luke looked equally displeased. “I thought you wanted to forget Frank. What’s this about a stepbrother?”

  Gil looked from Judith to her brothers. She hadn’t told them her true reason for coming with them?

  Judith ignored her brothers and looked toward the other campfire. “I’m going to ask them.”

  “Wait a minute,” Luke said.

  “No, you’re not,” Warren said, his words an order.

  Judith acted as if she hadn’t heard and continued walking.

  “Take her.” Gil handed Anna to Mary Mae and strode after Judith. “I’m going with you.”

  She didn’t slow her steps. “You don’t want to be involved with my search for Mr. Jones.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “But you did. And I agreed I wouldn’t talk to you about it anymore. But I didn’t say I wouldn’t talk to others.” Determination filled her voice and made her footsteps pound across the grass.

  “I’m not letting you talk to them alone.”

  “Do as you please.”

  He wished she might have sounded a little more welcoming, but whether or not she wanted him to accompany her had no bearing on his decision. He would not let her talk to those ruffians alone. More than that, he wanted to know if they had any knowledge of this man.

  Pete stopped playing music at their approach and all eyes turned toward them.

  The prisoner who claimed to have the name Captain, laughed. “Now this is the kind of entertainment I can enjoy.”

  Gil placed himself protectively between Judith and the pair.

  The second man who seem appropriately named Sly, leaned forward with a nasty leer upon his face.

  Gil took a step toward the man, his eyes narrowed and his fists curled at his side.

  Sly sat back and his leer disappeared.

  The other men watched, no doubt wondering why Judith made her way toward the prisoners.

  She stopped a few steps from them. Gil stayed close to her side. He didn’t want her there at all but she was too stubborn to listen to his objections.

  “Have you men been riding back and forth long?”

  Captain looked at her like she spoke a different language.

  “She wants to know how many years you’ve been out along the Santa Fe Trail.” Gil hoped his tone of voice informed them he wanted some straight answers.

  Captain’s smile showed a jagged row of yellowed teeth. “What business is it of hers?”

  “Answer the lady,” Gil growled.

  “Haven’t bothered to keep track. Me and Sly just come and go as we please.”

  Frenchie roared with laughter. “You no go anywhere.” He took a threatening step toward the pair who watched him warily. “Now answer the lady’s question.”

  “I just want to know if you’ve ever met a man by the name of Jones.” She spoke calmly enough but Gil heard the thread of fear in her voice and he stood closer to her.

  “Jones? Last name or first name?” Sly asked, his glance going to Frenchie as if to see if the big man approved.

  “Guess it could be either,” Judith allowed.

  Sly looked at Captain. “You ever hear tell of a Jones?”

  Captain shook his head. “Don’t go round gathering up names.”

  “Answer the lady.” Frenchie curled his fists tight enough to make his knuckles pop.

  “Take that as no,” Captain said.

  “You answer too, Sly,” Frenchie said.


  Sly answered hurriedly. “Never heard of a Jones.”

  “Thank you.” Judith looked toward the drivers. “Have any of you heard of a man called Jones?”

  One after another, they shook their heads or murmured, “No. Sorry.”

  She headed back to the others with Gil keeping at her side.

  Warren and Luke waited for her, the others watching from their places around the fire.

  “What’d you learn?” Warren asked.

  “They never heard of him.” Judith passed them and took Anna from Mary Mae’s arms. “I’ll put this little one to bed. Good night everyone.”

  Gil couldn’t let the evening end like this. The sweet moments on the butte had been swallowed up in the unsavory encounter with the two prisoners. He followed her. “I’ll say goodnight to Anna.”

  At her name, Anna reached for him. He hugged her and kissed her.

  Judith climbed into the back of the wagon. “Go to your mama.” He handed Anna up. “Judith?”

  “We promised we wouldn’t talk about it.”

  Like he feared, she’d let the last few moments take over her thoughts. “I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed our walk this evening.”

  She blinked then a smile curved her mouth. “I knocked you off your feet.”

  He grinned. “You surely did and I didn’t mind one bit.” He met her gaze openly, letting her know exactly what he meant and had the pleasure of watching her cheeks turn rosy as if she’d captured a bit of the sunset. “I’ll say goodnight. Have a good sleep, both of you.” And feeling rather pleased with himself, he made his way outside the wagons where he would take a turn on guard duty.

  The fires died down and the camp grew quiet except for the snores of some of the teamsters and the occasional shuffling sound from the animals. The peace and solitude gave him an opportunity to review the day’s events. He found himself rather pleased. He’d escaped the three men who meant him evil. He’d enjoyed an evening of courting Judith. Having her question the prisoners had even turned out rather well when they couldn’t provide her with any information about a Jones man. She was learning the impossibility of her intention of finding the man.

  Yup. Things were coming together. They had many days ahead of them which he meant to use to his full advantage in winning Judith’s loyalty. Surely by the time they reached their destination, she would abandon all hope of finding the man and instead choose to join him in making a home.

  14

  Her thoughts swirling, Judith lay beside Anna, staring up at the dark canvas. The fires had died down. The camp carried only the night sounds of men and animals. Why had no one heard of Jones? She couldn’t remember if Frank had ever said exactly how long he’d been on the Santa Fe Trail, but she understood it to be two or three, maybe even four years. Surely over the course of several years someone would have heard of him.

  For the first time, she allowed herself to think the disloyal thought that Frank might have been wrong about where his stepbrother was.

  That left her in a quandary. Was she, as Gil suggested, chasing a shadow?

  Part of her would be glad if that was the case. She could freely and happily follow her dream of a home and family. But how was she to know unless she looked?

  She made up her mind. She would ask every person she saw until they reached Santa Fe where she would make further inquiries. If she did not find him there, she would abandon her quest and accept the future Gil offered.

  A smile filled her heart and widened her mouth as she thought of the joyful moments on the hill and the kiss he’d given her. Sharing the present and the future with Gil might be just fine.

  She listened for his breathing under the wagon then remembered they were back with the others and he had gone on guard duty. Ironic, she thought, that she was surrounded by friends and family and the teamsters and she’d never felt so alone as she did knowing Gil wasn’t close by.

  She slipped from the wagon early the next morning, wondering if Gil would be sleeping under the wagon. In the faint hint of dawn she saw someone was there. Not bothering to be overly quiet, she started the fire for the morning.

  The roll of blankets turned. An arm appeared. She watched and waited to see if Gil emerged or would it be Luke or Warren?

  The arm reached for a hat.

  She grinned. She’d know that battered gray hat anywhere. Gil crawled from under the wagon and rolled up his bedding.

  “Good morning,” he whispered, as if he didn’t want to waken any of the others.

  “Good morning to you.” She couldn’t get enough of looking at him as he pulled on his boots and adjusted his belt. “Coffee will be ready shortly.”

  The grumble and yawning of others informed her the camps were awakening.

  Gil crossed to her side and brushed his knuckles across her chin. “I’ll be back for coffee as soon as the animals are tended.” Luke and Warren joined him and they left to get the mules. She knew her brothers would also help the teamsters with the oxen before they returned.

  Baby Elena cried but suckling sounds soon replaced her cries.

  “Mama,” Anna called, and Judith got her from the wagon.

  The others were up, and the ladies worked together making breakfast. Judith gladly accepted Polly’s offer to watch Anna.

  Soon the smell of frying pork and boiling coffee filled the cold air.

  Mrs. Shepton shivered. “It feels like winter.”

  Donna Grace had joined them. “Luke says we won’t likely make it across the mountains. We’ll have to winter in Bent’s Fort.”

  Judith took in the information. That meant she wouldn’t get to Santa Fe until spring. With a start, she realized she hoped her quest would be over before than so she could go freely into the future with Gil. She hadn’t realized how the news affected her until Donna Grace asked,

  “Do you mind so much if we have to spend the winter at Bent’s Fort? I’ve been there. It’s quite comfortable. And warm and dry which is really what matters.”

  “I guess I hadn’t thought much about it,” she managed.

  “Is that coffee ready?” Gil asked.

  Judith jumped at his voice. He lounged against a wagon wheel. How long had he been there? Did he hear Donna Grace’s question? Not that it was anything new. She had made it clear from the beginning that she meant to get to Santa Fe. A little delay didn’t change that.

  Except to make it longer before she found the man or gave up her search.

  She poured coffee into a cup and handed it to Gil, forcing herself to meet his gaze. Why did she feel guilty that he might have overheard the conversation?

  “A few weeks delay won’t change anything,” he murmured.

  “Of course it won’t,” she said with enough enthusiasm to cause him to raise his eyebrows.

  The other men joined them and Judith gratefully turned her attention to breakfast.

  Buck rode by as they finished. “Let’s roll out.”

  A scurry of activity followed his order. Warren called to her. “You’re riding with me.” She looked about. Luke and Donna Grace were in one wagon, the Sheptons in theirs, Mary Mae rode with Sam and Polly. There was no sign of Gil.

  He had gone scouting. Before they married, he rode away every morning, returning for supper, or sometimes late at night after they’d bedded down, occasionally he didn’t return at all. She’d given it little thought at the time. Perhaps she’d hoped things would change now that he was a husband and a father but of course, they wouldn’t.

  She climbed up beside Warren and settled Anna to play with her collection of rocks.

  Except much had changed. She was a married woman now with a little daughter. Judith had shared a few sweet kisses with Gil and had no reason to feel guilty about it because he was her husband.

  “Nice to see you happy,” Warren said, and she realized she’d been smiling as she watched the passing scenery. She didn’t know how to respond to his comment so said nothing and thought he had said all he intended to say until he
spoke again after a goodly time.

  “You were sad a long time with Frank.”

  “You mean after he died.”

  “That too. But you didn’t seem all that happy to me when you and Frank were together.”

  She stared at her brother. “I was very happy. We were to marry and live in that house behind the lawyer’s office. I spent hours thinking how I would decorate it and what flowers I would plant.”

  “You always did like to play house.”

  “I wasn’t just playing house. I was planning a home and family.” How could her brother have thought she was only playing? As if her life was nothing but giant dollhouse.

  “Frank seemed restless to me. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “You’ve said enough.” She grasped her hands together in her lap until they hurt from the pressure she exerted on them.

  “I didn’t mean to make you angry.”

  “Well, you have.” He made it sound like Judith had her head so completely full of dreams that she made up the love she and Frank shared.

  They rode on in sullen silence for the better part of an hour. Judith had never been able to stay angry long and the effort to do so began to wear on her nerves.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I came on the trail in the hopes of finding Frank’s stepbrother.”

  “Why is it so important to find him?”

  She would not tell him any details. He likely thought Frank’s death had been accidental. What’s more, she was tired of having someone—namely, Gil—try and convince her not to pursue her plan. “I have a message I need to deliver to him.”

  Again Warren fell silent. Again, he waited a good long time before he spoke on the matter. “Is this message of life and death importance?”

  She couldn’t answer. When they left Independence, she would have said so. Now she was willing to give her search a true effort but accept defeat if she must.

  Warren didn’t say anything more on the subject and they settled for discussing their folks and wondering how they were doing.