by Reina Torres
Picking up her reticule from where she’d tucked it under her skirts, she stood, keeping a hold of his hand as she stepped down onto a runner. Her second foot followed the first and with an indrawn breath she felt herself lifted down to the ground. She felt her skirts swirl around their legs, coming to a stop in one direction and roll back in the other as she covered his hands with her own.
“Thank you,” she repeated the words she’d spoken earlier and found that she meant them in more ways than one. She felt safe with his hands upon her waist. And when she looked up into his eyes she felt a subtle confusion sweep through her. He was pleasant enough to look at, but that wasn’t anything new to her. Working at a stage depot brought her into contact with a number of men, from all walks of life, but this man, the way he looked at her made her feel as if the ground beneath her feet moved, as if the ground beneath them was alive. “Goodness.”
He smiled at the sound of her voice. “I-”
“Delia!”
“Olivia?” Turning toward the much beloved voice, Delia felt herself cast adrift again, reaching out with her hands to find purchase. And stepped into the embrace of Olivia Hawkins.
The two women laughed and pulled the other closer into each other’s arms. With their eyes squeezed shut they turned around in a whirling circle. “Oh, thank goodness you came.”
Delia heard the joy in Olivia’s voice and found herself clutching the other woman closer, missing the maternal affection that Mrs. Hawkins always seemed to have in excess. “I wanted to see you again, so very much.”
“Well, we shall have all day together, Delia, but-” Olivia stopped short, releasing one arm from her embrace and turning Delia back toward the wagon, “I should introduce you to one of our riders.”
Delia saw the same young man standing there and smiled at him. Of course he was one of the riders. Nearly every man in town that she didn’t recognize was likely to be employed by Russell, Majors, & Waddell, either was a rider or a livestock tender or like her father, tasked with maintaining one of the swing stations.
Olivia waved him closer and stepped between the two. “Delia Burroughs, I would like to introduce, Ransom McCain.”
Delia watched as the man bent slightly at the waist, lowering his head for a moment before standing to meet her gaze again . It was a gesture that told her he had manners. And it was the ease of his movement that told her his manners had been ingrained in him for quite some time. But it was the soft look in his eyes that had her near breathless.
He had quite simply stolen her heart.
“Miss Burroughs,” his voice was deep, deeper than she had expected. He was smaller in stature than her brother. Even from his place a few feet away, she knew that he was only a few inches taller than her, and that was just fine. “I'm pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“Mister McCain, was it?” She heard her tone and knew she'd put in a little lilt at the end just for his benefit.
And when he nodded, she ignored the pointed look from Olivia at her side.
“Pleased to meet you as well. Have you been in Wyoming long?”
His smile broadened and he twisted his neck slightly as if his collar had tightened about his neck. “No, miss. I haven't been here more than a month or two. And in Three Rivers no more than half that.”
“Well,” she lifted her chin and gave him her best smile, “you are welcome. I’m sure you’ll do well here.” She turned and nodded at Olivia as she struggled to ease the hitch in her breathing. “The Hawkins family is the best in these parts. They’ll take good care of you if you do the same for them.”
She could see Olivia’s face flush with healthy color as she took her hand.
“If it wasn't for them,” Delia felt a knot form in her throat, “we wouldn't be here today.” And with that unexpected admission, Delia felt her lungs gasp for air. She turned away from the look of concern in Ransom’s eyes, and even the thought of his name made the sensation worse. What had made her say such things in front of him. How silly or needy must he see her now?
The worry rolled over her like a rush of heat and she gave Olivia’s hand a squeeze as her stomach threatened to rebel. “I'm sorry, Olivia dear, I am not feeling quite well.”
Delia saw Ransom step closer to her and she sighed with relief when Olivia took hold of her arm and pulled her closer and into her own side.
“You must be freezing. It can't have been that warm when you left the station. Come,” she drew Delia along with her toward the house, “Ransom will care for the horses. We’ll get you inside and before the stove to warm you up.”
Delia gave her a grateful smile and walked beside her to the gate. It was only when they paused for Olivia to lift the latch that Delia spared a look back toward the barn and found Ransom hard at work, removing the harness on their horse, his hands moving in a careful methodical manner, and she could tell by the way he bent over the horse, his head turned toward the old gelding’s ear, that he was talking to him.
The gentle gesture was one that she knew she wouldn't soon forget, nor was her heart likely to make it easy for her as it seemed to swell deep within her chest.
“He's a good man, Delia.”
She heard the soft laughter in Olivia’s voice and turned to look at the kind woman beside her. “Of course. I doubt Levi would hire anyone who wasn’t.” She followed Olivia through the gate and paused while Olivia set the latch again. “And I owe you both for helping Pa with the job at the station.”
Olivia took her by the arm and gave her hand a pat. “Levi recommended your father for the job because he has faith in him. We both have faith in him. You’ve all had your struggles since your mother passed, and we were happy to give your father a chance to continue doing what he was meant to do.”
They climbed the steps to the porch together and Olivia held the door open for her younger friend.
“And perhaps you were meant to be here as well. With friends who consider you as one of the family.”
Delia found herself wrapped in the embrace of Olivia’s daughter, Anna. “Oh, goodness!”
“It’s been so long since we’ve seen you!”
Delia marveled at the change in the young girl who was less than a year younger than her brother. In just the last few months, little Anna had sprouted up like a wildflower. Her long hair, which, like her delicate features, marked her as Olivia’s daughter, was dressed in long braids that trailed down her back. With a soft sigh, Delia brushed the wisps of hair back from Anna’s temples. “Too long, my friend, but we are together again.”
The ache in Delia’s middle eased as she was drawn easily into the rush of gentle emotions that surrounded her and thanked her lucky stars that she still had such wonderful friends who loved her as much as she loved them.
Chapter 2
The meeting began with a cacophony of conversation, taking every ounce of Levi’s patience and every single rider in his employ to settle down the crowd. Among the wall to wall attendance in the church were the heads of each of the Swing Stations half way to the next Home Station in either direction. Some of those men had brought other employees to hear the news and the final instructions from Russell, Majors, & Waddell.
Once settled, they sat still enough for Levi to move through his list of news and business matters. Then, as one, the riders stood and stepped away from the row of chairs along the wall at the front of the room. Levi stepped to the side and gestured to the eight men to his right. “These are the men who are assigned to the Three Rivers Station,” he began. “The men were sworn in when they were hired on for the Express, but I’ve asked them to repeat their oath here, before all of you.” His serious gaze passed over each of the eight in turn. “I am hoping that you will understand my reasoning when you hear their words.”
At his nod, the riders began their recitation.
"I do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, I will, under no circumstances, use profane lan
guage, that I will drink no intoxicating liquors, that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, and that in every respect I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers, so help me God."
There was a quiet in the room as the men finished their oath and took to their seats again. Levi cleared his throat turning the attention of the room back onto himself. “I believe that these men will adhere to their oath, but I would like to ask your assistance as well.
“I hope that you will also take the same oath and lead by example.”
A sputter of sound came from the back of the room. “That’s ridiculous, Hawkins.”
Levi lifted his chin to meet the haughty gaze of Reuben Pierson. who had made his way into the church and found a place to stand against the wall. “You’re welcome to attend the meeting, Reuben. We welcome everyone in town to attend. They will, after all, be part of this grand experiment.”
“And that’s just what it is,” he huffed out a breath, “an experiment. You have no idea if this will work.”
“The same was said when stage lines began.” Levi turned back to the crowd. “The same could be said of any venture, really.” He saw some heads nodding in the group. “What it will take to make this a success is everyone’s hard work. It starts with the stations,” he met the eyes of half a dozen men, “clean, well groomed, and well fed horses. Tack, feed, exercise for the horses, all of those things are important. And it takes the riders.” He stepped back and gestured to the men seated along the wall, his riders. “For every mile on the trail. there are a number of things that could happen, things that could go wrong. We will need their courage and their intelligence to make it through with the mail.”
Reuben waved a dismissive hand at Levi and muttered under his breath as he turned and walked out of the room, his boots sounding a heavy tattoo as he walked the length of the church before stepping off into the dirt. Levi sought out other eyes in the room, local residents who had seen fit to make time to attend the meeting, including the town blacksmith, Samuel Cooper, and Patrick O’Neal, who owned the livery. Both businesses would benefit from the Express station in town.
Ransom leaned to the side to see that another man had made his way inside during the meeting. Walt Daniels, the town’s undertaker was seated in a chair near the back corner of the church. Saying a silent prayer that none of the riders would need his services during their employ, Ransom leaned back in his chair and turned back to look at Levi.
“We’ll need the people and businesses that need the express service for their mail. This service will transport letters from St. Joseph, Missouri, all the way to Sacramento, California, in ten days. Nearly two thousand miles of trail between the two cities, and yet you can get the most important news back and forth in less than a fortnight.”
A number of men in the audience turned to each other, nodding their heads. A few of them gave each other a celebratory slap on a back or a rowdy punch to an arm.
“What we are about to undertake will be a rousing success,” Levi assured the room, “if all of us take care in our work and keep to our schedules. Many of you have done similar jobs for years and I feel that in no time, we’ll have the express on the path to success.”
Wyeth stood, and Clay got to his feet beside him. Picking up a small tray each, they moved to center aisle of the church and started to hand out the papers in the box.
“My men are handing out the current schedule created by the offices in St. Joseph and Sacramento. Take a look at it, post it at your stations and make sure your men know what’s expected of them.” With one last indrawn breath, Levi nodded to the assembly. “I’ll be available to answer questions if anyone has them, but that will conclude our meeting for today.”
As the men filed out of the church after the meeting, Ransom watched Levi sit himself down in a pew at the front of the room. With a smile at the older man, he found a seat across from him. “Tired?”
Levi nodded his head, his high forehead catching the sunlight to illuminate the fine beads of sweat on the other man’s skin. “That was a long meeting.”
“And the room was full to bursting. I'm surprised there was enough air in the room with all of those men trying to talk at the same time.”
Levi looked up at Ransom and smiled. “You noticed that too?”
Ransom nodded. “Almost impossible not to. Every time one man had something to say, someone else would try and top him in volume. I'm surprised any of them had any voice left after that.”
“Well, a man wants to feel like he's been heard. He wants to know that he matters in some way.” Leaning back on the pew, Levi met Ransom’s eyes in earnest. “Some men know their worth, and don't feel the need to shout others down. I think you're one of those men, Ransom.”
Ransom let the words settle over him. He had worked hard over the years to be a good man, and to hear a man that he respected show him such consideration was a humbling feeling. He struggled to find the words to deflect the notice. “I think the others-”
“The others are good men, but only time will tell how things work out. The Pony Express is a grand experiment, son. The scheme to take the mail and rush it across open ground, faster than a stage could deliver it, just the idea is fantastic!”
Ransom couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. Levi was usually a quiet and reserved man, but hearing him talk about the express was another experience entirely.
He could almost imagine what Levi had been like when he had been a younger man, eager for life to begin.
“But this experiment could fall apart before our eyes if we don't focus on the work ahead.” Levi leaned forward on the pew, his eyes focused on Ransom’s face. “I've been thinking about the first ride and I want you up for the first pass as the mail heads West.”
The words took a moment to register in his head. “The first,” he shook his head slightly, “but I'm not your best rider.”
“An odd choice of words, son. You're not the fastest,” he clarified, “but I know you're always thinking. I see you sit back and look at a situation and think about the outcome before you jump in. It was the same today. I saw the others get caught up in the excitement of the meeting and a few were so busy talking amongst themselves that I doubt they heard much of what was said.”
It was true. Of the eight men slated to use Three Rivers as their home station, half of them had focused on the meeting and even a few of those had lost their concentration when voices raised at the height of the excitement.
“I need the first man to have that goal in mind. His focus fixed on the singular goal of getting the mochilla through to the next home station and reporting back to us.”
Ransom nodded, his lips pressed into a thinning line. “I can do that.”
Levi got up from the pew and extended his hand at the younger man. “I know you can, son. That's why I’ve already put you down on the schedule.”
Ransom felt the strength of Levi’s hand as they shook. “Thank you, sir.”
Footsteps pounded up into the doorway and both men turned to see Levi’s son Matthew standing in the open archway. “Pa! Ma said that supper’s almost ready.” The younger boy, just on the far side of fifteen. passed his gaze over the mix-matched assembly of chairs as a few of the riders ambled into the room around him. “She sent us to get her chairs since we’ve company coming.”
“Company?” Ransom looked at Levi with a wry twist of a smile in his lips. “Sorry for the interruption.”
Levi chuckled and reached for a chair. “No worries, son. I guess my wife has talked the Burroughs into staying.
“Burroughs,” Ransom repeated the word with more than a measure of hesitation, “both the man and his daughter?”
“Well, we couldn't have one and leave the other in the wagon during the meal.” Levi’s moment of levity faded into laughter as Ransom hooked a chair with each hand and headed for the door.
The grounds of t
he Three Rivers Pony Express station was bustling when Ransom made his way up the path toward the Hawkins’ house. The original livery barn had recently been added onto, nearly tripling the capacity to accommodate the Express horses. There had also been a bunkhouse added with enough bunks for all the riders stationed there and a few of the others when their schedules required that they stay overnight.
Before Ransom could step up onto the porch. Matthew Hawkins, Levi’s son, stepped up in front of him and held out his hands. “Mama said that you’re to go to the barn.”
Ransom handed the chairs over to the young man, struggling to ignore the hard tone in Matthew’s voice. He hadn't known the Hawkins family long, but Matthew’s attitude confused him. Both Levi and his wife. Olivia, seemed like the best sort of people, quiet and gentle in their tone, they were also hard working and generous.
But then again, he rationalized, he had been quite the handful at that age and his Aunt Kate, well, she should be a saint in heaven for all the gentle affection that she tried to shower on him. He watched the young man trudge up the stairs with the chairs tucked under his arms before turning around and heading for the barn.
The barn across the small expanse of yard was easily reached and Ransom was motivated, so it took less than a minute. He had hopes of finishing their chores with enough time to change his shirt before supper. Having guests was reason enough, because Olivia liked the riders to be clean and presentable at all times. Besides the desire that they represent the Russell, Majors, & Waddell well, Olivia liked to keep the rest of the station as neat as her house. But the promise of having a pretty guest at the table only added to his own desire to look his best.
He stopped in the doorway, looking for Levi, but found himself at a loss. Wyeth Bowles, one of the riders who had quickly become his friend at the Three Rivers Station, was standing beside Anna Hawkins and their guest, Delia Burroughs.
Wyeth saw him in the doorway and lifted a hand in greeting.