“Just a couple of more things.” She cleared her throat. “You're smaller than most girls your age, but a man will know you aren't a boy once he looks at you ... your chest.”
“Ma!” I looked down at the thing I ignored whenever I dressed. “I can wear a bigger shirt. They won't show then.”
“Good idea.” She smiled. “I do believe you've figured out a much better way to cover the problem than what I had in mind. I'll have Mark leave one of his shirts in your room later. Another thing, I'll relax my rule about using your nickname. Your pa, Andy, and the boys seem to be using it all the time, so I don't see any reason to keep calling you Abigail.”
Hope rose within me. She had made a decision I never thought I would hear.
She knelt on the floor and pulled out a cedar box she kept under her bed. I crouched beside her as she opened it. For years, I had wondered what she kept in there.
Ma touched a few things, like tiny dresses and locks of hair.
“My ma gave me a very special gift when your pa and I left Kentucky.” She pulled out a square locket on a gold chain. “My great-great grandmother brought it over from her home in Scotland many years ago.” She dropped the locket over my head. “It's tradition to pass it to the oldest daughter when her ma feels she's a woman.”
I touched the cool metal, confused by her words.
“You told me I'd become a woman when I found a husband,” I said.
“That's true for most women.” She hugged me tight. “I believe you became a woman the day you snuck out before dawn to make sure someone trained the horses after your pa and older brothers rode out the last time.”
“You knew?” I leaned back, afraid she would stop me from leaving in the morning.
“I know every sound this house makes at every hour of the day and night.” She smiled. “You took responsibility for helping your family, even though you knew what might happen if I caught you. I kept an eye on you, so I could help if you needed it.”
Her simple statement brought understanding. She had given me the chance to do the right thing, but she had also made sure I had someone watching out for me. I now knew what it meant to grow up.
“Thank you.”
“No need to say thank you.” She closed the box and shoved it back under the bed. “Just you make sure you do as Adam tells you tomorrow.”
“I will.” I dropped the locket inside my dress and vowed that I would never take it off.
Chapter Eighteen
I curled my arms around my pillow and smiled as I experienced the most wonderful dream in the world.
Everyone at The Pony Express station stood in a straight line. I marched up and down in front of them. Not a one of them made a comment about my britches and well-fitted shirt.
“I spent a lot of time convincing my ponies to do this,” I said. “You have to treat them nice.”
“Yes, ma'am,” the riders said.
“You'll have to be real nice to them, or they'll buck you.” I glanced at the herd of ponies behind me. “Now, all of you get them horses into the corral.”
They led the ponies into the corral one by one. I glowed with pleasure.
Tarnation! This is the best feeling in the whole world.
A booming sound made me open my eyes. Sunlight streamed through my window. I untangled my legs from the sheets and sat up.
“Time to get up, Abby,” Adam shouted. “Did you make up your blanket roll last night?”
“I have it,” Uncle Andy yelled from the front of the house.
I took the time to make sure the pants and shirt fit right before opening my door. My brothers going with me smiled as I stepped into the hallway. Adam flipped my braids.
“Great look, short stuff,” he said. “But you'll keep your mouth closed when we reach the stations. I don't want any man eyeing my sister like those stationmaster's do to grown women.”
A red flush crept over his tanned cheekbones, leaving me to wonder what the men did when they stared at women. Why did my brothers act so strange when they talked about men looking at me? I was just a girl, nothing special.
Then an attack of nerves hit me. This was the first time I'd leave my home without Ma and Pa. It was downright frightening.
He walked out of his bedroom while I went toward the kitchen. It was still strange seeing him moving as if someone had put sand into his joints. The winces on his face made it hard not to offer him an arm to lean on, as if my strong and capable pa would ever accept help walking.
“Ready, sweetie?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.” I kept my voice low in an effort not to hide my anxiety.
Why was I so nervous? This is what I had wanted since discovering I couldn't sneak onto The Pony as one of the riders.
“Not nervous, are you?” Peter yelled as he scrambled into the kitchen.
“Are you?” I called in response.
“Get in here,” Ma said. “You haven't got all day.”
She served boiled oats and sausages. The food sat in my stomach like a rock. Adam speared one of the patties.
“I'll eat these if you won't.”
Although he sounded serious, his wink lightened my mood. I began eating as if I wouldn't have another good meal for days.
“Adam and I got the horses ready last night,” Mark said.
“Good,” Pa said. “Bart, we can get to the breaking as soon as the rest of you take care of your chores. I'll be out there to make sure no one messes up.”
Groans came from Peter and Paul. Pa fixed a steely gaze on them.
“If either of you even thinks about goofing around, I'll tan your hides,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” they said.
“Are you thinking about goofing around?” Bart asked.
“No,” Peter said.
“We weren't,” Paul claimed.
Their vehement protests brought smiles.
“Michael, we need to dig a new well,” Uncle Andy said. “I believe the one we have now will run dry soon. Wouldn't want that happening with Louisa getting ready to finish putting up her vegetables, would you?”
“Oh no.” Pa glanced at Ma. “I'd never let the well run dry when my wife has so much to do.”
Adam and Bart joined Pa and Uncle Andy on the porch. Ma drew me to one side.
“You remember what I told you last night,” she said. “Don't you dare disobey Adam, or it'll be the last time you go on one of these rides. And, Abby, don't you even think of riding wild like your brothers do. It's not fitting for a gal, even if she's helping her family.”
“Yes, ma'am,” I said.
Pa stuck his head inside. “Everyone leaving with Adam get to the corral. The rest of you, there are still chores to do. Peter and Paul, work with your uncle on the new well.”
“Ah!” the troublemaking twins groaned. “It's not fair.”
My thought exactly, every time they got to train the ponies, and I was stuck with boring chores. After making sure no one else was looking, I stuck out my tongue at their backs and then dashed out to the corral.
The half-broke mustangs provided some excitement when Adam released them from the corral. I worked alongside my brothers and soon brought them under control. We had a lot of help from Blaze. Whenever one of the other horses tried to run off, he would stomp a hoof and whinny. The animal would come back and stay with the herd.
“Are you sure you want to take him with us?” Adam looked at me. “He loves you, Abby.”
“A promise is a promise,” I said.
As we rode away from our home, I looked back. The large house shrank as my horse, in reality Paul's since I didn't have one to call my own and never would, carried me further and further from everything I had ever known.
“Come on, short stuff,” Adam teased. “We'll be back in less than a week.”
After all I had experienced in the last few months, it was boring riding alongside the herd during the trip north. Nothing broke the monotony until Mark scouted out a hollow where we could rest for the night. While
I stirred up bacon and biscuits and reheated a pot of beans Ma had packed, a rattler darted out from under a rock. Adam, Mark, and Charles shot at the poor thing while it wove back and forth. I laughed at their puny efforts.
“Golly gee,” I exclaimed. “You'd starve if you had to make your living as gunslingers.”
“Hush and get supper served,” Mark commented. “I still have to figure who sleeps when.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Guard duty,” Adam said. “We don't want anyone stealing our horses.”
It had never occurred to me that we might face danger on the trail. Would rustlers really try to steal what The Pony needed so desperately? Could my brothers protect the horses?
We cleaned up, and I vowed to scrub every single dish with hot water and soap as soon as we returned home. Sand might take off the food bits, but everything still looked dirty to me. As soon as we repacked what we'd taken out, Adam pointed at a spot near the fire.
“You'll sleep there,” he said.
I wiggled around to find a spot without too many rocks and curled up. The reason for his decision soon became clear when he and Charles lay down on either side of me, and Mark sat against a saddle a couple of feet away.
The last thing I remembered as my eyes closed was hearing Blaze whinny. I smiled. He sounded excited about finally going to The Pony Express.
Chapter Nineteen
An adobe building with an attached bunkhouse stood out against the flat desert. The early October air had a chill in it, but the sun promised a hot day. Men near the corral stared to the west. Excitement raced through me when a tiny dust cloud rose, almost too far away to see. I leaned forward in my saddle.
We'd only spent one night on the trail. The station was halfway between our ranch and Carson City. By tomorrow afternoon, I'd be halfway home again, but I didn't want to leave so fast. More than anything, I wanted to stay right where I was.
“Come here,” Adam ordered.
“Why?” I glared at him. He was making me miss something important, I was sure of it.
“We have to make sure no one sees your hair.”
I reluctantly tore my gaze from the dust cloud and rode over to him. He slapped my braids atop my head and pulled his kerchief from around his neck. After tying it around my hair, he shoved my hat back on.
“You're our baby brother, Thomas. I talked to Pa before we left, and he figured it's not a sin to tell this lie. It'll protect you until we get back on the trail.” He looked me up and down. “Just remember to keep your mouth shut.”
A man waved at us from the station. He was just about the strangest person I'd ever seen. His legs were bowed like a wishbone, and he kind of rolled when he walked. He wore dusty, tan britches and a bright red shirt with a blue bandana around his neck. A beat up flat brimmed hat covered his mostly gray hair, which hung almost to his shoulders.
Goodness! Ma would whip out her sewing scissors and give him a haircut not a second after seeing him.
Adam smacked his hat across my back. I glared at him again.
“One of you open the corral gate,” he said. “Get the ponies in there, now.”
Charles rode over and swung the gate open. Waving their hats, Mark and Adam galloped forward. I reached up to take mine off but remembered how hard Adam had worked to make me look like a boy. Kicking my horse, I chased the stragglers into the corral. While swinging the gate closed, Charles grinned at me.
“Looking good, short stuff,” he shouted.
My mouth opened and as quickly closed. Short stuff was okay for Adam, but the rest them could use my name, even if it was a boy's.
“Lay off,” Adam said. “Don't you dare bait Thomas again.”
“Where's your pa?” the strange looking man yelled.
“He's the stationmaster,” Adam whispered to me. “Be especially careful around him and his wife. Not much gets past them.”
I nodded to show I understood and edged my horse closer to his.
“Took sick,” Mark said. “He divided up the delivery so we could get you some horses now. Next week the other group will bring in the ones we caught a few days ago.”
The stationmaster ran over to us, slapping his hat against his pants. “Who's the youngun? I thought I'd met all the sprouts your parents produced.”
“Thomas,” Charles said. “He's helping with the ponies now that he stays in the saddle most of the time.”
A smile blossomed across his face. Just wait until we left for home. I'd show my brothers who had problems staying in a saddle.
“Bit of a sloppy rider?” the stationmaster asked. “Didn't think Michael stood for that.”
“Daydreamer,” Mark said. “This week will knock it out of him.”
The sound of fast approaching hoof beats increased my excitement. I finally had the chance to see a Pony Express rider in action, and I almost said something. At the very last second, as the words bubbled over my tongue, I remembered Adam's warning. He took my reins.
“Out of the way,” he said. “Rider coming in.”
Letting him lead me away, I watched the dust cloud. It stretched for miles, growing closer and closer by the minute. A thrumming sound danced across the desert. One of the riders snagged a horse, settled a wooden saddle across its back, and held the reins loosely. As the incoming rider dashed into the clearing, he leapt from his horse and tossed a mochilla—a thing that looked like half of a leather saddle, with slits to fit over the cantle and fork—through the air. The waiting rider slung it across the new mount and bounced into the seat. I released my breath when the man dashed east. The exchange took less than a minute.
“We're going inside now,” Adam said. “They serve a good stew here. I'm pretty sure you're hungry.”
Uncertain how he knew my stomach had started to chew a hole through my middle, I followed him into the station. Seeing and hearing all the men talking while they sat at a table stole any words I might have said while I settled between my brothers.
The weary rider joined us in the dining room. No one spoke as the stationmaster's wife kept our plates full of thick beef stew and fresh biscuits. For desert, slices of dried apple pie, the best I'd ever tasted. Well, maybe not as good as Ma's, but I had never eaten one of her pies after riding for two days.
“You boys are welcome to bunk here for the night,” the stationmaster said.
Adam, Charles, and Mark sent me worried looks. The stationmaster's wife glanced from them to me. Her mouth opened into an O.
“You older boys bed down the ponies,” she said. “Thomas can help me.”
After the men went outside, the woman drew me aside.
“What's your name, gal?” she asked.
I gulped. Ma will tear off my hide. What did I do wrong? “How did you know?”
“My husband and I used to go around making sure the other stationmasters didn't need anything. Since this place needed someone to run it, we asked the company to let us stay. In all that time, I've never seen a Weston think twice about staying the night in the bunkhouse.” She glanced out a window. “What's going on that your family has to send their daughter on one of these runs?”
“Pa took sick,” I said. “He's still not doing well, but Ma thinks he'll be better soon. I'm Abby.”
“You'll sleep in the bedroom beside mine tonight, Abby. I'm Mrs. Carson.”
The men returned, and Mrs. Carson settled the matter by speaking quietly with Adam. He threw me an incredulous glance, but I shrugged. I kept my mouth shut. Her eagle eye had figured out our deception.
“Are you sure there aren't enough beds for Thomas?” Mark asked.
“He'll be safe beside me,” Mrs. Carson said. “Don't you boys worry. You didn't do anything you should be ashamed of.”
Whoops and hollers disturbed my rest, but I stayed in bed until Adam called me the next morning.
Chapter Twenty
The rider that came in yesterday greeted us as he pushed through the horses we had delivered. Occasionally, he punched one on the nose.
I ran up to him and hung onto his arm after he slugged Blaze.
“What do you think you're doing?” I screamed.
The man stared at me as my brothers clapped their hands over their eyes.
“You're a girl,” the rider said.
His surprised exclamation sounded angry, which was only the tiniest bit of how upset Ma would be. My heart sank to my toes, oozed out of my boots, and lay on the sand. Certain I would never have another chance to ride to one of the stations, I figured I no longer had to bother keeping quiet. I grinned at the rider.
“You just figuring that out?” I asked. “Mrs. Carson only took about a minute last night.”
“Abigail Grace Weston, manners,” Adam said.
I stuck my tongue out at him, and he wagged a finger back and forth. Facing the rider, I tilted my head back to look him in the eye.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to call you dumb,” I said.
Groans came from my brothers, but the stranger whooped with laughter.
“You're a right sassy Weston.” He turned to Adam. “You have any others like her back home?”
“Not unless you count the troublemakers,” Charles said. “They're more of a pain in the backside.”
At the man's puzzled expression, Mark said, “Peter and Paul. They're a year older than the runt.”
Even though the rider was smaller than most of the men in my life, he still towered over me. From the dumbstruck expression on his face, he wasn't much smarter than them either.
“So what? I can train a horse better than anyone else. Ask them.” I flung a hand at my brothers.
The man opened his mouth to answer, but Blaze snapped at him. Massive white teeth headed in my direction.
“Abby!” Adam screamed. “Duck!”
The rider grabbed me around the waist and dove into the dirt far from the angry horse. I squirmed out from under him and leveled a kick at his lower legs. He bounced backward, wincing and yelling.
“What did you do that for?”
“You hurt a horse I trained,” I hollered. “I promise them no one will hurt them if they ride hard for The Pony Express. It takes me near a full day to convince some of those mustangs to let me on their back, and you break my promises by punching them. It's not right.”
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