He broke the tense silence. “How are Martha’s lessons coming along?”
Noah wiggled about, trying to get more comfortable. He pushed an arm out of the blanket.
“Very well. She’s smart and has figured out ways to amuse her baby brother and Noah while teaching her sisters their lessons.” Cora tucked Noah’s arm back into the sling.
“Good.” Flynn stepped away from her and began to pick wildflowers.
Cora trailed behind him. She thought of the day they had met and how he had told her he was a lawman on the search for a killer. Funny that when things were peaceful, she’d think of that. Silence continued to hang between them for several minutes before Cora looked about to make sure they were alone and then asked, “Have you figured out if the killer you are chasing is on our train?”
He turned to face her and held out the flowers for her to take. “Not yet. I’ve met every man traveling with us and none of them seem like the killer type.”
She took the flowers and sniffed them. “Thank you. These are lovely.”
Flynn smiled like a little boy who’d just been told he’d passed a test. “You are very welcome.”
Cora couldn’t help noticing how handsome her husband was. She pushed the thought away. He wasn’t going to be her husband forever. “What are you going to do if you can’t find him?” If the killer wasn’t on the wagon train, would he desert her and Noah when they got to the fort so he could go back to Missouri and resume his hunt?
He sighed. “I’ll keep looking. There are several men who match the man’s description. Maybe I just haven’t gotten to know them well enough yet.” Flynn looked deep in thought.
Cora frowned. Hadn’t Flynn said the killer was a short, older man? What if he was short but had disguised himself to seem more elderly? Or what if he was really looking for a woman who was disguised as a man? “Flynn, are you sure he’s an older man?”
Flynn nodded. “The sheriff in Independence had a woman report to him that she’d entertained a gentleman who claimed to have killed several women.”
Even though the day was bright and warm, Cora felt a chill crawl up her spine. How awful to have to entertain men for a living—especially dangerous men. To have one confess himself a murderer must have been terrifying. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth.
Flynn placed a hand on her shoulder. “There is no reason for you to fret over it, Cora. I’ll find him.”
How was it that he could read her emotions so well? Did they show on her face? Cora decided it was because he read people’s faces and body language as part of his job. “The women on this train know everyone. Maybe I could...”
Flynn gently squeezed her shoulder, putting a stop to what she was about to say. “No. I will not have you putting yourself or the other women on this train in harm’s way by asking questions that might spook a dangerous man. I will take care of this. You worry about learning how to prepare meals.”
Cora felt as if he’d just slapped her in the face. She ducked her head to hide the hurt his words had inflicted. Did he really think she needed more cooking lessons?
* * *
A few minutes later, Flynn left Cora at their wagon with the excuse of checking on his horse, Winston. He wished he could take back his careless words. The thought of Cora putting herself in danger to help him had scared him and he had said the first thing that popped in his head. Her cooking was improving every day and he’d not meant to insult her. But insult her he had.
Cora had nodded and then hurried back to the wagon with him walking slowly behind. Anyone watching must have been able to tell they’d had words.
Flynn had no idea how to fix his mistake. He’d already picked her flowers, so a gift of flowers wouldn’t be special. No, he’d have to tell her he didn’t mean that the way it came out.
Cora was climbing out of their wagon when he approached her. He knew without being told that she’d laid the baby down so that he could rest better.
Flynn gently pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “Cora, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. In my haste to keep you safe, I said the wrong thing.” He pulled back and looked deeply into her sad eyes. “Your cooking is wonderful and...”
The sound of a shotgun blast and a woman’s scream cut through whatever else he’d intended to say. Flynn released her. “Stay here. I’ll be back as quickly as I can.” At her nod, he turned and ran toward the sounds, worried about what he’d find. Dire thoughts raced through his mind as he ran for the wagon at the end of the train.
He stopped short when he arrived. Ben Witmore lay at the back of his wagon, and his wife sat beside him, weeping. The shotgun was lying next to Ben. Flynn quickly concluded that Ben had been pulling the gun from the wagon, barrel first, when it had gone off, catching him in the chest.
Flynn jerked his shirt off and pressed the material against the gunshot wound. More blood pooled under the young man, telling Flynn the shot had gone all the way through. “Ben, you’re going to be all right. We’ll send for the doctor.”
The man gasped for breath. “No, I’m dying.”
“Ben, please don’t say that,” his wife begged as she stroked his face with one hand and cradled her rounded belly with the other. “You can’t leave me.”
He reached up and grabbed her hand. “Emma, listen to me. You have to go on to Oregon. Look for Mr. Young.” He gasped for air. “He has the deed to our farm.”
She shook her head. “No, we’ll do that together.” Tears coursed down her face and dripped off her chin.
Joe and several other men arrived. They stopped short of the trio. Several of the older men shook their heads and then left. Probably going to tell their wives and drivers what had happened.
Flynn motioned for the boy to come to him. When Joe was close enough, Flynn ordered, “Go get Doc.”
Joe nodded and took off running.
Ben’s brother, Stuart, came around the wagon at a run. He slid to a stop behind Emma. “Oh, Ben” was all he said.
Ben looked up at his brother and tried to smile. “Looks like I did it this time.” He winced in pain. “Take care of Emma.”
Stuart nodded. His eyes filled with tears.
Flynn watched it all play out in a daze. He’d seen men die from gunshot wounds before and knew that Ben would likely soon be dead. He swallowed hard as he watched his clean white shirt soak up the blood and turn red.
The doctor arrived and knelt down beside him. “Here, let me see.”
Flynn stood back and watched while the doctor examined Ben’s chest and then turned him to look at the exit wound in his back. His gaze moved from Ben to his wife. She held her hands over her face and wept. Her brother-in-law, Stuart, laid a big hand on her shaking shoulders.
“Let’s move him inside the wagon,” Doc said, looking to Flynn and then to Stuart.
Stuart helped Emma to stand and then moved to take her place. Flynn stepped forward once more and helped lift Ben into the wagon. As soon as they had him lying on a pile of quilts and blankets, Flynn and Stuart left Ben in the capable hands of Emma and the doctor.
He turned to Stuart. “If there is anything we can do to help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Stuart took his hat off and ran his fingers through his blond curls. “He’s not going to make it, is he?”
Flynn didn’t think it looked good for Ben, but only the good Lord really knew. “I’ve seen men walk away with worse injuries. He might.”
They walked a little farther away from the wagon. Flynn didn’t want Emma to hear their conversation. He watched the wagon sway as the doctor and Emma moved about inside.
Stuart sighed. “I guess I’ll go on to Oregon and help Emma with the farm.”
Flynn remained silent and waited, knowing the other man needed to talk out his thoughts. He heard Emma sobbing. He hated what the woman was going through and prayed Cora wou
ldn’t have to go through anything like it with him.
“I promised Ben I would take care of her should something happen to him along the trail, but I never dreamed I’d really have to. I’d planned on going to California once they were settled on their farm.” He sat down on a crate and looked off into the distance.
Life could change so suddenly. Flynn looked at his own life. Hadn’t he gotten married despite having never planned to do so after losing Miriam? He sighed. He and Cora had planned to part ways when they reached Oregon, but if something happened to Cora on the trail, he knew that he’d take care of Noah for the rest of the boy’s life. Until this moment, he hadn’t thought that far ahead.
Flynn’s attention was captured the moment Doc stepped out of the wagon. His grim face broadcast that news wasn’t good.
Stuart stood. “How is he, Doc?”
The doctor shook his head. “He’s gone. I couldn’t stop the bleeding.” He looked down at Flynn’s shirt in his hands. Then he lifted his gaze to Stuart. “Do you know any of Emma’s friends? We need someone to comfort her while we take care of his body.”
Stuart nodded. “I’ll go ask the Ingles woman. She and Emma have spent many a days walking this trail together.” He lowered his head and walked away.
“It’s a crying shame.” Doc wiped at the blood on his hands. “Ben said the gun went off when he pulled on the barrel to get it out of the wagon.”
Flynn nodded. “I figured as much.” He wished he could go back in time and warn the man, but it was too late. This wagon train had its first member to bury. He silently prayed he wouldn’t have to bury Cora or baby Noah. Just the thought caused his heart to hurt.
Chapter Nine
After two months of traveling, Cora had never been so happy to see a fort in all her life. Fort Kearney had been torn down and so the travelers had carried on to Fort Laramie. Wagon wheels busting had delayed them, but finally the fort was in sight. She was bone weary and looking forward to a hot bath.
Her eyes widened as they got closer. The pile of left-behind things that rested outside the far wall of the fort was enormous. It had everything from cookstoves to pianos. How could people not know they shouldn’t take such things with them? Still, the temptation to see what others had abandoned was great. Perhaps she would find another frying pan or something else useful.
She’d heard that people left food items there, too. But this morning, the ladies were all grumbling that with the rain the night before, any food that may have been left was waterlogged now, sinking Cora’s hopes that God would supply them with free food supplies to continue the trip.
Sarah hurried into step beside her. “I still say we should see what we can find, wet or not.”
Cora smiled at her friend. Without Sarah and Flynn, the trip this far would have been miserable. “Are the others going to look through it?”
She shook her head. “No. Mrs. Chandler has them all convinced that last night’s rain ruined anything worth using.”
“And they believe her? Even Abigail?” Cora couldn’t believe how much influence Mrs. Chandler had over the other ladies.
“Every one of them, especially my sister. I don’t know what hold Mrs. Chandler has over those women, but it might work out for our good.” Sarah shrugged. “She might be right, but I think it’s worth a look-see.”
Cora sighed. “Well, I don’t see why we should listen to her. Let’s go inspect what’s there as soon as we can and then I want a hot bath. Flynn says that he’ll watch Noah for an hour and let me soak.”
“Sounds wonderful. I’d love a hot bath but I don’t see me getting one anytime soon.” Sarah had made sure the kids had a weekly bath, but as far as Cora or anyone else knew, she’d only taken sponge baths and washed her hair in the river.
After all Sarah had done for her, Cora wanted to see the woman get a little break. A hot bath would make her feel like a new woman. She decided to ask Flynn if they could treat the woman to a hot bath also.
One of the Philmore children ran up. “Ma, Pa says he needs you at the wagon.” Then she turned and ran back the way she’d come.
Sarah sighed. “A woman’s work is never done. Do not go looking without me, promise?”
Cora nodded. “I promise.”
Keeping that promise was the hardest thing Cora had done in a long time. For the next two hours, she set up camp, fixed the noon meal and waited. She watched as other women left in small groups or with their husbands to go to the fort.
Flynn walked toward her. He’d been at a meeting the wagon master had called. He grinned as he approached. Cora marveled at how handsome her husband appeared. He’d grown a short beard and his hair had grown over his ears, giving him a wild look that for some odd reason set her heart aflutter.
His eyes sparkled with anticipation. “Ready to go to the fort?”
She shook her head and rocked Noah on her hip. “I promised Sarah I’d wait for her.”
His grin slid from his face. Was that a hurt expression?
“Well, I guess it’s just us boys going in, then.” He reached for Noah. “That’s if you don’t mind me taking our little man with me.”
Cora smiled. Flynn took the role of stepfather seriously. He involved Noah as much as he could in everything he did. Noah smiled and reached for Flynn. She wondered if Flynn realized how hard it was going to be for him to leave the baby behind when they got to Oregon.
“I don’t mind.” She handed Noah over and lowered her voice. “See that pile of stuff beside the fort?”
Flynn looked in the direction she was looking. “Yep.Some of the men thought they might find some extra tools in there, but their womenfolk told them not to bother looking because of the rain.”
Cora felt her face scrunch up in disbelief. “And?” Surely the men knew that tools and such wouldn’t be that affected by some rain?
“And so they aren’t looking.”
“Flynn Adams, are you telling me you aren’t looking, either?” She placed both hands on her hips.
He laughed and tweaked her nose. “Aren’t you going to look?”
She felt a flush enter her cheeks. “Well, yeah.”
“So, if you find something good, get it or come get me and I’ll haul it back to the wagon.”
Cora shook her head. “You knew Sarah and I were going to see what we can find. It was your plan all along to let me do the tool hunting for you. Let the wife go dig in the wet stuff and pretend that taking care of the baby would help out.” She laughed at his bemused expression.
“Me taking Noah doesn’t help you look for treasure in them there hills?”
His jokey Southern accent brought another smile to her face. “Yes, it will be a great help.”
Cora decided now was a good time to ask for a favor. “Flynn, Sarah has been so wonderful to me. Do you think we could treat her to a hot bath, also? I know it would make her feel so much better.”
He leaned down and kissed Cora on the cheek. “One of the things I like about you is that you are always thinking of others. I’ll be sure to pay for two ladies’ baths. All you have to do is get her to go with you when you go.” He stood up straight once more. “Come on, Noah. Us menfolk are going to go look for a new harness for Big Blue and Big Red.”
Sarah arrived, a little winded. Joe stood beside his mother, grinning. Sarah said, “I’m sorry, Cora. I tried to be here earlier but you know my bunch—if you want them to hurry up, they drag their heels, but if I had wanted them to sit around the fire as a family and visit, they would have all rushed through the meal. It never fails.”
Flynn laughed. “Ladies, if you don’t mind, I’m taking my leave now.” He bowed at the waist as if he were exiting a grand ballroom.
“Oh, go on.” Cora laughed.
He tucked Noah against his side. “Let me know if you need any help.” He turned to Joe. “Ready to go?”
“Sure am.” The boy took two steps toward Flynn when his mother’s words halted him.
“Oh, no you don’t, Joseph David Philmore. You are coming with Cora and me.” Sarah gave her son a stern look.
Cora could see the boy’s disappointment, but instead of arguing, he just gave a respectful nod. Thinking the boy might be in trouble with his ma, Cora decided to be quick with her examination of the left-behind things so that he could join Flynn or any of his other friends. Going inside the fort was a treat, something she didn’t want Joe to miss out on.
Flynn smiled. “I’ll see you inside, Joe.” Then he left, tossing Noah in the air as he went. The baby’s laughter warmed Cora’s heart even as it almost stopped each time the baby took flight. She trusted Flynn but still worried.
Sarah tugged on Cora’s arm to get her attention. “Don’t worry. Men have been doing that since time began. Now, did any of the other ladies stop at the pile?” She turned her eyes to the mound of items.
Cora’s gaze followed hers. “A couple glanced at it, but I don’t think any of them actually inspected what is there.” Cora hurried to catch up with Sarah, who had started toward the pile of odds and ends.
The closer they got, the more Cora understood why the other ladies hadn’t wanted to dig in the things. Water stood on every surface and mud filled every inch. She looked down at her shoes and sighed. “Um, Sarah, this might not be a good idea.”
“Don’t give up yet.” Sarah directed her son, “Joe, get that board over there and lay it here.” She pointed at an open space in front of her.
He obeyed, understanding that his mother was going to use the board as a form of bridge over the muck.
Cora looked about for a board of her own and found it in the form of a narrow door. Why anyone had brought a door this far was beyond her understanding. Now that she had it, Cora was thankful that it had gotten this far. Careful not to get a splinter, she followed Joe’s lead and put it where she wanted to walk.
Wagon Train Wedding Page 10