“I see it.” Using the reins, he turned the oxen just slightly. In truth, if it hadn’t been for Cora’s sharp eyes, he would have hit the boulder.
As they passed by the rock, the wagon jolted and Cora made a small squeaking noise in her throat. He knew she had just suppressed a scream, betraying the fact that she was just as nervous as he was. Flynn’s stomach churned in dread. “Do you see how dangerous it was for you to climb up here?” He waved one hand wildly. “Of all the harebrained notions...”
“There. It must be a hole.” Cora’s eyes darted to him, her voice intense. “See how the water swirls only in that place? Can you move around it?”
Flynn called to Joe. “Can we safely come your way a bit?”
Joe had already ridden the horse ahead and circled back to them. “If you dodge that little whirlpool, it’s flat with no obstructions from there on.”
Flynn tried to relax his jaw, which seemed to have locked. His throat felt raw with unuttered shouts. Suddenly, Cora’s fingers dug into his arm as they reached the bank. The oxen, recognizing their escape from danger, needed no urging to pull the wagon out of the water. As soon as they cleared the bank, Cora bounced on the seat, clapping her hands. When Flynn brought the wagon to a stop, she threw her arms around his neck.
“You did it! Flynn, you did it!” Her sweet breath tickled his face.
Flynn hesitated a moment before enclosing her in a long hug. The relief he felt at the wagon’s safe passage and her safety caused his senses to reel as if short-circuited. He jumped down from the wagon seat and held up his arms, inviting her to join him on the ground. She placed her hands on his shoulders, her eyes shining with happiness. He lifted her down and took her face between his hands. His lips brushed against hers, light and tender.
“Aw, cut it out, you two.” Joe clicked his teeth together, and then he shouted, “No!”
Flynn broke the kiss and turned just in time to see the Philmore wagon do a slow flip before it floated downstream, parcels, bundles and other objects littering the river. Joe tore off down the river on Winston.
Cora moved closer to Flynn, her arms tightening around his waist. “Oh, Flynn. Those were their supplies to outfit the new store. They’ve lost it all.”
“Maybe not. Look, Cora.” He pointed to the river. “There are several horsemen retrieving the things in the river. Why, Joe handles that horse as well as I do.”
Cora pulled away from him. “Thank the Lord I sent Noah over with the Philmore children on the ferry. I need to get Noah and Martha so that we can help Sarah repack their supply wagon.”
Flynn realized he hadn’t even thought of Noah. Thankfully, Cora had had the insight to send the baby across on the small ferry. The raft-like ferry was only capable of carrying small loads of women and children.
Once Cora had climbed on the wagon seat with him, his heart and mind had centered solely on her. A thought flashed briefly through his mind. Was she coming to mean more to him than he’d realized? He loved Noah, but everyone loved babies. What he felt for Cora was...something else entirely. And that kiss had rocked him down to his toes.
* * *
Cora walked barefoot downstream. She stayed close to the bank in case there was a hidden current but squished her toes in the sand, then allowed the water to wash it off. The shadow from the trees overhanging the creek kept the sun off her and cooled the stream. What was it about cool water washing over hot feet that caused a girl to feel soothed? She smiled at the thought and allowed the sounds and beauty to lure her into a state of pure relaxation.
How many times as children had she and Gracie sneaked off to the river and played in the water’s edge? Or rather, she stayed close to the edge but her adventurous sister wound up in deeper water, falling about and getting soaked. That was how their mother always knew they’d been down to the river playing instead of doing their chores. She scolded them but they never minded because oftentimes their mother joined them, laughing and hiking up her dress to avoid wetting the hem.
The memory was sweet, and Cora vowed to keep it close to her heart. Someday she would tell Noah about his mother and how she’d loved swimming in the river. She sat down on a large rock that jutted out from the bank and allowed her feet to remain in the river’s cool water. After several long moments of solitude, Cora pulled her knees up, laid her head on them and closed her eyes.
She decided to have a talk with her heart. What was it doing? Every time Flynn entered their camp, why did it do a little flip? Her pulse had a mind of its own, too, and raced with joy when he smiled at her. Her lips had tingled for hours after the kiss they had shared the day before. Cora didn’t want to call her reactions love, but she feared that was exactly what it was. Why else did he occupy her thoughts every waking moment? And each time he took charge with quiet assurance, the respect she felt for him climbed several notches. He knew so much, and he helped anyone who needed it.
He walked confidently, tall and broad-shouldered. At the end of the day, the shadow of his beard gave him an even more manly aura. She often found she wanted to place a hand on his jaw.
Had his fiancée touched him like that? Did Flynn still love her? Could he have kissed Cora so soundly if he loved another? She struggled with her thoughts and decided to face facts.
And the number one reality was she was falling in love with her husband, whose only plan was to catch a killer and annul their marriage as soon as they got to Oregon. Cora tried to convince herself that the kiss had been a reaction to the stress of driving the wagon through the rugged waters. It had meant no more to him than if he’d hugged his sister after facing a great trial together.
But to her it had been earth-shattering.
A large splash caused Cora to jump.
She looked up to find a young girl with blue eyes, crooked teeth and wheat-colored hair staring across the water not far from where she sat. The girl smiled at her. “I’m sorry. Did I disturb you?”
“It’s all right. I was lost in thought and didn’t hear you arrive.” Cora welcomed the intrusion. If she were honest with herself, she really didn’t want to explore her emotions anymore.
The girl picked up another rock and tossed it into the water. She heaved a sigh, then said, “I’m Rebecca Williams.”
“Is that the best you can do, Rebecca Williams?”
“What do you mean?”
Cora stood and picked up a smooth stone. She weighed it in her hand. “I mean, is that your best attempt at skipping a stone across the water?” Cora planted her feet securely, and with a sidearm toss and a flick of her wrist, she sent the rock skipping across the water.
Rebecca gasped. “That’s wonderful.”
“Haven’t you ever skipped stones before?” Cora picked up another smooth rock. This was something she and Gracie had practiced every evening while getting water for their ma.
“No, I’ve never tried. I thought only boys could do that.” She stared at Cora expectantly, one brow raised, her tongue tip protruding from the side of her mouth.
Cora couldn’t help giggling at her awestruck face. Once she had stopped laughing, she asked, “Want me to teach you the trick of stone skipping?”
Joy replaced the question that had earlier contorted the girl’s face. “Oh, yes, please.” Rebecca scooped up more rocks and came to stand beside Cora.
Cora spent the next thirty minutes showing Rebecca how to stand, pull her arm back at a twenty-degree angle, flick her wrist and release the stone. At first Rebecca was awkward, but after a while she could skip stones almost as well as Cora.
“I wish I could get it to skip thirteen times.” Rebecca threw the stone and counted the six skips it made before groaning her disappointment.
“Why thirteen? Is that your favorite number?”
“I don’t really have a favorite number, but I’m thirteen years old, so it would be nice to make it skip that many times and add one to
it after each of my future birthdays.” She let another rock fly across the water.
Cora climbed out of the water, sat in the grass and put her socks back on. Oh, to be thirteen again, she thought. She’d had chores back then but nowhere near the responsibilities she had now. Plus, when she’d been thirteen, her ma, pa and sister had all still been alive, and the future had seemed bright with possibilities.
Sadness filled Rebecca’s voice. “You are with the big wagon train, huh?” She watched Cora pull her shoes back on.
During her rock skipping tutorial, Rebecca had informed her that she was part of the smaller train that had stopped a little way behind theirs. Before that day, Cora hadn’t realized that there was another group so close behind theirs, but it had made sense to learn that Rebecca wasn’t part of their group. The wagon train Cora was on held so many families with children that there was no way she could know them all, but she was pretty sure she would have remembered Rebecca, had she ever met her. No other girl on their train had that color of hair.
Once her shoes were on again, Cora faced Rebecca, who stood on the bank, looking out over the water. “Yes, I am.”
Another stone went skipping across the river. “I wish I could go with you on the bigger train.”
Cora walked over to her and dropped an arm around her shoulders. “I wish you could, too.” She meant it. Rebecca had been fun to spend the afternoon with. But it was just a fanciful wish. Cora was sure that Rebecca’s ma needed her. Whatever made the girl want to leave her family and join the other group would more than likely be forgotten tomorrow.
Sad blue eyes turned to face her. “Please, I won’t take up much room and I don’t eat much.”
Cora drew back in surprise. She looked closely at Rebecca’s face. “You would miss your family.”
She shook her head. “Ma and Pa are in heaven. I said my goodbyes to them a month ago. They got really sick. Everyone on the train says they’re surprised the whole train didn’t die. They say it could have been a lot worse, but to me it seems like it was more than bad enough.”
Cora looked around at the sunny field, at the overhanging trees. She heard the birds singing, but what she heard loud and clear was the desperation in the girl’s voice. That and a heavy dose of despair. “Oh, I see.”
Rebecca pulled away from her. “No, you don’t. For the past month, I have been cast from family to family in our wagon train like a dirty rag that no one wants. My parents are dead and I’m all alone now.” Rebecca swallowed a sob. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to me when we get to Sacramento Valley. I heard one of the men tell his wife they could easily marry me off to one of the gold diggers there. But his wife said I would end up a slave, cooking and washing until I’m old before my time. They actually argued about it and he walked off mad. The next day I was shifted to another family with six kids. I had to care for them and give them their baths.”
Rebecca paused and Cora knew there was more she wasn’t saying. “Are you still with that family?”
Rebecca bent and picked a flower from the tall grass as they walked back toward the trains. A flush not due to the heat of the day swept over her cheeks. “No, I was moved again yesterday.”
“But why? It seems like that would have been a perfect situation for you, with a family that could use an extra set of hands. In exchange for your help with the kids, you have board and upkeep. Food. What happened?”
“The husband hugs too tight. It made me uncomfortable, so I told his wife I didn’t like it. Next thing I knew, I was passed to another wagon.” She rubbed her arms as if to remove the feel of those unwanted hugs.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.” Cora had held her own pity parties on this trip, but she suddenly realized that compared to Rebecca’s situation, her own was actually good. Great, for that matter. “Where are you now?”
“I’m with an old granny and her husband. I help her with cleanup. She’s a good cook. But I have to sleep under the wagon. She doesn’t need me much—just at meals, and she said tomorrow would be washing day.” Rebecca sighed, clasped her slender hands together and continued, her voice choking, “I’m all alone in the world.”
At the beginning of this journey, Cora had felt the same way. Her twin was the last of her family, and with Gracie’s death, she’d felt entirely alone. Cora touched Rebecca’s arm. “You would be surprised how much I understand.” They were almost back to the wagon train and she could see Flynn talking to Joe. He threw his head back, his laugh ringing out over the field. “I’m a twin. My sister died the day before we left on this trip.”
“But what about your parents?”
“They died when Gracie and I were sixteen. After that, our grandmother cared for us for a few months until she passed away.” She took Rebecca’s hand, swinging it between them. “So I know where you’re coming from. It’s a lonesome place.”
They had reached Flynn and Joe, and both men stood as they arrived. “Flynn, I’d like you to meet someone. This is Rebecca Williams.” Flynn offered a handshake that Rebecca accepted. “Rebecca, this is my husband, Flynn Adams. And this is Joe Philmore.”
“Howdy.” No sign of the earlier anguish was in Rebecca’s voice as she shook Joe’s hand. A soft pink flush filled her cheeks as she ran her gaze over his young, handsome face.
“How do—” Joe seemed to have lost the ability to speak and he cleared his voice loudly.
“Mrs. Cora taught me how to skip rocks. I bet I can skip mor’n you.” Rebecca challenged Joe, and to Cora’s amazement, he accepted the contest.
“I highly doubt that a slip of a thing like you could beat me at skipping rocks.” He puffed his chest out like a Domineck rooster.
Martha walked up with Noah and handed him to Cora. His little eyes were full of sleep, and she knew he would go down for his nap without a fuss. “So, what are you all doing?” She looked from Joe to Rebecca.
“I’m going to show this gal how a professional skips rock,” Joe bragged.
“Oh, good. If you’re going to the river, I’m going, too. It will be nice to cool off.” The trio headed back the way Cora had just come from. Rebecca, Martha and Joe were chatting away a mile a minute. Cora’s heart felt a bit lighter, but she knew Rebecca’s problem was not solved. She had found new friends for now, but the situation wouldn’t last. The wagon trains would part after they crossed the mountain, one going to Oregon and the other to Sacramento Valley in California. Then what would happen to the girl?
Chapter Thirteen
“Cora, I know you mean well, but we can’t take the girl in.” Flynn paced the campsite. Cora fumed at the tone of his voice, courteous and patronizing at the same time. “I know you have a big heart, but I really don’t think you’ve thought this through.”
With her hands planted firmly on her hips, Cora demanded, “I have thought it through, and I don’t see the problem. Why could she not join us? Flynn, she doesn’t have anyone that cares about her except for me.”
He sighed. “I know you do, but what happens when we get to Oregon? Are you going to raise both kids alone? It’s going to be hard enough on you to shelter and feed just one.” He hated the idea of her trying to provide for two children. He would try to help her find a place to live, but an extra child meant an extra mouth to feed, another person to worry about, on whatever salary she was able to earn. Or had Cora forgotten their agreement? Was she expecting him to stay and help her care for both children, to provide for all of them as a family? Was she starting to see them as a married couple who would stay together forever?
She dropped her hands from her hips. Disappointment filled her face, and she turned her back on him.
He walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Please don’t cry. Think about it from my viewpoint for just a minute. I can’t take her with me when we go our separate ways in Oregon. I’ll hopefully be bringing a killer home with me to stand trial—how could
I expose an innocent girl to that? And even afterward, there’d be no place for her in my life. My job isn’t good for families.” How many times had he told himself that his job was the reason he couldn’t fall in love with Cora, even if kissing her had made him want to be a real husband?
Cora stepped away from him. “I’m going to bed. Noah’s been teething and he’ll be awake in a little bit.” With that, she climbed into the back of the wagon and shut the flaps.
Flynn knew she was upset and possibly angry, but he could not help that. They were not the family who could take in a thirteen-year-old orphan. However, just maybe he knew a man and woman who could. He walked to the back of the wagon and softly called out, “Cora, I’ll be back in a little while. I have to go check on something.”
Her muffled voice answered. “All right.”
Joe stepped out of the shadows. “Want me to stand watch?”
It was uncanny how he appeared and disappeared as if on cue. The boy never ceased to amaze him. He had watched Joe from day one, and the boy had never let him down. And the way he’d helped his father and brother the day they’d brought the wagon across the river still impressed Flynn. Joe had spent hours searching downstream for his family’s possessions and had found more than anyone else. His mindset was that of a mature man, and it was hard for Flynn to see him as the young boy he was. “Thank you, Joe. I shouldn’t be long.”
Joe nodded. “Tell the Cartwrights I said hello.” He winked and sat down on the crate at the back of the wagon.
Flynn stopped short and stared at Joe in astonishment. “How do you do that? Are you a mind reader?”
“Not at all. It’s just everyone knows that Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright’s daughter, Bonnie, died a few weeks back. Seems to me like they have a hole in their hearts and their lives that Rebecca can fill. Plus, you’re a kind man. Smart, too. Why not kill two birds with one stone?”
It amazed Flynn that Joe’s thoughts had traveled the same path as his own. Joe was shaping up to be a smart man, too. Then again, the way he’d acted around Rebecca might get him into hot water with Ruby, so maybe he still had a few things to learn. At that thought, Flynn walked away chuckling.
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