High Plains Bride

“That, it is,” the proprietress said as if addressing a nitwit. She accepted the list Emmeline was holding, then leaned closer to speak more quietly. “You’re mighty young to have so many children. How did you manage it?” She briefly eyed Emmeline’s father. “Marry a man with a passel of ’em already?”

“No. That’s my father, Amos Carter, and these are my brother and sisters,” Emmeline explained, taking care to raise her voice enough to disabuse the cowboy of her supposed motherhood. “Except for the twins over there. We’re taking them to Oregon with us in the hopes of finding them good homes.”

“I might be interested myself if they was old enough or strong enough to be of use round the store,” the woman said. “How old are they?”

“Eight, but they’ve had a hard life so they’re small for their age.”

“I’ll say. Plum useless, if you ask me.”

Hoping that Missy and Mikey had not overheard the woman’s cutting remarks, Emmeline noted that Bess was teaching them to play checkers at a small table next to the unlit, barrel-shaped, wood stove. Happily, their attention to the checkerboard and the overall din of conversation within the small store had apparently rendered them oblivious to the woman’s unkindness.

The cowboy, however, was far from unaware. “Excuse me for saying so, Mrs. Johnson,” he drawled, barely smiling at the older woman, “but don’t you think it would be wiser to keep such untoward opinions to yourself?”

The proprietress huffed, “Well, I never,” and turned to go about her business, leaving Emmeline and the friendly stranger standing at the counter together.

“Thank you,” she said, meaning it sincerely. “The twins have had a difficult year since they lost their parents. They’re just now beginning to act like normal children again.”

“My pleasure, miss.” He bowed slightly. “The name’s Will Logan. I own a little spread south and west of here. The Circle-L. Maybe you’ve heard of it?”

“I’m sorry, no. I’m merely a traveler passing through. But I’m sure your ranch is lovely.”

He chuckled. “Well…I wouldn’t say that, exactly. Not yet, anyway. Give it time. I’ve only been in these parts for a little while, myself.” Gesturing at the store building, he added, “My friend and I founded High Plains just a year and a half ago. It’s his mill that’s been providing most of the lumber for the town, of late.”

“Even that magnificent church house we passed just east of here?”

“You can thank our town ladies and the New England Emigrant Aid Company for that,” Will admitted. “The door and windows were shipped from Boston and so was some of the finer wood for the interior. But the structure itself took shape right here in High Plains.”

“Then you should be very proud, Mr. Logan.”

Will grinned and shook his head. “I try hard not to be too highfalutin. Don’t want the good Lord to get mad ‘cause I took the credit for His work.”

“I’m sure that building the big church will satisfy Him,” Emmeline said, noting that her companion did not appear to agree. His smile faded and he seemed to be studying her.

Finally, he said, “I doubt that the Father, the creator of ‘many mansions’ is too impressed by any building man makes.” He replaced his hat and touched the brim politely. “Well, if you all will excuse me, I have to stop at the mill and then head back to my spread. I wish you and yours Godspeed, miss.”

Watching the broad-shouldered, appealing rancher turn and start toward the door, Emmeline was taken by how optimistic he had seemed in spite of the obvious hardships inherent in his line of work, not to mention starting from scratch and building an entire town in the space of just a few years. What an admirable man. His attitude served to make him quite attractive indeed.

She supposed she would need that kind of extraordinary fortitude—and more—to face the rest of her journey. She just hoped she was up to it. Taking charge of her siblings and the twins wasn’t new to her. It was being in unfamiliar territory that gave her pause. Still, as long as they were together, as a family, she supposed they’d manage to cope.

The idea of family caused her to glance over at her father and shiver in spite of the humidity and high temperature inside the stuffy mercantile. Papa might not be the meanest man in the world, but he had to be close to the top of the list.

Emmeline had spent most of her life trying to placate him and protect both her mother and her siblings from his unpredictable fits of temper. That was why she’d never marry or otherwise leave home. Papa had wasted his breath ordering her to stay until little Glory was raised. She wouldn’t have abandoned her sisters, her ill mother or even troublesome Johnny. Not under any circumstances.

The Garrison mill sat west of High Plains proper, a little past Zeb’s impressive, whitewashed, two-story house. Will found his old friend working on the cutting floor instead of sitting behind the desk in his small office.

“Morning,” Will called, having to shout to be heard over the sound of sawing.

Zeb grinned, waved a greeting and loped toward him. “What brings you to town?”

“Just needed a few things over at Johnson’s. And I want to order some two-by-six planks from you. I’m finally going to put a floor in the bunkhouse. There’s no hurry, though. I’ve got all summer to finish the job.”

“Good, because we’re running near capacity.”

“Even now? I thought the rush was over.”

Zeb wiped his brow with a handkerchief as he gestured downriver. “Nope. Guess some of those new settlers are tired of living in tents and wagons. They’re planning to build real houses and maybe a business or two. Good for them, I say—good for all of us.”

“Yeah, definitely. It’ll be nice to see the town continue to grow. I’m amazed it’s come this far in such a short time.”

“Hey,” Zeb drawled with a lazy grin, “you told me this was the perfect place to build. I’m just glad to see that so many others agree with you.”

“So am I. Start my order out with forty boards, as long as twelve feet if you’ve got ‘em. Once I’ve used those I’ll see what else I need.”

“Done. Where you headed now?”

“Home. I’ve got plenty to do. Those heifers are dropping more calves every day. See you Sunday?”

“Of course. Can’t miss church or Cassandra would have my hide.” He chuckled. “I think my sister wants an escort more than anything else so she can show off those new dresses and hats of hers. What better place than in church?”

“And it also might do your soul some good,” Will gibed.

“You just mind your own soul and I’ll look after mine,” Zeb shot back. He eyed the sky. “Take care riding home. The weather looks a bit changeable.”

“Will do. And you try to keep the sawdust out of your boots.”

“That’ll be the day.”

Will was still laughing at their parting exchange when he mounted up, gave his horse its head and let it start home without much guidance.

It was just as well that the sorrel was used to the trail, he mused, because he was preoccupied by thoughts of the pretty young woman he’d just met in Johnson’s mercantile. She couldn’t have been more than nineteen or twenty years of age, yet she’d had the sober bearing of a much older person, as if she were carrying the weight of the world on those slim shoulders.

“And little wonder,” he muttered, recalling the way she’d had to keep the children in line and handle the shopping while her father wasted time talking with other men. Will frowned as he thought of the derogatory references he’d overheard her father make about her as he’d passed the raucous group of men on his way out of the store. The old man was obviously cruel and vindictive. If he also drank to excess, as Will’s own father had, that poor young woman was trapped in an unspeakable home situation. And so were her siblings.

Racking his brain, Will tried to recall the girl’s name and failed to come up with anything except that her father was Amos Carter, her brother was Johnny and the orphans had similar names that each started with an M. She must not have mentioned her own name, he concluded, because he surely would have remembered. Everything else about her, from the deep blue eyes that matched the color of her dress to her dark, silky hair was crystal clear.

And speaking of dark things, he added, growing concerned as he glanced at the sky, it was starting to look as if Zeb’s weather prediction was right. The previously empty sky was beginning to cloud up and show signs of an impending storm. Will could see for miles once he topped the hills to the southwest and it was obvious that the weather was about to change for the worse.

Pausing, he looked back at the beautiful, placid river valley and the fledgling town he’d helped found. The church spire to the east and Zeb’s mill to the west framed a Main Street lined with half a dozen stores. Across Main, backed up against the river and parked beneath a grove of cottonwoods, sat the ragtag group of temporary tents, shacks and wagons that Zeb had mentioned.

Those shelters would offer little protection against the upcoming storm. Will could only hope that the settlers would find refuge somewhere safe. The frequently occurring severe storms on the open plains could be dangerous—even deadly. And it looked as if they were in for another deluge within the next few hours.

Spurring his horse, he headed for his ranch at a brisk canter. There wasn’t a lot he could do for the longhorns he had grazing on the open prairie on both sides of the river, but it was sensible to send a few hands, including himself, to try to prevent a stampede among the critters closest to his house and barn. He just hoped a herd of nervous buffalo didn’t decide to run over his corn plot or trample his corrals the way one had during a bad lightning storm last summer. This storm was coming in fast, and would probably hit hard, pushing the livestock into a frenzy.

He pressed onward, hoping and praying that his instincts were wrong, yet positive that they were not.

The wind had increased and the sky had darkened menacingly by the time he reined in between the main ranch house and the barn. Several of his hands were already mounted and had bridled an extra horse, apparently awaiting his return, while the rangy ranch dogs barked excitedly and circled the riders.

“Clint, you and Bob take the south ridge,” Will shouted. “I’ll ride more west, then circle back to you.” He gestured as he dismounted. “This looks like a bad one.”