But from time to time, she’d wonder what it’d be like to sleep with Joe. Some of the husbands held their wives during the night, and they both looked warm. More than that, they looked happy. She had no doubt she’d enjoy sleeping with Joe. However, she and Henrietta both agreed that it was best to wait until Danny was helping him keep watch for the third time. So far, Danny had only done it once. Other men had to take turns, and with twenty wagons, it was going to be a while before she had any chance to be with Joe.
She let out a long sigh. It’d only been six days. There was no point in getting impatient. She didn’t learn to play the piano right away. It’d taken time. She couldn’t expect Joe to open up to her right away. And besides, who knew if her attraction to him was warranted? She might get to know him and realize he wasn’t the right man for her.
Henrietta stirred next to her. Sitting up, she looked at her friend. Since she was still asleep, Michelle decided not to disturb her. Instead, she picked up the pail in the wagon then went to the stream to fill it up with water. With a good look around to make sure no one else was nearby, she quickly relieved her bladder.
One thing she missed most was her privacy. Most of the time, the women went together to take care of things. That way, they could form a circle around each other so the men wouldn’t see them. But when the others were asleep and she had to go… Well, she just hurried and hoped no one caught her.
She lucked out. She stood up and hurried to the wagon, only remembering the pail she’d left behind as she sorted through a new pair of bloomers to slip on. With a groan, she closed her trunk and hopped down from the wagon. By the time she made it back to the stream, she saw one of the men crouched by the water, his back turned toward her.
She stopped, wondering if it might be best to wake Henrietta or her mother up so she wouldn’t have to be alone with him. Not that she thought any of the men would hurt her. They all seemed honorable. But up to now, the only man she’d ever been alone with was her father, and she thought it might be best if things stayed that way, with the exception of Joe, of course. This man wasn’t Joe. She could tell that by his build. Joe was more slender than he was.
The man drank something, and for a moment, she thought it was water. Then she realized he was drinking from a flask instead of a canteen. The only thing she could think anyone would drink from a flask was alcohol.
Before he noticed she was there, she quietly hurried back to the camp. It wasn’t her business who it was. Really, it wasn’t. But after she was back at the wagon, she kept glancing over in the direction of the stream until the man emerged from there. She squinted in the faint light of the dawn. It was Brandon Herman. She frowned. Was it wise for one of the men leading this wagon train to be drinking, especially so early in the morning?
But was it any of her business? Did she have a right to pry into another person’s situation? Just because her father didn’t drink, it didn’t mean other men didn’t. And not all men who drank alcohol had a problem with it.
She watched Brandon as he went to his horse. He didn’t look drunk. He wasn’t wobbling as he walked. It was probably fine. He probably just took a couple of swallows from time to time, and maybe he was only trying to warm up. She heard alcohol could do that. Given the chill in the air, who could blame him for wanting to be warm? He didn’t have a wife to sleep with to help with that.
Feeling better, she went back to the wagon and hopped into it to change into a new pair of bloomers.
* * *
“It’s Sunday morning,” Alice snapped at Joe. “We can’t skip another sermon on a Sunday. We missed last week. We can’t do it this time.”
On every trail, there were usually one or two people who were difficult to deal with, and in this case, that person happened to be Alice Woods. Joe really wished there could be one wagon train where no one caused any problems. Just one.
But if there was ever such a reprieve, it wasn’t going to be on this particular trail. He should have known when he heard her whispering about Michelle’s butler that he was going to have a battle with her at some point.
Noting the few people watching them, he focused in on Alice who was thrusting a Bible at Stuart. “Go on. Open it up, read a passage, and talk about it. You’re the acting minister until we get to California.”
Stuart held the book but didn’t open it. He looked at Joe, as if asking him for advice.
“I’m not against having a sermon on Sunday,” Joe said. “But this isn’t the time. If you want to do this,” he told Stuart, just so the man understood he didn’t have to do what Alice wanted, “then do it this evening after we’re done traveling for the day.”
Alice narrowed her eyes at Joe. “You can’t have it so late.”
“Why not?” Joe challenged.
“Because everyone knows you have to have it in the morning. It’s the way churches have been doing it for as long as I can remember.”
“Which is a very long time for a hundred-year-old woman,” one of the men in the group called out.
Alice gasped. “I’ll have you know I’m only thirty.”
“I wouldn’t have known it to look at you,” he retorted. “You scowl so much you’re like an old woman.”
This earned the man a couple of chuckles, and Joe wanted to chuckle right along with them, especially when she straightened her shirtwaist and stuck out her chin in a manner that reminded him of his old school teacher who had a large wart on the end of her chin. His schoolteacher had been just as miserable as that wart had been to look at for years on end.
But it was up to Joe to intervene before things got too far. “That’s enough,” he told the man. “We are not to insult anyone on this trip.” No matter how unpleasant they were. “Understood?”
The man only shrugged in response.
Joe supposed that was the best he was going to get, so he turned back to Alice. “A morning sermon at church is well and fine, but we are on our way to California. We need to head out while we’re feeling rested. The sermon can wait for tonight.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he held his hand up to stop her. “I’m in charge. This is how we’re going to do it.”
She let out a ‘hmmpf’ but said nothing.
Glad that was the end of the discussion, he called out for the onlookers to get to their wagons so they could head out. As they did, he scanned the group until he saw Brandon slipping something into the leather pouch attached to his saddle. Something about Brandon was starting to bother him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
He went over to the man who was getting up on his horse. “Brandon,” he called out.
The man pulled on the reins of the horse and looked in his direction. “What is it, Joe?”
“I could use your help getting everyone ready,” Joe said.
“They seem to be doing it just fine on their own,” Brandon replied.
“There’s always someone who could use some assistance.” To demonstrate, he studied the wagons and saw a middle-aged man who was having trouble hitching his oxen to the wagon. “For example, Ted Gilbert could use your help.” He spotted a woman who was having trouble getting her three young children to behave so she could finish putting her dishes away. “While you’re helping him, I could help Phillipa Grady over there.” He gestured to her.
It wasn’t what Brandon wanted to hear. Joe could tell that by the way he sighed. But Joe couldn’t manage all of these people alone. He needed help. This wagon train was larger than what he was used to. It was why he was happy to find out someone was going to lead it with him.
As Brandon lumbered over to Ted, Joe headed over to Phillipa. He made it halfway there when Michelle ran up to him.
“Do you need something?” he asked her, pausing.
“That’s what I was going to ask you,” she said. “We’re all ready at Henrietta’s wagon. There was nothing to do, so I thought I’d offer you some assistance.”
He was about to tell her no, but then he noticed that Brandon wasn’t even at Ted’s wagon ye
t…and worse, one of the oxen had gotten loose.
“Will you help Phillipa over there with her children?” he asked, gesturing to the poor woman who looked overwhelmed as she tried to break up a fight between two of the kids.
Michelle smiled. “I’ll be happy to!”
Then, just like that, she was hurrying over to the woman. Too bad Brandon didn’t show such motivation. Things would go so much smoother in the mornings if he did.
But now wasn’t the time to worry about it. He needed to deal with the loose ox before it got too far. On his way to Ted’s wagon, he nudged Brandon in the shoulder.
“Pick up the pace,” he told the man. “We’ll never get going at this rate. It’s a long way between here and California.”
Though Brandon mumbled something under his breath, his slow pace turned into a run, and soon enough, they had the oxen under control.
“Look, I know you’re upset your wife divorced you,” Joe told Brandon after he pulled him aside. “I watched the woman I loved marry another man. I know what it’s like to lose someone important to you. But you can’t spend your days moping around when there’s work to be done. Deal with whatever you have to at night. Alright?”
“Fine,” Brandon said then made a beeline straight for his horse.
Joe shook his head. Why didn’t Ronnie find someone better suited for this kind of job? Didn’t Ronnie see that the man wasn’t up for the trip?
Irritated, he went to Phillipa’s wagon to check on things. At least things had gone better over here. Michelle had managed to help Phillipa get everything under control, and Phillipa was apologizing to Michelle on behalf of the children.
“I’m sorry you had to come over here to help me,” Phillipa was telling her. “It all started when Johnny put a bug in Susie’s oatmeal. After that, it was all I could do to get them to finish their breakfast, and my husband was busy getting the wagon ready so we could head out.”
“There’s no need to explain,” Michelle replied, laughing. “I thought it was funny.”
Phillipa paused for a moment and then giggled. “I suppose it was. But it never seems that way at the time. When one of the kids scream, I get into a panic.”
“Well, I think the children are settled now. Hopefully, they’ll be too busy walking to worry about upsetting each other.”
“If I didn’t have children, I’d think that, too, but sadly, children will find any excuse to bother one another, especially when they’re bored.” She glanced over at her children. “It’s going to be a long trip.”
“Yes, but you’ll get through it,” Joe promised. “Children are surprisingly hardy when it comes to this kind of thing.”
“Considering how much energy they have, I believe you,” Phillipa told him.
As she went to her husband and children, Joe turned to Michelle. “We’re ready to head out. You should go to your wagon.”
He started to go to his horse, but she ran after him. “Can’t I walk with you today?”
“I don’t walk. I ride my horse.”
“I can walk beside your horse.”
“I don’t just ride my horse. I go up and down the wagons to make sure everyone’s fine.” Then, eyebrows furrowed, he glanced at her. “Haven’t you noticed that?”
“I can get on the horse with you.”
“There’s not enough room in the saddle for both of us. You’re better off walking with Henrietta.”
She didn’t respond at first, and he thought that meant the conversation was over. But then she asked, “Why are you pushing me away?”
He halted. Pushing her away? He faced her. “I’m not pushing you away.”
“Yes, you are. Every time I try to help you, you find a reason why I can’t do it.”
“I just let you help Phillipa with her children.”
“I should have been clear. Every time I try to help you with something you’re doing at the moment, you find a reason why I can’t do it. It’s like you don’t want to spend any time with me.”
“Why should I want to spend time with you? I don’t spend time with any of the other women.”
“But they aren’t married to you.”
“All we have is a temporary marriage. It’s not real.”
“Just because we have a fake marriage, it doesn’t mean I can’t help you.”
“I don’t need your help. I have Brandon,” he gestured to the man who was just now finally getting on his horse, “and I already have help through the night watches. The best way for you to help me is to arrive in California, safe and sound.”
“I’ve spent my entire life sitting around when I could have been doing something. I want to do more than walk.”
“Then if you see someone like Phillipa who needs help with her children, volunteer to help. You’re a woman, so you’re better suited for those tasks than I am anyway.”
“I think it’d be more interesting to do what you do.”
What was wrong with her? “You’re a woman. You should be interested in women things. I’m sure your father would agree with me if he was here listening to this.”
Then, in order to put an end to the conversation, he gave her a look to indicate there was nothing more to say about this and went to his horse. Thankfully, she didn’t follow him.
Chapter 8
Four weeks later, Henrietta woke up Michelle in the middle of the night.
Michelle rolled onto her back and looked up at her friend. “What’s wrong?”
“You need to help Joe keep watch tonight,” Henrietta said.
She shook her head. “Tell your brother to go back to Joe. We don’t need to go through with the plan. Joe’s made it perfectly clear that he won’t have anything to do with me.”
Michelle rolled back onto her side and closed her eyes, eager to return to sleep. She’d just been dreaming of riding a horse along the prairie, and she wanted to return to that world. Hopefully, she hadn’t been awake for too long. Sometimes she could slip back into a dream if she wanted.
But before she had the chance, Henrietta shook her arm. “Danny’s not making it up. He really doesn’t feel well.”
“So? Joe can find one of the other men to help him.” It was a man’s job to do it, after all.
“That’s just it. They’re sick, too. In fact, it seems like everyone who had some of those eggs the Barney family had is getting sick.”
Michelle sat up and scanned the camp. From the looks of it, half the people weren’t feeling well.
“They started to notice it about a half hour ago,” Henrietta explained. “My mother wants me to help take care of the people, and there aren’t any men well enough to help keep watch tonight. You’re the only woman who wants to do the task.”
“I don’t know.”
Michelle glanced over at Joe, who was pacing back and forth where he kept his lookout. Her gaze went to Brandon, who was lying down at his own lookout, clutching his stomach and rolling from side to side. Other men in the camp were in a similar situation, along with a few women and children.
“How many people had eggs tonight?” Michelle asked.
“More than I thought when the Barney family was handing them out,” Henrietta replied. “For once, I bet Ma’s glad I’m picky when it comes to the foods I eat.”
Michelle was glad they’d run out of eggs before she could get any.
“I know this seems like an inappropriate thing to say at a time like this,” Henrietta continued, “but I think God’s giving you a chance to show Joe that you can be the wife he needs.”
“You think God would make all the men sick so I can spend time with Joe?”
With an apologetic smile, Henrietta said, “He works in mysterious ways.”
Michelle grimaced. “That’s a gruesome thought, Henrietta.” She wiggled out of the bedroll and stood up.
“Then why wasn’t there an egg for you?”
Since she couldn’t give her friend a satisfactory answer, Michelle picked up the bedroll and left without a word. She liked
Henrietta. Truly, she did. But sometimes her friend had the silliest ideas.
By the time she reached Joe, she blurted out, “Henrietta said there’s no men to help and none of the women want to do this.” She dropped the bedroll on the ground by the small campfire and sat on it.
“Well, no one could have known those eggs were bad,” Joe replied as he finally stopped his pacing.
“Don Barney thought he was buying good eggs when we were in town a couple days ago.” He gave a good look around the prairie then sat down.
Though Joe didn’t sit right beside her, it was the closest they’d sat since they ate dinner in Omaha. She didn’t want to think of how excited she was to be near him. Indeed, she told herself she had lost all romantic attachment to him after the way he’d rejected her. But her body wasn’t going to listen to her mind and it tingled with excitement.
“Don thought he was being nice by giving everyone the eggs,” Joe continued. “You can’t blame him for this.”
“Did I say I blamed him?”
“No. That’s not what I meant.”
“Well, if it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t have to share this lookout with a woman, much less one you’re married to.”
He glanced her way, eyes wide. “Are you still upset that I said no when you wanted to help me keep the lookout?”
“I have a right to be upset. You think just because I’m a woman that I can’t be useful around here. You think all I can do is help the other women with their children.”
“Men have their duties, and women have theirs. It’s how we’re made.”
She rolled her eyes and turned away from him. “I’m glad my father didn’t have such a narrow view of women.”
“He arranged for you to get married so that you could go to California. You wouldn’t have been able to make this trip without a male relative or a husband. If you want to get upset with someone, then get upset with the law of the land.”
“Yes, my father arranged the marriage. I’ll grant you that. But my father didn’t limit my education just because I was a girl. I’ve been taught in all the subjects, and what’s more, I can ride a horse as well as any man.”
Groom For Hire (Pioneer Series #3) Page 6
