Pony Express Special Delivery

by Rhonda Gibson

  He sat at the kitchen table with pencil and paper in hand. Clayton tapped the pencil against his chin. How did you tell your ma that you were married? And that you also had two children in your care? He sighed. Clayton knew his ma would be worried. He should have written this letter days ago, but each time he’d tried, he just didn’t have the words.

  “You’ve been sitting there for an hour sighing. What are you trying to write?” Maggie wiped the counter, then picked up her coffee mug and walked over and sat down.

  Clayton studied her. She’d been quiet, even reserved, over the last few days. “I’m writing a letter to my ma.”

  She stood. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll go to my room and give you some peace.”

  He motioned for her to sit back down. “Nonsense. You aren’t disturbing me. I just don’t know how to tell her we are married.”

  Maggie sank back into the chair. “Oh, I see.”

  Clayton glanced back at the paper. He’d written about the Pony Express and about ranch life. He placed the tip of the pencil to the paper then lifted it again. Why couldn’t he just say it?

  Her soft voice drew his gaze from the page to her face. “Clayton, simply tell her. Explain it’s a marriage of convenience and tell her you’re sorry she wasn’t at the ceremony. She’ll understand.”

  He chuckled. “You make it sound so simple.” Clayton noted the dark circles under her eyes.

  “The truth is simple.” She took a sip of coffee then asked, “Will you end the marriage if she doesn’t approve?”

  Clayton studied her. Was that what she’d been dwelling on for the past two days? He didn’t know how he could convince her that he wasn’t going to end their marriage or leave her and the children. “No.” He leaned forward and continued. “The only way this marriage is going to end is if one of us dies or you ask for it to end.”

  “Then just tell her.” Maggie got up and took her cup to the washtub. She placed it inside and then left the kitchen.

  She was right. The truth was the best way. Still, Clayton paused in his writing. He pushed the paper away and followed Maggie to the stairs.

  “Maggie, it has quit snowing. Would you like to go outside and play?” Clayton tried not to grin at the expression on her face.

  “What?”

  “We’ve been cooped up in this house for two days. I thought it might be fun for Dinah if we went outside and played in the snow.” He leaned against the post at the bottom of the stairs.

  Dinah came running to the stairs’ top landing. “Please, Sissy. I want to go play in the snow.”

  Clayton chuckled. There was nothing wrong with the girl’s hearing.

  Maggie looked from him to Dinah. She smiled at her little sister. “You need to change into your heavy skirt and boots.” She watched Dinah run back to her bedroom, then turned to Clayton. “I’ll need to change, too.”

  He chuckled. “We have all day and I don’t think we’ll be out there long, so take your time.” Clayton smiled as a grin spread across her lips.

  “I haven’t played in the snow in years.” Her eyes were sparkling with anticipation. Clayton was glad he could make her happy with something as simple as playing in the snow.

  “Then this will be a treat,” he answered.

  Half an hour later, they all met down in the sitting room. Dinah bounced around with excitement. “Clayton, can I make a snow angel?”

  Maggie buttoned Dinah’s coat, helped her with her gloves and lastly pulled a stocking hat over the little girl’s hair and ears. She then proceeded to dress herself the same way.

  Clayton pulled on his gloves. “Sure, I’ll make one, too. What about you, Maggie? Want to make a snow angel?” He held the door open while first Dinah ran out and then Maggie followed at a slower pace.

  Maggie grinned over her shoulder at him. “Oh, yes, there is nothing like lying down in the snow and waving my arms back and forth.”

  He pulled the door shut and waited for it to click into place. Baby James rested in his washtub by the fireplace. Clayton didn’t want to wake the baby and ruin Maggie’s fun before it even started.

  Dinah squealed as she jumped off the porch and into a pile of snow. She sank like a rock in a stream on a summer’s day. Clayton’s heart jumped into his throat. Had the child already hurt herself?

  Maggie gasped and hurried to look into the hole the child had made. “Dinah, are you all right?”

  The little girl popped up out of the snow. “This is great! I didn’t know the snow was this soft.” She plowed about, giggling.

  Clayton laughed. Dinah had chosen the end of the porch where no one had walked. There was a beaten-down path to the barn and bunkhouse, but everywhere else the snow was fresh, untouched. Not only had she chosen a fresh pile of snow but also one of the tallest.

  Maggie turned to Clayton, who now stood beside her looking down at Dinah. “How are we going to make snow angels? That snow is deep and soft.” Her eyes sparkled at him with humor.

  “Hmm.” He rubbed his chin as if in deep thought. Clayton pretended to focus on Dinah, who burrowed through the snow like a puppy. He watched Maggie out of the corner of his eye. When she looked to Dinah, he pushed her over the side of the porch.

  Her screech sounded over the silent yard.

  Men poured from the bunkhouse door. Most were barefoot and half-dressed. Their heads turned toward the house. Abraham was the only one fully clothed, and he was carrying a shotgun.

  Clayton placed his hands on his knees and laughed. Maggie came up out of the snow with fury in her eyes. He called to the men, “It’s all right, boys. Maggie’s just playing in the snow.”

  Her head turned in the direction of the men. She also called out. “Bring me that gun, Abraham. I’m going to shoot my husband.”

  Abraham called back with a grin, “I’d love to, ma’am, but I don’t want to get out in that snow. Today’s my day off.”

  Dinah had stopped burrowing and now stood by her sister. “Are you really angry with Clayton, Sissy?”

  Maggie turned her back on him. She bent over and scooped up a handful of snow. Twisting her torso, she let the snow fly. “No, Dinah, I’m not angry.” She laughed.

  Clayton was thankful the snow wasn’t packed. Its powder showered over him instead of pelting him as she’d planned. “Oh, trying to hit me with snow, are you?” He jumped in beside them.

  They laughed and played for a good hour. Clayton loved Maggie’s sense of humor. He loved that Dinah’s imagination had them pretending to be prairie dogs and making tunnels in the snow. Clayton didn’t want to admit it, but he loved his small family. Maybe that was the reason he was having trouble telling his mother that his marriage was a marriage of convenience.

  He helped Dinah up the steps to the house.

  “I don’t want to go in,” she whined. Dinah looked up at Maggie.

  Maggie answered, “I know, but James will be waking up soon and he’s sure to be hungry.” She immediately went to her son. James gurgled up at her.

  Clayton wondered at the boy’s sweet disposition. From his experience with his brothers’ babies, most of them were cranky when they woke up soiled and hungry. He put his hand on Dinah’s shoulder. “I’m hungry, too. Maybe after we all change into dry clothes, we can make sandwiches with the ham from last night’s dinner while Maggie takes care of the baby.”

  “All right.” Dinah pulled her coat, gloves and hat off and handed them to Clayton to hang up. She walked to the stairs, dragging her feet as she went.

  After hanging up everyone’s coats, Clayton followed Maggie and Dinah upstairs. He went to his room and changed out of his cold, wet clothes. Maggie cooed to the baby in the next room, her voice soothing and sweet. Clayton pulled on his boots.

  His thoughts went to the letter he knew he needed to finish. He wished his mother lived closer. Cl
ayton didn’t know how to make Maggie feel secure in knowing he wasn’t going to abandon her and the children. Perhaps Ma would know what to say or do that would make Maggie feel more secure.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Maggie waited in the sitting room for Sally.

  Dinah played outside in the melting snow while James lay on a blanket in front of the fireplace. He was growing more and more every day. His gurgles filled the quiet room, and Maggie’s heart filled with love for her precious little boy.

  She finished sewing the last button onto Clayton’s shirt. Maggie had finished his other two shirts earlier but because she worked on this one in secret, it had taken a little longer. Now that it was finished, Maggie looked forward to surprising him.

  Dinah and Sally came into the house. “Sorry I’m running late today, Maggie.” Sally hung up her coat and swirled about. She made her way to James. “How are you today, little man?” she asked.

  “Sissy, can I have a piece of cake?” Dinah asked.

  Maggie shook her head. “No, you should have eaten your lunch.”

  “But I don’t like fish.” Dinah hung up her coat. Clayton had installed a hook at just the right height for Dinah to reach, and the little girl loved hanging up her own hat, scarf and coat.

  “You can have a slice of buttered bread. And, if you eat all your dinner tonight, then you can have a piece of cake.”

  “But—”

  Sally interrupted. “Dinah, I wouldn’t argue. My ma would have made you wait until dinnertime and you still wouldn’t have gotten a piece of cake.” She folded her arms over her chest and frowned.

  Dinah nodded. “Thanks, Sissy.” Then she skipped off to the kitchen.

  Maggie smiled. Sally had been coming every day for a week. The young girl loved James and Dinah and took very good care of them. She’d learned Maggie’s afternoon routines and had insisted that she would be fine if Maggie wanted to take a ride on Snowball. “Thanks for helping with Dinah.”

  Sally relaxed. “My pleasure.” She focused on the baby grabbing at her skirt hem.

  “I finished Clayton’s shirt today. What do you think?” Maggie held it up for Sally to see.

  The girl picked up James and, cuddling him close, looked at the shirt. “It’s very pretty. Is he going to wear it to the winter dance?”

  “The winter dance?”

  Sally nodded. “Uh-huh. I heard Ma and Mrs. Parker talking about it the other day when Mrs. Parker came by. I’ll be happy to watch the children if you and Mr. Young want to go.”

  Maggie wished she lived a little closer to town. Sometimes she felt isolated out on the ranch. “That’s very sweet of you, Sally. But don’t you want to go?”

  “I’m not going. I hate standing around waiting for someone to ask me to dance.”

  Maggie wondered what Mrs. Morris thought of her daughter not attending. She could just imagine that Sally’s mother had plans of parading Sally before all the available young men. “Well, we haven’t been invited.”

  “Everyone is invited. The whole town turns out for it.” Sally buried her face in James’s neck. “Babies smell so good.”

  Maggie laughed. “That baby needs a bath.” She folded Clayton’s shirt and placed it on top of her sewing basket.

  “Would you like for me to give him one?” Sally made a funny face at the baby.

  “That’s nice of you to offer, but I think I’ll give him one tonight so he’ll sleep well.” Maggie smiled. “If you don’t mind, just play with the children today. I have a roast in the oven for tonight’s dinner.” She lowered her voice. “I’m not a fan of fish either, but don’t tell Dinah.”

  Sally giggled. “It’s our secret. I’ll keep an eye on the children and the roast. You enjoy your afternoon out in the fresh air.”

  Maggie pulled her cloak from the hook and smiled. “Thank you, I will.” She hurried out the door and across the yard to the barn.

  George sat on a bench, oiling a saddle. He looked up. “Hello, Mrs. Young. What are you doing out here today?”

  She made her way to Snowball’s stall. “I came to take Snowball out for a little run today.”

  He put the oil and rag away, then came to her. “I wouldn’t run her if I were you. That ground is still pretty icy.”

  Maggie smiled. She hadn’t planned on running the horse. It was a bad choice of words on her part. “I’ll try to keep her from running then.”

  George saddled Snowball and then led her to the front of the barn. “You two have fun. Clayton is in the east pasture.”

  She turned Snowball in that direction. “Thank you.” Maggie wondered what Clayton was doing and if her arrival would interfere with his work. The air felt good on her cheeks as she rode. Snow still covered much of the land, but the sun had decided to come out and help melt what remained.

  As she crossed the ranch she noted the cows and pools of water. Thankfully with the snow melting, the men wouldn’t have to be out breaking the ice on the ponds and stream to supply the animals with water. She’d listened to Abraham’s reports each evening and knew that eight of the nine men working the ranch went out every day and broke through the ice so that the cattle would have fresh water to drink.

  Ranching wasn’t for the faint of heart. Jack had loved it. Clayton hadn’t seemed impressed one way or the other. His love lay with medicine. Abraham seemed to love working the ranch. His reports were always positive. Maggie had heard Abraham complain only once and that was because Bud, the youngest in the group, couldn’t seem to stay on task and was often found in a pasture he wasn’t assigned to.

  Maggie waved a greeting to Clayton when she came upon him. He was pouring bags of corn into troughs as Bud drove the horse and wagon up the fence line. She watched for several minutes. It was a slow process.

  Maggie watched as Clayton lifted the bags of feed from the wagon. She knew they were heavy, but he hauled them as if they were filled with feathers.

  She hopped off Snowball and asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “You can tie Snowball to the back of the wagon and drive it so that Bud and I can get these gals fed.” He grinned at her. “Many hands make the job go faster.”

  Maggie did as he asked and then hurried to the wagon. Bud set the brake and hopped down from the wagon. He waited until she was seated before jumping into the back. She drove slowly, giving Bud time to hand the bags to Clayton and then continuing to the next set of troughs.

  “This is going much faster,” Bud remarked, grinning at her. “I’ll be sure and tell Abraham that three men on the job beats two any day.”

  Clayton frowned. “I’m sure if he could have spared another man, he would have.”

  Maggie wondered if Clayton was overly tired. She’d never heard him snap at anyone before.

  They continued working. After about thirty minutes, Bud announced, “That’s it.” He handed Clayton the last bag.

  She set the brake and waited for Clayton to tell them what to do. He finished emptying the bag and turned to face her and Bud. His jaw was set. “Bud, take Snowball to the south pasture and see if you can help Abraham. We got finished here faster than we expected.” He smiled at Maggie. “Thanks to you.”

  “I’m glad I could help,” she answered.

  Bud jumped from the wagon and untied Snowball. He was in the saddle within a few minutes and started to leave.

  Clayton called after him, “Bud, be sure to go straight to Abraham. I’m sure he’ll be happy for your help.”

  Bud didn’t answer. He just rode away.

  Clayton sighed heavily. “That boy is in danger of losing his job, and I don’t think my talk with him today is going to change that.” He motioned for Maggie to scoot over on the wagon seat.

  Maggie moved over. “He’s still young. Maybe he needs more time to mature.”


  “How old do you reckon he is?” he asked, releasing the brake and turning the wagon back toward the house.

  “Sixteen, maybe?”

  Clayton grinned. “No, he’s twenty.”

  “He doesn’t look twenty.” Maggie frowned. “Honestly, he looks like a young kid.”

  “And he kind of acts like a young kid, too. But twenty isn’t all that old.”

  Maggie wondered how old Clayton was. It had never dawned on her to ask. She’d always just known that he was older than her. Or was he?

  He laughed. “I’m twenty years old, Maggie.”

  Had he read her mind? “How did you know what I was thinking?”

  Clayton shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I just read the question on your face.” He maneuvered the horse and wagon around a shrub covered in icicles.

  Maggie felt a moment of panic. Could he read on her face that she loved him? She pushed the thought away. “Oh, well, you’re right. Twenty isn’t old at all.”

  He laughed. “No, it isn’t.”

  “Do you mind if I change the subject?” Maggie picked at a piece of lint on her cloak.

  Clayton turned his head and looked at her. “Is something wrong?”

  She sighed with relief. He couldn’t read her mind. “No, I wanted to ask if you’ve heard of the winter dance.”

  He nodded. “Yes, Abraham asked me this morning if I thought it would be all right to let the men go.”

  “What did you tell him?” Since the dance was at night, she really didn’t see the harm in letting the men attend, but then again, there were a lot of things she needed to learn about ranching. Maybe there was something going on at night that would keep them from going.

  Clayton turned the mare away from the house and more toward the hidden cove. “I told him I didn’t see any harm in their going.” His glance moved to her face. “Unless you want them to stay.”

  Maggie shook her head. “No, I think that will be fine. Although, I was hoping you and I might go.”