John strode toward them, his shoulders squared, his dark hat low on his forehead. The muscles rippling beneath his chambray shirt quickened her pulse.
Moira looked away. “The girls would like to know what’s next.”
John Elder stood beside her, as though they were still a team. “We’re driving the cattle into town this afternoon. I’m fixing to sell.”
“No!”
“You can’t.”
“But we’ve come this far!”
“What will you do?”
“Wait.” John raised his voice, silencing the protests. “I know I considered hiring a short crew and pushing onto Cimarron Springs. This is the right thing. I can’t guarantee my herd isn’t carrying disease. If I sell them here, at the fort, I won’t be risking an outbreak. We talked about the risk before. Jack has been up north. Texas fever is real.”
Tony stuck out her chin. “We’re on our own after that, right?”
“No,” John said. “You’re underage. The deputy from Fool’s End is stirring up trouble. The fort is too small, but the train goes through here. We’ll regroup in Cimarron Springs together. I won’t leave until everyone is settled.”
John sketched out his plan. While Moira didn’t like leaving the cattle any more than the rest of the girls did, she admired his principles. How had one week altered the course of her life? When she’d set out on her journey, she’d known exactly what she wanted, exactly what she was seeking.
Not anymore.
Oh, she still wanted to find Tommy. She’d never give up on that. Except she wondered if there was room for something more. Had she closed herself off too much?
After John completed his speech, Tony remained defiant. “There’s no chance you would let us set out on our own? I ain’t ending up on that orphan train again.”
“Just because I’m selling the herd doesn’t mean I’m giving up on you guys. We’re a team. You’re my Calico Cowboys.”
Hazel tugged on his sleeve. “How did you know that was our name?”
“Because I listen. Because it fits. We’ll break down the camp this afternoon and drive the herd into town. Jack is going on ahead and he’ll let the boys at the stockyards know we’re coming.”
“Then what?” Sarah asked.
“There’s a train to Cimarron Springs tomorrow. That’ll give everyone a chance to clean up and get a good night’s rest.”
Hazel raised her hand. “What about Moira?”
“That’s up to her. She’s of age and she’s free to do as she pleases. The rest of you are still minors and under the care of Marshal Garrett Cain until other arrangements can be made.”
Moira straightened. “I’m coming with you. We’re in this together. We’ll search for Tony’s uncle.”
“What about the rest of us?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know.” John didn’t like the unpredictability any better than the girls did. None of their futures were certain. “But I meant what I said. I’m fixing to make Cimarron Springs my home. I’ll be there to make sure everyone is settled.”
John clasped Moira’s hand. His fingers were rough and strong and gave her a sense of protection. “You’re sure this is what you want?”
“I’ll keep looking for Tommy while we settle the girls in Cimarron Springs. Maybe Sheriff Taylor will think of something. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. We’re talking about the Calico Cowboys, right?”
John jerked his head in a nod. “That’s settled. I don’t think anybody at Fort Preble has seen an all-girl crew before. I want you sitting high and proud in the saddle. You’ve done something amazing. Let’s give those army boys a show they won’t forget.”
Moira felt the tug on her heart once more. She clutched this precious time together, knowing it would be over all too soon.
With practiced efficiency the girls finished lunch, broke down the campsite, saddled their horses and took their places with the herd. They worked quickly, with few words. A sense of mourning permeated their routine. For a short time they’d been a part of something bigger. They’d strapped together their meager skills and accomplished something that was larger than any of them alone.
The accomplishment had stretched Moira’s endurance to the breaking. She’d been tested again, only this time she’d proven worthy of the test. For the first time in a long time her life had possibilities. She wasn’t trapped by circumstances.
Once the horses were saddled and ready and the tents and equipment stowed, the girls mounted and gathered. Hazel resumed her position next to Pops on the chuck wagon.
John gave the signal and sent up a whistle. Champion barked and nipped at the cattle’s heels. Their hooves rumbled into motion while Pops kept the wagon to the side and watched them pass, a great river of cattle.
Moira whooped and hollered, pushing the cattle into action. She paused and drank in the scene. She catalogued everything in her memory: the sights, the sounds, the smells. Even the ever-present buzz of the flies. She didn’t know the future, but she didn’t figure she’d ever see the like again. After seven monotonous days on the trail, her life had blazed into motion once more.
As they neared the town, Tony circled back from the point. “I think you should lead the herd when we go through town.”
Moira adjusted her hat. “You’re more experienced. It should be you.”
“We voted already and we all decided. None of us would have made it this far if it weren’t for you.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Are you fooling? You did everything. You came up with the plan to get us out of the brothel. You were the one who decided we should drive the cattle.”
Emotion burned behind Moira’s eyes. “What about Mr. Elder—John?”
“He’s agreed. He’s taking the drag.” Tony lifted the corner of her mouth in a smile. “It would mean a lot to us.”
Moira fisted her hands on the reins. “Then I’d be honored.”
Her heart pounded as they approached the town. The cattle kept up their steady pace, nose to tail, unaware of the monumental occasion. Moira straightened her collar and adjusted her hat. She tugged her new gloves over her wrists and sat tall in the saddle.
Enormous timber walls rose before her; the great doors of the fort were propped open. The enclosure had no windows, only narrow slits for rifles. They’d contained the settlement inside the walls, safe from Indian attacks. A dirt road bisected the two sides. The only way to the stockyards on the far side of the fort was straight through town.
Moira lifted her face toward the sky and offered a brief prayer of thanks for their safe arrival. They had done something amazing.
The area inside the fort teemed with activity. Uniformed men and bustled women walked the narrow boardwalks. Smaller buildings dotted the parade grounds. An armory, no doubt, and what appeared to be a blacksmith’s shop.
A young boy jogged toward them. “It’s true! You’re girls, ain’t ya?”
Moira grinned. “Yep.”
“I gotta go tell my pop it’s true.”
He dashed off and Moira waved to Sarah across the herd. As they moved down the dusty street, she noticed a small knot of folks standing before the blacksmith shop. They pointed and elbowed each other. Moira felt her cheeks burn. With each building they passed, more folks emerged onto the boardwalk.
A man waved his hand and shouted. “Look over here!”
Moira turned and a sudden burst of light blinded her. As her eyes slowly adjusted once more, she realized the man had taken a photograph.
The cattle, seasoned by weeks on the trail, barely twitched an ear at the commotion.
Moira figured by the time Hazel and Pops brought up the drag with John, the whole town would be watching them pass.
The stockyards appeared and Tony kicked her horse into a canter and joined h
er at the point. The young boy who’d spotted them on the edge of town sprinted toward the gate. He quickly released the chain and hopped on the lowest rung as the gate glided open.
The first steer rumbled into the enclosure.
The boy balancing on the fence gaped at her. “I never seen a girl riding point before.”
“You have now.”
“My dad thought it was a joke.”
“Girls are just as capable as boys.”
“Never would have thought it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”
“Don’t you forget it.”
The cattle filed in and eventually Darcy and Sarah joined Tony at the gate. The gentleman with the camera rushed toward them, his progress burdened by his cumbersome photographic equipment.
He quickly plopped his three-legged box onto the dirt packed street and held up his arms. “Don’t move. This picture is going to make me famous.” He leaned around the black draping. “It’ll make all of you famous.”
“I don’t want to be famous, mister,” Tony declared. “I could go with a hot meal, though.”
* * *
Four hours later, Moira sat in the dining area off the barracks in her faded blue poplin. The other girls had purchased new dresses with their earnings that afternoon. They’d all taken long, hot baths and were upstairs trying on their new finery. Since she already had a perfectly good dress, Moira had saved her money for her uncertain future. Slipping into her worn outfit wasn’t exactly difficult, and she’d arrived for dinner ahead of the others.
An elegant lady sashayed past in a bustled acid green poplin and Moira cupped the worn patches at her elbows. Sheriff Jack Elder appeared, his broad shoulders filling the doorway. He doffed his hat and ducked beneath the transom.
He searched the room and Moira stood, tugging her skirts over her ankles. This dress wasn’t as short as the other was, but the difference brought a flush of heat into her cheeks.
He raked his hands through his hair. “Miss O’Mara. John should be along any moment.”
“The girls are running late as well.” She motioned toward the bustling restaurant area. “Shall we wait for them at a table?”
Once seated, the tension in her neck muscles eased. At least with her legs tucked beneath the table her skirts touched the floor. Seated, the sheriff wasn’t quite as intimidating either.
Jack folded his hands on the table. “Must be nice to be back in civilization again.”
“Yes and no,” Moira answered honestly. “It’s difficult to explain.”
“Try me.”
“I once took a riverboat ride up the Mississippi. It was windy and the boat swayed through the whole trip. Even after I was back on shore, I felt like I was still moving. I suppose that’s what it’s like. Like I’m still in motion.”
“I know what you mean. Back before the trains crisscrossed the country, I rode for days on end. Same kind of thing. You get used to the motion and you can’t hardly sit still anymore.”
Moira smoothed her collar and tucked a stray curl behind one ear. Jack Elder wasn’t the man she’d expected. His relationship with his brother wasn’t what she’d expected either. There was an unspoken respect between the two men.
He smoothed the dark hair from his forehead. “My wife, Elizabeth, is never going to believe me when I tell her what happened. How you and John found each other in Fool’s End.”
She felt her cheeks heat. “I promise you I never stole anything from Mr. Grey.”
“I believe you. A man has to trust his instincts in this job.”
While his announcement was hardly a stellar endorsement, at least he believed her. “Thank you.”
“I’ll stop through Fool’s End and see what I can dig up. Chances are someone knows why Wendell is fired up about you and the girls.”
Moira recalled the sheriff’s pregnant wife. “You mustn’t go to all that trouble. I’m sure you want to be home.”
Something shifted in his expression. A look she didn’t quite understand. “I’m anxious for home, that’s for certain. A few inquiries won’t take long.”
“What’s it like? Your ranch?”
“Elizabeth and I don’t live on the ranch. We live in town.”
Moira started. “Oh, I just assumed...”
“I left early. I knew even as a boy I couldn’t stay. I’ve never been a cattleman. Besides, men have a way of fighting for their territory. There were seven of us boys on that ranch. And if a man doesn’t like fighting, he’d best make his own way. It’s hard though, setting out on your own.”
“Like John?”
“He never had much of a chance winning with our brothers. He was the baby. Sometimes in a family people get set on roles. That’s what happened with John. Ma always told us to look out for him. I guess after she died we took the job too serious. If we let him grow up, it was like we lost a part of her.”
Moira folded her hands in her lap. She’d been wrong about him the whole time. She’d framed his actions based on her own experiences, and she’d been misguided. He’d cared for them all, his unlikely crew, watched out for them, risked his reputation and his life for them.
Jack cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to frighten you away from our family. We’re a noisy bunch, but we look out for each other.”
And she had absolutely nothing to offer him in return. She was an orphan with fifty-six dollars to her name. Moira snorted softly. Fifty of the dollars she now possessed had come from John for their work on the cattle drive.
A sound caught her attention and she turned. Three of the four girls crowded the archway of the restaurant. Jack rose from his seat.
They were like a posy of wildflowers. Sarah wore a simple two-piece outfit in delicate pink calico. She had a lace collar and new kid boots peeked out from beneath her hem. Hazel had chosen a yellow party dress with several flounces. The ensemble was a touch too formal for the occasion, but Moira didn’t suppose anyone cared. Tony appeared uncomfortable in her simple shirtwaist and dark navy skirt. She ran her finger around her collar and tugged.
Tears sprang into Moira’s eyes. Sarah hovered on the edge of womanhood, not quite an adult, yet not quite a child either. Tony and Hazel wore the bright-eyed enthusiasm of youth.
Moira checked the stairwell. “Where’s Darcy?”
“She didn’t feel well.” Sarah swept her pink skirts aside and approached the table. “She said she wanted to rest.”
Moira half rose from her chair. “Maybe I should check on her.”
“She’s fine.” Tony flapped her hand dismissively. “She’s been acting strange since we left the mercantile.”
“I suppose.” Moira resumed her seat. Darcy had been quiet after their shopping trip. And goodness knew the past few days had been exhausting for all of them. “I’ll check on her after dinner.”
Content that Darcy was old enough to seek them out if she needed assistance, Moira once again studied the three remaining girls. With each new pair of shoes, with each new piece of clothing, the experience which had brought them together was slipping further into the past, further out of reach. They were all beautiful, all filled with the promise of a new beginning. Who knew what would happen after today?
Everything had changed and Moira’s heart ached for the loss. Despite the hardships, the past several days had been wondrous.
Hazel rushed over. She paused before the table and twirled, her new yellow skirts fluttering. “Isn’t my dress beautiful?”
Moira pinched one of her braids. “It’s lovely. You’re lovely.”
Tony flopped onto a chair and planted her elbow on the table, rattling the cups and saucers perched at each setting. “I miss my other clothes.”
Sarah sniffed. “I never thought I’d say this, but me too.”
Moira thought of her trail outfit
carefully tucked in the bottom of her valise beneath a stack of newspaper. She’d captured the wild smell, the moment and the feelings the scent recalled.
Hazel took her seat and shrugged. “I don’t know which I like better. I think I like them both equal.”
“Me too,” Moira replied softly.
“I’ll be the envy of Fort Preble,” a familiar voice spoke.
Moira glanced up and gasped. John stood behind her, one hand braced on her chair, one hand on Hazel’s chair. He’d shaved and his dark hair was neatly trimmed over his ears. He wore a dark gray coat with fabric-covered buttons and matching waistcoat, black trousers and a white turnover shirt collar with a black string tie.
She’d thought him handsome in his work clothes. In his formal attire, he snatched the breath from her lungs. Glancing down, she discreetely covered the careful mending on her sleeve where she’d torn the thin fabric.
They might have been a family. A big, noisy, loving family. He inquired about Darcy before taking the empty chair on Moira’s right, across from his brother. For the next several minutes, their banter circled the table. Succulent dishes came and went, tea and coffee were served. The girls, decked out in their finery, displayed their best manners.
As the conversation ebbed and flowed around her, Moira’s thoughts drifted further away.
“I can’t believe you’re passing on chocolate cake,” John spoke beside her.
She pushed the plate toward him. “I couldn’t eat another bite.”
He accepted the offering with a boyish grin that sent her heart fluttering.
Sheriff Elder pushed back his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He had a naturally commanding presence. The girls quieted and their expressions grew somber.
“I’ll miss you girls after tomorrow,” he said, his voice gruff.
John rested his fork on his plate. “The next stop is Cimarron Springs. It’s a chance for a new beginning. A fresh start for everyone. I’ve got business in Fort Preble. Looks like I’ll be able to sell the cattle for a fair price. I’m looking at using the money to purchase a few more horses. I’ll be a week or two behind the rest of you.”
The Cattleman Meets His Match Page 21
