Pony Express Christmas Bride

by Rhonda Gibson

  With a grin, Thomas sat back down. “That would hit the spot for sure.”

  Josephine handed him a good-sized slice of sweet-potato pie and took a piece for herself. They ate in silence for a few minutes, then she surprised herself by asking him a personal question. “Do you regret marrying me?”

  “What do you mean? We’ve been married exactly eight hours, give or take a couple of hours.”

  She laughed at his words. They’d been married for about ten hours, but who was she to correct her teasing man? “True, but surely by now you’re feeling the responsibility of caring for another person seven days a week?”

  He shifted on the seat beside her but said nothing. Those moments of silence were the longest Josephine had ever experienced. In the moonlight she noticed a muscle quiver at his jaw. But when he spoke, his voice held an infinitely compassionate tone.

  “I haven’t felt responsibility yet. I did before we were married, but since this evening, you’ve more than accepted my big family and all their oddities. You patched up one of the Pony Express riders, proving you can more than take care of yourself, and quite possibly have been the best camping companion I’ve ever had.” He exhaled a long sigh of contentment and aimed a grin of amusement down at her uplifted face.

  Was he really feeling content? She studied him a moment before returning his smile, enjoying the shared moment. Her despair of the past month or so lessened and she experienced a strange comfort. Her gaze traveled his handsome face.

  He jerked as if she’d slapped him and then jumped from the wagon. “Well, I’ll settle things for the night. You make a bedroll here in the wagon.”

  Confused by his sudden change of mood, Josephine blurted, “And where will you sleep?”

  “I’ll pitch my bedroll under the wagon.”

  He set the brake on the wagon wheels, then wedged them with a big rock. Josephine wondered why the extra precaution, since they were on flat land, but chose not to ask. Seemed to her there’d been enough questions for one night. She spread the blanket on the hard wood of the wagon bed. “Are you sure you don’t want to share the wagon?” she asked.

  “I’m sure,” Thomas answered. He walked the horse to a grassy spot beside the small stream.

  Josephine shivered. The night was cold. Colder than she’d thought it would be. Thankfully the snow from the days before had melted, but the ground was frozen and Thomas would be cold.

  That had been her reasoning in offering to share the wagon bed. They could both have snuggled down in their own blankets and he wouldn’t have to sleep on the hard, ice-covered ground.

  Thomas patted the mare as she drank from the cold water. When the horse had drunk her fill, he walked her back to the wagon and tied the lead rope to the sideboards. “Thanks for not fussing about heading home tonight.” He pushed his hat back.

  “I’m glad we did. As much as I like your family, I didn’t want to lie to them and I couldn’t see how we could get out of sleeping in the same room if we’d stayed.” She pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders.

  “No, Ma is stubborn, and even though she knows this isn’t a real marriage, she would’ve insisted that we stay together tonight. If for no other reason than because the rest of the family would expect it.” Thomas leaned against the wagon’s sideboard, facing Josephine.

  She looked down at the makeshift bed she’d just prepared. “I’m not sure I like the idea of you sleeping on the ground,” Josephine admitted.

  Thomas laughed. “I’ve slept on the ground many a night, Josephine. Some nights were a lot colder, too. I’ll be fine.”

  His mood had swung again, back to the teasing man she’d enjoyed earlier. Men were a fickle bunch. Josephine handed him a quilt and a blanket. To fill the quiet, she said, “It was nice of Rebecca to give us bedding as a wedding present.”

  He nodded. “I wonder if she knew you’d give me the pretty quilt to use on the ground tonight.”

  Most women would give their husband the thickest bedding to use. Rebecca must have thought that Josephine cared for Thomas and would have done the same as women for generations had been doing. “She’s a smart woman. I’m sure she did,” Josephine answered.

  Thomas spread the quilt under the wagon. “That she is.” He lay down and tucked the blanket around his body.

  Satisfied he was settled for the evening, Josephine settled on one thick blanket and covered herself with another one. Immediately warmth began to seep into her cold body. She looked up into the starry night. This wasn’t how she imagined her wedding night would be.

  “Thomas?”

  “Um?”

  Josephine smiled at the sleepy sound. “Are we still on the Young farm?”

  “Yep.”

  She listened to the sound of a cow lowing in the distance. The horse stomped its foot. Were they safe here? Josephine had been chased by Indians, bandits and wolves when she rode the Pony Express trail. She knew that any or all could be lurking in the shadows.

  “This was one of my favorite camping spots when I was a boy,” Thomas said in a hushed voice. “Philip and I would beg Ma to let us come here to camp.”

  Josephine smiled. “I imagine you two were rascals when you were younger.”

  He chuckled warmly. “That we were. What we didn’t realize at the time was that she’d make either Papa John, Andrew or Jacob follow us and keep watch all night.”

  She yawned. “When did you find out they were watching you?”

  “We were about fourteen years old and one night we saw a campfire in the distance. We’d noticed it before, but this night we sneaked around to see who else was camping out here and it was Jacob. To be honest, we both slept much better knowing he was watching over us.”

  Josephine listened as he shifted positions. “Did you ever tell him you knew he’d followed you?”

  “Yeah, that’s when Jacob said that he, Andrew and sometimes Papa John followed us. But he made us promise not to let on to Ma that we knew.” His yawn filled the night.

  “So to this day she doesn’t know?”

  Thomas chuckled. “Nope. And she’s still up to her old tricks.”

  Josephine turned onto her side so that she could see between the cracks of the wagon bed. His arms were tucked under his head and he lay faceup. “What do you mean?”

  He grinned. “See that light on the hill to your right?” Thomas pointed as if she didn’t know her right from her left.

  She raised her head and looked in the direction he was pointing. “Yes.”

  “That’s Andrew and my brother Noah’s camp.”

  Josephine had met all the Young men and knew that Noah was next to the youngest of Thomas’s brothers. She gasped. “They followed us?”

  “Yep. Ma was worried about us heading out after dark and asked them to.”

  She eyed the flickering light in the distance. “You sure it’s them and not someone else?”

  His gaze met hers through the slats in the wagon. “Yep. Andrew told me before we left that she’d asked them to follow us.”

  “So they are watching out for us.” It was a statement and she didn’t expect an answer. What would it be like to have brothers who would watch out for you? Being an only child, Josephine didn’t know.

  He grinned at her. “Yep, and if I know Noah, I could probably throw a rock and hit him, he’s so close.”

  Josephine lowered her voice. “Really?”

  Thomas yawned again. “Yep.”

  “He’s twelve years old?”

  He shook his head. “No, he’s thirteen now. Had a birthday last month.”

  “Still, that’s young. Why didn’t Andrew come closer?” Josephine knew she was asking a lot of questions, but it all baffled her. Not just what they were doing but their reasons for doing it.

  “Andrew likes his sleep. Noah e
njoys the night and is the best shot of all of us. If anyone comes close, Noah will fire off a warning shot.”

  Josephine raised up on her elbow and tried to find Noah in the dark. She yawned again. Where was the little boy? Noah wasn’t very big and could be hiding anywhere. She couldn’t believe that Rebecca would send her sons out into the night like this.

  “Josephine, get some sleep. We’re safe.”

  She lay down. “When you say he’ll shoot off a warning shot, who will he be warning? Us or the bad guys?”

  “Both. Now go to sleep. I want to get an early start in the morning.” He yawned again.

  Turning onto her back, Josephine looked up at the night sky once more. The stars twinkled down on them. Within a few moments Josephine heard Thomas’s soft snores.

  She lay awake thinking about Thomas’s family. They’d been warm and welcoming when expressing their congratulations on marrying Thomas. Did that mean they thought of her as family? Josephine longed to be a part of a loving family that really cared about her.

  Doubt and mistrust crept about her like a morning fog. No matter how badly she wanted to be a part of a family that she could trust, Josephine knew it was impossible. Her marriage wasn’t a true marriage, so therefore Thomas’s family would never be her true family.

  No, it was better to forget such silly thoughts and do as he said and go to sleep. Still, Josephine wanted to hang on to the dream of having people in her life whom she could trust and love.

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning Thomas knelt by the small fire he’d built and warmed his hands. The cold night had turned into an even colder morning. His gaze searched the hill for his brothers.

  Within a few moments, Andrew stepped out of the tree line.

  Thomas motioned that Josephine was still sleeping in the wagon.

  Andrew whispered, “Good morning. I brought breakfast.” He held up a rabbit that had been cleaned and positioned on a stick.

  “Just one rabbit?” Thomas asked. He’d really hoped his brothers would supply breakfast this morning, but if all Andrew had to offer was one rabbit, it was going to be a skimpy breakfast.

  Andrew’s shoulder shook as he silently laughed, and then he mouthed, “I didn’t say I brought breakfast for you. This is mine.”

  Thomas shook his head and looked about for Noah. His younger brother always brought home enough for everyone. If he didn’t, Thomas knew he’d have to borrow one of their bows and arrows and get breakfast for both himself and Josephine.

  Noah came from the woods holding up three more skinned rabbits. His bow was slung over his shoulder and he grinned, obviously pleased that he’d killed enough for everyone.

  Thomas placed his finger over his lips in a motion to be quiet and waved toward the wagon once more. He watched as Noah looked in Josephine’s direction and nodded his understanding.

  Noah walked the rest of the way to them and handed Thomas two of the speared rabbits. Andrew had already begun to turn his over the fire.

  In a low voice Thomas said, “Thanks. At least one of my brothers thought about us this morning.” He playfully scowled at Andrew. Thomas then positioned one of the rabbits over the fire and placed the other to the side, making sure not to get it in the mud.

  “Hey, it’s my day off. I can hunt for whoever I want.”

  In a quiet voice Noah asked, “Who are you going to hunt for today?” He indicated he’d killed the rabbit that Andrew was carefully turning.

  “Just because I didn’t shoot this one doesn’t mean I can’t,” Andrew answered with a sheepish grin.

  Thomas laughed quietly. He missed his brothers and the playful banter they shared. Working with Philip had been a dream come true until his brother had decided he needed a wife. Now things would never be the same.

  “Why so gloomy?” Andrew whispered across the fire at him.

  Thomas looked up. Had his face betrayed his thoughts? From the way his brothers looked at him, he realized it must have. He smiled. “Who says I’m feeling gloomy?”

  Noah muttered, “Your face says it all.”

  “Oh, and what does it say, smarty?” Thomas shot back as he turned the rabbit over the fire. Did it tell them how unhappy he was with Philip? How out of control he felt over his own life? But a tiny voice reminded him that last night it had felt good to share his time and thoughts with Josephine.

  Even so, that didn’t take away his feelings of anxiety. What would his life be like now that he was married?

  * * *

  Josephine turned on her side and watched her new husband’s face as his brothers confronted him. She’d been awake the moment Thomas had crawled out from under the wagon. At first she’d stayed put because her pallet was warm and the early-morning air was cold. Then she’d seen the brothers come into their camp and didn’t feel right intruding on Thomas’s time with them.

  Even with his voice lowered, Josephine heard Andrew answer. “It says you were in deep thought and not very pleased with those thoughts.”

  Andrew’s back was to Josephine and she couldn’t tell if he teased Thomas or if he were serious. She held her breath as she waited for his answer.

  “I was just thinking about Philip.”

  Andrew chuckled. “Yep, he makes me scowl, too.”

  Thomas shook his head. “I just can’t understand his need to find me a wife.”

  “I don’t know why you’re complaining. Josephine is beautiful,” Noah said as he looked into the woods away from them.

  She felt her face flush at the compliment. Noah was young, so what did he know about beauty? Still, his comment made her feel good.

  Andrew nodded. “I have to agree with Noah. And, after meeting her, I’d say she’s probably just as pretty on the inside, too. Not to mention how clever she is. I’ve never seen a woman fly into action the way she did when she saw Billy hurt.”

  “Who said anything was wrong with Josephine? I was trying to figure out what Philip was thinking by ordering a mail-order bride for me.” He shook his head and tested the meat with his fingers. “Sometimes I think he has peas for brains.”

  The other two brothers laughed.

  Josephine had asked herself the same question. Why had Philip placed the mail-order-bride ad? She looked to the east, where the sun had just begun to peek over the mountain. The sky was a soft pink, looking as if God had randomly swiped His paintbrush over the heavens.

  Thomas called out, “Josephine, breakfast is ready.”

  She turned her head back to look where he sat. He’d gotten to his feet and was smiling. The smell of the roasted rabbit filled her nose. Her stomach growled. Josephine sat up and stretched. “You should have woken me sooner.” She pushed the blanket back and climbed out of the wagon. Digging in the bags, she found linen cloths that they could all wipe their hands on when they’d finished their breakfast. Josephine looked forward to unpacking the bags when they got home. So far she’d loved all the things Rebecca, Fay and Emma had given them for wedding gifts. “I thought you wanted to get an early start.”

  “It’s not late. Come get this while it’s still hot.”

  Josephine rubbed her arms. Her breath led the way to where the men knelt beside the flames. She looked about the campfire. There were no rocks to sit on. She handed each of the men a cloth and then took the stick from Thomas’s hand. “Thank you.”

  Thomas nodded and picked up the other rabbit. He handed it to her. “Would you hold this over the fire for me?”

  “Of course.” Josephine took the stick and began turning it slowly over the flame.

  Andrew and Noah shared a grin. Thomas seemed to ignore them and hurried to the wagon. He quickly returned with a blanket. Folding it, he laid it on the ground and then took his rabbit back from her. “There you go, a nice comfortable place to sit.”

  “
Thank you.” Josephine sat down. She pulled a leg from the rabbit and then tugged on Thomas’s pants leg. When his gaze met hers, she smiled and offered him the leg.

  He took the meat with a grin.

  Andrew shook his head but didn’t say anything. Noah continued to watch the sunrise. They all ate in silence. Josephine didn’t know what to say. She wished that Thomas had left her in the wagon and continued sharing the morning with his brothers. It was her presence that had caused them all to be as quiet as church mice.

  Her gaze moved to the sunrise that Noah was so intent on watching. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it, Noah?”

  He glanced over at her. “It is.”

  Thomas looked to the sky. “That is one thing about Wyoming. We have beautiful sunrises and sunsets.”

  “And hills and valleys,” Josephine added.

  “Oh, we have mountains, too, in the north part of the state. Not many people have settled there yet.” Noah seemed excited about that. His voice rose a notch and for the first time he appeared eager to talk.

  Josephine smiled. “I tried climbing a mountain once. In Colorado. The higher I climbed, the more difficult it was to breathe.”

  “Did you give up?” Noah asked the question, but Josephine noticed the interest his brothers had in their conversation.

  “Of course not. It took me a little longer than my cousin, but I finally made it. The view from the top was amazing. Totally worth the effort it took to get there.”

  “That’s a good lesson for you, Noah boy.” Thomas tossed his stick onto the fire, then licked one of his fingers before thinking to use the cloth Josephine had provided.

  Noah mimicked his older brother by tossing his stick but finished by swiping his hands down the sides of his pants. Josephine barely bit back a grin.

  “And what lesson would that be, oh bigger and wiser older brother?”

  “That the good things in life are worth the effort it takes to achieve them.”

  Josephine stared at Thomas in wonder. What a great thought to add to her mountain climbing story. She’d have to remember that and teach it to her children one day. What children? a voice in her head mocked. In a marriage like hers, there would be no children.