Brides of the West-Part One

by Hestand, Rita

  "I suppose you are right. I'll do my best. How many wagons do we have?"

  "Cole said thirty this trip. Not including the chuck wagon nor the boss's wagon."

  "Are they mostly families?" Emily asked.

  "Yep, most have kids too. Only two that don't is the Martin's and the Townsend's. They just got married."

  "Why doesn't he take unmarried women? I mean if they are capable?"

  "Too much trouble. Men get to fighting over them and most of them ain't capable, alone. The last time he tried it, a married fella started romancing her, his wife found out and nearly killed him. This trip is for the pioneer spirit, not the weak or frail ones."

  "Do you think I'm weak?"

  "No ma'am. You got some spunk. That's good, you'll need it. Only, I gotta admit, I never figured the boss would marry a gal, just to take her along."

  Bill gave her a wink.

  "I guess he had his reasons." She mused.

  Bill smiled at her. "I reckon he did, ma'am."

  But mulling over what Bill had told her, she had to wonder just what those reasons might be.

  Chapter Four

  The first day hadn't been so bad, every man remarked on her coffee and no one fussed at the potatoes and beans either. So far, her job had been easy enough. The chuck wagon was set up so that everything was handy for her. Bill helped her most days unless she had other chores to tend to.

  Problem was, beans and potatoes were about all she knew to cook. She'd learned to make cornbread from her father.

  The travel had been uneventful and they made good time, Cole had said.

  "Bill, who is Mrs. Meriwether?" Emily asked as she cleaned the dishes.

  "She's about the third or fourth wagon down from ours. She's a middle-aged woman with six kids. Why?"

  "Cole said I could learn how to cook better from her. I wanted to introduce myself." Emily explained.

  Bill nodded. "He got that right. She's the best cook around. She used to own a café in Independence, but her kids all moved out west and she wanted to be closer because of the grandkids. She's traveling with her youngest daughter, this trip."

  "I see. Well, I'd appreciate it if you would introduce me." Emily smiled at him.

  "Sure…I can do that." Bill said as he dodged a large rock in the path. "But I'd stay clear of Beth, she's got her claws out after the boss, and no telling what she might pull on you."

  "Beth huh? Why does she want a man that is married?"

  "That's all she ever goes after, married men. She's a real little hussy. I'd stay clear of her."

  "I'll try to remember that and thanks Bill."

  After a long silence she looked at him. He was watching the road, as it had become very rocky, and he wanted to make sure he didn't break a wheel off.

  "Tell me why are we the first wagon?" She asked glancing about the countryside.

  "Well, you see, we get up mighty early to take care of the stock and check all the wagons. So we gotta have coffee made early on. Cole figures we are the point of the train and he can keep a better eye on us this way. It's like setting an example, you know. If our wagon has no problems, then they figure they will have better luck with theirs. We always point to the north, like a cattle drive to keep us in the right direction."

  "Have you made this trip before?" Emily glanced at him.

  "Yep, a couple of times."

  "Is it a rough journey?" Emily asked with anticipation.

  "It can be. Depends on a lot of things. Sometimes the trail is hard and we bog down in the mud, ice, or snow. The weather can be unpredictable as we go further west. That's why we start in April so we can get there before the cold of winter sets in."

  "What is the worst thing about the trip?"

  "The weather for one, I guess the weather is the most important thing. The water holes and the diseases along the way. Accidents happen. All kinds of things can befall a wagon train 'cause you got so many people. Women who don't want to get rid of an extra load because it is furniture they've saved for generations to pass down. Men who quarrel over stuff. Families that quarrel among themselves. Gun play, all kinds of things can happen. You gotta be prepared for anything around here. Women having babies. People getting sick."

  "You didn't mention Indians."

  Bill scratched his head a minute. "Contrary to what you may have heard, the Indians usually aren't a problem. Unless someone's gone and started a small war somewhere, they often just want to trade or steal horses if they can. That's why the animals are always inside the circle at night. But don't take it for granted, the way the politicians lie to the Indians, it's a wonder we aren't all scalped. It's real important that the stock be enclosed at night as outlaws and Indians both try to steal them. But the thing that gets to me most is, people make mistakes."

  "And outlaws?"

  "Now that's a different story. Outlaws are usually more dangerous. You never know what they might want from you. Sometimes it's just food for the night, sometimes it's the cattle we take with us, and other times, they want to rob and kill us. Outlaws really are the biggest danger. They can hold a wagon train up for days, and they 'cause all kinds of problems. Boss used to carry money on his trips, but no longer. He wires it ahead to the bank now. You see, carrying a lot of money on a train is just asking for disaster. Disease now, that's another big problem. Ain't no way to control that."

  "Sounds like there are a lot of perils on the way." She noted.

  "Yes ma'am. But don't you be afraid one minute. Cole is a good man, and he generally can take care of most of the problems."

  Emily smiled. "You like him, don't you?"

  "Yes ma'am. I respect him."

  "A man should be respected." Emily sighed.

  ~*~

  That evening Emily fixed supper then got Bill to take her over to visit for a bit with Mrs. Meriwether. They had a warm fire going, and the woman looked as though she were cleaning up the meal from the long table stretched close to the wagon. A pot of coffee sat near the fire itself, still warm.

  Bill introduced them then edged his way away as Emily introduced herself.

  "Hello, I'm Emily Morgan. I wanted to introduce myself. My husband tells me you know all about cooking."

  "A thing or two," The older woman's eyes twinkled. "Would you like a cup of coffee and some pie."

  "Sounds wonderful." Emily smiled.

  Mrs. Meriwether got out the cups and poured them both a cup, then she opened a tin with pie in it. She cut it and brought them both a piece. They sat in front of the fire and talked for a bit.

  "I'd like to get a recipe or two from you, since I'm cooking for the men, and if you don't mind. You see I'm not an experienced cook like you and want to serve the men good meals since they work so hard. I can cook basics like beans, potatoes, and cornbread, but my abilities don't go much further."

  Mrs. Meriwether chuckled, "I've heard about you, glad to finally meet you. I'd be happy to give you a recipe or two. Especially since you want to feed the men right. They work hard for their money, let me tell you. Now, have you ever made a stew?"

  Emily smiled and shook her head, "No…not once."

  Mrs. Meriwether studied her for a minute. "Chili?"

  "No ma'am."

  "You're not a cook are you?"

  "Well, let's just say I'm not an experienced one. But I can learn." Emily admitted.

  "I like that in a woman, honesty, and spunk. I'll be glad to give you some pointers. I'll write some of my favorite recipes down and you can try them. Nothing fancy, at least not out here. But you are right, the boys need a good meal after working hard all day. Most of these are tried and true and the men love them. You can't go wrong with Chili's and stews and meals like that, a one-pot thing with a good cornbread can be filling and less trouble. I'll show you how to use some of the leftovers and how to add spices to change things up a bit too. That will really help you when you are in a pinch. After all, it's hard to make a new menu every day. But with just the smallest changes, you can make them think
you have."

  "I'd truly appreciate all this good advice. Anything that saves time and mistakes. This is very good pie…I'd love to learn to make one of them."

  "All in good time, honey, first you need to learn to cook a good meal for them, then we'll get to deserts later. Don't worry, we got lots of time for you to learn." She chuckled.

  "I'd appreciate anything you could help me with."

  "You're a smart woman Miss Em." She called her. "Not many young women would admit they weren't a good cook."

  "I don't let pride get in the way of good sense. Besides, I'm not so young, and really not so good, although I can make the best coffee you ever put in your mouth."

  "Really, you'll have to teach me your trick then."

  Emily watched the woman, she was a short, and round woman with the most pleasant face. Her red-gray hair frizzed a little around her face, but her bright blue eyes held a compassion for people and a zest for life.

  Her daughter came out of the wagon though and shot Emily a crude look. She neither looked like her mother nor acted like her. So this was Beth. This was the woman who had a thing for her husband. She was beautiful.

  Trying to ignore her, Emily sat down on a barrel by the fire and waited for Mrs. Meriwether to give her the recipes.

  "You're Cole Morgan's wife, aren't you?" The younger Meriwether asked as she paraded around the camp like some princess in her lovely silk dress. Emily wondered why any woman would get that dressed up in a wagon train camp.

  "Yes, and you are?"

  "Beth Meriwether. I've made this trip three times, with Cole…" She lifted her head as though to accentuate her importance to Emily's husband. Emily ignored the jab and gave her a faint smile.

  "Why ever would one ride a wagon train three times?" Emily asked, not looking at the girl.

  "Once with my folks, once I rode with Cole back to Independence, and this time with my mother's going to be staying with us." She tossed her beautiful black curls from her shoulders. She was slim and trim and beautiful. She was trying hard to look like a woman of the world, but Emily seriously doubted the girl had much experience with men.

  "I guess that makes you a very experienced traveler."

  "Cole never mentioned you before. Known him long?" The girl continued to try to dig information out of her.

  Emily took one of the recipes Mrs. Meriwether wrote for her. "Long enough."

  She waited for the other recipes and avoided any clashes with Beth. The last thing she wanted was trouble from this girl. It was plain she was trying to mark her territory, but Emily being married to Cole put a damper on its effectiveness.

  Mrs. Meriwether watched her daughter out of the corner of her eyes and whispered to Emily. "Forgive her, she's still very much a child I'm afraid. I'm still waiting for some sign that she is maturing. So far, she's gone after every confirmed bachelor and married man on the train."

  She handed Emily a small stack of recipes she had on hand.

  "Thanks so much for your help. I haven't met many of the ladies on the train and I wanted you to be the first. My husband sets quite a store in you Mrs. Meriwether."

  "Does he. Well, the old saying that the way to a man's heart is through the stomach must hold true. Any time child, anytime." Mrs. Meriwether glanced at her daughter and frowned. Her daughter lifted her nose to her defiantly.

  "I better get back, I have dishes to do." Emily smiled and shot Beth a glance. "Nice meeting you Beth, I hope we can be friends."

  Beth came closer and whispered. "He's not in love with you, you know. You'll see."

  Emily ignored her rudeness and left. She wasn't about to argue with a child.

  It wasn't any of her business if her husband was in love with Beth, but the girl's rudeness did bother her some. She wasn't here to make enemies, she'd rather make friends.

  She looked over the recipes and decided to try one the next night. The stew sounded delicious and along with potatoes she had a stack of carrots and a small keg of beans and peas. Meanwhile, she had dishes to attend to.

  She was just drying the last one when Cole came up to her. He had watched her for a long moment before he came closer. "You been handling your end real well, Em. I'm proud of you. The boys swear by your coffee."

  Emily smiled. "Thanks! And I hope to continue. Mrs. Meriwether gave me some recipes, tonight, I plan to try them real soon. Bill took me over. She's a good cook, her camp smelled of it. She remembered every one of them from memory. Isn't that something?"

  "Yes, she's one of the nicest ladies on the train. A lady of many talents, glad you met her. And I'm happy the two of you get along so well."

  "And her lovely daughter too."

  Cole stopped dead in his tracks, "Beth?"

  "That's the one. You should tell her to trim her claws, I'm not out to ruin her party." Emily smiled at him.

  "She's one of the reasons we are married. She's made more trips than some of my men. I really didn't expect her to be on this train." Cole shook his head with disgust.

  "She's in love with you." Emily chuckled.

  "She's a kid, with a lot of wiles I don't have time for. This isn't some fun vacation Em. There's gonna be all kinds of troubles along the way. I have too many things to worry about to fret about her and her feelings. That's why marrying you was so important to me." Cole glanced at her. When Emily crooked her head, he continued to explain. "Look, I made the mistake of taking her back to Independence with me and Bill. She wanted to ride back with her mother, so she wouldn't have to take the trip alone. At least that's what she told me at the time. I had no idea what she was up to. I mean, she's just a kid. Now I do. And I mostly just stay clear of her. I don't know why she doesn't go for one of the unmarried men on these trains. One of my men, for example would be a good choice."

  Emily saw the grave face he made and sobered.

  "I thought you were kidding me about this sort of thing. You were serious." Emily stared at him, realizing Cole was more concerned with getting the wagons through than flirting with a young girl.

  "Very. Remember that. I might have to put them in their place before this trip is over…"

  "So…how does that affect me?"

  "Oh, it'll effect you alright. Just be ready."

  "For what?"

  "Surprises!" He sent her a sensual glance as his eyes traveled the length of her.

  Emily couldn't stop the blush that ran up her spine from that glance. Cole had a habit of looking at her that way, as though he wanted to look at all of her. It made her blush. Twenty-six years old and still blushing when a man looked at her.

  "Got any coffee?" He asked, still staring at her.

  "Sure." She poured him a cup. When she handed it to him, he stared into her eyes. "You got pretty eyes Em…and that hair…"

  He crooked a finger in one of her curls at her shoulder and she caught her breath.

  Then he walked off, leaving her standing there gaping.

  Chapter Five

  She'd gotten used to bedding down in Cole's wagon and found it almost reassuring that he was below. In the short time, they'd been together they hadn't had many conversations, but the one about Beth was enlightening. Her husband wasn't a carouser. He was serious about his job, and in some ways she began to realize that his reason for wanting to marry her were as valid as any she might have. It put them on an even keel. She liked that.

  She liked a lot of things about her husband, she realized that evening as a thunderstorm blew up. The wind tore at the canvas on the wagon frames, the trees bent with its power. The sky lit up with frightening strikes. And the thunder roared against the stark prairie. Perhaps because it was a flat prairie, its seemed twice as big, twice as dangerous.

  It was the first storm they encountered and the rain came down hard. The sound of it made an instant angry music. People ran about, putting things away, tying things down.

  Emily peaked out of the wagon. She wondered if Cole was soaking wet.

  But she spotted him standing under a tree and search
ing the skies.

  "I-I wouldn't mind if you wanted to come in out of the rain." She called to him.

  Glancing around the camp once more, he noticed others hobbling their horses, putting things away. "That's okay, I’m used to it."

  She hung her head out. "Don't be stubborn, come out of the rain for a while."

  He shrugged and as she backed away, he came into the wagon.

  "That wasn't so hard, was it?" She asked with a smile.

  "No…"

  "I'm not going to bite, and this is your wagon, after all."

  He watched her find a corner to sit in and he stared at her through the darkness. She threw him a blanket.

  There was silence for a long while, as they listened to the rain, it wasn't lulling, it was hard and relentless. The force of the wind only made it worse.

  "It's still early spring, I have to watch the weather a lot. Especially this time of year. Storms spring up out of nowhere. Violent storms sometimes."

  "For what exactly?" Emily asked.

  "Twisters, lightening, things that cause trouble along the way." He said quietly relaxing as he stretched himself.

  "I don't understand, you can't control the weather." She remarked offhandedly.

  "No, but if lightning hits a tree and that tree falls on a wagon, there would be a fire. If it falls in our path, it has to be moved. If a twister comes, we have to all run for cover and hope we have something to get back to."

  Emily thought about that a while. "You know, there're two things even a cowboy like you can't control."

  "What's that?"

  "Weather, and disease."

  "No but there are precautions we can take to make things easier. I learned that from an old army doctor."

  "Oh, you were in the service?"

  "No…but I knew this man by a friend of mine."

  "What did you learn from him?"

  "Like not putting your wagons so close to trees for one. You see in the service, they camped out a lot too, and he had the devil of a time fixing broke legs and arms from falling trees. Like washing your hands more and keeping things clean around you so disease isn't as easy to strike. Those kinds of things. I was watching you today, you wash your hands all the time. I like that. It's speaks of your true character."