With Emma jumping in every so often to clarify, add details, or insert her own point of view, Katherine explained what had brought them here.
“And you want me to go after the men?” George asked when they were done.
“If you think that, you don’t know your own sister very well,” said a familiar voice behind them.
Katherine whipped around. And there stood William, blending with the shadows beyond the lantern’s glow. His arms were folded across his chest, and he leaned against the doorway to the back bedroom. She wondered how long he had been standing there.
He nodded in her direction. Katherine dipped her head in response. Of course they couldn’t be friends, she understood that now. William would soon return home and marry that young woman he talked of. Her own life would head in an entirely different direction.
“William’s right,” she said to her brother. “I don’t need you to do anything but loan us Duke for a few days.”
When George didn’t reply, she added, “Also a pair of your trousers, if you don’t mind, long ones that I can tuck into my boots. These breeches are too short, as you can see.”
George grunted.
Emma shot him a puzzled look.
“Don’t worry,” Katherine told her. “My brother only grunts because he can’t think what to say. He might sound scary, but as I say, he’s perfectly harmless, aren’t you, George?”
She laughed when George grunted again.
William grabbed a cup and joined them at the table, pouring tea for himself. “You will need to borrow Coal also. George and I will have both horses ready for you at daybreak.”
“Thank you, William.” No, she thought, they couldn’t be close friends, that was too much to expect, but they could always help each other where needed.
Finally George spoke. “I can’t let you go running off into the wilderness on your own.”
“Why not?” Katherine asked. “I’ve done it before and you know it. Besides, I won’t be alone, because Emma will be with me.”
“Father would never forgive me.”
“If you’re afraid of Father, then I suggest you don’t tell him. If it comes to that, I’ll say we borrowed the horses when you and William were off working and didn’t know a thing about it.”
While her brother sat there scowling, Katherine took a moment to make proper introductions.
“William, this is my good friend, Emma Curtis. Remember, I told you about her last time we met? For now though, we’re calling her Joey. And Joey, I’d like you to meet my – uh – a friend of our family, William.”
They all set about eating until not a scrap of food was left on the table. Katherine stood up to clear the dishes. “I’ll clean up in the morning,” she said. “And pack some food for our journey. Right now, I need some sleep.”
17
There’s the store.” Katherine hunched low in the saddle. “Stay close beside me as a shield in the event one of my parents comes out.”
They kept the horses close together, Emma on Duke and Katherine riding Coal. Katherine turned away from the row of wood-frame buildings to her left and gazed down the low bank at the wide river flowing past on her right side. She heard men’s voices and imagined them seated on chairs beneath an overhang, puffing on pipes and trying to outdo one another with their stories. If Father was among them, all was lost.
“Keep on at this same pace so we don’t call attention to ourselves,” Katherine whispered. But Coal chose this moment to raise his head, pull on the reins, and prance sideways along Yale’s narrow dirt road, pulling well ahead of Duke.
“You there, on the black horse!” A too-familiar voice called from her left.
For a half-second, Katherine considered ignoring the voice and galloping out of town as fast as possible, but knew this would only call attention to herself and Emma. She pulled Coal to a stop. Her heart raced.
Mother stood on the wooden sidewalk, one hand on a half-open door. Her eyes moved from Katherine to Emma. She closed the door and marched onto the dusty street, directly to Coal. She reached up and grabbed his bridle. “What on Earth are you doing here, Katherine? And who is this?” She gasped in surprise. “Not Emma?”
“I’m sorry Mother, but something’s happened and we need to catch up with Emma’s father.”
“But...I don’t understand. Isn’t he in Victoria?”
Emma spoke up then. “Tall Joe and his cousin, with Edward to help them, have run off to choose land on their own.”
“We need to catch up before it’s too late,” Katherine added.
“Oh dear. And only this morning your father and I received a letter from Mr. Roberts. I have our reply ready to mail.” She raised her hand, holding two letters.
The men’s voices grew suddenly louder.
Mother’s fingers tightened around the bridle. “Katherine, your father will be joining that group at any minute now. He can’t fail to recognize the horses.”
She was right. Her father would recognize Duke and Coal in an instant. What did that matter though, when Mother had already stopped them? “The men have come this way, Mother, we’re sure of it. If we catch them in time, I know they’ll be interested in buying our farm over pre-empting a vast tract of uncleared land.”
Mother tapped the letters against her forehead. “Katherine, it must have been them who stopped by the store only this morning. Those three can’t have gone far with all the supplies they purchased. They’ve taken horses and a pack mule, which will slow them down.” She gazed up at Katherine as if deciding what to do.
“Will you let us go then? Please?” Katherine pleaded.
A burst of laughter erupted from the men behind them.
“Take this.” Mother handed one of the letters up to Katherine.
“Thank you, Mother.” Katherine tucked the letter into her pocket. “You won’t be sorry.”
“Be safe.” Mother let go of Coal and stepped out of the way.
Katherine and Emma rode out of town side by side, wanting to gallop, keeping to a walk. Once out of Yale, they moved slightly faster, but the trail was rough and didn’t allow for a gallop.
“Aren’t you going to read the letter?” Emma asked.
“Not now. If we hurry and are very lucky, we might catch up with them before nightfall.”
They rode on, single file, with the sound of the river in their ears. Mile after mile they travelled until the sun sank below the treed hills and the temperature began to drop.
“Seems like it will soon be dark,” Emma complained. “And this looks like a good place to stop or are you planning to ride all night?”
“We’ll stop soon, Emma. If I remember correctly, there’s a flat place to camp not far ahead. We won’t want to tackle the canyon in the dark.”
“An’ what’s this about a canyon?”
“A rocky trail too narrow for one horse to pass another. Sheer rock walls straight down to a narrow gorge where the river rages through. More than one horse has been lost over the edge.”
Gathering darkness forced them to stop with no sign of the men. Katherine started a campfire, and the girls huddled close to it for warmth, with black night all around them and a million stars overhead. They made tea and ate the bread and dried venison Katherine brought.
Katherine pulled out Mother’s letter and read it by firelight.
“Well then? What does it say?” Emma asked.
“Oh, at first some stuff about how they miss me. But here’s the interesting part. My parents are excited about Mr. Roberts’ proposal to sell them his store and have already replied to his letter. Look, Emma, they’ve enclosed a letter addressed to Mr. Joseph Bentley and Mr. Ned Turner.” Katherine held it up. “Mother says it explains all the details and terms of purchasing the farm. They want me to deliver it.” Katherine folded the letter
and tucked it away. “And that’s exactly what we’re going to do, you and I.”
“We are indeed,” Emma agreed. “Exactly as your parents asked.”
“We’ll start again at first light and hope to catch them before noon.”
“And before this canyon of yours.” Emma shuddered. “It sounds like somethin’ ‘orrible!”
Katherine laughed. “You’ll be fine, Emma, if it comes to that. You’re a good horsewoman now.”
“Thank you,” Emma said. “You’re a good teacher.” She stared into the fire. “Katherine? Do you think I could ever learn to read and write?”
“Of course you can, Emma. All you need is a good teacher.” She laughed. “And I happen to know there is one available.”
Emma smiled her thanks.
The campfire slowly died, but Emma lay awake, gazing up at the stars, worrying what tomorrow might bring. She yawned and closed her eyes, drifting into a dream-filled sleep.
She looked down. Straight down to a narrow cut between steep-sided rocks. Tons of water funneled through with a roar that echoed up the canyon walls. She clung tight to the saddlehorn. Pressed both knees against Duke’s sides. Ears forward, the white horse picked his way over loose rocks on a trail that narrowed with every step.
“You’re no daughter of mine!” Tall Joe yelled, so close his warm breath spilled over her cheek. “I want nothing more to do with you!”
Startled, Emma lurched sideways. Duke lost his balance, tried to recover, but stepped too close to the edge. Loose rocks gave way, bouncing and crashing down the rock face. Horse and rider followed.
“Aihhh!” Emma screamed, but the sound stuck in her throat. Her body jerked.
“Are you all right?” Katherine asked.
Emma opened her eyes. By firelight, she saw Katherine add another log to a crackling blaze. Steam rose from a blackened pot. Emma tried but couldn’t speak. Her chest hurt. She had forgotten to breathe. The dream refused to let go.
Katherine poked the fire with a stick, scattering bright orange sparks into the night. “What were you dreaming that made you moan like that?”
“I made a real sound?” Emma asked, sitting up, blinking.
Katherine nodded. “As if you were being strangled in your sleep.” She handed Emma a mug of tea. “Here, drink this, it will help you wake up.”
“Already? But it’s still dark night.” Emma shivered. “And cold enough for frostbite.”
“The sun will be up soon. We need to get an early start.” Katherine poured herself some tea and sat down on a rock. “What were you dreaming about, Emma?”
“Tall Joe.” Emma could still see the anger on his face. His words still rang in her ears.
“That’s what frightened you?” Katherine handed her a slice of bread.
Emma bit into it, thinking what to say. “That an’ tumblin’ to my death in the canyon. I’m thinkin’ Tall Joe will be that angry at seeing us. Maybe I should have stayed in Victoria, where I belong.”
Katherine, about to sip her tea, lowered the mug. “Emma, if you say so we can still turn back. It’s not too late. That would be the safe thing to do. Perhaps you don’t mind carving a farm out of the wilderness with no cabin to live in and no fields ready for planting come spring. And only those three men for company because it will be too far for us ever to visit.”
“But Katherine, I have another choice. I don’t have to go with them at all. I can stay in Victoria and take care of myself.”
“And I can return to living on the farm,” Katherine said, as if she didn’t care one way or another. But she turned away, blinking hard.
“Is farm life so terrible then?” Emma asked.
“No. Not for the right people.” Katherine gazed into the fire. “If Susan had lived, I might even have liked it. But my teacher, Mr. Brett, tells me I have a talent for teaching, Emma, and it’s something I really want to try. As it happens, there are a lot of youngsters up in Yale who need schooling.”
“But what if it doesn’t work out? What then?”
“I don’t know, Emma. At least I will have tried.” She bent to place a small log on the fire. “Is that it, Emma, are you afraid of trying something new?”
“I’m not afraid...” Emma began, but couldn’t think what else to say.
“Or is it Tall Joe you’re so frightened of? Are you afraid if you let yourself care about him he might hurt you one day?”
“No. I’m not...” Emma stopped to think. Is that why she felt so frightened inside? Because she feared Tall Joe wouldn’t like her so much if he got to know her better? Maybe. And if she turned around now, she might never know. “Could be it’s the dream that’s frightened me and nothing more. Let’s go catch those men before it’s too late. And whatever happens, we’ll have done our best.”
“Good then.” Katherine jumped to her feet. “By the time we have the horses ready, it should be light enough to see where we’re going.”
Around each bend, Emma hoped to see them. She listened for voices up ahead, the snort of a horse, anything. But all she heard was the roar of the Fraser River far below. The land fell away so sharply it seemed they walked on the edge of the world. We must be nearing the canyon, she thought, and still no sign of the men. Her dream was about to come true. “Katherine!” she cried out, but Coal had outpaced Duke, putting Katherine too far ahead to hear. Emma was glad of that because, really, she had nothing to say. Only that she was afraid.
“Hurry along now, Duke,” she said, “or we’ll be left behind.”
Duke walked faster, but Coal picked up his pace as well. Neck outstretched, the black horse sniffed the air and lengthened his stride. Katherine and Coal disappeared around a bend.
Duke followed at a slower pace. The trail widened. A small stream tumbled down a narrow crevasse. Horses and a mule were drinking from the stream, where it pooled beneath the rock cliff. A young man tended to them, his back to her. Edward?
Duke stopped just short of bumping into Coal.
Emma became vaguely aware of men’s voices, a cough, the contented snort of a horse. The acrid smell of smoke. Bacon cooking. She turned toward the campfire. Stopped breathing.
Tall Joe stood up, clutching a frying pan. “Hey there fellows!” He waved a greeting. “You’re welcome to share our fire. We’ll be on our way in no time.”
Emma’s voice lodged itself at the back of her throat.
“We’d be grateful to join you,” Katherine answered. “And we have food of our own.”
At the sound of her voice, Edward turned, his eyes wide and staring.
“You’re a young lad to be out on your own.” This was Ned speaking, on the far side of the fire. He added another chunk of wood.
Tall Joe placed the frying pan on a rock and started toward the newcomers. “Your voice is very familiar,” he said, his eyes never leaving Katherine’s face.
“I wonder how that is,” Katherine said. She swung down from the saddle and turned to look up at the tall man who had closed the gap between them.
“Your face is familiar too,” he said, scratching his beard, “but I can’t seem to place it.”
Katherine removed her hat. “Albert Jones at your service.” She gave a deep bow, flourishing her hat.
Emma remained on Duke, ready to turn and flee at any second. Edward left the horses and moved closer to the newcomers. She glanced at him, and he smiled as if happy to see her. She looked away.
“But...you’re not...you can’t be...Miss Harris?” Tall Joe looked Katherine up and down, his face hard. “What is the meaning of this?”
Without giving Katherine time to reply, he pushed her aside and strode over to Emma. “Emma?” He glared up at her. “You’ve followed us? Dressed as a boy? And riding astride a horse! Have you no shame, girl?”
Oh, and here it comes now, Em
ma thought. He will send me away and never want to see me again as long as I live.
But Tall Joe wheeled around on Katherine. “I hold you accountable, Miss Harris. You must have put Emma up to this. She never would have done such a thing on her own.”
“It was both of us, Tall Joe,” Emma said, careful to keep her voice calm in spite of a knot of anger that wedged itself beneath her ribs. “Katherine has some news to share, and if you had only waited one more day instead of running off, you could have saved us all a lot of trouble.”
If Tall Joe heard her, he gave no sign. “This country is no place for two young ladies on their own. How you made it this far without meeting disaster I’ll never know.”
“And yet we are here,” Emma pointed out. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “Not only that, but we started a day later and caught up with you.”
“It’s unfitting...” he stammered. “Young ladies should never...”
In spite of Emma’s efforts, the knot inside her grew out of control. “Oh, an’ I suppose it’s fittin’ to run off and leave me alone, same as you did me mam?”
Tall Joe’s face collapsed.
Emma glared down at him. And she didn’t feel sorry, not a bit of it. She spoke the truth and it needed to be said. And more besides.
Katherine cleared her throat. Looking up at Emma, she pressed a finger to her lips, shaking her head ever so slightly. Emma took the hint and let her friend take over.
“Mr. Bentley,” Katherine said, “Emma and I have an important matter to discuss with you. It involves an excellent opportunity to purchase a farm with a good-sized cabin, a barn, and a well already in place, with much of the land already cleared. There is even a milk cow included in the sale. I call her Genevieve.”
Emma rolled her eyes.
“Rather than pre-empting acreage way out there in the wilderness,” Katherine said with a sweep of her arm, “you could have a comfortable home to live in and crops planted this very spring, with easy transport down the Fraser to markets at Victoria and beyond.”
Taking the Reins Page 19
