“Does anyone have room for this young woman and her child?” He bellowed loud enough to wake the dead.
Feet shifted in the dirt; eyes looked anywhere but at her. No one answered his question.
He looked down at her and then at the onlookers. For a brief moment, his eyes softened, but he quickly dropped a nonemotional veil over them and shook his head. He raised his head and spoke again, his voice and look coolly disapproving of the situation. “Then there’s nothing to see here, folks. Get back to your wagons. We’ll be heading out in a few minutes.”
Cora knew this man was the only one who could hold Mr. Clarkson to his deal. But that hope was quickly dashed.
The wagon master turned back to face them. “Now, Flynn, you know Mr. Clarkson has the right to leave her behind.” Compassion filled his gaze as he looked to her once more.
Flynn Adams nodded. “But I don’t have to like it.”
The wagon master tightened his knees on the horse, turning him to the Clarksons. The look on his face as he glared down at Mr. Clarkson said he did not like it, either. “No, sir, Flynn, you don’t. And neither do I, but Mr. Clarkson has the right to take or leave whoever he wants.”
Cora’s gaze bounced back and forth between the men. She pressed a hand against her lips to keep from crying out at the injustice of the situation.
The wagon master grabbed their attention once more. “If you want to take her with you, I suggest you hurry up and marry the woman so we can get started. Otherwise, she stays.” He spun on his horse, leaving Cora, Flynn, the preacher and the Clarksons all standing and looking at each other.
Cora remained motionless as Flynn stepped closer. He paused, stretched out a hand and lightly touched Noah’s head. She started to speak, but he stopped her with a raised hand.
He took her arm, gently urging her away from the others. When they had a tiny bit of privacy, he finally spoke. “I know this is not the best of situations to find yourself in, but what do you say, miss? Want to marry a total stranger?” Flynn asked. He widened his stance, crossed his arms over his chest and offered a friendly smile.
“No,” she answered, wishing for all the world that she could say yes.
He sighed and looked at her intently. “Can you stay here in Independence?”
She shook her head. Cora felt foolish. She was between a rock and a hard place. What would become of her and Noah? Would she be able to find another way out of Missouri without her brother-in-law catching her first? Cora didn’t think so.
“Then come with me. We don’t have much time.” Before she could answer, he pulled her to the back of his wagon. “I want to help you, but the only way I can do so is if you marry me.”
Was he insane? Why would he want to marry a complete stranger? “But we don’t know each other.”
His sentences were rushed as he explained. “True, and neither of us wants to be married. It’s not the ideal situation. But I am willing to marry you in name only so that you will not be left alone here.”
She didn’t know what to say or do.
Since she didn’t answer him, Flynn pressed on. “When we get to Oregon, we can annul the marriage and go our separate ways.”
Cora heard the suspicion in her voice and wondered if he did, too, as she asked, “Why would you do this?” She tilted her head sideways and studied his face. Noah squirmed his little head about, too, as if asking the same question.
Flynn took his hat off and explained, “I left a woman alone once before and things didn’t work out well for her. Maybe if I help you, it will atone for my not being there for her.”
She noted that he refused to look at her now. Was he truly that guilt-ridden? Or was he hiding something more? Cora cleared her throat. “Are you a drinking man, Mr. Adams?”
Flynn met her gaze as he shook his head and answered, “No, ma’am. I don’t touch the stuff. Never have.”
Cora studied him as if he were one of her students. Compelling eyes, firm features, his face bronzed by the sun. The set of his chin suggested a stubborn streak. Oftentimes when someone lied, they would look away, but he did not drop his gaze nor look away when he assured her of his abstinence. Instead, his expression held a sheen of purpose and an independence of spirit she’d not seen in a long time. Flynn’s eyes were a deep blue that gleamed like glass, sharp and assessing.
She wondered at Flynn’s reasoning. Was he using her? If so, how and why? “Can I ask you one more question?”
One side of his mouth tipped up. Those pretty blue eyes teased. “Just one?”
A short nod was his answer. Cora wanted to know much more about him than could be covered with one question, but she also knew they didn’t have much time—and she didn’t have much choice. Still, she felt it was important to ask him this. Maybe it would help her decide whether he could be trusted.
“Go ahead, then. Ask it.”
She wrapped her arms more securely around Noah. This information was important for both their futures. “Why are you going to Oregon?”
He hesitated for a moment. His gaze swept over the area before returning to her. Flynn pulled a badge from his front shirt pocket and showed it to her. He lowered his voice. “I’m a lawman looking for an outlaw, a murderer.”
Cora knew shock filled her face. His answer could explain how this marriage would benefit him. With a wife and child, Flynn would look more like a family man and less like a lawman, which might make it easier for him to capture his target. But now she had a new question: Was Noah in danger? “You think he’s on this wagon train?”
Flynn placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. “Honestly, I don’t know for sure. But my last lead said it was possible. And since I don’t know any of these people, it’s important that you not tell anyone I’m a lawman.”
“I won’t tell anyone, but is Noah safe here? Will he be safe with you around?”
“I believe so.” He moved closer, his voice low and reassuring. “I promise, I’ll guard you both with my own life.”
She had to take him at his word. Noah definitely wasn’t safe in Missouri. At least on the Oregon Trail the baby would have two adults looking out for him. Cora closed her eyes and asked the Lord what she should do.
Within seconds, peace filled her and she felt certain that not only would Flynn look out for Noah but God would, too. She knew, with the confidence of a person of faith, that the baby would be safe. She realized she would have to draw on that faith often during the months to come, if this morning’s events were a sign of the turmoil that was to come.
Flynn cleared his throat, reminding her without a word that time was of the essence.
Cora opened her eyes. He tipped his head toward her, then raised his brow. She asked faintly, drawing a step nearer to him, “So you are offering me the safety of your name? You don’t expect anything from me?”
Flynn tucked his badge back into his pocket. “Those are more questions.” He touched his forehead slightly in a mock salute. “Yes, the marriage will be in name only, nothing more. I’ll ask nothing of you. Unless...” A warning voice whispered in her head, as she waited for the rest of his statement. “...you don’t mind cooking. I can cook, but a woman’s touch makes every meal much tastier than anything I come up with.”
For the first time that morning, Cora bit back a grin. Baby Noah started to fuss, so she buried her smile against his little head. She managed to control her expression before looking up to answer. “I don’t mind helping at all, but are you sure about marrying me? You don’t know me. You don’t even know if I can cook. Plus, I can’t keep Noah from crying at any given time of the day or night. Seems to me I’m getting the better end of the bargain, while you’re getting a handful of headaches.” Cora grew serious. She’d just given him several reasons to back out of his offer. Would he take them? She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and waited.
Flynn lifted his hand from her sho
ulder and touched the baby’s soft cheek. “I’m as sure as a man can be with a marriage of convenience. Between the three of us, we should be able to keep this little boy amused and busy throughout the day. By nightfall, he’ll be so tired he’ll sleep sound.”
Cora almost laughed, more than sure that Flynn knew nothing about babies. Instead of commenting on that, she asked, “The three of us?”
He nodded. “Yep. Joe got us into this, and he’ll help us make it work. Even if that means entertaining this little guy.”
Noah grabbed Flynn’s finger and smiled. He garbled something and then released his new friend, poking two of his fingers back into his small mouth.
“Looks like Noah has given his approval.” A smile touched her lips. “I’ll marry you.”
“Form up!” The shout came from the front of the wagon train. It echoed from wagon to wagon.
Flynn grabbed her hand and they hurried to where Joe and the Clarksons waited. The minister had already returned to his wagon. “Joe! Help her get her stuff in the bed of the wagon, while I catch up to the preacher.” With an encouraging squeeze, he let her hand go.
Cora watched him disappear around one of the wagons beside them. Was she doing the right thing? She wasn’t sure...but she was well aware that she didn’t have time to doubt her decision at the moment.
Joe didn’t waste any time. He was already putting boxes into the back of the wagon.
“Wait.” She hurried to assist him. “I’ll climb inside and get the boxes packed away, if you don’t mind handing them up to me.” Cora didn’t give him time to answer. She quickly took the baby from his sling and set him into the bed of the wagon and then climbed in after him.
She looked about the tight space. It appeared empty in comparison to the Clarksons’. There was no oversize furniture, not many cooking supplies and no crates or chests full of who-knew-what. The wagon didn’t even have a mattress or sleeping pallet. Other than the pillow and a pile of blankets, there were no other sleeping luxuries in Flynn’s.
Cora took Noah and moved him to the middle of the wagon, where he wouldn’t fall out of the front or the back. Then she began moving boxes around the baby to fence him in. A bit of a late bloomer, Noah wasn’t pulling up or walking yet, but he could sit up on his own. She figured that was a good thing, at least for now. If she could keep him corralled and out of trouble, that would be great.
Her only reason for accepting Flynn’s marriage offer was to keep Noah safe, and for now, the baby was safe from his father. She saw a wooden spoon and a tin cup sitting at the front of the wagon. Cora quickly picked them up and handed them to the baby, who looked as if he were about to cry in the center of his boxed-in area. He took the items and gave her a big grin. She returned his smile as he began to beat the two together.
While she worked to the sound of the baby’s banging, Cora noted that other than food items, clothes, neatly stacked blankets with a pillow on top, and tools, the wagon was mostly empty. Would Flynn allow her to rearrange the wagon? If so, she could organize the space so that the baby would stay inside the wagon and out of sight during the daytime hours.
“That’s the last of them.” Joe slid her bag into the wagon. “We’ll be heading out in a few minutes.”
“Thank you, Joe.” She smiled at the young man.
He returned her grin. His cheeks turned a soft pink as he confessed, “I hope you didn’t mind my interference a while ago. Between you and me, I knew Flynn would not leave you behind. He’s a good man.” With that, he jumped down from the wagon bed and disappeared from sight.
Noah fretted.
Cora pulled him from his pen and sat down. “We are going on a grand adventure, Noah.” She prayed her words were true and that Joe had been right in his assessment that Flynn Adams was a good man. The idea of getting married and being indebted to the man didn’t sit well with her.
“Form up!” Joe echoed the yell. The wagon shifted to the left as he climbed up on the wagon’s seat.
Cora wondered if Flynn would be riding his horse beside the wagon as they traveled. Clutching the baby close as the wagon jerked forward, she moved closer to the front so she could see outside. She watched over the young man’s shoulder with undiluted excitement as Joe maneuvered their wagon behind the Clarksons’, confidently cracking the whip over the oxen’s backs.
Good decision or bad, Cora Edwards was on her way to Oregon. She silently asked the Lord to help her in this new phase of her life.
“Look at that.” Joe spoke in a voice filled with awe and respect. Cora followed his gaze and her mouth dropped open in surprise. As far as the eye could see both in front and behind them, white canvas tops billowed back and forth as they moved in sync. Children laughed as they attempted to outrun their own wagons, and Cora’s smile turned to a chuckle. Who knew oxen could move fast enough to stir up a little dust?
Cora quickly climbed into the wagon to escape the dirt. She waved to Joe to alert him of her actions and then pulled the wagon canvas shut. The baby snuggled into her chest and she eased into a sitting position to better accommodate him. Before they’d left her house, Cora had changed into one of Gracie’s dresses, which still held the light scent of her twin sister’s perfume. She’d hoped the baby would be comforted with something familiar from his mother. Even so, Cora felt sure that Noah knew the difference between his mother and her. She prayed that Noah wouldn’t put up too much of a fuss when he realized his mother wasn’t around anymore.
Tears welled up in her eyes. Gracie was gone, her life’s breath snatched away at such a young age. She’d never get to see this little fellow grown up. She would miss all the rest of Noah’s firsts. In the privacy of the wagon, with only Noah for company, she finally allowed herself to grieve for the loss of her sister. Hot tears ran down her face unbidden. There were so many things that Gracie was going to miss out on. This adventure to Oregon, for one; Noah’s growing up; and freedom for herself from her abusive husband. All taken from her because Hank couldn’t control his drinking or his temper.
With the steady rocking of the wagon, Noah fell asleep against her. Cora leaned over and pulled the pillow and a blanket from the pile toward her and the baby. Holding him close, she made a small pallet on the wagon floor. Since she hadn’t slept the night before, Cora chose to sleep now. She wiped the tears from her face and settled down to rest. The wagon wasn’t the most comfortable bed she’d ever slept in, but between emotions and exhaustion, it wasn’t long before she felt her body relaxing and her eyes closing.
“Is the baby asleep?”
So much for sleeping, Cora thought drowsily. She sat up and looked toward Flynn.
“Yes.”
He climbed onto the tongue of the wagon, then threw his leg across the wagon’s back gate to ease into a sitting position beside her, the thrust of the wagon jarring him as he sat down. “I hope you don’t mind, but I thought I’d tell you the plans.”
“All right.” She covered her mouth with the back of her hand and yawned.
“When we stop today for lunch, it will only be for an hour. Mr. Wright, the minister, said we can have a short wedding ceremony then.” He swallowed hard. “If you are still sure you want to marry me. We aren’t that far from Independence. I still have time to take you and the baby back if you’ve changed your mind.”
So he was having second thoughts, just like herself. But Cora also knew there was no going back for her and Noah. She prayed Flynn would understand when she said, “I haven’t changed my mind.”
He nodded and a reassuring smile touched his lips. “Good. Then I’ll let you get back to your nap.” He stood and balanced with his legs firmly locked against the swaying of the wagon. He lowered his voice. “I think we should keep the marriage-of-convenience part of our arrangement to ourselves while we are on the trail. Don’t you?”
Cora nodded. “That might be for the best.” It wouldn’t suit either of them to
draw too much attention to themselves. With her, it was because she didn’t want to be too memorable in case Hank came looking for them. With Flynn, he probably wanted a low profile to avoid spooking the killer he hoped to catch.
Flynn studied her face for a few moments and then nodded once before going to the back of the moving wagon and jumping out. Cora waited until she saw him mount his horse that he’d tied to the wagon earlier before she lay back down beside the baby. The squeak and creak of the wagon lulled her into a much-needed rest.
* * *
Flynn grunted as he pulled up onto his horse, Winston. Winston had been his buddy for the last five years. The horse knew every movement Flynn made and what it meant. Flynn could even sleep on Winston and not worry. The two of them knew each other so well that at times Flynn thought he didn’t need any real friends.
“Well, if it isn’t Flynn Adams, as I live and breathe.”
That voice. He recognized that voice immediately. So much for thinking everyone on the wagon train would be strangers. Oh, he’d made friends with the Philmore family but no one else. Flynn looked to his right and realized he had ridden up to the Clarksons’ wagon. “Doc?”
“Yep, it’s me in the flesh.” Dr. Shipman sat on the wagon seat with a big smile on his face. His gray eyes sparkled with mischief. “Come sit a spell.” He scooted over so that Flynn could join him. “I can see you are surprised that I took this job with Mr. Clarkson. I’d actually planned to travel with a different family, but they decided against coming at the last minute. When Clarkson was looking for help, we found each other at just the right time.”
Flynn could see that both of the Clarksons walked ahead of the wagon. Mr. Clarkson watched the ground, making sure to kick loose rocks to the side in front of the wagon. Mrs. Clarkson looked annoyed but walked with him. He eased his horse up to the wagon and dismounted to join the doctor on the wagon’s seat. He held on to Winston’s reins and the horse walked along beside the wagon. He clasped hands with the doctor. “It’s good to see you. How long has it been?”
Wagon Train Wedding Page 3
