Trail of Destiny (Hot on the Trail Book 5)

by Merry Farmer

  “You shouldn’t be chit-chatting,” Franklin called from the top of his crate, arms crossed. “Work. We need to work. We’re already three sections behind.” He checked over his shoulder, as if looking for something across the field.

  Howard’s man and Ginny’s man exchanged frustrated glances that said all they needed to say about what they thought of Franklin.

  “Come on, boys, cheer up,” Jarvis did his best to encourage his crew. “It’s a beautiful day, the heat snap has broken, and we’ve all got a pretty girl to look at while we work.” He tipped his hat to Alice.

  A few of the men on his crew laughed—the others smiled, at least—and they all waved or tipped their hats to Alice. One even blew her a kiss. Any other day, Alice would have scolded Jarvis and discouraged the others, but the small joke kept smiles on the faces of Jarvis’s team.

  “Well, lads,” Jake Masters said from the center of Howard’s crew. “We can’t let the competition be the only ones to pay tribute to the lady. Let’s thank Mrs. Porter for taking care of us as we work.”

  A round of “Thanks, ma’am,” and nodding—even a few men taking off their hats entirely and holding them to their hearts—followed. Alice couldn’t help but laugh, and nodded to them.

  “You’re quite welcome,” she told them.

  “We can do better than that.” Jarvis rallied his side. He dropped to one knee, swiped his hat from his head to hold to his heart, bowed his head, and said, “Ma’am, you have our deepest, heartfelt thanks.”

  His crew followed his example. They lined up and dropped to their knees paying tribute to Alice with mock solemnity that sent giggles rippling through Alice.

  “What do you think, boys? Are we going to let them outdo us in showing our thanks?” Jake called to his men.

  He searched around, found a clump of wildflowers, and rushed to pluck a few and bring them to her. Within seconds, all of his men were doing the same. They spread out and gathered whatever wildflowers they could, and brought them to Alice. As they handed them into her waiting arms, Alice shook with laughter.

  “What are you doing?” Franklin shouted from his perch above everyone. “We don’t have time for this silliness. We have a fence to build,” he raged. Raged, but didn’t come down from his crate. He checked on the field behind him. “Get your backsides over here and get working.”

  The smiles and good humor in the eyes of Howard’s crew faded. They all sent Alice apologetic looks and went back to work.

  Alice shook her head over Franklin’s antics. He still had it in his head that he could charm her, or maybe impress her with authority. He couldn’t have been more wrong. A drop of kindness and good humor went further than bullying any day.

  She caught herself searching out Jarvis with the thought. He wore a serious look now, but it wasn’t harsh. His men were working, and as they did, he walked around them, speaking quiet words of encouragement and, if she knew him the way she thought she did, apology. Those men might not have known him long, but it was clear from the way they looked at him that they respected him.

  She might not have known him long either, but it was clear from the way her heart sped up when he was around that she felt—

  What? What did she feel?

  Jarvis glanced up and saw her watching. He smiled that warm, welcoming smile of his that made her want to wrap herself in his arms and let go of everything sad and horrible that stuck to her.

  The sound of hoof beats shook her out of those thoughts before she could get carried away with them. She returned Jarvis’s smile for half a second before pivoting to see Ginny riding toward them. Ginny was dressed in a handsome mauve riding dress with her revolver at her side and looked like the Queen of the West, especially with a few cattle wandering in the field behind her. She led Midnight across the stream, brought her up alongside Alice’s wagon, then dismounted in one smooth motion.

  “How are things progressing here?” she asked without preamble.

  “Fine,” Alice answered. She still wasn’t certain how she should be speaking to this enigma of a woman—as an elder or as a friend.

  “Good. Glad to hear it. Let me help you there.” She tossed Midnight’s reins over the wagon’s side and crossed around to the back where Alice was busy slicing sweetbread. “What’s all this?”

  “Hattie made this zucchini bread for the workers,” she explained. “I’ve never even heard of anything like this before.” She finished slicing the still-warm loaf and arranged the pieces on a plate in case the men from either side got hungry and wandered over for a nibble.

  That thought had her peeking at Jarvis, wondering if he’d come over for a nibble, but not of the zucchini bread.

  Her face flushed hot when she realized Ginny was staring at her.

  “Mmm hmm,” Ginny said, crossing her arms and leaning against the side of the wagon. “I thought so.”

  Whatever she thought, Alice wasn’t sure she would like it. “Is something wrong?”

  Ginny tipped her head to the side, then answered, “Yes. I think something is very wrong.”

  Hot self-consciousness flooded Alice. “Oh?” she asked, voice shaking. She twisted this way and that to see if she could figure out what it was. All she saw were men working and cattle grazing in the field behind them on both sides.

  Ginny stood straighter and stepped closer to her. “I think that we’re in danger of seeing a major tragedy here today.”

  “Oh dear,” Alice answered. She focused on preparing the refreshments in front of her, on making sure the bucket and dipper were ready to go and that the barrel of lemonade Hattie had made was within reach of the men.

  “Young Jarvis told me last night that he loves you.”

  Alice froze at Ginny’s words, spoken so casually. Her mouth went dry, and try as she did, she couldn’t swallow properly.

  “H-he did?”

  “Yes.” Ginny pulled no punches. “Of course, he didn’t need to tell me. Anyone with a pair of eyes could have told me the same thing.”

  “Oh.” Alice rested her palms on the wagon bed, needing that stability to keep the world from spinning out of control.

  “And I think you love him too,” Ginny went on.

  “I… I don’t know.” Alice shook her head and chewed her lip.

  “Well, I do. I know because I’ve seen love before. I’ve see it in me.”

  Alice dared to glance sideways at the older woman.

  “Yes, I’ve been in love,” Ginny said. “I loved my Cyrus dearly. He was a good man and a treasure. Losing him was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through, mostly because it was so unexpected and it happened so soon after we were married.”

  There was enough genuine emotion and remorse in her words that Alice turned toward her and met her eyes at last.

  “So you do know,” she said just over a whisper.

  “Honey, of course I do.” Ginny rubbed Alice’s arm and gave her a smile filled with grief and understanding. “There are too many women across this great land today who know because of that blasted war.”

  A stab of guilt squeezed Alice’s heart. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

  “Nor should you need to,” Ginny agreed. “Just because someone else has lost someone, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t feel that loss deeply yourself. It’s the way we hold on to things when life tickles us to move on that makes the difference.”

  Alice bit her lip at that piece of advice. She couldn’t stop herself from seeking out Jarvis. He was working with the fence crew now, laying rails for a new section. He met her gaze for a moment and smiled, then smiled at Ginny, before going back to work. The cattle grazing in the fields wandered closer, their lowing adding to the western song in the air.

  “Let me give you a piece of advice,” Ginny said. “When love comes knocking at your door, open that door.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “No, answer it.” Ginny held up a hand to cut off Alice’s protest. “Because you never know if it’s going to knock again.”
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  Alice frowned. There was something behind those words. Fortunately, Ginny didn’t leave her guessing.

  “I was a wreck after Cyrus died. You think you’re in mourning? Well, you should have seen me. I was inconsolable. If there was mourning to be done, I was going to do it right. I was miserable. But lucky for me, there was work to be done.”

  “Yes, work helps,” Alice agreed.

  Ginny nodded, but held up her hand as if her story wasn’t done. “There was a farmer, a man who came out here in the early days and snatched up some land. Bob Kline. He was sweet and handsome, and he took a shine to me right away.”

  “He did?”

  “Yes. He brought me flowers and took me to a few dances. He asked to marry me.”

  Alice’s face lit up for a moment, then it fell. Ginny wouldn’t be standing there today if she had said yes. “What happened?”

  “I told him that I couldn’t do it, that it would betray Cyrus’s memory,” Ginny said, staring hard at Alice.

  A sinking feeling formed in the pit of Alice’s stomach. The situations were so similar, and yet a tiny part of her still believed she owed Harry… something.

  “Jarvis loves you,” Ginny repeated. “He’s a good man and a smart one. Throw your lot in with him and I believe you’ll be happy for the rest of your life. Pass him over, and you’ll end up a sour old childless spinster, meaner than a wildcat in a blizzard.”

  The unexpected image made Alice laugh in spite of the odd feeling in her gut.

  “You’re not a sour old spinster,” she insisted. “You’re an interesting, exciting woman. I think I’d like to be more like you.”

  “Heavens,” Ginny exclaimed. “Not too much like me, I hope.”

  “A little at least,” Alice insisted.

  “All right.” Ginny grinned, touching her hair. “A little admiration now and then keeps you young. But not too much. Snap that boy up, I tell you. Snap him before—”

  A loud moo from one of the cattle followed by a sharp, “Hey,” from one of the fence-builders on Jarvis’s side stopped Ginny from finishing her thought.

  Both Alice and Ginny glanced up from their conversation to find cattle walking down the slopes toward the stream. More than walking, on both sides they were clustered and pushing. Both crews had to drop what they were doing and jump out of the way to avoid being stepped on or squashed against newly constructed portions of the fence. Franklin watched them from his crate, his eyes wide and his face flushed with excitement.

  “Someone get these dang cows out of here,” one of Howard’s men shouted.

  “Aren’t they supposed to be shut up in the yard until we finish this?” one of Ginny’s men echoed.

  A flurry of curses and oaths followed. To the side of the wagon, Midnight huffed and stamped with anxiety. The horse harnessed to the front of the wagon rocked restlessly, jostling the wagon and splashing the water in the bucket.

  “Land’a’Goshen,” Ginny muttered. “We’d better get this wagon out of here before the cattle stampede.”

  “Stampede?” Alice’s heart caught in her throat.

  “Well, they don’t look worried enough for a real stampede, but that could change in no time.”

  Ginny squeezed Alice’s arm and helped her close the wagon’s tailgate, then helped her around to the front of the wagon. She mounted Midnight while Alice climbed into the wagon’s seat. As she snapped the reins over the horse’s back to move out of the way of the cattle, Alice caught Jarvis’s eyes. He was busy trying to corral the cattle with some of the other men, but his worried gaze kept drifting to her. She nodded to assure him she was all right, then drove the wagon on.

  Within minutes, what had started as a few cattle wandering down to the stream to get a drink turned into complete pandemonium.

  “Do they usually push like this?” Jarvis asked as he dodged out of the way of an insistent cow. He didn’t know the first thing about herding cattle, but at the moment that was the least of his worries.

  No one had paid the cattle much mind when they first appeared over the ridge of the low hill between Howard’s house and the stream. Jarvis figured it was normal, so he ignored them. When a few showed up from the direction of Ginny’s house, some of the men had paused their work to watch them and mutter, but Jarvis still assumed it was normal. It wasn’t until they all rushed the stream at the same time that it dawned on him something was out of place.

  At least Alice had gotten out of the way before the crush of beasts got bad. He’d been ready to drop everything and bundle her into her wagon to get her to safety. Luckily, Ginny was there to make sure Alice was safe. The moment Jarvis was sure she was out of harm’s way, he did whatever he could to help the ranch hands. They were the ones who knew what they were doing.

  They were overwhelmed in minutes.

  “Get that lot away from the fence,” Jake Masters shouted, pointing to a dozen or so cattle who were pushing closer to the exposed ends of the last section of fence Howard’s team had put up. “They’ll impale themselves on those rails if they’re not careful.”

  “See if you can get around the side and push them this way,” Ginny’s man, John Bryant, hollered, waving his arms in a wide gesture.

  Jarvis nodded and jumped around a particularly touchy cow to join others who were trying to follow John’s instructions. It was difficult work. There were dozens of cattle in the cramped space between the two fences now. In no time, they churned up the mud around the stream and knocked over sections of the fence on both sides. The more they pushed and surged into the work area, the more the fences came down.

  “No,” Franklin shouted from the sidelines, running around the two herds as they mixed together by the stream. “No, you’re supposed to stay on that side. Shoo. Shoo!” He waved his arms at the giant animals as though they were lap dogs.

  Jarvis frowned at Franklin, but there was no time to do more. The two herds were well and truly mixed up now, and the sheer volume of them was making a mess of the area where they worked. The cattle didn’t seem to know where they were going any more than the people did. Following John’s instructions, it wasn’t as hard to redirect the cattle as it could have been. The problem was that they kept coming over the hills on both sides.

  “Did someone let the whole dang herd out?” Jake boomed over the noise of lowing and shouting.

  “Doggonit, I wish we had horses right about now,” one of the other ranch hands grumbled.

  Everyone else agreed with him. To the left and right, the ground was trampled and a whole day’s work of fences came down.

  “We shoulda been watching these stupid cows instead of building this stupid fence,” another worker complained as the men did their best to steer the cattle away from the stream and out into either of the fields. “It’s gonna take all dang day to separate the herds.”

  “We shouldn’t have to separate them at all,” someone else called above the noise and mass of movement. “We should just let them roam free, like normal people would.”

  “I heard that,” Franklin shouted.

  Jarvis couldn’t even see where he was now. All he could see was cow flesh wherever he looked. He was beginning to worry that he’d be stepped on and killed if he didn’t get clean out of the way. Alice would never forgive him if he was killed.

  Just as Jarvis was considering running for cover, the cattle seemed to get the idea into their heads that the stream wasn’t the best place for them. They shifted direction and started out for the field on Ginny’s side of the property.

  “No, no, you’re going the wrong way,” Franklin yelled at them, about as useful as a tulip in a snowstorm.

  “Watch out over there,” Jake called. He’d climbed up onto one of the completed sections of fence and, with his legs wedged between two of the rails for support, was directing the whole operation. “To the left, George, to the left. Stay clear of that tree, Richie. Watch out for the—”

  Jake’s words ended in a cry of pain as some of the cattle pressed against the
fence where he was standing. Jake went down with a crash.

  “Jake!”

  The herding was forgotten for a moment as half the men broke away from what they were doing and ran to help their fallen friend. Jarvis rushed with them. They managed to reach Jake and haul him to the side before the cattle changed course and trampled the fallen bit of fence where Jake had been. They carried Jake to safety, but he growled in pain as they did. His ankle was twisted at an odd angle.

  “Broke it when the fence came down,” Jake grunted through his pain. “Heard it snap.” He followed that with a string of cursing that made Jarvis glad Alice had left the scene. Jake’s face was red and pinched, and sweat poured down his brow.

  “Someone ride out to get Doc Shaw,” one of Howard’s other men hollered.

  “This just ain’t right,” someone else muttered.

  “No, it isn’t,” Jarvis agreed.

  He stood and searched the area, looking for Franklin. Franklin stood off to the side, one hand clasped to his mouth as he glanced between Jake and the mass of cattle that were now being directed off to the other side of the stream. The boy was pale and looked as young and foolish—and guilty—as a kid playing tricks in the schoolroom. Jarvis couldn’t be certain he was responsible for the cattle. If he was, he had accomplices, but he did know one thing. Franklin was lucky no one was killed.

  “We’d better get him back to the house,” one of Howard’s men said.

  “So much for building fences,” one of Ginny’s men agreed.

  “Maybe if we’re lucky, they’ll give up the whole stupid idea altogether.”

  “Maybe,” Jarvis agreed. He couldn’t help but think he was responsible for the idea in the first place.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I don’t know what to do,” Howard admitted. “I thought this would be a bit of fun, a good, hearty competition. No one was supposed to get hurt.”

  Alice sat on the arm of one of the chairs in his parlor, watching him pace in front of the unlit fireplace. Two lanterns stood on either side of the mantle to light the room as the sun began to go down, and two more sat on small tables on either side of the room’s large sofa, where Franklin sat. Franklin had his arms crossed and a far-off, sullen expression on his young face.