Flint Hills Bride

by Cassandra Austin

  For the next half hour Emily thought about what Jake had said. Somehow she had pictured them following Anson’s tracks until they caught up with him on the trail. She realized how foolish she had been. Still she had to find Anson, and Jake was her only hope. But the longer it took to find Anson, the harder it might be to convince Jake to let them go.

  A little cluster of houses became visible from a hilltop and Emily rode on with renewed hope. If nothing else, stopping at a town broke the monotony. The road bisected the tiny village and Emily gazed curiously at the buildings. All of the shops were closed, some of them permanently. It was Sunday, she reminded herself. But that didn’t explain it entirely. “Where is everyone?” she found herself asking aloud.

  “My guess is most moved to Americus when the railroad came through,” Jake said. “There’s someone.”

  He reined his horse off the main street toward a man who had just emerged from his barn. “Good morning,” Jake called.

  The man waved and sauntered over to meet them. “What can I do for you?” he asked.

  “We were wondering if you’ve seen a man,” Jake began, dismounting. Emily slid to the ground, also, feeling she should take advantage of every opportunity to stretch her legs.

  “He would have passed by yesterday afternoon,” Jake continued. “A young man, early twenties, medium height, thin, with straight blond hair. He had a dark gray overcoat and a light gray hat. He was riding a black gelding with a white blaze and one white stocking. Might have been in a hurry.”

  Emily was a little surprised at the details in Jake’s description, but he was a lawman after all. She tucked her gloves in her waistband and untied her carpetbag, withdrawing the food Mrs. Dutton had packed for her. The morning sickness had passed some time ago, but she hadn’t wanted to slow up their travel by admitting she was hungry.

  “Rode through, like you said,” the man answered. “Then kept on going. The road ends up there at the cemetery, but I figured he was heading for one of the ranches out that way.”

  “Much obliged,” Jake said. He turned to remount when he noticed Emily. “A little early for dinner, isn’t it?”

  Emily paused with the biscuit and bacon at her lips. “About right for breakfast, though.” She took a bite and mumbled, “Want some?”

  “No, thanks.” He came around the mare and retied her bag in place. “Can you eat while you ride?”

  “Sure, hold this.” She rewrapped the sandwich and handed it to him, jumping to the stirrup and into the saddle. She had wanted to show him she was completely capable of mounting alone, but he held the food with his left hand, using the other to give her a boost as she swung aboard. He handed back her breakfast. She caught his hand before he could withdraw it. “I’m not trying to slow you down, Jake,” she said.

  He nodded but his eyes told her he was a little skeptical. She tried not to feel hurt. What reason had she given him to trust her? She watched him mount and reined her horse around to ride beside him again. When they were back on the main street, she looped the reins loosely over the saddle horn and went back to her food.

  “Did Mrs. Dutton fix you breakfast?” she asked between bites.

  “You could call it that.”

  “Wasn’t it good? This is delicious.”

  “The food was fine. The lady was not particularly friendly. What did you tell her this morning?”

  Emily looked at him sharply. She forced herself to chew, trying to look at ease. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.

  “I’ll bet.” He spurred his horse forward as it went up the slope of a hill, and Emily nearly dropped the last of the biscuit as her horse trotted to catch up.

  “I’m not responsible for any conclusions the Duttons came to,” she said. Seeing his raised eyebrows, she added, “Whatever those conclusions were.”

  He laughed. It sounded a little more cynical than she would have expected from Jake. It reminded her that they had been apart for some time prior to the past week. She had grown up. Of course he had changed, too. She was suddenly curious about his life now, but before she could ask, he spoke again.

  “You may not have lied to the Duttons, but I bet you know what they were thinking and did nothing to correct them.”

  His green eyes on her were too knowing for Emily to try to hedge. She imitated an indignant Mrs. Dutton. “What kind of man abandons a lady among strangers?” She shook her head and clucked her tongue as she supposed Mrs. Dutton might have done. She didn’t want him thinking about Mr. Dutton’s references to families.

  With the last bite in her mouth, she brushed the crumbs from her fingers and slipped her gloves back on. With the reins in hand again, she looked around her. They were up in the hills now, well above the river valley, in country rougher than that around her brother’s ranch. There were trees in the watercourses and winter-dead prairie everywhere. They were heading straight west without a trace of a road to follow.

  She couldn’t imagine Anson riding through here. He must have felt desperately alone. She looked for any signs of life and finally made out a trail of smoke above a hilltop slightly to the right. “I bet Anson headed for that,” she said, pointing.

  “My guess, as well,” Jake said. “He’d be looking for a place to spend the night.”

  “You were already watching for smoke?” she asked.

  “For some sign of a farm or ranch, yes.”

  She watched his profile as they rode toward the smoke. “Have you followed suspects before?” she asked.

  “Once or twice. But never with such charming company.”

  She knew he was teasing, but she smiled anyway. “Tell me what it’s like being a lawman.”

  Jake considered the question for a moment. “I think it’s something I always wanted to do, even when I was a boy.” He didn’t add that it wasn’t something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Emily wanted to be entertained; she didn’t want to hear about disappointments.

  “You never told me. I always thought you would raise horses like Christian.”

  “Well, I miss that a little, I admit. And I guess I never talked about it because I didn’t suppose I’d ever go ahead and leave the ranch.” Until I saw you grow into a beauty I could never have. Then I had to get away.

  “So what’s it like? Have you shot anyone?”

  He ignored the last half of the question, not wanting to talk about the one life he had taken. “Part of it’s boring,” he said. “And you get called out to listen to ridiculous disputes between neighbors. But once in a while, I feel like I’ve helped someone.”

  They reached the top of the hill and discovered the smoke was behind yet another rise. “Right now is one of those boring times,” she said. “Tell me an example of helping someone.”

  Jake smiled at her. “You’re not going to make it through weeks of tracking Berkeley if you’re bored already.”

  She shrugged.

  “All right. A story.” His first thought was the couple he had helped to town the night before he saw Emily at the train station. But he hadn’t been acting as a deputy then. Something about that story tugged at his subconscious, but it didn’t materialize. He brushed it aside when he thought of an earlier incident.

  “Just last week I rescued a kitten from a tree.” He tried to keep a straight face as she laughed. “It might not seem like much to you, but one little girl was impressed.”

  “I’ll bet she was. Did they do an article in the paper? Hero Saves Life in Treetop Rescue.”

  Jake shook his head. “I don’t seek glory, Emily dear,” he said dramatically. “I wish only to serve.”

  That brought on more laughter. They rode down the last slope toward the ranch house with Jake trying to think of more stories that would keep her laughing. All the while he wished he could be telling her his dreams.

  Emily watched the details of the ranch yard come into view. The house was built of stone, not as large as Christian’s but nice enough to give the place an air of prosperity. The other b
uildings looked neat and well cared for.

  The moment of closeness with Jake seemed to dissolve as the silence grew between them. Soon they would find out if Anson had passed this way.

  As they pulled up in the yard a young man about Emily’s age came out of the house to greet them. He was followed quickly by an older couple.

  “Passin’ through?” the young man asked, grabbing the reins and helping Emily dismount. When the man didn’t draw away from Emily, she backed up a step.

  Jake had dismounted and approached the older couple. “We’re following someone,” he said. He described Anson much as he had to the man in the little town.

  The couple nodded. “Eldon Starky,” the woman said. “He spent the night with us. Real nice fellow.”

  Emily glanced toward Jake to see his reaction. She would have loved to gloat over the man’s description of Anson as nice, but the fact that he used an assumed name took something away from the compliment.

  Jake didn’t glance in her direction, but the young man watched her with open admiration. She left the gelding in his hands and walked quickly to Jake’s side.

  “Did you hear that, honey,” Jake said, putting his arm around her. “We’re less than half a day behind Eldon.”

  For all appearances he seemed nothing more than pleased by the announcement, but the tension in his arm made her wonder if he had seen the young man’s advances. His possessiveness was certainly just for show. “My name’s Jake Rawlins and this is Emily.”

  The man took his hand. “Garvey. I’m Will and my wife’s Opal.”

  “You folks’ll stay for dinner,” the woman announced. “Billy’ll feed your horses. Come on inside.”

  As the Garveys ushered them into the house, Emily raised an eyebrow at Jake. He had let them believe she was his wife. His smile gave nothing away.

  Near a huge fireplace, Emily slipped the cloak off and chose a straight-backed chair, afraid of leaving dust on the velvet cushions of the settee. Jake, after removing his coat and gloves, stood near the fireplace. “We can’t stay long,” he told the rancher.

  “Don’t think of leaving soon, when dinner’s about ready.” Will sat down in a large leather-covered chair. A nearby table with a pipe and pouch marked the chair as his. “Nice weather for travel,” he continued. “Can’t be sure it’ll hold, though.”

  “I’ve thought of that,” Jake said. “How far north to the railroad?”

  “Twelve, fifteen miles or so. Council Grove is straight north of here. Nearest railroad is south, though. Less than ten miles to Strong.”

  Emily saw Jake cast her a speculative glance and felt her heart sink. If Jake decided to take her home, she might never find Anson. She had a strange urge to rest her hand on her still flat stomach as if to comfort her child, or herself. She gripped her hands together on her lap instead.

  “Your friend was asking the same questions,” the rancher went on. “We told him it would be better to head for the railroad, but he rode out of here going straight west. Said he was enjoying the scenery.” The memory made the rancher chuckle.

  “What’s west of here?” Jake asked.

  “Not much. A few ranches. Diamond Springs if you jog north a little. We told Eldon about a friend of ours six, eight miles farther west. Recommended he stop there for food and water. Do the same for you.”

  As Jake listened to the directions, Emily excused herself and sought out the kitchen. Thinking of going back without Anson made her too restless to sit still. “Can I help?” she asked when she found Opal working at an iron stove.

  “Sure, honey. You come stir the gravy while I check the potatoes. I tossed in a few extra when we saw you coming. Don’t have too many visitors out here. Told your friend the same thing when he rode in yesterday.”

  “How did An—Eldon seem to you?” After she asked she wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to know. Was he well? Was he scared? Did he mention a woman he had left behind?

  “He seemed fit to me,” she said. “A little saddle sore, but he tried not to let on, you know what I mean.”

  Emily stirred the gravy, wishing she understood her own reaction to news of Anson. She should be hanging on every word. She should be filled with longing to be with him again. She shouldn’t be counting herself lucky to be with Jake instead.

  “If Eldon knew you were coming along behind him,” Opal said, removing a tray of chicken from the oven where she had kept it warm, “I’m sure he would have waited. Ain’t much fun traveling all alone.”

  So she had been right when she had thought Anson would be lonely. She tried to build up more sympathy for Anson. She certainly wouldn’t want to be crossing the prairie alone.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when the woman took the spoon from her and poured the gravy into a large bowl. She had set the chicken and several other dishes on a table at the other end of the room. “Have a seat,” she said. “I’ll go call the men.”

  Billy had evidently finished with the horses and joined the men at the fireside. He led them into the kitchen. Emily had waited to take a seat, wanting to sit as close to Jake as possible—and far away from Billy.

  It worked and yet it didn’t. Billy ended up across from them where he leered and winked. She gave him one cold stare then tried her best to ignore him.

  Jake seemed oblivious to Billy’s behavior. He talked about ranching and horses, occasionally fishing for any information they might have gotten from Anson or Eldon as he called him.

  Emily listened, impressed with the way he put the old couple at ease.

  Billy’s ankle bumped hers. She slid away, trying to take up less space under the table. The leg found hers again. She looked up to discover his stomach pressed against the table. He must have been sitting on the very edge of his chair.

  A moment later the leg brushed her again. Emily resettled herself in her chair, scooting a little closer to Jake. He cast her a quizzical look. She tried to tell him with her eyes that she was being bothered by the fool across from her, but he went on with his conversation with the rancher.

  Billy grinned while he shoveled more potatoes into his mouth. He raised a piece of chicken, opened wide, and let out a cry of surprise. The next moment he disappeared.

  Everyone around the table stood to see Billy sprawled on the floor, his overturned chair lying beyond him.

  “Land sakes,” murmured his mother. “Get up and sit still.”

  “Sorry, Ma,” he muttered, brushing crumbs off his shirt as he stood. “The chair just jumped out from under me.” He retrieved his chicken leg and his chair and sat, giving Jake a speculative glare.

  The others sat back down, and Will and Jake resumed their conversation. Emily mentally measured the distance from Billy’s chair to Jake’s against the length of Jake’s legs. He must have done it. She ate cautiously, afraid a giggle would escape and choke her. She couldn’t wait to get away from the house and let out the laugh she was holding in.

  Evidently Jake didn’t want to linger, either, and a few minutes later he was thanking the Garveys and helping Emily back into the saddle. She tried to give the three a pleasant smile but found herself nearly laughing when she turned to Billy. He returned her regard with a sullen frown.

  They headed out onto the prairie, following a faint trail. When the ranch house was a safe distance behind them, Emily gave in to gales of laughter.

  “Jake,” she managed to say after a full minute, “the poor boy might have choked to death.”

  Jake was smiling but he evidently didn’t see the humor in it Emily did. “He needed to learn some manners.”

  Emily wiped tears from her eyes. “I thought you hadn’t even noticed what he was up to. Then all of a sudden—” She was overcome by another fit of laughter.

  Jake laughed with her this time, or perhaps at her. She didn’t care. It felt good to share a secret with Jake.

  “I was waiting for you to do it,” he said. “Then I realized your legs might not be long enough. He was so close to the edge all it took was a
tap.”

  “You were great,” she said. “I don’t think you even flinched. His parents never suspected you did it.”

  “Billy knows. Or I hope he does. Think about it. He was making eyes at a man’s wife with the man sitting right there. He could get shot for that.”

  “Except I’m not your wife.”

  She thought she saw something flicker in his eyes before he responded, “He didn’t know that.”

  “Well,” she said, not liking his serious tone. “I thought your response was completely fitting. It was as heroic as saving the kitten.”

  He grinned at her then. “Why thanks, ma’am. I’m glad to be of service.”

  The smile stayed on Emily’s face as they rode on in silence. The thought occurred to her that she was having a wonderful time. Jake was by far a better traveling companion than Anson had been with his complaining and flights of temper.

  Of course that would probably change in a few hours when she became tired. It happened every day. Her energy gave out, forcing her to bed for a nap. Only today there was no chance for that. How would Jake react if she asked to stop and rest? Would he suspect her of deliberately slowing them down?

  For the first time she wondered if perhaps she should have gone back as Jake had asked. Alone, Jake had a better chance of catching Anson and bringing him back to Topeka to clear his name.

  No, she decided. Without her along, Anson wasn’t going to cooperate. He would resist and end up getting hurt. Or hurting Jake. She needed to be along to see that both men remained reasonable.

  She didn’t want to acknowledge it, but in the back of her mind remained the thought that Anson wouldn’t clear his name if he went back to Topeka. That she and Anson needed to get away and start over.

  Anson had to marry her before she gave birth to a fatherless child. And somehow she would have to keep Anson out of trouble in the future. The desperate nature of her situation weighed on her, making her feel tired already. There were hours of travel ahead of her before she could even ask to rest.