by Merry Farmer
A new problem hit Graham. Denver City. Oregon City. The parting of the ways was drawing near. There hadn’t been time to talk to Estelle about how they would handle it yet. He assumed they would go on to Denver City and Lynne’s place. It was the obvious choice after all that had happened. His gaze zeroed back in on Estelle.
As if he too had noticed the same conundrum, Pete rode up to Graham’s side. “Graham, I been meaning to talk to you about something.”
Jackal danced to the side as they faced Pete, but Graham hardly noticed. He stilled the horse on instinct alone, mind elsewhere as he sought out Estelle on the raft. She stood to the side rather than sitting in the wagons’ seat, watching the ferrymen work. She lifted her head, spotted him, and waved. How was he supposed to apologize to Pete for stealing his cook?
“About Estelle,” he started, swallowing his guilt.
“Yeah. Exactly. About Estelle. I know you’re headed to your sister’s in Denver City, and since Estelle feels it’s her obligation to stay with the wagon train until the end, like I hired her for….”
“She what?” Graham’s chest tightened.
Pete winced, settling his mount when it danced to the side. “She didn’t tell you?”
“About her job? She hasn’t said anything. I assumed….” He blew out a breath.
Pete muttered a curse, wiping his forehead with his sleeve under his hat. “Well, she was pretty clear with me that she wasn’t going to Denver City. I wasn’t sure if you were going to take your sister’s thing to her and then catch up or meet her in Oregon, or if she was going to take the train back to Denver City.”
“We haven’t discussed it.” Though clearly they would need to now. Knowing that Estelle had made a decision that big without talking to him caught Graham in the crosshairs between anger and anxiety.
He solved the tangle by sighing, “I’m not crazy about the idea of letting her continue on to Oregon City now that everyone knows the truth.”
Pete nodded. “I figured. But I also know you’d hate to lose out on the opportunities Clarence Nelson is handing you too, and since he’s headed to Oregon….”
Nelson. Graham had hardly had time to think about the man in the last few days. He’d been focused on Estelle and her problems. He hadn’t crossed paths with Nelson since Estelle’s secret had gotten out. That in itself was worrying. He needed what Nelson could give him in order to provide for Estelle. The whole thing was a huge muddle.
“You know,” Pete began. “You wouldn’t be the only one changing their mind about where they’re going.”
“I wouldn’t?”
Pete grinned. “Miss Josephine has decided it’s her duty to stay with the wagon train ’til the end to make sure all the orphans are adopted.”
“I’m sure.” Graham smirked, certain her real motivation was Pete.
“What’s more, I’m about to lose a couple members of my crew. The ones taking half the train to Denver City.”
Graham twisted to face him, frowning in confusion.
Pete wore a mischievous grin as he went on. “I could use another crew member.” He met Graham’s eyes. “Want the job? It’ll mean you’ll have to come all the way to trail’s end with us.”
Yes. Graham’s heart raced with the perfectness of Pete’s offer. It was exactly what he needed to buy him the time to sort out his future and Estelle’s troubles.
Reality set in a moment later, and he frowned.
“What use would you have for a cripple with no experience on the trail?” he asked.
“Oh, I’m sure we can find something,” Pete replied with a wink.
“But my sister’s things,” Graham went on, an avalanche of reasons why Pete’s plan wouldn’t work sliding down on him. “She’s expecting me to take them to her in Denver City. I might be able to drive that wagon to Oregon City, but what would I do with it once I got there? How would I ship it all back?”
Pete shrugged. “Seems to me that if I hire you, I could spare one of the others to deliver your sister’s things to her. I’m sure James or Ted would be willing to do it for a nominal fee.”
A whole new world of possibility grabbed hold of Graham. It wouldn’t let him go.
“You think one of them would do it?” he asked.
“I’m pretty sure they could be persuaded,” Pete answered. He nodded and grinned at Graham. “Besides,” he added, smile dropping. “Josephine would flay me alive if I let the two of you split up, even if only for a few months.”
Graham clenched his jaw. “We’re not splitting up.”
A whole other world of worry seized Graham’s gut. Could that be why Estelle had been so quiet for the last few days? Was she going to break their engagement just because Isaiah had let the cat out of the bag?
Fury at Isaiah battled with the need to sit Estelle down and have a long talk with her. The only way he’d be able to have that talk was if he took Pete up on his offer.
“All right,” Graham said, scowling at Isaiah on the other side of the river as he drove one of the crew wagons onto a raft. His gaze traveled on to Estelle, but only softened by a hair. “I’ll join your crew and hire one of your men to deliver Lynne’s things to her.” As Pete nodded, Graham added, “But I won’t let Estelle go.”
Chapter Fourteen
The parting of the ways between wagons going to Denver City and those going to Oregon came sooner than Estelle expected it. She still hadn’t mustered the courage to tell Graham her decision to leave him—not when he was showering her with support and affection in spite of the harsh stares and whispers that surrounded her. She’d helped him get back on a horse, and now he rode on their journey, a mischievous spark in his eyes, full of life. Her heart overflowed every time she saw him. Doing the right thing had never been so hard.
“You’ll be a washing expert before we reach Oregon City,” she told Tim as they did their laundry in a tributary of the Platte. The chore was meant to be a distraction, a delay, but it had only raised another issue.
Tim smiled up to her, holding up Graham’s shirt, which he’d just scrubbed clean—or clean enough. He still hadn’t spoken aloud, but his expression, the love and dependence in his eyes, said volumes.
What was she to do about Tim?
“Wherever you end up in this world, sweetheart, you’ll be loved and admired.” Her throat squeezed with the words. She couldn’t tell Tim that he would have to search for a new mother and father, a permanent mother and father, any more than she could tell Graham he was better off without her burdening him.
Tim replied by wading out of the river to drape Graham’s shirt on the edge of the laundry basket to await wringing while he fetched another.
“Hmph.” Viola Riley’s snort of derision sounded from farther down the stream. “If that isn’t shameful, I don’t know what is.”
Try as she did to ignore Viola as she spoke to Ruth, Estelle couldn’t stop from hearing them.
“A dear child like that in the care of such a woman,” Ruth tsked.
Estelle clenched her jaw. Only a few weeks ago, Tim had been ‘one of those vile orphans’ and not a dear sweet child.
“I think something should be done about it,” Ruth went on. “I’ll have a word with the trail council.”
Estelle sucked in her breath. The trail council. Clarence Nelson had wanted to call a meeting of the trail council as soon as they’d crossed the river, no doubt to pass judgment on her. Estelle didn’t need to ask or be told that she wasn’t a member of the council anymore, it was a given. Pete had shot the idea down, though, telling Nelson that there was too much to do before they reached the parting of the ways. Estelle wanted to think that Pete would put an end to the council altogether if Nelson tried to use it to cause trouble, but Pete needed to keep order, and men like Nelson were hard to deny.
“Let’s wring the rest of the laundry up closer to the camp,” Estelle told Tim once he finished the last shirt. She glanced down to Ruth and Viola—who were eyeing her with sharp suspicion—then smiled at Tim.
Tim nodded. The two of them dragged the heavy basket of wet laundry away from the river and prying eyes. They found a spot that was sheltered by wagons and set about wringing the clothes.
“Here you are.” Graham found them and limped into their work area only a few minutes later. “I was looking for the two of you.”
“Oh?” Estelle flushed hot. Every one of Graham’s smiles made it that much harder to do what she needed to do.
Graham hobbled to Tim and ruffled his hair. “I’ve got news for you.”
Tim peeked up at him, cherubic face expectant. A flutter of anticipation filled Estelle’s gut.
“I’ve got a job,” Graham went on.
“A job?” Estelle lowered the skirt she’d been wringing and blinked.
“Yep. Here on the wagon train. Pete’s hired me on from here to Oregon City.”
“But—” Relief and shock warred in Estelle’s gut. In the wagon train? All the way to the end? “But what about your sister’s things?” It was too good to be true, and too wrong to let her be happy.
Graham shrugged. “I’ve written a letter to Lynne explaining. Ted has offered to drive the wagon to her. I said I’d pay him what I could, but he won’t hear of it. Says Pete pays him enough already, and besides, he’d like to help out a soldier.”
“Oh.” There was nothing else Estelle could say. She glanced to Tim. He seemed as happy as a clam, which poured bitter-sweetness through her.
“So there will be no need for us to figure out which way we should go,” Graham went on. His voice held an edge, and he met Estelle’s eyes with no nonsense. “We won’t have to be apart, even temporarily.”
He knew what she’d been plotting. Estelle let out a breath and lowered her head. Pete must have told him that she’d asked to go on to Oregon. Or else Graham, being Graham and so close to her heart, had figured it out. What must he think of her now?
“Look, Estelle, I understand that you’re frightened,” Graham began, stepping toward her.
He was cut off as Freddy and Muriel Chance zipped through their workspace, waving strips of cloth like flags or kites behind them. A moment later, Olivia came dashing after them, puffing and pink with exertion. She stopped to catch her breath by Estelle’s side. Estelle had never been so glad for an interruption in her life.
“I don’t know what it is, but they seem to find more energy with every mile we travel,” Olivia said. She pressed a hand to her heart and wiped a damp tendril of hair from her face.
“What are they carrying?” Estelle asked.
Olivia sent her a wary, tight-lipped look. “They got hold of one of Josephine’s old petticoats and cut it into streamers,” she said, as grim as if they had enlisted the help of a band of wild Indians to do it.
“Where is Josephine?” Estelle went on, searching across the tightly-clustered wagons for her.
Olivia’s face grew even redder. “I don’t know,” she clipped.
Estelle arched a brow. She’d forgive her friend the lie. She knew, all right, but clearly she didn’t want to tell. Estelle could guess. Pete and Josephine had been getting very close in the last few weeks. It was only natural that they would want to spend time together, just as, at heart, she wanted to be with Graham.
With a sigh that had nothing to do with the conversation in front of her, Estelle let her shoulders drop. There was no use fighting what her heart wouldn’t let her wriggle away from now. She belonged with Graham, and he with her.
“I was wondering where Pete’d gone off to,” Graham said as though nothing was wrong.
Still blushing, Olivia said, “If you need him, I… I suppose you could interrupt him, but—”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied.
The mischief in his eyes shifted to Estelle. She smiled. She couldn’t help it. Trouble waited around every corner they would turn, but they would turn them together.
“I’d better catch those children,” Olivia said. She took a breath, squared her shoulders, and pushed on in the direction Freddy and Muriel had gone.
Graham and Estelle were left alone. A thousand thoughts danced on the tip of Estelle’s tongue, but she couldn’t speak a single one of them. She could only drag her eyes up to meet Graham’s, hoping he could forgive her.
Graham took a shuffling step closer to her. “My wagon is going with Ted,” he said. He was close enough to reach for her hand, and Estelle let him take it. “That means I’ll have to share the crew wagon with… the other crew members.” His eyes danced with mischief.
In spite of herself, Estelle burst into a warm grin. “Keep your thoughts where they should be, Graham Tremaine,” she scolded.
“Always.” He inched closer to her, lifting her hand to kiss it.
Estelle’s heart turned over in her chest. A love like they shared would either make the world a better place or bring it down around their ears.
The moment Graham had been dreading for days finally came about early the next morning, as the wagon train was setting up for breakfast and preparing to move out. Estelle and Tim were still asleep under the supply wagon, away from prying eyes. Pete hadn’t been seen since the night before, when he’d gone on a walk with Josephine. Isaiah was up, keeping his distance from Graham but watching him with wary eyes as he replaced a wheel on the second crew wagon. That left Graham doing his best to make coffee as Clarence Nelson strode up to him.
“Graham,” Nelson greeted him, expression grim.
Graham straightened from his seat near the fire. His muscles ached with wary anticipation. “Mr. Nelson.” He nodded.
At the last minute, as Nelson pulled over a crate and took a seat beside Graham at the fire, his expression cleared to a smile. “It’s turned into quite the interesting trail journey, hasn’t it?”
Graham drew in a slow breath. He finished pouring the coffee grounds from the hand-grinder into the tin coffee pot, then set the pot over the fire. At last, he nodded to Nelson and said, “Depends on how you look at it, I guess.”
Nelson chuckled. “Wild orphans, freak storms, high-stakes poker games, and women turning out to be someone they’re not.”
There it was. Graham’s gut tightened at the statement. He tilted his head to the side, schooling his expression to neutrality, choosing his words carefully.
“Of course, a politician and governor will encounter all sorts of problems like this,” Nelson went on before Graham could say anything. “I’ve seen some sticky situations in my day back East, and from all reports I hear, the West is even more hectic. A good leader has to know how to handle these things, how to make the best decisions.”
Everything Graham had planned to say to defend Estelle slipped his mind. Suspicion and prejudice still hung heavily around Nelson, but Graham was no longer sure where he truly stood. “I understand,” he said, though if he was being honest, he didn’t.
Nelson’s smile widened. “Good, good. Because we can’t let emotions get in the way of these sorts of things.”
“Emotions?” Those same emotions flared in Graham’s chest. He still couldn’t grasp how to set Nelson down without making an enemy.
“Exactly,” Nelson went on. “So you understand that sometimes in politics, we have to give up something we might want, something we might crave for base reasons, to keep up the appearances we need to do our job effectively.”
Graham opened his mouth, but still he couldn’t work out how to counter Nelson’s argument. Was the man suggesting he only wanted Estelle for carnal reasons? Clearly he thought she would be a drawback to anyone with political aspirations, but in his heart, Graham simply didn’t believe that argument.
“So I’ll be looking for you to do the right thing,” Nelson continued. He slapped Graham on the back, then stood. “Sooner rather than later.”
“What do you want me to do?” Graham called after him as he left.
Nelson pivoted back to him. “I think you know, son. And I think you know why you need to do it. One bad apple spoils the barrel.”
&n
bsp; He touched a hand to his forehead as though tipping his hat, then strode off, cheerful smile in place.
Graham frowned after him. Yes, Nelson was a born politician. No one else could twist words and say so much without saying anything at all. Even now, Graham was only mostly certain that he’d just been ordered to put Estelle aside in order to continue to enjoy the man’s support. Not entirely sure.
The idea of brushing Estelle off because of her past and her heritage was out of the question, as far as Graham was concerned. But giving up the potential for a future he could actually tackle, a future that would enable him to help people, wasn’t easy to brush off either. He leaned over, checking on the coffee, stewing in his thoughts. He didn’t like Nelson, but the question remained about whether he needed him.
The sour taste that the conversation left him with continued to plague Graham as the rest of the camp woke up. He managed to fake a smile for Estelle once she and Tim were buzzing around the camp, working on their own chores. He kept the encounter to himself, in spite of the fact that Isaiah kept staring at him, as if he’d overheard the whole thing.
It wasn’t until after breakfast, when Estelle and Tim had gone off to help Lucy sort out her laundry in preparation for moving on, that Isaiah dared to approach him.
“Are you planning to ride again today?” Isaiah asked.
Graham couldn’t read whether he was teasing or serious.
“I am,” he answered, but only because any other answer would have made him look weak.
“We’d best see to the horses then,” Isaiah went on. He took one last swig of coffee, then stood, setting his mug aside, and strode on to where the crew horses were tethered to a post closer to the fort.
Graham gulped the last of his own coffee, then got up to follow. He was a member of the crew now, after all, and whatever his personal antipathy toward Isaiah, he was a senior crew member.
