“Wait...” Leo cried.
It was too late. Markin was riding away.
Chapter 13
Fiona put on another pot of coffee when she got back to the wagon. Rose’s moans and screams were still coming, but not as frequent and not as tortured. The tea must have helped Rose’s pain, but nothing had helped the way Fiona was feeling. With every sound Rose made, Fiona felt guilty. How could she be so crass and insensitive? Poor Rose was suffering excruciating pain and had been for what seemed like hours. Now all her friend could think about was how handsome and appealing Rose’s husband was.
She grabbed a cup and poured coffee for herself. What was she going to do? She couldn’t leave the train and go back to Independence. Luther Markin was probably still there and she was sure he hadn’t given up the idea of kidnapping Joey. Besides, everything she and her nephew owned was tied up in this wagon. If she went somewhere else, they would be paupers. She had to stay with this wagon train. And she definitely had to control her feelings.
Before she could think any further, Mattie stuck her head out of the wagon. “Fiona, you out here?”
“I’m right here.”
“Rose wants to talk to you.”
“I’ll be right there.”
As she headed for the wagon, Clint walked up. ”What’s happening?”
“Rose wants to talk to me.” She smiled at him. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. I made some fresh coffee. Have a cup.”
“Thanks, Fiona.” Clint took the cup from her hand and headed to the fire.
“Come on, Fiona.” Mattie reached down her hand to help Fiona into the wagon.
Fiona was shocked to see Rose. She was a tired sweating woman writhing on the bed made between the supplies. Her face was pale and her black hair was matted to her forehead. Quickly Fiona knelt beside the bed and took Rose’s hand. “You wanted to see me?”
Rose cried then bit her lip and Fiona noticed the blood there. She must have been biting it during her worst pain. When the pain subsided, Rose lessened her grip on Fiona’s hand. “It’s worse than I ever thought it would be.”
Tears came to Fiona’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, Rose. I wish I could do something to help you.”
“I think I’m going to die, Fiona.”
“Don’t say that. You’re going to be fine. When the little fellow decides to make his appearance, you’ll forget all of this.”
“I don’t think so, that’s why I have to...oh...” Her hand tightened on Fiona’s again. When she eased, she went on. “I don’t think I can take much more of this, but I feel like my baby will be fine even if he is a little early.”
“Please, Rose. You and the baby both are going to be fine. You and Clint will have a long happy life and will have many more children.”
“I know you’re trying to cheer me up, but I haven’t told you everything. Please let me talk.”
“All right, Rose.”
“I have a huge favor to ask of you.”
“Of course. I’ll do anything I can.”
“If I don’t make it...”
“Don’t say that.”
“Please don’t interrupt, Fiona. As I was saying, I want you to promise me something.”
“Of course, Rose. What do you want me to promise you?”
“I want your word that if I die, you’ll take care of my baby.”
“Oh!” Fiona gasped.
“Promise me, Fiona.”
“You’re not going...”
“Please. I want you to take care of my baby if I don’t make it.”
“Rose, you’re going to be fine and I’m sure Clint will take care of both you and the baby.”
“He might and he might not, but the baby will need a woman.” She paused to fight the pain of another contraction. It ended and she went on, “I think he’ll help you raise it, Fiona. Clint likes you and we both know how good you are with Joey. You’re meant to be a mother.”
“Rose...”
Rose screamed, arched her back and collapsed on the mattress. “Promise me,” she cried out in gasps. “Please.”
“Yes, Rose. I promise. I’ll be there for your child.”
“You heard her, Mattie. She promised.”
“I heard it, Rose. Now let’s get that little critter here as quick as we can.” Mattie touched Fiona’s shoulder. “Go on, honey. I’ll see to her now.”
Fiona climbed out of the wagon and leaned against the side before she let the tears consume her. She began to pray without speaking. Please, God. Take care of Rose. She’s a wonderful woman and will make a great mother. Her baby needs her and so does Clint. I promise you if you’ll let Rose live, nobody will ever know I have feelings for Clint. No matter what I feel, she needs him and I can make it on my own. Take care of her and I’ll help her in any way I can.
She would have prayed longer, but Rose let out an earsplitting scream and then all became quite. Fiona froze. She looked around and Clint was heading toward the wagon.
“What’s wrong, Fiona? I know something’s wrong.”
“I don’t know.” Fiona’s heart was pounding. She reached out and touched his arm. “Wait here, Clint. I’ll see what’s happening.”
“No, I...”
“Please.”
He nodded and she started to the back of the wagon, but stopped when the air was suddenly filled with the sound of a baby’s cry.
In a matter of minutes, Hannah stuck her head out the back. She smiled at them. “Congratulations, Clint. You have a beautiful baby girl. Mama is cleaning her up and you can see your daughter and your wife shortly.”
“Is Rose...”
“Rose is exhausted, but she’s fine.”
“Oh, thank you, God,” Fiona whispered.
“Yes,” Clint said as he put his arm around Fiona’s shoulder. “I’m thankful she and the baby are all right. For a while there I wondered. She seemed to be in so much pain.”
“They say the mama doesn’t remember the pain when she holds the baby in her arms.” She eased away from him, determined to keep her promise to God.
“That’s good.”
“A little girl. How wonderful.” Fiona smiled. “Do you have any girl names picked out?”
“Rose thought she’d have a boy so she never mentioned girl names.”
“I hope you’re not disappointed.”
“Not at all. I just hope she looks like Rose and not the father.”
“I’m sure she’ll be beautiful.”
“Thank you for all the help you’ve been, Fiona.” He gave her a serious look. “I know we’re asking a lot of you now, but Rose is going to need your help more than ever.”
“I’ll do anything I can, Clint. Joey will do his part, too. He’s going to feel like this little girl is his cousin.”
Hannah pushed back the flap and stepped out of the wagon. “You can go to your family now, Clint.”
Clint handed his coffee cup to Fiona and climbed inside.
Fiona looked at Hannah as the young woman came to stand beside her. “Is Rose really all right? She looked so bad when I was inside.”
“She’s exhausted and she’s going to need to rest a lot in the coming days. What she’s gone through is bound to leave her weak for some time, but with loving care, she should be fine.”
“I hope so, Hannah. I’ll do everything I can to help her.”
“We all will, Fiona.” Hanna stretched. “I guess I better get over to our wagon and check on Sarah and the kids.”
“When you get ready to bed down, send Joey over. I’ll probably sleep in the tent with him tonight so Clint can stay with Rose.”
Hannah grinned at her. “I may even bring him back and get myself a cup of fresh coffee. It sure smells good.”
“Help yourself.”
Mattie exited the wagon. “What a cute baby we have here. Little thing has a head full of black hair like Rose’s.”
“I can’t wait to see her,” Fiona said.
“You don’t have to wait, honey. Rose said to se
nd you in.”
Fiona didn’t hesitate. She sat the coffee cup down on a rock and climbed into the wagon. She had to smile when she saw Clint sitting cross-legged beside the mattress. He was holding his wife’s hand and grinning at the small bundle snuggled to Rose’s breast.
He glanced up when Fiona moved beside him. “Want to see the little one?”
“I sure do.” She dropped down beside Clint.
Rose pulled back the blanket her baby was swaddled in. “She’s beautiful, Fiona.”
Fiona reached over and touched a tiny cheek. “She sure is, Rose.”
“As soon as she finishes her first meal, you can hold her.”
“Oh, I’d love to.” Fiona laughed. “For such a wee one, she sure seems to be hungry.”
“It only took her a few seconds to latch on.” Rose’s voice was weak. “She’s going to be a healthy baby.”
* * * *
“Boy, Uncle Clint, Aunt Rose’s baby sure is little. I thought it’d be bigger.” Joey turned over in his bedroll and looked at Clint stretched out beside him in the tent.
“It’ll grow, Joey. We all started out little.”
“As little as her?”
“About as little.”
“What you going to call her, Uncle Clint?”
“Rose said something about Hope.”
“That’s a strange name.”
“I think she looks at the baby as hope for the future.”
“Oh.” Joey turned over again. “How long will it be before she can talk?”
“Probably a couple of years.”
“Gosh. That’s a long time.”
“I think it’s about average for babies.”
There was a short pause then Joey said, “My mama was going to have a baby, but somebody killed her and the baby died.”
Clint wasn’t sure what to say. Of course, he’d figured out earlier Fiona wasn’t Joey’s mother, but he was sure the woman loved the boy. Now he wondered if Joey realized he was confessing the charade to him. Finally he mumbled, “It must be sad for you, Joey.”
“It is. I miss her.”
“I’m sure you do.”
“They killed Daddy, too. I miss him.”
Clint wanted to ask him how his parents died, but he didn’t want to upset the boy any more. In fact, he wanted to change the subject. “I’m glad you have Fiona to love you.”
“Yes. She loves me and I love her. She’s all the family I’ve got now.”
“Is she your sister, Joey?”
“No. She’s too old. She’s my aunt.”
Clint smiled into the darkness at Joey’s assessment that Fiona was old. The woman was probably still in her teens. “Was she your mother’s sister?”
“No. My daddy’s. Her name’s Webb, just like mine and Daddy’s.”
“I thought she was related to you.”
Joey suddenly said, “Oh, no. I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone Aunt Fiona wasn’t my mother.”
“It’s okay, Joey. I’d figured it out.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“Of course not. I know you told everyone she was your ma so it’d be easier to get on the wagon train.”
“Aunt Fiona said it was pretend so we could get away from old Mr. Markin.”
“Well, we’ll pretend as long as you want to.”
“Good. I hope Aunt Fiona don’t get mad at me, but I like pretending you’re my Uncle Clint.”
There were several moments when neither spoke. Clint was wondering if he should approach the subject with Joey. After all, the kid was young and probably didn’t know what had gone on between his Aunt and this man she feared so much.
Finally his curiosity got the better of him and he asked, “Joey, why does this Markin man want to catch up with you and Fiona so badly?”
“I don’t know for sure. I think he wants me to work on his farm, but none of the boys he has there last long. I heard Mrs. Hayes at the general store tell Mama one time that just because Luther Markin said he found good homes for the boys who worked for him she thought he actually sold them as slaves.” He paused. “Do you think he would have sold me as a slave, Uncle Clint?”
“I don’t know, Joey, but I’m sure there are a lot of people who would like for you to be their son.”
“I want to stay with Aunt Fiona and you and Aunt Rose.”
“And that’s exactly what you’re going to do. I’ll see to it.” Clint’s voice was firm.
“Good.” Joey yawned.
“I see you’re getting sleepy.”
“No, I’m not.”
Clint smiled at the denial. “Well, I am. Do you mind if I doze off?”
“I don’t mind,” Joey said with another yawn.
“Goodnight, then.”
“Goodnight, Uncle Clint.” Joey turned over.
Clint was sure the boy was asleep within minutes. It took Clint a little longer. He was thinking about Markin and the life he’d planed for Joey. Clint had known some hardened men in his time, but he didn’t think he’d ever known one as bad as Luther Markin was shaping up to be.
As he began to drift into sleep, he vowed the man would never get his hands on Joey or Fiona. He’d kill Markin if there was no other way to protect them.
* * * *
A soft whimper woke Fiona. It was still dark outside so she knew it wasn’t morning.
Rose stirred. “I think she’s hungry.”
“I’ll get her.” Fiona got to her knees, lit the lantern, turned it low, and reached into the basket beside their pallet. She lifted the baby into her arms and felt the soft fuzzy hair tickle her nose as she held her up and turned to place her at Rose’s breast.
Immediately the little girl latched on.
Rose laughed. “Looks like she’s going to be a little pig.”
There was enough light in the wagon for Fiona to see Rose stroke the baby’s head and smile. “I told Clint I wanted to name her Hope. What do you think?”
“I think it’s a wonderful name. With parents like you and Clint, this baby will grow up with a lot of hope for a wonderful life.”
“Clint said he liked the name fine.” Rose looked down at her daughter. “How would you like to be Hope, sweetheart?” When the baby gurgled against her breast, Rose added, “Since you seem to agree, your name is Hope Fiona Larson. We’ll call you Hope.”
Fiona gasped. “Rose, I can’t believe...”
“Shh, Fiona. Other than Clint, you’ve been the best friend I’ve ever had. I want my little girl to have your name.”
“I’m honored, Rose.”
“Good. Then it’s settled.”
“But what if Clint...”
“Clint will love the idea. You’re special to him, too.”
“Thank you for the honor, Rose.”
Rose didn’t answer. She was humming a soft lullaby to her baby and seemed to be in a world of her own.
When the baby had finished eating, Fiona put her back in the basket, blew out the lantern, and lay back on the pallet beside Rose. She would have talked to her companion, but Rose’s soft breathing told Fiona the exhausted woman had gone back to sleep.
Fiona lay back and let the darkness envelope her. She willed her eyes to close. As she was drifting off she thought, I know I’ll never have Clint’s child, but his daughter will bear my name. That will be enough.
Chapter 14
The next morning Wade Fillmore was trying to start a fire so they could at least make coffee. “I can’t get this damn thing to light.”
“How are we going to fix anything to eat?”
“If you’d gather some dry sticks maybe I can get it going.”
“There aren’t any sticks around here.”
When Wade didn’t answer, Leo went on, saying, “Do you think Markin will come back, Wade?”
“I don’t know. If he doesn’t, we’ll wait for the next wagon train.”
“That means Rose is getting farther and farther away.”
“We know where she is now. We’l
l eventually catch up with her.”
“I don’t understand, Wade. Why are you not as anxious to catch up with Rose as I am?”
“I intend to catch up with my daughter, Leo, but she’s been gone several months and a few more days won’t make a difference. I want to make sure the man over there on the ground is going to be all right.”
Leo glanced at Mac. “Why? He means nothing to us.”
Wade stared at his partner. He wondered if he’d ever really known this man. In Baltimore he was a good businessman who cared about people. He’d become almost part of the family since he’d lost his wife and children. Now he seemed to be an individual who cared nothing about anyone he came in contact with.
Wade didn’t answer Leo’s question. Instead he asked, “Tell me something. Why did you snatch a little girl from the wagon train?”
Leo looked flabbergasted. “I told you Markin took the girl.”
“And that was a lie. You took her. I want to know why.”
Leo bit his thin bottom lip. He looked away from Wade and finally said, “I thought we needed somebody to do the cooking. We’re sure no good at it and she was the only one who I could get to at the wagon train.”
“My god, Leo. Don’t you know she was someone’s kid and they’d come looking for her?”
“I wanted to get Rose, but Markin wouldn’t let me go looking for her.”
Wade took a deep breath. “Sometimes I wish I’d left you in Baltimore.”
“Don’t say that, Wade. I have to help get Rose back.”
“If you keep doing things without thinking you’re going to alert Larson we’re here. He might take off with Rose and we’d never find her.”
“No! We have to find Rose.” Leo’s eyes took on a strange light and his nostrils flared. “I want her back home where we can look after her properly.”
Wade eyed him, but only muttered, “We’ll get her back. I only want to do it right.”
Mac let out a moan and Wade moved from the campfire to him. Leo stood where he was wringing his hands. He mumbled, “I sure hope this cowboy dies soon so I can get on with rescuing Rose.”
* * * *
Because of the dust stirred up by the train, the rule was made for the wagons to rotate daily. The one in back took the front position and the one in front moved to the rear, giving everyone a dust-free day. Things changed after Rose gave birth. The group got together and decided the dust wouldn’t be good for the new baby. They voted that until the baby was a few weeks older, the back wagon to take second place and let the Larson’s wagon be the leader each day.
Fiona's Journey Page 12
