The Lady Train (Brides of the West Book 16)

by Rita Hestand

  "Really, I'll try to remember that." She started to walk away.

  "Abby," the way he called her name, had her turning to look at him. "You've been pretty standoffish since the snake incident. You could have easily slapped my face for that. I wouldn't have blamed you."

  Again, her cheeks flushed. "You don't slap someone when they save you from being bitten."

  "Is that why you didn't?" he asked standing very still and watching her facial features change quickly.

  "No," she barely uttered and hurriedly walked away.

  He wanted to go after her and ask what she meant by that, but he knew better. Instead he stood there wishing she had told him why. Wishing he'd held her tighter, closer, and maybe even kissed her again. But that wasn't wise, he kept telling himself. It was damn hard being the boss of a bunch of beautiful young women, especially one as pretty as Miss Abby.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The desert was only a five-day journey and Cully dreaded it. It would be one of the worst five days they had made during the trip. Strangely though a peacefulness settled over the people and wagon the night before and Cully found himself indulging in stargazing. Most everyone had bedded down for the night. Someone in a far wagon, played a soft tune and sang a song. Cully smiled. He liked it when people settled out like that.

  Abby saw him and watched him from a distance.

  Cully found a place a bit of a distance from the wagons, spread his blanket and laid his head on his saddle and watched the bright twinkling of the stars. Slug came to lay beside him and Cully pet him absently. The night was a little chilly as they were fast approaching the desert arid air.

  "Well, you certainly look comfortable. "Abby remarked as she passed a safe distance away.

  "Look up there, it's one of the clearest night's I've seen."

  Abby stared up at the stars. She saw them twinkle and was mesmerized for a moment. She felt herself shrinking away as she gazed at the mass of them. "Makes you feel kind of small and unimportant, doesn't it?" She remarked.

  "Yeah, a little, but it also makes you realize that our problems aren't any bigger than what we make them too."

  "My, you're in a very optimistic mood." She caught herself smiling.

  "Well," he raised a knee and dug his boot into the soft earth. "I won't lie to you and tell you we've got smooth traveling the next few days. I will tell you I'm going to push this train to get through the desert quickly and with as little problems as I can. But, at least I'll have enjoyed a night to relax."

  "Is it really that bad? The desert?"

  "It's pretty bad. The desert is dry, hot and unbearable by the second day. We make it through the desert, we'll be washed up tired from the heat, lack of water and trying to beat the death the sun brings, only to have to fight the lack of trails and hardship of the Sierra's. But I'm kind of counting on you women to spur us on." He shot her a quick smile. "I need all of you to be strong and hardy through this last trek."

  "What do you mean?" She looked puzzled.

  "Your mail-order brides, and you've got a real purpose for this trip. I will count on your determination to actually get us through. You have a dream, Abby, of a better life over those rugged mountains. I aim to see you find that dream. And it will be your own will to succeed that will make it a success. And your strength will spur the rest onward."

  "You're counting a lot on us then." She came closer.

  "Sure, I have to. I believe the will to make it, is the greatest power humans have in this world. Don't you?"

  "Never thought about it." She stood almost over him now, looking down at him. "Is it really that hard to make it?"

  "Honey, I can't tell you how hard."

  His slip of the tongue had her staring at him.

  "Look, so far, this trip has been rather pleasant for us. Not too many problems, everyone cooperating, no fighting, no grunts and groans from the trip. But we've managed to have it easy. From here on, it won't be. We've got time on our side; the animals aren't showing any signs of winter coming on or having a bad winter either. We've got a real reason to get there, and a lot of determined women. That's all in our favor."

  "What about the others, the other train?" She asked, folding her shawl around her now.

  "I don't know about them. But I figure with you women leading, they can't help but follow. I gotta tell you so far you've all been hard working, not complaining and I’m proud to have brought you this far." He said in a husky voice.

  "I guess all considered, we haven't had as much trouble as some, have we?"

  "No, not near the trouble the wagon train in front of us had. A lot were taken with the Cholera. There were graves all along the way. We, on the other hand, had the usual break downs, and delays, the usual storms. Luck with the Indians, no outlaws and no diseases. I'd say we were remarkably lucky. But the rest of the trail isn't going to be as easy. You can fight a lot of things, Abby, but you can't fight the weather. It is what it is. There will be days of back breaking work, almost like hard labor."

  "You aren't painting a very nice picture." She said softly.

  "No ma'am, I'm not. Tell me, where did you people start off from?" Cully asked changing the subject.

  He spread the blanket and encouraged her to sit with him.

  She stared, then slowly joined him, sitting beside him as he lay on the other side of the blanket.

  "We came from the other side of Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Our community was small, didn't even have a proper name, but it was about forty miles east of Brownsville. There was a big outfitter in Brownsville, we were told, that's why we went there, and we pooled our money together to buy the wagons and supplies we would need. I set aside the wagon master pay and added supplies we would need and split the rest of it with the others so we'd all have an even chance. We came down the Ohio River, on flatboats to St. Louis, and there to Independence."

  "What happened to your first wagon master?"

  "He caught the scarlet fever, he was very sick but insisted we go on and find a wagon master. That's when we stopped at Council Bluffs and I found you."

  He glanced over at her. "I guess you were disappointed that Seth didn't want to take you, huh?"

  "I was shocked he wasn't interested, but since he just came from a trip back, I could understand. I wasn't happy about it, but, I understood. He's getting up in age, maybe he needs to rest between trips. I can certainly understand that better now."

  She bended her knees and wrapped her arms around them. The air was chilly.

  "Are you cold?"

  "No, I'm fine…" she began but he raised up and curled a portion of the blanket around her. The act brought them closer and she turned her head when he tucked the blanket into her hands. The touch of his hands against hers, made her warm instantly. And they lingered there for a moment, holding them. She held her breath. They were inches from a kiss but they both seemed to think better of it.

  A strange disappointment stirred in her heart. On one hand she wanted that kiss, on the other, she was afraid of what it might mean.

  Regret mingled between them.

  "Are you afraid of me?" He asked softly.

  "N-no, of course not." She started to deny it, but the look on her face, as the firelight and moonlight illuminated it told him differently.

  "You always seem to back off from me, and I can't help but think it's because you are afraid of me." He continued to stare at her.

  "It's not you…" she assured him.

  "Then what is it?" he asked just as softly.

  "Mr. Cully," she turned her head to stare into his eyes, "You are a man, and I am a woman. I'm headed to California to find a husband."

  "Oh, I'm aware of that."

  "It's unseemly sitting out here with you, alone, and watching the stars. I should be in my wagon, sleeping."

  He laid back, smiled and murmured lowly, "Well, I'm sure glad you're not."

  She gasped. "You are?"

  He glanced over at her, "It's not every day I get to sit and just talk wit
h a lovely woman. Most of the time I'm doing a little more than talking."

  "A lovely woman? Are you trying to flatter me, Mr. Cully?" she asked almost breathlessly. "I suspect you have a harem of women back there in Council Bluffs just waiting for your return."

  "That wasn't flattery, Miss Abby, it's fact. You've got the prettiest head of hair I've ever seen, and your eyes are so full of life. They practically dance when you talk. And as for women waiting for my return, sadly, that's not the case. There is no woman or women."

  "Why not, don't you want to settle down, have children"

  "I've considered it. But, of late I've realized you have to have the right woman for that job."

  "It's a big world, in all your journeys haven't you found the right woman yet?" She asked flippantly.

  "Maybe, and maybe I'm too late." He sighed.

  She held her breath, and then looked at him and the look in his eyes said everything. She couldn't do anything but stare at him at that moment. She went limp and warm at the same time.

  "Well," she started to get up and move away, "I should be going now."

  "I sure wish you wouldn't." He murmured.

  Her head whirled to stare at him, "Why?" she asked just as breathless as before.

  He looked away, then straight at her. "Because for the life of me, I can't think of anyone I'd rather share those stars with…"

  She chuckled softly, until she saw how serious he looked.

  She glanced back at the stars, then him. She saw the way his eyes went over her, slowly. No man had ever looked her up and down like that. She knew in that moment it wasn't fear that prodded her away from him, it was the strange and wonderful attraction she felt for him. She shouldn't feel anything, but she did.

  There was a long silence as their eyes met in the darkness of the night. She wondered if he heard her soft gasps or saw her sudden flushed cheeks.

  "Goodnight Abby," he whispered her name like a prayer. "Thanks for sitting with me a while."

  "Goodnight." She barely managed as she walked slowly away. As she rounded the edge of the chuck wagon, she shot him another glance and saw him staring at her. She licked her lips and wished she'd let that kiss happen.

  Chapter Twenty

  The water of the Humboldt River became very alkaline the further south they went. It was totally undrinkable, but the women made out well as they made a stock of soap supplies there. Lack of trees forced the people to hunt hardily for firewood, sagebrush, cow chips, buffalo chips were used, but it took a huge supply of them to make one fire, so someone from the train was always gathering as they moved slowly down the trails. Some of the children enjoyed finding firewood.

  Lack of good water and less available feed for the animals made this part of the trip harder.

  Cully had been right, the desert was like walking into an oven, so hot it seemed you couldn't get a breath of fresh air.

  The extreme temperature change forced everyone to wear a wet rag around their neck. Men pulled everything but their pants and shirt off. Women wore their thinnest cotton dresses, with no slips. Modesty wasn't a concern any longer. Survival was.

  He'd also been right about the determination of the woman to get through too. His train walked relentlessly toward their goals. Although he could see they were all tired and way too hot, they pushed on like little soldiers. He was proud of them.

  The other train grumbled so, but the example of the woman did make them try harder.

  Johnson admitted that Cully had been right about the wagon wheels soaking.

  Women donned hats or wrapped rags around their heads, leaving only strands of hair to protect their necks from burning in the hot sun. Children stripped off to the waist, until the sun became too unbearable.

  Another baby was due and when the lady went into labor it seemed to take everyone's mind off the heat. They grunted with the woman and they waited as they trudged through the hot land. The baby was born healthy and screaming at the top of his lungs. The women sighed with happiness and the train celebrated the birth of a child.

  Springs were dried up all along the trail but allowing for the extra barrels of water had helped.

  Cully and Hobby shot three snakes along the way, and a couple of wagons bogged down in the soft sand.

  Still they trudged onward. Everyone helped each other. If someone became weak, they supported them or put them in the wagons.

  Tumbleweeds and sagebrush covered sparsely through the desert and were quickly gathered for firewood.

  One evening as they camped, Cully noticed how weary Abby had become, sweat dripped from the sides of her face. He went right up to her, took out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat away. She tensed for a moment, as his other hand moved her hair away from her face. The way he did that, so slowly, his eyes meeting hers.

  "I'm not gonna hurt you…" he murmured.

  "I know…" she whispered.

  Johnny passed by and smiled.

  Taken totally off guard all she could do was smile and thank him.

  "It'll get better soon." He promised.

  She nodded unable to say a word. He hadn't wiped anyone else's brow, she thought.

  By the time they reached the Humboldt sink, where dry cracked ground became their feet's bed, and sulfur vents abounded with steam shooting up from the ground. The people marveled at the extreme changes, until they hit the Truckee Trail.

  Cully had wanted to take the Carson trail, but it was so flooded with supply wagons, pony express riders and stagecoaches that he decided on the Truckee Trail as it was still good weather and if they kept at it, they would arrive way before the first snows.

  This was the trail that the Donner Party traveled, but their problems all began when they decided on a shortcut and were so far behind with the weather. Cully had the weather in his favor and he wasn't about to veer off the trail for a shortcut. The Donner Party had been an example of one error after another, and people did learn from it. The stories were repeated on the trains going west for years, the horror of their mistakes became a monument to good wagon masters.

  They passed where Boiling Springs had steam coming up from the ground all over and the people were amazed.

  A steaming stream entranced the people as they crossed it easily. The water was warm to the touch and much too alkaline to drink, and then hot sulfur springs invited them to indulge in baths.

  Abby and Rebecca went to bath. Originally Johnny had escorted them and stood some ways away to allow privacy. The girls indulged in the warm water and stayed a while. Others went after them. When they came out of the water, their fresh scrubbed faces looked lovely. Gone was the dust from the trail.

  The water was bad, undrinkable, and it would be some time before they could reload their water supply.

  Days of endless walking had the people weary, but Cully insisted they needed to get across the mountains as soon as they could. In the evening he saw men stuffing their boots with leather and heavy socks to make up for the thin holes worn through from all the walking.

  Women patched clothes and made supper while they sang songs around the camp. Music always cheered the people, so Cully never asked them to stop. Anything to keep them in a positive frame of mind was a good thing.

  At the Verdi Truckee River crossing they used a few empty barrels for washing water and water for the animals.

  They'd lost three horses, and two mules across the desert. Only the oxen did well. Slim worked tirelessly to keep the animals cooled down a bit and fed evenly. They'd also lost a few head of cattle. But because Cully and Hobby always managed to find good grazing up until now, the cattle were fat and there were plenty.

  Now they were headed for trees and grasses, with lots of rocks and formations to cross over. While the wheels were being repaired Cully told Slim to let the cattle graze to fatten them up.

  Slim had found a young girl in the other train that was about his age and every time Cully looked for him, he found him talking or riding alongside the young woman. Cully sincerely hoped h
e wouldn't lose track of his duties though.

  Camping was better now that there was shelter from the sun and streams here and there.

  They could see the mountains now and the road had been traveled enough that there was no mistaking the signs of the trail. Had the Donner Party not suffered so much from their mistakes it could have been repeated many times, but most parties knew they had to leave in Early April when the grasses started growing and the ground was solid again. And shortcuts were not something anyone wanted to try any longer. Still, Cully couldn't help but think of them every time he came through here. It had been such a sad story and he hated to think anyone would end up like that again.

  Cully remained on guard about the weather and the trail conditions. He knew there were many surprises along the way, and a lot of tough country to cross yet. Although there was a trail, each year brought different kinds of problems to it. If it rained too much in one year, the trail would be littered with fallen trees and rocks. And taking the time to moved them all could throw anyone off track of time. He allowed for that too, but he never knew if it would be enough. The trees were welcomed but they also were a bother as some were in the way and crowded the wagons too much. Rocks were big and heavy and sometimes took five or six men to move away from the trail. Slopes were steep and hard to get the wagons down without tearing them up. Some wagons suffered minor damages on the way, but nothing to stop the train for. At least until it became stormy weather.

  Some spots were very narrowed, and the wagons had to have a good driver to get them through.

  Steep slopes and rolling hills faced the arduous journey of wagons as they pushed on west.

  Wheels broke and had to be replaced. One day three wheels on three separate wagons broke, so Cully stopped the train and all the men helped with repairs. It gave the women time to catch up on wash and cooking too. They all seemed to need it after crossing the desert.

  They camped on the Little Truckee River after crossing. It had flat land and made a great campsite.