Pony Express Hero. Rhonda Gibson

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СКАЧАТЬ aware that his hands still shook. “My name is Jacob Young.” He pushed back his hat and met the other man’s eyes.

      “Lilly, the cows came running toward me. I almost got runned over,” Daisy said, laying a small hand against Lilly’s cheek.

      Lilly stopped running her hands over the child and looked over Daisy’s head. “Thank you for rescuing her.” She hugged the little girl close to her. “I’m Lilly Johnson and this is my sister, Daisy.”

      “You still haven’t told us what you are doing here,” Lilly’s companion said. Ice-blue eyes scowled at Jacob.

      Jacob didn’t care for the man’s tone but he assumed that he was Daisy’s father so thought it best to answer him. “I’m the new stock tender for the Pony Express. I was headed to the Johnson ranch to let the owner know I’d arrived.”

      Lilly stopped fussing over the little girl and straightened in the saddle. “I’m the owner of the ranch, Mr. Young.”

      “Then I’m assuming Mr. Roberts, the Pony Express superintendent, told you I was coming.”

      “He did.” She nodded to the man beside her. “This is Sam Hawkins. He’s the foreman of the ranch but your job is totally separate from the ranch, so the two of you won’t really have much time to spend with each other.”

      Lilly directed her gaze back to the little one in her arms. Her worried voice questioned her sister. “Daisy, what made you come this far from the ranch house? You know you aren’t supposed to leave the house or the yard without an adult.”

      The little girl’s eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t, Lilly.”

      “Then how did you get out here?” Lilly asked, her voice shaking as her hands smoothed the hair from Daisy’s forehead.

      Daisy looked confused. “I don’t know. I was sleeping and woke up here.” She shrugged as if it were all a mystery to her.

      Worry and fear entered Lilly’s face and eyes. She looked to Sam.

      He shook his head as if to say, Not here.

      Her head swiveled in Jacob’s direction. Clear blue eyes looked him over. “Follow us and I’ll show you the barn and tack room, where you will be staying.” She spun her horse around and headed for home.

      Jacob couldn’t shake the feeling that something was dreadfully wrong. Little Daisy had said twice that she’d been sleeping in her room and then woke up out here in the ravine. How had she gotten here?

      Sam didn’t seem too concerned as he rode with Lilly and Daisy. If anything the man had been angrier to find him with Daisy than relieved that the little girl was all right.

      Jacob told himself that it was none of his business. His business was to work on the ranch while searching for his birth mother to find out why she abandoned him when he was ten years old. He might need to remind himself of that fact quite often if things were as off-kilter on the Johnson ranch as they seemed.

      He thought about the little girl’s caramel-brown eyes. They looked nothing like Lilly’s pretty blue ones. Lilly had said they were sisters but other than hair color, they didn’t look much like they were related. He shook his head, reminding himself once more to mind his own business. He had his own family problems to deal with and didn’t need to add another family’s to his.

      Still, Daisy reminded him of his adoptive sister, Joy, and he’d fight to the death to protect Joy. And deep down, Jacob knew he’d watch over Daisy in the future, too. How could he not?

      * * *

      Lilly’s insides quaked. Daisy had been so close to being killed. If the Pony Express man hadn’t shown up, she hated to think what would have happened.

      Jacob Young had said he was the new stock tender. The last one had been an older man and had been nice enough but she really hadn’t paid him much mind. Come to think of it, she’d seen the Pony Express riders exchange horses by the barn and then continue on. She’d really not paid much attention to them, either—her first order of business had been to take care of Daisy and the household along with any ranch business or financial things that Sam brought to her attention.

      If she was honest with herself, she’d stayed away from the men because she didn’t want their attention. The last thing she needed was to fall for a man who was only interested in her family ranch—a ranch that belonged to both her and Daisy.

      Her father’s last wife and Daisy’s mother, Gertrude, had taught her that people weren’t always who they first presented themselves to be, especially if they thought you had land or money. Gertrude had treated her like a servant when her father was out of the house or away on business, but was sweet when he was present. Her stepmother had told Lilly many times that should her father die, Lilly would be on the first stagecoach to a boarding school. If Gertrude hadn’t died first giving birth to Daisy and leaving Lilly without a stepmother and her father without a wife, Lilly would be in a boarding school now or working someplace far from her beloved ranch.

      Looking back she probably should have told her father about Gertrude’s true nature, but her love for him had stilled Lilly’s tongue. He’d often told her he’d married Gertrude so that she could be a mother to her. Lilly shivered, as her stepmother had been anything but a true mother.

      After lunch, as Lilly made her way across the yard and to the barn, she wondered how Daisy had gotten out in the ravine. The little girl’s feet hadn’t been scuffed up like they should have been if she’d walked barefoot all the way out there. She didn’t want to think about it but Lilly felt sure someone had taken the girl from her bed and carried her off. But why leave her in the canyon?

      “You are deep in thought.”

      Lilly stopped several inches away from Jacob Young. What he’d said was true. She’d been so deep in thought that if he hadn’t spoken, she would have run into him. “I was.”

      He stepped out of the barn door. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you.” Jacob pulled one of the Pony Express horses out of the barn with him.

      “No, I’m the one who is sorry. I snapped and it wasn’t because I’m irritated with you. If anything, I’m very grateful to you.” She offered him a smile that she hoped he’d recognize as a peace offering.

      Jacob looked back at her and returned her smile. “No harm done.” He walked the horse several feet away from her.

      The sound of a bugle blared through the air. A few seconds later, Lilly made out the Pony Express rider and his horse. In less than five minutes, the rider had exchanged horses and was back on the trail.

      Jacob pulled the tired horse back into the barn. He passed Lilly and led the horse into one of the many stalls. He closed the door behind the animal while staying in the stall. “If you want to share your thoughts, I’m a pretty good listener.”

      Lilly walked to her mare’s stall. “I was just thinking about Daisy and how she got into the canyon this morning.” She pulled a saddle blanket off the nail on the wall and spread it out over the horse’s back.

      “I’ve been thinking about that, too.” Jacob took the saddle off the horse while he talked. “Has she ever walked in her sleep?”

      “No, she’s a heavy sleeper but she’s СКАЧАТЬ