Pony Express Courtship. Rhonda Gibson

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      Seth frowned and tilted his head to the side. “That’s important now?” he asked. What had happened at the store to cause her to demand to see it now? Was that a speck of fear he saw in her eyes?

      She nodded, brought up her arms and crossed them over her chest. Her eyes bore into Seth’s.

      Jacob set down Joy. “Everything is all right, Ma. I saw it. Mr. Armstrong is who he says he is.” He tilted up the little girl’s face and smiled down at her. “Joy, go ask Thomas to help you into the wagon.”

      The little girl nodded. “All right, Jacob.” She turned and ran to her other brothers.

      So that was it. Rebecca had been afraid she’d left her children’s care in the hands of a dangerous stranger. Even though they were grown men, Rebecca still saw them as her babies. He softened his voice and offered her a smile. “I will be happy to show them to you, too, Mrs. Young, when we get back to the farm.” Seth waited for her nod then turned back toward the wagon. Over his shoulder he asked, “Do we need to return to the store to pick up your purchases?” He was aware that she hadn’t brought anything with her except Joy and her handbag.

      “Yes, please.” Her voice sounded tired, almost sad.

      Seth turned to look at her. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes had changed from angry to simply drained. Was the excitement of the day turning out to be too much for the woman? One would think she’d be used to busy days with seven boys and a little girl to take care of. He noted that both Benjamin and Joy were seated on the wagon bench. In a loud voice, he said, “We’re done here. Let’s go.”

      Without hesitation the young men climbed in on top of the wood.

      Jacob walked with his mother, but as soon as he’d helped her up onto the wagon, he shook his head at his brothers. “Off, guys. The horses have enough to pull without adding our weight to their load.”

      Just as quickly, the young men all climbed back down.

      Seth nodded. Jacob was right. “Beni, do you know how to drive a wagon?” he asked.

      The youngest Young boy grinned from ear to ear and nodded. He quickly picked up the reins. “Sure do, Seth. Want me to drive us home?”

      Rebecca stood to disembark from the wagon also.

      “Mrs. Young, why don’t you stay seated?” He indicated with a tilt of his head that Benjamin needed a supervisor sitting beside him. The boy held the reins tightly, waiting for his reply.

      She nodded her understanding and returned to her seat.

      Seth answered the little boy. “I’d appreciate it if you would drive the wagon, Benjamin. Your brothers and I will follow behind making sure that the wood stays in place.”

      Seth looked down at his new brown boots. He had a sneaking suspicion that he would soon be wishing he had brought his horse to town before they got back to the farm. In his rush to prove his leadership, he’d decided to drive the wagon to town, never once considering that he’d more than likely end up walking back. Lesson learned, Armstrong, he thought as he followed the wagon toward the general store.

      Other than the Pony Express horses and the two old mares, Brownie and Snow, Seth realized that the boys didn’t have mounts of their own. Once they got back to the farm, he’d remedy that and give the boys each a Pony Express horse to take care of and bond with.

      Jacob strolled along beside him. In a low voice he said, “We should have thought ahead and brought more horses.”

      Seth jerked his head around and looked at the young man. The twinkle in Jacob’s eyes attested to the fact that he, too, saw the folly of their earlier disagreement. “Yep, won’t let that happen again.”

      “Nope, I don’t reckon we will,” Jacob agreed.

      A cold breeze stirred the hair on his neck. “I was thinking all you boys need a mount of your own to train with. What do you think?” Seth waited to see if the boy realized that he was being offered respect by his inclusion in the decision.

      Jacob nodded. “We all know how to ride, you don’t have to worry about that, but I’m a little concerned about the younger boys riding unfamiliar horses. All except Noah, who seems to be very talented with a horse as well as his gun.”

      Seth nodded and listened as the other boys joked and chatted behind them. “Well, that’s one of the first things we’ll do, then, as well as we rebuild the barn. I don’t like that the animals are out in the open.”

      “Neither do I.”

      The wagon stopped in front of the general store. Rebecca turned on the seat. “Jacob, would you go in and get our supplies, please?”

      “Yes, ma’am.” Jacob stepped up on the boardwalk and entered the store. Rebecca turned back to her younger children.

      Two women stood across the street and talked behind their fans, while a couple of well-dressed businessmen stood with their hands in their front pockets and Seth noticed that the sheriff leaned on the post in front of the jail. All eyes seemed to be trained on them.

      Seth looked to the other boys. He wondered what the town must think of them all standing behind the wagon like a bunch of stray dogs. In two long strides he stood with the boys. “When we get back to the farm I’d like for you boys to go to the corral and pick out a mount. This is the last time we are leaving town on foot.”

      Excitement coursed through the boys at his words. The discussion of colors and gender filled the air. He grinned. So far his relationship with the Young family had been tense, but maybe now it would get smoother.

      Seth turned back to the wagon in time to see Jacob exit the store. The young man’s clenched jaw and burning eyes spoke volumes as to his anger. So whatever had set off Mrs. Young had just happened to Jacob.

      His gaze moved to the store, where a big man now stood in the doorway. The man wore a shopkeeper’s apron but something about him screamed he wasn’t your typical salesman. No, this man meant trouble for the Young family and now with his eyes boring into Seth, Seth knew he meant trouble for him, too.

      “Here you go, Ma.” Jacob set the box on top of the lumber and then looked to Benjamin. “Lead the way home, Beni.” He offered the boy a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes.

      When Jacob fell into step beside Seth, Seth asked, “Want to talk about it?”

      “Nope.”

      That was answer enough for Seth. “Fair ’nough, but if you change your mind...” He let the rest hang between them.

      Jacob nodded his understanding. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that his brothers were excited about something and asked, “What has them all in a dither?”

      Seth grinned. “Just told them they can choose a horse when we get back.”

      Again Jacob nodded and then fell silent. His brow furrowed between his eyes. Seth realized that in a day, the Young family’s lives had been changed.

      He could relate to change; his life had also been altered in the past few months. On her deathbed, his grandmother had made him promise to marry. He’d ordered a mail-order СКАЧАТЬ