Members of the Ferguson wagon train were so engrossed in Donovan’s shocking news, nobody but Callie heard Nellie’s gasp of horror, nor saw the look of stunned disbelief that crossed her face. Callie caught her arm as she started to sag and pulled her up straight again. “Hold on, Nellie,” she whispered, “we’ve got to hear this.”
The whole camp listened with rapt attention while Sam Donovan told how Coy had appeared in their midst a little over a week ago. He seemed a nice young man and was hired immediately by Elihu Hawkins, a banker from Boston, who needed another hand to drive his wagons. Almost immediately Elihu began to find fault with his new hire. Coy’s laziness and insolent attitude were not to his liking. Worse, Coy was paying far too much attention to Sarah, Elihu’s sixteen-year-old daughter, who, despite her father’s warnings, continued to cast sheep’s eyes at the new hire whenever he was around. Hawkins warned Coy not to make free with his daughter, but the young man paid him no heed. When Hawkins found Coy and his daughter together “in intimate proximity,” as Donovan delicately put it, he immediately dismissed him. Backed by his captains, Donovan ordered Coy from the camp. A short time later, Hawkins caught the young man red-handed in his wagon, about to make off with his hidden stash of gold coins. He immediately leaped toward the thief, trying to restrain him, but before he could, Coy drew a pistol and shot him in the chest. “Hawkins fell backward from the wagon. He was dead before he hit the ground.” Sam Donovan shook his head with deep regret. “Hawkins was a fine man and respected by all. Left a wife and four children.”
Amid murmurs of sympathy from the crowd, Luke spoke up. “So, you’re holding a trial?”
“Tomorrow morning, nine o’clock. Any man wanting to volunteer as a juror is welcome to join us. We’ll give Barnett a full and fair trial.”
Gert Gowdy called, “What if you find him guilty?”
Donovan looked surprised, as if the question was unnecessary. “He’ll be hanged. The sooner the better. We’ve wasted enough time on Coy Barnett.”
* * * *
Callie got little sleep that night. She and Lydia spent hours trying to console Nellie, who cried her heart out until finally she fell into fitful slumber. Morning came, and with it a dreary leaden sky. Nearly every member of the Ferguson wagon train traipsed the short distance to the Donovan Train for the trial of Coy Barnett. The Whitaker family was among them.
Along the way, Pa noticed Nellie’s tear-stained face and despairing manner. “Don’t know why you’re crying, Daughter. I always said he was no good.”
Nellie gave an answering wail.
“Don’t waste your sympathy. He deserves to hang. There’s no call for you to be so upset.”
If you only knew. Callie gave her distraught stepsister a pat on the arm.
Magnus Ferguson fell into step beside her. “It’s a shame you have to see this, Miss Whitaker.”
She was happy to see him and glad for his reassuring presence. “Oh, Mr. Ferguson, who are they to think they can give him a trial? What right do they have?”
Magnus shrugged. “Who else will do it? We’re not in the United States any more. Beyond the Missouri River, we’re on our own. From there on, the trains create their own justice. Some agree on a constitution with bylaws. That’s what we have. Before we started, we drew up a constitution and created rules for every dispute we could think of, and every crime, including murder. From what I understand, the Donovan Train has a constitution similar to ours. That being the case, they have every right to hold a trial.”
“Must they hang him?” Nellie asked in an anguished voice. “Aren’t there other kinds of ways to punish him?”
“Of course there are. There’s everything from banishment, whipping, a stakeout, or even a simple admonition.”
“Then why—”
“It appears Coy has committed an abominable crime for which he must be punished accordingly.” Magnus gave Nellie a grim smile. “If what I heard is correct, death is none too good for the likes of Coy Barnett. I hope he suffers while he’s dangling at the end of that rope.”
How harsh. Callie gazed at Magnus in surprise. She had thought he was nothing but kind and caring. Now, for the second time, she saw a side to him she’d never seen before. “But to put a young man to death, whatever the reason, seems so very cruel.”
Magnus gazed back at her with a look that, though sympathetic, revealed his slight disdain. “You’re a soft-hearted woman, Callie, like most women are. So of course you’d think that way. Let the men handle it, my dear.”
They reached the Donovan Train. Callie said no more. She had to focus all her attention on getting Nellie through this terrible day. Later on, though, she’d remember this conversation with Magnus and why she didn’t like what he’d said, didn’t like it at all.
In the middle of the Donovan campground, preparations for the trial were almost complete. Two rows of six chairs were set up for the jurors. A makeshift table stood at one side, presumably for the judge. An ominously empty chair was placed directly facing the jurors’ chairs, only a few feet away. Callie guessed it was for Coy. A cold knot formed in her stomach. At first she couldn’t believe this was happening, but now it was becoming so very real.
A noisy crowd had gathered around. It fell silent when a stern-faced Sam Donovan appeared and spoke in a voice that rang with authority. “Let’s get started. The jurors may take their places.” He looked toward a tent nearby. “Bring the prisoner forward.”
Twelve men, including Pa and five others from the Ferguson train, seated themselves in the jurors’ chairs. All eyes focused on Coy Barnet as four burly men dragged him across the campground. Callie hardly recognized him. The cocky young man with the impudent smile was gone. Hands tied behind his back, his clothes in disarray, he trembled with fear. A blackened eye and hideously swollen cheek marred his once-handsome face.
At the sight of him, Nellie cried out, “Coy! What have they done to you?”
Coy glanced in her direction but gave no sign of recognition.
Ma gave Nellie a sharp nudge with her elbow. “Keep your mouth shut. I won’t have you wailing and moaning over a murderer. If you can’t keep quiet, you can go home.”
Nellie stood mute as Sam Donovan, who had been appointed judge, called the trial to order.
Three men testified, all respected members of their company. They said much the same thing. They heard the gunshot, saw Elihu Hawkins fall backward from his wagon mortally wounded and saw Coy Barnett jump from the wagon, still holding a pistol. They pounced on him, foiling his futile attempt to get away.
When the last witness finished, Sam Donovan addressed Coy, who sat silent, head down, tied to the chair that faced the jury. “There’s no doubt you killed Elihu Hawkins. Do you have anything to say for yourself, Mister Barnett?”
Coy seemed in a daze. He barely lifted his head, looking as if he’d like to speak but hadn’t the strength. His head dropped down again. “No,” he replied in a barely audible voice that held no hope.
The jury didn’t bother to retire while they considered their verdict. They stayed where they were, whispering among themselves. Within five minutes they announced their decision.
Coy Barnett was guilty of murder. He would be hanged immediately.
* * * *
Callie noticed Luke didn’t attend the trial. When she returned to their camp, she passed by his tent. He was sitting on a log cleaning his rifle, not the least interested in the happenings at the Donovan train. When Callie stopped to talk, he raised his head. “So, is it over?”
“It was horrible.”
“Is he dead yet?”
“I suppose so.” After the trial, a group of grim-faced men, one with a coil of rope in his hand, led Coy away. The ladies were instructed not to follow.
“Then it’s done.” With a sad shake of his head, Luke arose. His observant gaze swept over her.
She took a breath and tried to calm herself, knowing he’d be sure to notice how upset she was.
“Try not to let it bother you.” His voice was surprisingly gentle. “You don’t always find justice in the wilderness. Nothing you can do about it.”
The horror of it all boiled up within her. “I never liked Coy. He was awful in so many ways, but even he deserved a fair trial. Why, Luke? That trial was a farce. What right did they have to kill him?” Remembering Magnus’s callous words, she wished she hadn’t asked. Luke probably felt the same.
He laid a gentle hand on her arm. “If this was a perfect world, there’d be fairness and justice for all, but it’s not a perfect world. Coy’s gone now. It’s over. Like I said, you can cry all you want, but you can’t bring him back.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“I know I’m right. You’d better get back to your sister. She’s going to need you.”
“Nellie is…very upset.”
“Nellie’s in trouble, isn’t she?”
Luke’s question caught her unaware, so much she didn’t consider any sort of denial. “How did you know?”
“Just knew. Never mind how.”
“She was certain Coy would come back for her. Now he’s gone…” She fought to keep the hysteria from her voice. “Pa’s going to kill her.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“I can’t think what to do.”
His eyes brimmed with sympathy. “It’s a bad situation, but knowing you, you’ll think of something. I’ll help if I can.”
She left his campsite with a lighter step. Whether or not he could really help, Luke made her feel better, bolstered her sagging spirits. Her mood lasted until she reached her tent.
Nellie was sobbing inside. When she saw Callie, she swallowed a sob and asked, “What shall I do?”
Callie hesitated. What should she say? How strange Nellie was looking for answers, not from Lydia or Ma, but from her previously scorned stepsister. And even stranger, why was it she actually wanted to help? Looking back over the years, she couldn’t think of one nice thing Nellie had ever done for her. She’d never even said a kind word, or given her much of anything other than sneers and insults. I’d be a fool to help her. If I have any sense at all, I should be rejoicing over Nellie’s well-deserved misery.
And yet… When she looked into Nellie’s tear-stained face, she wanted only to help. How could she hate someone who hadn’t the sense of a goose? Whose ignorance and gullibility led her to this awful mess? Callie knew the answer. Despite everything, she’d help Nellie if she could because she was the strong one, stronger than Nellie, stronger than poor, silly Lydia. Besides, she loved her family. How could she turn her back on a family member, awful though she might be? I won’t back away. It’s up to me.
She reached to take Nellie’s hand. “Stop your crying. I want you to look perfectly fine at supper tonight, like you haven’t a care in the world.”
“How can I when Coy is dead and my life ruined?”
“You can and you will. You’re not showing yet, so you’re safe, at least for a while, and that will give us time to think what to do.”
* * * *
The days following Coy’s death, Nellie’s behavior ranged from despair, to anger with Coy, to forgiveness of Coy, along with the belief those witnesses had lied and he hadn’t killed anyone. Only Callie and Lydia knew of Nellie’s hysterics. She managed to hold herself together when others were around, although everyone noticed she was not, as Ma put it, “herself.”
“Nellie, you look pale.” For the journey, Ma had brought along a big bottle of sulphur and molasses, guaranteed to cure any ailment from thinning hair to a heart attack. She forced Nellie to take a big spoonful every day, lamenting she couldn’t see any results.
Only at night when the girls were in their tent could Nellie give way to her growing terror. Often she whispered into the darkness, “What am I going to do, Callie? You promised you’d help me.”
“I don’t know yet.” Callie racked her brain but so far could think of no way Nellie could avoid their father’s wrath. The easy solutions weren’t going to happen. Coy was gone for good. Nellie showed no signs of losing the baby. If she hadn’t by now, she probably wouldn’t. “There’s still time. You don’t even show yet.”
“But I do.” Nellie placed a hand over her stomach. “There’s a bulge there. I can definitely feel it.”
“Your dress and apron will hide it for a long time.”
“Not ’til California they won’t.”
Callie had no answer.
Nellie stayed close to the wagon, hardly ever venturing out to visit other members of the train. But one evening she was gone for a while. When she came back, her eyes gleamed with excitement. “Come in the tent, Callie. I’ve got something to show you.”
Once in the privacy of the tent, Nellie reached in her pocket and drew out a small vial. “Look! The perfect answer. I’ll soon be rid of the baby.” She laughed with relief. “Just think, my troubles will soon be over.”
Callie remained unimpressed. “Where did you get this?”
“Gert Gowdy. We got to talking. She guessed about the baby, but she promised she’d keep quiet. She said it’s perfectly safe.”
Callie wished she could share Nellie’s excitement, but a warning voice from within told her she could not. She pointed at the vial. “What is it?”
“Gert says it’s an herb called blue cohosh. I take twenty drops in a cup of warm water every three to four hours until things start to happen. And then…” In the cramped confines of the tent, Nellie did a little jig. “My worries will be over. I’ll have my life back again.”
“How do you know it’s safe?”
“Because Gert said so.” Nellie frowned in puzzlement. “Aren’t you happy for me?”
“I suppose, but…” Callie bit her lip. In all her sheltered life, she’d learned next to nothing about having babies and what prevented them. She had only the vaguest notion that certain herbs could be used to end a pregnancy. Somewhere she’d heard that some of them could be dangerous. “Of course, I’ll be happy for you if it works like it’s supposed to, but I’m not sure. It might be harmful.”
Nellie flung her head back. “So what? I’ll take that risk if I have to. Besides, Gert said—”
“I want to hear for myself what Gert says.” Callie held out her hand. “Give me that vial. I’m going to talk to Gert, just to make sure.”
Nellie’s lower lip protruded into its familiar pout. “I don’t see why…”
“Give me that vial.”
“All right then.” With great reluctance, Nellie handed over the small glass bottle.
“You wait here. I’ll be right back.” Without a backward glance, Callie left the tent and started a purposeful march across the campsite. She was halfway to Gert’s wagon before she realized she’d been so concerned, she’d forgotten to be her usual humble self, had practically yelled at Nellie, took command, and told her what to do. What’s happening? Not like me at all.
Luke came riding up. He slid from his horse and fell into step beside her. “What’s going on?”
She didn’t slow down. “I’m going to Gert’s. I need to ask her about something she gave Nellie.”
“To lose the baby?”
She nodded. “Have you ever heard of an herb called blue cohosh?”
He stopped in his tracks, took her arm, and brought her to a halt. “Is that what Gert gave her?”
“Yes. She’s supposed to take twenty drops every—”
Luke muttered a curse. “I saw an Indian woman die from taking blue cohosh. It wasn’t a pleasant death. The convulsions, the pain she suffered…” His eyes narrowed with disgust. “You can’t let her take it. That stuff could kill the poor girl.”
“She’s desperate.”
“Better desperate than dead.”
His words hit home. “You’re right. I can’t let her do it.”
“It’s up to you. You can handle it.” His smile carried a touch of irony. “I wouldn’t have said that a few weeks ago.”
Any other day she would have been flattered by his remark and yearned to hear more. Not today, though. “I must talk to Gert right now.”
“So go.” Luke backed away. “I won’t stand in your way. If you need any help—”
“I can handle the likes of Gert Gowdy.” Without another word, Callie drew herself up and headed toward the Gowdys’ wagon.
After grueling weeks on the trail, no woman in the train looked her best. Even so, there was no excuse for Gert Gowdy’s slovenly appearance. Thin and sharp-nosed, she peered down at Callie from the wagon seat, her apron dirty, her fingernails none too clean. “You don’t want Nellie to take it?” She pressed her lips together. “I’m only trying to help the poor girl.”
Callie held out the vial. “It’s too dangerous. Nellie doesn’t want it.”
Gert eyed her shrewdly. “It isn’t Nellie who don’t want it, it’s you.”
“All I know is she’s not going to take it. Take it back or I’ll pour it on the ground.”
“Ain’t you something!” Gert’s hand swooped down to grab the vial. “You’ve got a nerve. You think you’re doing her a favor? She won’t thank you for what you done, especially when her Pa finds out she’s got a bun in the oven and the father dead. Likely he’ll skin her alive.”
“I don’t care about that. All I know is, what you gave her is poison and you’d better not do it again.” Callie turned and walked away, leaving Gert silenced and wide-eyed. Her anger was such she had almost reached her wagon before she realized what she’d done. Never had she sounded so bossy, telling an older woman like Gert what to do. No regrets, though. Gert deserved it.
Only when she reached her wagon did the results of her actions hit her hard. What if the blue cohosh had worked perfectly? Nellie’s problem would be solved. She’d be happy again, the fearsome burden lifted. She could then go on with her life. Instead, Nellie remained in deep trouble. Thanks to me. She almost wished she’d stayed quiet, let Nellie have her way and risk the consequences. She hadn’t, and with good reason, but as a result, Nellie’s fate rested squarely on her shoulders. What an awful responsibility. What was she going to do?
A few evenings later, as they were circling the wagons for the night, a lone wagon appeared. It was heading east, back to where they came from. Lately they were encountering many such wagons. Sometimes a family decided it could no longer endure the rugged life of a wagon train and just wanted to go home. Sometimes families ran out of money or there’d been a sickness or a death. This was the case of the man and his children who stopped and joined them for the night. “The name’s Abraham Jonckers.” The driver was a husky man with a bushy beard who appeared to be in his mid-thirties. “I’d be obliged if you’d let us camp with you tonight.” He waved at three small blond heads peeking from the wagon. “We were headed to California. I hated to turn around, but a few days ago the wife came down with mountain fever. She died.” Choked up, he had to pause before going on. “Couldn’t keep going. Three little children to care for. It’s too much. Now all I want is to get back to New York and buy another farm. Shouldn’t have left in the first place.”
Bighearted Florida immediately invited the Jonckers’ family to dinner. When the children arrived with hair uncombed, clothes dirty and much in need of a wash, she enlisted help from Hetty and Callie to clean them up.
Seeing his children clean, in fresh clothes with a well-cooked meal in their bellies, Jonckers expressed his gratitude. “My Greta kept them as neat as a pin. I do the best I can, but as you can see, I’m a poor substitute for their mother.”
That night after supper, Callie visited Florida’s campfire, as she’d begun to do most nights. Magnus Ferguson often stopped by, too. Florida always made him welcome and Callie still enjoyed his company. By now she’d almost forgotten his thoughtless remark about Coy. When she did think about it, she tried to convince herself she hadn’t heard him right. Lately he’d been more attentive than ever. If only she could forget about Luke and fall in love with Magnus!
Sometimes Luke joined them around Florida’s campfire. Callie loved being near him and felt more drawn to him than ever, even though the night he kissed her with such passion was a distant memory. Tonight only Florida and Callie remained after Jonckers had left to put his children to bed. They talked about what a shame it was he had lost his wife and that his three small children were without a mother. During the conversation, Florida gave Callie an especially meaningful look. “Too bad he can’t find someone to help him.”
Florida’s words sunk in. What if… Of course! The perfect solution. “I just thought of something. Maybe it’s crazy but—”
“It’s worth a try, isn’t it? He seems like a good man who would treat Nellie kindly. As for her, I suspect she’d gladly agree. Anything to escape her father.”
Callie’s mind flew in several directions at once. Nellie could solve her dilemma by escaping with Abraham Jonckers. She’d been helping with the cooking and now knew enough to fix meals and, of course, she could take care of the children. Would he take her in? Would Nellie want to go? If she did, how could she get away without Pa finding out? “Mister Jonckers said he was leaving first thing in the morning. We’d have to work fast.”
Florida pursed her lips. “That doesn’t leave us much time. I’m not sure we can do it.”
This was Nellie’s only chance. “We’ll make it happen. I’ll go talk to Nellie right now.”
Florida rose to her feet. “Wait right here while I go talk to Mister Jonckers. No sense talking to Nellie unless he agrees.”
“It won’t be easy, asking a man to take on a woman he hasn’t even met and who’s…you know.”
“I’ll have to tell him, but he might, being he’s desperate for help.”
“He will. He has to.” At last, a glimmer of hope. Callie sat down to wait for Florida’s return.
Moments after Florida left, Magnus stepped into the light of the campfire. “Good evening, Callie. I couldn’t help overhearing.”
“You know about Nellie?”
He nodded. His expression hardly changed. “Most unfortunate. Indeed, shocking.”
Callie searched for the right words. It was important he understood. “Nellie’s desperate. She trusted Coy when he said he’d marry her, but now…you can imagine how fearful she is. She thinks Pa will kill her when he finds out.”
“He very well might.”
What was wrong? She could detect not one speck of sympathy in Magnus’s voice. “Her only hope is if she can leave with Mister Jonckers, do the cooking and take care of his children. He seems like a nice man.”
“He’s a fool if he agrees to such an idiotic scheme.”
She drew in her breath, caught off guard by Magnus’s disapproval. She hated to discuss such delicate matters but had no choice. “My sister is with child. Ma and Pa don’t know yet, but she can’t keep her secret much longer. Naturally, she’s desperate.”
“Nellie should tell her father. That’s what an obedient daughter should do.”
“Don’t you see? She’s too terrified to tell him.”
“Nellie has sinned. She should subject herself to whatever punishment her father metes out.”
“What!” Callie could hardly believe what she’d heard. “You can’t mean that. You don’t know Pa. He might not physically hurt her, but he might throw her out. Then what would she do?”
“Someone would doubtless take her in.”
“Would you?”
He gave her an indulgent smile. “From what I’ve observed, Nellie never gave you so much as the time of day. So why are you concerned?”
“Because she’s my family. Because she might have been selfish, but deep down she’s a good person. Everyone deserves a second chance.”
Magnus waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal. “Nellie has made her bed. Now she must lie in it.”
She sat there blank and amazed. This was Magnus who was talking. The man she so admired, who had always seemed so kind, so understanding. “I’m sorry you feel that way. I’m only trying to help her.”
His mouth quirked with disgust. “You should leave her to her fate. And for God’s sake, don’t involve a fine man like Abraham Jonckers.”
Why was this going so wrong? She’d never dreamed Magnus was so self-righteous, so rigid in his thinking. “I can’t do that. Nellie’s not the easiest person to get along with, but I was just thinking…” She liked and respected Magnus and highly valued his opinion. He must understand. It was so important her words come out right. “Can’t you see how well this will work out? Poor Mister Jonckers is desperate for help. Nellie needs to get away. She isn’t the greatest cook in the world, or the hardest worker, but considering the circumstances…what is so wrong with him taking her in? She’ll earn her keep.”
Magnus’s eyes narrowed with disgust. “You’re making a mistake. You’re too young to know what you’re doing, taking far too much upon yourself. Nothing good will come of it, I guarantee.”
Before she could answer, Florida returned. She was smiling. Seeing Magnus, she curbed her words. “He said yes, Callie, you know what I mean.”
“He knows,” Callie answered.
“Good. Maybe you can help, Magnus. I’ve got good news. Abraham Jonckers has agreed to hire Nellie as his cook and children’s helper, sight unseen.”
Callie asked, “Did you tell him?”
“About the baby? Of course. He understands Nellie is with child. He also understands her parents won’t be informed she’s leaving. Nellie is of age, so legally she can do as she pleases. She’s not a slave, you know. He says he’ll leave before dawn tomorrow and put as much distance as possible between his wagon and us. If all goes well, Caleb won’t know Nellie’s gone until hours later.” Florida nodded her head with confidence. “When he does learn, he won’t go after her.” She turned toward Magnus. “I trust you’ll help us.”
Magnus’s lip curled with scorn. “Your scheme is insane. I’m tempted to go straight to Caleb Whitaker and tell him what you’re up to. However, since I want no part in this, I’ll refrain. Shame on you both. Good night.” He strode off, leaving his stern rebuke ringing in her ears.
Florida was the first to speak. “Well, I never! What’s got into him?”
“He says Nellie’s a sinner. He thinks she should confess everything to Pa and take her punishment.”
Florida eyed her shrewdly. “What do you think, Callie? Should I go back to Mister Jonckers and tell him to forget about it?”
Magnus’s attitude had shocked her. She drew in a slow, calming breath. “Let Colonel Ferguson decide what’s right? Absolutely not. Nellie needs help and we’re going to give it to her, despite what he thinks.”
Florida looked relieved. “We’re doing the right thing, even though there’ll be hell to pay when your pa finds out. He can be mighty mean.”
Callie pictured that awful moment when Pa learned Nellie was gone. “I worry Pa might go after them with his rifle and kill them both.”
“I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think so. If I were you, when the time comes, I’d just tell him the truth, that she’s pregnant and Coy is the father. In that narrow mind of his, he’ll decide Nellie committed a terrible sin and isn’t worth saving. I wager he won’t raise a finger to find her.”
“I hope you’re right.” Callie managed a wry smile. “Even so, I dread telling Pa.”
“You must put it off as long as possible.” A shadow of worry crossed Florida’s face. “Will he notice if Nellie’s not there first thing in the morning?”
“He’s always busy with the oxen. Nellie sleeps as late as possible. I don’t think he will.”
“Good. The longer he doesn’t know, the farther away Nellie will be.”
“Wish me luck.”
Florida flung her arms around Callie and gave her a hug. “You’re going to need it, honey. Remember, we’re your friends. We care about you and we’re here to help. Now go talk to Nellie. Let’s hope that foolish girl will agree.”
* * * *
Beneath a grove of trees, away from the wagon, Nellie stared at her wide-eyed. “You mean you want me to go off with a strange man I’ve never met before?”
“It’s your choice. I know it will be hard, and I don’t know when we’ll see each other again, but it’s either that or face Pa.”
Nellie brought her hand to her stomach. “I’m showing. Ma’s looking at me funny already.” Terror rose in her voice. “More than anything else in this world, I’m scared of Pa.”
“I know. Why else would we take such a chance?”
“How will I know where to find you? Maybe I never can. Maybe I’ll never see Ma and Pa and Lydia again…and you.”
Had the situation not been so heart-rending, Callie would have laughed at being such an afterthought. “It’s a choice you’ve got to make.”
A long, silent moment went by. Callie waited while her stepsister struggled with her thoughts. “I’ll do it!” Nellie surprised Callie with an adventurous toss of her head. “Abraham Jonckers… I saw him. He’s not bad-looking. Maybe he’ll fall in love with me.”
“Better yet, maybe you will fall in love with him.” Callie clasped her stepsister’s shoulders. “I’m glad you decided this. Florida talked to Mister Jonckers, and he’s already agreed to take you. I know it’s hard, but it’s for the best.”
Nellie’s face lit. “Oh, Callie, my prayers are answered if this works. Do you know how happy I’ll be? Not to have to worry about Pa anymore? I’d give anything—anything.”
“Go pack your things and write a note to Ma and Pa. This is going to work, Nellie, I know it will.”
Doubts and fears kept Callie awake far into the night. What if Pa heard them leave? What if he went after Nellie with his rifle? What if Jonckers changed his mind? So many what-ifs, she hardly slept at all. The sun had not yet risen when she awakened, quickly dressed, and gently shook her stepsister. “It’s time, Nellie. Shh… We must be quiet. Everything’s ruined if Pa wakes.”
“I’m ready.” Nellie was dressed. She’d slept in her clothes. “Should we wake Lydia?”
“Let her sleep. You’ve already said your good-byes.” Callie didn’t care to repeat last night’s tearful scene with her stepsisters, both of them crying, especially Lydia when she’d realized she might never see her sister again. Nellie had wept with the sorrow of knowing she must leave her family, yet when she’d talked about Pa, and what he might do, she remained steadfast in her resolve to run away.
“All right. We’ll let Lydia sleep.” In the near darkness, Nellie picked up her bundle of clothes. “You’ve got my note?”
“In my pocket. Don’t worry, I’ll put off giving it to them long as I can.”
Callie’s heart pounded as they crept from the tent. Mustn’t wake them. All was silent. Where was Florida? She’d promised to lead them to Jonckers’ wagon. It was parked somewhere on the other side of the campsite, but she didn’t know exactly where. As they crept along, she began to worry they wouldn’t find it until a muted command came out of the darkness. “Follow me, Callie.”
Luke. Just hearing his confident voice eased her concern. “Where’s Florida?”
“Sleeping. I’ll handle this.”
“I didn’t know you knew,” she whispered.
“Of course I did. You’re going the wrong way. Follow me.”
In silence, the three moved stealthily across the campground until they reached Jonckers’s wagon.
He was already awake, hitching up the oxen. One of the animals gave a muted bellow. “Dang it, Mabel, quiet now,” Abe whispered, placing a calming hand on the ox’s back. In dawn’s first light, he was barely visible. He looked toward her and her stepsister. “Which is Nellie?”
“I am, sir.” Nellie stepped forward. “I want to thank you—”
“No need for that. You better get in the wagon before somebody sees you. There are three kids asleep in there, but you’ll find a place to lie down. Get some rest if you can. We’ll talk later.”
It’s going to be all right. Callie had worried Jonckers could be mean like Pa, or even worse, but she could tell from the way he talked he was a kindhearted man who’d treat Nellie well.
Nellie gave a muted sob. She dropped her bundle to the ground and threw her arms around Callie. “You’ve saved me,” she whispered. “From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. I don’t know what I would have done—”
“Shh, no need to thank me.” Callie hugged her back then let her go. “You better get in the wagon.”
“I’m afraid for you, Callie. I worry about what Pa will do when he finds out.”
“You let me worry about that. I’ll be fine.” She hoped she was right but doubted it.
“Will we ever see each other again?”
“Of course we will. When you’re settled, all you have to do is write to Pastor Carter at our old church. We’ll let him know where we are, and then he can tell you.” The bark of a dog broke the stillness. Soon the whole camp would be awake. “Now go. Right now. There’s no time to waste.”
Nellie picked up her bundle. Without another word, she gave Callie a swift hug and climbed into the wagon.
Callie and Luke watched as Jonckers hitched up the last two oxen and declared, “Guess we’d better get going.” He climbed to the seat, picked up the reins, and called a muted “Gee-up!” With only the barest of squeaks, the wagon rolled from the camp and headed east, back to where they’d come from. Callie, Luke beside her, followed, silently waving to Nellie, who kept waving back from the rear of the wagon. Would she ever see Nellie again? How awful they must part this way.
At last, when they had left the campsite and followed the wagon a short distance, Luke touched her arm. “This is far enough. We’d better get back.”
She stopped, waved a final good-bye. The wagon rolled out of sight.
Nellie was gone. A vast sense of loss enveloped her. “I know it’s for the best, but it’s hard.”
“I can tell Jonckers is a good man. It had to be done. This way Nellie has a chance. Come on, I’ll walk you home.”
On their return to the campground, Callie felt an increasing flood of relief. No longer did she have to worry over her stepsister. Nellie was gone and she was safe. Even after the briefest of meetings with Abe Jonckers, she knew in her heart Nellie would have a good life with him. “I was worried, but I think it’s going to work. Nellie’s safe now. I can only hope Pa doesn’t—”
“He won’t.” Luke stopped short. His hands gripped her shoulders. “Listen to me. Nellie will be fine. It’s you I worry about. If your Pa gets out of hand, you come to me. Is that clear?”
“I suppose so… Yes, of course you’re right.” An alarming thought struck her. “Oh, dear God.”
“What is it?”
“It just sunk in what I’ve done.”
“You helped your sister out of a terrible mess. Nothing wrong with that, is there? You’ve done a good thing.”
Again she was struck with how understanding Luke was and how caring. This was so new, knowing someone would actually listen to her with genuine sympathy. Her words poured out. There was no stopping them. “All my life I did what I was told. Now I’ve gone against Ma and Pa. When I started this journey, I never dreamed of doing such a thing. Now, here I am, totally defying them. I can hardly believe what I’ve done.”
“I can believe it. You’re not the same meek little mouse you were when you left Tennessee.”
“No one calls me that anymore. All the same, I’m scared to death to face Pa. My stepmother too.”
“You can handle it. Your doormat days are gone.”
Doormat days. His words hit hard. “You’re right. I’m not like that anymore.”
His hands still rested on her shoulders. As an orange sliver of sun rose above the nearby hills, he drew her closer. “Not anymore.” His voice shook. As his hands explored the hollows of her back, his dizzying masculine smell jarred her heart. Buckskin mixed with gunpowder, and a touch of the towering pine trees thrown in. “Callie,” he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. She sunk into his cushioning embrace, slid her arms around his neck, and tilted her head back to gaze at him. His mouth covered hers, hard and hungry. It was a kiss that was urgent, as if a dam had burst, releasing a flood of pent-up emotion. An aching need flowed through her. She wanted nothing more than to press tighter against him than she already was. He broke off the kiss and backed away, shaking his head in disbelief. “My God, I vowed I wouldn’t do this.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” A wry smile tipped one corner of his mouth. “What is it about you that I find so damnably attractive?”
She stepped back, held out her faded skirt and gave him a little curtsy. “The stylish way I dress perhaps?”
His face lit. “That’s it! You make me laugh. You make me think of you in the middle of the night. You…” He seemed at a loss for further words, so instead pulled her back into his arms. Her heart was thundering as he pressed her tight against him. He was trembling. “I’ve never met a woman like you. I’ve never wanted a woman like I want you.” Again his mouth covered hers, his lips hard and searching. This time his tongue explored the recesses of her mouth, sending shivers of desire racing through her. At last, with a shuddering intake of breath, he raised his lips from hers and looked into her eyes. “The sun’s coming up. I don’t want this to end but it must.” Gripping her arms, he thrust her away. “Go now. If you need help, remember, I’ll be standing by.”