request. âYes, Mary. I will.â
âYou promise?â
âI promise.â
Maryâs hand fell away from Tarsieâs wrist. Her face relaxed as her eyes slipped close. âThank you.â Air escaped Maryâs lips, a whisper-soft sigh of satisfaction. And then silence fell.
Tarsie stared into Maryâs sweet face, holding her own breath as she waited for her friend to pull another life-giving breath into her lungs. But Mary lay still. Tarsieâs chest burned with the effort of withholding her own breathâ Breathe, Mary! Breathe!â but eventually the air whooshed from Tarsieâs lungs on a tormented moan of sorrow. Sobbing, she threw herself across Maryâs lifeless body, willing the warmth and life she possessed to somehow transfer to her friend. Emmy, Nathaniel, Jossâthey needed Mary so badly. How could God take her?
Over her heartbroken sobs, the echo of Maryâs voice reverberated through her memory. âWill you be Godâs love on earth to my precious children and to Joss?â With stiff, painful movements, Tarsie forced herself upright. Sheâd made a promise, and with Godâs help, she would honor it. Her first task would be finding a way to tell Emmy, Nathaniel, and Joss that Maryâs spirit had slipped away.
Swallowing her tears, she gently covered Maryâs face with her apron. Then she turned toward the wagonâs opening and borrowed a prayer sheâd heard Mary whisper many times.
Strength, Father.
 10Â
H is Mary would never know if Kansas grass tickled her feet, but at least sheâd been put to rest in Kansas soil. Joss swallowed the massive lump that filled his throat and hoped his wife would be satisfied with the simple grave on the far fringes of White Cloud, Kansas.
Strangers surrounded the mound of dirt that covered Maryâs bodyâall of the black travelers from Murphyâs train, Murphy himself with his hat in his hands, the doctor Joss had summoned but whoâd arrived too late, and a solemn-looking preacher the doctor had dragged out to perform a simple ceremony. Joss reckoned he should appreciate their presence, but resentment churned through his gut. These people didnât know Mary. They didnât belong here. But a weariness heavier than anything heâd ever known held him captive, and he couldnât dredge up enough energy to send them away.
The preacherâs voice rose with conviction as he read from the Bible. ââSurely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.ââ The Bibleâs pages fluttered in the wind, and the man smoothed them back into place. His head low, he closed his eyes and offered a prayer.
Joss shut his ears to the petitions, the same way Godmustâve shut His ears to Tarsieâs prayers and the prayers Murphy said his people sent up to the heavens for Mary. A God whoâd take a woman like Mary before her time wasnât worth beans in Jossâs estimation.
The preacher concluded his prayer with a deeply intoned âamen,â and the folks gathered behind Joss echoed it before they ambled away. Tarsie stretched out her hand to the minister and thanked him for coming, but Joss kept his hands clamped over Emmyâs and Nathanielâs small shoulders. He wouldnât offer a thank-you he didnât mean.
The moment Tarsie stepped back from the preacher, Joss pushed the youngsters in her direction. âTake âem to the wagon and stay put. I got me some business in town. Iâll meet up with you later.â
Tarsieâs eyebrows crunched. âWhat kind of business might you be having in town?â She tugged the children snug to her sides, her eyes widening. âYou arenât fixinâ toââher voice dropped to a raspy whisperââdrown your sorrows?â
Joss snorted. âA manâs got a right to pickle his insides after
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