laughed. “He’ll be fine. Just a little dust in his lungs. Right, Clem?”
Clem continued to mutter under his breath as he buckled the horse into the harness then attached the harness to the buggy. A few minutes later, after Daisy made a spot for Kate behind the front bench where she could move around without risk of falling out, Blake reined the horse back down Main Street.
As they passed the Post Office, a man came out and waved them down. “Heard you were heading out to RosaRoja,” he said, approaching the buggy after Blake reined in. “Mind delivering this?” He held out a string-tied bundle of mail.
At first Blake seemed reluctant, but finally he took the parcel and threw it under the seat. Ignoring the other man’s thanks, he slapped the reins on the horse’s rump, and they were off again.
For the first two hours they made good time. Then they started up into rolling foothills, and from that point on, the road climbed steadily and the horse began to struggle. Several times it stumbled, coughing and wheezing, and Blake had to use the whip to get it moving smartly again.
Daisy felt bad for it. The horse was obviously quite ill, and it angered her that Blake would abuse an animal that was already suffering. “Please don’t do that,” she said as Blake drew back the whip again.
“You want to get there or not?” The whip popped. The horse crouched away from the sting on its rump and picked up its speed.
“I can’t believe the livery didn’t have a sounder horse,” she complained, aggravated with both the hostler and Blake for their callous disregard of the animal, and with herself for coming along even after she had seen the condition of the poor creature.
“Oh, he’s just the horse I wanted,” Blake said, then laughed as if he knew something she didn’t.
Barely able to hide her growing disgust and irritation, she gave up trying to talk to the man and stared stonily ahead. She wished she had never come.
She wished she had never left San Francisco.
She wished a lot of things.
Disheartened and weary, she tried to ignore the horse’s struggles and focused instead on entertaining Kate until finally the exhausted child fell asleep on her blanket behind the bench seat. Daisy was about to doze off as well when Blake’s voice roused her.
“How do you know the Wilkins brothers?”
Blinking groggily, she looked around. It felt like they had been traveling forever, but if she read the position of the sun correctly, they still had miles to go. Keeping her voice low so she wouldn’t wake Kate, she told Blake the only one of the family she knew was Jack.
“The youngest?”
Daisy nodded.
“Haven’t met him. They say he’s the wild one.”
Wild? The Jack she knew had been brooding. Lost. Almost desperate for something that seemed just beyond his reach. It wasn’t until that last bitter argument that she had found out the “something” was another woman.
“Heard he was back,” Blake went on, pulling her from her dark memories.
“Back?” Her stomach seemed to drop to her feet. “Jack’s at the ranch?”
Something in her voice caused him to look over at her, his close-set eyes narrowed in speculation. “You didn’t know that?”
“Well, I ...”
“So it’s not him you’re going to see.” With a sly smile, Blake faced forward again. “Interesting.”
Jack was at the ranch . Daisy didn’t know what to think or how Jack’s return would impact her reasons for coming here. She didn’t know what name to put to the tumultuous emotions pounding through her. But suddenly the journey that had felt interminable a moment ago now seemed to be moving along too rapidly.
“How much farther is it?’ she asked.
“The boundary line? Not far. Things will start happening real soon.”
“What do you mean?”
Instead of answering, he leaned forward and started popping the tasseled snapper on the end of the whip against the horse’s rump. “Get on! Get on, you!”
The buggy lurched
Clem continued to mutter under his breath as he buckled the horse into the harness then attached the harness to the buggy. A few minutes later, after Daisy made a spot for Kate behind the front bench where she could move around without risk of falling out, Blake reined the horse back down Main Street.
As they passed the Post Office, a man came out and waved them down. “Heard you were heading out to RosaRoja,” he said, approaching the buggy after Blake reined in. “Mind delivering this?” He held out a string-tied bundle of mail.
At first Blake seemed reluctant, but finally he took the parcel and threw it under the seat. Ignoring the other man’s thanks, he slapped the reins on the horse’s rump, and they were off again.
For the first two hours they made good time. Then they started up into rolling foothills, and from that point on, the road climbed steadily and the horse began to struggle. Several times it stumbled, coughing and wheezing, and Blake had to use the whip to get it moving smartly again.
Daisy felt bad for it. The horse was obviously quite ill, and it angered her that Blake would abuse an animal that was already suffering. “Please don’t do that,” she said as Blake drew back the whip again.
“You want to get there or not?” The whip popped. The horse crouched away from the sting on its rump and picked up its speed.
“I can’t believe the livery didn’t have a sounder horse,” she complained, aggravated with both the hostler and Blake for their callous disregard of the animal, and with herself for coming along even after she had seen the condition of the poor creature.
“Oh, he’s just the horse I wanted,” Blake said, then laughed as if he knew something she didn’t.
Barely able to hide her growing disgust and irritation, she gave up trying to talk to the man and stared stonily ahead. She wished she had never come.
She wished she had never left San Francisco.
She wished a lot of things.
Disheartened and weary, she tried to ignore the horse’s struggles and focused instead on entertaining Kate until finally the exhausted child fell asleep on her blanket behind the bench seat. Daisy was about to doze off as well when Blake’s voice roused her.
“How do you know the Wilkins brothers?”
Blinking groggily, she looked around. It felt like they had been traveling forever, but if she read the position of the sun correctly, they still had miles to go. Keeping her voice low so she wouldn’t wake Kate, she told Blake the only one of the family she knew was Jack.
“The youngest?”
Daisy nodded.
“Haven’t met him. They say he’s the wild one.”
Wild? The Jack she knew had been brooding. Lost. Almost desperate for something that seemed just beyond his reach. It wasn’t until that last bitter argument that she had found out the “something” was another woman.
“Heard he was back,” Blake went on, pulling her from her dark memories.
“Back?” Her stomach seemed to drop to her feet. “Jack’s at the ranch?”
Something in her voice caused him to look over at her, his close-set eyes narrowed in speculation. “You didn’t know that?”
“Well, I ...”
“So it’s not him you’re going to see.” With a sly smile, Blake faced forward again. “Interesting.”
Jack was at the ranch . Daisy didn’t know what to think or how Jack’s return would impact her reasons for coming here. She didn’t know what name to put to the tumultuous emotions pounding through her. But suddenly the journey that had felt interminable a moment ago now seemed to be moving along too rapidly.
“How much farther is it?’ she asked.
“The boundary line? Not far. Things will start happening real soon.”
“What do you mean?”
Instead of answering, he leaned forward and started popping the tasseled snapper on the end of the whip against the horse’s rump. “Get on! Get on, you!”
The buggy lurched
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