Tracie Peterson - [Land of the Lone Star 03] by Taming the Wind Page B

advice and made a list for each of us. The chores are shared among the women. We may even find ourselves with time to just rest and take it easy.”
    “That’ll be the day,” William said with a snorted laugh. “I think the only time you sit still for more than a minute is at meals, and even then you’re up and down so much I very nearly get seasick.”
    Chuckles sounded from around the table. Carissa watched as Hannah blushed and shook her head. “The only way to get things done is to do them.”
    The meal continued in a pleasant, almost celebratory, spirit. Carissa listened to the men discuss the need for extra lassos and gloves. Marietta suggested taking a stack of wool blankets in case the weather turned cold.
    “You can never tell about the weather. I’ve heard tell of snow in Kansas even into May. Best you go prepared,” she told them.
    Hannah mentioned a new quilt pattern that she got in the mail, and Marietta and Laura seemed more than a little interested. Twice Carissa tried to take Gloria from Tyler, but neither the child nor the man showed any interest. She fretted that this arrangement somehow signaled to the others an intimacy she was not yet ready to concede. But by the time dessert was served, Carissa finally began to relax and realize that no one thought it strange that Tyler and Gloria should share the meal. This seemed even more apparent when Ted took young Robert Barnett from his high chair and bounced the boy on his knee.
    The women cleared the table when everyone was done, and Marty took the children to play for a bit before bedtime. Carissa offered to help with the washing up, even though it wasn’t her night, but Hannah waved her off.
    “Go talk to Tyler,” she suggested in a whisper.
    Laura was standing close enough to hear and raised a brow in question. Carissa shrugged and moved toward the back porch. Laura wasn’t willing to be dismissed so easily.
    “What did she mean by that? Is there a problem between you and Tyler?”
    Carissa paused at the back door and shook her head. “No. Not really.”
    “Then what did she mean?”
    Meeting Laura’s concerned expression, Carissa drew a deep breath. “Hannah thinks that Tyler has feelings for me.”
    “Well, that’s nothing new. I’ve felt that way for some time.”
    “She thinks I should tell Tyler that I have feelings for him,” Carissa confessed.
    “And do you?”
    Carissa carefully weighed her response to Laura’s question. “I don’t want to have feelings for someone who may well die on this fool cattle drive.” That was easier to say than to explain her own fears regarding Malcolm and the past.
    “What?”
    “The drive is dangerous,” Carissa said, looking Laura square in the eye. “I know that my words might offer you more to worry about, but cattle drives are dangerous and passing through Indian Territory is just asking for trouble.”
    “So you can’t have feelings for Tyler because he might die?”
    Nodding in her discomfort, Carissa continued. “Yes. I’ve already endured so much, Laura. To risk my heart again seems foolish.”
    “Well, I suppose this means that you will no longer have feelings for Gloria or Daniel.”
    “What? Don’t talk crazy. I’ll never stop having feelings for them.”
    “Well, children die all the time. Sickness comes and they are too little to fight it off.”
    “That’s not the same, Laura. This is something the men are choosing to do. They are choosing to risk their lives.”
    Laura nodded. “I see. Then you won’t be able to love me anymore.”
    Carissa was growing quite frustrated. “What are you saying? Of course I love you.”
    “But I chose to have another baby. Women often die in childbirth. So since I chose to risk my life, you cannot have feelings for me.”
    Carissa could see Laura’s point. Her shoulders dropped a bit in defeat. “All right, so life is a risk and giving one’s heart is a part of it. But it doesn’t stop me from being afraid.”
    Laura stepped