Wagon Trail Bride Page 16

  “That doesn’t explain the abdominal pain.”

  ‘Cramps. Some women get cramps when they start their flow.”

  “Yes, well, I suppose that makes sense. Alright. I’ll go back and tell the others that’s what happened.” Joe tipped his hat to Richard then headed for the group that still remained a good distance away.

  It was evident to Richard that Joe didn’t believe him. But Richard didn’t know what else to tell him, and worse, he didn’t know how to be convincing enough when he lied to make it easy for others to believe him. Regardless, he had to stick with this story. He couldn’t afford to deviate from it, for doing so would only make the lie that much more obvious. Taking a deep breath, he headed for his family’s wagon.

  When he arrived there, Amanda was sitting by Sally, who was putting some ginger into a cup of water. Sally held it to Amanda. “This should help settle your stomach.”

  “I feel fine,” Amanda assured her. “I just needed to rest.”

  “I know, but I thought in case you start to feel queasy again, this would help.”

  “Oh, alright.” Amanda took the cup.

  As Sally stood up, Richard smiled at her. “Thank you, Sally.”

  “It works for me every month,” Sally said, smiling back. “Are you in the mood for stale bread, oatmeal, and jerky?”

  “Sounds delicious,” he joked. “Here’s the water.”

  “Thanks. I’ll come back with your gourmet meals in a bit.”

  She took the pail and went over to her mother and Jenny who were gathering the things they needed to make breakfast. Not too far away, his father was talking to his brothers about hunting.

  Richard sat next to Amanda and took her hand in his. “Do you feel up to eating this morning?”

  “Yes. I think I’m getting my appetite back,” she replied, resting her head on his shoulder.

  “Good.”

  “I saw Joe talking to you.”

  “He wanted to know how you were feeling today. I told him you were better. Apparently, the others are worried you’re going to make everyone else sick.”

  She closed her eyes. “It’ll be good to get to Omaha. Then we don’t have to worry about upsetting the others in the group.”

  “You can’t blame them for being scared.”

  “I don’t. If I was them, I’d be scared, too.”

  He squeezed her hand and whispered, “But we know everything’s alright, and that being the case, we’re doing good.”

  She nodded.

  Sally came over to them and showed them some slices of bread, cheese, and jerky. “Ma will have oatmeal ready soon. In the meantime, she thought this might tide you over.”

  “Thanks.” He took the food but waited until Sally was gone before he offered Amanda some of it.

  “Just the bread and cheese,” Amanda said. “Jerky is too heavy on the stomach.”

  “Do you think you can handle some oatmeal?”

  “A small bowl, yes.”

  Relieved she would be eating more this time, he gave her some bread and portions of the cut up cheese. “If you want more, I can get them for you.”

  She straightened up and tore a small piece of bread. “If I eat these with oatmeal, I’ll be fine.”

  “I think Pa is going to hunt today. I might join him, if you don’t mind.”

  “No, I don’t mind. I hear you’re good at hunting.”

  He shrugged, though he was pleased she chose to extend the compliment toward him. “I do alright. It’ll be good for Tom, Dave, and Joel to get some practice. They’ll probably need to hunt more than me.”

  “You still don’t want to take advantage of the Homestead Act?”

  “No. They can have the land. I just want to build things.”

  Her lips curled up into a smile. “I’m glad you’ll be home every night. It’ll be nice to be able to welcome you when you come through the door and have you hold me at night. Plus,” she gestured to the bread, “we’ll be eating better. I know this food isn’t nearly as good as what we used to eat in New York.”

  “No, it’s not. It’s better.” He kissed her. “Everything’s better with you. I wouldn’t trade our time on this trail for anything.” Who knew if she would have grown to love him otherwise? He’d eat stale bread and jerky for the rest of his life as long as she loved him. “You make everything better.”

  “You do, too.”

  She leaned toward him and kissed him. Instead of it being quick, though, she chose to let her lips linger on his.

  “I like it better when you’re at your own wagon,” Joel said.

  “I think it’s sweet,” Tom replied.

  Pulling away from Amanda, Richard saw his brothers and father heading their way. “It won’t be long before you’ll like kissing girls,” Richard told his youngest brother then looked at his father. “You want me to help you hunt today?”

  “Only if Amanda feels well enough,” his father said.

  “I feel much better, Mr. Larson,” Amanda assured him.

  His father smiled. “Good. We don’t want anything bad to happen to you. You’re a member of this family, and we do everything we can to help each other.”

  “I know, and thank you.”

  Richard’s mother called out it was time to eat, officially ending the conversation since his brothers made a mad dash over to the campfire where she was stirring oatmeal in the pot. His father chuckled and followed after them.

  When Richard returned his gaze to Amanda, he was happy to see she was eating. This morning marked a new beginning for them both. Granted, the past wouldn’t change. Everything that had happened back in New York would always be a part of their lives, but whatever the future held for them, they’d get through it together. And for that reason alone, he was happy.

  ***

  Later that day while the men were hunting, Mrs. Larson came over to Amanda, who was helping Sally wash clothes by the stream. “How are you feeling?” Mrs. Larson asked Amanda.

  “I’m doing fine,” Amanda replied, hoping Richard’s mother didn’t hear how she was slightly out of breath. Apparently, yesterday had been harder on her than she thought. She still felt weak.

  “I don’t want you to do too much after what you went through yesterday.” Mrs. Larson placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You’re looking a little pale. Maybe you should lie down and rest for a while? I can help Sally with the wash.”

  “I want to earn my keep.”

  “You can best do that by taking care of yourself.” Mrs. Larson smiled and rubbed her back in the same way she did for her children. “You’ve always worked yourself too hard, but Amanda, taking some time for yourself isn’t wrong. We all need a break now and then.”

  She was right. As much as Amanda wanted to do more, she needed to make sure she regained all of her strength before she returned to doing something as strenuous as washing clothes. Richard wouldn’t like it if she pushed herself too hard. She owed it to him to rest.

  “We’re almost done anyway,” Sally said, looking up from the shirt she was scrubbing with a bar of soap.

  “Alright,” Amanda wiped her wet hands on her skirt. “If you need anything, you’ll let me help?” she asked Mrs. Larson and Sally.

  “Only if we think you’re up to it,” Mrs. Larson said. “I set up the canopy Jesse lent us. It has good shade, and I made sure the breeze is going into it.”

  “Jesse said we can use it for as long as we need it,” Sally added.

  Amanda nodded and thanked them before leaving the stream. She found the canopy next to her and Richard’s wagon. Though she didn’t want to admit it, it felt heavenly to be able to lie down and close her eyes. She was more exhausted than she’d realized. The cool air circled around her, further enabling her to relax. Thankfully, the strong humidity from yesterday was gone.

  Amanda thought she’d just drifted off to sleep when she heard someone come into the canopy. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see Laura with some items in her arms. “Shouldn’t you
be with the others?” Amanda asked.

  “Joe said you aren’t sick, so I thought I’d come by to visit,” Laura replied, putting down a bowl, a pitcher, a cup, and a small bag of herbs. “But just in case, I have something for nausea.”

  “I’m not sick. I’m just tired.”

  “Then I won’t be needing this.” Laura set aside the bag. “Would you like some water? It might refresh you.”

  Amanda almost said no since Richard had made sure she drank more than enough, but since Laura had come all the way over here to take care of her, she figured she might as well. “Water would be nice,” Amanda said.

  Laura’s face lit up, and she poured water into the cup.

  Amanda studied her. “You really enjoy helping people, don’t you?”

  “It’s nice to be useful. I don’t like sitting around while I could be doing something, and right now Mrs. Shaw is taking care of Elliot.” She glanced from the cup to Amanda. “Do you want me to help you sit up?”

  “No, I can do it.” Amanda scooted into a sitting position and held her hand out to take the cup. When Laura gave it to her, she asked, “Are you going to be able to take care of Elliot after tending to me?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Well, Joe may not think I’m sick, but I notice everyone is still keeping their distance from me.”

  “There are a couple of people who are certain you have cholera or some other illness. It isn’t helping that Mr. Carmichael won’t stop talking about it. He’s ready to head on out of here without the others just to get away from you.”

  “If I’d known it was that easy to get rid of him, I would have vomited at the beginning of the trip,” Amanda muttered. She never did care much for the irritable man. All he ever did was complain.

  Laura chuckled. “Oh, that’s awfully mean. Funny, but mean.”

  Her lips curled up into a smile. “Well, it wouldn’t be any great loss if he did leave.”

  “I know. I don’t think anyone likes him. We just tolerate him because he’s part of the group.”

  Amanda nodded then took a sip of the water.

  “You do look a lot better today,” Laura said.

  “I’m fine, Laura. It was just…the heat and all the walking.”

  “I’m glad. I worried we were going to lose you like we lost Elsie. It’s scary to think someone can be fine one day and then gone the next. You never know what’s going to happen. Nothing’s guaranteed. We need to enjoy each day as it comes.” She cleared her throat and spread her skirt out around her legs. “I took a lot of things for granted before I started this trip. After all that’s happened, I see things differently.”

  “I do, too,” Amanda whispered, thinking of Richard and how much he loved her, had always loved her.

  “But you’re alright, and that’s good. As much as it hurt to lose Elsie, it would have hurt more to lose my friend.”

  “Friend?” Amanda looked back at Laura. Surely, she didn’t mean her. Amanda couldn’t think of a single thing she’d said or done to make Laura want to be her friend.

  But even as Amanda struggled to figure out why Laura would say that, Laura smiled. “I consider you a friend. When we get to Omaha, I hope we’ll continue to be friends.”

  Once she overcame her shock, Amanda returned her smile and said, “I’d like that,” before she drank more water.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It was the next night when Richard went to the stream to gather more water. Joe had come by earlier that day to let them know they’d be heading out the next morning, and maybe it was because of that, Richard couldn’t sleep. After ensuring everyone was safe as they slept, he took the pail and headed for the stream.

  Once he filled the pail, he took a moment to sit and relax. The day had been a long one, despite the fact that they didn’t go anywhere. Or, perhaps it was because they had stayed put for an extra day that had made it seem so long. Whatever the case, he was glad they’d be heading out tomorrow.

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, finding the action calming. They were close to Omaha now. In just a little over a month, they’d be at their new home. Better yet, Amanda was now looking forward to it. She no longer had to come up with something to tell his parents about the baby. Despite what she thought, though, they would have come to accept the child, and they wouldn’t have stopped caring about her. But it was far easier to know this than to convince her.

  He opened his eyes and leaned toward the stream, so he could dip his hands in the water and wash his face. There was no denying she was happier. While part of it was due to the fact that they were finally enjoying the glow of newfound love, he was sure part of it stemmed from her relief of not having to have Mr. Price’s child. He, however, had mixed feelings about it. The child might have been Mr. Price’s, but he or she had also been Amanda’s, and because of that, he was sorry about the loss.

  Any dwelling on it was pointless, however. It wasn’t like anything would change. He just needed to take each day for what it was and enjoy the best parts of it. And who knew? Maybe someday there would be more children. Next time, Amanda would be happy to learn she was with child. And that would be good. More than anything, he wanted her to be happy.

  The sound of someone approaching made him stand up. He relaxed when he saw it was Joe. Though…

  “Shouldn’t you be keeping a lookout over at your camp?” Richard asked.

  “I got Carmichael doing that at the moment,” Joe said, still approaching him.

  “What did you come here for? To tell me I should be over there doing it?” The words flew out of Richard’s mouth before he had time to think over the consequences of speaking them.

  Joe stopped in front of him, hands on hips, and stared at him for a long moment before saying, “I’m going to give you one chance to be honest with me. If you aren’t, I’m not responsible for what happens next. Exactly what happened to Amanda the other day?”

  “I told you. She started her monthly flow.”

  Joe’s face darkened. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Before Richard had time to respond, Joe punched him in the jaw, sending him stumbling back until he tripped and landed in the stream. What the…?

  Joe ran over to him and grabbed him by the collar and struck him again.

  This time the pain in Richard’s jaw shot through him. He struggled to get away from Joe, but Joe put his weight on top of him. Richard made an attempt to strike Joe back. Joe, however, was far more adept at fighting than Richard and managed to get two more punches in before someone called out for him to stop.

  It wasn’t until the person grabbed Joe and pulled him away that Joe finally got off of Richard. Gasping, Richard scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain that ran up his ribs where Joe had pinned him down. He put his hand up to his nose and saw it was bleeding.

  “What are you doing?” Amanda asked Joe, fear in her voice.

  “Stop defending him!” Joe hissed. “I know what happened. I know he got you with child. That’s why you married him.”

  “How do you know she was with child?” Richard snapped, storming over to Joe, ready to give him a good punch in the jaw and nose.

  Amanda put her hand on Richard’s chest. “Don’t. Please. You’ll make it worse if you retaliate.”

  Pulse racing, Richard glanced at Joe then at Amanda, who silently pleaded with him to do what she wanted. Finally, he relented and stepped back. “Alright.” Looking at Joe, he added, “But only because she wants me to.”

  Richard wiped his nose again. There was blood all over his hand and sleeve. Joe got him good. He would have liked to have gotten Mr. Price this bad off, but he’d only managed a bruised jaw.

  “I dug up the clothes you buried, and I saw what you hid in the ground,” Joe said, glaring at Richard. “You took advantage of her, and she married you because she had no choice. Well, let me tell you something. She was supposed to marry me, and when we get to the next town, you’re going to let her go.”

  “
It didn’t happen that way,” Amanda said, pushing Joe away as he lunged for Richard.

  “You’re going to deny you were with child?” Joe asked her.

  “No, I’m not. I was. But it wasn’t Richard’s. Richard was protecting me.” She took a moment to gather her composure. “You remember Mr. Price? The newspaper editor who stayed with my brother-in-law?”

  Joe finally took his gaze off of Richard and looked at her. “Yes. What about him?”

  “Shortly after you left for the rails, he forced himself upon me. That’s how I got with child. My brother-in-law threw me out, and I had nowhere to go. Richard,” she motioned to him, “found me in an alley and took me home. He’s been my friend since we were little. He would never hurt me. He gave me a place to stay and food to eat, and then he asked me to marry him in case I was with child. We left New York to get a new start.”

  She let out a heavy sigh and wiped tears from her eyes.

  “I don’t want anyone to know what happened,” she continued. “That’s why Richard kept quiet. He said I was having my lady’s time because I asked him to keep what happened with Mr. Price a secret. And I didn’t tell you because every time I have to talk about it, it’s like going through it all over again. It was the worst thing I’ve ever been through, Joe. Richard was there when I needed him, and while I didn’t love him when we married, I do now. He’s a good man, a decent man. I’m happy with him. I’m not pretending to love him. I really do. Will you please finally accept it?”

  After a long moment of glancing from her to Richard and back again, Joe took the hat off his head. A second later, all the fight left him. “I had no idea…” His eyes met Richard’s. “I’m sorry. I thought you took advantage of her. I thought she was forced to marry you.”

  “It’s alright,” Richard said. “I would have done the same thing in your situation. In fact, I did. I went after Mr. Price. I didn’t get him nearly as good as you got me, though.” He wiped his nose again. There seemed to be less blood this time. Maybe it was the strain of having to keep the secret all these months or the showdown he’d just had with Joe, but Richard started laughing. “You’re pretty strong.”