Read Online A Big Sky Christmas by William W. Johnstone, J. A. Johnstone - Free Book Online Page B

bunch?”
    â€œTwo hundred and seventeen souls, Mr. MacCallister. Men, women, and children.”
    â€œI won’t have the lives of that many people thrown away if there’s anything I can do about it. I’ll take you to Montana.”
    There. It was done. His earlier idea of paying for them to stay in Kansas City until spring and then set out on their journey was forgotten, and he had a pretty good idea why he had discarded it. Jamie Ian MacCallister wasn’t a vain man, but he was a proud one, and Moses had played on his pride in a shrewd manner. That one was plenty smart.
    â€œIt’s settled, then,” Moses said again. “You can put your horses with our stock, since you’re one of us now. Isn’t that right, Captain?”
    â€œYeah, I reckon,” Hendricks said, still not completely convinced it was a good idea. Apparently he was going to make the best of it, though. “Then I’ll introduce you around. People will need to know what’s happened.”
    After taking that short break, the musicians were starting up again. The strains of their new tune filled the night air. Jamie felt one of his booted toes begin to tap slightly in time to the music. It would be a long, hard trail to Montana, he thought, and these pilgrims had no real idea of what they were facing.
    Let them enjoy what time they had left, before they set out on what might be a trail to disaster.

C HAPTER E LEVEN
    Moses Danzig invited Jamie to share his wagon, but Jamie told the young rabbi that he would just spread his bedroll underneath the vehicle. “I’m pretty sure it’s not going to rain, and I’ve spent many a night sleeping on the ground. Maybe that’s not as comfortable for these old bones as it once was, but it doesn’t bother me all that much.”
    â€œSuit yourself, Mr. MacCallister,” Moses said.
    â€œCall me Jamie.”
    â€œAll right, Jamie. Since we didn’t get around to meeting everybody, I’ll introduce you to the rest of the group in the morning.”
    â€œYou’re acquainted with everybody in the wagon train, are you?” Jamie asked.
    â€œWell, most of them, anyway. Once you get to know me, you’ll see that I’m the gregarious sort.”
    â€œDoes that mean friendly and talkative?” Jamie asked, even though he knew that was exactly what the word meant.
    â€œYes, it does.”
    â€œReckon I’d sort of figured that out already,” Jamie said dryly.
    He had put his horses in the corral after unsaddling Sundown and moving his supplies from the pack horse to the back of Moses’s wagon. He would use the pack animal as an extra saddle mount if he needed one and eventually press it into service again as a beast of burden once he parted ways with the immigrants after they reached Montana Territory . . . although he might not be leaving Eagle Valley right away, he realized. That would depend on the weather. If snowstorms closed the passes, it was possible he might have to remain with the pilgrims until spring, unable to reach his home in Colorado until winter was over.
    He spent the night under the wagon, and as he had predicted, he slept just fine. His muscles creaked a little and his joints popped when he crawled out of his bedroll the next morning, but there was nothing uncommon about that.
    As usual, he was up well before dawn, had a fire going and his coffeepot boiling by the time Moses crawled out of the wagon with his hair rumpled and a sleepy expression on his face.
    â€œWhat time is it?” Moses asked.
    â€œTime for folks to be up and stirring around,” Jamie told him. “Most of them already are.”
    It was true. The women had cook fires blazing, and the men were tending to the animals. Jamie had already checked on his horses and knew they were all right.
    Moses dropped from the tailgate to the ground and ran his fingers through his tangled hair. He put his hat on and hunkered next to