Read Online Bride's Flight from Virginia City, Montana by Murray Pura - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Murray Pura
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impossible. So had all the years since then she’d spent running the ranch from dawn to dusk. There had been no opportunity for long evening rides and talks; she could only dream about such things.
Until now. Circumstances had combined to bring Zeph and her together in such a way they would have plenty of time not only to talk, but to see what the other person was like under all sorts of conditions and in all kinds of moods. Now she would truly get to know him and find out if he was the man she thought he was. What Raber had done to Cody and Cheyenne’s family was unspeakable. But the good that God was starting to bring out of it was a gift.
Still, there was the promise she had made, a promise she could not break. There was a war going on inside her, and it had been going on for years. She had always liked Zephaniah. One moment she desperately wanted something to happen between them. The next she knew they could never be a couple, ever. It was why she had always kept Zephaniah at arm’s length. She had to. A promise had been made at her brother’s deathbed. Yet she still wanted to be close to Zephaniah. She shook her head. There was no easy way to solve her dilemma.
She fixed a bonnet on her head, her long blond hair already pinned up. The luggage was by the front door with Martin who, to all appearances, was guarding it with an old buffalo gun his grandfather had owned. She carried a lamp into Cheyenne’s room. The girl was sitting on her bed in a charcoal dress and bonnet like Charlotte’s, no ribbons. Together they knocked on Cody’s door. He opened it, dressed in the same clothes he had worn to the funeral that afternoon, but the hat on his head was not a Stetson; it was flat-crowned and broad-brimmed, not nearly as interesting to look at. Charlotte nodded and smiled even though Cody was pouting about the hat. I don’t want people to find you or your clothing interesting, she thought. I don’t want any of them to notice you at all.
“Miss Spence?” Martin called up the staircase.
“We’re coming!” “They’re here.”
The three of them descended the staircase. Marshal Parker stood just inside the open door, hat in his hands. “How are you, Charlotte?” “Perfectly fine, Marshal.”
“We have the girl riding with you. We can fit a side saddle if—”
“Not at all. I’m dressed for riding under my skirts. Perhaps I’ll be mistaken for a man by anyone who’s out looking for us.”
“Maybe. The bonnet will be a giveaway though, even in the dark.”
“Then I’ll take mine off. And Cheyenne’s.” “That’s fine. We also have a couple of packhorses to carry your luggage.”
“Thank you, Matt. There is a good amount of it. But I am thinking of three or four months. My, it’s getting chilly.”
“There’s a cold front moving in from the northeast. I brought some sheep-fleece jackets along. It might make the ride more comfortable for the three of you.”
She laughed. “And I’ll look even more like a man.”
Matt smiled. “It’ll help.”
They came down the front steps. Zeph had the jackets ready for her and the children. He helped Cheyenne with hers and then held Charlotte’s open. She liked his touch as he tugged the sleeves over her arms. Cody had already pulled his on over his suit.
“Cody,” said Zeph, “Cheyenne, you know Mister King, and these two deputies are Mister Dunning and Mister Doede. They’ll be riding with us tonight.”
The deputies raised their derby hats.
“You two have handsome mustaches,” said Charlotte.
“Thank you, ma’am,” they responded, one after the other.
“And this is Pastor Jude,” continued Zeph. “He’s also riding with us to Virginia City. You remember him?”
“He prayed for everyone,” said Cheyenne.
“That’s right. Cody, this is your horse over here, Raincloud. Think you can handle him?”
In the lantern light all of them could see Cody’s pleasure at being given the tall dapple gray. “Yes,
Until now. Circumstances had combined to bring Zeph and her together in such a way they would have plenty of time not only to talk, but to see what the other person was like under all sorts of conditions and in all kinds of moods. Now she would truly get to know him and find out if he was the man she thought he was. What Raber had done to Cody and Cheyenne’s family was unspeakable. But the good that God was starting to bring out of it was a gift.
Still, there was the promise she had made, a promise she could not break. There was a war going on inside her, and it had been going on for years. She had always liked Zephaniah. One moment she desperately wanted something to happen between them. The next she knew they could never be a couple, ever. It was why she had always kept Zephaniah at arm’s length. She had to. A promise had been made at her brother’s deathbed. Yet she still wanted to be close to Zephaniah. She shook her head. There was no easy way to solve her dilemma.
She fixed a bonnet on her head, her long blond hair already pinned up. The luggage was by the front door with Martin who, to all appearances, was guarding it with an old buffalo gun his grandfather had owned. She carried a lamp into Cheyenne’s room. The girl was sitting on her bed in a charcoal dress and bonnet like Charlotte’s, no ribbons. Together they knocked on Cody’s door. He opened it, dressed in the same clothes he had worn to the funeral that afternoon, but the hat on his head was not a Stetson; it was flat-crowned and broad-brimmed, not nearly as interesting to look at. Charlotte nodded and smiled even though Cody was pouting about the hat. I don’t want people to find you or your clothing interesting, she thought. I don’t want any of them to notice you at all.
“Miss Spence?” Martin called up the staircase.
“We’re coming!” “They’re here.”
The three of them descended the staircase. Marshal Parker stood just inside the open door, hat in his hands. “How are you, Charlotte?” “Perfectly fine, Marshal.”
“We have the girl riding with you. We can fit a side saddle if—”
“Not at all. I’m dressed for riding under my skirts. Perhaps I’ll be mistaken for a man by anyone who’s out looking for us.”
“Maybe. The bonnet will be a giveaway though, even in the dark.”
“Then I’ll take mine off. And Cheyenne’s.” “That’s fine. We also have a couple of packhorses to carry your luggage.”
“Thank you, Matt. There is a good amount of it. But I am thinking of three or four months. My, it’s getting chilly.”
“There’s a cold front moving in from the northeast. I brought some sheep-fleece jackets along. It might make the ride more comfortable for the three of you.”
She laughed. “And I’ll look even more like a man.”
Matt smiled. “It’ll help.”
They came down the front steps. Zeph had the jackets ready for her and the children. He helped Cheyenne with hers and then held Charlotte’s open. She liked his touch as he tugged the sleeves over her arms. Cody had already pulled his on over his suit.
“Cody,” said Zeph, “Cheyenne, you know Mister King, and these two deputies are Mister Dunning and Mister Doede. They’ll be riding with us tonight.”
The deputies raised their derby hats.
“You two have handsome mustaches,” said Charlotte.
“Thank you, ma’am,” they responded, one after the other.
“And this is Pastor Jude,” continued Zeph. “He’s also riding with us to Virginia City. You remember him?”
“He prayed for everyone,” said Cheyenne.
“That’s right. Cody, this is your horse over here, Raincloud. Think you can handle him?”
In the lantern light all of them could see Cody’s pleasure at being given the tall dapple gray. “Yes,
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