Read Online Pony Express Courtship by Rhonda Gibson - Free Book Online

Seth enjoyed the way her eyes sparkled in the evening light. The moon hung in such a way as to shine in her eyes.
    â€œI see. I don’t believe I need anything but if I change my mind I’ll let you know over breakfast.” Rebecca moved into the house. “Thank you for keeping me informed.” She smiled a tired grin and then shut the wooden door behind her.
    She really was a beautiful woman. Her weary grin had caused his heart to do a little dance. For the first time, he had noticed twin dimples in her cheeks. He’d always been a sucker for dimples. Seth shook his head to clear it of those unwanted thoughts and feelings. He had a fiancée out there somewhere and had no room for such thoughts.
    He walked to where Andrew sat on a stump keeping watch over the horses. His eyes looked heavenward. “Looks like we might get some cold weather soon,” Andrew said in way of greeting.
    Seth followed his line of vision. The moon now played hide-and-seek with the dark clouds. A soft ring circled the moon.
    â€œRain or snow?” he asked.
    â€œProbably rain,” Andrew answered, meeting Seth’s gaze. “I don’t think it is cold enough for snow, but I could be wrong.” The young man shrugged.
    A nippy breeze lifted the hair on Seth’s neck. “I believe you are right, but it for sure is getting colder.”
    Andrew pulled up his collar. “Yep.”
    Seth leaned against the fence rail facing the horses. The night’s silence offered comfort. The horses snorted from time to time and their feet shuffled against the hard-packed dirt. If he closed his eyes he could almost smell their musky scents.
    â€œIt’s peaceful out here,” Andrew said. He’d moved to stand beside Seth at the railing. He laid his rifle on the top bar and sighed. “Did Ma give you a hard time about Beni taking a watch?” he asked.
    â€œNot after she learned that Jacob would be with him,” Seth answered truthfully. He’d expected her to put up a better argument. He glanced in Andrew’s direction.
    Andrew seemed ever watchful. “That’s good. Ma’s very protective of Beni, and now Noah.”
    â€œHow long has Noah been on the farm?” Seth asked, deliberately focusing his attention on the horses.
    Andrew heaved a sigh. “About three months, give or take a day. Beni has been here since he was three. The rest of us arrived shortly after our twelfth birthdays.”
    Seth could understand Rebecca’s concern. Beni probably still seemed like a baby to her. Noah hadn’t been here long and with the changes going on at the farm and in his life, Rebecca must be worried about his reactions to those changes.
    â€œAre you an orphan, too?” Andrew stared at Seth.
    â€œI guess that depends on how you look at it. I didn’t grow up in an orphanage but I no longer have any family left.” He held the boy’s gaze, waiting for the next question that was sure to follow.
    It didn’t take long for Andrew. He asked, “Is that why you signed on with the Pony Express?”
    â€œNo, I signed on because I’d been robbed by bandits and needed the money.” Seth didn’t add that he’d been searching for his mail-order bride when he was attacked.
    â€œWhat was that like?” Andrew picked up his gun and cradled it in his arms. Whether he was angling for company on his watch or was simply curious, Seth couldn’t tell, but decided to answer him honestly.
    â€œWell, I was traveling alone and had decided to bed down in a small grove of trees just outside of town. Normally, my horse lets me know if anyone is around, but on this night, the horse didn’t alert me. Or if he did, I simply didn’t hear him. Anyway, the next thing I knew three men surrounded me with guns.”
    â€œDid you try to fight them?” Andrew propped his leg on the fence and turned from looking at the horses. His face filled with