their situation.
When Erica gave Gabrielle an imploring glance, she stepped forward. "If we sort our belongings so the clothing and things we'll need on the trip will be readily accessible that will help us place the articles we'll use later in the luggage we can store on the bottom."
"That makes sense," Erica agreed quickly. She bent down to open her two bags and rearrange her possessions. "Why couldn't Mr. Royal have thought of that when he had us all searching through our luggage for things to discard?"
Gabrielle turned around to be certain Jason couldn't overhear that criticism. "Men have different priorities, that's all. What's important to him is different from what would be our first consideration." Even as she spoke she couldn't understand why she'd be making excuses for the young man, but she was certain what she said was true.
Erica looked up with an impish smile. "I certainly hope there are more like him in Oregon City, but it is difficult to tell from the sketches he showed us whether or not the men are that tall and handsomely built."
Shading her eyes with her hand, Gabrielle turned to watch as Iris and Jason continued on down the line of wagons. "Yes, I suppose he is good-looking now that you mention it."
"As if you hadn't noticed!" Erica laughed out loud at that prospect but when Gabrielle simply appeared embarrassed and didn't respond she didn't persist in her teasing. "Since I have two bags and you have one, do you want to organize our things
together so we can use one bag to store the things we'll not need for a while?"
"Why yes, if you don't mind." Erica had almost as many pretty dresses as Gabrielle did, but in addition she'd brought along a quilt which took up a lot of space and an intricately fashioned, crocheted tablecloth. "That tablecloth is lovely, but do you think any of the men will have crystal?"
"If not yet, they soon will have, won't they?" Erica was delighted to have found so nice a friend, and while she helped Gabrielle to arrange her things the two young women teased each other playfully.
When Jason Royal walked past their wagon leading Sunny, he did no more than shake his head for he could not imagine why the young women were working so diligently to store their belongings when they'd have to unload them so frequently. Rather than stop to offer any advice, however, h decided to simply let them find out for themselves how futile their efforts were.
While Jason was a skilled scout, able to find shortcuts through even the most treacherous terrain, it was Clayton's ability to organize which made him a valuable partner to their enterprise. He had hired drivers for each of the brides' wagons. They were mature men who'd be unlikely to distract the young women from the purpose of their trip, for not one of them had been handsome even in his youth. They had been hired to tend the teams of oxen and to take turns preparing the meals so the young women didn't have to assume that tiresome responsibility until they were married. Starting with the first evening, the three men proved their worth by assuming a fatherly attitude toward their charges. The young ladies found this both charming and reassuring. Clayton hoped, with the help of the drivers, he and Jason could provide adequate supervision to secure the young women's comfort and safety. Alarmed by Jason's predictions of peril along the trail, he had introduced himself to all the families making the trip and to his delight had found one with two attractive daughters of marriageable age.
Not that he expected to lose any of the girls he'd chosen, hut if he could pick up an extra bachelor or two in Or^on City he'd get the fee for providing the introductions while he'd not had the responsibility or the expense for the two young women's travel. If Joshua Taylor had decided he wanted a bride since all his friends would have one, then Clayton hoped there would be a few other men who'd be similarly inspired.
Paul Slaughter was the driver
When Erica gave Gabrielle an imploring glance, she stepped forward. "If we sort our belongings so the clothing and things we'll need on the trip will be readily accessible that will help us place the articles we'll use later in the luggage we can store on the bottom."
"That makes sense," Erica agreed quickly. She bent down to open her two bags and rearrange her possessions. "Why couldn't Mr. Royal have thought of that when he had us all searching through our luggage for things to discard?"
Gabrielle turned around to be certain Jason couldn't overhear that criticism. "Men have different priorities, that's all. What's important to him is different from what would be our first consideration." Even as she spoke she couldn't understand why she'd be making excuses for the young man, but she was certain what she said was true.
Erica looked up with an impish smile. "I certainly hope there are more like him in Oregon City, but it is difficult to tell from the sketches he showed us whether or not the men are that tall and handsomely built."
Shading her eyes with her hand, Gabrielle turned to watch as Iris and Jason continued on down the line of wagons. "Yes, I suppose he is good-looking now that you mention it."
"As if you hadn't noticed!" Erica laughed out loud at that prospect but when Gabrielle simply appeared embarrassed and didn't respond she didn't persist in her teasing. "Since I have two bags and you have one, do you want to organize our things
together so we can use one bag to store the things we'll not need for a while?"
"Why yes, if you don't mind." Erica had almost as many pretty dresses as Gabrielle did, but in addition she'd brought along a quilt which took up a lot of space and an intricately fashioned, crocheted tablecloth. "That tablecloth is lovely, but do you think any of the men will have crystal?"
"If not yet, they soon will have, won't they?" Erica was delighted to have found so nice a friend, and while she helped Gabrielle to arrange her things the two young women teased each other playfully.
When Jason Royal walked past their wagon leading Sunny, he did no more than shake his head for he could not imagine why the young women were working so diligently to store their belongings when they'd have to unload them so frequently. Rather than stop to offer any advice, however, h decided to simply let them find out for themselves how futile their efforts were.
While Jason was a skilled scout, able to find shortcuts through even the most treacherous terrain, it was Clayton's ability to organize which made him a valuable partner to their enterprise. He had hired drivers for each of the brides' wagons. They were mature men who'd be unlikely to distract the young women from the purpose of their trip, for not one of them had been handsome even in his youth. They had been hired to tend the teams of oxen and to take turns preparing the meals so the young women didn't have to assume that tiresome responsibility until they were married. Starting with the first evening, the three men proved their worth by assuming a fatherly attitude toward their charges. The young ladies found this both charming and reassuring. Clayton hoped, with the help of the drivers, he and Jason could provide adequate supervision to secure the young women's comfort and safety. Alarmed by Jason's predictions of peril along the trail, he had introduced himself to all the families making the trip and to his delight had found one with two attractive daughters of marriageable age.
Not that he expected to lose any of the girls he'd chosen, hut if he could pick up an extra bachelor or two in Or^on City he'd get the fee for providing the introductions while he'd not had the responsibility or the expense for the two young women's travel. If Joshua Taylor had decided he wanted a bride since all his friends would have one, then Clayton hoped there would be a few other men who'd be similarly inspired.
Paul Slaughter was the driver
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