lady,” Travis said softly, “you and these kids had better bed down. Tomorrow is a long day.”
She smiled up at him. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”
He flushed and stirred uneasily. “It weren’t no big deal. You know what they say about us. ‘A Texas Ranger knows what’s right and goes right ahead on.’”
“Even if the odds are overwhelming?”
“Even if the odds are overwhelming.” He nodded.
She wanted to go over to Travis, sit down close and lean back against him, enjoy the fire and the evening with him, but of course she couldn’t do that. “We’d better bed down. Tomorrow’s the big day.”
Travis was up early, thinking about the run into the Unassigned Lands. It was to start at high noon and settlers would rush in from all four sides. The earliest ones in would get the best land, although, there were thousands more settlers than there was available land.
He watched Violet asleep with her arm thrown across little Boo Hoo. His dog lay next to the toddler. The little rascal had completely stolen his dog’s heart and turned the grouchy old mutt into a pet. But he couldn’t be angry. He had grown used to having these ragtag orphans with him, especially that mouthy one, Violet. If only she were a few years older . . . What are you thinking? he scolded himself. She’s just an innocent kid. What you need from women, you can get for a dollar at any passing saloon. Soon he’d be back to his old ways of riding alone. Solitude suited him just fine.
Violet woke up and yawned, and he thought how cute she was as she scrambled to her feet and began to make coffee. “I didn’t mean to sleep so late,” she apologized.
He shrugged and sat down by the fire, rolling a cigarette as he watched her hustling around. “No hurry. The gun doesn’t go off ’til noon.”
“You’ll ride in ahead of us?” She looked up at him with those incredible violet eyes.
“Yep, and you can follow with the ox wagon. We’ll meet up in Guthrie when I go in to file my claim.”
“How will I know how to get to Guthrie?”
“I reckon there’ll be signs everywhere.”
“Sure.” She paused in dishing up some fried eggs for him.
He hesitated. “That’s where we part ways, remember?”
She nodded and he swore he saw tears in those big eyes. “Mr. Prescott, you will help me try to find people to take in these children, won’t you?”
“That wasn’t part of the deal.” He thought about total strangers taking in Harold and Kessie. Who would want poor Limpy? And who wanted a toddler who kept wetting her drawers? He’d have to be really careful who he let take Violet. She was too pretty and innocent, and he didn’t want any man . . .
Boo Hoo sat up just then, rubbing sleep from her blue eyes. “Doggie goes with me.”
“That’s my dog,” Travis said and then stopped. How in the hell was he going to separate those two?
Violet fed everyone breakfast and then began to clean up the camp. She didn’t say much to the Ranger because she didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t sure what lay ahead in Guthrie, but at least it was better than the life she’d had as a saloon girl back in Kansas. Maybe she would find four nice families to adopt her kids. Her kids. They were beginning to feel like hers.
A couple of hours passed and the whole line of thousands seemed to be restless. The Ranger saddled his horse, and Mouse, as if sensing there was a race ahead, stamped his hooves uneasily.
He and the boys harnessed the ox and hooked it up to the wagon. Then he mounted Mouse and Violet walked over and looked up at him. “All right, you get a claim and we’ll see you in Guthrie late this afternoon.”
The young girl looked so vulnerable staring up at him that his heart went out to her. What kind of job could a pretty young thing like that get in a rough, wild, lawless new town? He didn’t even want to think about it. Maybe he could find a preacher’s family to take her
She smiled up at him. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”
He flushed and stirred uneasily. “It weren’t no big deal. You know what they say about us. ‘A Texas Ranger knows what’s right and goes right ahead on.’”
“Even if the odds are overwhelming?”
“Even if the odds are overwhelming.” He nodded.
She wanted to go over to Travis, sit down close and lean back against him, enjoy the fire and the evening with him, but of course she couldn’t do that. “We’d better bed down. Tomorrow’s the big day.”
Travis was up early, thinking about the run into the Unassigned Lands. It was to start at high noon and settlers would rush in from all four sides. The earliest ones in would get the best land, although, there were thousands more settlers than there was available land.
He watched Violet asleep with her arm thrown across little Boo Hoo. His dog lay next to the toddler. The little rascal had completely stolen his dog’s heart and turned the grouchy old mutt into a pet. But he couldn’t be angry. He had grown used to having these ragtag orphans with him, especially that mouthy one, Violet. If only she were a few years older . . . What are you thinking? he scolded himself. She’s just an innocent kid. What you need from women, you can get for a dollar at any passing saloon. Soon he’d be back to his old ways of riding alone. Solitude suited him just fine.
Violet woke up and yawned, and he thought how cute she was as she scrambled to her feet and began to make coffee. “I didn’t mean to sleep so late,” she apologized.
He shrugged and sat down by the fire, rolling a cigarette as he watched her hustling around. “No hurry. The gun doesn’t go off ’til noon.”
“You’ll ride in ahead of us?” She looked up at him with those incredible violet eyes.
“Yep, and you can follow with the ox wagon. We’ll meet up in Guthrie when I go in to file my claim.”
“How will I know how to get to Guthrie?”
“I reckon there’ll be signs everywhere.”
“Sure.” She paused in dishing up some fried eggs for him.
He hesitated. “That’s where we part ways, remember?”
She nodded and he swore he saw tears in those big eyes. “Mr. Prescott, you will help me try to find people to take in these children, won’t you?”
“That wasn’t part of the deal.” He thought about total strangers taking in Harold and Kessie. Who would want poor Limpy? And who wanted a toddler who kept wetting her drawers? He’d have to be really careful who he let take Violet. She was too pretty and innocent, and he didn’t want any man . . .
Boo Hoo sat up just then, rubbing sleep from her blue eyes. “Doggie goes with me.”
“That’s my dog,” Travis said and then stopped. How in the hell was he going to separate those two?
Violet fed everyone breakfast and then began to clean up the camp. She didn’t say much to the Ranger because she didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t sure what lay ahead in Guthrie, but at least it was better than the life she’d had as a saloon girl back in Kansas. Maybe she would find four nice families to adopt her kids. Her kids. They were beginning to feel like hers.
A couple of hours passed and the whole line of thousands seemed to be restless. The Ranger saddled his horse, and Mouse, as if sensing there was a race ahead, stamped his hooves uneasily.
He and the boys harnessed the ox and hooked it up to the wagon. Then he mounted Mouse and Violet walked over and looked up at him. “All right, you get a claim and we’ll see you in Guthrie late this afternoon.”
The young girl looked so vulnerable staring up at him that his heart went out to her. What kind of job could a pretty young thing like that get in a rough, wild, lawless new town? He didn’t even want to think about it. Maybe he could find a preacher’s family to take her
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