touched some tender chord deep within her.
Both father and son walked her out to the horse and wagon. "Stay on the road," Luke cautioned her. "It'll take you right into town."
She hesitated. "The Indians…won't bother me, will they?"
"They shouldn't."
She would have preferred a more positive response. "You mean they could bother me?"
"Don't see any reason why they should."
She tried not to think of the horror stories she'd heard involving Indians. Since they hadn't harmed her in the previous encounter, there wasn't any logical reason for them to harm her during any future meetings. "I'm much obliged to you for your hospitality."
"It was our pleasure. Are you sure it's wise to drive all the way to town by your self? I'll help you flag down the train if you like. It should be here around noon."
Not wanting to have to explain her financial bind, she declined his offer. "I think I much prefer getting there by own virtue. I never did like to depend on public transportation, even in Washington."
"If that's the way you want it…" He rested his hand on his son's shoulder. Matthew lifted his hand and waved. Once again, the boy touched her on some level. It was something in his face or, more accurately, something in his eyes that seemed to call out to her. She only wished she knew what it was he was trying to say.
She gave him an encouraging smile, as she would have a student who had raised his hand to speak, only to lose his nerve after being called upon.
Much to her disappointment, Matthew dropped his head and looked so forlorn that her heart went out to him. Had she been deserting a child of her own, she couldn't have felt more guilty. It made no sense, of course. She hardly knew the boy.
She turned her eyes to the boy's father. Luke Tyler's face was without expression, making it impossible to guess his thoughts. "Would it be all right if I write to him?"
Luke touched his son's hair. "We don't have a post office. Not since the fire, and I don't have much call to ride into Hays."
He didn't want her to write. He couldn't have stated it more clearly had he told her outright. Feeling rebuffed, she climbed onto the wagon seat and reached for the traces.
All at once Matthew fell to the ground and began thrashing about in a wild frenzy of arms and legs.
His father quickly scooped him from the ground, but his strong muscular arms seemed challenged to the limits as he fought to control the kicking, wild fury he held.
"What's the matter with him?" she cried.
"Nothing…just go."
"But…"
"Go!"
She flicked the traces and took off down the road. She didn't feel right about leaving, though she had no idea what she could do to help. She wasn't even certain what was wrong with the boy. Was he simply spoiled and given to temper tantrums? Somehow she doubted it. Luke Tyler didn't strike her as the sort of man who would allow anyone, not even a child, to take advantage of him.
It was not epilepsy she was certain of that, for she'd helped several students through epileptic attacks over the years. Nor was it any of the other diseases she could think of that typically caused seizures.
What, then, could have caused such a terrible fit?
Shaking off the impulse to turn back, she snapped the whip over Rutabaga's head. It had been obvious that Mr. Tyler had not wanted her to stay. It was equally evident that father and son had a lot to hide.
She'd traveled a ways down the rutted dirt road before she chanced looking back over her should toward the soddy. Only the windmill was visible from this distance. The other structures blended in too well with the environment to be visible.
But it wasn't buildings she searched for; her eyes sought Luke Tyler and his appealing, though apparently troubled, young son.
Neither of them was in sight.
Chapter 7
The journey to Hays seemed to take forever, partly because she found a cool running stream beneath a cluster of cottonwoods and was reluctant to leave the lovely oasis.
She never
Both father and son walked her out to the horse and wagon. "Stay on the road," Luke cautioned her. "It'll take you right into town."
She hesitated. "The Indians…won't bother me, will they?"
"They shouldn't."
She would have preferred a more positive response. "You mean they could bother me?"
"Don't see any reason why they should."
She tried not to think of the horror stories she'd heard involving Indians. Since they hadn't harmed her in the previous encounter, there wasn't any logical reason for them to harm her during any future meetings. "I'm much obliged to you for your hospitality."
"It was our pleasure. Are you sure it's wise to drive all the way to town by your self? I'll help you flag down the train if you like. It should be here around noon."
Not wanting to have to explain her financial bind, she declined his offer. "I think I much prefer getting there by own virtue. I never did like to depend on public transportation, even in Washington."
"If that's the way you want it…" He rested his hand on his son's shoulder. Matthew lifted his hand and waved. Once again, the boy touched her on some level. It was something in his face or, more accurately, something in his eyes that seemed to call out to her. She only wished she knew what it was he was trying to say.
She gave him an encouraging smile, as she would have a student who had raised his hand to speak, only to lose his nerve after being called upon.
Much to her disappointment, Matthew dropped his head and looked so forlorn that her heart went out to him. Had she been deserting a child of her own, she couldn't have felt more guilty. It made no sense, of course. She hardly knew the boy.
She turned her eyes to the boy's father. Luke Tyler's face was without expression, making it impossible to guess his thoughts. "Would it be all right if I write to him?"
Luke touched his son's hair. "We don't have a post office. Not since the fire, and I don't have much call to ride into Hays."
He didn't want her to write. He couldn't have stated it more clearly had he told her outright. Feeling rebuffed, she climbed onto the wagon seat and reached for the traces.
All at once Matthew fell to the ground and began thrashing about in a wild frenzy of arms and legs.
His father quickly scooped him from the ground, but his strong muscular arms seemed challenged to the limits as he fought to control the kicking, wild fury he held.
"What's the matter with him?" she cried.
"Nothing…just go."
"But…"
"Go!"
She flicked the traces and took off down the road. She didn't feel right about leaving, though she had no idea what she could do to help. She wasn't even certain what was wrong with the boy. Was he simply spoiled and given to temper tantrums? Somehow she doubted it. Luke Tyler didn't strike her as the sort of man who would allow anyone, not even a child, to take advantage of him.
It was not epilepsy she was certain of that, for she'd helped several students through epileptic attacks over the years. Nor was it any of the other diseases she could think of that typically caused seizures.
What, then, could have caused such a terrible fit?
Shaking off the impulse to turn back, she snapped the whip over Rutabaga's head. It had been obvious that Mr. Tyler had not wanted her to stay. It was equally evident that father and son had a lot to hide.
She'd traveled a ways down the rutted dirt road before she chanced looking back over her should toward the soddy. Only the windmill was visible from this distance. The other structures blended in too well with the environment to be visible.
But it wasn't buildings she searched for; her eyes sought Luke Tyler and his appealing, though apparently troubled, young son.
Neither of them was in sight.
Chapter 7
The journey to Hays seemed to take forever, partly because she found a cool running stream beneath a cluster of cottonwoods and was reluctant to leave the lovely oasis.
She never
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