Chapter 19
JESSICA
The buckboard-covered wagons move slowly down what appears to be a well-worn path.
At first, I maneuvered Zeus and Coco alongside but soon realized it’s easier to follow behind, even if it is dusty.
I am not sure of the exact time, but I know it must be past noon, as the sun is high in the sky, even though the air is still quite cool.
I knew the West would look different, but I had no idea the landscape would be so diverse.
I will say I am slightly guilty of watching Reggie and how comfortable he is on Bells riding back and forth more so than I’ve been watching where we are going.
I keep looking back at Coco, who has been zero trouble so far, whereas Zeus is constantly getting a wild hair, reaching into a nearby bush or a low-lying tree branch for a snack.
Each time he does it, I laugh, so I know he is not taking me seriously when I pull him back onto the trail.
I notice Reggie heading my way once again, and it’s hard to hold back the smile that wants to creep up each time.
“Hey, how are you doing back here? Is the dust bothering you?”
“It’s not too bad. If it gets worse, I will tie up one of the bandanas you got me. I will say it is going to take my body a couple of days to get used to being back in the saddle. Now that I think about it, it’s been years since I have even attempted riding this long.”
“If it makes you feel better, I’m feeling it too. We are all going to be groaning when night comes. How have these two been?”
“I don’t think Coco even needs a lead rope since wherever Zeus goes, she follows. He keeps a close eye on her, too. He is super protective of his little woman back here.”
“Little woman my ass, she’s massive!”
“Quit, you will hurt her feelings.”
His laughter echoes around us, and I love watching the small lines appear around his eyes each time.
“We only have a few more miles to cover today, then we’ll try to get the wagons situated and hopefully a good night’s sleep.”
“You’re not going to keep pushing with the weather this nice?”
“No, we have at least ten or more days of this, and we all need a minute to get settled.”
“Ugh Reggie, I do have a question?”
“Yeah?”
“Now that we are off the train, are you … I mean … do we still act … ? Never mind.”
He reaches over, grabbing Zeus’ halter, stopping all of us. Bells is not happy being this close to the much larger horses, but she doesn’t shy away.
“Are you asking whether I am still going to tell the others you are my wife?”
“Well, yeah.”
“There are two with us we do not know, and you’re a woman traveling alone with six men, so, yes, you are my wife from this point on. You will sleep with me under or in the wagon. You will dress, take a bath, and do all the things wives do with me. Is that clear?”
“Reggie, this will only make it harder on me when we get to Mr. Hayes. How are you going to explain all this to them?”
“You let me worry about Grant and Lauren. That is a problem for a later date, and anyway, is it so bad to be married to me?”
“Well, no, it’s not been a hardship at all, but I don’t like lying, and I … well, I tend to get attached. I am trying my best not to when it comes to you.”
“Get attached, Jessica, because I’m not discarding you anytime soon, no matter what you think. When we get to Grant’s and settled, you and I will figure out our path forward. Deal?”
“Deal.”
He rides off before I can say anything else. “Well, Zeus, what do you think? Is he going to break my heart?”
He stomps his foot hard and slings his head, and I reach up to pet his long neck. “Glad you are looking out for me, big guy.”
By the time Reggie yells for the wagons to circle up, I am ready for my feet to be on the ground.
My eyes feel like they are full of sand, and my mouth tastes like I have been chewing on rocks all day.
Sitting sideways on Zeus’ saddle, I contemplate sliding down, but I have a feeling I would just end up on my butt, so I sit there and wait for Reggie to come get me.
The moment the wagons were fully stopped and parked slightly off the path, I see him heading toward me.
“Are you stuck, pretty lady?”
“I could probably get down, but I don’t think it would be very graceful, and I didn’t feel like crawling around on the ground until my legs regain their feeling.”
He dismounts Bells, and I look away quickly when he catches me staring. Reggie grabs my ankle, tugging on it lightly before holding up his arms.
“Come on, you are gonna have to slide down some.”
Just as I lean down, Zeus shifts and I fall against Reggie’s chest. Grasping his large shoulders while my legs dangle off the ground, he pulls me closer, and I can’t help but smile as you can plainly see the mischief all over his face. Startled, I can’t help but laugh.
“Well, that didn’t go as planned.”
“I am not complaining because you can throw yourself in my arms anytime.”
“Reggie, you are incorrigible. Now put me down.”
He swings me around, and I wrap a leg around his hip, trying to hold on while both of our laughter can be heard across the valley.
“REGGIE, stop! We are both gonna be drunk as monkeys.”
“I’m just trying to get the feelings back into your legs.”
“Uh-huh, sure you are.”
He doesn’t let go of me when he lowers me down his body, and when my feet touch the ground, I sway back and forth for a second.
“First day was a hoot, huh?”
“It wasn’t too bad. Honestly, it will probably prove to be one of the better days in the long run. Are we going to follow this trial the entire way?”
“For the most part, but we will split off the last ten miles or so. There are several small settlements along the way, and there is a stagecoach that runs this route as well.”
A large head leans over my shoulder, and I reach up to pet Zeus lovingly. “My little man here was a gentleman the entire way. He even grabbed a few limbs for Coco, so she could have a snack too.”
“Jess, you and I need to have a class on the differences between little and large; that damn horse acts like a puppy around you.”
“Well, so long as he doesn’t try to get in my lap, I am alright with that. A girl could do worse when it comes to a protector.”
“Very true. Well, let’s warm up what we can from the diner and then settle in for the evening.
We will be up early in the morning. Colby and Deven are out gathering wood, and Jacob is already unhooking the oxen so we can tie them out for the night.
You grab the big guy here, and I’ll get Coco and Bells.
I had Colby get some ropes so that we can make a picket line and let them graze on the other side of the path where the grass is the tallest.”
“Where did you put the luggage Victoria gave me?”
“All of our stuff is in the last wagon along with the food. If you need help getting things organized, just yell. I am going to make sure all the furniture is still strapped down in the wagons while we still have daylight.”
“You go on, I’ll get the horses tethered and then help warm our supper up.”
I thought for sure Reggie would argue with me, but instead, he hands me all three reins, and the horses follow me without the slightest problem until Zeus sees Colby, who is securing the picket rope to an iron pin. He immediately tries to push his way in front of me. “Zeus be good.”
Colby steps back. “I don’t think he likes me much.”
I clasp Zeus to the line first, making sure that he’s not going to get tangled up in the rope, before hooking Bells and Coco on the other side. But instead of Zeus grazing, he just stands there blocking me from moving or from Colby getting any closer.
“He’s normally quite calm. I have no idea why he is so leery of you. You might as well go on because he is just going to wait you out.”
Colby doesn’t say anything, but I can tell by the way he is stomping around that he is not happy.
Zeus leans his big head down, his soft lips nibbling on the top of my head, and I shoo him away.
“You onery thing, just trying to keep all the girls to yourself. Go relax, we have another long day ahead of us tomorrow. I’ll check on you before I head to bed. ”
By the time I walk back up the bank, the fire is going, and I see Jacob struggling with the baskets full of food from the diner.
“Want some help?”
“Please, you women, make this look easy. I’ve almost dumped this twice, just carrying it over here.”
“I’ll take those if you’ll grab the Dutch oven from the wagon. While you are doing that, I’ll start sorting out what needs to be heated and what we can eat cold.”
Between Jacob and me, the food is ready by the time all the men start gathering our way. I hand Reggie his plate first, then one to the others.
“This looks great, Jess. You sure make a pretty plate. By the way, this is Marcus and his son Henry.”
It’s nice to meet you both. I am glad we were all able to help each other out. How old are you, Henry?
“I’m thirteen, ma’am.”
“This must be quite the adventure for you, then.”
“It really has been and I’m learning a lot as well, but I ain’t ever seen anyone ride a horse as large as yours.”
“Zeus is quite intimidating, and he is picky about who he likes and who he doesn’t, but to me, he’s just a big softy. Tomorrow, before we take off, if you’d like, we will go talk to him together.”
“I look forward to it.”
I catch Colby watching us out of the corner of my eye, especially when Reggie grabs a log and sits it up so that I don’t have to sit on the ground with everyone else.
The conversations stall as everyone digs in.
The fried chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, and fresh green beans are a treat after such a long day.
But I find myself eating the biscuit I’d covered in honey before I finished the rest.