“Neither do I.”
The wagon stopped in front of the general store. Rebecca turned on the seat. “Jacob, would you go in and get our supplies, please?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jacob stepped up on the boardwalk and entered the store. Rebecca turned back to her younger children.
Two women stood across the street and talked behind their fans, while a couple of well-dressed businessmen stood with their hands in their front pockets and Seth noticed that the sheriff leaned on the post in front of the jail. All eyes seemed to be trained on them.
Seth looked to the other boys. He wondered what the town must think of them all standing behind the wagon like a bunch of stray dogs. In two long strides he stood with the boys. “When we get back to the farm I’d like for you boys to go to the corral and pick out a mount. This is the last time we are leaving town on foot.”
Excitement coursed through the boys at his words. The discussion of colors and gender filled the air. He grinned. So far his relationship with the Young family had been tense, but maybe now it would get smoother.
Seth turned back to the wagon in time to see Jacob exit the store. The young man’s clenched jaw and burning eyes spoke volumes as to his anger. So whatever had set off Mrs. Young had just happened to Jacob.
His gaze moved to the store, where a big man now stood in the doorway. The man wore a shopkeeper’s apron but something about him screamed he wasn’t your typical salesman. No, this man meant trouble for the Young family and now with his eyes boring into Seth, Seth knew he meant trouble for him, too.
“Here you go, Ma.” Jacob set the box on top of the lumber and then looked to Benjamin. “Lead the way home, Beni.” He offered the boy a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes.
When Jacob fell into step beside Seth, Seth asked, “Want to talk about it?”
“Nope.”
That was answer enough for Seth. “Fair ’nough, but if you change your mind...” He let the rest hang between them.
Jacob nodded his understanding. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that his brothers were excited about something and asked, “What has them all in a dither?”
Seth grinned. “Just told them they can choose a horse when we get back.”
Again Jacob nodded and then fell silent. His brow furrowed between his eyes. Seth realized that in a day, the Young family’s lives had been changed.
He could relate to change; his life had also been altered in the past few months. On her deathbed, his grandmother had made him promise to marry. He’d ordered a mail-order bride and then his grandmother had died. His mail-order bride, Charlotte, had disappeared. He’d quit his job at the St. Joseph railroad and begun his mission to locate her. He’d been robbed by outlaws and it had been necessary to find a job. Thus the reason he now found himself an employee of the Pony Express as the station keeper on the Young farm. He would work and save his money so he could continue the search for Charlotte because he had to fulfill his promise to his grandmother.
The air seemed to match Jacob’s mood and turned frosty. Seth sighed inwardly. He had a job to do and knew he couldn’t do it alone, so silently he turned to his Maker. Lord, this family’s emotions are all over the place. Please, help me to bring some kind of peace to them while I’m here.
Anger radiated from her oldest son. She’d felt it all the way from town. As she climbed down from the wagon, Rebecca called to him, “Jacob, will you help me carry the supplies into the house?” Rebecca had a feeling she knew what was wrong with Jacob.
“Sure, Ma.” Jacob took the box from the wagon and followed her up the porch steps.
“Boys, let’s unload this wood,” Seth ordered. His strong voice had her other sons hurrying to do his bidding.
Rebecca held the door open for Joy and Jacob. Once inside she said, “Joy, go change into your work clothes.” Then she headed for the kitchen, where the real work awaited her.
She allowed Jacob to place the box on the kitchen counter and then asked, “What happened in the general store that upset you so?”
Jacob met her gaze. “Do you have any idea what they are saying about you and Seth?” He lowered his eyes as if realizing for the first time how personal this situation was for his mother.
“I have a good idea of what Mr. Edwards says.” She began to unload the box.
Anguish filled the young boy’s voice. “It isn’t right.”
Rebecca sighed. “No, son, it isn’t, but I can’t stop people from talking.” She met his gaze. “We need the money the Pony Express pays to provide a future for you boys and the experience it offers could be useful later in life. You’re going to make history, I just know it. Papa John thought so, too.”
“Well, we may not be able to stop them from talking but I made the decision to move back into the house on the way home. You and the little kids need a grown man to watch over things.” He put both hands on the back of the chair and leaned into it.
She turned her back on him to hide her grin. Her oldest son planned to protect her reputation. Rebecca nodded. “I like that idea. Why don’t you take the room across from mine?”
His sigh warmed her heart. Day after day, Jacob proved to be a good man and, God willing, would make a good husband someday, too. “I’ll go help unload the wood and then bring my things inside.”
Rebecca turned from the spices she’d just taken from the box. “Jacob, wait.”
He stopped and looked at her, his eyes sad. Things had changed a lot for the young man in just a matter of hours. Rebecca walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his narrow waist.
Jacob hugged her back. “It will be all right, Ma. Seth seems like a good man. I’m sure he’ll set folks straight soon enough.”
Rebecca grinned. Once more the boy thought only of her. She pulled away. “I’m sure he will, son.” She released him. “You better go on out and help with the lumber.”
Jacob patted her shoulder, then turned to do as she said. Rebecca wanted to pull him back, offer him comfort, but Jacob wasn’t twelve years old anymore. He’d work through whatever bothered him in his own time. She just prayed he’d share his troubles with her should they get too great for him to carry alone.
* * *
Seth looked around the barnyard. The lumber had been delivered from the general store. Each of the boys had chosen a mount to care for and Jacob had shared his concerns about his ma and younger siblings being in the house alone at night.
The horses moved quietly in the corral as the sun sank in the western sky. Weariness hung about Seth’s shoulders like a dark thundercloud.
Rebecca stepped out on the front porch. He waved to her and watched as she walked across the yard to join him. A light blue shawl hung over her shoulders, and her hair, which he’d only seen up in a bun, now hung down her back in a braid that reminded him of a golden lasso.
When she got within speaking distance he said, “I’m about to swear the boys in as Pony Express men. Would you like to join us?”
“Yes, John and I had planned on doing that as a family, so I should be there, even if he can’t be.” Rebecca pulled the edges of her shawl tighter around her shoulders. Sorrow filled her pretty blue eyes. “Is it a ceremony-type swearing in or a simple handshake and ‘welcome to the Pony Express’?”
“It’s a solemn formality, so, yes, I guess it’s a ceremony.”
“Would you like to use the house?