Captive Heart (16 page)

Chapter 24

Emma leaned forward over the wagon seat, bouncing Joshua happily on her knee as she took in their surroundings. Today the sky was clear—unlike the afternoon of the thunderstorm two days earlier. She wore her last clean dress—one she’d brought from home that was far too fancy to be traveling in—and she’d washed her hair this morning in a frigid stream near their camp.

Thayne had watched her as if she’d lost her mind, and then he’d told her as much, but Emma felt it was worth the sacrifice of being chilly to be well dressed and as clean as possible when she saw her new home for the first time.

Careful,
she warned herself as that thought crossed her mind once again.
It isn’t my home. I’m going to Thayne’s residence to teach his son. Nothing more. Yes, but I
am
going with him. He didn’t leave me behind.
Her heart soared with joy, and nothing, not even another storm, could tamp it down. The relief she’d felt when leaving the Lakota camp, coupled with the knowledge that their long, arduous journey was nearly over, made for high spirits. And the little boy perched on her lap only added to the happiness she felt. She knew Thayne worried that Joshua would quickly become a burden to her, but he was wrong.

Deep inside, and with good reason, she was confident she could help. The doubt she had felt that first night had quickly been replaced with hope, thoughts, and ideas she was almost sure could help Joshua. Doing just that, while living and working side by side with Thayne, seemed better than any other teaching position she could have imagined. It appeared he was right. Some divine fate
had
led her here.

She watched as Thayne guided the horses into a canyon narrower than those they’d traveled already. Faded ruts made out the markings of a rough road, and Emma sat back in the seat, one arm firmly around Joshua while her free hand grasped the side rail.

Yesterday afternoon and this morning they’d passed a half dozen homesteads—or claims, as Thayne referred to them. She had yet to see another woman, but several scraggly looking men—one clad only in long underwear—had waved at them as their wagon rolled past. Since noon, though, she had seen no one. When she questioned Thayne about it, he’d told her simply that when he built his home he’d wanted to be alone and far away from the mining areas. He was interested in raising cattle and crops, and the best way to do that, he insisted, was to find a good chunk of land away from other people.

“The last hour or so is rough,” he’d told her by way of warning.

He’d been right, of course; though by now, Emma was somewhat used to being jostled about in a wagon. What Thayne hadn’t mentioned, however, was how beautiful this part of the Hills was. On either side of them, mountains of pine sloped upward, beds of colorful shale at their base, towers of granite framing their tops.

Purple wildflowers lined the way, poking up through the knee-high, late summer grass. Chipmunks scurried over fallen logs; birds trilled above the steady creaking of the wagon wheels. Though it was only the second week of September, autumn had already arrived. Wild berry bushes blazed with color, and golden aspens fluttered in the breeze. Emma was thoroughly enchanted. No matter what Thayne’s home looked like, she simply knew she was going to like living here.

After what she guessed to be an hour or more on the rough canyon road, the valley began to gradually widen. In the distance, Emma could see the mountain curve around, marking the end of the canyon and their journey.

“We’re almost there?” she asked.

“Almost,” Thayne confirmed, though he didn’t sound nearly as enthusiastic as she’d expected him to. Emma suddenly remembered how she had chastised him about the soddie they’d sheltered in on their journey through Nebraska. He’d told her his home was somewhat
different.
Uneasily, she wondered what that meant.

She knew many miners lived in large canvas tents. Perhaps Thayne did as well, and that was what had him looking worried. The possibility bothered her too. It had been one thing to sleep in such close proximity on their journey and at the Indian agency, but it was entirely another to continue such an arrangement. She’d hoped and looked forward to the possibility of her own room. Privacy now seemed the utmost luxury. Though, she supposed, life in a tent with Thayne and Joshua was far better than life in a Lakota lodge with people she didn’t even know.

That she was even entertaining such an idea was absurd, yet that was what had become of her reality. She thought of Wilford and what he would likely say if he could see her now. She giggled once, then bit down on her lip as Thayne shot her an accusing glance.

“What’s wrong now?”

She shook her head, eyes wide as she tried to look innocent. “Nothing. I was just thinking.”

“About?” he prodded.

“Not now.”

“Hmmph.” Thayne’s attention returned to the road. “I imagine Wilford lives in a grand house, drives a sleek carriage, and has an assembly of servants to do all the household chores.”

“As a matter of fact, he does,” Emmalyne said. “He also would never take me anywhere as beautiful as this, swim with me in a hot spring, or give me the opportunity to do something worthwhile with my life.” She looked down at Joshua and noted that his eyes were trained on the picture book in his lap. “B—bear,” she said, pointing to the page. “Grrrr. Grumpy bear,” she added, glancing at Thayne. “If you’re worried what I’ll think of your homestead, you needn’t be. I’ll happily live in a tent so long as—”

Emma stopped abruptly, her mouth partway open as her eyes took in the sudden change in scenery. The wagon had turned sharply and was winding up a gravel drive. To the right, backed up to the canyon wall, a large red barn stood between two good-sized, plowed fields. To the left, a garden had yet to be harvested, and rows of pumpkins and squash littered the ground. Directly in front of them, at the end of the drive, a stately, two-story white farmhouse waited to greet them.

An older black man sat in one of two rockers on the front porch. Seeing them, he rose from his chair and started down the steps, a huge grin on his face.

“He’s
not
a servant,” Thayne warned her as he pulled the wagon to a stop in front of the porch.

“Well, I’ll be,” the man said, walking toward them. “You actually did it. You actually found yourself a woman willing to come back to this here desolation.”

“Good to see you, Marcus,” Thayne said as he climbed from the wagon. He held a hand up to Emma. She passed Joshua into his arms and climbed down herself.

“Emma, this is my good friend Marcus. He lives here and has been doing double duty while I’ve been gone. Marcus, I’d like you to meet Miss Emmalyne Madsen. She came from Boston to be a teacher.”

Emmalyne smiled warmly as she held her hand out to Marcus. His stooped posture made him almost a whole head shorter than Thayne. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. And, actually, I’m here because Thayne kidnapped me off the train.”

Marcus stepped forward and clasped her hand. “The pleasure’s mine, Miss Emma. You say this man stole you?” He shot Thayne a disbelieving glance.

“Yes,” Emma said. “Though I’ve forgiven him.”

Marcus laughed as he dropped her hand. “I like her already,” he said to Thayne. “You’d best treat her fine and pay her well.”

“I intend to,” Thayne growled.

Emma couldn’t quite tell if he was enjoying the exchange or not.

“I pay you well enough, don’t I?” Thayne demanded of Marcus.

“Yes indeed.” Marcus looked at Emma again. “I got myself a gold mine just for watching a couple of cows and putting up some corn these past months.”

“How—nice,” Emma said, completely confused. She glanced at Thayne as he handed her Joshua. “I thought you didn’t mine anymore.”

“I don’t,” Thayne said. “But when a friend can do some good with gold that’s already been found and is just sitting there, I’m happy to pass it on.” He turned to Marcus, clamping the other man in a firm hug. “It’s good to be home. Any problems—or visitors—while I was away?”

“Not a one,” Marcus said.

Emma watched the worry ease from Thayne’s face. She felt her own relief, knowing that whatever had been troubling him seemed to have been resolved.

“And I hope you were joking about only tending to a couple of cows.” Thayne walked to the wagon and lowered the backboard.

“Don’t fret none,” Marcus assured him. “You got two dozen, more or less, roaming the land hereabout. I counted just last week. Figured I’d give ’em another few days on the range; then, if you weren’t back, I’d go round ’em up myself.”

“No need,” Thayne said. “I look forward to doing it.”

“That’s good, then,” said Marcus. “’Cause I got me some news of my own.”

“Oh?” Thayne lifted the water barrel from the wagon and set it on the ground.

“My boy Samuel pulled a nugget this big,” Marcus held up his fist, “outta your mine three Saturdays past.”

“
Your
mine,” Thayne corrected.

Marcus nodded. “Well, we cashed it in over at the bank in Deadwood and—” He paused, flashing a huge grin Emma’s way. “My Pearl is coming. I had a letter from her two weeks ago, and we wired her the money. She’ll be here by the month’s end. For the first time in seven years, I’m gonna be with my wife.”

“How wonderful,” Emma said sincerely.

“That’s great,” Thayne agreed. “I can’t think of a man and woman more deserving. You two are welcome here as long as you like. It may be a bit crowded this winter, but come spring, we’ll build you as fine a house as can be found in these parts.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Marcus continued. “Frandsen called it quits, and I bought his property—house, barn, cows, and chickens—right down to the last egg in the henhouse, the table in the kitchen, and the curtains at the windows. My Pearl’s gonna have a home of her own for the first time in her life.”

The old man beamed proudly, and Emma’s curiosity rose. What was his story, and how had he and Thayne come to be friends? Had Thayne really just given away a
gold mine
?

Thayne and Marcus unloaded everything from the back of the wagon—including her trunk, which they made an exaggerated show of straining over as they lugged it to the porch.

“I’m going to take care of the horses,” Thayne announced. “I don’t suppose you need an extra team and wagon, Marcus?”

Marcus scratched his head. “As a matter of fact, I could do with a wagon. I already got me one fine horse, though.”

“Well, think about which of these other two you’d like,” Thayne said. “And consider the horse and wagon payment for the extra couple of weeks I was gone. Come with me to the barn?”

“’Course,” Marcus said.

Emma watched as he climbed slowly up to the seat. She’d already wandered around the yard and garden while the men were unloading, so she decided to wait on the porch. She was desperate to see the inside of Thayne’s home but knew it would be impolite to go inside without him. Instead, she settled into a rocker with the picture book and Joshua and began reading to him—as she already had several times today. This time though, she began using her hands to make the signs of the letters after she had pointed to the printed letters and made the sounds for each. It had been years since she’d used her hands this way, yet they still seemed to know what to do. The language of the deaf was as ingrained in her as was English. After all, she’d grown up with both from the time she was a very little girl.

“You really take her off a train?” Marcus asked as they pulled out of the yard.

Thayne shrugged. “Sort of. It’s a long story.”

Marcus kept his eyes on Emma, watching her interact with Joshua. “Well, whatever it is, it must be good. Already I can see you’ve chosen well.”

Chapter 25

Marcus led one of the two horses to a free stall in the barn. “Where you planning on having her stay?”

“Joshua’s room,” Thayne said, unconcerned. “How much corn would you say you harvested?”

“Enough,” Marcus said. “Your cattle should be nice and fat over the winter. You gonna sleep in your old room, then?”

“No,” Thayne said, sharper than he intended. “I figured you could stay there. I don’t need a room. I’ll sleep in the parlor on that fancy pull-out settee Christina insisted on having.” He peered over the gate at the milk cow and her calf, considerably bigger since he’d seen them last.

“Miss Emmalyne gonna be all right with that?”

“Why shouldn’t she be?”

“Girl from Boston got to think about her reputation.”

Thayne left the cows and turned to Marcus. “Exactly what is it you’re getting at?”

“Apparently not much,” Marcus grumbled. “Not much going on in that head of yours if you can’t see clear as day what I’m talking about. You can’t have no pretty, young, unmarried woman live with you.”

“I wasn’t planning on it being just the two of us. I expected you’d be here as well.” Thayne scooped oats from the barrel and poured them into the feed sack. “But it will still work out. I have a son. She’s his tutor. It’s as simple as that.”

“No, it ain’t,” Marcus insisted. “She’s gonna be shunned everywhere she go. Other women will talk behind her back. And the men—the men in these parts gonna think she’s offering something she ain’t.”

“We’re not going to be around anyone else,” Thayne said. “And besides, she’s only here until Joshua catches up. Once he’s able to walk and talk. When he’s a little older and—”

“And what if he never does those things?”

“He will.” Thayne looked away, pretending he was occupied with checking the wick on the wall lantern.

“I believe that myself,” Marcus said. “But it’s gonna take some time, and you got to think about that young woman back there. You got to be fair to her. More and more, people are coming to the Hills every day. I know you think you’re out here a ways, and you are, but Myersville ain’t so far. And womenfolk, they’re different. One finds out another is anywhere within a day’s ride, and they got to go a callin’. All it takes is one woman, Thayne. Just one coming out here and finding Emma ain’t your wife . . .”

“She’ll never be my wife,” Thayne said bitterly.

“Never say never,” Marcus warned.

Thayne gave him a wry grin. “In this case, I’d say it’s justified. I can’t have
two
wives.”

Marcus looked around exaggeratedly. “I don’t see that you got
any
right now. How you know Miss Christina is even alive, and if she is, what are the chances she’d ever darken your doorstep again?”

“Oh, she’s alive,” Thayne said. “I feel it. She’s just biding her time until she chooses to make my life miserable again.”

“Well then, I’d say you got yourself a bit of a problem. What you gonna tell people about Miss Emma?”

“The truth,” Thayne suggested. He grabbed a pitchfork and started tossing hay into the last stall.

Marcus shook his head. “Nope. You’ve got to think of something to protect her.”

Thayne leaned on the fork. “All right, we’ll say she’s my sister. Satisfied?”

“If you think she’s gonna pass as your sister, I might as well sign up as your long lost daddy.” Marcus laughed. “You two look about as much alike as we do. Her eyes are brown; yours are blue. Your hair’s light; hers is darker. She’s pretty. You’re ugly.”

“I get your point,” Thayne said. “How about cousin, then? I can say she’s my cousin come to help with Joshua.”

“Hmmm.” Marcus considered as he emptied the bucket of oats. “I suppose that might do—for now.” He glanced behind to see if Thayne had heard, but he’d already left the barn to retrieve the other pony.

“Though it ain’t gonna last,” Marcus predicted. “Unless it turns out she’s a kissin’ cousin after all.”