Page 6 of Wagon Train Hope
“I thought I accepted lots of help.” Her tone conveyed protest and weariness.
Irene patted her hand. “Do you want to go to bed now?”
“No. I like this time of night.” Hazel nodded toward Gabe as Cecil handed him a guitar. “I love hearing them sing and seeing how he and Ma are so in love.”
Irene put an arm around her sister and hugged her. Peter Sr.’s death left Hazel a widow waiting for the birth of her baby. At least she had Ma and her sisters to help, but that wouldn’t fill the hole Peter’s passing had left.
Gabe strummed a few chords, and then, at some unseen signal, he and Ma sang “Home Sweet Home.” It had become one of their favorites, and the others never joined in, letting the two of them sing a duet, or was it a love song? Very muchthe latter, really. She didn’t mind that Ma had remarried. It gave Irene a sense of… Well, she wasn’t sure what to call it. Perhaps security.
The song ended. A silence followed, and then Gabe played a hymn. Over the weeks they’d been traveling together, she’d grown to value this time. She missed singing with Pa. Even before his passing, he’d been bedridden and in pain and no longer had the strength to sing. Hearing the Miller men’s deep voices had eased some of that missing.
Familiar notes filled the air as Gabe played a popular up-tempo song.
Irene stared into the flames as she sang.
One voice rang out over the others. Lifting her head, she met Walt’s gaze above the dancing coals. She sang the words without thinking of them.
“You’ll look for me in the shadows.
“You’ll look for me in the sunshine.
“You’ll look for me at the break of day.
“I won’t be there, but if you look, you’ll find me in your heart.”
There were several stanzas along the same line.
He sang loudly. His deep voice beckoned, promised. It couldn’t be what he intended. There was no way he’d be looking for her. Anywhere.
Nor would she be looking for him, least of all, in her heart. She put more volume into her singing. Not that she was shouting, but he couldn’t miss her message of denial.
Hazel nudged her and whispered, “Irene, what are you doing?”
She broke off. Walt sang one more word and stopped. Nothing shattered the silence except for the snap of the burning wood. She stared into the dying fire.
What had she been doing? Besides making a spectacle of herself.
Why did she let that man get under her skin?
She was the first to slip away to the tent she sometimes shared with Ruby and Angela, though she preferred to sleep under the wagon. Tonight, she wanted to be out of sight.
Ma now slept in a tent with Gabe. A momentary smile crossed Irene’s face as she recalled how Walt had bought the tent in the same little town where they’d stopped for Ma and Gabe to get hitched.
When Ruby came in a few minutes later and whispered her name, Irene pretended to be asleep. However, she had to choke back the protest and explanation filling her thoughts. She wanted to tell Ruby and anyone else listening that there was no way she was going to look for Walt, and she wasn’t going to find him in her heart.
She revised her plan to teach him how to enjoy life.
Starting tomorrow, she was going to ignore Walt Miller—completely and wholeheartedly.
Wholehearted avoidance…that was the only way herheartwas going to be involved.
While the skywas still black, Walt was up to take his turn guarding the camp. Remembering the unwelcome guest they’d had a bit ago, he paid close attention to every sound and movement. But being alone in the dark gave him far too much time to think. Against his wishes, he thought of Irene and how his eyes had been drawn to her as she rocked baby Petey.
He hadn’t held a baby or done much more than say hello to one, but seeing how tenderly she cradled the little one stirred unfamiliar sensations. Almost a longing. Which made no sense. He’d never given much thought to having children. Though he supposed it would happen if he ever married.Which was unlikely seeing as he was going into the vast west where there was a severe shortage of marriageable young women.
Except there are several right under your nose.
Dismissing the idea, he closed his eyes. But one face, one name sprang to mind. Irene. Huh! She’d be the last woman he’d marry. No sir. When and if he ever took that step, it would be with a sensible girl. He opened his eyes wide, determined to get his thoughts sorted out.
