Page 30 of Wagon Train Honor
The stem of grass was still in his hands, and he tickled it down her cheek, causing a shiver to run across her shoulders. “I’m sorry I dozed off, but the sun is so warm and inviting.”
“I guess I’ll forgive you.”
“Well.” He exhaled loudly. “That’s a relief.”
Try as she might—and the truth was she didn’t try very hard—his answer amused her. She chuckled.
“Good.” He jumped up. “If you’re done here?—”
“I am.” She took his offered hand. “Where are we going now?”
“Shall we head into tomorrow?” He indicated the west.
Did he mean more than a few hours in his company? And if he did? It was tempting. So very tempting. But she couldn’t lose sight of her plans, so she patted the sketchbook she’d stowed in her pocket. “Let’s walk along the hilltop.”
As they meandered onward with no goal except to enjoy the afternoon, they talked. She gave in to an urgency to learn more about him before their time together ended.
“Tell me about some of the places you lived.” Her heart twisted when he said they were a blur.
His long exhalation sounded weary. “Sometimes, we lived in a shack that did nothing to keep out the rain and the wind. A couple of times, Pa was offered a decent house in exchange for work.” Neither his shrug nor his bland voice convinced her the constant moving hadn’t been upsetting for him.
“But there was this one time.” His chuckle rang with warmth, so he must’ve remembered something that gave him pleasure. “I got a job working with horses on a farm. I loved that work and was good with the animals. The farmer talked to me about settling down. Said he wanted to keep me on. I really liked the idea.” The joy in his voice vanished, and he grunted. “But then Pa had to move on. Ma wasn’t doing well, and I couldn’t let her go without me. So I moved on, too. Ma died a few months later after two more moves.”
“I can understand how important a permanent home is to you.”
He barely acknowledged her comment. “When I have my own place, I am going to raise horses. The Force is always needing good stock, and new settlers will be needing riding horses as well as draft ones.”
She stopped so she could study him, liking the way his eyes flashed with pleasure when he talked about the animals he planned to raise. “It’s nice to see your enthusiasm.”
“I’m sorry for rambling on.”
“No. I enjoy hearing about you and your plans.”
He scrubbed at the back of his neck, probably finding it a little uncomfortable to tell her so much. “Tell me more about yourself.”
“There isn’t much left to tell.”
“How did you get connected to this group in Banff?”
“I read a news article about people who were going to catalog the flora of the mountains.” They continued walking, although she paid little attention to the ground at her feet. “I thought that’s what I’d like to do, so I sent them a sample of my work and asked if I could be of use. They responded enthusiastically.” She lifted one shoulder. “Of course, you know that, having seen the letter.”
If anyone else read it, she would’ve been defensive, but she didn’t mind that it was Robert. It provided her the opportunity to spend these hours with him showing her around the area.
They walked or, alternately, sat on the grassy slopes, taking in the view, and they talked. About anything and nothing. They teased and laughed.
Never had she enjoyed an afternoon more. As the shadows lengthened, she anticipated another day together tomorrow. Joe said the oxen needed more rest. She meant to spend it in Robert’s company. Unless he objected, and why would he? He seemed to like her company as much as she appreciated his.
They headed back toward camp, pausing often to point out the scenery. Or was it because they got lost in talking? When he told about how Henrietta teased him when they were children, pretending to lose something of his, then producing it and laughing, Ruby caught his hand.
“I can’t tell if that’s a good memory or not.”
“It’s good. We learned to watch out for each other.”
“Then why do you sound sad?”
“I didn’t mean to. But I suppose it’s because I miss her.”
Ruby tipped her head to study Robert. Sadness lingered in his smile. “You could always write her and tell her how much you miss her. I mean, once a year is not enough to keep in touch with the only family member you have.”
