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  "Edwin, wait. What did he say?"

  "No." Edwin’s terse comment was thrown over his shoulder as he marched off.

  "Wait, I can't move as fast as you. What do you mean no? Didn’t he say anything else?"

  Edwin gave a half-hearted shrug before turning to face her. "He said what I told you he'd say. I'm too young and you're too old. I mean, not old but older than me. Dang it anyway Sarah, I told you we were wasting our time. I'm going back to the mines and I am not coming back until I have money for the ranch."

  Edwin marched over to his horse, mounted and rode off without another word. Sarah didn’t know whether to run after him or confront her Pa. She decided on the later. Now while she was brave or foolish enough to take on both her parents. Holding her shoulders back, she took a deep breath before walking back into the house, closing the door behind her. She entered the study. Jo glanced at her, a warning look on her face. But Sarah didn’t acknowledge it.

  "Sarah, this can wait. Your pa is tired,” Jo insisted.

  "Sorry Ma, but it can't wait. Not when Edwin is threatening to leave Portland. I won't lose him." Sarah swallowed hard hoping to quell her nerves. Over the years she had on the odd occasion defied her Pa but never over something this big.

  "Pa, I'm old enough to know my own mind. I love Edwin and want to marry him. I would prefer you give your blessing. But I intend to marry him regardless. If he leaves Portland, I'm going with him.”

  "Sarah Mary Hughes, don't speak to your pa like that,” Jo’s voice shook with anger but Sarah was too annoyed to listen.

  Sarah glared at her Ma. "I'm sorry." She knew the apology didn’t sound genuine. How could it? She wasn’t sorry. She loved Edwin. She didn’t care what he did for a living or the fact he was a year younger than she was.

  "Pa, please. You've known Edwin ever since we first moved here. He's a hard worker and a good man."

  "He's also a year younger than you, Sarah. A woman needs an older man. Especially when the woman in question has a temper and a wild streak." Pa gave her a stern look. "You need to marry someone mature and with enough sense not to consider mining for gold or silver. "

  "Pa, that's not fair. You know he only went to the mines to try to get some money to buy some land. He did well too."

  Sarah watched her Pa closely. He had a reputation as a tough man but he was also fair. Her Ma had always said the best way to deal with her Pa was to appeal to his sense of justice. She sweetened her tone.

  "Pa, please give us a chance. Edwin swears we will come back to Portland in the next three to five years. Once he has sufficient money to buy out the old Saunders place and start a ranch of his own. "

  "Sarah, I told you before. When you marry, I'll give you some of my lands,” Rick said, sounding tired.

  Sarah felt guilty at the tiredness in his voice but it didn’t last. She had to make him see, her future lay with Edwin.

  "Edwin has his pride, Pa. He doesn’t want your land, he wants to start his own ranch."

  "You can't blame the boy for wanting to provide for his own family, Rick."

  Sarah shot her Ma a look of gratitude although calling Edwin a boy had rankled. He wasn’t a boy. Not after spending the last two years in the mines high up in the mountains. When she thought of the risks he was taking daily, her blood rushed to her head making her dizzy.

  Her Pa stayed silent. Sarah was about to interrupt him when a look from her Ma warned her not to. Patience not being her strongest asset, she tapped her foot nervously as she waited for her Pa to say something. Anything. The silence lingered.

  Sarah risked a tentative smile. "Please, Pa. Say yes. I love Edwin and he loves me. If I don’t marry him, I'll become a spinster for real. Michael Nolan will be proved right."

  "What's that idiot Nolan got to do with anything? He hasn’t the brains he was born with. If his pa was around, he'd take that boy over his knee and give him a good thrashing,” Rick said crossly.

  "Rick, calm down. You can't afford to get riled up especially over the likes of the Nolan boy,” Jo reprimanded her husband softly. “Sarah, go get your father a glass of cold water. Tell Bridget I will be with her in a few minutes."

  Sarah hesitated.

  "Do as I said, Sarah." At the note of steel in her Ma's voice, Sarah moved quickly out of the room. Tempted as she was to listen at the door, she was too well brought up to be so rude. Instead, she went to the kitchen where Bridget was busy making pies.

  "Did your pa agree?"

  Sarah wasn’t shocked Bridget knew everything. It had been like that since the small stocky Irish woman had come to work for them.

  "Not yet. Do you think he will, Bridget? Sarah asked, the smell of the pies reminding her she hadn’t eaten yet today.

  "I can't say, Miss Sarah. Edwin Morgan is a little young for you." She paused in her baking to push some hair off her face leaving a trail of white flour on her cheek. "Don't you be giving me one of your dirty looks now little missy. The age difference is a fact. It’s not going to change because you want it to. But it doesn’t matter what I think. I'm not your pa."

  "He thinks the same as you do. Edwin is too young for me. Who would have thought a year made such a difference? " Sarah asked although she knew it wasn’t really the age difference upsetting everyone. It was Edwin’s family or at least their reputation. But Edwin wasn’t like his parents and when they were married, he would accept her friends and family as his own. Including Paco, Walking Tall and the rest of the Indians. He loved her, she knew he did.

  "Women mature faster than men. That's just a fact,” Bridget blew her hair out of her eyes. “Many fathers prefer their daughters to marry older men who are mature and stable to provide a good home."

  "My Edwin is mature and he's working hard saving for us to have a home." Sarah took a bite out of an apple. "Did you marry someone older, Bridget?"

  "No, my husband was the same age as me. We were sixteen when we met. Tom was handsome and fun, unlike the man my daddy had picked out for me. Daddy was more concerned with making a good marriage for me than my happiness.”

  “A good marriage?” Sarah questioned.

  “By marrying me off to his nearest old neighbor who had no children, he could increase his land holding.” Bridget laughed, her belly moving. "I'd love to see that man's face when he heard I took off with Tom. That old man, he used to come visit me and I tell you, Miss Sarah, I never smelt such bad breath. He was disgusting. Always chewing and spitting tobacco. "

  Sarah laughed but stopped at the look on the housekeeper’s face. "What's wrong?"

  "Just thinking Miss Sarah. I never saw my daddy after I ran off. He was right about Tom being a bad one but I wouldn’t listen. If Daddy hadn’t been so keen on getting me hitched to an old landowner, I may not have married Tom so quickly.” Bridget leaned over and took Sarah's hand. "Miss Sarah, you remember your pa loves you. He's not like my Daddy. He has his reasons for the decisions he makes but they are always made with your best interest at heart. Even if you don't always see that. Mr. Hughes is the kindest gentleman I ever met. Your mama is a real lady too."

  Sarah fell silent. The housekeeper's story had upset her but it was more than that. Pa and Ma weren’t her real parents but her Uncle Rick and his wife Jo. They had taken care of her and Carrie after their real ma and brothers died on the wagon trail. They had adopted both girls and would have adopted Almanzo too but he refused.

  “You take that look off your face, Miss Sarah. You know Mr. Rick and Miss Johanna loves the bones of you. That pair couldn’t love you more than your real parents.”

  Sarah flushed at how easily Bridget read her thoughts.

  "I know you think you love Edwin and he believes he loves you. But you are both young Miss Sarah and you are very different. You don’t have to rush into anything. Don't do anything to cause a rift from your parent's, you may never be able to repair it."

  Sarah didn’t want to listen to Bridget so she tried changing the subject. "I'm sorry you didn’t have a happy marriage,
Bridget.”

  "What you sorry for? It wasn’t your fault, my husband was a bad one. Maybe if he hadn’t been so young, he wouldn’t have taken to the drink so quickly. " Bridget grew so misty eyed, Sarah was afraid she would cry. "If I had my time over again, I may have listened to my Daddy about Tom. It would have saved a lot of heartache."

  Pa! She'd forgotten his glass of water. "Bridget. I forgot Pa wanted a glass of water. " Sarah dropped a kiss on the housekeeper's cheek before taking a glass of water back to her Pa's study.

  Calm down first, she told herself. Try to listen to what they say. She stood at the door for a couple of seconds before knocking and entering on her pa's command. The look of love he sent her nearly reduced her to tears.

  "Pa, I'm sorry. I got talking to Bridget. and I forgot about your water."

  "Sarah, your ma and I have been talking. I will agree…"

  "Oh Pa, thank you." Sarah rushed to her father's side.

  "That's my impetuous girl. You never listen. Let me finish the sentence. I will agree to Edwin courting you for the next year,” Rick said, in a tired but firm tone.

  "But Pa…"

  "Sarah Mary Hughes, listen to your elders,” Rick snapped losing patience. “If you do not agree to my terms, there won’t be any wedding. If you and Edwin are serious, a year isn’t going to make any difference."

  “What if he finds someone else? Michael Nolan said the girls in the towns near the mines are really pretty.”

  “Oh darling, is that what has you upset?” Jo moved to her adopted daughter’s side putting her arm around her shoulders. “In Edwin’s eyes, nobody could be prettier than you. But, if he did go off with someone else, then you will have had a lucky escape.”

  “The girls in those towns aren’t anything like you, Sarah Hughes. They, well… let’s just say they work for their living.” Rick’s discomfort would have amused Sarah if she wasn’t so angry. Her pa really did believe she was totally innocent and didn’t understand what a soiled dove was. But she wasn’t about to educate him now. The longer he thought of her as innocent the better.

  Maybe if she came and told him Edwin and herself had already slept together he would say yes. She bit her lip. Edwin wanted her, she knew that. But she didn’t want to upset Rick and Jo by anticipating her marriage vows. Despite them not agreeing with her, she loved them. Deep down. She tried another tactic.

  “You were younger than me when you decided to marry Uncle Rick.” Sarah knew her use of the term uncle had hit the mark. Jo’s eyes widened with hurt. She felt bad for a couple of seconds but they had to see she was serious about Edwin.

  “Yes I was but I hope I was more mature than you are acting right now. This discussion is closed.”

  Jo’s curt dismissal hurt but Sarah knew she deserved it. Rick and Jo had adopted her and Carrie when they were orphaned on the trail. Uncle Rick had promised their ma, his sister, he’d look after them. He’d kept that promise and more. Jo had become an instant mother younger than Sarah was now. Neither Carrie or herself were ever treated differently or loved less than Rick and Jo’s natural children, the twins.

  She’d behaved badly and for what? It hadn’t made them change their mind about her and Edwin. She picked up her skirts and ran from the room letting tears run down her face.

  She’d show them. She’d run away and marry Edwin. They couldn’t stop her. Almanzo would try his best, he’d do anything to keep Rick and Jo happy even if it meant humiliating her. She would have to go when he wasn’t around.

  Chapter 3

  Hughes Homestead

  Almanzo pushed the door open, barely aware he was holding his breath. Was Rick in bed? Jo and Bridget were talking in the kitchen. The smell of cooking coming from the kitchen was mouth-watering. Tempted as he was to eat, he decided to sneak up to his room. He didn’t want Jo to see the state of him.

  “Almanzo Price, what time do you call this? Where have you…” Jo paused, clearly shaken by his injuries. “What happened to you?”

  “Nothin’,” he said not looking at her.

  “Doesn't look like nothing. What did Rick tell you about fighting? You’re 18 now not 10.”

  “I know how old I am. I didn't have any choice. They …” Too late he realized he’d said too much.

  “Who?”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’m going to wash up.”

  Hand on her hips, Jo blocked his way. “You start talking. I want to know who they are?”

  Almanzo glanced at her. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes glittered with temper. Most people assumed Becky Jones, Jo’s twin, was the one to fly off the handle faster. Usually, she was but when Jo felt anyone had threatened her family, she was quicker to rile than an injured bear.

  “I’m waiting.”

  “Jo, it was just a lark. They didn’t mean any harm.”

  “I can see that.” Jo’s sarcasm sliced through him. He hated disappointing this woman who had provided him with a home since she’d rescued him back on the trail. He’d have died if it wasn’t for her. And Rick. They’d given him shelter, food and above all a family. Despite having twins of their own, they never let him or their nieces feel like outsiders. But he was. Nothing was ever going to change that. His own parents had left him behind to die. They didn’t believe he was worth anything. They were right.

  He stayed silent. He didn’t want to put her in danger. She had enough to worry about. She kept staring waiting for him to explain

  “Let me handle it, please. As you said I’m a grown man now.”

  She gave him a hard stare but then threw her hands up in the air. “I don’t know how to get through that thick head of yours. Rick will be up later. He’ll want an explanation.”

  Almanzo gave Jo’s arm a gentle squeeze as he walked by her to get some water. He had to clean up a bit before he went to see his friend.

  Almanzo climbed out the window and down the roof before dropping to the ground at the lowest point. He had to speak to Walking Tall and didn’t want to alarm Jo any further. He waited a couple of minutes to make sure nobody had heard him leave then he ran in the direction of the meeting point. He’d sent signals he needed to see Walking Tall. Hopefully, the Indian had picked them up and his friend would be waiting.

  He got to the spot on the edge of Rick’s ranch where they always met. It was right next to the river which separated Rick’s land from Scott’s. Walking Tall dispensed with all greetings as soon as he saw his face.

  “Harvey and his group?”

  “Yes. You need to get to Paco. There is big trouble brewing,” Almanzo took a second to control his anger. “Harvey said a group of Indians ambushed a wagon train. They killed all the men, most of the women and some children. But they took two of the younger women hostage. The Indians fled leaving some survivors.”

  “Why the Indians left?” Walking Tall asked in English.

  “I don’t know, something to do with soldiers coming,” Almanzo said.

  “What tribe?”

  “You know they don’t know or care about stuff like that,” Almanzo answered impatiently. “They think you are all the same.”

  Walking Tall scowled as Almanzo talked. Almanzo knew it hurt the Shoshone to be blamed for the actions of others. They tried to live in peace. “Did you hear anything?” Almanzo asked.

  “I not hear but that does not mean it has not happened. I go talk to my father. He will know what we should do.”

  “Be careful Walking Tall, they know you work at Scott’s ranch. They were saying some horrible things.”

  “They wish to put me on a horse with a rope around my neck,” Walking Tall responded.

  Almanzo stared at his friend. He had never told him what Harvey had threatened to do.

  “Harvey has a big mouth and makes lots of noise,” Walking Tall said grimly. “He is not as dangerous as those who keep mouth closed. They are the ones to watch.”

  Almanzo watched as his friend disappeared. He knew he should go home but he needed to talk to someone. Rick wasn’t we
ll and Jo would only worry. He decided to go visit Scott. He may be able to calm the situation in town with the whites.

  As he rode over, he wondered whether the story was true. Indians had taken captives before but not around here. He didn’t want to think about how scared the girls would be if it was true. He could still remember the fear and adrenalin when Becky was kidnapped. He hadn’t known at the time his father was part of that. His real pa had been a horrible man. He had tried for years to understand how one man was so full of hate but he couldn’t. Some nights he stayed awake wondering what he’d done to make his pa leave him behind. Why had his ma left him? Jo would sooner walk over hot coals than leave any of her children alone and in danger. That went just as much for him and the girls as her own natural children. Becky and Eva were the same. If anyone touched a hair on the head of their children, they would kill them. What was it about him that made his parents abandon him with barely a second glance? Sure, his ma had argued with his pa about leaving him behind but she had still left with his pa.

  He raced along until he came close to the ranch when he slowed deliberately. He didn’t want to cause panic by his sudden arrival. Luckily Scott was in the stables.

  “Al, anything wrong? Is it Rick?”

  “No it's not Rick but there is trouble.”

  Scott put down the bridle he was mending. “What sort of trouble?”

  Almanzo explained what had happened in town. As he talked, Scott’s expression grew grimmer, his hands fisted by his side.

  “Walking Tall will have reached Paco already. They are camped out on the south side of the ranch. I best go talk to him.”

  “Shouldn’t you go to town first and try to silence Harvey and his friends?” Almanzo said, his tone hesitant. He liked Scott but was in awe of him.

  “No, it's best I talk to Paco. Have you told David?” Scott asked.

  “Not yet, I came here first.”

  “I would offer you some coffee but I’d rather Becky not see you. She isn’t feeling too well. If she sees the state of your face, she will be angry.’