Beyond The Horizon Read Online Free PDF Page B

said pointedly, his voice deliberately harsh. “Enticing men can lead to trouble, as I’ve just demonstrated. I could have taken you right here on the ground in sight of all the wagons if I wanted you. Chivalry as you know it doesn’t exist on the Western frontier. Keep away from Clive Bailey and the other men sniffing around you. But if you find you have an itch that needs scratching, I’d be more than happy to take care of it.” Blade knew he was being deliberately cruel and insensitive but felt it necessary to impress upon Shannon the danger she faced on this journey.
    That was the last straw! “You—you filthy, savage bastard! You’re the one I need to beware of!”
    Blade winced, the viciousness of her words scalding him, yet he had asked for it. He had meant to teach her a valuable lesson and succeeded, at the cost of his own pride. He didn’t usually treat women with such casual disregard, but his assignment demanded nothing less than total concentration, and the only way he could do that was make Shannon hate him. It was in Shannon’s best interests to think of him as a despicable savage, he told himself sadly. And it was neither the first nor the last time he’d be referred to that way.
    The first weeks on the trail were easy, the wagons traveling northwest toward Nebraska and the Platte River. Small streams were forded without mishap. The climate was mild and the land bucolic. It provided the emigrants with a perfect time to learn to handle a prairie schooner, to shake down the routine and to become accustomed to the extraordinary adventure on which they were launched.
    They spotted their first stray Indians, but were neither challenged nor molested by them. It amused Shannon to note that these initial few sightings produced a display of arms in the most approved warriorlike style. Actually, the Indians of Kansas were pitiful, defeated, ragged, starving creatures who often approached the emigrants begging for food.
    Because the long summer days did not exhaust the travelers, evenings at the campsite were given over to children’s games and to parties, music, and dancing by the elders. Shannon didn’t lack for partners, being one of the more popular single women. Blade, she noted, kept to himself, neither invited to join the gaiety nor expecting to be asked. But that still didn’t stop some of the young women, Nancy Wilson in particular, from shamelessly competing for his attention. Shannon tried to tell herself she didn’t care how many women fawned over the half-breed. Yet the fact remained that the memory of his kiss still burned her lips and warmed her soul.
    On Sundays the emigrants were left much to their own devices according to their beliefs and tastes. If a minister or missionary traveled with a wagon train, a service was offered. None, however, was listed among Shannon’s traveling companions. Horseraces were often held and a general day of relaxation and rest was called for.
    Under Blade’s competent guidance, the wagon train arrived at the Big Blue, a tributary of the Kansas River. The Big Blue was a cantankerous, crotchety stream that demanded strict attention. It had rained the night before and word passed down that the travelers would camp on the bank until the water receded. Shannon welcomed the respite. It was one of the most idyllic campsites along the entire length of the trail, as well as one of the most romantic. It was called Alcove Springs, its name carved in rock at the site.
    That night Callie was feeling uncomfortable and Shannon worried that delivery was imminent. Since there were still several weeks remaining before the expected delivery, Shannon’s concern was very real. Knowing something about birthing and babies from her large family, she quietly prepared for a premature delivery. Mercifully, she was relieved of that duty when two women more experienced in such things offered their services. Somehow the news filtered down to Blade and he showed up unexpectedly at their