Dorothy Garlock - [Colorado Wind 03] Read Online Free PDF

in?”
    “Of course it’s all right. Evening to you.” Ellie, always gracious, greeted him as if he were stepping into her home. “So you’re the one who’s been behind us all day.”
    “Yes’m.” The man’s eyes went from Vanessa to Henry and back to Ellie. He plainly didn’t know to which one he should address his remarks. Ordinarily he would have spoken to the man, but in this case he was sure the young woman in the breeches was the one who made the decisions. She hung back, so he spoke to the neat woman with the white apron and the soft light hair piled on top of her head. She was a sightly woman, he thought, but not one suited for life on the trail.
    “Ma’am, it ’pears we’re both headed west. I’m awonderin’ if’n it would set with ya folks if’n I—we strung along with ya. Seems like we’d be a heap better off than goin’ it by our ownselves.”
    “Who’s with you?” Vanessa asked bluntly.
    “Ah, my girl, is all.”
    “Where are you headed?”
    “Denver or thereabouts. I thought to do me a little placer minin’.”
    “Is your outfit in good shape? We don’t want to tie up with someone we’ve got to wait on.”
    “Yes’m. I keep thin’s in top shape. I done me some wagoneerin’ and some blacksmithin’ in my day. I might even be a help to ya’ll, too.” His eyes wandered over the caravan and he shook his head in wonder. “That’s a might fine outfit ya’ll got. I don’t know as I ever seen finer.”
    He looked toward Henry, then back to Vanessa. She could read his mind, as she had read the minds of a hundred other men who had looked at her cousin. Dummy, he was thinking. Two women and a dummy had no business on the trail.
    “We’ve been doing all right,” she said sharply.
    The man stood first on one foot and then the other. The girl’s words seemed to close the door on the subject of the two wagons traveling together. He twisted his hat around and around in his hands.
    “Name’s Wisner, ma’am. John Wisner. Late of the Cimarron country down in Indian Territory.”
    “I’m Vanessa Cavanaugh. This is my cousin, Henry Hill, and my aunt, Mrs. Hill.”
    “Howdy.” The old man bobbed his head at the women and held out his hand to Henry. That gesture was what decided Vanessa to allow him to join them.
    “Glad to make yore acquaintance, young fella.”
    Henry stepped up and seized the man’s hand. He was like a friendly puppy, but he had learned to hang back until someone made a friendly overture.
    “Howdy.” He grinned happily.
    “We’ll be glad for your company, Mr. Wisner. We like to leave at first light, travel while it’s cool and stop for awhile in the middle of the day if we can find a cool place,” Vanessa said flatly, leaving no room for argument.
    “That’ll suit us fine, ma’am. Do ya mind if’n I call the girl over? I don’t know if she’ll come, she’s mighty shy ’bout meetin’ folks.”
    “Thunderation!” Ellie exclaimed. “There’s no call for her to be shy with us. We’re just plain folk.”
    “Ma’am, she ain’t been with folks much.” The old man went a few paces back from the campsite and yelled, “Mary Ben! C’mon over here ’n meet these folks.” He waited a moment and called again. “Mary Ben!” There was no answer. “I guess she ain’t acomin’. I see you folks is fixin’ to eat. I’ll jist mosey on back and maybe after a while I can get ’er to come over.”
    “Landsakes,” Ellie said after the man walked away. “Should we have asked them to supper?”
    “Of course not. Just because we’ll travel together doesn’t mean we have to be social.” Vanessa took off her hat and tossed it up on the wagon seat. She put a dipper of water in the washpan, washed her hands and splashed some on her face. “We’ll water the stock out of the barrels tonight, Henry. Tomorrow night we’ll try to camp closer to the river.”
    “How come the girl wouldn’t come over?” Henry asked when they sat down to eat.
    “Her pa