Trapper stayed wide awake. He knew trouble was coming. He could feel it in his bones. It was one of the reasons he’d stayed awake during the war. Only this time he wouldn’t be able to run. He had five little girls to worry about, and one little widow. They couldn’t disappear up a tree or roll in mud to become part of the land.

This time he might have to stand and fight.

And he would. He’d do whatever he had to do to keep them safe, even if it meant his life.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

They reached the trading post at about noon. The settlement was bigger than Emery had thought it would be. The stage line had opened a route a few months ago, but it wasn’t dependable.

Em shuddered at the thought that if Trapper hadn’t taken her with him, her father would have found her. He’d beat her, but not so hard that she couldn’t go back to work.

She had enough money in the Bible to buy a ticket on the paddleboat, but it would have been hours before it was loaded. Years ago he’d beat her oldest sister for talking to a boy. Her sister had run away as soon as she recovered with that same boy. They were already married by the time her father found them.

Emery forced a smile. No thinking of the past. From now on she’d only look forward. This was a new world, wild and beautiful, she thought as she looked around. Even if Trapper moved on after they reached Dallas, he’d taught her there were men worth knowing.

Across from the trading post, someone had built a small bar furnished with barrels and boards stacked atop. There were a few tables for the stage customers to grab a meal under the overhang of the roof. Em could almost see the beginnings of a town that looked like a good wind would blow it away.

Trapper tied the team in front of the store and began helping each girl down. Number Five had lost a shoe again, but she didn’t want to wait. She promised she’d just hop around the store.

Emery was as excited as the girls. She wanted to buy them all ribbons for their hair. She needed a proper gown to sleep in, and if the material wasn’t too expensive, enough cloth for a proper dress. She pulled out three dollars from the Bible hidden away in her leather bag.

If the weather held, Trapper had told her, they had eight, maybe nine days of travel left. When he’d asked her if she needed any more supplies, Emery had given him a list of baking goods.