“I am.”
“It’s not safe for a lady to be out here alone.”
“I’m being very careful and so far have not had any problems.”
“That’s good. Some people make their living preying on young women like yourself. I have two sisters, and whenever I see a woman alone I become concerned.”
He asked her how long she’d been traveling and where she was from while he kept an eye on the little boy with the ball. From their conversation, she learned he was an itinerant priest and the little boy, Benjamin, was an orphan he was escorting to an orphanage in Sacramento.
“So are you going to find a room here and wait for the train to arrive?” he asked.
“I suppose I’ll have to.” Although she hadn’t planned on dipping into the money she’d been paid by the Cateses so soon.
“Why don’t you ride with Benjy and me?” he offered. “The agent said the train won’t be here for three days, and in three days you can already be in Sacramento and have caught the train there for San Francisco.”
Eddy hesitated.
“I understand the hesitancy but I’m a man of God, MissEddy. You’ll come to no harm, and I could use the company and someone to help me answer the hundreds of questions Benjy seems to wake up with every morning.”
Her smile met his. She’d been depending on the kindness of strangers since leaving Denver and he seemed to have been sent from heaven. “I’ll accept, but you’ll have to let me pay you and cook along the way.”
“Benjy and I will accept your generous offer to cook, and if you want to pay me something, I’ll put it in the collection plate at the orphanage. The sisters there could use the help. So are we agreed?”
Saved once more, she said, “Yes, we are.”
“Let’s round up Benjy and see if the wagon’s ready.”
An hour later they were under way.
It was mid-afternoon as the old Conestoga bumped along the rocky desert road, Eddy was glad for the shade provided by the aged and patched canvas. The heat was stifling. Benjy was asleep in the back and she was sharing the seat with Father Nash. They’d been traveling just over two hours when she sensed something not quite right. They were supposed to be traveling west, but from the sun’s position in the sky they seemed to heading south. “Are we heading south?” she asked.
“As a matter of fact, we are, but first things first. What else do you have to offer me besides your cooking?”
She studied him. “I offered to pay you, too, remember?”
“I do but I’d like something a bit more substantial.” The eyes she looked into were mocking.
“Meaning?” she asked, suddenly wary.
“You’re a beautiful woman, I’m a healthy man. Need I say more?”
Eddy fought down the fear spreading up her spine. “You’re not really a priest, are you?”
“No, just a healthy man who likes to prey on pretty little pigeons like you. You’d be amazed how many people fall for this priest getup and the story.”
Eddy stiffened.
He glanced over. “How about you open that blouse and let me see what you got in there.”
“No!”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“Never been one to force a woman. I may be a scoundrel but I have scruples. Give me your money then.”
“No!” she snarled.