When she returned, Emery climbed up and tucked Four in, then reached out to take a sleeping Five. “Tomorrow,” she whispered.
“Tomorrow,” he answered, thinking a kind of happiness he’d never known had just slammed into his heart.
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
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.
The little girls had pulled out little change purses. They weren’t any bigger than her fist, but each had flowers embroidered on them. “We have money left over from our monthly allowances,” Number One announced. “Is it all right if we buy candy, Mrs. Adams?”
Em loved that they asked her. “If you only buy what will fit in your bag.”
When they walked in, all the girls stopped to stare. The rough, wooden building of logs with bark left on was filled with wonders. Hats made out of animal hides, bolts of material stacked high, rugs, guns, and knives beside pots and pans. Books, candy, and wood carvings of birds. Anything you could think of to buy was on display.
As near as Emery could tell, no one was in the store except an old man sleeping at his desk with a half-empty whiskey bottle beside him.
“Morning.” Trapper woke the old guy. “Mind if me and my family look around.”
“Nope. You’re the first folks I’ve seen today.” His words were straight, but his eyes didn’t seem to be focusing on anything but his nose. “Wake me up when you’re ready to check out.” His head hit the desk so hard it rattled the whiskey bottle.
Trapper wandered off with his list in hand, and Emery moved to the material. She was deep in thought, trying to picture a dress made from each bolt, when Number Three and Four moved close to her.
“Mrs. Adams,” Number Three whispered. Her hat hid her eyes from view. “May I buy a pair of Levi’s and a flannel shirt? I got the money.”
“Why, Eliza?” Emery asked. “Wouldn’t you rather buy something pretty?”
She shook her head. “It’d make it easier to ride. I like riding just like Two does but it’s not easy in a dress. When we met the Millers, the mom thought I was a boy in a dress when my hat got knocked off. I can’t do anything about my hair, but I thought if I put on pants and a shirt, I wouldn’t have to wear the hat all the time. I don’t care if folks think I’m a boy.”
Four pushed closer. “If she does, I want to get them too.”
Emery thought of the terrible sack of a dress her mother had made her wear so no one would see her as a woman. In truth, Levi’s and a shirt made much more sense on this journey.
“I don’t mind at all.”
Thirty minutes later Emery met Trapper at the counter with her material, ribbons, and a simple white nightgown. She feared she was spending money she’d need to get by in Dallas.
Trapper had collected all the supplies and a chamber pot.
He’d also bought Number One a pair of leather gloves for when she drove the team and Emery a sensible pair of boots. Ladylike, but practical.