glimpse of a woman in a dark gray traveling suit talking earnestly to one of them.
He reined in short of the gangway, and there was Susannah running to meet him. "You made it." She grabbed the bay's bridle, holding the horse while Lije swung out of the saddle.
"You didn't think I would miss the chance to wish my favorite auntie Godspeed on her journey, did you?" he teased, catching up the reins to his restless horse, excited from its run.
"I am too young to be your aunt." Even as she made her standard rejoinder, her expression softened. "But I think I would have regretted it if you hadn't called me that."
"I know." He smiled, then tipped his head to scan the upper decks. "Where are Grandfather and Eliza?"
"On the second deck." She pointed to them. "You should see the way they've been acting," Susannah declared. "They are like a couple going off on a belated honeymoon. It's really been quite touching."
"They've been looking forward to this trip."
"They have," she agreed, then paused, her hazel eyes softening on him again with pleasure. "No one else thought you would make it today. Temple said you were off tracking down some murderer. But I knew you would be here."
"I almost didn't make it."
"True."
A captain's mate stepped up, claiming Susannah's attention, a look of poorly disguised impatience on his face. "Begging your pardon, miss, but we're ready to shove off now. If you're going with us, I suggest you come on board."
"Of course. Right away." She turned back to Lije with regret. "I have to go now. You better write to me, Lije Stuart."
"I will," he promised.
She hesitated a split second, then asked, "Is there any message you would like me to take to Diane?"
His expression instantly hardened. "Give it up, Susannah. It's over."
But she caught the flicker of pain in his eyes that he wasn't quick enough to conceal. "For your sake, I hope not." In a rare display of affection, Susannah pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and whispered, "Be careful, Lije." Then she gathered up the front of her skirts and hurried up the gangway onto the boat.
Lije watched for a moment, then swung onto the saddle and backed his horse away from the loading ramp. With a last wave to Susannah and his grandparents, he reined the bay around and rode back up the slope to the family carriage.
"You were late," Sorrel declared with a haughty little lift of her chin. "You almost didn't get to see them before they left."
"It was close." Lije dismounted, his spurs making a small clinking sound when he stepped to the ground.
"Are you all right?" Temple ran her gaze over him, a mother's concern in her eyes. Behind her stood his uncle Kipp and his cousin Alex, but there was no sign of his father.
"Yes."
With that worry disposed of, her attention turned critical of the dust and sweat that caked him. "Lije Stuart, you are as ripe as one of our workers after a day in the fields." She raised a scented hankie to her nose to combat the rank odors coming from him.
"Make that nearly three days and you'll be closer to the truth." Belatedly, Lije slapped at the legs of his trousers, raising little puffs of dust. "It's nothing that a bath and clean change of clothes won't cure, which will be the first thing on my agenda when I get home tonight." He glanced beyond them in an idle search. "Didn't Father come with you?"
"He had business in Fort Smith. He plans to meet the boat when it docks there."
"What happened to that horse thief you were after?" Kipp wanted to know, a touch of smug challenge in his question. "Did he get away?"
"No. We caught him last night." Catching the clatter of hooves on the hard-packed ground, Lije looked back as Sam Blackburn rode in, leading the prisoner and the stolen horses. He halted close to the carriage, nodded first to Lije and then to the others, but didn't speak. "We're on our way to the district courthouse with him."
Kipp stared at the prisoner. "I heard the man he shot died the next morning."
"He did." When Lije
He reined in short of the gangway, and there was Susannah running to meet him. "You made it." She grabbed the bay's bridle, holding the horse while Lije swung out of the saddle.
"You didn't think I would miss the chance to wish my favorite auntie Godspeed on her journey, did you?" he teased, catching up the reins to his restless horse, excited from its run.
"I am too young to be your aunt." Even as she made her standard rejoinder, her expression softened. "But I think I would have regretted it if you hadn't called me that."
"I know." He smiled, then tipped his head to scan the upper decks. "Where are Grandfather and Eliza?"
"On the second deck." She pointed to them. "You should see the way they've been acting," Susannah declared. "They are like a couple going off on a belated honeymoon. It's really been quite touching."
"They've been looking forward to this trip."
"They have," she agreed, then paused, her hazel eyes softening on him again with pleasure. "No one else thought you would make it today. Temple said you were off tracking down some murderer. But I knew you would be here."
"I almost didn't make it."
"True."
A captain's mate stepped up, claiming Susannah's attention, a look of poorly disguised impatience on his face. "Begging your pardon, miss, but we're ready to shove off now. If you're going with us, I suggest you come on board."
"Of course. Right away." She turned back to Lije with regret. "I have to go now. You better write to me, Lije Stuart."
"I will," he promised.
She hesitated a split second, then asked, "Is there any message you would like me to take to Diane?"
His expression instantly hardened. "Give it up, Susannah. It's over."
But she caught the flicker of pain in his eyes that he wasn't quick enough to conceal. "For your sake, I hope not." In a rare display of affection, Susannah pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and whispered, "Be careful, Lije." Then she gathered up the front of her skirts and hurried up the gangway onto the boat.
Lije watched for a moment, then swung onto the saddle and backed his horse away from the loading ramp. With a last wave to Susannah and his grandparents, he reined the bay around and rode back up the slope to the family carriage.
"You were late," Sorrel declared with a haughty little lift of her chin. "You almost didn't get to see them before they left."
"It was close." Lije dismounted, his spurs making a small clinking sound when he stepped to the ground.
"Are you all right?" Temple ran her gaze over him, a mother's concern in her eyes. Behind her stood his uncle Kipp and his cousin Alex, but there was no sign of his father.
"Yes."
With that worry disposed of, her attention turned critical of the dust and sweat that caked him. "Lije Stuart, you are as ripe as one of our workers after a day in the fields." She raised a scented hankie to her nose to combat the rank odors coming from him.
"Make that nearly three days and you'll be closer to the truth." Belatedly, Lije slapped at the legs of his trousers, raising little puffs of dust. "It's nothing that a bath and clean change of clothes won't cure, which will be the first thing on my agenda when I get home tonight." He glanced beyond them in an idle search. "Didn't Father come with you?"
"He had business in Fort Smith. He plans to meet the boat when it docks there."
"What happened to that horse thief you were after?" Kipp wanted to know, a touch of smug challenge in his question. "Did he get away?"
"No. We caught him last night." Catching the clatter of hooves on the hard-packed ground, Lije looked back as Sam Blackburn rode in, leading the prisoner and the stolen horses. He halted close to the carriage, nodded first to Lije and then to the others, but didn't speak. "We're on our way to the district courthouse with him."
Kipp stared at the prisoner. "I heard the man he shot died the next morning."
"He did." When Lije
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