Pony Express Courtship by Rhonda Gibson Page A

back warmer. Rebecca inhaled the hearty aroma and decided one more cup wouldn’t hurt her.
    Seth’s voice stilled her hand as she poured hot liquid into her favorite mug. “I’d like a cup of that, if you have plenty.”
    Rebecca turned and handed him her mug. “Here you go.” Then she reached for another cup.
    â€œYou might want to grab your coat—it’s getting colder and colder out there,” Seth said, leading the way to the front porch.
    Rebecca grabbed her blue cloak off the hook by the front door and followed him. He walked to the porch swing and sat down.
    â€œI hope you don’t mind sharing the swing. I’m a mite tired.” Seth yawned as if to prove his point.
    Rebecca eased down beside him. “Not at all.” Her gaze moved out to the horse corral. Several horses could be seen, their hooves clopping against the hard ground. She noticed that one of the boys stood by the fence, but she couldn’t make out which of her sons it was.
    As if he could read her mind, Seth offered, “That’s Andrew—he pulled first watch.”
    She turned to look at him. “What do you mean ‘pulled first watch’?”
    â€œUntil the barn is finished, the boys have to take turns keeping watch over the animals. Indians or bandits could attempt to steal them.” He took a cautious sip of his coffee.
    Rebecca frowned. “Why aren’t you guarding them? You are the station keeper after all.” She heard the accusation in her voice and flinched inwardly.
    As expected, he came back with a bit of harshness of his own. “Because I’ve assigned Andrew to do it.”
    â€œBut he’s just a boy.” Rebecca wished she could take the spoken thought back as soon as it hit the night air.
    His voice softened. “No, he’s a man.” Seth blew into his cup to cool the coffee.
    Rebecca didn’t see him that way. She still remembered the day she and John had brought Andrew home with them. He was twelve and scared. Andrew had clung to John and didn’t want to let him go, even though it was way past bedtime. Andrew had reminded her so much of her brother, Mark, that she’d begged John to sleep in the little boy’s room. John had, leaving her to dwell on the past and her brother’s fear and eventual death.
    It was Mark’s death from exposure to the weather when he’d been forced to leave the orphanage at the age of twelve that had prompted Rebecca and John to adopt the boys on their twelfth birthdays. Rebecca wanted to save as many of the boys as she could.
    â€œRebecca, you are going to have to let them grow up,” Seth said quietly.
    It was the first time he’d used her Christian name and she enjoyed the way it sounded. Rebecca looked at him. The light from the moon shone across his face. His eyes held hers. There was no anger in their depths and for that she was thankful.
    â€œYou don’t know them like I do. They all have pasts, pasts that you will never understand,” Rebecca told him.
    Seth nodded. His eyes searched out Andrew as he said, “You are right there. But I do know he’s willing to protect you from all harm and that’s what he’s doing right now. He’s being a man and he’s protecting what he believes is his to protect.”
    Rebecca turned her attention to the corral also. Was Andrew really protecting her and not just the horses? “I still don’t know why he has to take the first watch.”
    â€œHe asked for it,” Seth answered.
    â€œWhy?” Rebecca turned her attention back to the station keeper.
    Seth laughed. “He said he’s less likely to fall asleep now than later in the night or early in the morning. Made sense to me, so I agreed.”
    â€œSo all the boys have a time to watch?” she asked, not happy with the idea.
    â€œYep, even Benjamin.”
    Did his shoulders just straighten? Was he anticipating her negative