Spirit Journey: Historical Western Cowboy Romance Novel (Dawson Chronicles Book 3) by Linda Bridey Page B

negative outlook.  She was battling it as best she could, but she felt like she was losing the fight.  Peanut joined her.  She’d left Annie with Squirrel since the baby was sleeping.
                  “It’s a pretty night,” Peanut said.
                  “Yeah.  How are you doing?” she asked, putting an arm around Peanut’s shoulders.
                  Peanut sighed.  “All right, I guess.  It’s starting to sink in that everything that happened is real.  Daddy dying, Claude trying to kill us and running off with the gold—it’s felt like a bad dream until now.  And now we have to sell our home and move.”
                  “It’s terrible of me, but I don’t want to go back there at all now.  I loved our home, but now all it holds is bad memories,” Jaylyn said.
                  Peanut nodded.  “I feel the same way.  We need to get as much money out of the place as we can.  It has to last us a little while.” 
                  “Yeah.  Where do you want to settle?  I was thinking about Rapid City.  I can get work there.”
                  “ We can get work there.  You’re not gonna support us all on your own.  These are my children and I’m gonna do right by them,” Peanut said.
                  “Maybe in time you’ll find a nice man to marry.  One who really loves you,” Jaylyn said.
                  “I don’t care about that right now.  I have to get through this pregnancy and set up a stable home for my children,” Peanut said.
                  Jaylyn smiled.  “You know what I’d like to do?  It’s silly, but I’d rather just stay on the road with our Indians.”
                  Peanut laughed.  “Even though we were almost murdered and my leg was hurt, it has been fun in a strange way.  I don’t suppose you wanting to do that has anything to do with a handsome veterinarian?”
                  “Shut up, Peanut.  No, it doesn’t.”
                  “Mmm hmm.  I see the way you look at him.  He looks at you, too, in case you didn’t know it.”
                  “He does not,” Jaylyn said, blushing.
                  “Oh, yes he does,” Peanut insisted.  “I can’t blame you.  He’s a good man—and nice to look at, too.  You could certainly do worse.”
                  “You’re right, but it doesn’t matter.  We’ll be home tomorrow and they have to leave,” Jaylyn said.
                  Peanut gave her a sidelong glance.  “You know, we could always sell real quick and ask them to stop on their way back so that we could go with them again.”
                  “We can’t do that.  They have family business to deal with.  I don’t want to intrude on that any more than we already have,” Jaylyn said.
                  Peanut sighed.  “I know.  It’s just that I like them so much and we don’t have any other friends or family.  I like being a part of such a nice group of people instead of being alone.”
                  Jaylyn nudged Peanut with an elbow.  “Especially Skip.”
                  Peanut pushed back a little.  “You gotta be crazy.  I don’t want any part of a man.  My heart isn’t ready for anything like that and I don’t know if it ever will be again.”
                  Putting her arms around her little sister, Jaylyn said, “I know, honey.  I’m so sorry.  Claude fooled us all.  But you’re young.  You’ll find someone.  You’ll see.”
                  Peanut hugged her back.  “Maybe.  I don’t know.”  She laughed.  “Dino says Skip likes me.”
                  Jaylyn grinned and released her.  “Is that so?  He’s a sweet guy and he takes good care of Annie.”
                  “That’s