that mean you'll stay around a while?" He'd already told her he meant to move on
once they found her pa.
"I reckon it does." For some reason, that didn't bother him like it would have a while
back.
* * * *
The rest of the journey was so uneventful it came close to being boring. The weather
held, with high, thin clouds and heavy frost at nights, but no snow. The gut-shot bandit had used
his one bullet, and they'd buried him beside the trail he'd tried to charge toll on. The others rode
on top of crates, tied down so they wouldn't roll off, because the teamsters agreed their own men
should get the comfort of the mounded flour and feed sacks. Merlin reckoned by the time they
got to the mining camps, they'd probably have been punished enough, but he said nothing. Let
the law decide what to do with them.
He took a turn driving, since they were short handed, but it wasn't to his taste. After the
first day even Murphy agreed he lacked the knack for it and suggested he ride shotgun.
That suited him just fine. He ranged wide of the trail, forging ahead at least twice a day,
so they wouldn't be caught napping as they had at the gate. The road eventually led down into
another valley, and he could see a cluster of buildings ahead. He wanted to yell with joy. Instead
he turned back and let the rest of them know the end was in sight.
Cal didn't cheer like the others did.
He turned Bul to ride beside her. "How come you're not excited? You'll be seeing your
pa in a day or so."
She shrugged.
"Cal? Look at me."
She angled her eyeballs his way, but kept herself faced forward.
"Does he know you're coming?" It was a question he should have asked her back in
Eagle Rock.
Another shrug.
He crowded close and leaned over to catch Ruth's halter rope. The country here was flat
enough they could ride alongside without being half-mountain goat. He led the molly out about a
hundred yards from the train and pulled her up beside Bul. "Does your pa know you're
coming?"
She stared off towards the hills enclosing the valley through which they rode. "Maybe. I
don't exactly know."
"You wrote to him, didn't you?"
"Well, of course I did. I ain't stupid."
He bit back a chuckle. In a way it was funny, but what in thunder was he going to do if
they got to Virginia City and her pa wasn't there? "But you didn't sit around waiting for an
answer, did you? You don't know if he's expecting you."
"Uh-uh." She turned to look at him then, and he saw the tears making clean little tracks
down her dirty cheeks. "I had to come," she said. "I had to get away from my cousin. He was...
he could be real mean."
After a spell of just looking at her, Merlin decided there was plenty she wasn't telling
him. It was plain to him she'd been scared of her cousin, and he had a feeling he knew why. Bastard. She's just a little girl.
Remembering his own reaction to sleeping next to her--something that happened right
regular, until he'd got so he dreaded bedtime--he could understand.
But he couldn't condone. His pa had raised him to respect women, even little girls who
weren't women yet.
* * * *
The closer they got to Virginia City, the slower they seemed to move. Leastwise that's
how it seemed to Callie. They'd come down into the flats yesterday, and she'd expected to see the
town before sundown. Now it was another sundown, and they were camped alongside the big
mule corral at Alder Creek. According to Murphy, it was still half a day's drive to Virginia City,
but they had to unload a pile of freight first, so they weren't likely to get there much before
supper time.
The closer they got, the more scared she was her pa wouldn't be there. And then what
would she do?
Merlin was itching to move on. She'd seen how fidgety he was in the evenings, even
though he'd promised to stay around long enough to teach her to shoot. She really didn't expect
him to. All he'd agreed to was get her here. Nice as he could be, he was still a man, and she'd
never known a man yet could be depended
once they found her pa.
"I reckon it does." For some reason, that didn't bother him like it would have a while
back.
* * * *
The rest of the journey was so uneventful it came close to being boring. The weather
held, with high, thin clouds and heavy frost at nights, but no snow. The gut-shot bandit had used
his one bullet, and they'd buried him beside the trail he'd tried to charge toll on. The others rode
on top of crates, tied down so they wouldn't roll off, because the teamsters agreed their own men
should get the comfort of the mounded flour and feed sacks. Merlin reckoned by the time they
got to the mining camps, they'd probably have been punished enough, but he said nothing. Let
the law decide what to do with them.
He took a turn driving, since they were short handed, but it wasn't to his taste. After the
first day even Murphy agreed he lacked the knack for it and suggested he ride shotgun.
That suited him just fine. He ranged wide of the trail, forging ahead at least twice a day,
so they wouldn't be caught napping as they had at the gate. The road eventually led down into
another valley, and he could see a cluster of buildings ahead. He wanted to yell with joy. Instead
he turned back and let the rest of them know the end was in sight.
Cal didn't cheer like the others did.
He turned Bul to ride beside her. "How come you're not excited? You'll be seeing your
pa in a day or so."
She shrugged.
"Cal? Look at me."
She angled her eyeballs his way, but kept herself faced forward.
"Does he know you're coming?" It was a question he should have asked her back in
Eagle Rock.
Another shrug.
He crowded close and leaned over to catch Ruth's halter rope. The country here was flat
enough they could ride alongside without being half-mountain goat. He led the molly out about a
hundred yards from the train and pulled her up beside Bul. "Does your pa know you're
coming?"
She stared off towards the hills enclosing the valley through which they rode. "Maybe. I
don't exactly know."
"You wrote to him, didn't you?"
"Well, of course I did. I ain't stupid."
He bit back a chuckle. In a way it was funny, but what in thunder was he going to do if
they got to Virginia City and her pa wasn't there? "But you didn't sit around waiting for an
answer, did you? You don't know if he's expecting you."
"Uh-uh." She turned to look at him then, and he saw the tears making clean little tracks
down her dirty cheeks. "I had to come," she said. "I had to get away from my cousin. He was...
he could be real mean."
After a spell of just looking at her, Merlin decided there was plenty she wasn't telling
him. It was plain to him she'd been scared of her cousin, and he had a feeling he knew why. Bastard. She's just a little girl.
Remembering his own reaction to sleeping next to her--something that happened right
regular, until he'd got so he dreaded bedtime--he could understand.
But he couldn't condone. His pa had raised him to respect women, even little girls who
weren't women yet.
* * * *
The closer they got to Virginia City, the slower they seemed to move. Leastwise that's
how it seemed to Callie. They'd come down into the flats yesterday, and she'd expected to see the
town before sundown. Now it was another sundown, and they were camped alongside the big
mule corral at Alder Creek. According to Murphy, it was still half a day's drive to Virginia City,
but they had to unload a pile of freight first, so they weren't likely to get there much before
supper time.
The closer they got, the more scared she was her pa wouldn't be there. And then what
would she do?
Merlin was itching to move on. She'd seen how fidgety he was in the evenings, even
though he'd promised to stay around long enough to teach her to shoot. She really didn't expect
him to. All he'd agreed to was get her here. Nice as he could be, he was still a man, and she'd
never known a man yet could be depended
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