house for breakfast. Mrs. Young stood on the porch hugging each of them before they went inside. She was a pretty little thing with a lot on her slender shoulders. He silently reminded himself not to get attached to any of the Young family, especially Rebecca Young.
He had to find Charlotte. Even though he had never met her, he still felt responsible for her and he wouldn’t break his promise to his grandmother.
* * *
Rebecca wasn’t sure she was up to the changes about to take place on her farm and in her home. Already things were different. Breakfast proved to be a quiet affair. Everyone seemed lost in their own thoughts or afraid to speak lest something worse occurred. Seth Armstrong made several attempts at polite conversation, but finally lapsed into an awkward silence when no one seemed inclined to answer with more than one word. Finally they each took their plates to the kitchen and then left single file. Rebecca cleared the rest of the table and washed the dishes. She wiped up the countertops and table, then poured the dishwater into the hog slop bucket.
Wagon wheels crunched near the front porch, reminding her that they were going to town for supplies. “Joy!” she called up the stairs. “Time to go!”
A smile parted Rebecca’s lips as she watched her five-year-old daughter cross the room. Joy had changed from her nightgown into a simple brown dress and had pulled her fine blond hair into a blue ribbon. “I got myself ready,” she said, twirling in a circle.
“I can see that. You look very pretty.” Rebecca grabbed her pale blue cloak and bonnet from the peg by the front door, then helped Joy into hers.
They stepped out onto the porch and Clayton jumped down from the driver’s seat to help them up. Benjamin, Philip and Thomas ran from the bunkhouse and landed in the back of the wagon with loud thuds.
“Where are Andrew, Noah and Jacob?” Rebecca asked, looking back at her sons.
“Mr. Armstrong says Andrew and Noah need to stay here and take care of the place,” Thomas answered, giving Philip a shove.
That accounted for Andrew and Noah, but not for Jacob and Seth. Rebecca looked toward the bunkhouse. “Where are Mr. Armstrong and Jacob?”
“Mr. Armstrong said we can call him Seth,” Benjamin answered with a grin.
“That doesn’t answer her question, Beni,” Philip said. He turned to look at Rebecca. “They are inside talking about why Jacob thinks we should all go to town.”
Thomas snickered. “If you call that talking.”
Rebecca lowered herself from the wagon. It was bad enough that Seth Armstrong had announced he was their new boss, but to cause strife this soon...well that was unacceptable.
“Ma, I wouldn’t interfere if I was you,” Clayton warned from his seat. “Jacob is in kind of a foul mood.”
“I can imagine.” Rebecca turned to the bunkhouse. “You boys stay put. We’ll be ready to go in a minute.”
She heard raised voices before she got to the door. Rebecca pushed the heavy wooden door open and walked inside. Her sons turned expectantly. “What’s the ruckus?” she asked, placing both hands on her hips and giving her children the “mother” look.
Jacob and Andrew each clamped their lips together. Noah studied the end of his muddy boot. It was obvious her boys had no intention of answering her.
Seth crossed his arms and met her gaze full-on. “We men are having a discussion.”
“From what I heard—” she didn’t bother telling him she heard it from Philip and Thomas “—you expect Andrew and Noah to stay here while the rest of us head to town.” Rebecca held up a hand to stop him from answering. “And if I know Jacob, he’s not happy with the arrangement and intends to stay with Andrew himself.” Her gaze moved from her oldest son to Seth. “Do I have it right so far?” Her eyes locked with the station keeper’s.
“I’d say that about sums it up,” Seth responded.
“Mr. Armstrong, may I ask why you want the two boys to stay behind? We’ve always gone to town as a family before.” His eyes were the prettiest shade of blue-green that she’d ever saw. Did they turn that color when he was angry? She mentally shook the thought away and focused on the problem at hand.
Seth sighed. “With the horses loose, Indians or bandits could come and steal them while we are gone.”
“That’s why I should stay,” Jacob growled between clenched teeth.
Seth turned to Jacob. “I need you to help me bargain for supplies. The men in town don’t know or trust me just yet. And since I don’t know them, either, I need you to make sure the Pony Express doesn’t get cheated.”
Rebecca realized that what he said was true. She knew that even though the men in town knew her, they didn’t want to bargain with a woman. They’d made that very clear shortly after John’s death. Jacob had a wonderful working relationship with them and the chances of them accepting Seth Armstrong from the get-go were slim to none.
“I have funds that we can use to rebuild the barn,” Seth said. “I’m sure Mr. Russell and Mr. Bromley will approve, considering they need the barn to house the Pony Express horses.”
Rebecca looked to Noah. The boy hadn’t looked up from his boots. He was so young. She didn’t like the idea of leaving him and Andrew alone on the ranch any more than Jacob. “Why leave Noah? He’s only twelve years old.”
“Because Jacob says that Noah is the best at using a rifle.” Seth’s gaze never left Jacob’s face, daring him to deny it.
That was true, too. Over the past few weeks, Noah had proven he could shoot the antennae off a grasshopper, if he had to. Rebecca walked between the men and looked her oldest son in the eyes. “Jacob, what he’s asking isn’t unreasonable. I’m sure that Andrew will see that Noah is kept safe.”
Jacob’s eyes held warmth and sadness in their depths. He nodded. “I’m sure he can, but it is my job to take care of this farm and my family.”
Unaware of the sorrow and weight of the promise Jacob had made to John, Seth interrupted, “Not anymore—it’s mine. Be in the wagon in five minutes.” He turned on his boot heels and left them standing looking at each other.
Rebecca concealed her anger toward Seth. Who did he think he was, coming in here and demanding that these boys follow him blindly? He didn’t know them. Or what they’d been through since John’s death.
She thought about staying home with Andrew and Noah, but she needed to get supplies for the house, and if she stayed behind, who would keep Seth and Jacob from coming to blows? She sighed. “Come along, Jacob. We’ll do as he asks today.” But as soon as they returned from town, she thought to herself, she’d be having a word with Seth Armstrong.
The trip into town was frosty to say the least. Seth could feel the anger boiling over from both Rebecca and Jacob. He’d known coming into this job that it would be difficult. But he’d also thought that Rebecca and her boys knew what they were getting into.
As Dove Creek came into
