“And have you?” Sarah asked gently.
“Yes, Ezra won’t force me to marry Mr. Cooper. I’ll do this all alone until I drop.” She raised her chin in defiance.
“Oh, honey, I think you’re being foolish,” Sarah said. “Marriage between strangers is common in this part of the country. A man needs a woman almost as much as a woman needs a man. Look at you. You’re already worn out and it’s only mid-day. You know I’m your friend, Emma, but I really think you should give this more thought.”
“Thanks for the suggestion, Sarah, but for now I’ll do it my way.”
Sarah gave Emma a hug and went back to her wagon. Emma sunk to the ground and untied her shoes to get a pebble out. Rubbing her aching feet, she thought about eating, but was too tired to fix anything.
The heat and fatigue had taken away her appetite, but she knew she would never be able to finish the day if she didn’t eat, so she took some beef jerky, along with another piece of last night’s bread. She washed it all down with cups of water. She rested behind the wagon, lifted her skirts to her knees to cool off, then used her bonnet as a fan.
The noon break was short and before long the wagons started to roll again. Emma had only walked a few yards when she remembered she had not tightened the yoke on the oxen. Tugging on the reins, she tried to stop the movement. The force of the wagon’s weight and the animals dragged her as she pulled. Beads of sweat ran down from her forehead. She was almost completely on the ground when the sound of hoof beats intruded on her misery.
Davis pulled up on his reins and quickly jumped down. Grabbing the yoke, he shouted for Emma to let go. She lost her dignity as she plopped on her behind in the dirt. Davis managed to slow down the wagon and bring it to a stop. He glanced back at Emma and chuckled. “You all right, darlin’?”
Emma scowled. “Yes, I’m fine, Mr. Cooper, and don’t call me ‘darlin’.”
Davis tightened the yoke, walked over to Emma and extended his hand to help her up. She brushed off the back of her dress and ungraciously mumbled her thanks. Davis grinned, tugged on the brim of his hat and returned to his horse, mounting in one graceful motion.
Sore in various places, Emma returned to the animals and tugged. Leaving behind a cloud of dust, Davis galloped away toward the front of the line. Despite herself, a small smile formed as she thought of her most unlikely knight in shining armor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emma sat staring at her fire. Nighttime on the prairie echoed with sounds different from thos
e she listened to back home for years. Small nocturnal animals scurried around in search of food. Having a strong sense of smell and hearing, bats began their nightly pursuit of insects when they didn’t need to compete with birds.
She’d never been so tired in her whole life. After the wagons had stopped for the day, she’d unhitched the ox and brought them to the pasture with the other animals. Then she collected twigs and buffalo chips to make her fire. By then she was too tired to cook anything, so she made do with another meal of jerky and bread.
“Hello Emma.” A deep voice jerked her out of her trance. Davis stood over her holding two cups of steaming coffee. He handed her one and squatted down alongside her.
“How did you do today?” Even though his voice was sympathetic, the glint in his eyes told her he was finding the situation somewhat amusing.
“I’m worn out, all right? Isn’t that what you and Ezra had planned?” She leaned back against a log, and closed her eyes. “I’m covered with dried sweat, my feet hurt, I have sunburn on my face and my hands feel like someone is poking pins and needles into them. I would drink this lovely cup of coffee you just gave me, but I fear my arms won’t move.”
She opened her eyes and gazed at Davis. “And if you keep looking at me like that, I will embarrass you, and myself, by bursting into tears. Does that answer your question?” Despite her best intentions her voice quivered, and she barely got the last few words out.
“Let me ask you something.” Davis took a sip of his coffee. “Is the thought of marrying me so horrible that you’d rather suffer through all this?”
She inhaled deeply, fighting the tears rising in her eyes. “I have nothing against you personally. Truly I don’t. You seem like a nice enough man, but I really don’t know you. However, that aside, it is my intention to return to Indiana when we reach Oregon. So you see I can’t get married. Not to you, not to anyone.”
Davis put his cup down and reached toward Emma. He put his fingers gently under her chin, turning her head until he looked directly into her eyes. “What makes you think you’ll be able to get back to Indiana once you reach Oregon?”
“I’ll hire someone, sell my wagon, and do whatever I need to. I will go back to Indiana.” Her words were not as forceful as she intended. Looking directly into Davis’s eyes with the firelight dancing in front of them made it difficult to catch her breath. Her heart pounded, but she attributed it to her annoyance at having to explain herself.
“Ah, darlin’, you won’t be able to do that. Once you’ve finished this trip, believe me, there is no way you’ll want to set out again.” He began to slowly rub his thumb over her chin. “I hear Oregon is a fine place to settle.”
“I want to go back to Indiana.” Emma jerked away from his touch. “I was happy there.”
Davis stretched one leg out and drew the other one up, his wrist leaning on his bent knee. “You were a little girl in Indiana.”
“I was not. I was a married woman.” Emma wiped the corners of her eyes.
“Yes, darlin’, you were indeed a married woman. But you were still a little girl.” He drained the coffee, stood, and tipped his hat before disappearing into the darkness.
Emma stared back into the fire. She was not a little girl in Indiana. She’d had her own house that she took care of by herself. Meals were always on time, the laundry done, the garden tended to. Mr. Cooper didn’t know her, or what her life in Indiana had been like. If only Peter had been happier, she wouldn’t have had to leave her parents. She sighed and groaned as she rose. Tomorrow would be better. It had to be.
Just as she kicked the last bit of dirt on the campfire, Sarah, lugging Stephen, wandered into her camp.