A Texas Promise by Laura Conner Kestner

Author:Laura Conner Kestner [Kestner, Laura Conner]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781732756229
Publisher: Sycamore House Publishing
Published: 2019-10-07T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

“We should be home in less than an hour,” Eli called out. He had joined Nathaniel on the driver’s seat after they’d stop to eat their supper, and Brody was once again Maggie’s traveling companion.

The boy was chattering away, but it was difficult for her to concentrate on what he was saying. Her mind was still filled with Eli’s story. What a sad life these two men had lived.

The crack of splintering wood rang out, scattering her thoughts and pitching her and Brody sideways.

Something had broken on one of the wagon wheels at the back.

“Whoa,” Eli soothed the spooked horses as he fought for control. “Easy now.”

Maggie gripped the side of the wagon, but didn’t say anything. Brody was silent, too, but once Eli had the team under control and had stopped the wagon, the boy had plenty of questions.

It started with “what happened” and continued on through “what now.” Brody didn’t seem scared, only interested.

After making sure that everyone was unhurt, Eli answered the boy’s questions about the cracked wheel. Maggie was impressed with his patience. Only Brody’s “What do we do now?” seemed to give Eli pause.

“I’d rather get on home tonight,” Eli said. “I’m sure Peg will be looking for you, Maggie, and Brody your family will be worried.”

The boy waved away his concern. “It’s okay, Sheriff. They know I’m safe with you.”

“Thanks, Brody.” Eli looked around. “I really don’t want all of us walking either. I’m trying to decide whether to get y’all settled for awhile and go on alone or make camp here. I might be able to fix the wheel.”

Eli conferred quietly with Nathaniel, then reached up and helped Maggie down. “We can at least make y’all more comfortable while we’re figuring it out.”

“Thank you,” Maggie said. “It will be nice to stretch my legs.”

As Maggie walked around, Eli removed several boxes in the back of the wagon, which held everything from bedrolls to a coffee pot and lantern.

“Are we going to need all this?”

“Haven’t decided whether to stay or not, but it’s best to lighten the load as much as possible while we’re working on it. This is standard for me. As I mentioned before, I always believe in being prepared for anything.”

“You should see how much he can pack on a horse,” Nathaniel said.

“He’s one to talk. You should see all he carries in that doctor bag he has.”

The two men teased each other for a minute, and Maggie suspected that their childhood was responsible for many of their cautious ways and habits.

After removing most everything from the wagon and unhitching the horses, Eli handed Maggie a blanket to wrap around her shoulders, then again turned his attention to the damaged wagon wheel.

Even after listening to his and Nathaniel’s discussion, Maggie wasn’t sure what they planned to do. The best she could figure out, Eli was going to attach some sort of skid to the broken wheel that would allow it to be dragged, even as the other three wheels turned. It was something he’d seen an old settler do years ago.

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