Her Abundant Joy by Lyn Cote

Author:Lyn Cote
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2010-08-31T04:00:00+00:00

Carson had been out of the saddle too long. When the order to camp for what remained of the night finally came, he slid from the saddle and stood stiffly beside his mount. It would take them nearly two weeks of hard riding to reach Matamoras, Mexico, where Taylor and his army might be. By then, Carson would be fully back in shape. He hobbled his horse and untied his bedroll.

No fire had been lit. That meant they were trying to slip unnoticed by Comanche or any other hostile tribe. Two Lipan Apaches rode with McCulloch. The Comanche were just as fierce enemies to them as to the whites.

Carson kicked away stones and sticks from an area and unrolled his bedding. He slid into the wool blanket, which smelled of leather and horse. Had he really just hours ago been at his sister’s wedding? Images from the wedding felt unreal; he felt unreal, too, as if he might vanish into the night air.

A large man came up beside him, unrolled his bedding, and slid inside. “So how’s the pretty Mariel doing?” It was Tunney’s low voice.

Carson wanted to ignore the question and feign sleep. But that wouldn’t stop Tunney. Carson said grudgingly, “She’s fine. You saw her.”

Tunney chuckled. “About to get leg-shackled like Ramirez?”

Nettled, Carson again thought of denying his interest in Mariel—for what purpose? “War interrupted me, and it looks like it interrupted you too. How’s the German widow?”

“I left her in good health and she’s not going anywhere. She’ll be there when I get back. I can’t be sitting by the fire when I know my friends are in the middle of it all.”

Carson grunted, “Go to sleep, Tunney.”

Tunney grunted in reply and said no more.

Carson lay there, listening to other men sleep. He’d had a few weeks of sleeping in his snug bed at home, and the ground felt hard and disagreeable. Refusing to move around to find a comfortable position, he thought over Tunney’s words about wanting to be in the middle of it all.

I don’t want to be in the middle of it all. Nor will I be. I’m just coming back to scout. This isn’t like San Jacinto. I’m not a soldier this time. I’ll just be doing reconnaissance, nothing more.

He closed his eyes, ignoring how unconvinced he was of his own words. And how much leaving Mariel behind still stung.

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