Mountain's Son by Gloria Brandt

Author:Gloria Brandt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2014-09-08T00:00:00+00:00

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Caleb finished throwing his gear into several packs, double-checking to see that he had enough extra food, clothes, and slickers for three people. He had debated leading another horse behind him, but the way the weather was shaping up, he opted against it. If this turned into the gully-washer that it promised, he’d have enough of a job keeping his own animal’s footing steady.

Glancing around the livery’s tack room, he was confident he’d remembered everything. There was only one more thing to do. He snatched up the bundle of papers he’d retrieved from the Bennet’s back steps and sat on a nearby cot. He had to smile a few times as he noted the feminine sketches and drawings in some of the margins. But as he delved into the entries, he became engrossed. With each page a new facet of Lydia Bennet lay open, revealed to him. Several times he had to remind himself of the purpose for reading the pages. More than once he felt a twinge of guilt at reading someone’s innermost thoughts.

He read over her accounts of coming to Veteran on the train, her detailed word pictures of new sights and landmarks, the wagon trip to Darby (reminding himself that within those entries was where she had written the piece he now carried). With the mention of encounters with Kid Cooley and Bradley Smyth, he felt an unaccountable surge of jealousy and also a bit of shame when he felt himself gloating over later entries where it was obvious she had no inclination toward either gentleman.

Conspicuously absent from her entries was any mention of him—not that he was expecting to be a subject of choice, but she’d covered several details of random encounters with other people. Yet his name was nowhere to be found. For some reason, that fact disturbed him.

When he finished the bulk of the pages, he let the papers slump to his lap. His mind was swirling with newfound knowledge of this young woman he had found so utterly intriguing from the moment he first saw her. He gave himself a mental shake. Okay, Jonas. Think. From what you’ve got here, where do you suppose she’d go?

Unconsciously shuffling around the papers, he straightened them into a stack. A wayward corner protruded stubbornly from one edge. Pulling out the errant sheet, he started to file it on top when he noticed it was folded in half. He curiously unfolded the wrinkled composition. It had been handled frequently.

Large bold letters blazed from the top of the page: The Mountain’s Son. Another poem. He read on with burning curiosity.

If the moon came from the mountain tops

and illumined the rocky land

There’d be a man with a Stetson and a Winchester

who’d crossed many a sand.

Caleb balked before continuing. In spite of his discomfort in reading the other pages, he got the distinct feeling that he definitely shouldn’t be reading this one. But he continued, not taking a breath until he’d read its conclusion. One portion had been scribbled out, and he tried in vain to decipher the lost words.

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