Pony Express Special Delivery by Rhonda Gibson

Author:Rhonda Gibson [Gibson, Rhonda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian, Clean & Wholesome, Fiction, Historical, Love Stories, Romance, Western, Women's Fiction
ISBN: 9781488017827
Google: e3XpDQAAQBAJ
Amazon: B01NATUO4P
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-08-31T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Clayton watched as the Pony Express rider switched horses. The boy handed him a letter from his breast pocket. “A note from your family.” He put his heels into the Pony Express horse and then sped away before Clayton could react.

He called after the boy, “Thanks, Peter. Godspeed!”

Peter waved above his head but didn’t turn around. His job was to get the mail through.

Clayton looked down at the envelope in his hand. It was addressed in his adoptive mother’s beautiful handwriting. He glanced at the house.

Maggie, Dinah and baby James were on the front porch. Tucking the letter into his front shirt pocket, he walked into the barn and called for George.

The older gentleman looked over a stall door. “I’m here.”

Clayton walked to Bones and quickly pulled him from his stall. “Keep an eye on the family for me?”

George nodded. “I always do.”

Clayton cinched up the belt under the horse’s belly. “Thank you.” He double-checked to make sure the gear was on the horse properly.

“If the missus asks where you are off to, what do I tell her?” George asked.

He answered, “I’m going to check fence lines.” Clayton led Bones out into the yard. He didn’t look to the house. After last night, he wasn’t sure he trusted himself in Maggie’s presence.

Clayton traveled the fence. The soft sounds of cows lowing in the pasture gave him a sense of peace. He pulled the letter from his pocket. What had his mother written? Was she angry she hadn’t heard from him? The little boy in him wanted to avoid opening the envelope.

He turned the letter over and over in his gloved hand. Clayton wanted to open it but also feared its contents. What if something had happened to one of his adoptive brothers? They were Pony Express riders. What if one of them had gotten hurt or killed on the trail? Or what if something was wrong with Joy or Ben, his younger adoptive sister and brother?

Clayton found himself riding to the hidden cove. He dismounted and walked to a nearby rock. The peacefulness of the place warred with the inner turmoil of what could be in the letter. His brother Andrew would scold him for worrying and tell him to just open the letter.

He took his pocketknife out and ran the blade under the flap of the envelope. Once it was open, he put the knife away and pulled the letter out. Clayton swallowed hard and then began to read.

Dear Clayton,

I hope this note finds you doing well. We miss you here at the farm. Your brothers are all doing well and are happy. Ben is doing well in school. He’s smart like you and has discovered he loves reading. Joy is baking up a storm. She told me the other day that she wants to open a bakery in town when she grows up.

Clayton stopped reading. Joy’s baking reminded him of Maggie’s cake, which led his thoughts back to kissing her. That kiss had kept him tossing and turning all night.

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