The Impetuous Bride (Once Upon a Wedding) by McClymer Kelly

Author:McClymer, Kelly [McClymer, Kelly]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: fiction
Published: 2011-12-17T16:00:00+00:00

They were all happy to reach the Platte River. The river meant water would be plentiful for the livestock for the next month, as they followed the meandering bank westward.

Fortunately, they would soon be stopping at Fort Kearny. Only a little more than two weeks into her journey and it felt like a lifetime of walking a dusty road, fording rivers—or taking bridges when there was one, always with a toll to pay.

She looked forward to seeing a semblance of civilization, being reminded that this life was not all there was. Not that she didn’t enjoy seeing the things that, up until now, she’d only read about. She’d written to Jeanne, who’d made the journey to San Francisco by steamer. She’d informed the reporter that she must take the trail at least once or else she’d never know what kind of stories she was missing.

She’d written to Caroline’s parents, as well. No doubt, their grief still fresh from her last letter, they would read this one with sadness, but she tried to describe the journey their granddaughter was taking, so they would be better prepared to understand her state of mind when she finally arrived.

She’d post the letters at Fort Kearny as well to let everyone know that Gwyneth had become a good traveler. The child, indeed, was a better traveler than Ros. She bounced out of her pallet even on the chilliest gray day with a smile. She had become fast friends with the daughter of one of the other families in the company, and together they played games, gathered sticks, and pestered the adults in their parties for stories or food.

Most of the time, Gwyneth seemed happy with her new life, even though it was drastically different from her old one. The only time that Ros caught any hint of sadness was when a child was hurt and a mother came running to provide hugs and kisses—or sometimes, if the child had been hurt while taking a foolish risk—a scolding.

She knew she wasn’t good at those motherly kinds of actions. But Ophelia had stepped in to fill the role adequately enough. And soon, Gwyneth would be surrounded by her loving grandparents and aunts. How the child would react to having her father leave her, Ros didn’t want to think about.

Whether Rob could bring himself to do so was another question. He was hardly equipped to keep her with him as he crisscrossed the country twice a year. But she had seen how much he loved his daughter, and she was certain that any parting would be painful for both of them.

She stopped by the side of the Platte, to join the children who were tossing pebbles into the water. “Mine went farthest,” she announced.

“No fair!” one of the boys complained loudly. “You’re all grown up.”

One of the others whispered, “But she’s a girl, Henry.”

They seemed to debate the issue for the space of a moment and then shook their heads. “Nah. Ma says no real girl would wear those funny skirts.

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