Katie's Plain Regret by Sara Harris

Author:Sara Harris
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: amish, mennonite, historical romance, sweet romance, old west, cowboys, texas
Publisher: WordCrafts Press
Published: 2019-10-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Badland

Choctaw Country, Indian Territory

KATIE RUBBED HER NECK, but even that motion did nothing to soothe the raw and burning ache of her throat. If anything, it made it worse. Actually, just thinking of her dry throat and the last time they’d had any fresh water to drink was just shy of torturous. “Didn’t know Texas was quite so hot,” she rasped. “Never got this hot in Indiana.”

Peter flipped the reins to urge their thirsty Sookie onward. They had come a long piece since Vinita and had been so wrapped up in the affairs of Clayton Allison that they had neglected to pack extra water. “We’re not in Texas yet, Katie.”

She watched a fat pearl of sweat slid down the side of Peter’s face. “I figured us to be almost there by now.” Adjusting her seat brought no comfort as the blackness of the buggy made the inside little more than a rolling oven. “Where are we then?”

“Remember when I said we were leaving Vinita, just inside Indian Territory?”

Katie thought back and attempted a swallow. “Yes. Doesn’t Texas come after Indian Territory?”

Peter’s lips tipped into a half-smile. “Most folks still call this land we’re in now Indian Territory. Others think it’s part of Oklahoma. Whatever it is, we still haven’t made it through yet.”

An icy shudder slid down Katie’s backbone. Leaning, she peered out of the buggy and into the scrub brushy hills that surrounded them. “You mean, there really are Indians here? Wild ones, like Mr. Allison, spoke of?”

“Maybe.”

A smile danced across Katie’s lips at the recollection of Clayton Allison. “Have you noticed that the closer we get to Texas, the less out of place we both seem?”

Peter coughed a dry cough. “Full of colorful characters, Texas is. Figure we’ll fit right in.”

Katie sucked in a lungful of air so hot that it burned her raw throat. “So where do you suppose the Indians are?”

“Well, since this is their land we’re traveling across, my guess would be anywhere around here.”

Thank you, God, for having the divine foresight to send Peter to help me, Your stubborn but faithful servant, on this journey. She twined her fingers together tightly to keep them from shaking.

“Why did they all move here? Because of the fine weather?” Katie’s attempt at a joke fell on deaf ears as Peter stared straight ahead into the hot, unchanging hills.

“The United States government moved them all here, Katie, and most are none too happy about it.” He flipped the reins again and scanned the horizon. “To most of these Indian folks, white people are the enemy. Not only to them, but to everything they love and hold dear, as well.”

Katie dabbed at the sweat that tickled her forehead. “Oh.” Her heart sank a bit. Even though they weren’t English, both she and Peter would probably still be considered white from an Indian’s perspective.

“Katie, look!”

Craning her neck, she struggled to see what Peter pointed to in the distance. Squinting, her eyes only saw the same scrubby hills. “What is it?”

“Looks to be a town,” Peter said, shielding his eyes with one hand.

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