Mia's Misfits (Alphabet Mail-Order Brides series Book 13) by Heidi Vanlandingham

Author:Heidi Vanlandingham [Vanlandingham, Heidi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HL Vanlandingham Books
Published: 2019-01-12T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

The Following Morning

They began the trip to pick up the cattle early that morning just as the sun rose, eating warm muffins and hot coffee as the cool morning breeze chilled their skin. They’d returned home late the evening before, gotten a few hours’ sleep, and it was now mid-morning. The sun beat down on them as they traveled to Checotah and the Colyer’s ranch, passing the time with laughter and jokes. The dust puffed up from their horses’ hooves, as the sweat trickled down spines and dripped along the sides of everyone’s faces, the sickly sweet scent of wildflowers and other flora filling the air.

What in the world was her husband thinking? Mia slapped the lines to keep the horse moving behind the others who rode just ahead of her. What made him believe she would be able to drive the wagon all the way to Colyer’s ranch? Did he and the children really need to ride the horses? They were almost fifteen miles from their home for goodness’ sakes, and she’d never driven a wagon before in her life. Surely a few cows wouldn’t stray—not with two of them on horses and someone driving the wagon? Someone other than herself.

He’d given her a few pointers, showed her how to hold the leather lines attached to the collar and ultimately the bridle and the bit, which was what went in the horse’s mouth. Poor horse. She would hate having something equivalent to a metal rod between her teeth for hours.

The alternative, Josiah had reminded her, was for her to ride a horse. She quickly changed her mind about driving the wagon, although she still had no idea why it was necessary for her to be there. All Josiah told her was that it would be the perfect family event, so she gave in and followed.

Mia watched Josiah’s easy way with Billy. He managed to stop the youngster’s prodding and divert his attention to other things. Summer, on the other hand, remained quiet and listened. She would occasionally answer a question but, for the most part, she rode in silence, her gaze on the terrain around them.

Mia couldn’t help but wonder what was in the girl’s mind. What did she want from life? What were her dreams? She still hadn’t had a chance to figure out what had triggered Summer’s negative reaction and why she’d thrown the slate the day before. Billy mentioned the teacher had made fun of her in front of the class, but had that been the only reason? She tried to put herself in Summer’s place. How would she have felt if a teacher had ridiculed her once, or more than once, in front of fellow classmates? Would she have become withdrawn or angry like Summer?

Thoughtfully chewing on her bottom lip, Mia tried to mull over the possibilities and figure out how to deal with the issue at hand. She wanted to understand Summer, not drive her further away. Both she and Billy already had a distrust of white people because of previous treatment.

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