Pony Express Courtship. Rhonda Gibson

“Come, Joy.”

      The sound of Joy’s shoes tapping against the hardwood floor assured Rebecca that her daughter had followed her outside the store. Rebecca wasn’t sure if she was angry with Mrs. Little and Mr. Edwards, or at herself.

      She didn’t know a thing about Mr. Armstrong other than what she’d told them. Why had she been so quick to accept him at face value? He’d waltzed in, said he was the station keeper and proceeded to boss them all around.

      “Ma! Slow down,” Joy called behind her.

      Rebecca stopped and looked at her daughter. “I’m sorry, Joy.” She waited for the little girl to catch up with her, then continued on.

      Her boys were with a virtual stranger. How had she been so careless? Rebecca planned on finding out just who Seth Armstrong was and she planned to do it now.

      After all, once Mrs. Little realized that he was a nice young man, she’d have the whole town in an uproar. They’d be wondering what went on out at the Young farm. How could Mr. Bromley have put her in this situation? Could she continue with this business arrangement?

      * * *

      Seth handed Mr. Kaziah the remainder of the payment for the wood and nails. He knew it would be pricey, but hadn’t expected it to be quite this expensive and wondered if the lumberman had overcharged him and the boys. Thankfully, Mr. Russell, one of the Pony Express founders, had supplied him with a hefty budget for turning the farm into a Pony Express station. Seth had been told by Mr. Bromley that since the buildings were already there, they hadn’t done much work to the place and to spend what he needed to on the repairs. He’d have to send a full report to the older gentleman, explaining this added expense.

      “Here comes Ma and Joy,” Benjamin announced from his perch on the bench of the wagon.

      He turned to see the boy’s mother heading toward them. Her face was set, but it was her eyes that caught and held his attention. She glowered at him, the blue orbs piercing the distance between them.

      “She looks mad.” Benjamin turned to face his brother, confirming Seth’s earlier thought. “I wonder why.”

      Philip answered, “Beni, mas don’t get mad. Dogs get mad. Mas get angry.” A teasing grin touched the young boy’s lips but his eyes seemed weary.

      Thomas slapped his brother on the back. “Good one, Phil.”

      “Jacob, Mr. Armstrong. I need to speak to you both, now please,” Rebecca announced as she walked toward the lumberyard.

      Seth turned back to Mr. Kaziah. “Thank you for helping us load the wagon. You’ll be sending the rest out later today, right?”

      The older man nodded and then leaned toward him. In a low, gruff voice he whispered, “I don’t envy you. Taking on a passel of kids and that woman. She’s a bit of a feisty one.” He turned away and hurried back inside the lumber mill before Seth could answer.

      What did he mean take on? Surely, Mr. Kaziah hadn’t assumed that he and Mrs. Young were courting. He shook his head and then turned to face Rebecca. Jacob already stood by her side and was now holding Joy in his arms. The little girl rested her head in the neck of her big brother.

      When he was within talking range, Seth asked, “What happened, Mrs. Young?”

      She stopped as if his question took her by surprise. “I just realized that I never got a look at that paper you said you carried from Mr. Bromley.” She placed both hands on her hips and waited for him to speak.

      Seth frowned and tilted his head to the side. “That’s important now?” he asked. What had happened at the store to cause her to demand to see it now? Was that a speck of fear he saw in her eyes?

      She nodded, brought up her arms and crossed them over her chest. Her eyes bore into Seth’s.

      Jacob set down Joy. “Everything is all right, Ma. I saw it. Mr. Armstrong is who he says he is.” He tilted up the little girl’s face and smiled down at her. “Joy, go ask Thomas to help you into the wagon.”

      The little girl nodded. “All right, Jacob.” She turned and ran to her other brothers.

      So that was it. Rebecca had been afraid she’d left her children’s care in the hands of a dangerous stranger. Even though they were grown men, Rebecca still saw them as her babies. He softened his voice and offered her a smile. “I will be happy to show them to you, too, Mrs. Young, when we get back to the farm.” Seth waited for her nod then turned back toward the wagon. Over his shoulder he asked, “Do we need to return to the store to pick up your purchases?” He was aware that she hadn’t brought anything with her except Joy and her handbag.

      “Yes, please.” Her voice sounded tired, almost sad.

      Seth turned to look at her. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes had changed from angry to simply drained. Was the excitement of the day turning out to be too much for the woman? One would think she’d be used to busy days with seven boys and a little girl to take care of. He noted that both Benjamin and Joy were seated on the wagon bench. In a loud voice, he said, “We’re done here. Let’s go.”

      Without hesitation the young men climbed in on top of the wood.

      Jacob walked with his mother, but as soon as he’d helped her up onto the wagon, he shook his head at his brothers. “Off, guys. The horses have enough to pull without adding our weight to their load.”

      Just as quickly, the young men all climbed back down.

      Seth nodded. Jacob was right. “Beni, do you know how to drive a wagon?” he asked.

      The youngest Young boy grinned from ear to ear and nodded. He quickly picked up the reins. “Sure do, Seth. Want me to drive us home?”

      Rebecca stood to disembark from the wagon also.

      “Mrs. Young, why don’t you stay seated?” He indicated with a tilt of his head that Benjamin needed a supervisor sitting beside him. The boy held the reins tightly, waiting for his reply.

      She nodded her understanding and returned to her seat.

      Seth answered the little boy. “I’d appreciate it if you would drive the wagon, Benjamin. Your brothers and I will follow behind making sure that the wood stays in place.”

      Seth looked down at his new brown boots. He had a sneaking suspicion that he would soon be wishing he had brought his horse to town before they got back to the farm. In his rush to prove his leadership, he’d decided to drive the wagon to town, never once considering that he’d more than likely end up walking back. Lesson learned, Armstrong, he thought as he followed the wagon toward the general store.

      Other than the Pony Express horses and the two old mares, Brownie and Snow, Seth realized that the boys didn’t have mounts of their own. Once they got back to the farm, he’d remedy that and give the boys each a Pony Express horse to take care of and bond with.

      Jacob strolled along beside him. In a low voice he said, “We should have thought ahead and brought more horses.”

      Seth jerked his head around and looked at the young man. The twinkle in Jacob’s eyes attested to the fact that he, too, saw the folly of their earlier disagreement. “Yep, won’t let that happen again.”

      “Nope, I don’t reckon we will,” Jacob agreed.

      A cold breeze stirred the hair on his neck. “I was thinking all you boys need a mount of your own to train with. What do you think?” Seth waited to see if the boy realized that he was being offered respect by his inclusion in the decision.

      Jacob nodded. “We all know how to ride, you don’t have to worry about that, but I’m a little concerned about the younger boys riding unfamiliar horses. All except Noah, who seems to be very talented with a horse as well as his gun.”

      Seth nodded and listened as the other boys joked and chatted behind them. “Well, that’s one of the first things we’ll do, then, as well as we rebuild