Chapter 1

Kaylin watched the settlers' procession make its way out of town. She remembered all the hopes and dreams she had been filled with at the onset of her own journey west. Never would she have imagined that everything she and her late husband Joseph had worked toward and saved up for to provide them a better life would all be lost on the plains.

The wagons pulled by the lumbering oxen churned up dirt and dust behind them as they rolled past where Kaylin stood and watched. She covered her face with her hands to keep from choking and scurried along a side street to escape the billowing dust clouds. Her footing slipped and she began to topple only to be caught by powerful arms. With a jolt she stopped abruptly. She thought she had run head long into what felt like a wall, a hard wall of muscle with a lingering scent of juniper and leather. The dust had filled her eyes and she needed to blink several times to clear her sight. When she opened her eyes she found herself looking straight into the broad chest of a tall stranger. Little by little she tipped her head up until she could see his face. The most unusual pale blue eyes were peering down at her from under the wide brim of a well worn hat. When the stranger spoke his voice was low and soft.

"You alright ma'am?" he asked as he paused and steadied her. His strong arms wrapped about her protectively. "Whoa there now, just wait a spell and the dust will clear." The stranger looked down into the upturned face that belonged to the wisp of a woman he held in his arms. Her soft brown eyes were flecked with sparks of amber. Strands of hair had escaped from their pins and floated across her face and her cheeks had begun to turn a light pink.

Kaylin regained her balance and struggled to restore her composure. "I'm fine." she said to the tall cowboy. "Thank you for your trouble." Their eyes remained locked together for an endless moment, her heart furiously pounding inside of her chest. Neither of them wanted to pull away. Kaylin blinked and swallowed as she took a ragged breath breaking the spell that had held them mesmerized. Hesitantly she took a step backward and out of the strangers hold. The cowboy reached up, touched the brim of his hat, smiled and bid the little lady a good morning. Kaylin smiled again then she stepped past the stranger and hurried off as the wagon train reached the other end of town and the dust settled around them.

Every morning this week Kaylin had been late. There was always one reason or another and she had honestly tried to be on time this morning. She really hadn't planned on being run down by a wagon train in the middle of town. Kaylin stumbled into the kitchen all out of breath. She had only worked for Jenny and Alice, two sisters who ran a boarding house in town, for a few months. She reached up to tuck the loose strands of her hair back into the bun she wore pinned to the top of her head and apologized to Jenny's, shrinking from her stern gaze, then she coughed up a bit more dust from the road and pulled on her apron.

With a heavy sigh Kaylin forced herself to focus on the task at hand. The wagons that rolled thru town had stirred up more than just dust. She tried unsuccessfully to shake off the troubling thoughts of her family. The sight of her late husband Joseph's handsome face lying so still and lifeless will never fade from her memory. He had always been so cautious with the team. How could the wagon have gotten away from him like that? She hefted the basket with the laundry onto her hip and walked out to the back of the house to start in on the mountain of sheets. The entire pile of sheets had to be thoroughly soaked, pounded, wrung out, and then hung to dry on the line in the yard.

Kaylin built a fire under the large wash kettle while Alice tended to the chickens, goats, pigs and other assorted animals they kept in the yard. Alice had seen Kay's weak smile fade into a distant sadness and knew that her friend still mourned her first husband's death. She had just finished gathering up the fresh eggs when Jenny called out to them, and they headed back into the kitchen to fetch the breakfast plates. Alice circled around the table and scraped the leftover bits of food onto one of the plates. By the time Kaylin finished with the wash there would be a stack of dishes to be soaked and a plateful of scraps to toss to the pigs. Taking care, Kaylin lifted the stack of plates then nudged the back door open and carried them to the same tub the laundry had just come out of. When the weather was as hot and dry as it had been this year, no water was wasted. Today the laundry and dishes would share the same soak tub. Alice joined her beside the tub then they both rolled up their sleeves to start in on scrubbing the dishes.

"Was your son giving you troubles again this morning?" Alice asked Kaylin as she handed her a dirty dish. Kaylin shrugged. "He's been so ornery these days. I know he's not a boy anymore but he's not full grown either." Kaylin groaned in exasperation. "We fight every morning."

Alice nodded and screwed up her face in a grimace then handed Kaylin another dirty plate, but she didn't dare say anything, not that there was much she could say to make things better for her friend. Both Alice and Kaylin looked up as the screen door made a squeaking sound. Jenny had stuck her head out to remind them to water the garden then dump the last of the wash water in the pigs' trough.

After the bulk of the morning chores were done Kaylin and Alice joined Jenny in the kitchen for coffee and scones. Jenny wiped her hands against the sides of the freshly starched white apron tied about her waist, then strode over to the stove and put coffee on to brew. Alice placed a small plate with scones in the center of the little table that was tucked away in the corner of the kitchen. A delightful aroma of fresh coffee had begun to fill the kitchen and the three women gathered about pulled the chairs back then one by one they eased themselves down to rest for a few minutes. They would savor their coffee and morning scones as they shared the latest news about town. In between bites Kaylin chattered on about the wagon train that had just left out of town this morning.

"I almost found myself sprawled out on the street." Kaylin confided.

Amused at the thought, Jenny smiled then cocked her head to one side and asked "really now? Why would you go and do that?"

Kaylin explained how the dust from the street swirled about and blinded her. "So," she continued, "I figured I'd just squeeze my eyes shut and run thru to the other side." Alice nodded with a biscuit held to her lips. Then she motioned with her head for Kaylin to take another biscuit from the tin and continue her story.

"I take a big breath," Kaylin said as she acted out her account of the morning's events for Alice and Jenny's entertainment. "Then I dashed out and ran smack into this tall cowboy." The sisters chuckle softly and urge her to go on. A slight flush colored Kaylin's cheeks as she recalled the tall strangers blue eyes and broad chest. She recounted how he had grabbed hold of her just as she had lost her footing and prevented her from suffering the indignity of landing face down in the middle of the street with the whole town there to watch.

Jenny reprimanded Kaylin mildly. "You need to be careful about town," she said as she pushed away from the table. "This ain't the kind of place to be darting about with your eyes closed. You could get yourself killed."

"I promise I'll be more careful, I just didn't want to be late." Kaylin replied with a weak smile.

"Don't you go worrying about that," Jenny replied. "I'd rather you be late than have you getting trampled" Jenny grinned and teased as she waved her arms about the room. "Then I'd have to do all this work myself." All three women chuckled as they began to clean up their dishes.