Free The Heart's Frontier by Lori Copeland Page B

locked at the elbow while he gripped the reins in front of him. But even from this distance she could see his triumphant grin.
    Though she didn’t wish it, her gaze was drawn to the man bringing up the rear. Far from stiff, Luke sat sure in his saddle, as though his horse was an extension of himself. Even more than his snug tan trousers and elongated hat, his relaxed posture made a striking contrast to Papa.
    Emma forced herself to look away. There was no profit to be gained in staring.
    Besides, Maummi ’s watchful gaze burned into the back of her head like a branding iron.



EIGHT

     
    B y the time Luke and Bo led the procession back to the herd, the sun had sunk midway in the sky toward the western horizon. The oxen proved to be a docile pair and followed alongside the small cart they had hired without much prodding. Jonas perched on the narrow bench alongside the blacksmith’s son, who had been recruited to help unload and then return the cart home. The female Switzers perched in the back amid their newly purchased provisions. Though he’d tried to catch Emma’s eye a couple of times, she’d kept her focus on overseeing the loading and her head turned away from him since they started.
    All for the better, as far as Luke was concerned. A whole day wasted on good deeds was time enough. He’d been hired to do a job, and he intended to see it done sooner rather than later.
    They arrived to find last night’s campsite deserted. Luke scanned the rolling hills on the far side of the wide river for signs of the herd and saw none. Good. Jesse had taken the initiative and led them on. But he didn’t like the looks of a dark cluster of clouds gathering to the northwest.
    “We’ll need to cross here.” He raised his voice to be heard over the sound of the running water. “Jesse scouted ahead this morning and said there’s no good place to ford up ahead.”
    In fact, the water looked a bit deeper than it had earlier, and the current a touch stronger. That storm must be dumping a load of rain upstream.
    “Is our wagon nearby?” Jonas asked.
    Luke pointed. “About a half mile that way. Jesse said it was on the far bank.” He’d also said it was mired to the axle, but Luke didn’t see the need to remind Jonas of that at the moment. He’d see for himself soon enough.
    Herding the oxen through the water proved to be an easy task. Luke rode around the cart and came up behind them, and with almost no effort they obediently splashed across with no problem and continued along the herd’s trail as obediently as a couple of well-trained dogs.
    Bo was a little more hesitant. He wasn’t overly fond of water. Luke had a swimming horse he used for deeper crossings, but of course the remuda was with the herd, with any luck miles away from here.
    Bo stepped gingerly across the sandy river bottom, coaxed by Luke’s gentle clucking. The kid driving the cart had obviously spent some time on the trail with this rig, because he urged his mule forward with an expert flick of the rope. When Luke reached the bank on the other side, he stopped on the grass and watched as the cart rocked on its way across. In the back, the girls pulled their feet up into the bed to keep from getting wet. Emma leaned over to look into the water, the laces from her cap dangling over the side. In only a few minutes, the cart was up the narrow bank and onto dry ground. All in all, it was one of the easier crossings he’d seen on this drive.
    The signs of the herd’s passing were impossible to overlook. The ground had been well grazed and trampled dry. Luke instructed the boy on the approximate location of the Switzers’ wagon and then rode on. Bo stretched his legs, and the trampled trail sped by beneath them. Luke let him have his head, enjoying the steady pounding of hooves against dirt, accompanied by the sound of running water at their side.
    A tickle of disquiet disturbed his solitude when the feel of the wind blowing in his face changed. The rich,