Free Wagon Trail by Bonnie Bryant Page B

bag, watching as Lisa and Carole scurried around getting dressed and brushing their teeth in a small wooden bucket of water.
    “Come on, Stevie,” Lisa said. “Get up. You’re going to be late for breakfast.”
    Stevie rubbed her eyes. “You two go on over to the chuck wagon and save me a place in the chow line.”
    “Are you feeling okay?” asked Carole, knowing that Stevie was seldom late for a meal.
    Stevie nodded. “I’ll catch up to you in a minute.”
    Lisa and Carole walked over to breakfast whileStevie rose slowly from her sleeping bag. She climbed into the wagon and found her tattered, scratchy dress.
Phil’s new girlfriend probably wears really cool rafting outfits
, she thought glumly, changing from her T-shirt and shorts into the dress.
At least he’s not here to see me in this getup.
    After she brushed her hair, she made her way over to the chow line. Lisa and Carole were about to be served. Stevie hurried and slipped in line behind Carole.
    “Stevie, why are you such a storm cloud this morning?” Carole asked.
    “I didn’t sleep too well last night,” Stevie muttered as she picked up a tin plate and spoon.
    “Look what Mr. Assistant Trail Boss is doing this morning,” Lisa whispered with a grin.
    Stevie looked up at the steaming iron kettle at the head of the line. Gabriel stood there, helping Shelly spoon cornmeal mush onto everyone’s plate.
    Maybe I’ll skip breakfast
, Stevie thought as the line inched forward. Just as she was about to excuse herself, Gabriel saw her and grinned.
    “Well, here’s the ghost-story queen of Virginia and all her pals,” he said as he slapped a serving of mush onto Lisa’s plate. “I want to remind you ladies that it’s probably not a good day to do any more wagon racing. We’re going to be crossing the river, and that can be dangerous.”
    “No kidding,” Stevie said with a smirk.
    Gabriel slapped some mush onto her plate. “So you need to be extra careful and pay attention to what the trail bosses tell you to do.”
    Stevie had opened her mouth to reply when Carole grabbed her arm. “Come on, Stevie. Let’s have a nice, peaceful breakfast over there by the tree.”
    Lisa and Carole hurried Stevie over to a single small pine tree. “You know,” Carole said as she sat down beneath the scraggly tree, “I think he must be the biggest jerk I’ve ever met.”
    Stevie sat down. Amazingly, she suddenly felt wonderful. As she listened to Carole it occurred to her that she couldn’t possibly be interested in someone that painfully obnoxious. She might appreciate some things about him, but like him? Forget it! And that meant that Phil couldn’t possibly be interested in the girl he’d just met. Oh, he might like her eyes and her laugh and her cute outfits, but that didn’t mean he was going to do anything drastic, like fall in love with her!
    Stevie started beaming. “You know,” she said to her puzzled friends, “this might turn out to be the best day yet!”
    After breakfast Jeremy called a brief camp meeting. “I want to explain a little bit about river crossings,” he said, taking off his hat in the bright sunlight. “This river we’re crossing today can be dangerous, but we’regoing over at its widest, shallowest point. We haven’t had a lot of rain, so the water should be at a manageable level. For those of you riding horses or tending livestock, the best way to cross is to simply ride or lead your horse or cow into the water. Most animals are natural swimmers and won’t have any problem. Don’t try to pull them along or make them go any faster than they want to. And of course, if your animal gets into trouble, let it go and get to shore yourself. Animals know how to take care of themselves.”
    Jeremy looked at Stevie. “For you wagoneers, just drive your team into the river. The horses will swim, and your wagon will float. It also may leak a little, so the trick is to get across as fast as you safely can. That way your supplies