Free Distant Heart by Tracey Bateman Page A

I’d be afraid of your sharpshooting eye.”
    â€œWhy, you…”
    â€œI’ll ride on ahead so the two of you can talk.” Grant rode away, leaving Ginger sputtering after him.
    â€œI’ve never met anyone with such bad manners.”
    Sam suffocated the urge to laugh out loud. He decided to get straight to the point. “I’d like for you to travel with Toni as her companion.”
    â€œExcuse me?”
    â€œMiss Rodden.”
    â€œI know who Toni is. But I travel alone.”
    â€œWhat’s a woman like you doing all alone in a rough place like Fort Laramie?”
    â€œI reckon that’s my business.”
    â€œI’ll grant you that, miss. But we both know you haven’t been at the fort long, which leads me to believe you were waiting for the wagon train. Why would a woman do that if not to join up and travel the rest of the way under the protection of a wagon train the size of ours?”
    â€œMy, uh, husband passed away not long ago. We live a few miles from here. I only go into the fort to trade.”
    She was lying again. Sam didn’t even have to wonder. It seemed just about every time she opened her mouth a falsehood flew out.
    â€œSupposing you do have a place.”
    â€œYou calling me a liar?”
    Sam sucked in a breath. He reined in his horse and grabbed her bridle. He commanded Ginger’s gaze. “I don’t want to insult you. But yes, I’m guessing you’re not telling the truth. That no husband died recently and you don’t have a ranch anywhere near here.”
    Her face reddened. “I never said it was a ranch.”
    â€œAre we ready to be honest with each other?”
    â€œAll right, fine. I want to stay close to the train. I wasn’t going to ask to travel with you though, because I didn’t want to have to do chores. Satisfied?”
    â€œToni needs a companion. Someone to talk to during the day, and divvy up the chores when we set up camp each night. What do you say?”
    â€œWhat’s in it for me?”
    Sam shook his head. “I can’t pay much. But I could come up with a little.”
    Interest sparked in her eyes. “How much?”
    â€œI’ll pay you twenty dollars at the end of the trail as long as you do your share and live up to the bargain.”
    â€œTen now. Ten at the end.”
    Sam smiled at her audacity. “Five now. Fifteen when we reach Oregon.”
    The girl nodded and stuck out her hand. “Deal.”
    Relief sifted through Sam. In his absence, he knew this girl would look after Toni.
    â€œOne more thing.”
    â€œWhat’s that?”
    â€œDon’t ever let her know about our arrangement.”

Seven
    A sting pinched her neck, and Toni let out a yelp.
    â€œWhat happened?” On the wagon seat beside her, Ginger fought with the oxen, a lot more successfully than Fannie had, to be honest. Though Toni felt disloyal even entertaining the thought.
    â€œHorseflies. I’d forgotten how miserable those dadburn insects can be.” Toni hated to complain, but truth be told, Ginger was getting on her nerves something fierce. The girl had a stench about her and didn’t see the need to bathe. A fact Toni had every intention of remedying at the next creek they came to. One way or another.
    Toni swatted at her neck again, but it was too late to do anything about the would-be assassin that had targeted, bit, and buzzed away like the tiny harassing bully it was. Bad enough to be layered in dust every single day for the last three months, nearly swept away by gusty prairie winds, but the horseflies…they were the worst. Next to Ginger’s odor,anyway. Still, she had no real reason to complain, considering the alternative. She preferred the wind and caked-on dust—even the horseflies and Ginger’s incessant presence—to the life she’d left behind.
    Still, what had Sam been thinking, suggesting this girl for her traveling