Free Jodi's Journey by Rita Hestand

her place with the herd.
    Hunt's glance took her all in. He'd begun to
like looking at Jodi, “A man's word is either worth something, or
it isn't, Jodi. Even mine. Some men don't judge you by the war, but
by the way you conduct your business. We'll get his cattle there
and we got a few more head of horses to help us. Besides, I
wouldn't have said anything to him, but he was right on about the
Indians. They'd have those cattle easy, sitting here.”
    “I'll say one thing for you; you sure know
how to bargain.” Jodi laughed again.
    The next morning Matt was up with Jodi
without being told. He watched everything she did, and followed
suit. “I'm going to ride with you the first day, in case you have
any trouble. Then you are on your own, okay?”
    Matt looked at her and arched a brow
arrogantly. “Okay.”
    “Keep the wagon ahead of the herd, almost on
point. You got to go ahead so as to break camp early. You run into
trouble, you fire one shot over your head and we'll come running.
Understood? And at night, light the lantern so the boys can find
the camp without any trouble.”
    “I understand,” Matt replied as he hitched
the oxen to the wagon.
    “Good, and one more thing. Always point the
tongue north. It makes it so much easier for the men to keep their
sense of direction. That might sound silly since all the men are
more than a little at home on the prairie but one stampede can turn
you around fast out here. Especially the further north we go; it's
so barren. The scenery, well…it lacks something.” Jodi relaxed
after her instructions were listened to and hopefully followed. She
let him handle the team of ox and sat beside him, watching ahead
for Hunt and Concho. It was a little distracting to have someone in
the wagon with her, but Hunt had hired him, fully expecting the boy
to do a man's job. She'd let him. He seemed to enjoy what he was
doing.
    After seeing he was well familiar with oxen,
and could handle it on his own, she went inside the wagon and got
the potatoes. As she joined him, she began peeling them for the
next meal. Occasionally, Matt would glance at her. “Aren't you
afraid of cutting your hand off? I mean, what if I hit a bump?”
    “My mama taught me when I was just a kid how
to peel potatoes. I rarely cut myself any more, no matter where I
am,” Jodi replied.
    As they camped for lunch, she showed Matt
where everything was. She showed him how to soak beans, make
biscuits, and how to make coffee. Coffee, she informed him, was the
most important thing. If he messed that up, the boys would never
let him hear the end of it. The men depended on a decent cup to
stay awake and alert. She showed him how to measure it out, and how
long to cook it over the fire.
    “Don't you roast your coffee beans first?”
Matt asked her, cocking his head to the side.
    “Oh…no, Matt,” she laughed. Then, she bent
her head close to tell him, “It's sort of a secret about my coffee.
I only use Arbuckle's Ariosa coffee.”
    “What do you mean? What's that?” Matt asked
innocently.
    “Well, just after the war these gentlemen
from the north came up with a dandy idea about coffee. They somehow
made a coffee that they roast before they sell. It's a very special
coffee, and all the cooks use it now on the trail because it's
easier, tastes better, and lasts longer.”
    “Why?” Matt screwed his eyebrows up.
    “Well, I didn't know a thing about this till
I went to get our first supplies, but the lady in the general store
told me all about it. You see, they seal the beans with egg and
sugar. That's why the coffee is a little sweet. It saves so much
time. All we have to do is grind it and cook it in the pot. And the
flavor is to die for.”
    Matt shook his head. “Man, I thought cooks
were just the dumb ones on the trail drives, not the smart ones.”
He laughed.
    “The cook is the second most important person
on a drive, Matt. Remember that, because if you don't get their
bellies full, those men out there won't be