“Would you rather we let you fall in your face in the mud?” came Edward’s deep, amused voice from behind her.
She would have given Edward a glare, but her stomach picked that moment to make a loud rumble.
Both men laughed, but Garret gave her shoulder a soothing rub. “Come on, my snarly little tigress. Once we get you settled in, we’ll feed you.”
It took some maneuvering, but they managed to get her tucked back into the little nest they’d made for her in the back of the wagon. This time, Garret remained with her while Edward drove the team. Uncomfortable and in pain, she didn’t even fight it when Garret sat right next to her so they were shoulder to shoulder, and thigh to thigh. He helped arrange the blankets around her, and she was too focused on the smell of food to object when he wrapped himself right up next to her.
“Here, you go. Slowly,” Edward turned around on the seat above them and handed Garret two paper wrapped bundles. “Don’t eat it too fast.”
She took one of the packages with a shaking hand. “Don’t worry, I know not to eat too much at once after a long time of not having enough to eat. If I overindulge, I’ll just throw it up.”
The men were quiet for a moment as she opened her bundle and discovered a chicken leg, some bread, and another smaller, paper wrapped object. Her stomach practically howled at the sight of food. As she took her first bite of chicken, all rational thought was gone. It took every ounce of her willpower, but she managed to keep from shoving the food into her mouth like an animal…mainly because Edward and Garrett were staring at her.
“What?” she said around a mouthful of delicious bread.
“You’ve been starving before?” Garrett asked as he finally began to eat his own meal. The wagon rocked as Edward let out a whistle that got the team of horses moving.
“A few times. After my father died of tuberculosis when I was ten, it was really hard for my mother to find work. We had to sell most of our possessions and move to a part of Chicago that wasn’t nearly as nice as where we’d been.” She took a sip of water from the canteen Edward offered her before continuing. “It was a hard winter that year. Tuberculosis swept through the city, and the snow fell in endless amounts. Everyone in our building was struggling to get by. If it wasn’t for our neighbor letting us sleep on the floor in front of his stove, we might not have made it. Thankfully, my neighbor was able to get both myself and my mother jobs mill.”
“You would have been eleven at the time?” Garret asked in a soft voice as he stared out into the wilderness.
“Yes” she said as she licked her fingers clean of the chicken grease. “My mother and I worked opposite shifts, so someone could always be home with Ted.”
“Why wasn’t he working?” Edward asked from the front seat.
“Because my mother wanted him to take up a trade. She knew that, in a few years, after Ted completed his apprenticeship with the bricklayers, he would make enough money to support the family on his own. That’s what he’s going to be doing out in California. A childhood friend of ours moved out there a few years ago, and he sent Ted a telegram offering him a job in San Francisco. It’s going to be so amazing. Ted will be making a respectable amount of money, and I’ll have a chance to find a job that I like, and maybe a good husband. After all, I’m twenty-four, practically an old maid.”
The men went silent again, but she caught them exchanging weighted looks as if they were having a private conversation with each other.
“So,” she said, setting aside the empty paper then letting out a sigh of pleasure at the feeling of a full belly, “Care to tell me where we are? And what your plans are for me in Bridgewater? I will inform you right now, I won’t be any man’s mistress, so if those are the kinds of thoughts that are going through your head, you can just leave me at the next town.”
She ended her pronouncement with a coughing fit that left her with both men patting her back. Garret handed a canteen to her and she took a big drink, then almost dropped the canteen as pure fire burned down her throat. Her lungs seemed to clear from the shock, and she took a gasping breath as that warmth flowed from her belly out into her limbs.
“What is this?” she asked in a ragged voice.
“The medicinal tonic the doctor left for you. Said you’re supposed to drink a small sip once every four hours.” Garret said in a dry voice as he took the canteen from her, “I’d guess you just took a double dose with that gulp.”
She blew out a breath, surprised flames didn’t come out of her mouth. “That tastes like the potato vodka a Russian family two floors up from our apartment used to make.”
The wagon shifted as Edward climbed into the front seat, pulling his dark brown cowboy back as he stared at the sky. “Hold on back there. I’m going to pick up the pace so we make to the shelter by nightfall.”
As Garret made a little nest of sheepskins among the boxes and cleaned up the remains of their lunch, Rowan relaxed and watched him, feeling happy and warm. It was probably a side effect from the tonic, but she found herself relaxing as Garret pulled her into his side, cuddling her close. His large arm felt good around her shoulders, and she found the beat of his heart beneath
