“We have bigger fish to fry,” she told him. “Do you know your way around the vicinity of the Fire Hole Hotel yet?”
His mouth quirked. “I’m sorry to say the manager there has been far less helpful than another innkeeper I could mention.”
She should not feel so pleased about that. “A shame. But I’ve been in this park longer than he has, and I can show you what to watch for.”
“I hadn’t planned on studying the terrain now, and I can’t repay you with work,” he warned. “Until my other men return, I won’t have time off to help around the inn.”
“Disappointing, but understandable,” Kate allowed. “Still, when you finish at the geyser field, we should take a little ride north.”
He inclined his head. “Happy to oblige, ma’am. May I saddle you a horse?”
“That would be very helpful, Soldier. My sidesaddle should be hanging over the first stall.”
She watched as he sauntered toward the barn. She could get used to that sight too.
She hastily directed her gaze out over the geyser field. Private Smith was circling Morning Geyser. He reached her just as Danny came running around the side of the hotel.
“Good morning, Mrs. Tremaine,” the private said, tipping his cavalry cap to Kate.
“Private Smith.” Kate put out a hand to catch her son before he darted past. “I’ll be joining you and the lieutenant on the way north.”
“Our pleasure,” he said. “Are you headed out of the park?”
“Only to the Fire Hole,” Kate assured him. “I promised Lieutenant Prescott I would show you some areas you need to consider in your patrols.”
Danny squirmed in her grip. “I finished my chores. Can I come too?”
The word no pressed against her lips. Habit. She truly had no reason to deny him this time. Surely with two cavalrymen and her on the ride, he’d be safe.
“All right,” she said. “Saddle Buttercup, and you can join us. If you’ll excuse us, Private, I need to change into my riding habit.”
A short time later, they all rode out of the yard. Danny sat as tall and proud as a cavalryman on the pony she kept for smaller guests. He’d had to shorten the stirrup strip for his legs, but it seemed to Kate that the leather was a little longer than the last time they’d gone riding. She would have to make him new trousers for winter. Would he still be able to wear them come spring?
Yet that round face was all boy. She reached out to ruffle his silky hair.
He ducked away with a protest, causing the pony to shy. “Ma!”
His ears were red, but Will and Private Smith didn’t comment.
“Captain Tremaine,” Will said with a nod to Danny. “Allow me to introduce you to Private Smith.”
The private’s busy beard parted as he smiled and saluted Danny. “Your servant, sir.”
Danny giggled. “I’m not really a captain.”
The private nodded wisely. “I thought as much. Clearly a major.”
Danny shook his head, but he was all smiles now.
“Oh,” Smith said. “Major General. My mistake, sir. It won’t happen again.”
“Keep protesting,” Will said to Danny, “and you might find yourself president.” He turned to Kate. “I yield to you, ma’am. Guide us where you wish.”
For a moment, held in his gaze, she nearly forgot where she had intended to take them. She shook herself and turned her horse north.
When she’d first come to Yellowstone, the road toward the Norris Geyser Basin and Mammoth Hot Springs had been little more than a rutted trail through the pines and across the basin floor, stumps still evident. Now it was in good shape, thanks to the work of the Corps of Engineers. Lieutenant Kingman and his road crews had mounded the dirt so that water ran off both sides. They’d also added drainage ditches along the edges to carry the runoff away from the road. It was wide enough that stagecoaches could pass each other if needed.
The road wound through a wide prairie where white soil showed through sparse grass. A hawk circled overhead, then dove for prey. Antelope bounded away at their approach.
“Good spot for game,” Will observed.
“That’s why I suggested you check it once in a while,” Kate said. She nodded to the cream-colored cloth flapping against the bark of the lone pine they were passing. “I see your Captain Harris has been busy.”
One corner of his mouth tilted up. “My men were told to post those hunting warnings at regular intervals along the road and at major attractions. We ran out before we reached the Geyser Gateway, but I figured you had that covered.”
She smiled. “I do my best.” Glancing back, she saw that Danny was moving along, gaze darting from tree to prairie to Private Smith riding beside him. He met her look and waved, then hastily clutched his reins again.
“Are there other children in the park?” Will asked as if he had noticed the direction of her smile.
“Elijah sometimes brings his son, Markus,” Kate replied as they reached the pine forest on the other side of the prairie. “They live outside the park, near the Cinnabar Rail Station. Mammoth Hot Springs has a few children. We have a teacher and school there during the winter months. I send Danny when I can.”
His gaze was out over the road ahead. “Must get lonely for him.”
She glanced back again. Danny was chatting with Private Smith, asking him about his horse, his gun, how many outlaws he’d tracked down, all in the course of the moments she watched. The private began to look as if he faced a firing squad.
She turned to the front. “I don’t think Danny knows how to be lonely. He’s like his father that way. He never met a person who wasn’t his friend within the first few minutes.”
“Nice way to
