Pony Express Hero

Daisy followed. “I wish I had my own horse.”

“You don’t?” Jacob asked.

“No. Lilly said that I might get one for my birthday.”

“When is your birthday?” Jacob asked, pulling the cinch under the horse’s belly.

The little girl sat down on a bale of hay. “In two months.”

Jacob nodded. “And how old will you be?”

“I will be five years old,” Daisy said, pulling straw from the bale.

She spoke very well for a four-year-old going on five. Jacob thought about his adoptive sister, Joy. She wasn’t a big talker, unlike Daisy, who was even now telling him that Lilly said this year she might have a birthday party and everything.

Jacob listened to her continued chatter as he finished up. He looked over the stall toward Lilly. The woman actually stood there smiling from ear to ear. Had she been watching to see how he’d respond to Daisy? And if so, why?

The thought that she might see him as a future husband stopped his hand as he started to lead the horse from the stall. The last thing he needed was a woman pining away for him. No matter how pretty she was or how blue her eyes, he had no intention of becoming romantically involved with her. Women couldn’t be trusted. He’d learned that when his own birth mother deserted him. Jacob shook his head—he realized he was letting his imagination get the best of him. He didn’t know Lilly, how could he think she’d see him as a future husband? Come to think of it, no one had said she didn’t already have a man.

Caleb had named off six men that worked the ranch but hadn’t mentioned a husband for Lilly. He watched as Lilly smiled at Daisy. Without having to ask, he knew Lilly was still unwed and wondered why. She was pretty enough and in most folks’ eyes should have been married a few years ago. So why wasn’t she?

“Come along, Daisy,” Lilly called to her little sister.

Daisy skipped off to join Lilly. She took Lilly’s hand and glanced over her shoulder to make sure Jacob followed. Her little pigtails bounced as she left the barn.

“She is a cute little thing, isn’t she?” Caleb said from the tack doorway.

Jacob nodded. His mind worked with questions. He pushed away the ones regarding Lilly’s marital status and focused on Daisy. Could Caleb have been the one to take the girl from her bedroom? If so, why would he do such a thing? His gut usually told him what type of person a man was when they first met. For instance, he hadn’t cared much for Sam Hawkins on sight. But he’d not had that gut reaction with regard to Caleb.

Caleb pushed away from the door and returned to his oil and leathers. “I have a sister a little older than her. I miss her a lot. Daisy is like a little sister to me and I’ll hunt down any man that is out to hurt her.” Anger filled the young man’s voice and the warning was clear. Hurt Daisy and I’ll hurt you.

No, Caleb hadn’t been the one to take the little girl from her bed. Still, Jacob would keep an eye on the boy. He stepped out of the barn just as Lilly swung up into the saddle behind Daisy.

She was still in her trousers and looking as pretty as a hummingbird on a bright sunny morning. Jacob looked away. Maybe going out on a ride with them wasn’t such a good idea. Still, his protective nature overrode any caution he might have felt at spending time with a pretty girl and her little sister.

Just don’t let your heart get in the way of your head, he mentally scolded himself as he swung up into the saddle and followed the sisters out of the yard and across the pasture.

* * *

Lilly didn’t know who she could trust. The man riding beside her and Daisy was new on the ranch and they weren’t friends, at least not yet. She’d never considered becoming friends with any of the men before, except Sam. But now, with Daisy being threatened and Jacob being the only new person on the ranch...could she trust him? Tell him what she suspected? Or should she tell Sam? After all he was her ranch manager.

Daisy pointed at a rabbit that sat on a small incline. Her joy at seeing the small animal brought a smile to Lilly’s face. She pulled her horse to a stop so the little girl could enjoy the sight.

Memories of riding with her father to check the fences flooded Lilly’s mind. Daisy would never have memories of riding with their father. He’d died when she was a year old and too young to ride out with him. Lilly still missed him. Bitter memories flooded her tired mind. According to Sam, her father had fallen from his horse while chasing a mother cow and her calf, resulting in a broken neck and immediate death.

Jacob’s horse stomped its foot, probably trying to get rid of a pesky fly, and the action pulled Lilly from her sad thoughts. She glanced his way and smiled. He’d been quiet most of the ride. They both had. Daisy talked enough for all of them.

“Lilly, can we go to the pond?” Daisy asked. The little girl tilted her face so that she could look up at Lilly.

“I suppose so,” Lilly said, pulling the horse’s reins to the right and gently kicking its sides. The horse moved toward the pond.

Jacob followed.

When they got to the water’s edge he slid from his horse’s back and let the horse drink, then helped Daisy down from Lilly’s mare. Jacob sat her down on the ground and then looked to Lilly.

She refused his hand and slid from the horse on her own. Her desire to talk to someone grew. Lilly wanted to voice her fears without worrying that they’d get back to the person who had taken Daisy.

Daisy pulled off her little stockings and boots and waded in the water.

“Don’t go too far out, Daisy,” Lilly warned. She moved a little away from her sister and sat down.

Jacob joined her. He pulled up his knees and focused on Daisy, who splashed water with her bare feet. “Can I ask a question?”

Lilly searched his face. From his expression and tone she deduced that the question was of a personal nature. “I suppose so.”

“Do you think someone is out to hurt Daisy?”

She nodded. “After this morning, what else can I think?”

Jacob turned to face her. “I know I’m new here and you don’t know me at all. I’d like to tell you a little about myself, if we have time.”

Lilly knew he was trying to put her at ease so nodded. “If you are sure,” she said.

“I am.” He returned his gaze to Daisy. His voice continued in a low tone. “When I was ten years old my mother dropped me off at an orphanage. She didn’t want to bring me to California with her. I don’t know why she didn’t. Maybe she was ashamed of me, maybe I was a burden she was tired of taking care of, but whatever the reason she abandoned me.”

Lilly laid her hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head. “I lived in that place for two years and then Rebecca and John Young came to the home. They adopted me and took me to their farm. John became like a pa to me and Rebecca a ma, even though she wasn’t that much older than me. John died but before he did, he made arrangements with the Pony Express to hire his boys. There are seven of us in all. As he was dying, John told me to take care of his family. And I did.”

Lilly looked at Daisy. Her father hadn’t had the chance to ask her to take care of Daisy. His death had been sudden, but still heartbreaking. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Jacob’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Then a man named Seth Armstrong came along as the station keeper. He and Rebecca fell in love and were married a couple of months ago. He’s now in charge of taking care of my brothers and little sister, freeing me to look for my birth mother. I never forgot my mother and have wondered for ten years why she left me at that orphanage. So, I began making my way to California in search of her. I’m still searching for her.”

Lilly dropped her hand from his arm. “Do you have any idea where she might be?” There were other questions she wanted to ask Jacob, but she started with the one that she felt was the most important to him.

“Rebecca heard that she might be living in Sacramento.”

Jacob turned his warm brown eyes on her once more. “I’ll ask around when I go to town, but after all these years, I’m not sure I’ll ever find her.”

“So how long will you be staying on the Johnson ranch as a stock tender?” Lilly asked, realizing that Jacob could leave at any time.

“Your ranch is my last stop. I can travel from here to inquire about her presence. I’m staying as long as the Pony Express will keep me hired. And, if I don’t find my mother in Sacramento, I’ll just have to live never knowing why she gave me up.” His eyes looked deeply into hers. “I’ve never been in trouble with the law. I have brothers and a sister that I love very much. They might not be my blood but they found their way into my heart. Someday, I’ll head back to Wyoming, where my family lives.”

Lilly watched as Daisy picked up little rocks and tried to skip them across the pond water. He wasn’t staying forever. He’d mentioned a sister. “How old is your sister?” she asked.

“She’s five. Almost the same age as Daisy. Children need people to watch over them, not to harm them,” he answered as he also looked to Daisy.

Lilly sighed. “I’m afraid I don’t know how to protect her. I don’t know who to trust. I’m sure Sam would never hurt her but until this morning, I wouldn’t have believed any of the men working on my ranch would hurt her, but someone tried.” She crossed her arms over her knees and buried her face in the fabric of her trousers.

He laid his hand on her shoulder. “If you will trust me, I’ll help you protect Daisy.”

She looked up into his eyes. There was truth and sincerity in his gaze. Lilly knew Jacob hadn’t taken Daisy—he’d saved her. But how much trust should she put in a stranger? Although, what choice did she have?

Chapter Three

Jacob watched the emotions wash across Lilly’s soft features. She wanted to trust him but something held her back. Had she been hurt, too? He pulled his hand from her shoulder.

“Thank you.” The words sounded tight in her throat.

He offered her a smile. “I won’t let you down. I’ll watch over Daisy as if she was my own sister.”

Lilly stood. “Daisy, we need to get back to the house.”

“Aw,” Daisy said, picking up her stockings and boots. She dragged her feet through the dirt as she walked back to them. “Do we have to?”

Jacob laughed. Joy would have felt the same way, if she’d been here. “Yes, we have to. My tummy tells me it’s getting close to dinnertime.”

Daisy brightened up at the prospect of dinner. “Lilly says we’re going to have fried chicken.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Jacob’s stomach growled, as if it was in total agreement.

A giggle burst from Daisy’s lips. “Mr. Jacob, your tummy is talking.”

He shook his head. “Not as well as you.”

Daisy handed her stockings and boots to Lilly. “Will you help me, please?”

Jacob looked to Lilly. “I’m amazed at how well she talks.”

She smiled as she slipped a sock onto Daisy’s foot. “That’s because we have never talked baby talk to her.”

“I’m not a baby,” Daisy told him with a grin.

He laughed. “No, you are not.” Jacob shook his head. “I’ll go round up the horses.”

Jacob found them both munching on grass just inside the tree line. He heard Daisy giggle and looked back to see Lilly tickling the little girl. His heart tugged in his chest at the sight.

If someone was going to hurt Daisy, they’d have to go through him. He’d vowed to watch over the little girl and he’d do just that. No man, or woman for that matter, was going to hurt that sweet child.

Lilly looked up and met his gaze. Her eyes were gentle and contemplative. He felt a curious swooping pull at his innards.

Jacob realized then that his promise included Lilly. If anyone hurt Daisy, they’d also be hurting Lilly. His instincts told him that she was a kind person. Her sympathy for him when he’d told her about his upbringing had been sincere. And Jacob knew he’d not let either of them be hurt.

He just prayed he’d not lose his heart in his desire to protect them both. Jacob had no intention of falling in love, like Seth and Rebecca had. Women couldn’t be trusted not to abandon those they claimed to love the most. His mother had proven that. No, he’d harden that part of his heart and still keep his promise.

He ignored the tiny voice that whispered to him that his adopted mother, Rebecca, had been a woman of integrity. She’d not abandoned her duties even though she was very young. Lilly was also young and she’d managed to take the care of her sister seriously. Jacob pushed the last thought aside. He didn’t want to admire Lilly in any way or fashion.

* * *

Lilly waited as Jacob lifted Daisy onto her horse, then she mounted up behind her. Jacob paused while she settled into the saddle then climbed onto his horse, shifting until he was comfortable. He treated her like a gentleman treated a lady. It was hard not to be impressed when his manners toward her and Daisy were so thoughtful. There wasn’t a lot of gallantry found this far west of the Mississippi so Jacob’s actions were like a warm summer’s rain during the hottest part of the day. Lilly realized she wanted to trust him. Could she afford to?

He’d opened his life up for her to view. Had he expected her to do the same? Tell him about her childhood? How her father had married a woman who was supposed to love her but had only despised her? Share how they’d both died and how Daisy had been her responsibility since she was born? Loneliness and confusion mingled together in one huge surge of yearning. How she longed for someone to share her life with—the joys, sorrows, even the mundane everyday living. Right now her future looked vague and shadowy. Lord, please, she thought in silent prayer. Send my other half, my partner. Someone I can trust to love me for myself and not for the ranch. I’m tired of doing this alone.

As they returned to the house, she listened to Daisy chatter about the birds, flowers, tall grass and other things that flitted through her young mind. Jacob laughed at her funny expressions and words. Almost without a second thought, Lilly decided to trust him, and to do so she’d need to share a part of their life, too.

Caleb met them as they arrived at the barn. “Miss Daisy, the cat had her kittens. Would you like to see them?”

Daisy squealed and leaped into the boy’s arms. “Oh, yes!” She waited for him to lower her to the ground and then clasped his hand. “Where are they?”

He kneeled down beside her. “In the back stall but you can’t go running in there. She’s a new mama and might be nervous. We have to go in quietly and not talk too loudly. Also, don’t touch the babies today. We’ll hold them when they are a little older and their mama isn’t as skittish as she is today. All right?”

Her blond head bobbed her agreement.

Caleb stood. “Miss Lilly, would you like to see them, too?”

Lilly smiled. “Not right now.” She watched them walk hand in hand to the barn. Was Caleb trustworthy? Had the young man taken her sister into the ravine? As she climbed down from her horse, she gnawed at her bottom lip.

Jacob took the reins from her hands and smiled. “Can you believe that boy threatened me this morning?”

Her face went from worry to shock.

An easy laugh spilled from Jacob. “Oh, not how you’re thinking. But in his own way. Caleb told me that anyone who hurt Daisy would answer to him. In other words, don’t hurt her because I love her like a little sister.”

Lilly felt the emotions drain from her body. She’d gone from confusion, to worry, to shock in just a matter of minutes. At this rate she’d be emotionally exhausted by nightfall.

He pulled the horses over to the large water trough beside the barn, his shoulders hunched and powerful. They were broad and maybe strong enough to support the dread and fears that filled her heart as she worried about Daisy.

“Thank you for sharing your past with me.” She rubbed her horse’s neck as it drank from the fresh water. “I grew up on this ranch. It’s all I know and all I want to know.” Lilly thought about her little sister in the barn.

Jacob leaned against the barn and smiled. “Sounds like a nice childhood.”

She grinned. “It was. Mama died when I was about Daisy’s age. I remember her soft smile, warm smell and gentle hugs.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Jacob had crossed his legs and now rubbed the toe of his boot against the other. She wondered if he looked at the boots to avoid seeing sorrow in her eyes.

“Thank you. Then when I was ten, Papa decided I needed a mother’s touch and married my stepmother.” She laughed and heard the bitterness in it. “I know he meant well, but she was not mother material.”

“And now, your childhood isn’t sounding so nice.” His warm brown eyes, gentle and contemplative, looked into hers, inviting her to continue.

“Oh, it was nice. But, I grew up at the age of ten. Gertrude made sure of that. When Pa was away, I cooked, cleaned and was treated like the hired help.” Lilly fell silent as the memories took over. She hated those years of her life.

His silence reminded her that Jacob still listened patiently. “But five years ago, all that changed. Gertrude had Daisy. She died shortly after that but left Papa and me with a beautiful baby. Daisy has been my life ever since. I love her as if she was my child instead of my sister.” She realized how silly that must sound to him and giggled. “Well, you know what I mean.” Lilly felt heat fill her face.

Jacob remained silent; his hat shadowed his face so Lilly wasn’t sure of his expression. Had her story made him think that she’d been too silly in her love for Daisy?

He must have sensed her watching him because Jacob looked up again. A spark of some indefinable emotion crossed his features, but he spoke in a gentle, soft voice. “I’m sorry. Did your father leave after your stepmother died?”

Lilly realized he must have assumed that he’d abandoned her and Daisy like his mother had him. “No, he had a riding accident that broke his neck and killed him instantly.” Sorrow filled her heart. Even after four years she still felt her loss cut through her like a two-edged sword.

“So you’ve been taking care of Daisy and running this ranch on your own?” He pushed away from the barn.

Lilly nodded. “Yes, with Sam’s and Papa’s lawyer’s help.” Did knowing her father was dead change his view of her? Would he, like so many others before him, now see her as wife material? Making himself a ranch owner in the process?

Apparently unaware of her thoughts, Jacob tugged his horse around and walked toward the barn. Lilly followed with her own mount. He stopped just inside the barn door. He placed a hand against the barn, his demeanor stiff and tense. His jaw clenched as if he was holding raw emotion in check. She placed her hand on his forearm.

“What is it, Jacob?”

“Did I mention earlier that my mother’s name is Gertrude?”

Lilly’s breath caught in her lungs. Her fingers clenched around the fabric of his sleeve. She swallowed hard and tried to think of something to say. He seemed to have the same problem. Lilly’s heart told her Gertrude was the same woman. She walked past Jacob toward her horse’s stall. “Gertrude is a common name for women born during that time.”

Lilly began to remove the saddle from the horse. Trying not to sound strange, she asked, “Jacob, what is your last name?”

He looked at her as if she were dense. “Young.”

She swallowed. “I mean before you were adopted.”

Jacob grunted as he pulled the saddle from his horse’s back. He carried it to the tack room and placed it on a sawhorse. He adjusted it three or four times, finally latching on the saddle horn in a tight-fisted grip. “My birth name is Fisher.”

Lilly felt as if her knees might give out from under her. Her stepmother, Gertrude Fisher, was Jacob’s mother. That made him Daisy’s half brother. Strange and disquieting thoughts raced through her mind. Would he want to take Daisy away from her? Or would knowing she was his own flesh and blood make him want to protect her more? And, would he think he could protect her better by taking her away? Icy fear wrapped its ugly fingers around her spine.

She could tell him that half the ranch belonged to Daisy, but should she? New fears and questions twisted her insides. Would that make him less inclined to take Daisy away? Or would it make him want to take the ranch? Was he the type of man who would woo her to get his sister and the ranch?

Did he somehow already know all this? Had he secretly been checking things out, with plans already formed? And she had let her guard down. Her emotions had ruled that Jacob could be trusted, but what had emotions always proven to her? That they certainly could not be trusted. She had eagerly accepted Gertrude, longing for a mother’s touch and love, but that had led to years of loneliness and disappointment.

Chapter Four

Over the next few days, Jacob got to know his new home better. He now knew the barn and everything in it as if he’d lived there all his life. He met the other men of the ranch and took his meals with them. Rode the fence lines and learned where the ravines were located.

Since the ranch wasn’t a Pony Express home station, but a way station where the riders exchanged horses to deliver the mail, there was no station manager. Jacob was free to come and go as he pleased as long as he was ready when a new rider came in needing a fresh horse.

He helped out where he could and kept an eye out for the Johnson women. Lilly and Daisy were never apart. He’d watched them puttering around the house, in the garden, washing clothes out by the well and playing tag on the side of the house. Lilly always seemed alert to their surroundings and had even waved to him a few times when she caught him looking in her direction.

However, since the day she’d told him about her past, Lilly had stayed away from the barn. According to Caleb it wasn’t like her not to take her horse out for a ride at least once a day. Jacob assumed it was because of her worry over Daisy that kept her close to home. Still, he didn’t think it was good for her or her horse.

As he put the recently returned Pony Express horse into a stall, Jacob realized that the last time she’d spoken to him had been after their short ride to the river. She’d asked him his last name and then hurried from the barn as if her biscuits were burning in the kitchen. Had he said something wrong? Something that had disturbed her? Made her think he was a danger to them? Or had she simply decided to be cautious? He knew now that Daisy was her only living relative. He could understand Lilly’s strong desire to want to protect the little girl.

He closed his eyes and inhaled the warm scent of hay from the barn. Jacob had to admit that he missed his family. His adoptive mother, Rebecca, would be calling them all in for lunch about now. His rowdy brothers would be pushing and shoving to be the first inside. He missed the way Joy, his sister, ran to him and begged to be swung about in the air.

“Jacob? Is now a bad time?”

Lilly’s soft voice broke through the memories and his eyes snapped open. She stood to the side with her hands buried in a long skirt that touched the straw-covered floor of the barn. Since he’d arrived he’d never seen her in a dress or skirt, and the sight took him by surprise. To cover it, he cleared his voice. “Not at all. I was just...putting the horse away.”

She grinned a knowing smile. “Good. I was wondering, since the Pony Express rider just left, if you’d have time to go with Daisy and I to Mud Springs?”

Daisy stood behind Lilly. She peaked around her sister. “Pleeeease.”

Jacob nodded. “Mud Springs?” He’d not heard of that town when he’d come through so perhaps it was a small town between the ranch and Sacramento.

“That’s the old name. About five years ago the town folks renamed it El Dorado. We’re still used to it being Mud Springs.” She pulled her braid around to her left shoulder and played with the band at the end. Her blue eyes looked up at him inquisitively.