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stopped, and she swallowed hard.
Bad news? Was there any other kind? “What is it, Lt. Carson?”
    “When the sky turned gray and it looked to
start snowing, Jackson and his party decided to leave for the
Missouri River at once. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until the
next stage comes through before you can return home. That’ll be
near the end of December.”
    Marietta’s head began to spin, and she felt
herself slump into Jase. An arm circled her just before everything
went black.

Chapter Four

    Jase pressed Marietta close to him.
    “Maybe I was too rough with the news,” Will
said.
    “Is she dead?” Zack asked from his place in
the back of the buckboard.
    Jase turned around. “No, son, she’s not dead.
She just fainted.”
    “Why?” Zack craned his body to get a better
look at his aunt.
    “Because Lt. Carson gave her some bad news.
He told her you’ve lost your ride back to the Missouri River, and
you’ll have to wait several weeks for the next stage.”
    Zack stroked Marietta’s cheek with his tiny
hand and gazed down at her. “I hope she’s all right.” He lifted his
eyes to Jase and added, “But it isn’t bad news to me, Jase. It
means we can stay another month with you.”
    “We’d better get Miss Randolf inside so Amy
can take care of her,” Jase said, ignoring Zack’s conclusion. As he
held the beautiful woman who’d taken his breath away so many times
during their confinement, he tried to determine just what his own
reaction was to Marietta’s news. Zack was happy to stay on in
Nebraska, but the news of her delayed return had snuffed the breath
out of Marietta. What did Will’s proclamation do to him?
    With Marietta pressed close to his heart as
she was at the moment, Jase was torn between hope that he’d have a
chance to spend more time with the lovely lady he’d come to admire
in the past few days and the resentment he felt at her making him
miss his meeting. But maybe the meeting hadn’t taken place. If the
storm had been as bad at Red Rock Junction as it was in the Fort
Kearney area, no one would have been able to attend the meeting.
The thought comforted Jase. Maybe his opportunity hadn’t been lost
after all.
    Marietta stirred and moaned.
    “Is she all right?” Zack asked as he
continued to watch his aunt.
    “She’s all right, Zack,” Jase replied. “I
told you she just fainted. She’s probably exhausted. She’s been
through more than a woman can take these last weeks.”
    “We should have sent a detachment to meet her
at the Missouri River.” Will shook his head as he rode beside
Jase’s buckboard. “This wilderness is too harsh for city women. My
Amy had a terrible time adjusting.”
    “But she did adjust, Will,” Jase said.
    “By the grace of God she did, and I guess
Miss Randolf will adjust too.” Will picked up his pace. “Jase, I’m
going on ahead to tell Amy we’re coming.”
    “Thanks, Will. We’ll be there soon.”
    He inclined his head toward Jase and urged
his mount to speed toward his home. When Jase drove up to the
Carson home, Amy was standing on the porch with a knitted shawl
wrapped around her shoulders. Jase got down from the buckboard and
marched up the steps with Marietta in his arms.
    “She fainted, Amy.”
    “I know, Will told me.” Amy looked as though
she hadn’t slept in days. She was evidently more worried during the
storm than Will had let on. “Bring her in and lay her on the sofa.
Will is fetching the smelling salts and a glass of water.”
    With Zack on his heels, Jase strode into the
small living quarters and laid Marietta on the sofa. He stood back
and gazed down at her, hoping she was all right.
    Amy knelt beside the sofa and rubbed her palm
over Marietta’s forehead. “You poor dear,” she cooed. “You’ve been
through so much.”
    Will handed her the smelling salts and water.
Amy set the water on the table next to the sofa and waved the
bottle of pungent odors beneath Marietta’s nose.
    “What’s that