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I’ll just
be a few wagons up if you need me.”
    She walked on, puzzled. Ben watched her with
narrowed eyes from the seat of her wagon as she passed, as though
he couldn’t figure out what was going on either. She’d never really
made up her mind that Cade Lawson was a horrible person, but he had
been a thorn in her side from the moment she met him. Callie’s
tragedy must have affected him as deeply as her, but seeing him in
a new light was unnerving.
    Her thoughts about Cade were banished as soon
as she reached Callie’s camp. Her friend was deep in the shock of
grief, sitting outside of her wagon which now held nothing but
memories. Their friend Emma sat with her along Mrs. Weingarten, an
older woman who had taken the three of them under her wing. Lynne
rushed to her friend, handing her the handkerchief she’d found,
then sitting beside her.
    Callie wiped her eyes and blew her nose. “I
don’t know what I’m going to do,” she said, barely audible. “It was
Greg’s dream to go west. I would have been happy to stay
home.”
    Emma nodded in agreement, but Lynne felt the
sting of Callie’s words in her heart.
    “ I didn’t want to make this
journey either,” she confessed.
    Callie glanced up at her. “You
didn’t?”
    She shook her head and put her arm around
Callie’s back. “No, it was my father’s idea. He has some idea that
I won’t be safe until I’m in Denver City.”
    “ It’s good that you have someone
waiting for you,” Callie said. She sniffled, and her eyes were red,
but no more tears streamed down her face.
    Lynne’s heart was heavy. If she added up her
own misfortunes, they didn’t come close to those of her
friend.
    “ Miss Lewis.”
    Lynne and Callie both looked up to find young
Dr. Meyers standing with his hat in his hand, regret drooping his
shoulders.
    “ I’m so sorry for your loss. I did
everything I could,” he said.
    Emma turned bright pink and lowered her head
as if trying to make herself invisible. Lynne gave the doctor a
polite smile. Callie remained expressionless.
    “ Thank you for all of your
efforts, Dr. Meyers,” she said.
    “ If you need anything,” he said,
glancing to all three of the women, eyes lingering on Emma’s bowed
head, “please ask.”
    “ I will.” Callie nodded to
him.
    He left and they sat in silence for a few
minutes.
    “ I’m very sorry for your loss
too.”
    This time it was Cade who approached. Lynne
snapped her eyes up, wary that he was there to cause trouble or
tell her off.
    “ Thank you, Mr. Lawson,” Callie
answered him in a hollow voice.
    “ I can help with anything you need
done with the wagon or your ox team,” Cade went on. His glance
flickered to Lynne. “I know Miss Tremaine is more than willing to
help too. You just say the word.”
    For the second time that day, Lynne’s heart
caught in her chest over the surprise of Cade’s kindness. It
couldn’t last, though. He had already shown her that he was as
stubborn as they came underneath it all. So why did her chest and
stomach feel warm at the sight of him?
    “ I’ll leave you ladies to talk,”
he said and backed away.
    Lynne watched him go, watched the sway of his
back and shoulders as he marched down the line to their wagon.
Other neighbors from their wagon train came to pay their respects
to Callie throughout the afternoon, but Lynne had little attention
for them. She was tied up in knots at the thought that she had
misjudged Cade. Her uncle had trusted him to escort her across the
prairie, after all. Perhaps he was more than just a handsome bully
with a twinkle in his eye.
    As dusk began to settle and the line of people
offering condolences to Callie trickled out, Mrs. Weingarten pulled
a barrel in to close the circle where the ladies were
sitting.
    “ You have some tough choices ahead
of you, my dear,” she told Callie.
    “ I know,” Callie sighed. She
looked as though she could use rest more than anything
else.
    “ You may not want to think about
it right