The Vicky Series: Book 3: Living A Dream

Chapter 20 part 2

Quin was an excellent horseman and Jonah was a superb mount but even skilled men met with accidents. Before Quin left she heard him telling stories about the great Kit Carson and one of them was how Colonel Carson had a near fatal fall because snow treacherously concealed a narrow place on the trail.

She ignored it as an idle boast then...but she hadn't heard from Quin since he returned to Fort Canby back in July. With a sigh she rubbed her arms and looked around to check on Lizzy. After a moment Lizzy puckered up for a good wail. The little tyke was bundled up against the cold and she couldn't clap her hands.

Biting her cheek to keep from laughing at her daughter's distress she bent to pick up the child. They should be going in now. Too much cold may make them sick and with four little ones, that was something she wanted to avoid as much as possible.

"Ida Rose." She called.

With a smile she watched her daughter waddle over (she'd been bundled too) from where Ila Mae was playing with them.

"What Mama?" she asked looking up and nearly tipping over in the process.

"It's time to go inside now. Go tell your brothers Mama said go inside."

"Play Rosie!"

"Ida Rose, I said it's time to go inside." She said firmly. "Go tell your brothers."

"Play Rosie!" she bit her lip and looked up again to add "Please play Rosie?"

"For just a little bit longer then, since you asked so nicely. Now go on and send Ila Mae to me."

"Okay!"

Ida Rose was always a delight when she got her own way. But since the child had been making an effort to mind her manners, Vicky decided a little leniency was in order. Ila Mae said something to Ida Rose and jogged over.

"I'll take her, Mrs. M." she offered reaching for Lizzy.

"Thank you Ila Mae. I want them to come in soon. Maybe another quarter of an hour? I don't want them getting too chilled. This wind is starting to pick up."

"Alright Mrs. M. I'll give them a few more minutes and then I'll start yawning. They'll want me to go take a nap and that means we'll have to go inside."

"And that works?"

"Sometimes. If it doesn't, I say I'm really hungry and that I think I'd like a cookie and a glass of warm milk. That always works."

"You're incorrigible, but I like it."

"I don't understand that word." She wrinkled her nose. "Is it good?"

"I tell you what, we'll make it part of today's lessons after the children are down for their naps."

Ila Mae flashed a smile and ran back to play before the children protested her absence. Vicky returned to her laundry deciding that a cookie and warm milk sounded good. Maybe she'd add a dab of cocoa to it to warm up her insides when she finished hanging this basket. As she reached for another piece it was one of Quin's shirts that she'd been wearing.

She held it to her heart and looked north. What was he doing? Was he safe? When would he come home? When he did come home again, how long would he be able to stay? The dogs sent up a ruckus and she jogged around to see the road. A rider was coming. One rider. Probably Joe Tate. He'd taken to timing his visits to when Ila Mae was here.

With a smile she hung the shirt and realized it was the last. Grabbing the basket she meandered toward the front of the house. The Man-of-the-house (it was Dan today) was on the porch with his rifle ready. She'd no doubts that at least one other rifle was trained on their visitor. Just the same, her fingers curled around the handle of her pistol as she waited.