Page 17 of A Letter to Adaya
When they finally crested the ridge of the ranch, he could no longer convince himself that he was disinterested in the strays that Emily seemed to collect left and right.
How else could he explain the fact that the horses he wanted were previously hers?
The land that he coveted was hers.
Now here she was looking for refuge after being abandoned by her father.
Tater was waiting as Beau pulled into the lane. He handed the cowboy the reins and looked at the trunks in the back.
“Does any of this need to come in tonight?”
Walter shook his head. “Just her satchel and my traveling bag will do for tonight.”
Beau nodded, setting both on the bottom porch step. “Leave the rest on the wagon. I don’t think it will rain tonight.” He rounded the wagon to wake his sleeping passenger, except she was already awake with big round eyes looking at him.
“Do you need help down?”
“No, thank you.” She swung herself out of the back of the wagon and landed sturdily on both feet.
The level of pride he felt at that moment was surely unreasonable. The sound of footsteps approaching the door made his smile grow.
“Get ready.” He tapped the tip of her nose. “Here comes the reinforcements. Mr. Walter, would you like to see the barn?”
Walter chuckled, falling in step with him. They dipped out of sight just as he heard the front door open.
“You must be Adaya.” Emily’s voice carried on the breeze to him.
Chapter Five
The warming rays of sunlight streaming in through the window comforted Adaya as she slowly opened her eyes. She moaned as her body protested any movement, but she forced herself to sit up. The smell of cinnamon and honey tickled her nose, and in her half-awake state, all she wanted to do was stay snuggled up in the pillows for a few more hours.
Her mind was hazy with the remnants of a dream. A light-haired bear watched over her from a nearby field. The bear posed no threat, instead it watched her with a protective curiosity. She blinked away the thoughts, knowing there were too many pressing tasks ahead of her to start the day with daydreams.
She and Walter had been at the Pickett house for three days and they still hadn’t seen her father’s land. Something kept Beau away, but today he was going to take her over there as promised.
In fact, everyone went, apart from Emily, who was said she wouldn’t be comfortable riding in the wagon or buggy. Adaya dressed in a plain day dress and put her hair up in a chignon before joining the others to make the short ride next door.
Beau and Jesse rode horses, while Simon drove Georgia, Walter, and Adaya over in a small buggy. When the cabin finally came into view, Adaya tried to hide her disappointment. Instead of something that she could turn into a home, there was nothing but a leaning shack that twitched when the wind blew.
When Simon stopped the buggy, Adaya hopped out and stood in the overgrown yard. The grass lifted her skirt, scratching her legs above the ankle. She could feel the seeds clinging to her stockings.
“Adaya!”
Jesse waved her over from near the tree line. She jogged over in his direction, brushing her ankles, trying to loosen some of the grass seeds clinging to her.
“What did you find?” she asked, hopping on one foot as she pulled a thorny ball from the hem of her skirt.
“I think it’s the well. It’s rather far from the house, though.” He pointed to an old stone well hidden by vines and brambles. Watching where she stepped to avoid thorns in her legs, Adaya peering into the stone cistern. She watched as a loose rock tumbled down and disturbed the water below, sending ripples outward like a pebble dropped into a pond.
At least it had water in it.
Jesse grinned and adjusted his worn cowboy hat. “This is the best news we could get,” he said, sweeping his arm out towards the dry land. “Ain’t no bigger problem than a dry well for buildin’ a house.”
“I’ll take a wet well as a blessing then,” Adaya said, her eyes scanning the rest of the land. The sloping landscape was overgrown with briars, bushes, and the occasional juniper tree. Beau and Walter had already headed towards the house, not house—just a shack, to inspect it and she wanted to catch up.
Jesse offered his arm, and she slipped her hand through his elbow, careful to watch where she stepped on the uneven ground.
“Critters make tunnels under the ground. That’s why it is uneven. Get yourself a cat or two and they’ll be gone in no time.”
