Page 29 of Chloe's Christmas Escape
“That’s probably fear.”
Chloe lifted her head. “I thought marshals weren’t afraid.”
He gave a sharp laugh. “Whoever told you that was a ninny. We get afraid of things.”
“What kinds of things? Bears? Wildcats?” What did they have on the prairie that the marshal might be afraid of? “Snakes? I don’t like snakes.”
“No. None of those. Something Mama Holstead said to me.”
“Really? I guess she could put fear into any man if she was angry enough. She doesn’t look like anyone you’d want to trifle with.”
“She’s not.” Leaning down, he kissed her forehead. “Now I’m warm.” Releasing her, he reached into his pocket and removed a leather envelope and placed it on the table. “What’s for dinner?” he asked, taking a seat.
“I just made chili.” She returned to the stove to stir it. “It should be ready shortly. Did everything go well with Judge Cross?”
“Ethan? Yes.” He untied the leather string on the envelope and pulled out papers, laying them on the table. “May I have one of these?” he asked, pointing to the biscuits. “I’ve not eaten anything since breakfast.”
“Of course. You didn’t have lunch with the judge?”
“Claudia offered us sandwiches, but we were so engrossed in everything that we forgot about eating.”
Chloe spooned out a bowl of chili and placed it in front of her husband. “Give it a few minutes to cool down,” she warned him before fetching her own bowl. She slid into the seat next to him. Jackson had a map pulled out and was looking at it, measuring distances with his fingers. Chloe noticed several marks along a pencil drawn route. “What’s that?” she asked, blowing on a spoonful of chili.
“That’s the stage route to Sterling. We are going to leave tomorrow. I have our tickets.”
“Tomorrow?” She put her spoon back in the bowl. “Are you done already?”
“Funny thing, I spent most of the time talking to Ethan. He helped me realize it was okay if I’m not ready to close the house or sell off everything. I didn’t sell my homestead when I enlisted in the war. I rented it out through the bank. We rode out there to visit with the renters. A pleasant couple. You’d probably like them.”
Chloe shook her head, the thoughts jumbling in her head. “I’m not understanding you.”
“I’m not ready to clean out this house. I have too many memories here, and I’m still trying to figure out what will happen once we get to Sterling. We need to get there before Christmas.”
“So, you didn’t do anything?”
“I accomplished what I wanted to do. We are leaving tomorrow. I purchased the tickets for the stage that leaves tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes. I went and told Mama Holstead.”
Chloe put her hands in her lap. If this was what he wanted, then she would support him. After all, she was his helpmate. Taking a breath, she looked at him.
“All right. It is a good thing I took a bath last night.” The thought of another week on a stagecoach didn’t appeal to her. “How long do you think it will take to get there?”
Jackson moved the map around to show her. “It will take about 6 or 7 days. See all the marks? Those are places where we can stop for the night.”
“Is that a river?” The thought of crossing a river and the frigid water terrified her.
“We are going to cross here,” he said, pointing to another mark on the map. “There is a ferry here.”
“You mentioned that we probably wouldn’t have a home of our own until spring or even next summer. Are we going to take everything with us, or are you just leaving everything here for now?”
“I’ll come back in the spring. Charlie may want to bring his mama home if he can’t talk her into staying. He’ll help me move everything down. Did I tell you he was a wagon master? He knows this country like the back of his hand.”
She pressed her teeth together and felt a sharp pain as the edge of her bottom lip caught between them. She quickly released it, feeling the salty tang of blood against her tongue as the anxiety built in her chest. “Is it safe to just leave the house as it is and go away?”
“Ethan is going to look after both houses. It is only for a few months, and not much happens here after Christmas. Everyone stays inside until spring. I imagine I’ll be back in May.”
