Page 95 of The Enchanted Land

The tears gathered in Corinne’s eyes. “I know.” She hugged her daughter, a short fierce hug. “Well, let’s hurry and get your things together. You’ll have to take the mule.”

“Oh, Ma, I can’t. Pa needs him.”

“That’s all right. He needs his daughter, too. If he can spare one, he can spare the other. There, now, that’s everything.” They had hurriedly stuffed Lee Ann’s two other dresses into an old carpet bag.

“You’ll tell them for me, Ma?”

“I will. You be careful, now. And Lee Ann,” she called after her daughter, who was already climbing onto the mule, “if anything happens, you come back, you hear?”

Lee Ann nodded and headed the mule away from the tent.

She’s so young, Corinne thought, and so happy. Please, Lord, let it turn out as good for her as it did for me.

Lee Ann caught up with Seth about a mile out of the camp.

He smiled at her. “Goin’ into town?”

“No, I’m going with you.”

He stopped his horse. “You’re what? You can’t go with me.”

She smiled up at him. “I certainly can. You need me—to take care of you.”

“What about your parents? And I don’t need anyone.”

Lee Ann continued smiling. “Ma understands. She ran off with Pa, just like I’m goin’ with you.”

Seth’s eyes narrowed, his voice was stern. “Youdon’t understand. I said I don’t need anyone, and we’re not going to be like your ma and pa.”

Lee Ann’s smile of confidence didn’t dim.

“You have to go back. Don’t you understand? I have a wife!”

Only for a second did a shadow cross Lee Ann’s brown eyes. “If you have a wife, then why ain’t she here? You need someone here with you now, and that’s me.”

“My wife…” Seth began. He could see it was no use. There was a will of steel behind those soft eyes. “Don’t expect anything from me, Lee Ann, because there’s nothing left to give,” he said quietly before he turned his horse toward town again.

As Lee Ann kicked her mule to follow, she thought, at least it’ll be easier to fight a ghost than a flesh-and-blood wife. I’ll make him forget. She was happy as she smiled at Seth’s broad back, the bronzed muscles moving under the rough cotton shirt.

For months, Lee Ann and Seth traveled from one gold field to another. After the first few weeks, Lee Ann began to lose her natural happiness. Seth ignored all her attempts at any sort of a relationship. One night, when she had crawled onto his cot with him, he merely shrugged and turned away. In the morning, he had pulled her close to him and she was so happy she laughed aloud, the happiness spilling over her. The sound of her laughter made Seth look at her, shaking off the drowsiness of sleep. Abruptly, he pushed her from him.

She had thought he’d talk more when she lived with him, but if anything, he talked less. As the days wore on, she lost her smile, and went about her chores lifelessly.

Seth was aware of Lee Ann and it nagged at him that she was unhappy. He’d tried to get her to go back to her parents, but each time he mentioned it, she’d cry. He’d finally dropped the idea.

On one of their trips to town for supplies, they met Johnny.

“Are you staying long, Mr. Daniels?” The girl was a pale blonde. She seemed to have no eyebrows or lashes.

“That depends, Miss Emory, on whether you’re going to be around.” He flashed even white teeth at her.

Lee Ann watched the scene absently. The young man was hardly out of his teens, not like her Seth, she thought. She looked to where Seth was studying new harnesses.Her Seth!He didn’t even know she was around, half the time. She looked back at the young man. He was very handsome, and the three girls around him thought so, too.

“My pa’s camp is not far away. Maybe you’d like to come for supper some night.”

“That I would, Miss Cookson, but I’m sure my appetite would disappear with something as pretty as you so near me.”

Lee Ann looked at Miss Cookson. Her nose was positively hooked! She turned away in disgust.

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