A Love of Her Own (24 page)

The rocking of the stagecoach with its heavy springs had put April to sleep three hours later. She’d stretched out the length of one side and propped up her boots heels on the window frame, placing her hat across her eyes. The only companion in the coach with her had been the huge bag of US mail that occupied the seat across from her.

The coach stopped and April stiffly sat up. Leon’s head popped in the window, and he gave his naturally warm, contagious smile, showing his tobacco-stained teeth. “Are you ’bout ready for lunch, Miss April?”

“My goodness, Leon, I think I’ve been asleep since we left the station.” April stepped through the coach door that he held open for her and glanced around, recognizing the familiar stop from her first trip to Lewistown.

Morgan hopped down from the top seat, rubbing his hands together. “My stomach is about to eat my backbone. I hope they have some good vittles cooked up today.” April and Leon laughed at his comment. “We still have another four hours to go before we stop for the night,” he continued.

“Something smells good,” Leon said, leading the way.

A couple of folks hung around the rest stop, waiting for the stagecoach to arrive, but thankfully there were no babies this time. April hoped that she would be sitting outside on the next leg of the trip.

The lunch fare was tolerable—beans that needed salt and sourdough bread with canned peaches for dessert. No sense complaining, but April missed Natalie’s crusty homemade bread and fresh churned butter. Leon drank so much coffee that the cook made another pot.

“April, this afternoon you can ride outside on the seat with me. Leon can get a little siesta,” Morgan informed her as they walked back outside in the spectacular sunshine.

“Okay. I slept almost the entire way here. Your coach can rock one to sleep when there’s no one to talk to.” April followed him to the front of the stage, and he gave her a hand up while Leon climbed inside.

“You’re right about that, April. But it sure can make a body stiff after weeks of riding.” Taking a seat next to April, Morgan lifted the reins.

“Morgan, do you think you could show me how you do this? It seems a bit complicated.”

“Pay attention and I’ll explain to you how to handle the reins. We call them ribbons because you thread them through the fingers of your left hand like so.” Morgan demonstrated placing the reins through the fingers of his thick leather gloves. “Now you keep your right hand free to let off the brake as needed.” He reached down to where the break was set and pulled it free. The team of six horses made a slight movement when they felt the break’s release but stood awaiting Morgan’s orders.

“The right hand also stays free to handle the whip. Just nice and gentle-like will get the team moving.” With a flick of his wrist, Morgan touched the whip to the horses’ backsides, yelling, “Git up there, now!”

April was exhilarated to be riding up high behind such magnificent horses, their manes flowing in the wind, their ears laid back, and their hooves moving in smooth, connected rhythm. She had no idea that this could be so much fun. April felt a pang in her heart that Billy wasn’t here to experience this, but she knew he would be soon. It was just a matter of time.

It was hard to have a conversation without raising one’s voice above the din of hoofbeats on the hard-packed road. Morgan glanced over at her, the whites of his eyes large with pleasure, and April knew he loved his work.

“Would you like to give it a try for a bit a little later?” Morgan asked.

April couldn’t believe she’d heard correctly at first, but he continued to look at her with a question in his big brown eyes. “You mean it? I guess I would like to see what it’s like to control that many horses at one time.”

“Did you bring a pair of gloves with you? You’re gonna need ’em,” Morgan said.

April pulled her gloves out of her duster and held them under his nose for inspection. “These are the only ones I have. Do you think they’re thick enough?”

Morgan narrowed his eyes to get a good look, then said, “They’ll have to do. Mine will be way too big. You don’t want to get blisters. Maybe after you’ve watched me awhile, I’ll give you a chance to see how you’ll do the driving.”

April could hardly wait to give it a try, but for now she was content to observe Morgan’s skill with the team and learn as much as she could. She wondered if these were some of Wes’s trained horses. What would he think of her handling a team?

When they pulled up to the station to stop for the night, April’s back was stiff, but what an experience. Morgan had given her the reins for a short time on the drive, and though she was a bit apprehensive at first, she concentrated and was beginning to get the feel of the horses straining against the ribbons, as Morgan called them. The rush of power was hard to describe. She felt like she had to strain with all her might in order to keep the several thousand pounds of horseflesh from jerking her clean off the seat.

Now April began to feel a steady burn between her shoulder blades and wished Tilly would be at the station with a warm bath and a rubdown. But April wouldn’t dare complain to Morgan. No sirree! Right now she would be grateful just to lay her head on the pillow.

The next morning, two businessmen joined the stage ride on the last leg to Billings. Part of the time, April was in the coach with them, but they weren’t inclined to talk other than to exchange pleasantries, so April remained quiet and leaned her head against the side of the coach and rested. She and Leon traded off again in the afternoon, and Morgan gave her another lesson on driving the team. The feel of horsepower coupled with the fact that she controlled their speed gave her a rush.

“I’m impressed with how well you catch on, April.” Morgan looked at her with such favor that April felt her face turn pink.

“I’m having a good time with this, Morgan. Thanks for letting me spend time with you doing this. My mother and father will never believe it.”

“You could be a real Stagecoach Mary, though you’re a mite lighter in weight—and color too, I should add.” Morgan chuckled.

“Who might that be?” April asked.

“She delivered the US mail by a mule named Moses in rain, sleet, blizzard, or heat, and she was called Stagecoach Mary because she was always on schedule.” Morgan paused. “Yep, she was a large black woman, hard-drinking, cigar-smoking, tough as any man. She stood about six foot and weighed around two hundred pounds. I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side, that’s for sure.”

“You’re teasing me, right?”

Morgan quirked an eyebrow. “Would I tease you?” He laughed. “Yes, I would, but not this time. It’s the truth.”

“Did you know her? Where is she now?”

“I met her once, and Lenora gave me the evil eye just for looking. But I couldn’t help myself. I’ve never met another soul like her. I heard she opened a laundry service over in Cascade.”

“Humph. I’m not sure I want to be compared to a tough woman the likes of her.” April glanced sideways at Morgan with a teasing grin.

Morgan grinned back at her. “Too bad her laundry service wasn’t here when you had need of it.” He chortled.

“All right, now you’re being funny!” April laughed. “Thank goodness Wes had the nerve to tell me how I smelled.”

“Do tell!”

April told him how Wes had tossed her over his shoulder and threw her in the horses’ water trough.

Morgan hooted until tears were in his eyes. “I wish I’d been a fly on a horse’s back.” He paused. “You know, April, Wes is a good man. His daddy was really hard on him, especially after his mother died.” Morgan wiped his brow with his big bandana, then stuck it back into his hip pocket. “His ranch lacks a woman’s touch, and he’s a little brash at times, but really his heart is in the right place. I’m so glad he and Josh are friends and respect one another. It wasn’t always that way.”

“Are you taking up for his behavior?” April slowed the horses as they came to a big curve in the road. She didn’t want to flip the coach on its side.

“Nope. Just telling it like it is,” he said, turning his eyes back to the road ahead. “Very skillfully maneuvered there, April. Guess you’re not afraid of nothin’. You catch on fast.”

April was pleased that he admired her skill. “Tell that to my brother. I was just a little pest to him growing up.”

“Not from what I hear. Josh thinks the world of his little sister and has nothing but good things to say concerning you, though he
did
mention a time or two that you were a mite spoiled by your daddy.”

April snapped, “That’s not my fault, you know. I guess I was just trying to please him.” She didn’t want to think about the many times she’d whined to or manipulated her father to get her way against her mother’s word about something. She felt ashamed. Now that she wasn’t at home and around her parents, she could see herself in better focus. Especially since she wasn’t the center of everyone’s attention in Lewistown.

Morgan shot her a look. “Why not start pleasing yourself instead?” “That’s exactly what I’m doing now,” April answered.

“Then it’s a good start.” Morgan gave her a quick pat on the shoulder.

Morgan’s face was serious when she looked over at him. April would never have thought she’d be driving a team of horses for a stagecoach in Montana of all places, and having a real friendship that had started off shaky with an older black man, who now treated her like a daughter. She just shook her head, wondering what the Lord was up to now.

“It’s time I took over, April,” Morgan said, reaching for the reins. He kept a steady hand as he extracted her fingers woven through the leather straps. “It doesn’t take long for a body to start hurting in places you didn’t know you had after pulling against these powerful horses.”

April didn’t argue. The pain between her shoulder blades burned sharply, and her hands and arms were cramping, but she would never let on. Though she was sure the beads of per– spiration along her upper lip and her flushed face were a dead giveaway.

Morgan was itching to reach Billings before sundown, so he pushed the team hard. His sweet Lenora would be there waiting, and he couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms. Everything had gone as smooth as glass on this trip, and he’d been impressed with April, who was probably asleep now.

Another hour later, just before dusk, Morgan rumbled into the busy town of Billings, and there she was.
Lenora!
He was so overcome with joy that he almost forgot to set the brake. He and Leon hopped down. Lenora was standing off from the rest of the passengers, looking with wide eyes for Morgan. When she saw him, she dropped her satchel and rushed up to him. He lifted her off her feet in a tight embrace and spun her around, covering her face with kisses. Lenora’s large eyes were brimming with tears as he set her down. Suddenly realizing where they were, they pulled apart shyly but still held hands.

April was standing with Leon, watching their reunion. Leon gave Lenora a friendly nod. “I sure am glad to see you. Maybe now we can stand to be around him,” he joked, nodding in Morgan’s direction.

Lenora beamed. “And I’m happy that I’m back with my man, Leon,” she said with a Southern voice as thick as honey. Lenora’s striking stature complemented her husband, and her smooth, coffee-brown face split with a wide smile, exposing white, even teeth. She was dressed in an olive green tweed traveling suit that set off her beautiful color. April thought she must be a few years younger than Morgan.