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Bass tugged on the front brim of his hat. “Nice to make your acquaintance, Mrs. West.” He glanced down at Elias and knelt on one knee, resting his forearm over the other knee and met Elias, eye to eye.
“You know who I am?”
Elias nodded. “Yes, sir. Everybody knows who you are.”
One side of Bass’s mouth rose under his graying mustache. ‘Where are your folks?”
“Never knew my pa. Ma died a while back from lung sickness. I live here now. Mia and Josiah are real good to me. I get to learn how to read and write with Summer and Billy, and I even have my very own room!”
Bass nodded, the slight flaring of his nostrils and the thinning of his lips were the only outward signs of emotion as he stood. “Keep learning and dreaming big, cuz if you want good things in life, you’ve got to work for them. You’re gonna have to work hard. Nothing comes easy, but you’ll appreciate it all the more because of it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Josiah held his wife, his arm around her shoulder, his chest filled with pride for his growing family. He couldn’t have been more proud if these children were his own flesh and blood.
Bass met his gaze. “You and your wife are an amazing couple for what you’re doing here. Not too many people would take on three children, much less mixed.”
Mia smiled down at Elias, and his large green eyes stared back up at her. She looked over at Summer, then Billy. “I don’t see mixed anything, Mr. Reeves. All I see are three adorable children full of love who need love in return. If they allow my husband and me to give them that, then we are the ones who have been blessed.”
Bass nodded. “If only the world had more like you, Mrs. West…” He turned his dark gaze on Josiah. “Are you with us?”
Josiah nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ll be ready by first light.”
Chapter 9
Mia held on to Josiah, her arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers threaded through his silky long hair. She didn’t want to let him go. It was one thing for him to go off and gather horses or pick up cows but another altogether to ride all over the countryside with a posse chasing after a band of killers.
His arms holding her to him tightened. “You need to let go now, Mia. Where’s my feisty little rabbit?”
“She’s terrified you’re going to get yourself killed and leave me here alone to run a ranch by myself.” She bit back a sob, not liking the unfamiliar feeling of terror filling her up. She never panicked and had always reasoned her way through things but, for some reason, she couldn’t see past this. His leaving was devastating her.
He kissed the side of her head and pulled away. Holding her face between his hands, his dark eyes glistening in the early morning light. The sky behind him filled with a beautiful shade of orange and just above the horizon turned into a bright yellow as the sun began to appear. “The outlaws know their time is limited now that Bass is chasing them. I give the posse a day, maybe two before we catch up to them. You can handle things here for that short of a time. Elias and Billy are good with the horses and know what to do, and Summer has been a big help to you with the housework, hasn’t she?”
Mia nodded.
Josiah smiled and gave her a slow, lingering kiss, ignoring the rustle of horses behind them as the posse waited for him on the road. The pads of his thumbs were rough, but she didn’t mind. She liked the way it felt on the smooth skin of her cheeks.
She took a deep breath and tried to give him a return smile. “I’ll be fine and so will the children. Go. The men are getting restless. Just promise me you’ll come back to us in one piece—no bullet holes.”
“Time will fly by. You’ll see.” Josiah mounted his horse and followed Bass and the rest of the posse as they moved up the road.
Mia watched until they turned east, knowing they would bypass Eufaula and head to the last known place the outlaws had been seen. Whatever happened after that, she had no idea.
“He’s gone?”
Mia turned and found Summer standing behind her in her nightgown, her long brown braids hanging over her shoulders. Mia nodded but couldn’t give the girl the reassuring smile she wanted to. Instead, Summer surprised her by wrapping her arms around her and holding her close.
“Josiah is strong and smart. He’ll be just fine,” the younger girl whispered. “And from what Elias told us last night about Bass Reeves, I’m certain all the men will come home. He made the marshal out to be quite a hero.”
“He did?”
“Elias is quite taken with him. He told us he was going to grow up and be just like him.”
“It’s a lofty goal. As his teacher, I guess I can use that to get him to study.” She leaned back and met Summer’s gaze, and they both giggled. “How about we make a bunch of hotcakes before the boys wake up and have a little girl time?”
Summer gave her a shy smile. “I’d like that.”
“Me, too.”
