LITMIR.BIZ

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The words remained unspoken, because Noelle refused to give him the satisfaction of arguing. Besides, she knew Luke was right. The calf would slow them down.

      The calf scratched its curly head against her arm. She couldn’t help but smile at the little creature. There must be a way to convince Luke to take the calf.

      She raked her fingers along the top of its chin as she thought. “Pay no attention to your bad-mannered Uncle Luke. He has a great deal on his mind. But rest assured, little one. You’ll not be left behind as a meal for the coyotes.”

      The calf licked her hand with its raspish tongue, and Noelle smiled. Finding the calf was a good omen. A good omen for Luke, as well.

      

      By the time Luke returned to the wagon from scouting ahead on the trail, Noelle sat primly on the driver’s bench, the oxen were hitched and waiting, and the calf was nowhere in sight.

      Luke tied his horse to the back of the rig, then strolled to the driver’s seat. Grabbing the reins of the oxen, he glanced at the woman beside him. “Came to your senses, I see.”

      The poke bonnet she wore hid her expression, but he didn’t miss the challenging lift of her chin in response. Luke knew better than to think she’d give up easily on the idea of bringing the calf. He paused, waiting for her reply.

      Finally she met his gaze. “We’re losing daylight, Mr. Savage. I thought you were in a hurry—” A long raspy bleat from inside the wagon interrupted her.

      Luke jumped up and dashed inside the rig for the calf. But Noelle grabbed the calf only moments before and clutched the bewildered animal to her bosom.

      Noelle’s blue eyes glittered defiantly. “Don’t you dare touch him.”

      “Jeezzo, woman! Don’t you know that you can’t hold that animal all day? And if you leave him in a moving wagon, he’ll fall and break his neck. Use the sense God gave you and think of the animal.”

      Her stubborn glare was her only answer.

      Luke swore, then took a deep breath. “Be reasonable, woman. Give him to me, and I’ll put him out of his misery. He won’t feel a thing.”

      Noelle’s eyes rounded in horror. The calf shifted awkwardly within her grip. She moved to the back of the wagon, coaxing the animal to her, then grabbed the spindly-legged critter in her arms as she climbed down.

      Luke watched as Noelle marched around the prairie schooner, the calf in her arms, and strode in front of Luke as she made her way along the trail. Wind swished the calico skirts about her ankles as she balanced the calf in her arms.

      “You won’t last five minutes,” Luke yelled. Angry with himself as much as with her, Luke snapped up the oxen’s reins and urged the team after her.

      The wagon creaked and swayed with the load. Luke held his breath to see if the cottonwood log would hold fast as it dragged in place of the rear wheel. He sighed with momentary relief. So far, so good.

      Within minutes, Luke and the team caught up to Noelle and the calf. She stepped aside to let him pass, her determined blue gaze focused straight ahead.

      Damn, she was an ironclad female! He’d laugh if the situation wasn’t so dangerous. “We’re beginning a stretch of alkali desert with water unfit to drink,” he yelled at her. “Grass unfit to eat that only teases the animals. If we break down, we’ll be forced to leave the wagon and strike out on foot through country fraught with Paiutes, desperadoes and greenhorns who are so frightened they’ll shoot first and think later.”

      Her only answer was a quickened pace. He grumbled to himself. “Of course if those culprits were to come upon a woman...” He paused, hoping his words had finally found their mark.

      Instead, she clutched the critter as a she-bear clutches its cub. Noelle’s poke bonnet pointed straight in the air as she marched past the prairie schooner, with the calf mooing plaintively from her arms.

      “Okay, lady. It’s your choice.”

      Luke urged the team to a slow, steady gait along the slope of desert that spread before them. A few minutes later, he stole a backward glance. The calf’s head bobbed as Noelle began to struggle with her load. Her jaunty march had slowed to a dragging shuffle. Beneath Noelle’s loose gown, he could imagine her knees almost buckling with the weight of the calf. But he knew Noelle wouldn’t give up until she dropped. “You’ve been warned, lady. Don’t call to me for help. I’ve got a stage to catch.”

      Luke clenched his jaw, determined to be as stubborn as she was.

      When he had traveled several more miles, Luke drew the team to a stop. He glanced over his shoulder briefly and felt relieved to see that now the calf ambled beside her. Luke shook his head as he watched Noelle force one foot in front of the other, trail dust from the wagon covering both her and the calf. Damn if he didn’t admire her determination. He’d never met any woman who would have put up with what she had without complaint.

      The sun and dust beat through the thin calico of Noelle’s travel-worn gown and apron. Loose hair from beneath her sunbonnet flew across her face. It didn’t matter. Each painful step brought her closer to meeting her uncle. To see the surprised and happy expression on his face when he saw her was worth every sacrifice.

      What if Uncle Marcel had married since his last letter over a year ago? Perhaps she might have a new aunt and maybe even a little niece or nephew. The idea almost brought tears of joy to her eyes. Yes, she was tired, but she’d walk through fire to be part of a family again.

      Ahead, she noticed that Luke Savage had stopped to rest the team. He leaned against the wagon, drinking from the water barrel and smoking a cigarette. His broad shoulders contrasted attractively with his slim hips and long tapered legs. She felt a frisson of feminine response, chastising herself immediately. She averted her glance to the calf, wobbling along beside her. She would refuse to rest; she would take his offer of water, but nothing else.

      “Don’t move!”

      Noelle glanced at Luke, who stood about twenty feet from where she walked. He aimed his six-shooter at the calf.

      “Whatever are you...?”

      “Don’t take another step, I said.” Luke stood as still as the mountain range, aiming his gun at the calf ambling at her side.

      “No!,” she cried. “No, don’t—!”

      The shot rang out, echoing along the far hills. She froze, afraid to look. She forced her eyes open and glanced at the calf. Within two feet of the animal lay the largest rattlesnake—a sidewinder—she had ever seen. Shot dead.

      She hugged the calf, then gazed up at Luke as he sauntered toward her. She swallowed the dry dust in her throat. “I—I thought...” She swallowed the words.

      “I know what you thought.” He slid the revolver into his holster. “I think this is the time when you tell me how Uncle Marcel will reward me most generously.” His deep brown eyes glittered with amusement as his fingers slid over his dimpled scar.

      She wiped her face with her apron. Lack of sleep, heat and fatigue made her dizzy. A flush of self-consciousness tore at her senses. She lifted the calf in her arms, refusing to give him up.

      “You win.” Luke spat the words as he strode beside her. “Give me the runt.”

      She glanced at him suspiciously.

      He scowled. “Don’t look at me like that. I won’t hurt the critter.” He shot her an arched look. “Besides, I’ve changed my mind. If the animal makes it to town alive, you can sell it. The extra money will help pay your fare back to New York where you belong.”

      Noelle pulled back. “I’m not a quitter, Mr. Savage.”

      “That’s nice.” He took a long drag on his cigarette, then tossed it to the ground, grinding the butt in the sand with the heel of his boot. “But this land makes quitters out of a lot of strong people. If your uncle

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