Bright Morning Star by J. R. Biery Read Free Book Online Page B

and long black manes and tails. Even though they came with saddles, she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to ride one of them, but she followed the children in petting them.
    Bonnie loved them on sight. She was already pleading to be the first to ride Sue.
    It was the day Henry found the receipt in the Lambton’s wagon box. The ensuing argument was loud enough for all to hear.
    “I told you we need that money, you stole from me.”
    “My parents desperately needed the money, money we owed them. We still owe them. I left us half. If it’s as easy to sell the clothes out west as you think, we’ll have plenty of money.”
    “You think it’s that simple. We have the wagons and now there are no more expenses. What about camping fees, fresh food, or this horse? Don’t you trust that I know what is best for my family?”
    “I think you would never have paid them anything. I did what I thought was right. What you should have done. What you told me you had done before we left Boston?”
    Claire turned away in embarrassment at the public argument. She and her mother led the children into a store to buy candy. Bonnie stayed, clearly waiting to intervene if Henry tried to slap Bella. Claire knew there would be no physical blows. Henry was angry, but he would never hit a woman. It was hard to understand why the couple seemed to like to feud more than live together in harmony.
    That night, as soon as everyone retired, the camp became eerily quiet. Even the animals seemed to be holding their breaths and waiting.

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    The horses changed everything. They had all taken turns learning to ride the wonderful matched pair of bays. The boys claimed to prefer riding their favorite oxen to riding the horses, probably because they were still too short to feel in control even when the saddles were adjusted.
    Mother and Claire had been terrified, but taken their turn being led around on the horses and would ride them but only beside one of the men. Mary Anne would only ride seated behind Bonnie or Father Wimberley. Bella had refused to try, using a crying Barney as her excuse. Henry insisted she learn and they had quarreled bitterly for a whole day before she gave in and tried it. Of the women, only Bonnie liked to ride.
    The men now posted up and down alongside the wagons, talking to everyone, making sure the oxen moved along by flicking them with new, longer whips. Tom and Jim walked along beside the lead bullocks, and Bonnie walked beside the third. At night, everyone still slept inside under the canopies, the tents neatly stored at the foot of tailgates.
    Whenever one of the men needed a rest from riding, Bonnie would mount up and take off. She loved riding ahead to scout and look for food, but with Father Wimberley always fussing, she was never allowed to go very far ahead. He didn’t believe in using guns and absolutely refused to let Bonnie try to use one. Henry agreed with him.
    One evening at the campfire, Bonnie was complaining about how ignorant and stubborn men could be at times. Claire refused to listen to her friend’s complaint about either man. But Claire confessed, “I do envy your boldness.”
    “I love to ride. If your father would listen to sense, I could find some game to add to the pot each night. We could all use a little more variety.”
    Claire nodded in agreement, eager as always for her supper, even if it was beans and fried fatback. Bonnie squatted to carefully turn the meat, then moved it out of the way enough to put the pot of coffee on to heat. She stared up at Claire, smiling at her cute friend. Claire, as usual, had the bonnet pushed back to hang from its ribbons around her neck. She had gone back to combing her curly hair into long sausage like curls and letting them spread out from a gathered knot atop her head.
    “You surprise me. I thought you’d want to ride. If nothing else, so you could talk fashion again. You two never get to talk in the evenings, do you?”
    Claire looked puzzled