Lucas Read Free Page A

that.
    “Good morning,” Emma
greeted them, a light blush staining her cheeks.
    The one thing he
regretted about leaving so soon was that his niece or nephew would likely be
born before he would return.
    “You look beautiful,
Emma,” he said, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek.
    “We’ll miss you around
here, Lucas. Take care of yourself.” She handed him a small knapsack. “Just a
few things for your journey.”
    “Thank you kindly,
ma’am.”
    Jonah’s forehead
wrinkled above the bridge of his nose.
    “I’ll be fine,” Lucas
told them. “I’ve taken a job accompanying the stage as far as Virginia City.
It’s good money, enough to get me to Thistleberry and back. I’ll be home before
you know it.”
    “Does Dad know where
you’re headed? He should be the one leaving for Montana to face his family. Not
you. Not with that shoulder.” Lucas knew how difficult it must have been for
Jonah to stand up to their father, but he’d said it had been good for the soul,
though he still sensed some hostility between the two men.
    “I told him about the
job with the stage and he was fine with it.” Lucas took a step toward Jonah,
who mumbled something unintelligible under his breath.
    “Look, we all have to
do our part. Noah is going to Eureka to learn cattle ranching, you have to
oversee this last herd and its delivery, and I...well, I have to find Granddad
Deardon and persuade him to un-disinherit us. Is that even a word?”
    “No,” Noah shook his
head with a snort.
    Jonah opened his mouth
as if he was going to say something, but Emma stepped in between them, looking
up at her husband.
    “I don’t know where I
would have been without my grandfather. He is the reason I have you.” She
smiled.
    A light chill swept
over Lucas and gooseflesh rippled his skin.
    “Your father is a proud
man, Jonah. What was it you said? You shouldn’t be punished for his mistakes.”
Emma threaded her arms beneath Jonah’s and leaned up against him. “Lucas is
right. Finding your grandfather may be more important than you think. And it’s
not just about the money. You should get to know him. While you still have a
chance.”
    Lucas beamed, grateful
that someone understood why he had to go. “That’s a wise woman you’ve got
there, big brother.”
    Jonah sighed. He bent
down and brushed his lips lightly over Emma’s, then deepened the kiss. When he
pulled away, he lingered on her eyes a moment, then turned to Lucas.
    “Take this.” He set
Emma aside as he pulled something from his pocket and slid it into Lucas’s hand
before yanking him into a fierce embrace. “God speed, baby brother,” he
whispered. “God speed.” With a quick pat on the back he turned and walked from
the stables.
    “Good luck, Lucas,”
Emma said as she stood up on the tips of her toes and placed a kiss on his
cheek before hurrying to join her husband.
    When Lucas opened his
hand to reveal an old, oval-shaped, gold locket, his heart skipped a beat. He
clicked it open. There was a photograph on each side—one of his granddad and
the other his grandmother—the last before she died. Because of the strain
between their father and his family, Gabe Deardon’s children hadn’t even been
allowed to go to her funeral. Lucas snapped it shut and squeezed with a
grateful upturn of his mouth. He didn’t remember much about the woman, except
that her hair had always seemed to smell of warm bread. He smiled wider.
    “You ready?” Noah had
finished packing his beautiful paint gelding.
    “As I’ll ever be.” He placed
the closed locket in his vest pocket and scooped up Adonis’s reins.
    He and Noah would be
able to ride together for the better half of the day before the road would take
them in separate directions. They led their horses out into the yard and
mounted.
    “Let’s go.”

Chapter Three

     
    Montana, Dakota Territory, November
     
    “When do you expect Mr.
Deardon to return?” The gangly man in a dark green bowler hat inquired