Wagon Train Sisters (Women of the West) Read Free

father and brother were the last ones back. Shoulders sagging in discouragement, Pa sat by the campfire beside his wife and took her hand. “Our girl is gone, dear. Lord knows what’s become of her.”
    “No, no, no!” Ma stared at him wild-eyed. “Florrie’s out there somewhere. You must keep looking.”
    Hiram knelt by his mother’s side. “We’ve looked everywhere, couldn’t find a trace.”
    “Then keep looking. I won’t leave without my Florrie.” Ma clenched her jaw and looked away.
    Albert Morehead appeared at their campsite. Ma rose to greet him. “Tell me you’ve found her.”
    Morehead swept off his hat, regretfully shaking his head. “We can’t find her, Mrs. Bryan. Scoured the woods. Looked everywhere. I can’t think what happened to her unless she ran off by herself and—”
    “Florrie would never run off!” Ma’s eyes blazed with anger.
    “Then…of course, she wouldn’t.” For once the confident leader of the wagon train appeared unsure of himself. “It’s surely a mystery, and I don’t know the answer, but the thing is we’ve got a schedule to keep. We can’t—”
    “But you must keep looking.” Ma turned a shade paler than she already was. “We can’t leave without her.” She turned to her husband. “Tell him, Frank.”
    Pa bit his lip. “They can’t find her, Luzena. They can’t wait around forever.”
    Desperation flared in Sarah’s chest. She stepped beside her mother and looked the wagon master square in the eye. “Florrie can’t have gone very far. Surely someone will find her if we search long enough. You can’t—”
    “Sorry, Sarah.” Morehead turned to Ma. “I have no choice, Mrs. Bryan. The others want to leave and there’s no stopping them.”
    The desperate look on Ma’s face changed to one of stubborn resolve as comprehension dawned. “Go ahead if you must, but I’m not leaving until we find Florrie.”
    The wagon master let loose a breath that was half sympathy, half frustration. “You must come with us. There’s no point in staying. Besides, it’s dangerous to be alone on the trail. Indians—wild animals—you would not do well by yourselves. What about your food supply? Don’t forget winter is coming. God forbid you should get stuck in the snow.”
    “We’re staying.”
    Morehead sighed in defeat. “I see I can’t dissuade you.” He looked at Pa. “Try to make her see reason, Mr. Bryan. I’ll check back before we leave.” He turned on his heel and hurried off.
    A stirring began around the circle of wagons. Parents called for their children. Oxen bellowed as they were yoked. Ma looked around the campground, eyes wide with shock. “They’re really leaving? Oh, they can’t, they can’t!” As if she’d lost all her strength, she fell to her knees and put her head in her hands.
    Pa knelt beside her. “You’d best reconsider, Luzena. Morehead’s right. There’s nothing to be gained by staying.”
    “But there is.” Ma talked through her sobs. “How will Florrie find us if we don’t stay right here in this very spot? I can’t bear to think how hurt and bewildered she’ll be when she comes back and finds us gone.”
    Sarah knelt and faced her distraught mother. She reached out and took her hands. “I’m afraid Pa’s right.” She spoke as gently as she could. “You’re not thinking clearly right now. We don’t know what’s happened to Florrie, but there’s no reason to stay in this godforsaken spot. Look around you. The wilderness is a dangerous place. It’s best we stay with the train. That way, we can inquire along the way and…” Why go on? Judging from the mad desperation in her mother’s eyes, further words were worthless. Nothing could comfort her right now. Most certainly nothing was going to change her mind. Sarah looked at Pa. “Why don’t we at least stay the night? We can search the rest of the day, and tomorrow we can search some more. Then it shouldn’t be too hard to catch up with the