“So, young man, what do you think? You seem like a fine and decent fellow. And after saving her life the way you did, I have the feeling you’re an excellent candidate for standing guard over her for the duration of the trip.” Dr. Howell gave him a winsome smile, one much like his granddaughter’s, and Flynn guessed not many were able to say no to the older gentleman.
He didn’t have any intention of guarding Dr. Howell’s granddaughter, but how could he politely refuse? He took a swig of the cold coffee to buy himself a few more seconds.
“Of course, I’d make it well worth your effort. How does a hundred dollars sound?”
Flynn choked and then spit out the coffee into the grass. A hundred dollars? After using up every last cent of his savings to pay for their train and steamboat fare to get to Missouri, as well as all the supplies they needed for the next long months of journeying to Wyatt’s ranch, Flynn was broke.
How could he turn down a hundred dollars? But at the same time, how could he take such an offer? Sure as the crow flies, he couldn’t accept payment for doing good deeds he’d willingly offer for free.
He opened his mouth to protest, but Dr. Howell spoke first. “Two hundred dollars.”
Flynn couldn’t keep his jaw from dropping.
“I’m a very wealthy man, Mr. McQuaid, so you needn’t worry on that score. I’ll pay you half now and half after you deliver her safely to the journey’s end.”
“Ain’t headed all the way down to Santa Fe. Fact is, I’ll be branching off onto the mountain route and heading into Colorado.”
“Then that’s perfect. We’re on our way to Colorado as well. We’re planning to work our way through the Plains and up the Front Range to Denver, where we’ll stay for the winter before we head up into the Rocky Mountains next spring.”
Flynn scrambled to find another excuse to turn down the lucrative deal. “I’m driving a herd of Shorthorns, sir. With close to two hundred head, we’re gonna move at a pace slower than the usual caravans to allow for extra grazing time.”
“That’s fine too. We actually would appreciate going slower and having more opportunity to explore and document the flora along the way. As long as we reach Denver before winter sets in, I think we’d all be happier to take our time.”
“Gotta be well up into the high country before the first heavy snows make traveling treacherous.” Once they reached Pueblo, they’d take a northwesterly route, a gradual climb in elevation through mostly level mountain valleys. At least, that’s what Tom Gordon, the Missouri Shorthorn breeder, claimed when he’d sent them on their way with the herd.
Yep, the plan was to get to Wyatt’s long before they risked winter-like weather. But they couldn’t push the cattle too hard. Tom had warned them that if they didn’t have any major delays, the journey west could still take upward of five or six months and would be rough on the cattle even at the slow pace. The steers would grow weary, footsore, and thin. There was the very real possibility some might die along the way—or even be stolen.
But Flynn was determined to do the best he could to deliver the herd on time and as healthy as possible. Especially because from the way Tom talked, Wyatt had sunk a fortune into the beeves and needed every last head to make a go at his ranching. If Flynn made any mistakes, Wyatt would end up in big debt to his business partner without the means to finance another venture.
While Flynn didn’t have the same experience Wyatt had in driving livestock, he knew all there was to know about cattle, having raised plenty on the farm. With help from Nash and Jericho, they hadn’t encountered any trouble moving the herd and finding grass for grazing over the past couple of weeks. He’d been praying mighty hard their spell of luck would hold out.
With all that was at stake, he didn’t need distractions from what he’d set out to do. “Your offer is tempting, sir. But I’ve got enough responsibility with lookin’ after my family and gettin’ this herd of cattle up into South Park.”
The older man focused on Linnea again. She was pulling in her line weighted down with a wriggling trout. Her delighted laughter mingled with Ivy’s words of praise. “She’ll be heartbroken if I send her back, Mr. McQuaid.” His voice was low and solemn. “Now that she’s been working so hard to contribute to the research manual, I just don’t know if I can do that to her. And yet, after nearly losing her today, I don’t know how I can let her go on without someone watching over her and keeping her safe.”
Flynn sloshed the last of the coffee around the bottom of the mug. The swirling reflected the turmoil in his gut. Two hundred dollars was appealing. Mighty appealing. Especially because he planned to stake a claim through the Homestead Act the same way Wyatt had. With that kind of money, he’d have enough to start building a home and making improvements to the land the way the Act required. It also meant he wouldn’t have to rely on Wyatt, which was the last thing he wanted to do.
He exhaled a tight breath. “If I was to accept your offer, what exactly do you have in mind?”
Dr. Howell straightened, and his eyes brightened. “Surely keeping an eye on my granddaughter doesn’t have to take away from your regular duties. All you need to do is make a point to travel near her, accompany her when she explores, and make sure she doesn’t wander off too far or get into trouble.”
All he needed to do? “Sounds to me as if you want someone to stick to her every waking moment.”
“Not every moment. Of course, that would be impossible. But when you’re not with her, you could keep her in your line of vision, couldn’t you?”
Linnea was easing the hook out of the fish gills. Her pretty eyes rounded wide with wonder and innocence, and she nibbled her bottom lip.
From the little he knew about her, she seemed kind and sweet and easygoing. Surely she wouldn’t be too much trouble.
Truthfully, as they made their way farther along the trail into Indian territory, it would help to have a few more men as part of their group. He’d heard that the larger the party, the less trouble the Indians made, especially with a show of men carrying weapons.
“Alright.” He stuck out his hand. “I’ll do it.”
“Excellent.” Dr. Howell reached out and shook with a firm grasp. “Then it’s a deal.”
Flynn glanced at Nash and Jericho still gawking at Linnea. He had to give them fair warning of the new arrangement.
As Flynn started to pull away, Dr. Howell held on tighter, his brow furrowing. “Young man, one more thing.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “I think it’s best if we keep this between the two of us. I don’t want Linnea to learn about our arrangement.”
Unease rattled through Flynn, and he hesitated to respond.
“She’s—well, she’s sensitive to my more traditional perspective on the roles between men and women. Because her mother is progressive, I’m afraid Linnea has picked up on some of those views.”
Flynn didn’t have the slightest idea what Dr. Howell was referring to. But he didn’t feel good about keeping anything from Linnea. If they didn’t tell her he planned to look after her, she’d surely get suspicious when he started following her all over God’s green earth. Either that or she’d think he was smitten with her and couldn’t stay away.