Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Rebecca Freeman assumes her brother's identity and rides for the Pony Express. She thinks she's ready, not counting on Cy Spencer or her attraction for him. Cy is the station manager for a stop along the route. Discovering one of the riders is really a she; they strike a deal for his silence, and grow closer every day.
Soon it doesn't matter how wrong it was for them to be together. When her brother returns, can Cy let her go? Or will he put everything on the line to find the woman who came to him on that fateful ride?
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter 1
1860, Nebraska Territory
“I have to do this, Mama,” Rebecca Freeman insisted. She never paused in hefting the heavy saddle to settle upon the back of her dun gelding, Polaris. Hot dry air flowed over her as the wind picked up, swirling and sending up little dust cyclones and bringing the smell of baked earth to her nose. She blinked a few times, doing her best to keep the dirt from stinging her eyes.
“You’re a girl who’s got no business riding there.” The disapproval was so strong she could taste it. “None!”
Rebecca sighed and flipped up the stirrup to settle upon the seat. She understood the hesitation and reluctance. Heck, she had her own amount of it, but none of that mattered.
“Mama, I have to. We have no choice. We need the money. Robert’s laid up with his injuries. I can do this. They’ll never know.” She refused to budge an inch. This was something she could handle.
Full lips flattened with annoyance and a healthy bit of concern. “You get caught and you’ll be wishin’ you was dead. We can figure something out. Stay home and take in more washing.”
Her mama spoke a hard truth and she didn’t want to think about how much it worried her. best not to imagine what it would be like to be discovered as a lone woman without any protection. Especially one of her skin color.
Cinch tightened, she patted Polaris on the neck as she dropped the stirrup back down and went to stand before her mama. Sally Freeman was a tall beautiful woman who had seen more than her share of difficulties. She could cook a mean meal out of next to nothing or shoot the wings off a fly if she so chose.
She was intimidating and a hard woman to live with as a mother. Still, she’d not raised any wallflower, but a proud young Black woman, so Rebecca lifted her chin and held her mother’s sharp gaze, ignoring the dirt and grit whipping around them.
An omen.
A bad one if she was to believe the stories.
“I won’t get caught. I ride and shoot better than Robert. Besides, I can’t take in extra washing, it won’t do enough.” She didn’t point out that her mother knew that. They both knew additional washing wasn’t going to compare to his wages they would be losing out on.
Her mama scowled and crossed her arms. Acceptance slowly pushed into her stare. “You come back in and let me fix yer hair. You done gone and made a mess of it.”
She nodded and dutifully followed her back inside their small house. It was as much of a blessing as she’d get. It wasn’t much of a reprieve for what was coming next, her mother worked fast. Once her hair had been fixed and wrapped along with her breasts, she peeked in on her brother. Shallow, rasped breaths filled the room and she blinked back tears as she kissed him on the head.
“Stay alive, Robert.”
“Becca,” he said on a graveled, pain-filled voice. “You can’t. I changed my mind. It’s too dangerous.”
“I know the trail and the oath. I can do this. I am doing this.” One final kiss and she headed out. Her mother waited by the door and handed her a small bag.
They exchanged no hugs or words. Rebecca stepped back outside and did her best to ignore the pile of thick black locks, which lay on the hard packed dirt fluttering around courtesy of the wind. There was no reason to have cut it inside where her mother would have to sweep it up. All the housekeeping would fall on her as well as everything else.
Guilt swamped her and she squeezed her eyes shut one more time. When she looked again, most of her cut hair had blown away.
It was a sign. Another one. However, this one was one she couldn’t ignore.
The loss of innocence. The changing of times and it unsettled her.
By Polaris, she adjusted the red neck cloth as Robert always wore. She preferred blue, but from this moment on, she was no longer Rebecca Freeman. Now she was Robert Freeman.
Resting her head on Polaris’ shoulder for a moment, she took a fortifying breath. Gathering his reins in one hand, she swung up with considerable ease into the saddle and rode off towards the station to await her first pickup. She spared no looks back. Robert wouldn’t, so neither would she. Robert typically rode out of the Buffalo Creek Station, one past the one she headed toward.
She had gone to the station before and had met the station master, Ethan Wilson. A crotchety yet fair old man, which was all that mattered to her. He’d never paid her much mind before and that was going to work in her favor. It took her a good while to get there. Once she arrived, she tied Polaris in some welcome shade and headed up the wooden sidewalk to the door. At the last minute, she remembered Robert walked heavier than she did and so she stomped a bit harder, ensuring to jangle her spurs.