One night, when Charles was particularly violent, I knew we had to leave. "You ran," Wyatt supplied softly. Lillian nodded. I took what little money I had saved, some clothing and Emma. We traveled west by train as far as my funds would allow, then by stage a coach, and finally with a wagon train of settlers.
I hope to reach California, where I have a distant cousin. What happened to separate you from the wagon train? Her eyes clouded with the memory. There was a man, one of the other travelers. He discovered I was running from my husband and threatened to send word back east for a reward.
When I refused his advances, he told the wagon master I was a thief. They left us at the next settlement with just our few belongings. And from there, I hired a local man to take us to the next town, but his wagon broke down. He went to get help, promising to return. Her bitter laugh held no humor.
He never came back. Emma and I walked as far as we could before I became ill. The last thing I remember before you found us was trying to find shelter from the sun for Emma in the tall grass. Wyatt absorbed her story. Anger building at the men who had failed and abused this woman and her innocent child.
Your husband, is he looking for you? I don't know, Lillian admitted. He might be for pride's sake if nothing else. Or he may have decided we weren't worth the trouble. And if he finds you, her eyes met his fear mingling with determination.
He won't take Emma. I won't allow it. Wyatt nodded slowly, understanding the steel beneath her gentle exterior. "Thank you for telling me the truth. Does it change things?" she asked, vulnerability evident in her voice.
"Yes," he said simply. It changes everything. Before he could elaborate, Emma stirred and began to fuss. Lillian immediately reached for her daughter, lifting her with practiced ease. "She's hungry," she explained, adjusting her position to feed the baby discreetly.
Wyatt stood, giving them privacy. "I need to get back to the ranch before that storm hits," he said, glancing at the darkening sky. "But I'd like to talk more tomorrow if that's all right. Lillian looked up at him, uncertainty in her blue eyes. "Of course, we're not leaving until the day after tomorrow." "Don't make any final decisions until we've talked," Wyatt urged.
"Please," she nodded, though doubt lingered in her expression. "Until tomorrow," then? Wyatt rode back to the rocking h with his mind in turmoil. Lillian's story had confirmed his suspicions, but also awakened a protective instinct stronger than any he'd felt before. The thought of her and Emma traveling to Riverton with a strange freight driver, then working for an unknown widow filled him with dread.