Andrea Carter Prescott and the Return of the Outlaws
CHAPTER 15. Go HERE to start this story from the beginning.
Slowly one day dawdled by. Then two.
Andi
was weary and cold, but she concentrated only on putting one foot in front of
the other.
It’d
been a miserable journey, short as it may seem. Both nights she’d barely slept
a wink. Worse, the first night into the second day it poured torrents of rain,
sending Andi to seek shelter beneath trees. Still, she became thoroughly
drenched, and her baby was little better.
Jared whimpered
continually in misery. Sneezing and kicking, he remained tied to Andi’s back
except for the times—which happened often—that she pulled him into her arms and
fed him the bottles of milk Lily had packed. When the ground was dry, she built
a fire and warmed the milk first. When the ground was wet, Jared’s milk remained either
cold or lukewarm.
No matter how hard Andi tried to pacify her son, she knew he suffered, and if it weren’t for her own exhaustion
and aching limbs, she’d carry him the whole way.
Jared was one of the
two reasons that kept Andi going. The other reason was Riley. To know she was
so near him…
Press
onward. Press onward.
Andi hoped she was
travelling the right way. She felt as if she’d lost all sense of direction. She
prayed hard that she’d run into a town soon.
Late in the afternoon
of the second day, Andi finally stumbled into a small, busy town. So great was
her excitement that for a moment she felt dizzy and saw stars. Then she ran,
and as soon as she crossed the border relished in the fact that she was with
people—active, alive people who would no doubt help her out.
Yet her joy popped like
a balloon only a moment later when she distinctly heard a man exclaim, “Look,
oh, look! Look at this Mexican lady with a white baby on her back! Must be a
runaway thief!”
And all discussion and
activity amongst the townspeople ceased as they surged around Andi like a strong
current she could not avoid. They clamored and pulled at her, yanking Jared
from her back. Instantly he burst into ear-splitting wails.
“Give me my baby!” Andi
shouted so loud her lungs threatened to shatter, but still no one seemed to
hear.
Then, suddenly,
miraculously, a man pushed his way through the crowd. A star-shaped gold badge
glittered in the sun from where it was pinned to his chest.
The
sheriff!
The sheriff whistled and
yelled, “All right! Break it up! Madge, give me the baby.”
Reluctantly, the
townspeople obeyed. Muttering protests, they wandered away.
Now the sheriff, with
Jared in his arms, fixed his attention on Andi. “Who are you and what do you
want?”
Andi cringed. She knew
that her dull eyes, tanned skin, dark hair, and Mexican clothes could convince
anyone that she was Mexican. Not everyone
is nice to Mexicans.
Andi thought a moment. Should I tell him who I am? There are no
doubt wanted posters out for me. I wonder if I even look like the picture
anymore. If I don’t, the sheriff would laugh at me and toss me out of the town
quicker than I could blink. I’d never get directions. No, I shall not tell him.
So, she smiled and
lapsed into Spanish. “Me llamo Andi.”
No full name. “May I please have
directions to Los Angeles?”
“Looking for work, are
you?”
Andi nodded.
“Well, you and the baby
have a little ways until you get to the next town, and then it’s a distance
from there to Los Angeles. If I were you, I’d get a stage.” He snickered. “That
is, if you have the money.”
Andi’s cheeks flushed
with anger, but she only nodded again. After all, the man’s words were true.
She hadn’t a cent on her.
Her shoulders sagged. I’ll never get home.
“Do you have a train
around these parts?” she mumbled, eyes on the ground.
“Yep, over that a’way.”
From the corner of her
eye, Andi saw the sheriff gesture to the right of town. She looked up and
forced a smile. “Thank you.”
The sheriff nodded.
“May I have my baby?”
Andi held out her arms.
The sheriff thought a
moment, but then placed Jared in her arms.
“I don’t know much of
who you are or where you came from or where you’re going, but your face seems
honest, and also shows the bearings of hard times.” For a fleeting moment, a
look of understanding crossed the sheriff’s face. He gave her a slight smile,
tipped his hat, and left.
“All right, Jared,”
Andi whispered to her baby. “It’s mighty bold, but Mama has an idea of how to
get home.”
***
Andi trudged her way to
the train station. In spite of the bright sun, she shivered with cold. Her clothes
were still wet. And her nose and head felt stuffy.
“I hope this works,”
she whispered to herself.
The train seemed to have just
pulled into the station. Andi looked both ways and headed for an empty storage
car. Climbing inside, she slowly shut the door after her.
The car was layered
with thick, yellow hay. It felt warm and soft. Andi burrowed down into it.
“It’ll be tricky,” she
told Jared, pulling him onto her lap, “we’ll have to trade trains often, when
we get to Los Angeles and again when we pull into Bakersfield, but we’ll arrive
home soon enough. You’ll see.”
Andi laid her head back
and drifted into blessed sleep.
What do you think happens next? Feel free to leave your guesses in the comments below!
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