Spirit Riding Free--The Adventure Begins

  Emma.

  A wave of sadness washed over Lucky. Picking and choosing which items to leave behind was difficult, certainly, but leaving behind a best friend was almost unbearable. She and Emma had grown up together. They’d spent every school day together. They’d shared secrets and laughter. And tears. But there was no time to say good-bye in person. Emma lived way across town. A deep ache settled in the pit of Lucky’s stomach.

  While Jim finished his packing, Lucky wrote a letter to Emma. She knew Emma would have lots of questions, but since she didn’t yet have the answers, she’d just tell her what she did know and write again once she was settled in Miradero.

  Dear Emma,

  This is the hardest letter I’ve ever written, and I really wish I could have told you this in person. I can’t come to your birthday party. Grandpa is sending my dad out West, to a little town called Miradero. Dad’s going to oversee a new rail line that will go all the way to the ocean. Dad says it’s a very important project, and that if it’s not successful, JP & Sons will lose everything. So Dad has to go. And that means he’s going to be living out there.

  Here’s the harder part. I’m going with him. Grandpa and Aunt Cora want me to stay in the city, but how can I do that? I’ve already lost my mom. I don’t want to live without my dad, too. So I’m leaving. This morning. That’s why there’s no time to say good-bye in person.

  I don’t know how long we’ll be gone. Dad says it could be a long time.

  I know we always talk about new adventures, but this one is happening so fast, I’m scared. And even though I’m not yet on the train, I already miss you!

  Emma, I hope with all my heart that you have the best birthday party ever. And I promise that I will write you lots of letters. As soon as I can, I will come back for a visit. And as soon as you can, you must come and visit me.

  I will send you my address when I find out what it is.

  Your best friend forever and ever,

  Lucky

  PS: Don’t let Madame Barrow turn you into a work of art. I like you just the way you are.

  PPS: I hope you like the present I got for you.

  When Jim headed downstairs, he found Lucky sitting on her stack of trunks in front of the door. “You’re ready?” he asked with surprise.

  She nodded, trying to present him with a cheerful face, but her stomach still ached. It had been odd not to put on her school uniform. But almost everything about this morning was odd. Jim knelt beside her and took her hand in both of his. For as long as she could remember, her father’s gaze had calmed her. When the world felt too loud or too judgmental, she’d look into his blue eyes and feel safe. “It’s perfectly normal to be afraid,” he said. “But not everything ahead of us is unknown. We’ll be together. We’ll have a nice house. You’ll make new friends.”

  “An I hope ya find a nice housekeeper,” said Mrs. MacFinn as she dried her hands on a tea towel. Lucky noticed that her nose and eyes were equally puffy and red. “Ya need ta be fed.”

  “Of course we could never replace you,” Jim told her with a wink. “No one can make a chicken liver pie like Mrs. MacFinn.”

  “Aye, that be tha truth.”

  Jim turned back to Lucky. “Miradero will have everything we need, like a general store and… well, I think there’s a general store. Actually, I’m not sure.” He shrugged. “I guess we’ll figure it out when we get there.”

  Mrs. MacFinn began crying again. “I cannae believe ya be leavin’.”

  “Now, now.” Jim stood and patted her on the back. “You and your husband will be happy here. This is your house, too, and with Mr. MacFinn’s help, you’ll look after it for us. Lucky and I are relying on you to keep the place clean and tidy. And one day, we’ll be back.” Mrs. MacFinn blew her nose loudly into a handkerchief.

  The familiar clip-clop of horse hooves drew Lucky’s attention. She looked out the window just as a white mare and carriage stopped in front of the house. The driver jumped down, opened the carriage door, and James Prescott Sr. emerged. He set his top hat upon his head and pursed his lips in a sour expression. Then he shook his fist at his driver and began hollering about something. “Looks like he’s crankier than usual,” Jim said. “Defensive positions, everyone.” Lucky laughed for the first time that morning.

  Jim opened the door, greeting his father with exaggerated surprise. “Father? What brings you here on this lovely spring morning?”

  “You know dang well what brings me here!” James Sr. bellowed. “I just got your note!” He stomped into the foyer, then scowled at Lucky. “I’m not happy about this, young lady. You’re going against my wishes.”

  He was definitely crankier than usual. “Grandpa, I—”

  Jim stepped protectively in front of Lucky. “Father, I don’t mean to seem disrespectful, but if I’m going to Miradero, then Lucky’s going to Miradero. I’m her father and she’s my daughter. We’re a team and we’re staying together.”

  James Sr. folded his arms, his scowl deepening. “Is this what you want as well, Lucky?”

  Lucky peered around her father’s waist and nodded.

  “Is this your final decision?” Lucky nodded again. James Sr. exhaled so violently, his mustache vibrated. “I declare, you two are the most stubborn people I have ever met!”

  “We get that from you, Father.” Jim patted his dad on the back.

  “Very well. So be it!” As those words echoed off the foyer walls, James Sr.’s expression relaxed and his anger was replaced with resignation. Lucky couldn’t remember ever seeing her grandfather defeated. “Just remember, young lady, if you change your mind and decide you don’t like it out there, your aunt and I will welcome you back with open arms.”

  “Thank you.” Lucky hurried forward and hugged her grandfather around his large belly. She loved him dearly. It was true what Mrs. MacFinn always said about him—that his bark was worse than his bite. The hug lasted only a moment because she realized someone was missing. “Where’s Aunt Cora?”

  “No idea whatsoever. She read your father’s note that you two were leaving this morning, and she disappeared. I assume she’s at one of her blasted meetings. Don’t know why she spends so much time with all those committees. Seems to me we’ve got enough culture in this city already.”

  Lucky frowned. She’d wanted to give her aunt a good-bye hug. As much as Cora was way too strict for her liking, as Lucky had heard her dad refer to her aunt, Lucky knew she was going to miss her. Were those meetings really more important to her? “Would you say good-bye for me?” Lucky asked.

  “Of course I will.” Was that a tear in her grandfather’s eye? He quickly turned away.

  Jim left instructions with Mr. MacFinn to deliver a letter to Madame Barrow, explaining Lucky’s withdrawal from school. Lucky gave him her letter for Emma and the birthday present she’d picked out and wrapped weeks ago. It was a leather-bound journal in which Emma could write her own stories. Mr. MacFinn promised to make the deliveries that very day.

  The driver placed all the trunks atop the carriage and secured them with a rope. Then James Sr., Jim, and Lucky climbed in. Mr. and Mrs. MacFinn stood on the porch, waving. It was the most tearful morning Lucky could remember, and she was glad when she could no longer see the old couple. She was having trouble holding back her own tears!

  The journey to the station was uneventful. No carriage accidents blocked the road. No cowgirls or show horses drew crowds. The roadway remained clear. “When we get there, I’ll have them attach the Prescott car,” James Sr. said. Like most families of wealth and influence, the Prescotts possessed a private railcar that could be coupled to any train, for traveling in comfort and privacy. And as the owner of the railroad, James Sr. had the fanciest car ever built, complete with a living room, sleeping room, kitchen, and an office for business.

  “Father, that’s not necessary,” Jim said. “In fact, I think it’s best we don’t arrive in Miradero like a king and his princess. I don’t want to make that first impression.”


  James Sr. grumbled beneath his mustache. Then he pounded a clenched fist on the side of the carriage. “I’ll not have my family traveling in one of the passenger cars with the riffraff. If you won’t use our private car, then you’ll take a first-class cabin, and you’ll not argue with me on this one!”

  Jim nodded at Lucky and she nodded back. They knew when to pick their battles.

  Lucky had been to the train station many times in her life, but never with so much luggage. She’d taken day trips to visit her cousins, but this particular journey would take many days and require sleeping on the train, which she’d never done. These unknowns, coupled with the fact that she would be cooped up, heightened her feelings of trepidation. Once they closed the doors, would she feel like a caged bird? Her legs twitched just thinking about it.

  A porter stacked the trunks onto a wheeled cart and took them away to load them onboard the train. The station was loud, with attendants hollering directions and vendors hawking wares. Passengers rushed about. There were families with kids in tow. Couples arm in arm. One lady carried a cat in a wooden box. The poor thing looked out from the box with wide eyes, appearing as scared as Lucky secretly felt. Where was everyone going?

  The air was stifling and thick with steam and the overpowering scent of hot grease. This was James Sr.’s world, his kingdom, and he appeared years younger as he walked proudly past his workers, tipping his top hat now and then. Lucky and Jim followed, making their way through the station house and out onto the platform. A train waited on the tracks. The initials JP were painted on the sides in gold leaf. The engine was fired and ready to go, hissing and gurgling, making quick pshhht sounds. The driver leaned out and saluted James Sr. “Top of the morning to ya, sir,” he shouted. James Sr. saluted back. They passed the crowded passenger cars, where people reached out windows to wave good-bye to friends and family. They passed a luggage car and a mail car.

  “All aboard!” the conductor called as he paced back and forth. When he recognized James Sr., he hurried over. “Good morning, sir; are you traveling today? I had no idea. Shall we send for your private car?”

  “My son and granddaughter are traveling to Miradero, and they will require only a first-class cabin,” James Sr. said.

  The conductor raised his eyebrows, but wisely didn’t question this decision. “Right this way.”

  The first-class car was at the back of the train, the optimal location because it was far from the hot and noisy engine. As they reached it, James Sr. stopped walking and set a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Jim,” he said. “I’m an old man. You know what that means?”

  “That you’re wiser than me?” Jim responded with a wry smile.

  “Yes, obviously. But it also means that I’m not sure how much time I have left.” Was that another tear in his eye? “I expect you to bring Lucky back for a visit sooner rather than later. Do you understand? I intend to see my granddaughter many more times before I’m called home.”

  Jim pushed his blond hair away from his eyes, his expression one of sudden pain. “Yes, of course, Father. Don’t worry. You’ll see Lucky again. I promise.” Then he gave his father a bear hug. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Son.”

  “Last call. All aboard!” the conductor hollered.

  Lucky hugged her grandfather again. Her heart pounded as she climbed the steps to the first-class car. This was it. Not a story by Jules Verne. Not a dream. They were really leaving for an adventure. But just as she reached the top step, a voice yelled, “Wait for me!” Lucky turned and gasped.

  Cora Prescott was running—in public. With pure determination frozen on her face, she frantically pumped her legs, purse in one hand, her other hand holding her hat in place. Lucky grinned and jumped back onto the platform. “Aunt Cora!” she called. Her aunt had come to say good-bye after all. But that’s when she noticed a porter running alongside Cora, his wheeled cart stacked with trunks. Each trunk was embossed with the gold initials CP.

  “Cora, what is the meaning of this?” James Sr. asked.

  She came to an abrupt stop, gasping for breath. “Father, you cannot deter me.”

  “Ma’am, the train is scheduled to leave promptly,” the conductor told her.

  “Then I suggest you get my trunks onboard quickly.” The porter began to lug them onto the first-class luggage car.

  “Cora?” James Sr. bellowed.

  “Father!” She stomped her foot. “There’s no time to debate.”

  “Wait.” Lucky’s joy at seeing her aunt vanished in a heartbeat. “Are you coming with us?” Maybe her aunt was taking a trip to a different town. Any town. But please, oh please, not to Miradero.

  “Yes indeed, I am coming with you,” she replied with stiff resolve. The pheasant feather on her hat bobbed in agreement. “Cora Prescott is going to Miradero.” Everyone looked at James Sr. Lucky clenched her jaw. Her grandfather appeared unable to speak. His mouth hung open in shock.

  Cora raised a hand in the air, as if giving a speech to her Social Betterment Society. Even though strands of her bun had come undone and her hat was askew, she still held herself with confidence. “I searched my heart and my conscience, and I believe, without a doubt, that there is no way I can allow Lucky to be on her own in that wild place. She has no mother and thus it is my duty, as her closest female relative, to look after her.”

  “Cora, this is unnecessary,” Jim said. “Lucky and I will be fine. Besides, how can you leave your clubs and committees?”

  “My mind is set. I am determined to look after Lucky and bring civility to the frontier. A challenge has been presented to me, and Prescotts do not run from challenges. ”

  Lucky cringed. Aunt Cora was truly coming with them? This was terrible. Now the West would be filled with rules. There’d be appearances to keep up, and all those lectures. But there was still a chance this wouldn’t happen. She looked to her grandfather, hoping he’d forbid it.

  Instead, what came out of his mouth surprised everyone, even the conductor. “I think it sounds like an excellent idea.”

  What? Lucky couldn’t believe it. He was letting Cora go to Miradero? She looked closer at her grandfather’s face and detected a slight smile hiding beneath his mustache. Was he secretly glad to have Cora leaving? Of course he was. She probably lectured him all the time, too. Now he’d be able to chew with his mouth open, to eat with whichever fork he wanted. He’d be able to enjoy a meal in peace.

  The train whistle blew. “Last call! All aboard!”

  “We’d better hurry,” Jim said. He hustled Lucky and Cora up the steps. As the train began to pull out of the station, Lucky turned to wave good-bye to her grandfather, but steam swirled around him, erasing him from view. Lucky told herself that she’d see him again. That she’d see Emma again, too.

  A porter led them into their first-class cabin. Two bench seats faced each other, comfortably padded and elegantly upholstered. Purple velvet curtains with pretty yellow sashes hung on the window, and a lovely Persian rug decorated the floor. There was a small closet with a shelf for small personal items. Lucky pressed her face to the window, watching as the station slowly disappeared. Cora collapsed onto the seat across from her. “Cora? Are you okay?” Jim asked.

  She didn’t reply. She stared straight ahead, wide-eyed and pale. Lucky had never known her aunt to be speechless.

  “Ma’am, would you like some coffee?” The first-class car came with an attendant, who began to pour black coffee into a china cup. “How far are you going?” he asked Jim.

  “All the way to Miradero.” Jim handed the cup to Cora, who took it with trembling hands.

  “Miradero?” the attendant said. “That’s sure a long way to go. Why, that’s the end of the line.”

  “End of the line?” Cora gasped. “Oh dear, what have I done?”

  10

  Lucky, Jim, and Cora spent two nights in their private sleeping berths—snug bunks that were tucked behind curtains. Lucky’s bunk was warm and cozy, and despite all
the questions and worries swirling around in her head, the thrumming of the wheels against the tracks quickly lulled her to sleep. When she awoke on the third morning, the first thing she did was roll over and look out the window. “Wow.”

  The landscape had changed dramatically. Gone were the cities. Gone was the river they’d been following. The train now chugged its way through a mountain pass. Craggy gray mountains loomed overhead, some still wearing the last vestiges of snow on their peaks, like hats. The sight was beautiful.

  Lucky got dressed and slid out of the bunk. Jim was awake, drinking his coffee and reading a paper from the day before. “When will we get there?” Lucky asked.

  “We should arrive tomorrow, midday,” he said. Then he put a finger to his lip. “Your aunt is still sleeping. Let’s not wake her unnecessarily.”

  Lucky agreed. They’d spent most of yesterday listening to Cora complain. The train was too bumpy. The air was too stuffy. Jim had politely reminded her that she could get off at any station and take a return train home. “Prescotts do not run from challenges,” she’d replied.

  As they drew closer to their new home, more questions popped into Lucky’s head. She wanted to know everything. “Dad, where will we live when we get to Miradero?”

  “Your grandfather hired workers to build a house out there, a couple of years back. He knew he’d need a place to stay when the expansion of the railroad got started.”

  “What kind of house?”

  “I’ve never seen it, but knowing your grandfather, it won’t be a one-room cabin.” Jim chuckled. Then he noticed Lucky’s swinging legs. “Let’s get some exercise,” he said. They walked up and down the corridor as quickly as they could, then turned it into a race to see who could walk the fastest. Five times up and down. Then five more. Each challenge ended in a tie. Cora would not have approved, but she was still sleeping. Lucky and her father raced until they were both out of breath. The exercise helped settle Lucky’s worried thoughts. But with so much unknown waiting for her at the end of the line, the relief was temporary.