The River Girl's Christmas (Texas Women of Spirit Book 4) by Angela Castillo Page B

away.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

12
Rescue
     
    Z illia carried Margo into the big room. The adults stood in the corner, talking in hushed voices.
    Wylder touched her shoulder. “Orrie said they were playing with the kittens in the barn, and Patsy mentioned she needed to go find something. They didn’t think anything of it until they realized she’d been gone for a while. When Grandpa came out, he noticed the smallest lantern and a box of matches were missing.”
    “She might have gone back to your house, Zillia” said Grandma Louise. “It’s not far, and if she had the lantern, she could make her way even in the dark.”
    “Or she could have gone to her granny’s.” Zillia tapped her chin. “She was telling me about a pet cat there. Maybe she decided to go find it on her own.”
    “I don’t know where Mrs. Barnes lives, so I’ll take Will and Henry to look at your house,” Grandpa Walt offered.
    “I’ll take care of Orrie and Margo here. Lone Warrior and Soonie can stay and rest,” said Grandma Louise.
    Soonie came behind Zillia. “I want to go with them. I’ve rested plenty.” She patted Lone Warrior’s hand. “Is that all right with you?”
    “Be careful.” Lone Warrior took her hand and kissed it.
    The corners of Wylder’s mouth drew down into a frown. Taking Zillia’s hand, he pulled her outside. “Do you think it’s safe for him to stay here with Grandma?” he whispered to her.
    “Wylder Eckhart! I can’t believe you would say such a thing! For one thing, he’s wounded. I don’t think he’s capable of making much trouble. He seems like a good person. Soonie obviously thinks the world of him.”
    Wylder grunted, turned on his heel, and moved towards the barn with swift strides. “Let’s take the horses instead of the wagon,” he called over his shoulder.  “They’ll get us there faster. Since she went on foot, we might even catch her on the road.”
    Soonie joined Zillia, and they went to the barn to help Wylder. In a short time, the horses were saddled and bridled, and they were on their way.
    Wylder brought the big lantern, holding it high as they rode. Dim moonlight filtered through the clouds with little effect. But the horses knew the road well, and the mud had dried in most places.
    “Oh, I hope we find her.” Zillia shivered beneath her shawl. “It’s cold out here and she’s such a little thing.”
    “She seems pretty capable, though,” said Soonie. “Wylder and I used to camp way out in the woods when we weren’t much older.”
    “What’s going to happen to her?” Wylder asked. “I mean, if her grandma doesn’t get better?”
    “I don’t know. Her mother took the baby and ran off with some man. Her brother and sister are staying with her aunt. Mrs. Fowler said it’s possible all of the children will have to go to an orphanage in Austin. But that would be just awful,” said Zillia. She batted her eyelashes at Wyler.
    “I know what that look means.” Wylder gave a wry smile. “And I know what you’re thinking. We do have room for another, and one extra mouth wouldn’t be much. But all three?” He shook his head. “Why don’t we wait until after Christmas and see what happens with her granny?”
    “If you saw the inside of that house, you wouldn’t want to send her back there.” Zillia wrinkled her nose. “It was awful.”
    Soonie drew her horse up closer to Zillia’s. “I don’t know how people can raise children in places like that,” “Even on the reservation where most families have nothing, the women work hard to keep everything sparkling clean. And when someone is sick, all the families pitch in to help.”
    “That’s just it. We offered help several times. The old woman refused it. You saw Patsy, she’s just skin and bones. Though I’ve done my best to fatten her up the last few days.”
    “She is pretty skinny,” Wylder agreed. “We’ll see. The most