Lone Star Bride. Jolene Navarro

All the dust was never going to clear her lungs.

      “Here, drink this.” Jackson stood above her and handed her a metal cup. He tossed something on the ground behind her, but she was more intrigued with the content of his gift. It looked like tea. It smelled like tea.

      A small sip confirmed her guess. She sighed as the warm liquid slid down her sore throat.

      She moaned. Tea. “Where did you get this? I would trade my kingdom for another cup.”

      He just smiled at her, then stared off into the velvet night sky.

      “It’s pure bliss.” She closed her eyes and groaned again as she took a slow sip. It was bad manners, but she didn’t care.

      Digging in his vest pocket, he pulled out a small tin before lowering his long body on the ground next to her. He draped one arm over his knee and with the other offered the small box. “Here, coat your lips with this. It tastes bitter, but it’ll soothe the skin.”

      Too tired to ask questions, she smothered the damaged skin.

      Relief. Closing her eyes, she sighed and leaned against the large wagon wheel. “Thank you.” She handed it back to him. As much as she wanted to stash it away, she didn’t want to appear weak and needy.

      “You keep it. I always bring two, and if you keep a light layer on during the day, you won’t need as much at night. You should also cover your face. The sun will eat your skin right off your bones.”

      “Right now my bones are so sore they wouldn’t notice.” There was a heat to her skin she’d never experienced before. Another pesky insect made a buzzing noise before landing on her face. She slapped at it and got it, leaving a splatter of blood on her hand. Gross.

      Taking her hand, he used a bandanna to wipe the bright red stain away. “I hear the closer we get to Louisiana the bigger the mosquitoes get. Soon enough we’ll be able to saddle them and fly over the herd.”

      She couldn’t help but laugh. “Now that would be a sight. Driving the herd from the air.” She groaned. “Maybe we could even breathe some fresh air that isn’t heavy with dust. I really don’t know how the bugs are even finding my skin.”

      “Cook says we’ll be getting rain soon, which will create a new mess of troubles.”

      A star fell from the sky, leaving a trail. “Did you see that?” She pointed. “A falling star. It looks different out here than it does from a porch.”

      Scooting down, she lay flat on the ground and studied the endless sky. “Do you think our loved ones are looking down on us?”

      “Never really thought about it that way.” A few feet away he stretched out on his back, his hands behind his bare head.

      He sighed. Silence lingered between them. The music from the cowboys softened as some moved out to watch the herd. Cook rambled around in the wagon.

      “Do you have family back in Kentucky?”

      “Not anymore.”

      The gruff reply reminded her about the code she had learned earlier today.

      Man, she was a slow learner. “Oh look, Leo is out.” Maybe he’d let her blunder slide if she changed the subject. Scanning the sky like her father taught her, she found the Big Dipper. “Ursa Major is really clear tonight. You can see all seven hunters.”

      “You know the constellations?”

      “Not as well as my brother. No matter how hard I tried, he always found more and could remember all their names. He would even beat our father.”

      “You have a brother?”

      The stars blurred, and moisture hovered over her bottom eyelashes. “I had a brother. I lost him when I lost my mother.”

      “So you’re completely alone in the world?”

      Her father came to mind. “What happened to the rule of not asking about someone’s past?” Today she thought of her father as the three fierce warriors had stared at her. Somehow Papi had become a stranger who wouldn’t even talk to her or listen. Had he found her braid and her letter yet? Guilt burned her insides. “Is there a way to get a telegram to someone? I’ve never sent one before.”

      “You’re pretty educated to know about sending telegrams. Little Tiago, there seems to be a great deal you haven’t told me. The code does not apply to you because you lied to me. And you’re a woman. The code is a man’s code.” He turned and leaned on his left arm. “Who do you want to send a message to?”

      “That’s not fair. But then again that wouldn’t surprise me. Women have always had to deal with uneven scales.” With a shrug, she tried to keep it uneventful. “It’s no big deal. Just someone back at the ranch who might be worried. What about you? Is there someone waiting for you?”