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“But where’s Benteen?” Lorna murmured

It was an eternity of minutes before she spotted his started shaking and she felt amost sick with relief

“The excite both women discreetly “Why don’t you sit yourselves down and have some coffee?”

“Thank you,” Mary said “I think ill”

The coffee was so strong and black that Lorna nearly gagged on the first s

“Ely always said h was thin “I didn’t believe him when he said you could float a pistol in trail coffee”

Untying the bow to her bonnet, Lorna slipped it off and sreement to Mary’s re coffee partially revived her, despite its appalling taste

Benteen stayed with the herd until it had been watered and thrown off the trail to graze awhile before bedding down for the night When he rode to ca the cavvy in so each rider could get his night horse for his two-hour watch He dison

Rusty handed hi “Anybody hurt?”

“Nope” Benteen held the cup while Rusty poured it full of coffee fro hole and went down, but he went off clear of the herd Says he’s all right” He drank the coffee down, not giving it a chance to cool

“All that coave your bride quite a scare” Rusty passed on the inforlance toward the wagon

Lorna stood poised at the back of the covered wagon, an uncertainty in her manner as she stared at Benteen He set the cup on the makeshift worktable of the chuck box and crossed the ca hies Unconvinced, she searched his face when he finally stopped in front of her

“Are you all right?” she asked

“Not a scratch” The corners of his mouth deepened at this concern for him

She swayed toward him, then slid her hands around histhan his words “I was so worried,” Lorna admitted, and felt a hand on her hair