T
MISSOURI, 1885
HANKS TO THE FULL moon, the wellworn path from the house to the road at the edge of the farm was brightly lit. Emmy peered into the darkness. She tensed when she saw nothing, then relaxed at the nearby sound of a horse’s nicker. “Luanne?” she whispered. “Over here,” came the hushed response. She moved quickly toward the voice, and then saw her friend astride the Gilmore family’s big bay mare. “Are you certain that Dinah can carry both of us?” Lu smiled. “Easily. My father rides her almost every day, and he weighs more than the two of us combined.” She pulled her foot from the left stirrup. “Give me that carpetbag. Then hoist yourself up behind me.” Emmy raised her skirt above her waist and clutched the material to her chest with her right arm. She put her left foot in the stirrup. Lu took her left hand and pulled her upward. She landed on the horse’s back with a thud and rearranged her skirt. They were ready to begin their clandestine journey.
At five and a half feet tall, Emmy’s slender frame and innocent demeanor gave no hint of the intense, determined woman within. Her unruly light brown hair fell loosely around her shoulders. Her dark blue eyes betrayed none of her feelings. They rode for five hours at a deliberately slow pace. At first light, they came upon the railroad crossing in the town of Independence. After a short ride alongside the tracks, they finally reached the train depot. Emmy waited while Lu went inside and bought a ticket. The next train to Kansas City was expected in less than two hours. Unbeknownst to the people that would soon be searching for her, Emmy Carson would be on that train. Lu gave her the ticket. “I’m worried. So many things could go wrong.” “If anything goes awry, I’ll simply have to think of something else.” She frowned. “No matter what happens, I refuse to marry that dreadful man.” Lu nodded. “I have to leave you now. I have to make it home in a few hours.” She winked. “I wouldn’t want to be late for your wedding.”
