1
EMILY
The sway of the coach should have lulled me to sleep, especially with the heat of the day making the small space stifling. The flaps on two of the windows were open to fresh air, but the continuous stirring of dust from the large wheels had us considering the heat the lesser of two evils. Caroline, my remaining travel companion, was asleep, her head tilted back as she leaned into the corner, her small mouth open. The never ending boredom had my mind restless. I was too nervous to rest, my hands pressed tightly together in my lap, as if I could hold myself down. I wanted to jump out of the stage and run in the opposite direction, but there was nothing but endless prairie for miles and miles around. The Montana Territory was not a place to roam alone, without a weapon, food or any
