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To the west Corinne could make out a cluster of trees surrounding a muddy lake and she continued north. When she saw the Canadian River in the distance she prepared herself to cross the wide expanse of water. She slowed her stallion enough to hit the river safely as the other two riders ahead of her ran headlong into the water. The river’s banks were wide and gritty, giving the impression that the water was shallow, but their horses disappeared suddenly under the rushing water, struggling to swim as the current swept them downstream. Corinne slowed Boomer even more. One rider pulled up alongside of her and also slowed his massive mount before both of them splashed into the water. The rider’s face was red and lined and his expression determined. Corinne felt the spray of water against her face as he leapt into the river beside her.

  She urged Boomer on into the river and he walked swiftly into the water. He didn’t panic when he lost his footing and began to tread water. He swam well and fast and, although the current was strong, he made his way steadily across. Corinne felt the first footstep as he again found solid ground and climbed the river bank. Her skirts dripping over the horse’s back cooled both rider and mount and they continued the race across the countryside. She could feel the hot wind stinging her face and arms and her breath was lost in her throat. Soon, she told herself, soon she would see the place she desperately needed to reach.

  Riders suddenly overtook her, galloping past her frantically. Corinne dug her heels into Boomer and screamed his name aloud. She knew there was prime land ahead of her and others were likely to be headed there as well. “Run, Boomer, run!” she yelled. Her breath was caught by the wind and she clung tightly to the young stallion’s back.

  Continuing north Corinne could feel Boomer start to tire. She allowed him to slow his pace for nearly a mile as she had planned and he continued to move well. Corinne knew that they would still need to cover several miles and that he’d run better with a second wind. She didn’t panic when a few riders raced past.

  When she reached the last landmark that she was seeking she urged him ahead.

  “Now, Boomer! Go! Run!” As Corrine dug her heels into his flanks another rider pulled alongside of them and Boomer could feel his presence. He stretched ahead and she saw the green grasslands in the distance. To the east lay the hills and the trees Lee Highland had described to her. She urged Boomer on again. A few paces more and the other rider fell behind. Then she outpaced the other riders who had passed her earlier and overtook them.

  Corinne saw it there. A perfect spot with a creek and trees, cross timbers across green grassland. She searched the landscape for the white marker and then she saw it. A pale canvas flag with numbers standing upright from the earth.

  Chapter Twenty

  Corinne heard the pounding of hooves coming up behind her as she urged her horse towards the marker flag. “Run, Boomer!” she screamed and the horse leapt ahead. She came within several feet of the flag and she knew the other rider was close behind. She jumped from Boomer’s back, her green flag in hand, and ran to the marker pulling out the white flag and replacing it with her own green one. Her flag unfurled in the breeze.

  The other rider’s horse reared over her and Corinne rolled away in the dust. The man on the horse swore at her and circled her, threatening her as she lay in the dirt, her arms across her face.

  Boomer circled wide and ran back towards his mistress rearing and neighing loudly. He bared his teeth violently and leapt at the larger horse. The steed lunged forward and Boomer advanced. Corinne whistled piercingly as the stranger on the big stallion dropped from his horse’s back and ran towards her.

  “This is my claim! I have placed my flag!” Corinne shouted. “Move on!” She struggled to get to her feet brandishing the marker flag she had pulled from the ground.

  Tupper Hawkins dropped onto her, pinning her to the ground and wrestling the flag from her frantic hands.

  “They’ll hang you!” Corrine spat. “I have placed my flag!”

  He pressed her to the dry earth and flung the flag down beside them. Corinne squealed and scratched at his face.

  The back of his hand stung as it met her cheek and Corinne spat and kicked her legs. The stranger pinned her wrists to the earth.

  Tupper Hawkins hissed. “You ain’t claimin’ this land for no fancy officer. I’ve got kids to feed. If you saw them starvin’ every day the way I do you’d never take this land from me. I have a right to this land and I won’t let you take it!”

  Corinne screamed. “Get off me you damned fool! This is my land! I claimed it! Get off me. Get off!”

  Corinne wrestled her arm free from his grasp and he pressed her to the ground.

  All winter Hawkins had listened to his children wail in the night while his wife stirred a nearly empty pot. He needed land and this was a good piece with water nearby. He might be able to make it here.

  Both horses screamed and whinnied as Boomer stomped in his attempts to get to Corinne’s side. But Hawkins’ big stallion reared, forcing him back.

  Hawkins looked at the woman beneath him. He heard the twang in her voice. She was plain Texas. She was clearly beautiful but she was no high class, rich woman. She wasn’t much different from him. Her face was tanned and freckled and he could see that her hands were rough and dry from work. If she were a bit thinner she wouldn’t be much different from his wife, Eve, either. And now here she was, fighting for her life and she was terrified.

  Hawkins asked himself what he was prepared to do. Would he kill this Texas woman over this parcel of land? And if he did, would he get away with it?

  Corinne began to scream loudly and Hawkins let go of her hands and got to his feet. He glared at her with pain and hatred in his eyes and whistled for his horse. Uncertain how she was involved with the lieutenant he spat in the dust and stomped back to his horse.

  Hawkins climbed onto the animal’s back, pulled him around and sprinted off towards the south.

  Corinne called to Boomer and struggled to get to her feet. She pulled the gun from the saddlebag, her hands shaking violently. Wrapping her arms around Boomer’s neck she laid her head against him and panted hard, fighting to catch her breath. Boomer stomped in agitation. Corinne ran her trembling hand along his neck, both of them gasping for air. Almost immediately several riders rode up in steady succession. None of them threatened her and they all turned to continue their ride.

  Corinne staggered towards the creek and nearly collapsed into the water. Boomer stomped around her protectively and it was not until Corinne breathed easy that he trotted to the water and drank.

  She pulled a shirt from her bags, dipped it into the cool water and then gently washed it over his flanks. Boomer snorted softly. Riders continued by, seeing Corinne’s flag planted into the earth, and they continued on their way. Corrine tucked the numbered white flag out of sight into Boomer’s saddlebag.

  “We’re home, Boomer. You did it! We got our land!” Corinne put her forehead against his shoulder and began to sob deeply. “In a few days we’ll go get Mince and the stove and all our things. We did it,” she choked through her tears. All of her fears and worries came to the surface with all of her relief. She would never have been happy or free if she had to depend on Daniel. He had been there for her all her life but now he had a family of his own. Now none of that was a concern. She had done it. She had ridden hard and would have her land. Her own land.

  Now she saw riders coming and going in both directions. There had to be some back tracking, she thought. Some had gone deep into the territory only to find that the parcels had been taken by those racing in from other directions. Now they tried to race back to parcels they had passed up earlier. She wondered how many had been claimed by the sooners and if all of the claims had been taken already.

  Corinne checked the marker flag she had pulled from the earth and memorized the numbers painted on the canvas. The flag was her proof of what she had earned. Now she would have a home of her own. She watched a lone wagon rolling across the plains in the distance back towards the for
t.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  In the distance Eve Hawkins could see the lone, white flag waving in the wind. The land there was dry, not much more than a trickle of a stream running along one side of the plot. It was not exactly what she and Hawk had dreamed of but she kicked up the old team. She climbed from the wagon and stepped up to the flag reverently. There were others returning across the plains without flags at all. She was not sure where Hawk had ridden to but she did not want to risk not claiming land. When she saw him riding up in the distance she looked hard to see if he carried one of the big canvas flags. As he neared she could see that his shoulders were slumped and he had no flag. This parcel was not far from the border or from the fort and it might lack privacy but Eve had claimed them land. It would become their home.

  When Hawkins slid from the back of his horse his face was drawn.

  “It’ll be good land,” Eve assured him. “It’ll be our own. We’ll make it, you’ll see.”

  Tupper Hawkins grunted in reply.

  Corinne collected herself and led Boomer around the property. Each parcel of land covered 160 acres. Corinne’s claim was prime prairie land. She walked north along the wide creek, ducking through the line of trees into an open area. Within a few yards of the creek was a wide hill and Corinne tethered the horse and walked up. The knoll stood twenty feet high and spread out fifty feet at its base. It would be perfect for a dugout house. Corinne ran down the slope to the river and pulled a branch from one of the twisted trees. She plunged it into the ground and examined the soft clay soil.

  “Bricks,” she said aloud. Corinne walked back to the hill and circled the base. She began to formulate a plan to dig into the mound to build her home. As soon as she registered her land she would begin. Corinne walked back to where she had put her flag into the ground.

  She found a shaded spot underneath a pretty, wild persimmon tree where she could see her marker flag and pulled a jar of fruit from her bags. Corinne sat in the soft grass and turned open the lid on the jar. On the air she could smell the fragrant scent of a plum berry. She plunged her pocket knife into a sweet peach in the jar and popped the fruit into her mouth, tucking it into her cheek while she enjoyed the taste.

  She heard the clear chirp of a mockingbird and looked up into the tree branches. He tweeted and jumped down the branches until he was quite close and called out brightly. Corinne smiled and bit into the peach. Every muscle in her body ached and she watched Boomer pace around slowly stretching his legs.

  He’d done well for a young horse and he’d earned this land as well. Corinne thought about how much she loved him and how terribly she missed Mince.

  “Why aren’t men devoted like you?” Corinne called out to him. “Then love would be so easy.”

  She watched a few more riders pass in the distance. Then no one passed anymore and Corinne knew the rush was over. She stretched out her legs and popped another peach into her mouth.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Lieutenant Lee Highland directed the troops to take an injured man back to the fort and shoot his horse. Too many had raced that were not prepared. Some did not ride well. Others had wagons that were in disrepair or were overloaded. Now the prairie was scattered with them. Some were lucky to only be injured because there were those who had paid the ultimate price trying to fulfill their dreams of owning their own land. In the first hour after the run Lee’s men had shot a dozen horses and pulled several men from tangled wrecks. Part of him could understand. He’d dreamt of a place of his own as well.

  “What would I do with land?” he thought to himself. He wasn’t a rancher or a farmer. He could shoot well and ride even better. He liked being a peacekeeper, but he’d had enough of the service. He considered Corinne’s suggestion.

  Highland rode over the territory until he was certain that all the injured were taken care of and he turned his stallion north. His responsibilities were met for the day and he could not get Corinne Greslin off his mind. Soon he had Chief running hard. Settlers watched him race across the landscape.

  “I thought the cavalry men couldn’t claim land,” one pioneer said to his wife.

  Another settler saw the big soldier and mistakenly thought he was racing toward him and threw up his hands. “I didn’t mean nothing!” he yelled. “Don’t shoot me!”

  Highland reined in Chief and circled the man.

  “I’m one of the sooners. I admit it!” the man cried. “Here, I’ll put the marker back. Please don’t shoot me.” The man got onto his horse and rode away quickly. An elderly couple was crossing the plain at a steady pace and Highland called out to them.

  “Here! There’s an unclaimed plot here!”

  The couple hurried to the plot and called out their thanks as Lee resumed his run. When he reached the area where he had directed Corinne he slowed his horse and searched the landscape.

  He found her pacing the boundaries of her plot. Corinne was taking long strides, one foot in front of the other, slowly across the land. Her heavy skirt swung with each step and she swung her arms as well. Her young stallion followed her steadily, tossing his head.

  Lee could hear her singing in a soft voice and he slipped from his saddle and walked toward her.

  Boomer snorted and Corinne turned to see the officer walking across the grassland. He smiled broadly and she did not even care.

  “You appear to be quite happy,” Lee said.

  Corinne’s face was filthy. Pale streaks ran down her cheeks and her hair was tangled with dried grass. Her skirts were liberally covered in caked mud and her chest glistened with perspiration. Highland was sure he had never seen a woman quite so dirty, or so beautiful.

  “I did it,” she said proudly. “It’s all mine.” Corinne smiled broadly, spreading her arms wide.

  Lee could not help but chuckle.

  “I never felt that way,” Corinne confided. “The way I did while we ran.” She wrapped her arm around Boomer’s neck and stroked him warmly. “It was terrifying and amazing. He got me through, he ran so well and now this is mine.”

  Highland watched her muddied hand as she ran it along the stallion’s neck and found it completely provocative.

  Corinne looked into his grey eyes and froze. She recognized his expression immediately. She looked down at the ground and took a deep breath.

  “Congratulations,” Highland said quietly.

  Corinne again met his eyes and nodded once silently.

  “I’ll witness your claim. We can ride back to the fort and you can get registered first thing in the morning. There’s no need to stay out here alone tonight,” Lee said.

  She studied his face. The thought of being out alone did not usually frighten her, but she would have felt better with Mince around. She couldn’t help thinking about the man who had fought her for the flag and she rubbed her wrist where he had held her fast to the ground. Was he gone now or close by? Though she’d feel safer with the lieutenant escorting her back to the fort, she also did not want to give him the idea that she was interested in him in any way.

  “I’ll ride back, but I like being alone. Alright?”

  Highland considered her statement.

  “Alright,” he said.

  Chapter Twenty-Thre e

  The Lieutenant looked at Corinne’s muddy face and scratched his chin. She was beautiful, but she was undeniably a mess. He considered keeping his observation to himself and then imagined what she would say if she were to see her own face. She might not appreciate that he did not point out the streaks of mud before they returned to the fort.

  “We’ll head back then after you wash up,” he said, as tactfully as possible.

  Corinne furrowed her brow and ran her finger down her check. When she held the digit up in front of her face she could see that it was filthy. She walked around to Boomer and pulled a small mirror from her saddle bag. Corinne was shocked. She barely recognized herself behind the caked mask of dust and streaks from her earlier tears. Stuffing the mirror back into the bag, she stomped
down to the creek and began to splash water over her face.

  Lee stood next to the stand of trees and watched her walk off in obvious agitation.

  When she returned, her hands and face were pink from a fresh scrubbing and she glanced sidelong towards him. Corinne took Boomer’s reins and began to walk away.

  Highland followed, catching up easily and fell in beside her.

  “I’d like to walk a while,” Corinne said curtly.

  “Alright.” Lee smiled at her warmly.

  Corinne took a deep breath and resigned herself to the fact that he was going to accompany her all the way back to the fort. At least he wasn’t talking, she thought, and if she didn’t look up at him she couldn’t see that sparkling white smile or the warm look in his grey eyes. She had things to do. Things that didn’t involve sitting in front of a mirror all day or buffing her nails until they shined. He was a fancy lieutenant who had the luxury of being dressed neatly every day. They walked for nearly two miles in silence.

  In the distance the lieutenant could see a young couple pacing around a horse as if in a panic. The mare stood rigid with her legs spread wide and she was not only very pregnant but overcome with hard labor. Lee handed his reins to Corinne quickly and ran across the open plain.

  When Corinne caught up to him he was running his hands expertly along the horse’s sides. Corinne saw the mare lift her tail and strain. A small hoof appeared and then disappeared back inside. The mare cried out in agony. She was lathered from running and struggling to deliver her colt. Corinne could not imagine racing a horse in the mare’s condition.

  Highland took off his gloves, handed them to Corinne and then pulled his arms out of his jacket. When he pulled off his shirt Corinne could not help but notice that his shoulders were broad and his arms firmly muscled. She had thought that he just stood around all the time looking dapper in his immaculate uniform. But somewhere along the way Lee Highland must do something, she thought, to be built in such a way. The leather of his gauntlet gloves felt soft in her hands. They were warm and pliable against her toughened palm. She laid the clothing neatly over his saddle, afraid her own muddied clothing would soil it.