She didn’t see the beauty of the towering ponderosa pines, or the colorful poppies and mariposa lilies that carpeted the ground. She was immune to the cheerful songs of the birds and the waving of lush grasses.As they rode closer to the town, March was consumed with a fear so great that nothing else made an impression, even the baby cuddled in her arms barely registered.She had done everything she could to convince Jim that she didn’t want to go to town. Fighting tears, she had pleaded to remain at the ranch, and had even gone so far as to point- blank refuse to make the trip, but Jim would not be deterred. With the remnants of her shattered dignity drawn tightly around her, she climbed into the wagon and faced the dreaded trip.With tight-lipped determination, Jim guided the horses toward Oracle. The two-hour trip had never before seemed so long. He usually enjoyed the solitude and the beauty of the road, but now all he could see was March’s face when he had given her no choice but to accompany him.
