“What are you doing here?” Abe asked that evening after he opened his bedroom door.
Phoebe was sorting through a small pile of clothes she’d brought into his room. For the moment, the pile was gathered on the dresser.
This, however, wasn’t the worst of it. She was wearing nothing but a nightshirt that reached her knees. He’d never seen so much of a woman’s legs in his life, and he’d have to be dead not to let his gaze linger on them. Bringing his gaze up, he was aware the lack of layers only emphasized the curve of her breasts.
He blinked and forced his attention to a far more pressing matter, which happened to be the fact she was moving into his bedroom, the only safe place he had in this cabin.
“Why aren’t you in your room?” he asked.
“We’re married,” Phoebe said in the same matter-of-fact tone she’d used earlier that day in the barn. She took one of the dresses and turned to the armoire. “This is my room now.”
“I thought I made it clear we aren’t doing anything.” He gestured to the bed when she glanced at him. “In there.”
“You did. I know we’re not doing anything tonight.”
“Not just tonight. I mean, ever.”
“No, it’s just until you feel confident I can do everything that’s required of me to stay here.” She hung up another dress. “Nothing can happen between us tonight anyway. The lady’s time is upon me.”
It took him a moment to realize she meant she was on her monthly cycle. “Well, even when you’re done with it, we’re not doing anything.”
“Not right away.”
He fought back the urge to groan. What was wrong with her? Did it really please her to argue with him?
“I can’t sleep in the other bedroom,” she added. “My mother will ask questions, and I’d rather not answer them. I know we made a deal, but I don’t feel like explaining it to her.”
As much as he wanted to keep arguing, he couldn’t. He couldn’t blame her for not wanting to tell her mother what they’d agreed to. It was complicated enough without dragging an innocent party into it. But still…
“What are you going to tell her when things don’t work out, and you head on out of here?” he asked.
“That’s not going to happen,” she replied. “So, you see, telling her anything would be pointless anyway.”
She turned to face him as if daring him to argue with her, but even if he’d wanted to, he couldn’t. When she had turned to him, she’d given him a much better view of her breasts, which were barely concealed under the thin fabric of her nightshirt. And worse, he could make out the tips of her nipples.
“Well, if you’re going to sleep in here, I’m going to sleep in the loft,” he finally decided.
Her eyes grew wide. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It makes perfect sense,” he said as he grabbed a fresh pair of undergarments and shirt.
Lady’s time of month or not, she couldn’t expect him to keep his hands off of her if she was in bed with him. Drifting off to sleep in the loft was one thing. She’d been fully dressed, and it’d been an accident. This was on purpose, and she was practically naked. She probably had no idea what effect she was having on him, but he was only human and could only handle so much.
“Are you going to spend every night in the loft?” she asked.
“Yep, until you’re on the stagecoach.”
Ignoring her bewildered expression, he left the room and headed out for the barn. At least the night was a chilly one. That should go a long way in cooling his ardor. He had to show her just how hard life was out here. The sooner he did, the easier things would be.
***
Right after breakfast the next morning, Abe wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin then set it on the table. Looking at Phoebe, he asked, “Are you ready to set a trap?” before Phoebe had a chance to pick up anything to help her mother wash the dishes.
“Set the trap?” Phoebe replied.
“You said you were willing to learn how to do it.”
Noting the challenge in his eyes, she said, “I wasn’t trying to back out of doing it. I just thought I’d help my ma clean up first.” She motioned to the dirty dishes.
“Oh, don’t mind me,” her mother spoke up. “I can do these. You go on and set the trap.”
“Alright.” Phoebe headed for the bedroom she now shared with Abe, but she stopped and glanced at him. “I’m going to braid my hair so it doesn’t get in my way,” she told him before he could think she was going to do something like crawl out the window and hide.
Since he didn’t reply, she figured she’d made her point and went to the bedroom. It was going to take more than a simple trap to intimidate her. Once she had her hair braided, she came back out, surprised he’d taken the time to take the dishes over to the sink so her mother could wash them.
She bit her tongue and waited until they left the cabin before saying, “For someone who’s eager to get rid of me, you’re being awfully nice to my mother.”
He frowned. “I don’t understand what your mother has to do with this.”
“My mother has everything to do with this. I refused to leave her behind in Ohio because I can’t imagine my life without her. One of my requirements in marrying was that my husband be good to her.”
He snorted. “I’m not going to treat your mother badly. I don’t need to. Once you see how difficult this life is, you’ll be out of here.”
She decided to let his comment go. He was determined things would play out this way, and arguing about it would accomplish nothing. Abe was the kind of person who needed to see it to believe it. And she’d show it to him.
When they arrived in the barn, he grabbed a folded up blanket, a pair of gloves, a handheld digging tool, and a small trap. “Open your arms,” he said.
Surprised, she did as he requested and he dumped everything in them.
“If you’re going to do this, you’re going to do all of it. I won’t be doing anything but telling you what to do.”
“Oh, good. I wouldn’t want you to make it too easy,” she quipped, refusing to let him deter her. “I’m likely to get bored if there’s not enough challenge.” She headed out of the barn then asked, “Will we be going to the spot you put your trap the other day?”
“No. You’ll be doing this with unused ground. That’s why you’re taking that trowel.”
“Trowel?”
He pointed to the handheld digging tool.
“Is that what you call it?” she asked, surprised. “I thought it was a little shovel.”
She noted his lips curl up into a smile despite his attempt to look serious. “I suppose that works, too,” he said.
For the rest of their trek up into the trees, they were quiet until he came to a large tree stump.
He turned to her and gestured for her to put everything down. “You can set the trap here.”
“We’re on an incline,” she replied.
“Yes, but we’re also along a frequented trail. See the animal prints? They go in a line down through here.”
She followed his gaze and saw that, sure enough, there were prints along the path. “I didn’t notice those around the traps you set. Were they there, too?”
“Yes. You’ll have to start paying attention to details if you’re going to live here.”
With a nod, she put the things on the ground. “What do I do first?”
“First you put down the blanket.”
She inspected it, suddenly noticing the dirt on it. “Hmm…”
“‘Hmm’ what?”
“It’s filthy,” she said.
“I rub it in the leaves and dirt to hide my scent when I use it. In this case, we’ll be masking your scent.”
“I have a scent?” she asked, not sure if she believed him or not. For all she knew, he could be teasing her.
“Every living thing has a scent, even people. You can smell some white men in town a mile away from the alcohol on their breaths. But it’s more pleasant to smell women, especially ones like…”
Since he stopped, she encouraged him to continue. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought he blushed a little as he waved her question aside.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “What’s important is that you sit on that blanket when you set the trap.”
Realizing she wasn’t going to get her answer, she unfolded the blanket and set it on the ground. Afterwards, she turned to him. “Now what?”
“Put on the gloves.”
She did and quickly realized they were too big for her.
“If you actually end up staying, I’ll get you a pair better suited for you.”
“Oh good. I want mine to be pink,” she joked and knelt on the blanket. “I’m guessing this is where I put the trap down?”
“Not yet.”
He knelt next to her, and she couldn’t help but note how close they were. Recalling his comment on how people had their own scent, she noticed he had a nice smell about him. He smelled rugged, just like the outdoors. Now whenever she smelled this particular scent, she’d think of him.
“Dig a hole big enough to put this trap in.” He lifted the trap and set it down in front of her to show her how big it should be. “After you dig it, you’ll set the trap then put it in the hole. After that, you’ll cover it up with the leaves and dirt you dug up.”
That sounded simple enough. Moving aside the trap, she dug the hole, careful to put the dirt, leaves and small twigs to the side for easy access. When she was done, she put the trowel down and peered up at him.
“Are you going to show me how to set the trap, or do I need to figure that out myself?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you what to do,” he replied. “You have to be careful with these things. One wrong move could leave you with a broken finger or thumb.”
She snickered. “You’re trying to scare me.”
“No, I’m not.” He picked up the trap. “This is the free jaw.” He lifted one of the jaws and moved it back and forth. “It’s the part that catches the animal and holds it in place. The other jaw is fixed.” He pointed to the other one. “It doesn’t move. This is how you set the trap.”
She watched as he snapped the free jaw in place. Then, making sure his fingers weren’t in the way, he released the trap. She jumped when it snapped shut.
“That’s why you have to be careful,” he said. “If you make the wrong move, you could hurt yourself. Think you got the idea, or should I show you again?”
“I think I can do it.” She took it from him and repeated the process, surprised it was as easy as it looked. Once she set it in the hole, she couldn’t resist teasing him. “At what point am I supposed to get squeamish and run for the next stagecoach?”
As she’d hoped, the corner of his lip turned up. He, however, forced the stern expression back on his face. “Just wait until you have to get the animal out and skin it. That’s when things get tough.” He nodded toward the pile of dirt and leaves. “Go on and hide the trap.”
She proceeded to do so, taking care to keep the trap set. When she was done, she got up and gathered the blanket and trowel. “Are you going to teach me how to shoot a gun?”
“I said I would, and I will.”
“Good. I wouldn’t want you to wiggle your way out of our deal.”
“I stay true to my word. I do not practice the ways of the white man.”
“Well, I’m going to show you a white woman can, and will, keep her word. You’ll be surprised, Abe. I just know it.”
“I can tell you’re determined, but there’s a difference between being determined and being able to do the work.”
“That’s why you’ll be surprised. You’re going to learn you can’t put limits on me.”
“Were you this stubborn in Ohio?”
“No, but then I didn’t need to be. As you pointed out, life out here will be hard. In order to stay, I have to be willing to do whatever it takes to survive. I’m not afraid of doing any of it. I just need to learn what I need to do.”
She caught the spark of respect in his eyes but chose not to comment. Even if Abe didn’t say it, she sensed he was glad she was as determined as she was to stick around. He hadn’t protested all that hard when she moved into his bedroom, and those curtains were still hanging up. If he really didn’t want her there, he would have protested harder.
Nope. She suspected the truth was, he was hoping she would prove him wrong. And she would. The only question was, how long was it going to take for her to do it.