| |
’Tis a stronger attraction than I want to feel.
~ Seth
As darkness settled over the valley, a thick layer of clouds smothered the light of the moon. Seth kept an eye on the sky as the conversation flowed around the campfire. Maybe it was the hearty meal Rachel cooked, or maybe high spirits from the pleasure of a swim, but everyone seemed a bit more talkative than normal.
And none more so than Elias.
“Have you met any other old trappers like in that story you told?” Andy leaned toward the older man, his gaze hungry.
“Let’s see.” Elias stroked his beard. “I’ll never forget the story ol’ Joe Meek tells about when he was a younger man an’ assigned to guard duty with another fella one night. He an’ this other fella—Reese was his name—both fell asleep. The boss woke up an’ called out, ‘All’s well?’ But neither one of ’em was awake to answer.
“The boss man, he was hoppin’ mad, and he stomped toward the two that was supposed to be guardin’. He was loud enough, he woke Reese, who realized right quick they’d been caught.
“Reese calls out in a loud whisper, ‘Indians! Get down!’” Elias leaned forward, ducking low as his voice took on the same tone of those in his story.
“The boss knew ’xactly what those words meant, so he drops to the ground and says, ‘Where?’
“‘Right out there,’ says Reese.
“‘Where’s Meek?’ asks the boss.
“‘Tryin’ to shoot the Indians.’ Reese is still talkin’ low.” Elias spoke in a stage whisper as they hung on his every word.
“The night was about as dark as this’n.” Elias motioned toward the starless sky. “So Reese crawled over to where Meek was sleepin’, then woke him up and told him what was happenin’. The two of ’em crawled back to the boss.
“He asked all kinda questions about the Indians, an’ Meek told him there’d been more than he could count. The next mornin’, turns out there was a set of Indian moccasins right where Meek an’ Reese said they saw the Indians.”
“So the Indians really came?” Andy’s eyes grew round.
Elias curled his thin lips under as he chuckled. “Meek didn’t own up to it, but it wouldn’t surprise me if those were his moccasins. He was a wily one. And never lost a chance for a good joke, even though sometimes the joke came back on him.” He leaned back an’ slapped his hands on his knees. “I sup—”
A bolt of lightning lit the sky just as a crack of thunder boomed loud as a gunshot.
Seth startled at the sound, and beside him, a half-scream broke from Rachel. He jerked his gaze to her.
She’d clapped a hand over her mouth and clutched Andy’s arm, as though to protect him. When the sound died away, he felt, more than heard, her tremulous exhale.
“Whew. I thought we’d get some rain, but I didn’t expect all that with it.” Elias shook his head. “We’d best get these supplies covered up. If we’re lucky, we’ll have a few extra furs to huddle under.”
Seth rose with the others and pulled out the pelts Elias used for his bedding. “All Samuel and I have are wool blankets. Don’t suppose they’ll keep anything dry.”
“We have a few small hides. Rabbit and such.” Rachel turned to her packs, then stilled, looking back at Elias. “There’s a bear hide, still salted, but not yet dried.” Her voice hung with question. Seth wasn’t familiar enough with animal skins and the tanning process to know what she was asking.
One fact he was fairly certain of, the bear hide she possessed was likely the one she and Andy had killed the night before joining them. The episode that must surely have terrified them both.
Elias seemed to weigh his answer. “The salt might help keep the fur safe, but it’s likely the rain will ruin any trading value. The hide will do plenty well to keep you dry, though.”
Her lower lip slipped under her teeth as uncertainty tugged her features. A look he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen on her face. “All right.”
After turning back to the pack, she extracted a large bundle of oilcloth, which was wrapped around the dark fur peeking from inside. She began unfolding the pack as white crystals fell from inside. “This is likely large enough for two or three of us to sit under. We can use the oilcloth for shelter, too.”
While they set to work piling the goods that should be kept dry, Seth let his mind spin through the next few hours. It was nigh time to bed down for the night, but that wouldn’t be fruitful if this was a heavy downpour. How long would the storm last?
Heavy drops began pelting, and lightning lit the air twice more, followed closely by thunder. The second blast was almost as loud as when they’d been sitting around the fire.
While Seth unrolled a fur, he moved toward Elias. “You think the horses are all right?”
The man glanced toward where they’d left them, but the darkness was too thick to see. “They’re hobbled, so they can drift toward the trees on the other side of the lake. There’s not anything else we can do to help them.”
The rain drove harder, and Seth slipped back into motion. “This pelt is big enough to shelter one person.”
“And I have a wolf hide that’ll work for another.” Elias raised a mottled fur. “You want it Mrs. Gray?”
“Andy and I will use the oilcloth.” She motioned for her son to join her as she sank down against one of the trees.
“That’s all we have then. Best we sit close an’ maybe we can all get covered.” Elias moved toward them and settled on the other side of Andy.
Seth wasn’t sure they’d all be able to snuggle under the three scant coverings, but he and Samuel had both donned their coats before the drops came. Water ran down his face, and his collar was already soaked, but this certainly wouldn’t be the first time they’d gotten wet in a rainstorm.
He scanned the camp to see if there was anything left needing attention. The supplies and wood were covered, and the fire had sizzled to a thin stream of smoke.
“Come sit.” Rachel’s voice broke through the din of raindrops. She held the oilcloth over her head with one hand, and patted the ground beside her with the other. There was enough space there for him and Samuel to sit under the shelter of branches.
He strode toward them and took the spot beside Rachel—no way was he leaving that place to Samuel.
Especially when she inched closer to her son and bid Seth move nearer. “I think if we all scoot in, the oilcloth will cover you both.”
It had been a lifetime since he’d sat so close to a woman, and her warmth seeped all the way down his arm, his hip, his thigh. She didn’t seem to mind the closeness, which was the biggest wonder of all. Or maybe she cared enough that he and Samuel not sit in the rain. Either way, he would relish these few minutes.
The rain fell in sheets, drenching everything in sight, including the ground. Water soaked into the seat of his trousers, but he could live with the discomfort. The pounding drops were too loud to allow for talking, and the steady noise combined with another long day in the saddle soon had him yawning.
A few minutes later, Rachel touched his knee to get his attention. She pointed to Andy on her other side, his head resting on her shoulder. His thin frame rose and fell with deep breaths.
The sleep of the weary. And rightly so. If the ride hadn’t exhausted the boy, the hour of swimming should have finished the job.
Rachel looked back at Seth with a smile, and he lost himself in the thick emerald of her eyes in the darkness. She was so beautiful, this woman. So strong, yet so achingly fragile. As much as she fought to take on a man’s role, she was woman, every part of her.
His hand longed to reach up and touch her face. To lean closer and kiss her lips. He wouldn’t do it, of course. But that didn’t stop the ache.
He looked away before she could see the turn of his thoughts, bringing his gaze back to Andy. After a nod and a smile, he settled back against the trunk of the tree. As much as he loved sitting so near her, she made his body come to life more fully than when he’d jumped into the icy lake.
In fact, he may just need another dunking in the water when this was over. Clearly, there would be no sleep for him tonight.
~ ~ ~
RACHEL WOKE TO AN ACHE stabbing her neck. She attempted to raise her head, but the pain pierced harder. So she took a moment to make out her surroundings in the dim light of early dawn.
She was sitting upright, Andy pressed against her shoulder. And her cheek rested on...
Awareness crept in with a heavy weight. Her first response was to jerk away from the man she was leaning against. But if she did, he’d awaken and know she’d spent the night pressed against him. And her pride just couldn’t stomach the thought of giving him that satisfaction.
Except this was Seth.
He didn’t act like the other men she’d known. Not like Richard. If she could trust her instincts, she was fairly certain Seth wouldn’t gloat or try to press his advantage if she gave him quarter.
Still, she eased her head off his shoulder, biting down against the pain spearing her neck. She couldn’t stand without waking Andy, but the ache in her middle told her she’d need to do so soon. Her morning ministrations called, and she should check on the horses after the night’s storm.
As if he felt the loss of her touch, the man to her left shifted, his body stiffening in a stretch as he extended his legs in front of him.
She dared a glance at his face, and he met her look with a sleepy smile. “I guess we made it through the storm.” His voice came out in a low murmur, its sleep-roughened timbre sending an unwanted tingle down her arms.
“We did.” She kept her voice soft, but it must have been loud enough to wake her son, for he raised his head.
He looked around, his hair pressed up where he’d leaned against her shoulder. “Is it morning already?” The words summoned a yawn.
“It is.” She leaned forward and pushed herself away from the tree. “I’m going to check the horses.”
After finding tree cover to attend to morning needs, she headed toward the grassy area where they’d left the animals. “Winter. Here, boy.” The morning seemed so still, she almost hated to break the quiet with her voice.
The horses and mule weren’t where they’d left them, but she heard a snort through the fog that had settled in this end of the valley.
As she moved forward, Elias’s mule appeared through the mist. He ripped up a bite of grass, then raised his head to eye her as he munched.
“Hey, boy. You look like you weathered the storm just fine.” She rubbed his shoulder, scanning the rest of his body for injuries. All seemed well.
Moving on to the two burly geldings the Grant brothers rode, she accepted an affectionate snuffle from one as she took his jaw in both hands. “It’s good to see you, too.” Animals were so much easier to be around than people. You never had to worry about artifice or ulterior motives.
She patted his shoulder, then stepped forward and did the same to the other gelding. These two were a matched pair, perfect for twin brothers. Were the animals brothers, too?
After stepping past the second chestnut gelding, she scanned the fog for her and Andy’s horses. “Winter. Summer. Where are you?”
Andy had named the animals for their colors, and she still loved the titles. Winter’s white-gray coat reminding her of snow, and Summer’s golden body just like the warm sun of a summer day.
She made her way farther, extending a hand through the dense white crystals that blocked her view beyond the reach of her arm. The lake’s edge appeared suddenly, only a step away.
Altering her course, she followed alongside it. “Winter. Come, boy.” The horse didn’t answer, and she strained to make out the sounds of grazing or something else that would alert their presence.
She wasn’t quite sure where she was around the edge of the lake, but she must be somewhere along the short end. A tree suddenly loomed in front of her. A dark trunk with spiny needles above her. A pine.
“Winter, Summer. Come eat.” She must have walked past the animals without seeing them.
Turning, she retraced her steps, keeping the lake on her right side. Hopefully, she’d see them on her way back to camp. If not, she’d have to wait until the fog faded. Either way, this would give them a chance to graze.
The animals needed plenty of fodder to ready themselves for another long ride.
