Jed helped get Lily into the wagon to rest. He hoped she didn’t wake up with a huge headache. He grinned. She was a bit cute when drunk. She’d called him her handsome hero. He’d keep that to himself, though. She’d die of embarrassment if he told her.
His grin faded as he sat down next to the fire. He could have lost her today. Blasted Garber, why did he hate Lily so badly he’d tried to kill her? Jed suspected the other attempts on her life had been at Garber’s hand.
He nodded as Owen when he approached him. “I heard you held your own today.”
Owen nodded. “Rex and Smitty were of some help. Smitty wants to talk to you out of earshot.”
Jed glanced at his wagon.
“Don’t worry I’ll guard both Lily and Izzy.”
Jed nodded as he stood. He walked to the outside circle of the wagons. He stood still, making sure no one was watching him, then he headed into the woods.
Jed sat down on a fallen tree next to Smitty. “Thanks for taking care of Lily.”
“She’ll be fine. I think we have bigger problems than Garber hating Lily. He talks in his sleep and he’s been mumbling about his big payday. Does any of that make sense to you?”
Jed sighed loudly. “Unfortunately it might. He wants Izzy dead. He was probably hired to kill her. Nothing is what it seems around here, and it’s starting to get confusing.”
“Why Izzy?”
Jed looked all around. He leaned in and whispered. “Izzy is due a big English inheritance and she has enemies who want her dead.”
Smitty’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“It sounds crazy but I have all the documentation. She was supposed to live her life with the Landsters. They were her protectors. I bet she has a price on her head.”
Smitty nodded. “The reason for the third grave when the Landsters died. Makes sense now. What about Wanda?”
“She’s just someone for Garber to hide behind. At least that’s my theory.”
Smitty stared into the fire for a bit before he replied. “Wanda doesn’t know that. She thinks Garber loves her. Could it be that they just want Lily dead? Maybe they don’t know about Izzy. Garber doesn’t seem bright enough to pull off an assassination. He has trouble getting his boots on the right feet.”
Jed stretched out his legs. “You could be right. Either way he’s a danger to Lily if not to Izzy too.”
Smitty shook his head. “Remember the good old days when we just had Indians and cattle rustlers to worry about? Lily sure has had more than her share of troubles.”
“It would be easier if she was a wilting flower who hid in the wagon. She’s the strongest woman I know, and I admire that about her, but she’s had a couple of near misses. I’m surprised Garber got the jump on her. She usually has an uncanny feeling of danger.”
Smitty grabbed his bag and drew out some dried leaves which he crushed into a mug. He then poured hot water into the same mug. “Here, give this to Lily.”
“I will but she’s sleeping. Should I wake her?”
Smitty laughed. “Listen.”
Jed opened his mouth and then shut it again. He listened some more. “Oh no! Lily is singing and she sounds like a wounded steer.” Jed took the cup from Smitty. “Cover your ears. I know I would if I didn’t have to go make her stop.”
Smitty’s laugh started as a small rumble until it was loud and hearty. “Go on. I’ll keep Garber for the night, and we can decide what to do in the morning.”
Jed began to walk away, but he stopped and turned. “Thanks, Smitty.”
Smitty averted his gaze. He always looked uncomfortable when he was thanked. “Get going.”
Jed smiled and carried the tea to his wagon. His lips twitched when he spotted Lily. She sat on the wagon tailgate singing, reaching for the whiskey jug that Izzy was keeping out of her reach. Lily sang a song about a girl named Betsy, who had oxen or something. It was hard to make out.
She smiled brightly when she spotted Jed. “Howdy, Jed! Izzy, this handsome man is my husband.”
Izzy’s eyes were so wide and her look was one of pleading. She must want Lily to stop singing too.
“Izzy, I got this if you’d like to lay down in the wagon and get some sleep,” he suggested.
Relief spread over her tiny features, and she nodded.
Jed stood in front of Lily. “Come on darlin’, let’s dance.”
Lily was a bit unsteady as she stood up and went into Jed’s arms. Jed reached around her and put up the tailgate. “Good night, Izzy.”
“I got stabbed today,” Lily told him as she hung on to him.
“Yes, I know. You’ll be fine.”
“Garber is a piece of dirt. Just because he lost family to an Indian raid, he thinks I’m like that. I’m not, you know.”
A slow grin spread across Jed’s face. “I know you’re not.” He sat her down next to the fire and handed her the mug of Smitty’s tea. “Drink this.”
“Whiskey would be better.”
His lips twitched with humor “Drink this first, then we’ll see.” He watched as she drank the tea down. She seemed calmer. “I’ll grab what we need to sleep under the wagon.”
Lily put her finger in front of her nose. “Shh!! Be quiet! Izzy is sleeping.”
Jed wanted to laugh. If Izzy had been sleeping, she probably wasn’t anymore. He climbed into the wagon and grabbed two oil cloths to put under them and enough quilts to keep them warm. He climbed back out and set to making them a place to sleep.
“Make sure you check for rocks. I know for a fact you never do. I don’t want to hear you groaning and tossing and turning all night.” Lily yawned. “I’m tired.”
Smitty’s tea was working. “Come love, let’s get you into bed.” He helped her under the wagon and got her all tucked in. “You’ll be safe here.”
“Come on and join me.”
“I need to be on guard for both you and Izzy.”
She shook her head and then stared at him. “I know other songs you know.”
Jed groaned. “All right, move over.” He lay there awake for most of the night. Lily had to lie on her stomach due to her wound, and she didn’t move the whole time. Being so close to her was intoxicating, and while he enjoyed the closeness, he wasn’t sure how’d she’d feel come morning.
Lily’s mouth felt dry and full of sand. The intense pain in her back brought it all back to her. The only good thing was lying with Jed. He was nice and warm on the damp night. What time was it? She couldn’t get a good look at the sky to know.
What would they do with Garber? She’d noted the looks of disgust thrown at both of them. Garber had been behind all her troubles on this wagon train. Hate did awful things to people’s minds. It had obviously poisoned Garber’s. Wanda cared for him but why did they want Izzy? Those two weren’t smart enough to be involved in Izzy’s secret. Garber was driven by hate pure and simple.
The first notes of the sun started to play, and she gingerly crawled out from beneath the wagon. Reaching into the wagon, she grabbed her wrap and headed over to Smitty’s fire. People might think her indecent with her nightgown on, but too bad for them.
Smitty smiled as she approached. “How’s your head?”
She furrowed her brow. “I was stabbed in the back not hit in the head.”
“Sit.” He handed her a cup of coffee. “I thought with all the whiskey you drank you’d be feeling it this morning.”
“My head is fine. I’m thirsty but other than that, only my back hurts. I made Jed clear the ground of rocks.” She reached out and squeezed his hand. “Thank you for saving me yesterday. I know how hard it is to make a decision to burn the flesh and I also know the toll it takes to actually do it. You are a courageous man, Smitty.”
Smitty’s face turned red but the happy expression in his eyes warmed her.
“I’ll find someone to drive your wagon so you can lay down inside—”
She shook her head. “That’s not going to happen. I do need someone to drive the wagon but the ride wi
ll be too bumpy for me to lie down. It’ll be easier if I walked.”
Smitty gazed at her long and hard. “Knowing you you’re probably right. Have Izzy walk with you in case you pass out.”
Frowning she shrugged her shoulders. “That sounds like a fine idea.” She looked up at the clouds. “What do you think? More rain?”
“No, not today.” Her heart jumped at Jed’s voice. “It’ll be a fine day for a walk but you have to promise to let me know if you’re in pain or if you tire.”
“I will.” She gave him a smile. “Smitty, what would you like me to do to help this morning?”
Jed stared at her. “I thought for sure after all your caterwauling last night you’d be feeling poorly this morning.”
“I’m right as rain. Well I do have some pain in my back but I’ve worked through pain before.”
Jed squatted down in front of her. “Those days are over. You have a husband now. You can lean on me when you need to.”
His kindness almost made her cry. “You are the sweetest man.”
“Get me out of here!” Garber yelled from the wagon. “I demand you untie me!”
Jed and Smitty exchanged unpleasant looks. “Here we go,” Jed muttered.
“Honey, go on back to camp and get dressed. Help Izzy and then come back for breakfast.” When she hesitated, he added. “Please?”
Lily nodded and stood. “I’ll be back in a bit. I forgot to ask. How much damage did I cause him?”
“Not as much as he did to you,” Smitty answered, anger narrowing his eyes. “His knife was bigger.”
“I’ll be back.”
Jed watched until she made it back to their wagon safely.
Smitty smiled. “You love that gal. It’s written all over your face.”
“Get me out of here!” Garber yelled.
“Keep your pants on. I’m coming,” Smitty yelled back. “Jed you’d best help me. He’s stronger than he looks.”
Smitty pulled him out of the wagon and Garber hit the dirt with a loud thump. He lay there, hogtied.
Jed squared his shoulders. “First of all, I’ll do what I can to keep you from hanging. Second, you’ll need to hire someone to drive your wagon as you will ride tied up in the back.”
Garber’s face turned red. “You can’t do that to me. I can’t ride the rest of the way tied up!”
Smitty laughed. “Tied up, hanged, either way I don’t care.”
Jed and Smitty pulled Garber to the side of the wagon and tied him to the wagon wheel. Garber struggled the whole time.
“Makes no never mind to me if you eat or not Garber.” Smitty shrugged. “It’ll depend on your attitude.”
By now most of the wagon train was up, and many people stared at Garber. But Jed didn’t see much sympathy on their faces. “I’m going to check on Lily and Izzy,” he told Smitty.
Chapter Ten
It had been three weeks and Lily felt healthy and whole in both body and spirit. Walking with Izzy helped. She had so many stories of life at court and then exile in a country house. Izzy was very wise for her young years and she fit in well with her and Jed. They struggled up mountains and then down again. While she felt good, many of the travelers had taken sick and were weak.
Lily had offered to help drive wagons or have the lad who drove their wagon drive them, but no one would take a thing from her. The oxen were moving slower and more rests were required, but people still had possessions in their wagons they could do without.
Jed had gone from wagon to wagon again, insisting that they leave some of the furniture behind. He came back with his fists balled by his sides. “I told them I was leaving people behind that had heavy wagons.”
“You already told them that,” Lily said.
“Some didn’t listen but were able to keep up.” His lips thinned into a grim line, and he shook his head. “We’ll never make it to Oregon before winter at this rate. Everyone needs to help with the oxen. These mountains have been hard on them.” He took a deep breath. “You’ve been able to walk the whole way.”
“I walked a great deal when I was living with the Indians. How are people set for food?”
“We almost never run out of food. We have the two extra wagons with just food in them for this part of the trail. We have about half of it left. I’m not worried about the food. I noticed a few didn’t even take their oxen to water this evening.”
“I’ll go and help—”
Jed took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair. “They won’t allow you to help, and I can’t have Izzy do it. I’ll just round them up and lead them to the water before they decide to stampede to the stream.” He gave her a weary smile. “It’s the hardest part as far as I’m concerned. We lost three more people to scurvy. I’ll have to get Owen and Rex to bury them.”
She put her hand on his arm. “No journey is easy. We wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”
He put his hand over hers and gave it a quick squeeze. “Thank you. I’m off to empty wagons. Do they put things back into the wagons after I take them out? It’s the only thing that would make any sense.” He sighed. “I guess I’ll find out.”
Lily gazed at her husband as he walked away. He was such a good man and handsome too. Tara Scott was still eyeing him, but he didn’t seem to notice. Lily warmed. Jed seemed to only have eyes for her.
She wished they could still sleep together but the nights in the mountains were cold and Jed insisted she sleep in the wagon with Izzy. Plus she could protect Izzy better if they were together. It could be no one else was coming for Izzy. Maybe the ruse of the three graves had worked after all.
Her back was healing nicely. She almost laughed. Poor Garber had to walk behind Smitty’s wagon with his hands tied. He never looked at Izzy but he sent a multitude of glares in her direction.
Since the last stabbing, she’d fallen into a routine of cooking for Izzy and Jed. They ate once in awhile with Smitty, but he was busy feeding hungry people. Many of the wives volunteered to help him. It was best she stay away.
“You look lost in thought,” Izzy commented as she lay the fire.
Lily smiled. “I suppose I am. Jed said this is the hardest part of the trail but I feel good.”
“That’s because you know how to take care of yourself and the livestock. By the looks of some of the oxen, I’m not sure they’ll last until morning.”
“Jed is going to make sure they are all properly watered and fed. Some of the men are too weak, and they never showed their wives how to care for the oxen. But the good news is we’re getting closer to the end of our journey.”
They got the fire going and the coffee on. Next, she prepared the rabbit she’d caught that morning. The smell of cooking meat was heavenly and many watched her, but she knew they wouldn’t take any if she offered. She’d hunted deer, pheasants, rabbits, and she’d caught a good amount of fish. If she happened to kill a big animal, she gave Smitty all the meat she didn’t need. People were crazy. They ate it when Smitty offered it to them even though they knew where it had come from. Game was getting scarce, though. Well, at least her family would have rabbit to eat.
Jed didn’t want to hear it anymore. This was the third time he’d taken the same furniture out of the Cooke wagon and each time they put it back. He sighed loudly. “Take a good look at your oxen! You should be ashamed of yourself, making them pull so much weight plus your wife,” he yelled at David Cooke. “I will leave you behind. I’ll draw you a map, so if you want to hand carry the furniture you’ll know the way.”
“The missus—”
“I don’t give a plug nickel what she wants. Tomorrow I’d better see her walking at least for part of the day. Do you understand?”
David Cooke nodded and turned away.
Did these people have rocks for brains? Jed took a deep breath and went to the next wagon. There were many who had light wagons but they hadn’t taken care of their oxen. He should have checked each night. They’d have the Blue Mountains behind them someti
me tomorrow, and he knew a spot that had lush grass and plenty of water. They’d rest there for a few days.
After everyone had eaten their supper, Jed and Smitty got on their horses and drove the oxen to the small stream so they could drink. Some of the animals were bags of bones.
“It’s my fault, Smitty. I should have seen how skinny the oxen were getting.”
Smitty wiped his brow with his sleeve. “There are plenty that are fine. You can’t take everything on your shoulders. It’ll wear you to the nub.”
“It’s my job to get them to Oregon.”
Smitty smiled. “We’ll be in Oregon soon enough.”
Jed shook his head. “Once we reach Oregon Territory, we still have almost five more days.”
“The sooner the better. You have a house to build for your wife and daughter.”
“Izzy?”
“You’d better make a proper claim to her before the preacher ends up with her. He’s still saying how Lily isn’t a proper mother.”
“I hear him every day. I think after we get these oxen all set, I’m going to make an announcement about Izzy.”
Smitty spurred his horse downstream a bit where some of the oxen had gone. “Good idea!” he shouted over his shoulder.
Jed sat on Paint watching the livestock. Would Izzy welcome the announcement? What about Lily? He’d best make sure before he did anything.
As soon as he and Smitty were done he took care of Paint and then went in search of his wife. She was bent over turning over a piece of the rabbit she’d caught. She was one heck of a woman and one heck of a surprise. Both Lily and Izzy’s faces were filled with smiles while they talked. His heart beat hard. It never occurred to him there would be any question about them becoming a family. He didn’t like being unsure.
Lily glanced up and grinned when she spotted him. “Supper is almost ready. I bet you’re hungry!”
He stepped closer to the fire. “I am.” He waited for her to stand and then he was at a loss for words. He glanced from Lily to Izzy and back to Lily again.
A Love Worth Searching For Page 11
