Christmas at Dove Creek

by Scarlett Dunn

  Thorpe held the piece near the fire so he could see it clearly. He figured all wolves had similar features, but like all animals, they also had distinguishing traits. Blue had a small notch at the top of his right ear and so did the carving. After examining the carving from every angle, he was positive of one thing: It was a miniature wooden replica of Blue. “When did your grandfather carve this?”

  “When he was twelve.”

  He could think of no explanation how her grandfather was able to do that. Unless . . . impossible. Blue was a young wolf. He picked up some of the other carvings and they were all skillfully made, stunningly lifelike. “These are amazing.”

  “My grandfather believes that men and animals communicate through their spirits.”

  Thorpe thought her grandfather must have studied animals closely to make these pieces so authentic. He picked up one carving in particular that caught his eye. It was two doves sitting on a limb side by side.

  Seeing the carving he was admiring, she said, “He said doves are spirit messengers between worlds, and are a symbol of love. He told me feathers are gifts from the sky and when you find one, they come with a purpose.”

  “Are you sure your grandfather is still alive?”

  “I have no proof, but I think he is. My grandfather always told me I would have the answers to all of my questions if I would be still and listen. He told me God would speak to me.” She looked into his eyes and added, “When I listen, I hear the answer here.” She placed her hand over her heart.

  Thorpe stared at her for a long moment. He understood that connection with a loved one. The day his younger brother, John, died in an accident, he’d been working several miles away on the ranch. A thought kept nagging at him that John was in trouble, so he jumped on his horse and raced to where he was working. It was too late. John’s horse had broken his leg and Thorpe figured John had tried to jump clear, but he’d hit his head on a rock. At fourteen years of age, John took his last breath in Thorpe’s arms. Thorpe was crazy about his little brother and he always looked out for him. He carried a lot of guilt that he hadn’t been there to protect John that day. Since his brother’s death, Thorpe had never felt such a close bond with another person. He certainly wouldn’t question Lily’s link to her grandfather. “Did you travel from Texas with your friends?”

  “No, we met in Independence. We were all prepared to leave on a wagon train, but there were some problems and we didn’t get to leave at that time.”

  He inclined his head in the direction of the wagons. “You didn’t know any of these people before you arrived in Missouri?”

  “No, we had never met.”

  The more questions she answered, the more questions he had. “What kind of problems prevented you from traveling with the wagon train?” Thorpe had the feeling she was trying to hide something from him.

  Lily started to respond, but she saw Isabelle and Dora climbing from their wagon. The women carried their blankets with them and joined them by the fire.

  Thorpe expected Jedidiah was more than likely lurking nearby, if for no other reason than to make sure he could be trusted with the ladies.

  Lily made the introductions. “Thorpe Turlow, this is Dora Love and Isabelle Baker.”

  “Ladies.”

  “Why aren’t you two resting?” Lily asked the women.

  “We heard you talking and we couldn’t sleep anyway,” Isabelle said.

  Lily knew Isabelle wasn’t sleeping well. The poor girl was worried about everything. That was another reason she wanted Thorpe to stay with them; it might help to allay some of her fears. Lily knew it wasn’t nerves that kept Dora awake; she just wanted to meet Thorpe.

  Dora confirmed her thoughts when she said, “We thought it was time to meet our visitor. You seem to recover fast, Mr. Turlow.” Dora’s gaze traveled from his face to his unbuttoned shirt, all the way down the length of his long outstretched legs.

  “It’s not much of a wound.” Thorpe saw the direction of her eyes and he knew she wanted him to notice her interest. This woman wasn’t an innocent like Lily, unless Lily had him completely fooled. Dora was a comely woman, with dark brown hair and dark eyes. All three were fine-looking women. Another reason they should be traveling with more protection.

  “I’m glad you are feeling better. Lily was very worried about you,” Isabelle told him.

  Thorpe glanced at Lily. “Was she?”

  “When’s she’s praying for you, that’s when you know she’s worried,” Isabelle replied.

  Thorpe figured no one had prayed for him since his mother died. Even though his heart had hardened toward women, the thought of Lily praying for him touched him. “Lily was just about to tell me what happened with that wagon train you ladies were supposed to be traveling with. Did you have the wagons and supplies ready to go?”

  “Yes, we had everything,” Lily replied.

  If he decided he would stay with them all the way to Wyoming, he had to trust them. Trust worked both ways, and right now he knew nothing about them. “What happened?”

  The three women exchanged a glance.

  Thorpe wondered what they were hiding. “You three aren’t outlaws, are you?” Though he asked the question in a teasing manner, he knew they were hiding something.

  Lily shook her head. “Of course not.”

  “Then why didn’t you travel with that wagon train? It would’ve made a lot more sense than what you are doing now.”

  “The fine people on that wagon train found out I worked at a saloon in Kansas City and they didn’t want me traveling with them,” Dora said. “Lily took up for me, but they wouldn’t change their minds. Lily stayed behind because of me.”

  Thorpe took a swig of his coffee and looked Lily in the eye. “And you two had just met. That was kind of you to take her part.”

  “I couldn’t believe they weren’t going to allow her to go. They said they were God-fearing folks, but their behavior didn’t seem very Christian to me.”

  Thorpe looked at Dora. “Miss Love, you didn’t say why you are going west.”

  “Call me Dora, honey. I figure there are a lot of men out west looking for a woman. As a matter of fact, I heard the men outnumber the women one hundred to one. I’m planning on finding me a husband.”

  Dora was plainspoken, Thorpe had to give her that. It wasn’t difficult for him to believe Lily defended Dora, but he had a feeling there was more to this story. His eyes moved to Isabelle. “Were you taking Dora’s part, too?”

  “Actually, the ladies on the wagon train didn’t want me traveling with them either, Mr. Turlow,” Isabelle said. She hadn’t wanted to tell him the truth, lest he judge her like those people on the wagon train, but Dora spoke honestly, so she could do no less. “You see, I am with child and I am an unmarried woman. The ladies on the wagon train thought it was unseemly for me to be in the presence of their young, impressionable daughters. It didn’t matter that I was going to meet the father of my child so we could marry. You see, he’s a soldier and he was sent to Fort Steele. The soldiers are protecting the men building the railroad from Indian attacks.”

  It seemed Evelyn wasn’t the only woman that put the cart before the horse. But he wasn’t one to sit in judgment of these folks. He’d made his own fair share of mistakes; he was in no position to throw stones. His eyes moved back to Lily. “Anything else?”

  Jedidiah joined them at the fire and sat on a stump near Thorpe. “Mr. Thorpe, Miss Lily also gave those folks on that wagon train the dickens over me. I wasn’t welcome either after I spoke up for Miss Dora and Miss Isabelle.”

  Thorpe shook his head. In addition to all of Miss Lily’s other talents, it seemed she had a soft heart. He just didn’t want that heart getting her killed. “Well, Miss Lily, I understand your reasoning, but it still isn’t wise to travel this time of year. It’s not only the weather that will more than likely present complications. What happened to me is just one of the problems you could face. If the braves did overpower your group, they might take
you ladies captive, and well . . .” He let the thought trail off. He wanted to scare some sense into them, but some things were best left unsaid. “You could run into outlaws, and no offense, but they could easily overtake the four of you.”

  Lily had thought of all the things he said and more. “We knew it wouldn’t be easy, Mr. Turlow, but we all agreed to give it a try.”

  “Jedidiah, you’re the only one that hasn’t told me why you are going west,” Thorpe said.

  “I have a brother in the Ninth Calvary and last I heard he was somewhere in Wyoming Territory. This is a big country, Mr. Thorpe, and I always wanted to see what else there was out there. I’m a blacksmith by trade and I figured there might be a need for a man like me out west. I didn’t have a wagon, but the wagon master agreed to let me join the wagon train saying I could make repairs and care for the animals.”

  “There is definitely a need for a good blacksmith in any town, Jedidiah.” He had a feeling the wagon master made a mistake by not taking Jedidiah. He was a man that could pull his own weight, and no man was more important to the success of a town or a wagon train than a good blacksmith. Thorpe thought about what they told him and he only had one more question. “What I don’t understand is why you need to be there by Christmas.”

  Isabelle didn’t hesitate to answer him. “The doctor said I would be having my baby around Christmas. I didn’t want to give birth to this babe and not be married to the father. I didn’t want my child to pay for my mistakes and be ostracized.”

  Thorpe wondered why this soldier didn’t marry Isabelle before he left Missouri if he wanted her. He wouldn’t be the first man to take advantage of an innocent woman and leave her once he got what he wanted. He prayed this wasn’t the case because she was having his child. But a woman in her condition only added to the many potential problems they would face on this trip. “The wagon train had to leave months ago. Why are you so late in leaving? Why didn’t you leave right behind them? They might have had a change of heart.”

  “Miss Lily got sick. She had typhoid fever and we weren’t about to leave without her,” Jedidiah said.

  “They cared for me for two months,” Lily added.

  “When Miss Lily got well she tried to hire some men for guards, but none of them would take the job,” Jedidiah said. “They wanted to wait until spring.”

  “That’s right. She did,” Isabelle confirmed. “She was even going to pay for them out of her own funds.”

  “And she’s taught us how to shoot better. We may not be too good, but if someone is close enough, I reckon we could hit him,” Dora added.

  “We will make it to the fort by Christmas, won’t we?” Isabelle asked.

  “If the weather holds and we don’t have unforeseen problems, we could make it by Thanksgiving.” Thorpe had planned on making it to his ranch well before Thanksgiving and that was just a few days’ ride from the fort, but it would take longer by wagon.

  Everyone smiled at the thought of making it by Thanksgiving.

  “Mr. Turlow, we could pay you to travel with us as a guard.” Isabelle turned to Lily and added, “That is, if Lily thinks it would be a good idea.”

  Lily wished she’d thought of hiring him as a guard. “Yes, I agree if he is willing. We will pay as much as we can afford.” When Thorpe didn’t immediately reply, she thought he might turn them down. “Our wagons are filled with mostly supplies, no heavy furniture like the folks on the wagon train, so we are traveling lighter and will be able to make better time. We have good sound mules.”

  Thorpe looked at the group around the fire. He saw the hope in their eyes, and that told him they were not ignorant of the fact they needed help for this journey. He did owe Lily for helping him, but that wasn’t the only reason he wanted to stay with them. Lily was a unique woman, unlike anyone he’d ever met. Her story intrigued him, and maybe he just wanted to see if she would find her grandfather. Or maybe he was as loco as they were. “You won’t have to pay me, Lily. I’ll stay with you and get you to Fort Steele in one piece.” His gaze landed on Lily and he saw the relief in her eyes. She was more concerned than she’d allowed the other three to see.

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  It tugged at his heart to hear the emotion in her voice. He figured she wasn’t a woman to give in to tears. He winked at her, and to lighten the mood, he said in a teasing tone, “Miss Lily, before you thank me, you should know I eat a lot of food.”

  “That’s not a problem, Mr. Turlow. I’m a good shot.”

  Chapter Five

  “My goodness, he sure is a handsome man,” Dora said. The women were in the wagon early the next morning changing clothes, and Lily was forced to listen to Dora drone on and on about the good-looking Thorpe Turlow the entire time.

  “I just thank God that he is kind enough to go with us. I’m sure he would make much better time without us,” Isabelle said.

  “Is he married?” Dora asked.

  Lily had tuned them out; she was thinking she needed to go to Thorpe’s wagon and check his wound and apply a clean bandage.

  “Lily!”

  Lily jumped and whirled around to face Dora. “What?”

  “I asked you if he was married,” Dora repeated.

  “He didn’t say.”

  Dora shook her head. “That is the first thing you should find out when you run across such a handsome man.”

  “I believe I had a lot of other things on my mind at the time,” Lily reminded her.

  Isabelle walked to Lily and started braiding her long blond hair. “Yes, Lily was busy saving his life. You know, Lily, I once read that if you save a person’s life you are forever bound together.”

  Isabelle’s comment reminded Lily of her grandfather. He’d said the same words to her before, but he also said the same holds true for animals. When she saved Blue’s life, she thought they would be together forever.

  “I’d like to be bound to Thorpe forever,” Dora commented.

  “Behave yourself, Dora,” Lily said.

  “Oh, I promise to be good, really good,” Dora replied.

  “You are incorrigible.” Lily couldn’t help but grin at Dora. She looked over her shoulder at Isabelle. “Are you finished?” She wasn’t going to take time braiding her hair; it was much easier to shove it under her hat, but she didn’t want to hurt Isabelle’s feelings. “I need to check his wound to see if it is healing properly.”

  “Yes, go,” Isabelle said.

  “I’ll check his wound,” Dora said.

  “You wouldn’t even know what it was supposed to look like,” Isabelle told her. “Come on, we need to start cooking.”

  As Lily jumped from the wagon, she heard Dora mention Thorpe’s muscles. She’d seen the way Dora looked at Thorpe last night. There was no doubt Thorpe had noticed Dora’s obvious interest. She wondered if he was as attracted to Dora as she was to him. Reaching Thorpe’s wagon, she tapped lightly on the wood.

  Thorpe opened the flap and Blue jumped out. “Well, hello.” She ruffled Blue’s ears. “I wondered where you were.”

  Thorpe held his hand out to her. “I heard you women talking so I figured you’d want to take a look at my shoulder.”

  Lily hoped he couldn’t hear what they were saying. “We need to keep it clean and that means a clean bandage twice a day.” She took his hand and he lifted her off the ground with one hand.

  “I already washed it as best I could.”

  In the close confines of the wagon, Lily couldn’t help but stare at his bare chest. All she could think about was what Dora said about his big muscles. Realizing she couldn’t see what she was doing if he was standing, she said, “Could you sit while I bandage you?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Thorpe sat on the mattress and Lily inspected his wound, trying to keep her eyes from drifting down his magnificent body. “This looks good. You do heal fast.”

  “I think it was that compress you put on there.” Thorpe turned his head and his cheek was a hair’s breadth
away from hers.

  “It was a poultice made of yarrow.”

  “How did you know that would help?”

  “My grandfather taught me how the Comanche treat wounds.”

  She poked around the wound. “How does it feel?”

  “My shoulder is a little stiff, but it’ll work itself out once I get in the saddle.”

  “Oh no, you don’t! You don’t need to be riding yet.”

  Thorpe tugged on her braid hanging over her shoulder. “Miss Lily, if you think I’m going to ride in this wagon all day, you’re wrong.” He hated being in close confines, and unless he was unconscious or sleeping, he wasn’t going to stay in that wagon all day.

  “You can ride on one of the seats, but you can’t handle a team yet.”

  Riding in the seat next to her didn’t sound so bad. “Okay, I’ll sit next to you today.”

  She finished bandaging his shoulder; all the while her thoughts were centered on him sitting close to her all day.

  “Your hair looks real pretty like that.”

  His compliment flustered her. “Thank you,” she said just above a whisper. She collected the things she needed and quickly jumped from the wagon.

  * * *

  They took one short break at noon and stopped for the night before dusk. Lily thought Thorpe had enough jostling around for one day.

  Thorpe suspected Lily stopped because she was worried about him. “Don’t worry about me. We can keep going.”

  “We didn’t get much sleep last night, and to tell you the truth, I’m tired.” Lily didn’t want to tell him that she was on edge with him sitting on the seat next to her all day. Not that he did anything to make her feel uncomfortable; quite the contrary. He was a very congenial traveling companion. He’d asked her about her home in Texas and her life on the farm before her parents’ death. They’d discussed several topics, but every time she looked his way, all she could think about was how handsome he was.