by Paty Jager
“There’s lots of ideas goin’ around that you and I are headin’ out together because we’re both leavin’ tomorrow.” He grasped the bottom of the window, pulling his body up and bringing his face closer to hers. “I heard about Tulley. Are you all right?”
The concern in his voice brought a lump to her throat. She’d been keeping busy to not remember his harshness or the fact she’d shot someone.
“I-I’m fine. He was waiting in here when I came back from the store.”
“Back up, I’m comin’ in.”
She took three steps backwards, and Isaac’s upper body came through the window. He leaned forward, rolled onto the floor, and stood all in one fluid motion.
Alamayda backed up two more steps and Isaac followed.
“Did Tulley hurt you?” he asked, his gaze peering into her eyes.
“Not really. He scared me.” Her heart beat fast in her chest. It had to be remembering this afternoon that made it race so and her breath to catch.
“Not really, isn’t a no.” Isaac put a hand on her upper arm, moving it up and down in a soothing motion. “Did he hurt you?”
“He grabbed my chin roughly.” The caring Isaac showed had her insides quivering. “But I poked my derringer into his belly and told him to back off.” Her anger started to rise remembering his smirk when he saw the small weapon. “He backed up and laughed when he saw my derringer. When he started back at me, I shot his ear. The shot and his yowling brought Mr. Jones and Mrs. Morgan.”
Isaac pulled her against him. She folded her arms between their bodies and laid her cheek on his shoulder. His leather vest was rough from wear.
“I’m sorry you had to shoot someone. Goin’ out like we are, you may need to shoot another.” He grasped her arms, holding her out and peering in her face. “Do you think you could shoot a man in his body if he were goin’ to harm you?”
The memory of the blood streaming down Tulley’s ear and onto his shoulder made her shudder. “I don’t know.”
Isaac drew her back against his chest. His hands moved up and down her back. “I can’t be with you all the time, Allie. You’re gonna have to be able to shoot a man if I take you to the mountains.”
Alamayda wanted to stay nestled against this warm body and listen to the rhythm of his beating heart. His talk about shooting a person brought back the reason he was here and what she had to do.
Moving out of his arms, she stepped back and peered up into his eyes. “If I have to shoot a man to stay alive, I will.” She motioned with her hand to the pile of things she would send with him. “These are the items to put on the mule. I have food and eating and cooking utensils for both of us.” She pointed to the pile half the size of the other one. “I’ll take this with me when I leave on the freight wagon. Too many people will know I bought items yesterday and today at the store. Mr. Jones talks a lot. This way they will think I’m taking all the items I bought. I told Mrs. Morgan I was embarking on a trip. That was the reason for the food items.”
Isaac smiled. “That’s a good idea. I was wondering what people would think if you walked out of here with just your bag after your trips to the store.”
Hearing his compliment added to the funny feeling inside her. Why did she get so gooey inside when she was around Isaac?
“I’ll climb back out the window. You hand the stuff out to me. I’ll get it loaded on the mule. I plan to head out now and spend the night not far from where I’ll meet you on the road.” Isaac walked to the back of the building and slid out the window before she could make a comment.
Alamayda hurried to the pile to go on the mule and carried one of the parcels to the window. Isaac took it, and she went back for another load. Four trips put the items to go on the mule tonight out the window.
“It’s all tied on.” Isaac said from below the window. “I’ll see you around two miles out of town tomorrow.”
“Do I need to say anything to the freighter?” she asked.
“He knows me. He’ll stop. That’s all he needs to know.”
“See you tomorrow.” Alamayda closed the window and tried to settle down. She was too anxious to undress completely. But washed with some of the water and put her flannel nightgown on over her shift and drawers. This was her last night sleeping on the benches and being near people. Tomorrow she’d head for the mountains and her freedom.
***
Alamayda woke the next morning, ate a leftover biscuit, and made a cup of coffee. Once she’d sated her hunger, she dumped the chamber pail and took it to the river to wash it out. Back at the school, she bundled her belongings up and made sure her personal items were in her valise. She set them by the door and waited for the freight wagon to show.
While waiting, Alamayda pulled out her sketch pad and drew the main street of Morgan’s Crossing. It wasn’t a pretty town. It was a serviceable town. People had what they needed to live but there wasn’t a sense of pride. She drew another picture of the town, this time she added trees, flowers, and a flag on the school.
Rumbling above the constant thud of the stamp mill caught her attention. A team of six mules pulled a large wagon down the street. The man at the reins wasn’t much older than herself. He had a wide-brimmed, brown hat and a long, black coat. He seemed slight of build to be handling the horses as he did.
The mules and wagon rumbled by the school, swung wide, and stopped in front of the store, headed back the way they’d come.
This was the freight wagon.
Alamayda pinned a small brimmed straw hat to her hair and picked up one of the bundles. She strode across the street and waited to the side and back of the wagon.
The freighter came out of the store with Mr. Jones.
“Miss Wagner, you’ll need to wait until we unload the wagon,” Mr. Jones said, picking up a heavy sack and laying it over his shoulder.
The freighter touched the brim of his hat, “Ma’am,” and flipped a sack up onto his shoulder as well. He strode toward the store before she managed to utter her request to ride with him.
While the two men carried the freight into the store, Alamayda carried her belongings over to the wagon, placed the shotgun on top of the pile, and waited.
Finally, the freighter came out and walked around the back of the wagon.
“Excuse me, sir. I’d like to catch a ride with you back to Sweetwater Springs,” she said, having noticed Mr. Jones lurking inside the open door of the store.
The freighter stopped and stared at her.
This was her first look at this face under the wide-brimmed hat. He had a slender face and nose, brown eyebrows, and kindness in his blue eyes.
“I heard about your pa. I can give you a ride, but I need to get something to eat first.” He nodded toward the saloon. “I’ll be a bit.” He picked up her pile of belongings on the ground by the wheel and put them in the back of the wagon. “Where can I find you when I’m done?”
Alamayda didn’t want to sit in the school house and wait. “I’ll be at Mrs. Tisdale’s.”
The man nodded and sauntered down the street to the saloon.
Squaring her shoulders and clutching her reticule, Alamayda walked down the street to Mrs. Tisdale’s and hoped the woman didn’t mind having someone invite themselves to tea.
***
Isaac stretched and walked back and forth across the road. He’d known El didn’t keep a timed schedule. The man arrived once a week with freight, the time didn’t mean a thing. But waiting for Allie had started him worrying and thinking about her in ways he hadn’t planned.
The turning point was yesterday when Smitty said Tulley had attacked Allie. That had sent the rage seething in his belly thinking of Tulley putting his hands on her. He’d nearly gone crazy waiting for darkness and the chance to see for himself if she’d been harmed. She’d tried to be strong but holding her in his arms, he’d felt her tremors. Tulley may not have bruised her, but he could tell the encounter had shaken her.
His body conjured up the feel of her in his arms. Not onl
y was his mind coming around to thinking highly of Allie, his body was beginning to react to her presence. If anyone had told him the first day he met her, he’d start thinking of her in a carnal way, he would have laughed. Seeing her drawing, watching her stand up to people, and seeing the determination she had to find the mine, she’d gained his respect.
He saw dust rising in the distance toward Morgan’s Crossing. The jingle of a harness and rumble of the wheels hauling a heavy load drifted toward him on the slight afternoon breeze.
Isaac stood in the middle of the road with his legs apart, his arms crossed, facing toward Morgan’s Crossing. The sounds swelled in volume, the dust cloud plumed toward Morgan’s Crossing, and the mules and wagon continued to grow larger as they approached.
“Ho up!” El called out and hauled back on the reins as the lead mule on the left just about planted his nose in Isaac’s chest.
Isaac’s gaze sought Allie’s. She sat upright, her body ready to spring off the wagon.
“Isaac, why’re you stopping me?” El pulled back on the brake.
“I’ll take Miss Wagner off your hands,” Isaac said, moving to Allie’s side of the wagon and reaching up.
El put a hand out, stopping Allie from dropping into Isaac’s arms. “You sure you want to go with this man?” El asked.
Allie turned to the man. “Yes, but please don’t tell anyone. As far as people in Morgan’s Crossing know I went home or I went on a trip. Please don’t tell them about me meeting Isaac.”
El shook his head. “You sure you want to go alone with him?” El put up a hand. “Nothing against you, Isaac. But Miss Wagner taking off with you is going to be hard on her reputation.”
Isaac nodded. “I know. But if I didn’t go with her she was goin’ to traipse all over the mountains alone. This way my conscience is clear.” He saw Allie stiffen at his words.
El removed his hand from Allie’s arm. “Good luck to both of you,” he said.
“Thank you,” Allie said and dropped into Isaac’s arms.
He quickly set her by his mule and walked to the back of the wagon and lifted her belongings out. “Is this everything,” he asked.
“Yes,” Allie answered, leading the mule to the back of the wagon.
“Thanks, El.” Isaac waved the freighter to continue on.
As the jingle of harnesses and rumble of tires faded, he loaded the last of Allie’s belongings on the mule. He faced Allie. “This is the last time I’ll ask. Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
Her bright eyes and smile were enough to convey her feelings as she said, “Yes!”
“I hope you have good walking boots.” He grasped the lead rope and headed across country toward the tallest mountain in the Bitterroot Range.
Chapter Sixteen
Alamayda woke with a start the fifth morning after setting out in search of the gold mine. Her feet hurt, her legs hurt, and her body had decided to pick now to start the monthly curse that was more a nuisance than anything else.
Knowing she’d be looking for the mine, she’d brought along rags for the event. In the past, she’d worked the fields while cursed while other women used this time of the month to be treated like an invalid. Working in the fields, she’d worn men’s clothing which held the rags in place better than the crotch-less drawers women wore. She only had the one union suit she’d purchased and sewn pockets on to hide her money.
The tent, Isaac put up every night for her to sleep in, shook. “Time to get up,” he said as he had every morning since they’d set out on this journey.
Every morning and several times a day, she grinned over the fact she had been lucky enough to have had Isaac be the man who looked after their father and was now helping her find the mine. The first day, he’d stopped often and made her check her feet for blisters. When he saw she was used to walking and could keep up with him and the mule, he relaxed and they kept a steady pace till mid-day. Stopping long enough to drink water from the canteen and eat a couple of biscuits and a piece of fried salt pork she’d cooked the night before. At night she made the fire and started the meal while Isaac took care of the mule and set up the tent.
The smell of coffee started her stomach gurgling. She slipped out of her nightgown, shift and drawers, standing naked in the middle of the tent but for the rag pressed against her body between her legs.
She raised a foot to put into the union suit leg and lost her balance when she felt the rag slipping.
“Oof!” She landed on her backside, on her nightgown.
“Are you okay?” The tent flap moved.
“I’m fine! Don’t come in!” she exclaimed, staring at her nakedness. Sitting on the ground she shoved both feet into the union suit and pulled it up her legs, over her hips, and over her waist, keeping the rag in place. She stood and slid her arms into the sleeves of the suit. It was going to be warmer than her shift under her dress, but she wouldn’t have to worry she was leaving a bloody rag on the trail behind her or staining her drawers from all the movement.
She quickly pulled on her stockings, dress, and underskirt. Glancing down, she noticed blood on her nightgown. That would need rinsed so it didn’t stain. Alamayda rolled the garment up and quickly slipped her feet into her boots.
“Are you sure everythin’s all right. It’s takin’ you longer this mornin.’” Isaac’s voice held a note of concern.
She popped out of the tent with the nightgown in her hand. “I’m fine.” Glancing toward the stream they camped near, she said, “I’m going to wash out my nightgown before I make breakfast.”
Isaac grasped her arm and stared into her eyes. “You’re sure nothin’s wrong?”
Alamayda smiled as her insides started squiggling. She was getting used to this feeling every time Isaac touched her or said something kind. “I’m fine. Just moving slower this morning.”
He didn’t seem convinced, but he released her arm.
She wandered down to the stream where there was a flat rock to use as a washboard. It would take some creative thinking to figure out how to dry the garment while they continued today. When she didn’t hear the usual sounds of Isaac taking down the tent, she glanced back toward camp. He stood in the same spot she’d left him, staring at her. What was going through his mind?
Isaac watched Allie squat next to the stream and unfurl her nightgown over and into the water. A red spot caught his attention. She was hurt! His feet started to propel him to the stream, but his mind had enough control to keep him away. If it was something she wanted him to know about she’d tell him. He’d keep an eye on her today and make sure she didn’t get too tired.
He started taking the tent down thinking about where the blood could have come from. He knew it wasn’t her feet. He’d made her show him her feet every night to make sure he wasn’t walking her too much and causing blisters. She hadn’t fallen or hurt herself that he knew of.
He glanced down to the stream again. She was scrubbing the garment on a rock. He hadn’t heard her coughing. There was a disease that caused a person to cough up blood.
The tent was down and folded when Allie returned to camp. She spread the garment over a bush and turned to the cook box that held the cooking supplies and leftovers from the night before.
He’d shot a rabbit the day before, and they’d eaten most of it for dinner along with biscuits Allie made every night so they would have some for breakfast and the mid-day. Isaac packed everything but the cooking box onto the mule and sat on a log by the fire.
Allie moved slower than usual, taking in deep breaths often. Something was wrong.
“Want me to put the tent back up and rest here today?” he asked, studying her face.
She shook her head. “There is no need to rest. I’m fine, just a bit tired.”
The usual peach color of her skin was faded.
He grasped the coffee pot before she could and poured them each a cup. Her hand shook a bit as she lifted the cup to her lips.
What isn’t she telling me? He watched he
r over his cup, sipping, and studying.
“Would you please stop watching me like I’m going to crumble?” Her dark brown eyes narrowed and peered back at him.
He shrugged. When she handed him a biscuit, he noticed her hand didn’t shake. Her color was still faded. She ate the biscuit and started to rise. Maybe she wasn’t getting enough to eat.
“Eat another biscuit,” he said, nodding to the box.
“There are only two left. We’ll need them for mid-day.”
“We’ll be to Haskell’s by mid-day. We’ll get a meal from him. Eat the biscuit.” He’d refrained from telling her how close they were to the trading post to keep her from pushing them harder. After witnessing her this morning, Isaac was glad he’d kept the information to himself.
“Why didn’t you tell me this yesterday or last night?” She picked up a biscuit but didn’t bite into it. She held it in front of her waiting for his answer.
“I figured you’d want to push harder.” He reached into the box and pulled out the last biscuit. “We aren’t in a hurry. Another day isn’t goin’ to get us any closer to the mine. We’re goin’ to have to decide on a base camp. I’m thinkin’ at the lake and hike a different area each day until we stumble on the mine.” If there was a mine. He still wasn’t convinced there was such a thing, but he’d stick with Allie until she gave up.
“How far is the lake from the trading post?” Allie asked.
“A good day’s hike. We’ll get our supplies at the tradin’ post this afternoon, spend the night there, and head for Tomcat Lake tomorrow mornin’.” He’d been trying to decide whether to ask about Alan Wagner or let it go. Old man Haskell would have made a move on the mine if he knew where it was. The man was as greedy as they came.
“What is the man at the Trading Post like? Can we trust him?”
Allie had only been out here a short time, but she was learning to be wary of people. Or perhaps it came from the people she dealt with back in Kansas. Isaac finished his biscuit in two bites and nodded toward the one Allie only nibbled on.
“I’ll only tell you about Haskell if you eat that biscuit.”
