Hot tears streamed anew down her cheeks, and Cameron held her close, his voice a soft murmur against her face. “Don’t think about it anymore, sweetheart. It’s over, and done with. You’re here now, and you’re safe with me.”
He closed his eyes against the rage that still engulfed him. How could a man who’d been interested in this woman run off and leave her to die? Her father had at least tried…for surely his attempt at catching the elusive Ben was his way of ensuring his daughter’s safety. Being protected by two men would have made her less vulnerable to the men who had attacked them.
At least she was remembering bits and pieces of the past, not that they were guaranteed to give her peace of mind.
“What was your father’s name?” Cameron asked quietly.
“George Travis,” she said without hesitation. “I’m Elizabeth Travis.” A slight smile curved her lips as she considered that fact. “I have a name, Cameron. I was afraid I’d never know even that much about myself.”
“Do you think your father got away?” he asked. “Could he swim?”
“A little. But if he had found safety, I think he’d have come back for me. Don’t you?” It was a pathetic query, and Cameron reserved judgment. It seemed that Elizabeth had been the responsibility of two men, and neither of them had done their job.
“We’ll ask around in Denver about him. He may have gone there.”
She shuddered again and subsided against him. “Just hold me for a minute or two, will you? I don’t want to be all alone right now.”
“You’ll never be all alone again,” Cameron vowed harshly. “If I have to fight all the ladies on the train, I’ll still take care of you by whatever means I must. So long as you trust me and know I won’t humiliate you in any way, I’ll stick to your side like glue. And once we find a preacher, I’ll marry you and make a lifelong commitment to you.”
“I’ll have to decide about that. I need to know more about myself before I talk to you about marriage.”
“Are you fearful of me, Elizabeth? Afraid I’ll take advantage of you?”
She shook her head with a quick movement. “No, I know you wouldn’t hurt me, Cameron. I just don’t want you to be misjudged in any way. It’s my fault you’re in here with me right now. But folks will blame you if they know you ended up inside the wagon in the middle of the night. I’m afraid I’ll ruin your good name.”
He edged her onto the feather tick and maneuvered his long body to lie beside her. His arm slid beneath her head and his other hand sought the middle of her back, turning her to face him. There was no force in his touch, only the warmth of a man who is deeply aroused and has sworn not to take advantage of the woman in his arms.
“It’s your name I’m concerned with. A woman is always looked down on in a situation like this. I don’t want that to happen to you.”
She relaxed gradually, her legs twining with his, her arm circling his waist, and her head cushioned on the pillow they shared. With a sigh of what might have been relief, or perhaps contentment, she burrowed against him and relaxed. “I’ll be fine,” she said with a yawn, and then she breathed deeply, as if her trust in him was not an issue. And for that reason, sleep came easily to her, he decided, as she became limp in his embrace. All but for the slender arm that stretched to the middle of his chest, the fingers that gripped his shirt and clung with a strength that pleased him.
Chapter Five
The morning sun filtered through the white canvas of the wagon, stirring Cameron from his sleep. It was past dawn, he realized, and he should have already been on the trail, scouting out the land ahead. With that, a grizzled face appeared at the rear of the wagon, a face he knew well.
“Joe. What time is it?” Cameron asked softly.
“Well, I’m back from scouting out five miles of the trail,” Joe said, his grin speaking his thoughts silently. “I thought you looked pretty comfortable in here a couple of hours ago, so I didn’t wake you. Is our girl all right?” His smile disappeared and a look of genuine concern took its place.
“She was dreaming, enough so she remembered a few things, and she needed to talk.”
“Talk?” Joe asked. “Did that involve you sleepin’ with her?”
“What you see right now is what went on all night,” Cameron told him, his words loaded with honesty and, yet, a good measure of menace, his hands in full view.
“No one’s gonna doubt your concern for the girl,” Joe said. “But you know as well as I do that at least one old biddie will be comin’ around before you know it, and raisin’ Cain.”
“No doubt,” Cameron admitted. “But I’m about to announce my engagement to Elizabeth, and I defy anyone to cast any slurs against her or cause her pain.”
He rolled from the sleeping woman he held and sat up carefully, trying not to disturb her rest. “I’m getting up. If you’ll start a fire I’ll get breakfast going.”
“I’ll help.” In a husky voice, Elizabeth revealed her awareness of the situation.
“You don’t need to,” Cameron said quickly. “Rest for a while.”
He rose and crouched low as he went to the tailgate and climbed over to the ground. His boots sat side by side near the wagon and he slid his feet into them and pulled them up, then stomped his feet to settle them inside the carved leather footwear.
Joe had already started piling wood and kindling for the fire and Cameron leaned back into the wagon, searching out the skillet and the cooking stone.
“I’ll bring the bacon,” Elizabeth offered, folding the sheet she’d used during the night. “I need to find a little privacy before I cook, though.” Her cheeks were rosy as she bent over the box where foodstuffs were stored. The slab of bacon appeared in her hands, along with the turning fork, and she looked to where Cameron stood, watching her.
“Will you slice this with your knife? I won’t be long in the bushes.”
He grinned. “Want an escort, ma’am?”
Her blush deepened as she shook her head. “You’re bound to cause trouble as it is, Cameron. Don’t make it any worse. I’ll just scout out where the other women have gone. I’ll bet there are still a few around, and I’ll join them.”
“You’re no fun,” he said mournfully. “Leaving me to cook while you take a walk, and turning down my offer.”
Her eyes sparkled as she sought out his comb and began making inroads on the long length of her hair. Within moments, she had pulled it back and braided the length of it, tying a bit of string around the end of the tail. Then with a quick, saucy grin, she tossed his comb back into the box and set off on her walk.
“Don’t look so downhearted,” Joe said. “She’ll be back in a minute.”
“I know. I’m just hoping no one has anything to say to her about my sleeping in the wagon.”
Elizabeth was relieved to find Jennie leaving the safety of the circle at the same time she sought a private spot for herself. With a quick wave, she hurried to catch up to the other woman. “There’s not a lot of cover, is there?”
“Not much, but I’ll stand in front of you, and then you can return the favor,” Jennie offered. “The men know not to be nosy, but it still grinds my gizzard to do my duty just a few feet from a slew of menfolk.”
“Have you begun breakfast, yet?” Elizabeth asked as they walked toward a lush grove of bushes. “We’re getting ready to fry bacon if you’d like to join us.”
“That sounds good. I’ll bring over some eggs to fry.”
Elizabeth delighted in the friendship that was forming between Jennie and herself. So much so, that she was willing to share the news that was causing her to walk on air.
“Cameron has asked me to marry him,” she said softly.
“I’m not surprised to hear that, Elizabeth. He spent the night in your wagon,” Jennie said, her face showing the concern she felt. “He’ll have gossip running wild today. It’s a good thing he’s made the offer, or a couple of the women would be hounding him already.”
“Does everyone know he
stayed with me?” Elizabeth asked, stunned that the knowledge had spread so quickly.
“Most everyone. But then, I think Cameron wanted them to know that he was laying claim to you, and that was probably the easiest way to go about it.”
“He crawled into the wagon when I was having a nasty dream, a nightmare, you could say. The only good thing about it was that I remembered some things that were missing from my mind. I saw my father’s face, and I know that another man was traveling with us.”
“Not your husband? I’ve noticed the ring you wear around your neck on a chain.”
“I’m not married,” Elizabeth said forcefully. “At least not to Ben. I didn’t really like him, and I sure wouldn’t have wanted him for a husband. He was a friend of my father’s back East, but neither of us thought much of him by the time we’d been a couple of weeks on the trail.”
“Where is he now? And where is your father?”
Elizabeth shook her head sadly. “I wish I knew. I saw Ben run off when the Indians appeared, and my father went after him. I suspect he had plans of bringing him back to help defend our wagon and keep me safe, but then Daddy fell in the stream and I didn’t see him again.”
“I wish you could have remembered something that would have given you more pleasure than that,” Jennie said sadly. “Surely you have a mother. Wasn’t she with you?”
“No. I can’t even recall a face right now. I wonder if she’s even alive.” Her hand went to the ring that lay in the hollow of her throat. “Maybe this is her wedding band. I know it isn’t mine.”
“That makes sense. Especially if she’s not been a part of your life for a long time,” Jennie said. “My mother died when I was a child, and I came on this wagon train with my father and two brothers.” She cast down her eyes, and her smile was faint. “I’m hoping to find a man I can love before we get to Oregon. I’m going to need a husband, and thus far, there aren’t many prospects around. You’ve caught the best of the bunch.”
“I wasn’t trying,” Elizabeth said firmly. “I’m hoping that Cameron doesn’t feel obligated to marry me just because he found me all alone and injured.”
Jennie laughed aloud. “Never fear, my dear. Cameron Montgomery doesn’t do anything just to please propriety. If he wants to marry you, it’s because he’s attracted to you and wants to spend his life with you.”
“Does ‘attracted’ bear any relation to ‘love’?” Elizabeth breathed softly. “I’m attracted to him, I know, but I’ve never known what loving a man is all about.”
“With men it’s different,” Jennie said quickly. “They don’t need to feel love in order to act on an attraction. I think there are lots of men who don’t know what the word love even means.” She grinned suddenly. “But I suspect that Cameron might be one of the ones who do. For your sake, I hope so.”
They’d meandered across a hundred feet of prairie and found themselves in the depth of the grove of greenery. Tall bushes and willow trees fought to form a verdant spot in the midst of the flatland that was mostly grasses and flowers waving in the breeze.
“This is a likely spot,” Jennie said. “I’ll bet this is where most of the women headed earlier. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an underground stream hereabouts that’s causing all this green stuff to flourish.”
“You’re probably right,” Elizabeth agreed. “Wish that stream would come to the surface and give us a chance for a bath and doing laundry.”
Jennie laughed. “Can’t have everything. Just finding this shelter for doing our business is gift enough for today. I think we’ll run across a river up ahead, according to the map my father has.”
“I surely hope so.” Elizabeth shaded her eyes with one hand and looked to the West. “There are trees ahead, but they’re probably miles away. Maybe your river will show up by tonight.”
Jennie turned back to the current business and sought a place where the bushes had thinned to a sparse cover, then stamped down the grass in a circle. “You watch for me,” she said, adjusting her clothing.
Elizabeth turned back to where the wagon train seemed to be bustling with early morning activity. “There’s no one around,” she said quietly. “Just a couple of the women heading over toward our left. I think they’re looking for a spot, too.”
Within minutes, the two of them were heading back to the circle that offered safety for those gathered in the midst of wagons and animals. Several campfires glowed, the scent of coffee and frying bacon reaching them before they climbed between two wagons to join the group.
“Hungry, ladies?” Joe wielded the turning fork over the skillet and tended the bacon with a practiced touch.
“You bet,” Jennie said. “I’ll go get some eggs and be right back. My father will no doubt be joining us, too.”
“What about your brothers?” Elizabeth wanted to know.
“They’ve already sorted out a couple of girls who are busily trying out their cooking skills. We don’t see a lot of them.”
“Come sit down,” Cameron told Elizabeth as Jennie walked across the circle to where her father waited. The chunk of wood awaited her, and Elizabeth sank onto it gratefully. “How about some coffee?” he offered, and then without waiting for a reply, he handed her the tin cup. “Careful, sweetheart,” he admonished. “It’s mighty hot.”
“Thank you.” She had difficulty meeting his gaze this morning, and sensed the eyes of others from the various campfires upon them as they sat together and drank coffee. “Jennie said we’re a topic of conversation,” Elizabeth murmured.
“I expected that,” he said agreeably. “I’ve already put the word out that we’ll be getting married when we reach Denver, or a preacher, whichever comes first.”
“Do I get to have an opinion?” Elizabeth asked sharply.
“I don’t like to sound heavy-handed, but in this case I’m afraid I’ll have to. You’re in a fix, and so am I. Folks will expect us to set things to rights as soon as we can. And that involves a preacher and a ceremony.”
“You’re planning on staying near Denver, aren’t you?”
“That’s where my land is. Won’t that suit you?”
“I had a hankering to see Oregon. That’s where my father wanted to settle.”
“At the risk of sounding cruel and unfeeling, I have to tell you that what your father wanted is no longer valid, Elizabeth. You can’t go alone to Oregon, you know that. Not unless you marry one of the other men in the party, and I don’t see that happening.”
“I’ll make up my mind later on, when things add up to me.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Cam asked bluntly.
“When I see Denver, I think I’ll know if I’ll be satisfied there. If I’m not, I’ll ask to stay on the wagon train all the way to Oregon.”
Cameron’s nostrils flared and his mouth tightened in a gesture that spelled trouble. “You’ll choose where you want to live over the person you live with?” he asked.
“What makes you think I want to live with you?”
“I’ll take you inside the wagon and demonstrate what I’m talking about if you like,” he said forcefully. “But I think you’re a smart lady, and you’re well aware that I’m mighty attracted to you, Elizabeth. I’ve laid claim to you, beginning back at the fire when I picked you up out of the ruins of your wagon and brought you back here. Since then I’ve done nothing to indicate that I’ve changed my mind. If you don’t understand my claim on you yet, I’ll demonstrate it to you more fully.”
She flushed, her face crimson, her throat above the collar of her dress sharing the vivid color. “I’ll let you know my choice, Mr. Montgomery, when we reach Denver. And I’m assuming it won’t be long before we get there, will it?”
“A week, maybe,” he said, wondering if he’d botched the whole deal. Making her angry had not been his purpose, but sure enough, she was madder than a wet hen right now. “I won’t rush you, Elizabeth,” he promised. “Just think about it, consider your choices, and make up your mind.”<
br />
“I won’t welcome you into my bed again,” she said with a glare in his direction.
“Don’t make threats you have no way of fulfilling,” he told her. “This is my wagon and my feather tick, and above all, you’re sleeping on my pillow.”
Joe stifled a hoot of laughter, his ears obviously overhearing the heated discussion. Apparently, the mention of Cameron’s pillow had tickled his funny bone. He turned to cast a furtive grin in Cam’s direction and shook his head with a puzzled gesture. “You sure ain’t goin’ about this the right way,” he muttered. “Women like to be fussed over and wooed, you know. You can’t just tell a gal what’s what and expect her to like it.”
“When did you get so all-fired smart about the ladies?” Cameron asked, aware that the object of their conversation was hiding her face in her hands.
“Been livin’ a few years longer than you, boy. Had my share of ladies makin’ eyes at me. Even…” He broke off suddenly, as if thinking better of his next statement, and then jutted his jaw forward as he glanced again at Elizabeth. “This here female is a lady, Montgomery, and she ain’t about to give in to high-handed shenanigans.”
“I’ll handle Miss Elizabeth,” Cameron said quietly. “Now just turn that bacon and get ready for the eggs. Miss Jennie is heading this way with her hands full.”
The day got off to a late start, with everyone working at a slower pace than usual, but Dallas Smith bode his time, recognizing that his people were weary and needed the comfort of the river they would find just a few miles ahead.
Sunset found the group circled next to the stream, for it was less than a river, more than a small brook. The water flowed clean and clear, probably from a mountain runoff, Dallas said. Fit to drink and plentiful enough for bathing and laundry, it was a welcome sight to the group, especially the women, who bore the responsibility of keeping their families’ clothing as clean as possible.
Wed Under Western Skies Page 7
