“Go and fix some food, Evie. I’m sure Jasper is hungry.” He had to get her away from him. She would surely drive him mad. Alex released her hand, and the warmth in her eyes cooled almost immediately when he spoke his harsh words, and he instantly regretted it. She visibly inhaled a deep breath and held up her chin. Nodding silently, she turned to leave. Alex’s hand reached out and grazed her arm. “I’d be much obliged,” he said quietly, silently calling himself every vile name he could think of.
“Of course, Alex,” Evie said, and she smiled softly, but the hurt was evident in her eyes.
“Wouldn’t mind eatin’ some of that there bar,” Jasper said, running a hand across his lips.
“I’ll have to ask Laurent about how to cook that,” Evie said, glancing from him to the trapper. “I’ve never prepared bear before.” She turned quickly and scurried off toward the fire where Laurent was busy with the coffeepot. Alex stared after her. So did Williams.
“Yessir, ya got a good woman,” Jasper said again, nodding in approval and appreciation of Evie. “Shore makes me miss my Molly.”
Alex raised his brows. “Molly?” he asked.
“My wife,” Jasper answered, and adjusted the furry hat on his head.
“I didn’t know you were married.” Alex was certain that Williams had never mentioned a wife. Everyone he knew, and who knew Jasper, assumed he lived a solitary life.
“Yep. Left’er back in St. Louie.”
Alex chuckled. “You never spoke of a wife before.”
“Cause talkin’ ‘bout ‘er would be plumb hurtful,” Jasper said quietly, looking right at Alex. “Yer a lucky man, Walker. Yer gal is here with ya. Mine didn’t wanna come. I shore miss her summat fierce when I’m in these here mountains. This’s my last season. Come next spring, I’s goin’ home fer good. My Molly needs me, an’ I need her.” He pulled his hat off his head and held it to his chest. Then he pointed a finger at Alex. “Ya be sure an’ do right by that gal, Walker. I can see the love shinin’ in her eyes for ya. There ain’t nothin’ more powerful’n a woman lovin’ ya, and it’s a lucky man who can lay claim to such a woman. I thought them mountains was more important than my wife, but over the last year, I come to realize it ain’t so. You hold on to that gal, and don’t let ‘er go.”
The mountain man ran his hand over his face, and turned away from Alex. Alex stared at Evie. She squatted by the cooking fire, poked at the coals and added some wood. She laughed at something Laurent said, just before her gaze darted to him. The laughter froze on her face when their eyes met. Alex held his breath.
Jasper’s words echoed in his mind. I can see the love shinin’ in her eyes for ya. Was that what he himself had seen in her eyes earlier today, and just before he sent her away to cook a meal? Impossible. Evie couldn’t be in love with him. He hadn’t done anything to win her favor. Alex looked away. He couldn’t allow her to see how much she affected him, how much he wanted her to love him. Sending her back to St. Louis would be bad enough. After listening to Jasper talk, he wasn’t sure he could go through with it and let her go.
Chapter 12
Evelyn gave the cloth in her hand a hard twist to wring the excess water from it. Kneeling beside Byron Yancey under the lean-to, she gently dabbed the cool rag against his forehead. His eyelids fluttered open and his unfocused gaze settled on her face. She offered a reassuring smile.
“How are you feeling?” she asked quietly, and wiped at his whiskered cheeks, taking care to avoid the gash along the side of his jaw that ran from his lip up into his scalp. Laurent had done his best to sew the man’s skin together using the hair from his horse’s tail, but the ugly jagged wound would no doubt leave a visible scar.
“I feel like I’ve been mauled by a bear,” Yancey groaned, and tried to smile. Evelyn frowned at his apparent attempt at humor. Shifting his weight, he raised his head. “Where are we?”
“Still in camp,” Evelyn answered, turning her head to cast a fleeting look over her shoulder. Crickets chirped loudly in the evening air. It would be dark soon. Laurent, Alex, and Jasper Williams sat around the campfire, the lone trapper telling boisterous tales of his travels. Evelyn understood only a few words of what the mountain man said. After serving a supper of bear paw meat and corn cakes to the men, she had excused herself to tend to Yancey.
“You saved my life, Miss Evelyn,” Yancey said, his eyes wide as struggled to raise himself to a sitting position. His hand flew to his head and he groaned again.
“You might want to lie back.” Evelyn focused her attention back to the injured man and pushed against his chest to discourage him from doing more harm to his injuries. “And don’t thank me. If not for Alex, we would both be dead.”
“I did a stupid thing.” He reached for her hand, and Evelyn squeezed his.
“I put your life in danger. If anything had happened to you, Walker would have finished me off for sure.”
Evelyn cleared her throat. Apparently everyone was under the notion that Alex cared for her. Even she had started to believe it, but then why had he told her he was sending her back to St. Louis? Gritting her teeth, she didn’t know what to believe anymore. His tender kisses and those looks of longing in his eyes spoke of something more than casual affection for a friend’s sister.
Frustrated, she leaned back, and turned her head again to watch the men at the fire. Alex smiled broadly at something Jasper said, and her heart fluttered in her chest. Damn the man for being such a stubborn oaf! If he thought he could simply send her away, he was sorely mistaken.
For six long years, she had believed he was lost to her. Why she had allowed Charles Richardson to feed her and Henry a bunch of lies that Alex had killed her parents was beyond her scope of comprehension now. The only reason she planned to return to St. Louis some day was to bring the true murderer to justice.
“How bad am I hurt?” Yancey’s raspy voice forced her attention back to him. His eyes glazed over with pain. Evelyn wished she wasn’t so helpless and knew what to do to comfort him. She couldn’t lie to him.
“The bear tore the side of your face. You will always have a scar, but Laurent stitched it up as best as he could. The bear clawed you fairly deep along your ribs on your left side, as well as on your thigh. Laurent assured me that you would mend.” Evelyn met his stoic stare, and a look of acceptance washed over him.
“Let me bring you some broth. Alex wants to head out in the morning. You’ll need all your strength.”
Yancey nodded, and Evelyn pushed herself up off the ground. Silently she wondered how he could possibly travel with his injuries. By the fire, Alex stared in her direction, his lips drawn in a tight line. Squaring her shoulders, she strode toward the men.
“I need a bowl to bring Yancey some food,” she said, meeting Alex’s stare head on. The man was as unreadable as a stone statue. Laurent handed her a cup, and she leaned toward the kettle hanging over the fire to dip it into the hot broth that simmered within. Alex stood and took the cup from her.
“Laurent can bring it to him,” he said quietly. “You’ve done enough today.” His penetrating gaze locked onto her eyes, and for a second that look of longing that sent her heart racing emerged.
Evelyn tore her eyes away, and glanced from Laurent to Jasper, who had stopped talking when she approached. He seemed to find great interest in the lacings of his tobacco pouch that hung from around his neck. Laurent stood and relieved Alex of the cup.
“I will see to our young jeunot.” He dipped the cup in the kettle, and headed for the lean-to.
“Walk with me,” Alex said, and took hold of her hand. Evelyn’s pulse increased. He pulled her along with him away from camp toward the creek. A loud chorus of crickets and frogs greeted them, and swarms of insects fluttered above the water in the twilight. A lone coyote barked nearby, and a soft golden glow shimmered along the snow-capped mountain range in the distance.
Evelyn dared not speak first, and waited for Alex to say something. A soft breeze grazed against her cheeks, and she
shivered involuntarily.
“Are you cold? We can go back.” Alex stopped walking, and turned to face her.
She shook her head, unable to speak. Her mouth went dry, and she ached for his embrace. Disappointment flooded her when Alex released her hand. She stiffened her back and glared at him. It was time to set some things straight.
“I’m not going back to St. Louis,” she stated firmly. “Why all of a sudden are you so eager to be rid of me, Alex? We had an agreement. You promised to protect me. You can’t do that if I’m in St. Louis, and you’re here in these mountains.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed. “By sending you back, I am protecting you,” he said. “Can’t you understand that, woman?” His arms clenched at his sides.
“Protecting me, or yourself?” Evelyn challenged, and stepped closer. She reached out and touched his uninjured arm. The muscles beneath his shirt bunched taut.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” His eyes blazed, but Evelyn refused to back away.
“I’m not afraid of you, Alex. You can continue to push me away, but I’m not leaving. Six years ago, you broke the heart of a thirteen-year-old girl when you left St. Charles. I’m no longer a little girl. Now that we’re here, together, I’m not letting you break my heart a second time.” Her heart pounded as she whispered the words. How would he react to such a confession?
Alex pulled away from her and ran his hand over his face. He wheeled to turn around.
“I’m no good for you, Evelyn,” he said, his voice strained as he stared off at the distant mountains. “I’m sorry for what happened to your folks and Henry, and that you ended up here. I made a mistake when I decided to take you further into the mountains with me. I didn’t know what to do at the time when I . . . when I bartered for you.” He paused, and glanced at her before turning his head back toward the mountains. “I’ll make sure you’re taken care of in St. Louis.” His jaw muscles clenched and unclenched.
Evelyn stepped around him, and stared up into his hardened face. She reached up and touched his cheek, forcing him to look at her.
“What if I want you to be the one to take care of me?” she whispered. “As you’ve reminded me before, according to the law of the land, you’re my husband. I see it in your eyes that you have feelings for me. I can feel it in the way you kiss me.”
Alex’s chest heaved. “It doesn’t matter what I might feel for you, Evie. Don’t you understand?” His words sounded forced. “Your safety is more important to me than what I want.” He pried her hand away from him, and held on to her wrist.
“Alex Walker, you are making no sense.”
“I hurt you once, Evie. Remember?” He lifted her wrist to her eye level. “I don’t ever want to hurt you like that again.”
“Then don’t,” she said in a sultry voice.
“Evelyn . . .” His voice trailed off, and he shook his head, avoiding her eyes.
Evelyn yanked her arm free of his grip, and fisted her hands at her hips. “Don’t be a warthog, Alex Walker.”
Alex’s head shot up, and his eyebrows furrowed. For a moment he just stood glaring at her. He sighed audibly. His eyes roamed her face, and Evelyn held her breath. The firm set of his jaw tensed even more. Abruptly, he stepped away from her. “Time to get back to camp. It’s getting dark.”
Without another glance at her, he turned and headed toward the glow of the campfire. Evelyn stood in stunned disbelief.
“I’m not going back to St. Louis. You hear?” She stomped her foot and yelled after him. “Damn you for the stubborn mule that you are.” With her hands still on her hips, she stared after him. Her vision blurred, and she sniffed. Had she been mistaken about him after all? She’d almost declared her feelings for the one and only man she ever loved. Perhaps she was just being naïve, and he truly didn’t care about her.
Evelyn listened to the crickets chirp and the soft gurgle of the water as it flowed past. She didn’t know how long she stood at the creek’s edge, but something was different all of a sudden. The frogs stopped their chorus.
Her head shot up just in time to see Alex in the distance wheel around and pull his pistol from his belt. He was almost back at the campfire. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. He called her name, but it sounded like a faraway echo, just before a firm hand clamped over her mouth, and someone dragged her away from the creek. She tried to kick out at her assailant, but a steely hand slapped her across the cheek, making her head snap to the side. She blinked away the pain and darkness before her eyes, and a firm arm wrapped around her middle. The breath left her lungs when she was thrown over someone’s shoulder. She tried to call Alex’s name, but no words escaped her lips. Her captor ran through the brush and into the forest as the sounds of gunshots reverberated all around her.
****
Alex realized something was wrong the instant it happened. The crickets and frogs ceased their loud noise for a brief moment. The hair at the back of his neck stood on end, and by pure reflex he pulled his pistol from his belt. At camp, Laurent and Jasper both shouted at the same time. Several horses whinnied, and shots rang out.
Evelyn!
Everything seemed to happen at once. With his pistol in one hand, he yanked his knife from his belt. A scream filled the air; the scream of the woman he cherished above everything else. He wheeled around, his pistol cocked and ready to fire.
Evelyn struggled against the hold a Blackfoot warrior had on her arms. He backhanded her across her face, and her head snapped to the side. Rage like a wildfire out of control consumed Alex. Visions of his father hitting his mother flashed before him. He raised his pistol and took aim. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, the warrior threw Evie over his shoulder and took off into the thicket. Alex cursed loudly. He couldn’t fire his weapon for fear of hitting her. He charged after the Indian, determined to overtake the savage. His fingers gripped the knife tighter. The Injun would pay with his life for touching her.
“Evelyn,” he shouted, wanting her to know that he was coming for her. An arrow whirred through the air, narrowly missing his chest. Alex twisted to the left, raised his gun, and fired in the direction the arrow had come from. With a small sense of satisfaction, his target fell to the ground. Instantly, he bolted forward again to renew his pursuit. A loud war cry and the pounding of horses’ hooves behind him alerted him to another attack.
Alex spun around, his knife raised. He tossed his useless pistol to the ground, and yanked a tomahawk from his belt. A warrior on horseback charged at him. The Indian held his war club above his head with the obvious intent to strike him down. Rather than avoid the charge, Alex stood his ground. The Indian swung his arm back, and Alex lunged forward at the same time, blocking the warrior’s blow. His forward momentum pulled the Indian off of his horse’s back, and he landed with a loud thud in the dirt as his animal kept running.
Alex ran toward his opponent, and kicked the weapon from his hand. The Blackfoot pulled his knife and sprang to his feet. Alex leapt back, and widened his stance. He waited for the warrior to make the next move. Leaning forward, he gripped the knife in one hand, the tomahawk in the other. He cursed under his breath. He was losing precious time while the savage who carried Evie off was getting away.
His opponent bared his teeth, and lunged. Alex held his stance. Moments before the Indian reached him, a shot rang through the air and the warrior fell forward, and dropped to the ground. He didn’t move to get up. Blood ran freely from a bullet hole in his back. Alex’s head shot up to see Jasper grinning broadly. He tipped his fingers to his fur cap and raised his rifle.
Alex spun around. The warrior who carried Evie away was nowhere to be seen.
“We run ‘em off, Walker,” Jasper shouted. “They’s all hightailin’ it outta here like a buncha squaws. Damn Blackfoot.”
Alex raced toward camp. “Where the hell’s my rifle?” he shouted, his eyes darting frantically around camp.
Laurent rushed to him, tossing his rifle at him. “It is freshly loaded, mon amie
, but I do not believe we will need it. Jasper and I killed four of them, and there were six more who thought it best to retreat.”
“They took Evelyn,” Alex called loudly. Blinding rage consumed him. He had to get her back. He would get her back. The warrior who had hit her was as good as dead.
“Mon dieu!” Laurent exclaimed.
No sooner had the Frenchman exclaimed his words, when a war cry resonated across the meadow. A lone Indian on his horse far across the creek raised his war lance high in the air. Alex recognized the man who took Evie, but something else looked familiar about him, even though his face was painted black with a broad white stripe below his eyes. Where the hell had the bastard taken her?
“You steal my horses, Shadow Walker, I take your woman,” the warrior hollered in his native tongue. He yanked on the reins and pulled his horse’s neck around, kicking it into a gallop, whooping loudly as he raced away.
Comprehension dawned on Alex as to why this warrior looked so familiar. He was the Blackfoot whose horses he took the night he stole back his own animals.
“Goddammit,” Alex cursed. The rider was too far away to shoot at. Without a second thought, he ran for where his horses stood tethered and hobbled. With one swift motion, he cut through the leather thongs that bound his saddle horse’s front legs together, and untied the bridle from the picket line. He swung up onto his mount’s bare back.
“Where are you going?” Laurent shouted, running at him, his eyes wide.
Alex circled his excited mount. The animal’s muscles bunched up underneath him while it pranced in place, as if sensing Alex’s urgency.
“To get my wife back,” Alex retorted between clenched teeth.
“Don’t be a fool. Wait for us to come with you,” Laurent implored frantically. “It is suicide to give chase by yourself.”
“They’ll kill her, and you know it. I don’t have time to waste.” Alex glared at Laurent, who had no response. He eased up on the reins and kneed his horse in the sides. The gelding sprang forward. Alex raced his mount toward the creek, and the animal plunged through the water, sending up jets of cold spray. He gave his horse its head and leaned low over its neck, racing in the direction the warrior had taken. His heart pounded fiercely in tune with his horse’s hoof beats. Visions of the terrified look in Evie’s eyes as the warrior slung her over his shoulder spurred him on.
Teton Romance Trilogy Bundle: Includes Yellowstone Proposal (Short Story) Page 12
