He kneed his mount into a trot. It was high time he put as much distance between himself and this place as possible. Of all the days he’d picked to finally make the trip into town, today had been the worst choice, for more reasons than one.
Chapter Two
Grace scurried behind the church as fast as she could, leaning heavily on her crutch. The fall in the street a moment ago had hurt, and pain still shot through her leg. She hadn’t dared cry out. She’d already drawn enough attention to herself with her mishap.
Darned useless leg. Why did she always take a misstep at the worst times? That horse could have trampled her. Thank goodness no one was paying her any mind. Everyone seemed to have their eyes on the children that were being offered up for adoption. Most people would be there out of curiosity, not because they were interested in offering a child a home.
She glanced down the road to where the rider disappeared with his pack mule. He’d looked out of place in town, dressed in fringed buckskin britches like an Injun. The parts of his shirt that were visible beneath an old and tattered leather jacket had been spun from cotton. It looked to have seen better days.
Grace shuddered. Instead of a sidearm, he carried a large hunting knife strapped to his belt. His shoulder-length, dirty-blond hair completed his feral appearance. The man’s midnight-blue eyes had held her mesmerized for a moment when her hat had fallen off. He’d looked genuinely surprised when he’d realized she was a female.
Despite her jumbled nerves, Grace smiled. Perhaps her britches, hat, and oversized wool coat were a better disguise than she’d thought. The clothing couldn’t completely hide that she was a woman, but people tended to stare less at a man who walked with a crutch.
Grace shook her head, as if it would rid her of the memory of the rugged man’s stare. She was no stranger to a man’s leering eyes, but the intense look of intrigue, mixed with surprise and something close to warmth and soothing, had taken her off guard much more than she’d let on at the time. Not that she wanted to contemplate it any further. She had more important things to focus on than her reaction to a complete stranger looking at her. Wasn’t that why she wore britches - to keep folks away?
Leaning heavily on her walking stick, Grace moved away from the church building. She scanned the crowd of people and the children. A heart-wrenching scream pierced the air. Her head shot to the source. A small boy, who couldn’t be more than four or five years old, was being pried away from the arms of an older boy. One of the nuns held tightly to him while the older boy hung his head and walked with the couple that ushered him away. He glanced over his shoulder. The sad, nearly panicked look in his eyes was easy to see even from a distance. Tears welled up in Grace’s eyes, blurring her vision.
It was the same in every town. Siblings were split up because families only wanted one of the children. Someone was always left behind, and the chances of finding each other again were slim to none. Hadn’t it been the same for her four years ago? Only, Grace hadn’t gone to a loving family, even if, by all outward appearances, the couple that had chosen to adopt her had seemed like nice folks.
Nearly seventeen at the time, she’d already been much older than most of the other children, and her chances of finding someone to adopt her had become bleaker with each town they passed. Grace had begged the couple to also take her younger sister, or to take Rose instead of her, but they’d been adamant that they’d only wanted Grace. If she had known at the time why they’d only wanted her, she would have never asked for them to take Rose, as well.
Grace clamped her lips together. She wasn’t going to think about that horrible day, and all the days and months that followed, after she’d been separated from her sister. It had taken a long time – four years - but she’d finally found Rose, and she wasn’t going to leave this town without her.
She glanced toward where she’d seen her sister earlier in the crowd of children and adults. In her haste to get to her, she’d fallen and tripped right in front of that horse. Her heart stopped cold in her chest. A man and woman were talking to Rose.
An icy chill raced down Grace’s spine. She shook her head. No. It couldn’t be happening to her sister, too. She sucked in a quick breath to calm her nerves. This could just be an ordinary farmer and his wife, looking to adopt a girl.
The woman touched Rose on the head, letting her fingers run through her hair. Grace had seen the same scenario too many times. She hadn’t been able to help most of the other girls who’d been ‘adopted’ this way, but she had helped a few. Rose was the right age. She’d be nearly thirteen now. Grace leaned heavily on her stick. There was nothing she could do at the moment. She had to let the adoption go through before she could act. She couldn’t risk being seen, or recognized, by one of the nuns who organized this particular group of orphans heading west. She’d simply have to wait and bide her time.
With shaky hands, she pulled a torn piece of parchment from her pocket, along with the little stump of a pencil she kept there. She scribbled a hasty note. If the couple took Rose away from town right away, like she’d seen happen before with other girls, she might not be able to follow them to see where they went.
Grace folded the paper, then darted a quick look around. She gritted her teeth. It would be so easy to rush up to her sister and tell Rose that she’d come for her, and that they’d be together again. It was too risky. If she got arrested, she couldn’t save her sister.
A young boy stood some ten paces away from her, looking lost and shy. Grace waved her hand from behind the church building until she had his attention. She motioned for the boy to come closer. His eyes widened, and he pointed a finger at himself. Grace nodded vigorously. The boy glanced over his shoulder several times, then rushed up to her.
“Can you give this note to someone for me?” Grace asked in a hushed tone. “But keep it secret, so no one sees?”
The boy nodded.
“Do you know Rose Jennings?”
“Yes,” the boy stammered. “She’s getting adopted today, it looks like.” Sadness clouded the boy’s eyes.
“Yes, that’s her.”
Grace pressed the note into the boy’s hand. “Give her this. It’s very important, but you have to keep it a secret, you hear?”
The boy nodded, his eyes wide.
“I will,” he said eagerly.
“You can’t let those folks who are going to adopt her see you give her the note, or let them know what you did. Understood?”
“I understand,” the boy said eagerly.
Grace smiled. “What’s your name?”
“Andy,” the boy answered without hesitation.
Grace touched his arm. He couldn’t be older than six. “You’re doing a very important thing, Andy,” she whispered. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“No, ma’am.”
Grace frowned that even a little boy had seen through her disguise so easily. “There’s a family out there, waiting for just someone special like you,” she said. If only her words would come true, and the boy would find a good home.
The boy smiled listlessly. He’d probably heard it all before from the nuns who chaperoned the orphan trains.
“Go run along, and deliver my message.” Grace steeled her heart. She’d learned long ago not to get attached. There were simply too many children without parents, being shipped all over the country, and in need of homes. Hadn’t she been one of them? She scoffed silently.
Grace pulled her hat down over her forehead, and held tightly to her walking stick. She leaned heavily on it as she turned away from the crowd. Folks were either looking for a child to take into their home to love as one of their own, or they were looking for free labor. She couldn’t bear to watch anymore. Unable to stop herself, she turned one final time, and caught a glimpse of Andy slipping Rose the note. He pointed in the direction from where Grace had stood behind the church. She hurried to walk as fast as her lame leg would allow, toward the outskirts of town.
Sitting under a large tree by th
e creek, she waited. As the hours passed, her heart began to speed up. What if Rose had misunderstood the message? What if she hadn’t been able to get away from that man and woman? Grace chewed on a blade of grass. Her stomach growled. She’d used up the last of the few coins she’d had to pay a freighter to bring her to Elk Lodge. Two stale biscuits were tucked securely in her coat pocket.
She’d think of something to get some money for food once they reached the next town. She could cook, and clean, and was fairly handy with a needle and thread. Proving that she could do these things to skeptical folks when they’d seen her heavy limp had been daunting, and some had allowed her to work out of pity. It didn’t matter. It had gotten her this far. She’d beg, if she had to, in order to feed her sister. Hell, as a last resort, she’d even . . .
Something rustled in the underbrush, drawing her attention away from unpleasant thoughts. Grace turned her head. She pulled herself to a standing position, and balanced on her good foot while leaning heavily on her walking stick. A second later, a young girl emerged through the brush that led to the creek bank.
“Rose.” Grace darted forward, and nearly lost her balance.
“Grace! Oh, God, it’s really you. I thought I’d never see you again.”
Not a moment later, Rose flung her arms around Grace’s neck, and clung to her. Grace wrapped her own arms around her sister, and nearly fell over, bearing weight on only her good leg. Her little sister had grown so tall over the years. She sobbed.
“I knew I’d find you. I never gave up hope.”
“You promised you would,” Rose cried against her shoulder. “You promised, when you got adopted, that we’d be together again. I always believed you; that you’d come for me someday.”
Grace leaned back. She cupped her sister’s face between her hands. Tears blurred her vision. “I’m sorry it took me so long to find you,” she rasped, and kissed Rose on the forehead.
Rose smiled. “A nice family asked to adopt me today. They were going to come back in the morning to take me home with them.”
Grace shook her head. Her hands tightened along Rose’s cheeks, and her smile vanished.
“I’m here to take you away with me. You can’t go with those people. They’re not who they’re pretending to be.”
Rose’s forehead wrinkled. Grace dropped her hands away.
“I don’t understand. The woman, Mrs. Perkins, said she’s always wanted a pretty girl like me, that she had a daughter once, who would be my age now, but she died of the fever. She said she’s been sad ever since, and I remind her of the girl she lost. She said I’d have my own room, and she’d buy me pretty dresses, and everything.”
Grace continued to shake her head. “No. That’s what they always say.”
“They?”
“They’re bad people, Rose.” Grace glanced down at the grass, then looked her sister in the eye. She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. “It’s not the same couple each time, but these folks were hired by someone… a bad man, who seeks out young girls about your age. He has couples adopt them, and then they hand you over to him.”
Rose’s eyes widened. “What for?”
Grace shook her head. She hadn’t been prepared to tell her sister everything at once. Her first priority had to be to get as far away from this town as possible, so that no one would come after them. Children had been known to run away before. Usually, no one bothered to look too hard to find them. It was one more child off the orphanage’s hands.
“We have to get away from here, Rose. I don’t want those people to find you.”
Fear clouded her sister’s eyes. Rose had always been delicate, like her name. If she’d had to endure the same fate that had befallen Grace, she wouldn’t have lived a week. Renewed determination took hold in Grace. If it was the last thing she did, she’d make sure her sister was safe.
“You have to trust me, Rosie,” she whispered, and plastered a smile on her face. “I’m going to take care of you. I promised I would always take care of you.”
Rose nodded, but the fear didn’t leave her. Grace took hold of her hand, and picked up her stick. She startled when her eyes fell to the small boy who’d stood silently by the bushes.
“Andy?”
The boy she’d given the note to earlier, stepped forward. His eyes were round as saucers. “I want to come with you, too,” he said eagerly. “I don’t want to be an orphan no more.”
Grace squeezed her eyes shut. How was she going to get her sister away and somewhere safe, where no one would find them, and take this boy along with her? He’d done her a favor earlier. She couldn’t simply leave him behind. Besides, he might tattle, and then all hopes of leaving before anyone realized that Rose was gone would vanish.
She limped toward the boy. “All right, Andy. You’re a brave boy. You can come with us, but you have to do exactly what I tell you. Do you understand?”
The little boy’s eyes lit up with excitement and joy. He nodded vigorously. “Yes, ma’am,” he said.
Grace touched the top of his head. She turned, and reached for her sister’s hand. Somehow, she’d figure out how to provide for both her sister and this boy. She smiled at each of them, and raised her chin.
“All right, let’s go. It’s going to be dark soon, and we need to get as far away from town as possible.” She looked from her sister to Andy. “This won’t be easy, and we’re going to be hungry and cold tonight, you hear? But I promise I will take care of you.”
Rose nodded, worry and fear clouding her eyes. Andy seemed to think he was going on an adventure. Grace gritted her teeth, and set out along the creek bank, heading toward the hills and away from Elk Lodge.
Chapter Three
Levi ladled stew into a bowl from the cast iron pot hanging over the fire in the hearth, and carried it to the small table in the center of the room. Outside, the wind howled, making the trees surrounding his cabin groan ominously. He placed another log in the fire, and eyed his wood box. He’d have to chop some more wood today, if he wanted to stay warm tonight.
The temperature had dropped quickly since his return from town. It had taken him two days to get back to his cabin in the high country, and by the looks of the skies outside, there might be some early snow heading his way. Good thing he’d decided to make the trip into town when he did, rather than wait another week. He might have been snowed-in. Even though winter was still months away, the weather in the high country was always unpredictable.
Levi eyed the sacks of supplies he’d stacked in one corner of the cabin’s main room. He was all set for winter. A few more hunting trips, and he’d have enough meat to get him through the worst of it. If the weather turned bad enough to keep him bound to the cabin, he wouldn’t be able to go out to find fresh meat.
Buck had taught him well over the years how to survive in even the harshest winters, and how to ration his supplies. Even though food sometimes ran low, the old trapper had always kept some jerky and smoked meat on hand to keep them fed when game was scarce.
Life sure wasn’t easy, living in the mountains, but Levi wouldn’t trade it for anything. The solitary life suited him just fine. The two-day ride back from town had given him plenty of time to think on it. He couldn’t put enough distance between himself and the townsfolk fast enough.
Seeing those orphans had brought back memories from when he was a boy. He and his sister, Maggie, had come all the way from New York on one of those orphan trains. At first it had been exciting, the prospect of belonging to a real family, with a ma and a pa. Reality had quickly set in when they’d watched other siblings get torn away from each other over and over again.
Levi poured himself a steaming cup of coffee, and sat at the table. He stared into his bowl of food while listening to the wind howl outside. He picked up his spoon, and dug into the rabbit stew he’d prepared last night. No sense wasting the day away. He had wood to chop, and his horse and mule to tend to. If there was going to be a storm, he’d best make sure the little lean-to at the ba
ck of the cabin was secure to keep the animals warm and dry in the worst of it.
Outside, his horse whinnied, and the mule brayed loudly. Levi set the spoon down. He pushed his chair back, and reached for his rifle hanging over the hearth. He’d fended off enough hungry cougars over the years that had thought the animals were an easy meal. He frowned at the sound of hoof beats. When was the last time someone had come to the cabin?
Levi cocked his rifle, and opened the cabin door. A cold blast of air sent a shiver through him, but he stepped outside. Two men rode into the clearing. Levi glanced from one to the other, then lowered his weapon.
“Cade?” He pulled the cabin door shut behind him when a strong gust of wind whipped his hair into his face. Dust and debris swirled through the air, and a nearby lodgepole groaned as it swayed with the wind.
The man he’d seen in town dismounted his horse, and held on to his hat. His companion followed.
“Levi.” Cade held out his hand, which Levi shook. “Don’t know if you’ve met Trace Hawley.” He motioned with his chin at the other man. “Owns the Red Cliff Ranch down in the valley.”
Levi shook the other man’s hand, and nodded. He’d heard of Trace Hawley and his horse breeding operation, but he’d never met the man personally.
“What brings you all the way up into the high country? And in this weather?”
Cade looked to Trace for a moment. “We’re part of a search party, looking for a couple of missing children.” Cade raised his voice over the noise of the wind. “Been out looking for three days.”
Levi’s forehead scrunched. “Missing children?”
The orphans he’d seen in town immediately came to mind. If a couple of them had run away, and had been dumb enough to head into the mountains, they wouldn’t last long in this weather. How well he knew that firsthand. He glanced up at the sky. Dark clouds were moving in fast from the west.
In His Arms: Blemished Brides Book 3 Page 2
