Caleb hadn’t hesitated to step between her and Laslow, the same way he hadn’t hesitated to tell her she shouldn’t come on the expedition. He’d instantly slipped into the role of protector again, and her reaction to him was more than unsettling. On the one hand, she was angry for his arrogant behavior, while on the other, he’d made her feel safe, just as he’d done when they were children.
She shook her head. She hadn’t even thanked him for defending her against Laslow. There was no reason why she should avoid him.
You’re afraid of him.
No, not afraid of him, but of herself and her reaction to him. While there had never been a face associated with her memories of Caleb, he was nothing like she’d envisioned him on those few occasions over the years when she’d allowed herself to think about her time at the orphanage. Her imagination certainly hadn’t conjured up a handsome backwoodsman who was filled with self-confidence and strength. The impossible odds of meeting him after all these years, and so far away from Ohio, still seemed inconceivable.
Livy walked faster in the direction of the creek. She was nearly out of breath by the time she reached the water’s edge. The sounds of gurgling water, crickets, and frogs mixed with the voices and laughter of the men in camp. She inhaled deeply of the rich scent of earth and sweet grass to calm the confusing thoughts swirling through her mind. The gentle breeze brought with it the fragrant scent of pine, while a golden glow fell over the landscape as the sun slowly descended behind the distant mountains.
She nearly tripped over one of the many logs that lay strewn about the ground, some hidden by the tall grasses growing along the banks of the creek. The edge of the forest began a short distance away on the other side of the creek, but clearly there had been lodgepoles in this meadow at some point in time.
Despite the cool air from early evening, Livy touched a hand to her flushed cheek. A wet cloth to her face would feel good. She continued to walk along the water’s edge, stopping when the creek began a gentle meander to the left.
“You shouldn’t walk right on the edge like that, Livy.”
Livy startled and spun around at the familiar voice. She nearly lost her balance and barely managed to hold on to her soap and cloth. Coming toward her was Caleb Walker. How had he come up behind her without making a sound? Livy narrowed her eyes to mask the intense flutter in her chest and stomach.
“Don’t you know it’s not polite to sneak up on someone?”
Caleb grinned, producing a slight indentation in his cheeks that his unshaven face couldn’t cover.
“I wasn’t sneaking,” he said, coming closer. He stopped close enough that she had to raise her head to look him in the eyes.
“You could have made your presence known sooner then,” she countered.
“You need to step away from the creek bank, Livy, unless you want to go for a swim,” he said in a calm voice. The smile remained on his face.
“I won’t lose my balance.” She tore her eyes away and looked at the creek.
“I’m sure you won’t, but there are places along these creeks where the water has undercut the banks, which makes them weak and unstable. You don’t have to listen to me. I simply thought I’d warn you.”
Livy glanced at the ground. It looked stable enough, but why would he tell her this if it wasn’t true? She took a step back.
“Thank you for the warning,” she mumbled before once again looking him in the eye and adding, “I’ve taken care of myself all my life. I’m not accustomed to others telling me what I can and can’t do.”
Caleb studied her, his eyes roaming over her face. Livy gripped her soap to keep from touching her heated cheeks, which would only draw attention to the fact that she was, no doubt, blushing.
“Sometimes it’s all right to ask for help, or simply accept help when it’s offered,” he finally said.
Livy tore her eyes away. The manner in which he looked at her was unsettling, leaving her weak and unable to think. Anger was her only defense at the moment. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him.
“No one’s ever cared enough to offer help unless they had ulterior motives. What are yours?”
Caleb’s perusal turned to a perplexed stare. “What are mine?”
“What are your motives for wanting to help me?” she sputtered.
He shook his head. “I have no motives. I was there for you once before, I’d like to be there for you now and make sure you survive this expedition.”
Livy scoffed. She scurried around him. Clearly, she’d have to forego her private moment at the creek. She marched back in the direction of camp. Perhaps she could hide in her tent and try to figure out her mixed emotions about this man. She should be grateful, but fear of something unknown raised her guard and brought out her anger.
“Livy, look out.”
No sooner had Caleb uttered the warning, when his strong hand clamped around her arm and yanked her backward.
Chapter 7
Livy stumbled backward, flailing her arm in the air in an effort to remain on her feet. Her head whipped around as confusion passed through her, mixed with a surge of anger.
What was that crazy woodsman doing? For a split second, an image of Horace Laslow flashed before her. Caleb Walker wouldn’t take advantage of her, would he?
“Let go of me,” she demanded, her eyes seeking him out. Everything happened so fast, nothing around her came into focus. Caleb pulled her against him, then quickly tugged her aside and stepped in front of her. He continued to grip her arm and walk backward at the same time.
The heel of her left foot bumped against a log lying in the grass and she nearly lost her footing. She grabbed instinctively for Caleb’s arm in an effort to remain on her feet.
“Back up, Livy,” came his quiet, but firm request.
Broad shoulders covered in a tanned homespun shirt obstructed her view of what had him acting so strangely.
Gritting her teeth, she fumbled with her feet to step over the log. Caleb followed. Clearly, whatever held his attention kept him from realizing there was an obstacle on the ground. Before she had a chance to warn him, Caleb tripped over the same log.
As he fell, he released her arm and somehow managed to shove her to the side. With a dull thud, Caleb landed on his backside in the grass. He hissed a curse, but made no effort to get to his feet. He quickly scooted backward on the seat of his britches.
Livy’s eyes darted around, trying to see what had caused his infuriating behavior. A glimpse of something black and white scurried through the grasses.
“Keep backing up, Livy. Slowly.”
Impulse spurred her into action. She wasn’t about to get sprayed by a skunk. Frantically looking for something to use as a weapon, her eyes fell on the soap in her hand. If she scared it away, they could return to camp.
“Don’t throw that.” Caleb’s loud warning came a fraction of a second too late. Her arm swung back and then forward, tossing her precious piece of soap at the small animal.
The soap landed a safe distance away from the skunk, but it had clearly startled the animal into action. Livy’s eyes widened, and she held back a startled scream. Caleb cursed again and leapt to his feet like an agile cat, darting in front of her a second time, just as the furry creature raised its tail. Instantly, a sharp, foul odor filled the air. Livy coughed and blinked as tears ran down her face.
“Get away from me, Livy. Don’t touch me.”
Caleb’s angry outburst barely registered among some of his colorful curse words. Coughing and shielding her nose from the horrible odor in the air, she scrambled off in the opposite direction from where the skunk had scurried off into the tall grasses.
Caleb yanked the belt off from around his waist, then ripped his shirt open and peeled it from his body. His hands fumbled with the ties that held up his britches.
“Get back to camp and find Kyle and Josh,” Caleb growled, his voice sounding strangled.
Livy’s eyes met his. Anger and annoyance blazed in his stare. He cough
ed, then gritted his teeth. The foul stench seemed to get worse.
“If you don’t want to watch me strip off the rest of my clothes, I suggest you get back to camp.”
With quick and fluid motions, he untied his britches and proceeded to peel them past his waist.
Livy shook her head, staring at his nude chest. He really was going to remove the rest of his clothes right in front of her. She spun around and ran for camp, her heart pounding in her chest. The strong odor of skunk followed her as she ran, but the intensity of the smell lessened the more distance she put between herself and Caleb.
Out of breath, she reached the camp. Several men looked up from sitting around their fires. Eli was pouring water into a kettle, no doubt to cover the beans for tomorrow night’s supper. He stopped what he was doing and raised his head. Livy slowed her pace, catching her breath. The more distance she’d covered, the more guilt started seeping through her.
Her eyes darted among the tents and campfires to where Caleb and the other scouts had set up their bedrolls. Her first inclination was to rush to Eli and tell him what had happened, but Caleb had told her to find Kyle Russell and Josh Osborne. Both men sat by their fire, and Livy breathed a sigh of relief that they were in camp.
Ignoring everyone else staring at her, she approached the two woodsmen. She’d never been around an Indian before, and although Josh Osborne had a white man’s name, he was clearly part Indian. He was the first to look up from whittling a stick with a large hunting knife. He raised his head and sniffed the air. It was Kyle Russell who stood, however, and greeted her arrival.
“Is everything all right, Miss Barkley?” He glanced around camp after his question, clearly perceptive enough to know that things weren’t all right.
“It’s Caleb.” Livy gulped some air, grateful that she wasn’t sucking in any more of that horrible smell, although the skunk odor seemed to be permanently lodged in her nose. She turned in the direction of the creek, and pointed.
Josh sprang to his feet. Her words had obviously alerted him.
“Where is he?” Kyle demanded, reaching for his rifle.
“He’s by the creek.” Livy blinked at the sudden tears that flooded her eyes, blurring her vision. “It’s my fault,” she stammered on. “I didn’t listen.”
Kyle stepped in front of her and reached for her arms. He crinkled his nose, his eyes on her dress. “What happened?”
“He . . . he . . . a skunk. He . . .”
Kyle relaxed his hands and let her go. He glanced at his cousin. A slow grin spread over Josh’s face.
“I’m assuming he’s sitting up to his neck in the creek?” Kyle asked. He appeared to be suppressing a grin, while Josh seemed to find great humor in the situation.
Livy started to shake her head, then nodded. “He was getting undressed when he asked me to come and find you.” Her eyes darted between the two men. “What can be done for him? The skunk definitely sprayed his clothing.”
“I’ll find a long stick, you bring some kindling,” Josh said to his cousin. He moved to turn.
“What will that do?” Livy stammered. “Do you have any soap?” She dropped her eyes to the ground. Shame and guilt made heat rise to her cheeks. “I dropped mine, but surely, if I hurry to wash Caleb’s clothes, I can remove the skunk odor. Or perhaps you have another remedy.”
Josh snorted. “Yeah, I got a remedy. It requires a large pile of wood with a pole in the middle, standing straight up. Then Caleb ties himself to it, and we’ll ask someone who’s lost his sense of smell and can get close enough to set fire to it.”
Livy stared at the man, horrified. He stared back at her, his face stoic and unreadable. He had to be joking.
“This isn’t funny,” she hissed, leaning toward him with narrowed eyes. “It’s about to get dark, and that creek water is cold. He can’t stay there all night. If you won’t provide me with some soap to wash his clothes, I’ll find it somewhere else.”
Anger at these two scouts replaced the shame from a moment ago. If Caleb hadn’t jumped in front of her, she’d no doubt be the one sitting in cold water this very minute. She turned to head toward the supply wagon to ask Eli if he had more soap, when Kyle’s hand on her arm stopped her.
“Soap won’t take out the skunk smell, Miss Barkley. You’re not going to go near Caleb’s clothes. If you touch anything, you’ll end up smelling of skunk, too. His clothes’ll need to be burned.”
Livy’s eyes widened. “Burned? What will he wear?”
“We’ll worry about that later. I’m sure he’s got a spare shirt and britches in his supplies.”
He released her and moved to leave camp. Josh had already disappeared.
“Shouldn’t we bring him his clothes, then?” Livy called after him. These mountain men’s behavior was more than infuriating.
“Not now,” Kyle called over his shoulder. Livy rushed to keep up with him. Kyle looked at her out of the corner of his eye.
“You sure you want to go back to the creek, Miss Barkley? If you want to do something useful, you can find me some vinegar and collect a pot of ash from one of the fires. If Eli has any baking soda in his supplies, that might be helpful, too.”
Livy stopped. She stared after the woodsman, then hurried to the supply wagon. She rattled off the items to Eli that Kyle had mentioned.
“And if there is a spare blanket, I’ll take that as well.”
Eli grunted. “If he’s been skunked, I ain’t givin’ him a good blanket.”
“Then I’ll use one of mine. He can’t sit in that cold creek all night, now can he? And Kyle Russell said he was going to burn his clothing.”
“O’course Russell’s gonna burn the clothes. He ain’t gonna be fit to come within a hundred yards’a camp fer a while.” Eli shook his head. “I figgered them woodsmen knew what they was doin’. How does one of ‘em walk right up to one a them varmints and get skunked?”
Livy cleared her throat. She’d wasted enough time. She’d explain later that it had been her fault. Caleb had been perfectly competent, but she hadn’t listened when he’d warned her to back away. He’d protected her yet again. She scooped some ashes from the campfire into a pail, then collected the items she’d asked for. Eli even handed her an old blanket with several holes in it, but by the frown on his face, he clearly did it with reservations.
Livy hurried back toward the creek, the smell of skunk getting stronger with each step she took. A thin wisp of smoke rose into the air, and a fire crackled as she approached the area where the mishap had occurred.
Caleb sat chest-deep in the water, his back turned to her. He ran his hands through his hair, the action emphasizing his physique. His back and shoulder muscles played in the dimming light of the evening sun, and his corded arms bunched while he held them up. Livy’s heart beat faster all of a sudden. She raised her chin and shook off the strange feeling of weakness that rushed through her limbs. Caleb was definitely no longer a boy.
She slowed her strides and held the blanket to her nose as the smell of skunk in the air became almost unbearable.
“We won’t have to post guards tonight.” Josh stood as far away as possible from the pile of clothes lying in the grass. “Someone’s gonna have to be awfully brave to come close to this camp.”
Using a long pole, he hooked it under Caleb’s shirt and tossed it onto the fire he’d started. The britches followed. Livy squeezed her eyes shut for a second. The guilt was back. What if he had nothing else to wear?
“I brought the things you asked for,” she called out to Kyle Russell, who stood a good distance away.
He headed for her and took the items. Livy glanced toward the water. Caleb had turned and was looking directly at her. There was no anger on his face. He had every right to be furious with her, yet here he was, sitting in a cold creek, grinning at her.
“I brought a blanket,” she said, for lack of something else to say. She kept her eyes trained on his face rather than letting them travel lower. At least the water served to co
nceal him past the middle of his chest.
“Thanks. I’m gonna need it, if I’m gonna spend the night out here.”
She frowned. “You’re not coming back to camp?”
Caleb laughed. “Livy, I got sprayed by a skunk. I won’t be allowed in camp for several days, if not a week. I might get shot.”
Livy looked at Kyle for confirmation of Caleb’s words. He nodded.
“No one’s going to want to get close to him, or let him get close to anyone. It’s best he stays away from camp.”
“It’ll be dark soon, Livy. You oughta go back to camp. You’ve got to be tired and should get some rest.”
Livy stared. Rather than be angry with her for the predicament he was in, he was thinking of her comfort rather than his own. That familiar flutter she’d experienced each time she’d thought about Caleb Walker since beginning this expedition started up again in her stomach, and moved up and around her heart.
“There you go again, Caleb Walker, telling me what to do.” Her lips twitched when he broke out in laughter.
“You’re right. I should have learned my lesson by now. I might not be sitting in this creek if I’d walked away and let you meet that skunk on your own.”
The smile faltered from her face. He was right again, but he wasn’t angry with her. He simply joked about it. Guilt slammed her again for putting him in this predicament in the first place. And, for making her feel weak and flustered.
She broke eye contact, looking around for something else to focus on rather than this man who stirred up feelings of hope - and something else for which she had no name. There was no use dwelling on such feelings. They would only lead to disappointment and heartache, as had always happened when she’d allowed herself to wish for something good to come into her life.
“What will you do with the ash and vinegar?” she asked Kyle, who peered into the pot she’d filled with the dark remains from her cooking fire.
Gunsmoke and Gingham Page 14
