Over the years, she’d been convinced there wasn’t a shred of compassion in him. Travis Wilder simply couldn’t accept that she – a mere female – was just as capable in the mountains as he was.
Perhaps it was finally time to stop cowering and show that she had as much of a backbone as he did. For eight years, she’d put up with his arrogance, keeping her head down and her mouth shut, letting him boast about his skills as a hunter and tracker while she quietly improved her skills to match his.
Harley had always backed her whenever Travis had become confrontational, and he only encouraged her again this time. He was right. It was time to prove to everyone - but mostly to herself - that she was not going to be afraid for the rest of her life. If she continued to hide away from everyone, she would never be free from the man who had robbed her of her innocence.
Josie had crossed her arms over her chest and boldly faced Travis. “I’ve decided to take Anthony Hammond up on his offer to guide the wagons, Travis Wilder. No need for you to tag along.”
After she’d voiced her decision, the look on Travis’ face had been worth every butterfly in her belly. For several seconds, he’d stared at her in stunned silence. For once, he’d been rendered without some smart remark, and he’d narrowed his eyes at her, no doubt wondering if she’d been serious.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Travis had finally huffed, still glaring at her with disbelief. “Leading a wagon train is not like going hunting in the woods for quail. After a couple of days, you’re gonna want to tuck tail and head back to your sisters.”
Josie had stood her ground. “You can think what you want, Travis, and you can throw all the insults at me you can think of, but you’re not going to stop me. My mind’s made up.”
Behind them, Harley had chuckled. “Best keep yer mouth shut, Trav. I’m sure Hammond will still want ya to come along, too.” He’d glanced from Travis to Josie. “Maybe the two of ya will finally learn to work together.”
“When hell freezes over.” Travis had stormed off, and Josie hadn’t seen him again until the next morning, after she’d told Anthony Hammond that she would be willing to accompany him and his mother.
“I will do my best to help guide you and the other families back east, but there’s something I must do first,” she’d said.
Hammond had nodded, smiling with admiration. “Which is?”
“I need to return to Harley’s Hole before I can make a journey that’s going to keep me away from my family for many months. I haven’t seen my sister Caroline in five years, and I need to let my family know what I’m doing.”
“How about you go home, and let me get these people where they need to go? Then there won’t be any unnecessary delays for them,” Travis had suggested, tossing her a look of annoyance that had become so familiar over the years.
Hammond had looked from one to the other, then smiled at Josie. “Since we’ve been camped here for so long, waiting for the right person to come along to help us get back home, I think a few weeks’ delay won’t matter. I can surely understand Miss Josie wanting to see her sister after all this time.”
Travis’ jaw had visibly clenched. Josie had nearly laughed, watching him stew as he realized he wasn’t going to sway Anthony Hammond into leaving without her. She should have been happy to let Travis lead the emigrants back home, but some small part of her had been gleeful that he’d had to swallow his pride and accept that Hammond had chosen her first for the job.
“We’ll all go to Harley’s Hole,” Harley had announced in his loud and booming voice, to everyone’s surprise. “Won’t be no need to back track from there. Josie and Travis both know the way to meet up with the trail from our valley.”
Josie’s gelding pinned his ears when Anthony’s horse came too close. Josie reined her mount away to put a little distance between them. She had an increasing urge to gallop off and be alone so she could get lost again in her own thoughts. Hammond seemed to have other ideas.
“You’re a lucky lady to call such a beautiful and peaceful place your home.”
Josie nodded in response. Hammond was just being polite, but being referred to as a lady had her insides flustered. There was nothing ladylike about her, and there never would be.
“What is it like to live so far away from civilization? Surely, you must miss it?”
Josie shrugged. She shook her head before glancing at him as he rode beside her. No one other than her family knew what had happened to her eight years ago, and it wasn’t something she’d talk about ever again.
“I like the peace and quiet. I have absolutely no need to be in civilization.”
Anthony was silent for a moment, a slight frown on his face, as if he was trying to understand.
“Harley mentioned that you and your sisters came from Ohio. Surely, you have family there that you miss?”
Again, she shrugged. “My sister Cora brought us west after our mother died.” She paused and swallowed the lump in her throat. That hadn’t been the reason Cora had packed the family into a wagon and left. Because of Josie, they’d sold the farm to go somewhere for a fresh start.
“That had to be frightful . . . yet admirable at the same time.”
Josie once again glanced at the man who wouldn’t stop talking. Anthony Hammond seemed genuinely nice and caring. He was only making polite conversation. She had been gone from civilization too long to know how to talk to people. It came naturally to him, but everything she said was forced.
“My sister is a very strong and determined woman.”
Anthony chuckled. “Then she must be a lot like you. I see a very strong and determined woman in you, too, Miss Josie. I bet there aren’t a lot like you around.”
Josie untied her canteen from the saddle horn, uncorked it, and took a long drink. She needed to quench the dryness in her throat as well as delay answering further questions. After draining half the canteen, she retied it and gathered up the reins. Before Anthony could ask any more questions, she turned to him and inhaled a quick breath for courage.
“What about you, Anthony? What brought you and your family out west?”
Hammond sat straighter in the saddle. He cleared his throat before answering.
“It had been my father’s dream for many years.” He sounded pensive with his softly spoken words. “Mother always resisted the idea of leaving her home to make a new start. I was astounded when he finally convinced her to go. He always said he wanted to see more of the country before he died.” His voice trailed off and there was a long pause before he continued. “I suppose he was granted his final wish.”
Hammond looked at her, smiling his usual smile, but there was a pained look in his eyes. Clearly, his father’s recent death still weighed heavily on him.
“I’m sorry about your loss.” It was the only thing that came to her mind. “What will you do when you return to your former home?”
Hammond shifted in his saddle. “I’m sure my mother will live with her sister-in-law for a while. I’m hoping I might be able to buy back the home we lived in. If not, I’m sure there will be a suitable house for her somewhere.”
“And you?”
The questions seemed to come out of nowhere. Anthony Hammond was an easy man to like. He was the complete opposite of what Josie had been accustomed to for the last eight years. Mountain men were a breed apart from other men who lived in cities and even on farms. They were tough and abrasive, but also loyal and trustworthy with their own kind.
Her heart began beating faster. Even so, it was a supposed “civilized” man who would always be the source of her nightmares. Josie shook some hair out of her face.
Anthony was quiet, kind, and gentle. His eyes held nothing sinister, and she hadn’t felt unduly uncomfortable around him in any way. He was respectful and sincere. Judging by his hands, he wasn’t a farmer, or someone who’d done very much hard work in his life.
“What did you do for a living in Ohio?”
Anthony reached up to adjust his hat on his he
ad as he squinted into the sun. He offered another smile to Josie. “Like my father, I am a minister. It was difficult to leave our congregation, and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone from my church again.”
There was a slight pause as he looked her way. His smile and slight chuckle indicated that he’d read the surprise on her face.
“Even though I prefer going home to Ohio rather than continuing on to Oregon, I am glad my father brought us this far and gave me the opportunity to see all this beautiful country,” Hammond continued. “If it wasn’t for –”
A shot fired and rang through the stillness of the air. Startled, Josie’s horse jumped beneath her. She ripped her rifle from the saddle scabbard, then reined her excited mount around in the direction from where the shot had come. The wagons that had been following behind all came to a stop, and people murmured.
Seconds later, a rider came galloping toward them over a rise. Josie groaned and lowered her weapon.
Travis.
No doubt he’d been the one shooting. Since only one shot had been fired, they didn’t seem to be in danger.
“Was that you shootin’?” Harley’s voice boomed at the rear of the group.
Travis pulled his horse to a skidding stop alongside the wagons, a wide grin on his face.
“Thought I’d bring some supper for when we get to Harley’s Hole.” He patted the limp carcass of a deer slung over the front of his saddle. He moved along the line of wagons until he caught up with Josie and Anthony, who’d once again come up beside her.
Travis looked at Josie, then studied Anthony for a second before his gaze returned to her. “I think I’ll ride ahead and let the family know we’re coming and what to expect. I’m sure you can manage these folks on your own for the last couple of miles to the valley.” Without waiting for a reply, he galloped on.
Josie rolled her eyes and shook her head. Next to her, Anthony Hammond chuckled.
“We should all have his enthusiasm and joy for life, wouldn’t you agree?”
Josie stared at Hammond’s smiling face. Was he serious, or simply kidding? When their eyes met, it was clear he meant what he’d said. He certainly had a lot to learn about Travis and his ‘enthusiasm.’
Josie nudged her horse forward again, and Hammond raised his arm to indicate to the rest of the group that they were continuing. He leaned forward in the saddle toward Josie, his easy smile back on his face.
“I can’t tell you how fortunate I and the rest of these families feel that you and Mr. Wilder will be accompanying us back east, Miss Josie.”
Chapter 5
Travis leaned on his propped rifle as he stood and surveyed the valley. Several campfires burned in the expansive meadow, which would normally be pitch black on a night like tonight. The stars twinkled brightly overhead, but there was no moon and very few clouds.
The flames from the fires cast several wagons in dim light, and the occasional sound of people speaking in hushed tones reached his ears. Next to him, a low chuckle broke through the tranquil stillness.
“You and Josie, leading a wagon train of mostly women and children back to Independence.”
Nathaniel snickered at his own comment and shook his head. He had one foot propped up on the old tree stump that had served as a chopping block for many years as he whittled away at a stick with his hunting knife. He glanced from Travis to Trevor, who sat on a log, whittling his own stick in the faint light. It was almost too dark to see.
Travis glared at his older brother for only a second, then stared off into the distance. It wasn’t worth taking the bait. Muffled laughter drifted from the cabin closest to them. Why were his brothers outside, rather than in the cabin, visiting with family and friends?
On top of this wagon train of emigrants, visitors from the other side of the mountains had arrived a day earlier. Alex and Evie Walker, Harley’s longtime friends had come to spend some time with him.
In his younger days, Alex had been a fur trapper like Harley, having come west with William Ashley and Andrew Henry’s American Fur Company in the early twenties. When the fur trade had fizzled, Alex and his wife had homesteaded in Jackson’s Hole on the other side of the Tetons. Too bad their sons, Lucas and Joseph, hadn’t come along.
Travis shook his head and smirked. It was no longer like the old days, before Cora and her sisters had shown up. Seemed like everyone he knew was settling down and starting families. Not even two years ago, he’d still gone hunting and exploring the mountains with Lucas Walker, but even he had a wife and daughter now.
The opportunity to lead this group of emigrants back to where they’d come from couldn’t have come at a better time. It was the perfect outlet to get away and explore new things, rather than waste away his time in Harley’s Hole.
“Sounds like the girls are having a good time,” Trevor remarked when more laughter erupted from inside the cabin. He was clearly trying to steer this conversation away from the direction Nathaniel’s goading was taking it.
Travis smirked. His twin brother was still the peacekeeper in the family.
Trevor glanced over his shoulder toward the cabin. “I’m sure glad Josie decided to come home before embarking on this undertaking. Caroline was disappointed that her little sister wasn’t here when we arrived home.”
Nathaniel smiled indulgently, clearly seeing right through his brother’s ploy. “I would have loved to have been a fly on the rump of Harley’s horse when he convinced Josie to go with those people. I’d surely like to know what he said to persuade her. She didn’t even want to go with him to Fort Hall, and now she’s heading on an overland expedition that’ll take her a thousand miles away from here.”
Travis huffed, turning fully to face his brothers. “Harley won’t tell, other than he swayed her to think it was for her own good. When I arrived at Fort Hall, he was trying his damnedest to talk her into going and she wouldn’t budge. Then Hammond asked me, and all of a sudden, that fool female couldn’t say yes to that eastern dandy fast enough.”
Nathaniel glanced at Trevor with raised brows. “That Hammond fella’s been following her around like a puppy on a string. You suppose he’s smitten with her, Trev?”
Trevor’s eyes shot up, as if this was something he hadn’t considered. He slowly shook his head. “Smitten with Josie? He sure won’t get very far with her if he is.”
“How do you know?” Nathaniel countered. “She’s a grown woman. She might enjoy the attention of a man.”
Travis laughed out loud. “We are talking about Josie Hudson, right?” His eyes darted from Nathaniel to his twin. “She’d rather shoot any man who crosses her path than make eyes at him.”
Even as he said the words, images of Josie and Anthony Hammond popped into his mind. Come to think of it, they had been spending a lot of time together. The easterner always smiled when he was around Josie, and seemed to go out of his way to talk to her. By the way Josie’s eyes lit up, he was saying all the right things to her.
“It’ll be a cold day in hell before that female looks favorably on a man,” he grumbled. Not that it was any skin off his back if she was falling for Hammond’s politeness.
“I’m sure gonna be glad when those wagons full of women and children leave.”
Everyone turned to stare at their oldest brother, Ethan, who emerged from the shadows to join Travis and his brothers around the chopping block. The oldest Wilder stared toward the wagons with a slight scowl on his face. He hadn’t been the brooding, bad-tempered brother in years. The presence of these people must have been bringing back unpleasant memories for him.
“When did you say you were heading out with them, Travis?”
“Day after tomorrow. Josie wants to spend some time with her sisters.” Travis said the last part as if he’d bitten into a sour apple, emphasizing Josie’s name with false importance.
Ethan chuckled. “Anna and Cora aren’t so sure going on this journey is the wisest thing for Josie to do.”
Travis straightened. He stared with hope
ful eyes at his brother. “Maybe you can talk to your wife and get her to convince Josie to stay here.”
Ethan’s gaze narrowed. “Now why would I want to do that? I may not like having all those women and kids here in the valley, but I think it’s a good thing Josie goes along with them.”
Next to Travis, Nathaniel chuckled. Travis gnashed his teeth, holding his ground and forcing himself not to do something foolish like wipe the grin off his brother’s face.
“She’s a grown woman and can make up her own mind.” Nathaniel’s words of agreement with Ethan were spoken as if he dared Travis to contradict him. “She’s not the little girl that came to Harley’s Hole eight years ago. She sure has found her stride, and I bet she’ll grow even more into her britches on this trip.”
Ethan nodded. “That Hammond fella was smart to wait for the right person to come along to take them all back east. Too much riffraff out there, taking advantage of folks, especially a group of women and kids. Having a woman along who knows the wilderness will give them confidence.”
Travis huffed, his hopes for a ploy to leave Josie behind dashed. The only person who might talk her out of going was her oldest sister, Cora. Maybe he could approach her and gauge how she felt about her baby sister going on this foolish excursion.
Nathaniel nudged Travis in the side with his elbow, his grin widening. “You’d best keep an eye out for her, Trav, or there will be hell to pay with Cora if anything happens to her little sister.”
Travis shoved back, his annoyance growing. “She can take care of herself. I ain’t going on this journey to be her milk maid.”
“Anyone know why Harley would bring all these families here?” Ethan asked abruptly, glancing from one brother to the next. Clearly, he was changing the subject before a fight erupted.
Josie's Valor Page 4
