She wondered how he would handle this new challenge.
“Aye, that’s the way. Ye’ve got the hang of it now,” Bear said. “Ye’ll be able to keep a fine edge on any blade.”
This playful flirtation would hopefully get Sam’s attention without hurting Bear. She liked Bear well enough, thought a lot of him. She even found him more entertaining than Sam. But Bear didn’t make her insides tingle as if she’d swallowed a dozen butterflies. He didn’t make her think about him the minute she woke up. He didn’t make her want to find ways to be near him. But Sam did that and more to her. When she tried to figure out why he affected her so, she had a hard time narrowing it down.
His observant eyes captivated her—their intensity seemed to reach all the way to her soul. His sensuous voice warmed her as no one else’s ever did and gave her comfort and a sense of security. It carried a unique force and she felt safe just hearing it. And, his smile, though rare, made her happy. His keen mind made her want to talk to him for hours about anything and everything. But perhaps more than anything, in his chest beat the heart of a lion of a man. Sam exuded courage and self-assurance. That trait made him a natural leader. And she now knew she would go anywhere with him. All he had to do was ask.
This had to be what love felt like. She was sure of it. What else could seize your heart and mind with such boldness?
Nevertheless, with a man like Sam, she would have to wait until he too recognized love.
She found it difficult to concentrate on the sharpening lesson. “Perhaps you should finish it for me,” she told Bear. “I know you can put a fine edge on it.”
Bear took the knife back into his hands and she gazed over at Sam. She wanted to tell the Captain how much she had learned since she left Boston. There, her biggest concerns were the latest fashions and choosing what attire she should wear to the next social function. She understood how to live blissfully in highborn society, but she had known next to nothing about how to survive in the rest of the world.
But that pampered young lady no longer existed. She had changed. She was not the same weak-willed woman that left Boston. She would never be the same. She could take care of herself. She did not need to return to Boston just to let her father tell her what she should do. She could make her own plans. Determine her own future. And that meant staying here and learning even more—about life, about love. About Sam.
Now, she could answer the question that Sam asked her some time ago. Yes, she was suited for life in the west. And she hoped that life could include him. But even if it didn’t, she could persevere.
Suddenly, she heard Bear’s voice and wondered how long she had been thinking.
“It’s sharp enough now to peel a grape without losin’ a drop of nectar,” Bear said, his face beaming as he held the dagger up for her inspection.
She laughed and stood. “That could come in handy. A woman never knows when she might need an edge like that. My thanks, Sir.”
“It was my pleasure, sweet lass.”
Catherine felt Bear’s admiring eyes follow her as she strolled away. But as she glanced back, the Captain’s eyes focused only on his horse.
Bloody hell.
“What the blazes were you doing?” Sam demanded as he marched up to Bear.
“Sharpening the lady’s wee knife,” Bear said. “Sure is a pretty thing.”
Sam recognized that Bear referred to Catherine, not her dagger. He stared, trying to force Bear to be less evasive.
“I’ve told ye before how I feel about her. She’s as bonnie a lass as there ever was.”
“And I’ve told you before, you’re acting the fool. She is too fresh a widow. Stay away from her.”
“This is na the army. And ye’ll na be issuin’ any orders here, Captain.”
“Order or not, it’s how it’s going to be.”
“Ye’re daft. Ye’ve gone and left your wits out there in the forest somewhere.”
“This is no joke,” he said, steeling his voice. He felt sweat dampening his face and his hands shook. Unable to control his growing anger, he grabbed Bear by the shirt under his neck and yanked the giant’s face directly in front of him. “I don’t know if I’m about to whip you, or you’re about to whip me. Either way, I’m not going to like it.”
That was the honest truth. He thought of Bear as a brother and hated the prospect of fighting him, but he would if Bear persisted in showing interest in Catherine.
Bear stared wide-eyed back at him. His face only inches away from Sam’s, Bear raised his coppery eyebrows and his scowl turned a shade redder than his hair. “I guess you did na see the way Catherine looked at me just now? Or notice that she came to see me, not you.”
“I saw more than enough,” he growled, releasing Bear’s shirt. “As I said, stay away from her.”
“Don’t ye think the lass can decide for herself?”
“She most certainly can. But she’s not ready to decide. Her husband died but a few short months ago.”
Bear’s eyes peered into his. “It’s clear ye have feelings for the lass. But maybe it’s ye who is not ready.”
Sam recognized truth when he heard it. And the harder he struggled to ignore the truth the more it persisted. He glanced away, in the direction she had walked. “We’ll talk of this later.”
“Nay, Captain. There is much of which we can talk, but I doubt we can talk of Catherine.”
“Would you rather fight?” Sam snarled.
“She is a woman worth fightin’ for, to be sure. But the decision is hers, not ours.”
“You’ll not be talking to her about this,” he said in a tone he hoped left no room for debate. “She’s not ready to choose.”
“Again, that would be the lass’ decision.”
It vexed him to admit it, but Bear was right.
Chapter 11
The thing that bothers me is why Adams felt he could make a trip to Kentucky on his own. Was he in a hurry to leave for some reason? And why would he take a fine lady like Catherine into the wilderness with only one man to protect her?” William asked.
“Indeed,” Stephen said. “That foolish decision cost him his life and nearly got her killed.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” William said. “He must have had a compelling reason.”
“She told Jane that Adams was after a prime site of land in Kentucky. That could compel a man to leave in haste,” Stephen suggested. “Still it’s odd that Adams and Catherine left Boston on their own, without the protection of traveling with others.”
Sam stepped up closer to the two.
“Some men think with their cocks,” William said, “makes them overconfident, as well as stupid.”
Stephen shook his head agreeing. “Perhaps Adams was just arrogant enough to think he could protect her.”
“Does it matter? The man’s dead,” Sam said. His tone sounded hotter than normal even to him. “Let the poor man rest in peace.”
“Don’t get your dander up, I just wondered what kind of man Adams was since Catherine seems to have joined with us more than temporarily,” William tried to explain.
“Her late husband’s plans and character are none of our concern,” Sam said vehemently.
“But what about Catherine’s…” William started to say.
Sam interrupted. “Now that we’re here, she can make her own plans.”
“You’re a little testy this evening don’t you think?” William asked.
Truth was that after his near fight with Bear, he was cross, and as jumpy as a drop of water on a hot skillet. But he was not about to admit to it. “Think so?” he snarled.
“Yes, I most certainly do,” William said, cocking an eyebrow at him.
“What did you mean ‘make her own plans’?” Stephen asked, keeping his voice low.
“Just that. She has a right to make her own decisions,” Sam said, realizing that he just echoed what Bear had said earlier. Damn. He took one long look in Catherine’s direction. She was saying goodnight to Jane and t
he girls. “She may stay or arrange to return to her family. None of it is our concern.”
“But…” Stephen and William both said at once.
“It’s getting late. I’m going to bed,” he said, hopefully dismissing them and the topic.
Stephen and William stared at each other, and then back at him. Both of them were now smiling.
He grumbled as he strode swiftly away to retrieve his pallet.
Still awake after an hour or more, Sam decided it would be a very long night.
Not because the ground seemed especially hard and damp tonight. Sam was used to sleeping on the trail. He preferred a carpet of leaves and grass to a fancy bed. The night would be long because Catherine had awakened emotions in him he assumed long dead. Now they were alive again, tormenting him.
Very alive if truth be told. And he didn’t like it.
Perhaps these thoughts were just lust, something he could overcome in time. Even as he thought it, he realized it was a lie. These feelings ran deeper. They were more than a mere physical hunger and an ache in his manhood. His very soul seemed to ache as well. Just being near her made all his defenses fade away like morning fog in the face of a brilliant sun.
He rolled onto his side, remembering that long ago he decided he was a man better off single, a warrior at heart, born for life in the wild—not the tame life of a married man.
He could try to avoid her, but since they were sharing the same camp, that was impossible. Even the impenetrable shield he built around his heart seemed a weak defense. There was no way to avoid those deep penetrating blue eyes, which appeared to reflect a spirit akin to his. And those sensuous lips, the color of a crimson rose. They looked as if they were begging him to kiss them. Every time she spoke, he found himself studying her mouth, wanting to cover her lips with his.
He remembered when she had let him hold her dagger. Imagine, a woman who treasured a knife. That in itself sent bolts of desire surging through his veins. He knew then that they were cut from the same cloth.
And just holding something that she cherished seemed important to him for some reason.
Had he been waiting all this time for her? Would she even consider him? She was cordial and friendly, but she also was towards the other men. Especially Bear. He growled to himself.
No, he couldn’t risk losing another woman. If Catherine didn’t have feelings for him, he would lose twice. No, he would not let himself feel the agony of loss again. Once was more than enough. He already decided that, damn it, when he was hunting. But, as he had hiked through the forest, he had also thought about a home and pictured her there on the front porch, looking so welcoming.
And now, he was wide awake churning it up all over again.
He rolled onto his back trying to make his mind stop racing. He covered his eyes with his arm attempting to stop the images. But, his mind overflowed with conflicting emotions, like a river out of its banks, his thoughts spread where they didn’t belong. He pulled his light blanket over his head as if to hide from his feelings, but they refused to release their hold on his body. He pictured her sleeping in her wagon, as he had many nights before. Did she sleep peacefully or was she was as miserable and tormented as he?
He also wondered how her bare body would feel lying next to his, his arms around her, his face buried in that silken mass of black hair, his hands on her shapely hips that tapered to long straight legs. What would those legs feel like wrapped around him? Could it possibly be as pleasant as he imagined?
Damn. It could. He was sure of it.
He rolled to his other side, finding it hard to get comfortable.
His confused mind continued its struggle through a labyrinth. Only a female could make a man’s mind take so many convoluted twists and turns. How in damnation was he going to get out of this maze? He had found himself in many a difficult situation in the past and he always managed to find a way out.
Sam listened. A myriad of eerie sounds—a concert for the brave—filled the cool night air. The creatures of the night seemed as uneasy as he was. In the distance, coyotes yapped in grouped frenzy as they chased some poor doomed creature. There were probably only a half dozen, but they sounded more like sixty than six. He could never figure out exactly why. Maybe the thrill of the hunt magnified their rapid shrill yelps. Maybe the coyotes wanted their prey to give up in despair. He had no doubt that they often did, just like men.
He was running from something too. But he knew that wasn’t like him. He always faced life’s challenges head on, no matter how difficult. He never ran from danger and he never gave up. He welcomed a good fight.
He rubbed his gritty eyes, torn by conflicting emotions and sick of the struggle within him.
A few yards away, Bear started to snore like a real hibernating bear. He didn’t want to fight Bear. The only person he really needed to fight was himself.
But it’s difficult battling with yourself. Perhaps the hardest battle of all.
He started to roll over again, then decided getting any sleep was hopeless.
He stood and marched out into the night to wage war with his heart.
Chapter 12
The next morning, Sam, Stephen, and Bear located the office of Tom Wolf. The small but neat room contained a desk, old law books, ledgers, and an assortment of maps and smelled of fresh tobacco and old pipe smoke. A rifle, powder horn, and saddlebag hung by the door, from a massive buck antler nailed to the log wall.
“I share this humble office with the surveyor, but fortunately, he’s gone most of the time,” Wolf said, grinning as he shook their hands. “Hope you had a chance to rest up from your long journey.” He lit an oil lamp to replace the light lost to the cloudy sky.
“We did,” Sam said, sitting down on the only chair other than Wolf’s. Constructed of rough hickory with a deerskin seat, it felt surprisingly comfortable despite its crudeness.
“Where’s that entertaining brother of yours William?” Wolf asked.
“He went over to the Fort to meet some of the local militia and the men on duty there,” Sam explained.
“How can I help you gentlemen today?” Wolf asked, looking from one to the other.
Stephen spoke first. “As you know, Sir, we traveled a fair distance for the settlement opportunities available here in Kentucky. The Land Office is still closed but we understand that it will open tomorrow. We heard you were a man who might know where good land is still available and have advice we could trust. If you are agreeable, we hoped to get your counsel before we went to the Land Office.”
“My apologies,” Wolf said, “for not being able to meet with you sooner. I was away visiting my son and his wife. I am now at your service, Sirs.”
“We are indebted to you, Sir,” Stephen said. “I’m looking for quality pasture land suitable for cattle.”
“Stephen was the best breeder of cattle in the northern colonies,” Bear bragged, “he just did na have enough good pasture and the harsh winters there made it hard to keep livestock alive, especially their wee calves. Wait till ye see the herd he’ll raise up here with all that fine blue Kentucky grass. In no time, he’ll likely be feeding beef to half the state.”
Sam thought Bear was right. The new state’s exploding population would need food—beef Stephen wanted to raise. Stephen planned to buy up all the cattle he could find, save every heifer born, and sell off the bull calves. If he could start with ten cows, he’d have fifteen or so after the first year; more than twenty in another year; and at least thirty-five by the next. With the thick grass growing here, it wouldn’t take long for Stephen to build a thriving herd.
“I’ll make an application for a bounty grant tomorrow,” Sam said.
“The Captain’s a hero of the revolution,” Bear told him, “that’s why they made him a Captain. He’s also a mapmaker and guide.”
“I’m no hero,” he said, turning scolding eyes on Bear.
“What about you, Sir?” Mr. Wolf asked Bear.
“Well, I’m more inclined toward hu
ntin’ and trappin’ than farmin’, so I’ll be lookin’ for land suitable for huntin’,” Bear said. “John, who you met when we arrived, is guardin’ our camp and the women just now. John and William both plan to live here in town. John’s an accomplished architect and builder and William was our town Sheriff back home and is nearly a lawyer too. Been studyin’ the law for some time.”
Sam eyed Bear. He never realized how proud Bear was of his adopted family. They were all proud of him as well. He was literally and figuratively a giant among men—the kind of friend one finds only once in a lifetime. Bear hadn’t changed much over the course of their journey, still the steadfast friend he always was. He wondered if Bear realized, after all they’d been through, what he had learned. That they were truly brothers. That they were family. He resolved not to let Catherine come between them again.
“This town could use an architect with all the buildings going up. Moreover, we certainly need knowledgeable men of the law; all we have now is a young constable, who lacks experience. Not sure how much it pays though. Since Colonel Boone left, things have come apart at the seams a little.”
That worried Sam. Frontier towns without the benefit of strong men of the law or the military were breeding grounds for mayhem. Without the influence of a man like Colonel Boone, the town could quickly deteriorate into lawless anarchy.
“Looks like between the lot of you, you’ll be helping Kentucky to grow. Our new state needs more men such as yourselves. So many of our colonists lack education and resources. I’ll help in any way that I can,” Mr. Wolf offered graciously. “First let me describe how new settlers acquire land.”
He folded his hands neatly in front of him on the slab table and cleared his throat. “The first thing you must do is secure a receipt from the State Treasurer in Frankfort, which in turn you will take to the Land Office within the county where the land you desire is located. The county will issue a warrant. The warrant will authorize you to locate and survey a certain acreage. By the way, these county warrants may be traded, sold, reassigned, in whole or in part, anytime during the process. After the warrant is completed, you must return it to the Land Office for entry in the county surveyor’s book. The Land Commissioner will register the warrant and record your intention to file for a patent. These entries are not binding and may be altered or withdrawn. Next, an actual field survey must be completed describing the metes and bounds. If there are no problems, and there often are, a Governor’s Grant is issued, usually within six months. This finalizes the patent process and conveys title.”
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