John was barely gone five minutes before Sam started having second thoughts about their plan. However, they had decided this as a group. He needed to abide by that decision, even if he thought it wrong. He let out a pent-up breath as Stephen walked up, his misgivings increasing by the minute.
“We’ve made a mistake,” Sam said, “and John may be the one who pays for it.”
“Give him a chance to prove himself. He might surprise you,” Stephen said.
“It’s what might surprise him that has me worried.”
Without saying a word to anyone, after John left, Bear immediately saddled his horse Camel and went to town. Something in his gut told him they had just made a terrible decision—John should never have gone alone. He tried to convince them that he needed to go with John. But they wouldn’t listen. John was not his brother and he did not feel he could tell Stephen, Sam, and William they were all making a mistake, even if they were. And John seemed so determined to do this on his own. Understandably, the man wanted to prove himself to his brothers—prove that he had the same courage they did.
Sometimes the brothers’ courage outran their judgment. It seemed to him this was one of those times. Bear had stood by, helpless, unable to stop John or persuade Sam and the others that John needed his help. Even though he usually felt like family, today he did not. He just had to leave for a while.
As he rode into town, he thought about Catherine. His conversation with her that morning had not gone as he had hoped, and that was also making him feel dejected. After buying the whetstone, he had presented it to her wrapped in a beautiful white handkerchief, tied with a blue bow. He told her he had bought the blue ribbon to match her eyes, and that he had grown quite fond of her. Although she did her best to soften the blow, saying he was a fine man and any woman would be lucky to have him, she made it clear she only felt as a sister to him. Well, if he had to lose the bonnie lass to another man, he was glad it would be Sam. Although she never mentioned Sam, he could tell where her heart was leading her.
He sighed and gave a resigned shrug. As soon as he arrived, he went into the tavern hoping an ale or two would calm his nerves and improve his disposition. Maybe he’d even have a wee droppy of whiskey.
Lucky sat alone at a table, carving his powder horn. Lucky’s horn served as a journal of sorts, where he carved symbols of his adventures and expeditions through the years. The horn not only kept Lucky’s powder dry, but Bear thought it a skillfully decorated piece of art.
He joined Lucky and ordered an ale and a whiskey.
Lucky continued to carve and said nothing.
Bear swallowed nearly half the ale in one gulp, and then wiped his mustache and beard with the back of his hand.
“That’s the reddest and thickest head of hair I believe I’ve ever seen,” Lucky said, pointing to Bear’s head with the knife in his hand. “Indians would sure like to get ahold of you. I’m told some of them fancy red scalps—think it gives them strong spirits.”
“Aye, red hair does seem to give a person strong spirits, but it has to be attached to the body it came with,” Bear said.
Lucky grinned and then, turning serious, put up his carving knife. “You look troubled.”
“John is on his way to fetch your friend O’Reilly. Alone,” Bear said, finishing the ale.
“Alone? I thought you would be going too.”
“Nay, ‘twas decided differently. Stephen wanted me to guard the women and wee children when he and the Captain and William all had to be in town at the trial. John left a little while ago. Sam was reluctant to let him go alone, but John insisted, saying there had been no recent Indian problems near Boonesborough.”
“He’s right, but going north at night and alone is not a good idea. His life won’t be worth spit if he encounters natives or thieves.”
“That’s what’s got me worryin’ so. He knows less about Indians and the wild than any of us.”
“The trip there is only about a night’s ride on the road that leads due north. But I had no idea one of you would be going alone and at night no less.” Lucky shook his head. “How good a fighter is he?”
“He can hold his own, but he’d be the first to admit he’s the worst fighter among us. He’s more inclined to try to reason with people rather than fight them.”
“Yes, we spoke the other day while he was buying supplies. He seems a man of strong faith. He told me he would like to preach someday and maybe build a church here in town. Lord knows, we sure could use one. Although some will think differently. Bear, you’d best go after him—and do it quick like or it’s likely he’ll never get that church built and we’ll never get a chance to fall asleep during a sermon. You most likely will get back before the trial starts anyway and John’s going to be a lot more vulnerable where he’s travelin’ than the women and children will ever be this close to Boonesborough.”
“Stephen is worried more about the buffalo hunters bothering the women than he is Indians,” Bear said, “because Sam thinks the bunch of cutthroats might try something during the trial.”
“Those varmints will be nursing their wounds for a week and if John doesn’t get O’Reilly to talk to the Judge, those hunters will be causing Stephen more than worry. Eventually, they will come after you folks. The only way to stop them is to be sure Frank Foley finally gets what is coming to him. I’ll go after John. He might be needin’ some of my McGintey luck.”
“Nay, thank ye just the same. We can take care of our own. And John’s me brother,” he said emphatically. He drank the whiskey in one gulp, stood up, and tossed a coin on the table. “Will ye do me a favor, man? Ride out to our camp and tell them I have gone to join John. I do na want to waste any more time.”
Lucky pushed back his chair and grabbed his rifle. “I’ll do it. And Bear, keep that scalp of yours on your head.”
Chapter 18
Sam listened to the rhythmic sound his blade made scraping against the whetstone held firmly in his hand. The sharpening took the edge off his restless mind as much as it put an edge on the blade. When forced to sit for any length of time, it had become his habit to hone the weapon until it was so keen it might cut a man who just looked at it too closely.
He thought about Bear sharpening Catherine’s knife. Was she, as Stephen had suggested, just trying to make him jealous? If so, he had fallen for it, like a lovesick schoolboy. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
William sat near him, his blonde head bowed over a makeshift writing desk, making careful notes. His brother wanted to record everything the townspeople told him about Frank Foley and the other hunters and outline a defense strategy with Sam.
From what Sam had heard, the Judge was fair but impatient, and they both knew William would need to be both accurate and concise.
While William scribbled his notes, Sam worried about John. Like a sore tooth, his apprehension kept niggling at him. “I think I should go after John,” he finally told William. “We were beyond foolish to send him out on his own.” He sheathed his knife and stood, then grabbed his rifle and powder, preparing to leave.
“You can’t leave. You gave that constable your word,” William said adamantly. “Neither can Stephen. The trial will start as soon as the judge arrives, which could be anytime. You’d both better be there or you will be presumed guilty, and you’ll forfeit the bond money we gave the constable.”
Sam sat down reluctantly. “Then Bear should go. Where the hell is he anyway?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he was already on John’s tail. I saw him leave earlier.”
“I hope you’re right. What were we thinking sending John on that errand alone?” Sam stood again and paced.
“He wanted to do his part, remember? He will be fine. He’s not as green as you think.”
He wanted to disagree with William about that, but it would serve no purpose. They needed to concentrate on preparing for the trial. He sat down once more.
What concerned him the most was what William had learned from read
ing the statutes in the constable’s office. Kentucky law allowed liberal financial compensation to those unjustly injured in a fight. Lawmakers designed the new law to discourage the frequent fights commonplace among frontiersmen. There just were not enough lawmen or judges to discourage fighting, and many situations here fostered intense disagreements. So, they wrote the law to make a man think twice before he seriously injured someone.
He and William had visited with the constable several times, trying to get the young man to tell them everything he knew about Frank Foley and his companions. Mitchell was not much help. In fact, he seemed to be protecting the man for some reason. Sam felt sure Foley had blackmailed the constable or threatened him in some way. And William suspected that Foley and his followers deliberately picked a fight with them, intending to fake some serious injury, and then file a lawsuit to claim compensation for the damages. When William had asked the constable if this had happened before, the young man had clammed up, refusing to say any more.
The rest of the townspeople also seemed more than a little afraid of Foley. They acted as though they all knew something, but they would not give voice to it.
“I can’t believe we have to defend against these beastly men,” William said. “It’s absurd enough to be laughable.”
The sound of steel scraping against stone stopped as he glanced over at William from his nearby seat. “Boone wrote that Kentucky is a paradise, but he also said it was a howling wilderness, the habitation of savages and wild beasts.”
“Indeed.”
“What are you working on?” Kelly asked as she strode up. She dried her hands, wet from washing clothes, on her apron and then tossed a log onto the waning cook fire before sitting down beside them.
Sam watched as the log sent sparks and bits of ash flying all around them. One evil man can send trouble out in many directions, he mused. How many lives had Foley hurt and how many more would be hurt if they could not find a way to stop the loathsome man?
“Preparing for the trial,” William answered. “Do you have any ideas?”
“Perhaps. Have you ever been somebody’s lawyer?”
“No, technically not. However, I studied the law of the colonies for several years and would have started to apprentice with a law firm in Durham next year if we had not left New Hampshire. However, I have sat in on more trials than I can remember.”
“Are you worried?”
“Maybe somewhat. I want to be competent enough to ensure my brothers receive a fair hearing and, of course, a dismissal of all these trumped-up allegations.”
“Once the judge hears the facts he’ll see how preposterous these charges are,” Sam said, trying to sound more confident than he felt.
“Here’s what I think. I bet those buffalo hunters made that constable come out here. He didn’t seem to want to be here and he didn’t act as if he believed what he was saying. He was just following somebody’s orders is all,” Kelly offered.
“I’ve been thinking something similar,” Sam said. “You’re quite shrewd for your age.”
“I’m not so young.” She got up and started pacing around the revived cook fire.
Sam noticed William watching the way Kelly moved, looking nearly spellbound. The young woman’s long tresses draped against her slender body as she stepped with a natural gracefulness.
“Jane and Catherine and I were talking. One thing that worries the three of us is even if you are able to get the charges dismissed, what will keep those men from coming after us again? They will be boiling mad if the Judge does not find the Captain and Stephen guilty and they’ll be apt to find their own justice. We’ve made them our enemies.”
Sam could hear the fear in her voice. “They were already our enemies,” he replied. “That sort is the enemy of all decent people. We were bound to tangle with them sooner or later. It’s probably a good thing it was sooner. Somebody must stop them from hurting more people. It needed to be us.”
“Why?” Kelly asked.
Sam chewed on the thought before answering. “Some men were made to defend the weak or the wronged. The Almighty made us strong men of principle and honor. He did that for a reason. This is one of those reasons.”
“Like when William and Stephen helped me?” She stared at Sam. Her violet eyes sparkled with moisture in the firelight, but she didn’t let the tears come.
William peered up at her and answered. “Yes,” he said softly.
She did not say anything, but Sam could see her struggling to regain control of her emotions. He admired how brave she was trying to be.
“I’m glad we were able to help you, Kelly. I’m glad God sent us there that day,” William said.
“If you hadn’t come, then…,” Kelly started to say.
William finished the sentence for her. “I would have never met you.”
Kelly smiled sweetly. A smile directed purely at William.
Sam decided he should go check on his horse.
“I need to get back to washing,” she said.
“I need to get to work as well,” William said, looking back at his notes.
Kelly suddenly seemed reluctant to leave. She started pacing around the fire again. “Is there any chance they’ll give this up? After all, you men beat them in the fight.”
“They did take a beating, but that won’t stop them,” Sam said. “They’re not intelligent men ruled by logic and morality. Wielding power over others and insatiable greed control them. They prey on the weak to get that power.”
“Then why did they challenge the group of you?” Kelly asked. “Heaven knows, you sure don’t look weak.”
William answered this time. “Men like Foley spend their lives climbing the ladder of evil. Every time they get comfortable with one crime, they try another even worse, especially if no one ever challenges them. Evil feeds on evil. It makes them cocky. Makes them think they are bigger and stronger than they really are. I think their leader has done enough bad things to enough people to make him think he could get away with even more.”
“And they had numbers in their favor,” Sam added, “six to three.”
“What will they do to us next?” Kelly asked, sounding worried.
“They’re cunning. They will try to catch us off guard. Maybe an ambush,” Sam said. “But don’t worry. We’re not prone to be caught unawares. In fact, Stephen is on guard right now. And William is skilled at dealing with villains of this sort. You’re safe with us.”
“What do you think of Boonesborough?” William asked, changing the subject.
Sam understood how the bustling town would be a stark contrast to her old remote cabin in the woods. He wondered if she would be able to adjust.
Kelly appeared surprised by William’s question. “I think it’s noisier than chickens worrying about a fox and more crowded than a beehive, but at the same time, it’s exciting. People starting new lives in a new place—just like me. I suppose I ought to try to find work here soon, but I haven’t the vaguest notion of where to begin looking.” She twirled her long blonde hair between her slender fingers.
“Perhaps that Mr. Wolf could introduce you to some folks around town. I’ll speak to him about it if you like,” William offered.
“That would be very kind of you.” Kelly stared directly at William’s eyes.
Sam rubbed his beard with his fingers and looked away. It was definitely time to check on his horse, he decided.
And later, after the evening meal, maybe he would give himself a shave and a haircut too, followed by a long swim in the river.
Catherine gaped in stunned disbelief as her fingers touched her parted lips.
She glanced over at Jane who had stopped mid-stride with a stack of just washed plates in her hands. Her face frozen in an incredulous dazed look, Jane slowly sat the plates away.
She felt Kelly gripping her arm, as the young woman said, “Oh my.”
Looking back, she took a deep breath, trying to slow her galloping heartbeat.
Jane came over to t
he two of them and grabbed her other arm. “Do you see what I see?” she whispered. “Or are my eyes deceiving me?”
Catherine felt a sudden fluttering in her stomach. “And I thought he was handsome before.” Her tentative smile was quickly followed by a little giggle, as she realized what she had said aloud.
Then Jane let out a bark of laughter and asked, “Is that our Sam?”
“Hush you two, or he’ll hear you,” Kelly said quietly.
Catherine spread her fingers out in a fan against her chest, as if to hold in the sudden tingling she felt through her breasts.
Sam stood on the other side of camp, talking to William.
Her gaze locked on his profile. His full beard was gone and his shorter shining wet hair hung just above his shoulders. His face, bronzed by wind and sun, appeared completely different. His jawline was even stronger, and as he stood there, she could see the smooth skin under his high cheekbones for the first time. His lips, now revealed completely, were full and sensual. A sudden longing to kiss them surprised her.
He also wore what appeared to be a new shirt. The crisp linen stretched across his broad shoulders, revealing his muscles far more than the fringed buckskin had allowed. The shirt had an open V-neck with laces on either side, which he had left hanging loose. She could see a few dark curly hairs poking out and she yearned to run her fingers over his muscled chest.
She sensed an awakening within her.
Her eyes roamed over his entire tall form—now he was even more innately captivating and boldly handsome. As always, he exuded an air of authority, but now, you could more clearly see the power coiled within him.
Then, all of a sudden, he turned and smiled at…was it her….or all three of them?
He gave her a subtle look of amusement and she looked back at him for a long moment. For an instant, his eyes sharpened and then he turned his attention back to William.
“Did you see that smile?” Kelly asked.
Romancing the Wilderness: American Wilderness Series Boxed Bundle Books 1 - 3 Page 43
