Dorothy Garlock - [Wabash River] (12 page)

“Ma! Amy! Ma! Amy! Daniel’s comin’! Daniel and Rain are comin’!” Mercy’s shouts reached the house before she did. She flung open the door with such force it bounced against the wall. “They’re comin’,” she exclaimed breathlessly.

Mercy’s words rocked Amy. Blood drained from her face and her heartbeat slowed to a dull thud, then raced like a galloping horse. She got to her feet on numb legs and moved to the window to look out.

Two riders, followed by a wagon, were coming up the lane. A woman in a bright blue dress and bonnet sat on the wagon seat beside the driver. Amy’s eyes moved over her and fastened on the big, black-haired man on the dun horse. His words of more than two months ago echoed in her head.

Amy . . . I’ll be back.

Six

“They’re coming! Rain and Daniel are coming! Will the lady stay here with us, Ma?” Mercy shouted.

“Don’t shout, honey,” Liberty cautioned. “Of course she’ll stay with us. We’ll not be leaving for a week, maybe two.”

Amy leaned against the doorjamb and watched the procession approach. Her eyes rested on Rain, and the pleasure she felt when she looked at his tall, erect body blinded to her all but him. She loved the way he held his head, slightly to one side as if he were listening. She had thought about what had happened in the barn before he left. Until now it had seemed to her it had been something she had dreamed, a very pleasant, wonderful dream.

Daniel, wearing a new, round-brimmed hat, rode beside Rain. He was growing up so fast, Amy thought with a pang. Was that a new rifle he was carrying? Behind them the wagon came on at a steady clip. The woman who sat on the seat beside the driver wore a bonnet with a high crown and a folded back brim. Two men on tall, rangy mules rode behind the wagon.

Farr and Zack stood waiting beside the lane that curved in front of the house. Mike stood back under the oak tree, and Amy wondered if he was feeling a little uneasy about meeting Rain again. He had filled out considerably during the last two months. Like a hound dog he had attached himself to Farr.

Farr stepped forward to shake Rain’s hand when he slid from the saddle.

“Glad to see you back, Rain. By jinks damn, Daniel! I swear you’ve grown a foot.” Daniel had a wide grin on his face. Farr shook his hand, then threw his arm across his shoulders and gave him a hug. “You were sorely missed, boy.”

“He’s a good man to trail with,” Rain said. “Howdy, Mike. You’ve perked up considerably. Did Farr work your tail off?”

“Well . . . almost.” He shook Rain’s hand with a relieved grin on his face.

“It doesn’t look like it hurt you any.”

“Daniel,” Zack shouted. “Mike made a gopher trap!”

Daniel’s young face was radiant. He grabbed for Zack, lifted him up, then set him down. Liberty came out from the house, put her arms around Daniel and hugged him.

“I missed you, Daniel. Oh, I missed you. I’m so glad you’re home.” She smiled up at Rain. “Hello, Rain. Can I hug you too?”

“It wouldn’t make me mad at all, Libby,” he said and gave her a brief hug.

Mercy stood primly beside Liberty, her hands clasped behind her. After Daniel had greeted everyone else, he drew a small package out of his pocket and thrust it into Mercy’s hands.

“Here. I bought you something in Louisville.”

“For me?” Mercy squealed.

“I got something for you too, Zack. It’s in my bedroll.” Daniel squatted down to fondle the dog. “Did you miss me, Pike? Did you?”

When the wagon rolled up, the driver pulled the team to a halt. Rain went to the wagon and reached for the woman who stood and waited for him to help her down. He put his hands on her waist and swung her easily to the ground. She was a slim woman whose head scarcely came to Rain’s shoulder. He took her arm and escorted her to where Liberty stood beside Farr.

“This is Miss Woodbury, Libby.”

“Hello,” Liberty extended her hand. The woman put hers into it and smiled, but didn’t speak.

“Miss Woodbury’s had a bad time, Libby,” Rain said. “Her aunt died just before we left Louisville.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Come in and meet my sister while the men get things squared away. As soon as you’re rested we’ll have supper.”

Amy eyed Eleanor Woodbury as she approached the door. She was the prettiest woman she had ever seen. She was small, like a tiny doll. Her hair was black, her skin white, and her eyes a lavender blue. The small lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth told Amy that her age was somewhere between hers and Liberty’s. She didn’t give that much thought, however, because she was swamped with the feeling of being tall and awkward and decidedly shoddy in her buckskin britches and homespun shirt. Amy shot another look at Rain. He had turned away to talk to Farr without giving her as much as a glance. She moved back into the house ahead of Liberty and her guest, the cold lump that was her heart throbbing in her throat.

“I can’t thank you enough for taking me into your home, Mrs. Quill. Although it was a hard trip, Rain was as sweet as pie. He’s just the nicest man.” Eleanor removed her blue bonnet with the black mourning band around the crown, lifted small white hands and patted her hair in place. “Poor Aunty took sick just before he got there, and she suffered so. I just couldn’t leave her and so we waited . . . until the end.” Her voice dropped to a whisper.

“There was nothing else you could do,” Liberty said. “This is my sister, Amy.”

The black-fringed lavender eyes flicked over Amy and then away. A slight bob of her head was her only greeting.

“Sit down, Miss Woodbury,” Liberty invited. “Rain or Daniel will bring in your trunk; you can share the room upstairs with Amy and Mercy for the time being.”

“Oh, Rain will take care of my things. But I don’t want to be any bother, ma’am.” Eleanor backed into the rocking chair, sat down and spread her skirts until only the toes of her soft slippers showed beneath them.

Every time Eleanor used Rain’s name with such familiarity it sent a shiver of dread through Amy. She began to stoke up the fire, trying to ignore her pumping heart and wishing for an excuse to leave the room so she could think, but nothing plausible came to mind. There was nothing to do but to stay and help Liberty get a meal on the table.

*   *   *

Farr and Rain stood beside the wagon and watched while Daniel played with the dog.

“I think Daniel’s glad to be home.” Farr chuckled as Pike ran to fetch a stick Daniel had thrown.

The man driving the wagon came to take Rain’s horse.

“Farr, this is Gavin McCourtney. He hired on to go with me to Belle Point.”

When Farr held out his hand, it was clasped by a larger one. Sharp blue eyes looked directly into Farr’s as each man took the other’s measure. Gavin was a big, homely man. Everything about him was too big—mouth, nose, ears, hands, shoulders. His hair was an ugly brown on top, weathered and sunned; it was caught at the nape of his neck with a thong. His nose leaned to one side and his chin and cheeks showed signs of many barroom brawls. In spite of all this, Farr recognized basic integrity. When he looked into Gavin’s wide-spaced eyes they were steady and honest.

“Howdy.”

“Likewise, to be sure.” The man answered in a deep Scottish brogue. “Would ye want that we leave the wagon here or pull it yonder aside the house?”

“This is a good level place. Mike will help you with the team.”

“Jonas, Albert,” Rain called to the two men standing beside their mules. “Come meet Farr Quill.” Aside he said to Farr, “They were long hunters with an outfit I was with going up the Missouri. They can abide a mountain trail as good as any men I’ve seen.”

“Howdy.” Farr shook hands with each man. Both were tall and gaunt with shaggy hair and weathered faces. Both looked him in the eye. Farr recognized the look. If they didn’t like him, they’d not work for him regardless of the pay. “Welcome. If Rain says you’re hickory, it’s all I need to know. Water your mules and put your tucker in the barn. Supper call will be soon.” The men nodded and walked away. Farr turned to Rain. “You were a long time coming. I was about to give up on you.”

“It couldn’t be helped. Miss Woodbury’s aunt was sick when I got there, and it was plain she was on her death bed. We pulled out the day after the burying.”

“I figured you’d get here when you could.”

Rain’s eyes followed Gavin as he watered the team, then turned to Farr. He grinned. “I got him out of a tavern in Louisville after he’d broken a few heads and before the deputy of the watch got hold of him to throw him in a cell.”

“He bears the signs of a brawler, but I’ve met reformed rogues who turned out to be pretty good men.”

“I don’t know if he’s reformed. So far I couldn’t ask for a better man. However, we didn’t have any trouble to speak of. I went up the Missouri with the other two men a year or so back. They’re reliable and trailwise, and they don’t back off from trouble. I didn’t promise them anything.”

“I’ll talk to them tomorrow. I’ve not run into anyone here who’s anxious to go except Tally Perkins. How are things in Carrolltown?”

“Good and bad. The good news is Colby and his pa want to buy you out, and the bad is Willa is in the family way and having a hard time of it. Colby figures he can’t leave Carrolltown until the first of May.”

Farr frowned. “That is bad news.”

“It wouldn’t be if I hadn’t promised Will Bradford I’d be back by early June. It’ll be hard to get there by that time even if we leave tomorrow. Will thought a transfer might come through that would send him south. I want to get Miss Woodbury to him before that happens. I’d hate like hell to have to take her down into Mexican Territory.”

“You’ll have to go on without us.”

“I’ve been thinking about it, Farr. I’ll have to go on, but I can draw out a map and you can follow as soon as you get loose of this place. That’s one reason I brought Albert and Jonas. They know the country.”

“It’s about the only thing I can do. I can’t leave the station or it would be looted before Colby got here. There’s no one here I’d want to put in charge of it. Besides that, Sloan and Colby will pay cash money, and I’ll need it to get set up again.” Farr broke a twig off the oak tree and stuck the end in his mouth.

“Jonas said he heard Hammond Perry had bought out a trading post on the lower Arkansas. Before you know it, he’ll cover the whole damn river as thick as hair on a grizzly and run nearly everybody else off.”

“I’m not interested in the fur trade. Settlers will be moving in and they’ll need supplies. Lumber and a mill will be needed.”

“With the two men I brought in and Mike and Daniel, you’d be five guns. That’s a pretty strong force, but you may want to pick up another man or two who’d stay on after Jonas and Albert leave. They’re not settling kind of men.”

“You’re forgetting Amy. She can load and shoot as fast as any man I’ve seen.”

“Shooting at game is one thing, shooting at someone shooting back at you is another,” Rain said dryly and stuck his foot on a wheel spoke. He leaned his elbow on his thigh. “That brings up another matter. Do you suppose Amy would be willing to go along with Miss Woodbury? It wouldn’t please Will at all to know his bride traveled cross-country with a couple of men and no woman to keep her company. He was counting on her aunt to be with her.”

“That’s something you’ll have to take up with Amy.” Farr eyed his friend keenly. “After you deliver Miss Woodbury, what about Amy?”

Rain’s foot came down off the wheel spoke. “She could stay at the fort until you and Libby get there. I’d not let any harm come to Amy. Christ, Farr, she’s like my . . . my sister.”

Farr raised his dark brows and his face creased with a wide grin. He let out a bellow of laughter and slapped Rain on the back.

“You’ve got a funny way of kissing your
sister.
You were so busy doing it the day you left here you didn’t even hear me open the barn door.”

Rain felt as though he had been caught with his hand in the sugar jar. He wondered if he looked as foolish as he felt. He did. He looked uneasy and shifted his feet like a man who had pressing business elsewhere. To make matters worse, Farr was openly enjoying his discomfort. It was one of the few times he had seen his friend so disconcerted.

“Gavin and the other two can bed down in the barn,” Rain said gruffly. “If you don’t want Albert and Jonas, you can send them on their way tomorrow.”

Farr’s green eyes twinkled with silent laughter. “If you say I can depend on them, Rain, I’ll hire them on. Tell them to wash up and come on in to supper. I’ll go on in and make sure Libby has plenty of grub.”

Rain walked slowly to the barn feeling he had made a complete fool of himself. Thoughts of Amy had clung to his mind like burrs while he was gone. He wondered if Farr had teased her about the kiss and if that was the reason she had not even acknowledged him when he arrived. With shocking suddenness he realized how disappointed he was. He paused and looked toward the river as thoughts flooded his mind. He had been anxious to get back to see her again and had almost expected her to come running to meet him, as she had done that time so long ago.

“You damn crazy fool,” he muttered. “You’d better put a stop to this before it gets out of hand.”

*   *   *

Eleanor sat across the room in the rocking chair while Amy and Liberty waited on the table. Mercy dangled the new bright pink ribbon Daniel had brought her over the cradle. When the baby cooed and gurgled and tried to grab it, Mercy laughed happily.

The five men and three boys ate with gusto. The two long hunters had come in with water still on their whiskered faces and their hair slicked down. They were ill-at-ease sitting at a table. Liberty did her best to ignore their bad manners and to make them feel comfortable. Gavin McCourtney had shaved and put on a clean but ragged shirt of soft, white homespun. He said very little but handled his eating tools skillfully and chewed with his mouth closed. Every so often he would glance up from his plate and his sharp blue eyes would slowly and intently circle the room. One time they rested on Amy’s flushed face as she forked slabs of deer meat onto a platter. They stayed there a long while. When she looked up and met his eyes, he didn’t look away.