The Doctor's Lady (27 page)

“My men and I could have been there by now, and they’re grumbling about it.”

Eli poked the tip of his boot into one of the lifeless fowl. He didn’t have a right to demand anything more of McLeod. The man had already done more for them than he could ever repay.

Pressing his lips together, Eli stared into the distance to the Blue Mountains. With each passing day, they didn’t seem to move any closer.

And with each passing day, the dangers grew more significant. September would soon be upon them, along with cooler temperatures, especially once they started ascending to the higher elevations. They needed to make the pass through the mountains soon, before the temperatures dropped too low and the first significant snow fell.

Discouragement twisted through Eli. They had so little time left to make it to Walla Walla.

“Be honest with me, McLeod. If I keep going with the women, will we make it?”

“I’ve already pushed you as fast as you can go.” McLeod’s voice was laced with regret. “If you try to go any faster, you’ll chance them dropping from exhaustion or illness.”

Eli nodded. Even though Priscilla had grown stronger, she was still much too weak to push harder.

“But if you continue at your current pace, barring no further problems—and if the snow holds off—you’ll be on track to reach Fort Walla Walla in less than two weeks.”

“Two weeks?” Eli almost groaned. Two weeks was too long. How would they ever make it in time?

“You might be safer heading back to Snake Fort.” McLeod’s overgrown eyebrows framed grave eyes. “Mr. Kay might not have enough supplies to feed you through the winter, but at least you’d have a better chance of surviving there than if you got stuck in the mountains.”

Eli blew out a long breath.

He glanced at Priscilla, to the graceful outline of her body as she bent over a nearby camas plant. She was thinner than when they’d started months ago but was just as beautiful. And if he’d thought she was beautiful on the outside, he’d learned she was even more so on the inside.

She’d come thousands of miles, had survived river crossings, treacherous trappers, poor food rations, and even cholera. And she’d borne it better than any lady ever could. If she could survive the dangerous trip, wouldn’t she be able to survive life in the West?

And now that they’d made it this far together, how could he ever make her go home?

Agony pounded through his head.

All he knew was that he didn’t want to go one step forward without her, even if it meant that he’d have to go back to Snake Fort and wait out the winter there. With her.

They’d be together, and suddenly that was more important than anything else.

He nodded at McLeod. “We’ll go as far and do as much as we can. And we’ll have to trust the Almighty for the rest.”

They rode with McLeod and his men to the Lone Tree in the valley of the Powder River, where they dismounted to make their evening camp. Then with slumped shoulders, they watched the trappers ride on without them.

A breeze lifted the damp strands of hair from Eli’s neck. He took off his hat and let the wind cool his forehead too.

Priscilla edged next to him. For a long moment she didn’t say anything as the horses and men disappeared over the dusty horizon with the thin sinews of the sunset bleeding across the sky.

“This is my fault, isn’t it?” Her voice was quiet and resigned.

Keen disappointment rammed through every blood cell. Everything he’d worked so hard to accomplish over the past year was riding away into the distance.

She sighed and stepped away from him. “I’m sorry, Eli. I should have stayed at Snake Fort—”

“No.” He grabbed her arm and dragged her against his chest.

She fell against him with a gasp, her body stiff.

His arms circled her waist and pinned her in place so that even if she’d tried to escape from him she couldn’t.

“We’re staying together.” His whisper was harsh.

The silky loose strands of her hair blew against his lips. He released a long breath and softened his voice. “Wherever that might be, I want us to be together.”

Her body melted against him. Then her arms snaked around his middle, and she rested her cheek against his chest.

His heart filled with something strange and new. Boldly, he tugged her bonnet off and let it hang down her back.

He let his lips caress the soft gold of her hair. Then with a sigh, he rested his chin on her head, tightened his hold, and stared at the horizon, praying he would have enough courage to do the right thing when the time came.

September 1836
Blue Mountain Range

E
li didn’t have to say anything for Priscilla to understand the gravity of their situation. His silence spoke loudly enough.

For days they’d been traveling gradually higher, always trying to go faster, but she knew it wasn’t fast enough.

Finally the Blue Mountain Range loomed before them, rising up out of the earth like a wall they had to climb—the last barrier between them and their new home.

“Stay close together,” Eli shouted as they began their ascent. He glanced around at the dark shadows of the forest warily.

But Priscilla eyed the range with budding hope.

The slopes were covered with spruce and ponderosa pine. The coolness of their shade was a pleasant change from the days traveling through the dry, desertlike terrain they’d traversed for the past week. The chattering songs of the familiar chickadees and jays echoed through the woods and reminded her of the hills around Allegany County.

Surely the mountain wouldn’t give them trouble, not when it beckoned them with its beauty.

She longed to linger and gather a handful of the wild flowers, especially the bright bluish purple lupines. But Eli urged them steadily upward. And she was determined she wouldn’t slow them down any more than she already had.

Eli hadn’t complained, not even one grumble. But the tenseness of his shoulders testified to the load of responsibility he’d placed upon himself.

It took them most of the day to reach the summit of the first peak. Priscilla wanted to cheer as her horse stumbled to the narrow level table.

But the victory was short-lived. A length of mountain sloped downward before them—the steepest she’d ever seen. The air had grown noticeably cooler, and she shivered, pulling her shawl tighter. The sun had disappeared behind clouds that seemed altogether too close.

“I don’t think I can do this,” she said when Eli patted the head of her horse. Even the beast was balking, snorting in fright at the sight of the rocky climb down.

“I’ll be leading the horses and mules right ahead of you.” Eli held out a handful of lupines. “Maybe these will help.”

The sudden smile in her heart made its way to her lips. “How did you know I’d been longing for a breath of them?”

“Don’t you know I have eyes in the back of my head?”

She reached for the flowers, letting her fingers linger against his. The gentleness of his touch always went straight to her heart and stole her breath away. She lifted the bright bouquet to her face and buried her nose in the fresh wild beauty, drawing in the sweet aroma.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

When she lifted her gaze to his, the window to his soul was open wide, and his desire for her was as clear as the water of the nearby mountain creek.

“You know I’ll expect a proper thank-you later.”

Her cheeks flushed. His eyes sent her a message, the kind of message that said he would lift her off her horse and crush her in his arms and kiss her if he could.

She nibbled her lip. And bittersweet longing welled up within her. She’d tasted his kisses and couldn’t deny her hunger for more of them. But what could possibly come of it?

He might have told her he wanted them to stay together, but that didn’t mean he was ready to change their agreement. He’d continued to keep their relationship platonic, just as he’d always done.

Was she delusional to think he could want to change their arrangement now, after all the months of his resistance?

“Tonight, when we make camp, you can thank me.” He tossed her a grin and left her reeling with confusion and desire.

They made their way down the cliff with painstakingly slow steps, zigzagging all the way. The men went by foot and led the animals, while she and Mabel clung to their saddles with dread.

By the time they made it to the bottom, darkness had settled in. They could hardly see to make camp. The temperature had dropped, and after Priscilla slid from her horse in exhaustion, all she could do was snuggle next to Mabel for warmth. She knew Eli wouldn’t be able to come for his thank-you—if he’d even been serious about it in the first place.

Priscilla slept fitfully, the calls of wild animals somewhere in the distance echoing through the thin air.

When they awoke in the morning, a light dusting of snow covered the ground. She could hardly make her stiff limbs work to climb back onto her horse. She only needed one look at Eli’s ragged expression to know he hadn’t slept at all.

An icy mixture of rain and snow began to fall as they started up a steeper and more dreadful climb. If McLeod’s man hadn’t been leading them, she would have guessed that somewhere, somehow, they had made a wrong turn. The rocky route was covered in places with black, broken basalt, and she couldn’t imagine God had ever intended it for man or beast.

But they climbed onward, slipping and sliding over the treacherous trail. By evening they reached the highest elevation of the pass. After yet another dinner of cold duck, they traveled along the main divide, searching for water for the animals and a safe camping place.

When the sun dipped beyond the horizon, she gazed with awe at the sunset gloriously displayed between the two distant conical peaks of Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens. Lying before them was the grandeur of the Columbia River Valley, and somewhere in the middle of it all, their new home waited for them—if they could make it out of the mountains alive.

Big flakes of snow began to fall, and she huddled against Mabel. The woman had slipped into a weary slumber the moment they’d laid their bedrolls on the damp ground. But Priscilla couldn’t stop from shuddering as she listened to Henry and Eli and their guide argue in hushed tones.

“But what about the snow?” Eli said in hushed tones. “Will we be able to make it down through the snow?”

“We’ll have to try,” Henry said, “because we can’t continue tonight.”

“You’re sure?” Eli’s voice held resignation.

“The descent is too steep to attempt in the darkness. One misstep would send a mule to the bottom,” the guide said. “Even with the snowfall, we’d be safer to wait until first light.”

“We must pray,” Henry said.

The snow continued to come down, and later through the light of their fire she saw Eli huddled on a boulder at the edge of their camp, his rifle pointed at the shadows of the surrounding cliffs. At the distant shrill cry of a cougar, he readjusted the barrel of his gun.

She wanted to go to him, sit with him, and keep him company through the long hours of his watch. But what if he turned her away? What if she’d only dreamed she’d seen desire in his eyes the other day?

With a sigh, she forced herself to close her eyes and get the sleep she would need to face the daunting descent the next day.

At the first traces of light, they brushed a thick layer of snow from their blankets, packed their mules, and tried to soothe the jitters of their horses.

She longed for Eli to give her a special look, to toss her even the smallest of grins, to assure her they’d be all right. But he’d pulled his hat low and stood with the travel guide, speaking in low, urgent tones.

The snow slowed their steps, and the mules brayed at each slip they made. Ahead of her, Mabel called over her shoulder, “Come on, Sister Ernest.”

Priscilla’s horse limped through the snow, leaving bloody footprints. The climb had been rough on their animals too. And now, with each jarring step down the mountain, Priscilla sucked in her breath and prayed her horse wouldn’t slide off one of the dangerous outcroppings.

Behind her, Henry mumbled to his pack of mules and slapped their hindquarters whenever they started to slide too close to the edge of the trail. Near the front of their caravan, Eli kept his rifle under one arm, continually scanning the rocks.

Suddenly her horse whinnied and jerked to a halt.

She loosened her grip on the reins and flexed her stiff fingers.

A sharp scream, like that of an injured girl, penetrated the morning air.

Before she could regain her hold, the horse reared with a frightened snort. She lost hold of the reins, fell, and hit the ground with a thud that knocked the breath from her. She slid down the snowy slope for several feet before landing in a clump of brush.

For a long moment she sat in stunned silence. Above her, the horse whinnied and tried to gallop. But it stumbled against a rock, and its legs buckled, forcing it to the ground.

Only then did she get a view of the ledge ahead, to the yellow slanted eyes of the cougar fixed upon her. They glowed like hungry flames.

A chill crawled over her skin.

The cougar gave another shrill cry. It laid its ears back and crouched, ready to spring.

She couldn’t move, couldn’t scream, couldn’t breathe. Her eyes locked with the cougar’s, and the fire there burned into her.

In the distance, she heard shouts, the roar of Eli’s cry from the trail further down the mountainside, the desperation in his voice.

But it was too late. He was too far away to help. The cougar would be upon her long before Eli could climb to the slope where she’d fallen. For once, he wouldn’t be able to come to her rescue.

Her fingers fumbled to unsheathe her knife. Even if she could get it out, how would she fend off a wildcat with a weapon she didn’t know how to use?

“Oh, God,” she whispered past dry lips, “be thou my help during the stormy blast.”

The cougar hissed, baring its long sharp incisors.

Where would the beast rip into her first? If she must die at the fangs of a hungry animal, please, God, let her faint before she felt the pain of tearing flesh.

The black-rimmed eyes wouldn’t let go of her. The cat gave a flick of its tail and lurched forward.

Only then did she scream. Her body tensed harder than the rocky cliffs. She pinched her eyes closed and waited for the claws and teeth to sink into her.

A gunshot cracked in the air.

For an eternal moment she cowered.

“Priscilla!” Eli’s shout rang closer.

She chanced a peek.

The cougar was sprawled near her horse, bright blood spurting from a hole in its chest, leaving a crimson puddle in the snow. Its golden eyes stared lifelessly at her.

A relieved sob pressed into her throat.

Eli scrambled through the snow up the mountainside, fear drawing tight lines across his face. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head.

“I didn’t know the cougar was so close.” He finally reached her, and his ragged breath made white puffs in the morning air. “We sighted it last night, but this morning it was gone.”

Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

With one arm, he grabbed her and drew her against his chest. His other hand had a shaky grip on his rifle. “Thank the Almighty,” he murmured hoarsely against her cheek.

She wrapped her arms around him and clung to him.

“I thought for sure I’d lost you this time.”

“If not for your shot, I’d be dead.”

“I didn’t shoot. I didn’t have time.” Frustration punctuated every syllable. “I was too far away.”

She pulled back. “Then who—”

He looked over her shoulder.

She craned her neck and caught sight of Henry. He was standing with his feet slightly apart, his rifle still pointed at the cougar, smoke drifting from the barrel.

His gaze met hers, and for the first time since they’d begun the journey, she saw something she hadn’t known she craved—his acceptance. The look said he had put their past behind him and had given her the greatest gift he could possibly offer—the chance at having a loving relationship with someone else . . . her husband.

Gratitude swelled through her. Henry could see it in her eyes.

He lowered his gun and nodded.

Eli touched the brim of his hat to Henry and looked back at her. “I’ve been so busy trying to shoulder everything myself, I ignored the possibility that maybe God wants me to share the load.”

“It’s possible,” she said softly.

“I’ve been working to keep you alive and safe, thinking it was all up to me. It figures the Almighty would use Henry to snatch you out of death’s claws.”

She laid her head against Eli’s chest, wound her arms around him tighter, and squeezed.

He heaved a sigh and pressed a kiss against her forehead.

Priscilla didn’t know how they made it down the rest of the slippery slope without injury, but by midafternoon the snow had melted and the air began to warm. When they reached the edge of the forest line, they finally stopped.

Once her feet touched the level ground, she dropped to it and wanted to weep in gratefulness at being off the awful slope.

After the cougar attack, Eli had been forced to shoot her horse. It hadn’t been able to get back up—he guessed it had broken its leg, and she’d had to ride his horse. Two of their mules had also fallen during the descent.

What would they do with all their supplies now, and where would she ride once Eli needed his horse?

Mabel groped for her hand. “Remember, God will give us the strength we need. When we are weak, then He is strong.”

Oh, that she had Mabel’s faith. She squeezed the hand of her friend. “He’s given me you. You have been His gift of strength to me.”