Bound For Eden (7 page)

‘You said we'd be able to find a wagon train to join here,' the runt said, his eyes fixed on the chaos. ‘It'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack,' the kid muttered under his breath.

‘We'll wait until this lot have gone and then we'll see who's left. They'll be the ones looking for a party, or looking to lead one.' Luke led them to the courthouse steps, and they jostled their way up to get a good view of the proceedings. Gradually the wagoners climbed into their wagons and the screaming children disappeared beneath the shining white hoops. At the far edge of the square a man climbed onto the seat of the lead wagon, gripping the hoop for support and waving his hat in the air. ‘Three cheers for Oregon,' he shouted.

The wagoners cheered. Some idiot fired his gun in the air. And with creaks and chatter, cheers and whistles, the train rolled out. It took almost an hour for the square to clear and by then the dust had risen in a red fog. Victoria coughed delicately into a handkerchief, while Adam covered his face and the runt sneezed.

‘The first wagon will have crossed three counties before the last one gets out of Independence,' the man next to Luke said, shaking his head.

‘Who's captaining them?' Luke asked.

‘No-one,' the man said in disgust. ‘They elected one of their own to lead them. Damn fools.'

‘So people go west without hiring a captain?' the kid asked him as they descended the steps into the thinning cloud of dust.

‘Some do.' Luke gave the boy a sharp look. ‘It's not something I'd recommend.'

‘No. You'd recommend I pay you to do it.'

‘I'd get you there alive.' He headed for the shade of a sycamore. ‘There'll be captains lining the square,' he said shortly. It was no skin off his nose if the boy wanted to sign up with another party. Luke would have no trouble making up a party without them. He never did.

‘I don't see why we don't just go with Mr Slater,' Victoria complained as Alex dragged them around the square. It was hot and they were covered in dust.

‘You weren't so keen on signing with him this morning.'

‘That was before we got to know him.'

Alex rolled her eyes. Before he turned his charm on you, you mean, she thought sourly. But she wanted to go with Luke Slater too, especially after she met the other captains. They found grizzled old fur trappers, rumpled bleary-eyed drunks, and mean-looking cowboys; there were surly men, and men who talked a mile a minute; men who claimed to have led the first expedition to Oregon City, and men who claimed to have never lost more than a quarter of their wagoners. A quarter! It made Alex feel sick to her stomach. Was she leading her family to their deaths?

She eyed Luke Slater from across the square. He was young and strong and sober. He didn't seem like a fool or a villain. He was expensive but she had more than enough Grady gold to pay for him . . .

But he wasn't leaving for an entire week. And there were the Gradys to think of. They'd be here soon, if they weren't here already. Alex scowled. Luke was the best choice, but she couldn't afford to wait a week. She turned back to regard the captains she'd just spoken to. She sighed. She'd just have to interview them again. At least one of them would have to make a better impression this time. They certainly couldn't make a worse one.

‘Where are you going?' Victoria asked.

‘I need to make a choice.'

‘Well, I'm tired,' her sister snapped. ‘I'm going to sit down on that bench under that tree.'

The tree by Luke Slater, Alex observed grumpily. Victoria could sit in the shade and moon over Luke while Alex baked in the heat and did all the work.

Luke had just about made his quota when Victoria sank onto the bench behind him, fanning herself prettily with her handkerchief. ‘Who did you like the look of?' he asked cheerfully.

‘None of them,' Victoria said, wrinkling her nose.

He laughed. ‘And your brother?'

‘He's just being stubborn,' Victoria said firmly. She bit her lip and then straightened her shoulders and met Luke's eyes. She was blushing, he saw. ‘You'd best put us down for your party, Mr Slater. I'd hate for you to be booked up by the time Alex realises what a damn fool she—he—is.'

And that was his quota. Luke grinned and turned back to the square. He could see Alex and Adam talking to Slumpback Joe. Even from here he could make out the cranky set of the runt's features as he argued with the old trapper.

‘Well, look who we have here.'

Luke sighed at the sound of the voice. He'd had a feeling he'd run into these idiots again. He turned to see Silas swaggering towards him. He supposed he should count himself lucky that the cretin hadn't brought his brothers with him.

‘If it ain't the cardsharp,' Silas said. Luke could see he was itching for a fight.

‘Haven't you learned your lesson?' Luke asked.

‘I ain't the one who needs to be learnin'.'

‘Let's not make a fuss in front of the lady,' Luke suggested.

‘What lady?' Silas followed Luke's gaze and spotted Victoria. His nostrils flared with shock, and once again he reminded Luke of a bull. ‘You!'

Victoria, never a brave soul, chose that moment to swoon. Luke caught her as she tumbled from the bench.

‘Where's the other one?' Silas demanded.

‘What other one?'

‘Where is she?' Silas was turning scarlet with rage.

‘Who?' Luke was genuinely clueless.

‘The sister.'

Luke looked down at the woman in his arms.

‘The other one,' Silas snapped.

‘I haven't met any sister,' Luke told him.

If possible, Silas's face turned even redder. ‘Why should I trust a cheat like you? I know your type. You think every beautiful woman should be yours.'

‘I didn't even know she had a sister,' Luke insisted. ‘She's heading out to some brother in Oregon. She just joined my party.'

‘Gideon said they'd go to Stephen. Fools.' Silas spat in the dirt. He sized Luke up through narrowed eyes. ‘She pay you in gold?'

‘She ain't paid me at all yet. And she won't if you've frightened her to death.'

‘You swear you ain't seen her sister?'

‘No,' Luke snapped, reaching the end of his patience. ‘Now if you'll excuse me, the lady needs some attention.'

‘You might want to tell her to keep out of sight,' Silas snarled at his back as he left. ‘My brother will do more'n scare her if he knows she's here.'

By the time Luke reached Ralph Taylor's place the girl was coming to.

‘Where's your room?' he asked gently. When she told him he took her straight upstairs and lowered her carefully to the bed.

‘How are you feeling, Miss Alexander?'

Victoria thought she must be dreaming. Men didn't look at her that way. They looked at Alex like that all the time, all soft and tender on the surface, with something hungry underneath. But now here was this man – this chiselled, square-jawed Adonis – looking at
her,
plain old Victoria Sparrow, with such concern. He'd carried her in his arms as though she'd weighed as little as a feather. And now they were alone and she was helpless on the bed before him. Victoria felt her stomach clench, and not from fear.

‘What's going on here?'

Never had her sister been less welcome.

Alex and Adam tumbled through the door. Alex looked suspicious as she took in Luke and Victoria's positions on the bed. Her expression blackened with rage. ‘You weren't at the square,' she accused. ‘I was worried, so we came looking. And good thing we did, because look what we found.'

‘Nothing inappropriate,' Luke said to soothe the runt. ‘She fainted and I thought the bed would be the best place for her. I don't have much experience with swooning ladies.'

Alex snorted in disbelief and turned a dubious look on his sister. ‘You fainted?'

‘It was the heat,' Victoria lied. Luke gave her a startled look, but she ignored him.

‘Why don't you run down and get some fresh water for your sister, runt?' Luke suggested. ‘She looks like she could use a cool cloth on her forehead.'

‘I can help,' Adam said.

‘Yes, you can,' Luke agreed. ‘You can pump the water for Alex.'

Alex didn't look like she was going to budge. Victoria made a slight whimpering noise and slumped back against the bed.

‘Can't you see how pale she is?' Luke scolded. ‘Go get that water.'

Alex felt well and truly dismissed. She snatched up the water pitcher and stomped downstairs. They were up to no good, she just knew it.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Victoria sat up, wringing her hands. ‘I only lied so I wouldn't worry them,' she said nervously. ‘Did Silas see Alex? Were his brothers there?' She was as white as milk and shivering like a leaf in an autumn gale.

‘He was asking about your sister,' Luke told her gently. He pulled the blanket up to cover her, noticing how she flinched at the mention of her sister. ‘Don't fret. I told him the truth.'

‘The truth?' Her eyes were as big as saucers.

‘That your sister ain't with you.' He looked around the hotel room but there was no obvious sign of a hidden sister.

‘No.' Victoria's voice cracked. ‘My sister has gone east. We parted ways in St Louis.' She cleared her throat. ‘She abandoned us. She wasn't our blood sister anyway, just a stray Ma and Pa took in when her parents died.'

‘What did he want with her?'

‘What did he want with
you
?'

‘I ran into a spot of trouble with them over cards last night.' Luke frowned. The poor girl was in serious distress at the thought of those vultures. ‘He said to keep you out of sight of his brother.'

‘Gideon.' Victoria shuddered.

‘Why is that?'

‘He wants my sister,' Victoria told him miserably. ‘He'd hurt us to get to her.'

Luke fell silent. ‘Would it help if I get word to them that your sister left you?'

Victoria nodded. Then gave a despairing shrug. Then the tears began to fall.

Luke was a sucker for tears. ‘I'll see if we can leave a bit sooner than I'd planned,' he said, rubbing her back.

‘What about Alex . . .'

‘Alex is a boy,' Luke said firmly, ‘and I'm guessing you're his legal guardian. So, in my book, it's you that gets to decide which wagon train you join.'

Looking up into his shining black eyes, Victoria knew exactly which wagon train they were joining. Luke Slater's. Even if he was headed to the ends of the earth.

Eight

Alex didn't recognise her any more. Her plain and mousy sister was blossoming into a pretty young woman. She walked around pink-cheeked and glowing, smiling witlessly at all and sundry. It was infuriating.

And it was that man's fault.

‘What do you think you are doing?' she hissed at Victoria in Cavil's Mercantile, where Victoria was in the process of buying a length of lovely yellow calico.

‘I'm going to make a new dress,' Victoria said blithely. ‘Luke says there's a dance on Saturday night, to farewell the wagon trains leaving, which includes us.'

‘Oh, he does now, does he? And how are you planning to pay for this new dress?'

There was a glint of gold in Victoria's gloved hand.

‘That money is supposed to get us set up in Oregon!'

‘One new dress won't hurt.'

Alex sputtered helplessly as Victoria sailed up to the counter with the bolt of yellow cloth firmly in hand. She was outraged in so many ways. Firstly, because it really was a waste of money. When on earth would Victoria need a new yellow dress on the trip west? When she was fording rivers, or helping to dig out the wheels of their bogged wagon?

And secondly, Alex had to admit, she was outraged because she didn't see why Victoria should have a new dress when she was walking around in Adam's cast-offs, her face buried beneath a revolting mask of dust and dirt. It just wasn't fair.