Luke's Gold (22 page)

Cade awoke in the gray predawn of the morning. By the time the sun made a timid appearance over the mountaintop, he had watered and saddled the horses and left them to graze while he waited for some sign of movement in the cabin. Before long, he saw a fresh plume of smoke drift up from the chimney telling him that White Moon was probably stirring up the breakfast fire. Still, he remained in the barn, not wishing to disturb the two women too early. In a few minutes, White Moon appeared around the front corner of the cabin and crossed the stream to the outhouse on the other side. On her way back, she met Elizabeth making the same trip. Satisfied that the women were dressed then, Cade proceeded to the house in hopes of getting a cup of coffee. He had almost decided to build a small fire outside the barn and get his own coffeepot from his pack.

“Good morning,” Elizabeth greeted him when he walked in the door, her smile warm and genuine, as if she was really glad to see him. “We'll have some coffee ready pretty soon, and White Moon is frying bacon to eat with the rest of last night's pan bread.”

Uneasy just standing there, he offered, “Want me to chop some firewood or somethin'?”

“No. We've got plenty for now and we won't need any more after breakfast.” She sensed his uneasiness and decided to tease him. “You just sit yourself down at the table and wait till the coffee's ready.” She winked at White Moon and said, “I don't know if we should even feed him, White Moon, somebody who prefers to sleep with the horses instead of staying in the cabin with us. Maybe he thought he wasn't safe with two spoiled doves like us two.”

Fully aware he was being teased then, Cade smiled. “The horses didn't complain about my snorin',” he said. Anxious to change the subject, he asked, “What are you gonna do about all your things here? You just gonna abandon this cabin?”

“No,” Elizabeth replied. “Mr. Kramer will send a couple of his men back from the Bar-K with a wagon to get the furniture and trunks. I'm just taking my clothes and a few other things.” That was good news to Cade. He had been wondering if he was expected to move the whole cabin on a packhorse.

“I'll go round up the horses again,” Cade said after eating, and went out the door heading for the grassy meadow behind the barn.

He had not been gone more than fifteen minutes when White Moon said, “There is a rider coming.” She was standing at the back window, the same window where she had seen Cade coming up the ravine the day before. Elizabeth moved over beside her and peered out at the lone horse making its way up toward the boulder.

When the caller had almost reached the huge boulder that hid the front of the cabin, Elizabeth identified him. “John Slater,” she announced, surprised, then looked at White Moon with an impish grin. She quickly brushed by the mirror, took a moment to smooth her hair, then walked out on the porch to meet her visitor.

“Good morning, Mr. Slater,” she said. “What on earth brings you way up here this early in the morning?”

“I do declare, Miss Walker,” he returned, “you're as pretty in the mornin' as you were the other day.”

“Why, thank you, sir,” Elizabeth replied sweetly. “You'll have me blushing with talk like that.”

“I remember what you told me last time I was here, that you were leavin' here to go to Deer Lodge, so I rode up to tell you I'd be happy to escort you and the Shoshone woman over there. I have business with Carlton Kramer, so I'll be out to his place from time to time, anyway.”

“But at this time of morning?” Elizabeth replied, finding it an odd time of day to call.

“That's just the way I am, Elizabeth—all right if I call you Elizabeth?” She nodded, smiling. He continued. “Once you get to know me a little better, you'll see I'm a man that don't waste no time, when I see what I want.”

Even as precocious as she was, Elizabeth was taken aback by his bold words. “Why, Mr. Slater,” she responded after a moment to think, “that's a generous offer, but I'm afraid you have wasted your morning.” She nodded toward Cade still down at the barn. “You see, my father has sent one of his men to escort White Moon and me to Deer Lodge.”

Slater cocked his head to look at the young man leading the horses toward the cabin. After staring for a long moment, he turned his gaze back to Elizabeth and said, “A hired hand? You can tell him you won't need him. I'll be happy to take you to Deer Lodge.” White Moon came out on the porch to stand behind her charge. “Of course, I mean both of you,” Slater added when he glimpsed her frown.

Doing her best to conceal the girlish excitement she felt inside over his obvious infatuation for her, Elizabeth remained calm but pleasant. “Again, my thanks for the trouble you have gone to, but I'm afraid I can't go against my father's wishes. He sent a trusted hand to escort me, and the poor man rode a long way to see us safely there.” Slater made no response, turning in the saddle to stare at the man leading the horses.

Down at the barn, Cade had paused when he saw the stranger ride up to the house, his hand automatically seeking the stock of the Winchester rifle resting in his saddle scabbard. It was plain to see after a moment, however, that it was a social call upon Elizabeth. For a reason he could not explain, Cade immediately disliked the man. Walking the horses slowly toward the cabin, he looked the stranger over as closely as he could at a distance of about forty yards. Sitting tall in the saddle, Elizabeth's caller looked dressed for a social visit, wearing a black Stetson “Boss of the Plains” hat atop long, dark hair that touched the shoulders of his black morning coat.
Slick as a greased weasel,
Cade thought. He didn't like the way Elizabeth laughed and tossed her head demurely in response to conversation he was too far away to hear.

“Cade,” Elizabeth said when he approached the porch, “this is John Slater. He has kindly offered to escort White Moon and me to Deer Lodge.”

In that brief instant, Slater wasn't pleased to find the young man there. He continued to stare at Cade as if challenging him, his brows knotted in a heavy frown. “Yeah, boy,” he finally said with an undisguised note of derision in his tone, “I can save you the ride over to Deer Lodge, and you can go on back to wherever you come from.”

The remark rankled Cade, but he made no immediate response, taking his time to loop the horses' reins around a porch post. He tried to tell himself that the man's comment probably wasn't meant to sound scornful, but he couldn't deny the fact that he had taken a dislike to him the moment he first saw him talking to Elizabeth. Considering that thought, Cade had to ask himself what right he had to feel one way or another about who called on Elizabeth Walker.
It ain't none of my business,
he scolded,
but I still don't like the son of a bitch.
Turning to face Slater then, he spoke. “I expect I'll be seein' Miss Walker to Deer Lodge. I promised her pa I'd see her safely there, and that's what I aim to do.” Looking eye to eye, neither man noticed the slight smile Cade's statement brought to Elizabeth's lips. However, White Moon, a silent witness to the confrontation, caught the look on the young girl's face and issued a soft grunt of disapproval, accompanied by a hard frown.

Before Slater could answer, Elizabeth said, “There, you see, John, Cade is bound to take me, but you're welcome to ride along with us if you were going up there, anyway.”

Not by me, he ain't welcome,
Cade thought, but he held his tongue and waited for Slater's response. Seeing that his ploy to accompany the young lady was foiled, Slater had no choice but to retreat discreetly, lest he ruin his chances with her. He had already made up his mind he was going to possess the handsome young woman, and if he had competition to eliminate, then so be it. But in the meantime, he must take care not to show his jealous intentions for Elizabeth to see.

“Thank you for the invitation,” he said to Elizabeth, “but my main concern was for your safety. As it turns out, I don't need to go to Deer Lodge on business until next week, so I'll see you up there then.”

“That would be nice, I'm sure,” Elizabeth replied politely, gracing him with a faint smile. “I must apologize for this morning. We can't even offer you coffee or something to eat, since we were all packed up to leave.”

“Think nothin' of it,” Slater said. “I'll take my leave now.” Giving Cade a stern parting glance, he said, “You mind you take care of them.” Cade didn't bother to answer.

They stood silently watching for a few moments while John Slater rode away. Of the three, Cade was the only one focusing on Slater. Elizabeth's eyes were on Cade, while White Moon concentrated on Elizabeth. A faint smile of satisfaction played upon the young girl's lips as she detected the hostile expression on Cade's face for the departing guest. Turning then to return to the cabin, she confronted the scolding look displayed upon the broad face of White Moon, answering it with a coy smile as she breezed past the disapproving Shoshone woman.

Cornelia Kramer hurried out to the front porch when her maid and cook, Millie, told her that Elizabeth was here. As she passed the library, she told her husband, and he put his ledgers aside to join her in greeting their houseguest. A few moments later, he stood with his wife as they watched the three riders coming up the lane to the ranch house. Expecting Jack Walker to escort his daughter, Carlton Kramer remarked, “That's the young fellow we just hired, the one I was telling you about who's so good with horses.”

When Elizabeth saw the couple waiting on the porch, now joined by their three young children, her faced blossomed out with a big smile and she waved excitedly. The children ran ahead as their mother and father walked down the steps to meet her, all with eager smiles.

Pulling up to the hitching post, Cade dismounted and took the horses while Elizabeth ran to meet her adoptive parents. After the initial excitement of the reunion, Cornelia extended an affectionate greeting to the stoic Shoshone woman standing behind Elizabeth. Watching the scene with silent amusement, Cade stood back until the women started up the steps in animated conversation. “Where do you want me to unload your things on the packhorse?” he then asked, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Oh, we almost forgot about that,” Cornelia answered. “Millie can show you where to take them.” The maid, who had been standing on the porch watching, promptly descended the steps to help Cade with the baggage.

While Cade untied the packs, Carlton Kramer stepped up to extend his hand. “Well, Cade, how is it you came to escort Elizabeth? We expected Jack to bring her. Is he all right?” Cade explained that an accident with a horse had laid Jack up for a while. “Well, that's bad news, indeed. I hope he's not too long in recovering.” Kramer paused for a moment, stepping back while Millie loaded her arms with a bundle of Elizabeth's clothes. When she started up the steps, he continued. “How are things going at Coyote Creek? You getting along all right with Jack and the rest of the boys?” It had already occurred to him that Jack evidently approved of the young man, since he had trusted him to escort his daughter.

“Yes, sir,” Cade answered, “I got no complaints.”

“As I said, I was expecting Jack, but since you're here, I might keep you for a few days. I just bought a couple dozen horses from a fellow up Clark Fork. I'd like you to take a look at them, maybe help with the breaking.”

“You're the boss,” Cade replied, “but I expect Jack might be expectin' me back with word that his daughter is all right.”

“I'm sending a man with a wagon down to Coyote Creek tomorrow with some supplies for Jack. He can tell him that you delivered Elizabeth safe and sound,” Kramer replied.

“Then I reckon I can stay and help out around here for a spell,” Cade said.

“Fine,” Kramer said. “You can go on down to the bunkhouse and find an empty bed. See Ralph Duncan. He should be down there now. They'll be eating pretty soon, so you're just in time for supper. Tell Ralph I said to help you get settled. He'll help you take care of those horses.”

Cade turned to look in the direction Kramer pointed out, toward a long building next to one of the corrals. “All right,” was all he said before starting toward the bunkhouse. As he walked away, he cast a quick glance at the three women at the top of the porch steps—Elizabeth and Cornelia Kramer chattering away like reunited schoolgirls, the solemn White Moon following silently behind. His experience with Elizabeth Walker had been a brief interval in his life, but it had somehow made a lasting impression. He could not understand why. It made little difference, he told himself, for he didn't expect to see her again.

Ralph Duncan stood by the small stoop before the bunkhouse door, leaning with one hand against the porch post, watching the arrival of the guests up at the main house. He had known Jack Walker's daughter since she was a little girl, and there was a smile on his face as he watched the young lady now ascending the steps holding Cornelia's arm.
She'll remember ol' Ralph,
he thought, knowing Beth, as she preferred to be called, would soon find time to come to see him.
Hell, I put her on her first horse,
he thought, and grinned anew.
Got her in trouble with her mama.
He almost laughed at the memory. His attention turned then to consider the young fellow approaching the bunkhouse leading four horses, three with saddles and one with empty packs. When Cade was within a dozen yards, Ralph walked out to meet him.