Teton Splendor (11 page)

He’d been drawn to her since that first time she came gliding into her father’s study on the evening of his arrival in Boston. He still couldn’t explain his instant attraction to her. He’d seen beautiful women before but they’d never caused such a reaction in him. Without a fancy dress that hid her natural shape, and with her hair spilling loosely over her shoulders and down her back, she only looked more beautiful. His gut tightened at the memory of her kiss. Her sensual, playful exchange of words nearly drove him mad with want. If Caleb hadn’t returned with the water at that moment, Joseph knew without a doubt that he would have kissed her again.

Someone stirred under the blanket, and Joseph strained his eyes to see. Moments later, a tiny body stood just within the shadows of the fire’s soft glow. Joseph stepped behind his horse so as not to startle the boy should he be seen. Caleb remained where he was for a moment. He glanced quickly from side to side, then bolted for the bushes and disappeared into the darkness. Puzzled at the boy’s odd behavior, Joseph drew a hasty conclusion, and sprinted after him. It didn’t take much to catch the child, and he clamped his hand around Caleb’s mouth to prevent a scream while lifting him into the air.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Joseph asked quietly. He removed his hand from Caleb’s mouth to allow the boy to answer.

Squirming and kicking, Caleb fought like a cornered bear cub. “Let me go. Let me go,” he growled.

“I ain’t gonna hurt you,” Joseph said. “But I’d like to know why you feel the need to run away in the middle of the night.”

Caleb’s fist connected with Joseph’s injury. He muttered a curse then gripped the boy harder.

“Who are you running away from, Caleb?” Joseph demanded. He set the boy down, but clamped a hand around each tiny wrist, and knelt before him. “Maybe I can help you.”

“You’ll just send me back,” Caleb cried, pulling back as hard as he could. “I ain’t goin’ back.”

“Back where?” Joseph coaxed quietly. He applied just enough pressure to not hurt the boy without letting him escape. “I’m your friend, Caleb. Miss Sophie’s your friend. We wouldn’t want to do anything that would get you hurt. You know that.”

Caleb struggled and growled some more, then his body went limp. Joseph couldn’t see his face in the dark, but the boy’s quiet sobs and sniffles were a telltale sign that he was crying.

“You’re a brave boy, Caleb. If you’re scared of someone, I know it’s for a good reason,” Joseph said evenly. He’d already suspected throughout the day that the child was hiding something. For a seven or eight year old, he was extremely resourceful.

“You promise not to take me back if I tell you?” Caleb finally asked. His voice quivered.

“If you’re running away from home, there must be a reason.” Joseph weighed his words carefully. If Caleb was running from an abusive father, there was nothing he could do. There was no law against beating a child. Joseph clenched his jaw.

“I ran away from the Cincinnati Orphan Asylum,” Caleb whispered. “I ain’t got no home or family.”

Joseph’s chest tightened. His heart went out to the boy, and he pulled Caleb into his arms. For a second, the little body stood stiffly in his embrace, then he slumped against Joseph’s shoulders.

“The headmaster’s real mean. He takes us to work in the coal mines. If we can’t work, he doesn’t feed us, and sometimes we get a beating.” Caleb cried against his shoulder.

Joseph ran his hand up the boy’s back, and Caleb flinched. Anger consumed him. No child, or woman, should ever be beaten.

“You have my word that I won’t take you back there,” Joseph said, making a split-second decision. “But where are you gonna go? You can’t keep counting on nice ladies like Miss Sophie to rescue you every time you’re caught stealing.”

“I don’t care,” the boy shouted in anger. “I ain’t goin back there. I’d just as soon die first.”

Joseph inhaled sharply. There was only one thing he could offer this boy. “How’d you like to come with me?”

Caleb pulled out of his embrace. “With you? You’ll teach me to be a mountain man like you?”

“I’ll teach you the things I know,” Joseph said with a smile. The joy and hope in the boy’s voice reassured him that he was making the right decision.

“But what about Miss Sophie? Will she mind that I’m coming with you?”

“I bet she’ll be right happy to have you come along.” Joseph grinned. He wasn’t quite sure how his impulsive decision to take this boy home with him and raise him up would be received by his family, but his parents would support him and agree that letting the boy loose to fend for himself would have been the wrong thing to do. Taking him back to a place where he was abused wasn’t even an option.

Having the boy along also presented a solution to his other immediate problem. Caleb had already proven himself as a perfect buffer to control the impulse to kiss Sophie. They hadn’t even started their journey into the mountains, and Joseph’s desire for her grew with every moment he spent in her presence. If she were disagreeable, he’d have an easier time tempering his thoughts, but she’d played right along with him earlier, and seemed to have enjoyed the banter. If he wasn’t careful, Sophie could easily crawl under his skin in ways he wanted to avoid. She may want to escape Boston for a while, but an extravagant life was all she knew. Few people ventured into the mountains to stay. He had to be prepared to return her to Yancey come spring, and he would do so with his heart intact. 

“Miss Sophie lost someone very close to her on that boat. She needs a new chaperone to get her to where we’re going.”

“What’s a chap . . . chaperone?”

“It’s someone who keeps another person safe and watches out for them,” Joseph explained patiently. “Most unwed ladies have chaperones when they travel.”

“Aren’t you her chaperone, then?”

Joseph laughed out loud. He stood and reached for the boy’s hand, leading him back to camp. “I’m thinking you’d be a much better man for the job than me, Caleb.”

Chapter Eleven

Sophia ran a trembling hand through her unkempt hair, and made another futile attempt to keep the sleeves of her dress from falling down past her shoulders. More self-conscious than she’d ever felt in her entire life, she stood just inside the entrance of the dry goods store Joseph ushered her through. This was worse than standing before him in only her unmentionables and his shirt. She wished now that she had stayed outside with the horses. Several shoppers turned and stared outright.  A couple of women put their heads together, whispering loudly.

“I declare. What is this town coming to? The trash and filth is coming further and further into our city,” one tight-lipped woman said to the other, her icy glare on Sophia’s dress. “Why, we can’t even bring our children here anymore if they allow common saloon whores in our part of town, and now Indians, to boot.”

Joseph’s palm rested on her lower back, and the gentle pressure forced her to step fully into the store. His small, unexpected gesture gave her a sense of courage. Sophia turned her head away from the women, biting her lower lip. She glanced at the mirror on the wall to her right, and sucked in a deep breath. The person staring back at her was a stranger.

Her dress sagged loosely from her body, the sleeves wanting to slip down her shoulders. It was torn in several places and dirty beyond recognition. Wearing only two petticoats and no crinoline to fill out the skirt, the dress was much too long. She’d used her other two petticoats as bandages for Joseph, and her crinoline lay abandoned at the banks of the Ohio River. Joseph had cut several inches off the hem of her skirt already when she nearly tripped over herself the morning after the steamboat disaster.

Her hair hung in limp strands down her back. The pleasant fragrance of lavender drifted through the air, its source a shelf lined with soaps and candles. Sophia curled her nose at the unpleasant smell which arose from her clothing and unwashed body. Resisting the urge to bolt from the store, she held tight to the edge of a wooden crate next to her. 

Nearly a week had passed, and Joseph had led her and Caleb through the wilderness along the Ohio, avoiding most settlements. Stopping just outside one of the larger towns one day, he had somehow bartered for a horse with a local farmer. Even though it was an older animal that had obviously seen many years in front of a plow, a second horse had made traveling quicker and easier. Up until then, Joseph had walked while she and Caleb rode.

Now that they had reached St. Louis, her insecurities about her appearance came rushing back full force. Sophia wished Joseph hadn’t insisted she come with him into the city. Part of her yearned for a soft bed to sleep in, a hot bath, and a meal eaten with a fork and spoon rather than just her hands, but she dreaded what people would think of the way she looked. She would have preferred to stay at their camp outside of town, but he refused to leave her behind. He didn’t even cite a valid reason.

“Why do we have to stop in St. Louis?” she’d argued. The idea of being seen in public made her stomach tie in knots.

Joseph offered her a hard glare that left no room for debate.

“I need supplies,” he’d said simply. “This is the last place to get them before we head completely into the wilderness. There are no more towns beyond the Missouri.”

Gritting her teeth, she’d stopped trying to persuade him to leave her behind at camp. How could she communicate to him that she wasn’t dressed for polite society? St. Louis was a large town. It would be no different than Boston, where people were expected to dress and act in a certain way. It wasn’t something he understood, apparently. He didn’t seem concerned about his appearance at all, or hers, for that matter.

 All of her money and belongings were gone, so she couldn’t even purchase new clothing. She only had this one dress, and in its present condition, it was better suited for the rag bin than for going out in public. Somehow she had to figure out a way to alter the garment so it would be more suitable for travel. She looked like a trollop.

Sure enough, both men and women had openly stared at her as they rode up the busy streets. Joseph avoided the river district, and stayed to the outlying section of town. He stopped in front of a dry goods store that boasted of being the best supplied store with the cheapest prices anywhere this side of the Missouri. Caleb, who sat behind Joseph on his horse, slid eagerly from the animal’s back. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the store. 

Joseph secured his horse to the tie rail, then stood beside her nag and reached up to help her off the animal’s back. Sophia fell into his arms. Any excuse to be near him, to feel his hands on her. She gripped his firm shoulders and wished he would pull her into an embrace when he set her feet on the ground. The touch of his hands on either side of her waist sent a warm rush through her entire body. Her palms lingered on his chest when he released her all too quickly and stepped back. She sought eye contact with him, but he turned his attention toward the store.

Sophia held her breath. She wanted to scream in frustration. The only times he made physical contact with her since the accident was when he helped her on and off her horse. Over the course of their journey to reach St. Louis, he seemed to have been avoiding her.

Gone were the heated looks he’d shot her way that day by the river. He only spoke to her when absolutely necessary, and directed all his attention to Caleb. It left her wondering if the desire in his eyes and his sensual banter had been a dream. Had she been too forward? In Boston, she wouldn’t have dared comment on a man’s physical attributes. Somehow, it seemed so easy to do with Joseph. He had played right along, and she thought he might even kiss her again. By the next morning, he’d been completely indifferent.

Adding to her confusion, Joseph instructed Caleb in everything from fire building to fishing, to skinning and eviscerating the small animals he caught for their meals, while she sat idly by, day after day. She tried to shrug it off as inconsequential. Obviously, he didn’t think her capable of performing these tasks. He was probably right, but a part of her was disappointed that he hadn’t included her in the lessons. For the time being, she simply observed and listened, trying to learn what she could.

Sophia turned away from the mirror. Joseph had left her side and moved further into the store. He stood at the sales counter, talking to the proprietor. If he had heard the women whispering, he gave no indication. Caleb stood next to him, looking like a ragamuffin in his tattered clothes. When Joseph announced that he was bringing Caleb with them, she’d been rather surprised. However, when he told her of Caleb’s circumstances, her heart went out to the child and swelled with love and admiration for Joseph. If only she could muster up the courage and tell him of her feelings. Fear of rejection held her back.

Unsure of what to do while Joseph conducted his business, Sophia remained where she stood behind the wooden crate. A rack with several simple dresses stood in a corner at the opposite end of the store. A week ago she would have had enough money to no doubt purchase everything in this entire establishment. Traveling through uninhabited areas over the course of the last week, she was acutely aware that none of what Lucy had packed in her trunks would have been suitable to wear. She would have had to purchase an entirely new wardrobe.  Now she couldn’t even buy one new dress.

Sophia ignored the continued stares of disapproval from the ladies doing their shopping. The bell above the door jingled, announcing another customer. Cringing, her eyes darted nervously to the entrance. She surely didn’t need any more people remarking on her appearance.

Two men dressed in buckskins similar to Joseph’s entered the store, followed by a girl several years younger than herself. Sophia blinked and stared, wide-eyed. The young woman wore buckskin britches and a cotton shirt just like the men. Her blond hair was braided in one long rope down her back. She even wore a knife strapped to the belt around her waist. On her heels followed a petite Indian woman carrying a young child on one hip. A blond-haired boy, about Caleb’s age, darted past them.

Sophia’s eyes lingered on the Indian woman. She wore a simple buckskin dress that reached well past her knees, long fringes swaying down each side. Her feet were encased in plain leather moccasins that wrapped around her legs and disappeared up under the dress. Her long hair was parted down the middle, and braided on either side. The child on her hip, presumably a boy, had raven-colored hair. His skin tone, although dark, was a shade lighter than the woman’s.

He’s of mixed blood, like me
.

Her eyes darted to the other child who pushed his way to the front of the store. He couldn’t have Indian blood in him. His skin was too light, as was his straw-colored hair.

The two women who had whispered about her a moment ago now stood open-mouthed, staring at the group. Both of them set their purchases on the counter, and rushed from the store, declaring they would be back later for the items. None of the new arrivals paid the two women any notice.

“Joseph? Joseph Walker, is that you?” The pretty blond girl rushed past the two men and up to the counter. Joseph wheeled to face her, and a wide smile brightened his face. Sophia held her breath. Her throat constricted painfully all of a sudden.

“Kara?” Joseph laughed, and lifted the girl in a tight embrace. He set her down again and his eyes traveled up and down her figure. “Look at you. All grown up.” He glanced up at the two men behind her.

Sophia’s spirit plummeted even more than before. Apparently, Joseph was back among people he knew, and he obviously held great affection for this girl. She ran a self-conscious hand along the silk fabric of her gown. She’d foolishly believed he might harbor some feelings for her after she kissed him. Heat crept up her neck. How would she ever be able to compete for his attention when his interests were so obviously for women from his own world?

“Well, if it isn’t little Joey Walker,” the taller of the two blond men exclaimed loudly, and walked up beside Joseph. He slapped him heartily on the back. Joseph reached out his hand, which the older man clasped.

“Chase Russell, what a surprise,” Joseph said, then turned to the other man. “Sam, how are you?”

“Fair enough, considering I have to put up with my brother-in-law,” the other man said, less boisterous than his companion. “It’s been what? Three or four years since we last saw you?”

“How’s life along the Madison?” Joseph asked. “Your folks all right?”

The man named Sam laughed. “You know my father. Nothing’s going to slow him down. Mama tries her best to keep him in line.”

“What brings you this far east so late in the season, Joey?” the taller man with the odd name and short hair asked.

“I’m on my way home from Boston.”

The tall blond man whistled. “Boston? That’s a long way from the Rockies.”

Joseph finally looked her way. “Come and meet some friends of mine, Sophie,” he called. Sophia lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. On rubbery legs, she moved around a wooden barrel toward the group. Sam turned to the proprietor on the other side of the counter, handing him a piece of paper.

“Chase, this is Sophie Yancey, granddaughter of Two Bears, a Bannock chief who is a friend of mine. Sophie, meet Chase Russell and his family.”

The man named Chase appraised her boldly, a bright grin on his face. He reached for her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Russell,” she said, and plastered a practiced smile on her face. She had plenty of experience greeting her father’s important business associates, and feigning confidence where there was none.  Chase Russell’s smile widened, then he looked again at Joseph. His forehead wrinkled in apparent puzzlement.

“How many years has it been since . . .” He paused mid-sentence, and tapped at his forehead with his index finger, as if he tried to knock a memory loose in his head.  “Weren’t you hitched with some Blackfoot who—”

 “How’s Sarah and the rest of your family?” Joseph cut him off abruptly. “Are they here, too?”

Sophia wondered at Joseph’s rude behavior for cutting the man off. Chase’s eyes lingered on him, then darted to her. His lips twitched and his green eyes sparkled. He didn’t seem upset by the interruption.