Teton Sunrise (Teton Romance Trilogy) (3 page)

“I
ain’t
sharing my coins with you,” the boy said in a warning tone, and stuffed the money into the pocket of his britches.

Evelyn smiled. “I don’t want your coins. I’m only trying to help.” She bent over the sacks, and lifted one end while the boy lifted the other. Despite his surly disposition, he shot her a grateful look.

By the time they were halfway up the gangplank with a heavy sack between them, perspiration beaded Evelyn’s forehead even in the chill of the morning air. “What is in these sacks?” she groaned, the muscles in her arms burning from exertion.

The boy shrugged. “
Dunno
.
Gunpowder, most likely.”

Evelyn stepped off the plank and into the boat, when a dark figure blocked her way. He was clad in buckskins and a fur coat that seemed much
to
heavy an article to wear in early May. She shot a hasty glance at the bushy-faced man, whose head was covered by a coonskin cap, then lowered her gaze just as quickly. A foul odor that reminded her
of a decaying chicken and rotten eggs
emanated from the man’s clothing and Evelyn coughed, trying to keep the bile from rising up her throat.

“Allow me,” the man said, his words laced with a thick French accent, and without waiting for a reply from either her or the boy holding the other end of the sack, grabbed hold of their burden.

“Run along, boy,” the Frenchman said brusquely, nodding to the boy. Wide-eyed, and with a hint of fear in his eyes, the youth turned and darted from the boat. For a spilt second, Evelyn thought to follow him. The man’s dark stare seemed to seep right through her, and her throat went dry. She was almost sure that he was one of the men she had seen standing with her brother at the dock earlier. Was he one of Henry’s hired men?

The man dropped the sack to the ground. His hand snaked out and he wrapped his fingers around Evelyn’s wrist. She pulled back reflexively and dug her heels into the slick wooden planks of the boat’s deck.

“You should not be lifting such heavy burdens,
mademoiselle
,” the Frenchman said, leaning toward her. Evelyn’s heart jumped, and she sucked in a deep breath. Her head shot up, and she stared into the man’s black eyes. His mustache twitched, and his lips curved in a leering smile.

“Release me,” Evelyn hissed, bracing against the man’s hold on her wrist. Although not painful, his grip was nevertheless firm as if she’d been shackled in irons.

“Do not draw attention to
yourself
,” the man warned in a low tone. “Even a blind man can see that you are not a boy. Why would a beautiful woman disguise herself as a man?”

“That,
sir,
is of no concern to you,” Evelyn said between gritted teeth, still pulling against the man’s unyielding grip.

“You plan to stow away on this boat. What will you do when you are found out?” The man raised a bushy eyebrow. He jutted his chin toward the deck behind her.  Evelyn didn’t need to turn her head to know there were only men aboard this vessel. “You will be a most welcome surprise to twenty eager men.”

Evelyn groaned silently. How had this man seen through her disguise so easily? Her heart sank.  Her plan had failed. The best she could hope for now was to free
herself
of this man’s clutches and leave. Perhaps she could find another boat that would travel up the Missouri, and catch up with her brother that way. Looking into the Frenchman’s hardened features, the meaning of his words suddenly became crystal clear to her.

“I ask you again to release me,” Evelyn said with all the confidence she could muster. Her eyes darted around the boat. Perhaps if she spotted Henry, she could call out to him and he would save her from this man’s clutches. Instead of doing what she asked, the Frenchman yanked her closer. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath.

“Tell me why you are on this boat,” he demanded.

“Very well,” Evelyn huffed. “My brother is on board,” she answered truthfully. “I only wish to join him. He is all the family I have left. He means to leave me behind while he goes off in search of the man who killed our parents. He gave me in marriage to a man I despise.” She glared up at the unkempt woodsman. “Does that satisfy your curiosity?”

The Frenchman studied her for a long moment, his eyes roaming her face. Evelyn shifted her weight from one foot to the other under his unrelenting perusal. “You understand,
mademoiselle
, that what you are getting yourself into may be far worse than marrying a man you do not love.”

“Then let me go, and I will return to my home,” Evelyn pleaded. Did she really regret her impulsive decision to follow Henry into the wilderness? She had to admit that this man was telling the truth. What had she been thinking? She’d only wanted to get away from Charles Richardson, but the consequences of her actions hadn’t occurred to her.
Until now.

The Frenchman’s smile widened. Surprisingly, his teeth looked white and clean, even if he did stink as if he hadn’t bathed in years.

“Laurent
Berard
at your service,
mademoiselle
,” he said, and bowed slightly. He still held to her wrist. “I offer you my service as your chaperone, until you choose to reveal your presence to your brother.”

Evelyn’s eyebrows rose. She stared in stunned disbelief. Was he joking with her?

“Why would you offer me your protection?” she asked slowly. Her mind raced, trying to decide whether to trust this man.

“You are the sister of Henry Lewis, are you not?” the Frenchman asked, and casually led her away from the side of the boat. Evelyn stood her ground for a moment, but when the man tugged firmly on her wrist, she took a step toward him.

“Yes,” she said softly. So he was one of Henry’s men. Somehow this gave her courage. If Henry trusted this man to lead him into the wilderness, then shouldn’t she trust him as well? He hadn’t seemed all that threatening. He’d simply warned her, and reminded her that her plan might be less feasible than what she had envisioned. Truth be told, she had no idea what to expect on this journey. Perhaps a chaperone, someone to protect her, was just what she needed.

“You will continue to act as a boy,” Laurent said in a low tone, his eyes darting around, seemingly watching everyone around them simultaneously. “You will remain here with the cargo,
comprenez-vous
?”
He gave her a hard stare. Evelyn nodded.

“
Tres
bon
,” the Frenchman said, his lips twitching. “In a few days’ time, I will inform your brother of your presence here on board. By then, he will not be able to turn you away. In the meantime, do not look at anyone, or speak to anyone.”

Evelyn nodded again. She couldn’t believe her turn of good luck. Despite this man’s gruff appearance and obvious lack of personal hygiene, he seemed genuinely kind and helpful. Perhaps he hoped that Henry would pay him extra for taking care of her.

****

“Of all the foolhardy things you have ever done,
Evie
, this one takes the cake,” Henry almost yelled, his angry red face inches from hers. His eyes darted from her to Laurent, who stood several feet behind her, and lowered his voice. “What on earth are you thinking?”

“I refuse to marry Charlie, Henry. If you’re going after Alex, then I want to go with you.” Evelyn stood her ground, her hands clenched firmly at her sides. For the last three days, Laurent
Berard
had kept her secret. He watched over her, brought her food and water, and made sure no one came too close to her to realize she was not a boy. He had apparently decided that it was time to relinquish his responsibility as chaperone to her brother.

Henry’s reaction was no less than Evelyn had expected. He was livid. She had never seen him so angry, even after the grief of their parents’ death had eased, and when he cursed Alex Walker to hell and back. The six other men he had hired stood off to the side, their heads together, whispering amongst themselves. One man glared at Evelyn, an almost evil grin on his face, and an unmistakable hungry look in his eyes. She averted her gaze, feeling trapped like a mouse in a barn full of cats.

Henry’s jaw
clenched,
and his eyes darkened even more. His upper body tensed, and for a moment Evelyn wondered if he was about to strike her. Instead, he abruptly turned, and rubbed at his jaw with his right palm. He spun back around to face her, and shot a murderous look at Laurent.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with you,
Evie
,” he finally said. His voice had calmed considerably. “I was trying to look out for you when Charlie asked for your hand in marriage. Coming into the wilderness is dangerous to say the least. A woman here is unthinkable.”

“I want to be with you, Henry,” Evelyn said and stepped up to her brother. She placed her hand on his arm. “You’re the only family I have left. I don’t care about the dangers.”

Henry sucked in a deep breath. “All right,” he finally said, and offered a tentative smile. “Let me . . . let me talk to these men.” He gestured with his chin over his shoulder in the direction of his hired help. “I’ll no doubt have to pay them extra to bring you along, but I don’t see an alternative at the moment.”

Evelyn flung herself at her brother and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Henry,” she whispered. “I won’t be a burden to you. I’ll stay out of trouble.”

Henry peeled her away from him, and shot her a look that told her in no uncertain terms that he didn’t believe a word of what she said. Several of the men behind him sniggered.
The one who’d been leering at her licked his lips.
Evelyn stepped away from her brother and looked in another direction.

“Go back to where you’ve been hiding out,
Evie
. It’s already getting dark. We’ll talk more in the morning.” He shot a meaningful look toward Laurent, who nodded. Taking her arm, the Frenchman led her away from her brother.

“That went very well, don’t you think?” Laurent asked cheerfully as he led her back to the cargo area.

Evelyn sank to the ground between several burlap sacks, satisfied that Henry agreed to take her with him. She relaxed against a bag. She had barely closed her eyes, when gunshots and loud shouting startled her out of her contentment.

“Laurent?”
She sprung to her feet. The Frenchman was no longer at her side. Stumbling over a crate in the dimming evening light, she looked ahead to the front of the boat. Men ran in all directions, shouting and firing their weapons.

“Henry?” Evelyn screamed. Someone bumped into her, knocking her to the ground. A heavy body fell over her legs.

“Get off me,” Evelyn demanded and pushed at the man. Startled, she realized that he didn’t budge. When she looked closer, lifeless eyes stared up at her. Evelyn scooted backwards on her rear, gasping for breath and swallowing the bile that rose up her throat. She pushed and shoved against the dead man until she succeeded in yanking her legs out from under his heavy body.

She stood on shaky legs, her eyes frantically searching for her brother. Finally she spotted him at the helm of the boat. He met her eyes, a look of panic in his gaze. One of his hired mountain men suddenly darted in front of him, a knife in his hand. With a forceful thrust, he buried the knife in Henry’s belly, and pushed him overboard.

“No!” Evelyn screamed, and she raced to the front of the boat. Her hat flew from her head, and her long hair spilled around her face and down her back. A forceful grip on her arm broke her momentum and she was hauled up against a solid form.

“Do not make the same mistake your brother made,
mademoiselle
,” a voice she’d come to trust breathed in her ear. There was no hint of warmth or kindness in Laurent’s tone.

“What do you mean?” Evelyn squirmed against the Frenchman’s hold on her. He wrapped one steely hard arm around her waist, and dragged her away from the middle of the boat.

“Let me go,” Evelyn demanded, gritting her teeth. “You have to help Henry.”

“Your brother is dead,
mademoiselle
. Did you not see him fall overboard?”

“How do you know he’s dead? We have to try and find him. You were hired by him to take him safely into the wilderness.”