Noah, page 2
But a traveler could mean trouble. Especially for a young woman alone except for two children. What on earth had made her think setting up a home in the west was a good idea?
He left the trail by the creek and climbed to the hillside where he had a better view of the world and waited for a sign of anyone lingering nearby. Half an hour later, he shifted. Nothing moved that indicated a stranger in the vicinity. By now the rider could be far away. Gone southeast to Fort Macleod, north to Fort Calgary, or west into the mountains just as Noah planned to do.
There existed one other possibility. Grunting, he turned the animals around and headed back east. He climbed up and down the hills allowing him to see the countryside from the heights. Once he rode to the creek and allowed the animals to satisfy their thirst. As the sun lowered behind him, making his shadow long and skinny, he turned into a grove of trees, dismounted, removed the side bags from the packhorse, hobbled both animals and took more biscuits and jerky from his supplies. His plan had been to fish or hunt for his evening meal but his gut warned him not to make a fire.
It wasn’t long before he smelled smoke. He rose to his feet and studied the trees below him. A twist of smoke came from where he knew Miss Elmore and her siblings to be. He slowly scanned the trees and narrowed his eyes. If he hadn’t been watching for it, he might have missed it but a wisp of smoke rose from where Noah had seen the cold ashes.
Someone was there. For what purpose?
Noah sank back on his heels. It could be that Miss Elmore had someone waiting for her arrival. A man she hadn’t mentioned. Or it could be that the traveler was a stranger and saw Miss Elmore as someone he’d like to meet—whether or not she welcomed his visit.
He tipped his head back. His experience with women had taught him to not trust them. If you couldn’t trust your own mother, who could you trust? Then there was Joan Wilson. She’d said they should marry when they were old enough but when he was kicked off the farm, she’d said farewell. She wanted more than pie in the sky by and by.
On the other hand, there was Maude. Granted she was more like a man than any woman he’d ever known. She had expectations of the boys. And one was to stand up for the underdog. Like she said, “All of you boys know what it’s like to be down on your luck. To need a hand up. So don’t neglect to offer help to anyone who needs it.”
Well, he didn’t know if Miss Elmore needed help or even wanted it but until he could be certain what that stranger had in mind, he meant to hang about.
He moved to the left until he could see the flicker of a person moving in the trees below and sat down to watch and wait.
The stranger hunkered over the fire. Noah could smell coffee and fish. His mouth flooded with saliva. Maybe he’d take a stroll down there and invite himself for supper.
But he stayed where he was.
The man sat at the fire. Likely enjoying his coffee and hot food.
Noah gnawed on the hunk of jerky. Swallowed hard. Wished he’d brought his canteen to wash it down. The sun had dipped behind the mountains. Red and pink streaked the sky.
The man rose, moved about. From the puff of steam that barely made it above the tree tops, Noah knew he had poured water on his fire. Either he was preparing to bed down or meant to leave.
Noah waited.
When the shadow of the man shifted to the left, Noah moved with it. They were venturing closer to the Elmore’s campsite. Noah’s nerves tingled. Was he about to witness a late-night rendezvous? The last thing he wanted to see was a lover’s reunion.
He stopped. Was about to turn around when the creek water flashed like it had been disturbed.
He silently edged closer, climbing the hill to allow him a better view.
The wagon was where it had been. The fence still wobbled—or at least he imagined it did. The horses and cow remained in the half-hearted corral. A pile of branches had been arranged in a square. For what purpose? But he saw no one. The children might be in bed. Miss Elmore might also have retired for the night. But that didn’t explain the movement of water.
He edged further along. An overhang of bushes hid the creek. But the garments draped on the bushes provided enough information. Miss Elmore was bathing. He might even hear her voice as she sang. Though it might only be the distant sound of birds cooing in the trees along the stream of water.
A flicker of movement caught his attention. The stranger had moved closer. The way he slithered from tree to tree, Noah guessed it wasn’t for a prearranged visit. Whether the man meant to spy or had something more nefarious in mind it made the hair on the back of Noah’s neck rise. He’d put a stop to that.
He slipped down the side of the hill, keeping to the green grass to muffle his footsteps, staying in the shadows as much as possible.
Miss Elmore was singing. He might have been tempted to stop and listen but the stranger continued to move closer. Could be he even saw Miss Elmore from where he hid.
Noah crossed a stretch of grass and ducked into the trees. He did his best to move quietly but it was impossible.
The stranger heard him approach and turned tail. He disappeared along the bank of the creek before Noah could reach him. Aware that the noise they made could alarm Miss Elmore and even the children, he returned to the grassy area and jogged toward the stranger’s campsite. The thud of racing horse hooves warned him the man had ridden away.
Noah might have followed and made certain the man left the area but darkness had descended. He’d follow the man’s trail in the morning.
He gathered up his belongings and led the horses to a hill top where he could watch the Elmore’s camp without being obvious.
So much for a quiet retreat into the mountains.
* * *
Lainie slipped from the cold water, wrapped herself in the gray blanket she’d brought along, snatched her dress from the bushes and hightailed it back to her camp. She grabbed the rifle and waited and watched.
The sound of footsteps had disturbed her bathing. Her skin still prickled to think of someone spying on her. The only stranger she’d seen was that Noah Murray who’d been none too welcoming. Did he think he could scare her off by sneaking around and frightening her?
She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Cowboy Murray would soon learn that she wasn’t one to frighten easily. He and his family would have to bodily remove her and Boyd and Missy if they wanted to get rid of her and she’d kick hard enough to make it impossible.
Nevertheless, she climbed into the wagon and pulled the drawstrings tight in order to prepare for bed. Then, rifle cradled in her arms, she joined her brother and sister in the tent.
Missy mumbled in her sleep.
Boyd’s eyes were wide, watching her.
“You should be asleep.”
“Wasn’t goin’ to ’til you got back.”
“Thanks, little brother.”
“Hey. I’m twelve. Almost as old as Pa was when he left home. And I’m as big as you are.”
“You sure are. I couldn’t do this without you.”
“I know.” He grinned as he flipped over to his side, facing away from her.
She crawled under her covers. She hadn’t wanted to say anything to her siblings about someone prowling about but Boyd could help keep a lookout for intruders.
“I heard someone when I was washing in the creek.”
Boyd turned to face her. “Was that cowboy?”
“Could be.”
“What do ya think he wanted?”
“Besides, to get us to leave? I don’t know. Maybe that was all.”
Boyd harrumphed. “Guess we ain’t leavin’ on his say so.”
She grinned. Didn’t even bother correcting his grammar. “Guess we aren’t.”
But as Boyd’s breathing deepened, she lay sleepless. This bit of land was not what she expected and it left her fearing the future.
Her parents had trusted her with the two younger children. She could not fail them. They had also taught her to call on God when she felt worried or overwhelmed. God, have I made a mistake in trusting Frank when he introduced me to his uncle? Not that she could go back and undo her decision. Please show me what to do. How to make this work.
It wasn’t as if she had any other place to go. She had to succeed at this venture. She imagined Ma’s soothing voice. “Lainie, there’s nothing we can do to get away from God’s love and care. Never forget these words in Hebrews thirteen, verses five and six. ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.’”
Lainie remembered how confident she’d felt as Mama hugged her and kissed her on the forehead when she said those words. The Lord is my helper. She silently repeated the words several times, falling asleep to their comfort.
She jerked awake to the sound of Missy singing next to her and sat up. “I’ve overslept.” She looked around. “Where’s Boyd?”
“I’m out here.” His voice came from the side of the tent. “Got the fire started.”
“I’ll be right there.” She grabbed clothes and dressed hurriedly. She stepped into a warm morning and stretched. “We’ve got a lot of work to do but first, breakfast.” She inhaled the hint of coffee. “You made coffee?” None of them drank it. Hadn’t made it since Pa died.
“Nope.” He rose and sniffed. “Someone up the hill I think.”
Her neck muscles tightened. Even though she knew the aroma could carry a distance in the morning air, it was too close for comfort.
“Want me to go see who it is?” Boyd’s expression was eager. He was ready to bound away.
“Let’s just wait and see if there’s any reason for concern.” She reached for the rifle. “But we’ll be on guard.”
Missy grabbed Lainie’s arm. “You gonna shoot that man?”
“What man?” Did she mean Mr. Murray or had she seen someone lurking about? “Did you see someone?”
“Just that nice man who was here.”
Nice man? Lainie choked off her protest as she got supplies for breakfast from the wagon. She needed to find a better way of storing some of the things like the bacon or it would attract wild animals. Pa had always been careful about that.
She set the bacon to browning and helped Missy mix up the batter for pancakes. Her little sister was only seven but determined to help with chores.
“Boyd, we need to hang the meat in a tree, away from our camp.”
“I can do that.” He was instantly on his way to take care of it.
“We’ll eat breakfast first.” She guided Missy’s hands to pour batter on the hot griddle.
Soon the food was ready and they sat on rocks that served as their chairs. A crate had been turned over to use as their table. A house with furniture had been reported to be on this place.
Once they got a house built…
She wouldn’t let concern about all the things they needed fill her thoughts. Not on such a beautiful morning.
“Let’s thank God for the food.” She waited for her brother and sister to bow their heads then closed her eyes. “Our Father in heaven, thank You for providing our daily bread. Lead us and guide us this day. May we live lives to honor You. Amen.”
The children were silent as they ate. Lainie didn’t taste her food, her glance going up the hill, following the direction of the scent of coffee. Was someone watching them? And if so, for what purpose? She’d always been a trusting person. Maybe too much so. She’d certainly be more cautious from now on.
A horse and rider appeared on the hill from which came the aroma.
Lainie reached for the rifle as she rose to her feet and watched the rider. He angled down the hill. There was no doubt he was coming toward them.
“It’s him,” Missy said. “Don’t you shoot him. He’s a nice man.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do.”
Lainie let it go. She knew there was no point in arguing with Missy’s logic. Or lack of it.
Mr. Murray rode onward, slowly, carefully.
Was he hurt? Or was it a trick intended to make her lower her guard?
“Howdy,” he called when he reached shouting distance.
“Hello,” she answered with far less welcome in her voice than was in his.
“Brought you coffee.”
She saw he held a coffee pot with a thick cloth around his hand to protect against burning. A tin cup dangled from his finger.
“I only have one cup but figured you’d have your own.”
“She’s got cups,” Missy said, bouncing from one foot to the other at a visit from this ‘nice man.’
“Good.” He stopped by the wagon, and swung a leg over the saddle, carefully dismounting and ambled over to the fire. He stood awkwardly holding the pot.
“I’ll get a cup,” Missy said. She grabbed one from the table and held it toward Lainie.
Lainie didn’t take her eyes off their visitor as she took the cup and thanked her little sister.
“Why were you sneaking around last night and spying on me?”
3
“I—” Noah could say he wasn’t sneaking about and spying on her. But she’d obviously heard someone. If she believed his claim it wasn’t him, then she’d know there had been another man around. Was there any point in worrying her? He’d follow that spying stranger and make sure he’d left the area. Miss Elmore and the children would be safe.
He repeated his earlier words. “I brought you coffee.” He poured the hot liquid into the cup in her hands.
“She don’t drink coffee,” her brother said.
Noah stopped pouring. “She don’t? I mean, she doesn’t? I don’t know that I ever met an adult who doesn’t drink coffee.” He’d been drinking it since he came to the ranch at sixteen. He studied her with narrowed eyes. Seven years of consuming it made a man appreciate it first thing in the morning. “Maybe you aren’t an adult.” She did look awfully young.
She bristled. “I am too an adult.” She sucked back a mouthful of coffee and sputtered. “It’s hot.” Something flickered through her eyes as she reacted to the bitter drink.
He laughed, remembering how Maude had introduced them all to coffee and how he’d wondered that anyone could drink it. “I guess you have to get used to it to enjoy it.”
“Blah. Why would you want to?” She put the cup on the crate which held their breakfast things. Seemed to be their table. Riding up he’d seen enough to realize they had little in the way of belongings. How had she thought they would manage?
He answered her question. “I don’t know exactly. But Maude said it would make a man of me.”
“I like coffee,” young Boyd said and drank from his sister’s cup. He spat out the mouthful. “Guess maybe I don’t. But I’ll learn to like it.” He took a smaller mouthful and swallowed bravely. “My pa’s coffee didn’t taste like this.”
“Did he put cream and sugar in it?”
Both the elder sister and the boy nodded.
“That’s not real coffee. Not cowboy coffee. Now I might not be the best coffee maker in the world but I assure you real coffee doesn’t have cream and sugar in it. Maude would say that’s sissy stuff.”
“And who might Maude be?” Miss Elmore asked. He guessed the heat in her voice was in defense of her father’s coffee choices.
“She’s the boss of the Circle A.” He eyed the remains of breakfast. Bacon and pancakes. How much did they have in the way of supplies? Seems they were greenhorns and besides having been tricked into giving some shyster money for land that wasn’t for sale, the eldest of them was very young. He glanced toward the wagon.
“Your boss is a lady?”
He wasn’t fooled by the casual tone of Miss Elmore’s voice. She was likely surprised but he might have detected a hint of something more. Admiration.
“She took over when her husband, John, was injured. He’s in a wheelchair now. He makes all kinds of decisions but it’s Maude who rides out to check on the herd.”
“A lady cowboy?” There was no mistaking the admiration this time.
“She can ride and rope as good as any man. Better’n some, I’d venture to say.”
“There many lady cowboys are there?”
“She’s the only one I know and lest you think it’s an easy thing for a woman, you should know that when John was injured seven years ago, she took over, and all the hands they had then, left, refusing to work for a woman.”
“You don’t mind?”
“She’s fair. She’s good. Besides, she saw me and my brother needed a home and job. She took us in and taught us all about ranching and cowboying.”
Young Boyd fairly ate up Noah’s words. “You think she’d teach me?”
“How old are you?”
“I’m twelve but I’m big for my age.”
“You sure are. Well, Maude took in six of us. Her boys, she calls us. Sam was the youngest. He was only thirteen. But he’s twenty now. I don’t know if Maude wants to train any more boys.”
Miss Elmore chuckled. “I expect she had her fill of it after she dealt with you.”
He didn’t know if she meant him alone or all of the boys. But he didn’t care for her insinuation that it had been a tough task. “I’ll have you know we were fast learners.” His voice fell to a mumble. “Mostly.”
“Mostly? Explain please.”
“You gonna drink your coffee?” Better to talk about that than about the mistakes he’d made.
“I’m not sure I want to acquire the taste.” She scowled at the cup and shuddered.
“How old were you when you started cowboying?” Boyd asked, practically quivering with excitement at the idea.
Noah studied the boy. Eagerness was a good thing. He was going to need lots of it. “I was sixteen.”
“You want pancakes?” Missy asked.
The child had been studying Noah so hard it was about all he could do not to squirm under her scrutiny.
“I can make them for you. Lainie taught me how.”
“Lainie?”
She pointed toward the older girl. “My sister.”
