The Complete Oregon Series, page 24
Nora had to swallow as she looked into his eyes. Even though he had repeatedly told her that he wanted her to find a “better man” in Oregon, there was something possessive in his gaze. “What if he refuses to stop?” Nora asked.
For a few moments, Luke said nothing.
Nora knew that he had always tried to lead a quiet life. Since leaving Independence, almost every man on the train had gotten into at least one fistfight and a dozen shouting matches. Not Luke. No matter how much others provoked him and tried to get him involved in a confrontation, he quietly walked away. He wasn’t a coward, but still, Nora wasn’t sure whether he would get into a fight with Brody for her. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted him to.
The muscles in Luke’s jaw bunched. “Then I’ll make him stop.”
An image of Brody shooting Luke flashed through Nora’s mind. She squeezed her eyes shut. “No,” she said. “That’s not worth the trouble. I’m sure he’ll stop.”
“What if he doesn’t?” Luke shook his head. “I’m not taking that chance. I’ll go confront him right away.”
Nora clutched his sleeve. “No. No, please, don’t. If you do that, the others will ask what’s going on. Brody will tell them that I was a whore. Everyone will know. I don’t want that. Please.”
Luke hesitated. “Then how am I supposed to protect you? Like you said, I can’t always be around.” He tapped the butt of his revolver and chewed on his lip. “I should at least teach you to defend yourself.”
Little old me, learning how to fight? Nora had her doubts, but on the other hand, learning how to defend herself and Amy could only be of value, no matter where and with whom she ended up in life. “You would do that?”
Luke nodded.
Another thing he’s doing for me. “I could teach you how to read and write in return,” she said. He had repeatedly rejected other “services” from her, but this was something she could do for him.
He shrugged. “We’ll see. Your lessons are more urgent. So, tonight, after Amy is asleep?”
“All right.” It was the oddest rendezvous she had ever made.
Pacific Springs,
July 12th, 1851
Luke leaned against the wagon and breathed into her hands to warm them. This afternoon, they had crossed the backbone of the Rocky Mountains, the ascent and descent through South Pass so gradual that they hadn’t believed that they had crossed the Continental Divide until they had reached Pacific Spring, a green oasis in the harsh eastern region of the Oregon country.
The animals were grazing contently, and the other emigrants were busy celebrating their arrival in Oregon Territory. No one would miss them, and Bernice had promised to look in on Amy while they were out on their “romantic stroll” along the creek.
She tilted her head and listened to the story that Nora read Amy inside the wagon. Listening to Nora’s stories had been one of the guilty pleasures that she allowed herself every evening. Her own mother had never told her any of these fairy tales, adventures, and legends.
Finally, Nora came to the “happily ever after” part of the story, and then everything went silent as Nora probably kissed her daughter good night. A few seconds later, she slipped from the wagon. She froze and stared in Luke’s direction.
“It’s only me.” Luke stepped into the circle of light from the oil lantern hanging from the wagon.
Nora visibly relaxed and smiled as if she hadn’t been afraid at all.
Luke knew better. She promised herself that this would change. Nora shouldn’t have to live in fear any longer.
Silently, they left the circle of wagons and wandered up the creek until they were far enough away from camp not to be seen or heard.
Luke stopped and rolled up her sleeves.
“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Nora said.
Luke looked up from her cuffs, meeting Nora’s gaze in a silent question.
“I can’t win against Cowen. He’s much taller and stronger than I.”
“You don’t have to win,” Luke said. “All you have to do is fight him off long enough to call for help or run away. Do you think you can do that?”
Nora straightened her shoulders. “Show me how.”
“All right. I’m playing Brody, and you…you’re yourself. So, what does he usually do?”
“He…he grabs me.”
A vivid picture flashed before Luke’s mind’s eye. Anger boiled up in her, heating her cheeks. She took a deep breath. “How?”
“He grabs my wrists.” Nora demonstrated, closing her fingers around her other arm.
Luke took hold of Nora’s wrists. “Like this?”
“No, he…he holds my wrists with just one of his hands, leaving his other hand free to grope me,” Nora said. “And he holds on more roughly.”
Nodding, Luke laid both of Nora’s wrists against each other and encircled them with her left hand. It was hard to get a secure grip like this, not only because her hands were not as big as Brody’s, but also because she didn’t want to hurt Nora in the process. “And then? What does he do now?”
“He pulls me against his body, as close as possible, so that I can feel him press against me, his breath on my face.” Nora shuddered.
Luke looked down at her. “We don’t have to do this.”
“Yes. Yes, I have to. I want to learn how to stop him.”
Luke gazed down into Nora’s eyes. For once, Nora held her gaze. Luke had never thought that she would one day admire a former prostitute, but Nora had earned her respect. “All right.” Now it was her turn to hesitate. Slowly, she pulled Nora closer.
“Closer,” Nora whispered. “He holds me so close that I can’t move.”
She moved Nora another inch closer. Then another. Nora’s belly pressed against her hip, and her breath brushed over Luke’s neck. Luke forced her thoughts back to what they were doing. “What do you do when he holds you like this?”
“I try to break free, but it only makes him hold on tighter.” Nora demonstrated her struggles, pressing their bodies even closer together.
Good God. Luke’s eyes threatened to close. “And then?” Her voice was rough.
“Then he usually tries to kiss me.” Nora stopped her struggles and looked up at her.
Reenacting this was not a good idea. Luke couldn’t look away from Nora’s lips. Her free hand lifted without conscious thought and touched a smooth cheek.
Nora didn’t pull back. She held her place, still gazing up at Luke.
Their lips touched, and Luke lost her grip on Nora’s wrists and on reality. Heat rushed through her. She felt Nora’s fingers slide up her neck and into her hair, holding her in place as Nora deepened the kiss.
Nora’s tongue teased her bottom lip, asking for entrance that Luke gave without thinking.
She wasn’t sure if it was the lack of air, but she felt faint. With a gasp, she tore her lips away from Nora’s. She panted. “I’m sorry. This is not what I wanted to show you.”
“Well, it was a lot nicer than being manhandled,” Nora said with the teasing smile that was second nature to every prostitute, but the same confusion Luke felt shone in her eyes. When Luke didn’t return the smile, her expression grew serious again. “We don’t have to do this.” Nora used the same words Luke had used before.
“You have to learn how to defend yourself,” Luke said. She braced herself. “All right, once again.” With more control this time, she held Nora’s wrists and pulled her against her body. She took a deep breath, forcing herself not to react to Nora’s closeness. “When he holds you like this and tries to kiss you, the best thing to do is bite him. Then you stamp down on his foot as hard as you can, and when he loosens his grip on you… I don’t think I need to tell you where to kick a man, do I?” She glanced down at Nora with a grim smile.
Nora’s lips were a thin line. “What if I freeze in panic and just can’t do it?”
“That’s why we’re here. You have to practice. So, let’s try it with me.”
Nora stared up at her. “You want me to kick you?” Her gaze wandered down Luke’s body.
Luke swallowed and grinned nervously. She fought against the sudden urge to clasp her hands in front of a certain body part that she didn’t really have. A kick between the legs wasn’t a pleasant experience, even for a woman. “Maybe you could be so kind as to leave out that last part of the maneuver,” she said. “Try the moves, but don’t hit me full force. And please skip the lip biting too.”
“All right.” Nora’s chest rose and fell. She looked down, aiming at Luke’s foot.
“Don’t look down,” Luke said. “You have to surprise him. Gazing down could alert him to your plans.”
The tip of Nora’s tongue stuck out between her lips. She was so obviously trying not to look down that it was suspicious on its own.
Luke said nothing. She didn’t want to discourage the younger woman. She grimaced when the sole of Nora’s boot scraped along her shin and then almost crushed her little toe. “That’s great.” She gasped. “You’re doing fine. Now hint at that kick. Don’t hesitate. You have to kick him as soon as he’s distracted by the pain in his foot.”
When Nora tried to kick out with her foot, she stumbled.
Quickly, Luke caught her and held on until she had found her balance again. “Don’t try to kick out with your foot. It’ll make you stumble over your skirts, especially now that your center of balance is shifting.” She pointed to Nora’s growing belly. “Try to thrust with your knee.”
Again, they took their positions, with Luke holding Nora close. Nora’s boot scraped over her shin again, and she mentally prepared herself for a day of limping along the wagon tomorrow. Then Nora’s foot stepped on her own, and her knee pressed against her in a much softer imitation of a kick.
Luke groaned—not in pain, but in pleasure. She tried to move back, away from the intimate contact, but Nora’s foot on her own held her pinned to the place. “That’s enough. You can stop now.” She took several deep breaths when Nora finally moved away.
“Was that good enough?”
You have no idea. “Yeah. If you use these moves with more force, Brody will be in enough pain for you to make an escape. But just to be sure…” She drew a revolver from her waistband. It wasn’t her heavy Walker Colt, but a smaller, lighter model.
Nora’s eyes widened. “You want me to shoot him?”
“No. I want you to do whatever it takes to defend yourself. You’ve got a right to decide who gets to touch you and kiss you.”
Nora gazed at her lips, making Luke swallow, but then she hesitantly took the small revolver.
Luke stepped behind Nora and reached around her with both arms so that she could show her how to hold the weapon. She paused for a moment when she noticed how intimate their position was, almost an embrace. “To load it, you swing out the cylinder. You put paper cartridges into each chamber, then place percussion caps on the nipples at the rear of each chamber.”
“What are they for?” Nora asked as she tried to imitate Luke’s movements.
“When you squeeze the trigger, the hammer snaps down and hits the cap. It explodes, and the resulting spark ignites the powder in the paper cartridge. The explosion discharges the bullet,” Luke said. “Try it. Pull back the hammer with your thumb.”
Nora did it.
Luke nodded. “Hold on with both hands. Once you really fire the weapon, there’ll be a recoil. Now point the revolver at that big stone in the creek.”
Nora turned her head to look at her, her gaze full of doubt.
“Go on. It’s not loaded. We can’t take the risk of alerting Brody or worrying anyone within hearing distance.”
Finally, Nora lifted the weapon. She pointed it at the stone, without lifting it to eye level.
Luke smiled. “You’ve got very good hand-eye coordination.”
Nora looked down at her hand. “I do?”
“Yeah, like a first-class gunslinger.”
“You’re making fun of me.” Nora’s lips tightened.
Luke turned so that Nora could see the serious expression in her eyes. “No. You could be very good with this weapon with just a little practice.”
“Really? You can tell just by me pointing an unloaded weapon at a stone?”
She has no confidence in her own skills. Too many years of only being appreciated for her skills in the bedroom. “Sure,” Luke said. “I’ve taught enough recruits to be able to judge this with a single glance. A few more ‘romantic strolls’ outside of hearing distance, and you won’t have to fear anyone ever again.” This would be the biggest gift that she could give Nora. A part of her was almost sorry. Deep down, she wanted to be the one to protect Nora. She reached out to take back the weapon for today.
But instead of handing her the revolver, Nora slid her own hand into Luke’s. “Thank you.”
Luke swallowed. “You’re welcome.” She smiled at Nora. “But if you want to use that revolver, we better load it.”
Blushing, Nora handed back the revolver.
Parting of the Ways,
July 14th, 1851
“Do you see it?” Luke asked.
Nora shielded her face with her hand, but other than endless, sagebrush-covered plain, there wasn’t much to see. “Um, see what?”
“Parting of the Ways.” Luke pointed to where the trail in front of them divided. Wagon ruts continued to the left and to the right.
“I say we stay on the main route and take the road to Fort Bridger,” Tom Buchanan said, pointing to the left fork. He was low on supplies, and his youngest child was sick again, so Nora couldn’t blame him for wanting to choose the safe route that had enough water and made a visit to Fort Bridger possible.
“Do what you want, but I’m gonna take the Sublette Cutoff,” Bill Larson said, already steering his mules to the right. “It’ll save us over fifty miles.”
Nora stared at the road to the right. Fifty miles? That would shorten their journey by two or three days—and given her exhaustion, that seemed almost like an eternity to her.
“Yeah, but it’ll mean traveling through a desert area,” Jacob Garfield said. “Fifty miles with no water, very little grass, but plenty of rough road and alkaline dust.”
The emigrants argued back and forth, but no unanimous vote could be reached. Nora looked at Luke, but as usual, her husband didn’t voice his opinion. He just stood there, eyeing both trails with a furrowed brow.
Finally, the captain sighed. “Seems like we have to split up. I’ll take the shortcut. Those of you who don’t want to take the risk go with Tom to Fort Bridger.”
Splitting up? Nora bit her lip. Won’t that weaken our defense if we encounter Indians or thieves? At the same time, hope began to blossom deep inside her. Brody Cowen, the adventurer, would probably take the risky shortcut. If Luke decided to detour to Fort Bridger, as she thought he would, Cowen would be out of her life for good.
Luke stepped closer to her. “What do you think?” he asked, pointing first at the left, then at the right trail.
Nora blinked. Luke knew more about the road ahead than any other emigrant, and he was asking her, a former prostitute who had never been west of Independence before? Most other men hadn’t bothered to ask their wives’ opinions. “I’m not sure. We’ve got enough supplies, so a detour to the fort isn’t a necessity, but fifty miles through the desert…”
“I think we should risk it,” Luke said, his lips a grim line.
“Really?” In the past, Luke had avoided putting her or Amy at risk, and now he decided against the safe route?
“Yeah. Two or three days could mean the difference between you giving birth in the middle of a snowstorm in the Cascade Mountains or safely in a doctor’s cabin in Oregon City.” Luke directed a glance down at Nora’s belly, then up into her eyes.
Nora pressed her palms against her belly. So Luke’s decision is based on our welfare. I should have known.
The other emigrants gathered in two groups at both sides of the fork.
With longing, Nora looked to the trail on the left. The Garfield family had directed their wagon to this side, preferring the safer route. A glance to her right showed her that Brody Cowen had joined Bill Larson and the captain at the start of the Sublette Shortcut.
“So, which way do we go?” Luke asked once again.
Nora forced her gaze away from the Garfields and looked down at her dusty boots. “Whatever you think is best.”
“No. That’s not the way I want it to be,” Luke said.
Nora turned her head to squint at him. “W-what do you mean?”
“You’re not my servant. You’re my wife. I don’t want you to just follow my orders. I want to hear your opinion. This is something that we have to decide together.”
With each step west, Nora discovered not just something new about the land but also about her husband. Have I been too sheltered in the brothel? Are there other men out there like him, and I just didn’t know it?
“So?” Luke asked.
Nora took a deep breath. “Then we take the shortcut. Giving birth in the middle of a snowstorm is not exactly an appealing thought.” It wasn’t only that, though. Nora didn’t want to take the easy way out, choosing only what was best for her. If it would shorten their journey considerably, she’d pay the price of suffering Brody Cowen’s presence a little longer.
“You sure? I know it’s gonna be hard for you not to have Bernice nearby, just in case. And then there’s…” Luke’s gaze traveled over to Brody Cowen and then meaningfully back to Nora.
Nora felt for the small revolver hidden in one of the pockets of her apron. “I’m sure,” she answered.
“All right. I’ll tell the captain we’ll join his group.” With a final nod, Luke turned away.
Nora wandered over to the Garfields’ wagon.
