The Complete Oregon Series, page 26
“Is it…” Luke looked around, making sure no one could hear him. “Brody? Are you afraid that he’s gonna catch you bathing alone and helpless?”
He’d guessed her thoughts before she could voice them. Nora felt for the small revolver in her apron. “I’m afraid my bathing suit has no pockets.”
A blush inched across his face.
Nora smiled again. So he knows that my bathing suit consists of nothing but bare skin, huh? I wonder if he’s trying to picture me like that. “I think I better stay here, with you, where he won’t try anything. It’s not worth the trouble.”
“That’s just not right.” Luke’s voice was rough and louder than usual. “It’s not right that you have to make sacrifices just because—”
Nora touched his arm. The muscles under her fingers were like stone as he clenched his hands into fists. “It’s all right.”
“No, it’s not.” Luke stared at the ground. Finally, he lifted his head and fixed his gaze on her. “Well, you could take your bath while I’m watching. Watching for Brody, that is, not you of course, because I wouldn’t… I would never…”
His rambling made her smile. “I know you’re a gentleman.” Even in situations when it’s not required.
“So, you want to take a bath? I could sit down on a rock, facing the opposite direction, and, well, there’s still today’s reading lesson to go over.”
Nora hesitated. Finally, she looked down at her dusty clothes and skin and nodded. She wanted a hot bath more than anything else right now, and with Luke standing guard, she was not afraid. The thought of Luke seeing her naked didn’t scare her. “All right.” She slung a towel across her shoulder, grabbed her bar of lavender soap, and called Amy away from her “conversation” with Measles. Hand in hand, they went in search of the best bathing tub.
Luke followed a few yards behind them, taking care not to intrude even though Nora wasn’t even undressed yet.
Without warning, a high-pitched whistle shrilled somewhere in front of them.
Amy jumped and clutched Nora’s skirt. “What’s dat, Mama?”
“I’m not sure. It almost sounds like…” She turned to look at Luke. “Surely there can’t be a steamboat right here in the middle of the wilderness?” The whistle had sounded exactly like that of the steamboat that had brought her to Independence three years ago.
Luke grinned. “No. But you’re not that far off. That’s Steamboat Springs.” He pointed to a large, flat rock in the midst of a grove of trees, right next to the riverbank.
As they walked closer, Nora heard gurgling and hissing sounds from under ground. Curious, she took another step.
“No.” Luke caught up with her and held her back with a touch to her shoulder. “Don’t go any closer.”
A four-foot geyser shot out of a crevice in the rock, emitting the steamboat whistle sound once again.
Amy stared with big eyes and an open mouth, and Nora suspected that she didn’t look any more sophisticated than that. “How does this work?”
“I think it’s the gas that gathers below the rock,” Luke said. “The water recedes for a few minutes, then the pent up gas escapes and the water shoots out. That’s what causes the pipe sound.”
Three of the wagon train’s young boys had gathered behind them and stared at the geyser too. When it receded, they plugged the exit hole with a handful of sod.
The hissing gas blew the grass skyward.
“Ooh!” Amy clapped.
Nora let her watch for a few minutes, then tugged on her hand. “Come on, Amy, let’s continue our search for the perfect bathing spring.”
“No. Watch!” Amy pulled her hand back. She only had eyes for the small geyser and the game of the boys with the sod.
“All right. One more time.” Nora waited until the water bubbled up and then receded once again. “Now…” She tried to get Amy to move away again, but the girl still didn’t budge. “Amy, come on.”
“No.”
It wasn’t often that Nora had to be strict with her normally obedient daughter, and she hesitated to force her away from the spring. There were so few entertaining things for a child of her age on the journey, and now that the Garfields were no longer traveling with them, Amy had lost her favorite playmate. Was it fair to pull her away from this fascinating spring just because she longed to sink into a pool of hot water? She gazed at Luke.
“We should go before it gets dark, or you’ll get eaten alive by mosquitoes while you bathe,” he said.
“Amy…”
“Don’t wanna. I watch the spring.”
Nora looked at Luke again. “Do you think we could let her stay here on her own?”
For a second, Luke blinked, obviously startled that he had a say in the matter of Amy’s upbringing. “It’s too dangerous. The water here is very hot.”
“Did you hear that, Amy? The spring can be very dangerous for children, so you have to come with us. I promise that we’ll visit the geyser again before you have to go to bed, all right?”
Amy didn’t look convinced. Her lower lip trembled, her brows knitted, and her arms pressed to her body.
Uh-oh. Nora knew this position. One would rather move a rock than Amy when she was like this. She took a deep breath and prepared to order her daughter away from the spring.
“Amy, did you know that I visited Steamboat Spring before?” Luke’s quiet voice surprised her. He was talking to Amy in an adult tone, and it made Amy look up.
She shook her head but didn’t answer. Her lips were still pressed together too tightly for that.
“And when I was here, a family was watching the geyser too,” Luke said. “They had a little boy not much older than you. While his mama wandered over to see the next spring, he bent down and drank from the spring. Guess what happened?”
Amy was listening intently now. “Don’t know,” she said with wide eyes. “The boy falled in?”
“No, but he badly burned his tongue, because the water is very hot.”
“Uh-oh.”
Luke nodded gravely, almost making Nora giggle. She held her breath as she watched them interact.
“Do you know why that was a very bad thing?” Luke asked.
“It hurts.”
“Yes, it did. But that wasn’t the worst thing.” Luke didn’t immediately offer what had happened to the boy. He made her wait and ask.
Finally, Amy asked, “What was the bad thing?”
Luke put on his saddest expression. “Because he hurt his tongue, he wasn’t able to drink the delicious lemonade his mother made that evening from the carbonated water from another spring. He had to watch the other children drink the lemonade while he couldn’t have any.”
Amy’s body relaxed as she turned to Nora. “Mama, can I have lemonade? Please?”
Nora had to hide a smile. “Well, that depends.”
“Please.” Amy tugged on Nora’s skirt.
“Then you shouldn’t risk burning your tongue, huh?”
Amy moved away from the bubbling water of Steamboat Spring. She grabbed Nora’s hand. “I go with you now.”
As Nora led her away, she grinned back at Luke over her shoulder. “How manipulative of you, Mister Hamilton. How did you learn to handle unruly children like that?” Just three months ago, small children seemed to scare him, and now he had handled the situation as if he’d dealt with Amy’s more difficult moments for years.
“Well, let’s just say that I learned from the best, Mrs. Hamilton.” He winked at her.
“Me?” Nora pointed at her chest, trying hard to look indignant. “I’m not manipulative.”
Luke laughed. “Yes, you.” She pretended to be a virgin when we met even though she has a child and is pregnant with another.
Nora grinned but then sobered. “Luke, I hope you know I never tried to manipulate you just for the fun of it. I just didn’t know any other way to—”
“I know,” Luke said. While hiding her pregnancy from Luke hadn’t exactly been a prime example of honesty, it had only been a lie of omission because Nora feared the consequences.
All thoughts about Nora’s honesty vanished as they reached the warm spring of Nora’s choice. Nora slipped out of her bodice and skirt without much warning.
Or any warning at all. Luke turned away and fixed her gaze on a nearby cedar, but not fast enough. It was impossible not to register the smooth, fair skin that Nora’s clothes normally covered. Nora’s belly was more rounded than Luke remembered from watching her bathe in Alcove Springs more than two months ago, but Luke didn’t find her unappealing at all. She settled down cross-legged and let her gaze wander over the surrounding hills and trees, everything to distract herself from the sounds of rustling clothes and then the splash of water and the sensuous groan as Nora sank into the warm spring.
As the pregnancy progressed, it had become a bit easier to see Nora as only a mother and try to forget how attractive she was. Now, with even a fleeting glance at her half-naked body, it was impossible to miss that she was still very much a beautiful woman.
More splashing sounds and Amy’s excited squeaks came from behind her. “Papa, look.”
Luke stiffened. “Very nice, Amy,” she answered without turning around.
“Looook,” Amy said again.
Luke took a one-second glance over her shoulder, trying not to look at anything but Amy, who had a crown of soap froth piled high on her head. She had to clear her voice before she could speak. “Very nice.”
“That’s true,” another voice said. “Very nice.”
Luke whirled around.
Brody Cowen strolled over, his gaze fixed on Nora.
Luke stiffened. She had hoped that Brody would cease his inappropriate behavior toward Nora, now that Luke was aware of it. Obviously, he’s not going to just stop. Nothing in my life can ever be that easy, right?
Amy began to cry when she saw Brody.
Clenching her jaw, Luke rose to block Nora and Amy from his gaze with her own body. She didn’t want to start a fight. All her life, she had avoided getting into trouble. Each argument, each fight held the risk of her getting hurt, possibly leading to her secret being discovered. She had simply walked away from situations that had other officers scramble for their weapons and demand satisfaction in a duel. But now, she couldn’t just walk away. There was more at stake here than her honor. “I suggest you turn around and leave.” Luke kept her voice as quiet as possible, not wanting to attract the attention of the other emigrants.
“Why?” Brody leered in Nora’s direction. “She’s more than enough for the two of us. I’ve seen her service two customers in a row before.”
You goddamn bastard. Any residing hero worship she might have felt for Brody vanished in a wave of heat and rage. Without thinking, she took three steps toward Brody before she remembered her rule. No fistfights. “I’m not her customer. I’m her husband,” she said through clenched teeth. “And I’m not sharing. Now go, or I’ll tell the captain and have you banished from the train.”
Brody casually folded his arms across his chest. “What’ll you tell him? That your beloved wife was the most sought-after whore in Independence? That would get you banished from the train, not me.” He laughed.
The worst thing was that he was probably right, at least partially. Revealing Nora’s former profession wouldn’t get them banished from the train, but there would be negative consequences nonetheless. The women who had formed friendships with Nora would now talk about her behind her back. Some men might even react as Brody had and think they could take liberties with Nora. And Amy would once again be mocked as the bastard child of a prostitute. So, telling the captain was out of the question. Luke had to handle the situation on her own.
“I’ll make you an offer.” Brody’s leering gaze was still fixed on Nora.
Luke cursed the fact that he was a few inches taller than her and could glimpse Nora over her shoulder. A real man wouldn’t let his wife be humiliated like that. A man would have shot him or at least punched him out by now. “We won’t make any deals with you, so move on and leave us alone.”
Nora and Amy had hastily dressed, and Luke wrapped a protective arm around each of them and ushered them past Brody, back to camp.
Brody’s mocking laughter burned in her ears for hours.
Soda Springs,
July 24th, 1851
Nora stared at the tent’s wall. It was well past midnight, and she was tired, but she couldn’t sleep. She lay still, trying not to wake up the other occupants of the tent, but her mind was whirling. Thoughts of Brody, her past, and the uncertain future kept her awake.
Weeks of travel were still ahead of them, and that meant she would have to endure Brody’s presence in the train for much longer. She’d had cruel customers before who had delighted in humiliating her, but at least they’d always been gone by the next day. Brody would still be there in the morning.
She had hoped to at least be safe when Luke was around, but that didn’t seem to be the case any longer. Brody had no respect for Luke, and Luke clearly hesitated to demand that respect by using violence. Nora had never expected him to. She wasn’t sure if her slender husband stood any chance in a fight against the more sturdy man. Luke was a hard worker and not exactly weak, but he had none of the other men’s rough strength.
Nora liked the gentleness she sensed beneath Luke’s aloof surface, but now, it made her worry about him.
The tent’s flap rustled.
Nora’s head jerked around. Every fiber of her body turned to ice. Is that Brody, trying to get in? She peered through the tent, trying to see anything in the darkness.
The flap opened, and a shaft of moonlight fell into the tent.
Nora relaxed. It wasn’t Brody, just Luke slipping from the tent. Probably following the call of nature. She rolled over and closed her eyes, but sleep still wouldn’t come. She waited for what seemed like an hour, but Luke didn’t return. The last remnants of sleepiness vanished as she had now something else to worry about.
Where’s Luke? What is taking him so long? Her mind’s eye showed her pictures of Luke lying in a pool of blood, killed by Brody, who had lurked in the darkness. With a gasp, she sat up. She dressed, knowing she wouldn’t sleep until Luke had safely returned. She checked on the still sleeping Amy, tucked the blanket more tightly around her, and then stepped out into the night.
She turned right toward the latrine the men used to relieve themselves. No Luke. The area around the hastily dug latrine was empty. Maybe we passed each other in the darkness. She turned back around and wandered through the dark camp. Everything was quiet; only loud snoring came from Bill Larson’s tent. Maybe he couldn’t sleep and went to visit Measles.
She walked across the open space in the middle of the circle of wagons, where the horses were grazing or sleeping. Measles snorted a greeting and nuzzled against Nora’s apron. “Sorry, girl, no apple tonight. I’m searching for your master. You haven’t seen him, huh?” With a sigh, she turned and walked away.
“Stop! Who’s there?” A figure sprang up next to the small fire at the camp’s edge. It was Elijah Rogers, who was standing guard tonight.
“It’s only me, Nora Hamilton, Eli,” she called.
Eli Rogers sat back down. “What are you doing up?”
“I couldn’t sleep and thought I would take a walk.” If she told him she was searching for her missing husband, he might think they’d had a fight. “Is anyone else still up?”
Eli laughed. “Are you kidding? We’ll be traveling a very bad road toward Portneuf River tomorrow. Everyone else is getting all the sleep they can.”
So he hasn’t seen Luke. Where is he? At least it probably also meant that Brody Cowen was asleep and not lurking in the darkness, waiting for her. “All right. I’ll take that walk now and then go to bed. Good night, Eli.” She slipped past the circle of wagons and tents and headed for the river.
In the silence of the night, something splashed down at the banks, hidden by a small grove of cedars.
Goose bumps broke out all over Nora’s skin. She gripped the small revolver in her apron pocket. She longed to be back in the relative safety of her tent, but she took a deep breath and tiptoed forward.
The splashing became louder.
Quietly, she crept closer. She hid behind a cedar, leaning against the rough bark. She counted to three, then peeked around the tree.
Someone was bathing in the river, standing half-naked, facing away from Nora. Is that Luke? What is he doing, taking a bath in the middle of the night? The water must be freezing.
When the person turned, she saw the silhouette of a woman. It’s not Luke. So, where is he? And why is everyone out tonight, without the guard knowing about it? What’s going on?
The woman in the river was scrubbing herself, splashing her face with the cold river water. Her shoulders were heaving. Was she shivering in the cold or crying? After a few more minutes, the woman stumbled up the bank and sank to her knees.
Nora heard her sobbing and was just about to step out of her hiding place to comfort her, but another person knelt next to the woman and enfolded her in protective arms.
The woman jerked back with a startled cry.
For a second, Nora saw her face in the moonlight. Emmy. That’s Emmy Larson. With another black eye and a split lip. She forced down the bile rising in her throat. She had known for some time that Bill Larson beat up on his wife—everyone on the train knew about it, but they all looked the other way because he was her husband and there was nothing they could do about it. Nora had hoped that now, with Emeline being pregnant, Larson wouldn’t hit her any longer, but obviously he had no more consideration for his son or daughter than he had for his wife.
