The Complete Oregon Series, page 30
Luke gazed at the two small islands lying side by side in the river, dividing it into three branches. On her last expedition to Oregon, the islands had been covered with grass, but since then it had all been eaten off by the oxen and horses of other wagon trains. They could use the islands as stepping stones to cross the river, but it still wouldn’t be easy.
“What is it?” Nora stepped next to her and touched one of the forearms that still rested on the saddle horn. “You’re frowning.”
Luke looked down at the hand on her arm. She resisted the urge to cover the fingers with her own to keep them in place. Her whole life, she had shied away from other people’s touches, but her body seemed to have given up its resistance when it came to Nora. “I’m not sure if we should risk a crossing,” she said, directing her gaze back to the river.
“It doesn’t look that bad.”
Luke nodded. “Yeah, but it’s a lot worse than it looks.” The Snake River was a clear stream that didn’t look as challenging as some of the rivers they’d had to cross. Its clarity was deceptive, though, making it appear much shallower than it actually was. Combined with the swift current and its uneven riverbed, the Snake River was considered the most treacherous river crossing on the entire Oregon Trail.
“Still, I don’t like the alternative,” Nora said. “You said there’s no water along the southern trail.”
Luke agreed. Just this morning, one of their cows had died, and the dry southern route was sure to kill many more. She patted Nora’s hand, glad to finally hear her voice her opinion. “Yeah. Let’s try to cross it.”
Their wagon was the first to cross. The hundred yards to the first island were covered pretty easily even if Luke had to hold on to the yokes to keep from being swept away by the swift current. After a moment of rest, Luke drove the oxen into the second, seventy-five-yard-wide stream.
This time, the oxen had more of a struggle. The riverbed was uneven, with many holes and uneven water’s depths. The lead pair of their five yoke of oxen was swimming, up to their necks in water, while the last yoke was still plodding through shallow water.
When they reached the second island, Luke raised the wagon bed another few inches and put another yoke of oxen in front of the wagon. The last stretch was not only the longest, but also the most difficult part of the crossing.
They fought for every single inch against the rapid current. Luke, breast-deep in water, felt the oxen slow. The current beat against the wagon until it tilted to one side. Cursing, Luke sent a quick glance inside, preparing to pluck Amy from the wagon should it overturn.
Just then, a few men from a wagon train that had crossed before them appeared on the opposite bank. Two of them waded into the river and attached ropes to the wooden yokes while their comrades on the bank began to pull.
Luke blew out a breath when the wagon finally rumbled up the bank. She immediately extended her hand to the closest of her saviors.
The young man with the auburn hair shook her hand and smiled. There was something oddly familiar about him, but Luke was sure she had never met him before. “Luke Hamilton,” she said with a grateful nod.
“Ben Macauley.”
Luke had to grip a yoke again to stay on her feet. Macauley? Now she realized where she had seen that smile and those green eyes before. Lord, he’s Amy’s father. She had always assumed that Amy had been fathered by a customer too, but clearly they were sharing not only the same smile and eye color, but the same last name too. Nora never told me she’s divorced. If she’s divorced. Maybe she just ran away from him.
At that moment, Nora pulled back the wagon cover and climbed out of the wagon. She froze when she saw the man standing next to Luke. “B-ben?”
The man stared as if he’d seen a ghost. “Nora? Is that you?”
They both hesitated, rooted to the spot.
The stranger took a slow step forward, but Nora still eyed him without moving. Luke had seen the flash of joy in her eyes before it had been replaced with wariness. Her own feelings were more than just wary. It wasn’t just her damp clothes that made the fine hairs all over her body stand on end. Was this what jealousy felt like?
The feeling grew more intense as the wagon cover rustled and Amy peeked out.
Ben Macauley stared at the girl, then his gaze traveled back to Nora. He clearly recognized how much the two resembled each other. There was no mistaking them for anything but mother and daughter.
Luke realized that her jealousy didn’t stop at Nora; it extended to Amy as well. Up until now, she had been the only father that Amy had ever known, but now there was someone who could claim that title and role in Amy’s life.
“Is that…?” Macauley was still staring at Amy.
Nora helped Amy out of the wagon and drew her protectively against her body. “Yes, this is Amy. My daughter.”
“And you…?” Ben Macauley gestured at Nora’s swollen belly.
“I’m with child,” Nora said and lifted her chin. “Again.”
Ben Macauley finally looked away from Amy to glance at the wagon train. “You’re not with Raphael Jamison, are you?”
“No. But I am married,” Nora said. She groped for Luke’s arm, searching for support. “This is Lucas Hamilton, my husband. Luke, this is Benjamin Macauley, my brother.”
Brother? He’s not Amy’s father? Luke coughed. “Nice to meet you,” she said belatedly while she studied Nora out of the corner of her eye. She hadn’t even known Nora had a brother. Why weren’t they in each other’s arms now, celebrating their reunion?
“Luke!” Tom Buchanan’s shout made her look up. The second wagon had reached the middle of the river and was in need of a little help.
She turned to Ben Macauley. “If you’re camping anywhere near us tonight, you’re welcome to come over and have dinner with us,” she said, not wanting to miss the opportunity to learn more about Nora’s family and give her a chance to reconnect with her brother.
Macauley nodded and handed her the rope. “I’ll be there.”
“Why did you do that?” Nora asked as soon as the last wagon had safely reached the other side.
Groaning, Luke bent down, pulled off her boots, and poured out the water. From her place perched on the back of the wagon, she looked at Nora, who was standing with her hands on her rounded hips. Luke frowned. “What did I do?”
“You invited my brother.”
“Yes?” Luke failed to see how this could be a problem.
Nora stamped her foot, reminding Luke so much of Amy that she had to suppress a grin. “You didn’t even ask me if I wanted to have him over. You’re always telling me that I should say what I want, and now that it matters, you’re not even asking me.”
Luke set her boots down. She stared at the wet leather, not knowing what to say. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I thought you’d be happy to spend more time with your brother.” During her lonely childhood, Luke had always wished for a sibling, and she couldn’t imagine not wanting to see a brother.
With a sigh, Nora sank down on the wagon’s backboard next to Luke. Her anger seemed to dissipate and was replaced by an expression of resignation.
“You didn’t get along with your brother?” Luke asked.
“We didn’t spend enough time together to not get along. My brothers mostly ignored me—except, of course, for when they bullied me around or paraded me around in front of their friends when it was convenient for them.” Nora shrugged, feigning nonchalance, but the bitterness in her voice told Luke that there were still hurt feelings.
Luke wrapped one arm around Nora’s shoulder. “I’m sorry they treated you like that. How many brothers do you have?” she asked to keep Nora talking.
“Three, but not one of them sided with me. They all stood by when my father chased me out of the house.”
“What happened?” Luke asked before she could stop herself. She bit her lip, realizing that she didn’t have the right to ask about Nora’s past when she was unwilling to reveal her own. “You don’t have to answer that. Not if you don’t want to.”
Nora looked directly into Luke’s eyes.
Luke barely held herself back from squirming under her intense gaze.
“Well, seeing that it was what led to my working for Tess and marrying you, I figure you’ve got a right to know,” Nora said.
Luke shook her head. “No. Your past is just that—your own. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
Nora looked down at her hands resting on her swollen belly. She gazed up at Luke from under half-lowered lashes. “I never told anyone but Tess, and even she doesn’t know the details.”
“If it hurts you to talk about it—”
“I trust you,” Nora said, finally looking up.
God, did she have to say that? Luke wanted to run away, to escape from Nora’s trusting gaze. She couldn’t return that trust, not when it would most likely destroy the life that she’d built for herself.
“You never asked about Amy’s father.” Nora’s voice was almost a whisper, so low that no one else in the busy camp around them could hear.
Luke plucked at the damp fabric of her pants that were clinging to her thighs. “I assumed you didn’t know or didn’t want to tell me.”
“I know exactly who fathered Amy. I wasn’t always a prostitute, you know?” A bittersweet smile played around Nora’s lips.
Luke had to look away. “Yeah, I know.” She was glad to hear that Amy’s father hadn’t been some stranger, paying to share Nora’s bed. Then she froze as another possibility occurred to her. “You…you weren’t…? Amy’s father didn’t…?”
Nora tilted her head. “He didn’t what?”
“He didn’t force you?” Luke had known several women who had been forced into prostitution after being raped. Their families had disowned them because they no longer considered them decent women. She held her breath, waiting for Nora’s answer.
Nora slid her hand over Luke’s and squeezed softly. “No, he didn’t.”
Luke closed her fingers around Nora’s. “Thank God.”
“His name was Raphael Jamison. He was an adventurer with high-flown dreams and a poor sense of honor.” Nora sighed. “My father forbade him from courting me—he wanted me to marry the son of his business partner, not some ne’er-do-well without any means. But Rafe promised me the moon, and I was naïve and in love. I met him behind my family’s back. The last time I saw him was the day I told him I was with child.”
Luke stared at Nora. “He just disappeared?” She couldn’t imagine just leaving a woman like Nora. Oh, you’re a fine one to talk. Leaving her is exactly what you plan on doing once you find her another husband.
“He said he was not the marrying kind.” Nora’s voice was hollow. “I spent three months hiding the pregnancy from my family and then trying to get them to accept the child. They didn’t.”
Luke rubbed her thumb over the back of Nora’s palm. “I’m sorry.”
“My father told me in no uncertain terms that no daughter of his was having a baby out of wedlock. He had no use for a ‘ruined’ daughter who he couldn’t marry off to one of his influential friends. Even for him, my body, my purity was the only thing of interest. He never cared about me, my opinions, or my happiness.”
“I’m sorry. He’s a fool.” Luke cleared her throat. “What about your mother?”
Nora grimaced. “In seventeen years, I’ve never heard her voice an opinion that my father hadn’t expressed first. She watched with tears in her eyes as he threw me out of the house, but she never said a word.”
Luke finally understood that Nora’s childhood had been as lonely as her own even if she’d lived with a big family. “Where did you go?”
“My father gave me enough money to travel west on a steamboat—at least if I didn’t stay in Boston, my family’s reputation wouldn’t suffer. That’s all they cared about.”
“Bastards.” Luke gritted her teeth.
“When I ran out of money, I worked as a seamstress in a small town. But when my pregnancy became obvious, the dressmaker threw me out. I was sleeping in a livery stable, begging for food, when I met Tess.”
Luke didn’t need to ask another question. She understood Nora’s situation almost too well. To ensure her survival and that of her daughter, Nora had no choice but to accept the work that Tess offered her in her brothel. “Do you want me to go over to your brother’s wagon train and tell him to stay away?”
Nora slid down from the wagon. She turned around to face Luke. “No. He’s still my brother, and he helped us with the river crossing today. The least I can do is offer him a warm meal.”
Luke looked back and forth between Nora and her brother. The flickering light of the fire made their hair shine like copper. Other than the way they looked, they didn’t seem to have much in common. While Nora barely touched her food, Ben Macauley focused on his beans and beef as if they were the only thing worthy his attention.
Neither tried to start a conversation.
Amy, who was perched on Luke’s lap, was unusually quiet too. She watched Ben with the vigilance of a hen watching a hawk and pressed her head against Luke’s shoulder.
Luke soothingly trailed her fingers through Amy’s red hair.
Finally, Nora put down her fork and peeked at her brother. “How is everyone at home?”
Ben swallowed another forkful of beans. “Oh, we’re doing great. Father built two new warehouses last year, and we’re now delivering goods as far west as Fort Boise. That’s why I’m here.”
Nora’s asking about her family, and he tells her how successful their business is? Luke shook her head.
Nora continued to look at her brother.
“James is in England right now,” Ben said. “Courting the daughter of Sheffield Enterprises.”
“And Mother?” Nora asked quietly. “How is she doing?”
Ben shrugged. “Good, I suppose. At least she hasn’t said otherwise.”
Nora swirled her fork through the beans, then pushed her plate away.
“Do you mind?” Ben nodded at Nora’s plate and picked it up before she could answer.
Luke gritted her teeth.
“So,” Ben looked at Luke across the fire, “I hear the West is a good place for doing business.”
“I don’t know about that.” Beyond having enough to survive, Luke didn’t care about money.
“Then why are you emigrating?” Ben asked.
Luke didn’t like having to justify herself, but for Nora’s sake, she answered, “I was a dragoon officer, but that kind of life doesn’t appeal to me anymore. I want a home of my own, and the Willamette Valley is a great place for a horse ranch.”
“Horses. Hmm.” Ben tapped his fork against his lower lip. “Not bad. Could be useful to us someday.” He stood from his place at the fire and directed an expectant gaze at Luke. “Let’s take a walk and have a smoke.”
Carefully, Luke schooled her face into a calm expression, hiding a grimace. She’d never gotten into the habit of smoking or chewing tobacco. Not that it mattered. She knew Ben wanted to lure her away from the fire to have a man-to-man talk. The irony wasn’t lost on her. She lifted Amy from her lap and gently set her down.
Amy ran to the other side of the fire and clung to Nora, keeping an eye on her uncle.
With one last glance at Nora, Luke followed Ben to the edge of camp.
“So,” Ben stopped to light his pipe, “you are the man who married my sister.”
Is this the “what are your intentions toward my sister” talk? It’s a little late for that. Luke gave a nod.
“That’s a very honorable thing to do. I mean…” Ben gestured with the mouthpiece of his pipe. “To marry a woman who’s been with another man and to be willing to raise a child that’s not your own.”
You don’t even know half of it, young man. Luke said nothing. She had no intention of telling Ben that his sister had worked in a brothel and was pregnant with a customer’s baby. “She’s a good wife and a wonderful woman,” she said instead.
Ben shrugged. “Still, I want to thank you in the name of my family. My father took it pretty hard when she told him she was with child, but I think he’ll be glad to hear that she married a rancher and former officer instead of that Jamison fellow who was completely without means.”
Luke tilted her head. On the one hand, it felt good to be accepted into the family, but on the other hand, she had to force down a wave of anger. The Macauleys still weren’t interested in Nora’s happiness. They didn’t want to know what kind of person she had become; all that mattered to them was that she’d married a well-respected man so that they could keep up appearances.
“I want you to know that you—both of you—will be welcome in our home anytime. Why don’t you come with me when I return back east?” Nora’s brother asked. “You could take up employment in the family business.”
Luke didn’t even have to think about that offer. She had long since decided that she didn’t want to be a soldier or an employee anymore. In Oregon, she would be her own “man.” “That’s not my decision to make,” she said. “It’s for Nora to decide whether she wants to live under her father’s roof again.”
Ben blinked, clearly not used to men who let their wives make their own decisions. Finally, he shrugged. “All right. You’ll let me know?”
Luke nodded and stared at the setting sun. Maybe this would solve her problem about what to do with Nora once they reached Oregon. Now that her father would welcome her back, Nora might want to return with her brother. Somehow, Luke couldn’t bring herself to be happy about it.
“What did he want to talk to you about?” All chores were done, and Amy was settled down for the night. Now Nora couldn’t keep herself from asking any longer.
“He said we were welcome in your family’s home anytime,” Luke said. “He even offered me a job in your father’s business.” His expression was calm and didn’t reveal what he thought about that job offer.
