She jerked her head to better look at him. “Settler’s Fort? Where is that? I need to get to Fort Benton.” And not a day to waste.
The little one in her belly agreed with a flurry of activity that shot pain down Katie’s leg. She fought to keep from showing the sharpness of it, yet she couldn’t help but reach a hand to brace the spot where the babe had wiggled.
The man’s gaze dropped to her middle, then jerked back up to her face. “That’s where I’ve just come from, and it’s a full two weeks’ drive.” His eyes lifted to the sky above them. “The weather’s gonna turn bad soon, and I have to get this load to Settler’s Fort.”
Then his voice gentled as his gaze flicked to her belly again. “Mrs….” He paused, waiting for her to fill the next part.
“Barlow.”
He nodded. “Mrs. Barlow, there’s a good doctor there. He knows what he’s doing.” He patted the leg he’d been limping on. “He put this bone back together two years ago. Most would’ve cut it off, the inside was splintered so bad. But he didn’t give up on me.” He nodded toward her belly. “I’m sure he and Mrs. Ingrid both would be a great help. They have their own little one, a year and a half old now.”
Her mind strained against the barrage of words, and she shook her head as he finished. “I have to get to Fort Benton. Is Settler’s Fort on the way?” And would she believe him if he said yes? She couldn’t backtrack. If she didn’t make it to Fort Benton, how would she ever get back to Philadelphia in the spring?
She wouldn’t be able to travel through this wilderness with a baby, not even if she could find a wagon to take her. Just look at what had happened to Mr. Driscoll. Only sheer luck had kept her from being on the seat with him when the wildcat struck. She could have ended up sprawled on the ground like that gentle man.
And her babe would have died with her. The thought sent shivers through her core. She had to protect her child.
Perhaps they’d be better off though.
She pushed aside the longing that tried to needle through. Sure, death would put an end to these endless challenges she faced at every turn. But she had control of her own destiny now, and she would make the life she wanted.
And to get there, she had to reach Fort Benton.
The man shook his head. “Settler’s Fort is the opposite direction. About ten days’ drive.” Then his expression turned earnest. “I would take you to Benton if there were any way I could, but my load contains supplies urgently needed at Settler’s Fort. If I’m delayed three and a half weeks, people will suffer. And we’re likely to have quite a snowstorm between now and then. I might not make it back at all before spring.”
Panic welled into her chest, nearly smothering the breath that was already so hard to take in with the weight of the baby pulling on her. “I have to get to Fort Benton. I’ll wait for another wagon.”
He didn’t answer right away, just watched her, his brows lowered as though thinking hard. He wasn’t as old as she’d assumed because of his limp. Maybe thirty years or so. His blue eyes weren’t the kind of light, clear color that jumped out at you. They were almost navy, like a stormy night, hiding the depths of his thoughts.
Finally, he spoke again. “Sometimes, I go days on this road without passing another soul. Especially this late in the season. I can’t leave you here without knowing for sure you have a safe ride. Plus there are wild animals lurking. That wildcat won’t be hunting for a while since it had such a big meal, but there might be others.”
His gaze flicked to her belly again. She didn’t blame him. The babe was so big, it felt she carried a trunk in her midsection.
He shook his head, at first as though to clear his thoughts, but then the act became more deliberate. “Come to Settler’s Fort now. I’ll get you a place at the doctor’s, then as soon as the snow thins enough to travel in the spring, I’ll take you to Fort Benton.” His expression eased like he was trying for something lighthearted. “You might even get there before the first steamboat.”
She focused on breathing as she worked through that idea. All she really needed was a safe place to spend the winter, a doctor who could help with the birthing, and the ability to take the first steamer from Fort Benton once the Missouri thawed in the spring. If Aaron Long’s words were correct, she might still have all that if she rode with him to Settler’s Fort.
But could he be trusted to speak the truth? Men’s promises had not held true in the past.
She ran her gaze over the nuances of his face. Pleasing features for sure. They didn’t stand out as strikingly handsome, but as she took in each angle, the strength of his jaw and the clear symmetry of each line, the effect was enough to draw a person in.
But that wasn’t what she searched for. The earnestness in his eyes did its best to soften her resolve, but he might have made an art of convincing innocents of his respectability for nefarious purposes.
She nearly snorted at that thought. She was no debutante. No man could look at her with desire, not in this condition. She would be a millstone around Mr. Long’s neck, no matter how hard she tried not to be.
Still…she kept a hard glare on him. “Why would you want me to travel with you? Wouldn’t it be much easier if you went your way and left me to worry about transportation on my own?”
He dipped his gaze to the ground, where the toe of his boot brushed the grass. “I can’t leave you here. Neither my conscience nor my Lord would allow that.” He looked up again. “Isn’t there something I can do to ease your mind about Settler’s Fort? It’s a small mining town full of good people. My brother and I have lived there two years now, since they brought me in with my broken leg.” He motioned again to the limb he didn’t seem to put much weight on.
A bit of curiosity crept in, maybe so she wouldn’t have to face the harder decision. But she gave way to it. “How were you injured? You said the bone broke into pieces?”
The lightness left his face, and his mouth formed a grim line. “Gun shot.” He paused a moment. “I wasn’t always a law-abiding citizen. I guess it’s fair you know that before climbing on the bench beside me. My brother and I rode with a gang for about eleven years, stealing from people and businesses all through the Montana Territory. We were caught two years ago, and in that last shootout, a bullet went through my thigh bone. It was a miracle I didn’t die like two of the other fellows. My brother and I survived though. Nate had been wanting us to leave the group for years, and he set to work making restitution for our crimes as best he could. I was laid up in the doctor’s clinic for over a twelve-month, but in truth, that turned out to be a good thing. The Lord needed that time to pull me out of the darkness I’d let myself sink into. Six months ago, I bought my wagon and team, and I’ve been freighting ever since.”
He moved his hands back to his waist. “I’m determined to be the better man God’s making me into, and you have my word I’ll do everything I can to get you to Settler’s Fort safe and sound. You’ll have nothing to worry about from me.”
The more he spoke—and revealed about himself—the more he shifted into a different person before her eyes. But it was one phrase that grabbed onto her throat and squeezed.Needed that time to pull me out of the darkness. That was exactly the way she’d felt since Neil brought her to that barren valley where there wasn’t even a roof to sleep under. The darkness had been…smothering.
But now she'd finally clawed out, and maybe he’d done the same. They were…kindred spirits, in a way.
