Idon’t think this was the best route to take.”
The delicate female whisper pierced the morning stillness that always hung over the camp when dawn first brightened the horizon. Riley jerked his head up from where he was nursing coals to life in their cookfire.
“Shh.” Another woman’s voice rose above the first, this one a little louder than a whisper. “He’ll hear us, and I’m not eager for another scolding.”
“Better a scolding from him than another offer of marriage from the men in that lodge we passed on the way to the river. They sounded drunk. And it’s not even daylight yet.” This was the first voice again, and her tone had risen to match her sister’s.
The two women stepped into sight, creeping along the edge of the path between his lodge and the one opposite. Miss Juniper and Miss Faith.
When the former glanced his way, she froze, grabbing her sister’s arm and halting her too.
He nodded a greeting, working hard not to let his frustrationwith them show. Before bidding good evening to the ladies yesterday, he’d told them he would be by at first light to escort them to a private place to take care of personal matters. It wasn’t safe for them to walk through the camp without a protector. Not even in pairs, as they’d protested.
From the sound of things, their impatience had already exposed them to at least one unsuitable remark this morning. They couldn’t have waited a few more minutes for him?
“Where are your sisters?” He needed to get all four women back inside where they could be shielded from the waking trappers.
Miss Faith nodded toward their lodge. “Cooking. We’ve been down at the river doing laundry.” She hoisted a bundle he hadn’t seen in the murky dawn light. Miss Juniper carried a second load, though it nearly hid behind her skirts.
He stood and strode toward them. “I’ll carry those back to your lodge.”
None of them spoke as he walked behind the two women. Even the dim morning light didn’t stop his wayward gaze from noticing the way their skirts swished with each step they took. Miss Juniper’s, especially, had an almost mesmerizing rhythm. He was doing his best not to let his focus rise higher than their hemlines, but many of the other men wouldn’t work so hard.
They’d nearly reached the women’s lodge when a voice called from a few huts down. “Morning, gals. It’s been a month of Sundays since I’ve smelled anything as good as what’s coming from that teepee. You have room for one more? I’ll even bring a good rump roast for you to cook up.”
Riley shot the man a hard look. “Fry your own roast, Caldwell. Leave these ladies alone.”
“Who made you their keeper, Turner?” Caldwell grumbled a few more remarks, his voice just barely audible. Probably not things the ladies should hear.
The man was usually friendly enough. They’d trapped together in MacArthur’s outfit a couple winters back. But the presence of women tended to make men do things they wouldn’t otherwise. Exactly why Riley had to stick close to these four.
When they reached the ladies’ lodge, Miss Faith pulled the door flap aside. “Mr. Turner carried our clothes—”
A screech from inside broke off her exuberant words.
He tensed, backing away from the opening. The women must not be prepared for a male caller.
But the words erupting from within were more panic than surprise.
“No! What are you—”
“Get him!”
In front of him, Juniper peered over Faith’s shoulder, pulling the door flap a little wider. But then she squealed and scrambled to close the opening. Before she could press the partition shut, a furry blur shot past Faith’s skirts.
“Stop him! Boots, come back.” The cry from within was Lorelei’s voice, carrying an all-too-familiar ring. Hadn’t they just chased down that animal two days ago?
Riley spun to see where the troublesome coyote pup ran. It darted toward the hides stretched in front of his own cook fire. Juniper was already sprinting that direction, with Lorelei stumbling after her. He dropped the bundles of laundry and ran after them.
He’d been saying for two days now that coyote needed to be set loose, and clearly the animal agreed with him.Now he just had to convince these sisters not to chase it all through camp.
His long legs caught up with the sisters by the time they reached the hides. “Let it go.” He hissed the words as he tried to reach out for Juniper. “It needs to be free. You’ll cause trouble chasing it through camp.”
Both women ignored him as Lorelei darted between the frames and Juniper circled around them.
“Here. He’s almost cornered.” Lorelei’s voice called from among the furs. “June, come up on the right.”
Riley fought down his frustration as he followed after Juniper.
