Neither Rosie nor Faith had spoken yet, but Faith now broke the quiet, her voice far softer and more reverent than usual. “A baby. That’s so exciting, June. When is it coming? Do you know?”
Juniper lay back on the mattress and Lorelei took the cup, then handed the cloth for her sister to wipe the perspiration from her face and neck. “I think sometime in October or thereabouts.”
A baby. Her mind still struggled to imagine her sister, the one who’d never even liked to hold their neighbor’s children, now expecting her own. Sure, Juniper had helped take care of her and Faith when they were younger. But she was only three years older than Lorelei. Seeing her married had been a little jarring. But a baby seemed far more different.
“Are you certain that’s all it is?” Rosie’s quiet voice held gravity, though that wasn’t much different from her normal tone. “There’s not something else wrong?”
The question brought back Lorelei’s suspicion from before. “What about—” How could she say this politely? “—the shooting. That man. I know it must have been hard to pull the trigger, but you might have saved White Horse’s life.”
Juniper’s eyes met hers, confusion clouding them.
“I shot him.” Riley’s deep voice plunged into the quiet. “I regret it, but he was pointing a gun at you, and he didn’t seem in his right mind. I couldn’t let him take one of your lives.”
Juniper took her husband’s hand as her eyes glassed over. “I’m so sorry, love. You had to make an awful choice, but you protected our family.”
Then her eyes rounded as she turned to Lorelei. “Oh, Lor. You thought ...?” Juniper’s other hand reached for her fingers, and she squeezed, her grip cold. “That man. He could have done awful things to you.” Her voice quavered. “I can only hope he knew the Lord. That he’s not now...”
Riley touched his wife’s shoulder, and she sniffed, then dabbed at her eyes. “I can’t seem to stop crying these days.”
“I guess you really must be with child.” The dryness in Rosie’s tone was a stark difference from Juniper’s weepy words. “Mama cried every day when she was expecting Lor and Faith.” Rosie pushed up from the mattress. “You’d best get used to it, Riley. June, I’m going to make some tea and mix up a stew for you. You need some fattening up if you’re eating for two. Faith, go empty that kettle and rinse it out, then fill it half-full with fresh water. Lorelei, finish up those biscuits. That may be the only thing Juniper can keep down for a while.”
The smile that curved Juniper’s mouth looked less forced now as she watched their oldest sister stride to the fire. Then she slid a look to Lorelei. “I see not much has changed around here. I’m sorry we had to end our adventure so soon, but it’s good to be home.”
nine
As the clack of hooves on rocks drifted from the other side of the cliff ahead, Tanner straightened in his saddle, adjusting his grip on the rifle resting across his lap. It made him far more comfortable having the Hawken out of its scabbard and at the ready.
Low voices joined the noise of the horses. The cadence sounded like English, but he couldn’t make out words. Then the tones fell silent, and the first horse appeared around the curve in the trail.
A trapper, about fortyish years old. That was Duvall, the fellow who’d come by the trading post that morning with his two companions. His packhorse came next, then a second man. Crompton. The youngest in the group, a fellow named Nook, must be behind him.
He raised a hand in greeting. They should recognize him, though this setting was different from the dimness of the trade room. But no sign of recognition crossed either man’s expression. There was no third man either.
Wasn’tthis Duvall and Crompton? He scanned the featuresonce more. Yes, for sure. The same curl at the ends of Duvall’s mustache, and Crompton wore the neckerchief he’d purchased in the store.
As the men reached him, he moved his mount to the left so they could pass. “Hello.” He nodded in greeting.
Duvall shot a look at him and gave a sharp dip of his chin but spoke no words. Crompton only eyed him warily as he passed.
Tanner kept his mount moving forward, but he couldn’t help a glance back at the two. Could he possibly have mixed up two strangers with the men who’d come to the post that morning? Yet even strangers would have offered a friendly greeting. In this land where one might go for days without meeting another person, a chance to say hello wouldn’t be passed by.
And where was the younger man? Nook had been especially talkative, droning on about where they’d traveled and what they’d seen along the way. Tanner had to force himself to listen as he studied the mannerisms of all three. He much preferred to watch instead of converse, but talking was the way he would learn this country and its people.
When the fellow started jawing on about the white buffalo calf, as most everyone who came by the store did, Tanner had warned them away, just like he’d done with all the others.
“There’s an Indian there whoguards it ferociously. It’s not worth your scalp totry to see the animal.”
It wasn’t fair to White Horse to speak such an injustice, but that was the only thing he could think of that might put enough fear into these curious trappers to keep them away from the Collins sisters’ home. He had a feeling White Horsewouldn’t mind the words if they accomplished that goal. He should let him know the next time he saw the man, though.
And that would likely be in a few minutes.
His middle tightened as, once more, all the possible reasons why no one had come to get the milk today played through his mind. Was one of the women injured? Sick?
Miss Rosemary was usually the one to ride over for it. Perhaps she simply wasn’t feeling well, and the rest of them hadn’t managed to break away from chores yet. But dusk had long settled, and the calf would be ready for a feeding soon.
He’d fully expected to meet Rosemary on her way for the milk. Yet he passed no one except those two trappers who’d acted so peculiarly. And why were they headed back toward the trading post—away from the Collins ranch? Should he return to the fort to see if they needed to purchase something else?
He couldn’t bring himself to turn around. Something didn’t feel right, and his gut said all might not be well at the Collins ranch. He squeezed Domino faster as they rounded the last curve and the valley stretched before them.
