A shadow darkened the doorway, and they both turned that direction as White Horse entered. She greeted him with a smile and held up the plate in her hands. “Are you hungry?”
He stepped forward to join them and took the food she handed over. But the way his gaze shifted between her and Tanner showed he was trying to decide whether anything untoward had happened here.
Have no fear, dear brother.As much as she admired Mr.Mason, she wasn’t the sort to catch his eye. Besides, they had a great deal more important things to worry about than matters of the heart.
Like protecting a calf and her family, and staying alive in this land always so full of surprises.
fourteen
Tanner chewed his bite of smoked meat as he watched Lorelei refold one of the trade blankets. It seemed the only time he saw her since the Sioux village arrived was in this trade room, and he was usually eating. Business had been so busy these days—he’d lost track of how many had passed. Five, maybe?
Today seemed to be slower, though, so maybe their neighbors had traded most of their furs now. So slow that Lorelei had ventured in to bring the midday meal instead of sending it with White Horse. She’d been careful to stay out of sight when people came to the post, though he wasn’t sure if that was because she didn’t want to disturb his business or she didn’t want others to know she was staying here. Perhaps both.
“Shall I bring more of these from the storage room?” She laid her hand on the top blanket of the stack.
He shook his head and swallowed his bite. “That’s the last of them.”
She frowned at the cloth beneath her palm. “This won’t last very long.”
“Nope.” They’d brought as much as they could carry on the two wagons, and he’d figured so many goods would last until Wally came back with another load.
But he hadn’t calculated an entire tribe setting up camp in front of the store. Blankets, rifles, gunpowder, and bullets were usually the first to go—that, and coffee for the trappers. He tried to limit the rifles to one per man. A fellow shouldn’t need more than that, and this way the supplies would stretch further.
“How long before Mr. Burke returns with more goods?” She glanced around at the shelves Tanner had been building. They already looked quite barren.
“At least three months, I’d say. Likely not any sooner than that.”
She raised her brows as she nodded. “Looks like you might have some days off before he comes.”
A smile tugged at his mouth, as it did so often when she was around. “It seems you understand the situation quite well.”
“What kind of situation is that?” A rough voice rumbled as a shadow filled the doorway.
Tanner straightened and set the plate on the trade counter behind him. How had he not heard the man approach? Usually White Horse alerted him even before Tanner caught approaching sounds. Maybe he was relying too much on the brave and letting his own senses dull.
Lorelei had stepped away from the blankets and moved next to Tanner. She probably wanted to slip behind him and slide out the back door. He moved to the side to allow her space for that very thing as he called out to the customer. “Come in.”
The man obeyed, stepping in and away from the doorway so Tanner could see him better. As two more fellows followed him inside, the first one’s gaze followed Lorelei. “There she is.” His voice boomed across the small room, and Lorelei paused midstep as she glanced back at him. “We heard from the Sioux there’s a lady at the trading fort.”
She gave him a weak smile. “Hello, gentlemen. Welcome.” Then she lifted the door latch and slipped away before anyone could answer.
Tanner breathed out his relief and turned to face the three men who now stood in the entry.
“She one of those Collins sisters?” The fellow eyed him.
Tanner only nodded. No need for these men to know more than that. “Come in and look around. I’m Tanner Mason. Anything in particular you came for?”
“Bullets and gunpowder. And guns too, if you’ve got them. Prefer rifles, but I’ll take fusees if that’s all you have.” The burly man scanned Tanner’s wares as he turned in a slow circle. Something about the assessing way he studied everything made Tanner’s chest tighten. Or maybe it was the fact the fellow seemed so hungry for weapons.
The other two had moved to opposite sides of the store, the skinny fellow browsing the blankets Lorelei had just folded, and the bald man bending over and reading the labels on the salt barrels. He looked like he could use a pair of spectacles, but that was one thing Tanner didn’t have to sell.
He addressed the one who’d been doing all the talking. “I do have bullets and gunpowder, and one rifle.” He actually had more rifles, but that was all these men would get from him.
“We’ll take them all. Anderson, go bring in the furs offthat mule.” He thumbed over his shoulder, and the skinny man left the blankets to follow his boss’s bidding.
“Our policy is one barrel of gunpowder and one box of bullets for each group. So you’re welcome to that.” Tanner kept his voice calm and pleasant.
The man reacted just as he’d suspected. He stiffened, gaining a good two inches to his height, and his eyes flashed a steely blue as he turned a hard glare on Tanner. “We’ll need more than that. We’re tradin’ you a year’s worth of furs. We need a year’s worth of supplies.”
