But her tone didn’t sound so much like worry as ... Lorelei pulled back from Tanner’s arms and turned to her sister. He kept one hand on the small of her back.
The dark lowering of Rosie’s brows looked an awful lotlike anger covering jealousy. Perhaps Tanner had been right. Was there really an attachment growing between the two of them? As much as she loved White Horse, life married to a member of the Blackfoot tribe might be harder than Rosie realized.
“After we buried Purcey, White Horse took Singing Crow back to her village.” Tanner’s voice rumbled from behind her, and she turned a little so she could see him as he spoke. “She said Purcey had traded for her, and she always feared him. I think she wants to be done with white people and return to her family. Their camp is about half a day’s ride to the north, from what we could tell, so we figured it’d be best to be done with that part.”
He looked from Rosie to Lorelei. “I hope you both don’t mind. I didn’t think that maybe you’d want to question her. She was Flathead and didn’t speak much sign, so even White Horse struggled to communicate with her.”
Lorelei turned to Rosie to see her reaction and whether she would respond. She did look a bit relieved. Surely she hadn’t thought White Horse ran off with the girl.
Rosie pointed to the man behind Tanner. “Did he have any idea where Anderson was headed?”
They all looked to Quigley.
The man’s mouth pinched in a sullen look, as though he would refuse to answer. But he shook his head. “Don’t have no notion.”
Lorelei turned to Tanner. “What should we do with him?”
Tanner brushed his thumb across her back, then pulled away and moved around his horse to Quigley’s side. “For now, he needs food and water. He hasn’t answered my questions, so I’d like to hear his full story before we decide hisfate.” He cut a rope loose, then pulled the man down from his mount.
Rosie took charge of the horses and nodded for Lorelei to go with Tanner and Quigley. “Put together a meal for them both.”
Lorelei lengthened her stride to enter the fort ahead of the men, then stepped into the cabin and moved to the fire to dish out bowls of the stew she’d kept heating in preparation for their return.
Both men scarfed down the food quickly, finishing just as Rosie came in from staking the horses.
Lorelei reached for Tanner’s bowl. “Would you like more?”
He shook his head before tilting it toward Quigley. “Since this one’s still not talking, I’ll go to the trade room and try to get things cleaned up for business tomorrow.”
“Rosie and I worked on that today. I think we put things back where they were before. We made an inventory list too, so you can know what might be missing.”
He stilled, his focus moving from her to her sister and back. “You did all that? For me?”
The weight of his regard made heat rise up her neck. “Of course. You might want to rearrange things, though.”
“Was anything broken or destroyed?” Tanner asked.
Lorelei shook her head. “We restrung the bead necklaces, and I think the condition of most is good enough to sell.” She started toward the door. “I set aside two that are questionable. I can show you which ones.”
Tanner looked at Rosie. “Do you mind keeping an eye on him?” He nodded to the man sitting on the floor, his hands and feet still bound. His wrists were tied in frontof him so he could still use his hands to lift the bowl to his mouth. They would need to secure him to something sturdy for the night, but Tanner might have something else in mind for him.
Rosie motioned for them to go on. “I’d like a few minutes with this scoundrel.”
Lorelei smiled as she reached for a lantern and stepped out the door. She might pity the man if he hadn’t been a party to so much thievery and the cause of pain to those she loved.
Darkness had nearly fallen as they strode across the courtyard. This might be a romantic stroll if Tanner walked slower and maybe took her hand, but tension clogged the air between them. Was he worried about what he would find in his store?
Neither of them spoke, not even when he took the lantern from her as they entered the trade room. He stopped in the center of the floor and turned slowly, taking in the stacks of goods she and Rosie had placed on the shelves and empty crates.
His face didn’t give any sign of his thoughts. Was he displeased with what they’d done? He’d seen the mess before he’d left, so she would expect him to be relieved. But maybe he felt they’d meddled.
She swallowed down her worries and moved to the counter. “Here’s the list we made. The only things damaged were the necklaces. I think we set all to rights, except these two that are now shorter than the others. You can decide what you’d like to do with them.” She was rambling, but she wasn’t sure what else to do with his lack of reaction.
Tanner strode to her and fingered the two necklaces. Hestill didn’t speak, not until he lifted his gaze to her face. His eyes turned earnest, softening as they searched her own. “How long did it take you to do all this?”
She couldn’t quite hold the intensity in his gaze, so she dropped her focus to the beads as she shrugged. “Rosie and I worked together, so about half the day.” She’d also fed and watered Curly several times, but he had slept in his favorite sunny spot most of the day.
Tanner reached to cover her hand with his own, his fingers slipping around hers, drawing her attention back up to his face. “Thank you. This was a great deal of work. I can’t remember the last time someone went to such lengths to help me.”
