Her horse shifted beneath her, stomping a hoof as they waited. She patted the gelding's neck. He must be one of Two Stones's animals, for he had similar markings as his mount and pack horse—dark coat with flecks or small spots of white across its rump. She'd not seen markings like these back east.
Two Stones pulled out one of the fur coverings he used for sleeping and held it out to her. "Wrap around you for warmth."
She hesitated. Use his bedding? The fur looked soft from many nights tucked around him. It likely carried his scent too.
But she'd begun to shiver more than she could control, and she would only grow more miserable as the snow dampened her wool coat. So she accepted the offering. "Thank you."
The pelt was even softer than she'd expected. She pulled it tight at her neck, snuggling into the comfortable warmth. It did smell of him, a familiar musky scent that made her feel safe andrelaxed. Or maybe the warmth did that, but she was grateful as they continued their trek.
The snow began to thicken on the ground. By the time they stopped for a midday rest, at least a foot of thick crystals covered the trail, and the sky showed no sign of easing.
They'd dismounted to let the horses rest and now sat on a boulder Two Stones had wiped clean of snow. She handed him a biscuit and a chunk of sliced meat from their food stores, then bit into her own hard bread. It was almost too stale to eat, but she hated to waste food. Out here, there was no bakery on the street corner to purchase fresh goods.
She slid a glance at Two Stones beside her. Did he approve of using every last bit of food? Or would he rather have the best she could offer in this frozen mountain wilderness? As he bit into his second stale bite, and he didn't look angry or frustrated.
In truth, he didn't seem to be thinking about the food at all. His brow furrowed, his eyes staring through the snowflakes, his mind seeming far away.
"Are you worried about something?" The question slipped out before her mind had decided to voice it.
He slid a sideways look at her, a warm glimmer in his gaze. Not angry about the stale food at least. "I am thinking where to camp. We will not make the cave where I usually sleep." He turned forward again, his focus shifting back to that distant place. "I think better to stop at a cliff that hangs over." He bent his fingers at a right angle like a lean-to.
Heidi studied his hand motions. "An overhang?"
He nodded. "The snow will not cover us." Once more he tipped his face to look at her, but this time his forehead creased with concern. "It is not the place I wish to bring you. Not the way I wish to care for my wife."
A rush of something that felt far too much like emotion surged to her eyes. Such a tiny comment shouldn't turn herhead. Especially when he'd only said hewishedto care for her. He wasn't actually accomplishing that service. She would be sleeping in a snowstorm with only a rock overhang to protect her from the weather. Probably open on both sides for the icy night wind to gust through their camp.
Yet the concern in his dark eyes held her. Even when Winston had tried to play the part of the conscientious husband, his eyes had always given him away. That diabolical glint that lay just under the surface. But Two Stones...could that earnest regard be genuine?
She turned away, facing forward as she struggled for another topic, something to distract them both. "How much farther will we ride today then?"
"A few more hours. We will make camp before dark."
She nodded. "That sounds like a good plan." Dark fell early in mid-December, so they would only have four more hours in the saddle at most. Every part of her ached, though she couldn't tell how much came from the discomfort of so many hours on horseback, and what part stemmed from the aching cold.
They finished their meager lunch, and she was more than grateful for the warmth of Two Stones's fur around her. But the snow had begun to seep through her boots, chilling her feet. She breathed out her relief when he moved to her horse and led the animal toward her so she could mount.
Once they set out, Two Stones guided them through the drifts. She could see no sign of a trail, but he seemed to know exactly where he was going. How many times had he traveled this path?
After a few hours, they rounded a bend in the mountain, and the overhang he had spoken of jutted out from the cliff on their right. The snow still fell—faster now, the wind driving it into their faces in stinging pellets. Her breath clouded in front of her,and she could no longer feel her feet, though they'd been burning an hour ago.
Two Stones dismounted first and helped her down. The snow crunched underfoot, and she had to lift her boots high to push through the thick crust.
Two Stones kept his hand at her elbow as though she needed help to maneuver final steps. Perhaps she did.
His voice rumbled low beside her. "It is not what I would wish, but it will provide some shelter."
She nodded. "It's good." She would be grateful for any protection from this biting wind and snow.
Beneath the overhang, only a thin layer of ice crystals covered the ground. He halted her in the protected area. "I will make fire, then settle horses."
He moved back out into the snow to get the tinderbox and wood he’d said he carried for occasions like this, when the firewood around them was too wet to start a fire. She could make the fire when he returned. Perhaps she was being lazy, allowing him to do all the work out in the thick snow. But he was far more accustomed to this weather than she.
When he approached with the armload of wood and the metal box that held the flint and steel, he also had the other fur he used for sleeping. After dropping the logs to the ground, he handed her the pelt. "Sit and get warm."
She took the covering with as much of a thankful smile as her frozen mouth could manage. It was strange being cared for like this, as though he truly was her husband and not just a man hired to escort her. "Thank you."
She reached for the tinderbox. "I can start the fire while you care for the horses."
