She swallowed. She had to say yes, even if she didn’t mean it. If she found a chance to build her new life in a nearby town, maybe she could pay Two Stones to accompany her.
So she nodded. "I will."
He held her focus another heartbeat, then eased out a rasping breath. The air seemed to take away half of his substance too, leaving him only a shadow among his blankets.
"Bring...Two Stones...here. Please."
Two Stones dropped the armload of logs on the ground beside the stack, then reached down to organize them neatly on top of the others. Fourmore loads tonight at least. Then he could bring more in the morning before he left.
The door to the shanty opened, and he glanced up to see Callum's daughter standing in the opening, her expression tense. Had something more happened?
"He's asking for you." Her voice pinched as tight as the lines at her eyes.
Two Stones straightened. "Is he worse?"
She shook her head. "He thinks he's dying."
The knot in his chest twisted tighter, and he strode toward her. She stepped aside to allow him entry, and he maneuvered through the dark space into the back room.
Once more, the stench of sickness nearly smothered. Was it death he smelled too?Lord, You can't take him. Not this good man. My friend.
At least Callum knew Creator Father. He didn't often speak of his faith, but his quiet convictions held strength. If this was his time, Callum would be taken to a far better place.
Yet what about his daughter?
He knelt by his friend’s side. Callum looked like barely more than a corpse now. How had he dwindled this much in the time it took to bring three loads of firewood?
Callum's eyes cracked again, so Two Stones spoke. "I am here, my friend. What is it you need?"
The lines of his face shifted, like he was mustering the strength to speak. Callum's gaze flicked toward the doorway.
Two Stones looked back that way, but the man's daughter wasn't there. A wheeze brought his focus back to his friend.
"Heidi. Please...will you...marry...her?"
Two Stones frowned. He must not have heard right. "Speak the words again. I did not hear." He leaned closer, edging his head sideways so he could better hear and still study Callum's lips.
Callum blew out a hoarse breath with the first words, but they were louder than before. "Marry...my daughter...please. Make her...your wife. Take her...to live...in safety."
The air lodged in Two Stones's chest.
Marry Callum’s daughter? Take her as his woman? He’d hardly spoken to her. And he was an Indian, a Salish warrior. Though his own people rarely seemed to think of him so, since he spent so much time among the white men.
What kind of life could he offer a woman? And she’d just come into this land, and from a very different place. She wouldn't know his ways. Likely she wouldn't even want to enter his world.
But as he looked into Callum's eyes, the desperate fear gripped his throat. This was a dying man's last wish. Whether he wanted a wife or not, he could agree to take care of Callum's daughter. She wouldn’t be safe in this den of rowdy miners. He could take her to his parents. She could live in the quiet village tucked in a peaceful valley.
White Bear and Running Woman would love to share their home. She could be the daughter they'd always wanted. A replacement for Two Stone’s sister, who’d died when only a girl.
He wouldn't need to take her into his own lodge, not in the way of a man and woman. She would be safe with his family, and Two Stones could provide her with everything she wished for. A much better life than she’d have in this hovel, surrounded by men who wanted her for only one thing.
"Please." Callum rasped the word, his fingers grappling across the dirt floor toward Two Stones.
Two Stones gripped it in a solid clasp. "I will, my friend. I will take her to safety and give her a good life."
Callum clutched tighter, his bony fingers like a claw. "As your wife. You'll...marry her." He sounded like he could barelybreathe, and he was expending the last of his energy with his desperation.
Two Stones dipped his chin and placed his other hand over their joined grip. "I will. As my wife."
