He slid a look at her. She studied the ground, the skin around her eyes red. She wasn't crying now though. Some might honor her for holding back tears, but it did not feel right in his spirit.
Callum had loved his daughter. He'd been a good man. A good friend. He would be missed in this world, though he'd been welcomed into a much better land.
His daughter should mourn him now, as she had when he first passed. Perhaps she would let herself do so again in time.
The moment had come to tell of the promise he'd given her father.Lord, give me strength.
He swallowed to prepare himself. "Your father asked a promise of me."
Her head jerked toward him. Before he could check her expression, the intensity of her voice made her thoughts clear. "You are relieved of your promise. My father clearly didn't know me well." Her eyes flared, and her chin came up. "I don't need your name or your protection. I can care for myself. I came out here to forge my own path, not to subject myself to another man."
The weight pressed harder on Two Stone’s chest, wrapping around his throat now too. She must have heard Callum's request. Or maybe she only assumed her father had asked Two Stones to watch over her. He should make his responsibility and his intentions clear.
He tried to meet her gaze, but she glared steadfastly toward the town ahead. He spoke anyway, keeping his voice kind andsteady. "I do not wish to make your grieving harder. Your father asked me to take you as wife. This was his strongest wish, and he would not rest easy until I gave my promise."
She flinched, like she was gathering to fling angry words at him, so he pushed ahead quickly.
"I will take you to Turner, the man of God, as your father asked, but after that I will not act as a man with his wife. We will go to my people, a quiet village in a valley rich with game and all we want. You will be safe there. My parents, Running Woman and White Bear, will welcome you to their home. I will make sure you have all you wish. And you may live free of me. The only time you will see me is when I ride into the village to bring you supplies. We will be as friends only."
He paused, waiting for her to say something. But she only stared ahead, her eyes unfocused. Finally, the same words came out again, but in a much quieter tone. "You are relieved of your promise. My father didn't know me very well."
Even if she refused, that didn't mean his promise could be forgotten. Callum must have had a reason for pressing so hard for the ceremony.
He glanced toward the town. The shouts and music from the saloons had already started, though the sun had only just begun to slip behind the western mountains. A shot rang across the distance.
Two Stones's middle clenched. Gunshots sounded so often in this place that he'd learned not to flinch anymore. But tonight was different. Tonight, he was responsible for a woman's safety.
And this place would offer her nothing but danger.
Callum was right. Two Stones had to take her away from Virginia City. And marrying was the only way to do it correctly in the eyes of other white men. Even he knew this.
Maybe he could explain it better so she would understand too.
He took a deep breath, steeling himself to continue. "This town has men who will think you do not belong to anyone. That they can do as they wish with you. But if we are married, none will bother you. I will not force you to do this, but I made a promise to your father. And I give you another promise now—to keep you safe and to give you anything you wish. You want to live a life with no man speaking over you. Allow me to keep my word to your father, and I will give you this life in the village of my people. I will give to you and take nothing. Your life will be your own."
She studied him, her gaze cool yet piercing.
He met the look, doing his best to let her see she had nothing to fear in him.
At last, she said, "I think you are a good man. I see why my father trusted you." Her voice gentled a little yet kept it's determined tone. "Even so, I wish to stay here. My father is gone, but if I could speak with him, I would have him take back his request, to absolve you of the promise you made him. He's not here, so you'll have to accept it from my own mouth. You are free from your vow. You can go on your way. Thank you for being such a good friend to my father."
With a firm nod, she turned and strode toward the shanties. The ramshackle row seemed to sag deeper into the earth, as if sharing the weight of sorrow for Callum's loss.
Two Stones let her go, but he couldn't accept her words. Callum must have known his daughter would be contrary. That was why he'd been so insistent.
Two Stones would have to approach it a different way. Maybe with time spent in prayer, the Father would show him what was best.
As Heidi trekked along the main street of Virginia City the next morning, where most of the businesses resided, the air hung thick with the aftermath of a rowdy night in the saloons. She wrinkled her nose against the scent of stale whisky mixed with the sharp tang of sweat and cheap perfume that clung to the damp morning air. The distant sound of clinking glasses, punctuated by slurred curses, drifted through the streets, a reminder of the revelry that had ended a few hours before.
She'd blocked most of the noises out as she fought for sleep. It came in snatches, though waking and sleeping both held their own forms of misery.
She stepped off the boardwalk to maneuver around a man's body. He lay face down, but his slurred words showed he lived and likely had no worse injuries than a roaring headache.
A mangy dog limped down the road, pausing to sniff at a shattered whiskey bottle. When she reached out to call it toward her, the animal moved farther away, as if even it understood this was no place to linger.
Debris littered the dusty street ahead—broken glass, discarded playing cards, and even a lost boot. This place really was uncivilized. A far cry from the cobblestone streets and flower-lined residences in Savannah. Of course, behind many of those front doors lived men just as crude and vice-ridden. They only hid it better.
But surely good people lived here, too, decent souls who would help her find footing in this strange world. She maneuvered around a rut filled with horse droppings and stepped onto the boardwalk..
