She stood just inside, a soft smile on her face in the dim light from the fire.
He gave a sheepish look and tried to pull his finger away, but the babe still held on fiercely. “She’s, um, got my finger. She was crying, and talking seemed to help. Then she grabbed hold and…”
Miss Hampton stepped closer and crouched by the baby’s head. "I think she likes you."
He snorted, even as the idea spread heat through his entire body.
Miss Hampton spoke again, this time to the babe. “I know, sweet pea. But Mr. Coulter needs to do his own work.” She reached out to slide the babe’s hand from his finger, her skin brushing against his. The contact sent a tingle up his arm. He’d touched her before without event—when he’d helped her down from wagon.
Maybe taking care of the babe had addled his mind. Time to get back to the fire, where he belonged.
He moved to the hearth, pushing away all those strange feelings. The ham sizzled in the pan, and he turned the pieces to brown the other side. Thankfully, they hadn’t burned. He placed the biscuits in the rendered fat to warm, just as he'd told the babe he would. The simple domestic task settled his nerves. This was familiar territory.
Behind him, Miss Hampton hummed a soft tune. The gentle melody mixed with the crackle of the fire and filled the small space. He glanced over his shoulder to see her lift the child—Wasn’t her name Ruby?—into her arms and sway in a soothing motion.
Ruby nestled against Miss Hampton's shoulder, her tiny hand clutching the fabric of the woman's shirt. The scene looked so natural, so right. A protectiveness surged through him, something he’d never felt so strongly. He wanted to keep them safe, to shelter them from the cruel world outside these walls.
But it wasn't his place. He turned back to the fire and drew a steadying breath. Miss Hampton wasn't his responsibility. He’d offered to help her get to Missoula. Once they arrived, she'd be back under her father's protection.
The thought almost made him spit. Jedidiah was no protector. He was a bully. A lunatic. A man without a soul.
How could he turn this woman and innocent child over to him? Surely, she knew what kind of a man her father was. Did that mean Miss Hampton approved of his actions? Or maybe she didn’t know the extent of his evil. Probably shedidn’t.
It didn’t seem possible she could have been raised by a man and not influenced by his lousy moral code—or lack of one. She seemed gentle and kind, though they’d only met. Could she be hiding a rougher side?
Sampson searched through his memories. He’d never heard Jedidiah mention a family. Jedidiah lived at the mine, so Sampson knew Miss Hampton hadn’t shared a home with her father recently. He would have seen her. And he’d never pictured Jedidiah as a family man. Nothing domestic about that slimy weasel.
Once the food was ready, he pulled the frying pan from the heat and set it on a cool part of the hearth. “Help yourself. I’ll go milk the goat.”
“I’ve already done it.” Miss Hampton crouched to place Ruby on the blanket.
He straightened. “You did?” How had she managed that in the few minutes she was outside? It must have been longer than he realized.
“She milks quickly. I needed to start her grazing too.” Miss Hampton stood and eyed the food with a look that said she’d probably been hungry a while.
He stepped away from the fireplace. “Help yourself. I didn’t think to pack plates.” When he’d stopped by the bunk room in the cave, he’d thrown the pan and some cornmeal into his bag to make johnny cakes in the morning, but he’d forgotten to add something to flip the cakes with. Hopefully, a knife could do for that. Meeting this woman and baby so far from civilization and so close to the mine…it had thrown him off course in a way he still hadn’t quite recovered from.
She motioned from him to the food. “You eat first. I can wait.”
He shook his head and started for the door. “I need to unhitch the team and feed them. I’ll be a few minutes, so eat without me and get settled in for the night.”
He should also bring in more firewood. Maybe by the time he returned, they’d be asleep and he could bed down himself. But first, he needed some fresh air to clear his head.
This trip was not turning out at all the way he’d expected.
CHAPTER4
Grace’s foot tapped out a rhythm on the floor of the wagon as she watched the snow-patched landscape pass by.
She’d never been to this part of the country, but it looked like every other stretch of land they’d passed through that morning. Trees lining both sides of the road, and snowcapped mountains rising in all directions.
The only difference was that her father was nearby.
Her chest tightened at the thought of seeing him. He wouldn’t be happy about her leaving the house. Nor surprising him like this. He hated surprises, that she knew for certain.
And he and Mama had always warned her not to go near the mine where he worked. Would he be angry she'd ridden all this way with one of his workers? Trusting Mr. Coulter had been a good choice, far better than trying to drive the wagon and care for the babe on her own.
What would Father think about Ruby? She honestly had no idea. She’d like to think he’d approve of her helping others.
