But then she reminded herself that it was no longer her concern. Like any thief in the night, he was out of her life. For good.
***
Chauncey wasn’t sure what woke him. It might have been the fire, for it had died out, leaving nothing but a few smoldering coals in its wake.
But then, his ears caught the sound of something moving about in the woods. It sounded like footsteps crunching through the snow, so he quickly doused the last of the glowing embers by kicking some dirt over the top with his moccasins and moved further back into the shadows of the cave. Hewished he had Elise’s rifle at hand, but heremoved the knife from the waistband of his trousers and crouched down to wait.
His breath was coming out of his mouth in white puffs, his heart pounding in his chest as he waited for the approaching danger. It could be anything from bounty hunters to deserters, but both were equally dangerous.
As the movement drew closer, he tensed, preparing to pounce, his every nerve ending alive with impending danger.
Just a few more seconds, and the intruder would come into view…
He exhaled and lowered his knife as a wolf appeared around the edge of the cave. A slight breeze from the night air ruffled his thick white and gray coat. Hispale yelloweyes were direct and accessing as they lit on him.Chauncey thought he actually looked familiar, but the odds of it being the same wolf that had approached Elise were rather slim.
For a time, they stared at each other, facing off as if trying to decide if they had encountered an enemy. But the wolf must have thought he wasn’t an immediate danger, for he opened his mouth and began to pant. And then he tilted his head back and let loose the most hair-raising howl Chauncey had ever heard before.
As the wolf returned his focus back on him, he wondered if he was supposed to do something in return, so he lifted his hand and waved. Hesnorted, for he felt rather foolish in the extreme, but the wolf merely panted once more and walked away, his bushy tail trailing on the ground behind him.
Chauncey blew out a breath, fornow that he realized he was safe, he was flooded with relief. Hestoodand started to move back toward the fire, where he prayed he could regain some of itswarmth.
But before he took a single step, the report of a gun split through the air.The sound vibrated long after the shot had ended, but the effects rippled through his body long after that.
On silent feet, moving along the walls of the cave, he crept toward the entrance and peered out. Some distance away he saw two men standing among the trees and laughing. On the ground between them lay the gray and white wolf, the snow around him tainted with blood.
“That’ll teach him t’ be quiet,” he heard one of them say, his accented voice drifting over the expanse.
“Aye.” His companion spit a trail of tobacco on the ground with a laughas they continued on their way.
Chauncey gripped the handle of his knife. He didn’t care for men who hunted purely for sport. It was one thing to use an animal for their meat in order to survive, but to leave the carcass on the ground to rot was morally wrong. A lot of the trappers he knew, including the Earl of Arandine and the other men Chauncey had killed, had done the same, killing animalssimplyfor their hides.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only thing that worried him where these men were concerned. If they were deserters, headingWest from the war, then there might beadditional onesthat followed, which meant he would have to be on his guard evenmore.
Without restarting the fire,in case the men decided to return,he huddled within the warmth of his bearskin and thought of Elise. He prayed she would be safe, but with miscreants like these running around…
He closed his eyes as his moral compass spun around in different directions. He could either continue on toward Californiaas planned, or he could return to the sanctuary of the little cabin in the woods and enjoy it for as long as the good Lord allowed.
Chapter Eight
The next morning, after Elise had checked on her flowers, she busied herself with the last of the mending. She tried to ignore the fact that her birthday was in a few short days, and yet again, it appeared that she would be spending it alone.
Beau wandered over from his place by the fire and lay down at her feet with a heavy sigh, as if reminding her of his presence. She bent down and scratched him behind the ears. “Of course I haven’t forgotten you,” she murmured with a smile.
She returned her attention back to her task, and when she had toiled with the needle and thread for as long as she could manage, shegot toher feet and set it aside. “That’s enough for today, I think.”
Elise headed for the kitchen, but stopped when she heard a disturbance outside. Her first thought was that Mr. Cade had changed his mind and returned, so she rushed over to the door and pulled it open.
But it wasn’t a bearskin coat that she saw.
The root cellar door was hanging open and she saw two men emerge with their hands full of her supplies. She must have gasped, for one of the men glanced up and met her gaze. “Well, what do we have’ere?”
Elise didn’t wait for anything else. She slammed the door and locked it, but she knew that wasno more thana temporary deterrent if these men wished to get to her. She immediately headed to the cabinet where she kept her rifle, and even though her fingers were shaking, she managed to prime and load it. A loud knock sounded at the door and she jumped. Beau must have sensed the danger, for he let out a low growl of warning.
“Come on now, missus,” the same man coaxed through the wood. “We just want t’ talk t’ you.”
“Go away!” Elise shouted from inside. She pulled back the hammer on the rifle and pointed it at the door, focusing everything she had to keep her arm steady. She only had one shot, so she knew it had to count.
“You wouldn’t leave two men out ‘ere t’ starve would you?” The other man’s voice carried through clearly. “We’re just two weary travelers—”
