***
The next week that followed was rather pleasant for Chauncey. With Elise at his side, they had fallen into a routine of chores and duties that felt almost…natural. It was almost as if the heartache he’d endured for all of these years was finally starting to fade away. He would always mourn the loss of his wife and son, but the pain was bearable now, and he had Miss Erindelle to thank for helping to lift that weight of guilt that had been his constant companion for the past several years.
Of course, Beau was more than enamored with his hostess, for it had been something of a nightly routine for Chauncey to read while Elise petted the hound on the sofa and hummed a light tune.
During the day, it was just as harmonious. She generally headed to the hothouse in the mornings while he took Beau to the woods to shoot something for dinner. He was glad that she’d trusted him enough to offer the use of her rifle, for his knife wouldn’t do that well when it came to trying to get a deer.
After luncheon, they generally played a round or two of poker, and then she would straighten up the house, doing odds and ends like shining the silver or dusting, as he gathered water, took care of the firewood, or anything else that might need fixing or repaired. One day, he’d found that the chair she liked to sit in was slightly off balance. He quickly went to work on it, and by the time he was done, it sat as evenly as the table.
Elise had put her hands on her hips and smiled at him with a flash of her even, white teeth. “That’s bothered me for years.”
After that, she had set aside a number of other tasks. He had looked at the list with a lifted brow, but he was glad to do them all the same.
As the second week began to dawn bright and cheery the Sunday morning after those seven remarkable days, there was a knock at the cabin door. Elise had been in the process of making more bread, while he was fixing a loose floorboard, but instantly, all action ceased.
“Go to my room and shut the door!” She instructed him in an urgent whisper. Chauncey hesitated, for he didn’t want her to face whatever might be outside on her own, but as he stood immobile, she gave him a gentle shove. “Go! I’ll be fine.”
He gave a curt nod, but walked over and grabbed the rifle and the priming implements. He met her gaze. “Just in case,” he said grimly, and then shut the door.
He wanted to bang his head against the wood as he heard Elise greet whoever was out there. He’d never felt like much of an outlaw until that moment. He regretted that he’d put her in this situation, but he had been too selfish to leave.
Now he realized how terribly greedy he’d been. He had easily put Elise’s life in jeopardy, and for what? The honor of her company? What a joke that was. He was not fit to shine her shoes, let alone continue allowing her to harbor a man on the run from the law. He’d been a fool to delude himself for so long. He’d imagined that they had built some sort of comfortable home together, but it was nothing more than a fantasy world he’d desperately clung to in order to recover some of the companionship he’d been denied.
With Miss Erindelle he’d found a certain kinship, even if the thoughts he harbored about her where anything but familial. And the longer he stayed, the harder it would be to leave her when the bounty hunters caught up to him and dragged him away.
He refused to put her through that sort of agony. He’d dealt with it before, and he wasn’t inclined to do it again.
Chapter Seven
Elise’s heart was pounding so hard that she had to put a hand on her chest before she opened the door. However, when she revealed who was on the other side, profound relief flooded her. “Mr. Miracle!” she breathed and opened the door wider for him to enter. “You must be freezing! Please, come by the fire and warm yourself.”
She led him across the room and urged him to sit in a nearby chair. “Let me fix you something warm to drink.” She shook her head. “Whatever brings you all the way up the mountain in this weather?”
The shorter, middle-aged man with balding, black hair and spectacles was the owner of the Miracle Mercantile in Charming. Together, with his freckled-faced blond wife, they made a delightful couple that always seemed to know what customers needed the moment they walked through the door. However, it was his presence here that puzzled her the most.
“Grannie tasked me with delivering a message to you.” He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a slightly crumpled piece of paper.
Curious, she took the item. But when she unfolded it, her lungs froze and she could feel the blood recede from her face. She wavered on her feet and stumbled to a nearby chair to sit down. Her gaze was fixated on the wanted poster, which boasted a price of two thousand dollars. “Where did you get this?” She could hardly speak.
“Some men passed through on the train a few days ago and stopped at the inn. They warned the residents of Charming to be on our guard, as he’s considered to be armed and dangerous. Apparently,” he added grimly. “He was responsible for the deaths of several Canadian officials some years ago, and they’ve been looking for him ever since. They received a tip that he was heading this direction, and they are looking to extradite him for a trial.”
More like an execution, Elise thought with a queasy sensation in her stomach. She had no doubt they wouldn’t even try to hear Mr. Cade’s side of the story, but rather would drag him straight to the noose. She glanced up to see Mr. Miracle looking at her rather expectantly. She forced a tight smile. “Thank you for the cautionary, Mr. Miracle. I will be extra vigilant.” She hoped her next query sounded merely curious. “Have the men already moved on?”
“Not as yet,” he returned. “They seem to have taken a particular liking to our little village. They might even stay a while.”
The weight of a stone settled in the pit of her belly. “I see. That’s good for the people of Charming,” she murmured.
Mr. Miracle smiled as he got up. “Thank you for the offer of a warm drink, but I believe the fire has done the trick. Your hospitality is without fail as ever, Miss Erindelle. My wife and I, and I’m sure I speak for Grannie as well, would all like to see you move down to the valley. We worry about you up here all alone.”
“I’m perfectly fine, Mr. Miracle,” she attempted to reassure him. “Besides, I feel a closeness to my parents up here.”
He nodded and headed out the door. Before he left, he turned back and said, “If you need anything, don’t be hesitant to ask.”
“I will be certain to let you know if I need anything. Thank you.”
When Elise shut the door behind him, she closed her eyes and released a heavy breath. The door to her bedchamber opened and she rushed over to Mr. Cade. “It was only Mr. Miracle from the Charming mercantile. You’re safe.”
His dark eyes were flat; his mouth tight, as he reached out and took the poster that she still held in her grasp. She watched as he looked down at the likeness, although the man depicted on the paper looked wilder and more threatening than Mr. Cade had ever appeared. “Two thousand dollars now.” He looked at her. “You could turn me in right now and gain a fortune.”
Her mouth fell open. “As if I would ever do such a thing! I thought we were friends.”
He slowly shook his head. “We were never anything more than passing acquaintances.”
As he brushed past her and started to gather his things into his pack, her lungs froze. “What are you doing?”
“Leaving.”
Panic rushed through her. “What? No, you can’t!” She rushed forward and grabbed his arm in a plea to listen to reason. “It’s too dangerous! You’ll surely be captured if you leave now.” She paused, hoping that she might have gotten through to him, but while he’d hesitated as she spoke, she saw the resolute set of his jaw. “Please. Just stay a few more days.”
“No.”
Elise didn’t know what else to say. In the end, she didn’t have any other choice but to step back and watch him prepare to leave. Her chest was tight, her eyes welling with tears when she asked, “Where will you go?”
“I intend to stick with my original plan and head west to California.”
Beau must have realized that his master was intending to leave, for he got up from his favorite spot near the fire and lumbered over to him. Elise watched as Mr. Cade paused and bent down to scratch the dog fondly behind the ears. “You’re going to have to stay here, boy,” he said softly. “This is one journey that you don’t have to embark on. It’s time for us to part ways.” He stood. “I hope it’s all right if I leave Beau here with you.”
So many implications were in that statement, and Elise nodded, for there was truly no other option. “Of course. I’ll be glad to take care of him.” She hesitated and then reached out to give him an impulsive hug. “Goodbye, Mr. Cade. Be safe. We expect you to come and visit us again soon.”
Instead of assuring her that he would, he withdrew long enough to bend his head and brush her lips with his. His neatly trimmed beard tickled her cheek as he pulled back. “I’ll never forget you, Elise.”
A single tear trailed down her cheek, but he gently wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. He turned on his heel and donned his bearskin coat — and walked out the door.
And out of her life.
***
Chauncey had cried just one time in his life, and that was when he’d found out his wife and son had been gunned down in cold blood. The grief of their loss had sent shameless tears coursing down his face. Now, as the distance between him and that small cabin in the woods began to lengthen, he could feel the same emotion starting to rise within his chest. It threatened to choke him, to send him rushing back through the snow to return to Miss Erindelle’s side, but it was the thought of her safety that kept him trudging forward.
He clenched his jaw so hard he imagined that it might crack from the force. He wouldn’t risk the chance that she could be used as a weapon against him, and he certainly couldn’t survive with another death on his conscience.
Chauncey drew his bearskin tighter around him. Dusk was already starting to fall and the temperature in the woods was dropping fast. The snow that had been their constant companion had finally ceased, but in areas, the powdery white drifts were so deep that they topped his moccasins. If it wasn’t for his leather buckskins as protection against the elements, he would find himself succumbing to frostbite. As it was, he was tempting fate. The wolves and bears would start to move in as he traipsed across the winter landscape, his every movement illuminated by moonlight if he didn’t find shelter soon.
Besides, this wasn’t the first time he’d been forced to make due with a patch of pine needles for a bed. Nor did he doubt it would be the last.
After a time, Chauncey came across a small, abandoned cave in the cliffs near a narrow stream. The small trickle of water that wasn’t frozen over was a soothing rhythm as he inspected his possible lodgings. It looked abandoned, and it didn’t appear that anything might be hibernating there for the winter. That was definitely good news as he sat and tried to keep his teeth from chattering and set about finding a few fallen branches to make a small fire. Not big enough where it gave away his location, but enough where he wouldn’t freeze to death.
His breath left his lips in a cloud of white as he worked to rub the sticks together, but at long last there was a welcoming spark of orange. He sighed in grateful relief as the pile of sticks smoldered and began to burn. He sat down and drew on the heat for a time, and then settled back, prepared to spend the right of the long night in a restless slumber.
As he closed his eyes, he realized that if he survived until morning, it would be a miracle.
***
Elise skipped dinner that night. She was entirely too maudlin to eat anything. Her stomach was churning with worry over Mr. Cade. Beau appeared equally concerned, for he had stayed by her side most of the evening, looking at her with those wide, brown eyes, expressing his sorrow in a whimper now and then.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed a few more tears to fall. “I miss him too, boy,” she whispered.
If someone had told her this same scenario, that she would fall for a stranger in the span of a week, she would have told them they were crazy. As it was, after years of protecting her heart from the hurt and pain she’d endured for being different, she was in serious danger of allowing it to engage now. But as Mr. Cade had told her, the consequences of loving him would be drastic, for he was a drifter, on the run from the law. He’d had a family once, and their loss had nearly destroyed him. She didn’t think he would be eager to return to the same life and wait for it to crumble all over again.
No, this was for all for the best. For both of them. Elise didn’t want to feel the anguish of a broken heart, and she certainly didn’t wish more pain for him.
With this new resolve in place, she got to her feet and headed for her bedroom. Tomorrow was a new day and with it came the promise of new beginnings. Although her current situation looked rather bleak now without Mr. Cade in it, she vowed that she would push him out of her mind. He had only been here for one week. She’d lived alone for the past two years. She would simply pick up where she’d left off before his arrival and put his memory down as one of charity for her fellow man.
She paused at the threshold of her room and glanced back at Beau with a smile. He was still looking after her with those large, brown eyes, so she sighed and said, “Well, what are you waiting for?”
The hound happily loped forward, his tongue hanging to the side. She stepped aside so he could enter her room and laughed when he jumped right into the middle of her bed. She crossed her arms and lifted a brow. “You’re going to have to move over,” she scolded lightly.
The dog replied by putting his paws in the air and rubbing his back against the quilt in happy delight.
Elise rolled her eyes as she changed into her nightdress. But although she went to sleep with a grin on her face at the grunt of delight that emanated from the hound, she couldn’t help but wonder about Mr. Cade, and if he had somewhere warm to sleep that night.
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. He wished he had Elise’s rifle at hand, but he removed 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. His pale yellow eyes 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. He snorted, 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.
&nbs
p; Chauncey blew out a breath, for now that he realized he was safe, he was flooded with relief. He stood and started to move back toward the fire, where he prayed he could regain some of its warmth.
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 laugh as 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 animals simply for their hides.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only thing that worried him where these men were concerned. If they were deserters, heading West from the war, then there might be additional ones that followed, which meant he would have to be on his guard even more.
Frozen Fancy Page 5