Christmas at Dove Creek

by Scarlett Dunn

  Thorpe lowered him down to his bedroll and Lily covered him with some blankets.

  Stone stoked the fire to keep it roaring so Jed would stay warm through the night. “I guess we’d best get these bodies buried before the animals descend on us.”

  When the last body was covered with rocks, they walked back to the fire to see Isabelle sitting near Jed. “Where’s Lily?” Thorpe asked.

  “I thought she was helping you,” Isabelle said.

  Stone ran to Lily’s wagon and looked inside. Spirit was alone with her puppies. “Blue is gone, too.”

  Thorpe grabbed his saddle, but before he walked a few steps, Lily appeared through the brush leading Blaze, Captain, and three more horses. She saw Thorpe glaring at her. “I knew they would be close by because Daisy was acting out,” she said quickly before he scolded her for going off by herself again.

  Thorpe didn’t say anything; he was so happy to see the smile on her face from having found Blaze that he couldn’t censure her. He tossed his saddle on the ground and helped her with the horses.

  Stone took hold of Captain’s reins and stroked his neck. “I’m real happy to see you.”

  Lily spent a lot of time with Blaze, reassuring herself that he hadn’t suffered any injuries. Once the horses were cared for, they returned to the fire to have some of Isabelle’s freshly made coffee. Stone grabbed the whiskey bottle and poured a generous amount in Thorpe’s cup as well as his own before settling beside Isabelle. He glanced over at Lily and said, “Lily, you made one heck of a shot.”

  “My grandfather insisted I practice often.” At the time, she hadn’t questioned whether she could make the shot or not; she’d just reacted. Her grandfather always told her not to question her abilities, and not to waste a moment second-guessing what had to be done. He said there would always be time later to mull over the right and wrong of your actions. He’d told her his father was not handy with a gun and that was why the Indians were able to kill his family and take him captive when he was a boy. That was the very reason her grandfather had become an excellent shot, and he wanted to make sure she could defend herself. She’d practiced daily so she could make the tough shots if it was necessary in a life-or-death situation, and she’d become a very precise markswoman. One time she’d asked her grandfather if it was a sin to kill someone as she’d heard from the fire and brimstone sermons spouted by the town preacher. Her grandfather told her it wasn’t a sin if you were defending yourself or your loved ones. The preacher never made that distinction; he believed in turning the other cheek. It was a question Lily grappled with.

  “I’m glad your grandfather taught you so well,” Thorpe said. He prided himself on being a fairly accurate shot under tense circumstances, but he’d never expected the same from a woman. She continued to amaze him.

  “Hopefully, the braves killed the rest of the gang,” Stone said.

  “Do you think the Indians will be back?” Isabelle asked.

  “I doubt it,” Stone replied. “We’re near the fort and they would be worried about the soldiers patrolling.”

  Lily and Thorpe exchanged a glance. There was no way Stone could be confident of that statement, but they understood he wanted to keep Isabelle from worrying, so they didn’t voice an opinion.

  Lily placed her blanket beside Jed and sat down. When Thorpe sat beside her, she asked, “Do you think he will sleep through the night?”

  Thorpe grinned. “He drank a full cup of whiskey, so I don’t think he will come around until morning. Fortunately, the bullet was lodged just below the surface and it will heal quickly. He might be a bit sore for a few days, but nothing serious.”

  “I’m thankful for that,” Isabelle said.

  Lily thought Isabelle looked very pale and tired. “Isabelle, why don’t you go to the wagon so you can get some sleep? It’s more comfortable than this ground.”

  “I don’t want to be alone right now.” Isabelle didn’t want to say aloud that she felt safer just being close to Stone.

  Stone walked to the wagon and when he returned he was carrying an armful of quilts and stacked them on the ground next to Isabelle. He grabbed his saddle for her to use as a pillow to make it more comfortable. “Here you go, this might work for a bed and you can stay warm by the fire.”

  Isabelle started tearing up again at his thoughtfulness. “This is so kind of you.”

  Lily was leaning back against her saddle with Blue, Spirit, and the puppies snuggled up beside her. She was staring into the fire as though her mind was a million miles away. Thorpe poured two fresh cups of coffee and offered one to her.

  “Thank you.” She was thinking how nice it would be to have a man like Stone care about her well-being. Isabelle seemed oblivious, but Stone showed his affection for her in so many little ways. Lily had never known that kind of affection from anyone other than her family. She questioned if Isabelle’s soldier would be as kind as Stone. She hoped so. Isabelle had traveled a long way in grueling conditions for this soldier, and Lily hoped he was worth her sacrifice.

  Thorpe sat near her with the animals between them. “Were you nervous?” Thorpe asked, interrupting her woolgathering.

  Lily turned her gaze on him. “Pardon?”

  “I asked if you were nervous making that shot.”

  “I didn’t think about it.” It was an honest answer. She’d intentionally avoided thinking about it then, and now. She was calm during the shooting, but afterward she felt like falling apart. She hadn’t allowed her mind go there. Before she’d left Missouri, she’d never been forced to shoot anyone. She had never considered that she might be forced to kill another person. But what alternative did she have when men were trying to kill them? She figured her grandfather had been preparing her for that inevitable moment.

  “I don’t know many men who could have made that shot.”

  “I prefer not to shoot anyone. We are taught our whole lives to turn the other cheek, so it is difficult to understand how to justify taking another person’s life. My grandfather said we will be remembered by the tracks we leave behind. I want to leave good tracks.”

  Thorpe thought about what she said. He’d never questioned situations where he was forced to defend himself or others. He didn’t see it as right or wrong, just something that needed to be done. “We defended ourselves, nothing more. There was no vengeance in our hearts, and we didn’t set out to kill them as they did us. I don’t think turning the other cheek applies when there is a gun pointed to your head. Do you think he would have hesitated to shoot Isabelle? I don’t see that you had a choice. I think you know that.”

  Lily didn’t respond. He was right; she didn’t regret saving Isabelle’s life.

  “Haven’t you ever been forced to defend yourself before now?”

  “I hadn’t actually shot anyone before the day I saw you. On my way to Missouri two men were following me so I shot one of their hats off. I was just trying to scare them away.”

  Thorpe thought she’d been more than lucky traveling from Texas to Missouri alone and not run into more trouble than she did. Her guardian angel was definitely watching over her. “Did it work?”

  “Oh yes. They had followed me for several miles. But after I shot the hat, I never saw them again.”

  Thorpe chuckled. “I guess you didn’t. That would persuade most men to steer clear of you. Don’t saddle yourself with guilt, Miss Lily. You will leave nothing but good tracks behind.” He saw her trying to stifle a yawn, so he said, “Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll stay awake the rest of the night.”

  Lily looked at him and whispered, “Do you really think the rest of them are dead?”

  “Yes, I do.” Thorpe wasn’t sugarcoating his response. He thought Harlow would bring every man he had to get that money, and since he wasn’t with them, he must be dead.

  Satisfied with his response, Lily turned on her side facing Blue and started stroking his back.

  Thorpe watched them as they stared into each other’s eyes as though they were silen
tly communicating. When Blue closed his eyes, Thorpe asked, “What will you do if you can’t find your grandfather?”

  She turned her large blue eyes on him. “He will find me.”

  Thorpe didn’t comment. He stared at her until she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. She looked so young and vulnerable lying there, not to mention unbelievably beautiful. Thorpe had never seen her in a dress, but he didn’t think she could look more beautiful than she did at that moment. He figured the pants she wore did more to display her figure than a dress, but for some inexplicable reason he envisioned her in something feminine and frilly. Evelyn was always dressed in lovely gowns as she frittered away her days. Evelyn was all-woman, and she made sure every man knew it. He couldn’t imagine her sleeping on the cold, hard ground snuggled up to a wolf. And he couldn’t imagine Lily living her life like Evelyn. For one thing, Lily didn’t possess feminine wiles, and Evelyn had them in abundance. Lily was younger than Evelyn, and obviously much more innocent. No matter her age, he didn’t think he’d ever met anyone—man or woman—with more courage. She sounded so confident that she would see her grandfather again, and he prayed she was right. She deserved that. He wouldn’t go so far to say she wouldn’t find her grandfather, but Wyoming was a large territory and her grandfather could be anywhere. It might take her years to find him. Still, when he left Texas, he’d done so on faith alone, and he wouldn’t tell anyone faith wasn’t an important component if that still small voice was whispering in their ear. Her grandfather sounded like the kind of man he’d like to know, and if he was in Lily’s position, he’d be searching for him, too.

  He smiled at the sight of Spirit and Blue lying next to Lily with the little puppies nestled beside them. He didn’t know how long he’d sat there watching Lily, but when he saw her cuddle closer to Blue, he thought she might be cold so he took his blanket and placed it on top of her blanket. Blue looked up at him and licked his hand.

  “You did good, boy. I was worried my bullet might have hit you instead of that varmint.” He hadn’t noticed Blue was ready to pounce on the man he was aiming at until he’d pulled the trigger. Blue was already in the air and he’d held his breath until he saw his aim had been true and Blue wasn’t injured. He’d never forgive himself if he shot Blue.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Three days later in the frigid temperatures they finally reached Chimney Rock. The terrible weather couldn’t dampen their enthusiasm. It was early afternoon when they decided to stop for a meal and enjoy the views.

  “The one thing that surprised me on this trail are the deep ruts in the ground the entire way,” Isabelle said.

  “So many wagons have come this way, it’s to be expected,” Stone said. “I imagine they will be there for eternity.”

  “I was surprised by how few trees there are,” Lily said.

  “I prefer trees myself,” Thorpe said, standing and extending his hand to Lily. “But since there’s only that rock, let’s go see some of those names.” He hadn’t forgotten she’d mentioned seeing the names, and he wanted to make sure she got her wish. It might be the last time she passed this way and it would be a shame for her to miss the chance.

  Lily took his hand and stood. “Do we have time?”

  “In this weather we can’t go too far, but we’ll go up far enough to see some names.”

  Thorpe glanced back at Stone. “We won’t be long, and I’ll have a bird’s-eye view to see if anyone is coming.”

  “We’ll wait right here and watch you. Don’t fall and break your fool neck,” Stone told him.

  “Miss Lily, you be careful,” Jed said.

  “Don’t worry, Jed. I won’t let anything happen to her,” Thorpe assured him.

  When Thorpe and Lily were out of earshot, Isabelle said, “They are perfect for each other.”

  Stone laughed. “Don’t go thinking Thorpe is ready for marriage. He’s not likely to get married anytime soon, if ever.”

  Isabelle turned her chin up at him. “Mark my words, those two will be married within six months.”

  Stone looked at her as if she was losing her mind. “Thorpe told me he didn’t have his sights on Lily.”

  “Well, he might have said that, but his actions tell a different story. He is always looking at her like a man looks at a woman he wants.”

  “Lily is a beautiful woman and I’m sure that’s the reason he is always looking at her. But believe me, he’s not interested in her that way.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure about that, Mr. Stone,” Jed said.

  Stone turned to look at Jed. “You think Isabelle is right?”

  “I know Mr. Thorpe acts like he’s not interested in Miss Lily, but he likes her. I ain’t saying it won’t take him awhile to recognize it.” Jed had seen the way Thorpe stared at Lily all of the time. Jed thought Thorpe cared much more than he was willing to admit to himself.

  “Well, this should be interesting,” Stone said. He thought it was remarkable Isabelle could see that Thorpe cared for Lily, but she couldn’t recognize how he felt about her. It was for the best, he told himself. Isabelle cared for her soldier; she was carrying his baby and traveling across the country to marry him. He couldn’t allow himself to forget that fact.

  * * *

  Thorpe stopped climbing and glanced down at Lily. “Be careful. The rock is smooth and the snow makes it slippery.”

  The words barely left his mouth when Lily lost her footing and started to slide, but Thorpe quickly reached out and grabbed her hand. He moved in her direction and wrapped his strong arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.

  Lily looked up at him, surprise evident in her large eyes. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t make a liar out of me, Lily.”

  Thorpe was holding her so close, she could feel the heat radiating from his body. Furrowing her brow at him, she asked, “What do you mean?”

  His eyes roved over her face to her lips. Her lips were tempting, lips ready to be kissed, and he came dangerously close to forgetting his vow to avoid getting involved again. Giving himself a mental shake, his gaze flicked back to her eyes. “I told Jed I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Oh.” He didn’t release her and her eyes lingered on his mouth. She wasn’t an experienced woman, but she thought he was about to kiss her. She wanted him to kiss her. She wanted to know what it felt like to be his arms and to be kissed by him. Her own thoughts surprised her. She’d never had such feelings about a man. She’d never wanted another man to touch her.

  “Ready?”

  Was he asking her if she was ready to be kissed? Yes . . . yes . . . yes. She blinked. “What?”

  “Ready to climb a bit higher?”

  “Oh yes.” Her knees were shaking when she pulled away from him.

  They found a flat ledge where they could stand side by side, and Thorpe held her securely with one arm around her waist. He pointed to some names on the rock. “There’s quite a few names carved here.”

  It was an emotional moment for Lily, seeing the names of people that had traveled this way. People who may have made it to their destination, or some who may have died before they reached their dream, like Mr. and Mrs. Craig from the wagon train. She felt a kinship with those people who were brave enough to chance everything, including their very lives, to make a new start. Seeing the new land as she was seeing it for the first time was exciting and frightening. She wondered if they would have made it to this point without Thorpe. She didn’t think so. It was because of him that she was standing here reading the names that would be here for eternity.

  Thorpe watched her face as she reverently slid her fingertips over the crudely etched names.

  Her gaze slid to Thorpe. “Thank you for making sure we made it here.”

  He smiled at her. “You’re welcome. Are you too cold to stay here a few minutes?”

  “No, why?”

  “You’ll see.” He pulled out his knife and started carving. He finished etching Lily’s name in the rock and star
ted on his name. When he finished, he leaned back and looked at his work. He glanced at Lily with his brow furrowed. “Do you know the date?”

  Lily understood how easy it was to lose track of the date. “I think it is November 25th.”

  Thorpe counted the days since they stopped at the way station and figured she was close enough, so he carved November 25, 1868 below his name. Looking at his work once again, he thought he should connect the names to show that they were traveling together. Without thinking of the significance, he etched a large heart around both names.

  Staring at the heart, Lily’s first thought was their names would also be there for eternity. She liked the thought of being linked to this man for all time, if only by their names on a rock. They’d shared an experience traveling to this place that would remain in her thoughts for the remainder of her life. Someone might climb to this spot one day and see that heart and think this woman had a man who cared enough to inscribe her name with his. Isabelle’s words echoed in her mind again. If you save someone’s life you are bound together forever. Their names would be together forever on that rock.

  Thorpe watched as she stared intently at his carving. He braced one hand on the rock and leaned over to look at her. “Don’t you like my work?”

  “Yes, it’s lovely.” She traced the heart just as she did the other names, then turned her eyes to him. “When we are gone, a piece of us will remain forever. People will look at our names, just like we are looking at the other names, and they will wonder who we were and if we made it to our destination.”

  Thorpe couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Her cheeks were pink from the frigid wind, but the look on her face said she was more thrilled than if he’d given her a diamond ring. He wasn’t sure why he’d drawn that heart, but he wasn’t sorry he did. “They will know Lily Starr was one brave woman.” If he hadn’t given up women, he’d be honored to be connected to Lily in this life and beyond. She was a rare woman: a woman of courage, determination, and honesty. Their eyes locked. “Lily, if I was a marrying man, I’d be real honored to . . .” He didn’t know what he was about to say, his thoughts were going in every direction. And before he knew it, his eyes moved to those kissable lips again. He tried to rein in his desire before it got the best of him. It had been a long time since he’d been with a woman and his heart was pounding like he was about to take a step off of a steep, slippery ledge.