by Norah Hess
Fletch picked up the bottle of whiskey with the rock candy in it. "I see you've given her several doses of this."
"Yes. It seems to calm her."
Fletch and Red Fox exchanged amused grins, thinking to themselves that unknowingly Laura was keeping her patient half drunk. "How are the other sick ones?" Laura asked.
"Not so good," Red Fox answered. "Fletch has been doing what he can for them. I'll be giving him a hand now, and so will the medicine man now that my father is recovering."
Laura looked at Fletch. "We need more help. There are too many sick ones."
"It's not so much that we need more help as we need some of what you've been giving Butterfly," Fletch said.
"Look!" Red Fox broke in on them. "My sister's fever has broken."
Laura jerked her gaze to the sick woman and gave a glad little cry. Beads of sweat had broken out on Butterfly's forehead. "I can start giving her the broth now, build up her strength."
Mopping at the smooth brow, Laura started issuing orders. "Fletch, go back to the house and get my bottle of quinine. It's in the cupboard next to the drysink. Then pick up a quart of whiskey and a pound of rock candy from the store. And Red Fox, you can dress out that doe Fletch brought and set the women to making broth out of it." Neither man stopped to think that they were taking orders from a woman as they hurried to obey her. Within an hour pots were boiling throughout the village, sending out the delicious smell of cooking meat. Fletch had made record time in returning with the items Laura had requested, taking only the time to tell Taylor that it looked like Laura was going to pull Butterfly through.
The Indian women who hadn't succumbed to the virus were spooning Laura's remedies down dry throats, and pails of snow were being used on fevered bodies.
It was around two in the morning when Fletch stepped into Butterfly's wigwam and found Laura, her head bowed, sound asleep. He gently eased her down on her side and covered her with a bright Indian blanket he found folded on top of a pile of furs. He knelt beside her a long time, stroking her hair and wishing he hadn't gone off to Canada last spring. Had he stayed, things would be different now.
Before he left, Fletch felt Butterfly's forehead and found it cool. He noted that she was also breathing easily now. Pa's love was going to live, thanks to Laura who had worked so hard to make it so.
Laura and Fletch stayed on at the village three more days, helping to attend the sick. They congratulated each other that no more patients had died.
In the late afternoon of the third day Fletch came to Butterfly's wigwam. His eyes were red-rimmed from not enough sleep, and his jaw was dark with unshaven stubble. "I think we can go home now, Laura," he said. "Everyone is recovering and no one else has come down with the virus."
"Yes, you must go, Laura," Butterfly urged. Although weak, the Indian woman was now able to take care of herself.
"I would like to see Jolie," Laura said and looked up at Fletch. "If you think it's all right, then let's get going. I notice that it has started snowing again. We don't want to get caught out in a blizzard."
She took Butterfly's hands and they looked deeply into each other's eyes. A firm friendship which nothing could break had formed between them. Only Butterfly's eyes thanked her for all that she had done. It was not the Indian custom to speak aloud their gratitude. The favor received would be returned someday.
Red Fox was waiting for them outside the wigwam. Two vicious-looking dogs sat at his feet, a rope tied around their necks. He handed them over to Fletch, saying, "They're mean devils and won't let any wolves attack you." He and Fletch gripped hands; then Red Fox laid a hand on Laura's head as though in blessing.
"I'll drop by tomorrow," Fletch said, then led off down the path.
They had walked but a short distance when the snow thickened and a wind came up. It became so violent that a nearby tree, stiff with frost, came crashing down. The snow seemed to blow in all directions, stinging their faces and blinding their eyes. Fletch knew that he must find shelter for them, and soon. They could not battle this storm.
He peered through the slashing white curtain until he spotted a huge, low-spreading pine only feet away from the path. "Come on." He grabbed Laura's hand. "Let's get under that tree."
Laura's eyes were so tear-filled from the wind and snow, she couldn't see the tree, but she blindly followed Fletch, once stumbling into one of the dogs whose rope Fletch still held on to.
They finally crawled beneath the interlacing boughs, and Fletch immediately began scraping the snow away and piling it into three walls. Then, while Laura waited in the small enclosure, no larger than three feet by three feet, her teeth chattering uncontrollably, Fetch took one of the dogs and went searching for broken boughs and limbs beneath other trees.
It seemed like hours to Laura, but only about 15 minutes had passed when Fletch returned, dragging a good-sized lightning-blasted tree and carrying an armful of spruce boughs he had cut from a tree.
He quickly built a fire, and Laura and the dogs huddled around it while he spread the fir branches on the ground. When he had them placed to his satisfaction, he lay down on them and said, "Come on, let's try to get some sleep." Laura hesitated only a moment before scooting away from the fire and crawling onto the makeshift pallet. They lay spoon fashion, her back curled up into the nest of Fletch's chest and drawn up knees. He put his free arm across her waist and pulled her close to him.
Night had fallen, and as Fletch's body heat and the warmth of the fire seeped into Laura's body, she fell asleep.
The dogs, curled as close to the flames as it was safe, growled and snarled a couple times, but only Fletch knew that wolves were smelling around. And he was barely aware of it, he was so firmly fixed on having Laura in his arms.
Chapter Thirteen
Laura roused to a silent world. The wind had ceased to blow and the snow had stopped falling. She lay in a fuzzy state for a moment, gazing at a pile of red glowing coals which the two dogs curled close to. It was several seconds before she became aware that her jacket was unbuttoned and that a hand was thrust into her bodice. Her eyes widened. Lean fingers were stroking her breasts.
She jerked fully awake and flipped over on her back, slapping Fletch's hand away.
"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded sharply.
Fletch came up on an elbow and leaned over her, desire in his dark eyes. "You know what I was doing," he said huskily, "and don't bother to deny you liked it." He rubbed his thumb across her lips. "I did not! I was asleep!"
He looked significantly at her hardened nipples pressing against her bodice. "See, you even desire me in your sleep."
"I wasn't desiring you." Laura sat up and rebuttoned her jacket. "I was dreaming about somebody else."
"Who? Hunter O'Hara?" Fletch grabbed her wrist when she started to stand up and demanded, his eyes blazing, "Was he making love to you in your dream?"
"Look, I'm cold and hungry and I want to get home to my daughter. I'm not going to sit here in the snow and answer questions that are none of your business."
Jerking her wrist free and standing up, she looked down at the hard ridge riding the front of his buckskins and said coolly, "I suggest you get hold of Milly as soon as possible. You look in a bad way."
As Fletch looked at her, half amused and half angry, she wheeled and walked around the fire that had warmed them through the night, and then struck off through the deep snow that half covered the path.
"Wait for me, you little fool." Fletch came hurrying behind her, the dogs trotting at his heels. "The wolves are still out hunting." Laura stilled her steps until he caught up with her, but the trip back to Big Pine was a silent one.
Elisha had just arrived at the store a short time ago after pushing his way through the new foot of snow. He looked up from adding wood to the fire that had burned all night and stared when Laura and Fletch stepped inside.
They were a sorry-looking pair. Their hair was in snarls, full of pine needles. Their clothes were wrinkled and the
ir faces pinched and strained. "Did you two get caught in the blizzard?" Elisha asked after running his gaze over them.
"We did," Fletch answered shortly, following Laura to the stove and holding his hands over the heat emanating from its top. "Along with a couple of Red Fox's dogs. They're tied up outside. Would you give them something to eat and then turn them loose?"
Elisha's lips curled in his toothless grin. "Widder Louden brought over a pot of stew last night. It was so tasteless me and Taylor ended up eatin' cheese and crackers for supper. Maybe the dogs will eat it."
"Do you think Red Fox would mind if I kept that one that looks half wolf?" Laura asked Fletch as she pulled off her jacket. "He and I became friendly during the time I spent in the village."
"I doubt if he'd even miss him, they've got so many dogs, always raising a racket," Fletch answered as he removed his jacket also.
"Hey, is that you, Laura and Fletcher?" Taylor called from his bed. "Come on in and tell me how everyone is at the village."
Laura smiled to herself as she hurried into what used to be the storeroom, Fletch following her. Pa had said everyone, but he meant how was Butterfly. She sat down on the edge of the cot and Fletch took the chair.
"The influenza is finally licked, Pa." Laura smiled down at his concerned face. "Nineteen people died, though, before it was over," Fletch added.
"Butterfly was awfully sick for a while but she pulled through," Laura told Taylor. "She sends her regards and says she will come visiting as soon as she gets her strength back."
Taylor's chest heaved in a sigh of relief "I was awfully worried about her. I was worried about you two also," he quickly added. "The womenfolk wouldn't let anyone go to the village to find out how you were doing for fear they'd bring back the sickness. Hunter said he was going anyhow, but the mothers put up such a howl I told him he'd better not go."
Taylor looked at Fletch. "You were lucky no one saw you when you came back for Laura's remedies. Them scared mothers might have driven you away."
"How are the two trappers who were down with the influenza?" Laura asked. "They're fine. Big Bertha wouldn't let anyone near them, so the sickness didn't spread."
Laura leaned over and kissed Taylor's cheek. "I'm going to fight my way to the cabin now to take a bath and get into some clean clothes. Then I'm going to get my daughter. I can't tell you how much I've missed her. Is she all right? Does cow's milk agree with her?"
"According to Daniel, she took to the bottle without any trouble." He grinned. "Daniel also said that Maida has spoiled the little one rotten. Claims his wife holds her all the time."
"I've kept a fire going in your cabin all the time you was gone, Laura." Elisha walked into the room. "We didn't know when you'd get back and we didn't want you returnin' to a freezin' cold cabin."
Fletch shook his head as he thought to himself that it didn't matter to these two men that Laura had brought shame to the Thomas name. They still doted on her, treated her like a princess.
It didn't occur to him that he was doing much the same thing when he said, "There's no need for you to go fetch Jolie. I'll send Maida over with her."
Laura didn't look at it as if Fletch were doing her a favor, however. To her it only meant that he wanted his cabin free of Maida so that he could be alone with Milly when she came hot-footing it to see him. She merely nodded at Fletch and left the store.
Outside, she found the wolf-looking dog still tied up. Evidently the other one had gone home after helping to eat the widow's stew. She untied the rope from a supporting post, saying, "Come on, boy," then struck out for the cabin.
"I'd better keep you tied up a couple days," she said as she reached the porch. She rubbed the dog's rough head and was repaid with a friendly tail thumping on the floorboards. "When you learn that you're going to get two hearty meals every day, I won't be able to drive you away." She went inside the cabin, returning shortly with an old rug and a moth-eaten blanket. As soon as she spread it in a corner where the wind didn't hit so hard, the dog curled up on the bed she had made for him.
"Tomorrow I'll ask Hunter to build you a doghouse." She gave her new pet a final pat on the head and went back into the cabin.
The cabin wasn't overly warm, but the chill was broken in it. As she added wood to the cook stove, then did the same to the fireplace, she thought how different her life was compared to that of the Indian women. They had few comforts. But, she supposed, one didn't miss what one had never had. Nevertheless, she wished that Butterfly could have things easier.
Would Pa ever marry the Indian woman? she wondered. He loved Butterfly dearly. Laura would be happy for him if he did, but the women of Big Pine would gossip their heads off Of course, if Pa got it in his head to make Butterfly his wife, it wouldn't bother him in the least what people said.
But how could he many the woman he loved when he was married to Laura Morris? Her mood was gloomy as she brought clean underclothing and a dress into the kitchen and sponge-bathed before changing into the fresh garments.
Laura had just finished brushing the snarls and pine needles out of her hair when she saw Maida walking toward the cabin. She smiled when she saw Hunter with her, carrying Jolie. She flung open the door, eager to get her hands on her daughter.
"It's good to see you back, Laura." Maida wore a wide smile as she stepped inside. Hunter's face reflected the same gladness as he handed over Jolie. "I'm very happy to be back," Laura said, lifting the blanket off Jolie's face and kissing her fat little cheeks. "I've missed this little one so," she said softly.
Maida set a basket on the table. "Here's her clothes, all nice and clean. And a bottle that Agnes Morse gave us. Jolie is used to cow's milk now. You can wean her if you want to."
Laura was happy to hear that. Her milk had probably dried up by now.
"Sit down and I'll make us some coffee after I hold this one a bit." Laura kissed Jolie again.
"Thanks, Laura, but I'd better get over to the tavern," Hunter said. "I've got to stock the bar and clean the floor. None of the men ever bother to wipe off their boots before tramping in."
Standing behind the seated Maida, Laura mouthed, "I'll see you tomorrow." Hunter's smiling eyes said that he understood her and he turned to leave.
"I wanted to ask you something, Hunter." Laura stayed him. "I've taken over one of the Indian dogs. I guess you noticed when you stepped up on the porch and heard his growling." When Hunter nodded, she asked, "Do you think you could build him a house?"
Amusement shone in Hunter's eyes. "I expect I could knock one together. But, Laura, you must realize that animal has never had the comfort of his own quarters."
"I don't care," Laura said stubbornly. "That doesn't mean he won't appreciate having a place to crawl into when it snows and the wind blows."
"All right. I'll work on it today when business is slow."
"Thank you, Hunter. Make it big enough for him to be comfortable in."
"Should I put a door on it so he can have his privacy too?" Hunter teased.
"If you want to," Laura said laughingly. "He's smart enough to open and close it."
When Hunter had left, laughing and shaking his head, Maida jumped up, saying, "I'll put the coffee on while you take care of Jolie. I'm just dying to tell you something."
As Laura took Jolie into the family room, talking to her all the while, she wondered what new gossip had sprung up in her absence. No doubt something about her and Fletch.
When the baby's lids grew heavy and she yawned, Laura laid her in her cradle and walked back into the kitchen. "Well," she said, sitting down at the table and smiling at the eager-looking Maida, "what is it you're dying to tell me?"
"Daniel and I are expecting, Laura! I am finally going to get my fondest wish."
"Oh, Maida, I'm so happy for you, for both of you." Laura hugged the young girl. "When?"
"I think sometime next August. We started trying on our wedding night."
"What do you want, a boy or girl?" Laura asked when they had sat do
wn to cups of steaming coffee.
"I don't really care, but Daniel wants it to be a boy. A son who will take care of his mother when his father is gone. He worries a lot about him dying, leaving me with no one to take care of me."
Laura wondered if it had ever occurred to Daniel that if he lived another 20 years Maida would still be a young woman and would in all likelihood marry again. But all Laura said was, "Daniel cares deeply for you." A tinge of sadness in her voice said that she wished someone cared for her like that.
As Laura and Maida sipped their coffee they excitedly talked about baby clothes. Laura would help the young girl make them and she would start knitting baby blankets tonight. Maida bragged that Daniel had already started making a cradle.
An hour later when Maida left, Laura stood at the window watching her wade through the snow and thought that the women of Big Pine wouldn't look down their noses at her little friend when her baby arrived.
"Of course, I'm glad of that," she said, turning from the window. She looked at the clock and decided that she had time for a short nap before it was time to make Pa's lunch.
Fletch had looked forward to a nap also. His sleep had been broken last night what with not being overly warm, desiring Laura, and waking up every time the dogs growled.
He had just made himself comfortable and was falling asleep when there came a rapping on the door and Milly called his name. "Damn," he growled, wondering if she was brazen enough to just walk in without being invited.
He soon discovered that she was, as he heard the outside door creak open. Swearing under his breath, he pulled the covers up over his head. Maybe she would leave him alone if she thought he was sleeping.
Fletch knew that was a foolish thought seconds before Milly was shaking his shoulder. "Fletch, honey, we've got the cabin to ourselves. Push over and HI get in beside you." There was a roaring in Fletch's head, he became so enraged. He flung the cover off his head and, glowering at her, ground out, "I don't want you in bed with me. All I want to do is sleep. I haven't had much lately, you know."