by Merry Farmer
His raft was stationary now and Katie’s kept moving forward, closing the distance between them. When she was only a few yards away, Aiden winked. “Suit yourself,” he said, and turned to march off the raft and onto the riverbank.
As he walked up the gentle slope to where the wagons were being realigned, Aiden grinned at himself. He turned to watch and wait as the Boyle family’s wagon was gently led ashore. Katie had lost her smile again, but at least she was at the very end of her ordeal. He’d managed to help her across without her even realizing she was being helped. It was the best possible way to handle his wild and willful girl.
Once the oxen had pulled the wagon up to level ground, all the Boyles who had ridden across hopped down and began to scatter. Katie stood on the edge of the tongue that the yoked oxen were fastened to and straightened her dress. If Aiden’s guess was right, she was also catching her breath and soothing her nerves. Grin still in place, he strolled over to her side.
When he reached the wagon, he held his arms up to lift Katie down. She clenched her jaw and stared at him, her color higher than ever now. With a huff and a sigh, she leaned into him, accepting his help down from the wagon. But when he set her feet on the ground, Aiden kept his arms around her. He liked the feel of her just where she was. For her part, Katie didn’t seem to be in any rush to push away. She traced a finger down the line of his vest and let her palm rest over his heart. And how that heart beat for her.
“You’re welcome,” he said, knowing full well how smug he sounded.
She blinked, then her brow dropped into a frown. She pushed away from him. “What kind of arrogant fool are you, talking about dragons when serious work needs to be done?”
He let her go, but walked behind her, as close as he could without stepping on her, when she tried to march away. “I’m the kind of arrogant fool who knows how you hate to have others see you afraid.”
She stopped abruptly and spun to face him, eyes full of fury. She had stopped too suddenly, and Aiden walked right into her. Once again, he had her in his arms.
“Let go of me, you great lummox.” She pounded a fist on his chest.
“A ghrá, I don’t think I could let go of you if I tried.” When her frown only deepened, he went on. “I will always be there for you, to catch you when you fall, to hold you when you’re frightened, to make you strong when you’re weak.”
For a split second, she swayed into him. It didn’t last. Before he could blink, genuine fury flashed across her face. She pulled away and thumped him in the arm.
“Who do you think you are?” she snapped, genuinely angry. “You think that I need you to be strong? That I should do what you tell me to do and think what you tell me to think?”
“I never said—”
“Do you think that I’m not perfectly capable of pulling myself up by my own bootstraps and proving who I am?”
Aiden winced. Maybe he’d gone a little too far. “I know you’re as clever as anyone,” he began.
Before he could go any farther, Katie cut him off with, “Good. They you’ll know that I don’t want you flitting after me everywhere I go, acting as though you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
She arched an eyebrow to prove her point, then turned and stormed off.
“Katie,” he called after her. “That’s not what I mean by it.”
It was too late. She was already around the other side of the wagon, leaving him standing alone like a fool. He let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. So much for playing the knight in shining armor. He’d have to remember to keep his clever plans to himself next time he sought to save Katie’s pride. And he was certain there’d be a next time.
Chapter Three
On the other side of the Platte River, the terrain slowly began to change from flat prairie to gentle hills as it rose slowly toward the mountains. Aiden walked and played tunes on his fiddle that seemed to fit the surroundings—happy reels and long, undulating ballads as the weather conditions warranted. For a few days he had to put his fiddle away entirely when it rained. There was nothing to do but walk on and get wet. He smiled at the rain, though. It reminded him of Ireland.
Katie reminded him of Ireland and home and everything that made his heart sing too. She was on her own more often than not now. Emma was too busy to walk with Katie, now that her mother was determined to throw her into the path of that charlatan, Russ Sandifer. Katie was left walking with her little brothers and sisters. She tried to hide her disappointment by racing around the wagons with the wee ones and by telling them stories, but Aiden knew her far better than the masks she put on.
“You’re a good and loyal friend, a ghrá,” he told her, catching up to her side several days after the river crossing.
“What?” she asked. “And I told you to stop calling me that.”
He ignored her protest. “Don’t think I haven’t seen the way you’ve stuck up for Emma when she couldn’t stick up for herself, or that I don’t know how much you miss having her to walk with.”
“I—” She opened her mouth, brow knit as though she would hurl some sort of insult at him, but instead she closed her mouth in a pout. “It irks my last nerve, the way her mother pushes her around, as though she was a servant,” she confessed. “If Mam tried that with me, I’d give her a fat lip.”
Aiden laughed aloud. “You’d never raise a hand to your mam and you know it. I think what really bothers you is that Emma doesn’t fight back.”
Katie clenched her jaw, telling him he was right. She was as fierce a fighter as could be, and he loved her for it. Her eyes were full of furious indignation, but the way the sunlight caught off of the freckles across her nose made Aiden smile.
“It’s that wretched Dr. Sandifer,” she finally went on, putting all of her frustration into saying his name. “What a pill.”
“Well, he is a doctor,” Aiden teased.
For a brief second, Katie laughed. She caught herself laughing and clenched her fists at her sides. “If I feel sorry for Emma’s predicament with Sandifer, it’s only because I know what it’s like to have a great lunk of a man sniffing at you as if you’re his property.”
“Oh do you now?” Aiden’s smile stayed as wide as ever. “And who, pray tell, would that man be?”
“Saints above, Aiden Murphy.” She threw up her hands and appealed to the heavens. “It’s you.”
Her teasing indignation struck a chord deep in his gut and lower. She was life itself. Aiden’s fingers itched to play a lively tune to underscore the happy beat of his heart, but his fiddle was tucked away in its case on his back. “If that’s how it is, then I’d say you have it far easier than Emma.”
“How do you figure that?” She planted her fists on her hips, looking every bit the warrior that she was at heart.
Aiden shrugged. “Emma’s admirer is a charlatan and a bore, whereas you have the finest catch in County Sligo, who can’t get enough of your sweetness and your smile.”
She glared at him. “You were not the finest catch in County Sligo, and you most certainly aren’t the finest catch in America.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” he ribbed her. “I could give you the names of several girls who thought I was quite the prize.”
Katie’s mouth tightened and a sharp possessiveness came to her eyes. Aiden did his best not to laugh at the strength of her reaction. She fought it, just as she fought how much she liked him, but he knew jealousy when he saw it.
“That was Ireland,” she said, turning her face away from him dismissively. “There’s an entire new country full of men that are twice the prize you are.”
“Really? Where?” He gestured to the wide-open land they walked through. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but grass and hills and the occasional stand of scrubby trees or rocks. Far toward the horizon on their left was a tall formation of rocks that reached up to the sky like a chimney.
“Well they’re not going to be scattered across the prairie like buffalo,�
� Katie said.
“Ah,” Aiden nodded. “The Great American Buffalo Dragon.”
She snorted, a smile escaping for a heartbeat, then sniffed to stop herself from laughing harder. “There are plenty of men at the forts we’ve passed. There will be plenty more to come. Just you watch.”
“And what, precisely, will I be watching?”
A wicked grin spread across her lips that shot heat right through him. “You’ll be watching me catch a string of beaux.”
“Will I now?” He feigned doubt. In truth, he knew that Katie could capture the heart of any man she wanted with just a flutter of those long copper lashes.
“You will,” she announced, proud as ever. “In fact, I’ll make a wager with you. When we reach the next fort, I’ll have half the men stationed there begging to walk out with me.”
Aiden laughed. “That would be a crowd, a ghrá.”
She huffed in frustration. “All right, then. I wager you I’ll have a man falling all over himself to kiss me before a whole day has passed.”
“Oh?” he asked. “And what does the winner get?”
“The satisfaction of being right,” She answered with a wicked grin.
Aiden laughed. Between the two of them, that was the best prize of all. He had no doubt Katie could do everything she said she could, that men would fall for her like flies. Not that he would let any man dare get that close. “It’s a deal,” he said.
She gave him a self-satisfied nod. “You’ll see. As soon as we reach the next fort, the men will all be twice as handsome and twice as strong as you are.”
“Why, Katie Boyle, are you saying I’m handsome and strong?” he teased.
She huffed out a breath and smacked his arm.
“Now what did I do to deserve that?” Aiden laughed and rubbed his arm.
“You were born.”
Her sullen answer made him laugh harder. “Aye, that I was, a ghrá. Born for you.”
She clucked and shook her head and crossed her arms, but beneath every one of her signs of protest, Aiden could see the truth of her affections pressing to get out.
They reached the next fort—Ft. Laramie—almost a week later, at the end of a trying day. Emma was laid up in the wagon, recovering from a nasty dose of the vile medicine, Sandifer’s Special Serum, that had been forced down her throat that morning. She was in no mood to rejoice as they rolled up to the fort, but Katie was so happy to see it that she ran and chattered and bounced as much as her younger siblings. They were happy to find a moment’s reprieve from all the endless walking, but she was overjoyed at the sight of a fort full of men. She would win her bet with Aiden and show him up for good and all.
The sun was already setting as their wagon train organized itself in front of the wall that enclosed the fort, but she had a fair look at half a dozen of the militiamen stationed there.
“If you could all just settle down and be patient for tonight,” one of the militia commanders grumbled as he walked through the newly forming camps, “we can let you lot into the fort to resupply in the morning.”
Katie crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes as she studied the man. Too old. And too hairy. He had mutton chops that would make a bear proud. Besides which, she was certain she heard him mutter a curse against the Irish as he marched on. He definitely wouldn’t do to win her bet.
As soon as her da had a campfire going and her mam was busy cooking, Katie wandered closer to the fort to see what other men were there to be had. Most of the militiamen were older than she figured they should be. One had a pocked face, another walked with a limp. Still another leered at her in a way that made her skin crawl. She glared back at him and he scurried back into the fort. For a moment, she thought she’d spotted a likely candidate, but when he smiled at her, half his teeth were missing.
“So much for your strong, handsome heroes.”
Aiden’s sly comment behind her had Katie jumping halfway out of her skin. She hadn’t heard him approach.
“They’re a fine, brave lot of men,” she bluffed. “As soon as the sun rises tomorrow, I’m going to win that bet.”
But when the sun came up the next day, the situation hadn’t changed. The camp surrounding the fort was as calm as could be expected with a pack full of rowdy children excited to see a new place. Men and women from the wagons took turns going into the fort to restock their supplies while others stayed by the wagons, repairing wheels or yokes or sewing or doing the wash. Katie wasn’t going to win any bets or prove any points by keeping to herself, so she marched into the fort with a list of supplies to bring back for her mam.
It was just her luck that she spotted a militiaman who was younger than the others inside the fort’s gate. He was a little more lanky than she cared for and his uniform seemed patched together from ill-fitting bits and pieces, but he had all of his limbs and, hopefully, all of his teeth. Better still, Aiden sat on a barrel right outside of the supply depot, playing his fiddle for militiamen and travelers alike, accompanied by her da and his brothers. She spared him one saucy grin before sauntering up to the young militiaman.
“Excuse me, kind sir,” she said, laying on her Irish charm as thick as she dared. She even batted her eyelashes for good measure.
“Yes, ma’am?” When the young man turned to her, he blinked in surprise. A smile and a blush spread over his narrow face. “Yes, ma’am!” he repeated in delighted awe.
It was exactly what she wanted. “My name’s Katie.” She held out a hand to him, bold as brass. “Katie Boyle.”
“Katie Boyle,” he repeated. His eyes twinkled as he took her hand and shook it. And shook it.
A little bit of her smugness slipped. She cleared her throat. “And what’s your name?”
For a moment, the lad just stood there as if he couldn’t remember. The tune coming from Aiden and his band behind her sounded like a mockery of her efforts.
At last, the young militiaman shook his head and said, “Earl. My name’s Earl, ma’am.”
Katie forced her smile back into place. “What a noble name.”
He lost his smile, then shrugged. “It’s just Earl.”
“Yes, but an earl is a—” She stopped and let out a breath, shaking her head. “Never mind.” Once again, she pushed her smile back in place. “Earl, I have this list of supplies I need to fetch for my mam.”
“Your… what?” He blinked at her.
“My mother,” Katie repeated, then muttered, “Saints preserve us.” She cleared her throat. “Would you accompany me into the supply depot to fetch them?”
Earl’s smile was back in a flash. “Why, I’d be happy to, ma’am.”
“Katie.”
“Huh?”
Katie rolled her eyes shut and begged for patience. Behind her, Aiden and his band finished their song. If she was going to win her bet, she had better get started. She slipped her hand into the crook of Earl’s arm and nudged him to escort her toward the depot.
“It must be a fine, adventurous life, manning this grand fort,” she said.
“Oh, uh, yeah, I guess,” Earl said as they joined the flow of travelers heading to the depot. “Mostly it’s a lot of waiting.”
“And what are you waiting for?” Katie feigned interest. She studied Earl’s face, or rather his mouth. He’d missed a few spots shaving that morning, but his lips looked as though she might survive kissing him. That was all she needed to beat Aiden, just a kiss.
“We wait for the wagon trains to come through,” Earl said.
“Is that so?”
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Aiden pack away his fiddle, sling it over his shoulder, and casually stroll up to tail them.
“Sometimes we wait for Indians,” Earl went on.
“Indians. How fascinating.” She gave him her best smile, feeling rather like she was smiling at a donkey.
“Do you see many Indian attacks?” Aiden piped up, closing the gap between them.
Earl turned with a start to Aiden. A few blinks and he answered,
“Some days. They’ve grown bolder since most of the real soldiers headed back East to fight the war. It’s not like they’re on us all the time, though.”
“Come now,” Katie cooed. “I’m sure you’re as much a real soldier as any of them.”
“No, ma’am,” Earl answered her, immune to the charm she was pouring out. “I’m just militia. My daddy says he don’t want no son of his fighting for slavers or money-grubbers either.”
“Sensible man,” Aiden said, an impish light in his eyes.
Katie clenched her jaw. He wasn’t playing fair. Still, all she needed was a kiss.
As soon as they were inside of the warehouse that served as a supply depot, she leaned on Earl’s arm and said, “I’m sure I can count on you to find all these things I need.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Earl said. But when Katie showed him the list again, he frowned. Then he scratched his head.
“Is there a problem, laddie?” Aiden asked.
“I don’t read so good,” Earl replied.
Aiden burst into a wide grin, and Katie seethed at his arrogance. “That’s not a problem,” she said as sweetly as she could through clenched teeth. “I’m sure Mr. Murphy here will help you.”
“That I will.” Aiden swooped around Earl’s other side and snatched the list from his hands. He scanned over it, then said, “Here we go. Where might we find two sacks of flour, a sack of dried peas, and a side of bacon?”
“Right over here, sir.” Earl let go of Katie’s arms and marched across the room.
The next fifteen minutes were spent darting from one end of the supply depot to the other, ticking off the items on Katie’s mam’s list. Aiden was far too proud of himself as he read off the items and sent Earl scurrying. Katie would have taken him aside and scolded him from there to next Sunday, but she was up to her eyeballs in sacks and barrels and boxes before she could think of what she would say. She should have thought to bring a wheelbarrow along with her to drag all of the supplies back to the wagon.
Fortunately, Earl was willing to help haul and carry, though it took several trips. Katie was able to manage some of the lighter parcels, but Earl struggled under the weight of a few sacks and the smaller barrels. Aiden, on the other hand, lifted huge sacks of flour and heavy sides of dried meat as though they were feathers. Try as she might to keep her eyes away from the muscles that bulged against the fabric of his shirt, Katie caught herself staring more often than not. Even when he broke a sweat, there was something delicious about the way it made his skin glisten in the morning sun.