“A warm fire sounds real nice,” she said quietly. She longed for a hot bath, but the fire would have to do. She allowed Caleb to pull her to the ground in front of the flames, and he knelt between her and Joseph.
“Hold your hands closer over the fire. They’ll warm up quicker.” Caleb held out his hands to the dancing orange flames and leaned forward, showing her what to do. Sophia obediently followed his example. Had Joseph shown the boy what to do earlier, or did this child inherently know? With the warmth, her fingers began to tingle, and she rubbed her hands together. It would feel good to be warm again.
Caleb glanced sideways at her, his forehead scrunched in contemplation. “You look like an Injun,” he finally said.
Sophia’s heart lurched, and she shot him a nervous glance before her eyes darted involuntarily to Joseph. His attention had shifted from her to the meat over the flames. If he heard the comment, which he no doubt had, he didn’t react to it. He stoked at the fire with a stick, and turned the meat over the wooden skewer.
Sophia cleared her throat. “That’s because I am,” she said, looking at Caleb. “My mother was Indian.”
The boy scrutinized her for a moment. “I ain’t never heard of no rich Injun lady before, but either way, you sure are pretty.” His focus returned to the flames as if his comment was of no importance. He watched the meat with a longing expression.
“Caleb, go fetch my canteen from my saddle and fill it with fresh water.” Joseph spoke with a quiet authority while he continued to rotate the meat on the spit. The boy jumped to do his bidding.
“You didn’t have to send him away.” Sophia turned toward him. She wrapped her hands over her chest and around her arms, a slight shiver passing through her even though she definitely felt warmer already.
“We need water,” Joseph said matter-of-factly. He finally turned his head to look at her. “You warming up?” His eyes searched her face.
“I’ll be fine,” she answered. “But what about you?” She stared at his nude profile.
“My other shirt’ll be dry before dark. Don’t worry, Princess. My brother Lucas and I used to run buck naked through the woods in the dead of winter. I’m used to cold.” He grinned.
Sophia’s mouth fell open, and heat crept up her cheeks at the images his words created in her mind. She envied Joseph, and the freedom he must have had growing up. She’d known nothing but the confines of Boston society. If he was trying to shock her with his words, he had . . . succeeded, but she wasn’t about to show it.
“Is that right?” she asked haughtily, lifting her chin. “It seems to be a rather risky thing to do, considering a man takes such pride in his . . . anatomy.” The words were out before she had a chance to take them back. Her face flamed even more. He most certainly would have understood the implication of what she said. Had she really just made reference to his private parts? Lucy would have fainted from shock at hearing her say something as outrageous as what had just come out of her mouth.
Joseph’s eyebrows rose and disappeared beneath the hair that fell forward over his forehead. Then his lips widened in the most devilish smile she had ever seen, and her mouth went dry.
“My anatomy didn’t suffer any damage from those jaunts, Princess,” he whispered in a sultry tone, emphasizing her chosen word. He leaned toward her, his breath tickling her cheek. “It works just fine.”
“I’m sure it does.” She coughed, trying to clear the hitch in her voice. Breathing became an effort all of a sudden. Heat raced through her at his sensuous deep voice, and the suggestion of his teasing words. His eyes locked onto hers.
“Here’s the water, Joseph.” Caleb appeared out of nowhere, and Sophia scrambled several inches backwards. She breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time wished there hadn’t been an interruption to their game. The boy proudly held the canteen out for Joseph.
“Ladies first, Caleb.” Joseph nodded toward her, that wicked grin still on his face. “I think the fire’s warming her up. She looks like she needs a cool drink right now.”
Sophia glared at him, and she clamped her mouth shut. She waved the canteen away that Caleb shoved at her face. “I’m not thirsty,” she managed to say.
“The meat’s done.” Joseph reached for the skewer over the fire. “Any hotter, and it’ll start to burn.” He stared directly at her after he cut a large chunk off and handed it to her. His voice had deepened considerably. “Hungry?” His brows rose, and those midnight blue eyes of his sparkled with mischief.
“Famished,” Sophia answered, refusing to bow to his game. She smiled sweetly and licked her lips, then took what he offered. His fingers grazed her palm, and a jolt of awareness raced up her arm. If she pulled her hand away, he’d know how he affected her. Joseph held her gaze, his intense stare caressing her all over.
“Give some food to Caleb, Joseph,” she whispered. She’d never played such a dangerous game before, and her heart and mind were a jumble of mixed emotions. Was he simply toying with her, or could Joseph possibly harbor feelings for her? Sophia mentally shook her head. She’d thought Andrew was in love with her, too. Perhaps she should be more cautious.
Joseph pulled his hand away. He shifted his weight, and handed Caleb the rest of the bird.
“There’s more if you’re still hungry after you eat all this,” he said to the eager boy. Sophia’s heart went out to the child, whose eyes lit up like it was his birthday and he’d been given an extravagant gift. He tore into the meat, the grease glistening on his face in the late afternoon sun. Sophia sought Joseph’s eyes. The look of concern on his face surely matched her own.
Joseph stood from his place by the fire, and reached for the shirt he had left lying in the grass. He held his hand to a deep red gash just above the waistband of his buckskin britches. Startled at the sight of the wound, Sophia scrambled to her feet. She handed Caleb her share of the meat.
“When did you get hurt?” she asked, walking up beside Joseph, eyeing the injury. Dried blood splattered his britches.
Joseph glanced at the gash, then back at her. “In the river. It’s nothing.”
“It looks deep,” Sophia argued. “Please allow me to bandage that. You can’t leave an injury like that open to fester.”
Joseph’s eyes drifted over her face, surprise registering in his gaze. “What would you know about wounds and injuries, Princess?”
Sophia moved closer to him, which was probably a mistake. The warm, masculine scent of him drifted to her, and her pulse quickened. Tentatively, she reached her hand out to touch the area above his wound. He flinched, and she quickly moved her hand away.
Without looking at him, she said, “Another thing high society frowned upon besides my skin tone was my volunteer work at the charity hospital in Boston. I often helped the doctors with the sick and wounded patients that no one else wanted to treat. Comforting a sick child or a dying elderly person gave me a purpose. Something to do that was worthwhile.” She paused and stared up into his face. The wicked grin from earlier was gone. Dark stubble covered his lower jaw and ran up the sides of his face, and above his upper lip. His pulse beat strong along his neck.
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” he said quietly.
Sophia shook off the need to step closer to him, to touch him. She swallowed. “I can sacrifice one of my petticoats for bandages.” She turned on her heel and scrambled to the bushes where she’d discarded her clothes. She picked up one of her petticoats, fingered the soft cotton material for a moment, then tore away long strips, starting at the hem. She rolled up her makeshift bandages, and headed back to the fire.
Joseph shook the blanket he had draped over a tree branch earlier, and laid it out closer to the fire.
“It’ll be dry for you and the boy once the sun sets,” he said when she stepped up to him.
Her eyes shifted from the blanket to him. She looked at his wound, then back at his face. “It looks clean,” she said. “Please allow me to bandage it.” He nodded wordlessly, and she stepped up closer. �
�Hold still, and don’t fidget.”
Starting at the opposite side, she wrapped the bandage around his lower abdomen, covering the gash. Her fingers grazed the taut muscles of his torso, and each time she reached around his middle, it felt as if she embraced him. Joseph stood quietly with his arms held away from his sides. She didn’t have to look up at him to know that his eyes were on her. She worked quickly to finish her task, while at the same time wishing she could truly embrace him, and feel his arms close around her. Keeping her hands from trembling, she tore a length of the end of the bandage, and tied the strips in a knot.
Sophia stepped back to inspect her work, when his hand wrapped gently around her wrist. Startled, her head shot up to look him in the eyes.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Sophie,” Joseph said quietly. Sincerely. “If you hadn’t left the upper deck when you did, you’d be dead, too.”
She nodded slowly, fighting back the tears. The same thought had already entered her mind earlier.
“Do you want me to take you back to Boston?” The muscles along his jaw clenched and unclenched.
It was the last thing she expected him to ask, and the last thing she wanted to do.
“No.” She shook her head. “No. I chose to come with you. I’m not turning back.”
His hard features softened in apparent relief. “Then you’d best get some rest. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day.” He released her wrist, his fingers trailing down her palm, and turned back to the fire. Sophia expelled the breath she’d been holding and silently stared after him. Whatever it took, she was going to win this man’s heart.
****
Joseph stood in the dark, absently stroking his horse’s neck while the gelding cropped at the tall grasses growing along the riverbank. The dying fire a short distance away emitted a soft orange glow, while the last of the wood crackled in tune with the crickets and bugs that swarmed the water. Cast in the dim light’s shadow, he could just make out Sophie’s sleeping form on the ground. Once night had fallen, she’d huddled with Caleb under the blanket, and the two of them were soon sound asleep. No doubt the day’s events had left them both exhausted.
He ran his hand over the rough whiskers on his face. Sophie. She sure had surprised him today, more than she had over the course of the last couple of weeks he’d known her. He was usually a fair judge of character, but he had completely misread her from the beginning. A small part of her was still that spoiled, naive little rich girl he had pegged her as during those first few days he’d spent in Boston, because that’s how she’d been raised. But today she revealed a completely new side of herself. Just like she’d shed those layers of clothes, her true character was starting to emerge. And he liked it. A lot. More than he wanted to admit.
He’d been drawn to her since that first time she came gliding into her father’s study on the evening of his arrival in Boston. He still couldn’t explain his instant attraction to her. He’d seen beautiful women before but they’d never caused such a reaction in him. Without a fancy dress that hid her natural shape, and with her hair spilling loosely over her shoulders and down her back, she only looked more beautiful. His gut tightened at the memory of her kiss. Her sensual, playful exchange of words nearly drove him mad with want. If Caleb hadn’t returned with the water at that moment, Joseph knew without a doubt that he would have kissed her again.
Someone stirred under the blanket, and Joseph strained his eyes to see. Moments later, a tiny body stood just within the shadows of the fire’s soft glow. Joseph stepped behind his horse so as not to startle the boy should he be seen. Caleb remained where he was for a moment. He glanced quickly from side to side, then bolted for the bushes and disappeared into the darkness. Puzzled at the boy’s odd behavior, Joseph drew a hasty conclusion, and sprinted after him. It didn’t take much to catch the child, and he clamped his hand around Caleb’s mouth to prevent a scream while lifting him into the air.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Joseph asked quietly. He removed his hand from Caleb’s mouth to allow the boy to answer.
Squirming and kicking, Caleb fought like a cornered bear cub. “Let me go. Let me go,” he growled.
“I ain’t gonna hurt you,” Joseph said. “But I’d like to know why you feel the need to run away in the middle of the night.”
Caleb’s fist connected with Joseph’s injury. He muttered a curse then gripped the boy harder.
“Who are you running away from, Caleb?” Joseph demanded. He set the boy down, but clamped a hand around each tiny wrist, and knelt before him. “Maybe I can help you.”
“You’ll just send me back,” Caleb cried, pulling back as hard as he could. “I ain’t goin’ back.”
“Back where?” Joseph coaxed quietly. He applied just enough pressure to not hurt the boy without letting him escape. “I’m your friend, Caleb. Miss Sophie’s your friend. We wouldn’t want to do anything that would get you hurt. You know that.”
Caleb struggled and growled some more, then his body went limp. Joseph couldn’t see his face in the dark, but the boy’s quiet sobs and sniffles were a telltale sign that he was crying.
“You’re a brave boy, Caleb. If you’re scared of someone, I know it’s for a good reason,” Joseph said evenly. He’d already suspected throughout the day that the child was hiding something. For a seven or eight year old, he was extremely resourceful.
“You promise not to take me back if I tell you?” Caleb finally asked. His voice quivered.
“If you’re running away from home, there must be a reason.” Joseph weighed his words carefully. If Caleb was running from an abusive father, there was nothing he could do. There was no law against beating a child. Joseph clenched his jaw.
“I ran away from the Cincinnati Orphan Asylum,” Caleb whispered. “I ain’t got no home or family.”
Joseph’s chest tightened. His heart went out to the boy, and he pulled Caleb into his arms. For a second, the little body stood stiffly in his embrace, then he slumped against Joseph’s shoulders.
“The headmaster’s real mean. He takes us to work in the coal mines. If we can’t work, he doesn’t feed us, and sometimes we get a beating.” Caleb cried against his shoulder.
Joseph ran his hand up the boy’s back, and Caleb flinched. Anger consumed him. No child, or woman, should ever be beaten.
“You have my word that I won’t take you back there,” Joseph said, making a split-second decision. “But where are you gonna go? You can’t keep counting on nice ladies like Miss Sophie to rescue you every time you’re caught stealing.”
“I don’t care,” the boy shouted in anger. “I ain’t goin back there. I’d just as soon die first.”
Joseph inhaled sharply. There was only one thing he could offer this boy. “How’d you like to come with me?”
Caleb pulled out of his embrace. “With you? You’ll teach me to be a mountain man like you?”
“I’ll teach you the things I know,” Joseph said with a smile. The joy and hope in the boy’s voice reassured him that he was making the right decision.
“But what about Miss Sophie? Will she mind that I’m coming with you?”
“I bet she’ll be right happy to have you come along.” Joseph grinned. He wasn’t quite sure how his impulsive decision to take this boy home with him and raise him up would be received by his family, but his parents would support him and agree that letting the boy loose to fend for himself would have been the wrong thing to do. Taking him back to a place where he was abused wasn’t even an option.
Having the boy along also presented a solution to his other immediate problem. Caleb had already proven himself as a perfect buffer to control the impulse to kiss Sophie. They hadn’t even started their journey into the mountains, and Joseph’s desire for her grew with every moment he spent in her presence. If she were disagreeable, he’d have an easier time tempering his thoughts, but she’d played right along with him earlier, and seemed to have enjoyed the banter. If he wasn’t careful, Sophie could easily crawl un
der his skin in ways he wanted to avoid. She may want to escape Boston for a while, but an extravagant life was all she knew. Few people ventured into the mountains to stay. He had to be prepared to return her to Yancey come spring, and he would do so with his heart intact.
“Miss Sophie lost someone very close to her on that boat. She needs a new chaperone to get her to where we’re going.”
“What’s a chap . . . chaperone?”
“It’s someone who keeps another person safe and watches out for them,” Joseph explained patiently. “Most unwed ladies have chaperones when they travel.”
“Aren’t you her chaperone, then?”
Joseph laughed out loud. He stood and reached for the boy’s hand, leading him back to camp. “I’m thinking you’d be a much better man for the job than me, Caleb.”
Chapter Eleven
Sophia ran a trembling hand through her unkempt hair, and made another futile attempt to keep the sleeves of her dress from falling down past her shoulders. More self-conscious than she’d ever felt in her entire life, she stood just inside the entrance of the dry goods store Joseph ushered her through. This was worse than standing before him in only her unmentionables and his shirt. She wished now that she had stayed outside with the horses. Several shoppers turned and stared outright. A couple of women put their heads together, whispering loudly.
“I declare. What is this town coming to? The trash and filth is coming further and further into our city,” one tight-lipped woman said to the other, her icy glare on Sophia’s dress. “Why, we can’t even bring our children here anymore if they allow common saloon whores in our part of town, and now Indians, to boot.”
Joseph’s palm rested on her lower back, and the gentle pressure forced her to step fully into the store. His small, unexpected gesture gave her a sense of courage. Sophia turned her head away from the women, biting her lower lip. She glanced at the mirror on the wall to her right, and sucked in a deep breath. The person staring back at her was a stranger.
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