by Lily Graison
Now his brother got the privilege of doing that while he sat up the hill watching them from the cover of trees he hid beneath.
He looked behind him, back up the trail he’d used to get here. He should go back, head to the cabin and forget all about Victoria Stanford and live the rest of his life as he had been.
Which was what? Alone and miserable?
He scowled and clenched his jaw tight. What was he supposed to do? If he told her about Nora, she’d run screaming as far and as fast as she could. If he said nothing, she’d get to Silver Falls and catch the first ride out of town. He lost either way. Letting her go now would at least spare him the look in her eyes when she found out what he’d done. As much as it hurt him to see her go, he didn’t have a choice. She’d leave him in the end, anyway.
Victoria’s pulse was racing. Did she want to know about Nora? Part of her did, the other part told her to not listen to a word. “Gideon never told me about her but he did call out to her when his fever was raging. When he recovered, I never asked.”
“Nora was our sister. She was fourteen when she died.”
Her heart clenched tight. She’d wondered since the night Gideon first uttered Nora’s name who she was and not once had she thought she may have been a sister. Jealousy of the unknown woman had always painted a picture in her mind of some long lost lover. Now, guilt filled her to the bone at the unfriendly thoughts she’d had about the poor girl.
“Trapping and selling hides is about all we know how to do. Our pa used to bring Gideon and I up here and taught us all about the trade. When our parents took ill and died, Gideon and I kept doing it to help feed us. We had Nora to raise so we would take turns coming up the mountain so one of us was always home with her. We’d stay a month or two then come down, and the other would go up.
“Gideon was taking his turn at staying home to care for Nora. Our house is on the outskirts of town. There’s not another house within shouting distance so we’re a bit isolated. Anyway, a couple of men showed up when Gideon was out behind the house.” He looked away and drew a deep breath. “They broke in and were taking turns—“
He paused but she knew where the story was going. “You don’t have to say it aloud. I think I know what you mean.”
He gave her a grateful smile and nodded his head. “Gideon ran in when he heard her screaming. He managed to stop them from touching her but during the fight, a lantern was knocked over and the house went up. The men ran off and Gideon couldn't get to Nora. She died in the fire and he blames himself for it. That was six years ago. He’s been up on this mountain alone ever since. When he does come home, he stays on the property. Never goes to town, never speaks to anyone but me. He’s completely isolated himself and he can’t live like that forever. That’s not living, it’s simply—existing.”
Victoria frowned. “I’m not following,” she said. “Why would an accident make him stay away from others? Or want to live up here by himself?”
Graham chuckled. “That’s a good question.” He inhaled a deep breath and let it out. “I’ve been asking myself the same thing for years and asking Gideon is useless. He refuses to talk about that night, even after all this time.” He grew silent and stared at the waterfall for long minutes before shaking his head and continuing, his voice pitched low and solemn. “I honestly believe he doesn’t think he deserves to live after what happened to Nora. He’s punishing himself for an accident and nothing I say has ever changed his mind about it. He’s eat up with guilt and I’m not sure he’ll ever see himself as worthy enough to come down and live like normal folks do. It makes little sense to me the way he’s shut himself off but I guess this is his way to atone for what he thinks he did. If Nora can’t be happy and have a life, then why should he?”
Her heart ached. She glanced up the mountain, the desire to go back up and find Gideon strong. Why had he not told her? Why had he gotten angry and pushed her away instead of telling her what happened? Why did he isolate himself for something that wasn’t his fault?
“If I had to guess,” Graham said, “I figure he got scared and thought you’d think less of him if you knew what happened.”
He gave her a peculiar look. Was he waiting for her to confirm what Gideon thought? That she saw him differently because of some tragedy he had no control over? Anger surged hot through her veins that Graham would have the audacity to think such a thing of her. He knew nothing about her. “You can stop looking at me that way. I can assure you, I don’t share in Gideon’s misguided thoughts of me. After hearing what happened, he’s still the same man he was when I woke this morning. That’s not changed.”
Graham gave her a smile that lit his eyes before he stood. “Let’s get a move on. We’re wasting daylight sitting her chattering away like magpies.” He shouldered his bag and raised an eyebrow at her. “Unless of course, you’d like to go back up the mountain.”
Did she? A glance up the trail they’d come down left her confused. Her heart was screaming to go back, to not stop running until she was inside the cabin again, wrapped in Gideon’s arms. But the rational part of her brain told her to keep going. To get to town and wire her parents to let them know she was all right. They deserved that much at least. If it was as late in the year as Gideon said it was, then it would soon be too late to leave at all and if Gideon didn’t want to pursue things with her any further, she’d be stuck in Silver Falls with no way to support herself.
She chewed her bottom lip. Regardless of what she wanted to do, she had no choice but to keep going. Besides, what was the point in staying if it meant she’d have to do so without Gideon? If he wasn’t a part of her life, there was no reason to remain.
Chapter 18
Silver Falls looked like every other small town she’d traveled through on her way out west except the view from town was unrivaled by anything she’d seen to date.
Looking up the snowy mountain from her spot in front of the local mercantile gave her an incredible view of the waterfall. She could still see it and if she concentrated hard enough, she would swear she could hear the roar of rushing water drifting on the breeze.
Graham lowered his pack to the wooden sidewalk beside her. “You can send a wire from the store. It’ll take it a bit longer to get where it’s going from way up here but it’ll get there all the same.”
“Thank you.” She hoped he knew how grateful she was for his help because she was too tired to say much else.
“I’ve got some business inside so I’ll meet you in there.”
He left her on the sidewalk when he went inside the store. The sun was sinking below the mountain, dark shadows creeping over the tiny town and as she stood there, she realized she had no idea what she’d do between now and the time her parents sent money enough for her to go home. Where was she supposed to stay? How would she eat? What if her parents refused to help her and she was stranded here? Tears burned the back of her eyes as panic set in. Why hadn’t she thought this far ahead? How could she have been so stupid?
Images of Gideon filled her mind and she realized how much she’d depended on him over the last several weeks. He’d taken care of her, kept her safe and warm and fed and she’d not once thanked him. She’d taken every day for granted. Most every day of her life was taken for granted. Someone was always there to pick up the pieces for her, to make sure she survived and for the first time in her life, she had no one to depend on but herself. She’d been called a spoiled, foolish girl more than once and for the first time, she believed all those snide remarks. She was a foolish girl. She was stuck in a town full of strangers with nowhere to sleep, nothing to eat, and no money to acquire either one.
“One problem at a time, Victoria.” She inhaled a deep breath and went inside the store. Like most she’d seen, tables filled with goods lined the walls. Bins and baskets held an assortment of items, shelves behind the long counter to her left were filled with canned goods and small boxes and bins of foodstuff sat along the top.
Two women were behind the counter, bo
th looked older than her own nineteen years. She saw Graham, both hands flat against the counter, a redhead woman scowling at him from the other side. They seemed to be in some sort of argument if the look on their faces was any indication.
She entered the store fully, skirting around a potbelly stove in the middle of the floor. The heat felt like heaven so she stopped a few moments to warm herself. A table of newspapers and periodicals caught her attention, one paper in particular. The Matrimonial News. She left the warmth of the stove and picked it up. It was full of mail-order bride advertisements.
Man seeking a wife. I am fair, fat and 33. Looking for a lady no older than 30. Can be fat, but I do request she be fair of face. I don't want to look at no ugly woman.
* * *
Montana rancher in need of a good woman to help manage growing horse ranch. Must be faithful and hearty enough for harsh winters and hips wide enough to birth healthy sons. Being a good cook is a plus, as is being fair of face. No former whores need apply.
* * *
Victoria read several more ads, laughing at some of the more outrageous ones, and looked up when she noticed someone reading over her shoulder.
“Well, don’t move the paper, lass, I wasna finished.”
The accent should have been what drew her attention but it was his appearance that made Victoria’s eyes widen. His hair stuck up at odd angles in the prettiest silver color she’d ever seen. His chin was strong, his nose straight, but it was his clothing that drew her gaze. There was what looked like a large sword hanging from a belt around his waist but it was the rest of his attire that stunned her. He noticed her staring, his brows lowering over his eyes. She smiled and hoped he forgave her for being so rude. “I’m sorry. You shocked me a bit.” She ran her gaze over him again and shook her head. “I didn’t realize men out west wore skirts.”
“Skirts?” His face turned red as he stepped away from her and drew his shoulders back, his hands braced on his hips. “A skirt! Och, lass, I’ll have ya know this here is a kilt. You’ll not be finding a Campbell man wearing some frippery garment made of silk and lace. This here is the best highland tartan you’ll ever find.”
“Tartan?”
“Aye.” He grabbed a bit of the material he swore wasn’t a skirt—but seeing his knees sure made it looked like one—and pulled it away from his body far enough to see the lines of blue and green checks throughout the cloth. “The tartan shows your clan colors, you see. It’s how you’d know who your clan’s enemies were with a single glance across a battlefield. You didn’t want to be killing the wrong man.” He let go of the material and fussed with the pleats near the waist. “You’ll not find a better-looking tartan than this, either, lass. This here is the Campbell tartan and the Campbells are the finest clan in all of Scotland! We were fierce warriors! Why my ancestors used to run into battle…”
He kept talking and Victoria’s anxiety upon entering the store began to ease as she listened. His accent was one she’d never heard before and as loud and brash as the old man was, she found herself enthralled as she listened to him give her a history lesson about his highland ancestors and the bloody red coat bastards who slaughtered them. His accent was so thick, she didn’t catch every word he said but she smiled and listened all the same.
“Grandda, I can hear you shouting clean across the store.”
One of the young ladies from behind the counter stepped into her line of sight. She was smiling and grabbed the old man by the arm. “You’ll have to forgive him,” the girl said. “Once he gets to talking about Scotland, it’s hard to get him to stop.”
“There’s no finer land in all the world than Scotland and you well know it.”
“Aye, grandda, I do. Are you not supposed to be at home? Daisy will be waiting on ya.”
“I was gonna go but the lass here is new.” He smiled, merriment twinkling in his eyes. “I’ve not seen her ‘round here afore.”
“Oh, that’s because I’ve just arrived.” Victoria smiled and looked for Graham. He was still arguing with the redhead at the counter. “Graham escorted me down the mountain. I came in to send a telegraph.”
“A telegraph? That blasted contraption stopped working three days ago.” The old man gave her a peculiar look, his eyes squinting. “What were ya doing on the side of the mountain?”
“It’s a long story.”
He puffed up his chest. “Well, at my age I donna have anything but time.”
The girl gave a heavy sigh. “Not tonight, grandda. Daisy is at home waiting for ya. Now go before Rose sees you still in here. She’s got enough on her mind without worrying about you as well. Besides, I saw Ester headed this way. ”
The old man’s eyes widened before he looked at her, said a quick goodbye, and hurried out of the store, the girl grinning as she watched him go. “I hope he wasn’t too much of a bother,” she said. “He can’t keep still so he wanders through town a bit too much.”
Victoria chuckled. “Oh, he wasn’t a bother at all. He was exactly the sort of distraction I needed. It took my mind off pressing matters, if only for a few minutes.”
The girl looked at the paper she still held. “Looking for a husband?”
She felt her cheeks flush. “Not exactly.” She set the paper down. “But if I can’t get in touch with my parents soon—” She let the sentence dangle, afraid to voice the fear she’d be left here alone. She’d upset Gideon to the point he’d all but ignored her. What if her parents turned a cold shoulder to her as well? Pushing the thought aside, she eyed the girl and tried to smile. “Was your grandfather correct when saying the telegraph wasn’t working?”
“I’m afraid so. One of the lines went down and it’ll take a while to get it fixed. The stagecoach doesn’t come up this far but every two weeks so we have no way of letting anyone know unless someone rides down to tell them at the next station.”
“I see.” The last of her energy drained at the girl’s words. She was so tired and heartsick, and when she turned to look at the counter and saw Graham was no longer there, scared. What did she do now?
“Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Victoria gave the girl a shake of her head. “No, thank you. I can manage.” She left the store and looked down the dirt road that cut through town. There wasn’t much in Silver Falls but there were enough people to let her know it thrived.
She didn’t see Graham’s pack, nor him for that matter, not that she expected to. All she’d asked of him was to escort her down the mountain, not assume responsibility for her welfare. She was a grown woman and had no one to rely on now but herself.
Sitting on the bench in front of the mercantile, she unhooked her cloak, removed the satchel of clothes she’d been carrying, and pulled her cloak back around her. Since the telegraph was broken, she needed a new plan. What that might be she had no idea.
A few passerby’s looked her way, some tipping their hats, others ignoring her completely. Deep shadows had crawled over the mountain while she’d been inside the store. A few stars glittered in the sky and she sat there, dusk bathing the town in darkness, until the small businesses in town closed, one by one the lights inside the windows going dim before winking out completely. She didn’t make eye contact with anyone as the last of the customers left the store and kept her head down until the redhead she’d seen talking with Graham, and the young girl she’d talked to earlier, stepped out onto the wooden sidewalk.
Both of them looked her way before stopping. The young girl smiled. “Hello, again.”
Victoria returned the greeting. “Hello to you as well.”
The girls exchanged a glance. “I’m Violet,” the younger of the two said. “And this is my sister, Rose.”
“It’s nice to meet you both.”
Rose glanced up and down the sidewalk before turning back and exchanging a glance with Violet. “Are you waiting on someone?”
Victoria’s stomach gave a tight cramp, the word, “no,” on the tip of her tongue as Graham jumped up on t
he sidewalk.
“She’s with me,” he said, reaching out to grab her hand before pulling her to her feet.
Violet’s eyes widened as Rose curled her lip, her eyebrows lowering as she said, “With you?” She looked astonished. “What woman in her right mind would willingly go anywhere with you?”
“A woman smart enough to know a good man when she sees one.”
Rose snorted. “Where is this good man you speak of?”
Graham didn’t reply. He wrapped Victoria’s hand around his arm. “Ready to go home?”
“Home?” Rose replied. She raised an eyebrow. “You’re staying with Graham?”
Victoria bit her lip. “Umm, yes?”
Violet’s eyebrows climbed higher. “Alone?”
“I can’t let her sleep on the street, now can I, ladies.” Graham shook his head. “Don’t you busy-bodies have an old man to tend to?” He threw them both a glare and walked off without another word.
Victoria followed along quietly until the wooden sidewalk ended. “That was rather rude of you”
He snorted a laugh and guided her down the road away from town. “No, it wasn’t. Not when directed at Rose. She would drive a saint to sin.” He took the satchel from her and closed one large fist around the strap. “I’m sorry I left you but I wanted to ring Rose’s neck so I had to get out of there before I was tempted enough to actually do it this time.” He shook his head. “I’ve never met a more irritating woman in all my life.”
Victoria listened to him list all of Rose Campbell’s faults that ranged from her fiery red hair to the smug up-tilt of her nose. Her gaze turned to the mountain as he rambled. Her thoughts strayed to Gideon, wondering what he was doing and she wished he would have come down with them. Or she would have stayed. There hadn’t been a reason for her to leave so quickly. She’d just been hurt and looking for a way to end the pain. Now, she would endure it just to be able to see him.