A Soft Kiss in Winter

by Lily Graison

  She shuddered at the memories and turned to look up the mountain. No one knew Gideon had killed a man other than her and she’d never tell a soul. As far as anyone was concerned, he’d chased those men away. She doubted anyone would go up there to check, so it was their word against a dead man’s.

  The crowd was murmuring again and she turned back to see what was happening. Morning Dove was now on her feet and wiping tears from her cheeks. She was turned in such a way her face was cast in partial shadow but what she could see of her was puzzling. It looked as if she was smiling but Victoria wouldn’t swear to it.

  Graham broke away a few minutes later and took her arm above the elbow and started back to the house. They were at the edge of town before the suspense was too much to bear. “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  She sighed. “Well, what happened?”

  His lip quirked up at one end, a mischievous look shining in his eyes. Maybe Rose Campbell was right. Graham could be an irritating man when he wanted to be.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Something about the man who shot Walter talking to Morning Dove and Walter ran his mouth, pulled a gun, and got himself shot in the process.”

  “Is he dead?”

  “No. Walter’s too dang ornery to die and as much as I dislike the man, I hope he doesn’t. There’s no reason someone should be punished for defending a woman. Walter isn’t kind to Morning Dove but there’s not a lot we can do about it. A man can treat his wife anyway he chooses.”

  She cringed at the thought. “They’re married?”

  “It wasn’t by choice, well, not on her part. I think she’s more captive than anything.”

  They reached the house and she stopped on the porch, looking back toward town. “What will happen to her?”

  “If I had to guess, I’d say she’ll use the opportunity that young man presented her to run as far and fast as she can and I hope like hell she makes it somewhere Walter can never find her.”

  Her thoughts went back to the man she’d seen with the gun. “Will the man who shot Walter go to jail if he dies?”

  Graham shook his head. “No. I’m not sure how they do things in Chicago but out here, justice is meted out pretty quickly. If he’s found guilty, he’ll hang for it.”

  He left her there on the porch, her stomach tying itself into knots as the face of the man Gideon had shot filled her head. Would Gideon hang if someone found out he’d killed him?

  She pushed the thought away. There was no use in thinking about it. No one would ever know. She’d never tell. Looking up the mountain, she sighed. Not that it mattered. Gideon couldn’t be arrested if he never came down off that mountain and as the second night she’d been here drew her closer to a new day, she was beginning to think he never would.

  Chapter 20

  He was sick of dried meat and pickled—anything, and his mouth was so dry he was certain he could spit sawdust if he tried.

  The two making themselves at home in his cabin were still burning up the firewood he’d cut and eating the reserve of food he had stored. The shelves were all but bare and as angry as he was, Gideon held his tongue and waited for them to open the door.

  There was little to be grateful for but those two allowing him trips to the outhouse at least gave him a few minutes to breathe fresh air and think. He’d been searching for anything to distract them long enough to get the upper hand but so far had only managed a beat down for trying. It wouldn’t happen today. After a week of being held prisoner in his own home, he was ready for them.

  The broken wooden leg he’d managed to get off the table without too much noise was held tightly in his right hand, his broken arm still tucked tight into his side. He was behind the stairs, standing in the dark and once they opened that door and he didn’t come out, one of them would come down to see why. Then, he was going to beat the living daylights out of the unlucky bastard who ventured down to see why he wasn’t there.

  Sweat dripped down into his eyes as he waited. He could hear them shuffling around and watched the shifting rays of light shining through the floorboards as they moved about the cabin. Dust fell near his head and he looked up, his pulse racing as he heard one of them remove the latch on the door, light spilling into the cellar as it was lifted. Gideon pressed his back against the wall, held as still as he could, and counted the seconds. It took nearly a minute for Hank to call out to him. He cursed his luck. Hank was twice the size of Amos and would be harder to take down, especially with a broken arm, but there was no turning back now.

  He blinked away sweat, his heart racing by the time Hank took the first step down the stairs. When both of his feet came into view, he swung the table leg around the stairs and tripped him.

  Hanks unmanly scream filled the cellar as Gideon raised the table leg, Hanks hard head his target. He jolted in shock when something upstairs banged against the wall seconds before an angry growl echoed through the cabin. Amos screaming like a frightened woman brought his head up. The small distraction was enough for Hank to kick Gideon’s feet out from under him and as he took a fist to the face, he turned his head to avoid the next blow.

  A knee to Hank’s gut distracted the man long enough Gideon rolled away, biting back a curse as his weight pressed against his broken arm. He crawled to his feet, dizzy from the pain but managed to turn and put the heel of his boot against the side of Hank’s head.

  He staggered, his vision swimming in and out of focus as the noise in the cabin grew. He was push back as someone jumped into the cellar and he sank to his knees and waited for the blows to come.

  They never did.

  Someone saying his name brought the room back into focus. His arm was throbbing with every beat of his heart and Graham’s face coming into view was puzzling. What was he doing here?

  “Did he bash your brains in?” Graham shook him hard enough to rattle his teeth before his gaze darted across his face, down the length of his body, then back up. He shook him again but not as hard as last time. “Gideon, snap out of it. We don’t have time for you to pass out. Open your eyes.”

  He blinked several times and waited for the fog in his brain to clear. When he could see properly, he shifted and regretted it. Graham grabbed his arm and he yelled. “It’s broken, don’t touch it.”

  Graham helped him stand and get up the cellar steps. He flung himself into one of the kitchen chairs, grabbed his aching head, and willed the pain away. He saw Amos lying face down near the cushioned chairs. Graham shut the front door and turned to him, a hard look in his eyes as he said, “Where’s Victoria?”

  Gideon froze. “What do you mean, where’s Victoria?” His heart thumped—hard. “Last time I saw her she was with you.”

  She was lost. Victoria turned in a full circle and tried to find the trail, her shoulders slumping when she still didn’t see it. How had she veered off track?

  Snow fell a bit heavier now than it had been and as she stood there thinking, she realized the fresh powder is what threw her off. She’d been following the tracks she’d found from when Graham led her down, but the further up she climbed, the harder they were to see. Now she couldn’t see them at all.

  The sound of rushing water echoed across the mountain and she followed it hoping to find the waterfall but as the day wore on, the more lost she became. Fear started to override rational thinking and she wasn’t sure if she should keep going up or try to go back down.

  She stopped again and turned in another full circle. “Why are you so foolish, Victoria!” She closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart. She’d debated on waking Graham and asking him to bring her but fear he’d say no had her leaving before the sun even rose. She’d dressed in layers, as many as she could get on, and found a pair of warm, fur-lined mittens in one of the cedar chests in Gideon’s room. The note she left on her pillow told Graham exactly what she had planned. She knew next to nothing about Graham but she hoped he was more like Gideon in ways other than just looks and was halfway up the mountain looking for
her.

  “Maybe I should wait here,” she said to no one. “He’d pass by eventually, wouldn’t he?”

  She bit her lip and studied her surroundings, searching for a spot that was open. A large tree stood a few feet away, the forest around it not as heavily wooded as where she was now.

  Crossing to it and lowering herself to the ground, she leaned back against it, closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the waterfall echo through the trees. Graham would find her soon, she was sure of it, and once he did, he’d take her to Gideon, then life could get back to the way it was—to her being in his arms, warm, cherished, and feeling loved.

  “Graham, where the hell is Victoria?”

  His brother let out a long breath and wiped a hand over his face. “I was hoping she was here.”

  “What?” He stood and braced one hip on the table. “Why would she be here?”

  Graham pointed an accusing finger at him and said, “this is all your fault,” before crossing the cabin and disappearing into the bedroom, coming back out a few moments later with one of his shirts. His brother was tight-lipped as he fashioned a shabby make-shift sling for his arm. When he was finished, he reached for his bearskin coat hanging on the nail by the door and tossed it at him. “Put that on and I hope like hell you’re able to walk without passing out because I don’t have time to look for Victoria and carry your ass while I do it.”

  He slipped the coat on, clenching his jaw when he bumped his arm. “What happened?

  Graham headed outside and Gideon followed, shutting the door behind him and heading down the steps while hooking the buttons on his coat, which wasn’t easy with one hand. Snow was falling. It was light enough he wasn’t too worried about it but as Graham crossed the stream, concern over Victoria caused anxiety enough to steal his breath.

  “She came looking for you.” Graham gave him a hard look before turning back to the trail. “She waited for you to come down the mountain and when you didn’t, she came up to get you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Graham scoffed. “Yeah, pretty damn sure. She’s not done much of anything for days but stand on the porch and stare at the mountain and I got to tell ya, if I would have found you just sitting in that cabin watching wood burn, I would have beat you as senseless as it looks like those two have done.”

  “Damn.” Gideon stopped walking. “We left those bastards laying in the cabin.”

  “You want to go back and get them or find the woman who braved this mountain alone to come get your sorry hide?”

  Gideon didn’t answer, just pushed past him down the trail. The two in the cabin would have to wait. Right now, Victoria was more important. “How long has she been gone?”

  “Since before dawn. I woke up just as the sun peeked over the mountain. When she never came out for breakfast, I went to check on her and found a note.” He scowled. “Would it have killed you to just come down the mountain?”

  A hot surge of anger shot through his veins. “I planned on it, only those two showed up before I could, so don’t give me any shit. I’ve been down in that cellar for days now, my arm is broke and I haven’t had a decent meal in close to a week. Save your lectures until after we find Victoria.”

  They didn’t speak again for close to an hour. The snow started falling harder and every minute that ticked by, the gnawing fear in Gideon’s gut grew.

  Splitting up, they each spanned out from the trail on either side in case she got off course. When the waterfall came into view, the fear was turning into full-blown terror.

  He stopped, stared at the waterfall and turned in a full circle, searching the area before yelling, “Victoria!” Her name carried down the mountain and he didn’t stop yelling it until he was hoarse, his throat raw.

  Graham’s voice echoed through the trees as he too yelled her name. Gideon scanned the area for a few more minutes, blinking away the falling snow. Shadows hung over the mountain. The sun was dipping behind the trees and they were running out of time. He started down again, searched for nearly an hour before he started back toward the trail. An unusual lump near the base of a tree caught his attention. He stopped, stared at it long moments, his heart skipping a beat when it moved. “Victoria.” Her name was a soft whisper as he ran. His body protested the quick movements, his arm throbbing when he dropped to his knees beside her.

  She was covered in snow, her face hidden from view by the hood on her cloak. “Victoria, can you hear me?” He pulled the hood away to look at her.

  He stood and turned, shouting, “Graham! I found her!” back up the mountain. Falling to his knees again, he cupped her cheek in his hand. “Victoria, wake up.” He kissed her brow, and held his lips against her skin for long moments. A few light shakes roused her, her eyes blinking open. “Hey, can you hear me?”

  She blinked sleepily and smiled before her eyes closed again. “Gideon, I—“

  “Don’t talk,” he said, pulling her into his chest. Knowing she was alert was enough for him at the moment. He yelled for Graham three more times before he saw him coming through the trees. When he reached them, Gideon searched her face, trying to reassure himself she was fine and the urge to kiss her was so strong it took his breath. He stood instead and took a step away from her. “Pick her up. I can’t carry her. My arm hurts without even touching it. There’s no way I could lift her.”

  “I d-d-don’t n-n-need to be c-c-carried.” Victoria blinked at both of them and tried to stand.

  Graham put a hand on her shoulder to keep her down and knelt by her side. “Can you feel all your toes and fingers?”

  “Yes. I-I-I think s-s-so. I feel fine.”

  She didn’t look fine. Her skin looked milky white, her lips were blue and her chattering teeth spoke of how cold she really was.

  Graham ignored her and scooped her from the ground as she complained about him doing so. The trek down the mountain was hard in the snow and dwindling light, but they made it to the bottom as the sky began to turn shades of orange, red and blue, the sun sinking below the distant mountains.

  “I’ll run fetch the doctor. Take her on home.” Gideon ran all the way to Silver Falls cradling his arm and never stopped until he reached Doc Tibbens door. The old man was past the age of most reliable doctors, but he was all Silver Falls had at the moment.

  Gideon helped him get his horse harnessed to the buggy best he could with one arm and ignored every curious eye that looked his way as he crawled up beside the doctor and they headed back across town. The townsfolk could look all they liked. He would have walked through the fires of hell at the moment if it meant getting Victoria the help she needed.

  Reaching the house, he jumped to the ground and ran around to the other side, raising his good arm to steady the old man as he stepped down, then waited impatiently as he slowly made his way to the house.

  Gideon pushed his way past him when Graham came out of his bedroom. Victoria was lying on the bed, her teeth still chattering.

  Doc Tibbens came inside the room and ordered him out. Gideon protested but it did little good. He was ushered out of the room, the door shut firmly in his face.

  Chapter 21

  Doctor Tibbens looked old enough to be her grandfather. He was short and slightly hunched over. His hair was shockingly white and he carried a little more weight than he should. Victoria smiled at him as he pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down.

  “Now then,” he said as he settled. “Let’s have a look at you.” He grabbed her hands and looked at them, turning them over before examining each finger. “Any numbness?”

  “No. My toes are tingling, though.”

  “That’s probably due to the fact you’re not out in the cold any longer.” He turned and removed her boots, felt both her feet, wiggled all her toes, then pulled the blanket at the end of the bed over them. “I can get a better look at you without all these clothes on but I’ll be truthful and tell you it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a pretty girl in her shift. I’m not sure my heart can take it.�
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  She was shocked by his bold statement until she saw him grin as he turned to his bag. She laughed when he turned back to face her and winked.

  “Anything under all those clothes I should be aware of? Anything hurt or feel abnormally cold or numb?”

  “No. Other than an upset stomach the past few days, I feel fine.”

  “Something you ate?”

  “No, I’ve not had much of an appetite.” Worrying over Gideon hadn’t given her enough time to be hungry.

  “Hmm. Any chance you’re carrying?”

  She squinted. “Carrying?”

  “A child. Are you expecting?”

  The words stole the breath from her lungs. Her hand dropped to her stomach as the word, baby, screamed through her head. Could she be?

  “I can see by your reaction there’s a possibility. It’s not my place to get into anyone’s business so I’ll not ask for particular’s. I can check if you want to be sure.”

  She’d been married to Thomas for two months and never conceived. Surely spending a week in Gideon’s bed hadn’t been enough for her too. Although, the two months she’d spent with Thomas were nothing compared to what she’d shared with Gideon. He’d been insatiable. They’d spent more time naked and curled up around each other in his bed than they spent out of it so yes, it was possible.

  Meeting Doctor Tibbens gaze, she nodded. “I hope your heart can handle that.”

  He laughed as he started rolling up his sleeves. “I’ll do my best to not keel over.”

  The ticking of the clock was an incessant noise buzzing in his ear. Gideon paced the floor as he waited for the doctor to finish checking Victoria over. Every horrifying scenario he could think of happening to her up there on the mountain played in his head as he waited. Every one of those things took her from him. And every one of them scared the devil right out of him.

  He should have never let her go. He should have followed her all the way down instead of going back, but he’d stayed on that mountain so damn long, leaving was hard. Even when Graham forced him to come down during the winter he waited until the last possible moment. Alone on that mountain, he couldn’t cause anyone harm. He deserved to be alone. He lived up there with his guilt and shame and was fine with doing so. He had nothing left for him here in town anyway, but seeing Victoria in his too tiny bed, half frozen because of him, gave him every reason to stay. If this was where she was, then he wanted to be here with her.