Savage storm

by Conn, Phoebe

  "I am being paid to escort you to Oregon City, Gabrielle, not to seduce you along the way," Jason pointed out with a grin. ''But I told him nothing, and if he makes the mistake of discussing the subject with you, which I think he has the good

  sense not to do, you must admit nothing either/'

  "I see/' Gabrielle replied as she combed her fingers through her tangled hair, but her features were set in a determined frown which clearly showed her mood. "What would happen if I told him the truth, Jason?*'

  "That is not a consequence upon which I care to speculate, my dear. We must be more careful, that is all . . . perhaps meet only when I am on guard duty. You can slip away to meet me."

  "You would be satisfied with that?" she asked pointedly, not understanding why deception was so important to him when she longed to tell everyone who would listen how dearly she'd come to love him.

  Jason climbed into his saddle and jammed his hat down upon his newly trimmed curls as he replied. "No, of course not, but it is the way it will have to be."

  Gabrielle turned Sunny toward the path they'd taken. "Perhaps it would be best if we avoided each other entirely then, Jason."

  "You can't mean that!" Jason argued as he drew alongside her.

  Gabrielle was silent for several moments then she turned to face him squarely. "Yes. I do mean it. I think we should end this now, Jason, if the risk of a scandal scares you so greatly."

  "Damn it! I am not afraid! It is you I must consider, your reputation, your future. Don't you understand that?" He angrily pointed out what seemed obvious to him.

  Lifting her chin proudly, Gabrielle made up her mind. "Well, if you are saying the choice is mine, then our brief affair is over, for I'll not live the blatant lie you are offering."

  "What else would you have me do, Gabrielle?" Jason demanded harshly. "Tell me what other choice we have and I will gladly seize it!"

  "If the answer is not obvious to you, I will never speak it. Now good day, Mr. Royal, and goodbye." Knowing he could never catch her, Gabrielle turned Sunny toward the approaching wagon train and dug her heels sharply into his sides. The

  red stallion responded with an energetic leap forward, leaving Jason swearing angrily in a cloud of dust as thick as his confusion over Gabrielle's behavior.

  Jason screamed every obscenity he'd ever heard and then came up with a few original terms to describe the torment Gabrielle continually caused him. What in heaven's name did the woman want from him that he hadn't promised in the most definite way a man can? He had found her slender body so easy to tame, but her spirit defied him still. The emotions which he'd thought he'd transmitted so forcefully apparently had left her untouched, still he was even more determined to make her understand she was his woman alone.

  "You are mine, Gabrielle MacLaren, mine!" he shouted angrily, although he knew she could not possibly hear that desperate vow.

  But by the time he returned to the wagon train late that afternoon, he had adopted a far more logical attitude. He would not beg, or plead. He'd not even speak to the woman who'd simply plucked his heart from his chest and trampled it beneath her tiny feet. He'd wait until she asked him to take her back into his arms. He had plenty of time. He could wait, perhaps not patiently, but—damn it!—he could wait.

  The weather had become close and sultry, oppressively warm, and Gabrielle's mood was no better than Jason's when they reached the point at which he wished to ford the Platte. The wagons first had to be unloaded so their beds could be waterproofed with the green buffalo hides to prevent them from being flooded, their contents ruined, and the vehicle sunk under the incoming water's weight. When reloaded, the oxen were double-teamed to draw the first wagon to the river's edge. Jason then rode across to gauge the depth of the water and the condition of the river bed before he returned to give the order for the first wagon to roll. On the sandy soil of the riverbank, the water barely lapped over the oxen's hooves, but as they

  moved out into the Platte the water deepened, the swiftness of the current swelling up around the beasts' flanks and carrying them along until they slipped repeatedly. Losing their footing, they seemed to float in the middle of the wide river, but the drivers and men on horseback urged the teams on until the waters grew shallow again and the oxen could pull the wagon onto the far shore. A joyous shout of triumph went up as each wagon forded the perilous river safely. Slowly, the line of wagons approached the river, as the travelers, who had crossed, wet and weary, gradually reassembled on the other side to await those who still had to ford the waters.

  Jason lost count of how many times he'd traversed the swiftly rushing waters of the river, but whenever a man appeared hesitant to begin the crossing he was there to offer encouragement. Likewise, if the animals slipped in the slimy mud and grew panic-stricken, he and Duke were there to haul them to their feet and send them on their way. He was a tireless leader, but when Clayton came to his side he had little time to offer advice for their twenty-one charming charges.

  'The women are safer on horseback. Clay, just let them ride across and they will be fine. I have no time to hold their hands while they do it!" He returned to the water then, because another team was moving too slowly and needed his help.

  The first of the brides' wagons made the crossing without incident, two of the seven young women choosing to ride with their driver while the others rode upon their usual mounts. The second wagon was not so fortunate. In midstream the wheels caught, the mud providing too slippery a footing for the oxen to pull it free.

  Gabrielle stood on the riverbank, her apprehension growing rapidly as she watched the drama unfold upon the water. Along the shores of the river were scattered the half-buried remains of countless pieces of furniture, family heirlooms which had been sacrificed to lighten other wagons that had encountered similiar disastrous crossings. But this wagon contained only the trunks of clothing and the provisions for its seven female

  passengers. No heavy pieces of furniture could now be cast aside to lessen the load upon the wheels. At least one of the young women had chosen to ride across with the driver, but Gabrielle did not recall who she had been. She now hoped the woman in the wagon was a calm soul who would not become so frightened by the wagon's plight that she might topple into the fast flowing water and be swept away. Clayton rode out into the river to help Jason, both men encouraging the oxen and helping to pull the wagon free. At last they succeeded in encouraging the oxen to exert themselves. The wagon wheels began to turn again, and slowly the wooden vehicle drew closer to the far shore, another successful crossing assured.

  Dripping wet, Jason was still standing on the opposite bank when Gabrielle's wagon reached the water. He considered Paul to be the best of the three drivers, and he had no doubt the diminutive man could make the crossing safely. His gaze was not focused upon Paul but on the women following in their wagon's wake. Gabrielle was on the riverbank, obviously offering the encouragement the other women needed to begin riding their horses across. He could not hear her helpful comments, but her friendly advice seemed to be gratefully taken as one woman after another urged her mount into the water and with a firm hand on the reins forced the animal to carry her across.

  When Gabrielle alone remained behind, Jason realized he'd been a fool not to consider how reticent Sunrise would be to enter the water after his terrifying brush with death. Horses have a long memory, and once the stallion had associated the river with the danger of quicksand he was sure to balk at entering it again. As Jason should have been able to predict, the horse planted all four of his feet firmly in the sand and refused to take the first step into the swirling waters of the Platte. When Gabrielle began to strike his rump with the ends of the reins, the outraged horse reared up on his hind legs, his forelegs pawing the air. For a moment he seemed suspended in air, frozen in time. A shout of alarm escaped Jason's throat. He

  was certain the terrified animal was going to throw Gabrielle or crush her beneath him when he lost his balance and fell backward upon her, yet from wher
e he stood, the conscientious wagon master could do nothing to save her.

  Gabrielle threw herself forward, and though her weight was slight compared to that of her magnificent mount, the shift in balance was enough to bring the stallion down upon his feet once again. She slipped from his back then, shaking her fist in his face as she tossed the reins over his head and started walking into the river. If Sunny would not carry her across willingly, then she would shame him into making the ford by leading him across, for she could see no other alternative and she'd not leave him behind.

  Jason could not believe his eyes. His joy that Gabrielle had escaped being badly injured or crushed to death turned swiftly to horror as he saw her step into the water. An ox could walk through the swiftly flowing river, as could a horse or mule, but no man could possibly make the journey on foot. Most definitely a slightly built woman like Gabrielle could not. She knew how dangerous the river was, yet she was moving right out into it as if she were leading Sunny into a barn for a tasty meal of oats. Furious, Jason got back up into his saddle and, digging his heels into Duke's sides, forced his mount back into the water, but he feared their progress would be far too slow for him to reach Gabrielle in time. He waved and shouted to her to turn back, but she did not hear him or did not understand his frantic call. She kept right on walking out into the river, the water now at her knees and rising rapidly.

  "If you won't walk, then you can swim; but—damn it—you are coming across with me!" Gabrielle yelled at Sunny, her hold firm on the stallion's bridle as she yanked his head sharply to gain his attention. "You are no coward. Now come!" She waded out into the water, coaxing the horse along and never once glancing up to see the commotion her action was causing on the opposite shore. Sunrise folded his ears tightly back against his head to show his displeasure, but he loved his

  mistress too dearly to disobey, even a command which frightened him as greatly as this one did. He took one step into the river, and finding it possible to again lift his foot, he took another tentative step, slowly following Gabrielle's lead.

  Clayton's heart leaped to his throat as he realized why Jason had dashed back into the turbulent river. He'd given the young women what he'd thought were clear instructions, but obviously he had overlooked the most important point: that it was impossible for them to swim across the wide river. Now there was Gabrielle MacLaren clearly attempting such a ridiculous feat and he knew exactly what would happen to her. She'd drown. That was all that could possibly happen to her. She'd be swept away when she neared the center of the river and the treacherous current caught her in its grasp. Powerless to avert the tragedy he watched Jason plunge ahead, but time was against him. Not wanting to see such a lovely creature meet such a senseless death, Clayton turned away as his eyes filled with the hot sting of tears.

  Gabrielle pulled herself onto Sunny's back as soon as she'd managed to restore his confidence in his ability to navigate the river. She had no fear that he couldn't manage to cross it when beasts as large and plodding as oxen could do it successfully, to say nothing of the smaller horses the other girls had ridden across. Sunny snorted derisively, tossing his long wet mane in his mistress' face, but she ignored his ill humor and forced him with a few well-placed kicks to continue his halting effort toward the opposite shore.

  By the time he reached Gabrielle, Jason could scarcely see through the red filter of rage which had descended before his eyes. He yanked Sunny's reins from her hands and then turned Duke around so the buckskin horse could lead the roan stallion through the river. When they finally made it across the wide expanse of the perilous river, he leaped from Duke's back and, plucking the startled beauty from Sunny's saddle, carried her over to a large boulder where he sat down. Turning her across his knee he began to spank her, releasing the fury he could no

  longer contain.

  "That was the single most needless risk I have ever seen anyone take and I told you what would happen the next time you behaved like a child!"

  Gabrielle's clothing was soaked with water and provided such adequate padding she felt not a twinge of the pain Jason was trying so mightily to inflict on her. She did not even understand why he was mad, let alone why he felt this public whipping was appropriate punishment. All around them curious onlookers had gathered to stare and laugh, greatly amused by the unexpected spectacle. A few went so far as to call encouragement to the young man, but none came forward to demand he stop. When Jason's fit of temper was at last spent, he released Gabrielle and stood up to place her gently upon her feet. She turned on him then with a fiery burst of anger. Rather than shout so those still chuckling at her could overhear, she whispered, making her words all the more threatening. "Why you would wish to humiliate me so rudely I will never understand, but you've humiliated only yourself with that shocking display of brutality! I would have expected as much from the likes of Sam Duffy, never from you!"

  Jason grabbed her elbow as she turned away, not about to let Gabrielle have the last word. "Damn it! You could have drowned trying to lead Sunny across the river, and you knew it!" he shouted, livid to think she was pretending such innocence when she'd known exactly what she was risking.

  Gabrielle's eyes glowed with the purple fire Jason recognized instantly. "And you were so devastated by that prospect, so concerned for my welfare that you came after me so you could treat me as badly as this?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "That is the way a man treats a woman he despises, Mr. Royal, not one he wishes to protect."

  "It would take an army to protect you adequately!" he declared. Then, realizing by the snickers his outburst evoked that they were merely providing entertainment rather than settling the issue, he walked over to Sunny and, grabbing his

  reins, climbed wearily into the saddle. "I will teach this horse how to cross this damn river, and when I return him to you he will be a most obedient mount!" With that promise he jabbed his heels into the stallion's red hide and rode him back out into the river. For the rest of the afternoon he used Sunny's strength to guide others across, but Gabrielle did not remain to watch for she was certain the arrogant Jason Royal had no more lessons either she or her horse wished to learn.

  Once the Platte had been crossed, the next major goal was Fort Laramie which the wagon train could be expected to reach in approximately three weeks' time. Deep ravines marred the barren landscape as the wjigons followed the bank of the Northern branch of the Platte River, and only an occasional violent rainstorm brought any change in the monotony of the travelers' days. Prairie dog burrows were so numerous Gabrielle dared not allow Sunny to risk a gait faster than a walk for fear he'd stumble and be seriously injured. The horse was her most prized possession, a link to both the past and the future, and now that Jason had failed her so greatly, the horse was the only living creature she could trust.

  There seemed to be few among the emigrants who'd not seen the wagon master spank her as if she were a naughty child. Gabrielle thought his motive less one of fear for her safety than a desire for revenge and she did not intend to forgive him for it. Her true friends had been as appalled as she by Jason's insensitivity while Iris had simply gloated, certain Gabrielle had deserved that beating for a long time.

  The strain of the tiresome journey had made tempers short, and Gabrielle found herself unable to watch Jason pass by without a wave of despair overtaking her and filling her throat with a scream of protest she was doomed never to utter. He'd begun to grow a beard, but while that altered his appearance slightly, it did nothing to detract from his finely chiseled features. She knew she was fooling only herself for she loved him still. She wondered if she'd been no more than an amusing diversion to him, a pretty young woman who'd provided the

  affection he'd craved while he'd given her nothing of himself in return. She had no sweet love letters, no rosebud to preserve in one of her books of poetry, no gifts of any kind to keep as souvenirs of the splendor they'd shared. His glance was cold now when they chanced to meet, with no hint of the tenderness she knew him to possess. No. He'
d given her nothing but anew layer of pain to wrap around a broken heart. Yet, one night when Iris began to talk about Jason, she found herself unable to walk away.

  **Have you seen the way Christina talks to Mr. Royal? She nearly drools all over him, her flirtation is so obvious."

  Confused, Margaret inquired shyly, ''Which girl is she? I can't seem to keep the others' names straight in my mind for some reason."

  "She's that little blonde with the high squeaky voice. *0h, Mr. Royal, you're so big and strong, won't you please lift my trunk for me?'" Iris imitated the young woman with surprising accuracy. **V\ just bet she's lifting her skirt for him!"

  "Iris!" Johanna protested sharply. "Must you be so common?" As usual she'd been reading her Bible while the light was still good, but unable to help overhearing what had been said, she felt it was her duty to remind Iris to be more ladylike in her conversation.

  "Don't you call me common!" Iris snapped right back. "She's the one who plans to catch that man with the oldest ploy a woman has ever used on a man."

  "What's that?" Margaret whispered anxiously, her brown eyes alight with curiosity for she found Iris' sophisticated comments fascinating as did several of the others seated nearby. They had little enough excitement to fill their days and the possibility of a scandal was enormously appealing.

  "She'll tell him she's pregnant, of course," Iris explained sarcastically, as if that point were too obvious to merit discussion.

  "Oh," Margaret replied with a nervous swallow, "Do you really think she'd stoop that low?"

  "rm sure of it, unless someone else beats her to it."

  Gabrielle had heard enough. ''Iris, let's talk about something else, any other topic but your imaginative gossip. YouVe being most unfair to both Jason and Christina by repeating your unfounded suspicions."