He returned to the back room and strapped on his belt, sheathing his knife, then tore his buffalo robe from the peg on the wall and slipped into it. He was halfway out the front door when he turned and grabbed a few more blankets off the bunk. Levi saddled his horse, and followed the tracks into the woods.
His horse’s breath, and his own, created gray swirls in the brisk morning air. Melting snow dripped from the pines, almost as if it was raining. The storm had blown through like a typical mountain storm, dumping lots of snow in a short amount of time, but it would also be melted soon. More dark clouds loomed in the distance, but the sun rising from the east promised a slightly warmer day.
He had no trouble following the wide tracks Grace and the kids left behind. Levi shook his head again. Had she really thought he wasn’t going to follow them? After some time, the footprints became indistinguishable. The snow wasn’t deep enough in most places that it would make it easier to walk single file, but for some reason, they’d decided it was better this way than to continue walking side by side.
Indians walked or rode single file to disguise their number. That thought had just crossed his mind, when his gelding tensed, then shied to the side. A shot rang out through the trees. Levi ripped his rifle from the saddle scabbard and jumped off the horse. He darted behind a tree, and waited. The shot had been meant for him.
“What the hell is she up to now?” He gritted his teeth.
There was no doubt that it was Grace who had taken a shot at him. Despite his anger, he couldn’t help but smile. Clever girl. He hadn't given her enough credit for being smart enough to hide their tracks. She’d successfully misled him. All this time, he’d called her a fool for thinking she could get away with tracks in plain sight in the snow. She hadn’t even bothered to hide her footprints, or so he’d assumed. It had all been a trick.
She’d led him into the woods, and after a time, walked single file with the kids so he hadn’t been able to tell that one of them had stayed behind to ambush him. She’d even been smart enough to give one of the kids her walking stick, while she hid in the trees. Lucky for him, his horse was alert, and Grace was a bad shot. At least from a distance. He’d underestimated her once, but he wasn’t going to let his guard down again. She’d had one chance to kill him. She wouldn’t get another.
Unless she had more bullets hidden away somewhere, she only had two shots left. Levi peered around the trunk he leaned up against, and scanned into the forest. His eyes moved methodically from one tree to another in the direction from which the shot had been fired.
His lips twitched in a slow smile when he caught a glimpse of her dark hair between a couple of pines not a hundred yards away. She was looking in the wrong direction, her pistol held out in front of her.
“You’ve got two shots left, Grace. Do you really want to kill me?” His voice carried through the forest. Before she reacted and spun around, he darted from his hiding place to the next tree, moving closer to her.
Grace raised the gun, and stepped away from the tree, out into the open. Levi cursed. If he meant to hurt her, she’d be dead right now. He eyed the distance between himself and the next tree, and made a quick dash for it. Another shot ricocheted through the woods. Bark splintered from a nearby tree.
“Don’t be stupid, Grace. You’ve got one shot left.”
“And I’m going to make it count,” she called back. “You shouldn’t have followed us.” Her eyes darted around, clearly looking for him.
Levi gritted his teeth. Damn fool woman. Buck hadn’t been kidding when he’d said that women’s actions were harder to make sense of than a two-headed mule. He peered out from behind the tree.
She’d retreated back to her hiding spot. The trouble for her, though, was that he’d moved close enough so she was in plain sight of him, and she assumed he was still behind a different tree. He scurried through the underbrush, coming within twenty yards of where she stood. He gauged the distance. A quick sprint from here, and he could overpower her easily.
Levi pulled his knife from his belt. He stepped out from behind the tree, aimed, and threw the weapon. The knife lodged securely several inches to the right side of her head in the trunk of the tree that had served as her hiding spot.
Grace shrieked, dropped her gun, and recoiled away from the tree. Levi sprinted toward her before she recovered from the shock. Her eyes darted his way, round with terror. She scrambled to pick up her weapon, but he was quicker. Grabbing her around the waist, his momentum brought them both to the ground. Levi eased her fall by rolling to the side so she’d land on top of him, but he quickly pinned her beneath him when she began to struggle.
“Get off me,” she screamed, pounding her flailing fists at him. Luckily he wore his buffalo robe to ease the blows, or she might do some damage.
“Calm down, Grace. I ain’t gonna hurt you.”
Levi grabbed for her wrists, and pinned them to her sides. When she kicked at him with her leg, he draped a thigh over her slight body.
“I said, get off me.”
Levi glared down at her, his face inches from hers. She breathed heavily, her body still flailing as much as possible beneath him. Her hair spilled around her head in the snow, and her cheeks were flushed and rosy. If not for the sheer terror in her eyes, she was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. That now-familiar flutter in his chest each time he looked at this woman slammed him with more force than if he’d run into a bull moose. Her panic-stricken eyes met his, and an overwhelming urge to pull her into a protective embrace and tell her that no one would harm her, least of all him, surged to life in him.
“I’ll let you up once you calm down.” Levi kept his voice low and even. A flighty deer wasn’t going to let its guard down being chased.
Thankfully, Grace stopped her struggles. She lay motionless beneath him, making him aware of her feminine curves and softness. Levi eased his hold on her wrists. He raised himself away from her, and stood. She was smart enough to realize that if she tried to run, he’d easily overtake her, especially with her injured leg.
He grabbed the gun up off the ground and stuck it into his own belt, then reached his hand out to her. She glared at him, her chest still heaving in rapid succession.
“You nearly killed me,” she accused, her eyes darting to his knife that was still lodged in the tree.
Levi grinned. “If I wanted you dead, that’s exactly what you’d be right now. Lucky for both of us, my aim’s better than yours.”
Grace glared daggers at him. She hesitated when he stuck his hand more forcefully toward her. With her lips drawn tight, she placed her smaller hand in his. Levi tugged, bringing her easily to her feet. She hopped on her good leg, no doubt to keep from putting full weight on her injury. Levi’s grip on her hand tightened to steady her. Her head shot up, and their eyes met. A warm current raced through him.
“I’m not out to hurt you,” he said in a low tone, still staring at her, studying the mistrust in her eyes. “If you don’t want those two kids to die out here in the mountains, you’ll come back to the cabin with me.”
Grace tugged her hand free of his grasp. Her features softened, and she nodded, almost imperceptibly. She didn’t take her eyes from his, evidently looking for something that would prove to her that he was being sincere. Levi opened his palm to release her hand, and opted for a different tactic.
“I’ve got a couple of blankets tied to my saddle. If you’d rather take your chances in the mountains, you’re welcome to them. Just think about my offer. You’ve got one bullet left in your gun, an injured leg, and no provisions. How far do you plan to get with that?”
Her chest heaved in a sigh. She raised her chin, and stood taller.
“All right, Levi Colter. I’ll come back to your cabin, but don’t get any notions that you can take us back to Elk Lodge. I don’t know why you’d want to help us.”
Levi’s mouth formed a smile. “I know all about running away from authority, Grace. If someone hadn’t helped me, I’d have been dead
a long time ago.”
He cursed silently. He’d never spoken to anyone about his past. The people who knew how he’d come to live with Buck had heard it from the old trapper, not him. Why had it been so easy to open up to this woman?
He reached for the gun in his belt, and held it out to her. Her eyes widened. She hesitated, before accepting her weapon back.
“I’ll go find my horse, and then we’ll fetch the kids, wherever you’ve got them hiding.” He broke eye contact, and turned to follow his horse’s tracks. The gelding never wandered off too far. Before he took a step, he glanced toward Grace again.
“You can tell me about your injury when we get back to the cabin.” Levi held out his hand to her, and nodded at her leg. Without her crutch, she’d have a hard time walking. He’d seen that already.
Grace stared up at him. The mistrust was still there, but so was disbelief that he wasn’t out to hurt her. When she finally placed her hand in his, Levi’s heart ignited. His protective instinct roared to life, and a powerful urge overtook him to keep her safe from whatever she was running from.
Chapter Eight
Grace sat on Levi’s horse, one hand on the saddle horn to steady herself as the gelding plodded along. She wound her other arm around Andy, who sat in front of her. His little body was cocooned in her tattered coat and a blanket, but it didn’t provide as much warmth as the buffalo robe the woodsman had draped around Rose once he’d lifted her into the saddle behind Grace. Her sister kept her arms wrapped tightly around Grace’s middle, bringing a comforting feeling of security. The big robe was large enough to keep them both warm.
Grace cursed her stupidity for putting Andy and Rose’s lives in danger again. She’d woken them before dawn, and they’d left the protection of the cabin under the cover of darkness. Grace’s only thought all night had been to get as far away from Levi Colter’s cabin as possible. Fear for her sister and for herself had caused her impulsive and irrational decision.
She’d taken her gun back while he slept, sneaking into the back room of the cabin without the support of her crutch. It would have made too much noise, scraping against the wood. Her leg still throbbed from having to walk without the aid of leaning on something. Her heart had nearly pounded out her throat when she reached for her weapon.
The idea had crossed her mind to shoot Levi Colter in his sleep, even as her stomach twisted at the thought. What kind of person had she become, to plan on killing a man? She’d never shot another human being in cold blood.
The other time was self-defense.
Why did he have to come after them? She hadn’t wanted to ambush him, but he’d given her no other option. She had to keep Rose safe, even if it meant killing another man. Levi Colter had been determined to come after them. His kindness and concern when he overtook her, and again now, confused her more than ever, leaving her at a loss as to how to proceed from here.
A shudder that had nothing to do with the cold passed through her. She pushed unpleasant thoughts of her past aside. The faint scent of wood smoke, and the promise of a warm fire lay ahead. It hadn’t taken much convincing from Levi for the kids to get on his horse and head back to the cabin. They were cold and exhausted.
“You weren’t trying to kill Miss Grace with your knife, were you, Mr. Colter?”
Andy’s sudden question startled her. The boy shifted his body in front of her. Grace stared down at Levi Colter as he walked through the snow, leading his gelding. He glanced over his shoulder, looking up at the boy. His gaze drifted to her. Grace held her breath.
“No.” He chuckled. “I wasn’t trying to kill Miss Grace.”
“I saw you throw that knife. That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” Andy said excitedly. “You could have killed her, but you were aiming for the tree trunk, right? It missed her by a hair!”
Levi stopped walking, and turned to face his horse. He looked up at Grace when he answered. “I wouldn’t have thrown my knife if I had thought for a second that it would harm Miss Grace, Andy.”
“How did you learn to throw like that? Will you teach me?” Andy squirmed in the saddle, leaning forward. Grace tightened her hold around his middle for fear that he would fall from the horse.
“It took many years of practice to learn. If you set your mind to something, and you’re determined to never give up, you can do anything. That’s what the man who raised me, Buck Thornton, always told me. So I set my mind to being the best I could be when it came to wielding my knife.”
Levi had his eye on the boy when he spoke, then shot another quick look at Grace. There was something haunting in his eyes when he’d spoken those last words. What had driven this man to become the best at wielding that knife of his?
“If Miss Grace is agreeable, I’ll show you a few tricks.”
Andy’s head darted around to her, and he looked at her with the excitement of any young boy who’d been given a great treasure.
“We’ll see,” Grace mumbled.
“Right now, we’d best get back to the cabin.” Levi turned, and led his horse through the woods.
Grace stared at his broad back and shoulders. His wool shirt was warmer than any of the clothes she or the kids had on, but everyone’s breath swirled in front of them as testament to the chill in the air. He had to be cold, but gave no indication of it. He’d quickly given up the warmth of his coat as soon as she’d called to Rose and Andy to come out of their hiding place.
Grace gritted her teeth. Her sister was too young and innocent to know about men and her need to be careful. She’d caught Andy gaze in awe at Levi on several occasions. The boy clearly admired the woodsman already.
As much as she hated to admit it, her wall of caution was crumbling slightly where Levi Colter was concerned. He could have taken advantage of her last night. He could have killed her in a heartbeat a short while ago. He’d done neither. Instead, he’d been kind and offered his help, something no one had ever done before. He’d even trusted her by giving her back her gun. Surely he knew that she could easily use her last bullet to shoot him in the back.
She shook her head to get rid of the conflicting thoughts swirling in her mind. She had to keep her guard up, even though this man confused her. At first glance, he was rough and feral in appearance, but she’d never met a man with such warm and caring eyes.
“Will we have some breakfast when we get back to your cabin, Mr. Colter?”
Grace groaned silently at Andy’s forward question. Her body tensed. Levi Colter turned his head to glance up over his shoulder, and a smile formed on his lips. His usually sullen features transformed into a man with rugged good looks. His eyes went to Andy for a moment, then settled on her. Grace’s breath caught in her throat.
“I ain’t nearly as good at fixing a meal as Miss Grace, here, judging by the supper she served last night. Maybe you can talk her into cooking something when we reach the cabin.”
Heat crept up Grace’s neck and into her cheeks. The only compliments she’d ever received from men were lewd remarks about her appearance, and that she’d been worth the money they’d paid for her. She blinked away the sudden sting in her eyes.
“It’s your food, Mr. Colter,” she said in haste. She continued to meet his gaze.
“None of my biscuits ever tasted as good as what I ate last night.” His eyes were in constant motion, as if he took in everything about her. He gave a slight nod, and faced forward again.
Grace stared at his back again. Some unknown sensation passed through her, leaving her tingly all over. She sat up straighter, and pushed the feeling aside, even as her heart sped up. The mule brayed a loud greeting long before the cabin came into view between the trees, and a fleeting sense of panic replaced the pleasant feeling from a moment ago.
What was she going to do now? She’d had no other plans but to get her sister as far away from the orphan train route as possible. She’d successfully eluded Harlan Randall in her efforts to find Rose, and now it was time to disappear completely. Although this cabi
n was secluded and far away from the nearest town, she couldn’t stay here. Besides, if Levi Colter had been looking for Rose and Andy, he’d been hired to take them back to town.
Levi stopped his horse near the corral, and tossed the reins over the top rail. He reached up and lifted Andy from the saddle, then came back and helped Rose.
“You think you can get the fire going in the hearth?” He looked at Andy, who nodded with enthusiasm.
“I can help,” Rose offered, and took Andy’s hand. Together, they headed for the cabin, Rose’s slight body swallowed up by the buffalo coat.
Grace lifted her leg over the back of the saddle, then hesitated. How was she going to set her foot down and then take the other one out of the stirrup? Before she had more time to think about it, strong hands clamped around her waist. She sucked in a shocked breath, and a moment’s panic sent an icy chill down her spine as unpleasant memories engulfed her.
“Get down nice and slow, then hold onto the saddle, so you don’t have to put full weight on that injury.”
Grace’s head snapped around to the soothing voice behind her. Her breath caught in her throat. Levi was right there, too close. She should be scared, and repulsed, but she felt neither of those things. She pulled her leg fully over the horse’s back. Levi’s arms became her crutch until her right leg was firmly on the ground.
He released her instantly when she stood securely and held on to the saddle, as he’d instructed. Offering an uneasy smile, Levi stepped away from her. He walked around the back of the horse and returned seconds later, holding out her crutch that he’d stuck in the rifle scabbard earlier.
“Thank you.” Grace dropped her gaze to the ground.
“Care to tell me how you got hurt?” he asked. “I hope I’m not responsible for your injured leg.”
Her head snapped up to look at him again. She frowned. “No. Why would you think that?”
In His Arms: Blemished Brides Book 3 Page 6