Sam leaned back with his book upside down on his lap, open to keep his place. “Lefty should have returned by now. Wonder what’s keeping him?”
Del offered, “Perhaps some young woman needed his care as well?” His friend snickered then looked past him as if something caught his attention. Del turned to see Marie approach and waved for her to join them. At last he had another chance to discuss Ellen with her.
“Good evening, gentlemen.” She stepped into the firelight. “Is there room for me?”
Del scooted further away from Sam and patted the ground beside him. “Always, ma coupin. Have a seat between us.”
Once Marie settled in, Sam leaned over to her. “Lefty is checking on the animals, Jenny is staying at her family’s camp this evening, and Ellen said she’d try to be here later in the evening.”
“Thank you for answering my question before I asked.” She cleared her throat and turned to Del. “Do you plan on staying here if Ellen joins us tonight?”
He saw her smirk. Wanting something to do with his hands, Del scooped up a handful of pebbles from behind him. He tossed them one by one into the fire. “I try to stay away, yet always find a reason to see her.” As he threw the last two, the futility of winning over Ellen and defying her father overwhelmed Del. “Why do I do this when there are more important matters in my life?”
“Such as?” Marie asked.
Del leaned back, resting his hands behind him, and crossed his legs at the ankles. He watched the flames flickering beyond his feet. “Such as anything else except convincing Mr. Winslow I don’t have designs on his daughter.”
“Ah,” Sam said. “But don’t you?”
He paused before answering, unsure if they needed to know everything in his heart. Seeing the other men preoccupied with their tasks and hobbies, he shrugged. “I might or might not.”
“More like you do and you do.” Sam laughed at Del’s scornful look. “Or are you interested in her as more than a temporary lady friend?”
After a quick search of his heart, he stopped just short of nodding. He grinned at Marie. “Every woman interests me more than as a temporary friend. Including you, ma coupin.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Are you sure I’m yours? Or has the meaning of coupin changed in Canada to mean something less than a girlfriend?”
“Girlfriend?” Sam’s eyebrows rose. “But you call every woman that. Which isn’t a surprise now that I think about it.”
Despite Marie’s teasing tone, Del felt somewhat chastised. Maybe he had been rudely familiar in his address of her. He glanced at and ignored Sam’s smug grin. “Forgive me, I’ve been too familiar with you. I’m not so much Canadian but French.”
She patted his knee as if reassuring him. A movement behind Del seemed to catch her eye and she waved. “Ellen! Hello! Please join us! Mr. Du Boise was just explaining his citizenship in our two countries.”
“Canada and the United States are the two countries?” She carried a little journal and pencil. Still in Marie’s dress, Ellen settled in at a discreet distance from the couple.
“More as in France and the United States,” said Sam
“You’re truly a French citizen?” Settled in, Ellen gave him her full attention.
“Yes, I am.” He strained to concentrate on issues; difficult to do when she stared at him. He cleared his throat and continued. “The United States won’t grant automatic citizenship to native people. Being born on its soil doesn’t matter. Only if a person is lighter than my buckskins are they granted such an honor.”
Her brow furrowed, she said, “I should think the native peoples would automatically be citizens, if they chose.”
“Non.” He shook his head. “Not of the US. France is more inclusive, so, I claim its citizenship and it claims me.”
Ellen smiled at him. “Have you ever been to France, or is it a distant thought and land?”
Del usually had plenty to say, but now, the firelight shining in her eyes held him captive. He liked how she looked at him. Did she know her face expressed her feelings? “I have been and lived, ma coeur.” He glanced at Sam to quell any remarks. “Then came back home.”
“Did you like it there?” asked Marie. “I’ve never been, though my father was born there and came here soon after. He didn’t remember anything, so you must tell me everything.”
Sam laughed. “If he tells you everything, we’ll be here all night. He’s not had as many conquests here in the Territories. Unlike overseas, he’s a face in the crowd instead of a face to crowd.”
Del took the ribbing with a good nature he didn’t feel. Deciding to give Sam a taste of what he dished out, Del used an even tone and said, “You are forgetting your own escapades with the fairer gender.” Addressing Marie, he went on, “Our Samuel snuck out of many, many windows in the predawn when we were in France.” The other man stopped smiling. “There were even a few he did not have to pay to enter.”
“My goodness, Sam! You told me when we first met you’d never had need of….” Marie glanced at Ellen. “Need of a saloon.”
He smirked at her polite way of saying brothel. Not liking Ellen’s confused expression, he reassured her, “It is all in jest. The girls liked the idea of Sam being an uncouth American and found his accent appealing. Our friend here was the novelty all the ladies liked.”
“I see. Well, I suppose we’ve established the women there are very friendly.” She batted her lashes at him. “What was the countryside like, or did you see any while lurking around at night?”
Sam laughed. “She has you there, Del.”
He chuckled at her retort while ignoring his friend. “The country is beautiful in a tame way. The mountains seem to hold up the sky, while every city’s street follows the curve of its river. Row after row of grapes hang from fence-like structures.” He looked at Sam. “What are they called?” Back to Ellen, he added, “No matter, the fruit hangs from the vine, begging to be picked, but you don’t take a single one.”
“You did,” Sam chided.
Del laughed. “Yes, and an angry grower’s pellet gun is why now I don’t.”
“How long were you there?” Ellen asked.
He liked her curiosity and her interest thrilled him. Noticing how Sam and Marie’s voices lowered, Del took advantage of the chance to talk with Ellen while the others were preoccupied. “Two years for university. Sam and I met studying law. I wanted to learn how to navigate in both worlds of my parents.”
“Oh, good! You answered two questions in one. So then you came back?” asked Ellen.
“I did. While I love my father’s country, I understood why he called Canada home.” He shrugged. “The land has a wildness that speaks to me and is where I belong.” He indicated her journal. “May I ask you questions now, or must I read this to learn your secrets?”
“You can ask anything and I’ll answer what I can.” She held up her diary. “This has nothing secretive in it. My father thinks he’s sneaking when he takes and reads it. I’ve had to tell him that he can have my journal any time he likes. I have no secrets.”
The breach of her privacy bothered him. “Ah, so you write nothing from your heart?”
“Not at all. So, what’s in my heart and mind isn’t in here. I learned early anything I write might be used against me.” She opened her little book and began doodling little squares on a page already full. “Instead of writing frustrations, I scribble like this.” She stopped, smiling at him. “It’s a little wasteful of a good pencil, I admit.”
He saw it for the emotional outlet it was and asked, “So you have no confidant?”
“Not really, but then do I need someone?” Ellen put her pencil in her book as if a placeholder. “I don’t think so. I’m pretty self-sufficient that way.” She hugged the journal to her chest. “Marie and Jenny are good friends and I can talk to them so that helps.”
“The two ladies have romantic interests. Do you as well or does he wait for you in Oregon Territory?”
She glan
ced at Marie and Sam then down at her journal. “I don’t. If someone waited for me, what you and I, well…I’d be very ashamed.”
His blood seemed carbonated with happiness. “Je, I understand. No one has claimed your hand.” Del held out his own hand. “Speaking of which, how has it been today?”
“Not bad.” She placed her wrist in his palm. “It’s healing too slow for my tastes.”
He grinned, making little massaging circles on the injury. Del examined her face, looking for traces of tension from pain. Her relaxed expression reassured him. “An injury to a limb is always such. If it healed before it was harmed only that would be fast enough for me.”
Ellen laughed. “I agree. Thank you for this. It makes my wrist feel better.”
“My pleasure.” He spoke in a quiet voice intended for her only. “I am glad there’s no man other than family in your life.” Del looked deep into her eyes, hoping she understood. “Very glad. I also would like to know when you need a friend.” He felt the pulse in her wrist beat faster.
“If not for my father’s decree, I’d already count you as one of my dearest friends.” She looked at his hands cradling hers as he caressed. “You’ve saved my brothers’ lives. You are already a good man, and nothing Pa says can change that fact.”
Sam broke them out of their reverie. “Miss Winslow, I hate to break up what seems to be an intense chat. It’s getting late, however, and I think your father would be happiest if you camped with them tonight.”
She got to her feet. “I know he would. And after today’s events, I’m exhausted.”
Marie took Sam’s arm. “If you’ll see me back to my wagon, Adelard can walk Ellen to her camp.”
Ellen looked from Marie to Del. “Maybe only halfway.”
“Halfway, then.” He’d take whatever time he could with her. Trouble was, halfway gave him little time to convince her the stars shone at night just for her. He’d not even get the chance to convince her how suitable he was as a friend. She began walking toward her family and he followed.
She stopped and looked around them. With a nod, Ellen took his arm and pulled him out of the protective wagon circle. “I’ve been thinking about you lately, Mr. Du Boise, and feel the need to apologize.”
Her actions surprised him. “There’s no need, ma coeur.”
“I do, and that begs another question. What does macoor mean? I hope nothing too familiar.”
He grinned. “Sadly, it’s very familiar. I’m calling you my heart.”
“Oh. Yes, that is far too intimate. We can be friends, not sweethearts.”
“I’ll remember to call you mon amie, my friend, instead.”
“Very well. Thank you. Keeping to such proprieties will keep us both healthy.” She walked past him back into the circle’s security. “You’ll be an interesting person to know. I look forward to hearing more about life among the natives.”
“I do as well.” When she gave him a wry look, he realized his gaffe. “I mean I’ll enjoy telling you more about life among my mother’s people.”
“This is where we should stop, Mr. Du Boise.”
Del kept quiet, unwilling to ask for anything more than friendship and have her answer spoil his mood. He enjoyed having caught her attention too much. “Goodnight, mon amie.”
“Good night.” She paused. “Maybe we’ll talk tomorrow?”
“I hope so.” He turned only after seeing her disappear around the Winslow wagon’s corner. Grinning, he strolled to Sam’s camp. Little nagging fears of Mr. Winslow’s reaction to him chatting with Ellen kept his happiness minimal. He shrugged off the feeling. He reached his friends and saw how the men had prepared bedrolls for everyone, including him. The three younger men slept like exhausted puppies. Joe read a well-worn book while a reclining Sam stared up at the stars. Without a sound, Del slipped into his bedroll.
“Hey,” Sam sat up onto one elbow. “Causing mischief among my people tonight?”
Del squelched a chuckle. “Yes, per usual, I scalped women, killed babies, and tied elderly to trees before setting them on fire.”
“Good. I’d hate to think of you going against your natural tendencies.”
He glanced over at his friend, giving him a death glare. Sam’s smile was contagious and Del grinned too. “Merde.”
“Merci.” Sam put his hands behind his head. “I’m happy just as long as everyone isn’t trying to kill everyone else.”
He wondered how much his friend knew of Winslow’s meanness. “I suspect her father has a temper.”
“I know for certain he does. Hell, everyone knows he does after the Green River crossing and his temper tantrum.”
“It’s more than once. Last night, she angered him by staying to dinner with us, me.”
Sam shook his head. “I’ve seen him angered, but never violent.”
“Such men hide their tendencies well. Do we pretend not to see until something serious happens?”
“I can’t keep you from Miss Winslow, can I?”
The question was more a statement of fact, and Del grinned at his friend. “I try, but no, I can’t resist.” He heard Sam’s disgusted sigh and shifted to a more comfortable position. Remembering Ellen’s flinching where he had touched her sore spots hurt his heart. He frowned, itching to give Jack a taste of his own medicine. The man deserved to feel what he inflicted on his daughter. Somewhere in imagining the war his defending her would cause, he fell asleep.
He woke to the air hanging heavy, dark, and cold. If the embers glowed any brighter, he’d be able to see his breath. As it was, the stubborn sun seemed to hug the eastern horizon. Del sat up, listening for anything awry. Nothing seemed out of place. His warm bedroll lured him back in, the soft fabric a siren song against his skin. He eased back down and snuggled deep under the blanket.
Lying there, he smelled the distinct perfume of rain. Wind from the northwest confirmed his prediction. Del made a mental note to put his oilcloth poncho at the top of the saddlebag. He flipped over onto his stomach and rested his chin on his folded hands. Staring at nothing, he wondered what the day might bring other than a drenching.
“Psst. Psst.”
Del lifted his head and looked in his feet’s direction for where the sound came from. He recognized a child’s voice, just not the exact child speaking. “Yes?”
“Are you awake, Mr. Do Bose?”
Skeeter Winslow? He might have known the boy would find an excuse to talk. Del rolled over and turned his back to him. “No.”
After a little rustle and a grunt, Skeeter tapped his shoulder and whispered, “When you wake up, can you take me back to my ma and pa?”
“Why aren’t you there now?”
“I went to potty and got lost.”
Del gritted his teeth to not laugh at the obvious fib. “Lost? Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Skeeter?”
“I wasn’t lost. I wanted to see you.”
He took a deep breath to keep from chuckling loud enough to wake up the others. Del turned to face the boy. “Thank you for being honest with me, but you need to go back to your family now.”
“Can I ask questions when you walk me back to them?”
Del almost laughed at the boy’s assumption of an escort. Maybe the child knew him too well. “Certainly. Let’s go.” He slid out of his bedroll without moving the covers, wanting to preserve as much warmth as possible for when he came back. Skeeter held out his hand for him to take. With a sigh, he held hands with the child. “What is your first question?”
“Have you ever scalped someone?”
“No. I haven’t and don’t plan to do so.”
“Do you need to paint your face soon? It’s been bare for a long time now.”
He chuckled at how Skeeter’s long time equaled his two days. “Not soon. I wear paint for ceremonies like weddings and funerals. I’ve not worn true war paint.”
“I suppose that’s good. War seems bad.”
“I agree, and it is bad for eve
ryone.” He paused. “Here is your family’s wagon. Get some rest. Tomorrow starts soon.”
“Sure, Mr. Do Bose.”
Del waited for a moment to make sure the boy got into bed. He fought the urge to search among the bundles for Ellen. But then, didn’t he have to examine each one to make sure everyone was secure? Pleased with his excuse, he looked over each person and lingered a little longer at Ellen’s sweet face. He shook his head at the absurdity of his thoughts and moved on to Skeeter. Satisfied he was tucked in, Del went back to his own bedroll. As soon as he was comfortable, he heard Sam stir.
“Did I hear something?”
“Oui. Skeeter Winslow needed help.”
“This time of night?”
“Seems so.”
Sam rubbed his eyes. “It’s freezing.”
Seeing his friend’s breath in the frosty air, Del looked up at the sky to see the dawn. “And it’s morning.”
“I seem to remember waking up with you at University in worse condition but feeling better than this.”
Del chuckled. “You are too young to be such an old man.”
“On a morning this cold, everyone is an old man.”
“It’s no use sleeping while the day draws so near.” He sat up, fighting his own unwillingness to begin so early and in such frigid conditions.
“I reckon not.” Sam sighed. “How about you check our stock while I build up the fire?”
“D’accord, and I’ll bring back water for coffee.”
“Good man.”
Del paused by the wagon only long enough to grab the water bucket. He saw Lucky still on guard and nodded. He knew their animals were all sound with him at the helm. Del continued on to the pond’s edge while keeping an eye open for Ellen. He loitered but didn’t catch sight of her before filling the pail. At camp, the fire roared and the sleepy men looked up at him as he approached. “Everything is well.” He gave the water to Sam who filled the coffee pot before placing it on the fire grate.
Arnold added what was left of the water to the flour and stirred batter. While Lefty and Joe put away most of the bedding, Sam added thin sliced bacon to a hot pan. The meat sizzled, its smell making Del’s stomach growl.
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