He heard the rapids far sooner than he could see them. Restraint was difficult for him, knowing each step put him closer to Ellen. Also closer to her father, he remembered and wished he hadn’t. Del and his horse walked along the bank, the river crashing over the rocks impeding its progress. Pomme shook his head at the spray and Del chuckled. He slid down, getting a handful of the water and made sure his animal had a drink too.
Man and horse soon continued on, as did the day. They made good time, riding along a bluff to a rocky pass. By evening, they were alone. He figured the lack of good grazing was the reason people avoided camping along this part of the river. A couple of miles past a boulder-strewn pass, he decided to stop for the night.
He had waited too long to do much for supper in the waning daylight. The new moon kept the landscape dark as death, and he’d lived among whites too long to be used to seeing by starlight. Mostly by touch, he rolled out blankets to sleep in for the night. Here in the still and cool, he wondered what to do about Ellen.
Del considered them married, as legally as if they’d gone to a church or courthouse. He sighed, struggling to get comfortable on the rocky ground. They’d need to be married on both sides of his blood for everyone to be happy. He grinned, having no objection to marrying her again, even if unnecessary to his heart. Still, his smile faded as he remembered Mr. Winslow’s frequent insults. Did she want to claim Del as her husband and risk her father’s wrath? He couldn’t be sure. Should he ride behind unnoticed so Winslow couldn’t complain, or ride up bold as brass and claim his woman? He chuckled at the idea. If the man were any less of a hothead, Del just might.
He rolled over on his side, resting his head on an arm. His eyes closed as he decided to join the group but to keep his distance from Ellen until Oregon City. Then he’d obey her wishes on their relationship.
The next day, he and Pomme stayed along the Snake River until the ruts led to the southwest. He didn’t feel comfortable veering from water, but with the road cut so deep, there had to be a reason. Sam would lead everyone over the most traveled path, he knew. Sure enough, seven miles later at Raft River, Del found his friend and the people he led.
Arnold, with his white blond hair, was easy to spot among the men on horseback. Del waved to him, catching his attention. The young man rode over to him. “Hey, Mr. Du Boise! Good to see you!”
“Thank you, it’s good to see you too.”
“Come on. I’ll take you to the boss.” Arnold turned his horse and trotted to the northernmost wagon.
Del followed, catching up to the man. “Tell me, is everyone well?”
“Sure are!”
He wanted more information, but didn’t want to ask outright. Del scanned the group, looking for any sign of the Winslows. He and Arnold arrived at the Granville wagon without so much as a glimpse of Ellen.
The hired hand pulled up short. “Mr. Granville must be somewhere else. Wait here and I’ll fetch him right quick.”
Del dismounted. Pomme needed a drink, and both of them were hungry. Or so he heard when the horse’s stomach rumbled. He petted the animal. “Soon, boy. We’ll eat soon.”
“Adelard!”
He turned toward Sam’s voice. “Oui?”
Sam walked up to him, giving Del a hug. “I didn’t expect you to catch up so soon. You must have pleaded your case quite well.”
“I’d like to claim credit, but truly it was the threat of war that freed me.” A movement to the left caught his eye. Ellen appeared at the front of the wagon and stared at him. He wondered at her dropped jaw before remembering his short hair. Del ran a hand through the strands, still caught by surprise when the hair dropped from his fingertips too soon. He couldn’t look away from her. She seemed more fragile than when he saw her last, delicate, and her chin trembled a little. After a little nod, she took a step back and hurried away.
Sam leaned over to say, “Her father has been a handful. More so than the two boys.” He motioned for Del to follow. “Come on, get a drink, stake out Pomme, and we’ll talk while Uncle Joe fixes dinner.”
He agreed, taking off his horse’s saddle first. They followed Sam to the river and both drank their fill. “Tell me more about Ellen. How is she? Is she having nightmares still?”
“I didn’t know she was in the first place. From what I’ve seen, everyone is good except for Winslow.”
Del scooped another handful to drink, thinking. “Is he cruel to her?”
“Not that I can tell. I’ve not heard yelling from that side of camp in a while. Not since the kidnapping.”
Silence didn’t mean a lack of abuse. He straightened, staring at the western horizon. Her expression today had been happy surprise then teary. He’d love to know her thoughts when she saw him. “Maybe she’ll join us around the campfire tonight.”
“She’s always invited.”
“So do I need to congratulate you and your new wife?”
Sam laughed. “Yes, you do. We had a quick wedding at the fort with Ellen and Uncle Joe as our witnesses. We’ll have a proper reception at home.”
“I’m sad I missed the…what?” He couldn’t remember the unusual word for taunting newlyweds. “Annoy on the wedding night?”
“The shivaree? Yep, you missed it so don’t even try.”
Del returned his friend’s grin and shrugged. “It’s fair, I suppose. You missed mine as well.”
“What? I didn’t know you and Miss Winslow had a real wedding.”
His surprise irritated Del. The color of his skin didn’t dictate the sincerity of the ceremony. Did none of these whites understand this? “Our wedding was very real. Even if to none but half my people.”
“It’s not that. I didn’t know you and her were….”
Like a flash of lightning, he understood his friend’s implication. “Oh, non, we’re not truly married.”
“Good.” At Del’s frown, he continued. “Her father is already angry enough. There’s no need in goading him further.”
“I suppose.” He ignored Sam’s smirk, instead taking off his shirt to rinse out the dust. His pants needed cleaning but could wait until later. He wrung out the dirty water and led Pomme to a decent patch of grass.
Later on that evening, around the campfire, Del ate without tasting. He hoped Ellen would come by if only to say hello, but the hours passed without her. Conversation flowed around him like a swift stream. He heard the words but didn’t listen. Marie nudged him, breaking his trancelike stare into the dying fire.
“I have something for you. Ellen wants me to be extremely discreet.” She pressed a folded piece of paper into his hand. “She’s afraid you’ll not read it and even more afraid her father will.”
“She has nothing to fear.” He opened the note and read two simple sentences that would mean little to anyone else but him: I liked your hair before. Glad the group is now complete. Del smiled. Warmth from his heart heated him more than the fire in front of him. For someone who had so much ill will toward his mother’s people, her preference for their ways pleased him more than he could say.
He folded the note, putting it in his pants pocket. Yes, he was here, completing the group but not accepted as her husband. The clouds above them reflected brilliant oranges and reds as the sun set behind the mountains. Though difficult, he’d wait until Oregon City to claim her. Until then, he’d do whatever it took to be accepted by Jack Winslow as her husband.
The next morning, Del managed to avoid Ellen while keeping a watch over her at the same time. Every time their eyes met, she blushed and hurried off to some seemingly urgent task. He missed seeing Skeeter too. The boy kept his distance but waved every time he saw Del. The day was much like the others only the road was one of the roughest they’d been on so far. Nearly everything breakable had been left behind and in pieces along the road. He felt bad for the lost treasures and watched from a distance to see if any such mishaps befell the Winslows.
They left Marshy Creek early the next morning to return to Snake River. As they approache
d the water, tension rose in the group like a heavy cloud above them. Each turn of the wheel brought everyone closer to prior emigrants’ graves. A hostile tribe of natives lived in the area, and while they didn’t hassle every white, they attacked often enough to keep everyone wary.
The road diverted down to the river as it flowed in a wide canyon. Wagon parties ahead snaked down, high bluffs on one side, water and more cliffs on the other. Del disliked following them down onto the riverbank as he nudged Pomme down with them. Anyone could attack from above.
He breathed easier when the first of the wagon train climbed a natural ledge to the top of the bluff. Del and Lefty rode up after the last wagon. Both men looked at each other and nodded. The danger wasn’t completely over, just eased for a while. They fell back behind the Granville train, avoiding the fine dust kicked up by the others. Lost in his own thoughts, he realized they’d stopped only after reaching the first wagon. The creek flowed clear and grass lined both banks. They’d found a rich oasis in the high desert. He slid down, tying Pomme to sagebrush near the water.
They’d not gone far today. He went in search of Sam or one of the boys to see if they were staying for the night. He wanted to take a break but knew they had a timetable. He found Sam first at his wagon, unsaddling Scamp. “Is this our camp?”
“Yep.” He didn’t pause. “I figure the stock could use the extra food.”
Del unsaddled his horse. “So could we.”
Sam grinned. “I’d suggest hunting, but this area makes me nervous, even for you.”
“Dressed like this, I agree.”
“You do look a lot more American than native.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I’m unsure if that’s good or bad.”
“It’s neither and both.” Sam brushed Scamp’s matted fur from where the saddle had been. “Are you wanting to talk with Miss Winslow tonight?”
Her name caused that happy feeling in Del’s chest and he grinned. “Always.”
“I’ll talk to Jack and see if he can spare her a few minutes this evening.” He knocked some of the hair from the brush and then went back to grooming his horse. “She’ll be my guest.”
“I’d like that.” He scanned the horizon out of habit, looking for hostile people. The mere idea of seeing and possibly talking with Ellen left him feeling lighter than air. He stared off into the distance, remembering the feel of her lips against his and how good her body felt nestled into his arms. He didn’t care whether she wore cotton or buckskin. Del craved her touch.
“I might get going and invite her, since it looks like you’re already daydreaming about her.”
“What?” He turned to his friend, realizing he’d been caught calf eyed over a woman. “Yes, you might as well. I’ve missed her these past few days, and just to hear her voice would be heavenly.”
Sam scratched between Scamp’s ears before teasing, “Such poetry! If you’ll excuse me?”
“Of course.” Del shook his head. His friend had plenty to say when longing for Marie. Remembering the woman, he glanced around to see where she was. The past few days had been too hectic for one or the other of them and he missed her company. He sought out and found Sam’s wagons, hearing her humming inside of them before seeing her. “Hello, Mrs. Granville?” The humming continued for a while and he grinned. She must not be used to her married name. He knocked on the side of the wagon. “Mrs. Granville?”
She yelped and peeked outside. “Adelard! You’re back!” Marie climbed down and gave him a bear hug. “Sam said not to worry, but how could I not?”
“No more worry, dear coupin. They let me go and fed me besides. If the jail had a proper bed, I’d have been a king.”
“Oh dear.” She reached up and tugged his hair, chin length in the front and short in back. “And they trimmed you too.” Marie tsked and hopped back into the wagon. “Let me get some shears and fix it for you. The fort needs a better barber because whoever did this would make a better butcher than hair dresser.”
He laughed. “True, I’ve dressed more animal fur than people hair.”
After a little more rustling inside, she handed him the scissors and climbed back down again. “You cut this yourself? Oh my. Very well, have a seat and I’ll see what I can do.” He did as instructed, sitting on the tailgate while Marie rested on her knees behind him. She wrapped a sheet around his neck and began snipping. “Not much, just enough to even it out. You need some refinement.”
“Doesn’t every man?”
She laughed outright. “Most do, yes.”
Unable to resist joking with her, Del asked, “But not Sam?”
“Not him at all.”
He smiled at the warmth her voice held for his friend. “You didn’t answer to your name the first time I called.”
“Well, I’ve not been Mrs. Granville very long.”
“I suspected as much. Tell me what I missed.”
“Since I got to hear all about your wedding with Ellen, certainly!” She continued working in tiny little snips. “Jenny couldn’t go and witness our ceremony due to her parents objections, so Ellen went in her place and was my maid of honor. Mr. Winslow almost had a fit, but Sam promised him a jug of whiskey for the trouble. Uncle Joe, Lucky, Arnold, and Lefty were all there too. None of them were willing to be left back at camp.”
“I don’t blame them. Your love should be celebrated.”
She patted his shoulder before brushing off the stray hairs from his neck. “Thank you, mon ami. We both wanted to wait until you joined us but just couldn’t.”
“There was no need and I understand your impatience.”
Marie chuckled. “You probably do.” She carefully removed the sheet so the captured hair fell to the ground. “We could talk, if you wanted, but I suspect the subject is too intimate?”
“Very too much.” He ran a hand through his hair, noting how the strands ended at the same length instead of saw-toothed like before. “Thank you for this. I feel more presentable no matter how I look.”
“You look wonderful, dear friend.” Marie placed the folded sheet and shears back into the wagon. “Now let’s go see if Uncle Joe needs help with dinner.”
He made an after you motion and followed her to the second wagon. There, all the men were sitting nearby, but not at the fire. The sun hadn’t set enough for anyone to catch a chill.
“There he is!” hollered Lucky. He jumped up to greet Del with a handshake at first, then a hug. The other men crowded around, shaking his hand and settling for a slap on the back. “We thought the soldiers had you out back damming the river with a teaspoon.”
“No, it still runs free like I do.” He noticed Joe was the first back in his seat, tending to the stew. “Your food smells good.”
“Thanks, young man. I’ll share tonight if you promise to hunt tomorrow.”
“Of course, I’d be glad to help.”
Sam walked up, his hands still damp from washing. “Is it ready?”
Marie gave him a spoon and a cup. “Almost.”
Joe stirred the food. “I reckon it’s ready now.”
No one needed telling twice to line up with dishes ready for his ladle. Each of them ate as fast as the hot food allowed. Too soon, the sun rested on the tops of the western mountain range, giving a hint of a chill to the air. Everyone received a second helping, even Marie. Del glanced around at each of them, enjoying the camaraderie. Their laughter and chatter reinforced how alone he’d spent his life in between the two worlds of white and red. At the last bite, he put the spoon back into the cup for good and glanced up at the sound of a feminine clearing of the throat to find Ellen standing there with Skeeter.
“I’m sorry for interrupting.” She raised a hand when every man started to get to his feet. “No need to stand. Pa and Buster are asleep for the night, and we wanted to stop by for a visit.”
“There’s no need to fret, little lady,” said Lucky. “We were just finishing up here.”
Sam handed his dishes over to Del. “Adelard was just
volunteering to wash up for us.” He nodded at the bucket Ellen carried. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind taking care of your dishes as well.”
“These? Oh, no, I couldn’t impose.”
Marie stood and eased the bucket out of the woman’s hand. “Don’t mind him, Ellen. Sam was just being ornery.” She took his cup for emphasis. “See? I’m cleaning up tonight, and you can have a seat.”
Del smiled at how she gave no one a chance to object before gathering everything. Soon, she left for the river and the Winslows settled in. A thousand questions came to his mind, and he resisted asking even one. He wanted her to say the first word. Otherwise, he would feel as if he had pestered her for her attentions.
Skeeter broke the ice first. “Mr. Do Bose, I’m glad you’re back. Thank you for bringing Ellen home.”
He looked down at the boy. “My pleasure, Skeeter.”
The youngster stared at the embers. “My pa said to leave you alone, that you was as bad as those that killed ma, but he’s wrong. Those that killed ma wouldn’t have brought back Ellen. Not even if she was as worthless as pa says she is.”
“Skeeter!” Ellen patted his leg to get his attention. “That’s enough telling tales for now. He knows you’re grateful. I’m sure we need to listen to Mr. Lucky’s music or Uncle Joe’s jokes.”
Del glanced up at her, caught by her beauty. He didn’t want to cause a fuss, so he asked quietly, “How are you doing, Miss Winslow? Better now with your family I hope?”
“Yes, I’m doing fine. Thank you for asking, Mr. Du Boise.”
Her slight smile cheered him. Lucky began playing his bugle, the tone soft and low. Del preferred it much better than the usual strident revelry. He could almost like the instrument when played this way. Words between them seemed unnecessary, and yet he longed to hear her voice. He smiled at Ellen. “Possibly tomorrow evening you both could join us earlier for dinner?”
Both sister and brother looked at each other. Ellen visibly swallowed, while Skeeter turned back to staring at the fire. She cleared her throat. “We might later on down the road. Right now, it’s important for us to spend as much time with Pa and Buster as possible.” She didn’t look at him. “Tonight is a rare treat, and not what we should be doing at all.”
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