Gunsmoke and Gingham

by Kirsten Osbourne

  “How dangerous is this excursion to a woman, Mr. Walker, if she were traveling with a man who took responsibility for her safety?”

  Caleb narrowed his eyes. What was that supposed to mean? His mother, aunt, grandmother, and several other women he knew all fared well living in the mountains with their husbands. They’d accepted the dangers and worked and fought alongside their men.

  “I don’t understand your question,” he said slowly.

  The cook chuckled. “I expect you to look out for her safety, young man.”

  Caleb shook his head. This conversation had quickly taken a wrong turn. “Wait. You were against Livy going on this expedition. Now you’re saying she should go?”

  “I changed my mind.” The woman smiled smugly. She stepped up to him, leaned forward, and whispered against his cheek, “Here’s your chance to make good on that promise you made.”

  Caleb groaned. His only ally had now turned against him as well.

  “What makes anyone think I need him to look out for me?” Livy raged behind her friend. She glared at Caleb when the other woman stepped away from him, then wheeled around and headed to where the supply wagon was parked.

  Mrs. Washington smiled at him. She raised her brows with an expectant look, and nodded.

  “Why are you doing this?” Caleb choked.

  The woman’s smile widened in a grin. “Call it old woman’s intuition, Caleb Walker. My friend, Livy deserves some happiness in her life, and my gut tells me she might finally find it.”

  Caleb scrunched his forehead. Why was it so difficult to understand the workings of a woman’s mind? Mrs. Washington moved to walk away when a man’s loud outburst pierced the air.

  “There she is! There’s that harlot.”

  Mrs. Washington mumbled a word under her breath that didn’t sound like anything a woman should be saying. She spun around to look in the direction of the house. Livy was halfway to the supply wagon, but had stopped in her tracks. Her spine was stiff as a lodgepole. Caleb narrowed his eyes on Horace Laslow, who rushed toward them. He held his hand outstretched, pointing at Livy.

  “I don’t know where you’re going, but I’m not through with you, yet.”

  Livy turned to face the irate man. Where there had been anger in her eyes earlier, now there was fear. Caleb rushed toward them. The banker grabbed for Livy’s arm, shaking her as she tried to pull away.

  “I’m gonna give you exactly two seconds to let go of her arm.” Caleb’s voice was low and quiet, his hand on the hilt of the knife at his belt.

  “What is going on here, Horace?” Henry Washburn had rushed up beside them, a confused look on his face. Mrs. Washington was right behind him. The camp had gone quiet, as many of the men stood to witness the commotion.

  Laslow raised his flushed face to look from Washburn to Caleb. There were several fresh scratch marks on the man’s left cheek. Livy continued to struggle from the man’s grip on her arm.

  “This woman attacked me last night. I intend to deliver her to the jail in town.”

  “Your two seconds are up, Mister.” Caleb took another step closer. He stared at the older man. “I told you to let her go.” With deliberate slow motion, he slid the knife from its scabbard.

  Laslow glared at him, then at Caleb’s hand. With hate-filled eyes, he released Livy’s arm. She stumbled backward, but regained her balance, rubbing her hand up and down her arm where Laslow’s had gripped her.

  “I defended myself against your unwanted advances,” Livy hissed, glowering at the man. She kept her voice deliberately low to prevent others from hearing.

  Caleb’s eyes snapped to her. She refused to look at him, but kept her eyes on Laslow. Mrs. Washington rushed to her side and tugged at her to move her out of the way. Caleb stepped in front of Laslow, holding up his knife. The older man’s face darkened with crimson. His jaw quivered with concealed rage.

  “Appears to me there are two sides to this story, so before you throw any more accusations around, why don’t we get Miss Barkley’s version in front of everyone? Perhaps someone should fetch Judge Hedges.”

  Caleb stared at the scratch marks on the man’s cheek. To make his point, he turned to look at the crowd of men who watched just out of earshot. It wasn’t hard to imagine what had happened to the man’s face. A surge of anger rushed through him at the thought of why Livy had made those defensive marks on the man’s cheek.

  Laslow stood stiffly, his cold eyes filled with hate and rage. He glared from Caleb to where Livy stood with Mrs. Washington. Finally, he directed his attention to Henry Washburn.

  “Get her out of my sight, Washburn. Her employment with me is terminated. If she shows her face on my property again, she’ll face the consequences.”

  With those words, he turned and marched back toward his house. Caleb sheathed his knife. He nodded to Washburn, then stepped to where the matronly cook had her arm around Livy. When the older woman raised her chin, her satisfied smile was back.

  “Now do you see why I have to leave?” Livy glared at him for a moment, then ducked away from her friend and headed for the wagon.

  Mrs. Washington let her go. She walked up to Caleb, her grin widening.

  “Seems to me you’re making good on that promise already,” she said smugly, patting her hand against his chest, then following Livy.

  Caleb stared after the women, the guilt slowly lifting from his shoulders. Perhaps the cook was right. While he couldn’t prevent Livy from going on this expedition, he’d be there to make sure she was safe, and this time he had no plans of running away.

  Chapter 6

  Caleb pushed the buck he’d shot off his thighs and over his gelding’s withers to the ground. He dismounted, then pulled his knife from his belt. Men milled about camp, setting up tents and tending to their horses and the pack animals. Not even the gurgling of the creek or the swooshing of wind through the tall lodgepoles drowned out the loud voices and laughter. Caleb trained his ears to listen, then gritted his teeth. Was he really hoping to hear a woman’s voice among the chatter made by the men?

  He shook his head, then set to work dressing the deer. Kyle and Josh rode through camp and approached. Caleb raised his head, grateful for the company of his friends to disrupt the path his thoughts were taking. They were more than a week into this expedition, and each day seemed to get longer than the last.

  The reason he’d accepted Kyle’s offer to come on this expedition was to rein in his restlessness, but since they’d left Helena, he was more restless than ever. He had a job to do, helping Kyle scout out the safest routes to take while showing Washburn all the wonders this area had to offer. Along with Josh, he was responsible for providing fresh meat for the group. While he should be focused on these things, his mind was occupied by thoughts of Livy Barkley.

  He should have handled her differently from the beginning. His initial shock at meeting her again after all these years, combined with the guilt that followed for forgetting all about her, and then the intense need to follow through with his promise, had all played into the way he’d acted like a fool. Ever since they’d gotten under way, she’d avoided him, and he didn’t know how to approach her. She’d clearly not forgiven him for trying to stop her from coming on this expedition in the first place.

  For more than a week, he’d watched her from afar, trying to stay close by in case she needed help. Trouble was, she seemed to be getting along just fine and proving him wrong. Every day, she rode with the cook in the supply wagon, smiling and obviously holding conversation with him. She collected wood and water, built a fire, cooked, and cleaned without any indication the work was too difficult.

  Washburn had been right. She was good for the morale of the men. They all flocked to her, praising her good cooking and her company. For now, everyone appeared to heed Washburn’s stern warning that any impropriety would not be tolerated. Caleb ran a hand through his hair. While the men acted respectfully, there were several who watched her with great interest from afar.

&nbs
p; You’re one of them, Walker. While you’re keeping a close eye on them, who’s watching you to keep you in line?

  He suppressed a laugh. He hadn’t so much as held a conversation of more than a few words with her since leaving Helena. The thought that her former employer had attacked her brought a surge of anger to Caleb each time his mind wandered in that direction, and he’d wanted to talk to her about it. The problem was, her guard was up where he was concerned and approaching her proved to be more difficult than sneaking up on unsuspecting prey.

  Other than a quick greeting during meal times, he hadn’t said much of anything to her. Words failed him, and she seemed to go out of her way to ignore him.

  “At least one of us had a successful hunt.” Kyle nodded at the buck on the ground, bringing Caleb’s thoughts back to dressing the animal.

  He nodded at Kyle and Josh. They’d all gone hunting together several hours ago. Kyle had told Washburn where to stop and set up camp along this shallow tributary of the Yellowstone River.

  Josh had suggested they split up when there hadn’t been any sign of game in the immediate area. He now sat on his horse, glancing in the direction of camp. “They make too much noise, and scare off all the game.”

  “At least we’ll all get some fresh meat tonight, thanks to Caleb.” Kyle dismounted his horse and helped Caleb strip the hide from the buck.

  “You can gift the hide to your mother when you return to the valley of the Teewinots.” Josh said.

  The soft laughter of a woman drifted from where the supply wagon stood near the middle of camp. Whatever else Josh might have said about the hide was lost to him. Caleb raised his head to look for the source of the laughter. Livy stood by the wagon, untying something strapped to the outside of the bed. Her hair was partially covered by the white kerchief she preferred to wear, but her long strands shimmered golden in the late-afternoon sun. A hard nudge against his arm brought his focus back to Josh.

  “It looks to me like you’d rather cut the hide into strips instead.” Josh glared at him with a bewildered frown.

  Caleb shook his head. His eyes went back to where Livy was preparing to start a cooking fire. The grizzled old camp cook dropped a pile of kindling on the ground for her, and she smiled at the man. Caleb’s hand clenched around the handle of his knife.

  “You take the hide. I have no use for it,” he said while his eyes remained on Livy.

  Try as he might, he couldn’t see the little girl with the dirty tears that had streaked down her face when they’d first met. The woman she’d become was strong, confident, and radiant. The days on the trail hadn’t made her weak or tired. She seemed to thrive and blossom even more with each day.

  “Why don’t you let Josh and me finish with this buck? I don’t think you’re fit to hold a knife right now. You’re liable to cut your hand off for all the attention you’re paying.”

  Caleb cursed under his breath. Kyle was right. He was going to be a danger to himself and others if he didn’t get his head on straight. A sudden yearning filled him for a dip in his secluded mountain lake. The cold water would surely clear his head.

  Kyle came up next to him and glanced into camp toward the supply wagon. He motioned with his knife to where Livy stood. She’d started a fire and moved to the tailgate of the wagon, rummaging through some boxes.

  “You know, you’re not the only man in camp who looks at her with stars in his eyes.”

  Caleb’s head whipped around to look at his friend. He tensed. Kyle met his gaze, then laughed with a shake of his head.

  “Not to worry. I’m not talking about myself, but she’s got a lot of the men’s heads turning, ready to do her bidding. You oughta go and talk to her.”

  Caleb shook his head. “I don’t know what to say to her. We got off on the wrong foot back in Helena. She won’t even look at me.” He scoffed. “I was only trying to watch out for her.”

  “You could start by complimenting her cooking,” Kyle suggested. “That always works with my father when he has to make amends to my mother for something.”

  “I say forget her and worry about meat for tomorrow,” Josh chimed in.

  Kyle laughed. “Don’t listen to him. He’s still wet behind the ears and has no interest in women.”

  Josh glared at his cousin, but didn’t make any further comment.

  “Livy seems to think I’m the enemy because I didn’t want her going on this expedition,” Caleb blurted. He stared off into the distant mountains to keep from looking at her. She didn’t need to see that he was constantly watching her. That would only make matters worse.

  “Must have been quite the surprise when she found out who you were.”

  “I think that made it worse. She hasn’t forgiven me for running away and leaving her behind.”

  Caleb kicked at a rock on the ground. Now that he’d found her again, he hadn’t forgiven himself.

  Livy wiped her hands on her apron before untying it from around her waist. She draped it over the tailgate of the wagon and held her hands to her sore lower back. Five days of sitting in a jostling wagon over rough terrain was taking its toll on her. Not that she’d complain. Henry Washburn had gotten her out of Helena and away from Horace Laslow. She was not about to show any weakness or voice any complaints.

  Other than her aching body, she’d had an enjoyable time. This was certainly different than anything she’d ever done before, but the beauty of the wilderness made up for any conveniences she was giving up. Eli Franklin, the cook, had been respectful and – according to his own words – quite taken with her cooking skills. While she’d had some initial trouble starting a campfire and getting the coals the correct temperature for the Dutch ovens, Eli had been patient as he taught her how to tend to a fire correctly.

  At night, she slept in a tent erected for her by one of the men. She wasn’t short of any volunteers for the job, or anything else she might need. Someone was always there to fetch water or bring firewood, even though she protested and said she could do these things on her own.

  It wouldn’t do if Henry Washburn thought she wasn’t pulling her weight. According to Eli, Washburn was pleased with her cooking, even though the cook boasted often that he’d “taught her ev’rething I know.”

  Getting upset with the old man wasn’t possible. He told many tall tales, but he kept her laughing and in good spirits. She missed Jenny every day, but there was no going back to Helena. It remained to be seen what she would do once this expedition was over, but hopefully Henry Washburn and some of the other men would be willing to provide references for her.

  “Why don’t ya go and set a spell? Ya worked enough fer taday.” Eli’s raspy voice pulled Livy from her thoughts.

  She turned to smile at the old man, who stood slightly hunched over, rubbing at his white beard. Most of the men sat around several campfires, laughing and telling stories. Some were still finishing their supper.

  “Are you sure, Eli? Some of the men might want more coffee.”

  He waved a dismissive hand in front of his face. “They ain’t little boys that need ta be coddled. They can get their own coffee. It’s hanging right over the fire.”

  Livy nodded. It was still light enough to go for a quick stroll along the creek. This might be her chance for some privacy. She reached into the wagon for her satchel that contained a clean towel and her small cake of soap.

  “As long as you’re sure there’s nothing you need me to do.”

  Eli grinned, exposing the prominent gap between his upper front teeth. “Ya work hard, missy, and Washburn appreciates it.” He leaned toward her and winked. “And no one’s complained ‘bout my cookin’ since we left Helena.” He moved to turn toward the wagon. “I’ll get the beans soakin’ fer tomorrow night’s supper.”

  Livy laughed. Eli liked to take credit for the cooking and the praise from the men for the food, but in private, he never faltered in his compliments to her. As long as the men were well-fed, it didn’t matter. She grabbed the soap and towel, then turned to l
eave, but nearly collided with a man who’d come up behind her.

  “Would it be any trouble to ask for more stew, Miss Barkley?”

  Livy looked up into the bushy face of one of Washburn’s surveyors.

  “She ain’t yer servant, Jack,” Eli barked. “The pot’s over yonder by the fire. Ya can get it yerself.”

  “I brought the rest of the food over here, Eli,” Livy said quickly. She moved around the wagon to where she’d put the Dutch oven containing the leftover stew, and ladled some onto the plate that was held out to her.

  “Thank you, ma’am.” Jack grinned, his eyes glued to her. He made no move to leave, now that his plate was filled again.

  Livy smiled to cover her slight discomfort from the man’s intense perusal. She took a step back to put some distance between herself and the surveyor. He’d looked at her before, but not while standing so close.

  Livy glanced toward the campfires to avoid eye contact with the surveyor. Henry Washburn sat with Judge Hedges. They appeared to be in lively discussion. Her eyes fell toward the edge of camp, where the scouts had their fire.

  Her heart nearly leapt up her throat, and her stomach fluttered. Caleb Walker stood with the other two woodsmen, staring across the camp directly at her. She tore her eyes away and fumbled with her soap and towel when he continued to look her way.

  She’d had minimal contact with Caleb since leaving Helena. He’d kept his distance, barely speaking to her and almost going out of his way not to talk to her. Maybe he’d realized he had no say in her business after he’d tried to order her from coming on the expedition.

  Livy excused herself from Eli and Jack, and headed for the creek. It was time for some privacy to calm the fluttering and weak feeling in her limbs. Caleb’s stare had more of an effect on her from the distance across the camp than Jack’s appreciative perusal standing within a few feet of her.

  Truth be told, her eyes had often wandered through camp or along the hills while they were on the move, looking for Caleb. Most of the time, the scouts were away from the main group during the day, and she’d only caught a few glimpses of him on occasion in the evening. She’d lain awake at night, thinking about him and their encounter in Helena.