Trailing Home: Liam's Bride (The McKenzie Series #3)

by Lynn Coppersmith

  Selena got out her sewing kit and stitched up the small tears in the canvass bonnet. It was hard work, because she had to hold her arms overhead so much of the time. However, there weren’t very many rips, and they were small. In only a short time, she was finished. Squinting up at her handiwork, she hoped it wouldn’t leak. They had been lucky thus far, and their belongings and supplies had been kept dry. They couldn’t afford for their foodstuffs to get wet and moldy.

  The tent had sustained heavy damage. There were multiple holes, and Selena shivered when she thought about the pounding it must have received. She was grateful for Liam’s quick thinking that had ensured they were safe beneath the wagon when the worst of the hail came down. Had they stayed in the tent, they could have been injured or even killed by the huge pieces of falling ice.

  Selena worked diligently, repairing the tent with neat stitches. The drizzle finally stopped by midmorning, and she sighed with relief. She looked out at the sky, and the clouds were breaking up and blowing over. Encouraged that the rain was finally ending, she decided to try to start a fire.

  She dug through the wagon and retrieved some empty canvass bags from the animal feed they had already used. She folded them into thick squares and placed them on the ground before piling some of the dried buffalo chips on top of them. The chips, when dried, burned for a long time without any smell, and they made an excellent source of fuel for the fire. Soon, she had a small fire burning, and she smiled.

  She had built the fire as close to the wagon as she dared, and she hung two of the soaked blankets on the side of the wagon to catch the heat from the fire. They might get smoky, but at least they would dry.

  Selena sadly inspected the dead chickens. She didn’t want to see them completely go to waste, so she hung a large pot of water over the fire to heat. When it was scalding hot, she dipped the chickens into it and set about plucking their feathers. Finally, she singed their carcasses to remove the last of the feathers and cleaned them for cooking. At least they would enjoy something other than boring beans and bacon for their supper. She cut up the chickens, along with some dried potatoes, onions and carrots, and placed them into a pot of simmering water. She added a few spices, and soon the aroma of hearty chicken soup wafted up from the pot.

  Taking up the tent once more, Selena continued to work on repairing it. When she finished, she erected the poles and stretched the canvass into place, securing the corners with stakes that wobbled in the muddy soil. She had to laugh at the results. Although her stitches were neat and well-applied, the canvass looked more like a patchwork quilt than a tent.

  Having done all she could to restore order, Selena changed into some dry clothes and hung her wet ones near the fire to dry. Liam and Gerald still hadn’t come back, and it was past lunch time. Selena began to fret, and rather than sit and worry, she walked the short distance to the Boyds campsite to see if there was something she could do to help Marcia.

  Susan and Natasha were busy repairing their own much larger tent. Selena smiled and nodded to them but otherwise directed her attention to Marcia. She had also managed to build a fire, and she turned to Selena with a smile.

  “That was quite a storm last night wasn’t it?” Marcia asked.

  “Yes. I hope we don’t have any more like that. I don’t enjoy being scared out of my wits.”

  “Me neither,” Marcia agreed. “I hope the men are able to find our mule. I don’t relish the thought of having to try to hitch an ox to the buggy.”

  Selena gave her a comforting hug. “I’m sure they’ll find him. By the way, I’m making some chicken soup, and there’s more than enough for all of us, so don’t bother with supper.”

  “You’re an angel,” Marcia beamed. “It’s been so long since I had anything other than beans that I’m about to lose my appetite. I’ll make some bread to go with it.”

  Selena nodded and looking around, she asked, “What can I do to help you, Marcia?”

  Selena pitched in, and by late afternoon, the four women had the Boyds campsite neat and tidy once more. Selena went back to her wagon, and finding the two blankets dry, she put them away and hung two other wet ones in their place. She checked on the soup, happy to find that it tasted delicious. Still, the men hadn’t returned, and Selena was beginning to get seriously worried.

  “What could have happened to them?” she mumbled, squinting as she searched for any sign of Liam.

  There were only a couple of hours of daylight left, and she nibbled at her lip in indecision. She wanted to go in search of Liam, but she had no idea where he was. She knew the direction he had taken when he left, but he had said they were going to circle around, so he could be anywhere by now. There was a large hill a little less than a mile away, and she wondered if she climbed to the top whether she would be able to spot the men. As long as she kept the fire within view, there was no danger of getting lost. If she caught sight of Liam, she wouldn’t have to worry so much.

  Informing Marcia of her intention, Selena set off toward the hill. Trudging through the tall grass and sucking mud sapped her strength, and although the hill was not very far away, she was breathless and tired by the time she reached the top of it. She had slipped a couple of times, and her skirts were muddy and wet up to her thighs. She smiled ruefully, thinking that she should have waited to change into clean clothes.

  Selena put a hand up to her brow and turned in a circle, squinting against the light of the setting sun as she looked for any sign of Liam and Gerald. They were nowhere to be seen, but her vantage point allowed her to see into a shallow valley that wasn’t visible from the camp. In the distance, she spotted the mule. The cantankerous beast was grazing happily near the bottom of the hill.

  Selena set out to catch the mule, being careful not to slip as she trudged down the embankment. She was almost to the bottom when her right foot sank into a mud filled hole and she felt a wrenching pain in her ankle. She cried out, falling to her hands and knees as the pains shot up her leg. It was difficult to tell anything with her foot coated in muck, but her probing fingers could already detect swelling, and she sucked in her breath and grimaced.

  Now what? She looked back in the direction she had come and realized that she was no longer within sight of the camp. It wouldn’t do her any good to yell for help. There was no way anyone would hear her from this distance. She stood up and knew immediately she wouldn’t be able to walk on her ankle. When she tried to put any weight on that leg, her knees began to buckle beneath her. She let out a frustrated moan, feeling incredibly foolish for finding herself in this predicament. She estimated that she had one more hour of daylight, and then she would be stuck out here in the pitch black night.

  Liam and Gerald returned to camp, disgusted and tired. They hadn’t had any success in finding Gerald’s wayward mule, and their entire day had been wasted on an exercise in futility. Liam was irritated and hungry, looking forward to Selena’s soothing presence as he approached their campsite.

  To his confusion, Selena was gone. He checked the tent and called her name, but there was no response. All other thoughts fled his mind as worry blossomed. He glanced up at the sky, seeing that is was nearly dark, and his worry coalesced into real fear. Where the hell was Selena?

  Liam hurried to find Marcia. “Have you seen Selena?” he asked anxiously.

  Marcia frowned at him. “She’s not back yet?” Seeing Liam’s negative headshake, her eyes opened wide with worry. She pointed into the distance. “She said she was going to the top of that hill to try and spot you and Gerald. I thought she had already come back.”

  Gerald wandered up to join them. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “Selena’s missing,” Marcia said softly.

  “When did she leave?” Liam asked.

  “I’m not sure. It’s been two hours or so.”

  They all peered into the gloom, trying to catch a glimpse of Selena. Liam was tortured by fears. As much as he had reassured Selena, it was always possible that there was a rogue band of Ind
ians roaming around. He had heard stories of white women being killed or kidnapped. Then again, he had seen several deep gullies that day. What if she had fallen into one and gotten injured? It got very cold at night, and with it being so wet, she could easily die from exposure before he found her.

  “I’m going to look for her,” Liam said. “If she comes back to camp, make sure she stays here.”

  “I’ll help you,” Gerald offered.

  “No, there’s no sense in both of us taking chances. Your family needs you.”

  “Alright,” Gerald reluctantly agreed. “If she comes back to camp, I’ll fire two shots from the rifle so you know.”

  “Thanks.”

  Liam hurried to retrieve the lantern and set out toward the hill Marcia had indicated. He picked his way carefully through the tall grass, battling the urge to rush. It wouldn’t do either of them any good if he fell and hurt himself.

  “Selena!” he called. “Selena, can you hear me?”

  Yelling her name in the darkness only served to increase his anxiety. However, he pushed steadily on, desperately praying that he would find her before she came to any harm.

  Taking a firm hold on herself, Selena quelled her panic and eyed the mule through the thick gloom of twilight. He was not far away, and she thought that she might be able to reach him. She sat on her bottom and slid down the rest of the hill. By then, the mule was only about fifty yards away, but she couldn’t walk that distance with a twisted ankle through the deep mud. Tossing aside all dignity, she crawled on hands and knees toward the beast. He snorted and pawed at the ground as she approached, but Selena talked to him in a soothing voice. She hoped he wouldn’t bolt as she cautiously drew nearer. When she was within a few feet, she slowly stood up, so the mule could see her clearly.

  “Come here,” she coaxed him. “Come on boy.”

  The mule fixed her with a baleful stare and refused to budge. Selena sighed. Of course it would be too much to hope that the wretched beast would make it easy for her.

  “Come on,” she cooed, hobbling her way over to him. She stretched out a hand, letting him smell her, and she managed to grab hold of his halter. “Thank God,” she breathed.

  No sooner had she said the words than the mule shied, yanking the halter loose from her hand before he ran a short distance away. Selena ground her teeth in frustration and began crawling toward him again. Each time she got within reach of him, the hateful mule would bolt a few feet further. Selena was beginning to despair. It was nearly dark by the time she finally managed to grab his halter once more.

  “Gotcha,” she cried triumphantly.

  The mule backed up a few steps, and Selena landed on her bottom in the muck. This time, she stubbornly refused to release her hold on the halter, and the mule pulled her several feet, coating her entire lower half with oozing mud before finally coming to a stop.

  “Be still, you stupid mule!” she railed at him.

  She heaved a frustrated sigh and struggled to her feet again, wincing at the pain in her ankle. Glancing up at the sky, she noticed it was nearly fully dark. Selena was afraid to let go of the halter, so she had to stretch and grope to reach the length of rope that had been used to hobble the mule. He had kicked it loose from his back hooves, and it was trailing behind his front leg. Grunting with the effort, Selena managed to grasp the rope and slip it off from his front hooves. She leaned against him, panting from her exertion and the throbbing pain in her ankle. When she regained her breath, she tied the rope to the sides of the halter, fumbling in the darkness to tie the knots. When she was satisfied that they wouldn’t slip loose, she looped the rope over the mule’s head to form a makeshift bridle.

  Hauling herself onto his back was no easy task, especially since it was now dark enough that she couldn’t see what she was doing. The sucking mud and her heavy skirts thwarted her efforts, and the mule had a nasty habit of sidestepping just when she seemed to get a good hold on him. Still, Selena was determined, and by sheer dint of will, she finally managed to drag herself onto the beast’s back. She sat for a moment, feeling relieved and exhausted before she realized that she had become completely disoriented in the darkness.

  Hoping that the mule would know the way back to camp, she gave him his head and prodded him forward. She could tell they were climbing a hill, but when they reached the top, she gave a frustrated groan. She could barely see the faint glow of their campfires. She had gone the wrong way and was even further away than before. Selena fought back tears and took a few steadying breaths. She was cold and exhausted and oh so ready to be back at camp.

  It took a lot of coaxing, but she managed to get the mule headed back in the right direction. Selena couldn’t see in the darkness, but she hoped the mule could see well enough to walk slowly along. They trudged down the hill, with Selena biting her lip and praying the mule would keep going straight. They climbed back up a hill, and Selena released her pent up breath when she realized it was the hill she had originally been on. She had never been so happy to see the glow of a campfire getting nearer. She felt chilled to the bone, and she clenched her teeth to keep them from chattering. All of a sudden, she heard her name.

  “Selena! Selena, where are you?”

  She recognized Liam’s frantic voice and could see a lantern bobbing through the tall grass. He was obviously looking for her, but he couldn’t see her in the dark, so she yelled in response.

  “I’m here! Liam, I’m here!” she yelled.

  He came toward her voice at a run. She kept calling and steered the mule toward him at the fastest pace she could, but it was still several minutes before she reached him.

  “Oh Liam, thank goodness,” she cried.

  He set the lantern down, nearly tipping it over in his haste. “What the hell were you thinking?” he snarled, snatching her off the mule’s back.

  When he had returned to camp to find Selena gone, Liam’s mind had been consumed with fear. During the time he had been looking for her, his fear had turned to panic. Liam didn’t appreciate being reminded once again of how devastated he would be if something happened to Selena. His earlier panic burst into white hot fury. He shook her roughly by the shoulders as he yelled at her, clearly enraged.

  “Dammit woman, what possessed you to go wandering off by yourself in the dark? Don’t you know you could have gotten lost or hurt? I ought to take you over my knee and tan your backside.”

  “Liam, please. You’re hurting me,” Selena cried. His fingers were biting into her shoulders, and he had set her roughly down on her ankle. She winced, leaning on him for support. “I twisted my ankle,” she wailed.

  For the first time, Liam noticed her appearance, and a tiny bit of his anger dissipated to be replaced by concern. Selena was liberally coated in mud and muck. Her hair hung in filthy globs, where it had escaped from her bun, and she was soaking wet and shivering.

  “Please Liam, let’s get back to camp,” she implored him.

  Liam lifted her onto the mule and led them toward camp, his jaw rigidly locked. Marcia and Gerald came running, and when they saw Selena, Marcia put a hand over her throat, obviously distraught.

  “What happened to you?” Marcia cried. “I thought you were just going to the top of the hill to look around.”

  Selena blinked back tears of humiliation. “I meant to, but then I saw your mule on the other side of the hill, and I wanted to catch him for you. I slipped and twisted my ankle. I’m sorry if I worried all of you.” She noticed the glare Liam shot her, but she ignored it for the moment.

  “You poor darling.” Marcia looked at Liam, “You’d better get her washed up before she freezes to death.”

  “You must all be starving by now,” Selena said. “Go ahead and eat. It might be a while before I can get washed up. Take the soup, and we’ll come and join you in a bit.” She watched as Gerald lifted the pot of soup off the fire and carried it back to their campsite.

  Without a word, Liam lifted Selena down and carried her to the wagon. He sat her inside w
ith her legs dangling out the back and turned to get the dry blankets she had stashed inside the wagon earlier that day. “Stay here,” he growled.

  He turned on his heel and stalked to the tent. After laying the blankets out into a fresh pallet, he returned to the wagon. He didn’t look at Selena as he grabbed her suitcase, the wash basin, towels and soap from the small trunk. He disappeared once more to the tent, and Selena blinked back tears, realizing that he was furious with her. She could hear him filling the basin with water from the barrel, and he carried it to the tent before returning for her.

  Without saying a word, he scooped her up and carried her into the tent. His body was rigid with anger, and she bit her bottom lip, feeling foolish and childish. He stood her on the ground next to the pallet and stripped off her filthy clothes, steadying her with his strong hands while she balanced on one foot. When she was naked, he picked her up and set her none too gently on her bottom in the middle of the pallet, leaving her muddy feet off the edge of the blankets. Selena shivered but didn’t dare ask for a blanket.

  “Here,” Liam commanded, shoving a clean cloth into her hands. “Clean up your face and hair. You’re filthy.”

  Selena flushed with chagrin, and she meekly complied as Liam took another cloth and began to wash her body. He handled her roughly, scrubbing at her skin until it was pink from the friction, but Selena didn’t complain. She understood that he had to vent his anger somehow. Liam cleaned her entire body with the same impersonal, rough strokes. Only when he washed her injured ankle did he soften his touch. When Selena was clean from top to toe, he handed her a clean chemise.

  “Put this on and let me see your ankle,” he growled.

  While she meekly complied, he sat down and balanced her calf across his thigh. He gently probed her wounded extremity. Her ankle was swollen to nearly twice its normal size, and he grunted his displeasure, giving her another disparaging look. His fingers were infinitely gentle as they probed the swollen joint, but his brows were drawn together into a fierce scowl. When he was satisfied that nothing was broken, he laid her foot aside and rose.