If there was a creek nearby, she washed her face and hands, and sometimes her neck every evening after supper. The scent of the soap she used teased him when she curled up next to him in her bedroll at night. It wasn’t a strong scent, but definitely something flowery. He’d recognize it anywhere. Maybe he’d find some at the trading post, and perhaps a ribbon to tie off her braid, although he’d preferred seeing her hair unbound the day of their wedding.
“Trevor Wilder,” someone nearby called.
Travis stopped. He exchanged a quick look with Josie, and they both turned to see who had called his brother’s name. It wasn’t unusual for folks to mistake him for his twin.
A man dressed in buckskins and leaning on a black powder rifle stood with an officer on the porch of the captain’s office. He raised his hand and smiled. Travis narrowed his eyes, then lifted his hand that held his rifle in a gesture of greeting. He tugged on Josie’s hand and headed for the men.
“Keaton Barlow?”
“I thought you told me Trevor wasn’t working for the army anymore.” The woodsman addressed the officer.
“He’s not, and that’s not Trevor,” the man answered.
“Looks like we might have to change your name from Hawk to Blind Bat.” Travis grinned as he came to a stop in front of the two. He had to let go of Josie’s hand in order to shake that of the older man, then the officer who also extended his hand.
“You must be Trevor’s twin brother, Travis. I’m Lieutenant David Matherson.”
Travis shook his hand. “Trevor speaks very highly of you.” He glanced at Josie for a second. “You were the one that married him and Caroline.”
Matherson smiled. “And I assume they’re still a happily married couple, as are Lucas Walker and his bride Victoria.”
“Yeah, everyone’s still hitched.”
Matherson glanced from him to Josie. “Am I going to be officiating over another wedding?”
Travis chuckled. “You might be busy if a man named Eli Dansforth has his way. He’s eager to marry off his three daughters to just about anyone.”
He reached for Josie’s hand again. She hadn’t moved or said a word. He stepped a little closer to her, smiling at the Matherson, then at her.
“We’re already married. This is my wife, Josie. She’s Caroline’s sister.”
Matherson’s brows rose. “I thought I saw a resemblance.”
“How are things in the woods, Keaton?” Travis nodded at the older woodsman.
“Couldn’t be better. Sorry I mistook you for your brother. It’s been a few years since I last saw the two of you together.”
Travis grinned. “Common mistake.” To Josie, he said, “Keaton is a good friend of Harley’s. Harley always says he, Alex Walker, and a bunch of other men, ‘come out west in ’22 t’ trap beaver fer the Rocky Mount’n Fur Comp’ny.”
Everyone laughed at Travis’ best imitation of Harley’s voice. Travis locked his gaze on Josie. Seeing her smile and hearing her laugh made his heart swell.
Keaton Barlow reached for Josie’s hand. “A pleasure, Mrs. Wilder, although I’m quite surprised that Travis has a wife.” He chuckled. “But not quite as unbelievable as Lucas Walker getting married. That boy was as wild as seven of us put together when we came to the mountains.”
“Then you must have quite a few stories to tell, Mr. Barlow.”
Josie shook the man’s hand. Travis observed the interaction. She’d certainly found some confidence around strangers, and it made her even more appealing. If she was no longer meek as a mouse around other men, then maybe there was hope that she’d get over the trauma of her past, as well.
Barlow smiled. “It will take some time to tell them all.”
Travis turned to Josie. “Keaton gave me my first shooting lessons after Harley brought my brothers and me to Harley’s Hole. They used to call him the Hawk, because he had eyes like one. Most people don’t want to get into a shooting competition with him.” He paused and narrowed his gaze. “Although, maybe now that he’s older, his eyesight’s not that great if he can’t even tell me apart from my brother.”
“We can put it to the test if you’d like, Travis.”
Travis shook his head. “I’ll pass, but maybe you should match your skills against my wife. I bet she can outshoot us all.”
Josie glared at him. “You should stop making bets, Travis Wilder. Look what happened the last time.”
Travis laughed. “Yeah, look what happened. I got you as a prize.”
Their eyes locked. If there was ever a time he wished he could have been alone with Josie, it was now. The sparkle in her eyes lingered. There was a look that went far deeper than trust, yet remained unsaid.
“We were just about to have some breakfast. We’d love for you two to join us.” Lieutenant Matherson’s invitation interrupted the moment, and Josie dropped her gaze.
Travis tore his eyes away from her and gave a nod and a grin to the lieutenant. “As long as the cook’s not serving flap jacks.”
After hours of catching up and telling stories over breakfast, Travis led Josie back to camp. He stopped as they passed the trading post.
“You seemed to enjoy yourself.”
Josie nodded. “It was fun and interesting to hear Mr. Barlow tell stories of when he and Harley roamed the hills with Alex Walker and the rest of their friends. Those must have been wild times.”
“I’m sure they were.” Travis paused. Spending some time alone with Josie, exploring that look they’d exchanged before breakfast was first and foremost on his mind, but now was also a good time to buy her something special.
“I’ve got something to get at the trading post.”
“I’d best get back to camp. I’m sure Ada is wondering where we’ve been.”
Travis reached for her hand. His fingers caressed her palm. “I won’t be long.”
She nodded and smiled, then turned to leave. Travis followed her with his eyes for a moment, then entered the post. It didn’t take long to find what he was looking for. His nose led him directly to a bar of lavender soap.
As he was making his purchase, a new hunting knife caught his eye, and he bought it, as well. Hopefully Josie would like at least one of his gifts.
He hurried from the fort. Somewhere in the distance, several shots rang out. It wasn’t unusual with so many people congregated near the fort. Probably some emigrants getting into an argument. This was the kind of thing Trevor would have overseen.
Nervous energy raced through him as he made his way through dozens of camped wagons to reach Hammond’s outfit. Today was the day he was going to tell Josie he loved her, and there was no better time than now.
As he drew closer, several of the women scattered around. Others were gathered near Hammond’s wagon. Travis frowned. He broke into a run.
“What’s going on?”
The women parted to let him pass. Anthony Hammond lay on the ground. It was hard to tell where the blood on his shirt had come from. Was he even alive? Ada held his head in her lap.
“Someone’s gone to fetch a doctor,” one of the women said. “He’s been shot.”
“What the hell happened?”
Travis dropped to his knees beside Ada. Someone shot Anthony Hammond, of all people?
Loretta came up beside him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. When he glanced up, the expression on her face froze his insides.
“Several men came into camp. They didn’t say anything. They grabbed Josie. When Anthony tried to stop them, one of them shot him.”
Travis jumped to his feet. “They took Josie?”
Tears streamed down Loretta’s face. “They took her and rode off.”
Travis dropped his packages and gripped his rifle. Looking from Loretta to the women standing around, his face hardened. His tone was low and menacing.
“Which way did they go?”
Chapter 18
Josie’s body trembled from the fierce pounding of her heart. Concentrating on taking deep breaths to ease h
er fear was becoming more difficult by the second. Not even her encounter with the snake nearly two weeks ago had left her with such blinding fear.
Strands of her hair fell over her eyes, the ends tickling her nose, but there was nothing she could do about it. She shook her head in an effort to rid herself of the sensation. Her hands were tied behind her back, and the leather strips bit painfully into her wrists the more she struggled to free herself.
At least when she’d faced the snake, she’d had a chance to save her own life. This time, she was being held prisoner by four men, all of them well armed and looking as if they wouldn’t hesitate to shoot her. Or worse.
Josie swallowed. They could do much worse than kill her quickly. She squeezed her eyes shut as the painful sting of fear blurred her vision. She couldn’t allow these men to see the terror racing through her.
Her worst nightmare was coming to pass. All these years, she’d hidden at Harley’s Hole to protect herself from what was about to happen to her. The last time, she’d known her assailant. She’d never seen these men before.
She’d been on her way back to camp after leaving Travis at the trading post. Before she’d reached Ada’s wagon to tell her where she’d been, four men had seemingly come out of nowhere. Their horses had crowded around her and one of the men had forced her onto his horse.
She’d caught a glimpse of Anthony running toward them, but without flinching, one of the men had pointed a gun at her friend and shot him.
Despite squeezing her eyes shut, a tear escaped and trickled down her cheek. Anthony was dead, and she faced a horrible fate. If Travis had been with her, they would have shot him, too. He wouldn’t have been able to defend himself alone against these four. No doubt he would have tried, but would have been shot in the process.
Josie inhaled another deep breath, slowly exhaling through her mouth. It always calmed her nerves, but this time, it was a futile effort. Without opening her eyes, she focused her attention on the sounds around her.
Harley had taught her how to stay calm in the mountains when danger was nearby. It was no different now. She wasn’t helpless. All of the years living at Harley’s Hole with the Wilder brothers had taught her how to defend herself. A man had already taken away her innocence of youth, so no matter what these men tried to do, they would not break her.
One of the men paced beside the horses a short distance away. She’d already spotted a rifle in one of the saddle scabbards. It might be a slim chance to reach it, but one she’d willingly take.
Another man had left shortly after they’d stopped in this grove of woods many miles from Fort Laramie, and he hadn’t yet returned.
The remaining two squatted by the little campfire they’d started. Didn’t they realize that smoke would give away their whereabouts? Unless they weren’t concerned about being discovered.
Josie opened her eyes. She swallowed, taking in another deep breath. Her hands and wrists were raw from scraping them against the rough bark of the tree behind her back. If she could get the bindings around her hands at least loosened up, she might have a chance to slip her hands through and free herself.
Without her rifle, she might not get far, but at least she’d have a fighting chance. She was not going to be a victim like the last time.
“Why are you holding me prisoner? What do you want from me?” she called. Hopefully her voice wasn’t quite as shaky as it sounded in her ears.
The two men by the fire looked up. One of them rose to his feet. He’d been the one to grab her and force her belly-down onto his horse. Her stomach muscles still hurt from the jarring ride. He moved toward her, spitting some tobacco juice on the ground as he walked.
He towered over her, his lewd sneer sending another shiver of apprehension down her back. Josie glared up at him. How much longer could she pretend she wasn’t afraid of these men?
“Maybe we wanna have a little fun with you?” he sneered.
He knelt down beside her, his dirty fingers lifting strands of her hair that had come loose from her braid. Josie flinched and turned her head away. His words sent another shiver of dread down her spine, but she was not going to give in to her fear or allow these men to see how vulnerable they made her feel
“You’re not going to get away with this. My husband, and the cavalry, is going to come after you.”
The man laughed. “Oh, I’m expecting your man to come after us. I figured you were the perfect bait to draw him out.”
Josie glanced at the man. They were after Travis? That didn’t make any sense. Travis had never been to Fort Laramie to make enemies. He’d never been this far east of Harley’s Hole. Unless he had enemies closer to Fort Hall.
“What has he done to you?”
An ugly, frightening sneer passed over the man’s unshaven face. His eyes blazed with an icy stare that could freeze the length of the Platte River.
“Trevor Wilder is the reason my brother was sent to jail and hanged for stealin’ horses. I swore I’d get my revenge, and my opportunity came quicker than I thought.”
He pulled a knife and held it to Josie’s throat. The flat, cold blade slid along her skin, but the man didn’t apply enough pressure to draw blood. Josie gritted her teeth and forced her breath to remain even.
This man was mistaking Travis for his twin. No doubt Trevor had apprehended a lot of criminals and made sure that they were punished for their crimes.
“You have the wrong man. My husband has never been to Fort Laramie. And if your brother was hanged for taking what didn’t belong to him, he probably deserved it,” she spat.
The man’s eyes twitched with renewed anger. He stood abruptly and glared down at her. “You’re not gonna lie your way out of this, sweetheart. Your man is going to pay for what he did.” He stormed off.
Josie released her breath. For the moment, it appeared she was safe. They needed her as bait. She worked her wrists along the bark of the tree while keeping her eyes on the men. The one pacing a short distance away wasn’t paying attention to her. He stared at nothing with a bored expression on his face.
If she could get free and jump toward the man, she might be able to reach the rifle on one of the horses. It was a risky plan, but her only option at the moment.
She closed her eyes and focused on her hands. The bindings felt looser already. It was tempting to work quicker and harder, but one of the men might notice, so she had to call on all the patience Harley had taught her while out hunting in the woods.
What would Travis think when he found out she’d been abducted? No doubt he’d come after her and ride right into a trap. If she could escape before he found this camp, she might prevent him from getting killed.
Travis.
She owed him so much. He’d taught her how to trust again. And, he’d made her feel things for a man she’d never thought possible. Yet, she’d been too much of a coward to tell him. Would he want more than just a pretend wife? Was she ready to be a wife to him in the truest sense?
At every turn, he’d put her mind at ease and he’d protected her. The memory of his gentle kiss on their wedding day had replayed in her mind relentlessly, and had left her wondering and even longing for more.
She’d looked forward to holding his hand these last couple of weeks. It no longer felt uncomfortable, and she even wished he’d do it more often. She’d found herself disappointed at times if he didn’t find a way to touch her in some way in front of Ada or Loretta. His kiss this morning had been most unexpected, and although it had only lasted a second, the feeling had lingered a lot longer.
Despite her current predicament, Josie smiled. Travis even paid attention when she least expected it. This morning, he’d surprised her by telling her she didn’t like flapjacks. A simple thing for him to say, but it revealed so much about him. It had lifted her spirits and given hope that there could be more between them.
Her thoughts and feelings toward Travis Wilder bore a striking similarity to what her sister and Anna had always said whenever they spoke of their
love for their husbands. For days, perhaps even since before the wedding, Josie had suspected she was falling in love with the Travis she’d come to know on this journey.
To think that she initially had fought Harley about coming. She would have to thank him for pushing her out of Harley’s Hole - her place of feeling safe - if she ever got out of her current predicament.
After the pleasant morning they’d spent together, she’d been convinced without a doubt that she loved Travis and that he might even feel the same about her. The looks of longing and admiration in his eyes could no longer be denied as real, and it was time one of them said it out loud.
She smiled again. He’d already said he loved her. She’d dismissed it because he’d been drunk at the time, but what if he’d truly meant it? It was probably her fault that he hadn’t said it again. He was simply respecting her and waiting for something from her to indicate she was ready to hear the words again.
On the way back to camp, she’d thought about how to approach him and let him know she had more respect and love for him every day. Perhaps because her thoughts had been so deeply on Travis, she hadn’t noticed the men who’d taken her until it had been too late to fight back.
“If I see you again, Travis, I’m going to tell you what you mean to me,” she whispered.
The men at the fire glanced up just as she opened her eyes. She stared back, then turned her head. The rifle hanging off the saddle of the nearest horse seemed to beckon to her.
Josie gritted her teeth and pulled at her bindings. The pain in her wrists was almost too much, but once she relaxed again, there was a definite give. Slowly, she worked one of her hands free, then froze when the sound of a gunshot echoed through the trees.
The two men by the fire jumped up, their guns pulled. The third man pacing by the horses seemed to be alert now, too. In the next instant, he dropped to the ground at the same moment another shot fired.
“Where is he?” the man who’d threatened Josie yelled. He rushed to her and hauled her to her feet, holding his gun to her head. “Show yourself, Wilder, or I’ll kill your woman.”
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