Chapter 20
Josie woke to the feel of a hand gliding up and down her bare arm and a shadow hovering over her. Her first impulse was to jump away, but she quickly relaxed. She smiled and opened her eyes.
“Good morning.” Travis leaned over her and pressed a soft kiss against her lips. “Did you sleep well?”
She nodded, still smiling. “I believe I did.”
Travis lay on his back and then reached for her. Josie rolled to her side and leaned over him, resting her head on his chest. His soft caress on her arm sent a slight shiver of delight down her spine.
“You barely moved all night. Usually you’re restless in your sleep.”
She raised her head to look into his eyes. “How do you know I’m restless in my sleep?”
Travis smiled. “Mrs. Wilder, I’ve been sleeping next to you for the past eleven nights. I’ve been paying attention, remember?” His eyes darkened, and his arms wrapped around her back. “I just hope that from now on, we won’t have to sleep under separate blankets.”
“I believe you’re the reason I slept soundly. I don’t ever want to sleep anywhere else but in your arms again.” Josie leaned forward and touched her lips to his.
A cloud moved up above, instantly brightening the area under the lean-to. When had they moved into the shelter Travis had built? Heat flushed her cheeks, thinking about the night she’d spent in his arms. She smiled, then pulled the blanket over them.
Travis tilted his head, and his smile turned into a knowing grin. “I think we should think about getting up and heading back to Fort Laramie, or that look on your face might convince me that we should stay camped here for another night.”
Josie’s face heated even more. He’d completely read her thoughts. She rolled off his chest, pulling the covers with her. Behind her, Travis chuckled and stood. The faint rustling sound indicated he was headed for the area where they’d discarded their clothes last night. Seconds later, he returned and held her shirt and britches out to her.
“I’ll start the fire while you get dressed. I think I have some coffee in my saddlebags.”
Josie glanced up after he left again. Travis knelt by the coals of the fire, wearing his britches but no shirt. She smiled. Her heart was free and full of love for the first time in years. She’d overcome her final hurdle of fear, and the man she was staring at was the reason.
A light breeze brought goose bumps to her bare arms. Josie dressed quickly and headed for the creek. Today was the first day of a brand-new life. Too bad she was so far from home and couldn’t share her happiness with her sisters. Cora, who’d always looked out for her, would be proud of her.
Josie smiled. How would everyone at Harley’s Hole react when they found out she and Travis were married? What would Harley say? Not even he could have anticipated a match between her and Travis. Or, perhaps he’d known all along, and that had been the reason he’d been so eager for her and Travis to lead Anthony’s wagons back east.
Anthony.
Was he alive? Josie blinked back tears. He’d done so much for her with his kindness and friendship. In an indirect way, he may have been responsible for Travis noticing her. He’d told her he’d thought Anthony was courting her, and he’d been worried she had feelings for the minister, too.
When she returned to camp, Travis held a tin cup out to her.
“We can eat the leftover meat and head back to the fort when you’re ready.”
Josie glanced around the clearing. She sighed. “I could stay here longer, but I’m sure it’s best for us to get back. The others must be worried about us, and I’m eager to find out if Anthony is all right.”
Travis nodded. He stood and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I know you’re worried about him.”
Josie sipped her coffee “What about those two men who got away?”
Travis took hold of her hand. “I have no doubt that Keaton caught them and took them to Fort Laramie.”
“There was a fourth man when they first took me, but he wasn’t in camp with the others when you arrived.”
“I shot him first.”
There was no indication of remorse in Travis’ tone. He looked at her, then pulled her into his arms. “I know you’re more than capable of protecting yourself, Josie, but I won’t hesitate to shoot any man who tries to harm my wife.”
Her head rested on his shoulder. “It’s nice to know you’ll always look out for me.” She glanced up and smiled. “And I’ll always look out for you.”
Travis’ horse whinnied a short distance away. Travis tensed. Josie stepped out of his embrace, and they both reached for their rifles on the ground. While the one she’d taken from the dead outlaw wasn’t her familiar rifle, it was a weapon that would be useful until they returned to Fort Laramie.
A horse and rider moved into the clearing. Travis relaxed. He stepped away from where they stood by the campfire.
“Keaton,” he called in greeting.
The older man raised his hand and smiled. “Hello the camp. I’m not interrupting anything, I hope.”
“We were getting ready to pack up.”
“A couple of women insisted I come looking for you two when you didn’t return to the fort last night.” His smile widened. “I told them there was nothing for them to worry about, but they insisted I ride out early this morning, so here I am.” He dismounted his horse and shrugged. “Had to show a cavalry detail where you made wolf meat out of those two scoundrels.”
Josie frowned. She’d heard Harley use words typical of a woods runner before, and it always took some time to decipher their meaning. Keaton Barlow had to be referring to the men Travis had shot.
“Have some coffee while I get my horse saddled,” Travis invited.
Josie poured him a cup, then tossed the rest of it in the fire to douse the flames. Suddenly, the sound of breaking branches and loud snorting came from her right. Just as she turned, a dark shadow came crashing through the woods. Travis stood by his horse and spun around, but was knocked off his feet when his horse shied. The animal nearly trampled him.
In the next instant, a large bull elk emerged with its head and large rack of antlers lowered, charging straight for Travis, who was still on the ground. He was completely defenseless, since he’d already slid his rifle into the saddle scabbard. Josie didn’t hesitate. She raised her rifle, aimed, and fired. The big beast leapt forward, then fell to the ground. She ran to where Travis sat in the grass, staring wide-eyed from Josie to the elk just a couple of feet in front of him.
“Are you all right?” She dropped to her knees as her eyes roamed over him, looking for any sign of injury. His horse could have kicked him.
Travis grinned. “Yeah. I’m fine. Thanks to you.”
Keaton Barlow approached. He stared at Josie with narrowed eyes. He rubbed the whiskers on his chin, then held his hand out for Travis to grasp and hauled him to his feet.
“She’s up to beaver, ain’t she?”
Travis smiled, a proud look on his face. “She sure is.”
“Up to beaver?” Josie glanced from one man to the other.
Travis cupped her cheek in one hand and kissed her. “Yeah. It means someone who can hold their own in any situation.” His eyes locked with hers. “I love you, Mrs. Wilder.
“What a relief that you’re safe and sound.” Anthony placed his hand on Josie’s shoulder and smiled. “My mother and Mrs. Colby were beside themselves with worry.”
“I hope they were more worried about you, Anthony.” Josie stared at his arm, which was bandaged and in a sling.
“I suppose with all the blood splattered on my shirt, it looked worse than it was. The fort surgeon did a marvelous job removing the bullet from my arm, and has told me that I should make a full recovery.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Even the bump on my head that caused me to pass out when I fell.”
Travis held his hand out to Anthony. “Thank you for trying to protect my wife.”
Anthony shook his hand and nodded. “I’m glad y
ou were able to ride after her and apprehend those outlaws. I can’t believe they kidnapped Josie because of a vendetta against your brother.”
“Trevor and Travis are easy to mistake for one another, but only in looks. Trevor is not as hot-headed as his brother.” Josie glanced up at her husband and smiled.
He stepped closer and leaned over to whisper in her ear, “And you like me the way I am, hot-headed and all.”
Josie smiled, casting a glance at Anthony. He seemed not to have heard. She reached for Travis’ hand and held on tight. He hadn’t left her side since their return to Fort Laramie less than an hour ago, even when Loretta and Ada had surrounded her and pulled her into motherly embraces.
“I need to have a word with the Captain at the fort about the men who took you.” Travis cast her a worried look.
“I’ll be fine here in camp while you’re gone. I have my rifle, and the odds of something else happening are slim to none.”
Travis hesitated, then nodded. “Keaton will be nearby. He’ll keep an eye out.”
Travis mounted his horse and rode in the direction of the fort. Ada Hammond came up beside her, and Josie took her eyes off her husband. He clearly had no intention of being gone long, since he’d decided to ride to the fort rather than walk.
“Anthony, why don’t you rest? I have something I need to discuss with Josie.”
Ada smiled hesitantly, then held out her hand to indicate she wanted Josie to follow her.
“Can we take a walk?”
Josie nodded. Her forehead scrunched slightly. Why did Ada want to talk to her away from the others?
“Is everything all right?” she asked after they’d passed several wagons and were out of earshot of anyone else.
Ada hesitated and glanced around before she spoke. “Mr. Barlow is on his way to Independence. He’s agreed to accompany our wagons. There will also be a small cavalry detail heading that way. I think everyone will be safe if you and Travis wish to return home to your valley.”
Josie stopped. She glanced at Ada. “You don’t want us to go with you the rest of the way to Independence?”
Ada’s smile was strained. “It’s not that . . .” She clasped her hands in front of her, holding them tightly together. When she didn’t say anything more, Josie spoke.
“I have to thank you for a lot, Ada. You and Loretta have become like family to me. I am so grateful for the chance you’ve given me, and allowing me to break free from past fears and restraints.”
Ada looked at her with her soft eyes. “Whatever fears you’ve had, Josie, you’ve hidden them well. I’m not going to pry into your past, but I want you to know how much I admire you. You’ve faced everything with great courage, and you’ve gone after the things you want.” She paused and glanced at the ground. “And you didn’t make the same mistake I made when I was about your age.”
“Mistake?”
“You didn’t let the man you love slip through your fingers and get away.”
Josie studied the older woman. There was a shimmer of tears in her eyes.
“I’m not sure I understand? I thought Mr. Hammond . . .” She caught herself before finishing her thought. Ada wasn’t talking about her dead husband.
Ada sniffed, and held a kerchief to her nose. Her conversations with Harley, when he’d convinced her to go on this journey, came back to her now.
“You and Harley were once sweethearts, weren’t you?” She placed her hand on Ada’s arm.
The old woman looked at her with wide eyes. “He told you?”
Josie nodded. “He begged me to go along on your journey back east to keep an eye on you. That’s the reason I finally agreed to come. I love Harley like a grandfather, and I’d do anything for him.”
Ada stared off into the distance. “It was a shock to me when I saw him at Fort Hall. I never . . . I never thought I’d see him again when he left to head into the mountains. We were young and in love. He wanted to follow his dreams. He asked me to go with him, but I was too afraid of the unknown.” She scoffed. “And I allowed my father to influence me too much. I lied to Harley and told him I didn’t love him. It was the last thing I ever said to him as I watched him walk out of my life.”
Josie wrapped her arms around the woman for a quick hug. If she and Travis hadn’t told each other how they felt about each other, they might have followed through with the dissolution of their marriage once they reached Independence and then parted ways. Surely, one of them would have decided to live away from Harley’s Hole after that. They would have faced a lifetime of being miserable.
Josie consoled the woman. Ada sobbed against her shoulder, then straightened.
“I never forgot him,” she whispered. “I regretted my decision all these years. Don’t get me wrong. I loved Anthony’s father, and I have lived a blessed life, but I never forgot Harley.”
Josie studied her. There wasn’t much she could say to ease her friend’s sorrow.
“It’s never too late to tell someone you love them. It might be worth the risk to get back what you lost.”
Ada stared at her. She shook her head. “I’m too old now. Besides, what would Harley think?”
There wasn’t much more to say. Should she tell her that Harley still had feelings for Ada? He hadn’t exactly said it, but from the way he’d begged Josie for a favor, he clearly still loved her.
“There you are.”
Josie spun around at Travis’ voice. He strode toward them, his eyes on her.
“Did you think I’d been abducted again?” She stepped up to him and leaned forward for a kiss.
“No, but I like to keep you in my sights, just to be sure.” He grinned.
Ada stepped around them. “I’m going to go back to the wagon and make sure my son is resting so his arm can mend. I’ll leave you two newlyweds alone.” She smiled then hurried back to camp.
“What was that all about?” Travis scrunched his forehead.
Josie shook her head. “We were talking about regrets and lost love.”
Travis pulled her to him. “I hope you weren’t talking about me?”
She laughed. “Not everything is about you, Travis Wilder.”
“Good, because I have something for you.” He held out two items wrapped in brown parchment.
Josie glanced at the gifts, then at him. “What’s this?”
“Open them.”
Josie first unwrapped the bar of soap that gave off the pleasant scent of lavender, then stared up at him with wide eyes when the other package revealed a new hunting knife.
“Thank you, Travis, but I don’t understand.”
Travis touched a hand to her cheek and kissed her. “I love you, Josie. I didn’t know what to get you for a wedding gift, so I thought these were appropriate.”
“Soap and a knife?” She smiled. Being married to Travis would never be dull.
“The soap is to always remind you of the sweet woman you are, and the knife is so you never forget the valor you possess.”
Epilogue
“Time to wake up. If you want to be home today, we need to get an early start.”
Travis gave Josie a gentle nudge then leaned over her and kissed her. If rousing her awake wouldn’t work that way, kissing her might get her to pay attention. She sure had been a sound sleeper the last few months.
He smiled. She kept telling him that it was because of him that she no longer had nightmares. Thankfully, he hadn’t had another unpleasant dream regarding his wife. Ironically, the one and only time had been on the day they’d finally confessed their mutual love for each other.
Josie reacted to his kiss by slipping her arms out from under their blanket and wrapping them around his neck. She pulled him closer until he had her pinned beneath him.
“I don’t think this is such a good idea,” he whispered against her ear.
Once they were home in the valley, they would need to put up a cabin quickly before winter set in. Then they would have all the privacy a newly-married couple could ask for.
For now, being out in the open on the trail had its disadvantages.
Travis kissed her one final time, then sat up, taking care to keep Josie covered and shielded from the cold wind. He peered out from under their makeshift canvas shelter.
“I think it’s snowing. Good thing we don’t have much further to go.”
Josie sat up, her interest clearly piqued. “Snowing? Do you think it’ll be an early winter?”
Travis laughed. “Maybe. Speaking of that, I think it’s going to be quite an interesting Christmas this year. All the family will be together.”
“I wonder what everyone will think when we get home,” she whispered. “It seems our family in the valley is almost complete.”
Travis turned his head to smile at his wife. “There’s one other person we’ll need to marry off someday.”
Josie returned his smile. “Patrick still has a lot of time to grow up before he even has to think about such things. But, there’s Harley.”
Travis grinned. He shook his head in disbelief. “Harley’s an old codger. How are you going to convince him that he needs to marry?”
Josie sat up and combed her fingers through her hair to braid it. Travis came up behind her and let her long strands slide through his hands.
“Harley’s been lonely, Travis. You saw the way he looked at Ada Hammond at Fort Hall. He still has feelings for her.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s going to want to get married.” He leaned forward and kissed Josie’s neck. The quiet shudder that passed through her was enough enticement to kiss her again.
“He wanted all of his boys to get married,” she said after a quick intake of breath. “So he can’t get away with being stubborn and let happiness pass him by again.”
“Maybe that’s why he wanted us to get married. He realized what he’d been missing out on all his life, so he didn’t want us to go through life alone.”
Josie's Valor Page 18