Romancing the Wilderness: American Wilderness Series Boxed Bundle Books 1 - 3

by Dorothy Wiley

  She kneaded her hands in her lap, as though she were trying to reassure herself that her hands were still free of the ropes.

  He glowered at William, snarled a profanity under his breath, and then threw the rest of his supper and his plate to the ground.

  Accustomed to Stephen’s methods of communication, William tried to explain. “My brother’s got a notable temper and what those men did to you made him, makes both of us, angry and sick to our stomachs. When he saw those men attacking you, I think he thought about his own daughters. He wanted to keep you from suffering, just like he would have if you had been his own daughter.”

  “They did hurt me. I’m glad they’re dead,” Kelly said, anger in her voice for the first time.

  “You have a right to be angry. They deserved to die, for what they did to Mr. Adams, and to you. I’m just sorry you had to witness them getting killed,” William said.

  “I’m glad I saw it. I never want to forget it.”

  “You need to rest now. Why don’t I get that water warmed up?” William offered.

  “It will be dark soon, where will you sleep?” she asked while nibbling nervously on her bottom lip.

  “Don’t fret about us. We’re used to sleeping under the stars. We’ll put our bedrolls beside the fire, if that’s all right with you,” William replied.

  Kelly’s eyes softened, almost seemed to brighten as she gazed at William.

  Then she glanced at Stephen. “Thank you again for saving my life. Your daughters are lucky to have you for a father.”

  Those simple words gave him a warm feeling he would remember for a long time.

  Outside, William cleaned his weapons beside the small fire. He was religious about it.

  Stephen brushed George, paying as much attention to the stallion as William did to weapon cleaning and Sam to knife sharpening. The horse’s black coat reflected the light from the cook fire like a full moon glistening on a lake at midnight. Both men worked in silence, brooding over the day’s sad events.

  Finally, William said, “I don’t believe we will ever shoot men who deserve to die more.”

  “I just wish we had found them before they found her,” he said, putting the brush down. He poured the last of the coffee. What those men did to Kelly left a bitter taste in his mouth.

  “They were scoundrels of the worst kind. They robbed Kelly of her innocence, and nothing I can do or say will bring that back. At least the whoresons won’t hurt anyone else. But it’s too bad they couldn’t have been tried for all their crimes. Given what Kelly overheard, this wasn’t the first time they raped a woman,” William said.

  “They got what they deserved.”

  “What are we going to do with her?” William asked.

  “What do you mean? Do what with her?”

  “We can’t just leave her here, waiting for her drunken father to come back. What if that skunk got her with child? Her father might think she asked for it and beat her, or worse, kill her,” William said.

  “You don’t know that. I don’t like it either but we have to leave her here just like we found her. We can’t take her from her father.”

  “If her mother died when she was fourteen, and she said that was four years ago, she’s eighteen—old enough to leave if she chooses. I’ll never leave that poor girl alone out here in the wilderness.”

  “I know your intentions are honorable, but it wouldn’t be proper for her to come with us.”

  “Neither is getting raped.”

  He was getting tired of William pushing him. “I’m not her father. I have my own daughters, and damn it, I’m having a hard enough time taking care of them. She has a father. This is her home. She won’t want to leave.”

  “You heard what she said. Next time the brut might break more than a finger. He can’t be much of a father if he treats her like that.”

  Stephen had to agree with that. He thought about his own daughters and softened a bit. “All right, we’ll talk to her in the morning and see what she says. I’m betting she’ll want to stay with her own kin. But if she wants, we’ll take her to the next town.”

  “Sometimes a person must leave to find their own life. Maybe we were sent here to lead her to it.”

  Chapter 29

  With the sunrise, a Spring cold front blew in with bluster and it began to rain steadily. Kelly asked the two to come inside as soon as it started. “The coffee is already made if you’d like some.”

  Stephen marveled at the difference in her appearance. She appeared much brighter and more alert than the day they found her. She wore a fresh, although quite worn, smock and her long hair hung smoothly across her back.

  As she reached across the table to pour coffee for William, Stephen noticed the terrible raw rope burns on her wrists, but he also studied her face. Except for Jane, he couldn’t remember ever seeing a lovelier young lady, even though her eyes were still puffy from crying. She wasn’t a classic beauty, but her features had a pleasing charm. She was much too thin, her ragged clothing hanging on her like a grain sack. If she had eaten one meal a day, he’d be surprised. There was little on the shelves in the way of supplies, only a small pile of crudely chopped wood for the fire and no other comforts that he could see. How could her father neglect her like this?

  “Kelly, my brother and I were wondering what you would like to do now,” William said.

  “What do you mean?” she asked. She blew on her coffee to cool it.

  “We won’t leave you in this situation, alone and awaiting the return of your brutish father. Those men we killed are not the only ruffians and ill-bred men out there. I don’t know how your father could leave you out here. It’s indecent and outlandish. Not to mention, there’s always the threat of Indians,” William said.

  “My father bribes the Indians with tobacco so they leave us alone. As far as other men, I guess he never thought men would attack a young girl,” she said, looking down at her feet.

  Did she still think of herself as a girl? Stephen wondered. “You’re not a girl. You’re a comely young lady and you need protection,” he said adamantly.

  “I can’t leave. I have no finances and no place to go. This is my home, even if it’s not much,” Kelly said.

  “You have some money now,” Stephen said. He reached into his pocket and laid the sack on her little table. “That was on one of them, and it’s not Mrs. Adams’. She didn’t have any money stolen, so you’re entitled to it as compensation for the harm you’ve suffered. Haven’t counted it yet. Don’t know how much is there, but it feels like a considerable amount.”

  Kelly stared at the pouch in astonishment. He realized she had probably never had a coin of her own in her life.

  “And you can earn more money,” William said. “I’m guessing you can read, judging from the Bible and the books by your bed. You could work for a newspaper or at a schoolhouse, or as a nanny. You can come with us till Cat Springs, or all the way to Kentucky if you want to.”

  At that, Stephen gave William a stern sideways look. This was not what they had agreed upon. He had never said that she could go with them all the way to Kentucky. What was William thinking? Kelly was a sweet young lady, but he had no intention of taking on another person to care for.

  “Mr. Wyllie, what do you think I should do?” Kelly asked.

  The rain grew heavier and began to drip steadily through the roof in several places. Kelly quickly responded, as though she had done the same thing many times before, placing a bucket or bowl beneath each leak.

  Stephen cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak but stopped when thunder growled above them. He glanced at William and then at Kelly and then back at William.

  “What William says is true,” he finally said to her. “You aren’t safe here. Do you think your father will come looking for you if you leave?”

  “Depends. He probably won’t care while he’s drunk. When he sobers, he might get mad if I’m not here to wash his clothes and make his meals. I just don’t know.”

&
nbsp; “Can your father read?” he asked.

  “Oh yes. He and my Ma were both well-educated in Virginia. He got in some sort of trouble and moved here.”

  “What kind of trouble?” William asked.

  “I don’t know. Ma would never tell me. She just said ‘the past is past’.”

  “I suggest you write a note to leave here for him. You could tell him about the men who attacked you. Tell him we killed your attackers, but could not wait around for his return and we could not leave you here alone. Let him know you have gone with us for your protection and that you will write him more when you have a chance to send a letter,” Stephen said.

  “Sounds like a good plan,” William responded, sounding relieved. “Do you have indigo and quill and some parchment?”

  “Not much, but enough to write a short note,” she said. “But….” She lowered her head.

  Stephen could understand her mixed emotions. He could tell she wasn’t sure she should abandon her home or her father. Even though he treated her poorly, he was still her father.

  Kelly looked up at William, then said, “I have to admit, I had thought about the idea of my own life and leaving this place…I just didn’t how or when…all right, I’ll do it. But I’ll have to take my chickens and my milk cow. I won’t leave them behind. They’re all I’ve got and someone has to take care of them.”

  Stephen’s heart twisted when he realized they were the only family she had.

  “And we’ll have to take my old mule, Rocky. We can’t leave him. Pa says he’s too old to use as a pack mule up in the mountains, but he’s still of use if he’s not loaded too heavily.”

  William glanced at him and grinned. They both knew Stephen had to accept Kelly with her entire menagerie.

  “My wife Jane will be thrilled to have some chickens around again, and the children would benefit from some fresh cow’s milk. All we have are two young heifers that are not yet producing milk. I suppose we could build a cage of some sort for the hens and tie it onto that mule. But you’ll have to take care of them. I’m not messing with chickens. Be sure to explain to your father that you took the mule. I don’t want him thinking we did. I won’t take another man’s animal.”

  “I’ll explain, but he won’t care. And I’ll take care of my own animals. And you will have the first eggs the chickens lay,” Kelly said.

  William started laughing.

  Stephen glared at him. Eggs. He hated eggs. He shook his head as he strode towards the door, muttering under his breath, “God help us—all.”

  Stephen couldn’t believe what had just happened. He not only had yet another woman joining them on this trip, but an old mule, a milk cow, and chickens too. Well, at least the chickens would make Jane happy. He had to admit, he was glad they were helping Kelly. After her father abandoned her and those scoundrels robbed her of her innocence, the poor girl deserved a chance for a new life. He knew Jane would welcome her. And helping Kelly might help Jane heal too.

  He sat down on an old barrel on the porch and watched the rain. He missed Jane. He missed everything about her. Her beautiful smile. The soft lilt of her voice. The sparkle in her green eyes. The smell of roses in her hair. But most of all, he missed the joy of feeling her arms around him and the thrill of loving her. He would do anything to make that happen again.

  He would make her happy once more. He had to. Their girls did not die for nothing. They died for their land. Not his land—their land. Somehow, he would make Jane understand that. And, believe how much he loved her.

  The weather cleared and the three packed to leave. Stephen wanted to get back to Jane and the others as soon as possible.

  William built a pack frame and a couple of crude crates out of the weathered boards of the existing coop, causing him to acquire numerous splinters and to swear more than once. Carpentry had never been one of William’s strengths.

  Kelly loaded the crates, calling each chicken by their names—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. “I have three more books in the Old Testament to go before I get to the book of Samuel, then I’ll have to get a rooster. Can’t have a hen named Samuel after all,” she explained.

  Stephen just nodded in agreement. Couldn’t talk much over all the squawking anyway.

  William approached the mule. “Do you suppose that old boy will object to me putting this cage full of squawking chickens on his rear end?”

  “If he does, they’ll have to walk. I’m not putting chickens on a horse. It would be disrespectful,” Stephen said as he saddled their mounts.

  “He’s a pack mule. He won’t mind all that much,” Kelly said.

  “Just the same, I’d be obliged, Stephen, if you loaded him,” William said.

  “Why should I load it? It’s your cage,” he asked.

  “You’re much better with animals than I,” William said.

  “Hell. You just want me to be the one to get kicked,” Stephen retorted.

  William winked at Kelly. “I thought you’d respect a stubborn old mule for not liking chickens. Kind of takes after you don’t you think?”

  Stephen chuckled, surprising himself that he could.

  Stephen and William watched, ready to help if needed, as Kelly packed her few belongings. She put the note to her father on their table and anchored it with the oil lamp.

  “I have just one more thing to do,” she said.

  Stephen took her things and she strode out the cabin door and headed toward her mother’s grave. Kelly reached down and pulled the weeds away from the headstone. Stephen kept his distance, giving her some privacy to say her goodbye, but his heart clenched when she ran her fingers through each of the letters of her mother’s name. Before leaving, she gathered nearby wildflowers and laid them against the stone.

  Kelly mounted the horse that had been Mr. Adams’ and appeared ready to go before Stephen finished securely tying her belongings and the two crates full of squawking chickens to the mule. Feathers flew everywhere.

  Looking down at him she said, “Mr. Wyllie I believe Old Rocky likes you. He normally moves all around when my father loads him. He’s just standing there like you were brushing his coat or something.”

  “I just told him if he gave me any trouble I’d put lead between his long ugly mule ears,” he said, scowling as he waved a chicken feather away from his face.

  William laughed so hard he could barely stay seated on his horse.

  To Stephen’s surprise, Kelly smiled broadly as she listened to William laugh.

  When was the last time she heard someone laugh? he wondered.

  “I always thought you talked sweetly to animals and that’s how you got them to do what you wanted. Now I know you just threaten their life and ridicule them. That’s your secret.”

  Stephen tied lead ropes on the other horses and gave the gentlest one to Kelly to lead and he took the other two. “Let’s go,” he said, as he mounted George.

  William went first and Kelly followed. She didn’t look back.

  He cracked his whip, letting just the tip lightly touch the back of the cow to urge her forward. As they left, Stephen pondered how long it would be until they caught up with the others. Dragging this entourage down rock-covered hills was going to test his scant patience.

  “Mr. Wyllie, you seem to handle that whip with skill,” Kelly remarked.

  “I’ve seen him cut off a snake’s head with that thing,” William said.

  “Why waste powder on a snake,” he said. “I prefer to save ammunition for two-legged snakes like the kind we left back there.”

  “We need to report what happened to the sheriff in the closest town,” William said.

  “No, please, no,” Kelly begged. “I don’t want anyone to know what happened back there. It’s bad enough you two know.”

  “Maybe we should just leave it alone. What do you think?” William asked him.

  “Suits me. Justice has already been served. No point in delaying our progress any more. A sheriff would probably want us to stay in tow
n until he could verify facts and write up a report. But we will have to tell Jane and the others. They’ll need to understand why we brought her along.”

  Kelly moved her horse next to Stephen’s. “Please, no one else, please,” she pleaded, her eyes filled with tears.

  “You needn’t worry about what happened to you Kelly. Put it all behind you now,” Stephen said gently.

  Kelly just hung her head, her tears falling on the saddle horn. For a long time, every step her mount took shook another tear loose.

  Chapter 30

  Jane made breakfast that morning with her mind elsewhere. She kept thinking about Stephen. She had slept fitfully, dreaming of him all night. In her dreams, she desperately tried to reach him, to tell him something, but somehow each time she got close to him, he would disappear. She awoke, feeling uneasy, and wondering what she had been trying to tell him.

  He had left with only her anger to carry with him. She let him ride off on a potentially dangerous undertaking without even saying goodbye. But he hadn’t said goodbye to her either. He just rode off. Rode off with the guilt she mercilessly heaped on him. She could not deny that she had cruelly judged him guilty and made him feel like a criminal.

  Could she take back her bitter words? Or would they both have to live with them forever?

  The memory of their terrible quarrel—the desperation in his voice, the pain in his eyes—hurt her to the core. But at the time, she still suffered from an unbearable heartache.

  She barely noticed as Sam walked up. He bent to turn the strips of nearly burnt venison over with his knife.

  “You’re thinking about Stephen aren’t you?” he asked.