Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
A s Miles swung into his saddle, he scrambled to make sense of why Clara hadn’t returned yet. What made her leave in the middle of trouble in the first place? She could have waited until Miles returned to help her take food to the surveyors’ camp.
“I’ll come with you.” Jude turned to mount his own horse.
Surely Clara had heard the gunshots too. Wouldn't that have brought her back in a hurry?
A new thought twisted around his throat, cutting off his air. What if the stranger knew about the surveyors’ camp? What if he left their cabin and headed straight there? What would the rogue do to Clara if he found her alone?
Miles’s heart thundered as he urged his horse into a canter. When they reached the trees, they had to slow to a trot on the steep downhill grade.
Jude stayed close behind him.
Miles's mind raced as he guided his horse through the woods, his eyes scanning for any sign of Clara or the mysterious stranger. The thought of her being alone and vulnerable, with a potentially dangerous man lurking in the woods, made his insides clench. How could Gil have let her go off by herself?
“Miles!”
The sound of his name barely reached his ears over the crunch of hooves on leaves, and he jerked his reins back and spun to see who had called.
Jude halted his mount too.
To the right, a horse stepped from behind a cluster of cedars.
Clara .
Relief flooded through him, and he turned his gelding that direction.
Another horse and rider followed her out. Holloway, the lead surveyor who’d come to the house that first time. At least she wasn’t alone.
She looked frightened as she approached, those blue eyes wide.
“Are you all right?” He wanted to leap from his horse and pull her down into his arms. A crazy thought. An aftereffect of the panic, no doubt.
She reined in before him, her nod tight. “We were on our way to the house when we heard those shots. Is anyone hurt?” Worry turned her eyes darker blue.
“No one except a man who tried to sneak up on the house.” He glanced between Clara and Holloway as he explained everything that’d happened so the man would hear this news as well. “You two didn’t see anyone, did you?”
Holloway shook his head. “You know who he was?”
“Never seen him.” He stopped himself before saying the fellow had looked like a native. Some people had a deep distrust of any Indians, without stopping to find out the person’s character. Best keep that detail to himself so he didn’t cause problems for Two Stones or his people, who might come to help.
Instead, he eyed Holloway. “Have you seen any sign of strangers around?”
The man’s eyes narrowed. In thought? That didn’t seem to be suspicion in his gaze. “Nah. We’ve not run into anyone.”
Miles nodded. “We’d appreciate if you’d come tell us if you spot anyone on our land. My older brother Jericho and our Salish friend Two Stones are out looking for this man’s tracks, but the rest of us will stay close to the house.”
Holloway nodded, then turned his horse toward the camp. “I’d best get back.” He looked over his shoulder at Clara. “You remember what I told you.”
She nodded, and for some reason, the worry marking her pretty features didn’t fade.
As Holloway rode off, Miles motioned for her to ride beside him back toward the ranch. Jude guided his horse in behind theirs.
He’d been quiet through the exchange with Holloway. Miles glanced back at his older brother to make sure nothing was wrong.
Jude gave a nod.
Miles turned to Clara, who looked as apprehensive as he’d ever seen her. Even more than that day when Dinah had first treated Hiram’s burned hand.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” He kept his voice low. She might not confide in him like this, with Jude right there behind them. Or she might not confide in him at all.
She nodded, biting her lip. She didn’t speak. And she didn’t look at him, just kept her focus on the trail ahead.
What had happened? Had the gunshots scared her so? Or the thought of a stranger wandering these woods?
All he could do was assure her they’d keep her safe. “We’re bringing all the women and children from Eric’s and Jude’s cabins up to the main house. I think most of them will sleep in the bunk room, so you won’t be crowded in the cabin. This way we can keep everyone safe. We’ll have a man standing guard at all times, on a regular schedule. We’ll make sure nothing happens. You and your uncle will be safe.”
She finally looked over at him and nodded. Something in her eyes pleaded with him. But for what? Safety? He’d just promised that, but he could say it again, a bit more firmly.
“You’ll be safe, Clara. I promise. I won’t let anyone hurt you. You have the entire Coulter family determined to protect you.”
A flash of something—panic? sorrow?—swept through her gaze, but then it was gone. She turned back to face the trail ahead.
What now, God? What am I not seeing? Show me.
C lara crept through the darkened main room of the cabin, her stockinged feet silent against the wooden floorboards. Low flames still flickered in the fireplace, casting shifting shadows on the walls. Hopefully, their glow would be enough for her to see without lighting a lantern.
The house had been brimming with people all evening, women and children and men, coming back and forth between this cabin and the bunkhouse and barn. She’d not had a chance to search for the deed with so many eyes watching.
She’d thought about possible places they might hide such an important paper though. This large room couldn’t hold many spots. The cooking area didn't seem likely, and there weren’t many trunks and storage crates in the rest of the space. One box held toys for the little ones. Two crates stacked on their sides like a bookcase were lined with rows of leatherbound books. A trunk stored blankets and scarves and gloves. No one would keep critical documents in any of those.
The hearth might just be the spot. Tucked in between loose stones, a paper would likely be safe even if the cabin burned down.
She crouched by one end and gripped the rock on the corner, then wiggled it. The piece held solid. Working her way along the hearth, she tested each stone in turn. None budged. She sighed, frustration building in her chest. Where else could it be?
She pushed to her feet and glanced around the room once more. Her own chamber held nothing. She’d already done a brief search before Uncle Hiram went to bed that evening. It was possible the deed could be hidden in the loft, but it seemed more likely to be stored in the remaining bed chamber—Dinah and Jericho's room. She would have to find a way to search it tomorrow. Maybe she’d find a time when the family was outside for one reason or another.
For now, since she was up, she might as well attend to the personal detail that wouldn’t be denied—at least not all the way until morning.
She pulled on her coat and wrapped it tight, tucking her chin into the collar. They’d left the latchstring out on the front door in case anyone from the bunkhouse needed to come into the cabin in the night. One of the men was standing guard in the barn. She didn’t know the schedule, but he probably saw her slip out the door and trudge through the night’s freezing wind toward the corner of the cabin. The outhouse sat behind the main structure.
There had been a nearly full moon before she went to bed, but now clouds covered the light, making the night far eerier than she’d expected.
As she turned the corner, she collided with a solid form.
A scream tore from her throat as she tried to jerk back. But strong hands gripped her shoulders.
Her heart raced, and she struggled against her captor.
"Clara?”
His familiar voice broke through her panic, but her body took another moment to stop fighting. Her pulse hammered through her ears, and trembling began to take hold.
“Clara, it’s me. Miles. Is something wrong?” He still gripped her upper arms, but now he turned so her side tucked against his chest.
She had to pull herself together. Once she could breathe again, she straightened, inhaling to steady her shivers. “What are you doing out here?” Truly. Why was he creeping around corners in the dark, scaring her out of her wits?
"I'm on guard duty." He loosened his hold but didn’t let her go completely. "I was just walking around the back of the house to check things out."
Of course he was. “I thought the guards were watching from the barn.” Now her teeth had begun to chatter, probably as much from nerves as cold.
“I was. But every so often I walk around the clearing to see behind the house. Let’s get you back inside. You’re freezing.”
She pulled away from him. “I need to visit the privy first.”
A second passed, and she couldn’t see his expression for the shadows. “All right. But be careful.” The worry in his voice couldn’t be denied.
But her business also wouldn’t wait, so she bolted for the little shack behind the house.