Chapter 14 #2
"You do. What you did was most unkind. You’ve been after Jem ever since he woke up, and I don’t think he’s done anything to deserve it.”
A faint grimace crossed his face, but he nodded.
"I don't know anything about Jem. None of us does. Not even him. He could be the best guy in the world, or he could be a criminal. I'm not good at trusting blindly."
“No one is asking you to trust blindly.”
They walked a little farther in silence. Then Leland stopped. Theda looked up at him, stopping along with him. He turned his hat slowly in his hands before finally meeting her gaze.
"I have feelings for you, Theda," he blurted out.
She noticed how tightly his fingers gripped the brim of his hat.
"I think you've known that for some time. I think I’ve been pretty forthcoming about it all."
She didn't answer.
"When we reach Oregon..." He hesitated briefly. "If you're willing, I'd like to court you properly." Theda looked at him.
He was a good man. Kind. Hardworking. Dependable.
But as she looked at him now, she already knew her answer.
"Leland." She softened her voice. "I appreciate you telling me. Truly."
His shoulders straightened slightly, as though bracing himself.
"But I can't think about courtship right now." For a moment, disappointment flickered across his face.
"How much of that has to do with him?"
Theda bristled. "Nothing is going on with Jem."
"Theda--"
"And even if there were," she interrupted, "it wouldn't be any of your concern."
Leland held her gaze for a moment. Then looked away.
"Good evening, Leland." She turned and walked away without waiting for a response. She hated that she’d had to confront him. She hated that he’d brought it up so honestly in a way.
By the time she reached her wagon, the camp had settled into the quiet rhythm of evening. She’d also managed to calm herself down considerably after her conversation with Leland.
She nearly missed Jem sitting beside the wagon wheel. He was leaning against it with a small knife in one hand and something pale in the other.
"What is that?" Theda asked.
Jem looked up and held it out. A horse. No bigger than her palm. Theda sat down beside him and turned it over carefully. The legs were shaped cleanly. The mane had been carved in fine detail. Even the curve of the neck looked natural.
"It's beautiful."
Jem stared down at it, almost suspiciously.
"My hands seemed to know what they were doing." A faint frown touched his face. "I looked down, and it was nearly finished."
Theda smiled. "It's good work. Whoever you were before the storm, your hands remember him kindly."
He glanced at her. A corner of his mouth lifted.
"That's a generous way of looking at it."
"I'm a generous person." That earned a quiet laugh. Jem took the horse back and rolled it between his fingers.
For a while, they sat together without speaking. Theda liked that about Jem, that they could simply be near one another, without speaking all the time. It didn't feel like she had as many expectations with Jem.
Slow hoofbeats sounded at the edge of camp .
She straightened. It was dusk, and soon it would be dark. Who was riding out at that time of night, and where were they from?
The rider who emerged from the darkness was plain enough that he might have disappeared in a crowd. Nothing about him immediately stood out. He reined in at a respectful distance and raised a hand.
It took Theda a moment to realize the stranger was speaking to Phineas, who moments ago had been heading toward their wagon for dinner.
Phineas was surveying the man, his brows gathering in concern.
Theda watched as Phineas approached him.
They were too far away for her to hear what the two said to one another.
Theda looked over at Jem and noticed how he was staring at the newcomer.
“Do you think you know him?” she asked. It was unlikely but possible, especially considering the look on Jem’s face. He looked a mix of perplexed and concerned.
“No. I don’t think so. But it looks like we’re both about to meet him.”
Phineas was leading the stranger over toward them.
"Howdy," the man said as soon as he was within earshot. "The name is Tolliver. It's a pleasure to meet you." He pulled his horse to a stop right in front of Theda and Jim.
“Tolliver, this is my sister, Miss Calloway, and another traveler with our wagon train, Jem.” Phineas motioned toward both of them, then turned to address them.
“Tolliver is a trapper, and he’s traveling the same way as us. He asked to join us for the next stretch, since it’s rather dangerous for lone travelers.”
Tolliver nodded in agreement, his dark black, bushy hair moving with his nod.
“That’s right. Mighty dangerous out here all on a man’s own. When I saw your wagon train, I thought, hallelujah, a chance to travel with some protection.”
"All right. I figured you, Jem, could take him to where the horses are to get him settled?
I'll walk you to Della's." Phineas smiled warmly at Theda.
She was surprised to see how nonchalant he was about the newcomer.
Then again, it made sense for a lone traveler to seek company for safety during the long and difficult journey.
"All right." Theda looked at the stranger, but she said nothing to him. She didn't know him, and when it came to strangers, she erred on the cautious side. She glanced toward Jem. Perhaps that was only when they were healthy.
"Goodnight,” she said to Jem.
"Goodnight." His gaze drifted briefly toward Tolliver, who was waiting with his horse, watching them all.
Theda turned toward Phineas, nodding in the direction of Della’s wagon.
"What made you let him join us?" Theda asked once she and Phineas were alone.
Phineas considered the question. "His story made sense. If he's headed west like the rest of us, there isn't much reason to turn him away. Besides, if we’re both traveling the same way, we would have been in one another’s vicinity either way.”
After a few moments, Phineas spoke again.
"Did Leland talk to you today? He seemed bothered about something."
Theda sighed.
"He wants to court me."
Phineas' eyebrows rose.
"When we reach Oregon." Theda couldn’t hold back her grimace.
"And?"
"I told him I couldn't think about that right now."
Phineas was quiet for several steps.
"Are you disappointed?" she asked. "That I turned him down?"
He glanced sideways at her.
"No. I just want you to be happy, Theda."
She looked down at the trail.
A small carved horse came to mind. She wondered if it would bother Phineas if she developed feelings for someone like Jem. She wasn't about to ask him, though.