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“After you’re done bathing, you’re getting a haircut and a shave.”
“You ain’t comin’ near me with those scissors and that blade,” Alex said and took a step back. He warily eyed the sharp objects in the girl’s hand. He had no doubt that she knew how to use them as effective weapons if need be.
Sarah laughed. “What’s the matter, Walker? Scared of a mere girl? Don’t worry. Papa lets me shave him all the time. I haven’t cut him . . . much.”
Alex rubbed at the coarse hair on his face. “What the hell are you trying to do to me?”
“You’ve got a wife now, don’t you? Shouldn’t you make yourself more presentable to her? I bet in her eyes, you’re no better than the rest of these trappers who forgot what it’s like to live among civilized folk. Miss Evelyn is more than likely going to just toss you aside. I swear, Walker, don’t you know anything about how to show a woman some respect?”
Alex glared at the young girl. He’d never considered that by bartering for Evie, he’d bought himself a wife. Keeping her was out of the question. Hell, she was scared to death of him as it was.
And for good reason, Walker.
If yesterday had been any indication of how quickly he could lose control, she was no safer around him than his mother had been around his father.
“Mama told me to give you these.” Sarah pulled clean britches and a cotton shirt from her pouch. She pushed the clothing at his chest, then turned to leave. She stopped abruptly to face him again. “Mama also told me to tell you that, after what happened yesterday, you and Miss Evelyn need to have a talk and clear up some misunderstandings. I’ll be waiting over by that stand of willows.” Sarah held up the scissors, and marched off.
Alex stared after her. Had he truly lost all touch with civilized society? Yesterday, Evelyn had called him a vile monster. She hadn’t recognized him in St. Charles several months ago.
As a young girl, Evelyn Lewis had been infatuated with him, and he’d taken no notice. Alex shook his head and gave a short laugh. She’d been the last person on his mind over the years. He’d regarded her as his best friend’s pesky little sister, nothing else. He ignored that she often watched him when she thought he wasn’t paying attention. Just some silly little girl’s fanciful notions. She’s not so little anymore, Walker.
Alex stared at the clear water in the creek, his reflection a blur as the water meandered by. No, Evie was certainly not a little girl anymore. Perhaps for both their sakes, it would be wise to make himself more presentable, at least until he figured out what to do about her. Against his better judgment, he slowly unbuckled the belt from around his waist. Pulling his shirt up and over his head, he gritted his teeth against the sharp pain the action caused to the incision on his chest.
****
“I’ll return within a few hours. If you need me for anything send one of the boys. I have already told them to stay near camp to watch over Sarah.” Daniel Osborne bent over to give his wife a lingering kiss on the lips, then favored her with a soft smile before he turned and strode from camp.
Evelyn sat near the morning fire, silently observing the couple. The love and devotion between these two people was evident in everything they did; a soft touch, a warm glance, a quick smile. Evelyn marveled at the difference in appearance and behavior between this mountain man and the rest of the trappers she had encountered so far. Daniel Osborne was a rare man, she concluded. And his wife Aimee was an even rarer woman. That they had successfully made this wilderness their home and raised a family was astounding.
“If you see Amos Harris, tell him if he wants his boil lanced, he’ll have to come see me today,” Aimee called after her husband. “I’ll start packing so we can be on our way bright and early.”
Evelyn’s head snapped in Aimee’s direction. Her heart jumped in her chest suddenly.
“You’re leaving?” she asked, setting aside the wooden bowl in her hand. Her appetite vanished.
Aimee nodded. “Tomorrow morning. We have to return home. Daniel’s done trading his furs.” She cast a worried look in Evelyn’s direction.
“I see.” Evelyn lowered her gaze to the ground. She raked her teeth across her lips. What would become of her? For the first time in weeks, she’d felt completely safe, even around Aimee’s husband, Daniel. He was well groomed and less intimidating than the rest of these trappers that milled around camp.
Alex had disappeared the previous evening after she nearly attacked him with the knife, and she hadn’t seen him since, which had suited her just fine. He was nothing more than an overbearing brute, as wild and uncivilized as the Indians she’d seen. Evelyn rubbed absently at her wrists, which bore the marks of his firm grip.
