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“Best I can do for now,” he grumbled. He didn’t wait for a response, and stood off to the side, breaking off a piece of tough meat with his teeth, and chewed. He held his flintlock close to his chest, cradled in his arm like a child, while his eyes remained in constant motion.
“Are you expecting someone?” Evelyn asked, trying to break the silence between them.
He shot her a look that seemed to question her sanity. “There’s always danger here, Evie. This isn’t St. Charles. If a bear isn’t trying to kill you, a Blackfoot Indian will.”
“Then why do you choose to stay here? Why put your life in danger day after day?” Evelyn stepped up to him, trying to hold his attention. His eyes darted repeatedly from her to the forest all around them.
“I’d rather die here than rot in St. Charles,” he said, his jaw clenched. This time he held her gaze. “I’m not cut out to be a farmer. Out here,” he gestured with his chin toward the mountains, “I can do as I see fit. I answer to no one, and hold no one responsible for me.”
Evelyn’s brows raised. She hadn’t expected him to divulge as much as he had. A certain longing seemed to linger in his voice.
“I’m sorry to tell you that your father died two years ago,” she said softly. She placed her hand on his arm, and he tensed instantly. His jaw muscles tightened along his cheeks. “He lost a fight at the tavern with another man. I didn’t know if you already knew. His farm is vacant now. The land rightfully belongs to you.”
Alex scoffed. Anger blazed in his eyes. “I’ll thank the man who killed him next time I’m in St. Charles,” he said, his tone icy. “I want no part of anything that belonged to him.”
Evelyn dropped her hand. She hadn’t realized how deep Alex’s hatred for his father seemed to run. Was it all because of the abuse his father inflicted on his mother? She dared not ask.
All four horses suddenly raised their heads from cropping at the grasses along the creek bank, their heads turned and ears pricked in the direction of the forest to the north. Alex stiffened and cocked his rifle. Evelyn suppressed a gasp when two riders and several packhorses emerged from between the trees. She grabbed hold of Alex’s arm and stepped behind him. Visions of Oliver Sabin caused her heart to race with fear. Alex lowed his weapon, and his body relaxed as quickly as it had tensed. Evelyn tentatively peered out from behind his broad back.
As the riders approached, one of the men looked oddly familiar, his coonskin cap partially obscuring his face. He raised his hand in a gesture of greeting, the wide smile on his bearded face showing his gleaming white teeth. Alex raised his own hand in greeting, and stepped forward, and Evelyn had no choice but to release her hold on his arm.
“Hello the camp,” the rider shouted. Sudden anger replaced Evelyn’s fear. She shot a disbelieving look at Alex, who seemed to have forgotten that she was even there.
“You finally made it,” Alex said, stepping out to meet the riders.
“Young Yancey here delayed me,” the other man said, his smile widening, gesturing with his head at the other rider.
Evelyn inhaled a deep breath. What was going on here? Had Alex deceived her after all? Laurent Berard, the man who had forced her into the wilderness, the one whose comrades killed Henry, and who bartered her to the highest bidder, rode calmly into camp, and Alex greeted him like an old friend.
****
Alex waited for Laurent to dismount, then stepped up to him and clasped his arm in greeting. Groaning silently, he shot a quick look in Yancey’s direction. How had the greenhorn weaseled Laurent into letting him tag along?
“It’s such an honor that you agreed to allow me to help build your cabin, Walker,” Yancey called. He fumbled with his horse’s reins, and appeared to have more trouble than Evie did at dismounting his animal. Just as he set his right foot on the ground, one of the pack mules he led brayed loudly and jerked its head back. Yancey lost his grip on the lead rope. His arms flayed wildly though the air as he tried to regain his balance. With a loud thud, he landed rump first in the grass.
Alex jumped to his side and grabbed hold of the spooked mule’s lead rope to prevent the animal from running off.
“What the hell is he doing here?” Alex glared at Laurent. “He should be back home in Philadelphia or wherever he’s from, sitting in some fancy parlor discussing the latest women’s fashion.”
“Monsieur Yancey here needs a taste of the wilderness, don’t you think, Walker?” Laurent asked. “He is eager to learn about the fur trade. It will be good for him. I have taken him under my wing, so you need not concern yourself for his safety. I believe you have much more important things that will hold your attention.” His eyes darted to where Evelyn stood. Wide-eyed, and with her mouth drawn in a tight line, the look of shock and anger on her pretty face was almost comical. Alex imagined daggers shooting from her eyes at any moment.
