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The Indian girl spoke again, this time in a language that Evelyn didn’t understand. Alex answered her, his own words foreign to her. He said her name, but the rest of the words were in the Indian’s gibberish. She felt like an intruder standing there while the two conversed. The girl nodded slowly, the smile vanishing from her pretty face. She stared at Evelyn, but her expression was as unreadable as Alex’s.
The girl strode up to Alex, and for a split-second, Evelyn thought she was going to push her out of the way. The Indian reached for Alex’s arm, touching the bandage there. She spoke again, and he answered. Evelyn caught the quick look the girl threw in her direction, then she untied the knot and removed the wrapping, exposing three slash marks that had torn the muscle in Alex’s arm.
After another quick exchange of words, the girl nodded to Evelyn, and a hint of a smile formed on her lips. Evelyn wasn’t sure if it was a friendly gesture or if the Indian was mocking her. Abruptly, she moved past her and Alex, and disappeared into the trees away from their camp.
Evelyn swallowed and stared up at him. “Who is she, Alex?”
Alex drew his eyebrows together, and met her gaze. “I already told you. I’ve traded with her people for years. She came to tell me that her father and uncle found Laurent and Yancey, and their healer is taking care of Yancey’s wounds.”
Evelyn blinked several times, and she swallowed back her apprehension. Alex hadn’t answered her question at all. If he had nothing to hide, why would he be so evasive about the girl?
“I told her to stay here for the night,” Alex continued.
“You what?” Evelyn blurted. Her heart sank. As if a gust of icy wind had hit her, the last flickering flame of passion and desire extinguished within her.
“It’s not a good idea for her to head back to her people in the dark. I wouldn’t want to be responsible if something happened to her. That’s why I offered her a place to stay for the night.”
“And where’s she going to sleep, Alex? Do you plan to share your blankets with her, too?” Evelyn turned on her heels. She wished the ground would swallow her up. Suddenly she was glad the girl had shown up when she did. If she found out about Alex’s friend after . . . after giving herself to him, her humiliation would be much greater.
“What the hell’s gotten into you?” Alex’s hands cupped her shoulders, and he applied pressure to turn her around to face him. Evelyn ducked away from his grip. She chewed her lower lip, and resisted the urge to turn around to stare him in the eye. How could he not see what he was doing to her? By having this woman here in camp? He was obviously unaffected that she was here. Or perhaps he was glad she’d shown up.
Unwilling to start an argument in the presence of the Indian girl, Evelyn inhaled a deep breath, then said, “I’m feeling rather tired, Alex. It’s been a long day. Enjoy your company.” Blinking back the tears in her eyes, she stumbled to where she had lain out their furs and blankets earlier. If not for the woman, she would be lying here right now, in Alex’s arms . . .
“Evie.” He called to her, exasperation in his voice. She scrambled under the covers, and pulled them up over her head. The tears flowed freely down her cheeks. If he came after her, she’d crumble. Perhaps she could face him later, but at the moment, the thought of Alex in the arms of another woman was too much to think about.
The girl’s melodious voice drifted to her. She’d obviously returned from wherever it was that she’d gone off to. Evelyn strained her ears to listen, not that she understood anything of what was said. Curiosity got the better of her, and she slowly lowered the covers to see what was going on. Almost too dark now to see much, she squinted to where Alex sat on the ground where she left him. The girl sat beside him, pressing something to his arm. They conversed in hushed tones, and the woman wrapped a strip of leather around Alex’s arm.
Evelyn turned her back on the scene. She squeezed her eyes shut. Countless thoughts raced through her mind. Had Alex taken an Indian wife? She’d heard the men talk about it while she was still a captive with the river pirates. Even Laurent had mentioned that he planned to go to the father of an Indian woman and ask for her in marriage. Several of the trappers had boasted that they had Indian wives from various different tribes in the mountains, and a white wife when they returned to the city, and none of the women knew about the others.
He told you he loves you. Perhaps she shouldn’t be so rash to judge. Maybe it would be best to hear Alex out. Yes, that’s what she would do, but she’d wait until morning. She would wait until she could talk to him alone, not in the presence of this other woman. Clearly she knew some English. Fresh tears pooled in her eyes, thinking about what almost happened between her and Alex. What if he did have an Indian wife? She could never share the man she loved with someone else. Evelyn pressed her hand to her chest. A knife slicing through her heart couldn’t be any worse than the thought of Alex with another woman. Would it be too late to ask Laurent to take her back to St. Louis?
