Gunsmoke and Gingham Read online

  “Make a paste that Caleb needs to scrub with. It’ll help get rid of the stench.”

  Livy reached for her pot. “Let me do it,” she said, offering a smile. “Please.”

  Kyle hesitated, then handed the items back to her. He nodded.

  “Mix up a thick paste with all the ingredients. You can add some spruce needles if you can find some. He’s gonna have to scrub and rinse several times and again over the next few days.” Calling to Caleb, he added, “I’ll fetch your rifle in case you have any more unwanted visitors during the night.”

  Kyle grinned at his friend, then headed back in the direction of camp. Josh had already disappeared.

  “What about clothes?” Livy called after him.

  “It’s best he doesn’t wear anything until the smell wears off.”

  Livy’s cheeks flushed. Good thing she’d brought a blanket. Things around her grew quiet all of a sudden. Or, perhaps it only felt that way. The fire Josh had started crackled loudly, the water in the creek gurgled as it flowed past, and crickets chirped all around her.

  “I see you’re not going to listen to me this time, either, and go back to camp” Caleb called from the water.

  Livy raised her chin. She moved closer to the creek’s edge. “No. I’m going to stay right here and make that paste so you can scrub the smell from your body.”

  She looked away from the smug grin on his face by setting the pot on the ground and adding baking soda and vinegar to the ashes. The concoction bubbled and hissed as it created a foam. Livy mixed the ingredients together as if she were kneading a loaf of bread, then set the pot close to the water’s edge.

  “Here, you’d better scrub and then get out of the water before you catch your death.”

  Caleb swam toward the creek bank. He looked up at her, then rose out of the water, exposing his stomach down to his bellybutton.

  “If I’m gonna smear that stuff all over me, I’m gonna have to stand up all the way, Livy. You might want to turn around.”

  Livy blinked, dragging her eyes back to his face. Her cheeks flushed hot. Instantly, she spun around.

  “Let me know when you’re done,” she said between gritted teeth.

  Perhaps it would be best to head back to camp and leave him to his business alone, but she couldn’t abandon him now. This was her fault, and no matter what unsettling feelings he brought out in her, she owed it to him to stay and make sure he was at least somewhat comfortable during the night.

  Chapter 8

  Caleb sat on a boulder overlooking the large body of water where the expedition had arrived the night before. Ducks and geese bobbed on the surface a short distance from shore, avoiding the gentle waves that crashed against the dark, sandy beach. Steam rose from several hot springs that lined the lake’s edge. Some of the vents were even submersed below the surface, with only their dark cones showing through the ripples of the water.

  He raked his fingers through his wet hair, brushing back the strands that had fallen into his face. Droplets of water rolled down his shoulders and arms to his bare chest, sending a slight shiver through him in the early morning air. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, soaking up the faint sun as it emerged from behind the distant, forest-covered mountains. Loons called from the water while several otters splashed nearby, probably on an early-morning hunt for fish.

  The pot with the ash and vinegar concoction sat beside him, a reminder of the last five days spent away from the main camp. Not only had he endured five days and nights as an outcast, but also the endless jabs from the expedition members when they ventured too close to him.

  He’d kept his distance from the rest of the camp since his encounter with the skunk, and had done all the scouting ahead of the group. Kyle had brought him some tanned deerskin the morning after he’d spent a cold night near the creek where the mishap had occurred, and Caleb had fashioned a loincloth from it. His spare britches and shirt would have only gotten permeated with the stench if he had worn them before all the smell was gone from his body. He grinned. After no doubt having a good laugh at his expense, Caleb’s Uncle Lucas would be jealous of his adventures.

  Eli, the cook, had brought some lard to his secluded camp the other evening and had recommended mixing it in with the ash and vinegar. Removing the stench of skunk from his hair and skin was no easy task, and most of the smell would simply have to wear off on its own. While he’d put up with the odor all this time, today was the first morning it didn’t linger in his nostrils. The smell had hovered around him like a swarm of pesky insects.

  Caleb smiled. While getting sprayed by a skunk had definitely been the most unpleasant thing he’d ever experienced, it had all been worth it. The unfortunate mishap had broken the ice between him and Livy. They might still be at odds with each other, if it hadn’t been for that skunk, and he was almost grateful it had crossed their paths that evening.

  Every morning, before the expedition was underway again, Livy had come to his camp to bring him breakfast. She’d done the same thing in the evenings, bringing food, and mixing up a fresh batch of the ash and vinegar concoction. She’d even added spruce needles to give it a more pleasant fragrance.

  She’d always lingered for a while and they’d either sat in silence, or made meaningless small talk about the expedition and the happenings of the day until Caleb had reminded her she needed to return to camp. Not that he’d wanted her to leave, but more to keep his growing feelings for Livy Barkley from getting out of control.

  He already spent too much time thinking about her, and it had become more difficult with each day to have her in his camp without being open with her. Talking to her still left him at a loss for words most of the time, but at least she didn’t avoid him any longer. For some reason, he’d been nothing but tongue-tied in her company.

  He’d spent hours lying under the stars, contemplating what it meant that she’d come back into his life. He’d been restless over the last few years, but somehow being near Livy calmed the edginess inside him. While she’d lost some of her suspicious demeanor around him, she still had her guard up.

  Twigs snapped and something rustled in the underbrush behind him. Caleb’s eyes snapped open, instantly alert. His horse grazed nearby, but the sound had come from a different direction. With his hand on his rifle that he kept within arm’s reach, he turned, then instantly relaxed. Livy emerged from between the trees that grew a short distance from the lake’s shore.

  Caleb jumped from his perch on the boulder, and met her by his campfire.

  “The men are getting ready to break camp.” She handed him a plate covered with a cloth, while fumbling with a parcel under her arm.

  Caleb accepted the food and smiled. “I’m ready to go.”

  Livy held up the parcel. “I brought your clothes. Kyle says you’re cleared to come into camp again.” She raised her gaze to meet his eyes. “You no longer smell of skunk.”

  Caleb chuckled. “That’s good to hear. I think I’ve lost my sense of smell since that creature sprayed me.”

  Livy lowered her eyes to stare at the ground. Her cheeks turned rosy. That familiar awkwardness between them resurfaced. Caleb gnashed his teeth. He had to figure out a way to properly talk to her. He cleared his throat.

  “I guess that means you won’t be bringing me breakfast and supper anymore.”

  Livy slowly raised her head. A faint smile formed on her lips. The breeze played with wisps of her hair that had escaped the confines of her braid hanging over her shoulder. Caleb gripped his plate. As the strands of her locks brushed against her cheek, the sudden urge to reach out and touch her was nearly overpowering. What was happening to him since crossing paths with her again?

  Her forehead wrinkled. “I serve meals to all the men every day. All you have to do is come to the wagon at supper time when you’re back in camp.”

  Caleb clenched his jaw. He was fumbling for things to say again, which made him sound like a fool. He glanced at the bread and meat on his plate, then set it aside.
Livy clearly mistook it as a gesture that he wanted his clothes. She held the bundle out to him. He accepted it, instead of doing what he’d intended, which was to reach for her hand.

  “Why are you doing all these things for me, Livy?” He eyed the clothes in his hands, then looked at her.

  A cold breeze blew against his skin, which was still damp with the water dripping from his hair. He pulled his shirt on. The material brought some much-needed warmth. He was no stranger to going without a shirt during the summer months, but he’d never been forced to spend a week in only a loincloth. He slipped into his britches before he made eye contact with Livy again.

  She’d moved around him, walking toward the lakeshore and staring out at the large body of water. Caleb stepped up beside her.

  “If you hadn’t warned me about that skunk, you wouldn’t have had to stay away from camp all this time and be isolated from the others.” Livy turned her head slightly to look up at him. “I felt I owed you the courtesy of making sure you were all right.” She wrung her clasped hands in front of her, gazing straight ahead again.

  Caleb took a step forward so he could look her in the eye. He offered a smile. “I think we got off on the wrong foot back in Helena.”

  Livy’s eyes widened as her gaze locked on his. Slowly, she nodded. “I agree that we did. When you claimed to be the boy I’d known at the orphanage, I didn’t know what to think. I was confused.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief and she smiled. “Even so, you shouldn’t have ordered me around and told me what I can and can’t do.”

  “Like I said, we got off on the wrong foot. You proved me wrong, Livy. I didn’t think you were up to this sort of excursion out of the city. It was just as much a shock to me when I heard you speak your name, wondering if it was really you, and remembering the promise I’d made to you but didn’t keep. I’m sorry I left you behind, and I felt I needed to look out for you in Helena to make up for it.”

  Livy turned away from him and started walking along the lakeshore. Caleb fell in step beside her. She should return to the others, and he should break down his camp and saddle his horse, but he was finally talking to her, and didn’t want to stop.

  “I learned to take care of myself, Caleb,” she said, her voice quiet enough that he had to lean forward to hear. “I had to, if I wanted to eat. I was at the orphanage for five years. A couple adopted me, but they both died when I was twelve. I’ve worked whatever jobs I could get in St. Louis to support myself ever since.”

  She darted a quick glance at him. She smiled, but it was a forced smile, and her eyes remained dull. Caleb worked his jaw muscles, once again at a loss for words. She’d clearly had a rough life, while he’d grown up among the splendor of this wilderness. Despite her hardships, or perhaps because of them, she’d grown into a beautiful and resilient woman. Caleb glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. There were so many things he wanted to ask her, but if he pushed too fast, she might shut him out again.

  Livy walked along the lakeshore, marveling at the wonders before her. The hot springs and plumes of smoke rising into the air, even from the water, which was otherwise cold, were spectacles she could never have imagined. Despite the natural beauty displayed before her, the man walking beside her was a distraction from fully enjoying her surroundings.

  Over the last week, she’d been surprised by the gentle nature of the man who’d infuriated her at their initial meeting. Under that quiet exterior, however, was a man with not only physical strength, but inner strength as well, and she’d been more drawn to him than she should have been as the days had passed.

  She’d looked forward to spending time with him each day, bringing him food and making sure he had what he needed to get rid of the skunk stench. She’d said their initial meeting had confused her, but truth be told, she was even more confused now about the foreign feelings passing through her whenever she was in Caleb’s company.

  He hadn’t said a word about how incompetently she’d acted or how it had been her fault he’d been sprayed in the first place, but his silence was rather puzzling. He either didn’t want to speak to her, or perhaps he was waiting for her to bring it up.

  “I’m sorry about the incident with the skunk,” she blurted after they’d walked a short distance in silence along the beach of this large alpine lake.

  The coarse sand beneath their feet crunched loudly, and looked like black and gray chunks of charcoal in many areas. Sea gulls hovered in the air above some of the ducks that bobbed up and down on the choppy waters. Off in the distance, several deer emerged from the trees to drink.

  Caleb stopped and faced her. “I’m not angry with you, Livy. It was an accident, and I should have mentioned the skunk rather than trying to drag you away from it. My move was as impulsive as you throwing soap at it.”

  He grinned, and Livy’s heart fluttered in response. She forced her eyes away. How easy it would be to give in to what her heart was telling her, and make the mistake of allowing herself to rely on this man. It was a foolish notion.

  Talking to him didn’t mean he owed her anything. She’d allowed hope to blossom over the past few days, thinking about Caleb and wondering what it might be like having him in her life. He was safe, and brought about all those feelings she’d clung to whenever her life had seemed hopeless. But, they would also part ways when this expedition was over, so there was no reason to constantly think about him.

  “Where do you call home, Caleb?” The words were out before she had a chance to even think about them. He’d asked about her life after he’d disappeared from the orphanage, so why not ask him the same thing?

  Caleb glanced across the water, then pointed. “They’re hard to see from this spot, but there’s a mountain range to the south of here called the Teewinots. At least that’s what the Shoshone Indians call them. The trappers call them Tetons. I live with my family in a valley at the base of those mountains.”

  Livy stared up at him. There was a gleam of excitement in his eyes as he spoke.

  “You must love it very much.” She smiled. The thought of family and a real place to call home was as foreign as this terrain.

  Caleb nodded. “It was a good place to grow up. The man who took me in and gave me his last name was raised here, along with his brother.” His wide grin was back. “My uncle, Lucas, has stories to tell of when he was younger and roamed these mountains that you wouldn’t believe. I, too, had a lot of freedom.”

  “Your family sounds wonderful.” Livy smiled to choke back the tears that threatened.

  “They are. My adoptive mother, Sophie, was raised as a proper Boston lady, but she belonged in these mountains, and Joseph, my father, was on his way to bring her home when I met them. We live at a homestead along with Joseph’s parents, Alex and Evie Walker. Lucas and his wife, Tori, and their children live a few miles away.”

  It sounded like a wonderful life and family. Livy nodded in response to Caleb’s descriptions of the people with whom he’d grown up. The lump that had formed in her throat prevented her from speaking. How often had she longed for a family of her own? Twice she’d had parents, and twice she’d lost them. It was better to be alone and fend for herself than wish for something that might get ripped away from her again.

  She sniffed and swiped her hand under her nose, then cleared her throat.

  “We’d best get going, or they’ll leave without us,” she rasped, her voice hoarse.

  She turned to head back to where Caleb had camped for the night. His hand wrapped around her arm, stopping her. She stared up into eyes that were filled with something she couldn’t allow herself to feel. He stepped closer, and Livy held her breath, her heart pounding in her chest.

  “Livy, I’d like for you to –”

  “What’s keeping you so long? We’re heading out?”

  The loud voice of Josh Osborne from the direction of Caleb’s camp startled Livy into taking a step away from him. She sucked in a quick breath to calm the racing of her heart and the flutters in her belly that made her
limbs go weak.

  It was just as well that Caleb had been interrupted from finishing his thought. She needed to get back to camp and put some distance between herself and him, and get her head on straight again.

  “I’ll see you later,” she stammered, and rushed off through the trees to where the rest of the expedition was surely ready to head out.

  She didn’t say a word when Eli helped her onto the wagon. He sat next to her as usual and slapped the reins against the backs of the team of mules. Livy swiped at her eyes, the cook’s stare burning a hole in her side. Thankfully, he didn’t question why she was obviously upset.

  “I cut up some venison fer stew tonight. Only gotta peel taters later,” he grumbled.

  Livy nodded. “Thank you. I’ll do that when we stop for the evening.”

  Shortly after they were on their way, Caleb rode past the wagon along with Josh, and took a position at the head of the group.

  “Well, ‘bout time he’s wearin’ proper clothes again,” Eli grumbled. “Weren’t right fer ya ta visit his camp with him dressed in nothing but a loincloth.”

  Livy nodded absently, her eyes on Caleb. Whether he wore clothes or not, he looked more handsome all the time. He spoke to Kyle, then Mr. Washburn, and disappeared into the surrounding forest. Livy spent long hours staring into the trees and countryside during the day in hopes of catching a glimpse of him, without any luck.

  By the time they stopped for the evening, there still hadn’t been any sign of Caleb. The area was steep and rocky, and Kyle chose a spot next to a creek with a nearby waterfall that plunged in a cascade down into a ravine where it met up with a wider river.

  Livy fixed supper, looking up frequently, her eyes traveling through camp. She shook her head. Hadn’t she told herself not to dwell on thoughts of Caleb? Why, then, was he on her mind now more than before? The way he’d looked at her this morning, standing so close, had stayed with her all day. What had he been about to tell her before Josh had interrupted?