Gunsmoke and Gingham Read online

  Kyle and Josh sat with Mr. Washburn, Judge Hedges, and some of the other officials on this expedition, looking at a map. She wasn’t going to ask them about Caleb. This would be the time she would have gone to his camp to bring him supper, but he was no longer shunned by the rest of the group. So, what was keeping him?

  She handed Eli the last of the supper plates. “I need to stretch my legs a little.”

  “Best not wander too far,” Eli grumbled. He pointed at the sky, which seemed to darken quicker than usual. “Looks like we’re in fer a gullywasher soon. Made sure yer tent’s on high ground so’s ya stay dry.”

  Livy smiled. “Thank you. I won’t be long.”

  Heading away from camp, Livy walked along the ridge of the canyon that yawned before her. It wasn’t anything like the one with the golden walls they’d seen over a week ago, which had left everyone gaping in awe. Far below, a wide river flowed, winding its way south through many twists and turns.

  “Miss Barkley.”

  Livy spun around at the voice so close behind her. She suppressed a gasp when Jack, the surveyor who’d approached her in camp on several occasions, stood mere inches from her.

  “Nice evening for a stroll,” he said, his smile reminiscent of a fox about to sneak into the henhouse.

  “It looks as if we’ll have rain soon.” Livy pointed at the sky. “It’s probably best if we get back to camp.”

  The man’s smug smile was too unsettling. When she moved to step away from the edge of the ravine, Jack’s hand clamped around her upper arm.

  “There’s no rush, Olivia.” He stepped closer, his face a few inches from hers. “Night after night, I watched you disappear into the woods to be with that scout. I think it’s time you pay the same kind of attention to me.”

  Livy struggled for him to release her. “Let go of me. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I brought Caleb Walker food, and nothing else.”

  Jack laughed and leaned forward. “Doesn’t matter. I still would like to spend some time with you. Haven’t been able to get you out of my head for weeks. I’m sure you’re as good at satisfying a man in other ways as you are with your cooking.”

  A sinking feeling rushed through her. Once again, she was in the same predicament as she’d found herself with Horace Laslow. The camp of men was too far away to see what was going on. Her hand went to the fold in her skirt where she’d concealed her knife. She fumbled around until she pulled it free, and held it up in Jack’s face.

  “I suggest you let go of me this instant, Jack,” she hissed.

  He merely laughed, and moved even closer. Livy took a step back, her foot slipping on some loose gravel.

  “I don’t think you know how to use that,” he said with a leer on his face.

  Livy tugged on her arm. She’d never used her knife to defend herself, but she had to act now or he might overpower her. With a swift motion, she jabbed the blade across his arm. Jack let out a surprised yell before his eyes blazed with anger. While her action had the desired effect and he released her, he gave her a hard shove, calling her a foul name.

  Livy shrieked when the ground gave way beneath her and she slipped over the edge of the canyon.

  Chapter 9

  Caleb reined his horse to a stop near Kyle and Josh’s bedrolls, then loosened the gelding’s saddle. He dropped it to the ground, and led the animal to the nearby creek to drink, kneeling at the edge of the water himself for a quick splash of cold liquid against his face. He stood and glanced around camp, his eyes drawn to the supply wagon.

  He’d spent the entire day searching for a good route that could accommodate the wagon through this difficult terrain. The dense woods and steep rocks made it nearly impossible even for horses to get through, but Washburn had wanted to see this area beyond the lake for himself.

  Kyle had given Caleb the lead since this was familiar territory to him. It was far enough south that the Tetons were easily visible in the distance. He hadn’t been this close to home in weeks.

  Caleb hobbled his gelding and turned the animal loose to graze among the other horses, then headed for the wagon. His stomach growled and he was tired, but those weren’t his primary reasons for seeking out Livy. All day, he’d thought about their conversation from this morning. There had been a look of longing and sadness in her eyes when he’d talked about the people who’d raised him. If she’d been on her own since she was twelve, she’d had limited interaction with a caring family.

  If Josh hadn’t interrupted, he would have asked her to come with him once the expedition was over. There was no doubt Josh had been watching from behind the trees, and had used that exact moment to make his presence known.

  Would Livy have said yes if he’d finished his question? His lips twitched in a slow smile. It was time to show her what living among a loving family was all about. Late in the day, he’d come to the firm conclusion he wanted to show her his world. If she agreed, he’d take her to the Jackson Valley after the expedition was over. His mother and grandmother would love her and welcome her with open arms.

  Love.

  He shook his head. Were his thoughts of keeping Livy safe and wanting to make her happy the stirrings of love? His need to protect her had taken on a different meaning over the course of the last few weeks. She’d caught his eye in Helena before he even knew she was the girl from his past. There was only one explanation for it. They were meant to be together.

  It had to be love when all he could think about was her, when visions of Livy chased him into a restless sleep at night. Strangely, the restlessness he’d felt for months had gone away. He cared about Livy’s well-being, and she’d shown that she cared about him, too. While he’d been driven by guilt initially, now it was an all-consuming desire to not lose her again.

  An almost calm sensation washed over him at the notion of being in love with Olivia Barkley. His Uncle Lucas hadn’t recognized the signs when he’d fallen in love with his wife, but everyone else around him had known, and it had caused quite a stir.

  Caleb had been no more than nine or ten years old at the time, but his uncle’s and Tori’s courtship had been tumultuous, to say the least. Now, there was nothing the two of them wouldn’t do for each other.

  He smiled. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake as Lucas. He wasn’t going to wait until it was almost too late to tell the woman he cared about how he felt. All he had to do was talk to her without getting tongue-tied.

  Caleb approached the wagon. There had been no sign of Livy anywhere in camp, so he approached the cook. “Where’s Livy?”

  Eli glanced up from banking the coals in his cooking fire. “She done gone off a while ago. Said she warn’t gonna be long. Said she needed to stretch her legs.”

  “Which way did she go?”

  “Off toward the creek, I reckon.”

  A dull roll of thunder rumbled through the mountains at that moment.

  “Best fetch her back afore she gets wet.” Eli straightened and held his hand against his lower back.

  Caleb nodded, and headed for the creek. She hadn’t been there when he’d taken his horse to drink, or he would have seen her. Maybe she’d gone upstream a ways. With his dumb luck it would start to rain before he had a chance to talk to her.

  “Livy,” Caleb called once he’d reached the creek. There was no sign she’d been here. A slow feeling of foreboding crept through him, as if instinct told him something wasn’t as it should be.

  Caleb rushed along the banks of the creek, looking for a footprint, trampled grass, or anything that could be a sign she might have come this way. The splash of the waterfall grew louder as he came closer to the edge of the canyon that led to the Snake River far below. Would she have come this far? Perhaps to gaze at the sights? The Tetons rose in a white, jagged outline in the distance.

  The view from here was spectacular, but now was not the time to enjoy it. If Livy had come this way, she wasn’t here now. He glanced over his shoulder just as something fluttered on the ground a shor
t distance in front of him among the rocks near the edge of the canyon. A jolt of dread slammed him, and he rushed to where a thin white ribbon wafted in the breeze. It was caught on one of the countless rocks lying about.

  Caleb picked it up, letting the soft material glide along his fingers. Had Livy worn a ribbon like this to tie the end of her braid? He hadn’t paid any attention this morning, but who else would it belong to? His eyes scanned the surrounding ground.

  Two sets of footprints became obvious on the ground as he studied it closer. One had been made by a pair of men’s boots, the other belonging to much smaller feet. Scuff marks on the rocks, too close along the edge, indicated there had been a struggle.

  His eyes fell on something shiny. Caleb bent to pick up a small knife. Bloodstains covered the edge of the blade. His heart slammed against his ribs.

  “Livy,” Caleb called. He glanced over the side of the ravine. There was no sign of her anywhere. The river churned below. Anyone falling over the edge would have ended up in the water – if they had survived the fall.

  Caleb cursed and rushed back to camp. Someone had to know what had taken place here. Anger, and a rising sense of foreboding filled him with thoughts that Livy was dead. His eyes instantly fell on one of the men standing off by himself, wrapping his forearm with a bandage. Caleb rushed up to the man, one of the surveyors, and fisted him by the shirt.

  “Where is she?” he growled, staring into the surprised man’s eyes.

  “What are you talking about?” he grumbled, trying to dislodge Caleb’s grip on his shirt.

  “What happened to your arm?” Caleb stared at the bandage dangling from the man’s arm, and quickly becoming unraveled. Caleb yanked it off completely, exposing a cut that had been made with a knife.

  “My shaving blade slipped,” the other man said, his voice growing more agitated.

  “I found a knife on the ground by the canyon’s edge, along with a woman’s hair ribbon. Where’s Livy?”

  Caleb yanked the man closer, renewing his grip on him with both hands and staring him in the eye, their faces inches apart.

  What’s going on here?” Kyle came up beside him and put a hand on Caleb’s shoulder. Josh stood right next to him, his dark eyes on the other man.

  “Livy’s missing, and I’ve got good reason to believe this man knows what happened to her.”

  “Start talking, Jack,” Kyle said. “Or you might get more than a little cut on your arm. My cousin is real handy with a knife.”

  Jack’s eyes darted to Josh, standing calmly and stoically, looking more like an Indian at the moment as he held up and inspected his large knife in front of everyone.

  “That woman attacked me. I saw her leaving camp alone, and I wanted to warn her to stay away from the edge of the canyon,” Jack stammered while Caleb increased his grip.

  “What reason would she have to attack you?” Caleb hissed.

  “How should I know? She was acting crazy. I must have startled her. She cut me, and I figured it wasn’t worth the hassle, so I came back to camp to bandage my arm.”

  Caleb’s anger rose with each word the man spoke. Jack was clearly lying. Without thinking about his actions, he fisted his hand and swung back, then forward, connecting with the man’s jaw. Jack stumbled backward. Caleb sprang ahead to attack, but Kyle and Josh intervened, holding him back.

  Caleb shook himself loose from their grip and rushed to where the horses were grazing and caught his gelding. He was wasting time. Slicing through the gelding’s hobbles, he tossing his saddle on the animal’s back, and swung up onto his mount. A countless number of scenarios rushed through his mind. If Livy had gone over that canyon, there was a good chance she hadn’t survived. Fear and anger spurred him into action. Before he left camp to rush back to where he’d found her hair ribbon, Kyle headed him off.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I think she fell over the edge.” The words were painful to speak out loud. He wasn’t going to lose her again after their paths had crossed. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to tell her he loved her.

  “If she survived, I’m going to find her. Don’t wait for me if I’m not back by morning.”

  His words were hollow, and he didn’t wait for Kyle’s response, but nudged his horse in the side. He had to find a way to get to the river at the bottom of the ravine. He was going to find her, and then he wasn’t going to waste another moment before telling her how he felt about her.

  Livy shivered. Her limbs were numb, and even the cold water couldn’t ease the pain in her right leg. Her head throbbed dully, made worse by the thunderous rushing of water. The river had churned and thrown her body around for what seemed like hours. She’d finally managed to grab hold of a tree limb that hung over the water close to the edge, and had pulled herself onto dry land.

  Wet and exhausted, she’d collapsed onto the rocky banks of the river. The dense undergrowth of willow shrubs along the edge of the water had sheltered her from the rain that had started to fall. There was no telling how long she’d lain huddled under the vegetation until enough strength had returned for her to move her limbs. Darkness swallowed up everything around her.

  “You need fire,” she rasped out loud through chattering teeth.

  Huddling deeper under her makeshift shelter, she drew her knees up to her chest and hugged her arms around herself. Even the slightest movement brought either a dull or jabbing pain. Her wet clothes clung to her, offering no warmth.

  “It’ll be a miracle if I survive this night,” she whispered.

  Leaning her head against the trunk of the willow, she closed her eyes. It had been incredible that she’d survived the tumble down the ravine, and then the plunge into the cold river. The last thought in her head before losing her balance and going over the edge after Jack had pushed her had been of Caleb.

  Regret filled her. She should have told him she was glad they’d met again. All that time, memories of how he’d made her feel safe as a little girl had gotten her through rough patches in life. She hadn’t realized it over the years, but his memory had been her beacon of hope, and had kept her going when the odds were against her. Would it be enough now to get her through this ordeal?

  Surviving in the city was one thing, but out here in the wilderness she was all alone. The odds of making it through this predicament alive were slim to none. Caleb wouldn’t know what had happened to her. Had he even returned to camp?

  Livy raised her hand to swipe away a tear that rolled down her cheek. She was not going to give up. She’d survive this night, and then she’d find a way back to the expedition. Shivers continued to pass through her until she didn’t feel cold anymore. She smiled, keeping her eyes closed as a warm sensation permeated and settled in her heart.

  “Caleb,” she whispered.

  The faint call of her name above the rushing sounds of the river startled her fully awake. She raised her head, groaning at the pain that shot through her neck and into her head at the slight movement. Her limbs were stiff, and she forced her arm to move, bringing more pain. Had she imagined Caleb shouting her name? Livy strained her ears.

  The call came again. Her heart jumped to life as a surge of hope rushed through her. Caleb was looking for her. It was really him. She forced her limbs to move, the effort excruciating. Her legs had become heavy as lead and impossible to move.

  “Caleb,” she cried. Her voice was hoarse and nothing more than a strangled whisper escaped her mouth.

  Gritting her teeth, she pushed away from the tree with the last of her strength. Caleb called her name again.

  “I’m coming,” she answered his plea, her voice growing stronger. “Caleb.”

  She crawled out from her shelter of willow branches, out into the open toward the sound of the river. It was still too dark to see anything, and a light rain fell from the sky.

  The distinct clopping sound of hooves hitting rocks drew closer.

  “Over here. I’m over here.”

  Would he hear her? She grop
ed in the dark for a rock, and threw it with all her might. Hopefully the sound of it hitting other rocks would draw his attention.

  Livy reached for some shrubs and pulled herself to her feet. A sharp pain sliced through her leg and she nearly stumbled to the ground. In the next instant, strong arms wrapped around her and drew her against a warm body.

  “Livy.”

  Caleb’s voice against her cheek was the sweetest sound she’d ever heard. Her arms reached up and she clung to him. He was here. She was safe, and everything would be all right now.

  “You found me,” she rasped, falling against him as the last of her strength left her. Caleb held her up, his arms tightening around her and drawing her fully against him.

  “I’ll always find you, I promise,” he whispered, his voice nearly as hoarse as her own. “And this time, I’m not letting go. Ever.”

  Chapter 10

  Caleb waited outside the tent, pacing a path in the grass.

  “She’s going to be all right.” Kyle stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop. He held out a tin cup of coffee. “You found her in time before there were any lasting effects of exposure.”

  Caleb looked up at his friend. “Thanks,” he mumbled, accepting the steaming cup. His eyes were gritty and no doubt bloodshot from lack of sleep.

  Before he’d lost all daylight, he’d ridden his horse down the steep ravine to begin his search for Livy near the river. The rain at dusk had made the sky even darker and had forced him to slow his search. He’d combed the edge of the water for hours, calling her name.

  When the clouds had lifted, and the moon had produced some light, he’d intensified his efforts. He might never have noticed if she’d gotten swept miles downriver, or if her body had washed up on the opposite shore.

  Searching in the dark had been a foolish thing to do, but he’d had to find her. He’d needed to know if she was alive, and if she was, she wouldn’t have survived the night in the cold. It was no less than his father or any of the other Walker men would have done to find the woman they loved.