Teton Sunrise (Teton Romance Trilogy) (16 page)

“Jasper Williams, what a surprise.”
Alex approached the man’s horse, and reached his hand up. The trapper leaned forward and over his saddle, and firmly clasped Alex’s hand and arm.

“
Wal
,
ah’ll
be
et
by a tater. If it
ain’t
Shadow Walker,” he nodded with a wide-eyed smile. He pushed the fox fur cap he wore away from his forehead. “Thought you’d be up in that
hole
of
yers
by now,
buildin
’ that cabin.”

“Heading there now.
Didn’t see you at rendezvous this summer.
Get off your horse and have some coffee.”

The trapper nodded, and dismounted. Holding firmly to his rifle, he pointed to the dead bear.

“That’ll make a nice meal,” he grunted. “Didn’t know
ya
was
huntin
’ bar.”

Alex laughed. “He didn’t give me much choice.”

“I remember when
ya
was just a green pup,
tryin
’ to get
yerself
kilt by Ole’ Ephraim up on the Madison.” He chuckled, and spit tobacco on the ground. “
Yer
green shore is
weared
off now. Heard
ya
was
no longer a company man.”

“I’ve learned a thing or two over the years. And, yeah, I joined the free trappers.”

Laurent had left Yancey’s side and came walking up to them, a wide smile on his face.
“Jasper Williams.
I believed you to be dead.” He grabbed the trapper’s hand and pumped his arm up and down.

“I’s
feelin
’ right pert,
ya
crazy voyageur.
Ain’t
gone under yet.”

“Why did we not see you at rendezvous?” Laurent added coffee grounds to the pot in the fire, and headed for the creek with it without waiting for a reply. A low moan came from under the lean-to.

Jasper Williams’ eyes darted in the direction of the sound, his bushy brown eyebrows
raised
.

“A flatlander who Laurent insisted on bringing along,” Alex said in answer to the man’s unspoken question. “Thought he’d try and prove himself against the bear and lost.”

“Sounds
summat
like you, Walker,” Jasper chuckled, and slapped Alex on the back.

“Yeah, well, at least I was alone, and didn’t put someone else’s life in danger,” Alex argued, resisting the urge to glance over his shoulder. He knew the loner was referring to Alex’s first year in the mountains, when he had tried to prove himself by foolishly shooting at a grizzly. He’d almost paid with his life that day. Lucky for him the incident had happened far to the north of here along the Madison River. Daniel Osborne, the man who would become his friend and mentor had saved his life that day. Anger seethed through him again, thinking about the danger Yancey had put Evelyn in by shooting at the grizzly.

Jasper Williams grunted, and scratched at the stubble on his jaw. He glanced around camp, and his eyes widened with a look of disbelief. There was only one reason for the man’s reaction. He must have directed his attention on
Evie
. That the trapper hadn’t noticed her before was a surprise. Alex turned to see her standing by the creek where he’d left her. Uncertainty was etched on her face. He couldn’t blame her. She hadn’t met many friendly trappers, and it was wise of her to be cautious.

“That
ain’t
no
Injun squaw,” Williams proclaimed, his eyes volleying between her and Alex. A wide grin spread across his face. “I’ll be,” he said, and slapped Alex on the back again. “
Ya
got
yerself
a woman, Walker.
And a fine
lookin
’ one at that.
How’d
ya
get so
fortunate’n
get
a white woman to come to the mountains with
ya
? I thought only
Dan’l
Osborne was that
lucky.
”

Jasper stepped around Alex before he had a chance to respond, the thick buffalo-hide robe he wore making him appear twice as wide as he really was. Without hesitation, he strode up to Evelyn and appraised her from top to bottom. Alex followed quickly on his heels. If he remembered Jasper Williams correctly, the man didn’t have the best manners, even though he was completely harmless.

“
She
shore shines, Walker. No question. She
shore
shines.
Looks like she’s got a lot of pluck, too.”

Evelyn narrowed her eyes, and Alex couldn’t help but grin. She probably had no idea that the trapper was complimenting her appearance. The look of annoyance she shot him and the other trapper grew with each second.

“
Evie
, this is a friend, Jasper Williams,” he said, and took hold of her hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Evie
remained stiff for a moment, then, to his utter surprise, the annoyance vanished and she flashed the other man a radiant smile.

“It’s a pleasure, Mr. Williams,” she said, extracting her hand from Alex’s, and reached to offer it to Jasper. The man’s bushy eyebrows widened,
then
his hand swallowed up Evelyn’s. He chuckled heartily.

“
Ya
shore is a
purty
little thing,” he said. “Walker got
hisself
a fine
woman,
an
ya
got
yerself
one fine man, there. Walker is brave as a
buffler
bull in spring,
ya
mark my words. He’ll do right by
ya
, no question.”

“Thank you, Mr. Williams,”
Evie
said
sweetly,
and slowly pulled her hand from the trapper’s grip. She turned to Alex and favored him with a smile that sent his pulse racing. She inched up next to him and slipped her hand back in his. What the hell was she doing? Alex gripped her hand and stared at her. The same warm glow shone in her eyes as what he’d seen that morning, before he left camp. Before he left
Evie
with that no-good greenhorn, which almost got her killed. It was the same look she favored him with while tending to his wounds. His gut clenched, and he tore his eyes away from her.

“Go and fix some food,
Evie
. I’m sure Jasper is hungry.” He had to get her away from him. She would surely drive him mad. Alex released her hand, and the warmth in her eyes cooled almost immediately when he spoke his harsh words, and he instantly regretted it. She visibly inhaled a deep breath and held up her chin. Nodding silently, she turned to leave. Alex’s hand reached out and grazed her arm. “I’d be much obliged,” he said quietly, silently calling himself every vile name he could think of.

“Of course, Alex,”
Evie
said, and she smiled softly, but the hurt was evident in her eyes.

“Wouldn’t mind
eatin
’ some of that there bar,” Jasper said, running a hand across his lips.

“I’ll have to ask Laurent about how to cook that,”
Evie
said, glancing from him to the trapper. “I’ve never prepared bear before.” She turned quickly and scurried off toward the fire where Laurent was busy with the coffeepot. Alex stared after her. So did Williams.

“
Yessir
,
ya
got a good woman,” Jasper said again, nodding in approval and appreciation of
Evie
. “Shore makes me miss my Molly.”

Alex raised his brows. “Molly?” he asked.

“My wife,” Jasper answered, and adjusted the furry hat on his head.

“I didn’t know you were married.” Alex was certain that Williams had never mentioned a wife. Everyone he knew, and who knew Jasper, assumed he lived a solitary life.

“Yep.
Left’er
back in St. Louie.”

Alex chuckled. “You never spoke of a wife before.”

“Cause
talkin
’ ‘bout ‘
er
would be plumb hurtful,” Jasper said quietly, looking right at Alex.
“
Yer
a lucky man, Walker.
Yer
gal is here with
ya
. Mine didn’t
wanna
come. I shore miss her
summat
fierce when I’m in these here mountains. This’s my last season. Come next spring,
I’s
goin
’ home
fer
good. My Molly needs me, an’ I need her.” He pulled his hat off his head and held it to his chest. Then he pointed a finger at Alex. “
Ya
be sure an’ do right by that gal, Walker. I can see the love
shinin
’ in her eyes for
ya
. There
ain’t
nothin
’ more
powerful’n
  a
woman
lovin
’
ya
, and it’s a lucky man who can lay claim to such a woman. I thought
them mountains was
more important than my wife, but over the last year, I come to realize it
ain’t
so. You hold on to that gal, and don’t let ‘
er
go.”

The mountain man ran his hand over his face, and turned away from Alex. Alex stared at
Evie
. She squatted by the cooking fire, poked at the coals and added some wood. She laughed at something Laurent said, just before her gaze darted to him. The laughter froze on her face when their eyes met. Alex held his breath.

Jasper’s words echoed in his mind.
I can see the love
shinin
’ in her eyes for
ya
.
Was that what he himself had seen in her eyes earlier today, and just before he sent her away to cook a meal?
Impossible.
Evie
couldn’t be in love with him. He hadn’t done anything to win her favor. Alex looked away. He couldn’t allow her to see how much she affected him, how much he wanted her to love him. Sending her back to St. Louis would be bad enough. After listening to Jasper talk, he wasn’t sure he could go through with it and let her go.

Chapter 12

Evelyn gave the cloth in her hand a hard twist to wring the excess water from it. Kneeling beside Byron Yancey under the lean-to, she gently dabbed the cool rag against his forehead. His eyelids fluttered open and his unfocused gaze settled on her face. She offered a reassuring smile.

“How are you feeling?” she asked quietly, and wiped at his whiskered cheeks, taking care to avoid the gash along the side of his jaw that ran from his lip up into his scalp. Laurent had done his best to sew the man’s skin together using the hair from his horse’s tail, but the ugly jagged wound would no doubt leave a visible scar.

“I feel like I’ve been mauled by a bear,” Yancey groaned, and tried to smile. Evelyn frowned at his apparent attempt at humor. Shifting his weight, he raised his head. “Where are we?”

“Still in camp,” Evelyn answered, turning her head to cast a fleeting look over her shoulder. Crickets chirped loudly in the evening
air.It
would be dark soon. Laurent, Alex, and Jasper Williams sat around the campfire, the lone trapper telling boisterous tales of his travels. Evelyn understood only a few words of what the mountain man said. After serving a supper of bear paw meat and corn cakes to the men, she had excused herself to tend to Yancey. 

“You saved my life, Miss Evelyn,” Yancey said, his eyes wide as struggled to raise himself to a sitting position. His hand flew to his head and he groaned again.

“You might want to lie back.” Evelyn focused her attention back to the injured man and pushed against his chest to discourage him from doing more harm to his injuries. “And don’t thank me. If not for Alex, we would both be dead.”

“I did a stupid thing.” He reached for her hand, and Evelyn squeezed his.

“I put your life in danger. If anything had happened to you, Walker would have finished me off for sure.”

Evelyn cleared her throat. Apparently everyone was under the notion that Alex cared for her. Even she had started to believe it, but then why had he told her he was sending her back to St. Louis? Gritting her teeth, she didn’t know what to believe anymore. His tender kisses and those looks of longing in his eyes spoke of something more than casual affection for a friend’s sister.

Frustrated, she leaned back, and turned her head again to watch the men at the fire. Alex smiled broadly at something Jasper said, and her heart fluttered in her chest. Damn the man for being such a stubborn oaf! If he thought he could simply send her away, he was sorely mistaken.

For six long years, she had believed he was lost to her. Why she had allowed Charles Richardson to feed her and Henry a bunch of lies that Alex had killed her parents was beyond her scope of comprehension now. The only reason she planned to return to St. Louis
some day
was to bring the true murderer to justice.

“How bad am I hurt?” Yancey’s raspy voice forced her attention back to him. His eyes glazed over with pain. Evelyn wished she wasn’t so helpless and knew what to do to comfort him. She couldn’t lie to him.

“The bear tore the side of your face. You will always have a scar, but Laurent stitched it up as best as he could. The bear clawed you fairly deep along your ribs on your left side, as well as on your thigh. Laurent assured me that you would mend.” Evelyn met his stoic stare, and a look of acceptance washed over him.