Teton Splendor (10 page)

The thought startled her. Wasn’t that what she was doing? Starting a new life? Sophia tentatively reached a hand to her head. Without a mirror, she could only guess at her appearance. Her hair certainly wasn’t perfectly coiffed and styled as it had been a few hours ago. Working her fingers through her hair, she pulled out one pin after the other, until her wet locks tumbled freely down her back.  Starting today, she would be the butterfly. No more confining clothes and pins that poked her scalp. She was truly in the wilderness now.

Sophia worked her fingers through the snarls in her hair. Was there a way to make Joseph Walker see her in a different light, and not as the white woman he accused her of being? A woman he could possibly fall in love with? Something told her that he wouldn’t want some weak-minded girl who couldn’t take care of herself. What would have happened had her parents lived? No doubt she would have been raised in the wilderness, and known nothing of the life of luxury and extravagance in which she was brought up. Would she have known Joseph all her life? Would they have been friends? Perhaps more?

Sophia laughed softly despite the crippling pain of loss in her heart. In Boston, people judged her because of her Indian bloodlines. Joseph seemed to favor Indians, the way he spoke of them. He disliked her for her white blood. Would she ever fit in somewhere, where her skin and mixed parentage wouldn’t matter?

She wrapped her arms around her middle. It had been her decision to come west. Lucy had been adamant that Sophia would return to Boston. She peered through the branches at the man squatting by the fire. It couldn’t have been mere coincidence that Joseph showed up on her father’s doorstep on the eve of her engagement. Boston was not where her future lie, she was convinced of that.

Sophia savored the feel of the dry shirt, even though her chemise underneath was still damp. She continued to stare through the shrubs. Joseph had gone off into the woods a short while ago and returned minutes later. Now he was talking to the little boy, making him feel like an equal.

Joseph Walker was a beautiful man. The chorded muscles along his arms, and the chiseled outlines along his back made her heart race faster. His dark hair fell well past his shoulders down his back. Although white, his skin tone was much darker than the gentlemen in Boston. He obviously spent much time in the sun without a shirt. She raked her teeth over her bottom lip. Her fingers tingled. She wanted to touch him, and feel his hands on her. Never before had she felt this deep need and desire to be held by a man.

She lingered behind the bushes for many more minutes, nervous about her state of undress. Eating breakfast in her father’s dining room, dressed only in a morning gown in the presence of company seemed almost laughable now.  She felt naked, exposed, and she shivered, but until her clothes dried, she couldn’t hide behind that bush all night.

The soft earth and grasses tickled her bare feet. It was an odd yet liberating feeling. All her life, she’d strained against the confines Boston society imposed on her, the desire to rebel never far away. Out of respect and love for her father, and a burning need to be accepted, she became a demure and quiet woman in the public eye. Lucy was the only person to whom she voiced her opinions, and even then only behind the closed doors of her bedchamber.  She had listened like an indulgent mother to Sophia’s rants, but made sure to remind her daily not to embarrass her father in public. Lucy would have been appalled at her current state of undress, even if it meant freezing to death in her wet clothes.

Sophia’s stomach grumbled in response to the smells of the meat roasting over the fire. Lucy’s voice echoed in her ear, reminding her how a proper lady should behave. She could see her beloved maid’s steely eyes of disapproval glaring at her.

“I’m sorry, Lucy,” Sophia mumbled. She inhaled a deep breath for courage, and stepped out from behind the bush. She glanced back at her clothes on the ground. It was time to set the butterfly free.

Chapter Ten

The moment she stepped into view, Joseph’s head turned in her direction. Sophia’s heart leapt to her throat after it seemed to have stopped beating for a split-second. The smoldering look in his eyes nearly sent her scurrying back behind the bushes. Nearly, but not quite.

Sophia raised her chin and shook some hair out of her face. Joseph’s open appraisal of her sent a rush of heat through her like no warm fire ever could. His eyes roamed over her, slowly, from top to bottom. The undeniable look of admiration gave her courage, and she stepped toward the makeshift camp. She followed his example, and allowed her eyes to linger on his chest. If he could openly stare, then so could she.

“Miss Sophie, come and see what Joseph caught.” Caleb sprung from his place next to Joseph, and ran toward her. “Joseph’s a real mountain man. He killed two birds quicker than anyone could spit.”

Sophia forced her attention to the child, and smiled at his exuberance. “Is that right?” she asked.

“You have to come sit by the fire to get warmed up, Miss Sophie. Joseph said you’d catch cold otherwise.” The little boy slipped his small hand in hers, and tears pooled in her eyes in response to the gesture. Just as she had done with Joseph earlier, this poor child was reaching out to someone, needing to feel close to another person. How much had he lost in his short life?

Eagerly, he pulled her toward the flames. Sophia hastily swiped her hand across her face, and sniffled.

“A warm fire sounds real nice,” she said quietly. She longed for a hot bath, but the fire would have to do. She allowed Caleb to pull her to the ground in front of the flames, and he knelt between her and Joseph.

“Hold your hands closer over the fire. They’ll warm up quicker.” Caleb held out his hands to the dancing orange flames and leaned forward, showing her what to do. Sophia obediently followed his example. Had Joseph shown the boy what to do earlier, or did this child inherently know? With the warmth, her fingers began to tingle, and she rubbed her hands together. It would feel good to be warm again.

Caleb glanced sideways at her, his forehead scrunched in contemplation. “You look like an Injun,” he finally said.

Sophia’s heart lurched, and she shot him a nervous glance before her eyes darted involuntarily to Joseph. His attention had shifted from her to the meat over the flames. If he heard the comment, which he no doubt had, he didn’t react to it. He stoked at the fire with a stick, and turned the meat over the wooden skewer.

Sophia cleared her throat. “That’s because I am,” she said, looking at Caleb. “My mother was Indian.”

The boy scrutinized her for a moment. “I ain’t never heard of no rich Injun lady before, but either way, you sure are pretty.” His focus returned to the flames as if his comment was of no importance. He watched the meat with a longing expression.

“Caleb, go fetch my canteen from my saddle and fill it with fresh water.” Joseph spoke with a quiet authority while he continued to rotate the meat on the spit. The boy jumped to do his bidding.

“You didn’t have to send him away.” Sophia turned toward him. She wrapped her hands over her chest and around her arms, a slight shiver passing through her even though she definitely felt warmer already.

“We need water,” Joseph said matter-of-factly. He finally turned his head to look at her. “You warming up?” His eyes searched her face.

“I’ll be fine,” she answered. “But what about you?” She stared at his nude profile.

“My other shirt’ll be dry before dark. Don’t worry, Princess. My brother Lucas and I used to run buck naked through the woods in the dead of winter. I’m used to cold.” He grinned.

Sophia’s mouth fell open, and heat crept up her cheeks at the images his words created in her mind. She envied Joseph, and the freedom he must have had growing up. She’d known nothing but the confines of Boston society. If he was trying to shock her with his words, he had . . . succeeded, but she wasn’t about to show it.

“Is that right?” she asked haughtily, lifting her chin. “It seems to be a rather risky thing to do, considering a man takes such pride in his . . . anatomy.” The words were out before she had a chance to take them back. Her face flamed even more.  He most certainly would have understood the implication of what she said. Had she really just made reference to his private parts? Lucy would have fainted from shock at hearing her say something as outrageous as what had just come out of her mouth.

Joseph’s eyebrows rose and disappeared beneath the hair that fell forward over his forehead. Then his lips widened in the most devilish smile she had ever seen, and her mouth went dry.

“My anatomy didn’t suffer any damage from those jaunts, Princess,” he whispered in a sultry tone, emphasizing her chosen word. He leaned toward her, his breath tickling her cheek. “It works just fine.”

“I’m sure it does.” She coughed, trying to clear the hitch in her voice. Breathing became an effort all of a sudden. Heat raced through her at his sensuous deep voice, and the suggestion of his teasing words. His eyes locked onto hers.

“Here’s the water, Joseph.” Caleb appeared out of nowhere, and Sophia scrambled several inches backwards. She breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time wished there hadn’t been an interruption to their game. The boy proudly held the canteen out for Joseph.

“Ladies first, Caleb.” Joseph nodded toward her, that wicked grin still on his face. “I think the fire’s warming her up. She looks like she needs a cool drink right now.”

Sophia glared at him, and she clamped her mouth shut. She waved the canteen away that Caleb shoved at her face. “I’m not thirsty,” she managed to say.

“The meat’s done.” Joseph reached for the skewer over the fire. “Any hotter, and it’ll start to burn.” He stared directly at her after he cut a large chunk off and handed it to her. His voice had deepened considerably. “Hungry?” His brows rose, and those midnight blue eyes of his sparkled with mischief.

“Famished,” Sophia answered, refusing to bow to his game. She smiled sweetly and licked her lips, then took what he offered. His fingers grazed her palm, and a jolt of awareness raced up her arm. If she pulled her hand away, he’d know how he affected her. Joseph held her gaze, his intense stare caressing her all over.

“Give some food to Caleb, Joseph,” she whispered. She’d never played such a dangerous game before, and her heart and mind were a jumble of mixed emotions. Was he simply toying with her, or could Joseph possibly harbor feelings for her? Sophia mentally shook her head. She’d thought Andrew was in love with her, too. Perhaps she should be more cautious.

Joseph pulled his hand away. He shifted his weight, and handed Caleb the rest of the bird.

“There’s more if you’re still hungry after you eat all this,” he said to the eager boy. Sophia’s heart went out to the child, whose eyes lit up like it was his birthday and he’d been given an extravagant gift. He tore into the meat, the grease glistening on his face in the late afternoon sun. Sophia sought Joseph’s eyes. The look of concern on his face surely matched her own.

Joseph stood from his place by the fire, and reached for the shirt he had left lying in the grass. He held his hand to a deep red gash just above the waistband of his buckskin britches. Startled at the sight of the wound, Sophia scrambled to her feet. She handed Caleb her share of the meat.

“When did you get hurt?” she asked, walking up beside Joseph, eyeing the injury. Dried blood splattered his britches.

Joseph glanced at the gash, then back at her. “In the river. It’s nothing.”

“It looks deep,” Sophia argued. “Please allow me to bandage that. You can’t leave an injury like that open to fester.”

Joseph’s eyes drifted over her face, surprise registering in his gaze. “What would you know about wounds and injuries, Princess?”

Sophia moved closer to him, which was probably a mistake. The warm, masculine scent of him drifted to her, and her pulse quickened. Tentatively, she reached her hand out to touch the area above his wound. He flinched, and she quickly moved her hand away.

Without looking at him, she said, “Another thing high society frowned upon besides my skin tone was my volunteer work at the charity hospital in Boston. I often helped the doctors with the sick and wounded patients that no one else wanted to treat. Comforting a sick child or a dying elderly person gave me a purpose. Something to do that was worthwhile.” She paused and stared up into his face. The wicked grin from earlier was gone. Dark stubble covered his lower jaw and ran up the sides of his face, and above his upper lip. His pulse beat strong along his neck.

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” he said quietly.

Sophia shook off the need to step closer to him, to touch him. She swallowed. “I can sacrifice one of my petticoats for bandages.” She turned on her heel and scrambled to the bushes where she’d discarded her clothes. She picked up one of her petticoats, fingered the soft cotton material for a moment, then tore away long strips, starting at the hem. She rolled up her makeshift bandages, and headed back to the fire.

Joseph shook the blanket he had draped over a tree branch earlier, and laid it out closer to the fire.

“It’ll be dry for you and the boy once the sun sets,” he said when she stepped up to him.

Her eyes shifted from the blanket to him. She looked at his wound, then back at his face. “It looks clean,” she said. “Please allow me to bandage it.” He nodded wordlessly, and she stepped up closer. “Hold still, and don’t fidget.”

Starting at the opposite side, she wrapped the bandage around his lower abdomen, covering the gash. Her fingers grazed the taut muscles of his torso, and each time she reached around his middle, it felt as if she embraced him. Joseph stood quietly with his arms held away from his sides. She didn’t have to look up at him to know that his eyes were on her. She worked quickly to finish her task, while at the same time wishing she could truly embrace him, and feel his arms close around her. Keeping her hands from trembling, she tore a length of the end of the bandage, and tied the strips in a knot.

Sophia stepped back to inspect her work, when his hand wrapped gently around her wrist. Startled, her head shot up to look him in the eyes.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Sophie,” Joseph said quietly. Sincerely. “If you hadn’t left the upper deck when you did, you’d be dead, too.”

She nodded slowly, fighting back the tears. The same thought had already entered her mind earlier.

“Do you want me to take you back to Boston?” The muscles along his jaw clenched and unclenched.

It was the last thing she expected him to ask, and the last thing she wanted to do.

“No.” She shook her head. “No. I chose to come with you. I’m not turning back.”

His hard features softened in apparent relief. “Then you’d best get some rest. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day.” He released her wrist, his fingers trailing down her palm, and turned back to the fire. Sophia expelled the breath she’d been holding and silently stared after him. Whatever it took, she was going to win this man’s heart.

****

Joseph stood in the dark, absently stroking his horse’s neck while the gelding cropped at the tall grasses growing along the riverbank. The dying fire a short distance away emitted a soft orange glow, while the last of the wood crackled in tune with the crickets and bugs that swarmed the water. Cast in the dim light’s shadow, he could just make out Sophie’s sleeping form on the ground. Once night had fallen, she’d huddled with Caleb under the blanket, and the two of them were soon sound asleep. No doubt the day’s events had left them both exhausted.

He ran his hand over the rough whiskers on his face. Sophie. She sure had surprised him today, more than she had over the course of the last couple of weeks he’d known her. He was usually a fair judge of character, but he had completely misread her from the beginning. A small part of her was still that spoiled, naive little rich girl he had pegged her as during those first few days he’d spent in Boston, because that’s how she’d been raised. But today she revealed a completely new side of herself. Just like she’d shed those layers of clothes, her true character was starting to emerge. And he liked it. A lot. More than he wanted to admit.