Rose's Pledge (29 page)

Nate took hold of the slimy fingers, and the little curly-top gifted him with a darling, two-tooth grin. The little one was every bit as irresistible as the woman holding her.

“Robert Bloom is with you, is he not?” Rose searched his face.

“Aye. He’s seeing that everything’s unloaded. He’s brought back quite the surprise. Wait’ll you see.” Nate chuckled then sobered. “It’s true, then? Smith’s dead? You were left here by yourself?” Concerned over her sad situation, he drew her and the baby close to him, burying his face in Rose’s hair, breathing in her unique scent. She felt so good in his arms. He made a solemn vow not to let her out of his sight before he had her safely away from here.

After a long-spun moment, she leaned her head back and gazed up into his eyes with such warmth he thought he’d melt. “I feared you were dead. Whatever took you so long?”

The store’s flap flung wide again, and Robert Bloom strode in, all smiles, with his arm around a slip of an Indian lass. A thick hat of rabbit fur hid most of her raven hair but not the perfect oval of her olive face with its huge, dark-chocolate eyes. Wrapped in a soft fur robe, she looked small and shy beside Robert’s lean form as she lowered her lashes with a faint smile.

Robert drew the girl along as he came forward and took Rose’s hand. “Rose, I’m so glad you’re alive an’ well. If you hadn’t been, I reckon I would’a had to shoot Nate for leavin’ you here in the first place.”

Pleased they’d both finally returned, yet still surprised, Rose glanced from the Indian girl to Nate, who offered a sheepish shrug.

“And this must be the baby Red Hawk was telling me about down at the river.” Robert reached over and ruffled Jenny’s hair with his free hand. “Cute little thing.” His gaze met Rose’s again. “Praise the good Lord you were here for that little gal.”

Rose nodded. “I feel the same way. I’ve no doubt Jenny Ann is the reason God allowed me to be brought here. He knew she’d be in dire need of someone to care for her.”

“Aye. He does work in mysterious ways. Speakin’ of that, look what the Lord gave me.” He gazed lovingly down at the girl at his side. “This here is Swims with Otters, but I can’t help myself…. I call her Shining Star ‘cause I can’t seem to take my eyes off her.”

Smiling at his words, Rose lifted the willowy girl’s hand, drawing her liquid brown eyes up to her. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Shining Star.” She motioned toward the back of the store. “Would you like to take a seat by the fire? I’ve water heating for tea.” She smiled at the men, including them in the invitation.

Robert quickly translated what Rose had said, and they all moved to the warmth of the back of the store, removing their outer clothing along the way. Without her hat, Swims with Otters’s glossy braids, entwined with thin strips of leather, hung to the middle of her back. She brushed a few stray strands from her eyes.

Rose noticed the girl also wore an intricately beaded headband, which complemented her beaded doeskin Indian dress and calf-high deerskin moccasins. “While I prepare the tea,” Rose said, “you men will have to tell me why you were gone so long. And Robert, how you happened to bring along this lovely girl.”

“It’s a pretty sad story,” Bob said, taking a sip of steaming tea as the four settled on grain sacks they’d pulled close to the fire.

Nate peered over the top of his cup and cut his friend a pointed look, a warning not to let the reason for their delayed return slip out. No sense frightening Rose any more than necessary.

Bob reached beside himself and squeezed the Indian maiden’s hand. “You see, Rose, Shining Star’s part of the Miami nation. She lived in a village not far from Mascouten territory, an’ them two tribes’ve been feudin’ back an’ forth for some time. I reckon it got pretty bad, ‘cause the Miami women outnumber the men a good four or five to one these days.”

“Mercy.” Rose hugged Jenny close. “How dreadful, all those widows and orphans.” She gazed down at her own little orphan.

Nate chimed in, hoping to ease her mind. “The men take on more wives. That helps some.”

Rose tucked her chin and arched her brows. “Surely you don’t mean plural marriage. That’s a rather pathetic solution to such a problem.”

“Anyway,” Bob said, “Shining Star’s pa was killed in a raid last spring. Then when her brother never came back from huntin’ …” He shrugged a shoulder. “What men are left already have more wives an’ daughters than they can hunt for an’ feed. So her mother came to me.”

Looking from him to the Indian lass and back, Rose met Bob’s gaze. “To ask you to marry her daughter.”

He slid an uncertain glance to Nate before responding. “More like she wanted to sell Star to me.” At Rose’s gasp, he rushed on. “You see, if the widow had trade goods, she could bargain with the village hunters for meat now an’ again …to see her an’ her other little ones through the hard winter.”

“So you bought her? You actually bought her?” Rose rolled her eyes and grimaced.

Nate could see this was not going well for his partner. Not well at all.

Bob offered a weak smile. “No, not at first. But her ma kept comin’ back to me with her, pleadin’. An’ I felt so sorry for my shy little girl, I gave in.” He lifted his chin a notch. “But rest assured, Miss Rose, I won’t be beddin’ or weddin’ her till she comes to know the Lord as her Savior.”

Rose arched her brows. “Don’t you mean, if?” she challenged.

Watching her reaction, Nate shifted uncomfortably on his seat. Rose Harwood was one stiff-necked woman, especially when it came to religion. A body would think she was one of them Puritans.

But Bob didn’t seem the least put off by her remarks. “I already thought about that. A lot. I figger if she don’t become a believer, then I’ll look for a suitable husband for her among the other tribes.”

Nate was pretty sure he discerned a hint of triumph in the smile that played across Rose’s lips. “In that case, I shall make room for the girl in the wigwam with Jenny and me.”

Looking from her to Bob, Nate released a tired breath. He couldn’t believe he’d just risked life and limb for such a hardheaded woman. But he had to admit he was as besotted as Bob. No doubt about it.

Chapter 25

A
s they all continued sipping their tea, Rose rocked back and forth slightly with Jenny Ann asleep in her arms. She studied Swims with Otters, or Shining Star—whatever Robert wanted to call her—then glanced at Robert, seated beside the lass. “I must say your young lady scarcely appears older than my youngest sister.”

He tipped his head. “She was born durin’ the time of fallin’ leaves, fifteen years ago. I know she’s a little thing, but she’s full growed.”

“Fifteen.” Rose shook her head. Papa wouldn’t have considered an offer for any of his daughters until they were at least seventeen years of age. Thoughts of Mariah came to mind. The girl had been too picky for her own good …and then it was too late. And here sat a shy girl who reminded Rose so much of young Lily, already given to a man—
sold
was closer to the truth. The very concept was appalling.

Remembering the leftover biscuits, she used her free arm to reach behind herself for the covered plate then removed the cloth and offered one to Nate and then the girl.

The lass glanced from the plate to Rose, then to Robert, with questions in her dark eyes. He smiled and nodded, and she took one but held on to it and stared, as if she didn’t know what it was.

Robert also took one, bit into it, and said something to her. Finally the girl took a small nibble. After a few seconds she took another bite.

“Oui-saw?” Rose asked, using her one and only word of Shawnee.

The bashful smile appeared, and the lass nodded.

“So,” Nate cut in, taking a second biscuit, “seems you been pickin’ up a bit’a Shawnee.”

Rose chuckled. “I’m afraid that’s the extent of it. Mr. Smith taught me the word when he was training me in the business of trading.”

Grinning, Robert gave a nod “That’s what Red Hawk told us. About you in here dickerin’ just like you knowed what you was doin.”

“I actually do know what I’m doing.” She flashed a wry smile. “Most of the time.”

“Red Hawk said that when the Susquehannocks left, they run off with several horses an’ a bunch of your best furs,” Robert said.

She nodded. “Along with all the cash money, I’m sad to say.”

“Well, no need to fret,” Nate assured her. “Bob an’ me did real good, all considered. An’ with Smith gone, you ain’t bound to him anymore.”

Remembering the trader’s final act of kindness, Rose smiled. “Quite right. In fact, before he died, he signed off on my papers to make everything legal. So I’m hoping to earn enough from the furs and trade goods still left in the trading post to buy my sisters’ papers and free them, as well.” Having divulged that information in a rush, she waited for their reaction.

Nate turned and surveyed the goods stacked against the side wall. “Don’t look like that’ll be a problem. We’ll buy back your sisters, take that baby back to wherever she belongs, an’ still have plenty leftover to have ourselves one fine time in Baltimore. Or mebbe you’d rather go to Philadelphia. Hear tell they got a lot more shops an’ taverns an’ playhouses an’ anything else we fancy.”

A fine time? That was his proposal? To offer her what some bigwig would offer a loose woman? Crushed and not wanting him to see the disappointment on her face, she stood with the sleeping baby and went to stoke the fire.

All those long days and weeks she’d spent longing for Nate Kinyon to return—wasted. So was her deepest hope—that he’d taken steps to strengthen his faith, since he knew how much it meant to her—so that when he asked her to marry him, she could say yes. But the horrid truth was her chances of wedding Nate were no better than Robert Bloom’s were of marrying Star. Probably worse. Shining Star had yet to hear enough about the Lord to accept or reject Him. But Nate …

A plan formed in Rose’s mind, and she swiveled on her heel, hardening herself as she looked at Nate. “I’m sorry, but your plans won’t do. I’m not footloose as you are. I have serious responsibilities. Not only do my sisters need to be bought out of bondage, I need enough money to purchase their passage back to England, where they can be properly looked after by our father.”

Nate reared back. “I thought the whole point in comin’ to America was because your father couldn’t look after you girls.”

She gave a small shrug. “I’m sure he and my brother have managed to take care of the problem that beset our family by now. In any event, I plan to make money enough for each of my sisters to have a sizable dowry so they’ll be able to make a good match.” She knew she was probably overreaching, but she was too hurt to care.

Standing to his feet, Nate towered over her. “An’ how do you propose to do that? If you don’t mind me askin’.”

Rose wished he weren’t so much taller than she, but she did her best to straighten to her full height as she looked up at those steely hazel eyes of his. She mustered as much force in her voice as possible so he’d hear her determination. “By continuing to run this trading post as I’ve been doing since Mr. Smith passed on. The villagers want me to stay. The store is good business for them as well as for me, with people constantly coming and going. There’s no reason for me not to go on looking after things until I’ve earned sufficient funds. I could not earn a fraction of what I’ll make here anywhere else.”