Whispering Hills of Love (American Wilderness Series Romance Book 3) (3 page)

“Do you have any advice for a brand new sheriff?” William called out, with only a trace of humor in his voice.

Boone chuckled and his clear eyes sparkled. “Good judgment is born of experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.”

Everyone laughed including William.

Boone continued, “But if you want a little advice from an old man about life in general, I’d say this. Live a bold and honorable
life, then when you think back on it when you’re my age, you’ll enjoy it all over again.”

“Here. Here!” called Judge Webb.

William wondered what kind of life he would lead. He would always be honorable. That’s the kind of man he was. Would he be bold too?

Bold enough to love just one woman? Bold enough to marry her?

As he observed Kelly’s beautiful profile out of the corner of his eye, he thought that just might be possible.

CHAPTER 2

K
elly felt far more secure when William was nearby. She’d seen firsthand that he possessed great strength beneath his gentleness. Yet, inexplicably, standing near him now also made her uneasy. Keenly aware of his scrutiny, she tried to keep her features deceptively composed. Though he didn’t say anything, his countenance spoke for him. His face revealed true concern.

And something more.

She looked up at William, wondering just what she’d seen. An easy smile played on his handsome face, totally disarming her. She thought him easily the most good-looking and well-dressed man in the room, and it gladdened her heart to have him stand next to her. Although he always wore stylish new clothes, he was never especially particular about how he wore them. His cravat, tied at his neck, hung too loosely when compared to the other men in the room. Two waistcoat buttons were still free of their buttonholes and the back of his blue coat suffered from a sprinkling of horse hairs.

She started to reach up and tidy him and then abruptly stilled
her hand, unable to touch his person. But she wanted to. Didn’t she? She was puzzled and more than a little nervous. What was happening to her? This was William—her hero from the moment he stormed into her cabin. He was the one who had saved her and then looked after her. Before he came into her life, no one ever cared whether she was hungry or lonely.

Later he’d become her closest friend too.

But William had many friends. When they had first arrived in Boonesborough, he seemed to readily make friends even out of perfect strangers. His warm quick smile, dazzling against his tanned skin, endeared everyone he met. And his honest manner made men trust him.

The most handsome of the four brothers, his bright sea blue eyes always seemed to twinkle. Their sparkle reflected his natural ability to entertain others with humor or music. He wore his wavy hair shorter than most men and it was blond, like hers, only a shade or two darker. His well-muscled body moved with an easy grace and a sense of authority. He stood out among other men like a bright vein of gold.

Surprisingly, despite his good looks, he had never married. But she’d seen several unmarried ladies in Boonesborough glancing his way more than a time or two. She couldn’t blame them. She turned and glanced up at William. He stood taller than all the other men in the room except his oldest brother Sam and their half-bother Bear. But those two were both giants among men.

Smart, shrewd, and brave, the town nearly unanimously elected William sheriff after he succeeded in revealing the unruly buffalo hunters for the murdering outlaws and traitors they were. An outlet for his tendency to take up for the wronged or the weak, the
duties of sheriff seemed to suit him perfectly.

She considered him for a moment then, confused, frowned in bafflement. Never had her emotions been so perplexing. She tried to mull through the haze of her feelings and desires. His nearness to her made her feel strange, but good at the same time. Her mind told her to beware. He was a man after all. But her body was telling her something else entirely. Excitement seemed to make her heart race and a brief shiver rippled through her. She looked at him again. The tremor inside her turned into something far stronger. Just as she was about to figure out what she was feeling, Mister Wolfe strode up beside her.

“Will you be ready to go in a few minutes, Miss Kelly?” Wolfe quietly asked her. “Unfortunately, I need to return to some pressing work matters.”

“Certainly, Mister Wolfe,” Kelly said. “Just let me say hello to Bear and Captain Sam and bid William goodbye. We’ve all been occupied with listening to Daniel Boone and I’ve hardly had a moment to speak with them.”

“Of course, take your time,” Wolfe responded. “I wanted more coffee and another piece of that apple cake anyway.”

She watched him waddle off and wondered if that would be his second or third piece of cake.

She and William ambled over toward Captain Sam and Bear and the two joined them at once.

“I need to leave soon, but I wanted to say hello to both of you before I left. How are Catherine and Little John?” she asked Sam. She looked up to Sam like a big brother and she was happy for him when he’d married Catherine and finally had a chance for real happiness.

“Very well. At the moment, they are enjoying their visit with Stephen, Jane, and their girls. Jane is getting close to her time, and wanted Catherine there for the birth.”

“Is Jane still convinced it’s going to be a boy?” Kelly asked.

“Aye, she is,” Bear answered. “When we left, she was makin’ a wee shirt for the lad, no bigger than me hand.”

Kelly chuckled. “She must be expecting a big fellow then if the shirt’s as big as your hand Bear.”

“If he’s anything like the other men in our family, he’ll be a big boy,” Sam said proudly.

“Please tell Catherine and Jane how much I miss both of them,” she said. “I hope to be able to visit your new home and see Cumberland Falls someday.”

Fond of both women, Kelly genuinely wished Catherine and Jane were still in Boonesborough so she could talk to them about what was happening to her. Whatever it was, it grew worse by the day. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what, but something was making her more and more anxious. She just didn’t feel like herself. Never one to be easily frightened or fearful, she admitted that lately frightening dreams tormented her sleep and sometimes she felt afraid for no good reason.

“We will look forward to the day you visit us,” Sam said.

“Mister Wolfe tells me you are well suited for carin’ for his wee children,” Bear said, his voice loud even though the gentle giant tried to speak quietly.

“Did he? I am enjoying them, that is once I got used to the constant ruckus. It is quite different than my lonely cabin in the hills.” At the mention of her cabin, she caught herself rubbing her wrists again.

“I can only imagine,” Sam said, shaking his head.

“I should be going. Please ask Catherine and Jane to write to me because I’ll continue to miss all of you. At least I still have William here in Boonesborough, but I haven’t seen much of him,” she said, looking up at William.

“My list of duties is long and the day is short,” William replied. “But, I promise I’ll try to be more sociable in the future.” He winked at her and gave her another one of his heart-warming grins.

Kelly’s heart instantly flittered inside her, but she had little time to enjoy the startling new sensation.

Boone strolled up and joined them. “William, now that you are officially installed as sheriff, do you have a home here?”

“No, Sir,” William answered. “I’m afraid my family obligations and duties have kept me from building one and Boonesborough’s one inn has remained full with a waiting list since the day of our arrival.”

“Where are you staying now?” Boone asked.

“I’m still camping by the river, just west of town, where my entire family camped until they all moved away,” he said with a sideways glance and a half-grin at Sam and Bear.

“That won’t do much longer with winter just a few weeks off,” Sam said, ignoring William’s good-humored jab.

“The Kentucky River is getting a bit chilly for bathing,” William admitted. “And I sometimes wonder if I can drink enough coffee in the mornings to warm up.”

“I have a solution for you,” Boone said. “As you know, I am only here in Boonesborough for this ceremony and to attend to
some other business matters. I’ve lost most of my property in Kentucky because of tax laws and disputed land claims. I’ll be heading back home soon and then leaving Kentucky for good. My son Daniel Morgan is presently in the Missouri River region of Spanish Louisiana, where he’s looking over the land for possible settlement. He met with Don Trudeau, the Lieutenant Governor of the Spanish Territory, and took out a land grant for himself. Trudeau sent an invitation for me to come to settle in Missouri too. I plan to accept his invitation. It’s getting too crowded here in Kentucky. But I still have firm legal claim to a cabin and a few acres nestled in a place near here called Whispering Hills. It’s about two miles to the northwest and you are welcome to it. At my age, I doubt I will ever need it again. You’d be safe from natives there. They’re my blood brothers now and know the cabin is mine, so they leave it alone.”

“Your generosity, Sir, is overwhelming. But I must insist on paying you something for it,” William protested.

“You can,” Boone answered. “And I don’t ask this lightly. You can take care of Boonesborough for me. My family’s blood, including my dear son and brother’s, and the blood of many close friends spilled into Kentucky’s soil to claim this spot in the wilderness. It needs a young man of your high character to look out for it. No man in the wrong can stand up against a man defending what’s right. Especially a man that won’t give up. I think you’re the man for the job.”

Kelly glanced up, watching William in profile. His strong jaw tightened before he pulled in a deep breath and stood just a little taller.

William had to clear his throat before he could speak. “You honor me, Sir,” he replied, with his eyes fixed on Boone. “I pray
for the wisdom that comes from God and not from me.”

“Everyone,” Boone called in a booming voice, “I want you all to know that I hereby place my trust in Sheriff William Wyllie to care for Boonesborough’s future. May it always shine brightly under his care. But when she faces the trouble the future always seems to hold, I know he will lead you wisely. As a symbol of my faith in him, I am giving him my land and cabin at Whispering Hills.”

The room exploded with the sound of clapping hands and eager cheers.

“And I thank you Colonel Boone. Kentucky claims you among its noblest names. And will forever more,” William declared, turning everyone’s attention away from himself.

Again, the room erupted in celebration.

Kelly noticed Sam and Bear smiling broadly, their chests swelling, full of pride for their brother and seeming to appreciate the praise and trust Boone had just bestowed on William.

She was proud of William too and a swell of affection filled her. She wanted to give him a hug or at least shake his hand. If only she could. Would she appear too forward? Her stomach fluttered as she decided to reach for his hand.

Without warning, her confidence quaked. Her mind suddenly congested with swirling doubts and churning fears. She quickly pulled back her hand and clutched her skirt tightly with damp fingers. She felt almost sick. A wretchedness filled her that sapped every good feeling she had.

Against her will, she gave in to the tension that had been building since she arrived. Half of her wanted to stay, but the other half demanded that she get away from here. She didn’t even know why. But for some reason, she was suddenly frightened—her
heart afraid. The harder she tried to deny the feeling, the stronger it grew. She became instantly alert, fully aware of the crowded room, and she wanted nothing more than to get out of there. Jittery and ill at ease, she glanced over her shoulder.

“Excuse me a moment, gentlemen,” she muttered uneasily and turned away.

Searching the room, she felt momentary panic until she finally spotted Wolfe, finishing up his cake. She hastened over to him and said she was going outside to wait for him. Even she could hear the nervousness in her voice.

Wolfe nodded and she spun on her heal and fled through the door, gasping in the fresh clean air. Eyes closed, she took several steadying breaths before looking up to locate Wolfe’s carriage.

She was losing control and that made her even more uneasy. She hoped William hadn’t noticed her hasty departure. And she worried that she had offended his brothers or Colonel Boone by not saying a final goodbye. The thought tore at her insides as she paced up and down in front of her employer’s carriage team, trying to catch her breath, and probably making the horses nervous too.

Should she go back inside? Her thoughts scampered around in her head as she tried to compose herself. She would have to do a better job of guarding her emotions or people would start to question her mental stability.

When Wolfe arrived, the concerned look on his face told her the questioning had already started.

As he drove his carriage home, his expression sullen, an uncomfortable silence lay between them.

CHAPTER 3

A
s soon as the carriage came to a stop in front of Oxmoor House, Kelly jumped off, clutching her cape. Wolfe was from one of the aristocratic families of Virginia, and his home was one of the largest in Boonesborough.

She smelled the smoke rising from the chimney and glanced up to see a pale grey trail climbing into the now cloudy sky. Oxmoor House contained five rooms and a central hall, in which a prettily carved walnut stairway led to the two attic rooms above, one of which was hers.

Not waiting for Mister Wolfe, she bounded up the steps, entered the hall, and after hanging her cape, stood for a moment, listening for the children. She could hear them in the kitchen and started through the parlor toward them. As she passed a gleaming dining table, the crystal oil lamp positioned in the center caught her eye. She stopped and ran her finger across the lamp’s carved glistening surface. The home contained so many pretty things and Kelly was still in awe of the luxury found here. Undoubtedly, Mrs. Wolfe, who did not survive the birth of her last child just five years ago, selected most of these beautiful things. Sometimes Kelly felt guilty being in her home, as though her presence was in some way
stealing away the life Mrs. Wolfe should have led here.