Whispering Hills of Love (American Wilderness Series Romance Book 3) (31 page)

“Thank you, Deputy,” William said, giving Wolfe a sideways glance with narrowed eyes.

“All right sheriff, I’ll defer to your judgment in the matter,”
Wolfe conceded.

William gave an impatient shrug and turned away. He picked up some of the papers on his desk.

“I heard you recently married. Congratulations and please convey my best wishes to your lovely wife. She’s a fine woman,” Wolfe said.

His voice was courteous but was he sincere?

“I wish she could have remained in my employ. My mother can be a mighty stubborn woman sometimes.”

William shook his head in understanding. “Kelly’s nightmares were traumatic. I’m pleased to say that all that is behind her now.”

“Glad to hear it. I’ll start spreading the word about the gathering,” Wolfe said as he shut the door behind him.

Lucky stayed behind, sitting quietly and leaning on his well-worn long rifle. “He’ll come around. Give him some time.”

“Over-stepping my authority,” William grumbled. “How dare he question my mandate to protect Boonesborough? I know I’m being overly cautious, and we have no reason to be worried, but I’ll feel better if we have men in place in case they are needed, for whatever reason. If we fail to prepare, we are preparing to fail.”

Lucky stood, moved closer to him, and looked at William intensely. “Boone thought much the same way. It saved us more than once. Chances are we will be just fine until the militia get back, but I admire your way of thinking. You’re a good sheriff, William. The best I’ve seen.”

He valued Lucky’s opinion and the compliment made his chest swell a little. “And you’re a good friend.” He patted the aging hunter’s shoulder affectionately.

Lucky’s weathered hands reached into a pouch and he offered William his flask. “Let’s celebrate your nuptials.”

“My marriage was more than two months ago,” William said laughing.

“You’re still happy ain’t you?”

“I’ve never known such happiness. I didn’t know it was even possible to feel like this toward a woman.”

“Well, that’s reason enough to celebrate,” Lucky said.

“After the last day and this morning, whiskey does sound like a pleasant diversion,” William said, “but no. I have a hog thief to catch.”

“Lucky, do you think it’s safe for Kelly to stay out at Whispering Hills by herself every day?”

Lucky took a swallow and wrinkled his forehead as he considered William’s question, then he answered with dignified calmness. “For some women, I’d say no. It’d be too far out. But for Kelly, I’d say she’ll be just fine. I understand she’s used to living alone in a remote area. She’s a real smart one too. She knows how to watch out for herself. And from what you described, she proved herself in this most recent incident.”

“Indeed, she more than proved herself. I couldn’t believe it when I spotted her hatchet planted in that Indian’s chest. And, her rifle shot struck straight through the heart of another, and she managed to fire her pistol under the worst of circumstances.”

“Hell, it’s thieves and unfriendly Indians who better watch out,” Lucky said, his voice chuckling and hearty. “Women on the frontier learn toughness fast. It’s that or perish.”

“She’s come a long way from the shy young lady who moved
here a few months ago,” William said.

“Mostly due to you. You’ve been good for her—helped her become the person she was intended to be.”

“I’ve tried to be a good friend, as well as a good husband. I won’t get into why, but she needed a friend.”

“It’s plain to see you two are as tight as two coats of paint,” Lucky said. “How’s that puppy working out?”

William had asked Lucky to locate a good dog for Kelly and he’d succeeded. “We named him Riley. Kelly is completely enamored with him. He’s going to make a good watch dog. In fact, Mr. Merrill wants one like him to protect his daughter.”

“I’ll see if I can locate another puppy for the child. Your pup’s grandfather belonged to my friend Harry. Harry’s passed on now. The dog was loyal to that man to the end. He was lying atop Harry’s forehead when I found my comrade dead one day.” Lucky took a slow deep breath, undoubtedly remembering his old friend.

“What happened to the dog?” William asked.

“I adopted him. He trailed me around these woods for years and then he finally passed on too. It’s been years and I still grieve for him,” Lucky said, looking down at his moccasin clad feet. “Well I’d better go help spread the word. I think I’ll start at the Bear Trap. I could use a pint of ale about now. And you can put my name down at the top of your list of volunteers.”

By late afternoon, William breathed a sigh of relief. That morning, he had written a letter to the sheriff of Lexington, informing him of the activities of Harpes and his partner Belle. He explained the circumstances surrounding the death of Harpes and the man’s confession regarding procuring women and then drugging them until they were compliant. He urged the sheriff to
identify which women wanted to return to their homes and to help them. Finally, William added that if the sheriff needed him to testify, he would gladly make a journey there to do that. He also asked that he be made aware of the outcome of the investigation as soon as possible and assured the sheriff that Judge Webb, who also presided over the court in Lexington, would inquire as to the outcome on his next visit to the city. William knew it was not out of the realm of possibility that Lexington’s sheriff might be one of Belle’s customers and he wanted to apply enough pressure to ensure that action would be taken to help the doomed young women Harpes had tricked with his cunning lies.

After sealing the message, he arranged for the post rider to carry the letter to Lexington. The post rider had the exclusive privilege of carrying letters, papers and packages on his route. One of William’s many duties was to impose serious fines on any person who impeded the post rider or his delivery of mail, so he knew the man well and the rider promised to expedite the letter’s delivery. That pleased him because he’d been concerned about all those unfortunate women deceived by Harpes. The sly man came alarmingly close to ensnaring Kelly in the same trap.

Walking swiftly, he returned to his office, and organized and scheduled the numerous men who had volunteered at the noon meeting into duty shifts. He made sure at least six well-armed men stood guard at all times, with six more waiting inside the fort in case they were needed. Deputy Mitchell helped him post the roster and schedule onto the trunk of the big elm tree, as he promised the townspeople.

With his volunteer plan in place, he and the deputy next set out to find the hog thief. After questioning a dozen or more people, a citizen on his way into town, hailed him and reported seeing a man trying to sell a hog at a bargain price to someone
who was leaving Boonesborough. The concerned citizen suspected that if the pig disappeared from Boonesborough, the rightful owner would never see it again or be able to claim the animal.

Apparently, the potential sale had not been successful, because William found the thief camped east of the fort a fair distance away. The animal, fit the owner’s description exactly, and stood tied nearby.

“Let’s put those two swine where they belong,” he told Mitchell.

At the sight of them strolling toward him, the robber started to pull out his pistol, but William was faster and he strode up purposefully aiming the weapon at the man’s chest.

Smothering a groan, the thief dropped his weapon, and William tied his trembling hands behind his back. “Don’t try my patience by denying your thievery,” he warned.

The Deputy led the grunting, snorting, oinking pig away to return it to its rightful owner.

William followed, roughly leading the other groaning, sniveling, blubbering, swine by his collar, off to the jail at the fort. Along the way, numerous people jeered and ridiculed the robber and congratulated William.

He wondered what sentence the intolerant Judge Webb would give the hog thief. Farm animals were highly valued. The serious fines imposed on thieves could include a substantial fine, paying the rightful owner of the stolen animal a large quantity of tobacco, or even branding. The later form of punishment was William’s least favorite, and so far, at least, he had not had to carry out that sentence. It required him to brand the top of the hand of the thief with a ‘T’. His office held two brands—the ‘T’ for thieves and an
‘M’ for those convicted of manslaughter.

As he followed the pig and the Deputy back through town, he found himself craving some of the ham back in his smokehouse.

And, an even stronger hunger for the woman he loved filled his heart.

CHAPTER 31

A
s she hastily made bread, Kelly hummed a tune William often played on his fiddle. She wanted to get it to rise and then bake the loaf before William got home, hungry and tired. Last night, he made her go to bed early and let her sleep late too and, as a result, she felt well rested. But he’d gotten up early, as usual, and left for town before dawn. He was off duty tomorrow, so this would be the perfect night to tell him her big news. They could stay up as late as they wanted celebrating and planning for their child.

With her new cookbook open, step by step, she followed the directions precisely for making bread, a rare treat. She couldn’t wait for the tantalizing aroma of fresh bread to fill their cabin. While the dough was rising, she would make a barley soup, put potatoes on to fry with garlic, and slice up some ham. Then she’d make a pudding of some sort. There were so many tempting pudding recipes in the book, the hardest part would be choosing which one to make. It was the special dinner she’d planned for them to enjoy two nights ago, when she was going to tell William she was with child, but the arrival of the band of Indians had changed all her plans dramatically.

Her hands covered in sticky dough, she sprinkled more flour on the table. She thought about the events of the day before, as she used her muscled arms to knead the bread dough. Her chest swelled with pride at having overcome the Indian who chased her. She hated the idea of killing another human being, but it couldn’t be helped. If she hadn’t, she’d be the one dead. The whole incident did make her feel far more confident in her own ability to defend herself.

Captain Sam would be proud of her. And she knew William was too. He was just equally annoyed that she had put herself in so much danger. But she would do it all over again if need be.

When she was sure the well kneaded dough felt just right, she formed it into a round ball, scraped the sticky flour off her hands, put the ball in a greased bowl to rise, and covered it with a cloth.

She couldn’t wait to tell William her news. She had to figure out exactly how to do it. The names of boys and girls kept slipping through her thoughts. She felt sure if it was a boy, William would want to name him after his oldest brother Sam. And if it was a girl, she wanted to name her after her mother. Her heels bounced up and down with her excitement.

She wondered which night’s lovemaking brought this child into her womb. She could recall the ecstasy of many magical nights over the last few months. But one or two of those evenings made her heart soar with the memory. A warm shiver passed through her as she remembered the mind-boggling thrill of their smoldering passion.

To think she’d once feared she would be unable to give herself completely to any man. William certainly banished all her worries. And he helped her replace her fears with an abundance of love and passion.

After several hours of cooking, Kelly was more than ready to give her body a rest. She decided the afternoon was warm enough to get some sun. She grabbed her shawl, a blanket, her pistol, and her rifle. With Riley trailing happily behind her as usual, she made up way up the hill that lay east of their cabin. Someone, probably Boone or his son, had diligently cleared a narrow footpath of undergrowth and brush and it made the trek up the hill a pleasant one. The trail passed along a narrow gorge, and spring water surged in spots and trickled in others through a rocky channel between banks clothed with a variety of small trees and a profusion of ferns. The scene’s remarkable beauty made her smile broadly.

She reached the crest and after a few minutes found what she instantly knew would be her favorite spot. The sight before her could only be described as magnificent. She took in the expansive view and nearly lost her breath to its beauty. The vista displayed a living breathing pageant of nature. Splashes of showy color dotted the hills—scarlet, ginger, orange, gold, amber, and green trees—creating a stunning tapestry woven with dazzling skill. She could almost smell the rich colors.

As she spread out her blanket, she wished she’d remembered one of her new books. She would just have to remember it next time. She carefully lowered herself down, instinctively already treating her body more gently than before she learned she was carrying a child. Leaning back on her palms, she closed her eyes for a moment and let the gentle breeze blow her hair back. The day was unusually warm and the sun’s rays kissed her upturned face and neck.

Opening her heart, as well as her ears, she listened to the potpourri of sounds encircling her. She heard birds calling to one another, busy squirrels hiding their winter food stores, ducks flying south for the winter, leaves tumbling to the ground and
finding their place, the muffled hum of the spring’s water flowing down the hill, and…the wind.

The breeze rolled and curled, full of life, and then, finally, it whispered.

And she knew it conveyed a message meant for her. She listened intently, determined to grasp what it said. Her senses alive, her perceptions vivid, her heart beating stronger, she felt more aware of her surroundings than ever before. She listened intently, sat up straighter, and cocked her head to the side.

She didn’t hear anything, but she sensed it—profoundly. A soul cleansing spirit, carried on the breeze, wrapped around her heart. She let out a slow breath as every trace of shame left her heart and love filled it.

Then she did hear, clearly and distinctly, Boone’s words from her marriage ceremony. ‘Listen to the wind—it talks. Listen to the silence—it understands. Listen to your heart—it knows.’