Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"I'm sure Stanley would like to stretch his legs," Kyle said as Tara held the bucket of oats for the horse to eat.

They had been talking about the county surrounding Freemont, and Kyle was yet to see much of his surroundings, the weather having prevented them from going much farther than the mercantile and the boarding house together. But a break in the snow had occurred, and though the day was cold, it was bright and crisp—a perfect day for riding out.

"Oh, yes, I'm sure he would. I'd like it, too. There's a lovely ride along the creek from here. It's wonderful in the summer, but it'll be just as nice now, too, with the frost on the trees and the river frozen over," Tara replied.

She could think of nothing nicer than to ride out with Kyle and show him something of his new home. Freemont was a pretty town, surrounded by a dramatic landscape of hills and mountains, with woodland stretching high up to the tree line and the river cutting a course through the valley and out onto the plain beyond. The trail led west to east, but there were many paths north and south, and there was no end to the places they could explore together.

"That sounds wonderful. We could stop somewhere and make a fire. I could pack a saddlebag with a few things to eat, and we could boil water to make coffee," he said.

"You mean a picnic in the snow?" she said. It sounded terribly romantic.

He smiled and nodded. "I'll get the horses saddled. Why don't you fetch some blankets, then we can pack the food together," he said.

It wasn't long before they were ready to leave. Stanley—despite Kyle's words to the contrary—didn't look particularly pleased at the prospect of leaving his warm stable behind for the trail, and as Tara led him by the reins across the yard, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of Maisy sitting smugly in the window, looking out from the warmth of the parlor.

"Don't be so miserable, Stanley. I've got some carrots for you, and a sugar lump, too. We're not going far, just a few miles up the creek," she said, guiding him onto the street.

The sun was bright in the sky above, though the air was chilly, and as they climbed into their saddles, plumes of warm breath rose like smoke from a furnace from the horses' noses.

"Lead the way, Tara. I'm looking forward to it," Kyle said, smiling at her as they trotted down the street toward the trail.

As they passed the sheriff's office, Tara could see Sheriff Fenton through the window, talking earnestly to a man who was shaking his head and clutching his hat in his hands.

I wonder what's happened, she thought, but Kyle had ridden ahead and there was no time to stop and wonder.

It was a perfect winter's day. The trees were covered in a fine frost and the snow lay thick, though not impassable, all around. The river was frozen, several children skimming stones across the frozen service as they rode by. Above them, the mountains with their ice-capped peaks rose into the perfectly clear sky, and the trail wound its way along the valley, passing below ridges as it followed the course of the creek.

"What a marvelous country this is. I like Chicago, but it's so busy with its hustle and bustle. This is something else, though. The mountain air smells so fresh," Kyle said, and Tara laughed.

"Haven't you ever seen mountains before?"

"I've seen plenty of mountains. But it's different seeing them with you. Everything looks different when you share it with someone who means something to you," he replied.

His words caused Tara's heart to skip a beat. She was flattered by them, and she, too, could think of no greater compliment than his wanting to share such beauty with her.

"You're right. It does look different, doesn't it? And you can see Dawson's Nose from here. Do you remember me describing it to you in my letters? Up there, where the rock on the mountain looks like a nose jutting out, and with slits for eyes on either side. Dawson was first mayor of the town," she said, pointing up to the rock formation on the mountainside.

"I remember you telling me. It looks just like it," Kyle replied.

They followed the trail a little farther along the creek, riding for perhaps a mile through the trees, and up onto a low ridge with a magnificent view back toward the Freemont Pass.

"You can see where I found John from here," Tara said, pointing up the pass to where the trail turned up toward the Johnson ranch.

"Just there, was it?" Kyle said, for Tara had told him everything about her patient.

He had been interested in learning the details and had asked all manner of questions, especially about John's memory and whether anything of the past had returned to him.

"You can just about make out the fallen trees. He was lying over them. He'd fallen down the scree. It was a nasty business," Tara replied, shaking her head.

"I just hope he makes a full recovery, though it doesn't sound very hopeful."

"There's always hope. We don't understand how the mind works, not really. But it has this ability to heal itself. I've seen it happen before. There might come a point where he just remembers everything," Tara said.

Doctor Reardon had said as much, though he had been cautious about revealing this to John.

"We don't want to get his hopes up," he had said.

"Well, I'd be interested to learn more about his condition. I'm no doctor, of course, but the mind… it's a fascinating thing," Kyle said.

Tara nodded. "Oh, but we don't need to talk about that now. Shall we build the fire here? There's a log over there we could put a blanket over, and the views are wonderful. We could have our picnic here," she said, slipping down from the saddle.

Stanley appeared relieved, and it was agreed they would have their picnic there on the ridge. Kyle set about collecting wood for a fire, and Tara laid out the food they had brought—bread, cheese, dried meat, and the remnants of a cherry tart they had eaten the night before.

"Those canned cherries weren't too bad, were they?" Kyle said as Tara cut the pie into slices.

"In the winter, it's what we rely on. Everything has to be preserved, or bottled, or salted, or pickled. You should see the back of the stable. I've got enough jars of beetroot to feed the town for a siege," Tara said.

"I don't know how you did it. You must've been exhausted before I arrived."

Kyle had kindled the fire, and a merry blaze was burning, eating up the dry sticks he had gathered with a pleasing warmth. Tara held out her hands, her cheeks prickling in the cold.

"It hasn't been easy. I think I just kept going because I had no choice not to. The animals needed feeding, I had my responsibilities at the hospital, and then there was my father to look after, too. I didn't know what it was like not to have all that to see to," she replied.

She had begun to realize just how tired she had been in the months leading up to Kyle's arrival. She would never have had time for something as pleasant as a picnic out on the trail, and as they sat and ate, talking and laughing together, it felt as though the pressures of the past few months had simply melted away.

"Food always tastes better in the outdoors, don't you think?" Kyle said when they had finished eating.

"Absolutely. It was delicious. And what a good idea to brew some coffee, too," Tara replied.

The horses had been waiting patiently, tethered to a tree next to the trail, and Tara went to give them their reward—a sugar lump each, followed by a carrot. Stanley still appeared to be in a mood with her, the time had come for them to return home. Having stamped out the fire, covered the site with snow, and packed up their saddlebags, it was as though they had never been there.

"You're not working tonight, are you?" Kyle asked as they rode back along the trail toward Freemont.

"No, thank goodness. I mean… I would, but I took the night off. I wanted to spend time with you."

She had asked Doctor Reardon for leave, having discovered she was owed nearly two days in lieu of the overtime she had worked. He hadn't been happy—Tara never took time off—but it had mattered to her to spend time with Kyle, and she was glad to think they would have the whole evening together before he returned to the boarding house.

"That's very sweet. I wouldn't have minded if you had to work. It's important to you, and that means it's important to me, too. I want to support you. It's your vocation, after all."

Tara smiled. She was glad he understood just how important nursing was to her. It was a vocation, and one Tara had long held dear. But it was important to give equal value to her work and her future happiness with Kyle.

"It'll all still be there waiting for me when I get back. It's just for one night."

They were riding along a narrow part of the trail where a bank fell down on one side to the creek below, and a rock face towered above them, overhung with trees.

It would be dark soon, and with the sun setting over the mountains, the valley was plunged into shadow, with only the ice caps catching the last of day's sunlight. But as they rode along, Tara thought she heard the sound of horse's hooves—not their own horses, but above them, as though riding parallel.

Looking up, she saw two men, each riding a black horse along the top of the rock face. There was a path there, but only a narrow one, and it seemed curious to think the men were riding there and not along the trail.

"Look up there," Tara said, pointing through the trees.

They were yet to notice Tara and Kyle below, and through the overhanging trees, it was difficult to pick out anything but their movement on the horses and their occasional outline. Kyle looked up, clearly surprised at the sight of the men above. He reined in his horse, raising his hand for Tara to halt.

"Wait a moment. Where does that path lead to?" he asked.

There was a worried tone in his voice, and Tara looked at him curiously.

"Back to Freemont, but it's a narrow path. They'd be much better off on the trail like us. They're probably lost. We get trappers coming this way occasionally. They'll have been out in the woods the past few months and are now coming to winter in the town," Tara replied.

There was nothing particularly odd about it, even as Kyle shook his head.

"We need to be careful. Is there another way we could go?" he asked, still sounding anxious.

Tara scratched her head. The trail was the main route into the town, and it could prove dangerous to take another path, especially with dusk beginning to fall.

"But why? We don't know them. They're probably just fur trappers, or perhaps they've been out hunting. Lots of people use the trail. Actually, I'm surprised we haven't met anyone on our ride," Tara replied.

"Or perhaps they're not," Kyle snarled, his tone changing as his eyes flashed with anger.

A thought occurred to Tara, and she realized why Kyle was being so cautious. He had known danger like this before, and he was wary of finding himself caught up in another situation like the one involving the family on the mail coach. It was understandable, of course, and Tara tried to smooth the matter over, not wanting them to argue over something so trivial.

"It's all right. If we ride about half a mile more, we can take a path by the creek. It'll bring us straight into the town, not far from home," she said.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have gotten angry. I was just thinking about the mail coach, that's all," he said, his tone softening as he spoke.

Tara nodded. "That's what I thought. I'm sorry. You're right; we can't be too careful out here. You hear of such terrible things happening. Let's wait a few moments, then ride on," she said.

He smiled at her and held out his hand. Tara took it, and he squeezed it, holding her gaze as he did so.

"I just want to make sure you're safe, that's all," he replied.

They waited a few moments, then rode on cautiously along the trail. There was no sign of the men on the path above, and they took the narrower path by the canyon, hidden from the trail by drifts of snow, following the course of the frozen river back to Freemont. Tara hoped the incident wouldn't sour the rest of the evening, and after they had seen to the horses, she invited Kyle in for dinner.

"I think I'll take it at the boarding house tonight. I know you took the night off, but I feel exhausted," he said.

"Oh… all right," Tara said, trying not to show her disappointment.

She felt as though she had done something wrong—that she had upset him somehow, even as she didn't know how to ask the question directly.

"I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning to see to the animals," he said.

"Are you sure you won't have something to eat? There's plenty of food," Tara said, for she had made a point of buying a fresh fish caught in one of the fishing holes on the frozen river that morning.

But Kyle shook his head. "Not tonight, Tara. I'm going to bed early," he said. He would hear no further protest and wouldn't even allow her to walk with him across the street to the boarding house.

"Oh, but please, I want to," Tara said, catching his arm as he pulled on his overcoat.

He turned to her and smiled. "You stay here, where it's warm," he said, and Tara had no choice but to do as she was told.

Through the window, with Maisy purring at her side, Tara watched him go. She felt certain she had done something to upset him, and she thought back to the incident involving the two men.

Who were they? Did Kyle know them? At the moment he had snapped at her, she had seen a different look in his eyes. It was as though a mask had slipped, and for a moment, there had been someone else looking back at her.

I suppose Tiffany was right. I don't really know him at all, she realized, wondering if perhaps all this really was too much, too soon.