Chapter 7

Parson must have read his mind, for the man halted them to set up camp earlier than the previous night. They were beside another stream, in a wider meadow than last night.

"We'll sleep here." Parson hadn't yet dismounted, but scanned the land around them, his gaze roaming up the slope of the mountain they'd just crossed on the left side of the valley.

Grant glanced that way too, but there was nothing they hadn't already seen. He dismounted and kept part of his gaze on Miss Collins, lest she try to slip away and evade his questions. She couldn't go far, though, not for long. Parson kept a firm handle on his group.

When they'd all dismounted, Parson began speaking to those nearest him—Skeet, Willard, and Riggs. Grant edged closer, but Parson was already motioning those three men to set off. Then he waved for the rest of them to approach him.

He spoke in a low voice. "There's someone watching us. Been following all day, I think. Water the horses, then tie 'em on the other side of the water to graze where they'll be outta the way. We'll camp over there too and set a watch." He motioned for them to carry out his order, even as his gaze shifted back to the mountain.

Grant's gut clenched even tighter than before. He'd been so busy worrying over Miss Collins, he'd not even thought about an outside threat. That must have been what Skeet rode up to speak to Parson about earlier. If Grant had kept his wits about him, he might have seen the shadow of a follower too.

He led his animals to the water behind the others, and while his horse and mule drank, he studied the cliffside once more. That mountain ran almost straight into the next, and he focused on the ridgeline, then let his gaze move down over the trees and boulders. No sign of movement.

Parson still watched from the edge of the trees, so Grant turned his focus to his work. They needed to set up camp and settle the animals, and he still needed to talk with Miss Collins. All while being far more aware of his surroundings than he'd been.

He would need to help with a watch in the night too.

He took charge of the animals again while Miss Collins started the fire. Now that he knew she was a woman, her preference to cook made more sense. She'd likely had experience preparing food over an open fire. After seeing to his and Miss Collins's horses and mule, he unloaded Parson's two animals so the man could stand watch behind one of the trees lining the bank.

The men kept quiet for the most part, tension spreading through the group as they worked to unsaddle and hobble the animals. Everyone brought in firewood this time, which meant he wouldn't have to spend extra time gathering it as he had last night.

Miss Collins looked to be preparing something in the pot that included dumplings, and he crouched in front of the fire, near enough that they could talk quietly. "Can I help?"

She shook her head. "It's almost done."

He kept his voice low and glanced toward the trees to make sure the others were still gathering wood or talking with Parson. "While it finishes, maybe you can tell me why you need to go to those waterfalls so badly you'd risk your reputation and virtue, and even your life, in such a way."

She frowned at him. "I told you, I'm looking for a friend. I have something important to give her."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Something that will save her life? Because it would need to be that vital to take such a risk."

A woman wasn't always so logical, though. It hadn't taken him long after he and Gloria were married to realize she thought through things differently than he did. He'd not always been as willing to slow down and listen to her reasoning as he should have. Especially at the end. He should have taken her complaints seriously, but he'd thought her pains a passing ailment.

She raised her chin. "Not her life. But something incredibly valuable to her."

Before he could ask more, Riggs approached and dropped his load of sticks and logs. "That grub sure does smell good."

Miss Collins turned her focus back to the pot as she stirred, and when she spoke, her voice dipped into that deeper tone. "I think it's about ready."

Parson had Willard stand watch while they ate, and instead of the usual mealtime quiet, he used the opportunity to give orders for the night. "We need a guard posted at all times. We'll each take three hours." He looked to Grant. "You and the boy take the first shift. Wake Skeet at midnight. Then Hooper at three. When light dawns, we'll ride out."

Grant nearly grinned at Miss Collins. He would have three whole hours of quiet with her. He'd get all his questions answered.

"Who d'ya think it is out there? Blackfoot?" Riggs sounded almost eager for a threat.

Parson shook his head. "Don't know. Can't get a clear enough look at 'em. Just one person that I've seen, but he might be a scout."

Conversation died down after that, with everyone working quietly to finish setting up camp. Once he'd helped put away the food supplies, Grant took up his rifle, checked the horses once more, and then reported to Parson.

The man motioned across the creek. "There's a tree over there wide enough to hide one of you. Maybe both, if you're still." He eyed Grant. "I'm assigning you with the boy so you can teach him how to do a man's job. I know you're new to the area, but you seem to have a level head on your shoulders. You up for it?"

Grant nodded. "I am." The last thing he wanted was one of these others to take the boy under his wing and discover her secret.

Miss Collins joined them, and Grant motioned her toward the water they would need to cross. "I'll show you where we're to watch from."

When they reached the tree Parson had been watching from, Grant pointed to the ground behind it. "You sit close to the trunk."

There weren't other trees wide enough to shield either of them, only a few saplings, so he positioned himself just behind her. He would be able to see the landscape better but might be visible to a watcher, depending on their location. Maybe the shadow of the branches would hide him.

He studied the land around them for a few minutes, his rifle across his lap at an angle where he could easily point and shoot, should the need arise.

At last, he was ready to begin his questions. He kept his voice to a whisper. "You didn't finish telling me what's so all-fired important you'd risk everything to find an Indian woman."

She turned sideways so she could see both him and the mountainside beyond the tree. She sent a glare he could just make out in the moonlight. "I'm not sure it's any of your business."

"If you expect me to continue this ruse that risks your life and virtue, I'll need more information. Then I'll decide if your reasons are significant enough."

"You can't simply do it because I ask?" She lifted wide eyes to him. Maybe that was supposed to be a pleading expression, but in the shadows, he could only see the whites of her eyes. She simply looked frightened.

He tried to gentle his tone, though it might not matter since they were whispering. "Miss Collins, I was once a solicitor. I've been trained not to take a case until I know the details and decide if I'm willing to defend the client against the charges." Well, he hadn't actually been the one defending. Not yet. He'd been promised that once he learned the trade from the bottom up, he'd be appointed one of the partners. And part of that education had been how to decide if a potential client was a good candidate for their services.

She didn't answer right away, but something changed in her demeanor. She must be deciding how much to tell. His chest tightened a little more. He wanted to know everything, and he'd keep pushing until he learned all.

But a pang of regret pricked. He wouldn't like someone forcing his hand, requiring him to spill all his secrets and intentions. Certainly this woman should be allowed the same courtesy. He simply needed to know enough to determine if he should send her back to the rendezvous—or maybe waste precious time taking her there himself—or keep her ruse and watch over her as they continued on with this group.

When she spoke, her voice was barely louder than a whisper, easier to understand, though still quiet. "I told you the woman I'm trying to find is Steps Right, one of the healers in the Peigan tribe."

He nodded.

"She knew my father more than twenty years ago when he came west for a season."

He nodded once more. She'd told him that before as well.

"When my father was dying, he asked us to find Steps Right and return a bead necklace to her, an heirloom that had been passed down through her family."

"We?" She probably meant she and her mysterious brother, but he couldn't assume that.

"My sisters and me. I'm the youngest of four."

He tipped his head. "Four sisters? Any brothers?"

"No."

He nearly snorted.

She was silent. Maybe he'd offended her, but in truth, he should be offended. Still, he gave a verbal nudge. "What next?"

She let out a sigh. "After we settled his affairs, my sisters and I decided we wanted to come west and give her the beads ourselves instead of having the solicitor send someone to deliver the gift. Papa had told us so many stories of his time here, and we wanted to see the place that had meant so much to him." She shrugged. "We traveled with the supply wagons three years ago. Arrived at the start of the rendezvous."

He raised his brows. "You and three other women came to the rendezvous of '37?" He'd heard the men talk about that year. The biggest gathering before it or since. But as suspicion slipped through him, he narrowed his gaze. "Did the four of you dress up as men?"

Her teeth flashed in a chuckle. "No, actually. We didn't realize the extent of what we were riding into. Thankfully, one of the trappers we met at first took pity on us and helped, both with our protection and our search. We never found Steps Right, but that trapper is now married to my sister Juniper."

Grant's mouth pinched. That didn't surprise him. Most men around here probably hadn't seen a white woman since they left Missouri. Which might have been years for some of them.

"We did find Steps Right's son, White Horse. He said his mother was cast out of their village because of a misunderstanding. He doesn't know where she is, but he believes she's safe—at least he did back then. We also found a herd of horses that were descendants of a pair my father sent as a gift to Steps Right for saving his life. My sisters and I started a ranch with White Horse as our partner. It's been three years, though, and we still haven't found Steps Right like we promised my father."

He was beginning to understand the bigger picture, and it made his chest hurt. A promise to a loved one she hadn't yet been able to keep... Maybe the two of them had more in common than he'd suspected.

He had a few more questions, though. "If you haven't found her in three years, what makes you think you will now? And why waterfalls?"

Her voice rose a little. Not enough to put them at risk, but enough to show her emotion. "It's frustrating. We started off looking for her all the time, but then as we were establishing the ranch, we didn't have time. Then winter came, and one of my sisters was in the family way. We did find a clue in a cave where Steps Right had been, and White Horse is pretty sure she was telling him she would be staying near a waterfall. But before we could start searching for her, another of my sisters got married. And we had to build a cabin for Juniper and Riley. One thing after another. Now there are two more babes on the way, and Rosie says she doesn't know when we'll have time to look for Steps Right again. But White Horse saw two men from his old tribe at the trading post. Men who were known as soldiers among his people. I have a bad feeling about them. We have to find Steps Right before they do."

His throat tightened. He could understand her desperate need to fulfill the promise, even when it no longer seemed to matter to others. "And that's why you came by yourself?"

She nodded. "I wasn't alone at first. I left the ranch with family friends who were traveling near the falls where I found you. I didn't find Steps Right there, but then you told me about Parson. I thought I could just ask him to draw me a map, so I left my friends and dressed up like a man to look for him. He said he couldn't give me directions, but I could join on with him. He said he knew of several other falls that weren't on your map. It seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up. And my disguise worked. It still does."

He could mention that he'd seen through it already, but part of that might be because he had met her before without the disguise. The others didn't seem to pay her much notice. And with this new threat, their attention was even more distracted from her.

But that wouldn't last forever. "How do you intend to search the waterfalls once we get close to them? I doubt Parson will escort you himself. He'll be busy trapping."

She nodded. "He knows I'm here to see the falls, not trap. He said he'll give me directions once we get close."

She did seem to have most of the details sorted out. Except...

"And what will you do once you find this woman? If you find her, that is. She may have moved on already." Or she might not still be alive, but that seemed an unkind thing to say aloud.

"I hope to bring her back to our ranch. I suppose I'll sort through that once I meet her."

That part was not a solid plan. Maybe he could work out protection for them on the journey back. Perhaps he would have found Will by then, and his brother would be willing to go with him to accompany the two women safely to her sisters.

He studied her, as much as he could see in the darkness. If he refused to keep her secret and forced her to return to her sisters, he had a feeling Miss Faith Collins would find another way to leave and search for this elderly Peigan woman. And she might not stumble across someone who would ensure her safety like he would.

In fact, chances were good she wouldn't find a protector. He nearly snorted. He'd already proven ill-suited to protect a woman in his care. But if he was the only one here to do it, hopefully he could be better than no one.

He sighed. "All right. I'll keep your secret."

She let out a breath. "Thank you, Grant. Thank you so very much."

He couldn't help adding, "But if at any point I think my silence is putting you in danger, I'll speak up. I won't stand by and let harm come to you."

Her teeth flashed in the darkness. "I appreciate that."