Nate took Chloe and held her as he helped Missy and Louise into the coach, then climbed up and sat down beside Louise with Missy facing them. He arranged the robes over them. “Okay, Petey,” he called, and the driver released the brake and they jerked away from the hotel. The curtains were not pulled down as yet and Louise peered out at the passing buildings of the fort.
At the gate, they stopped and Colonel Macleod came to the window.
“Have they found him yet?” Louise asked.
“No, but we will. All the best,” he said. “Ma’am, I am most impressed by your fortitude. You will be an asset to your husband, your family and your country.” He stepped back and saluted as they rolled away.
“Wow,” Missy said. “You are a hero, aren’t you?”
Louise shook her head. “Of course I’m not. I haven’t done anything.”
Nate took her hand and smiled at her. “You certainly have. You are brave and strong and courageous.” His smile fled. “Just don’t take it too far.”
She quirked an eyebrow at him.
He chuckled. “You will do whatever you make up your mind to do. Always have. I suppose you always will. Sometimes it’s for the good, but it can also land you in a heap of trouble.”
“I landed okay, wouldn’t you say?” She referred to jumping off Vic’s horse.
“This time. Next time might not turn out as well.”
She shuddered. “I hope there is no next time with Vic.”
He squeezed her hand. “I think we all share your opinion.”
Missy pulled the curtains down over the windows on either side of her. “Pull yours down, too. That way, if Vic is watching for us, he won’t be able to see we’re in here.”
Louise and Nate quickly let down the curtains. It kept out the cold but also most of the light. She settled back, knowing the hours would be long and dull.
Nate’s head bobbed. The poor man was tired. She took Chloe from him. “Get some sleep.”
“I’m not tired.”
She chuckled at the way his words slurred. In a few minutes his head fell to the side and he slept. She leaned into her corner and watched him.
He was a man with a goal. A purpose. She’d like to help him achieve his dream of a ranch. And she knew she could do it. Hadn’t she been told three times this very morning that she was strong? An asset to her husband and the country? Would he ever see her as such rather than a responsibility, perhaps even a liability?
He wakened with a start when they stopped to change horses and jumped to the ground where he stretched and yawned mightily.
“Come on down,” he said, reaching to assist her. “It’s sunny and bright. A day full of hope and promise.”
Holding the baby in one arm, both she and Missy stepped outside. She breathed in the cold, fresh air.
“Look at the mountains.” He pointed to the west.
She’d been admiring them for days, but today the sun hit the snowy peaks in a way that turned them white and pure. She drank in the sight of them, feeling as if God was very near.
“‘Thy righteousness is like the great mountains: thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.’” As she quoted a verse she recalled, her heart swelled with joy and gratitude. Then she remembered something she’d neglected. “I meant to purchase a Bible at the fort.”
She was still regretting her oversight when it was time to climb aboard again. Once they were settled, Nate reached for his travel bag and pulled out a parcel and handed it to her.
“What is this?”
“Open it and see.”
She hesitated.
“Hurry up,” Missy urged.
Louise untied the string and folded back the brown paper. “A Bible.” She stroked the leather cover, lifted it and felt its weight. She opened the gold gilt pages. “It’s beautiful.” Her voice caught in the back of her throat. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t forget.”
Their gazes met and held. Did he mean his words as a promise? Or a warning? Likely both. A promise to see her safely to Eden Valley Ranch and a warning their pretend marriage would end there.
She turned her eyes toward the Bible. She would cherish it forever, not only because she could now discover truths about God, but because Nate had bought it for her. When they parted ways, she would have her memories and this Bible.