“I can walk to town whenever I want,” Oliver muttered. “I know the way.”
Sighing, Daniel decided to ignore the remark. He closed his eyes, his mind filled with the events of the day, and of the brave, beautiful woman who cared enough about him to risk leaving her time to come to his. At this very moment, she slept in his bed, her lovely head on his pillow. The thought so aroused him he had to force his mind on other things, like reciting tomorrow’s shopping list over and over in his head.
He fell into a fitful sleep, unfamiliar images flitting through his mind, flashes he couldn’t hold on to long enough to really see. At one point, he dreamed of Meredith wearing a shirt that clung to her feminine curves. Her eyes were filled with earnestness as she gazed at him.
His savior, his love.
His heart thudded hard enough to cause his ears to ring, and he sat up, disoriented to find himself on the floor. His love? Was he dreaming … or remembering?
12
Daniel harnessed the mules to the wagon, his gaze drifting frequently to the door of the cabin. With all the preparations for the trip into town this morning, he hadn’t had a chance to speak privately with Meredith about keeping her money safe. On top of that worry, he’d hardly slept last night. His eyes were gritty and his mind sluggish. Dammit, he wanted to be at his best today.
The cabin door opened, and his heart skipped a beat as Meredith stepped out. She’d dressed more simply today in a dove-gray skirt, a calico blouse in blues, grays, and greens, and a short, dark-gray jacket that tucked in at the waist and flared at her hips. She’d done up her hair in a French braid, and as she stepped off the porch, she tied on a simple straw bonnet, embellished with a band of blue ribbon.
A rush of something very pleasant chased away his weariness. Joy perhaps? The sensation seemed familiar somehow, and definitely associated with the woman before him. Meredith could wear a flour sack and still look breathtakingly lovely. “Ready?”
“I am,” she said, walking toward him.
Her eyes were very blue today. Today? Did her eyes change color, and was this something he’d observed while a ghost? As he reached out a hand to her, he noticed she also carried a wee drawstring purse; its tasseled cord hung from her wrist. He helped her climb onto the seat, which was a rough buckboard of pine.
Shite, he should’ve thought to spread a folded blanket across the bench for her comfort. “I’ll be right back,” he told her, hurrying to the cabin. He burst inside to find Oliver gathering the bedsheets.
Charles was off already, working in the pit mine this morning, chiseling silver ore, or perhaps he’d opted to pan for gold in the stream that cut across their claim. For safety’s sake, neither of them worked the goldmine alone. Plans were already in the works to expand the mine and hire help.
“You know where the barrel with the ringer is, and the lines strung up for drying?”
“Yep. While you were still snoring, Hannigan dragged me out to the shed to show me where everything is,” the lad groused. “I don’t suppose you’d bring back a pie or a cake from the Klein’s, would you? You did go on and on about Prudence’s skills as a baker.”
“I’ll see if she’s willing to part with a pie.” He grabbed the blanket he’d used for his sleeping pallet and hurried back out to the wagon. “Here, Meredith,” he said as he folded the blanket. “Allow me to place this on the seat. It’ll make the journey a wee bit more comfortable.”
“Thanks,” she said. As she stood, she gifted him with a sweet smile, and her eyes sparkled with amusement. “You do realize I’ve walked from Garretsville to your camp and back again several times. It’s not far.”
“Still, it would be ungentlemanly of me not to think of your comfort.”
“I appreciate your thoughtfulness.” Still smiling, Meredith settled herself on the seat and smoothed down her skirt. “Will the people of Garretsville frown upon our being alone together? I’m not really sure about the social mores of this era.”
Daniel grunted. “We’re not exactly in the center of the civilized world, lass, and definitely not among high society. This is the frontier. It’s rough, and folks have much more to worry about than who’s alone with whom. Customs and social mores are not nearly so stringent out here.”
Her concern brought on a wry smile. What would she think once she’d caught a glimpse of the numerous saloons and whorehouses in Garretsville? He climbed onto the buckboard, took up the reins and released the brake.
“Anyway, I plan to establish that you and I know each other well through Charlie’s extended family. Everyone knows he has kin out East, and that we stayed with his relatives for nearly a year while earning the funds needed to purchase gear and travel to Montana.” Slapping the reins lightly, Daniel steered the mules to the well-worn track leading into town, allowing the pair to plod along at their own pace.
“Speaking of being alone … while we have the chance, we should discuss what we’ll say to the sheriff,” she said.
He studied her profile for a moment. “I was thinking we should invite him out to have that talk. You and Oliver can go over what you wish to say to him before then, and we’ll agree that Charles and I made the trip to Hellgate to pick you up … what, a few days ago?”
Meredith bit her lip, and her brow creased. “Today is the seventh, right? Let’s say we arrived on Sunday, June fourth. We’d want to have some time to settle in after so much travel.”
She’d arrived only yesterday, yet it seemed he’d observed that very same frown countless times. He sucked in a quick breath as images of her from another time
