“Only about the cabin, sir,” Franklin said. “As far as I can tell, there isn’t enough lumber to build bunks, and not enough room to sleep six to a floor and still have room for supplies.”
Just as Kate had warned.
“I’ll alert Captain Harris to send more lumber,” Will promised. “After they’ve dealt with this fire.”
“If he doesn’t, we’ll be drawing lots as to who keeps a tent,” Smith predicted.
“Leave the provisioning to me, Private,” Will said. “None of us would survive sleeping out this winter.”
“And what of the horses?” Smith challenged. “If there’s not enough wood for bunks, there won’t be enough for a barn.”
He was right. Will was so used to living in a well-provisioned fort, or terrain that didn’t require shelter from snow, that he hadn’t considered what they’d do with the horses. Besides the barn, they’d need hay, oats for the winter. There’d be nowhere to graze. Surely Captain Harris had considered that. Yet Kate had said there was only a month or six weeks left before they’d need those supplies and shelters. When did Harris think they’d have an opportunity to build?
As if he was having the same concerns, Franklin edged closer in the firelight. “Any chance of us requisitioning space from one of the property owners, sir?”
“Not from the Fire Hole,” Smith told him. “I’ve spoken to the manager a few times as I rode through. They plan to close up for the winter by the middle of October.”
They both looked to him, and he knew what they were thinking. The only buildings left in the area that might have space to house them and their horses were the ones at the Geyser Gateway. Kate had plenty of room for them in the hotel, and she had plans to overwinter. With Elijah’s six horses out of the park, there would be space for their horses in the barn. But adding another six people to the inn would tax her supplies to the breaking point. Even with the supplies Captain Harris would surely send for the cavalrymen and their mounts, there was the additional wood for heating more rooms, the laundry, the strain of having guests for months.
He would have to make some tough choices soon. And he didn’t relish having to explain the situation to Kate if he was forced to choose the well-being of his family over hers.
8
Kate couldn’t deny the surge of relief as Will and Private Smith rode into the yard the next morning.
“False alarm?” she asked as they reined in beside the hitching post.
“No, ma’am,” Will said, touching the brim of his dun hat. “Three of my men are up north, helping Captain Harris fight a fire.”
Kate frowned. “Careless campers?”
Will nodded to Private Smith, who set his horse on a circuit around the perimeter of the geyser field. Most of Kate’s guests had moved on, but a couple from Minnesota was out among the wonders. Their gasp floated back to her just as Fountain Geyser shot steam and spray dozens of feet into the cloudy sky.
Will swung down from the saddle. “No campers, as far as I know. This fire was most likely arson, set by a vengeful poacher.” He tied his horse to the hitching post. “I wouldn’t worry. The flames shouldn’t head in this direction.”
“You’re right about the direction,” Kate said, watching Private Smith make a wide berth around the paint pots. “But you may be wrong about why it was started. Superintendent Wear seemed to think the fires earlier this summer were set by men out to damage his reputation. There’s another reason why a poacher would set such a fire.”
Will eyed her. “Oh?”
Kate nodded toward the north. “Think of the location—southwest of Mammoth Hot Springs this time. The northeast corner of the park earlier. In both cases, the prevailing winds would push the flames to the northeast, right out of the park. And the animals will flee before it.”
He reared back, brows shooting up like a geyser. “Someone’s trying to drive the animals beyond the park boundary.”
“Where hunters can ply their trade all they like,” Kate confirmed. “I never could get Superintendent Wear to listen.”
“I’m listening,” he promised, settling on his feet. “I’ll telephone Mammoth Hot Springs as soon as we finish the morning patrol. A shame I didn’t talk to you sooner.”
Kate wagged a finger at him. “Well, then, learn your lesson, Lieutenant. You should always discuss your orders with me first.”
He snapped a salute. “Yes, General Tremaine.”
She could get used to that smile. “I shouldn’t keep you from your appointed rounds.”
He nodded toward Private Smith, who was coming around the back of the Celestine Pool, the brown of his mount reflected in the blue waters. “We have it in hand. It’s quiet this morning. Are you low on visitors at the moment?”
“I’m expecting a party of six for the night.”
“And you’ve had no further trouble like you had with Sir Winston?”
She smiled, remembering. “None. Your patrols are very effective. Must be something about a man in uniform.”
He snorted. “Just don’t tell them we have little legal recourse. I know there were constables in the park for a time, before the laws of Wyoming no longer held sway. The best we can do is seize their belongings and escort them to the park boundary.”
Kate sighed. “That may work for the sightseers, but the poachers will just re-equip and return.”
He shrugged. “Our hands are tied unless Congress acts.” He nodded beyond the geyser field, where Private Smith was just approaching Jelly Geyser. “What’s to the southwest of us, the area you marked as off-limits on the map? Perhaps we ought to patrol there too, make sure no one is setting fires.”
She wasn’t ready to show him what lay in that
