He was glad Nadler wasn’t listening at the moment, though he was keeping an eye on them as he ordered his men to collect and clean the rest of the dishes. “That’s not it. It’s apparent to me you can’t spend the night here.”
She raised her brows. “If you start prosing on about my female sensibilities, I will ride back to the inn without you.”
He chuckled. “I would never be so reckless. I was just considering your reputation and the available accommodations.”
She wrinkled her nose, making her look all at once less formidable, and he shifted his stance to block the view from Nadler and his men. They didn’t need another excuse to be infatuated with her.
“I suppose you’re right,” she said. “Maybe I could beg a spot at the tent hotel.”
“That might be best,” Will agreed.
Her face relaxed. “At least I can do a little reconnaissance. It will be good to see how their accommodations stack up against the Geyser Gateway.”
Now, why did he feel as if the smoky air had cleared? He turned to face the other cavalrymen.
Who hurried back to their work.
“Gentlemen,” Will said. “I will escort Mrs. Tremaine to the hotel for the night, but I would appreciate accommodations.”
Nadler saluted, face still stormy. “Yes, sir.”
Rizzo elbowed Zabel. “At least allow us the honor of sending you off, ma’am.”
“Certainly,” Kate said, but Will could hear the surprise in her voice.
The three privates bunched together.
“Day is done,” Rizzo started singing in a bright tenor.
“Gone the sun,” Zabel and Quincy joined him in deeper tones.
“From the hills, from the lake, from the sky. All is well, safely rest. God is nigh.”
He recognized the tune. It was the last bugle call of the night, the one to signal all lights to be extinguished. But he hadn’t heard the words before, nor the verse that came next.
“Love, good night,” Rizzo sang plaintively.
“Must thou go?” Zabel and Quincy harmonized with him.
“When the day and the night need thee so? All is well. Speedeth all to their rest.”
Kate’s cheeks were pink as they finished. “That was lovely, gentlemen. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a finer serenade. Good night, and thank you for the hospitality. If you’re ever down our way, I hope to return the favor.”
Now they were all nodding eagerly. Will swept her out the door before they could abandon their post.
“You’ll be seeing them again,” he predicted as he escorted her out into the river meadow that housed the soldier station. Steam from the geysers drifted through the trees like will-o’-the-wisps. In the background, one of the fumaroles clanked as if it were a factory. Across the Gibbon River, torches burned here and there, lighting the way for staff moving among the hotel tents. The tents themselves glowed golden against the dark sky, a miniature mountain range with their sharp peaks.
“I don’t mind if they come visit,” Kate said, pacing him to the footbridge. “They’ve earned their slice of pie. You all have.”
“Not until we catch this poacher.”
They crossed the river and headed for the shanty that served as the hotel manager’s lodging. There, Kate stopped short.
“About the poacher,” she ventured. “You thought you knew him. Is he the same man who set the fire?”
She was too canny by half. “Why would you ask that?”
She shrugged. “It certainly drew your men away. Sergeant Nadler’s too. With the Army engaged, your poacher would feel free to plunder.”
“That’s what I fear,” Will confessed. “When we were still stationed at Mammoth Hot Springs, my men and I caught a poacher by the name of Roy Jessup. He had a buffalo head and pieces in a bag on the side of his saddle, dripping.”
“Like our man today,” she said, but he thought he saw a shiver run through her.
“Exactly. I’m sure he isn’t the only one to use that tactic. But Captain Harris suspects him of setting the fire as well. So, you’re right. Jessup could be anywhere in the park, shooting whatever he wants.”
“Then we must find him,” she said.
The determination in her voice should have fired his spirit, but for once Will felt cold. How could he protect Kate if he had no idea where to look for their enemy?
12
Will had to knock on the door of the lodge keeper’s hovel several times before a young man answered.
“Were you expected?” he asked, glancing from Kate to Will and back again.
“Lieutenant Prescott is lodging at the soldier station,” Kate informed him. “I require a bed for the night.”
“Bedding’s extra,” he said.
If he could not be bothered to introduce himself, she felt no need to offer her name. “How much extra?”
Will put a hand on her arm. “The Army will pay the cost. We inconvenienced Mrs. Tremaine.”
The lodge keeper blinked. “Mrs. Tremaine? Of the Geyser Gateway?”
Kate managed a smile. “The same.”
“Well, we’re glad to have you, ma’am,” he said, ducking back inside to reappear with a bundle of sheets and blankets in his lean arms. “You’re going to enjoy this. I hear your place is pretty rough.”
“Who told you that?” Kate demanded, but Will squeezed her arm in obvious warning.
“Oh, you know,” the fellow said, starting for the nearest dun canvas tent. “You hear things from the guests.”
Kate’s teeth clenched as she followed him. Will released her, but he continued at her side as if to make sure the accommodations suited her. She was fairly certain they wouldn’t.
In fact, they were barely civilized. The tent was held up by a tall pole in the center and a shorter pole at each of the four corners. The floor was of rough wood with gaps between the boards. Each room was furnished with a crude wooden bedstead, a simple chair, and a small table holding an oil lamp. She could see the lumps in the tick from here and could only hope they were caused by uneven packing and not burrowing vermin. The familiar sulfur scent of the
