Finding Her by Rita Hestand

Author:Rita Hestand [Hestand, Rita]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-02-17T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The next morning, Lucy was the first one up and had the coffee on before he raised his head from his saddle.

"Smells good." He went to the door and peaked through the branches, but he could hardly see a thing, the snow drifts had accumulated and seeing out wasn't possible. He checked the barrel, there was a small opening of snow and he could see out, but it needed to be cleaned out regularly or it would stop up too. He took the end of his rifle and cleared it to look out. The snow was halfway up the entrance and still falling.

"We're snowed in now." He told her.

"I know. But at least it's warm in here and we've plenty of room. Looks like we've got plenty of food too. To be stranded in a cave we are doing well. I'm impressed with all your knowledge and know how, too."

They sat by the fire, no one stirred.

"So, what have you been doing the past few years Aiden?" She asked him as they sat and sipped their coffee together.

"Old Frenchie died."

"Oh, God, I wish you hadn't told me. I loved him." She frowned.

"Yeah. He caught the consumption."

"Damn, I'm sorry to hear that. How long were you two together?"

"I was ten when he found me, I guess about sixteen years. He died last winter."

"We scouted for the soldiers at Fort Abraham Lincoln and Fort Ellis, until he died. Then I kept on."

"I guess he was like a second parent to you, huh?" She asked.

"Yeah, he sure taught me a lot. I buried him on the edge of the Cheyenne River, that's where he asked me to."

"I remember he liked watching the River there. I liked him."

"Yeah, he was a good man. He liked you too. He told me many times before he died, he wished we'd have just taken you with us. He knew it was too late, but he still wished it so. He just figured a little girl had no business traipsing around the country with two men."

"I thought you said he didn't want you taking me out of there."

"He didn't at the first, but the last time we were here, and we stayed with you and the Cheyenne, he regretted not taking you with us. But after we left your camp, he'd often sit around the fire and tell me we should have. He knew you were better off with a tribe of Indians than two men wandering about the countryside. Wasn't a life for a girl. He couldn't offer you anything. We never officially had a home, except maybe the fort."

"You live at the fort now?" She glanced away.

"When I'm there, but I'm not there very often. I no sooner get back from one thing, and they have something else for me."

"Do you like scouting?"

"Sometimes, I get to see the country, meet some nice people. Meet some onry people too."

"And you never married, why?" She asked innocently.

"I don't know… "

"You kiss like you know how… had a lot of practice I guess.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.