The Sharing Spoon by KATHLEEN EAGLE

Author:KATHLEEN EAGLE
Language: ara, eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BelleBooks, Inc.
Published: 2013-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

IT TOOK SEVERAL days to prepare for the journey. Wolf and Emily pooled their resources to buy a packhorse, a gentle mare for the girls, and supplies. Following a two-day hunt, Wolf traded fresh kill for cured pelts, sinew and pemmican, which was counter to his customary trading practice. Pound for pound, bargaining with raw goods went against his grain, for a Métis hunter knew the value of cured pelts and dried meat.

But he had no time for the intermediary steps. He needed to fashion fur-lined mitts and moccasins for his three female charges. In time he planned to make a few more items from the materials he had left, but the hands and feet needed immediate protection. Embracing the challenge ahead, he assured Emily that in her situation she could do worse than hook up with a “born nomad.” Every drifter had his methods, but the Métis had honed their wandering skills to perfection.

They set off early one brisk, rosy morning, while much of the town still slept. Harding Livery’s resident rooster perched on a corral post and crowed farewell to his fellow boarders. Emily had no idea where she was going, but she was not saddened to leave this frontier town behind. She told herself that in putting her life in the hands of this handsome nomad—she used the word with a deferential smile—she was risking no more than she did whenever she consigned her safety to the driver of a coach or the engineer of a train. At least Wolf was not a total stranger.

An enigma he surely was, but perhaps that was simply a function of his being male.

They were headed almost due north. The wind in their faces sometimes made their eyes tear. There was snow in the draws, but the hilltops, swept clean by the wind and bathed in winter sun, were nearly bare. As long as the weather stayed mild, Wolf resolved to ease Emily and the girls into the routine of strenuous travel, progressively increasing the amount of time they spent in the saddle. At first, even though they stopped several times a day for a brief rest, the three were exhausted by the time they made camp at dusk. They were all healthy, Wolf assured himself as he continued to push hard. They would adjust to the demands of the trek sooner or later.

Each night he asked that they gather the firewood and prepare the food while he built a shelter that was as cozy as any cocoon. The four of them slept in a tight bundle, children snug in the middle, their feet warmed by the embers of the camp fire. When it burned too low, Wolf would build it up, then return to his place. He would lay his arm over the children, and in her sleep, Emily would reach across them, too. Their arms met, forming a warm, protective arch, and Wolf smiled as he permitted himself to drift on the outer shell of sleep.

“TONIGHT WE WILL make bannock bread and tea,” Wolf announced triumphantly several days into the ride.

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