She looked up at him as if he were a two-headed heifer. Then her eyes widened with understanding. “Oh, mercy, yes. Of course.”
“Zack.” Nate called to his companion. “Get over here and help me.”
The short, wiry cowhand jumped down from their low, canvas-covered wagon, secured their lead horses and hurried to Nate’s side. “Yeah, boss?” Zack’s gray hair stuck out in spikes from beneath his hat, and Nate wished he’d made the scruffy hand clean up a bit more before they started out this morning. But then he hadn’t known they’d meet a lady on the trail.
“Let’s get this man into his wagon.” He wouldn’t ask the young miss why she hadn’t moved her father there, for it was obvious a little gal like her wouldn’t be able to lift him, and the man was in no condition to move himself. But at least he was resting close enough to the brown prairie schooner for it to shield him from the wind, and he had plenty of blankets around him. “Hang on a minute. Let me check inside.”
Moving aside the once-white canvas covering, he struggled to calm a belly roiling with anger over what he saw. Just about everything had been destroyed, from the smashed food crocks to the shattered water barrels to the broken trunks. Only a few tools and hardware remained hanging on the outside of the wagon box. Obviously, the thieves had been searching for money and no doubt had left this little family of homesteaders penniless. A strong sense of protectiveness swept through Nate. God had sent him here and, like the Good Samaritan of Scripture, he would not refuse the assignment. If the Colonel got mad, Nate would just have to deal with him later.
He squatted beside the girl, his shoulder brushing hers, and a tiny tremor shot through him. He clamped down on such brutish sensations, which dishonored his mother and sister and all ladies. “Sir, if you’ll let me, I’ll divide my team, and we’ll pull your wagon down to the hotel in Alamosa. They can help you there. Would that be all right?”
He’d offer to take them to Fort Garland just down the road, but a Southerner probably wouldn’t like to recuperate among the Buffalo Soldiers stationed there, those soldiers being black and some of them former slaves. Nate ignored the pinch in his conscience suggesting his real motivation was to get better acquainted with this young lady.
“Obliged,” the man muttered, giving him a curt nod, but Nate took no offense. Clearly, the old fellow was in pain, and all of his responses would be brief.
“I’m Nate Northam, and this is Zack Wilson.” He tilted his head toward his cowhand.
The old man’s eyes widened, and his bruised jaw dropped. “Northam, you say?”
“Yessir.” Nate stood up. “You know the name?” His father, referred to as the Colonel even by his friends and some of his family, had a powerful reputation from the War Between the States. Maybe this man had met him on some battlefield.
He shook his head and grimaced, almost folding into himself. “No. No. Nothing.” He tried to extend his right hand, but it fell to his side. “Anders. Edward Anders.”
“Well, Mr. Anders—” Nate reached down and patted the limp hand “—you just give Zack and me a few minutes, and we’ll get things all fixed up.” Nate didn’t know how he managed to say all that without choking on the emotions welling up inside, especially with Miss Anders staring up at him as if he was some kind of hero. My, a man could get caught up in those blue eyes and that sweet smile. Those golden curls only added to her appeal. Nate cleared his throat and turned back to deal with the wagon.
Lord, what have You got me into this time?
* * *
Susanna forced her eyes away from Mr. Northam to focus on Daddy, her stomach twisting over his lie. This was so unlike Daddy. She understood why it wouldn’t be wise to let these strangers know they had money, but his insistence that they make this trip across the country under an assumed name continued to disturb her. And although Daddy had denied it, she could tell the man’s last name meant something to him. She wouldn’t press him to tell her, at least not until they were alone and maybe when he felt better.
“Daughter, where’s my coffee?” The artificial gruffness in his tone further encouraged Susanna. The earlier hopelessness he hadn’t quite been able to hide seemed to have disappeared with the arrival of these good men, that and the bright sun now warming the campsite.
While she poured water into the battered tin pot and checked the fire, her own mood remained wary. Not about the men, but about Daddy’s health. He always tried to put on a good front, so she would have to watch him carefully to keep him from overdoing.
“Miss?” Mr. Northam gave her an apologetic frown. “If it’s coffee you’re wanting, I have some in my wagon.”
She eyed him as his words sank in. Of course. Their coffee had been dumped on the ground along with their other supplies. Why hadn’t she realized it before? “That would be very kind of you, Mr. Northam.”
“Call me Nate, please. Out here, we younger folks mostly use first names.” He shrugged in an attractive way and gave her an appealing grin. “Of course, I won’t assume—”
“You may call me Susanna.” She could just hear Mama’s disapproving gasp at her agreement to such informality, especially when it was obvious from their speech that these men were Yankees. But this was not the South, where a strict code of manners ruled the day, accompanied by a strong dose of hatred for all things Northern. She didn’t doubt the people out west had a similar code, but maybe not quite as strict, as she’d noticed among the folks in the wagon train from St. Louis. Not once had she heard the war mentioned. Not once had any Southern traveler scowled at or refused to obey their Yankee wagon master, not even Daddy.
In any event, Mama had also taught her that a lady never treated other people as if she were better than they were, even if she was, for kindness never went out of fashion. Susanna hadn’t yet figured out this cowboy’s social status, but his older friend called him boss, and he had a commanding air about him, suggesting he was a landowner. Otherwise, she might have thought twice about granting him that first-name privilege. If he turned out not to be a gentleman, she could always withdraw her permission.
Nate returned from his wagon carrying a cast-iron kettle and coffeepot.
“Thank you.” Susanna reached for the items, but he held them back.
“You look after your father.” He gave her a brotherly wink. “I’ll fix you some breakfast.”
Her heart lilted into a playful mood. “Well, as I live and breathe.” She shook her head in mock disbelief. “A man who cooks when there’s a woman around.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He chuckled. “Out here, men have to learn to do a lot of things some folks call women’s work.” He placed the covered kettle over the fire and stirred up the flames. “Otherwise we’d starve and wear the same clothes for a month of Sundays.”
In spite of herself, Susanna laughed, and it felt good clear down to her toes. For the first time since she’d returned from the creek the night before, she thought everything might indeed be all right.
“Of course,” Nate continued, “you understand that the ladies sometimes have to take on men’s work, too.” He sent her another teasing wink. “Milking cows, plowing fields, breaking horses, that sort of thing. If you’re out here to homestead, you have that to look forward to.”
“Well, I never,” she huffed, turning away to hide a grin. “The very idea.” This was getting entirely too silly. She’d just met this man. But how could she stop when their teasing back and forth encouraged her so much? Should she tell Nate that Daddy was a prospector, not a homesteader?
Nate saved her from the dilemma. “Go look after your father.” His soft tone and gentle touch on her arm made her pulse skip in an entirely different way. “I’ll bring you something to eat before you know it.”