Rose's Pledge by Dianna Crawford, Sally Laity Page A

country was so very dangerous. His own wife was there, wasn’t she? Nevertheless, Rose couldn’t help recalling Mr. Kinyon’s words: “You ain’t takin’ this pretty little lass no three hundred miles into Indian country.”
    Indian country. Three hundred miles from civilization.
    More than three hundred miles from her sisters.
    Lily. Mariah. Stark despair crept into Rose’s heart.

    Bringing the discussion to a timely end, Trader Smith pivoted on his heel and started up the sloped bank from the river as the boatmen traipsed back and forth, toting cargo off the vessels and piling it in stacks. He raised his voice to a yell. “One of ya go fer the horses I bartered for. We still got half a day’s light left, an’ we need all of it.”
    Horses! As if she hadn’t endured sufficient indignities already, the sickening dread that now she’d be expected to continue this journey on horseback sank into Rose’s heart with a thud. She’d never been on a horse in her life—not even Timmy’s pony, Corky. She didn’t have the slightest notion how to climb in skirts and petticoats way up onto some hairy, smelly beast and perch there for some interminable length of time, much less control the animal and make it go in the right direction.
    “Hey! Bondwoman!” Smith’s nasally voice cut into her musings. “Git yerself an’ that truck of yourn up here. Time’s a’wastin’.”
    Swallowing her angst, Rose felt an empathetic hand come to rest on her shoulder.
    “Don’t worry about your things. I’ll fetch ‘em for you.” Nate Kinyon turned then swung back around. “Did Eustice speak true? Did he actually pay fifty pounds for you?” A skeptical dip of his straight brows indicated disbelief.
    “Aye. He did indeed, sir.”
    Kinyon pursed his lips in thought. “For that skinflint to lay out that kind of money for a cook, that stomach of his must be worse off than he says. Not that a good cook wouldn’t be worth a hefty price, mind you, if a fellow has it to pay.” He glanced up the hill at the trader occupied with stacks of unloaded cargo. “Still, he just shoulda hired a man, is all.” He reached down for her belongings and hefted them onto his shoulder.
    Not bothering to agree with sentiments that matched her own, Rose had little choice but to follow after her rescuer. Creepy chills made the hairs on the backs of her arms prickle when they passed close by sullen-looking Indians who made no effort to disguise their meaningful ogling as they followed her with their eyes. She could only imagine what the guttural sounds passing between them were saying about her. She straightened her spine and clung to whatever composure still remained as they reached one of the packhorses.
    Nate cut her a sidelong glance and set her luggage on the ground. “Don’t fret yourself about the Indians, miss. Smith forked over quite a purse for you. He’s not about to let no one give you trouble. Soon’s I get back from my family’s homestead, I’ll come out an’ check on you myself. Who knows? I might be able to talk some sense into him by then.”
    Rose didn’t know how to respond. This strange land, these strange people with their unknown language, and the fearsome possibilities lying ahead filled her with trepidation. Everything was happening so fast. Nothing was under her control. She was completely at the mercy of Eustice Smith. Nevertheless, she raised her lashes and met Kinyon’s kind gaze. “I do thank you for your concern, Mr. Kinyon. ‘Tis most appreciated, I assure you.”
    A gentle smile tweaked the corners of his mouth. “An’ I thank you for bein’ such a pleasurable sight for these poor, deprived eyes. We don’t get to see many womenfolk out here in these parts.”
    Nor had she. Her sisters were the last women she’d spoken to since the three of them had stepped onto colony soil, adding even more to her loneliness. “No doubt you’ll see many more pleasing sights as you travel back into civilization. I