Page 41 of The Hardest Part

“You know what yer gonna do?”

Ain’t got a fucking clue. Glancing down at the dirt floor, he rubbed the back of his neck.

“A little advice?” A gnarled hand came down to rest upon his shoulder. “Gather your people after supper, pass around a bottle of whiskey, and talk to ‘em. You’ll figure it out.”

“They’re not gonna listen to me.”

“Some will, some won’t. There’s strength in numbers, but not every man follows the same path. You get me?”

And nodding, Levi sighed. “Yeah.”

“I can help you talk to ‘em if you like.”

“I would, and there’s another matter I want to discuss with you.”

The left corner of his mouth subtly rose as he propped a hip against the wall. “I’m listenin’.”

“In private.”

Perhaps Levi hadn’t yet chosen his path, but wherever it led, Lucy was going with him. Because that’s the only thing he was sure of. When they left Fort Bridger, she’d be leaving as his wife.

“All right, then.” Turning toward the counter, he chuckled. “Jim, we’re camped just outside. We’ll be back in the mornin’ to settle up. C’mon, girls.”

Walker held the door open for his daughters. Levi and his sisters left behind them. Trapper’s lodgings, shabbily constructed of poles dabbed with mud, along with several teepees, dotted the surrounding landscape. The mountain man nodded over his shoulder. “They’ll have a good supply of skins, coats, and moccasins to trade.”

“Trade for what?”

“Coffee. Flour. Sugar.” Walker stopped dead in his tracks. “A horse. A cow. A woman. You’ll give ‘em whatever they want if you wanna survive the winter.”

Levi let Victoria and Mary Alice walk ahead of him and lowered his voice. “A woman? That’s absurd.”

“Don’t you worry none. There ain’t a Shoshone or Bannock here itchin’ to get their hands on yer girls. To them, a good horse holds more value,” he said with a shrug. “But a trapper’s life can be a lonely one. I’m sure plenty of ‘em would be glad to trade for a wife.”

“Over my dead body.”

“And that’s what you’ll be, young man. Your sisters, too.” The mountain man poked Levi’s chest as he spoke, driving his point home. “All of you are gonna end up dead unless you get that head outta yer ass and listen to what I’m tellin’ ya.”

“I’m listening.”

“When the girls are busy fixin’ supper, I’ll come find you. We can talk more, then.”

Surely Josiah wasn’t serious, was he? What in the hell could lie ahead that would force a man to resort to such a desperate, savage act? Levi couldn’t imagine trading his sister for a buffalo hide. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he did.

The twins stood before the fire, tending to a pot of stew. Though the cost of goods at the post was exorbitant, they splurged on beef, potatoes, and fresh vegetables to have a generous supper. Cash, they had, but the traders outside the fort had little use for it.

Levi scanned the camp for Lucy, and not seeing her, went around to the back of the wagon, taking stock of what was left of their meager possessions.

“Walk with me.”

It wasn’t until they reached the soapstone bank of the river that the mountain man finally spoke. He sat on a log, a bottle of whiskey in his hand, looking out at the flowing water to the rolling sage-covered vista beyond. “My wife was Shoshone. Her people call this riverSeeds-kee-dee-agie. The Prairie Hen River. It’s too late for you to turn back, and you ain’t gonna make it over those mountains in time. That leaves you with two choices.”

“What are they?”

“Bridger might take y’all in for the winter. You could set off again come spring. Would come at a hefty price, and one I don’t think yer willin’ to pay.” He slugged down some whiskey, then exhaled with a sigh. “That’s not what I see for you, though.”

Almost afraid to hear the answer, Levi asked, “And the other?”

“Do you believe in visions?”

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