Page 62 of Teton Sunrise

For weeks, they’d worked side by side, laying the stones that now formed the large hearth and chimney that took up most of one wall in the main room. Yancey, who was almost recovered from his near-death encounter with the grizzly, came to help erect the roof more than a week ago. His deeper wounds still hadn’t healed completely. He walked with a noticeable limp, and he would always have a large scar that ran from the left side of his face up into his scalp. He had elected to stay the winter at Laurent’s unoccupied cabin, which was about an hour’s ride away.

“Do you miss your family back east?” Evelyn had asked Yancey one day when he stayed for supper.

The polite and refined easterner shook his head. “My father wants me to help run the family clothing and textile business back home. He is one of the major exporters of beaver fur to England. I thought it would be a good idea to learn all about the fur trade, and I told him I would be in the mountains for a few years, learning the ways of the trappers. I don’t see myself returning home anytime soon.”

An easy smile passed between Yancey and Alex. “Your husband plans to take me trapping, too, so that I can perhaps earn a few beaver pelts for Laurent over the winter while he’s gone.” Yancey beamed.

Evelyn had raised her brows at Alex. The change in him over the last few months astounded her nearly every day. He was no longer the dark and serious man who had bartered for her several months ago. He laughed easily now, and talked to her about most things that were on his mind. He’d even taken a liking to Yancey. She loved him more with each passing day, and couldn’t imagine ever returning to her life in St. Charles.

Never in her wildest dreams had she believed that someday she would be content to live an isolated life in uncharted wilderness. Or that her home would be a small cabin at the base of a spectacular mountain range. Most mornings, the new day greeted her with a beautiful display of gold and orange colors as the sun rose beyond the peaks of the Teewinots. Although she sometimes wished for female company, she was never lonely in Alex’s arms, and she knew that Whispering Waters would return by next spring.

The hinges creaked as Alex pushed the door open to their new home. The scent of fresh cut pine filled her senses, and she inhaled deeply of the rich aroma.

Alex carried her into the dark interior of the cabin. He set her on her feet, but didn’t remove the binding covering her eyes.

“When do I get to see the surprise?” she asked when he didn’t speak. She reached out her hand and grabbed hold of the first thing that she came in contact with. It happened to be Alex’s hand which he apparently held out for her to find.

Silently, Alex led her further into the cabin, and Evelyn tried to tune her senses to where they were heading. To the right should be a small crude table and a pair of chairs that Alex had fashioned just a few days ago. It would feel good to sit down for a meal at a real table again. Alex guided her to the left, which would be the direction of their bedroom, which was no more than a little side addition to the main room of the cabin. If she moved further forward in a straight line, she would bump into the stone hearth that lined most of the opposite wall. She stepped slowly and carefully so she wouldn’t trip over something on the dirt floor. Someday she wanted a wooden floor, but that would have to wait, just like the glass windows she wished for. For now, the two windows in the cabin would have to be boarded up in cold weather. Alex had promised her real windows next spring.

Evelyn’s senses told her that she now stood at the entrance of their doorless bedroom.

“Now you can look,” Alex whispered in her ear. His breath against her neck sent shivers down her back. He brushed the hair away from the back of her neck and kissed her softly where her pulse beat strongly under her jaw, while his fingers worked the knot in the cloth that covered her eyes. A pleasant shiver passed down her spine, and she moaned softly.

Evelyn blinked when her eyes were no longer covered, and she squinted to adjust her sight to the dim light. A candle flickered in the corner on a small crudely built table, but her eyes fell to the bed that took up most of the space.

“Alex!” Evelyn gasped, and her hands flew to her mouth. A wooden bedframe made from pine logs and piled high with furs and blankets stood in the center of the space. A week ago, this had been an empty room. The frame wasn’t what caught her attention, however. In one step, she reached the edge of the bed and ran her fingers over the smoothly carved headboard. On closer inspection, the flat pieces of wood held a carving of the mountain peaks that had become so familiar to her, with a sun shining high above. She traced every contour of the wood with her fingers, marveling at the attention to detail in the carving.

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