The Officer and the Traveler

 

The Officer and the Traveler

Rose Gordon

This book is a work of fiction. All names, events and locales are a product of this author’s imagination. If any name, event and/or locale did exist, it is purely by coincidence it appears in this book.

This book may not be reproduced by any means, including but not limited to, mechanical, Xerox, digital, auditorial and/or in print.

If you obtained this copy illegally, please respect the author and her time enough to purchase a copy.

THE OFFICER AND THE TRAVELER

Copyright © 2013 Rose Gordon

Cover image copyright © 2013 Lily Smith

All rights reserved.

Kobo Edition

Published by Parchment & Plume, LLC

www.parchmentandplume.com
 

Other Titles by Rose Gordon

OFFICER SERIES (AMERICAN SET)

The Officer and the Bostoner

The Officer and the Southerner

The Officer and the Traveler

SCANDALOUS SISTERS SERIES

Intentions of the Earl (Book 1)

Liberty for Paul (Book 2)

 To Win His Wayward Wife (Book 3)

GROOM SERIES

Her Sudden Groom (Book 1)

Her Reluctant Groom (Book 2)

Her Secondhand Groom (Book 3)

Her Imperfect Groom (Book 4)

BANKS BROTHERS BRIDES SERIES

His Contract Bride

His Yankee Bride

His Jilted Bride

His Brother's Bride

Coming Soon!

GENTLEMEN OF HONOR

Secrets of a Viscount

Desires of a Baron

Passions of a Gentleman

Captain Grayson Montgomery’s skin prickled with awareness. Something wasn’t right, he thought as he idly reached up and touched the back of his neck where his hair was now standing on end.

Gray took a deep breath and walked to take his place up to bat for the weekly rounders game between the officers and the privates at Fort Gibson. Only this time, he didn’t care if he hit the ball or not. He mindlessly grabbed his bat and stepped up to take his turn.

Paying little attention to the man who was about to lob the ball at him, he tried in vain to do a quick scan of the field in front of him, looking for anything amiss. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a white mass flying straight at him.

Instinctively, he swung his bat and hit the ball.

Barely.

Hitting the ball with the bottom of the bat, instead of the middle, sent it flying in the wrong direction.

Whether out of shock or blatant curiosity, he might never know. He stood rooted to the ground with his eyes fixed on the wayward ball as it flew through the air with a gradual descent until it collided with the ground at the feet of the only uniformed man on the field.

The blood roared in Gray’s ears as the impeccably dressed officer bent to retrieve the ball.
No, it couldn’t be.
Gray attempted to swallow down the lump twice the size of a rounders ball that had formed in his throat less than a second ago, but his mouth had suddenly gone dryer than any desert he’d ever heard about.
 

 
Around him, men yelled, cheered, made demands or just spoke. Gray really didn’t know what any of them were actually saying, nor did he care. He wanted his turn to be over, and fast. He briefly considered hitting the ball so far out with his next turn that he’d run his bases and be back to safety, but then he’d have to run past the intruder. Unfortunately, even if the older man didn’t get a good glimpse at his face, he’d for certain know who Gray was when the men cheered and yelled his name.
 

He stepped up to the plate again, narrowed his eyes on the pitcher and when the ball came at him, he hit it directly back at the man.

Despite the look of surprise on his face, Private Jackson, the pitcher, caught the ball, rendering Gray out.

Relief coursed through Gray when Private Robinson yelled, “Out!”

Dropping his bat and not daring to chance a glance over his shoulder to see if the man he hated more than any other, General Samuel Davis, was still watching him, he took his place on the bench.

In front of him, his friend Captain Wes Tucker’s wife Allison batted her eyelashes and flirted with her husband until he agreed to give her his turn.

“
Where’d Jack go?” Lieutenant McCorkle asked Gray as if he had any idea.
 

Gray grunted. “I don’t know.” An idea formed in his mind. One that just might work. “I’ll go find him.” He didn’t mean it. His interest in finding Jack right now rivaled that of being used for target practice by his men. Actually, being used for target practice would be preferred over finding Jack or being seen by General Davis.

He waited for Allison to walk up to the crude board that marked “home” and when he was certain all eyes were on her, he wordlessly made his departure.

“
General Rigid’s looking for you,” Wes announced without ceremony a short time later as he came into Gray’s room without so much as a knock.
 

Gray shrugged. General Rigid, or more respectfully styled: General Ridgely, wasn’t high on his list of people to see at the moment. Likely he was only demanding Gray’s presence because General Davis had asked him to. He shuddered and met Wes’ blue eyes. “Did he say what he wanted?” The question was out before he could think better of it.

Wes shook his head and leaned his shoulder against the wall of horizontal logs. “He didn’t say much of anything, just walked over to the officers’ side and barked that he was looking for you.”

Grimacing, Gray rolled out of bed and straightened his shirt. His room wasn’t the best place for a man to hide, but in a deserted fort like this, there really wasn’t one.

“
Is there a reason he’s looking for you?”
 

Gray’s only response was to grunt. He had a good idea of why the man was looking for him and wanted no part of it. “Thanks for letting me know,” he murmured as he walked past Wes to leave his room.

Stepping out onto the boardwalk, he took a slow scan of the four walls of the fort. To some, it was a simple square made from extended log cabins that were all connected, yet separate. To others, it was their city, their fortress. To Gray, it was now a prison. A bitter taste filled his mouth and he choked it down. Yesterday, he’d have called it
his
fortress.
His
home. Now, with the appearance of one man, everything he’d loved now seemed tainted.
 

A chorus of obnoxious laughter sounded from the officers’ lounge, drawing Gray’s attention. His feet itched to carry him down the board planks and into the room where the men were playing cards and telling bawdy jokes, a ritual they did every day before dinner, then again afterwards until it was time for bed. Perhaps not the most sophisticated of pursuits, but enjoyable nonetheless. And in such a forsaken place as this one, a man had to find his pleasure where he could: cards, drinking, smoking, bawdy jokes, and once a week a game of rounders.

To some it wasn’t much of a life, but to a soldier accustomed to living so far detached from the world, it was their whole life.

He couldn’t join them though. General Davis would look there first. The second place would be his room, so he couldn’t go back in there, either.

Heavy, determined boot falls reverberated on the board plank. Gray snapped his head to the right; then just as quickly as he glimpsed the sun glistening off the metal on the front of General Davis’ shako he took a giant step back into his room, colliding with Wes.

“
What are you still doing in here?” he hissed at his friend.
 

“
You were blocking the door,” Wes said simply.
 

Gray sidestepped his friend and made an over exaggerated gesture toward the door. “The exit is clear, Captain Tucker.”

Wes gave him a queer look and lifted an eyebrow.

Gray ignored him, hoping he’d leave soon.

“
Would you care to tell me what’s wrong with you or do you not know, either?”
 

Gray forced a smile. “I prefer to keep my ailments a secret. It makes life more exciting, wouldn’t you say?”

“
I think that depends upon who you ask.” Wes sighed. “Are you sure you don’t need any help?”
 

“
I’m sure,” Gray said. He didn’t know how he’d do it, but he’d avoid letting General Davis know he was here. And may God be merciful if the man already knew.
 

He couldn’t say what it was about the man, but whenever General Davis was involved in any part of his life, everything always fell apart for Gray. As a boy, he hadn’t been able to do a thing about it. But as a man of twenty-five he’d be damned if he’d allow General Davis to meddle in his life anymore.

Peeking out the window by his door, Gray caught sight of the General’s booted feet as he climbed the wooden staircase right outside the door. He breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t even a kernel of an idea why the man was here, and particularly why he’d go upstairs, but whatever the reason was, Gray was thankful.

He opened the door slightly and waited a few seconds to allow the general to find the door he was looking for; then Gray would make his exit.

He frowned. What the devil could be upstairs that would be of interest to General Davis? Nothing. He could only be here for one reason: Gray. As soon as the general realized Gray wasn’t upstairs, he’d come back downstairs. That didn’t give him long to escape and chances were he wouldn’t be able to if he walked out the door and down the board planks. He’d be better off climbing out the window in the back of his room. Though the window was only a three foot by three foot window, placed four feet off the ground, it was still his safest choice for it would put him directly outside the four walls of the fort, offering him a bit more time to find a place to hide.

Gray grabbed the bottom of the windowpane and yanked it up enough that he was certain he could climb through without getting stuck.

Putting the toe of his right boot in the crevice of two logs and grabbing either side of the windowsill, he hoisted his other leg up, hooking it over the window ledge. Keeping his hold on the window casing, he brought his other leg up, then released his grip on the sides and jumped down.

Not bothering to dust off his blue trousers, he immediately began to walk casually away from the fort.

“
On the run today, soldier?” a feminine voice asked.
 

Gray froze instantly. Could today get any worse? His mind warred between his desires and his purpose. He needed to get away from the vicinity of General Davis as soon as possible, but what of this young woman?