Flame

by Margaret Tanner

  Cal watched Laura walk inside with a slight sway of her hips. A beautiful gal like that wouldn’t want a man like him in her life. A rich rancher would be more suitable. What was she running away from? Stuck out here on an isolated little ranch, it wasn’t normal. Some terrible tragedy had befallen her he didn’t doubt it for a moment. At times, her eyes were filled with sadness, other times – fear. He wanted to help, if only she’d let him. Whatever the secret she carried, it was eating her alive. A drifter he might be, but he wasn’t so devoid of sense he couldn’t tell. As sure as God made little green apples, Laura Prentice carried a terrible burden on her slim shoulders.

  “Here we are.” She placed the chair on the porch and helped him into it. “We’ll have the coffee, then you need to rest.”

  He liked the way she scolded him with a smile on her pretty face. Her skin was creamy white with a few freckles scattered across her nose. Her eyes were emerald green most of the time, although they sometimes darkened to a deep moss green when she was worried. Her crowning glory was her fiery red hair. He had never seen such a vivid color before except on a soiled dove named Flame, in a dimly lit room when he was drunk.

  He closed his eyes, trying to bring her to mind, now the only woman floating before him was Laura. If he were the marrying kind, she would be quickly wedded and bedded. He wasn’t the marrying kind, a man without property like him shouldn’t even think about it, especially with a gal like Laura. She deserved only the best, which sure wasn’t him.

  What he wouldn’t give to taste those soft sweet lips, to fondle and caress her body before making mad, passionate love to her? Sonofabitch, was he loco?

  He was relieved when she returned with the coffee and a plate containing slices of cake.

  ****

  Cal had been with Laura for a week, and was now up and about, although his full strength had not yet returned. She knew he fretted and fumed about being so weak and useless. He had promised to stay for a few weeks once he completely recovered to help her roundup a few stray cattle, which were roaming the lower reaches of the Black Hills. It would be a cheap way for her to build up a small herd.

  He also promised to fix up the barn roof and enclose the porch to make a bathing and laundry room then with his debt paid, he would ride off and she would never see him again. Her heart bled every time she thought of life without him.

  “Let’s go on a picnic,” she said this one particular morning after most of the chores were finished.

  “If you want to. I can’t remember ever going on a picnic,” he said.

  “What about when you were a child?”

  “No.” He shot the word out, his features hardened, his eyes turned bleak.

  “Sorry.”

  She had packed a bottle of water, biscuits and pieces of cold chicken and hard boiled eggs left over from supper last night. For dessert, cold apple pie.

  “All right, I’m ready.”

  He straightened from where he had been lounging with one hip up against the kitchen table. “I’ll carry the basket for you,” he said. “I’m sorry for snarling at you. I don’t like talking about my childhood, it was too horrible.”

  “I shouldn’t have pried.”

  “You weren’t to know, most people have secrets.” The words hung between them like a broken pendulum on a discarded clock. “What’s yours, sweet Laura?”

  “I don’t….”

  He cut her off with the wave of one hand. “Yes, you do. Deep, dark secrets if I’m any judge.”

  Her heart turned to stone. “Yes, I’ve got secrets.” She stepped off the porch and he followed.

  “Tell me, I might be able to help.”

  “No-one can help me.” Her voice wavered. “So let’s forget about it. Do you like wild flowers?”

  “I’ve never thought about them.” He shrugged. “Men don’t care about flowers. I have seen some scattered on the prairie as I’ve ridden by, they are colorful and pretty.”

  Laura heard the creek murmuring as it flowed over shiny white stones, which Pa had said were quartz, not gold bearing, unfortunately. The cottonwoods sighed in the slight breeze and the red, white and yellow wild flowers nodded their heads as if in agreement about this being a lovely spot.

  “This is my favorite place on the ranch,” she said, spreading out a sheet of canvas for them to sit on and opening the picnic basket. “It’s so peaceful and pretty.” She set out their food. “I’m always hungry out here.”

  “Mm, nice.” He took a bite of a chicken leg as he sat with his back resting against a tree.

  “I brought fishing lines, so we can catch our supper.”

  “Sounds good,” he said.

  After they demolished the food they sat without speaking for a time. Laura watched Cal weaving a daisy chain. When he finished it he gently, almost reverently placed it on her head. “This is to replace your rusty halo, angel.” His voice was a soft caress and she blinked back sudden tears.

  “Hey, don’t cry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” He reached out to take it off.

  “No. No, leave it on I like it. Thank you for making such a nice gesture.”

  His mouth was mere inches away from hers. He kissed her tenderly and when she didn’t pull away he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a kneeling position and deepened the kiss

  Firecrackers exploded inside her head as he sucked on her lower lip before drawing it into his mouth. His tongue, thrusting and darting with hers took up a frenzied, passion filled dance.

  She returned his caresses wantonly, not caring about anything except Cal. This was probably her only chance to taste his passion and she wasn’t going to miss it.

  Suddenly he let her go and climbed to his feet. “I’m sorry, I lost my head.” He raked trembling fingers through his hair.

  She felt as deflated as a ball with a hole in it.

  “I took advantage of you.” A pulse convulsed in his jaw. “I should be horsewhipped after all you’ve done for me.”

  “Don’t apologize, I didn’t want you to stop.”

  His eyes widened, the pulse convulsed even more frantically. “It would be wrong when I can’t offer you anything permanent.”

  “But….”

  “You deserve more than what I can give you, a husband with a steady job, a family, a decent Christian life. I carry around too much baggage for a beautiful gal like you. I’ve lived by the gun, Laura, and I’ll die by the gun, there’s nothing surer.”

  “I….I.” She almost confessed what she’d done, but swallowed the words. He would hate it if he knew what she was, and she couldn’t bear it. “Fishing?” She injected a note of jocularity in her voice, all the while wondering how she could.

  “Good idea. I’ve never been fishing, show me what to do. Let me take those silly flowers off your head.” He flicked the floral halo to the ground.

  “Don’t do that, I like it.” She laid it on the ground near the picnic basket, vowing to pack it away when he wasn’t looking. She would press it in Pa’s family bible and keep it as a memento of a man she now realized she loved. A man who had briefly passed through her life and left an indelible mark. If only…. She would go mad if she didn’t stop thinking about if onlys.

  ****

  After the picnic, Cal had shifted out to the barn. Her protests had been ignored by him. He still ate all his meals with her and helped with the chores, but she missed his company.

  He had insisted on enclosing the end of the porch with help from her. He worked slowly, methodically hammering and banging, taking rests every now and again. She sensed his continuing frustration because his strength had not fully returned. Physically his wounds were healing well, but his near death experience had obviously played havoc with his nerves.

  Chapter Seven

  Six weeks after finding Cal, they were sharing coffee on the back porch after supper when Laura said. “I think I’ll take a trip into town for supplies tomorrow, I’m getting low on a few things. I didn’t anticipate having an extra mouth to feed
when I put my order in last time. I hate going there.”

  “Make a list and I’ll go in,” he said. “I could do with a couple of things myself.”

  “Well….”

  “We can both go, I’ll protect you from whatever or whoever you’re afraid of.”

  “I’m not afraid of anyone in town.”

  “No? You’re afraid of something. Tell me, Laura, I might be able to help.”

  “You can’t, Cal. No-one can. It’s too late.” Tears filled her eyes.

  “We’ll both go into town, and I’ll buy you lunch at the diner.” He reached over and lifted a solitary tear off her cheek with his forefinger. “I’m sure things aren’t as bad as you imagine. What time do you want to leave?”

  “About nine o’clock. It takes a couple of hours to get there. We could do our shopping, have lunch and be back here before dark to get the chores done.”

  “All right, if you’re sure you don’t want help with washing the supper dishes, I might turn in.”

  “Thank you for the offer, I can do them. Goodnight, Cal, sweet dreams.”

  “Goodnight.” He stepped off the porch and strode toward the barn.

  It was quite comfortable in the loft Cal thought. Much better than a lot of places he had slept in over the years. Laura had insisted on giving him blankets and a pillow. He had baulked at her offer of bed sheets.

  He would have to leave soon, didn’t want to do it, but he wasn’t made of stone. The feelings Laura aroused in him were dangerous, so overwhelming that one night he wouldn’t be able to control his male urges and would do something in the heat of the moment they would both regret. Why in tarnation was he berating himself like this? It wasn’t as if Laura had dismissed any advances he had made before, mild though they were?

  Why had he mentioned her coming into town with him? He could have discretely paid a visit to the local cat house and relieved his torment there. He couldn’t understand why the thought disgusted him. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t availed himself of soiled doves in the past. An unmarried man needed relief sometimes, and he was never rough or disrespectful to the women.

  He wanted Laura, pure and simple. For his own and her sake, he had to leave, give her a chance to wed a decent, upright man with prospects. What could a down and out gunslinger give her except heartache?

  He railed against fate for letting them meet. Why hadn’t he died out there like he deserved? Why did it have to be sweet, pretty Laura who found him and brought him back to life?

  ****

  After an early breakfast, they did a few chores. “I’ll hitch up the horse,” he said.

  Laura returned to the cabin to tidy herself and collect her bonnet and reticule. When she walked out on to the porch her breath caught in her throat. Cal lounged against a post. He held his black Stetson in one hand, and wore twin holsters slung low over his hips.

  “Do you need those guns?”

  “Yes, I never go anywhere without them. You look pretty.”

  “Thank you.” She had purposely worn her best gown, a green sprigged cotton with lace trim on the sleeves and stand-up collar. It was vanity pure and simple, but she wanted to look good for Cal. Inwardly she basked in his compliment, outwardly she smiled. “You look very handsome.”

  He grinned. “Yeah, well.”

  He helped her up into the passenger seat of the wagon, letting her know he intended driving. It felt good to have a man taking control for a change.

  As they drove away the sun streamed down from a clear blue sky, the birds chirped and happiness surged through her. She was going to enjoy an outing with Cal. It would probably be the one and only chance. He was growing restless, eager to leave and carry on with his life.

  She wore a straw bonnet with green and yellow flowers sprinkled around the wide brim.

  As they passed down the main street, Cal said. “How about we do your shopping first, then have lunch, that way, if we want to take it slow and easy over our meal we can.”

  “Yes, I’d like that.”

  “Do you get everything at the general store?”

  “Yes, I buy a few bags of oats for the horses from George at the livery, on the way home.”

  The street was its usual bustling self with women strolling along baskets hooked over their arms, a few buggies and wagons. Several horses were tied to the hitching rail outside the saloon. Cal glanced at them and she wondered whether he was wishing he was in there, too.

  They stopped outside the general store, Cal leapt off the seat and lifted her down, and with a hand at her waist, they strolled inside. The man behind the counter gave her a hard, intent stare as he served two middle-aged spinster sisters.

  Cal stepped away from her to wander around inspecting the merchandise. A woman and her husband pushed open the shop door, almost entered then turned away.

  The shop keeper finished serving the women and said to her. “Give me your order.” His gaze roamed over her, so intense and insolent was the stare, she felt a rush of heat to her cheeks.

  What was wrong with the man? She had written down what she needed and, as she handed him the list, his fingers purposely brushed against hers. She wanted to snatch her hand away and slap the leering smirk off his face. She couldn’t understand what was happening.

  Cal strode up, the store keeper took one look at him and scurried off.

  “What’s wrong, darlin’, you’re frowning?”

  “Um, nothing.”

  His eyes narrowed slightly. “I’ll help you load up then I need to go to the bank.”

  “I can help the purdy lady,” the storekeeper said, giving her a leering smile. “I’m always happy to help purdy gals.”

  Laura couldn’t believe the way he was carrying on, he had barely spoken to her before.

  Cal scowled.

  “I’ve got help thank you.” She slipped her arm through Cal’s and fortunately, he didn’t pull away.

  “Like the lady says, I’m here to help.” His voice was cold. Did he think she was deliberately flirting with the store owner? That she had worn her best gown on purpose. Well, she had, only for Cal’s benefit.

  They loaded the wagon with bags of flour, sugar and salt, and an assortment of other packages. She had bought double the usual amount so she wouldn’t need to come back into town for a while.

  “I’m off to the bank, you wait here.” He strode off.

  She was tempted to dash after him. She didn’t like the way a couple of young cowboys who were sauntering past, stopped and stared at her. What was wrong with everyone?

  “Well, well, if it isn’t Flame?”

  Laura’s whole body froze. Her worst nightmare had come true. Alex had found her.

  “Did you think you could run away from me?” he snarled. “No whore leaves the Gold Anchor unless I say so. You’re coming back with me.” He grabbed her arm.

  “I won’t. I’ll get the sheriff.”

  “What can he do? It’s all legal.” He pulled a sheet of paper out of his coat pocket. “You belong to me until your debt is paid.”

  Several interested spectators had congregated now. She glanced around; it was obvious no help would be forthcoming, they were only here to see the show. Nothing more.

  “I don’t owe you anything. You lied to me.” She tried to pull away from his vice like grip.

  “Let her go or I’ll kill you where you stand.” Cal’s voice rang out, cold and deadly.

  Alex released her and stepped back a pace. “This is none of your business, cowboy.”

  “I’m making it my business. Leave the lady alone.”

  “Lady?” Alex laughed loudly. “You are badly mistaken, cowboy. She’s a whore.”

  Cal rocked back on his heels.

  “Tell him, Flame.”

  “Flame!” Cal couldn’t believe he was hearing right. Laura was the soiled dove who had robbed him and haunted his dreams at night. All the strange pieces of the jigsaw were falling into place, and the picture was ugly. Fool that he was, he had put her up on a pede
stal, thinking she was an angel.

  “It isn’t what you think. Please, Cal.” Tears trickled down her cheeks. “He lied to me, drugged me, held me against my will and forced me to work there.”

  Cal stared into her tormented eyes and believed her. Contrition brought heat to his face, made him want to hang his head in shame, Laura was exactly as she appeared, a beautiful, caring gal who had been wronged. Who was he to condemn her anyway, after the life he had led?

  “I’ve got a paper to prove she’s mine,” Alex said.

  Sheriff Davies strode up. “What’s going on here?”

  “This whore belongs to me.”

  “Watch your mouth,” the sheriff said. “Now, Miss Laura….”

  “I’ve got a paper to prove it.” Alex waved the folded parchment like paper around.

  “Go about your business,” the sheriff ordered the now growing crowd. “My office, now.”

  Cal placed his arm around Laura’s waist because she trembled so badly she could barely stand. “We’ll get this sorted out, darlin’, I promise.”

  They made it to the sheriff’s office.

  “I nearly drowned, lost my memory and Alex took advantage of me, promised to marry me. When he tired of me he drugged me so I’d service his clients.” The story poured out. Cal’s expression grew blacker by the minute. His hand reached for his gun.

  “No.” The sheriff stopped him.

  “She owes me, I paid her one thousand dollars in advance, and she agreed to work it off,” Alex said.

  “I didn’t, he’s lying.”

  “Oh?” Alex shoved the paper at the sheriff. “Read it if you know how,” he said haughtily. “It’s been duly witnessed.”

  “I know how.” The sheriff skimmed over the document. “It’s been witnessed by a Judge and a Federal Marshal,” he said. “Seems legal to me.”

  “I didn’t sign any papers. Well….” She bit her trembling lips. “None that I remember. It’s not my signature.” She tried to grab the paper from the sheriff’s hand.

  “Laura Prentice, it’s as clear as day,” the sheriff said.

  “I lost my memory that’s why Alex named me Flame, so how could I sign my proper name if I didn’t know it?”