by Elle Marlow
The Mexican dropped to his knees before falling face forward right into Crow’s outstretched hands.
***
It took everything Cooper had not to just start shooting when Sophia was knocked into the water. And when the two men started fighting on the bank, he would have shot then, but Sophia stood and it put her directly in the line of his fire.
He adjusted the collar on his neck and his mind raced back to the baby at the mission. He’d gone for a quick, over-due confessional, but when he arrived, the nuns excitedly greeted him and immediately placed the orphaned infant in his arms, claiming that the child was strong, wise and needed a good man to guide him. They told him the child had been much happier after having been with him days before. He knew what those nuns were aiming at, and a piece of him warmed to the idea of being a father to the boy. But, he needed a mother, and there was only one woman worthy of the title.
He gave the boy back to the sisters, but not before the child’s birthmark caught his attention. That’s when the idea hit him and that’s when he asked Father Velasquez for collar and a cassock. Velasquez hesitated, and looked at him like he was crazy, until he explained what it would mean for the baby.
The damn collar was about to choke him. If only Sophia would sit down back in the water so he could get a clear shot at the remaining five.
Crow stood and let the body of the hombre fall to his side. Sophia stood like a statue in the water. When Crow pointed toward his horse, she walked out of the water toward him.
The rest of the Hellfire gang jumped on their horses, and that’s when he saw that Sophia had told him the truth. They were all heavily armed. He chewed on that and decided on a plan for tomorrow.
***
There would be no salvation in slumber. Their bedroll rested on top of rocks, and even though Crow had swallowed the last of his whiskey, he was wide awake and jumping at every noise. Sophia feigned sleep, hoping that in his paranoia, he’d leave her alone. In the months of being on the run with him, she’d always knew he was crazy, but there was no doubt, that right now Crow was losing his mind.
“This is all Jorge’s fault. He should not have ambushed the Apache for horses while I went chasing after you, Little One. Now they are out there and they will pluck us off one by one. I will kill you myself before I let them get to you,” he whispered next to her.
His hand started stroking her chopped hair, birthing a fear in her so great that she couldn’t prevent tears from slipping. Morning should be breaking, and they should already be riding. The fact that Crow was wasting time on her, instead of saving himself and his gang, was unusual, and she wondered if he was giving up on running, and about to end it for them both.
A strangled cry sounded off behind them and then four, quick gun shots blasted.
“It’s only you, now Crow!” A voice hollered.
Sophia’s eyes flew open and her breathing stopped. Crow’s body went rigid as a man called out once more for Crow.
“The Hellfire days are over. Stand up and make your peace with the Lord.”
Long, agonizing minutes passed. Hope burned hot that this was finally it, that this was the moment her nightmare would finally find it’s resolution.
The sun crested over the horizon, and the sky took on the colors of fire. And that’s when Crow inhaled sharply next to her. Sophia turned her head to witness a priest walking toward them. The holy man held a long rifle at his side and his face was hidden under a large, brimmed hat. But there was no mistaking the collar and the large crucifix capturing the sun as it swung like a pendulum with each long stride.
Cooper Blackwater!
Crow let out a sound of wonderment, before scrambling to his feet. His arm shook as he held out the Colt Dragoon. “Who are you?” his voice trembled.
“I’ve come for your soul, Comanche Crow,” came the low reply.
Sophia could see the fear and hesitation in Crow’s eyes. Sophia reached into her cleavage and carefully pulled out the Derringer Cooper had given her.
Send him straight to hell…
The world moved in slow motion as shots rang out. The weight of Crow’s body fell against her, pinning her to the ground. Face to face with him; looking straight into the darkness of his eyes, she wasn’t sure if Crow had been shot, or if he was trying to protect her. He’d fallen over the barrel of her gun and blinked his surprise that she held it deep against his belly.
“Do it, Little One. I’m not dead yet,” he said, blood forming at the corner of his mouth.
Sophia’s finger squeezed around the trigger and she fired all six rounds.
His expression settled into one of peace, and then the blackness of his eyes dimmed until his body rolled to the side to lay lifeless on the ground.
Chapter Ten
The sky was so blue, she remembered. The deep kind of blue that made you think that anything was possible. She laid on her back staring up at the deepness of the color, and wondering why she never noticed how beautiful the sky could be if you saw nothing else. And then the priest created a shadow as he loomed himself over her, blocking the sky.
“Sophia,” he whispered. She tried to focus on his face, and she stared until her eyes watered. And then the fuzzy image clarified to reveal Cooper Blackwater standing over her with a smile on his face.
“Cooper?”
“It’s over, Sophia. You’re free.”
***
“Here you go, Sophia. Eight hundred dollars in ransom for bringing in Comanche Crow,” Cooper told her, placing the money in her hand. She held the money in a gloved fist while Gunther, Maria and other town folk stood around her cheering.
“I don’t know what to say…”
“Well, this town thanks you,” Gunther said, enthusiastically.
“It’s nice to see you smile. I suppose some of that money will be spent on a train ticket to San Francisco?” Cooper asked.
Sophia looked up to his green-eyed gaze. She lifted her hand to rest on his cheek. “No, San Francisco might sound interesting for some women, but I see the beauty right here in Arizona. I think I’d like to stay and start a family here.”
“There’s a baby at the mission that needs a mama,” Cooper said, his expression softening.
“He will also need a father,” Sophia reminded him.
“Would you like an escort to the mission? he asked, offering her his elbow. She slid her hand through, and held Cooper close to her side. “Only if you agree to marry me, sheriff.”
The End
Thank you for reading Blackwater Burning. As always, reviews are appreciated. Read further for an excerpt from my Amazon best-selling western, Yellow Rock.
For more Elle Marlow titles, visit www.ElleMarlow.Blogspot.com
Yellow Rock
Willow closed her eyes and saw Dutch standing in front of her. Her body tickled from head to toe, surprising her with a physical yearning, and the realization of what her body was telling her, sent her mind straight to that night in the hands of the Apaches. Suddenly her head swam as the memories of being taken against her will returned with a force. Feeling the cabin close in around her, she breathed in and out so fast, dots began to float in her vision. Then the sound of gunfire echoed in her ears and Willow grabbed the knife, leapt to her feet and then ran out the door.
It wasn’t as if she couldn’t see the trees, she could. It was just that everything looked like a threat. Tree limbs became the arms of Yankees, the hands of the Apaches. If a branch scraped against her sides, she’d scream in fear of being touched and then would run the opposite way.
Another gun firing somewhere deep in the woods, only served to feed her hysteria. Although, somewhere deep inside, a piece of her was trying to rationalize. Willow continued to run, but a little speck of light told her she was wrong, that everything was really okay, and she was just overreacting. But right now, that tiny voice wasn’t loud enough for her to listen to it.
She ran right into a man’s embrace. A wall of muscle greeted her as she struggled agains
t incredible strength that held her. They’d meant to take her again, they were going to rip into her and this time, she might die. Willow tried, she tried to get away but the man didn’t allow even the tiniest bit of movement. Her vision faded until she floated into blessed nothingness.
***
Dutch dropped the turkey he’d shot, to hold onto the wildcat who’d ran straight into him wielding a butter knife. Her eyes were glazed over from fear and then her mouth opened for a silent scream or worse, to gasp for air. He had no choice but to hold Willow snuggly against him until she tired herself out. Within moments, her eyes rolled back into her head and her body grew slack in his arms. What just happened? He’d only been gone ten minutes.
He lifted her into his arms then hunkered down to retrieve the bird. With the woman over the left shoulder, the rifle on the right and the bird hanging from his hands by an outstretched wing, he carried it all back to his cabin.