“Who with?”
“Young varmints next door.”
Once they got to the wagon she placed Alice inside. “Do you take sugar?”
He shook his head. “I drink it black.”
She poured out the coffee and handed him one of their tin cups. “I’ll put the pancakes on now, they’ll only take a minute or two.” She made four small ones at a time. Easier to eat than large ones.
Once they were cooked, she put three on a tin plate and handed it to Sam. He sat with his back against the wagon wheel watching her every move. His expression was inscrutable. While she ate her pancake slowly, he gobbled his down. She gave him three of the next batch, and kept one for herself.
“I’ve only got enough mixture for another couple, I thought I would keep them for Logan in case he didn’t get a chance to eat something in town.”
He nodded. “These are good.”
“Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed them. Logan tells me you met when he first came here?”
“Yeah, he rescued me from being beaten to death by drunken cowboys.”
“How awful, I’m glad he was there to help you.”
“He was the only one who did. Sheriff Kirwin was out of town at the time. You ought to get hitched. Logan needs a woman, and you and the babe need a place to live.”
“I’d like to marry him, but I can’t. Things have happened in my past he wouldn’t be able to forgive.” She inhaled a deep breath. “I was married to his brother, Daniel. With his dying breath Daniel told me to find Logan.” She didn’t tell him the rest of the sorry saga.
“Marry him, he’s a good man.” He stood. “Thank you for the coffee and food.”
Without another word he shuffled off.
After he left, a sudden weariness overcame her. Making sure the fire was safely contained in the fireplace, she climbed into the wagon with Alice to take a nap. It was one way of filling in time while she waited for Logan’s return.
Logan drove into Trails End and pulled the cart up outside the mercantile. He would get enough supplies to last them a couple of months.
“Howdy,” Joe O’Brien said with a friendly grin.
“Howdy,” Logan returned his greeting. I’ve got my order written out.” He handed over the paper. A roll of material with pretty pink flowers on it suddenly caught his eye. He would buy some for Jemma to make herself a dress with. It was a bribe, he was honest enough to admit it, but it just might sway her to change her mind.
“I’ll have um er, six yards of material.” He pointed to the one he wanted. “Is that enough to make a dress?”
“I think so, but it costs fifteen cents a yard.”
“I’ll have it, and a pink baby rattle toy, too.”
Sheriff Max Kirwin strolled in just then. “Howdy.” His greeting encompassed them both.
“Howdy, Max,” Logan said.
“You here again.” Joe grinned.
Max leaned over and read the shopping list, much to Logan’s annoyance.
“That’s a mighty lot of supplies for one man,” he said. “I don’t think the flowery material will suit you, Logan.” He chuckled. “Who you courting?”
“No-one.”
“And a baby’s toy. Don’t tell me you got some gal in the family way.”
“Of course I didn’t. It’s for my cousin Jemma’s baby.”
“Oh? I didn’t know you had a cousin,” Max said, as if he didn’t believe a word of it.
“Jemma, her husband Daniel and their baby are staying with me for a few days.” Logan inwardly cursed himself for buying the material. If only Max hadn’t walked in just then. He was much more astute than Joe, and it was his job to ask questions.
“They were on their way to Deadwood and Daniel started to feel feverish.”
“Oh?” Max raised his eyebrows.
Logan felt like telling him to mind his own damn business, but it wouldn’t do to get on the wrong side of the law, besides Max was one of the few people he considered to be a friend. “I could hardly turn them away under the circumstances.”
“The dress material?” Max was like a dog with a bone.
Logan almost ground his teeth, “A present, it was um her birthday yesterday. Her husband wanted to buy her something. As for the baby toy, I thought the little one deserved something, her being kin and all.”
He hated lying and knew he wasn’t very good at it. He had always detested deceit.
“If you say so,” Max said.
“I do say so. Have you got someone to help me load up my supplies, Joe?” He only hoped the sheriff wouldn’t recognize Sam’s cart and horse. Dammit, I should have waited until he left Joe’s store.
“Don’t worry for the moment, Joe. I’ve got a couple of other things I need to do. I don’t want to leave my supplies unattended in case some low down skunk decides to help himself to them.”
Max’s eyes blazed, although he didn’t say anything.
Logan was shocked when Max followed him outside.
“I don’t like men lying to me, especially one I look upon as a friend.”
“What makes you think I’m lying, Max?”
“Because I can tell, you’ve got guilt written all over your face. Don’t ever take up playing poker. You’d lose every hand.”
“All right, I’ll tell you the truth, but in the strictest confidence.”
“I’ll buy you a coffee at the diner, won’t be many people there at this time of day, then you can tell me everything.”
Logan’s mind was working overtime. Worry churned his stomach. It had to be a partial truth. Surely it couldn’t be construed as lying by omitting the part about finding Alice.
They entered the diner. “I’ll have my usual table, Kate,” Max said to the pretty red-head who owned the place. He might have tried to court her once, except Max had warned him off.
“Howdy, Logan.”
Logan removed his hat. “Howdy, Kate.” He always came here on his visits to town. She was a great cook and did one of the best beef steaks he had ever tasted. He was tempted to order one now. When he thought of Jemma waiting for him at Sam’s and probably only having coffee with some of the pancake mixture she had insisted on bringing along, it made him feel guilty.
He would buy a couple of loaves of bread from the bakery before he left. One for Sam too. He wasn’t sure what the old man ate, beans and eggs most probably. He had never shared a meal with Sam, the place was just too filthy; not that it was any of his business how a man chose to live.
Sam was a harmless old man who had done him a few good turns, had never judged his drunken state in the early days when he first moved here. Never asked questions.
“The usual beef steak, Logan?”
“Not today thanks, I’m in a hurry. Max offered to buy me a coffee, so I wasn’t about to turn him down.
“Well, you are the lucky one. Max has short arms and deep pockets.” Kate laughed.
“Two coffees and none of your sass, or I’ll arrest you.”
“For what?” Kate stood with her hands resting on her hips. “I haven’t broken any law, Sheriff.” She gave him a saucy smile.
“I’ll think of one,” Max said with a grin.
Kate sashayed off. “Now, Logan, tell me the truth. Have you got yourself a woman?”
“I do have a woman staying with me.”
Max gasped.
“My brother’s widow and his baby. They came to me for help. With his dying breath Daniel told Jemma to bring the baby and come here to me. She drove all the way from Yankton. How could I refuse to help them? I’m a man on my own. If it got out about Jemma and me living under the same roof, her reputation would be ruined. I had to lie.”
“You could marry her if she’s a widow.”
“I asked her and she refused.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. She admitted to developing feelings for me, even after such a short time, but said she couldn’t marry me.”
“Strange,” Max pursed his lips.
<
br /> “Yeah, I don’t know what, but something happened in her past, it has to do with Daniel. She said I would hate her if I ever found out what it was.”
“And would you?”
“I can’t see why I would, Daniel was always a bit wild.”
“And you’ve got feeling for this gal?”
“Yeah, I have. After my wife was killed, I vowed never to fall for another woman. I couldn’t recover from such a loss a second time around. I didn’t want this to happen, it just did.”
“Is she a good looking gal?”
“Very, and the baby is a sweet wee thing. I could give them a good life, look after them, but Jemma is stubborn.”
“Are you in love with her?” Max’s eyes seemed to probe inside his head.
“I’m not sure, I’ve got strong feelings for her. I want her so bad it’s nearly killing me.”
“Love and lust are two different things, Logan.”
They stopped speaking as Kate brought out the coffee.
“I’ll put it on your account, Max.”
She hovered for a moment, but receiving no encouragement shrugged and walked away.
“What makes you a marrying expert?”
“I was betrothed once,” Max said.
“Sorry, what happened?” Logan took a sip of coffee.
“She found someone richer than me.”
“And that makes you an authority?” The coffee was hot and creamy just the way he liked it.
“No, but I’ve observed things over the years.”
“Anyway, Jemma refused me point blank.”
“Tell her she either marries you or she has to leave.”
“She’s got a baby, I couldn’t do it to them. She’s got no-one except me, nowhere else to go.”
“Just keep offering until you wear her down.”
“She’s very determined.” Logan grinned. “Why do you think I bought the dress material?”
Max laughed and punched Logan on the arm. “A bribe could work.”
“Anyway, I lied to you, to protect Jemma’s reputation. I’ve told you this in confidence.”
“You can trust me, I won’t say a word to anyone. Where is she now?”
“I left her and the baby at Sam’s place.”
“What!”
“I didn’t want to leave them at the ranch all day on their own. I couldn’t bring them into town with me without raising a heap of questions.”
“But, Sam’s? The place is putrid.”
“I know, it’s why I’ve got Sam’s cart. My wagon has a canvas top, so Jemma and Alice can stay there. There’s a nice spot a hundred yards or so from the house. There’s a fireplace I built, so she can make herself a coffee if she wants to, and feed the baby in private. Even if Sam had anything to offer, she wouldn’t take it.”
“Do you blame her?” Max grimaced. “I certainly wouldn’t eat anything he offered me. Poor old buzzard.”
“Me, either.” Logan couldn’t hide his distaste. “It’s damn awful the way he lives in such a tumbledown place, yet he’s happy enough, so who are we to interfere with what he does. He’s harmless, otherwise I wouldn’t have left them there.”
“If he doesn’t break the law, I’m happy for him to live any way he likes. I rarely see him, I just wish some of the other townsfolk were quiet like him.”
Logan downed his coffee. “Sorry to rush off, but I don’t want to be away for too long.”
“I understand, and I won’t divulge what you told me as it doesn’t concern anyone in town. Good luck with the wooing.”
Logan laughed. “I’ll need it.”
“Well, when she does say yes, I want to be the first to know.”
“You’ll be second, after the preacher.”
“It’s a deal. I might have a bite to eat while I’m here.”
“Maybe you ought to get yourself hitched to Kate,” Logan said before walking outside.
He put on his hat and headed to the bakery for his bread, after which he strode off to collect his supplies.
Joe helped him load the cart. “Until next time, Logan. You’re the kind of customer I like. You pay up straight away.” With a wave he disappeared inside his store.
Yeah, I’ve paid you, Logan thought, and now I’m nearly broke. He desperately needed to find more gold as he’d just about used up all he had. Thankfully, Jemma was there to look after Alice, so he could spend the whole day away. “Giddup.” He slapped the horse’s rump with the reins to get it going. He was anxious to collect his gals and return home.
The dress material was a bribe, but he wondered whether it would sweeten her up enough to say yes to his proposal. Most women liked pretty things. If he could have afforded it, he would have bought her a bonnet trimmed with lace and flowers to match the material.
If he could pan for gold for a couple of days straight, only doing the most essential ranch chores, it would give him a greater chance of finding something quickly. He didn’t like the idea of not having a bit extra set aside for emergencies. He had Jemma and Alice to support now. He hated the idea of selling off any of his small herd. Slaughtering them for meat was even worse.
As a boy he used to enjoy fishing with his father. This could be another option for food. If he had a rooster and set him to work in the hen house, he would have plenty of chickens. Now Jemma was here, she could look after them. He was quite partial to roast chicken.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jemma was suddenly awoken by yelling and shooting. Crawling to the back of the wagon, she lifted the flap and peered out. Four cowboys yelled and fired their guns into the air.
“Come on old man,” they shouted. “Let’s finish this once and for all.”
Three shots in quick succession was the only answer they got. One of the dogs dashed toward them. Horrified, she watched one cowboy take aim and fire. A yelp was followed by a thud as the dog slumped to the ground.
All hell broke loose. Sam let off a volley of shots. The men leapt off their horses and hit the ground. She couldn’t believe it. Four against one. Sam couldn’t fight all of them off. She wanted to help him, but what about Alice? The sides of the wagon were thick, and the cradle was solid wood also. Surely she would be safe from any stray bullet?
She peeked out again. Except for the four cowboys, there was no-one else around. They started to pepper the house with bullets. She rolled up a couple of blankets and wedged them between the side of the wagon and the cradle for more protection. Logan had worn his gun belt into town, leaving his Winchester in the usual place behind the wagon seat. She crawled up to get it.
Sam had been kind in his strange way, he was Logan’s friend. She couldn’t let him battle four men on his own.
Grabbing the rifle, she jumped down from the wagon. Should she leave Alice? Dare she leave her? Her heart rose up into her mouth. The wagon was hidden behind the trees and wasn’t visible from the house. If she sneaked up close and let off a couple of shots it might be enough to frighten the cowboys off.
The horses were still harnessed to the wagon, the brake was on, but she was taking no chances and rammed a branch through the spokes of one wheel, in case the horses became spooked by the noise.
As she edged closer to the cowboys she realized they were young, mere boys really. Stepping into their line of vision and raising the Winchester, she yelled. “Hold it right there. So much as twitch and I’ll shoot you where you stand.” She hoped they wouldn’t notice the tremor in her voice.
“You leave my Uncle Sam alone, he’s not on his own anymore. Now, you get on your horses and leave. Don’t come back, or I’ll speak to your father.”
“No, don’t do that,” the youngest said. “He’ll use the buggy whip on us.”
“Well, you should have thought of that before you attacked Uncle Sam.”
“We didn’t mean no harm.”
Logan was almost at Sam’s place when he heard shooting. He urged the horse to go faster. His heart slammed against his rib cage. If something happened to Jemma or the
baby he would never forgive himself.
The horse passed through Sam’s open gate just as another volley of shots rang out. He saw his wagon and struggled to pull the horse up. “Whoa.” He tugged on the reins with all his strength until the frightened horse came to a standstill. It was sweating and breathing heavily.
He jumped off the wagon. “Jemma! Jemma!”
No answer. He raced to the wagon and shoved the canvas to one side, immediately spotting Alice in her cradle. It was almost hidden by rolled up blankets as a barrier to what? The baby was awake, lying quietly chewing on her feet.
“Howdy, little darlin’, where’s your Ma?” Assured she was unhurt, he set off at a jog to Sam’s house to try and find Jemma. Why would she leave the baby on her own? She wouldn’t. Something terrible must have happened.
He started running. After he broke through the trees he skidded to a halt. Four young men stood around with Jemma pointing the Winchester at them. He saw the dog lying on the ground. Sam appeared holding his rifle and rushed over to the dog.
“Now, you boys go home, and never set foot on this place again, or I swear, I’ll get my husband to speak with the sheriff and your father.”
“That’s right, darlin’. Logan stepped forward and the boys backed away. “You better do as she says. My wife has a mighty hot temper. No telling what she might do when she’s riled.”
He leaned in and kissed Jemma on the lips. As he moved away she gasped and the rifle trembled. “I see you’ve handled everything beautifully, darlin’.”
“Yes. I’ve told these young varmints if they so much as set foot on Uncle Sam’s place again, I’ll make sure they live to regret it.”
“Uncle Sam?” Logan whispered.
“They thought Uncle Sam didn’t have any relatives. They weren’t expecting us to move to Trails End.”
“Quite right, we’ll be looking after Uncle Sam from now on, so get on your horses and leave while you can.”
The boys started toward their horses.
“Just a minute,” Logan’s voice stopped them in their tracks. “You can bury the dog before you go.”
“He ain’t dead.” Sam raised his head, “Just stunned, bullet nicked the side of his head.”
Logan (Bachelors And Babies Book 2) Page 10