by Rue Allyn
“Like a feather bed,” Lucas replied. “Let’s go. I’m ready to see civilization again.” He was hunched over the pommel and white as a newly bleached sheet.
Mindy tut-tutted under her breath and went to climb up on her own horse. It took three hops before she made it into the stirrup and then onto the back of the big animal.
Boone watched from a distance. He had no inclination to help her. Touching her was the farthest thing from his mind — or at least, he tried to put it from his mind. He walked his horse over to her. “You okay?”
She raised her pert nose into the air. “Like you care. What if I said no, Boone? Would you jump to help?”
“I’m trying to be nice, here,” he spat. “You’ve been amazing; you did an amazing thing. I don’t want to take anything away from that.”
Mindy stiffened her shoulders. “You’ll never take anything from me, Gary Boone. I’ll see to that.”
“Will you shut up and listen for a minute? I’m trying to apologize and you’re making it awfully difficult!”
“Well, pardon me! I guess most girls turn and bat their eyes when you turn all syrupy, but I’m not most girls.”
“Syrupy! Because I’m trying to say I’m sorry?” Boone’s insides clenched. This is why a man didn’t apologize for his actions! He glared at her.
Mindy glared back.
From behind, Lucas said, “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’d appreciate if we could get going.”
“See what you’ve done?” Mindy said, kicking her horse forward.
• • •
They only managed about six miles that day, and even that seemed more than Lucas could bear. By the time they stopped, Mindy noticed a small amount of blood on his freshly washed shirt. She instantly sprang into action, ordering the big man to lie down and let her check the site of the wound.
Her hands were quickly unbuttoning his silk shirt and in a moment, one sweet hand was feeling the spot of the gunshot. Boone watched in shock while Lucas smiled.
“There’s too much heat here to suit me,” she said. “We’re going to have to take it slower.” She looked at Boone. “Or should we go faster?”
Boone shrugged. At this minute, Lucas could have died on the spot and he wouldn’t have spent a moment in disappointment. “How should I know? You’re the doctor.”
While Mindy doted on the blond-headed man, Boone stomped into the woods and collected what he needed for a fire. Soon a roaring blaze was going.
“It’ll be twilight before long,” Boone said. “I’m going to see what I can find for supper.” He was confused about his feelings. He liked Lucas, but had begun to think of him as a rival for Melinda’s affections. He was so frustrated he didn’t know whether to scratch his tail or wind his watch. “I’ll be back.”
Mindy, distracted, just nodded.
• • •
Boone was busy creating a simple springle by twisting a flexible piece of green wood into a hoop and sticking both ends in the ground. He tied a short piece of string to one end and then baited it with berries he found nearby. He stretched out a little distance away to await an unsuspecting hare or squirrel.
Just as he closed his eyes for a doze, he was startled by the presence of two men standing over him.
One held a wicked knife and the other a gun. The Byler brothers, Lee and Rich, smiled at one another and then at their captive. “Looks like we meet again, cowboy,” Lee said. “I feel right sure our paths are determined to cross until I get what I’m after. From what that girl said, you know more about the gold than you’ve let on.”
“That girl is crazy,” Boone replied.
“Maybe so, but me and my little brother here are aiming to find out exactly what she was trying to say.” Lee gestured to Rich. “Take his vest.”
Boone considered struggling as Rich wrenched the piece of clothing from him, but decided against it. Let ’em have the money — he wanted to be sure to get back to Mindy and Lucas, if possible.
“Hoo-wee, Lee!” Rich said after ripping open the lining of Boone’s vest. “Here it is! Cash and bonds, though. No gold.” He counted quickly, stumbling several times, before he said, “There’s more than three thousand dollars here, brother!”
Lee grinned and took the stack of papers. “This is my money you were hiding, friend, and I don’t take too kindly to having to search for it.” He gestured to Rich again. “Take care of him. And I don’t want to see any gut-shots. Make it permanent.” He turned to walk away.
Rich glanced at his brother in surprise. “Me? Why me?”
“You’re the one with the gun, stupid. Make it quick, we don’t know where that other fellow is.” He stomped through the bushes counting the cash.
Rich looked down at Boone and shrugged. He aimed the weapon carefully.
Boone’s mouth was dry. He had known that his job was a dangerous one, but it never occurred to him that it might end this way. He immediately thought of Mindy, but then tried to dispel her from his mind. Lucas would take care of her. His mom was his last thought as the gun fired.
• • •
At the campsite, Mindy was warming beef jerky and water in her tin cup to make a simple broth for Lucas. When she heard the shot, she instinctively looked toward her bag. It sat closed and untouched and she knew her gun was inside. As a matter of fact, she had been chastised repeatedly to keep it out and nearby whenever Boone was gone.
Jumping up, she began running through the woods. Branches and briars pulled at her dress and her flesh, but she was unmindful. “Boone!” she cried. “Boone, where are you?”
After a few yards, she picked up a faint trail made by deer and followed it, hoping Boone would have done the same. She continued to holler his name as she ran. Finally, she stopped. The trail had played out. “Boone!” She glanced around her, and spied the rabbit trap. She knew he was close by.
Mindy began making an ever-widening circle. “Boone! You idiot, don’t scare me like this! Where are you?” Panic had begun to set in.
Creeping through the brambles and branches, Mindy almost stumbled over him. His lifeless body was laying partially hidden in a close copse of trees. She fell to his side. There was a wound to the left side of his head. He had been struck by a bullet — the wound was deep but she hoped not life-threatening. Blood still poured from it, a good sign.
Mindy’s vision was clouded by tears. “Boone! Wake up! Wake up.” She crumpled onto his chest. “Wake up,” she cried. “You big oaf, quit scaring me! You can’t die!”
Boone moaned. Mindy sat back up and took great gulps of air, hiccupping. “Boone. Can you hear me? Look at me!”
Though slight in form, she suddenly had added strength. She grabbed Boone by his shirt collars and shook him. “Wake up!”
Chapter Fifteen
Boone grunted.
Mindy fell on his chest crying with relief. “Can you hear me?” she asked. “I need you! You have to be all right.”
“I’m not … too good, actually.” Boone struggled to sit up. Melinda grabbed his arms and pulled him upright.
“What happened?”
“The Byler brothers came by … for another visit.” He glanced around dazedly, seeking his discarded vest. Picking it up, he checked the linings. “They took the money.”
“To the dickens with the money, Gary Boone!” She snatched the vest away and pressed it to his wound. “You’re bleeding like a stuck pig. We’ve got to get you back to camp.”
“I would be a dead man if that Byler fellow had been shooting with his good hand. I don’t guess he’s as good an aim with his left. He had the right one bandaged.”
“It’s bad enough as it is! Can you walk?”
Boone struggled to stand. Mindy grasped him around the waist and he leaned his weight against her. She bent down and grabbed his hat.
“Did we catch a rabbit yet?” Boone’s lips went up in a smirk.
Mindy started crying all over again. “I don’t know, you idiot. I don’t care about food right now!”
“Really? What is it you care about? I sure didn’t think you’d care if I was shot dead.”
“Of course I’d care! What do you think I am? I need you!”
Boone’s eyebrows lifted.
“That is, I need you to help me care for Lucas.”
“Oh. Of course.”
“What did you think I meant? Just for hunting food?”
“No. Never mind.”
They arrived at the campsite to see Lucas sitting upright against a fallen log. He was poking the fire and adding twigs. When he saw them coming, he attempted to stand.
“No, no.” Boone waved a hand and then gestured to Mindy. “I’m okay. I’ve got the doctor here.”
“What happened?” Lucas asked. “I woke up when I heard a gunshot. I assumed it was you hunting for supper, but I take it our friends have been back?”
“Yeah, but they didn’t know you’ve been shot. They weren’t interested in coming here. They just wanted the money.” He limped to the log and sat down, weaving slightly.
“What money?” Lucas asked with a guarded look.
“Oh, this cunning thief here has had the money all along!” Mindy said.
“What? You’re the reason everyone’s getting killed?”
Boone cursed. “No, of course not. Those men planned to rob the stage. We would have all been killed.”
Mindy stood with her hands on her hips. “Well, what am I supposed to do now? I’ve got two cripples on my hands!”
“I’m not a cripple!” both men said together.
“Wait just a cotton-picking minute, little lady,” Boone said. “Have I asked anything of you? No, I haven’t, and I don’t plan to!”
“I didn’t mean it like that. Of course, I’ll take care of you … both, but at this rate, we’ll all be dead before we arrive in Tipton!”
“You take care of Lucas! I’ll see to myself,” Boone growled. He staggered to his feet and lurched to the edge of the stream. He dug his hands into the water and splashed the cooling liquid against his face and head.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mindy said, walking over to him. “Here, let me see it.”
“Get away from me! Go tend to Lucas!”
“What’s wrong with you? I’m only trying to see how bad the wound is!”
“It’s fine. Just a graze.” He pulled a bandana out of his back pocket, drenched it in the creek, and then tied it around his head. “See? All better. Go back to your other patient.”
Mindy whirled away and stomped back to the fire site. “Patience … and faith,” she mumbled. “Lord, please give me patience and faith! Men!”
Back at the waterside, Boone was holding his wounded head. “Women!”
• • •
Mindy went to check on the horses and came back looking dejected. “Well, we’re on foot again.”
“They took the horses?” Boone guessed.
“Yes. How are we ever going to make it?” Mindy slumped to the ground. “I’ve had it. I’ve had it with this trip, with you men, and with dodging bullets every other minute. Please, someone tell me this has all been a bad dream.” She gazed over at the men’s solemn faces. “I’m sorry.” Mindy lowered her head into her hands.
Boone walked over to her and stood awkwardly. He didn’t know whether to sit down or continue standing. She looked up at him. “It’ll be okay,” he said. “We’re still alive. It’s not that much farther to town.” He wanted to be tender and kind, but knew by now that Mindy would respond better to a challenge. “You don’t need to start your caterwauling now!”
“I’m not caterwauling! I’m fine,” Mindy said. She raised her head and looked deep into Boone’s eyes. “Why didn’t you just give them the money before?”
Boone didn’t answer. He cursed and walked away.
• • •
The next morning, they set out as soon as the sun peeked over the horizon. Lucas struggled but remained upright, moving slowly. They had traveled approximately a mile when they heard a shout: “Hello! Is anybody out there?”
The trio exchanged glances. The immediate desire was to call out in response, but prudence stopped them.
“Hello?” The call came again, closer this time, and from above. “If you can hear me, holler out! It’s okay! I’m with the stage line! Hello!”
Mindy’s shoulders dropped in relief. Boone and Lucas smiled. “Here! We’re down here!” Lucas called back. “Down by the water!”
“Hold on,” said the voice. “I’m coming down!”
In a moment, a horse and rider came through an expanse of trees. He stopped short upon seeing the three. “What the heck happened? Where are the rest of the passengers? Where’s Gibb?”
“Dead. They’re all dead.”
“Dead!” The man was a wiry thing. He looked ancient, with gray hair and kind eyes. “Was it thieves?”
“Yep. They got the money,” Boone said. “I’m Marshal Gary Boone. I was along for the ride and supposed to be guarding it. You could say we ran into more than we bargained for.”
Mindy’s eyes had widened with the knowledge that Boone was a member of law forces. “You’re a marshal? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Drop it, Mindy. I had a job to do. All that matters is I failed.”
Chapter Sixteen
There was one more night to get through in the journey toward their destination. The scrawny old man had promised to send help by the morrow. Mindy had been given the option to ride along, but wouldn’t leave her charges.
Lucas and Boone began to grow antsy and ill-tempered as they realized they would soon be home. They were ready to be on with their lives.
As dusk turned into a deepening twilight, the three sat fireside, studying one another, lost in thought. A chilly wind had swept in and they were huddled close to the warmth of the flickering flames.
“So, you never told us what you were doing on this trip in the first place,” Boone said, looking at Mindy. “Why would a young lady be traveling alone?”
Mindy sniffed. “It was supposed to be a simple trip from Mississippi to Kansas to pick up a title to property left us by my uncle. Have you heard of The Blue Saloon? That’s where it’s being held.”
“A saloon? Well, that’s a great way to end a trip like this!” Boone said, with fire in his eyes.
“I only plan to pick up the title, not apply for employment.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you can be a little stupid? A nice lady doesn’t travel alone in these parts. She certainly wouldn’t visit establishments like that, either. Have you thought about what would have happened to you if you had ridden along with Gibb? Have you considered that at all?”
“Yes,” Mindy said. “I thought about that as soon as I saw him. I could have been lying there alongside him.”
“Only if you were lucky! Those men would have carted you off with them … for more than an afternoon ride into the country.”
Mindy blanched. That thought had not occurred to her.
“What if Lucas, here, or — me — weren’t gentlemen?”
She snorted. “Perhaps I would have been better off with the Bylers, if you represent a gentleman.”
Boone stared hard into her green eyes. “I’m being serious. You have to be more careful. What if we leave you in Tipton and you go off on another harebrained adventure?”
“I don’t plan to go off on another adventure, Gary Boone! I didn’t plan on this one! And besides, when I get to Tipton, I’ll be no concern of yours, anyway. What do you care?”
Rubbing his hands and holding them in front of the fire, Lucas joined in. “You two never stop, do you? Can you leave go for a while, at least?”
“Stupid,” Boone said. “You can’t fix stupid. My momma always said you can love it and you can pet it, but you can’t fix it.”
Mindy’s body drew up into a hard line. “How dare you say something like that! You don’t know me! You don’t know anything about me!”
It was Boone’s turn to snort. “I reckon I d
o. We’ve spent every minute together for the last … six days. I’ve seen what I need to see to sum you up pretty well.”
“Well, that makes two of us! And do you want to know what I’ve decided? You’re a heathen! A filthy, good-for-nothing heathen! You can’t see anything past the end of your nose!” Mindy stood up and walked off into the woods.
The two men stared at each other. “Do you think she’s gone off to take care of business, or decided to walk on to Tipton without us?” Lucas finally said.
Boone cursed and stood up. He stalked to the edge of the forest line. “Mindy! Mindy?” He glanced back at Lucas, then straightened his shoulders and strode into the brambles.
Boone heard the sound of sobbing and it wrenched his gut. How many times had she cried in the last few days? Enough to wash away every sin he’d ever had, that was for sure. Too bad it wouldn’t work. He crept up to her softly. “Mindy, are you okay?”
“Yes! Of course I’m okay! I’m always okay! That’s my lot in life. When my brothers got hurt and had to be stitched up, it was my job to do it. When my friends got married and asked me to stand beside them, it was my job to do that, too. When my dad died and my mom fell apart, who took care of her — even though I was falling apart inside? Me! And I was fine. I have to be fine. There’s no other choice.”
Boone stepped up to her, backing her against a tree. “You don’t have to carry the weight of the world, Mindy. You could ask for help.”
“From who, my little brothers? You?”
“Maybe.” He leaned in and looked into her eyes. The night enveloped them, creating a quiet place where nothing moved. He raised a calloused hand to her cheek. “So pretty.”
“Pretty?” Mindy said, with a voice that trembled. “Not me. Never.”
“Yep. Even with the mud and the mess, you’re one of the prettiest things I ever saw.” Boone smiled, and Mindy stared into his black eyes.
Boone leaned in closer … closer. Softly, his lips touched hers, surprised when her lips turned up to tentatively meet his. He stepped closer, placing one hand on her slender waist. As she leaned into the kiss, he pulled her even closer, deepening the experience for both of them.