One Wish

by Jodi Thomas

  She laughed. “You are touching me, Sam.”

  Moving his hand over the silk covering her breast, he whispered, “I’d like to touch you here.”

  She stilled for a moment.

  He feared he’d stepped too far in this game they played. Touching a woman there seemed a very private place. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her, but how could he explain that the closer they grew, the closer he wanted to be?

  He bumped the back of his head against the rocker and swore. “Slap me if you want to, Maggie. I deserve it.”

  When she raised her hands to her throat, he knew he’d frightened her.

  “Or maybe just shoot me. My brain hasn’t worked right since I put my arm around you for the ride here.” Even now he couldn’t forget how his arm lightly brushed just under her breasts all the way home. He had a feeling he could pour hot lye-soapy water in one ear and let it drain out the other and it still wouldn’t wash his mind clear of her.

  An apology was on his lips when she began unbuttoning her robe. “We’ve only a short time before Webster wakes.”

  The robe opened an inch, then two as she moved down the buttons. When she’d opened almost to her waist, she leaned back against his arm and closed her eyes.

  He couldn’t move. He had trouble believing she was in his arms waiting for him to touch her where he was sure no other man ever had. He’d never touched a woman like this. He’d doctored Danni when she’d come to him that first night bleeding and cut, but there had been no enjoyment in it. To touch Maggie now for no other reason than to give and take pleasure seemed a luxury beyond any he’d known.

  Leaning down, he touched his lips to hers, loving the way she smiled before opening her mouth slightly. He straightened and moved his hand down the opening of her robe. Her skin was softer than he’d expected. Slowly, he slipped his fingers over the rise of her breast as he watched her face.

  When his hand covered one breast, she arched toward the warmth of it and made a little sound, but she didn’t move away. She was so perfect, he thought. As he gripped her in his hand, he covered her mouth with his and kissed her deeply so the next sound she made was smothered. For a while he was lost in the need to hold her, touch her, taste her. She kissed him back, but she didn’t move otherwise. Her hands remained tightly clasped at her waist.

  He raised his head when he finally became aware of her stillness. “Are you all right?” he said, his fingers still caressing her.

  “Yes,” she answered, her words unsteady. “Is this thing done between husbands and wives?”

  “I think so.” He moved his hand away.

  She straightened, sitting up in his lap. “Not in the mornings, I’d think. Otherwise no one would get to work on time.”

  He laughed. “So you liked it?”

  She began buttoning her robe. “I did. Would you mind doing it again tonight, please?”

  “I’d love to, Maggie, if it pleases you.” He loved the honesty of this woman. Kissing her forehead, he added, “It pleased me greatly to touch you so. The softness of—”

  “Samuel,” she interrupted. “I don’t think we should speak of such things.”

  He smiled. “As long as we do them, I think I can refrain from talking about it.”

  “Fair enough,” she said.

  When she slipped off his lap, he let his hand move down her back and pat her bottom. “Is it all right to say you’re a beauty, my Maggie? A treasure to hold.” He saw the blush rise in her cheeks.

  “I’ll go get dressed now. Promise you won’t come up for five minutes.”

  He didn’t trust himself to answer, but he did manage a nod. He was too busy wondering if she blushed all over.

  When she came down a few minutes later she had on trousers tucked into boots and a man’s wool shirt, but nothing about her reminded him of a male. She stood on the first step and raised her arms. “How do I look? I’ve never worn trousers, but they seemed appropriate for shoveling snow.”

  “It’s still pretty cold out there. We may not get as much snow in the canyon as they do up top, but it is still just as cold.”

  “I was planning on my husband helping to warm me up when we’re finished.”

  “I can do that, if it’s what you want, but I’ll respect my shy wife’s request and not talk about the details.” He thought it funny that she would do things she couldn’t bring herself to talk about. Most men he knew talked about things they’d probably never do when it came to loving a woman.

  She laughed as if she’d read his mind.

  He walked to the bottom of the stairs, planning to pull her into his arms, but a pounding on the door stopped him.

  No one had ever knocked on his front door. The few who visited him from time to time always came to the back. Sam reached for his rifle and motioned Maggie to go back upstairs. Whoever came knocking on a day like this had to want to see him badly.

  He thought she might object to being ordered, but she ran up the stairs. With his hand on the lock, he glanced up to make sure she had vanished.

  “Who is it?” he yelled through the solid wood.

  “It’s Sheriff Raines. I come out to tell you it’s safe for Miss Allison to come on back to town.”

  Sam hesitated. He didn’t want it to be over. For a few moments this morning he’d believed their game could almost be real.

  Maggie appeared at the top of the stairs, Webster on her hip as if she’d been carrying the boy since he was born. “Really? We’re no longer in danger?”

  She looked so relieved Sam felt bad for wishing she’d stay here longer. He wanted a little more time, but she must be dying to get back to her world.

  He threw the bolt, lowered his rifle, and opened the door.

  As the sheriff stomped in, Sam asked, “How’d you find me?”

  “It wasn’t hard,” the man behind the sheriff answered as he leveled a Colt to Sam’s chest, “but crossing a mile of snow wasn’t easy.”

  Sam glared into the cold eyes of Boss Adler. He knew he’d never get his rifle up in time to fire before Adler killed him, but if he’d been alone, he might have tried. He was a dead man either way. All he could hope for was to buy enough time to let Maggie get away. Out of the corner of his vision he could see the empty balcony and guessed she’d slipped back before either of the men entering had a chance to see her.

  Take the passage! he screamed inside. Take the passage.

  The sheriff drew his attention. “Sorry about this, Sam, but Adler offered me enough money to retire in style. I don’t have to kill anyone, all I have to do is look the other way.”

  Sam took a step backward. Icy wind blew into the house, but he couldn’t feel it. There was no room in his mind for anything but fear for Maggie and his son. He had to give them time. Every second he could slow Adler down increased her chances. “How’d you find me?” he asked again.

  Sheriff Raines laughed. “It took me a while to figure it out. Adler and his men were in town to case the bank. I didn’t see any harm in helping them. After all, they wouldn’t be robbing it until after I retired. But then it got messy when they decided to rob the mercantile. I planned to run in and fire a few shots while they rode away with the money, but you got in the way.”

  Sam saw the whole picture. “Then you decided to make sure we were hid away before you turned us over to Adler. That way there would be no killing of witnesses in town, right?”

  “Something like that,” the sheriff said. “Only you wouldn’t tell me where you lived. I was about to lose a good deal of money before I remembered a few years back when you stole old man Dolton’s daughter. I figured he knew where you lived and would be more than happy to tell me.”

  Sam took another step back, but Adler advanced like a cat playing with a mouse.

  “So why weren’t you here the first night?”

  Raines frowned. “Strange, but it seems Dolton, much as he hated you, didn’t seem willing to tell us. We had to wait around until his sons rode out. The big one headed into to
wn to drink, and who knows where the kid went. We just waited until they were out of sight before we rode in to talk to Dolton. Adler had to carve on the old man several times before he started talking. He seemed more afraid of your kin than the knife. By the time he’d told us all we wanted to know, he’d bled out. I guess that makes his killing an accident. You can thank him and this storm that you lived one more day.”

  Sam looked at the man holding a Colt at his chest, but his words were for the sheriff. “Adler isn’t going to let you go, Raines. You’re as dead as I am.”

  The sheriff laughed. “You’re wrong. Boss and I have become friends. He needs me. I’m the one who will explain everything to the folks in town. Old man Dolton came over here, found Maggie Allison in your house, and killed her. You came home, found her body, and went over and killed Dolton at his place, after you tortured him, of course. The older son must have seen you and shot you, then I confronted him in town, and unfortunately, I’ll have to shoot him before he tells us any more than what we can guess from the bodies.”

  The sheriff smiled. “I retire a hero. Adler goes about his business without a witness to testify against him. Since you and Miss Maggie are both alone without any family, there’ll be no one to ask questions. By the time the snow melts no one will even care.”

  “Only one problem.” Sam smiled. “Maggie isn’t here.”

  Chapter 11

  Maggie moved through the baby’s room feeling panic dancing in her veins. For a moment she searched the walls looking for the door.

  Nowhere.

  She tried to think. Sam hadn’t said a door. He’d called it a little passage, but she couldn’t remember what else he’d said.

  It wouldn’t be in the floor or the ceiling. It had to be in the walls. She held a sleepy Webster close as she ran her free hand along the walls. When she reached the second built-in bookshelf, the frame gave slightly.

  Maggie tugged and an opening appeared. She could hear Sam and the sheriff arguing downstairs. The moment she’d spotted Boss Adler coming through the door with his gun drawn, she knew they were in trouble. Her instinct was to run to Sam, but she knew he would want Web safe. That had to be her first priority.

  Grabbing a blanket, she covered Web’s head and moved into the dark passage. Once in, she tugged the bookshelf back into place. It crossed her thoughts that maybe she could hide there and wait until she knew it was safe, but if the baby made a sound, they’d be found. Her best plan of action was to be as far away as possible when someone opened the passage. If it was Sam, he’d come after them. He’d know where she was headed. If it was anyone else, her life would depend on finding somewhere safe to hide.

  Maggie crossed her arms over Web and moved slowly along a tunnel that must have been an underground spring at one time. Water, a few inches deep, still trickled in the uneven grooves at her feet. She bumped along trying to protect the child and keep her balance as she moved down slippery rock.

  Listening, she prayed she didn’t hear a shot. The spiders and mud didn’t matter. Just don’t let Sam die. She knew Adler had come to kill them both. Maybe not being able to find her would buy Sam time.

  She felt like she’d moved along the natural tunnel for half a mile before she saw light. Web hadn’t made a sound until he saw the sun reflected off snow; then he began to cry.

  Maggie’s arms ached, but she held him close as she stepped from the blackness into the blinding light of snow. Wind whipped around her, turning the cold air to freezing. She couldn’t see anything. She had no idea which way to go and she knew it wouldn’t be wise to stay in the tunnel.

  Sam had said something about being able to see the old woman’s dugout from the cave entrance, but all she saw was snow.

  Webster held to her tightly but she knew the blanket wouldn’t keep him warm.

  Panicking, she searched the horizon. All she could see was snow. Slowly she turned in a circle. Snow. A few rocks. The charred remains of what had once been trees.

  Sam’s description of Nina’s place drifted across her panic. Nothing left but burned tree trunks that stuck up like tombstones in her front yard.

  She stared at the dead trees and spotted a tiny curl of smoke from a cabin built half in the ground. The place was almost completely covered in snow. It looked to be only a hundred yards away, but the wind had whipped snow around, leaving drifts almost to her waist.

  Step by step she moved toward the cabin. The snow fought her progress. Web wiggled, wanting down, but she couldn’t risk it.

  Finally, sweating and freezing at the same time, she made her way to the cabin door.

  When Nina answered the knock, both Maggie and Webster were crying. Nina stepped outside and took the boy from Maggie.

  For a moment, Maggie just stood still, trying to breathe as her muscles contracted in exhaustion.

  “Come on, girl!” Nina yelled. “You made it this far. You can walk a few more steps.”

  Maggie forced one foot to move and then another. When she finally stepped inside, a blast of heat hit her as painfully as a hundred bee stings.

  Nina dropped Web into her old chair and pulled the wet blanket away. The boy was sniffling from fright, but didn’t look hurt. “Stay here and be still,” Nina told him. “Maybe the cat will come sit on you if you do.” She covered him with a quilt and shoved the chair closer to the fire.

  Web stopped crying and watched the three cats.

  Nina moved to Maggie. “You took good care of that boy, but you look terrible. Take off those wet boots and frozen trousers. I’ll find you a blanket. We got to thaw you out a little at a time, so don’t get any closer to the fire.”

  Nina helped her tug off her wet boots and trousers, then dropped a blanket over her head. “You got ice in your hair, girl. You came through that cave, didn’t you?”

  Maggie nodded.

  “Then I’m guessing there’s a world of trouble at Sam’s place if you’re here.” The old woman stood and bolted the door before she sat an old gun on the kitchen table. “I can’t do much about the trouble, but I can help you.”

  The clock on the old woman’s mantel seemed to tick at half speed. Maggie finally sat by the fire, her hair drying wildly around her as she drank the strongest coffee she’d ever tasted. Nina fussed over the boy while she asked questions.

  “They won’t come here.” The old woman was guessing the future. “Not that many folks know about my place. Not even Sam tries to stop by when it snows. The trail is too dangerous from above.”

  The day aged and Maggie thought she might go insane with worry over Sam. She guessed that if Adler didn’t kill him outright, he’d start trying to beat her whereabouts out of Sam. She knew Sam would die before he said a word.

  Nina circled past her and mumbled as if she’d read Maggie’s thoughts, “He’s alive, girl, don’t you worry. I can feel things. I know.”

  “Would you tell me if you change your thinking?” Maggie didn’t know whether to believe the old woman or not, but she had to ask.

  “Of course I will. If Sam’s dead, you’ll have to start worrying about this baby. He’ll be yours then.”

  “Mine?”

  Nina barked a laugh. “He would have been anyway. That first time I saw you, you know what I saw in Sam’s eyes?”

  “What?”

  “I saw longing. I saw need. The kind of need a man gets when he has to have a woman for a lifetime. I knew you were going to be his.”

  “But I’m not his.”

  Nina grinned. “Yeah, you are, girl, and if he dies today, you’ll mourn him like a widow.”

  Maggie started to argue, but realized she couldn’t. The old woman was right.

  Chapter 12

  Sam took the first few blows Adler gave him without even trying to duck. It wouldn’t have mattered. The first time the Colt slammed against his head, the handle left a gash across his cheek and split his lip. The second time, he felt the blow at his hairline. Blood dripped in a steady stream over his left eye.

  After th
at, Adler tied him to the worktable and took his anger out on Sam’s body with the butt of his rifle. He kept yelling for Sam to tell him where Maggie was.

  Sam never made a sound. The icy wind blew in the open door, numbing the pain.

  Finally, the sheriff yelled and stopped the beating. He grabbed Sam by the hair and lifted his head off the table. “If you’ll tell us where the woman is, I’ll make him kill you and her quick.”

  Sam glared at the sheriff, thinking he was worse than the outlaw. Boss Adler was an animal, probably had been all his life. Rumor was he killed his mother when he was eleven and left his drunken father locked in the house to burn. But Raines had been a sheriff for several years, and before that he’d ridden with Colonel MacKenzie in the Red River Wars. He must have been a good man once, but something inside him had twisted.

  “How about I cut a few fingers off?” Adler suggested to the sheriff. “That sure got old Dolton talking.”

  “It wouldn’t do any good. He’ll never talk. Kill him and we’ll go find the girl. She couldn’t have gone far in this weather. I’ll search the house, you take the barn. We’ll find her.”

  Adler widened his stance and pulled his hunting knife. With both hands on the handle, he raised the knife above Sam’s chest.

  Sam closed his eyes and tried to picture Maggie holding his son. He wanted to walk into the hereafter with that one thought in his mind.

  A blast of gunfire roared through the house like a freight train at full speed.

  Sam jerked, thinking he was dead and the pain hadn’t hit him.

  Gunfire answered from somewhere close and another blast rattled the walls.

  Then silence. Absolute silence. Sam wondered if this was what dying was like. Not painful or messy, just silent. His ears were ringing, but beyond that he heard nothing but his heart pounding.

  He opened one eye. If his heart was making so much racket, he couldn’t be dead.

  Sam looked around the room and saw nothing. The sheriff and the outlaw seemed to have vanished. The door was still open, cold wind blowing in along with bright light.