Sophie's Daughters Trilogy

by Mary Connealy

  “I know. And you’re right. It’s been an exhausting day. If that trail’s half as treacherous as you say, we’d be lucky not to kill ourselves or our horses. We have to stop. I’m sorry I’ve been fussing at you, Tom.” She smoothed his forehead with her fingers. It was the sweetest touch he’d ever known.

  He wasn’t much in the mood for sweet right now.

  She closed her eyes and rolled so her back was to his. “We need to get some rest and get an early start tomorrow. Good night then.”

  He caught her shoulder before she could get comfortable and rolled her flat on her back. “Not quite yet.”

  “What?”

  “You’ve been worrying about your children, and I know they’re mighty important.”

  “Important? Well of course they are. They’re the most important things in my life.”

  “I suppose that’s fair, but a husband ranks right up there, doesn’t he?” Lowering his head, he said, “I think you need to worry about me for a little while.”

  He kissed her and didn’t stop until she was thinking only wifely thoughts, and plenty of them.

  “This doesn’t worry me one bit.” She slid her arms around his neck and smiled.

  Laughing softly, Tom said, “Well, maybe I’m not doing it right then.”

  Mandy came awake slowly, feeling as if she were wrapped in comfort. Feeling safe. Strange, unfamiliar feeling. She looked skyward and remembered how the stars had almost seemed to speak aloud to her the first night she and Tom had spent in each other’s arms. She’d been lying just like this.

  At peace, even in the midst of the madness of her life, and the stars had hinted that there was a way to read them so Sidney’s map made sense.

  They weren’t talking now, but then Mandy had learned what that map and those lights in the sky had to say already.

  Instead she wondered how long she’d slept. Her head was fuzzy, but it wasn’t heavy with exhaustion. The stars told her dawn wasn’t far away. Tom was warm and solid beside her, letting her use his shoulder for a pillow.

  They should get up. By the time they’d built up the fire and warmed up what was left of last night’s coffee and eaten a biscuit or two, the sun would light their way.

  She felt Tom stir beside her. Though she hadn’t moved, she’d obviously disturbed his sleep. Or something else had disturbed them both.

  Mandy listened, but nothing alerted her, and she trusted her wood-smarts.

  “Let’s get moving.” His voice was scratchy and gruff. It stroked something deep inside her, almost an ache but not really. Too pleasant for that.

  Mandy rolled up on her elbow so she looked down on her new husband. The moonlight lit his eyes. “I’m sorry I’ve brought trouble to you, Tom.”

  “Now, Mandy girl, don’t start that again.”

  “But trouble or not, I wish now I’d come storming out of that stupid castle the minute Sidney was dead. That sounds awful and so unloving, but I wish I’d packed up the children and come running straight to you. I knew I could. I knew you’d take me in. But all I could think of was the trouble I’d bring.” She knew the sun was coming close to rising because she could see the surprise and satisfaction on his face.

  “I wish I’d been married to you for a year already.” She leaned down and kissed him.

  His arms were hard, as strong as oaks. Strong enough to protect her. Maybe her constant prayers for protection had garnered her the lightning speed with the Winchester, and now God had added a tough-as-nails husband.

  “We’ll get the children today.” Tom stroked the hair back off her forehead. “We’ll take them home and start living our life tomorrow. We’ll be on guard, and the sheriff and the marshal will do their jobs. Worrying day and night about survival isn’t going to be your life from now on, Mandy. We’ll find a way to live in safety and as much peace as a body gets in the Rocky Mountains.”

  Smiling, Mandy nodded. “We will.”

  They were in the saddle soon after and riding out in the gray light of pre-dawn.

  Before they’d ridden a hundred yards up the trail, they were stopped by a slide.

  “This is awful.” Mandy led her horse around the worst of it. Tom was in the lead, so he pushed rocks off a steep cliff on their left when necessary. They’d mount up and ride, then have to stop and lead their horses again. By the time they reached the top of the trail, the sun was fully up. But Mandy’s nerves were strung tight from the mean, twisting trail.

  “Glad we waited until we were rested?” Tom looked over his shoulder and gave her his usual “I told you so” smirk. She was almost starting to like it.

  Mandy rode up beside him when the path widened enough to allow it. “I’m learning something about marriage from you, Tom.”

  He aimed his horse down the much more civilized slope that must lead them to the Harden ranch. The bottom of the trail was visible, and it seemed to end in a lush, grassy valley. There was no sign of a ranch house. Mandy had never been here before, but Tom seemed to know where he was going.

  “What’s that?”

  “When you’re married to a man you respect, it’s a lot easier to let him lead. I know a man’s supposed to be the head of the home, but with Sidney I never trusted him enough to even consider letting him take charge of much.”

  “You mean you built that castle?” Tom’s lips quirked, so Mandy knew he was only teasing.

  “Nope, that was all Sidney. But I didn’t let him take care of the children. I never trusted him to find food or chop wood. Maybe he’d have done it if I’d let him get cold and hungry, but my children and I would have had to get cold and hungry, too, and I wasn’t willing to trust him enough to leave it to him.”

  “But you might let me do important stuff?” Tom’s smiled bloomed fully.

  “I very definitely might.”

  Laughing, Tom said, “I am fully honored, Mrs. Linscott, that you might let me run my own household.”

  “Well, you oughta be.”

  Tom reached a smooth stretch of the trail with no rocks to roll beneath the horses’ feet and kicked his horse into a ground-eating trot. Mandy kept up, eager to see her children. As they rode, she remembered the last time she’d felt this excited about life. It had been the day she’d married Sidney and had gotten on the stagecoach to leave Mosqueros, Texas, and start her new life with him.

  And look how badly that had turned out.

  “Look who’s here.” Mark lifted Angela off his lap and stood, turning to face Mandy and Tom. “Your ma’s back.”

  He looked from Angie to Catherine in Emma’s arms. Emma was watching the oncoming horses. Jarrod was taking a mid-morning nap. Mandy was still a ways off, but Angela howled and reached for her mother and started crying her head off. Catherine joined in at once, though Mark didn’t think the little girl knew exactly why she was crying.

  “I guess I should’ve waited to mention it.” He looked at Emma.

  “I reckon.” Emma had to shout to be heard over the wailing children. She rolled her eyes at him.

  He smiled to think of a lifetime of Emma and her sass. “Let’s walk out to meet them. Maybe if we act like we’re hurrying it’ll stop their crying.”

  “I’ll tell Ma they’re coming first.” Emma hurried to the ranch door and was back in a trice.

  The oncoming riders had goaded their horses into a gallop and were closing in so fast Mark didn’t bother walking toward them. Instead he fussed over Angela, teasing her out of her tears with nonsense.

  Emma reached his side with her own fretful child just as Mandy and Tom rode up.

  Mandy was off the horse and running the few feet to her children before her horse had come to a full stop. Mark looked over Mandy’s head to see Tom dealing with the horses. Belle came out of the house carrying a sleepy Jarrod with several more children on her heels. Mark and Emma both set their wriggling girls free to run to their mama.

  Her arms full of crying children, Mandy hugged and kissed and comforted her girls. Mark heard her apologizing re
peatedly.

  Tom came up and said, “Got a howdy for your pa?”

  Angela looked up, quit crying, and stretched out her arms. “Hi, Papa.”

  Tom scooped her up and tossed her into the air. The tears were forgotten as Angela giggled and Catherine yammered for a turn.

  Mark whispered to Emma, “You don’t think he’s really their pa, do you?”

  “Of course not.” Emma shook her head. “Mandy’s a proper, decent woman.”

  There wasn’t a real strong sense of assurance in Emma’s voice, even though Mark thought she was right. Probably.

  Mandy reached for Jarrod when Belle got close enough. His legs were pumping as if he were running toward his ma, even though Belle still had him in her arms. Smiling, she handed the boy over. Then Belle gave Mandy a hug, even though the children were in their arms.

  When the riot calmed down, Belle said, “Come in and sit a spell.”

  “We need to get back to the ranch,” Mandy said.

  There were tears in her eyes. Mark couldn’t get past how fragile Mandy McClellen had become. It stirred him until he wanted to fight someone just to take the pressure off his gut.

  He went to Mandy when Belle turned loose of her and pulled her into his arms, children and all. “Are you all right?” He pulled back so their eyes met. So much passed between them.

  “You have never been nice to me a day in your life, Mark Reeves.” Mandy’s eyes were watering, but he saw her spunk. She was in better shape than when Tom had first brought her to his ranch.

  “You didn’t deserve nice. You were bossier than my parents and the teacher combined, you pointed out more of my sins than the parson ever did, and you never quit nagging me for a minute.” Mark grinned.

  “And you tortured perfectly nice teachers and disrupted the school, and you earned every sharp word I ever spoke.”

  Mark caught himself before he dropped his head and kicked at the dirt in the sullen little boy way he’d had whenever his pranks had caught up with him. Instead he stepped back and said, “I believe you said on a number of occasions that I was born to hang.”

  “And yet here you are walking around.” Mandy’s tears eased and she smiled fully. “A testimony to years of desperate prayers your mother sent heavenward.”

  Mark glanced behind him and saw Emma watching him with narrow eyes. He made a quick move and snaked his arm around her waist—right in front of Belle Harden—and pulled her to his side. “And now I’ve got another good woman with her work cut out for her.”

  Mandy looked from Mark to Emma. Mark noticed a faint blush on Emma’s tanned skin.

  “Well, since she didn’t slam the butt of her six-gun into your skull, it must be true.” Mandy looked at Emma, who nodded. “Emma, we’ve got to find a time to talk privately. I know all the best ways of punishing Mark when he’s up to no good.”

  Emma smiled. “Have you got things straightened up? I thought you were on your way to Denver. We didn’t expect you back for days and days.”

  Tom came up to Mandy’s side and hoisted Catherine out of her arms. “We let everyone think we were heading for Denver, but that wasn’t our goal. We’ve done what we set out to do.”

  Mark had no idea what that meant exactly. Tom definitely wasn’t telling all he knew.

  “Now we’re going to go home, make sure the ranch is secure, and let the law handle the Cooter clan.” Tom looked down at Mandy.

  Mark thought he saw just a hint of warning in Tom’s eyes, a bit like what he’d seen in Emma’s. Maybe Mark had oughta quit hugging married women.

  Then Tom glared at Mark. “Are you coming with me, or are you staying here with the Hardens?”

  “He’s going with you.” Belle stepped up close. “Let’s get you something hot in your stomachs. Trail food gets old after a while.”

  They turned to the house. Mandy and Tom walked ahead with all three children, still clinging.

  “Have you talked with your family, Mandy?” Mark might be wise not to hug her, but he couldn’t help wanting to protect her. “Do they know what’s going on? I didn’t send a letter or a wire. I wasn’t sure if I should.”

  Mandy looked back, frowning. “Are you coming back to Tom’s place?”

  “Our place, Mandy girl,” Tom said.

  “Our place.” Mandy smiled at Tom a private kind of smile that made Mark restless to have his very own wife.

  He reached out to pull Emma close, and Belle was there. She knocked his hand aside. “Let’s get inside.”

  “You know I’m really starting to like you, Ma.” Mark braced himself to take a fist to the jaw.

  Instead Belle smiled. She wiped the smile away quick but not quick enough.

  “I saw that.”

  She scowled, and Mark didn’t push his luck. He headed after Mandy and Tom. He needed to ask his boss about the cattle he had coming for pay. He needed to get on with building a house and arranging a wedding.

  If he had his way, he’d get it all in order by the end of the week.

  Mark saw Charlie riding in from his stint standing watch. Charlie had done his best to sneak a word or two with Sarah, but it’d been a challenge.

  Silas rode alongside him, and the two were talking. Silas looked plumb depressed.

  It occurred to Mark suddenly that Charlie was talking to the man of the family. Why hadn’t Mark thought of that? It was the proper way, and it had the advantage of going around Belle instead of through her.

  Silas swung down off his horse and handed the reins to Charlie, who started leading the animals toward the barn.

  Sarah stepped to the door of the cabin. “I’ve got some stew heated up.”

  Her pretty voice drew Charlie’s head around, and he stopped in his tracks.

  “Let’s get inside now,” Belle ordered.

  Silas came up to Belle and said something in a voice too low for anyone to hear.

  Belle shook her head and looked horrified.

  Tom and Mandy went inside along with the children.

  “Sarah, come out here.” Silas’s voice was hard and cranky. Belle’s jaw was so tight he doubted she was capable of speech.

  Sarah had backed into the house as the crowd moved in, but she came back out so quickly Mark knew she’d been paying close attention to what went on outside. She headed for her parents, but her eyes went to Charlie as if they were beyond her control.

  Charlie turned back from the barn, and Mark said to Emma, “I’m going to see to the horses. I’ll be right back.”

  Emma looked past him and saw Charlie walking toward her ma and pa and Sarah, and her eyes went round with surprise.

  “We can live next door to ’em if you want. There’s another nice stretch of land close to mine that will suit my cousin.” Mark paused as Emma sorted all of that out. Then he added, “And your sister.”

  Emma whispered, “See to the horses. I’m going to say a prayer for Charlie.”

  Mark nodded and made quick work of taking the horses to the barn, leaving his cousin to his fate.

  Twenty – two

  I can’t seem to get my breath.” Mandy looked behind her at the receding gap they’d just ridden through. “That place seemed safe. Now we’re out here, exposed. We need to ride hard for your ranch, Tom.”

  Angela was asleep sitting in front of Mandy. Catherine was asleep in Tom’s arms. Mark had Jarrod on his back. Six cowhands rode strung out behind them. Including Mark Reeves, though Mandy had wondered for a while if he’d agree to go.

  “You’re looking at it wrong, Mandy girl.”

  “How so?” She kicked her horse to up her speed from a ground-eating canter to a flat-out gallop.

  “You’re still thinking like a rabbit. Running from hole to hole. Your stupid Gray Tower was safe, Belle’s was safe, my ranch is safe.”

  “Well, they are.” Mandy felt her heart pound hard at the wide open spaces. She looked at the cragged hills and thick forests. Well, not wide open exactly.

  “We’re not going to live like that. W
e’ll be cautious, but we are not going to run into my house and pull that heavy door shut behind us and hide.”

  “Yes, we are.”

  “We’re going to live.” Tom reached over and caught Mandy’s reins and slowed her horse. “We can’t keep up this pace all the way home. The horses can’t handle it. Settle down.”

  Mandy wanted to knock Tom’s hands away from her horse and spur the animal faster. Of course she had no spurs, but she’d manage to wring speed out of the poor critter. And she wanted it so badly, so desperately that she suddenly knew Tom was right.

  She was thinking like a rabbit. Half rabbit, half rabid swamp rat.

  With a sigh, she quit fighting over control of her horse, and when she quit, Tom let go. They settled into a fast, steady walk that the horses could keep up all day.

  “I can feel them out there, Tom. I can feel them drawing a bead on my back.”

  “I’ve got good men with me, and I know these hills. There’s nowhere to lay in wait along here. The trail is too rugged. There aren’t good overhangs. Farther down the trail toward the Double L, I’ll have the men split off and make sure no one’s around, but for now we’re fine.”

  “We’re not fine, Tom. We’ll never be fine as long as one Cooter is still living.”

  Mandy settled in to rail at her husband for the rest of the long ride home when a wider spot in the trail allowed Mark Reeves to ride up beside them. Mandy clamped her lips shut and glared at Mark. He grinned back. Mandy suspected she looked a lot more like his old enemy when she was glaring.

  “Can I talk to you, Boss?”

  Mandy waited for Tom to tell Mark to beat it so they could discuss important, life and death things.

  “Sure, what do you want?” Tom didn’t even look at Mandy.

  She wondered if maybe she’d done a bit too much nagging.

  It didn’t seem to be having much good affect.

  “I’ve asked Emma Harden to marry me.”

  Mandy gasped and looked sharply at Mark.

  “Any reason that’s a bad thing, wife?” Tom’s voice sounded a bit too harsh.