“All right. I’ll be back soon.”
Eli left out the front door, stopping by the jail for a change of clothing, and then heading on to the barber shop. He could get a bath and shave there without going all the way out to the cabin.
Just as Eli reached the barbershop door, the Gazette publisher hailed him from across the street. “Hey Sheriff, wait up a minute.”
“Hello, Luther.”
“I’m not sure if you and your brother found all the information you needed about J.L. Slidell,” Luther Tillman said, “but I got a bulletin in for this week’s edition that I thought you might find interesting.”
Eli hadn’t told this man why they were interested in the politician, and Jasper wasn’t high on his list of priorities right now. “What’s that?”
“Slidell has dropped out of the senate race.”
Tillman had Eli’s attention now. “Why?”
“No explanation. Just announced that he’d decided not to pursue public office, and that he’s stepping aside. He wishes his opponent the best of luck.”
“That is interesting,” Eli said. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Tillman had taken a few steps away when he turned back. “Strangely, Slidell came into the office that day he was here, asking as many questions about you and your brother, as you did about him. Is there anything you can tell me about that?”
“Nope. Not sure what he was after.” Jasper must’ve been trying to decide if they had any connections powerful enough to back up their threats about bringing trouble down on him.
Tillman nodded, and returned to his office. Eli entered the barbershop with a lighter step than he’d had in days. Brody was on the mend. Jasper was out of the senate race. And that was good news for everyone in Texas.
Maybe Maggie was right. Perhaps doing the right thing when you could, even if it was only one small thing, could make a difference.
After the bath, he walked over to the jailhouse to change into different boots. No one was there, not even Bliss. Even though he hadn’t intended to, Eli fell asleep on the cot, waking up when a wagon rumbled down the alley.
He hurried back to Nathaniel’s to find a whole passel of people gathered around Brody’s bed—Maggie and the baby, Caleb, Peg, Walter, Dovie and even little Ruthie were there.
Nathaniel looked at him over the heads of the visitors. “The Miller family heard that Brody’s on the mend. They came to express their gratitude.”
Caleb smiled. “I just stopped by to see how he’s doing. Glad to find him awake.” Peg and Maggie acknowledged the same.
“I can’t thank you enough for what you did,” Walter said to Brody, while his wife softly added her own appreciation.
Brody turned several shades of red. “Aw, anybody woulda done the same,” he mumbled.
“Maybe so,” Walter said, “but I’m grateful for what you did. Anytime you need a favor, anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
The boy’s discomfort was obvious, so Eli drew Walter’s attention to the tin star on Brody’s nightshirt. “He received a little promotion while he was recovering.”
At Walter’s low whistle of admiration, Eli hastened to assure him it wouldn’t involve any actual confrontations with outlaws. “He’s only to wear it at home, for now. It’ll be a few years before he can pin it on for good.” Even as he reassured the other man, Eli was reassuring himself.
Ruthie stepped closer to the bed, smiling shyly at Brody. Pulling her hand from her pocket, she held up a silver badge. “I have a star, too.”
The smiles and conversation of the adults turned to confusion and silence.
“That’s a Texas Ranger badge,” Eli said softly. He glanced up at Ruthie’s parents. They seemed as bewildered as everyone else.
Eli held out a hand to the girl. “Do you mind if I hold it?”
She placed the badge on his palm without comment.
Turning it over, Eli examined it closely and then looked at the only other lawman in the room.
“It’s not mine,” Caleb said. “Doesn’t belong to anyone I know. Some rangers don’t even wear badges, we’re not required to. Others commission their own. Sometimes someone will have a badge made and present it to a ranger personally, in appreciation. I had mine made by a jeweler in Austin.”
“This is excellent craft work,” Eli said.
“How strange,” Maggie murmured, while Nathaniel took a turn looking at it.
Walter’s brow was furrowed. “Ruthie, where did you find the star?”
The child yawned, and pointed to Peg Harmon. “At her house.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
As every eye turned her way, Peg Harmon dropped into the chair by Brody’s bed. Leaning her head back, she appeared to have aged several years in a matter of moments.
Eli placed a hand on her shoulder, and Nathaniel hurried to her other side.
“Peg, is everything okay?” Nathaniel asked.
“Yes. I just haven’t seen that in years.”
Eli held the badge up. “This is yours?”
“My husband’s.”
“I had no idea,” Eli said. From the expressions of the others in the room, it was clear he wasn’t the only one.
“I thought I’d misplaced it,” Peg said softly. “I can’t imagine how Ruthie found it.”
Maggie spoke up. “That may be my fault. I think it fell out of the clothing that you offered me that first night. When I took one of the shirts out of the trunk, I heard a sound, like something hitting the rug. I never could figure out what it was. Later, Ruthie followed me in there. I should have kept searching. I’m so sorry.”
Peg waved the apology away, then closed her eyes again.
Walter caught Eli’s attention and gestured toward the door. “We’re going to take Ruthie home.”
After they left, Eli wasn’t sure what to do. Peg was sitting there, rocking back and forth, eyes closed again. The rest of them exchanged uneasy glances. Nathaniel searched through a cabinet and withdrew a bottle of medicine. But even he seemed unsure of how to act.
Maggie moved forward. “Peg, is there anything I can get you?”
“No, I’m okay. Just brought back a lot of memories.”
Eli wondered if he and Caleb should slip out and let Maggie or Nathaniel handle this. But leaving without acknowledging Peg’s loss, even if it happened years ago, wasn’t the right thing. Asking a bunch of questions didn’t seem appropriate either. While he was trying to decide what to do, Peg started talking.
“Ever heard of two rangers named Blue and Reuben?”
“Of course,” Eli said, as those around nodded. “Everybody has. Those men were legends even among other lawmen.”
“That’s true,” Caleb said. “I’ve heard stories about them many times. Two of the toughest men ever to wear a badge. They battled outlaws, Indians and renegades.”
“Blue Harmon was my husband.”
Again, astonishment greeted her words.
“Didn’t he die rescuing a baby?” Nathaniel asked.
Peg looked grief-stricken all over again. “Yes. It’s one of the strangest tales to come out of the early days in Texas. One summer, a band of Indians stopped at a farm house belonging to the O’Brien family—some of the first settlers in the area.”
“Did they hurt them?” Brody asked.
“No, they were friendly, but at first the family was terrified. The Indians merely looked them over and left. They came several more times, and eventually the settlers grew accustomed to the sight. In fact, sometimes they would exchange small gifts. And Mrs. O’Brien fed them a time or two. Then one day she’d gone down to the spring for water, and when she came back her child was gone. She’d left the infant in a basket on the hearth. That spot was now occupied by an Indian baby.”
Maggie’s eyes widened. “My goodness. How strange.”
Peg nodded. “The mother ran to the field where her husband was plowing, and they took the Indian baby and went running to their nearest neighbor’s house. Blue
and Reuben were already in the area, chasing after some outlaws. When they heard about the abduction they took the Indian baby, told the O’Briens to go home and wait, and they took out after the Indians. It didn’t take them long to find them. They were camped on a creek just a few miles away. The whole bunch of them were gathered around the little O’Brien baby.”
“I’m surprised they stayed so close,” Nathaniel said.
“They didn’t expect any trouble,” Peg said, voice shaky. “They were shocked that they were being accused of stealing a baby. They’d left a fair trade in their opinion. Blue was able to negotiate an exchange. The Indians were a little disgruntled that their gift was being rejected, but they were peaceable enough about it.”
Nathaniel brought Peg a glass of water, and asked if she needed a dose of the medicine.
She shook her head. “Reuben and Blue left the Indian camp, going slow because Blue was carrying the O’Brien baby. They were in a good mood—looking forward to getting the little one back with her parents. The outlaws they’d been trailing suddenly came up out of a gulley. Ambushed them. Blue jumped from his horse and rolled, still cradling the baby, keeping her sheltered. He was shot in the back before he ever had a chance to draw his gun.”
Maggie tightened her grip on Lucinda. “Did they hit the baby?”
“No, she made it all right, just a few scratches. Blue only lived for a few minutes.”
“I’m sorry, Peg.” Eli spoke the words, wishing he knew what else to say.
She nodded, and then continued. “Reuben was also shot. Even wounded he returned fire and killed two of their ambushers—all while trying to protect Blue and the baby. The other outlaws scattered and were captured later.”
“Whatever happened to him?” Eli wondered aloud. “Heard he just disappeared.”
“That’s what I heard, too,” Caleb said. “Everybody said he stuck around long enough for Blue Harmon’s funeral, and then dropped outta sight. Some people say he moved away from Texas. Others say he’s been dead for years.”
“I’ve always been curious,” Eli admitted.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself,” Peg said. “There he is.”
Everybody turned to stare at the doorway. Bliss had just stepped in from the hall. He cast an anxious look toward Brody. “What’s the matter? Something wrong with the boy?”
“No, Brody’s fine,” Eli said. “In fact, Nathaniel said he’s going to make a full recovery.”
“Well, that’s good news. So, why are you looking so strange?”
Eli held up the badge.
All the color left the old man’s face. Sagging against the door frame, he shot a look at Peg as if she’d betrayed him.
* * *
Spinning on his boot heel, Bliss moved back up the hall, faster than his normal amble.
Everybody started talking at once. Eli didn’t stick around to see what would come of it. He took off after Bliss, catching up with him on the boardwalk out front.
“Hey, wait a minute.”
The old man didn’t slow down. “Ain’t got a minute.”
“Where you headed?”
“Outta here.”
“Why?”
Bliss started across the road to the jail. “Cause I don’t wanna talk about what happened back then, and I don’t intend to. Hasn’t mattered to a living soul in years.”
“Sure it matters, Bliss. Y’all were he—”
The old man spun around in the middle of the street. “Don’t you dare say the word hero to me. Blue was, but I let down the person who trusted me most.”
“How did you let him down?”
Bliss turned his back on Eli and marched on across to the jail. “Blue’s dead, isn’t he? If I’d come up with a plan, or been faster or smarter, he might still be alive.” He stormed in to the jail and tried to shut the door behind him. Eli pushed through.
“You can’t think like that,” Eli said. Second guessing yourself could drive a person crazy. And it didn’t accomplish anything.
“Sure I can,” Bliss said. “That’s what happened. Actually I let two people down that day.”
“Two?”
“The last thing Peg said to me every time we left out of here was, ‘Take care of him.’ Do you know the last thing that Blue Harmon said to me before he died?”
“No.”
“He said take care of them.”
“Them?”
“Peg was expecting their first baby.”
“Peg has a child?”
“She lost the babe the day Blue was buried. A little boy.”
Bliss sank down into a chair as if his legs had given out on him. “I tried to do what Blue asked. Peg wouldn’t take a thing from me. She was grieving. But she was more angry than anything. She couldn’t figure out why a man like Blue was snatched by death. He had a wife, and a young ‘un on the way. He was a good person, through and through. Peg didn’t say it out loud, but I knew she was wondering why somebody like me was allowed to live.”
“Bliss, come on, you can’t believe that.”
The old man shrugged. “It’s true. I had no answer for her. I left Moccasin Rock.”
“Why did you come back?”
“My promise to Blue nagged at me. Thankfully, everybody here had already lost interest in the story about the O’Brien baby. I was just Bliss again, Barnes and Minnie Walker’s boy. I’d never been known by that name in the Rangers. Just here. When new people came they didn’t know who I was, or care. Finally, nobody talked about it anymore. That suited me fine.”
Eli realized he’d never seen Peg and Bliss together in the same room. Or even the same building. Until today. “What about Peg?” he asked. “Did you two ever make peace?”
Bliss shook his head. “I tried, Eli. God knows I tried. Even later, when she’d had time to think about it, Peg wanted no help from me. She said it hurt her to talk about Blue, or even about what he wanted. She refused to take a dime from me. I offered her money over and over again.”
Bliss started to say something else, and then clamped his mouth shut.
“So you two have lived here in the same town, all these years, without talking?”
The man sighed. “An occasional word in passing, nothing important. There was only one time when we had a longer talk. A young writer had come to town, doing a story about the early days of Texas, especially about the Texas Rangers. He wanted to find out what happened to Blue Harmon’s widow, and the child they were expecting. And he also wanted to track down the other ranger. Thankfully, the few folks who remembered it all wouldn’t tell him a thing. I hurried to Peg’s house, and we both agreed not to talk. We would let the story die. Cause every time it was dredged up again, it brought back memories so powerful it pained her. We vowed never to speak of it again. And we didn’t. Until now.”
He looked at Eli with confusion in his eyes. “What made her show y’all the badge?”
“Walter Miller’s little girl had it in her pocket. She’s been stopping in at Peg’s place to visit. Must’ve picked it up at some point.”
Bliss blinked a few times, then closed his eyes.
Eli understood not wanting to dwell on what had happened, all the loss and pain. He also knew that talking to Maggie about his past had made him feel better. He didn’t want to force the old man to relive anything he didn’t want to, but he would provide an opening, just in case.
“So what was Blue Harmon like?” he asked.
Bliss took his hat off and leaned back. “You heard men described as larger than life? That fit Blue like nothing else ever did. He wasn’t as big as you, size wise. He just…lived. I never met a man before, or since, who could wring as much out of life as he did. Even every day sorta things. No matter what situation we’d find ourselves in, Blue made it better.”
Eli nodded.
“The men woulda followed him anywhere,” Bliss said. “And women too, for that matter. But from the minute he laid eyes on Peg that man never looked at another female. Peg was beautiful. Sti
ll is. But back then, she had long, dark red hair. Heard somebody call it auburn. Whatever you call it, it was a sight. Blue was a goner the minute he set eyes on her. Told me he wanted a whole house full of red-headed babies.”
Eli smiled, but kept his silence.
“And she loved him right back,” Bliss said. “I admit I was envious of what they had. But I was also happy for them, if that makes any sense. I loved them both. They were my friends. Like to have killed me to lose them.” He raised faded blue eyes to Eli. “That coat that Maggie was wearing the first time I saw her. That was Blue’s. Set me back. Then I figured Peg must’ve give it to her.”
That explained the strange reaction. “I’m sorry,” Eli said, truly regretting anything that might’ve caused the old man more pain.
“You couldn’t have known.”
Bliss started in on another story about the bygone days, while Eli got the coffee pot, filled a cup and passed it to the man. And let him talk.
“It’s been hard to watch Peg struggle through the years,” Bliss said later. “Midwives don’t make much in a place like this, nobody does. Even when there’s plenty of work, there’s sometimes no money.”
Yet somehow Peg survived. And Eli thought he knew how. “Nathaniel said she gets a check every few months. Some kind of pension that her husband had.”
Bliss looked a little uneasy. “Could be.”
“Caleb said he saw you leaving a bank in Weatherford.”
Bliss knew instantly what he was talking about. Pushing to his feet he pointed at Eli. “You say one word to Peg and I’ll lay you out flat.”
He looked Eli up and down. “Even if it takes me a couple of tries, I’ll do it.”
Eli had no doubt that the old man would try. He nodded.
“I mean it,” Bliss said. “If you tell Peg, I’ll walk right outta here, for good this time. After I’m through with you.”
“I won’t tell her, if that’s what you want,” Eli agreed. “It’s your secret for the telling, or for the keeping.”
* * *
Maggie prepared a cup of tea for Peg, and then one for herself. They’d returned to the house in silence, and now, sitting at the kitchen table, Peg was sharing years of thoughts and memories.
A Texas Promise Page 22