by Piper, Marie
All three were covered in dust, and there was mud where they’d been sweating.
“We only lost two,” Saul told everyone. “They broke their lines.”
“They’ll turn up,” Josiah said. “Losing only two horses and King is probably the best case at this point. Everyone else accounted for? You seen Hiram?”
“A while back,” Saul offered. “He was going after the stragglers.”
“I’ll go after him,” Pete said.
“I’m coming too,” Blue volunteered.
Jess got off the back of Pete’s horse, and started to make his way to the wagon. He stumbled a bit, shaky from being attacked. He nearly fell, but Emma moved forward and helped him to sit on the back of the wagon. Pete and Blue took off.
Emma stood by Jess, barefoot and filthy with a loose mane of wild hair.
Bill rode closer to her, for the moment forgetting how mad he’d been.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I see now why you were so eager to avoid a stampede,” she answered. “I don’t care to ever do that again.”
“What started it?” Saul asked.
“King’s dead,” Jess answered. “Someone knocked me out and cut his throat.”
“That’s horrible,” Emma breathed.
Bill spoke to the gathered group. “Whoever did this knew that Jess would be the only one on watch at that time. He knew how to sneak around the cows, and who the leader was. Two thousand head, and he went after King specifically.”
“Andrew,” Josiah stated.
Bill nodded. “He was real angry when I fired him. I didn’t think he’d do something like this.”
“This ain’t on you,” Josiah said.
“Not one bit,” Appie agreed.
“We’re heading out for Cricket Bend tomorrow once we clear the pass,” Bill announced with a nod toward Emma. “If he’s gone that way, Sheriff Anderson needs to know as quickly as possible.”
Josiah stepped back into the role of leader. “Get the herd and the horses calmed down as best you can. Once we know everyone is safe, we’ll patrol in pairs. If Andrew thinks he’s coming back to give us another scare, he’ll find himself on the business end of a gun. Even if it winds up being mine.”
Locating, calming, and turning around all the cows and horses took hours. It was past midnight when Bill came off his patrol and made his way back to where Appie had cooked beans and biscuits. He ate a bowl of food even as his eyes threatened to close on him, then trudged to his bedroll to grab a few hours’ sleep.
Every bone and muscle in his body ached. Sleep sounded like heaven.
Emma was already in her bedroll by the wagon, sleeping soundly. Or at least she wanted him to think so. He could tell from her irregular breathing that she was faking slumber. The whole day had been a tornado of emotion for both of them, and if she wanted to pretend that she was asleep for some crazy reason, he wasn’t going to stop her. In fact, he was going to join her. But he wouldn’t be faking. In less than a minute after he lay down, Bill was snoring.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Emma
When the herd was finally back together and settled for the night, and things had wound down from the furor of the slaughter and stampede, the men went out in pairs to patrol. After a long while, Bill returned to camp and fell fast asleep. It was then that Emma got out of her bedroll and slipped quietly into her boots and jacket.
Bill snored on. The poor man was so drained he hadn’t even bothered to go a far distance from her to sleep, as had been his habit in the previous days.
With a long gaze down at his handsome face, she bit her lip to hold back the tears which threatened to burst from her.
Trouble had followed her to the drive after all. She’d been the bad luck charm that Josiah had thought she was. Since she’d arrived, she’d broken the heart of a good man—a strong man with a gentle heart, who had trusted her. And she’d gone and ignited an argument between brothers, which had led to violence and chaos.
Jess had nearly died because Andrew was mad at her. King had died. She’d done enough to the kind men who’d treated her so well. She’d been a part of something wonderful, but it was time to go.
Emma told herself that she wasn’t running; she was simply protecting Bill and the rest from further pain. With her gone, Bill could begin to heal the wounds she’d left him with. He could see to taking over the McKenzie ranch without distraction. In order to leave, she’d have to steal Maggie, but she vowed that she would send money back to the ranch as repayment once she found Hank, and that would be that. Saul knew she cared for the horse, and would trust her.
She walked away from Bill, past the wagon where Appie dozed with his back against the wheel, and over to where the horses slept on their feet, some laying on the ground. Now calmed from the earlier chaos, a few of them slowly wandered and ate. Maggie was munching on some grass, and didn’t even flinch when Emma walked up to her and readied to climb on. She’d have to ride bareback. The blanket she’d used for a saddle was in the wagon, and she’d never be able to get to it without waking Appie.
“I knew you’d be trouble.”
Josiah stood behind her, and the sound of his voice made her jump.
As soon as she saw his face, she knew he could read her regret and shame. Emotion swelled in Emma. She’d worked so hard to earn his regard, and all he would think was that she was stealing from the drive.
“Where do you think you’re going, girl?”
Emma’s temper flared. She whirled on him before she could even think about it. “I’m sorry I’ve disrupted your drive. Believe me, none of this was my intention. But I think I’ve proven myself enough for you to at least be nice to me. I’ve worked my fingers to the bone out here, trying to prove to you that I’m not a bother, and you’ve never been anything but mean to me, and I think it’s incredibly rude of you.”
He stepped forward, nodding as he listened. “You got anything else to say to me?”
“I have plenty more to say to you.” She kept talking, wishing she could make herself shut up. “Your sons are wonderful men, and they deserve your kindness. Bill is the most capable person I’ve ever known, and would die for you and the ranch, and you don’t appreciate him nearly enough. Saul and Pete and Jess are some of the finest men I’ve ever met. They’re hard-working and loyal to you, even though you treat them terribly.”
“I suppose you’re going to tell me Andrew is worth something too.”
“No. Some people aren’t worth the air they breathe, and he’s one of them.”
“He could be out there.”
“I am aware of that. But it’s time for me to take my leave before anything else goes wrong. And you need to get the hell out of my way.”
He walked forward, wearing a scowl. She wondered if she’d gone too far, and if he was going to slap her. She braced herself for it, and told herself that even if he beat her to bloody, she wouldn’t let him see her cry. No man would see her cry ever again. It did a woman no good to show weakness.
When Josiah smiled, Emma nearly fainted.
“Never in my entire life has anyone talked to me the way you just did. Except my wife.”
“So, you’re not going to slap me?”
“Hell no, I’m not going to slap you. Glad to find someone honest. You remind me of her, you know. My wife, Maureen. Now, you can’t go charging along the plains like a tumbleweed, a woman alone. In case you missed it, there’s a low-down killer out there, and if it’s Andrew, which we all know it is, he’d kill you as soon as look at you. It ain’t safe.”
“I know,” she said. “But I can’t stay here another minute.”
“Because Bill got his heart broken.”
So, Josiah had noticed.
“I didn’t intend to break his heart. I didn’t think hearts would even be involved.”
“What happened to you, that makes you think you’re not good enough for my boy?”
“Sir?”
“What’d you do that�
�s so terrible?” Josiah waved a hand in dismissal before she could answer. “Never mind. That ain’t my place. Way I see it, there’s things folks do—choices they make—and then there’s things done to them. Best I can tell, something happened to you that makes you think you’re not worth a whole lot. And, from what I’ve seen, that’s not true. And I’ve never seen Bill as heartsick as he is right now. Even if you sneak off, he’ll follow you. How about you save you both some trouble, and wait until sunrise. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to you.”
The damned man was right. She’d already hurt Bill enough. Risking hurting him any further would only be cruel. Resigned, Emma stepped away from Maggie.
“My name is Emma, by the way.”
Josiah scoffed. “That’s a nonsense name, meant for a woman who does embroidery and eats those silly little cakes.”
“Petit fours?”
“That supposed to be French for silly cakes? Far as I care, you’re Sparrow.” He held up a little folded package. “And you more than earned your wages out here.”
“You saved my life and brought me here,” she replied. “I can’t take any money from you.”
“You can, and you will,” he answered, putting the package into her hand and closing his own over it. His McKenzie jaw settled into a stubborn expression she knew she couldn’t beat. “Now go back and get what little sleep you still can before Appie bangs those damned pans to wake the world. You and Bill will split ways from the rest of us in the afternoon, and it’s a full two days of riding to reach Cricket Bend. No sense falling off your horse from exhaustion.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t you thank me,” he replied, shaking a finger at her. “You fix it. Whatever the thing is that’s hurting both you and my boy, you fix it. That’s on you.”
“I’m not sure if I can do that.”
“I remember a spitfire woman who came out of the woods and gave me all kinds of sass about how she could do all sorts of things. Dancing, dynamite.”
“That seems a hundred years ago. I’m not sure I’m the same woman anymore.”
“You are.” Josiah walked off a few steps. Then he stopped, and turned himself halfway back to her. “I’ve never had a daughter, you know. Only a passel of boys. If you figure out how to patch you and Bill back together, and are so inclined, you’re welcome at McKenzie ranch whenever you choose. Wouldn’t mind having a daughter, especially if she was as tough as you. You make it right, you hear me?”
He walked off.
“I wish I knew how,” she whispered after him.
CHAPTER TWENTY
When afternoon came the next day, it was time to say farewell to the men she’d befriended. Each and every one of them came to her on horseback or foot and sent her off with best wishes and hugs. Johnnie, Nick, Hiram, Blue. When she gave Ollie a kiss on the cheek, she saw him blush bright red.
Jess, his head wrapped in a white bandage, handed her a sealed letter.
“Post this for me once you reach town, would you?”
“Is this for your Clara?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Is it a proposal of marriage? It better be.”
“Something like that.” Jess winked at her. “If she’ll have a rascal like me, that is.”
“I’ve known far worse rascals than you,” Emma replied as she embraced him.
Pete was up next, and swatted at the brim of her hat. “Give ’em hell.”
“I surely will. You keep practicing with those cards, you hear me?”
“I’ll be the best damn cheater at the table next time we meet, I promise you.”
All she could do when Saul walked up was hold him close and kiss him on the cheek. He held her tightly right back.
“Thank you for Maggie, and playing your songs, and so much more.”
“Be safe out there,” he whispered.
“I will,” she answered. “I’ll send Bill back to you all in one piece.”
“You write to us,” Appie said. As he came up to her, he took her shoulders in his hands. Emma thought maybe he was holding back from letting his eyes water, but he was doing it so well she wouldn’t have bet on it. “I’ll remember you, boss lady.”
She threw her arms around him a little too hard, and nearly knocked him off-balance. He’d been kind to her from the first moment, when he’d taken a chance and trusted her to assist him. He’d taught her things she’d needed to know. She’d never know what having a father was like, but she imagined Appie was about as close as she’d ever get. Letting go of him was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do.
“I’ll meet up with you,” Bill told them all. “If anything changes, I’ll wire one of the towns down the trail. Check the telegraphs if I don’t come back by the time you reach one of them.” He turned to Emma. “You ready?”
Tearing her eyes away from the friendly faces of the men she would truly miss, she mounted Maggie and grabbed the ropes of her reins.
“Goodbye, boys. I’ll be grateful for all of you until the end of my days.”
“Goodbye, Miss Sparrow,” she heard in response. She turned Maggie away from them, and toward the land she and Bill needed to cross in order to get to Cricket Bend.
She glanced at the cowboy by her side, and wondered if Bill would say more than a few words to her during the days it would take to reach the town. She hoped they wouldn’t get into bad weather, or encounter Andrew or other troublesome men along the way.
But she’d survived in the woods, ridden a horse across a river, and lived through a stampede. Emma felt she could handle just about anything.
Except the idea of Bill never speaking to her again.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
Cricket Bend, Texas
Bill
Cricket Bend hadn’t changed since he had been there last, which was about a year ago. Every horse or wagon that went down the street kicked up a cloud of dust, same as always.
“Shouldn’t there be a bend?” Emma asked as she tied Maggie and surveyed the town. “I mean, it being part of the name and all.”
“That’s what I think every time I get here.” Never had there been a town with more of a straight main street than Cricket Bend, name be damned. “I’m told it’s not the town that has the bend, but a stream a few miles west.”
“How many times have you come through?”
“About every year since I was fourteen,” he answered. Almost fifteen years had passed since his first visit, and there he was again, riding into Cricket Bend in spring looking for something. This time around, it wasn’t to track down his wayward brothers and spring them from the jail. This time, he had come to help the woman he loved.
Love. He still loved her, lies and hidden truths aside.
Watching as Emma looked around and took in the buildings and wooden walkways of the town, Bill wished he could take back the night he’d learned of her marriage. Everything he felt for her remained. Each time she moved, he felt an ache, because he couldn’t touch her. For the two days they’d been riding together toward town, he’d been sneaking looks, wanting to say something, but wanting her to speak first. Every bit of his desire for her was still there, burning inside him. Each time she moved, his mouth went dry, and he wished he could go back to the part where they were simply two new lovers out on the open range. Those days were gone, scattered like the plentiful dust kicked up in the street.
How he could love Emma so much, and be so mad at her at the same time was maddening.
It was not jumble of feelings he appreciated.
Emma pointed to a sign in front of one of the buildings. ‘Callie’s.’
Bill nodded. “Last year, that was Porter’s Saloon. Callie Lee was his upstairs girl. Good for her, if she took over the place. It’s the best saloon around these parts. No doubt she’s making good money. You want to go in?”
“No,” Emma replied. Her pretty features had suddenly gone cold.
“You all right?”
�
�Why isn’t it still called Porter’s?”
It was a good question. It was a damn good question, in fact. Bill realized what she was thinking. “Let’s go inside and find out.”
Emma didn’t move. In his head, Bill had imagined a hundred versions of what Emma’s confrontation with Hank would be: a brawl, a crying fit, a fainting spell. Somehow, her being too scared or nervous to even step inside the saloon hadn’t seemed a possibility. Neither had the idea that Hank Porter might not actually be in Cricket Bend.
If he wasn’t in Cricket Bend, where the hell had he gone?
“Mister McKenzie!”
At the sound of the jovial greeting, Bill turned to see a man with a gray beard and a slight belly striding toward them. The doctor of Cricket Bend headed toward them, his smile bright as the sun.
“Doc.” Bill extended a hand. “Good to see you, sir. You’re looking well.”
“Now, there’s no need to lie,” the Doc quipped. He gave Bill a friendly slap on the shoulder. “I must say, I’m surprised to see you. Usually, your arrival is predated by a few of your boys winding up in our jail, but it’s been quiet around here in recent weeks. Too quiet, probably. I should have guessed the McKenzie crew would be by eventually.”
Bill thought of the last time he’d been there. His brothers and hands had come to town and caused trouble—a brawl in the street, and found themselves in jail. Bill had come to bail them out. “Quiet is good,” he said. “My brothers are under orders to steer clear and leave you folks in peace.”
Doc seemed to breathe easier at the news. Bill knew he remembered the previous year as well as anyone. He’d been the one who’d tended to Theo’s body, cleaned off the blood of his murder, and packed him for the wagon ride out to the drive for burial. Theo had been a hellion, and hadn’t earned the fine treatment he’d received at the Doc’s hands. “Luke’ll be glad to hear it. But, on a brighter note, who is your lovely friend?”
Bill had to smile at the change in the doc’s face and tone as he took in Emma. “Doc Gray, this is Emma Porter.” He hated the way her name sounded on his lips even as he said it.