Her Rocky Trail_Seeing Ranch series

by Florence Linnington

  John Thunder threw his head back in laughter. “That is a good name indeed.”

  Still smiling to herself, Kitty made her way down the steep hill. At the sight of her, Cyrus rushed forward.

  “You all right?” he asked, taking her hand.

  “Yes,” she smiled.

  He looked at the woods she’d just come from. “You’ll have to tell me all about this friend of yours.”

  “I will,” she promised. “But, let us get to our new home first.”

  He nodded and gently ran a finger across her cheek. His arm was still bandaged, and though he’d complained about it none, she was eager to get him to a doctor.

  At the horses, Helen smiled warmly down at Kitty. She already looked better, the shadows under her eyes having lessened.

  Kitty longed to ride in the saddle with her sister, but she worried about Thunder’s injury and so climbed onto Cyrus’ horse instead. At least that way she could be close to one love and keep her eye on her other one.

  They rode in silence, now a posse of five men, one captive, and two women heading back to civilization. The river had gone down, and the mud was drying. Intermittently, they had to climb down from the horses and move brush or guide the animals around felled trees.

  Kitty never minded any of the hold-ups, for she had her sister back. Additionally, when dusk began to creep in, Mr. Guthrie declared it was likely safe to light a fire.

  There did not seem to be any sign of additional bandits nearby. If Mr. Bowles was to be believed, they had all left the mountains.

  With the fire crackling along the pebbled bank and the horses resting under the trees, Kitty settled onto a log and drew Helen in close to her.

  At the touch, her sister shivered.

  “Are you cold?” Kitty asked.

  “No,” Helen gasped, her face pressed into Kitty’s shoulders. “It is simply… I thought I would never see you again.”

  “Oh, Helen,” Kitty moaned. She checked her tears. Her becoming emotional would do Helen no good. “I would have searched for you until my last breath. Do you not understand that?”

  Helen raised her face. Her dark, doe-like eyes glistened with tears. “You are the best sister anyone could hope for.”

  Kitty rubbed her arm. “We discovered your dress scraps, you clever lady.”

  Helen bit down on her bottom lip. “I left those when I could, but then they were keeping such a close eye on me...” Her eyes fell down again.

  “Helen, did they...” Kitty gulped and glanced around. The men were all occupied, either tending to the horses or cooking fish for supper. Cyrus stood on the far side of the camp, talking to Mr. Guthrie.

  “They did not touch me,” Helen responded. “Other than to tug me around. I heard them talking. They were planning on selling me once they arrived at a place called Ferguson, and they were told to leave me alone.”

  “To sell you,” Kitty repeated, her gut wrenching.

  Helen nodded, lips set firm.

  A shudder ran up Kitty’s back, and she hugged Helen close again. The dark gathered around them, but it no longer seemed the scary being it had before. Helen had been rescued. Everything was put right.

  After a while, Helen broke the silence. “He is rather handsome.”

  Kitty pulled back to look at her. “Cyrus?”

  “Who else would I be talking about?”

  Kitty smiled and looked down at their clasped hands. “He is a good man, as well. He will be kind to us, Helen.”

  “I know he will.” Helen nodded passionately. “He came all this way to rescue me, and he did not even know me.”

  “You are his family. Although, I suspect he would have done the same for anyone.” Kitty looked over at Cyrus, seen in the campfire’s glow. “He has a hard exterior, but there is a soft heart beneath that rugged armor.”

  “It will be a pleasure to become more acquainted.”

  Kitty rubbed Helen’s hands. She could not stop touching her little sister. “You will. We have all the time in the world now, and we will be so happy in Shallow Springs, Helen. Cyrus told me all about our home there.”

  Helen laughed a bit, and the noise brought Kitty more hope. Despite what she had been through, she would recover.

  “I saw your pistol,” Helen commented, nodding at Kitty’s ankle. “You shoot now?”

  “Not quite, but I imagine I could if I needed to.”

  “Goodness, you have changed,” Helen commented in a cheerful tone.

  “I have been forced to.” Kitty pressed her palm against Helen’s cheek. “Come. Let us join the others. It will be a luxury to have fish that is cooked.”

  Hand in hand, they rose and walked to the welcoming fire.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  28. Cyrus

  Chapter twenty-eight

  The eyes in Shallow Springs were as wide as dinner plates. People stopped what they were doing to stare as Cyrus’ group rode down the main street. Even the children paused their play, allowing their hoops to roll off into the grass.

  “Can you tell me where I’ll find the sheriff?” Cyrus asked a long-faced man standing in front of the hotel.

  The man looked at the riders behind Cyrus. They were a dirty, bedraggled bunch. He probably wondered just what sort of hell they’d traveled through. They’d only stopped in Pathways for a night, where Domino, Cyrus, and the women had said goodbye to the other men. It had been a tearful parting for Kitty and Helen, and Cyrus himself had found it hard to hold back emotion.

  Dan had hopped back on the train, planning to take the news to Ferguson about the human trafficking ring the bandits were running. As Nelson’s confession provided a location and a name of the ring’s leader, they hoped the law in Ferguson would have what they needed to shut the ring down.

  After what they’d been through together, not seeing Dan, Brady, and Jim again seemed odd. He hoped their paths would cross again one day.

  The man’s eyes lingered on Nelson, who rode on a horse with his wrists bound. “Yep,” he said. “He’s in his office right now, I figure.”

  “Thank you.” Cyrus turned to Kitty. “You and Helen go inside the hotel and rest. Get something to eat. I’ll be there shortly.”

  Kitty nodded. She’d bathed and fixed her hair in Pathways, but her dress was still dirt-stained and torn in multiple places. He hoped she wasn’t too self-conscious about it and promised himself he’d buy both the girls new dresses soon as he got the chance.

  “Let’s go see Sheriff Mayes,” Cyrus said to Domino once the womenfolk were in the hotel.

  The town was almost too small to need directions. They found the sheriff’s office right away, its door held open to welcome the spring breeze. With Nelson trudging in front of them, the three crossed the little porch.

  “That pie bake-off is going to be the death of me,” a man was saying. “Women go crazy trying to win those things.”

  Cyrus stopped at the door. Sheriff Mayes sat at his desk, his badge glimmering on his chest. He was talking to a man with crossed arms. At the sound of Cyrus’ entrance, they both looked over.

  “Sheriff,” Cyrus greeted, tipping his hat.

  Sheriff Mayes’ eyebrows popped up. “Well, hello there.”

  “You have a cell you can lock our friend up in?”

  The sheriff ran his eyes over Nelson. “I reckon I do, and it doesn’t get near enough use. You have a story to tell me?”

  Cyrus chuckled. “Only if you have an hour to spare.”

  Sheriff Mayes stood. “Have a seat.”

  With Nelson locked away, Cyrus and Domino shared the condensed version of events, making sure to tell everything they knew about the slavery ring.

  “Bullet Judd. That’s his name, according to Nelson back there,” Domino finished. “He’s been kidnapping and selling strong, young people for several years now.”

  “Bullet,” Sheriff Mayes grunted. “That’s a name.”

  “I reckon it’s a fake one,” Cyrus inserted. “Unless his mama had a hankeri
ng for killing.”

  “Has the young lady seen the doctor yet?” Sheriff Mayes’ eyes drifted down to the bandage on Cyrus’ arm. Kitty’s dress piece had been replaced by a real bandage in Pathways, but the injury still stung like the devil. “And have you?”

  “I’ll heal,” Cyrus answered.

  “Go to the hotel. Doc always has lunch there. He’ll take a look at you. After that, come to me, and I’ll show you your new home.”

  They stood, and the sheriff shook both Domino and Cyrus’ hands. Before he loosened his grip on Cyrus, he looked him clear in the eye. “The town is real lucky to have you, you know. I was a mite worried, but now I know I’ll be leaving this job in good hands.”

  Pride swelled in Cyrus’ chest. “Thank you, sheriff.”

  On the street, Domino took off his hat and raked his fingers through his hair. “Nice town.”

  Cyrus stopped walking and inspected it. There was a livery right next to the sheriff’s office, and a blacksmith shop not far from that. The ring of metal ran down the street as the blacksmith pounded away at something. Further down, women talked in a cluster in front of the general store. The children had begun playing again near the school, the excitement of newcomers forgotten.

  “It is nice,” Cyrus agreed. “So, why don’t you stay?”

  Domino snorted. “How do you know I don’t have somewhere else to be?”

  Cyrus bit back a smile. “I’ve been roaming a long time, Mr. Guthrie. Ever since I broke out of that orphanage at eleven. I figure I know a fellow wanderer when I see one. You’ve never mentioned a family. Never mentioned a home.”

  Domino jutted his bottom lip out and inspected his boots. “Maybe I will stay.”

  With that, he started walking again. Cyrus received the message. The conversation was over.

  In the hotel, he found Kitty and Helen sitting in the dining area speaking with a plump woman in an apron.

  “Oh, you dears,” the woman said, hand pressed to her heart. “What you have been through...”

  Kitty’s eyes lit up as she saw Cyrus, and she jumped to her feet. “How did it go?”

  “Just fine.” He tipped his hat at the woman in the apron. “You two need to see a doctor.”

  “We already have,” Helen responded. “He was just here for lunch, and he took us into one of the rooms for inspection.”

  “You need to see a doctor,” Kitty quickly said, pointedly looking at Cyrus’ arm.

  He moved it around a bit. “It’s fine.” He looked over to ask Domino if he wanted to stay for a while to rest and eat, but the older man wasn’t there. Apparently, he’d walked off and found something else to do.

  “Let’s go see our new house, shall we?” he asked the women.

  They crossed the road once more and found Sheriff Mayes waiting for them outside of his office.

  Soon it will be mine, Cyrus thought, looking at the plain structure. It was small and cozy. Practical. He’d never worked out of an office before, but he could see himself sitting in the building each day. It would suit him well.

  After the introductions were made, the sheriff led the three down the street some. The house lay no more than a walk of several minutes away from the office, and once Kitty saw it she halted.

  “Oh my,” she murmured. “Just look at it.”

  Cyrus was doing just that. The home was everything he had imagined and more. With two large windows in the front and a swinging bench on the porch, it was perfect. A small fence ran around the front yard, encompassing a great spot for a garden.

  “It’s a nice one,” she sheriff agreed. “Oh, and open up the door. There’s something waiting for you there.”

  Kitty rushed forward, Helen following at a slower pace.

  “Our luggage!” Kitty cried after opening the door.

  “Cole Duggar fetched that for you all,” Sheriff Mayes explained. “He was passing through Pathways right after the train was stopped, and he brought this on over here for you. With what happened...” the sheriff trailed off and looked over at Cyrus.

  “Thank you,” Cyrus earnestly said.

  “Well, I’ll leave you all to get settled in. The furniture and bedding are all in there. I know you’re probably going to be needing a lot more, but the general store should be able to fix you up. Let me know if there’s anything you need from me. If not, I’ll see you tomorrow? Ready to be briefed?”

  “Yes, sheriff.” Cyrus shook his hand. “I look forward to it.”

  “Me too,” he grinned. “Lord, I love this town, but I’m getting old. I’m ready to kick back and not worry about who’s stealing land or getting into a fight outside of church.”

  Cyrus smiled. After what he’d just dealt with, those troubles sounded like ones he would be able to handle just fine.

  The sheriff left, and Cyrus took his time entering his new home. He swept his palm first over the fence posts, then the porch posts, then the door frame.

  Kitty was in the main room, inspecting the cook stove. Helen’s footsteps echoed from one of the bedrooms.

  “It is so large,” Kitty commented.

  “The stove?”

  “No.” She smiled. “One can never have too large a stove. I mean the house.”

  Cyrus smirked. “Two bedrooms. A main room. Doesn’t that sound about right? A lot of women would want more than that. A parlor or whatnot.”

  “No,” Kitty breathed, shaking her head. “This is wonderful as it is.”

  Cyrus crossed the kitchen and wrapped his arm around her waist. “I can build more rooms. I’ll add them on when I have time.”

  Kitty laughed. “Did you not hear what I said? It is wonderful.”

  “All right.” Cyrus slowly nodded. He wanted the home to be everything she ever wanted, and he’d do whatever it took to make that happen.

  Still snug in his arms, Kitty inspected his face. “Do you like it?”

  Cyrus gazed back earnestly, seeing in her eyes all the dreams he’d secretly harbored, but never allowed himself to believe in. He’d always thought he wanted nothing to do with love, thought he didn’t need anything of sentimental value. But meeting Kitty had changed all that. And though the tribulations they’d been through had probably brought them closer, he got the sense they would have ended up that way even in the plainest of circumstances.

  “You’re here,” he answered. “So what’s not to like?”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  29. Kitty

  Chapter twenty-nine

  Moonlight cascaded through the window, bathing Helen’s sleeping face in an ethereal glow. Kitty reached over and gently smoothed her hair. Helen stirred slightly, looking as if she might wake up.

  Kitty held her breath, waiting to see what would happen. Helen’s lips parted, but then she turned over and sighed in her sleep.

  Kitty felt her brows push together. What was her sister dreaming of? Did the bandits who kidnapped Helen chase her even in her sleep?

  Twisting her fingers around in her lap, Kitty looked out the window. There wasn’t much to be seen from the bedroom, as it faced away from town, but Kitty knew the mountains were out there. She missed them and loathed them at the same time. In the depths of the Rockies, she had experienced agony she’d never known—but she had also experienced moments that had taken her breath away.

  After those nights of sleeping out, sitting on the edge of a bed in a house on the edge of a town felt… odd. Kitty stared at the dark window, a strange energy racing through her. She’d been trying unsuccessfully to fall asleep for some time, and now she felt more wide awake than ever.

  Gently getting off the bed so as not to wake Helen, she changed from her nightgown and into her blue work dress. The clothing was yet another thing that felt strange. She’d brought the dress all the way from Philadelphia, and though she’d imagined she would wear it in her new home, now it felt unusual against her skin.

  Still taking care to be quiet, Kitty opened the door to the bedroom and peered into the hall. Across the way, the door t
o the bedroom she and Cyrus would soon share remained closed. Desire to push it open and observe him sleeping, just as she had with Helen, itched within Kitty. Walls were no good. They separated people when that was not necessary. She needed to see the faces of those she loved, to touch their cheeks and know everything was all right.