He didn’t know how long he’d sat there that night, reminiscing, when he saw something extraordinary. At first, he thought he’d fallen asleep and was dreaming, but Smoke reacted, so he knew he was fully awake. He’d never experienced anything like it, and what he saw gave him a new perspective on life. After that Christmas night, he knew he wasn’t alone. He believed he was in the presence of his family and his Creator. He’d never shared what happened that night with anyone. He figured his men would think he’d done too much celebrating. Every Christmas since, he’d ride to the entryway late at night and wait for his Christmas miracle. “When I’m out on the range, it seems like even the animals know it is a special night.”
Lily understood what he meant. She’d often thought Christmas night was the perfect night to go for a ride on Blaze and enjoy the peacefulness. “It will be nice to see snow for Christmas,” Lily said. “We don’t see that often in Texas.”
“Having a new little baby for Christmas will be a blessing,” Jedidiah said.
“You think everything is a blessing,” Dora said.
“Miss Dora, life is a blessing. A new baby at Christmas is special.”
“My life has been anything but a blessing,” Dora commented.
“You were blessed to meet up with Miss Lily,” Jedidiah reminded her.
“Jedidiah, I’m tired of your preaching,” Dora said.
“Jed wasn’t preaching, and you might do well to hear what he has to say. Sometimes it’s best to remember the things you have to be thankful for,” Isabelle said.
“He’s right. A new baby is a blessing indeed,” Lily said. In many ways she was envious of Isabelle. To plan a future with a man she loved and to have his children had to be a thrilling prospect, no matter the hardships at the moment.
“I guess all of you have more to be thankful for than I do,” Dora said.
Lily was tired of hearing Dora complain, so she redirected the conversation. “Thorpe, how do you celebrate Christmas at Dove Creek?”
“I’m afraid holidays on a ranch aren’t always exciting because the work goes on. A few days before Christmas, I cut a tree, and the wives of the ranch hands and their children add the little decorations. It looks real fine. On Christmas Day, the women come to the house to cook a big dinner while we’re out working. The house smells real nice when we come in. I swear you can smell the pies they bake a mile away.” Thorpe did enjoy coming home to the mouth-watering aromas of a home-cooked dinner, and his house filled with joyful people.
Lily thought Thorpe’s description of Christmas on his ranch sounded lovely. She envisioned him all bundled up, dragging a tree behind his horse in the snow. He’d said he didn’t have a wife, but she wondered if he had a woman who shared those special moments.
“Maybe we can all celebrate Christmas together at the fort,” Isabelle said.
“That would be nice,” Lily said. She’d celebrated last Christmas alone. While she was thankful she had him, she’d missed her family desperately. Before she became emotional thinking of her family, she stood and said, “Right now, I think it’s time we got settled for the night.”
“Lily, I will stay up if you and Isabelle want to go to bed.” Dora thought Thorpe was going to be the one taking the first watch and she wanted to spend some time alone with him.
That was a first, Lily thought. Dora never offered to take a watch before. She knew it was because she thought Thorpe was taking first watch tonight. “Thanks, Dora. I’m sure Jed will appreciate the company.” Earlier, Jed told her he would take the first watch. He thought Thorpe needed some rest since he’d been up most of the night before.
Thorpe had planned to tell Jed he’d take first watch, but after Dora’s offer he was glad he hadn’t said anything. He decided to go to the wagon. “Jed, wake me in a couple of hours.”
“Mr. Thorpe, why don’t you rest four hours? I’ll be fine right here,” Jed suggested.
“Thanks, but two hours will do. I’m used to this.” Thorpe was accustomed to sleeping with one eye open, and tonight would be no different. While he trusted Jed to stay awake, he’d spent a lot of years taking care of business himself. If the braves came back with a greater force, Jed might be overpowered quickly.
Lily pulled the warm water from the fire. “I’ll clean your wound and put on a fresh bandage before you go to sleep.”
Once they were in the wagon and Thorpe had removed his shirt, he asked, “Don’t you think I can leave the bandage off now?”
“I think we should keep it on for just a few more days.” Lily unwrapped the bandage and started washing the back of his shoulder.
“Miss Lily, I’m beginning to think you just like the look of me without my shirt,” Thorpe said lightly. Even though he’d sworn off women, there was still a part of him that wanted to know if Lily found him attractive. There was no question Dora was interested, but Lily wasn’t Dora. It occurred to him that Lily might have a special beau in her life waiting for her.
Any woman would like the look of him, but Lily wasn’t about to say her thoughts aloud. Everything about Thorpe was beautiful; even his skin was a lovely golden brown. “I’m not the one you need to worry about.”
He turned to look at her, and when their eyes met, he arched his brow. “You mean Dora? Yeah, I had the feeling she’d like to know me better.”
So he had noticed the way Dora flirted with him. Lily waited to see if he would say whether he would like to know Dora better, but he didn’t comment further. Dora was experienced with men, an area where she was seriously lacking. She had been kissed a few times and she couldn’t say the experience thrilled her. But she wasn’t so ignorant that she’d missed the comment Thorpe made about going to the saloon on occasion. She had heard what went on in some of those places, and even Dora told her that she provided services for lonely men. Perhaps Thorpe enjoyed the services of women like Dora. “Dora is a lovely woman.”
“She’s pretty enough. Is her name really Dora Love, or is that her saloon name?”
“It’s the name she gave me.” Moving in front of him, Lily dried his shoulder. She wondered what Dora would do if she was alone with Thorpe in the wagon. She figured there must be many men that preferred women as experienced as Dora.
Thorpe almost told her he could wash his shoulder, but he liked the way her hands felt on his skin. Then there was the fact that he just liked to watch her expressions as she concentrated on her task. Dora was a pretty woman, but Miss Lily was an uncommon beauty, and she was an innocent. She was a woman no man would ever forget. Of course, at one time he’d thought Evelyn was an innocent. He couldn’t forget appearances could be deceiving. Evelyn was proof of that fact.
* * *
Two hours later, Lily jumped out of her wagon, ready to take the second watch, and she saw Dora leaving Thorpe’s wagon. She guessed that answered her question whether Thorpe was interested in Dora.
“Jed, go on to bed,” she said when she reached the fire.
“I was going to wait on Mr. Thorpe.”
Lily watched Dora walk to her wagon. “I’m sure he’ll be along. I’ll be fine.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jed looked in the direction of Lily’s gaze. “That ain’t what you’re thinking.”
“I’m not thinking anything. Now go get some rest. You’ve been up too long.” Lily didn’t have to do much thinking about the situation. Dora let Thorpe know she was interested, and Thorpe wasted no time responding.
Chapter Eight
A week after the encounter with the Indians, Thorpe saw a thin stream of smoke rising above a clump of trees about a mile ahead of the wagons. Even though the Indians hadn’t made another appearance, he couldn’t ignore the possibility they might be waiting for them. On the other hand, if it wasn’t the Indians, once they saw the smoke, he figured they’d be sniffing around soon enough. He rode back to Lily’s wagon and it didn’t surprise him that she’d already spotted the smoke. “I’ll circle in behind the area from the ridge above and see what’s going on.”
“I think you should stay with the others in case it’s those braves. You will be needed here if they are trying to separate us. I’ll take Blue with me.”
Lily didn’t argue with his reasoning. She’d quickly learned that Thorpe was a savvy trail man and he didn’t take unnecessary risks. Still, she didn’t want him riding into a dangerous situation alone. Other than a few polite words here and there, it was the first interaction they’d had since the night she saw Dora leaving his wagon. It didn’t make sense to her why it upset her so much to think of the two of them together, but it did. After that night, she’d arranged to take watch with Jed, and Dora had made a point of joining Thorpe on his watch.
Thorpe made his way to the ridge and tried to remain out of sight as he rode the crest until he was directly above the area where he could still see the smoke. From his vantage point he saw a small campfire, but little else. He dismounted and tied his horse to a tree and quietly made his way down the slope. With his Colt drawn, he crouched behind a rock with Blue at his side. Scanning the campsite below, he saw one man sitting with his back against a boulder near the fire. He couldn’t actually see the man, only his hat. He kept his eyes focused on the hat for a few minutes and saw no movement. He smelled a trap. “Blue, I don’t like the looks of this.”
“Howdy. Come on into camp,” a voice said from below.
Thorpe cocked his Colt, and Blue scampered away through the dense brush.
“I know you’re alone,” the man said.
Thorpe knew the voice wasn’t coming from the man sitting behind that rock, if there was a man there. “How do you know I’m alone?” The words barely left his mouth when he saw movement near a tree a few feet from the fire. A hand holding a pair of field glasses came into view.
“These told me you were alone. I saw the three wagons and a couple of women so I didn’t figure you were the killers coming back.” The man walked from behind the tree with his own pistol cocked. “Name’s Stone Justice and I’m a U.S. Marshal.” He pulled his coat to the side so Thorpe could see the star on his shirt.
“Thorpe Turlow.” He holstered his pistol and walked toward him. He inclined his head as if he wanted the marshal to look behind him. “Meet my partner.”
Stone smiled as if he thought Thorpe was bluffing about a partner. Then he heard the low growl behind him.
“That’s Blue.”
Stone turned slowly to see the large wolf standing directly behind him. “I thought you were bluffing. Tell me he’s friendly.”
“That depends. He’s friendly enough with me. Depending on your answers, he might or might not be friendly with you.”
Stone glanced back at the large wolf baring his sharp teeth. “What are the questions?”
“What are you doing out here without horses?”
“I was with two other marshals and we were taking our prisoner”—he pointed to the man on the ground—“Bryce Harlow, to Fort Smith to stand trial in Judge Parker’s court. We were ambushed by Harlow’s gang a few days ago. My partners were killed, and a bullet grazed my head, but I was able to grab Harlow and pulled him in front of me so they couldn’t finish me off. They hightailed it out of there when they saw Indians riding our way. They took our horses, and after I buried my friends, we started walking. The only thing I was able to take was my saddle, and I had darn few provisions in my saddlebags.”
“He’s lying, mister. I’m the marshal and he got the best of me,” the man on the ground said.
Thorpe moved closer and studied both men. The man calling himself Stone Justice was a big man, near his height, with a lean and rugged appearance. Even though Thorpe judged him to be just a few years older than him, right now he looked like he’d tangled with an angry grizzly and lost. Something about his countenance told Thorpe he was indeed the marshal, but he’d withhold judgment until he saw how Blue acted. He turned his attention on Harlow, and while he had an affable smile plastered on his face, Thorpe didn’t like the looks of him. His gut told him he was the criminal. He glanced back to Justice and asked, “What’d he do?”
“He’s part of the Black Hills gang. They robbed several stagecoaches, and they killed three people on the last one they robbed.”
“Mister, you need to listen to me. I’m telling you I’m the marshal and he’s lying.”
Ignoring Harlow’s declaration, Thorpe noticed Stone limping to the fire. “Blisters?”
“Yeah, it’s been a long time since I had to hoof it anywhere carrying my saddle.”
“We’re headed to Wyoming and you’re welcome to travel with us. It’s too late to turn around now to go back and we can’t spare two horses to give you. We’ve had a couple of run-ins with Indians, so you wouldn’t be safe alone.”
“Wyoming is fine by me. I’m not sure I can even ride right now until my feet heal. I just need to get to a town so I can put Harlow in jail, send a telegraph, get provisions, and go after those killers. I’m grateful you happened by, but why are you folks on the trail this late in the year?”
“Couldn’t be helped,” Thorpe replied. “Just stay put and we’ll bring the wagons to make camp here tonight.”
“Sounds good to me. I won’t even complain about riding in a wagon.”
Thorpe chuckled. He figured the marshal didn’t like being in a wagon any more than he did. “You’ll have time to rest up, that’s for sure.” Thorpe rode back to the wagons and told the group about the marshal and his prisoner.
“How do you know for sure which one is the marshal if the other man says he is lying?” Dora asked.
“Justice seemed like a man accustomed to authority. But I figured I’d keep a close eye on both of them until we’re positive.”
“I know how we will be able tell who is lying,” Lily said.
Thorpe smiled at her. “Blue. That’s what I was thinking.”
* * *
When they reached the men, Thorpe made the introductions.
“I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,” Bryce Harlow said, eyeing Lily before moving on to admire Dora and Isabelle.
“Mind your manners, Harlow,” Stone warned in a no-nonsense tone.
Thorpe glared at Harlow. He didn’t like the way he was leering at Lily. “Mister, you show respect to these ladies or I’ll tie you behind my horse and you can walk all the way to Wyoming.”
“That was a compliment.” Harlow grinned at the women. “Ladies, I tried to tell your man here that he’s believing the wrong man. I’m the marshal.”
The women stared at Harlow. He was tall and trim, with coal black hair and a thick mustache, and the most unusual light gray eyes. His easy smile and flirtatious manner said he was a man confident in his appeal to women.
Jed gave Harlow a hard look. “And maybe you are just full of the devil.”
“Your name is Justice and you’re a lawman?” Isabelle commented to Stone.
“Yes, ma’am, and you’re not the first to make note of that.”
“I’m sorry about the other marshals,” Lily told him.
“I just buried two of my friends back there a few days ago.” He pointed toward terrain they would be traveling. “I rode with Riff Carson for five years and he was a fine man. Joe Martin was a man you could always count on to do the right thing. I’ll track those hombres to Hades for killing them, and I won’t have to take them back to Fort Smith to be tried for murder. I can hang them as horse thieves. That’ll be faster.”
“Did they have wives and children?” Lily asked.
“No, ma’am. Like me, they understood this is no life for a family man.”
“Sit down, Mr. Justice. We’ll get some coffee going and have supper ready soon,” Lily said.
The women walked back to the wagons and Thorpe approached Stone to speak privately. “Are we going to have trouble from Harlow?”
“It’s possible. He’s a mouthy son-of-a-buck.”
“Do you expect his partners to come back for him?” Thorpe asked.
&nbs
p; “To tell you the truth, I thought they would come back before now. Maybe the Indians got them. I can’t say for sure I’m not endangering you folks.”
“I’ve considered that,” Thorpe replied.
“At least you’ll have an extra gun hand now. How come you folks don’t have more guns with you?”
“I wasn’t traveling with them when they first started out. Indians were chasing me, and Lily came to help me out.”
“Lily?” Stone thought he didn’t hear him right.
“Yeah, she’s one heck of a shot.”
Stone’s gaze found Lily working at the back of a wagon. “Who would expect someone who looks like her being skilled with a gun? I guess what my pa said about looks being deceiving fits in this situation.”
Thorpe saw the direction of his eyes. “She’s a woman to be reckoned with, that’s for sure.”
“What in holy heaven were they doing traveling alone?” Stone couldn’t believe three beautiful women and one man would have taken out across country without considerably more firepower.
“They need to get to Fort Steele by Christmas,” Thorpe told him.
“Why do they need to get there by Christmas?”
Thorpe didn’t want to betray a confidence. “They have personal reasons.”
“Thank the Good Lord you happened on the scene to help them out. Why were you out here?”
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