“I think if we keep going, we’ll make the area by nightfall,” Stone said.
“We’ve pushed the animals hard. Let’s rest them for a couple of hours. With this snow we’ll be able to see where we are going tonight.”
Stone agreed with Thorpe. “I have a feeling Harlow’s gang is on their trail since we haven’t seen them behind us.”
* * *
Lying on her cot, Lily stared into the darkness of the small room she was sharing with Isabelle. Isabelle had fallen asleep hours before, but no matter how hard Lily tried, she couldn’t keep her mind off Thorpe. She was confident Thorpe and Stone could handle themselves if they ran into trouble, assuming the odds weren’t overwhelming. Her first thought was to go to the stable and saddle a horse and go find them. But she’d given her word.
She turned to look out the window and she saw Blue sitting there staring at the moon. Spirit and the puppies were curled up on a pallet in the corner. Lily left her bed and pulled the blanket with her. She spread the blanket on the floor and pulled Blue next to her. She had the feeling he wanted to go after Thorpe, too. “They’ll be okay. Don’t you worry, boy.”
* * *
Thorpe and Stone rested for two hours and loaded up again. The snow had slowed considerably the farther south they traveled. And the moon provided enough light for the horses to navigate the terrain safely. Stone reined in when he recognized the area where his partner had met him with Harlow in tow. “This is it.” He pointed in the direction they needed to go. They rode another hour before Thorpe finally spotted tracks in the snow.
“I guess we found Harlow’s gang,” Thorpe said. “Looks like they might have been this way a few hours earlier.”
“Yeah.”
They pulled their rifles out and unbuttoned their coats so they would have easy access to their pistols. The gang was obviously headed in the same direction they were going. It wasn’t long before they spotted more hoofprints.
“Not shod,” Thorpe said.
Stone dismounted and kneeled down to closely examine the mishmash of prints. “None of these hoofprints belong to Captain, but I know we’re headed in the right direction.”
“We’ll find them.” Thorpe was determined to keep his promise to Lily that he would find Blaze.
Chapter Sixteen
Thorpe and Stone followed the tracks for hours, and it was late morning when they dismounted.
“The braves are right behind the gang,” Thorpe said.
“Yeah. It makes me wonder if Harlow and Dora knew the gang was right behind them.”
“I say we keep going.” They were a day behind since they had been drugged and stopped at the way station. They’d be lucky to catch up with anyone before they reached Mexico.
“I agree.” Stone just hoped they weren’t too late, that the Indians hadn’t caught up with them first.
They rode for another two hours and pulled to a halt to give the horses a brief rest. Both men poured water from their canteens into their hats to give the animals a drink. Thorpe stroked Daisy’s neck and said, “You let me know if you think Blaze is near.”
“I’m sure Harlow expects me to come after him,” Stone said.
“I’m thinking he wasn’t expecting a full house,” Thorpe replied.
Stopping occasionally to listen, they heard nothing out of the ordinary. Moving slowly over uncertain terrain, Thorpe kept his eyes on Smoke for a signal that he heard something they couldn’t. When his ears flicked up, Thorpe raised a hand for Stone to rein in. He glanced at Daisy, but she wasn’t reacting. Hearing what sounded like an animal’s low growl, they dismounted and tied the animals in the brush. Slowly, they made their way toward the sounds Thorpe recognized. Coyotes. By a large outcropping of boulders, they saw two coyotes in a standoff over something on the ground. The men didn’t want to fire off a shot and alert anyone of their exact location if they weren’t alone. Thorpe leaned over and dug through the snow until he found two large rocks. He handed one to Stone and pointed to one of the coyotes. They hurled the rocks at the same time, both hitting their intended targets with accurate precision. When the coyotes ran out of sight, the men pulled their pistols and made their way to the boulders. They found Dora lying face-down with a gunshot in her back. Thorpe knew she’d been there awhile by the snow that had accumulated on her body. When he turned her over, he saw that she was lying across a hole in the earth where someone had been digging.
Stone looked around to see if there were more dead bodies, but the only thing he saw was blood on the snow leading away from an area. “The gang was here and so were the Indians.”
Thorpe holstered his pistol and lifted Dora out of the way. He noticed a little bag hanging from Dora’s wrist so he pulled it off. After he opened it, he pulled out some folded bills and held it up for Stone to see. “I guess we found Lily’s money.”
Stone shook his head, at a loss for words at Dora’s betrayal.
Thorpe replaced the cash in the reticule and tucked it into his coat pocket. He pulled his knife from his scabbard and started digging in the hard ground. Within minutes the tip of his knife hit something buried less than a foot from the surface. He looked up at Stone. “Could we be this lucky?”
Stone kneeled down to help him. “Let’s see.”
They unearthed a strongbox and pulled it from the hole. The lock had already been removed, so Thorpe opened the lid. “I never expected this.”
Stone whistled. “I guess the Indians ran them off before they could get to the loot.” He saw a woman’s gold locket on top of the money. When he opened the locket he saw the miniatures of a man and a little girl. It was the little girl that Harlow had shot. “I know where this belongs.” He tucked the locket into his pocket.
“If the Indians didn’t kill them, they will be back for this.” Thorpe looked down at Dora. She may have deceived them, but she didn’t deserve to die because she fell for Harlow’s lies. She’d made some bad decisions and everyone had warned her off Harlow, but as Jed said, she wouldn’t listen to anyone. “I wonder if Harlow killed her.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised. Either way, he was the cause,” Stone said. He pointed toward the trail. “Someone was losing a lot of blood and I hope it is Harlow’s. No one deserves it more.”
Thorpe couldn’t disagree with that sentiment. “Let’s unload the horses and we’ll bury her before we go after them.”
They finished covering Dora with rocks to keep the animals away, and Thorpe and Stone removed their hats and stood over her grave. The spot was in an isolated area so far off the trail that Thorpe figured it was possible no one would ever see her grave. He wondered if she had relatives somewhere that should be notified of her death. Did she have anyone in her life that would mourn her passing?
“It’s a shame it ended this way. I told her to stay away from him,” Stone said.
Stone was right; everyone had tried to steer her away from Harlow. “It’s not your fault. Dora wasn’t one to take advice. Now she’s paid the price.”
“That’s a fact.” Stone settled his hat back on his head. “I reckon we’d best get at it.”
“Yeah. Let’s see where these hombres are headed.”
They distributed the money from the strongbox to their saddlebags before they started following the trail of blood. The Indians were definitely chasing the gang.
“They were moving fast,” Thorpe said.
“Yeah, and the Indians were gaining on them.”
They rode at a pace that allowed them to carefully scan the terrain. It wasn’t long before Thorpe spotted a boot heel sticking from the brush off the trail. They reined in and Thorpe dismounted to check it out while Stone cocked his pistol to be at the ready.
“Indians got him. It’s not Harlow,” Thorpe said.
Stone dismounted and walked to the brush. He turned the dead man over. “Corbin Ethridge. The Indians did the world a favor. He shot a bank clerk in Deadwood for no reason. Witnesses said the clerk had already given him the money, but Ethridge
shot him in the head for moving too slow.” Stone pulled the pistol from Ethridge’s holster and tucked it in his belt.
“From the looks of it, no one stopped to make sure he was dead,” Thorpe said.
“You can’t credit killers with that much of a conscience.” Stone wished he could say he was surprised, but after the evil perpetrated by the members of this gang on innocent people, nothing they did surprised him. “Let’s see if we can find his horse.” They followed the single set of hoofprints through the brush until they found the horse.
“I say we follow the trail a few more hours and then stop for the night,” Thorpe said.
“If we don’t see anything by noon tomorrow, let’s head back. You know if the Indians don’t kill them all, then they will come after the money. When they find it gone, they’ll come after us. I’ve wasted enough time chasing Harlow. He’ll come after me now that we have the money,” Stone replied.
Thorpe didn’t want to head back. He wanted to find Blaze. “I want you to head back alone with the money. I’m going to keep going.”
“If anyone should keep going, it should be me,” Stone told him. “I’m the marshal.”
“You’ve got the money and Harlow may be dead, but I want to find Blaze. I promised Lily.”
Stone understood what it meant to make a promise under most circumstances. Right now he felt certain Lily would understand why they had to go back. “Lily wouldn’t want you out here on your own. We both should go back. You know they’ll come for us if they are still breathing.” He smacked Thorpe on the back. “Besides, I don’t think we need to take a chance on having our scalps lifted.”
Thorpe laughed. “No, I’ve had one arrow this trip and I sure don’t need another one, but I gave Lily my word. If they got away from the braves, they’ll circle back, find the money gone, and they’ll head to the way station. It’d be best if you were there.”
Stone didn’t like his plan. “I think you need to come back with me.”
“I’ll follow them another twenty-four hours. If I don’t think I can catch up with them, I’ll turn around,” Thorpe said.
“No, I’m not going back without you. That’s final.” Stone didn’t relish the thought of either one of them being out here alone with outlaws and Indians. “Lily nursed you back to health once, and I for darn sure don’t want her to have to do it again. We’ll go together. No arguments.”
* * *
It was late at night when Thorpe and Stone reached the way station a week later. Slim and Lily, with Blue standing beside her, met them at the porch with their rifles cradled in their arms.
“We didn’t know who was riding in,” Slim said.
Thorpe dismounted and gazed at Lily as he bent over and rubbed Blue’s head. She looked so pretty standing there with that rifle in her arms, he was tempted to lean over and kiss her. He thought about her thousands of times while he was gone, and he thought she was even lovelier than he’d remembered. “Is Jed watching us from the stable?”
Lily was rubbing Daisy’s nose. “Yes.”
“Good girl.” Instead of a kiss, he yanked on her braid. “No problems while we were gone?”
Lily was so happy he was back that she could hardly speak. She’d missed him, and she hadn’t realized how much until that moment. “No problems.” She took hold of Daisy’s reins and walked beside Thorpe to the stables. “You didn’t find them?”
“Yes, and no. We found where Harlow hid the money. And we found Dora.” Thorpe stopped walking and looked at her. “I’m sorry, Lily, but she was dead.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “No!” She had not expected this news and it saddened her beyond belief. Even though Isabelle disagreed with her, Lily still thought it was possible Thorpe may have some tender feelings for Dora.
“I’m sorry, Lily. We buried her proper.” Thorpe expected hearing of Dora’s death would be difficult for her to handle. Lily tried to see the best in Dora, and she’d been deceived for her effort. But Thorpe knew she would still be upset by her death.
“What about Harlow?”
“He was gone. The gang had caught up with Harlow and Dora, but so had the Indians. We figured the braves attacked just as they were digging up the money and they had to take off before they could get to the strongbox. We followed their trail and found one of the killers with an arrow in his back.”
“Did the Indians kill Dora?”
“I don’t think so. She was shot in the back. I’d say it was before the braves attacked.”
“You think they will come after the money?”
“If they got away from the Indians, I figure we’ll see them again.” Thorpe reached into his pocket and pulled out the bag that was on Dora’s wrist. “This was on Dora. I figure the money inside is what she stole from you.”
Lily examined the reticule her mother had given her. “This is mine.” She reached inside and found the money. “Yes, this is what she stole. Thank you.” She turned to lead Daisy into the stable and Thorpe followed.
“I’m sorry the way things turned out with Dora.”
“Me, too. I know it must have upset you finding her like that,” Lily replied.
Thorpe didn’t catch her meaning. “After what Stone told me about Harlow, I can’t say I was surprised. Dora put her trust in the wrong man.”
Did he mean he was the right man? “Yes, she did.”
Thorpe reached for Lily’s arm and turned her to face him. He’d dreaded this moment. He’d given his word he would find Blaze and he’d let her down. He looked into her eyes and said, “I’m sorry I didn’t find Blaze.”
She hadn’t asked, but when they were riding in, she saw that Blaze wasn’t with them. She didn’t doubt that he’d tried. “I know. I’ll find Blaze once we get Isabelle to the fort.”
He could see in her eyes how sad she was. She didn’t place blame, but that didn’t stop him from feeling like he’d failed her. Before he replied, she turned and walked inside the stable where Stone was waiting with questions of his own.
“How’s Isabelle?”
“She’s doing well considering the baby is kicking day and night. She’ll be happy to see you,” Lily replied.
“We’re happy to be back.” Stone wasn’t a man to admit he worried about situations where he had no control, but he spent a great deal of time fretting over Isabelle’s condition. When he sat beside Isabelle in the wagon, he’d felt the baby kick a time or two, and he didn’t want that babe to show up before Isabelle was safely at the fort.
Jed walked over to help Lily unpack Daisy. “Are you two hungry?”
“Yessir, and we’d sure like some of your coffee, Jed,” Thorpe said.
“Well, you’re in luck. Mrs. Mason just asked me to make some for her.”
“Thank the good Lord,” Slim uttered. When he saw everyone staring at him, he added, “My wife never could make good coffee, and we’ve been married for near thirty years.” Then he waggled his finger at them. “Now, don’t go tellin’ her I said that. But I sure owe a debt to Jed for teachin’ her how to make it right.”
Stone smiled at the older man. “You mean you never told her you didn’t like her coffee in thirty years?”
Slim smacked Stone on the back. “Son, I can tell you ain’t married, because if you was, you’d know that if you said something like that to a wife, you’d be sleepin’ in the stable for a few nights. I might not be the smartest man around, but I got more sense than that. I like sleepin’ in a warm bed.”
“Her cooking makes up for her coffee,” Lily said as she pulled the blanket off of Daisy’s back.
“No argument there, ma’am,” Slim responded. “The first year we were married, I gained twenty pounds.”
“I knew there was a reason I’m not married,” Thorpe said.
Slim snorted. “You young bucks just wait. Your time is coming. You’ll meet up with the right woman, and she’ll have you chasin’ your tails.”
“Not me, Slim. Definitely not me,” Thorpe said.
Slim moved
his gaze to Stone. “What about you? You scared of getting hitched like this big galoot?” He hooked his thumb in Thorpe’s direction.
“Nope. As a matter of fact, I could use a few pounds.”
Thorpe turned to Jed. “What about you, Jed? You have a hankering to get wed?”
“Well, Mr. Thorpe, I ain’t never met the right one, but I wouldn’t be opposed to finding me a wife. She’d have to cook as good as Miss Lily and Miss Isabelle though.”
Slim glanced at Lily. “And what about you? Why haven’t you found a man and got yourself in the family way like your friend? You’re so pretty, I know you have young bucks sniffin’ around your door.”
Lily felt her cheeks turning red and she thought about kicking Slim in the shins, but she didn’t think that would be the polite thing to do. “I’m more concerned with finding my grandfather than finding a husband.”
“Hmmph.” Slim eyed Thorpe and Stone. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you young pups. She’s the prettiest gal I ever laid eyes on. I guess you’re just plumb blind and stupid.” He turned and guided one of the horses to a stall, and Stone and Thorpe silently followed his lead.
Lily stood there for a moment stunned speechless. Judging by the lack of response from the men, she didn’t have as much appeal to them as she did to Slim. Well, no matter. She wasn’t looking for a husband anyway. She led Daisy to a stall and started brushing her down.
Thorpe couldn’t disagree with Slim’s assessment of Lily’s beauty; he’d thought the same thing more times than he could count. But he still hadn’t forgotten how lovely Evelyn was, and he’d learned the hard way that beauty didn’t count for a whole lot.
Once the horses were in the stalls, fed and watered, the men grabbed their saddlebags and they all walked to the house.
Christmas at Dove Creek Page 16