by Bobbi Smith
The doctor led the way into the room where Dan lay.
Isaac was there, keeping vigil by his friend’s side. He looked up at the sound of footsteps, and when he saw Ted and Mona, his gaze hardened. He had little use for the arrogant woman and even less for her son. Ted had only been back home for a month or so, but Isaac felt he was a troublemaker. There was nothing he could put his finger on. It was just a feeling he had about him, and through the years, he’d generally found out that his feelings were to be trusted.
“Hello, Isaac,” Mona said softly, and then she gasped at the sight of Dan. His coloring was gray, and he barely seemed to be breathing. She buried her face against her son’s shoulder.
“There, there, Mother.”
“Oh . . . He looks so bad,” she sobbed quietly.
Ted held her as he stared at Dan’s inert form.
“I wish I could tell you that he is going to be better soon, but I just don’t know yet,” Curtiss said. “If the bullet had been an inch to the right, he’d have been killed instantly. He’s very lucky to still be alive.”
“We appreciate everything you’ve done,” Ted told him.
Outwardly, he seemed truly upset over Dan’s brush with death, but inwardly, he was cursing because his bullet had missed its mark.
“Is someone going to be staying with him every minute?” Mona asked, sounding concerned.
“I will be,” Isaac vowed. “I’m not leaving his side until I know he’s going to live.”
“Thank you, Isaac,” Ted told him.
“I need to see Asa,” Mona said.
“I’ll show you where the undertaker’s parlor is,” the doctor offered. “Your husband and the passenger are over there.”
“That would be so kind of you.”
“I’ll let you know the moment there’s any change in Mr. Taylor’s condition. Will you be staying at the hotel?”
“Yes.”
“We appreciate everything you’ve done,” Ted said.
Dr. Curtiss gave them directions to the undertaker. Ted led his mother from his office and didn’t say a word until he was certain they were far enough away so no one could hear.
“I hope the bastard dies of natural causes overnight,” he muttered angrily under his breath.
“You’re not the only one,” she said in irritation. “I was hoping they’d give us some time alone with Dan. A well-placed pillow could have taken care of everything in just a few minutes. But that Isaac was there, looking like a damned guard dog!”
“I know. I was thinking the same thing.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Wait it out.”
“Dan does looks terrible.”
“Not terrible enough.”
They entered the undertaking establishment and were taken by Robert Myers into the back room to view Asa’s body. Mona cried over her husband in a display of what appeared to be true heartbreak.
“We’ve got to find the ones who did this! We have to! They’re cold-blooded murderers!” she cried.
“We’ll find them, Mother. I’m sure the law will do everything possible to make sure the right men are brought to justice.”
Myers discussed how they wanted to handle the burial, and it was agreed that Asa’s body would be transported back to San Rafael for internment. They left after making the necessary arrangements and checked into the hotel. They decided to rest before eating dinner and so retired to their rooms for the rest of the afternoon, waiting anxiously for word from the doctor on Dan’s fate.
Dan groaned and came slowly awake. He was groggy and confused. Curtiss heard him stir and quickly went to him. It was almost sundown, and he was thrilled that his patient was coming around again. “Mr. Taylor? Can you hear me?”
“Yeah,” he said weakly.
“I’m Dr. Curtiss. You’ve been shot, and you’re in my care here in Comanche Pass.”
Dan gave a pained grunt in acknowledgment of the doctor’s words as he struggled to make sense of all that had happened. He moved his head a bit and looked around. He saw Isaac sitting nearby and knew he was a true friend.
“How long?” he whispered hoarsely.
“The holdup was yesterday. Isaac, here, brought you to me last night.”
“Thanks, Isaac.” Dan gave a weak nod as he struggled to get more comfortable. “Doc—”
“What?”
“How bad am I?”
Curtiss smiled as he looked into his eyes and saw that he was aware of everything. He touched his arm. “The wound in your shoulder was clean, but the shot you took to the back was very serious. I had to dig the bullet out. If we can keep an infection from setting in, I think you’ll make it.”
“I can’t stay down long. . . . I’ve got a stage and freight line to run.”
“Don’t worry about the line, Dan,” Isaac spoke up, his tone emotional. “I’ll take care of everything for you.”
A tortured look crossed Dan’s face. “Asa’s . . . dead.”
“I’m sorry about your brother,” the doctor told him solemnly. “I wish I could have done something to help him, but it was too late when they brought him in. He had already passed away.”
“I’m going to find the ones who did this! They’re going to pay.” The need for revenge filled Dan and gave him a reason to live.
“Right now, let’s only worry about getting you well. You’re very weak. It’s going to be a while before you can be up and around again.”
Dan looked at Curtiss, his gaze feverish with the need to avenge his brother’s murder. “It doesn’t matter if it takes me a month or a year. I’m going to find them.”
“And I’ll help you, Dan,” Isaac added.
They shared a look of tragic understanding. Then Dan lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. He had to rest. He had to get better.
Chapter Nine
Amanda stared out the window of the stage at the rugged hills of her native West Texas. Today they would reach San Rafael and she would be reunited with her father. Her mood was pensive as she anticipated seeing him again.
She looked up at Eileen sitting across from her. Her grandmother had done well in selecting the older woman to travel with her. Amanda hoped things worked out just as she’d planned, and they would soon be making the return trip together.
Watching Eileen now, Amanda smiled. Her traveling companion was such a dear. She was all but hanging out the window as she studied the Texas landscape. Seeing West Texas through the other woman’s eyes had been enlightening for Amanda. She’d always thought it boring, but Eileen didn’t. Eileen was intrigued and thrilled by the rugged terrain and distant vistas and had kept up a running dialogue filled with intelligent questions and astute observations about the countryside.
Beside Amanda, Jack sat in silence. Amanda cast a quick glance his way. His arms were folded across his chest, and his hat was pulled low over his eyes. She thought he might be napping, but she couldn’t be sure. There was a lot about him she wasn’t sure about.
Ever since Amanda had learned the truth about Jack’s run-in with El Diablo, she’d been looking at him differently. It was no wonder he’d been so gruff and resentful of escorting her home. After the deadly outlaw, the last thing in the world he’d probably wanted to do was play chaperon for her. The trip was almost over now, though. Soon he would be free of her and able to go on his way.
To her dismay, Amanda suddenly realized she was going to miss him. Oh, not a whole lot, but some, she amended quickly. As much as she’d taken care never to be alone with him since that fateful night of the kiss, she had come to feel safe in his presence. He’d only kissed her because he’d been drinking and had wanted to put her in her place. She’d learned since talking to his sister that he was a fierce man, a man of dedication and determination. Not to mention that he was good-looking, too, in a rugged sort of way.
Amanda wouldn’t go as far as saying that she’d grown fond of Jack, but she had come to respect him. Still, after he dropped her off with her father, she w
ould never see him again, and for some reason, that bothered her.
Amanda remembered the threat of the Sheldon gang and wondered what Jack was going to do about it. His sister had predicted that he would go gunning for them. Amanda hoped he didn’t. Not that she really cared what happened to him, but she certainly didn’t want him to end up dead, and the Sheldons did sound vicious.
“I never knew what wide open spaces were before this trip,” Eileen said happily, interrupting Amanda’s thoughts.
“It’s certainly different from Philadelphia, isn’t it?” she responded, glad to be distracted from her troubling musings.
“I’ll say. I’m really enjoying it. I’m glad you needed a companion, Amanda, dear. Remind me to thank your grandmother when I get home.”
“I will, and I’m going to thank her, too. I’m so glad she hired you to travel with me.”
“Everything did go rather well—except for my seasickness. And that awful encounter with Micah Jennings. Thank heaven our bruises have faded and no one can tell what happened.”
“I know,” Amanda agreed. The last thing she wanted to do was explain to her father how she’d managed to get a bruised face. It was going to be difficult enough as it was. She only hoped that Becky Jennings was faring as well as they were. “Let’s just hope his wife had time enough to get far away from him.”
“She should have had a good head start,” Jack told them.
When he joined in the conversation so smoothly, it proved to Amanda that he really hadn’t been asleep at all, but had been aware of everything going on around him. His ability to do that unnerved her even as it impressed her.
He went on, “The officials where we left him said that even though we didn’t want to press charges, they’d keep him locked up for at least another day or two.”
Jack had been glad to see Jennings behind bars. Every time he remembered how he’d come upon Jennings just as he’d been about to hit Amanda, he grew furious. The thought of anyone laying a hand on her enraged him. He had guarded her like a hawk for the balance of the trip.
Not that she’d appreciated his vigilance. Jack half smiled to himself as he glanced at Amanda beside him. She was looking out the window now, and he took advantage of the moment to study her profile. She was a beautiful woman, there was no denying that, and a spirited and intelligent one, too. Her father was going to have one heck of a time trying to control her.
Jack wasn’t sure if Dan would permit Amanda to go back to Philadelphia or not. It would be interesting to see how she handled him, but he had no intention of sticking around long enough to find out. Even if she convinced her father to let her go, and his old friend asked him to make the trip back with her for double the money, he was going to refuse. He had a good excuse—he had to help Steve Laughlin recapture the Sheldon gang.
It occurred to Jack then that he would be done with Amanda that very day. Once he’d delivered her to Dan, he would never see her again. He told himself he was glad. She’d been nothing but a headache to him from the first. He would be thrilled to see the last of her. Then he could get on with his life.
“Look! There’s San Rafael!” Amanda cried suddenly. “I’m home!” She hadn’t expected to be so excited at seeing her hometown, but she was.
“How long have you been away, dear?” Eileen asked.
“Over six years now. I’ve come back for a visit every now and then, but mostly I’ve been living with my grandmother and going to school.”
“And you plan to leave again as soon as you can?” Eileen asked.
“Yes. I’ve built my life in Philadelphia with my friends. They’re counting on me to return and help them with the suffrage movement. We need to keep working. We can’t ever give up.”
“What if your father says no?” Jack inquired.
“He won’t,” Amanda answered automatically, and then noticed his expression. He looked smug, and it reminded her of that day on the dock when he’d accused her and Bethany of having been spoiled by their fathers.
“Are you sure?” Eileen wondered.
“Of course.” Amanda sounded confident, but suddenly she realized that she had never even considered the possibility that her father might refuse to let her return. He’d always given her what she wanted, when she wanted it. She had no reason to believe that that would change just because she’d gotten expelled from school. Once she explained everything to him, she was sure he’d understand. Why wouldn’t he want her to have the vote? Of course, he might still be angry about her not finishing school, but what did she need a college education for anyway? There was too much she could be doing to help the suffrage movement for her to waste her time sitting in classrooms listening to boring lectures on ancient Greece and Rome. No, the future for women was in the franchise, and she was going to be one of the leaders.
The stage drew to a stop at the station in town, and Jack climbed down first, then turned to help Eileen descend.
“Where’s my father?” Amanda asked, craning her neck out the stage window. He should have been there waiting, but she could see no sign of him anywhere. They had sent a telegram from San Antonio letting him know when they’d be arriving, and she couldn’t believe he wasn’t there.
The possibility that he was so furious with her that he didn’t want to see her until she got home brought her up short. She knew he was upset, but she hadn’t considered that he might be that angry with her. She quieted in anticipation of the reunion to come.
“It doesn’t look like he’s here,” Jack said as he saw Eileen safely out of the stage and then offered his hand to Amanda.
She took it distractedly and climbed down to stand in the dusty street. She looked in both directions for some sign of her father, but he was nowhere to be found. “I guess we’ll just go on up to the house—”
“Amanda!”
Mona’s cry came to her, and she looked up to see her Uncle Asa’s wife hurrying toward her with a tall, handsome man at her side.
“Aunt Mona!” Amanda smiled and waved. She’d always liked the woman her uncle had married, but she wondered why she was the one coming to greet her.
“I’m so glad you’re finally back! We’ve missed you so much,” Mona said as she embraced her. When they broke apart, she made the introductions. “Amanda, this is my son, Ted Carroll. I don’t know if you remember him or not?”
“Hello, Ted,” she said, turning to Ted and smiling up at him. The smile he gave her in return was genuine and warm, and she decided that he had grown into a very attractive man. He was over six feet tall, with brown hair and friendly blue eyes. “It’s nice to see you again. I remember meeting you the first year after your mother married Uncle Asa, but then you went away to school and I went back East.”
“It’s nice to see you, too,” he replied.
“Where are my father and Uncle Asa? Didn’t they come with you?” she asked, looking around anxiously, her eyes aglow at the thought of seeing them.
“Amanda, I . . .” Mona began, then hesitated.
“Did Papa have to drive today? Is that why he’s not here to meet me?” She suddenly sensed that something very strange was going on. “Where’s my father?” She looked from Mona to Ted expectantly.
Ted stepped toward her protectively. “Amanda, there’s been trouble—”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Your father and Asa were making the run to Comanche Pass a little over a week ago when they were attacked and robbed. Asa was killed and your father—”
“Oh, God! How’s Papa?” She tensed, grabbing Ted’s arm, fearing the worst. If he were dead—
“He was shot twice,” Mona quickly explained. “At first, we didn’t know if he would survive or not. But he’s pulled through and is recovering.”
“I have to see him.” She had gone pale and was shaking. Her father was her stronghold. He was always there and had always taken care of her. He couldn’t be hurt . . . He couldn’t be. . . .
Amanda forgot everything else as she started off towa
rd her house at a run.
“Amanda! Wait!” Eileen called after her, but she didn’t hear her and kept running.
“Ted, go after her. She’s going to need you,” Mona directed her son, and then she turned her attention to Jack and Miss Hammond. “And you are?”
“I’m Eileen Hammond. Amanda’s grandmother hired me to act as her companion on the trip back, and this is Mr. Taylor’s friend Jack Logan. Mr. Taylor sent Mr. Logan to bring Amanda home. It looks as though we didn’t get her back here a minute too soon.”
“I only wish it could be a happier homecoming,” Mona said regretfully, her gaze following Amanda and Ted as they disappeared down the street.
“How is Dan?” Jack asked, concerned about his friend.
“As I told Amanda, he’s not doing well. It was very touch-and-go there for the first week. He seems stronger now, but you never know—”
“Is he able to have visitors?”
“I’m sure he’ll want to see you if his strength holds up.” She looked in the direction Amanda and Ted had gone. “I’d better go with them. Amanda’s going to need my support. Come to the house as soon as you’re ready. We’ll be expecting you.”
Mona gave them the address and left.
Jack was frowning as Eileen looked up at him.
“This is so terrible! How could this have happened?”
“The reason Dan hired me, the reason he couldn’t go back East to get Amanda himself, was that there had been two robberies in the last few months,” Jack explained.
“And things have only gotten worse.”
Jack saw to their luggage and arranged for Amanda’s and Eileen’s to be taken to the Taylor house. Then he and Eileen followed the others.
“Papa—” Amanda said in a choked voice as she slipped into his semi-darkened bedroom.
Maria, their housekeeper and cook, had been keeping watch over him. She stood and went to Amanda. “It is good you are home. He has been wanting to see you.”
“He looks so—”