by Lyn Horner
“Sure would,” Del replied. “Think I could say howdy to Reece?”
“If he’s awake. Jessie’s been dosing him with laudanum for his pain. He sleeps most of the time now.”
“Mmm. I’m damn sorry he’s doing so poorly.” As he spoke, Del grasped Tye’s arm. “Come on, son. Lil’s got her hands full. Let me be your eyes.”
A short time later, Tye sat tensely in one of the parlor chairs. Jessie had escorted Del to Reece Senior’s room and they hadn’t yet returned. Left alone with Lil and her mother, Tye longed to escape to the barn or the corral, anywhere but here – if only he could see to do it.
Lil was wishing much the same thing. She’d taken the soup out to the kitchen and now stood next to Tye with her hand on his shoulder, feeling tense and uncomfortable in her mother’s presence. They hadn’t exchanged more than a dozen words since entering the house. Clearing her throat, she searched for something to say, but her mother beat her to it.
“This salve is for him,” she said, darting a glance at Tye as she pulled a small jar from her pocket and offered it to Lil. “Your grandmother’s people use it for healing.”
Astonished, Lil stepped forward and accepted the gift. “Th-thank you.” Uncapping the jar, she sniffed it’s contents, recognizing the scent of wild herbs. She smiled. “I remember this. You used it on me many times when I was little.”
Ma nodded, and Lil caught the small twitch of her lips. “You were always getting cut or skinned up. The salve is good for such things. If you put some on his wound, it will heal faster.”
“’Tis thoughtful of ye to bring it, Mrs. Crawford,” Tye said. “I thank ye for it.”
Watching her mother study her tightly clasped hands, Lil hoped her surprising show of kindness would not turn bitter. Finally, Ma raised her head and gazed first at her, then at Tye.
“My husband has told me much about you, Tye Devlin. I did not wish to hear how you saved our daughter from drowning or how you defended her against Frank Howard, but he made me listen. Now he tells me your sister’s child was saved because you knew where she was and that she still lived. Del does not know how you knew these things.” Ma paused briefly before continuing, “But my mother’s people, the Cherokee, believe there are those who see things that others cannot see. I think you are such a one. Is this so?”
Tye shifted in his seat, clearly taken aback. Lil could have told him that her mother, while stubborn and long to hold a grudge, was also a spiritual woman. And although she’d been baptized Christian, she still held many of her Indian ancestors’ beliefs.
“I feel things from time to time,” he said cautiously. He caught Lil’s hand when she once more laid it on his shoulder. “’Twas such a feeling that first drew me to Lil.”
“Ah. You saw this as a sign that you were to be together?”
“Aye, though I tried to deny it for a long while, thinking she was far too good for the likes of me. But I couldn’t stay away from her, as ye well know.”
Ma considered his answer and said, “I was wrong to stand between you. You are one of the wise ones. I am honored to welcome you as my daughter’s husband.” Her eyes sparked with sudden humor. “Even though you are Irish and a no-good Yankee.”
Tye truly laughed for the first time since losing his sight, a welcome sound to Lil’s ears. “I’m glad to hear that . . . Rebecca. I hope ye don’t mind me calling ye by your given name.”
Ma nodded her permission. “It is good. And I will call you Tye.”
Lil’s attention was drawn by the sound of Jessie’s heels clicking along the hallway, together with a man’s heavier tread. A moment later she walked into the room followed by Lil’s father. Both wore grim expressions.
“How is Reece?” Ma asked.
“Not good, not good at all.” Pa shook his head. “I don’t expect we’ll see him again.”
Jessie started toward the chair opposite Tye’s but stopped at the sound of thundering hoofbeats. “What on earth?” she muttered, returning to the hall with Lil and her father trailing after her.
“’Tis David and most of our men,” Jessie said, opening the front door.
Lil experienced a sinking feeling in her already nervous stomach. She feared what this turn of events might mean. Stepping out to the porch with her father and Jessie, she waited in dread as David and the other riders drew rein in a confusion of dust and stamping hooves. David jumped off his horse and strode to the house, carrying his carbine.
“Judd Howard’s riding in,” he announced, taking the porch steps two at a time, “and he’s got a half dozen men with him.”
Lil gasped in dismay, then jumped at the touch of a hand on her shoulder. Pivoting, she found Tye standing in the open doorway with her mother beside him, guiding him. In his hand, he carried Reece’s old rifle from above the fireplace.
“The time has come,” he said.
“What are you doing with that gun?” she cried in alarm. “You can’t aim it.”
“I can point it straight ahead of me, though.”
“Tye, let Del and me handle this,” David said. “You’re in no shape to face Howard.”
“Aye, stay inside,” Jessie added. “We’ll tell him you’re hurt and can’t leave your bed.”
“Oh aye? What will ye be telling him the next time he shows up? He won’t believe such excuses for long. And I’ll not be hiding from him. Better to settle this now.”
David stopped Jessie from arguing further. “I want you inside. Round up Nora and little Reece and corral them in our room. And stay there with them.”
“But Tye’s my brother. I can’t just –”
“Jessie, you’re carrying our baby. There’s nothing you can do for Tye and you could get shot. Do like I say. For our children’s sake.”
Looking crestfallen, Jessie nodded and turned to go inside. Lil followed her, slipping past Tye and her mother. Once inside, she left her sister-in-law to collect the children and hurried to the room she’d been sharing with Tye. Moments later, she stepped back outside wearing her gun. Her father was the first to notice. He’d moved the buckboard off to the side and was just climbing the steps, rifle in hand.
“What do you think you’re doing, girl? You’d best take off that gun before Judd and his bunch get here.”
Tye, now standing with David by the porch rail, whirled to face her. He’d ripped off his bandage, she saw, revealing the raw cut across his forehead. “Lily! I won’t have ye fighting my battles!” he roared. “Do as your father says.”
“Not on your tintype, Devlin. I’m standing with you. You can’t tell me different, ’specially when you’re so loco you think you can fire a gun blind.”
“Damnú, woman! I don’t want ye getting killed because of me.” He started toward her – toward the sound of her voice, she realized and quickly sidestepped to avoid him. He snarled in frustration and turned this way and that, reaching, trying to locate her. She continued to evade him. Maybe it was a dirty trick, but she wasn’t about to let him take her gun away.
“Enough!” her mother snapped, grabbing Tye’s outstretched arm. “Daughter, listen to your husband. He only wishes to protect you.”
“No! I’ve got a right to be here. Besides, Judd won’t kill me. He’s like my uncle.”
“Aye? And what of the men riding with him?” Tye demanded. “Will they care who ye are when they see a gun in your hand?”
His question went unanswered. The sound of galloping horses drew everyone’s attention. Seeing Judd Howard at the head of the approaching riders, Lil wondered if she was right about him. Would he, could he, order her killed?
“Rebecca, get in the house,” Pa barked. “Lil, if you’ve got a lick of sense you’ll get inside, too.”
“No!” she repeated, causing her father to shake his head reproachfully.
“Be careful,” her mother said, briefly touching Lil’s cheek before heading into the house.
Tye growled something in Irish, then edged back to the railing and stood pointing his rifle
blindly in Judd’s general direction as he rode in. He was followed by six of the meanest looking hombres Lil had ever laid eyes on. Their tied down holsters declared what they were – hired guns. To her surprise, Judd’s older son, Travis, was not with him.
Stationed on either side of the house, David’s ranch hands shifted uneasily, knowing as well as Lil did that they were no match for hardened killers. She hoped to heaven it would not come to a gun battle between them. She didn’t want to see good men die anymore than Tye did.
Reining in, Judd glowered at Lil and her companions, settling his stare on her father. “Del, I didn’t expect to find you here.”
“I hoped I wouldn’t see you, Judd,” Pa replied. “You oughta have listened to me back in Wichita. I told you how it was.”
“Yeah, you told me,” Judd rumbled, plainly not believing his best friend’s account of the gunfight. His gaze shifted to Lil and his blunt features turned hard as stone when she stepped to Tye’s side. His eyes blazed with hatred. “Looks like I finally cornered me a yellow coward,” he snarled.
Tye stiffened at the insult but said nothing. David and his men muttered angry curses. Outraged, Lil didn’t hold back.
“My husband’s no coward!” she shouted.
“Lil, hush!” Tye barked.
Ignoring him, Judd sneered, “I heard yuh got the bastard to the altar. Reckon you enjoyed watching him murder Frank over yuh, too.”
“Damnation, Judd!” Pa shouted.
“How can you say that?” Lil cried. “I never wanted Frank dead. And it was no murder! Your own men were there. They know it was a fair fight.”
“Fair fight, hell! My men were there, all right, and they told me Frank never stood a chance against this damned, possum-playin’ shootist.” He jabbed his thumb toward Tye.
“Yeah, blame Tye just cuz he can handle a gun. But if Frank called him out thinking he’d be easy to kill, then who really meant to do murder?” she taunted.
“Shut up! Don’t you bad-mouth my boy!” Judd bellowed. Turning scarlet with rage, he dismounted and stomped toward the porch. His men remained on their horses, coldly watching.
“Judd, don’t be a fool,” Pa growled, rifle at the ready.
“Stop right there,” David ordered in a deadly voice, facing Judd from atop the steps with his carbine pointed straight at the older man’s heart.
Judd stopped in his tracks and glared up at David. “You’d be Taylor, I expect.”
“I am, and I’d advise you to get off my property.”
“My business isn’t finished yet, and it’s not with you.” Over his shoulder, he called, “Boys, step on down.”
David cocked his gun. “The first man who touches ground gets a bullet.”
None of Judd’s gun sharks attempted to dismount, but their hands hovered near their guns. “Boss, you want us to take him down?” one asked. His voice sounded familiar, and Lil realized he was the hard luck cowboy who’d stopped by a week or so back. Dressed all in black now, with his hat shading his eyes, he was hardly recognizable.
“Nay!” Tye shouted. “Howard, you’ve no fight with my brother-in-law or anyone else here but me. David, I’ll ask ye to back off. This is my affair, not yours.”
“Tye, you can’t –” Lil began.
“Lily, you’ve proved your courage. Now, please, stay out of this.”
“I won’t! If you try to shoot that gun you’re a dead man, and you know it.”
“Be quiet, woman!” Gritting his teeth, he turned toward her, keeping his free hand on the railing. “Do as I tell ye and go inside.”
Bent on stopping this before he got killed, Lil did the only thing she could think of. “Who’s gonna make me, you? Ha! You can’t even see me!”
He gave a furious growl and started for her. Stepping aside, she stuck out her foot and tripped him. He cried out in surprise and fell hard, knocking the rifle from his hand. Hearing his grunt of pain and seeing him grab his head, Lil dropped to her knees beside him.
“Oh, Tye, I’m sorry. I had to stop you.” She touched him but he jerked away.
“Damn, girl! He didn’t need another knock on his head,” Pa said, kneeling on the other side of him. “Come on, boy, let me get you up.”
“What the hell is going on?” Judd Howard demanded. “What do you mean he can’t see? Is this some trick you cooked up to make me change my mind about killing him?”
Lil shot to her feet. “It’s no trick! He can’t tell night from day. He’s blind!”
“My daughter was trapped in a cave,” David tersely explained. “We rescued her thanks to Tye. Afterward, when we tried to blow up the cave, the fuse went out. Tye ran in to relight it and didn’t make it out in time. He was hit in the head. Take a look, if you don’t believe me.” He stepped back, allowing Judd to mount the steps.
By now, Tye was on his feet, leaning heavily on Lil’s father. The wound on his forehead had partially reopened, causing blood to trickle down past his left eye. Grimacing, he pressed a hand to the cut, trying to staunch the blood. Lil bit her lip, regretting she’d had to cause him more pain.
Judd silently studied him. “Is it true? You can’t see?” he barked.
Tye pushed away from Pa. He swayed but managed to stand on his own. “Aye, I’m blind as a bat,” he said, eyes seeming to stare into empty space. “Does that please ye?”
“Hell no! I can’t shoot a blind man,” Judd spat in disgust.
Tye laughed bitterly. “I’m sorry to disappoint ye. Should I happen to get my sight back, I’ll be sure to let ye know.”
“Yeah? Maybe I’ll stick around for a while and find out if you mean that.”
“Fine. With any luck a’tall, I’ll be seeing ye soon.”
“Satisfied?” Pa asked sourly. At Judd’s curt nod, he guided Tye into the house.
David continued to hold his carbine on the six gunmen. Judd sent him a testy glance, then scowled at Lil. It was plain to see he didn’t like what he’d learned about Tye. Tucking his head between his shoulders like an angry bull, he muttered grudgingly, “I shouldn’t have said what I did about you likin’ to see Frank killed. I know that ain’t so. But I can’t forget your man killed my son. I’ll be around.” With that, he trudged down the steps and across the yard.
“Judd,” Lil called, following him, “where’s Travis? Why isn’t he with you?”
Halting, he kept his back to her. “He’s at home. He didn’t see fit to track down his brother’s killer.” His acid tone revealed a deep sense of betrayal.
He’d lost one son and the other refused to follow him on his quest for vengeance. In spite of everything, Lil felt sorry for him. “Maybe Travis sees Frank didn’t leave Tye any choice,” she said. “Maybe he realizes killing Tye won’t bring Frank back.”
Judd rounded on her, face twisted with pain. “You think I don’t know that? Nothing will bring him back! But I haven’t spent weeks scouring the country for that yellow coward you married just to walk away now.”
Lil’s spurt of sympathy evaporated. “Don’t you dare call Tye yellow again! Would a coward risk his life sealing up that cave?”
“If he’s so all-fired brave, why’d he run instead of staying to face me in Wichita?” he snarled. “Answer me that!”
Fists balled at her sides, she fired back, “Because he didn’t want any more blood spilled on his account. Because he wanted to protect his family and mine, and not start a feud between you and Pa. He even tried to make me believe he didn’t want me, all because he was afraid I’d get hurt. But I tracked him down, and I’ll stand with him against you and your hired guns.” She shot a furious glare at the hard-eyed men who’d been silently watching, enjoying the show.
Then she stepped close, narrowing her eyes at Judd. “And if you kill my man, Judd Howard, you’d better make sure to kill me too. Or by the bones of my Cherokee grandmother, I’ll hunt you down and feed your heart to the coyotes, so help me.”
He stared at her in shock. Whirling around, she hurried to catch up with
Tye.
Behind her, she heard Judd rumble, “Come on, men, we’d better find a hotel in that two-bit town we passed through. Reckon we’ll be here a while.”
There was no getting through to him, Lil realized. But she meant what she’d said. If he killed Tye and left her alive, he’d find out vengeance was a two-sided blade.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Lil found Tye lying on the bed in their borrowed room. Her father had gotten his boots off, and now her mother and Jessie were tending his wound.
“I’ll keep an eye on Judd and his bunch and let you know what they’re up to,” Pa was saying.
“I don’t want ye interfering with them, Del,” Tye said, frowning.
“I won’t. Unless they start trouble. If and when you’re ready, I’ll back your play. So will Jeb. And David, I reckon.”
“I appreciate that, but what I said still goes. It’s my fight.”
Sighing, Pa shook his head. “You and Lil are both too stubborn for your own good.”
“Hardheaded as an old mossy horn is what he is,” Lil snapped from the doorway.
Tye scowled and tried to turn his head toward her as she walked in.
“Hold still!” Jessie ordered. “Don’t make this bandage slip off.”
“Och! Finish it then,” he barked. “I need to have a few words with my darlin’ wife. In private if ye please.”
“Save your sass. I’ll have none of it.” Jessie sent Lil an amused glance. “I think you’re in for it with himself, sister dear.”
“Humph! We’ll see about that.”
“Aye, that we will,” Tye growled. “Shaming me the way ye did, woman, ye deserve a sound thrashing on your bare bottom! And I’m just the man to do it.”
“Don’t you threaten me, you, you . . . !” she sputtered. Mortified, she didn’t dare look at her parents.
Pa gave a howl of laughter. “Come on, Rebecca. It’s time for us to go.”
Leaving Jessie to tie off the bandage on Tye’s head, Ma said to him, “When you punish my daughter, do not be too cruel. She is only a woman.”
“Ma!” Lil cried in protest while Tye merely snorted his opinion.