“Rusty, you sure you can drive?”
The driver looked down at his shirt. “Been hit worse than this and made it, but my gol-durned shirt is ruined. Looks like yours is too.”
Though terror still clawed at her insides, Tabitha helped the driver clamber up to his seat atop the stage. When she’d assured herself the driver could indeed sit upright and control the coach, she leaned against the vehicle’s side and prayed for the strength to continue. Dear merciful heavens, had she actually hit one man and shot another? When she thought what had almost happened to her, she retched into the dirt.
With her grimy handkerchief, she wiped her face. Not much farther to go now. Assuring herself she could continue, she hefted herself to her place inside the stage. Was life here always this frightening?
Bear tied the reins of the horses carrying the two dead robbers to the back of the stagecoach. He struggled to climb inside, and then sank onto the seat with a thud that shook the vehicle.
“Heeyaaa.” Rusty cracked a whip over the mules’ backs and the stage rumbled on its way.
“Forget about us ladies and propriety and take off your shirt.” Maggie dug in her purse. “I have a sewing kit in here somewhere.”
Lizzie rolled what was left of the petticoat ruffle into a bandage.
“Can I help you ladies?” Tabitha slumped against her seat, fascinated by Bear’s rippling chest muscles. She’d never seen a man’s exposed chest.
Maggie pressed a handkerchief to Bear’s chest wound. “We’ll need more bandages. And pressure. That scalawag aimed at your heart, Bear. Thank the Lord he missed.”
Tabitha reached under her skirt and ripped the ruffle off the one petticoat on which she hadn’t sewn coins. “I hope this will help.” She passed it to Lizzie.
“Thank you, dear. Now please press on his leg while we wrap that shoulder.”
Hesitantly, Tabitha touched Bear’s thigh. The heat of a blush burned her cheeks. Her hands rested too near the juncture of his thighs. Emergency or not, this was far too intimate for her comfort.
When she raised her gaze, his eyes held hers in an inscrutable stare. Heat from his muscular upper leg burned against her hand. She pressed her weight against the fabric, conscious of how near her face was to his bared chest.
She lowered her head and reminded herself to concentrate on stopping his blood loss. Don’t think about how near your hands are to his male parts. But she couldn’t stop thinking about the large bulge only inches from her hands.
When she glanced at him, his eyes glazed over and she thought he might pass out. She feared she might do the same. No, this was no time for her to faint. For once, she could make a difference in a life. The sisters wrapped his chest in the improvised bandage.
“We’ve used both ruffles for his chest, sister. We’ll need another for his leg. I’ll tie this off and see to a ruffle from my petticoat.”
Maggie ripped another row of cloth from her undergarment. “This one’s already ruined and there’s no point ruining yours as well. We won’t need as long a bandage for his thigh.”
Lizzie guided Tabitha’s hand. “Now, dear, let’s trade places. You sit beside Bear and press against the chest, but not too hard. Place your other hand over this hole on his back and be firm, but don’t injure him further.”
Bear’s heart beat through the thin bandage beneath her palm. His skin beaded in sweat and chest hair darkened from the moisture that ran the direction of the veed hair disappearing into his dungarees. Pressing on his broad chest and back forced her to almost embrace him.
She glanced up at him. “Is this too hard?”
He gave a weak smile. “No, feels nice.” His mouth almost brushed her cheek as his breath caressed her face.
Lizzie swatted him. “Bear, this is no time to flirt. I declare, men will be men under any circumstances.”
Tabitha met his gaze again. “That shot barely missed your heart.”
He peered down at himself. “Went clean through, though, so don’t have to worry.” Bear held up a hand to the two ladies ministering to his injuries. “No cutting off my britches leg. These are new.”
Maggie’s expression carried concern. “Unless you want to drop them in front of us, then you’ll have to cut out around the hole. I know Erna will be able to sew on a patch, and we have to see if the lead is still in there.”
“I’m not baring anything more than I already have in front of you women.” Bear pulled a huge, frightening knife from his boot and cut a square of cloth free.
Tabitha moved with him, even more conscious of his bare skin with her face so close to him. She longed to rest her cheek on his shoulder. Her mental bond to him jolted her. Did he sense a connection? How could he fascinate her when she’d been dreaming of Tobias a few hours ago?
Lizzie bent over his wound. “I see the slug, Bear, but I can’t get it out while we’re moving. Shall I tell Charlie to pull over a bit?”
“No, just staunch the bleeding.” He appeared unconcerned but submitted to the sisters’ ministrations. After they’d wrapped the leg, he pressed on the wound to stop the bleeding.
Tabitha tried not to look at his bared chest. Or the muscles that rippled when he moved. Or when the stage moved. She should be ashamed for staring at him when she’d come to Texas to wed a man—a man she hadn’t met, true, but in her heart she was promised to Tobias.
Had it only been hours instead of days since they’d left Millsap? Had it been weeks or years since she left Boston? Heavens, it must have been ages since she’d had a bath, worn clean clothes, and walked to her neat office at the shipping company. And here she was with her hands on a man’s powerful chest and back and having very unladylike thoughts.
Tabitha surveyed the man beside her. His shirt off exposing his bared chest emphasized his strength and size. Dear heavens, the man’s build reminded her of a statue she’d seen in a museum. Only better because he was flesh and blood. A lot of blood. Briefly, she remembered the rest of the statue and wondered if this giant matched or surpassed the sculpture. Judging from the bulge she’d noticed, he far surpassed anything in marble.
She licked her dry lips and cleared her throat. “The driver said we’d be in Radford Crossing soon where there’s a doctor.”
Bear wiped an arm across his brow. “I’ll be fine now you ladies made a tourniquet for my leg. Afraid I’d have bled out without fast action. Like the driver, I’ve survived worse than this. Dr. Ross will fix me right up.” He met her gaze. “Quick thinking, sucker punching Lawson like that.”
Why wasn’t anyone surprised he knew so much about the stage line and the robbers? Her tongue darted out to lick her lips again. “A-Are you a lawman?”
He nodded. “Rancher most of the time. Occasionally I help the law in one way or another. Today, I hired on to protect the payroll run.” He closed his eyes and exhaled and she feared he’d pass out. “There’s a five hundred dollar reward for the capture of this gang. Now it will go to you.”
“Five hundred dollars?” Stunned by the amount, she pondered what the money might do to nurture her freedom. She shook her head, wondering where her sense had flown. “But you and the driver deserve it.”
“Stage line employees can’t accept rewards. Preventing robberies is our job. You can receive the money in good conscience.”
“I suppose we’ll see.” Nervous laughter caught her by surprise. “My brother and sister-in-law would never believe that in any way I helped stop a stage robbery.”
“Guess you don’t need the money with all you’re wearing.” Bear smiled at her. “Clever trick, sewing money inside your clothes.”
Tabitha shuddered and for a moment couldn’t think of anything to say while she studied his strong features. “Not if that Lawson person had attempted to lift me onto his horse. I fear he’d have ripped off my clothes right there and…well, my life would have been over. Thank you for not revealing my secret in front of those men.”
“Worried a while back there, but I wouldn’t have given yo
u away. Besides, I have an interest in your welfare.”
Her heart skipped a beat and she blinked at him. “You do?”
“Allow me to introduce myself. Folks call me Bear, but my name is Tobias Baldwin.”
If that didn’t beat all.
Her anger spiked and she dropped her hands, and then returned the pressure to his injuries. “Why didn’t you introduce yourself when you first saw me? You must have known my identity.”
She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “You weren’t sure you wanted me to know who you were in case you decided against me. That’s it, isn’t it?”
He colored but shook his head. “My height scares folks. I wanted you to be around me a bit before you found out my name. Thought maybe you’d be less leery of me if you had a chance to get accustomed gradually.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, she stared at him. Her wayward thoughts hadn’t made her unfaithful to Tobias because this giant was the man she’d come to marry. Could she believe his story?
Truthfully, she admitted his height and broad shoulders had intimidated her when she first spotted him, in spite of his handsome appearance. At least his size would intimidate William if—no, more likely when—that snake followed her.
Maggie leaned forward. “You can release the pressure now. I believe he’ll be fine until we reach Radford Crossing.”
Lizzie patted her arm. “Bear’s telling the truth, dear. When we first saw him in Millsap, he asked sister and me not to tell. He was afraid his size would scare you off before you even got to know him. He’s really a fine man, dear, very gentle and law abiding.”
“Good thing you’re tall for a woman, Miss Masterson. You two will make a nice couple. And you won’t be afraid of Bear’s mother, Erna.”
She met Bear’s eyes. “Your mother? I thought your parents died.”
He frowned. “I wrote Pa died. I never mentioned Ma.” He jutted his jaw. “Figured that was plain enough she still lived on the ranch with me.”
“Your mother lives with you?” Oh, dear, had she traded a sister-in-law for another woman who would disapprove of and nag her?
He tugged at his ear. “Guess you could rightly say I live with her. She and Pa homesteaded the ranch. Over the years, Pa and I both added to it. Pa built the cabin with my brother and I helping.”
“Cabin? But you wrote you live on a ranch of several thousand acres. Doesn’t that mean a large main house, a bunkhouse, barns, sheds, and so forth?”
“Ma’am, I think you’ve read too many dime novels. Ours is a big ranch with a small house. We have a bunkhouse, all right, but only three men live there.”
“And your cook and cleaning lady live elsewhere?”
“There is no cook save Ma.” He stared into her eyes and exhaled. “You don’t know how to cook, do you?”
Now Tabitha sensed the heat of a blush cover her cheeks. “I know a bit, but I’ve never prepared an entire meal. My parents had a housekeeper who cooked for us. Until recently, we had a cleaning woman who came in to help with the housework and laundry.
His expression changed to one of dismay. “What did you do all day?”
“I stayed busy.” She defended her lack of housewife skills. “I kept books for the family business. In addition, I made sure all the deliveries went smoothly, new contracts were prepared and executed, goods auctioned,” she waved a hand, “all the details that are needed to keep a large business running smoothly.”
“I see.” Bear tilted his head speculatively. “And what did your father and brother do?” He slowly slid his arm back into his shirt but didn’t fasten the buttons.
She sighed. “The last few years, Papa mostly visited with friends at his club and in town—supposedly to keep up business contacts. My brother visited with other businessmen to recruit their shipping contracts, met them for lunch and dinner and at social occasions.”
Maggie fanned herself once more. “Sounds as if you did most of the actual work and ran the company.”
“I’m afraid that by now my brother will have realized how much he depended on me. David, well, my brother thought he did everything of importance and never valued or learned my work.”
Bear leaned toward the window. “Looks like we’re rolling into Radford Crossing.” He turned to face Tabitha. “Don’t worry about your trunks. You go on inside the hotel and Hiram will take care of your belongings.”
The stage slowed and stopped. Bear opened the door and climbed down, then turned to help the ladies exit. Excited townspeople rushed to see why there were bodies on horses trailing behind the coach. The sheriff appeared and took command.
Bear hadn’t bothered to button his shirt and Tabitha’s gaze repeatedly strayed to his powerful chest. Now her eyes roved from his shoulder wound to the blood oozing from his leg. “You’re certain you’ll be all right?”
“I’ll see Dr. Ross now the prisoners are turned over to the sheriff. Doc will deal with the two bodies.”
“So, you’re…you’re sending me on my way then?” Although she longed for rest and knew he needed care, she hated leaving this large man’s reassuring presence. Hated rejection without a chance to prove herself.
He touched his fingers to his hat brim. “Ma’am, I’ll be along to see you tomorrow. We can both use a good night’s sleep. Then, maybe you’d like to ride out with me to see my ranch.”
Gratitude jumbled her thoughts. “And meet your mother?” Oh, dear, she hadn’t meant that to sound snappish. She hastened to soften her comment, “I’ll look forward to it.”
“She’ll be expecting you.” He turned and hobbled toward the horses tied behind the stage.
Onlookers drifted after the prisoners being led to jail. Limping, Bear led the two horses bearing lifeless riders.
Lizzie waved at someone. “Oh, there’s our nephew. Joel, Rosalyn, here we are.” She turned to her sister. “I wonder where little Lucy and baby Nick can be?”
A handsome man dressed as a prosperous businessman accompanied by a well-dressed, beautiful woman hurried toward them. The woman wore a splendid green dress and carried herself like a queen. Her red gold hair was caught up under her hat, but a couple of long curls fell over one shoulder. Seeing them reassured Tabitha that she hadn’t entirely left civilization.
After introductions, they explained about the robbery.
“Joel used to be sheriff here, but now he’s a lawyer.” Lizzie beamed at Tabitha then turned to Joel Stone and his wife, Rosalyn. “Miss Masterson stood up to that ruffian and retrieved his gun.”
Joel raised his eyebrows then inclined his head. “Very brave of you, Miss Masterson.”
“An accident. I’d never held a gun before. Somehow, when I was startled by Mr. Baldwin’s gun firing, I must have squeezed the trigger. A wild shot wounded an outlaw. Thank heavens it wasn’t your aunts or Mr. Baldwin I shot.”
Lizzie patted her arm. “You’re being modest. Really, Joel, you should have seen her punch one of the outlaws then kick him where it did the most good. He was that worthless Francis Lawson from Cleburne, but he’s one of the ones who died.”
“We’re fortunate those villains didn’t kill us.” Maggie turned to Tabitha. “Our brother, that is Joel’s father, was robbed on the Cleburne to Fort Worth stage. The tragedy ruined his life.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that. If this robbery had been successful, my life would have been destroyed. Especially if that Mr. Lawson knew I had sewn my money into my clothes.”
Maggie peered around. “Where are our Nick and Lucy?”
Rosalyn slid her arm through Maggie’s. “Birdie and Luther are upstairs playing with Lucy and Nick so I could come with Joel to meet the stage.”
Tabitha gazed up at the hotel façade, worrying about the size and propriety. “I’m surprised the hotel is only two stories. Does that mean single women stay on the same floor as men?”
Joel hefted his aunts’ bags. “Don’t worry. Town’s too small for a larger hotel. Dining room and lobby take up the first floor. Anyon
e can eat in the there, but no troublemakers are allowed in the hotel.”
Tabitha frowned, still doubting she’d come to a place she could remain. Her body cried out for rest and, apparently, she hadn’t much choice for lodging.
“Mr. Stevens sends the rowdies to the saloon or the livery.” Lizzie chuckled. “He insists he wants no problems for his guests.”
Rosalyn patted Tabitha’s shoulder. “My daughter and I stayed at the hotel when we first arrived and found it quite satisfactory.” Rosalyn gestured to a large square building. “Mrs. Welborn’s place is at the end of the block.” She smiled. “If everything’s full or you’re worried, you’ll be welcome to stay with us. Ours is the large white house on the street to the north. You’ll see my dressmaker sign.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, thank you. There’s no need for you to accompany me inside. Meeting you has been a pleasure. Good night.” A dressmaker? No wonder Rosalyn wore a spectacular dress.
Lizzie waved as she turned to follow the others. “Good night, dear. We’ll see you around town soon, I’m sure.”
Suddenly lonely, Tabitha watched her new acquaintances walk away. A few townspeople stood at the corner, no doubt discussing the attempted holdup. No one approached her. Would she be able to fit in here and become friends with the residents? She so wanted a home where friends and a new family appreciated her.
A man hurried from the establishment in question. “Ma’am, I’m Hiram. Sorry to keep you waiting. Those your trunks?”
“Yes, thank you.” With a weary sigh, she struggled up the steps and into the building. The sooner she shed her weighted clothing, the better. Her plan had kept her money concealed on her trip, but she wasn’t safe yet.
What would happen when William showed up? She knew he’d arrive sooner or later. He wanted her dowry. Somehow, more than mere marriage consumed him. Many of Boston’s young women had far finer dowries than hers. What sinister plot fueled his determination?
Chapter Five
A hot meal and a bath followed by a good night’s sleep revived Tabitha. Used to rising early, she greeted a sunny day filled with promise. She decided to forego heavy mourning clothes and wore her gray poplin dress trimmed with matching lace and black velvet ribbon. Long sleeves ended with wide lace ruffles. Gray counted as respectful after a death, so she bore no guilt in packing away her black.
Wild Western Women Ride Again: Western Historical Romance Boxed Set Page 34