“No, I escaped. A woman help me. Two women. Red find me. Got snowed in with blizzard. Just today good enough come to town.”
“Praise the Lord. I was so worried.” Tears streamed down Chloe’s face.
Blanche Basking caught up then. She was the oldest of the Ladies at thirty-six and their leader. Blanche was also still without a suitor and so lived in the House.
She grabbed Gema from Chloe, hugging her. “Oh, Gema. I’m so glad you’re here. We couldn’t believe what happened to you. Snatched in pure daylight.”
“Ma’ams,” Red’s voice broke into their reunion. “Sorry to interrupt, but I’m needing to get Gema in to speak with the sheriff. ‘Sides, I don’t want her to become a spectacle.”
Chloe looked around. The boardwalks in front of the various buildings now had people standing and watching what was going on in the street. No one was moving except Noah Preston, the town’s preacher. He was walking toward them, his long legs quickly eating up the distance. His black hat, black duster, and black mustache making him look like a gunslinger rather than a man of the cloth.
~~~~~
Red watched as Pastor Preston approached. As much as he admired and respected the man, Red just didn’t want to talk with him just yet. He knew what would have to be done. Knew that Gema did too, though they hadn’t spoken about it. The topic had been avoided during the time they’d spent snowed in at the line shack.
Sheriff Newt Riverby was watching the women. Noah had moved to stand next to him. Red caught their eyes and nodded. “Gema,” Red said. He hated taking her away from the Ladies fluttering around her, but they needed to get the official reporting over with. “We need to talk with the sheriff.” He didn’t mention the preacher. They’d speak with him soon enough.
They settled in the office, with Gema seated in front of the desk, Sheriff Riverby behind, and the other men standing or leaning against the wall.
“Mighty pleased you’re back Miss Volk…” The sheriff just let the rest of her name lapse.
“Please, just Miss Gema. Volkovichna too hard you to say.”
“Fine. Miss Gema, I’m real sorry you had to go through such an ordeal. I’d like to ask you some questions if you don’t mind.”
Gema nodded. “Red, he say you will. It good to tell. I want those outlaws captured. Those poor women, poor children. So sick. Measles.”
“What?” Noah broke into the conversation.
“Two women, one old girl, several young boy and girl. Several old boy. Many sick are the little ones.”
The men looked at Red. “That’s what she told me. I think Gema means teenagers when she says old girl and old boy.”
Sheriff Riverby began questioning her again. Red helped where he could when she struggled to find the right words. The men’s relief was palpable when they understood that she hadn’t been assaulted.
When the questions were complete, Newt said, “Miss Gema, I’m sure you’re eager to get to the House. The Ladies have been mighty worried about you. How about Red escorts you there?”
Gema jumped up from her chair and headed for the door. When she opened it, all the Ladies, both married and those still living in the House, were crowded on the boardwalk. Squeals, tears, and hugs sounded as the men watched.
“I don’t think I need to be escorting Gema to the House, do you?”
CHAPTER FOUR
As soon as they were at the House, the Ladies hustled Gema into the kitchen. They set up the tub and began heating water on the stove.
“We figured you’d be wanting a bath. Such a terrible ordeal,” Blanche said. She and Chloe had closed their café early.
As wonderful as it was to be back at the house, Gema didn’t want to tell of her kidnapping and escape again. Especially about the three nights she’d spent in Red’s arms. That Laura Duffle, Red’s ex-betrothed, was listening made it awkward. Gema was no fool. She knew what was going to occur. The question wasn’t if, it was when.
Gema told them about all that had happened. As she did, images of the events flashed through her mind. One in particular stood out to her. She leaped from her chair. “Oh, I remember. I must tell Red and Sheriff.”
“What?” Chloe said.
“Sheriff ask if I remember any spots. What do you call them? Marks of land?”
“Landmarks,” Laura said.
“Yes, landmarks. I remember waterfall. Tumbling down like it does.” Gema pointed toward the creek that descended the mountain in a series of falls and gave the town its name. “I think it Stones Creek but then knew wasn’t. I need to tell sheriff.”
She ran out the back door, leaving the Ladies staring after her.
~~~~~
Red looked at Noah. He knew what was coming. He might as well let the man have his say.
“You spent three nights with Gema, alone in a line shack,” Noah said.
Red nodded. He wasn’t going to share the details of their bundling.
Silence stretched as the three men looked at each other. Finally, Noah spoke. “You’re a God-fearing man, Red. Will you do what’s right?”
Again, Red nodded. “I will. I didn’t think I’d have any trouble convincing the committee.”
As a safeguard for the women from his mission, Nugget Nate had set up a committee of four men who needed to approve any man who wanted to court one of the Ladies. He wanted them to make good lives for themselves and their children. Making sure the men they married were of good character was part of that. Besides the sheriff and pastor, Doc Eli Steele, and Ben Cutler, the owner of the general store, were those four men.
“No, you won’t.” Noah studied Red for a moment. “Seems God had a different plan for you than what you’d thought.”
“You speaking of Laura?”
Noah nodded.
“I’ve learned a thing or two from her. I count her a good friend and hope she feels the same.”
“You know she’s betrothed to Hank now?” Newt asked.
Red thought about that news. He smiled. “I’m not surprised. I had a feeling he was interested. Didn’t realize until after I’d committed to court Laura. I’m pleased.”
Red watched some tension leave Noah’s shoulders. The pastor’s care and concern for his flock was heartening. “So, when are you wanting to have the ceremony?”
“Well, I’m not rightly sure.” Red rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Gema and me, we haven’t talked about it. She’d been through a pretty tough ordeal. By the time I found her, she was cold and wet. My concern was getting her dry and warm so she didn’t sicken.”
“Did she tell you about the measles epidemic?” Noah asked.
Red shook his head. “Just that some of the children in the outlaw camp had them.”
Noah explained about the epidemic that had struck the town a month ago. Red had been at the line shack so hadn’t heard the news. Many of the citizens of Stones Creek and the surrounding area had been stricken. When Noah told of Gema and Lucy Tanner, a young widow whose husband had been murdered by the outlaw gang, a tightness came into Red’s chest. Hearing of Lucy’s death clenched it even tighter. He sent up a prayer of thanks that Gema hadn’t gotten sick from her exposure to the wet and cold.
The door to the jail office burst open. Gema ran in, panting in her hurry. “I remember. Landmark. A waterfall, like one here.” She pointed.
Newt jumped up from his seat and looked at Red. “They must be near the line shack since you found Gema there. Do you know the falls she’s talking about?”
Red stared off into space, scanning the terrain in his mind. “Yeah, I do. It’s maybe a mile, mile and a half from where I found Gema.”
“We’ll get up a posse for tomorrow. Can you stay in town tonight so we can go first thing in the morning?” Newt took a rifle off the wall and began examining it.
“Sure, I’ve been away from the ranch homestead for a while, but I figure Hawk’ll approve of this delay.”
“I’m going too,” Noah said. His tone brooked no argument.
&nbs
p; Newt just nodded. “We’ll take Dak. Do you think Massot would go? I’ll ask him and Doc. We may need his skills if there are sick people.”
“Yes,” Noah said. “McIlroy will, too.”
“You sure?” Newt asked.
“Positive.” Though he didn’t say anything else, Red got the idea there was more said in that single word than it implied.
“Okay, we’ll meet here at dawn. Come armed and ready. Red, you escort Gema back to the House.”
Red got the feeling Newt wanted him to speak with her about their upcoming nuptials but now was not the time. She was exhausted. He might not live through tomorrow. And right now, all he wanted was a bath.
~~~~~
Red stood just out of view of the front window of the barbershop. He wanted to gather his thoughts and feelings before he entered. The last time he was here had been when Laura gave him the mitten.
She’d really been marvelous in her anger. Red realized later just how far he’d stepped over the line in the comments he’d made that caused her to break their betrothal.
Red thought they were both a bit relieved that they weren’t getting married. He knew he hadn’t had the peacefulness that was settling within him at the thought of marrying Gema. Not that he was in love with the young woman. But something felt pretty right about it. At least he knew he was doing the right thing. The proper thing. Gema had gone through a terrible ordeal. She’d stayed with him three nights. They’d slept in the same bed. That would ruin her reputation.
Red remembered when Doc Eli Steele and his wife Leah had been kidnapped and trapped together by a bunch of jealous cowboys. Doc had done the right thing by her, and they seemed happy enough together. They had a baby boy now. Red couldn’t remember the name, just that he’d been born shortly after Christmas. Laura had been excited about the birth. She’d told Hank first, understandable since he was in town and Red was on the ranch. It was a clue to Laura and Hank having a very strong relationship.
And that thought brought him back to the present. Hank and Red had parted friends after Laura gave him the mitten. Red had gone up to the line shack at the time, needing to be alone with his thoughts. Hawk had tasked him with looking for the outlaw gang while he was there. He’d just begun a more thorough search of the area when he found Gema.
“You gonna stand out here all day or come in. You look like you could use all my services.” Hank had opened the door and stepped out on the boardwalk while Red was reflecting.
“How’d you know I was here? I stayed away from the window.”
“You must have a lot on your mind.” Hank pointed at the door.
Red chuckled. There was a window in the upper half. “Yeah, I do, on both counts. A lot on my mind, and I could use all your services.”
They entered, and Hank told Red to take a seat in the barber chair while he checked on the heat of the bath water. Once he was done shaving and cutting Red’s hair, he’d run the water from the boiler into the tub so Red could bathe.
Red cleared his throat as Hank came back into the front room of the shop. “I heard you and Laura got betrothed a while back. Congratulations. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. We’re planning on a May wedding. I’m working on some adjustments to my apartment.” Hank pointed to the ceiling. “Massot gave me permission to expand over the café so the boys will have a room. Actually adding two rooms.”
“How are the boys?” Red had been very close to the younger boy, Mark. Eddie, the elder, was closer to Hank. Red had struggled to become friends with the lad. His jealousy of the boy’s relationship with Hank was part of what led to his ham-brained words and Laura’s reaction to them. She hadn’t been very happy with Hank that day either. Seems they'd made up since they were betrothed.
“Well, I’m going to be beating you to the altar, after all.”
Hank dropped the razor strop he held. “What? Who?”
“Miss Gema. I’m the one who found her four days ago. Just able to come from the line shack this morning.”
Hank stood speechless. “You okay with that?”
“Have to be, but yeah. It’s okay. Sort of has to be, don’t it?”
Hank picked a wet towel out of the boiler on the stove with tongs and allowed it to drip into a bowl. “Well, my friend, I’ll be praying for you and her. I wish you the best.”
“Thanks, same to you and Laura.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Seven men rode out of Stones Creek the next morning. Newt had deputized the five who weren’t lawmen. His deputy, Dak Levine, passed out the badges. Noah gave a quick prayer that God blessed their cause to bring the outlaws to justice.
Since the hideout was on Hawk’s Wing land, they went to the ranch first. Hawk Connor, the owner, and former US Marshal decided to go with them. He’d been hunting for them since he purchased the ranch the previous fall.
Red led them past the line shack, then up the hillside to the waterfall. They split into groups of two heading out to look for the cave Gema had described. Her description wasn’t very clear as her view arriving had been from her position lying on the back of a horse, across a saddle. When she escaped, her focus was getting away as fast as possible.
The men gathered again after about an hour. Dak and Noah had seen some people. They weren’t sure it was the gang. Newt decided that they’d all go to the location. If it was the outlaws, he wanted the strength of their numbers and their guns.
It didn’t take long for them to come near to the spot. They dismounted and continued on foot, spreading out to approach from different angles.
As they drew near, it became clear these were not the outlaws. There were only four, and they were children who looked to be aged from about three to very young teenage. The oldest was in a hole shoveling dirt out with what looked like a tin miner’s pan. A girl a little younger sat on the ground with a toddler on her lap. Another boy, younger than the girl, stood next to a bundle wrapped in a dirty cloth.
Newt silently signaled for the men to gather again at the horses. When they were all together he said, “I’m not sure what this means, but we need to scout around some more and see if there are others, adults, nearby. These kids could be bait to lure us out. Don’t think so since the gang wouldn’t know we were coming, but we need to be careful.”
“I’d say the cave needs to be that way, uphill. There looked to be a spot off that way from where the children were,” Hawk said.
Several of the other men nodded.
“Dak, Hawk, McIlroy, and I will do the scouting. The rest of you spread yourselves around the children, keep quiet and out of sight. We don’t want to spook them. We don’t know if they’re armed.”
As they moved out, Red wondered at the inclusion of McIlroy in with the other experienced lawmen. He knew the blacksmith had been in the War, but so had Red. So had Doc Eli. Red didn’t know about Noah and Massot. It made no difference really, but the wondering passed the time it took to walk back to where the children were.
The oldest boy was out of the hole now. He picked up the bundle, jumped down into the hole. After setting it carefully down, he climbed out again. He and the other children began shoving the dirt back in the cavity.
“They’re burying someone. Another child by the size,” Noah whispered into Red’s ear.
Red wanted to groan. Four children burying another wasn’t something any child should have to do.
A who-hoot sounded. It was the signal to move in. The others must not have found anyone else. Red didn’t want to go with his gun drawn but knew it was foolish not to. Any of the children might be armed. Maybe not the toddler, but all of the others could have experience with weapons.
Intent on their task, none of the children noticed as the men drew near. Then, the littlest one looked up and screamed. That made the others do the same. They began to scatter but were quickly caught. Though they struggled against their captors, strength faded and soon all the children were panting, subdued.
Noah approached McIlroy who was holding th
e oldest boy in his massive arms. “We won’t hurt you, son. Will you tell me who you are and why you’re out here in the wilderness?” he asked.
The boy tried to look tough, but then his lip quivered. “I’m Boone. That’s Mae.” He pointed to the oldest girl. “Tadpole, and the little one there is Nina. We just buried Boy.” Boone pointed to each child, then at the half filled grave. He squirmed a bit in McIlroy’s arms. Mae, Nina, and Tadpole all had fading rashes on their cheeks, evidence they were recovering from the measles.
“You going to run if I let you go?” asked the blacksmith.
“No, ain’t no use. Yous bigger an’ faster than me. ‘Sides there’s no wheres to run. Just back to the cave. Nothing there to keep up.”
“What do you mean?” asked Noah.
“They done abandoned us once that new woman escaped. Took Ada with them, and Flora and Sally. Left us young’uns behind.”
McIlroy swore. “Just like Chloe.”
Boone’s ears picked up the softly spoken words. “You know about Chloe? And Dunc? They’s alive?”
McIlroy nodded. “Yeah, they were rescued way back when. Just as Lil-Pen was ready to be born. They live in Stones Creek. I’m Chloe’s husband.”
Tears and smiles fought for dominance on the boy’s face. “They do?”
“Yes,” Noah said.
“Will you take us to the cave? We’ll gather what you have there and then head to Stones Creek,” Newt said. When Boone began to look panicked, he continued, “You’re not under arrest. We have a place there where you can stay, warm clothes, food, a bed.”
“A bath,” Dak muttered. The children did stink, but they didn’t need to be told that. Each one was filthy and dressed in ragged, ill-fitting clothing. Long hair so oily and dirty that its color was hard to distinguish was tangled around the girls’ faces. The boys weren’t much better, though it was shorter. None had clothing adequate for the chilly, early April day.
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