Billy turned and plodded to the main house. He hoped Daisy had let go of any notion to ride for the Pony Express.
He wasn’t about to risk his job, but what could she need money for? She already worked as a cook at the hotel in town, and from what he’d heard she was a good one and got along with everybody. So why did she need to get out of town right away? Was the same person who had killed Green Grass after Daisy as well?
Something wasn’t right, and Billy suspected she was in some kind of trouble. He didn’t know what kind of fix she was in, but he was determined to find out.
Chapter Two
You want to explain to me why Green Grass rode for the Pony Express?” Billy asked.
Daisy swallowed the lump in her throat and shifted in her chair. Memories of her friend danced in her mind and brought a fresh onslaught of tears to her eyes. Green Grass’s family would soon learn of her demise. The loss of income would be difficult for them, but even more devastating would be the loss of Green Grass herself.
“Well?” Billy stood in the doorway, his muscular arms folded across his chest.
In her grief-stricken state, she struggled for the proper words. Would Billy understand the hardships her friend faced? She hoped he would not only understand, but sympathize, too.
“Green Grass and her family are very poor. They live in a tiny shack, and their tribe is too poor themselves to be of much help.”
Billy nodded.
Daisy drew a deep breath and continued. “Her father was killed some time ago leaving her mother and grandmother to care for the younger children. The two women can only do so much farming and the younger children are too small to find jobs. They need money to buy food and extra blankets so they can live through the winter.”
Billy’s eyes seemed to peer into the depths of her soul. Daisy choked back a cry that crept up her throat and continued.
“Besides the need for food and blankets, her youngest brother is very sick and needs medicine. You don’t have children, and you’re a man, so I can’t expect you to understand, but she loved her family very much and would have done anything to help Little Bear.” Thinking of the tyke wrenched her heart. A mournful sob escaped from her lungs. Her shoulders sagged as she wiped tears from her eyes.
Billy crossed the room with a sure stride and pulled her into his arms. Daisy laid her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Comfort washed over her as she listened to the steady cadence.
“Don’t worry about Green Grass’s family. I’ll see what I can do about getting her ma a job in town. I heard the laundry lady was looking for some help. I’ll even talk to the doc and see if we can get that little boy the medicine he needs.”
Judging by the kind words and the offer of assistance, Daisy surmised that Billy cared about the predicament of her friend’s family. She relaxed considerably and eased herself onto a chair. Although she couldn’t figure out why he cared so much, she was grateful for his compassion. She sat a bit straighter and fished around in her pocket for her handkerchief. Then she remembered she’d used it to stem the bleeding from Green Grass’s wounds.
Billy must have sensed her need; he produced a red bandanna. She used it to dab at her eyes. The musky smell lingering in the cloth brought a strange sense of comfort.
“Thank you,” she murmured, overwhelmed with gratitude. Now her heart thumped against her rib cage, causing heat to flow through her.
“Now that we’ve settled the matter of your friend, do you mind telling me why you’re busting to get out of town?”
Daisy didn’t particularly want to tell him about the evil man who had hunted her like prey, but figured she’d better. The thought of confiding in Billy frightened her. If someone else knew her secret, she would be placing them both in danger. But she needed help and she was weary of harboring the secret, so after a moment of hesitation, she began.
“A little over a year ago, I overheard Pa and Ma talking when they thought I was asleep. Pa worked for the railroad, and some army men came along to see how tracks were laid. There must have been some kind of trouble because Pa told Ma he knew something real bad about one of the men.” Daisy closed her eyes. She could still hear the frightful tone in her mother’s words, and her pa cleaning his Kentucky rifle.
“Go on,” Billy said.
“A few nights later, when I was sleeping in my room, Ma burst in and dragged me from my bed and shoved me into the closet. She told me to keep quiet, no matter what I heard. It was dark, but I could see a little because Pa had lit a lantern. Then a man crashed into our house. Pa called him Mr. Butchovick, and they argued.”
The man’s raucous growling could’ve jolted a grizzly bear from the depths of hibernation. She cringed but forced herself to continue.
“Now he’s following me. I didn’t think he knew I was hiding in the closet, but now I think he must have.”
“Wait a minute,” Billy interjected. “If Mr. Butcho-whatever has a beef with your pa, why is he following you?”
“You don’t understand.” Daisy shook her head. The desire to evade Butch turned strong and steady within her like the wheels of a locomotive, but determination to help her friend’s family was equally as powerful. Riding for the Pony Express would solve both problems. She jumped from her chair, ready to take the oath and ride east, with or without Billy’s approval.
“What don’t I understand?” Billy placed his hands on her shoulders.
To Daisy’s chagrin, he held tight and refused to let her loose.
“Butch,” Daisy finally stammered. “I saw him kill my pa and ma.”
Billy sighed with resignation and then hooked his thumbs into his belt loops. This girl was in a fix all right. Her eyes pleaded with him to let her go.
“Why don’t we ride into town and make some inquiries. I need supplies anyhow.”
Daisy shook her head. “When Butch got off the stage, he said he’d be staying at the hotel. I can’t go back there. He’ll see me and probably kill me like he did my folks.”
“Fine, I’ll go right now, and I’ll let the hotel manager know you can’t work for a while. I should be back before dark, but if I’m not, can you cook up something for the crew here? There’s only two hired hands out mucking stalls, plus a couple of riders.”
Daisy nodded. “Thank you.”
Billy plopped his hat on his head, hurried to the barn, and hitched up the wagon. From there he rode to the town of Cottonwood Springs. First he stopped at the boardinghouse and asked the proprietor to send some of Daisy’s things out to the way station. Then he went to the hotel and let Daisy’s employer, Mrs. Adrianne Larson, know she’d be gone for a while. The flushed-faced woman hustled around the sweltering kitchen, preparing a plate for a mangy vagrant and his equally mangy pooch. Adrianne communicated her displeasure with the circumstances but seemed to understand.
Exiting the kitchen, Billy walked around to the front of the hotel. The clerk had stepped out for a moment so he leaned against the counter and waited. He tried to appear nonchalant as he glanced around the lobby, looking for anyone wearing an army uniform.
Neither the clerk nor anyone in army blue appeared, and it was getting dark. With a sigh of resignation, he stuck his hat back on his head, crossed the lobby, and was clomping down the steps, lost in his thoughts when someone bumped against his arm.
Startled, Billy looked over and noticed a man sporting a blue army sergeant’s uniform.
“Excuse me,” he said, hoping not to arouse suspicion. “The name’s Billy Cook. Welcome to Cottonwood Springs.”
The sergeant smiled. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Jake Hunter. Say, my horse threw a shoe. Would you by chance know of a good smithy in town?”
“Sure, Barker’s is just down the street, on the left.” Billy pointed west, past the saloon.
“Much obliged.” The sergeant nodded and continued up the hotel steps.
“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to speak with you a bit. I’ve heard some things about a certain officer. I’
m not sure what to make of it.”
“What’s the officer’s name?”
“Randall Butchovick.”
A dark cloud settled over Jake’s face. He descended a few steps to look Billy in the eyes. Billy didn’t want to risk Daisy’s hide by divulging too much information, but this guy didn’t seem to think much of Butch, anyhow.
Jake glanced up one side of the street and down the other. “Meet me around back in fifteen minutes.” He cast another look around and then disappeared into the hotel lobby.
Fifteen minutes later Billy paced behind the hotel. A mild uproar engulfed the kitchen, probably due to Daisy’s absence. He paid them no mind and paced faster. What if this Jake Hunter character was in cahoots with Butch? Did he have ulterior motives for the clandestine meeting? He could be walking into a trap.
Sweat broke out on Billy’s forehead, and he reached for his bandanna. He peered down the alley. Darkness obscured most everything. An uneasy moment passed as he wiped a fresh onslaught of sweat from his brow and stuffed his bandanna in his trouser pocket.
There wasn’t much time to contemplate disastrous possibilities. Sergeant Hunter rounded the hotel corner, alone. “We have to make this fast, and keep it quiet.”
“All right, Sergeant Hunter,” Billy said.
“Call me Jake.”
Billy noticed the man gripping the handle of his revolver as he spoke. He stepped closer. Billy dug his boot heel into the dirt and wished he had brought his own weapon.
“I hope you’re not a friend of that skunk.” Jake shot a stream of tobacco juice onto the ground near Billy’s foot.
Billy whistled between his teeth. This Butch character must be as dangerous as Daisy said. With the lady’s well-being at stake, he pushed his anxiety aside and glanced sideways to make sure no one was within earshot. “Hey, look, I’ve never met the guy, okay. Just tell me what you know about him.” Billy asked, getting down to business.
Jake rolled a wad of tobacco around in his mouth and glared at Billy. Caution and fear mixed in the man’s face. He was probably wondering if Billy could be trusted.
“Look, Jake, I’m not associated with Mr. Butchovick. You can trust me.”
A slow moment elapsed before Jake spoke. “Butch killed my best friend, and a few others, I suspect. I just can’t prove it.”
Chapter Three
Sam, I need your help,” Daisy said.
“What for?” The hired hand looked up from mending a harness.
“I need you to help me get Green Grass’s body back to her home. It’s a cabin not far from here. We’ll be back before it gets too late.” Anger simmered in her heart at the one who had taken her friend’s life. She would dig deep into her soul and scrape up the courage to find the criminal. Then she would take down the monster who had killed her parents. She vowed to bring them to justice, just how she wasn’t sure, but she’d think of a way.
“All right,” Sam replied. He pulled a saddle from the stand and strapped it onto one of the work horses not used for making Express runs.
Daisy placed her own saddle on Clancy’s back and cinched the straps down. Then, with Sam’s assistance, she lifted Green Grass’s body from the ground onto a litter. Swiping tears from her eyes, she pulled a ribbon from her own hair and tied it to one of her friend’s long black braids. More tears streamed down her cheeks as she covered the body with an old sheet.
“I promise you, Green Grass, I’ll find whoever did this to you, and I’ll send the law after them.” With resolve, Daisy stood and mounted her horse.
For thirty minutes they rode through a thick section of trees until they reached a gurgling stream. A small log cabin with walls in desperate need of chinking offered a gap-toothed welcome. Thin wisps of smoke rose from the chimney. Green Grass’s mother emerged from the structure.
Daisy bit her lip and nudged her horse slowly forward. She pulled on the reins a moment later and urged the animal to stop. Through tear-clouded eyes she watched her friend’s mother take in the scene.
A scream flew from the woman’s mouth. Daisy cringed at the anguish-filled sound. Her friend’s mother rushed to the litter and sobbed over her slain daughter’s body.
Daisy’s heart constricted painfully as her friend’s grandmother and her siblings raced from the cabin. They wailed in an anguished chorus. Witnessing their heartbreak strengthened Daisy’s resolve. She would find the killer and see to it he paid for his crimes.
“My courageous daughter braved the wild frontier to earn money for Little Bear’s medicine. Now look what has happened,” Green Grass’s mother cried. Daisy’s middle ached as she watched the woman hold the spindly child close. The woman’s body shook as her sobbing increased.
“My friend Billy said he’d speak with the doctor in town about getting Little Bear’s medicine. If that doesn’t work, I’ll find the money somewhere and get it myself. I promise.” Daisy slid down from her horse, and Sam was there to help her undo the litter. They placed the body next to the cabin.
“Thank you,” the woman said. “We must begin the burial preparations for Green Grass.”
The family began to sing songs of mourning. Their voices rose in a crescendo of grief. The women’s feet pounded against the ground as they danced in remembrance of their fallen loved one. A wave of misery crashed into Daisy as she watched Little Bear lay his head on his dead sister’s chest and run his tiny fingers through her hair.
Daisy watched for a few moments before deciding to give the family some privacy. With a heavy heart, she and Sam headed back to the way station. It was a quiet trip that gave her time to reflect on the day’s events. Embers of anger slowly smoldered away the dull aching sadness and gave way to a fiery desperate hunger to right this terrible wrong.
It was late when she unbridled Clancy and led him to the corral. She dumped grain into his bucket and fed him a chopped apple. Then she went in to start dinner for the crew.
As Daisy pulled biscuits from the oven, succulent aromas filled the kitchen of the main house. She stirred the beef stew and finished setting the table but didn’t feel like eating. Her stomach convulsed at the thought of facing Butch, and finding another murderer, but the hired hands had to be hungry so she pushed the troubling thoughts aside and hurried outside to ring the triangle.
“Supper’s ready,” she hollered to the small crew at the station.
Two cowboys strolled from the barn and a rider stumbled from the bunkhouse. They joined Sam and came into the main house, said grace, and ate their meal.
When the men had consumed their fill they ambled back outside. Daisy pumped water into the kettle and set it on the cookstove to heat so she could scrub the dinner dishes.
Daisy nearly dropped a stack of plates when Billy stepped into the house and kicked the door shut. “What on earth?”
“I need to talk to you, Daisy. It’s about the man who killed your folks.”
Billy dropped into a chair and combed shaky fingers through his sweat-streaked hair. “Can you get me a cup of coffee, please?” He had hurried back from town so fast his throat was parched.
Daisy poured the steaming brown liquid into a tin cup and set it before him. “What did you learn about Butch?” she asked with wide eyes.
“He’s under investigation for killing someone else, some private in the United States Army. Several officers questioned him at length, but they just don’t have enough evidence to convict him.” Billy took a big gulp of his drink.
“Do you think it has anything to do with why he killed my folks?”
“I don’t know, but you’re right about one thing. The man is dangerous. You can hide here for as long as you need to.” Billy didn’t mind her taking on a share of the cooking, but he still hadn’t resigned himself to letting her ride for the Pony Express.
“What do you know about the army private?”
“Butch and the guy were sent to a railroad camp to make inquiries for transporting military goods. Probably the same camp your pa worked at.”
; “Go on,” Daisy said.
“Rumor has it, while at the railroad camp, Butch raped an Indian girl. When the private, Daniel Tully, threatened to turn him in and have him court-martialed, Butch killed him. Or so the rumors go.”
“Pa must have found out—and it got him and Ma killed.” Daisy paled and swayed to the left before she plopped down in a chair.
“Apparently so.” Billy downed the last of his coffee. “Are you all right?” He leaned toward Daisy and reached for her hand. Jake Hunter, the man he’d met behind the hotel, overheard Butch bragging that he’d hurt an Indian girl. Green Grass was probably that girl.
Billy wondered if Butch would eventually connect Green Grass to Daisy. He hoped the sneaky sidewinder wouldn’t get any crazy ideas and come out to the way station looking for her. They didn’t need a heap of trouble like that.
Chapter Four
Several hired hands sat around the dining-room table waiting on the meal. By the way their huge eyes followed her every move, Daisy guessed they were a famished lot. She sang another stanza of “Amazing Grace” as she finished making dinner. She noticed the way young Johnny smiled at her. She’d have to talk to him later and see if he knew the story of Jesus on the cross.
The roast she pulled from the oven smelled succulent and filled the room with a rich aroma. She set it on the counter to cool and then spooned the potatoes from the pan into a bowl and placed them on the table.
A rider was due soon, which meant another was heading out, and she wanted to make sure his belly was full before he rode off into the starry night. She poured a round of coffee for the crew, set the pot back on the stove, and carved the meat. If only Billy wasn’t so put off by the hymns she sang while she worked. His company would provide some welcome conversation in the kitchen. Not that she wasn’t entertained by the teenage riders, but they hadn’t been in the kitchen while she cooked.
“You boys wait until we say the blessing, all right?” Daisy said when she set the roast on the table.
The Courageous Brides Collection Page 21