by Barbara Goss
“What the…” the man couldn’t finish his question because Logan cracked him in the jaw. The man spun a bit but came back and wrestled Logan to the ground. The two rolled around, exchanging punches. At one point, Logan prayed Paulina was ready to shoot because Hoddy had the upper hand. Before too long, both men were on their feet but still wrestling. Logan kept trying to trip Hoddy who dodged each attempt.
Hoddy lost his footing as he tried to avoid Logan’s attempt to trip him. Logan threw himself on top of Hoddy, and he was able to flip him over and tie his hands with the rope lying nearby. The man swore profusely. Logan blushed at his words knowing that Paulina could hear them.
“Get up on the horse,” Logan ordered.
“Without using my hands? Impossible,” Hoddy said.
Logan assisted Hoddy onto the horse, took the reins, and led him back to where Paulina waited. Logan pushed the man off the horse and onto the ground.
“Keep your gun pointed at his heart while I go and take care of his wounded horse,” he told Paulina.
Logan rode with Paulina behind him, pulling the reins of Hoddy’s horse. When they made camp for the night, Logan tied Hoddy to a tree.
Hoddy asked Logan, “Why are you doing this? What’s yer grudge against me?
Logan smiled sardonically. “You might call it a grudge. You and your friends killed the passengers on the stage to San Antonio. One of the passengers was my sister.”
“Hey, I didn’t kill them—Sylvester and Homer did.”
“Was there a fourth man?”
“Nah, just the three of us, but I ain’t killed no one.”
“You didn’t try to stop them or turn them in, though, did you?”
“I’d a gotten a bullet in my head if I’d a done that.”
“I’m turning you in, and you can tell it to the judge,” Logan said.
Paulina remained quiet, having been instructed not to speak unless she had to. When she did speak, she tried to lower her voice.
Logan could tell “Paul” wasn’t comfortable that Hoddy was traveling with them, and neither was he.
At the campfire that night, Logan and Paulina ate first. Hoddy was untied to eat and Logan kept his gun pointed on him.
“Hoddy, is there a good-sized town around here?”
The man stopped chewing and said, “A few. Why?”
Logan thought if he told Hoddy that he wanted to dump him, he wouldn't give him an answer, so he said, “We’re running out of food.”
“Fort Hancock’s about ten miles east,” Hoddy said while chewing.
“That’s where we’ll head, then. Is there a trail leading there from here?” Logan asked.
“You’ll see it. There’s a post at the fork a few miles north of here.”
"Thanks, Hoddy," Logan said before re-tying him.
Logan and “Paul” had settled into their bedrolls for the night when Hoddy yelled out, “Hey, I can’t sleep sitting up.”
After several moments of consideration, Logan loosened the rope around the tree, but not around Hoddy’s wrists, allowing him to lay down, but he couldn’t get free. Hoddy thanked him and began to snore loudly shortly thereafter.
“I shoulda left him sitting up,” Logan grumbled.
When they reached Fort Hancock, Logan turned Hoddy in to the authorities and collected his five-hundred-dollar bounty. He went to the jail cell where they’d put him, and Hoddy swore at Logan. “You didn’t need supplies!”
“I do need supplies,” Logan said, “but I wonder: could you use two hundred dollars?”
“Who couldn’t?”
“If you tell me where Homer Washburn’s place is, I’ll give you the money.”
“What good will the money do me if I’m in jail?”
“Since they have no evidence that you killed anyone, they’ll have to release you after trial.”
Hoddy seemed to be thinking. “That’s 'cause I ain’t killed nobody.”
“Right. So, when they free you, you’ll have some pocket money. You could start a new, clean life.”
“Come back later,” Hoddy said. “I need to think on this.”
Logan nodded and walked outside to where “Paul” waited with their horses. He’d miss riding double with “Paul.” There was something about the way she held on to him and the way she sometimes leaned her head against his back. He pushed the thoughts aside—he had no time for romantic wool-gathering.
“Let’s get some supplies," Logan told her. "Then, I'll talk to Hoddy again, and we’ll be on our way.”
“Why do you need to talk to Hoddy again?”
“I’m offering him some of the bounty money for directions to Homer’s place in El Paso. It'll save us time. We'll still have enough money to buy some supplies and better food, as well.”
“Paul” gave him a huge smile, and Logan felt a tingle go through his body. He supposed making people happy did that to a person. Their meals up to then had been very light and unappealing. He hadn’t wanted to hunt for their food, for fear his gunshot might alert the wrong type of people.
Paulina and Logan stuffed their saddlebags with supplies before Logan returned to Hoddy’s jailcell.
“Well, Hoddy, what do you say?”
Wilson Hoddy held out his hand in reply.
“The directions, first.”
“Once you enter El Paso, take the road by the railroad depot north for about five miles. His place is on the left. You can’t miss it. His barn and house are red, and it's the only house on the trail.”
Logan paid him the two hundred dollars.
Chapter Four
Fort Hancock was a small town with a jailhouse, meat market, hotel, and general store. It seemed to Paulina that everyone knew each other since they greeted one another by name. The man at the meat market told them the population of the town was only about two hundred. She thought it strange there wasn’t a saloon.
Logan surprised her by treating her to dinner at the hotel. On their way to the dining room, they had to walk through a bar area full of men. It was a bit classier than the average saloon, as evidenced by the classy dining room, decorated with tablecloths and candles. Paulina wasn’t sure how to behave, so she sat with her hands in her lap and let Logan order for them.
The meal was so fantastic that Paulina wanted to dive into her plate and stuff the food into her mouth, but first she gazed around to see how the other diners were eating and emulated a woman sitting close to her. She picked up her fork, scooped up some of the stew, and brought it slowly to her mouth. It was so good that it took everything she had in her not to slurp it all up, but Paulina was able to discipline herself. By the time she’d eaten five or six forkfuls, her hunger had abated, and she no longer had the urge to eat like there was no tomorrow.
Afterward, Logan ordered coffee for himself and tea for her.
Logan sipped his coffee. “How was your meal, Paul?”
“It was delicious.”
He nodded and smiled. “You deserved it. I purchased some fresh meat for the trail, but we’ll have to eat it tomorrow or it’ll spoil. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I also purchased more beef jerky and more canned meat.”
Paulina wrinkled up her nose.
“Cream?” Logan asked.
“No, just a wedge of lemon, please.”
“Well, you aren’t from England—they almost always put cream in their tea. Where are you from?”
Paulina stirred her tea slowly. She might as well tell him. “I’m from Bardstown, Kentucky.”
“Kentucky!” He laughed. “That’s a long way off. Is your family still there?”
Paulina sighed inwardly. “Somewhere, I suppose.”
Logan frowned. “You don’t know where your folks are?”
She shook her head. “Look, it’s a long story. I didn’t come from a middle-class home. I lived with an alcoholic mother, and a father who gambled. My older siblings weren’t much better. They’re scattered all over. I got out when my mother half-killed my father.”
Logan simply stared at her.
Once Paulina got started she couldn’t stop telling him her secrets. It felt good to confide in someone she trusted. “My mother was the meanest lady in all of Bardstown. She was a red-headed terror. She got into bar fights. She beat us kids and my father too.” She sighed. “No, my home wasn’t exactly made in heaven.”
Logan seemed to consider her words before asking, “How’d you end up in Laredo?”
“I met up with a gypsy couple who taught me to dance. I came all the way through Texas with them, dancing for money. It was fun, and they protected me from rowdy men. When I got as far as Brownsville, we split up. They went into Mexico, and I hitched a ride on a farm wagon to Laredo.”
“I see.” Logan seemed genuinely interested. “How did you end up working at the saloon?”
“I thought I could use my dancing experience there, but that isn’t all they wanted me to do. When I refused, they fired me.”
Logan frowned, and she knew he'd gotten the gist of what she’d refused.
“I saw a gypsy woman dance once, in Abilene, and it was mesmerizing.” He sipped his coffee. “What will you do in El Paso?”
“I’ll apply in the saloons, but I’ll make sure I know my job description before I sign on.”
Logan nodded. “I was impressed at your handling of the gun. How did you learn that?”
“I had brothers and a mother who could shoot the egg from under a hen.”
Logan laughed. “I’m glad. Maybe I’ll get you a gun of your own, now that I’m sure you know how to use it.”
Logan gave her a wink. “Drink your tea. I got us a hotel room for the night.”
Paulina sat up straight and stared at Logan. She opened her mouth to tell him she would in no way sleep with him, when he held up his hand.
“There are two beds!” he explained. “It will be no different than sleeping a few feet from each other on the trail.”
Paulina calmed down. He was right. There was no difference, but surely he could afford two rooms. She gave him a sideways look.
“I didn’t want to put you in a room alone. I feel the need to protect you. Even with the britches and hat you might still appeal to an odder sort of man. I won’t let you out of my sight until we reach El Paso.”
The hotel room was small, but the beds were adjacent to separate walls. One was a double bed and the other a single. Logan pointed to the double bed. “Yours, m’lady. It will seem like heaven after the bedroll on the ground.”
Paulina touched the mattress. She sat on the bed and bounced up and down. “It’s wonderful.”
Logan enjoyed seeing her enthusiastic appreciation of something most people took for granted.
He went over and sat on the smaller bed.
“Surely you should have the larger bed—you’re bigger.”
“No,” Logan insisted. “It’s yours. I’m going down to feed our horses. You can use that time to slip into whatever it is you sleep in. I’ll rap four times before I enter.”
She lay with her eyes closed, savoring the softness of the bed. When she opened her eyes, she saw the most terrifying spider. She sat up, screamed, and dashed from her bed to fly into Logan’s without thinking.
Paulina’s scream alerted Logan, who sat quickly up and reached under his pillow for his gun, but before he could reach it, Paulina threw herself on top of him.
It seemed to Logan—who sat there, shocked, that as soon as she realized what she’d done, she scrambled off of him and huddled in the corner.
Logan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Her chest was pressed against his back with only her thin nightgown between them, and his whole body reacted to it. He wanted to turn around and…he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do.
“Paulina? What’s going on?” he asked in a choked voice.
“T-there’s a…a huge s-spider hanging down from the ceiling over my bed. He’s black with white stripes. Can you shoot him?”
Logan slept in his smalls, and he hesitated to jump out of bed to check out her monstrous spider. He gathered his blanket and tied it slowly around him before walking over to her bed where he picked the spider up by its web. With his other hand, he opened the window and threw it out.
“It’s just a banded garden spider.”
“Why didn’t you kill it?” she asked with a shudder.
“Spiders are good for nature. Most are harmless and kill a lot of the peskier bugs like fleas, flies, and mosquitoes. They’re useful to have around, especially in a hotel."
Paulina jumped off of Logan’s bed and crept slowly back to her own. She cautiously checked the area and then climbed back under her quilt.
“Don’t get too comfortable, Paul. We need to get up soon, have a bite to eat, and then hit the trail.”
Paulina groaned.
Logan found himself viewing Paulina in a whole different way. He noticed she had dimples when she smiled, deep blue eyes, and her hair—while still a mess—was the color of corn silk, all of which he hadn’t noticed before. She was lovely, even with the britches, shirt, and hat. He liked it better when he’d thought of her as just Paul, his sidekick, rather than Paulina, his lovely traveling companion.
For the first few days on the trail after Fort Hancock, Logan tried to keep his distance while still being companionable, but it wasn’t easy. Things had changed since he’d felt her chest against his back through the thin material of her gown. She was no longer just a traveling companion, now that he was more than aware of her feminine charms. When she looked up at him with those big blue eyes, he seemed to melt inside, and he tried to keep as busy as possible and avoid eye contact.
As promised, Logan allowed Paulina to bathe. He sat on a cliff overlooking the river with his back turned the whole time, and his gun at the ready. Afterward, he bathed while she started the evening fire.
Lying in their bedrolls that night, Paulina seemed to feel talkative. The cold water must have invigorated her. “So, what about your family?”
Her question brought back the hurt of Katherine’s death, and he didn’t answer for several moments. “It was pretty normal.”
“Do you have other siblings?”
Logan spoke, but his voice held no emotion. “I had a brother, Stewart. He was killed in the Civil War at Fredericksburg. He was ten years older than me. My mother lost several babies before I was born. She lost two more before Katherine came along. By then, my poor mother had become bed-ridden.
“My father worked in the coalmines of Pennsylvania until he developed a breathing problem. He died when Katherine was thirteen and I was just eighteen. We had no choice but to pack our ailing mother up and travel to Kansas City to live with my mother’s sister, Beulah.”
“Is your mother still alive?”
“No. I think the trip to Kansas was too much for her. She died shortly after. Aunt Beulah gave us a good home, but I needed to make my own way in the world. Katherine was on her way back to Kansas City and Aunt Beulah after a month-long visit with me.”
“I’m so sorry,” Paulina felt badly she’d brought up such a painful subject. She hoped her next question would bring him out of his sadness. “How did you come to be in Laredo?”
“To find work, I signed up with different Texas ranchers to drive their cattle to markets. I occasionally moved from one rancher to another for better pay and ended up in Laredo, working for Madison Greenlee, one of the largest cattle ranchers. He’s the mayor of Laredo, now. He hired me on as sheriff two years ago.” Logan yawned loudly. “Now that you know my life story, can we get some sleep?”
They traveled twelve to fifteen miles a day, depending on the roughness of the trail. As they neared El Paso, they began to see other travelers, and Paulina noticed Logan’s hand always rested on his gun until they'd passed. He was more cautious when they made camp and always chose a spot at least a half mile from the trail.
That night as they crawled into their bedrolls, Logan announced, “This might be our last night on the trail. We should arrive
in El Paso by tomorrow afternoon.”
The news saddened Paulina for some reason. She was leery about seeking a job as a saloon woman, but mostly, she was sad to part with Logan. After traveling with him for weeks, she felt a strong bond with him. She felt secure and safe at his side, and the thought of having it end brought tears to her eyes.
Chapter Five
Logan had mixed feelings about finally arriving in El Paso. It meant he and Paulina would go their separate ways, and he’d gotten used to having her at his side. Maybe that was why he placed his bedroll closer to her for their last night. She didn’t seem to mind one bit and even smiled at him when he’d put it there.
The fire crackled and reflected on her face making her features glow. Where would they be sleeping once they got to El Paso? She in some saloon and he in some hotel, most likely. The thought of men pawing at her in a saloon made his hands form into fists.
Without a plan or even forethought, Logan reached out and took hold of Paulina’s hand. “I’m going to miss this, Paul.”
She squeezed his hand. “Me, too.”
Logan pulled his hand away and scolded himself for having made that move. He hoped she didn’t think he was trying to get romantic with her, because he wasn’t. Was he? He was confused about his feelings.
“Logan?” she asked in a half-whisper.
“Yes?”
“I’ve always felt safe with you.”
“I’m glad.”
“I’m afraid of…of—” she broke off and Logan heard her sniffle.
He knelt by her bedroll. “Are you crying?”
“A little. I’m scared of…of tomorrow.” Paulina sobbed softly.
Logan reached out and held her in his arms. “It’ll be all right, I’ll make sure of it. I’m not just going to dump you off when we get there. I won’t leave you until you say I can. Will that make you feel better?”
She snuggled against his chest and nodded. Her increased weight on him caused him to fall from his stooped position, and he ended up on the ground beside her bedroll with her on his lap. He picked her up and returned her to the bedroll, but she still held tightly onto his neck. Logan laid down beside her, stoking her hair.