“Let’s hope the men on these horses are friends of Joseph’s,” Jack said.
“Are you up to sleeping out in the cold?” Morgan could tell Jack was in pain, and he was worried about him.
“I’m not going back without those children.” Jack had already made up his mind to continue on until he found them, or die trying.
“I didn’t expect you would.” Morgan wasn’t surprised at his decision. “Lucky for you, I put some extra blankets in my bedroll.”
They dismounted and set about making camp. Once they cared for their horses, they started a fire, spread their bedrolls, and pulled out their food. They hadn’t stopped to eat all day and they were both starving.
“Morgan, how come you never told me you had a way of contacting Joseph?”
“When the soldiers were on my land looking for Joseph, I figured the less you knew, the better. No one could ever accuse you of being party to harboring an Indian.”
“Do you think there are many Indians hiding out in these pines?”
Morgan considered his response. He didn’t want to worry Jack, but he couldn’t lie to his friend. “Yep. And I’m afraid there are men a whole lot worse in here.”
“Do you think the men that never come out of the pines are lost, or did they meet with some other end?”
“There’s been so many that I think some are lost, but some weren’t that lucky.” Morgan recalled some of the stories Joseph had told him. Many men who didn’t want to be found often hid out in the pines. It was every bit as deadly as Purgatory Canyon for anyone looking to find them.
* * *
Waiting for Jack and Morgan to come riding in with the children was agonizing for the women. They tried to keep themselves busy, but they kept running to the window, hoping to see the men ride in. Several hours later, they heard horses. Addie ran to the front door and looked out.
“Who is it?” Granny asked, hurrying to the door.
“It’s a buggy, so my guess is Prescott.”
Rose joined them, and they walked outside together.
The buggy driver reined in by the porch. Prescott didn’t bother with pleasantries as he climbed from the buggy. “I told you to have those children in town early.”
“The children ran away in the middle of the night,” Addie said.
“I know you don’t want to let them go, but this is ridiculous. I’ve had to waste my time coming here.”
“Prescott, the children ran away. You’re welcome to look around, but they are not here. Jack and Morgan are out looking for them now.”
“I have a difficult time believing . . .”
Prescott turned when he heard a horse riding in. Roy Coburn reined in at the porch.
Addie noticed Mr. Coburn’s face reflected his usual look of annoyance.
Coburn didn’t give her a chance to say hello. He bellowed out, “Where is he?”
At his question, Addie was confident Davey was with the girls. “I was just telling Mr. Adler, Jane left me a note saying they were running away. The sheriff and Mr. LeMasters are out looking for them.” Addie pointed in the direction where Jack and Morgan disappeared into the trees. “They rode in that direction through the pines.”
“Addie, have you hidden those children?” Prescott asked.
Granny stepped forward and waggled her finger in Prescott’s face. “Don’t you dare question my granddaughter’s word. She told you the way of it, and the sheriff is out there looking for those children, after he’s been shot. He has no business even being out of bed. You should be ashamed of yourself. You don’t love those children, you only want to take them back because you want to hurt Addie.”
Granny turned her attention on Coburn next. “Now, as for you, Roy Coburn. If it is true that you’ve been hitting that boy, then you best pray for forgiveness before the sheriff gets back.”
“That’s the problem with that boy, someone spared the rod. I’ve had it with that boy. Tell the sheriff if he finds him, don’t bother bringing him back. I don’t want him.” With that said, Roy Coburn turned his horse around and rode off.
“I figured he wouldn’t want to face Jack if he hurt Davey.” Granny focused on Prescott again. “Now, if you care about those children, you can go out there and help look for them.”
“I have a stage to catch,” Prescott said. He walked from the porch and looked over his shoulder at Addie. “You can send them by the next stage.”
Addie put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “I will do no such thing. Jack and I are to be married and we are going to adopt those children. I’m prepared to go to the judge in Denver and have this settled. Not only that, we fully intend to start our own orphanage right here. I don’t need your support or permission. If you want to fight us on this, then you will have to come back to Whispering Pines.”
“We’ll see about that.” Prescott climbed back into the buggy.
“Yes, we will,” Addie replied testily. “Don’t expect the children, they will be staying with us.”
When Prescott and his driver rode away, Granny and Rose hugged Addie.
“Good for you. You stood up to that pompous . . .” Granny kept from saying the word on her mind so she wouldn’t have to ask for forgiveness later. But since she’d thought it, she’d have to ask to be forgiven anyway. In this instance, she felt absolution would come easy.
“Jack couldn’t have handled him better,” Rose said.
Addie expelled a long breath. She’d been nervous standing up to Prescott, but she refused to allow him to use the children as pawns any longer. “I was tired of his manipulations, but I’m afraid I exaggerated about the judge in Denver. Jack doesn’t think he will help us, but he told me he would find another judge if necessary.”
“That judge may have a change of heart,” Granny said. “The good Lord answers our prayers when we least expect it.”
Chapter Thirty
The judge and Frank moved Leigh to her room at the hotel. After lunch, the judge informed Leigh of his plans to leave the next morning for Colorado City.
“I will spend the night with you tonight, my dear.”
Leigh’s eyes darted to Frank’s. “Not tonight. I don’t feel up to having company.”
The judge didn’t hesitate to discuss private matters in front of Frank. “I’m not expecting more than sleeping next to you.”
“Robert!” Leigh was appalled by the judge’s inelegant comment in front of Frank. “That is hardly the thing to say to a lady.”
The judge laughed at her outrage. “Don’t be prudish, my dear. Frank and I have no secrets. I can assure you, he has ascertained the nature of our relationship by now.”
Even though Frank knew the judge had spent the night in her quarters before, she didn’t want to have this discussion in front of him. Frank made it quite clear he didn’t want the judge spending another night with her. She’d never turned the judge down before, and she had to make sure she did it in a way that would not arouse suspicion. “If you don’t mind, I’m very tired and I would prefer to be alone tonight.”
The judge looked as if he might argue with her, but Frank intervened. “Leigh may be more comfortable alone while she is healing.”
The judge had no reason to suspect Frank had any motive other than considering the well-being of his love. He smiled at Frank. “I daresay I should bow to your expertise with the fairer sex. I’ve had little experience over the years.” He walked to Leigh and started to kiss her on the lips, but she turned her cheek to him. The judge hesitated, then gave her a peck on the cheek. “Forgive me, my dear, for thinking only of myself. I’ve missed our evenings together.”
“As have I, but I do need to recover.” She glanced at Frank and said, “Isn’t it time both of you had your dinner?”
The judge reached for his hat. “We’ll leave you alone now. I’ll return with your dinner.”
“If you don’t mind, I would rather rest. I’m not hungry.” She knew he meant well, but his hovering was tiring and making her tense.
/>
“Well then, I’ll say good night, my dear. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“The doctor said he would stop by before you go to sleep, Leigh,” Frank said, subtly informing her when he planned to return tonight after the doctor’s visit.
“Thank you, Frank.”
As soon as they walked out of the room, the judge turned to Frank and said, “She seems testy. Do you think we moved her too soon from the doctor’s office?”
“I think she will be fine. She probably needs some time alone. You know women, they like to have their private time.” Frank slapped him on the back. “Let’s have a drink.”
They had a few drinks before dinner, and afterward they spent a good part of the evening in the saloon. The judge imbibed a bottle of whiskey, and Frank had to assist him home and help him into his bed. Ruth and the housekeeper had retired for the night, so Frank quietly entered his bedroom and tossed the bedclothes. If anyone looked in on him in the morning, they would think he’d slept there last night and got an early start.
“Did the doctor visit?” he asked as soon as he walked into Leigh’s room.
“Yes, he changed my bandage again, and said he would see me tomorrow.”
Frank walked to the bed, leaned over and kissed her.
“Do you think it’s safe for you to spend the night?”
“The judge had so much to drink, he’ll be lucky to wake up in the morning. I’ll leave before dawn.”
* * *
Frank was sitting at the dining table with Ruth when the judge joined them the next morning.
“Have a seat, I’ll pour you some coffee.” Frank grabbed the coffeepot from the sideboard and served the judge.
“Thanks, Frank, my head is pounding this morning.”
“Were you in your cups last night, Robert?” Ruth asked.
Frank winked at Ruth. “I’m afraid it’s my fault. I talked the judge into having a few drinks with me last night.”
Under normal circumstances, Ruth would never approve of Robert drinking himself into a stupor at the saloon. She was much more forgiving knowing that he was with Frank, and not spending time with that young woman. Frank had agreed to try to talk some sense into the judge, and if that failed, she would rid her family of that young woman by paying her off.
* * *
After breakfast, Frank accompanied the judge to Leigh’s room so he could say good-bye. “Frank will see to your needs until I return.” He leaned over and kissed Leigh on the lips. “Get well quickly, my dear. I shouldn’t be gone over two weeks, and if you are feeling well enough, we will take a trip when I return.”
When the stagecoach arrived, the judge shook Frank’s hand. “Take care of my girl, Frank.”
“I’ll see to it, Judge.”
The stagecoach pulled away, and Frank returned to Leigh’s room.
It was a long, discouraging night for Addie, Rose, and Granny. Though it went unspoken, they had expected Jack and Morgan to come riding in with the children before the night was over. As the hours passed, the more worried they became. They had a difficult time believing the children had walked so far that the men hadn’t caught up to them. It meant the children were going to spend a full night out in the cold. Addie prayed the men had caught up with them but it was too dark to come home. If that was the case, at least the children would be warm and protected. Addie held on to that thought all night for her own sanity.
As worried as she was, Addie knew she wouldn’t sleep, so she sent Granny to bed while she sat with the marshal through the night. The marshal was recovering nicely, but he still slept most of the time. Granny said it was God’s way of allowing the body to heal. Addie wondered how a person healed from a broken heart. If something terrible befell the children, she couldn’t imagine ever recovering.
Sitting in the quiet of the night, Addie thought about Jack and how he must have suffered as a young boy, to be on his own from a young age. It wouldn’t have been a surprise if he’d become an angry adult, but he was far from that. She’d never seen the children laugh as much as they did around him. That first day, when Claire rode in front of him on his horse, she’d giggled so much, it was like she was a different child. The children always seemed on guard with most adults, but not with Jack. Addie knew it had a lot to do with trust. They trusted Jack, and she prayed Davey hadn’t lost that trust now.
She thought about different ways she could insure children went to good homes, once she and Jack started their own orphanage. Even if it meant she had to visit the families every night for a while after children were adopted, she would do that. She never again wanted to feel helpless if a child was unhappy in a new home. Having a new family should be a time of joy for all parties, and she didn’t want to see hopelessness in another child’s eyes, as she’d seen in Davey’s the last time she visited the Coburn farm.
* * *
“Now they’re headed back west,” Morgan said. It had been slow going as they’d wound their way through the trees for four hours. They’d been riding north, but they’d changed directions again. Morgan worried they might not ever find their way out of the forest if he didn’t pick up some trail markers he’d left behind years ago.
“Do you think these men could be part of Joseph’s tribe?” Jack asked.
“I hope they are the same braves that helped us out when Rose was abducted.” Morgan had never felt as helpless in his life as that night he’d been shot and he’d had to rely on Joseph and two braves from his tribe to rescue Rose from her brother. But they’d done the job, and brought her back to him, safe and sound. They were good men, and he prayed to God they were the same men who had the children.
“I’m surprised they haven’t figured out we are on their trail.” Jack’s previous encounters with Indians told him they seemed to have a sixth sense about being tailed.
“Yeah, I thought about that. Maybe they don’t think anyone would be foolish enough to come in here.”
“Except you.” Jack was amazed Morgan knew his way around in these woods as well as he did. A man could easily lose his way, especially on an overcast day, or when dusk settled over the pines. Every direction looked the same. “A man could get lost forever in here.”
“I expect many have. The first time I came out here, I had to mark a trail no one could find.”
Last night, when it was too dark to go on, Jack wondered if the Indians had also stopped, or if they knew the terrain so well they would travel in the dark. If the Indians weren’t friendly, Jack worried they wouldn’t treat the children kindly. He wasn’t one to take revenge; he believed injustice, and that was why he became a sheriff. But if anyone hurt those children, right or wrong, he wouldn’t wait around to seek justice.
He knew Addie would be worried sick, and there was not a thing he could do about that. It never occurred to him to prepare her for the possibility they might not return for a couple of days. Just like he never expected the children might run away, and for that, he felt guilty. He should have seen the warning signs, especially from Davey.
* * *
Every time Addie heard a horse, her heart started pounding, but it was always Morgan’s men coming and going. It seemed like the minutes were passing so slowly, as if time were at a standstill. The women went about their chores, silently, each lost in thoughts they didn’t want to voice aloud. They came together at noon and prayed before their lunch, but they couldn’t eat.
At dinnertime, the women carried their plates to Marshal Holt’s room so he could have some company with his dinner. He’d been alert all day, and he had a lot of questions about Morgan and Joseph Longbow.
“Why are you so curious about Joseph Longbow?” Granny asked.
“As Sheriff Roper probably told you, Judge Stevens wanted Mr. Longbow in his court,” Marshal Holt replied. “Jack and Morgan refused to take him to Denver. I guess I wanted to find out what is really going on.”
“Marshal Holt, Frank Langtry is my grandson, and as much as it pains me to say this, you can’t believe one
word he says. What Jack and Morgan told you about Frank is the absolute truth. Joseph Longbow never killed anyone. You can tell that judge he has been duped.”
The marshal didn’t question Granny’s word. “If you don’t mind me asking, what caused the rift between your grandson and Morgan?”
Granny explained everything that had happened between Morgan and Frank over the years, and by the time she finished, the marshal was in agreement that the judge had made a mistake absolving Frank Langtry of his crimes. “When I get back to Denver, I will have a talk with the judge.”
“Thank you, Marshal. I’m afraid Frank has disrupted all of our lives for much too long,” Granny said.
“That’s the least I can do for the family who saved my life. I certainly appreciate what all of you have done for me. It looks like I will be out of your hair before long.”
“You won’t be leaving before you are fully recovered, so don’t be thinking otherwise,” Granny said.
Marshal Holt chuckled. “Now I know what Jack meant when he said no one argued with you, Mrs. Langtry.”
“You can call me Granny, and I hope your head is not as hard as Jack Roper’s. He’s out there in this cold right now, probably suffering in pain, but stubborn as a mule.”
Marshal Holt exchanged a look with Addie and Rose. “I can’t see a man worth his salt doing anything other than looking for those children, if he’s able. Jack’s a good man.”
“Yes, he is,” Addie agreed.
“Both of my granddaughters have chosen wisely. Preacher always said wisdom is more precious than gold.”
“Preacher?” Marshal Holt asked.
“My dear late husband.” Granny proceeded to tell the marshal about her deceased husband. She entertained them with humorous stories of her life with Preacher until their meal together came to an end.
When Granny left the room, Marshal Holt said, “She is a fine lady, with a way of making one forget their troubles.”
Addie and Rose understood Granny’s tactics as soon as she began talking about Preacher. She knew they loved to hear stories about their grandfather, and it would give them a few minutes of relief from their worries about the children.
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