Romance Rides the River

by Reece, Colleen L.

  Sarah laughed so hard she had to hold her sides. “It sounds wonderful and really quite safe. What do you think, Matt? Can you get away?”

  He shook his head. “I wish I could, but I have to attend a cattleman’s meeting.” His face brightened. “Seth can take my place, and you can chaperone, Sarah. How does that sound?” He grinned at Dori. “The trip will be a reward for your hard work.”

  “Thanks.” Dori kept to herself the fact she saw the trip as twofold. She could gauge Seth’s reaction to Abby. There also might be a chance to show Seth she wasn’t the same spoiled girl she used to be.

  On the appointed morning, Seth, Sarah, Dori, and Abby met at Captain Mace’s Yosemite Hotel just before six o’clock. At the last minute, Katie had decided to stay at the ranch. She didn’t say why, but Dori suspected it was because Curly wasn’t going.

  Dori shrugged and vowed to shelve her worries and enjoy what lay ahead. The day loomed bright and beautiful; the stagecoach sat ready and waiting. Dori shivered as much from excitement as from the chilly morning. She thought of Stancel Worthington III and laughed. What would he think of the open-sided stagecoach with its canopy top, horsehair-filled seats, and great wheels? He’d surely look down his nose at the other two passengers: rough-dressed ranchers who said they’d be getting off at Fresno Flats. And he’d jeer at Charley, the grizzled, loquacious driver who had Seth riding next to him.

  Dori couldn’t have cared less. Nothing could spoil the day. She reviewed their itinerary. Arrive and change horses at Adobe Ranch, nine miles east of Madera. Go through Dustin’s Station. Stop for dinner at Coarsegold. Travel through Potter’s Ridge, Fresno Flats, and Burford’s Station. Reach Big Tree Station in the late afternoon.

  “I can hardly wait to stay at the Wawona Hotel,” Abby said when they were underway. “I heard all about it from a woman who took the trip.” Peals of mirth brought an answering smile to Dori’s face.

  “You won’t believe this. First she raved about the hotel, which is a large, two-story building with a lobby, sitting room, dining room, office, twenty-five guest rooms, lots of flowers, and wonderful food. Then she sighed and said, ‘Now if it were only in San Francisco instead of way up here in the wilderness, it would be perfect.’ ”

  “Sounds like. . .uh. . .someone Dori knows,” Sarah teased.

  “Enough of that, Mrs. Sterling. Pay attention to the trip.”

  “I am.” Sarah’s eyes reflected the wonder Dori felt in spite of having to keep her balance in the swaying stagecoach. A bull elk meandered across the dusty road, and Charley warned, “Be keerful of ani-mules up here. You gotta watch out if’n you sleep on the ground floor at the ho-tel. Don’t leave yore winders open. Coyotes ’round here have been known to sneak up an’ snatch at a body’s bedroll.”

  Seth chuckled. “Come on, Charley. That only happens in the woods, not in the hotel.” He seemed more carefree than he had for weeks.

  “I’m just joshin’. Yu’ll be perfectly safe at Big Tree Station.”

  By the time they reached Coarsegold, Dori couldn’t wait to get out of the jouncing stagecoach. The trip so far had surpassed expectations but she secretly wondered how much of her would be left by the time they reached Big Tree Station. Once on solid ground, Dori clicked her teeth. “Lead me to the food. At least no robbers yet.”

  No robbers. Something worse. When the travelers returned to the stage after dinner they discovered a new passenger.

  Red Fallon was perched beside the driver.

  Twenty-three

  Stunned, Seth Anderson stared at the gaunt man on the high seat beside Charley.

  “Red Fallon!” Sarah cried.

  Red doffed his worn sombrero. “Yes, ma’am. Howdy, Anderson.”

  Red’s reply freed Seth from paralysis. Although the cowhand’s formerly unkempt red hair and beard were now neatly trimmed, there was no mistaking Red’s steel gray eyes.

  Hatred Seth thought he had conquered rose like bile. He launched himself at the man who had nearly killed him and had kidnapped Sarah. Seth’s powerful left arm grabbed Red by the vest and yanked him from the seat. He clenched his teeth and drew back his right arm to deliver a blow Red would never forget.

  Red made no effort to free himself. “Go ahead. I got it comin’.”

  The words stopped Seth in his tracks. “Either you come up with a good reason for being in Coarsegold, or I’ll beat the living daylights out of you.”

  Red’s face showed no trace of fear. “I’d do the same in yore place. You want my story short an’ sweet?”

  “As short and sweet as you can make it.” Seth tightened his hold.

  “After Matt an’ Sheriff Meade fired me off the range, nobody else’d hire me. I always had a hankerin’ to see San Francisco, so I ended up there. I got mugged and nearly beaten to death.” A strange expression crept into Red’s craggy face. “You’ll find this hard to swaller, but it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  Seth loosened his hold and reeled back. “Are you serious?” The question cracked like a Colt .45. Was this another of Red’s lies?

  “Dead serious, which I woulda been if a kid, ’bout the age you were when you came west, hadn’t stumbled over me in an alley back of a rescue mission.” Red’s steely eyes softened. “The folks there practiced what they called ‘soup, soap, and salvation.’ Hanged if they didn’t clean me up, feed me, and tell me about a feller named Jesus.”

  Red heaved a great sigh. “They said Jesus died on a cross so even the worst sinners could be forgiven if they believed in Him. I thought He must be loco. Why would anyone want to die for a bunch of ornery skunks? But watchin’ and listenin’ to the kid and the folks who ran the mission finally got it through my thick head. God loved me, no matter how bad I’d been—and I didn’t have to be like that no more.”

  Seth clamped his mouth shut. Low exclamations from the three young women and a loud, “Well, if that don’t beat all” from Charley showed their reaction to the amazing story. Seth’s skepticism remained, in spite of the light in Red’s eyes. Yet God did send Jesus to save sinners. In His eyes, Red was no worse than any other unbeliever. But was Red sincere?

  “Ah-huh. And you just happened to be catching the Madera-Big Tree Station stage the same day we were on it.” Seth accused.

  The light in Red’s face increased. “Mebbe it’s for a reason.”

  The words of an old hymn flashed across Seth’s churning mind:

  God moves in a mysterious way

  His wonders to perform;

  He plants his footsteps in the sea

  And rides upon the storm.

  What if Red was right? What if God had arranged for the cowhand to be in this place at this time? Seth wracked his brain, trying to figure out why. All he could come up with was that if Red had really accepted Christ, then Seth, Matt, and Sarah need never fear him again. And Seth could finally be freed from lingering anger.

  Lord, I thought I turned my hatred over to You long ago. I hadn’t. One sight of Red showed that. So what do I do now? Seth silently prayed.

  “Wait.”

  The admonition pushed into his brain and lodged there. Yes, he would wait. In the meantime, “I still want to know why you’re here,” he told Red.

  Some of the tension left Red’s face. He started to hold out his hand, then evidently thought better of it. “Not by chance. The folks at the mission got word the hotel in Yosemite was lookin’ for trail guides to show tourists around. I figgered if I made good there, I’d have the nerve to someday go back to Madera and show folks I’d changed. Trouble was, I needed a horse.” A trace of the old Red showed when he added, “After askin’ Jesus to ride along with me, I couldn’t up and steal one.”

  Seth laughed in spite of himself, but Charley’s snort nearly drowned him out. “Not hardly. So what’d you do?”

  Red’s face turned somber. “The mission folks gave me train fare to Madera, but I got off at Merced, knowin’ there wouldn’t be no welcomin’ party in Madera. I bought a sorr
y excuse for a horse and made out all right till last night. The ornery critter broke his hobbles and took off for parts unknown. I had to hoof it on in to Coarsegold today.” He sagged back against the stagecoach.

  The gray look in Red’s hollow-cheeked face lent credibility to his story, but Seth still had qualms. Could a hawk really become a dove? He glanced around the circle of faces. Sarah and Abby looked convinced. Dori did not. Doubt lurked in her deep blue eyes, the same doubt Seth harbored. Again the word wait beat into his brain. Time alone would establish Red’s credibility.

  Charley’s unshaven face crinkled into annoyance. “That’s a mighty purty story, if it be true. I ain’t a-sayin’ one way or t’other, but we got no more time fer tales, tall or otherwise. Get in the coach, folks. We gotta move out if we’re gonna get to Big Tree Station when we’re due.”

  Red swung back up beside Charley. Seth was profoundly grateful. He helped the women to their seats and climbed on. The two Fresno Flats-bound ranchers, who had remained inside the eating place until Charley bellowed, “All aboard,” joined them.

  “Do you think Red’s telling the truth?” Sarah whispered, low enough so that the ranchers couldn’t hear.

  “I don’t know.” Seth stared at Red’s back. “All we can do is to wait and see.”

  The ride from Coarsegold to Potter’s Ridge proved jolting, but just before they reached Fresno Flats, the stagecoach lurched, shuddered, and stopped.

  Charley climbed off the high seat and began to inspect the wheels. He swallowed what Seth suspected was a colorful oath not fit for ladies and said, “Sorry. Thet last big rut wuz a humdinger.” He scratched his grizzled head with a bony finger and spat a stream of tobacco juice alongside the road. “The axle ’pears to be all right, but we cain’t take chances. ’Tain’t far to Fresno Flats an’ a blacksmith. It’s likely we c’n make it by goin’ slow ’n’ easy. I don’t take this coach on no dang’rous mountain roads ’nless it’s fit to drive.”

  One of the ranchers climbed out of the coach. “I’m going to walk on into town,” he told Charley. “I’ll tell the blacksmith you’re on your way.” The second rancher joined him, but Red and the Diamond S party elected to stay with the coach. “Too dusty for me,” Sarah commented, and the others agreed.

  By the time the coach limped into Fresno Flats and was examined and pronounced fit by the blacksmith, Charley looked disgusted enough to spit nails instead of tobacco juice. “Get a mosey on,” he barked to his remaining passengers. “We got no more time to waste.” Seconds later, he prodded his team into a bone-wrenching trot that threatened to shake members of the Diamond S party to pieces. They grimly clutched one another and held on.

  ❧

  Throughout Seth’s conversation with Red, Dori had listened with all her might, trying to sort truth from fabrication. Did Seth buy Fallon’s far-fetched story? Yet if it were a pack of lies, why had Red come back to a place that offered nothing but trouble for him? Had he ever even been in San Francisco? Had he really heard about Jesus and repented of the horrible life he’d led? Or was Red up to some new and devious scheme?

  Dori decided to approach the knotty question the way she tackled hard school lessons. First, identify the problem. Next, weigh the evidence. Finally, come to a conclusion. The problem? Whether Red is telling the truth. If not, why is he here? His changed appearance seems to bear out what he says. On the other hand, cutting his hair, trimming his beard, and pretending to get religion would be a surefire way to convince people he’s changed. But if it’s all a bluff, how could he know Seth, Sarah, Abby, and I would be on the stage today? Dori shook her head. Based on the facts as she knew them, it was impossible to reach a conclusion.

  The coach rounded a bend. Three armed, masked horsemen blocked the road.

  Charley pulled the team to a sudden halt that threw his passengers forward in their seats. “What th—”

  “Everyone down, and nobody reach for a gun,” the man in front ordered. “Hand over your jewelry and money, and no one will get hurt.”

  “Sorry, boys,” Seth called to the bandits after helping the girls down. “We’re plumb out of valuables today.” He grinned. “We heard how the stage gets held up so the ladies left their jewelry home. I’ve got a few dollars. Charley and Red may have a few more.”

  “Think we’re gonna settle for chicken feed?” the man snarled. “Since you ain’t got any valuables, we’ll take one of your ladies. From the looks of them, someone will pay dear to get any one of them back.” He guffawed, and his two followers joined in.

  Dori glanced at Sarah and Abby. Their paper-white faces convinced her that these were no “gentlemen” robbers. Sarah’s expression cut Dori to the heart. Sarah had been through one kidnapping. She must not be forced to endure another.

  “You skunks! My brother will have you hunted down for this.” Too late, Dori realized her uncontrollable tongue had once again gotten her into deep water.

  “Who’s your brother?” the bandit growled.

  Dori considered refusing to tell him. A quick look at Sarah changed her mind. She must save Sarah at all costs—which meant the bandit must not find out she was Matt’s wife. Dori raised her head and looked straight into the slits of the kerchief that covered the outlaw’s face. “Matthew Sterling.”

  “Hey, fellers, we got us a good one.” The bandit leader vaulted off his horse and forced Dori to mount. “Move, and one of my boys will put a bullet in you.”

  With a cry of rage, Seth lunged toward them. A second bandit spurred his horse and smashed the butt of his gun onto Seth’s head. Seth dropped senseless to the ground. Sarah and Abby screamed. Dori could only pray that Seth was still alive.

  “Driver, get word to the Diamond S to expect a ransom note,” the leader said. “Tell Sterling if he wants to see this mouthy sister of his again, he’d better pay.” He grabbed for the reins of Dori’s horse. The horse reared. The bandit dropped the reins and tried to get out of the way, to no avail. The horse’s shoulder sent him sprawling. His gun went off, then flew out of his hand.

  The trouble the other two bandits were having with their horses showed Dori that the shot had spooked the animals. If only she could reach the gun. She flung herself out of the saddle, but her foot caught in the stirrup of her frightened horse. Dori fell, striking her head and shoulder. Pain ripped through her, but she jerked her foot free and crawled toward the gun.

  Before she reached it, Dori saw Red Fallon jump from the driver’s seat and leap toward her. He swung onto the horse and snatched Dori up by the back of her blouse. He threw her across the saddle and sent the horse into a full gallop. Dori’s last thought before surrendering to pain was, So Red was lying after all. Then, merciful blackness.

  Twenty-four

  Seth Anderson groaned. Where was he? Why was water splashing on his face? Was he back in the river trying to save Dori?

  A strong hand gripped his shoulder and shook him. “Wake up, young feller.”

  “Charley?” Seth’s head throbbed with the granddaddy of all headaches but he managed to open his eyes. Sarah and Abby bent over him, their tears dripping onto his face. He brushed them away. “What are you doing? Trying to drown me?”

  “Thank God, you’re alive.” Sarah buried her face on his shoulder. Seth saw relief in Abby’s frightened face, but he couldn’t collect his thoughts enough to figure out what was happening. He gently put Sarah aside and struggled to sit up.

  The movement left him dizzy. He shook his head to clear it. Big mistake. His brain pounded like hammers on an anvil.

  “Lemme have a look-see at yore noggin,” Charley said. “That jasper gave you a mighty sharp rap.”

  “I’m all right.” Seth jerked away when Charley touched the back of his head. “Ow!”

  Charley grunted. “Not so you’d notice. You got a lump the size of a duck egg back there. Not much blood, though.” He handed Seth a canteen. “Drink. Then we’ll get you in the coach. We gotta go back to Fresno Flats and get the law after the bandits and Fall
on. Good thing it ain’t far.”

  Seth’s memory kicked in: Red Fallon; the bandits; the holdup; the ruffian throwing Dori on a horse—

  Alarm attacked with the venom of a rattlesnake. “Where’s Dori?” Seth peered up the dusty road that stretched empty and menacing ahead of them.

  Sarah burst into tears. “Gone.”

  Seth felt like he’d been kicked in the gut. “The bandits took her?”

  Charley shook his head. “Naw. A gun went off, an’ their horses spooked. Yore friend Fallon got away with the girl. ’Pears to me that in spite of all his fancy talkin’ ’bout gettin’ religion, he wuz in on the holdup. Or mebbe he decided to pick up a ransom for himself.”

  Seth’s world turned black. Red’s story had almost convinced him of the wild cowhand’s change of heart. Lies, all lies.

  “Get in the coach, Seth,” Sarah pleaded.

  The horror in her eyes showed she was reliving the ordeal of being kidnapped by Red. Seth stood, but tottered and almost fell. “We can’t wait for the sheriff. I’m going after Dori right now.”

  “No, you ain’t,” Charley barked. “You cain’t ride one of my team—it takes two horses to haul us back to town.”

  Seth clenched his hands into fists and fought a fresh wave of dizziness. “I’ll walk.”

  “No!” Sarah protested. “You’re hurt worse than you think. What good will you be to Dori if you take off after her and end up passing out by the road?”

  “Yore sister’s right,” Charley chimed in. “Shut up and get back in the coach, or I’ll put another lump on yore head and throw you in.”

  Convinced more by the way his head spun than by Charley’s threat, Seth obeyed. The short ride back to town would steady him. Charley turned the team and goaded them into a dead run. Seth leaned back against the seat and gritted his teeth at every jar of the stagecoach. The rough ride did, however, help restore his senses.

  “Sarah, Abby, I’ll leave you at the flats and ride with the sheriff and his posse.” Seth took his sister’s hands in his. “We’re going to get them. All of them. When we do, God have mercy on their souls. The law won’t—and neither will I.”