He pressed his hand to his cheek; then he realized it was the same spot Eleanor had kissed when she offered to be his girl. A smile tugged at his mouth and warmed his eyes. He’d like two little girls. He’d like to be able to take care of them and their mama. Their stubborn, proud mama.
His smile faltered. His chest tightened.
Could Clara’s father take the children? Blue wasn’t sure what the law would say, but it seemed those in authority often measured a person’s worth by the size of their purse, which left Clara with little defense.
He should take them to the ranch. They’d be safe there.
“Clara, can we talk?” Surely he could persuade her. He’d tell her of the others who’d been threatened and how they’d found safety at the Eden Valley Ranch.
“Do you need me to help measure?”
“No, I have a suggestion.”
She shook her head.
“You don’t need to run,” he whispered hoarsely.
She ducked her head and ran her finger up and down the piece of wood she worked on. “You don’t know my father, so how can you say that? You know what it’s like to lose your children. Do you think I’m willing to risk losing mine?”
Of course he didn’t, but he felt as if he was about to lose two children and a woman and live his pain all over again. Only this time he’d wonder if they were safe and if he couldn’t have done more.
“Leave it be,” she said.
He knew by the stubborn set of her mouth that she wouldn’t entertain any more discussion on the matter.
Swallowing a bitter taste in the back of his mouth, he turned to the work at hand.
How long would she run? To where? Who would make sure they were safe?
He would. He’d go with them. Oh, she’d protest, but she couldn’t stop him. Anyone who could pay for passage could ride the stagecoach. The matter settled in his mind, he relaxed.
If he thought his decision would make her relax, too, he would have voiced it. But he knew he was wiser to keep the information to himself, so they spent the rest of the day in strained silence, speaking only when it was essential.
The girls, thankfully, were too occupied with their doll to notice.
At the meal Bonnie and Claude might have wondered at the tension between Blue and Clara, except the girls chattered nonstop about their doll.
After supper, he trudged across to the church. Restless, unable to concentrate on his book, he wandered about the building. His steps stalled at the main door. He and Clara had stood there as she confessed her plan. He stared at the spot where he’d held her in his arms. She’d fit so neatly, her head tucked under his chin, her arms around his waist.
He realized he pressed one palm to his chest as if he were holding her there, and he pulled his hand away. She didn’t belong with him, wouldn’t stay in Edendale. Nevertheless, he wasn’t about to let her venture out into the wild north on her own.
The thud of a passing horse stole his attention, and he hurried to the window. It was the same rider who had passed earlier. Blue recognized the same harsh set of his mouth, the same guarded watching as if he was looking for someone.
Blue drew back even though he was certain the man couldn’t see into the darkened building. Good thing he hadn’t lit the lantern yet, or the man’s attention would be drawn in this direction. He might be curious enough, interested enough, to investigate further.
The man rode on by, and Blue crossed to the other side to watch him make his way into town. He stopped at Macpherson’s and dismounted. The man walked with purpose toward the store, glancing right and left before he entered.
Would he ask Macpherson about a woman and two girls? Like Clara said, the trio drew attention wherever they went and not solely because they traveled alone.
The man reappeared carrying a small bundle and rode out of town.
Blue’s brow knitted. Why would a man ride through town one way in the morning and back the other way in the evening?
If anyone knew the answer, Macpherson would.
Blue donned his coat and left by way of the main door. He strode casually to the store as if he had nothing in particular in mind.
Macpherson was about to lock up when Blue reached the store. “You need another doll? ’Cause I’m plumb out.”
“Just want some candy.”
Macpherson opened the door for Blue to enter. “You’re a constant surprise, Blue Lyons.”
“Thanks.”
Macpherson hadn’t meant it as a compliment and chuckled.
Blue went to the candy display to choose his favorites. “Didn’t I see someone leaving just before I got here?”
“You did.”
“Don’t think I recognized him.”
“Neither did I, though I’ve seen plenty like him.” Macpherson leaned against the counter as Blue slowly picked out a licorice stick and then a cinnamon one.
“How’s that?” Blue asked in an almost bored voice as if making reluctant conversation while inside he burned with a need to know everything about the stranger.
“Hard. The sort of man who offers no information and lets it be known he wouldn’t welcome questions.”
Blue nodded. He’d met plenty of the same.
Macpherson quirked an eyebrow. “Sort of like you used to be.”
Used to be? Had he changed? Perhaps he had. Whether it was for the good or the bad, he couldn’t say.
“The stranger was just passing by, then?”
“He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask. You about done?”
Blue paid for the candy and left. As he stepped from the store, he searched left and right. Seemed the man had passed through, indeed. He wasn’t a threat to Clara and the girls.
Exhaling the breath he didn’t know he held, he returned to the church.
That same sense of relief lingered over the next two days. Still, as he worked beside her, he constantly considered what options he could present to her. Going to the ranch still seemed ideal. Following her came in second. He wanted Clara to never have to run in fear again, but he could think of no way to ensure that.
Midafternoon of the second day, Clara passed a window and ground to a halt. Her face blanched. “Blue.”
At the quiet desperation in her voice, he hurried to her side.
“It’s him.”
The same rider who had sent her into a panic a few days ago rode down the street, his hat hiding most of his face yet giving Blue a good view of the hard set of his mouth.
The muscles along Blue’s spine tightened, and he drew Clara away from the window.
“Who is he, and what does he want?” she whispered, clinging to his arm.
“I don’t know.” But he intended to find out. He watched the man saunter by and again leave town by the other direction. Blue knew the trails that led from town. One would take the rider to the Eden Valley Ranch. One would take him to the northwest toward a number of other ranches, including the big OK Ranch and several smaller ones. If the rider angled toward the south, he would enter a reservation. If any of them had been the rider’s destination, he would have continued in that direction earlier in the week.
“He doesn’t seem to be interested in people in town.” He hoped the words would give Clara some reassurance.
She shuddered, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her to his side.
“If only you’d let me help,” he whispered.
“Seems to me I am and have been for the better part of two weeks. What I should have done was find a way to continue my journey.”
They both knew there was no way to get to Fort Calgary unless someone took her. Something he wasn’t about to do. He pressed his cheek to her head and held her until she relaxed. Still, neither of them seemed inclined to end the moment.
He breathed in the lemony scent of her soap, the aroma of wood and smoke. His arms must have tightened for she turned to look into his face, her eyes full of contentment.
“I suppose I am worrying about nothing,” she said with a sigh. “
He’s likely just some wandering cowboy.”
Blue didn’t believe it and suspected she didn’t, either.
He didn’t want to alarm Clara, so he said nothing of his plans and waited until after supper to ride west, following the direction the rider had taken. At the fork of the trails, he paused. Should he go north, south or west? He chose north and rode on for another twenty minutes or so in the growing dusk, always watching for any sign of the man he sought.
He caught the glow of a campfire by the river and turned aside from the trail. “Hello?” he called and waited for acknowledgment. He didn’t think this was the sort of man he wanted to ride in on without announcing his presence.
A man emerged from the shadows. The stranger he sought. He still wore his hat, pulled low over his eyes, his mouth drawn into an unfriendly frown.
Blue rode in even though the man had not offered an invitation. He dismounted. “Coffee sure smells good.”
The man handed him a tin cup and filled it from the pot.
Blue hunkered down. “You a stranger hereabouts?”
The man sat nearby, his legs crossed, both hands cradling his cup. “Yeah.”
“Got a destination in mind?”
“Maybe.”
“Bad time of year to be looking for work on one of the ranches.”
“Guess so.”
“’Course a man could run a trapline.”
“I suppose.”
The man sure wasn’t about to share any personal information, and Blue wasn’t used to making conversation. He had run out of questions he could ask without the man taking offense.
Blue downed the rest of his coffee and handed the cup back. “Thanks. I best be getting on my way.”
“Safe travels.”
Blue added, “I work at the Eden Valley Ranch to the west.” Let the man think that was his destination. Though he might wonder why Blue had come this way.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Good place.”
The only acknowledgment was a grunt.
Blue knew he’d get nothing more and swung into his saddle and rode away. He’d learned nothing, and that left him edgy. Could be the man was a loner, or he could be looking for someone and not wanting to reveal his intention.
It was dark by the time he returned to the church. The glow of a lamp came through the canvas of the shack. At least Clara and her daughters were close by where he could keep a watch on them and make sure they were safe.
He fell into a troubled sleep filled with dreams of a dark, forbidding stranger who chased Clara and the girls. Blue tried to catch them to rescue them, but every time he got within reach, a fire flared up blocking his way.
Smoke filled his senses.
He jerked awake, feeling sweat beaded on his brow. It was only a dream, he told himself.
But the smell of smoke lingered. He breathed deeply to clear his mind of the thought, but the smell only grew more real.
His heart slammed into his chest. It was real. He leaped to his feet, pulled on his trousers and boots and snagged his coat as he rushed outside.
He saw no flames. But the smell intensified. He turned his head back and forth, sniffing to pinpoint a direction. It seemed to come from the Mortons’ house, and he raced toward the yard.
He passed the shack and slowed his feet. Still no flames, which provided a flicker of relief. But the smell of smoke grew stronger. He squinted into the darkness and saw a faint glow. He hurried over to the ash pile and saw that the wind had fanned some of the embers into life.
He found a shovel nearby and smacked the coals till they were out. To be safe he pumped a bucket of water and dowsed the ash pile. Exhausted by the effort but even more by the fright rushing through his veins, he leaned over the shovel handle.
The Mortons’ door opened, and Claude stepped out, holding a lantern high. “Blue? Is that you? What’s going on?” Behind the man, Blue saw Bonnie hovering in the doorway.
“Coals were smoldering. The smell woke me up.”
Claude held the lantern up to look at the pile. “Looks like it’s out now.”
“Yeah.”
The door of the shack opened, and Clara slipped out, wrapped in her coat. Her blond hair hung loose in waves that caught the glow of Claude’s lamp.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Blue explained again.
Clara’s eyes widened. “What if—” She choked off the question.
Blue wanted to assure her they’d never been in danger. Not really. Claude had wisely put the ash pile a good distance from any building. But if the wind had grown stronger, if some stray leaves had fallen on the coals and then blown to the canvas roof of the shack…
He shuddered as the memory of flames filled his thoughts. He tried to stop the vision, the agony, but his throat tightened and a groan ripped from his gut. He tried to keep it from escaping but couldn’t.
Clara came to his side and pressed her hand to his arm.
He concentrated on her touch, finding escape from his fear.
“We’re all safe, thanks to you,” she murmured.
“Yes, Blue. Thanks for catching this.” Claude clamped a hand to Blue’s shoulder. “I’ll be more careful with the ashes in the future.”
For a moment, no one moved. Then Claude dropped his hand. “Seems everything is okay now. We should all return to our beds.” He held the lantern high to light the way for Clara.
She patted Blue’s arm, then hurried to the shack.
Blue waited until she closed the door. He handed Claude the shovel and trekked back to the church. He leaned against the door and waited for his ragged breathing to return to normal.
One thing was certain. Clara and the girls were not safe in that shack. Not only did the dark stranger pose a threat, but now Blue would never feel the shack provided any protection from fire.
He shuddered.
If anything happened to them… He bent over his knees as pain ground through him.
After a moment, he forced himself to straighten. His mind was made up. She couldn’t stay there.
Now all he had to do was convince Clara.
*
Clara huddled under her covers and tried to dismiss the fear that had gripped her when she’d heard the noise outside. Her first thought was that the man had come. She’d felt trapped in the shack. Her only defense was a broom, and she had clutched it and stood in the dark, poised to defend herself and the girls.
Then she’d heard Blue and Claude talking and hurried outside to see what was going on. It had been coals glowing in the ash pile. It seemed so insignificant in light of the threat she’d imagined that she had let out a sigh of relief. Then she’d realized how the thought of a fire had frightened Blue. She wanted to say there had never been any danger. The embers would burn themselves out. But she knew all he would think was how his family had perished in a fire.
She longed to be able to offer more comfort than a brush of her hand on his arm and vowed she would do so the next morning.
He joined them for breakfast and was quieter than usual. Libby had to ask him a question twice before he answered.
Clara hoped she could relieve his mind. She’d explain how she kept a bucket of water nearby and how she positioned herself and the girls so they could escape quickly.
She took the girls to the church once they’d finished breakfast and waited until they went outside to get snow before she approached Blue.
There was a tightness about his mouth she hadn’t seen for many days. She faced him, her hands on his arms. “About last night—”
“You can’t stay there.”
She blinked at his harsh words, then took a calming breath. He was naturally overly concerned about fires. “Blue, we were never in danger.”
He gripped her shoulder. “How can you say that? Do you know how little it would take to start that shack on fire? And how quickly it would burn?”
“That’s why we sleep close to the door.” She refused to let his words frighten her.
It was a fear she couldn’t deny. She shivered. “What do you suggest I do?”
“Let me take you to the ranch.”
She considered the offer. It would be nice to feel safe. But if that man was searching for her, how hard would it be to go to the ranch? Not nearly hard enough.
“My best chance is still to head north,” she said. Even to her ears it sounded less and less like a reasonable option. But it was still the only way she could think of that would prove herself capable of keeping her girls. She repeated her belief. “Unless I can prove I can do this on my own, I will never be able to defend myself against my father.”
Blue went to a window and stared out. He jammed his hands in the front pockets of his trousers, then turned to face her. “At least let me take you to the ranch tonight. We can stay overnight and attend church tomorrow.”
“What if Petey comes while I’m gone?”
“He won’t leave on a Sunday. He’ll spend the day visiting with Rufus. They’re old friends.”
“You’re sure?”
As if sensing her weakening, he added, “I’ll ask Rufus to tell Petey so he’ll wait. The man isn’t about to turn down paying customers.”
It would be nice to feel safe for a few hours and to attend a real worship service. “You’re sure we won’t be an imposition?”
He chuckled. “The boss’s wife always welcomes travelers. She’d love to see you and the girls.”
Clara hovered between the need to prove she could manage on her own and the desire to attend church. Then she made up her mind. Surely it didn’t make her look weak to spend a Sunday worshiping. In fact, it might prove what a good parent she was—making sure the girls got their religious instruction. “Fine. I’d love to go to church with you.”
He blinked as if surprised at her agreement. “Really?”
She laughed, although she felt somewhat annoyed. “Why did you ask if you expected me to refuse?”
“Because I’m worried. I don’t want to see anything happen to you or the girls.”
Her annoyance fled, replaced with gratitude for his concern. “Blue, you’re a good man.”
Love Inspired Historical October 2015 Box Set Page 81