by Caroline Lee
Bear cursed under his breath. “Oh, just give it to me.” He snatched the finely carved stick from her, and was surprised to see that it was long enough to support his height. In fact, it was a heavy dark wood, with a thick knob at the end to cradle his palm. He couldn’t have picked a better one out for himself had he been cane-shopping in Salt Lake City.
Snee—Suzy must’ve realized that, because she nodded in satisfaction. “Good, good.” Then she hurried over to his makeshift sleeping quarters and hurried to clean up while he practiced hobbling around. Shoving everything she’d gathered into the trunk, she stood up and sneezed. Looking irritated—at the universe, and him in specific for witnessing that sneeze—she waved towards the barn door. “Well? What are you waiting for? Go, save the town. Impress Rose!”
“By myself?” He dreaded the idea of hobbling into Everland, his leg a thick mess of pain. “With a cane?”
She tsked, and rolled her eyes, and fished out his gunbelt. “Here, strap this back on, I suppose. Thank goodness you’re left-handed.” She must’ve noticed that while he was shaving, or something. “You’ll be able to draw on Quigg even with the cane. Sheriff Cutter will give you whatever help you need.” He made short work of settling his guns back on his hips, and then straightened. Despite the heavy cane in his hand, this felt good. Felt normal.
“Here, don’t forget the most important thing.” With another flourish, she presented him with his freshly buffed badge. A silver star, reminding him and everyone around him that he represented the laws of the United States of America. It was time for him to wear it again.
Bear pinned the badge to his vest, and was glad he hadn’t pulled the jacket back on. If he managed to drag his sorry butt into Everland, he wanted everyone—Quigg and Rose—to see the real him. He was tired of living in the shadows. He was US Marshall Barrett Faulkner, and he wanted everyone to know it.
“Good, good!” Suzy nodded approvingly. “Now, go. You’ve got two hours to hobble a half-mile. Surely you can manage that.”
With his free hand, Bear tipped his hat to the strange young woman, and took his first steps towards freedom. As the barn door closed behind him, and he looked out over the Christmas Eve snow-covered landscape, he smiled. He had a trek in front of him, and danger at the end, but it was worth it. His guns were on his hip—he’d left the rifle in the barn, because he only had the one free hand—his badge was on his chest, and there was a beautiful woman waiting for him in Everland.
Bear took a deep breath, and began. It was going to be a good Christmas, after all.
Chapter 10
“Oh my,” Snow gasped when her fingers found Rose’s and she squeezed. “Who is that?”
Rose sighed, knowing her sister was only pretending great interest in the celebration’s patrons because she knew Rose was depressed. And why wouldn’t she be? She’d had to give up her dream of a future today. But Snow was trying to make it an enjoyable Christmas, and the least Rose could do was pretend. After all, tomorrow would have to be spent listening to Mama insult all of the townspeople over whatever dinner Snow had planned…so Rose should at least be involved this evening. After all, she’d helped decorate the church hall, and it really was lovely. The red bows were bigger than her head, and perfectly accented the boughs that were scenting the air so beautifully. The entire room was filled with the soft sounds of Signore Bellini playing Joy to the World, and the conversations of her neighbors. It was Christmas; the time for rejoicing and camaraderie, even if she felt like her heart was breaking.
So she straightened her shoulders and tried to look like she was interested in whomever her sister had seen. “Where?” She peered through the crowds, nodding and murmuring holiday greetings to neighbors she barely knew. There was Max DeVille, one of her sister’s friends and an incurable flirt, and Rip from the Van Winkle Inn sleeping in the corner. Mr. Henry the station master raised a glass of punch in her direction, and Rose’s small return smile was genuine, at least. She’d met with him earlier that day—after that devastating news that her Bear had killed a lawman—but hadn’t recalled much of it. When he’d arrived at the celebration, though, he’d told her that the afternoon train had brought in a big batch of mail, including a package for Snow. The two sisters had been relieved to know that Snow would have the bright-white satin embroidery floss needed to finish her tiny gowns, and that they’d soon have enough income to not have to accept credit during the next month.
“Him. Over by the door.” Snow sounded exasperated, and Rose dragged her attention away from Mr. Henry’s kind smile to see who her sister was staring at. There didn’t seem to be anyone special standing near the—
And that’s when the crowd shifted, and Rose saw him. He was tall, and broad, and had thick brown hair that waved wildly about his head, even sticking out from under the black hat he wore. His beard was trimmed close to his chin, and she knew without being closer that there was kindness in his remarkable eyes. Bear was here. Bear was here, looking as respectable as he could while leaning heavily on a cane and wearing his double gunbelt—the kind she’d only she’d seen as illustrations in her novels.
“Rose? Rose, honey, you’re holding your breath.”
She was, wasn’t she? Only, she couldn’t seem to make herself inhale. Why was the room spinning?
“Rose. Breathe, honey!”
Oh yes. She sucked in a breath, then another, trying to calm her racing heart. Why was Bear here? In the middle of all these good and decent people, like he might’ve been had he not followed a life of crime? Was he trying to get himself caught? Trying to land in jail? Oh goodness, Sheriff Cutter was looking his way, too.
Pulling away from her sister, Rose pushed through the Everland crowd to stop in front of him. “What are you doing here?” she all but hissed at him, her eyes darting around the room to see if anyone beside the Sheriff had noticed him. “Are you looking for your horse? The livery stable’s down the street.” She grabbed one of his forearms, ignoring the feel of bunched muscle under her small hands as she tried ineffectively to pull him out of the room. “I’ll show you, but we’ve got to get you out of here before…”
Rose trailed off as the flash of silver on his vest caught her eye. Was that what she thought it was?
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, Miss White?”
Oh goodness, there was Sheriff Cutter’s drawl right behind her, and Rose whirled to face the new threat, leaving her body squarely between the two men as if she could prevent the bloodshed she feared.
Sheriff Cutter had Rojita on his arm, but she was watching two of her orphan charges over by the punch bowl, and soon patted her husband’s arm and slipped away. The Sheriff didn’t seem to notice, he was staring so intently at the big man looming over Rose’s shoulder. “Rose?” he prompted, and she closed her eyes in dread. What to say? Here’s a man I thought was a bandit, and I was harboring him and probably deserve to be locked up, but now it seems like maybe I was completely wrong, and he wasn’t an outlaw at all, and oh my stars I don’t know anymore.
“U.S. Marshall Barrett Faulkner.” One of his large forearms snaked around her to rest against her hip, like it was the most natural thing in the world to hold her in public like this. “Sorry if I can’t shake your hand. My leg’s pretty busted up, and Miss White’s been doctoring me for a few days.”
Rose instinctively pressed back against his chest, simultaneously comforted and confused by the way his warmth wrapped around her to make her feel safe. The lawman in front of them stared down at them for a moment, and then nodded. “Sheriff Hank Cutter, Marshall. Anything I can do to help you?”
She felt Bear inhale deeply, and allowed his nearness to cradle her. “Actually, yeah. There’s going to be an attack on the train depot tonight. I could use some backup. I showed up here hoping that Rose could introduce me to the local law…”
She’d felt her stomach clench at the words train depot, and twisted in his hold. “It’s Christmas Eve! Why would the train station be robbed?”
She kept her voice down, but knew she was sounding panicky. Snow couldn’t lose her package of embroidery floss…they were counting on it!
Bear smiled down at her, and oh heavens he had a nice smile, under that thick beard. She hadn’t been able to see it so well before, but now…
“All I know is what I heard Samuel Quigg and his boys planning. They mentioned Everland’s station, and a Christmas Eve delivery.”
Sheriff Cutter cursed, and shifted his hands on his hips. “There’s a payroll come through tonight. Mr. Henry locked the place up tight, but we figured it’d be alright for him to leave it unprotected to show up here for the celebration.” As he spoke, his eyes scanned the crowded room. “Can I assume that you’re the lawman the gang took out?”
A flicker of bitterness crossed Bear’s face. “You could say that. They didn’t like me sneaking around, eavesdropping.”
Rose was astonished. “You’re the—“ She snapped her mouth shut, unwilling to admit that she’d assumed he was a murderer. A murderer of a lawman.
But from the teasing tilt of Bear’s smile, he knew. “Sorry, Rose Red. I couldn’t tell you before, because I needed to get to the Sheriff myself. If the gang had found out...”
“Yeah, they would’ve come back for you. Smart thinking, Faulkner.”
“Call me Bear.”
“Alright, Bear.” Sheriff Cutter nodded. “This might be rude, but you can use those guns, right?”
“Yeah.” Bear’s drawl was dangerous and sexy all at once. Rose felt herself go cold, and then warm again. “You up to hobbling over to the depot with me, to take a look around?”
Sheriff Cutter nodded once, already heading for the door. Bear wrapped his fingers through hers without even looking. Then, when she was still trying to come to grips with his casual touch, he leaned towards her. “Be safe, Rose Red. I know you and I have a lot to discuss, but I have every intention of coming back here to celebrate Christmas Eve with you.” He took a deep breath, and she noticed the way his silver badge sparkled against the black of his vest. “And maybe even more than that, if you’ll let me. But for now, I’ve got to go.”
A quick squeeze of her hand, and then he was hobbling towards the door, leaning heavily on his cane.
And maybe even more than that, if you’ll let me. Snow appeared at her side, but Rose didn’t blink.
“Oh my. Was that the mysterious barn stranger?”
If you’ll let me.
Snow didn’t appear to notice that her sister wasn’t answering. “Rose, he’s gorgeous. Your mother will hate him, of course, because he’s not blonde, but oh my, he’s good-looking, isn’t he? And wearing a Marshall’s badge to boot. Where’d he and Sheriff Cutter run off to on Christmas Eve?”
And maybe even more than that, if you’ll let me. Rose straightened, ignoring her sister’s questions. To heck with that! She was going to chase him down and demand some answers. Besides, she suddenly had a visceral need to make sure that he was safe. She was going after him. “To the train station, and I’m following him.”
“Are you—“
But Rose had pulled away from Snow, and as the door closed on the gaiety and neighborly cheer going on behind her, she knew that this was her place. Here, away from the people of Everland, who all seemed to have a place to belong. Here, where there was adventure and life. Here, with the man that she loved.
Bear knew that he’d thank God every day for the rest of his life that she’d arrived too late to see him in action. In fact, he and Hank had almost missed said action, themselves. The sheriff had slowed his steps to allow Bear to keep up, and hadn’t that been galling? Even moreso when they’d hobbled up to the train station and realized that there was a light burning inside when there shouldn’t be one. Hank had high-tailed it around back, and Bear had stood his ground out front, and called for Quigg to show himself like a man. And when the gang had split up and burst out of both doors at once, three of the men had gone down in a hail of gunfire. Bear had dropped the cane and grabbed both of his guns at once, and soon Samuel Quigg was the only outlaw left standing.
And that’s when Rose barreled into his back, breathless and frantic, and dang near gave him a heart attack.
Bear whirled around, ready to face the new threat, and felt his right leg buckle under him. Shoot! He’d forgotten he wasn’t up for acrobatics like that. In very real danger of falling on his butt in the muddy street, he slammed his right Colt back into its holster and grabbed for her. Pulling her against him meant that not only would she be safe from any threats from Quigg, but also keep him upright for a bit longer.
His leg ached something fierce, but not as much as his heart did to think about what would’ve happened, had she shown up two minutes earlier when the bullets were flying and he wasn’t nearly as fast as he used to be. Bear’s blood went as icy as the late December wind that blew around them, to think of her in danger like that.
“What in the heck are you doing, Rose Red? You could’ve been killed!” It made him feel good to rail at something, and she was a convenient target. He poured all of his fear into his words, and resisted the urge to shake her. Instead, he pressed her face against his chest, keeping his revolver pointed at Quigg, kneeling in the muddy snow, and tried to slow his breathing.
She was alright. She was alive, and he was alive, and it was Christmas Eve, and they were alive together.
He didn’t know why that last part should make him feel better, but somehow it did. They were together. They were safe. He inhaled deeply, and held her more tightly.
It took a moment to register the fact that she was poking him in the stomach, and he eased his grip a bit. Still not looking at her lovely face—not knowing if he could afford to look at her, because surely once he started he’d never want to stop—he grunted. “What?” he snapped, knowing his anger still wasn’t gone. She could’ve been hurt.
“I can’t breathe, Bear.” He didn’t want to let her go—was afraid he might fall over if he did—but he loosened his hold. She straightened, away from him, but he didn’t have time to feel disappointment before he felt her tiny arms slide around his waist, offering what support she could. “Why are you so angry, Bear?”
He swallowed, watching Quigg, and knew his voice was harsh when he finally choked out, “You could’ve been killed.”
And dangit if she didn’t shrug. Like it was no big deal. Like his heart wouldn’t have been torn out if such a thing had happened. “Well, so could’ve you, you know. That’s why I followed.”
Finally, he forced himself to look down at her, just a glance to make sure that she was really alright. But he got stuck, as he’d known he would, in a pair of clear topaz eyes and a perfect face. “You followed me why, exactly? How would you have helped?”
Another shrug. “I don’t know. But I knew that I couldn’t let you come out here and be hurt again, maybe killed.”
Bear swallowed again, his throat and mouth and mind suddenly dry. “And would that have mattered to you, Rose Red? If I’d been killed.”
That’s when she smiled, sweetly, perfectly. “Oh, Bear. It would’ve mattered. I would’ve died too.”
His head emptied as he exhaled, until it was as hollow as his chest. It would’ve mattered. I would’ve died too. She hadn’t said that she loved him, but that was close enough for any man.
And he probably would’ve spent the rest of the cold, clear Christmas night staring down at her, ignoring his wounded prisoner, except for Hank, who came around the corner of the train depot then.
“I see you had pretty good luck.” Bear planned on agreeing, just as soon as he could make his mouth work. He did have good luck, to be alive and mostly whole and have Rose in his arms. “Two other members of the gang made it out the back door. One’s dead, and the other probably wishes he was, the way I left him tied up. I’m fine, by the way.”
Bear thought he might’ve nodded, and fully intended to thank the Sheriff…as soon as he was done looking into a pair of perfect topaz eyes.
Han
k actually made it close enough to slap Bear on the back before the larger man noticed. “I can see you’re busy, Marshall, so I’ll let you get on with things, shall I?” Bear finally tore his attention away from Rose, to meet the Sheriff’s eyes. “And I’ll throw Quigg and whoever else is still alive in the jail, and wire someone to come drag them to Haskell, or wherever the circuit judge is coming through next. I’m assuming you’ll be heading back to Washington, so I’ll stand up against ‘em at the trial.”
Yeah, he had to go back to headquarters, at least to resign. He wasn’t going to be a very useful U.S. Marshall with this bum leg. But after, maybe… He glanced down at Rose again, and saw the sadness in her expression. What was she thinking?
But Hank was talking again. “Say, if the Marshalling thing doesn’t work out for you, you might consider becoming a lawman in a different right. This area doesn’t have nearly enough judges, and riding circuit would at least bring you back to Everland once in a while.” Bear might’ve responded to the speculative tone in the other man’s voice, but he was too busy looking down at Rose, trying to make her understand that he couldn’t leave her. Not yet.
Then, with another slap, Hank was gone, to haul a grunting Quigg to his feet and hustle him down the road. Bear swallowed, knowing that he had to make Rose understand.
“About what Hank said…” Shoot, he should’ve started with about what you said, because he didn’t think he’d ever forget her last words to him about him mattering. He swallowed and tried again. “That’s something I’ve been thinking about. Becoming a circuit judge, I mean. I like the law, I believe in it, and I don’t think I’ll be hunting down bad guys anymore.” His leg suddenly ached, as if reminding him of his wound. Bear re-holstered his gun, but didn’t want to let go of her long enough to pick up the cane.