Always, Stone

by Nan O'Berry

  Stone sat and waited as she paused.

  A smile pulled at her lips. “I thought I was going to be one of those singers, who stood up on stage and had men throw money at them.”She gave him a shy glance. “I guess you think I’m pretty silly.”

  Stone squeezed her shoulder. “Nope, not in the least. Where’s your father now?”

  Her smile faded. “I-I don’t know for sure. When we got to New Orleans, poppa told me to wait for him while he went to get his pay.”

  She struggled to swallow. “He never returned.”

  “Never? Did anyone go looking for him?”

  Charity nodded. “Mr. McMasters did.”

  “That’s where you met him?”

  Charity gave a vigorous nod of her head. “He was one of the gamblers on the boat. He searched for poppa for a few days but the boat had to leave to go back up the river. The captain wanted to put me in an orphanage. McMasters told him no.”

  Her matter of fact look told him all he needed to know. “So he volunteered to take care of you.”

  “In a sense,” she agreed. “He taught me how to deal cards and how to know when a man was cheating.”

  “Did he….” Stone let the sentence hang.

  She shook her head. “No, Laiden McMasters never took advantage of me. He was a good man. When the boat caught fire, he saved me and several others.” She pushed the hair that escaped back behind her hood. “The Crystal Dawn was the name of the ship you know.”

  Stone eyes widened.

  Charity’s smile was genuine. “That great big woodwork behind the bar and the mirror, it came from what was left of the boat after the fire. McMasters saved it. Put it on a boat and had it shipped around to San Francisco where he ran a Faro table along the waterfront.”

  “How about that.” Stone whistled.

  They grew quiet and listened to the wind sing.

  “Is that where you ran into Pierson?”

  Charity’s smile faded. She rose from the rocks and walked toward the river.

  Stone waited hoping to give her time to think, and then pushing away he walked to where she stood. Slipping his arms around her waist, he held her to him and rested his chin on top of her head. “Charity, is that where?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “That’s where I met Pierson. He used to come into the gaming bar to drink and play cards. He’d flirt with the girls and one night, things went too far.”

  Stone hated the question that lingered. He knew he had to ask and he knew the answer would be painful. Hating himself, he did it anyway, “Charity, is that where it happened?”

  She nodded. “Yes, one night, he got too drunk and went after one of the girls. McMasters wasn’t there. I forget where they had sent him. But the owner threw Pierson out. He swore he’d get even. One of the girls went out to get some air. He must have been waiting. I was washing dishes when I heard her screams.” Charity’s hands went to her face. Her voice cracked as she sobbed. “I—I saw him beat a girl to death with his bare hands.”

  “I’ve got you, Charity. I’ve got you. He won’t hurt you.” Stone turned her around and let her cry onto his shoulder until there were no tears left to shed. When her sobs quieted, he tilted her face toward his. “No more. No more tears, Charity. It’s time you told McMasters what you know. You can’t save the girl who lost her life, but you can save yourself. Tell him.”

  “I can’t. Just telling you may have put your life in danger. Pierson can’t be tried for what he did. No one cares about a saloon girl.”

  “I do.”

  Her hand came to cup his cheek. “You’re a different kind of man, Stone. A man a girl can trust with her deepest secrets.”

  Stone brushed away the dampness from her cheek.

  Her expression changed. Something different shone in her eyes. The emerald green turned deep. Her breath seemed to still.

  He lowered his head and their lips met.

  A rush of heat roared through his veins. Stone’s hands tightened around her shoulders as Charity’s arms encircled his neck. The warmth of her body filled him with such excitement that his knees wanted to buckle. It felt as if all the fireworks of the Fourth of July since he’d been born went off all at once. When their lips parted, Stone had to remember how to breathe. “Charity.” He pulled her close and pressed his lips against her brow, afraid that if he kissed her lips again, he might burst into flames.

  “You won’t tell McMasters will you? Promise me you won’t?”

  Stone swallowed. His heart was shattering to think what would happen if he didn’t or worse, what Pierson would do if he knew, she had told him the truth. “I won’t tell.” He closed his eyes knowing that it might come to betraying her trust just to keep her alive.

  They stood quietly as the shadows lengthened.

  Charity was the first to speak, “I need to get back, and it’s getting toward sundown.”

  Stone nodded. “I don’t want you to go.”

  “I don’t want to go, but—”

  “I know you have to.”Taking her by the hand, Stone led her up the path toward town. “Hey, the Hawkins are having a party for the Christmas holiday. Would you like to come?”

  “Me?” Charity’s face filled with doubt. “You think Mrs. Hawkins is going to let me come into her house?”

  “I think she’ll let you come in. Besides…” He grinned. “You’ll be with me.”

  Charity gave a laugh. “When is this party?”

  “Saturday night. I’ll come by the back door and pick you up.”

  “I have to ask McMasters permission. Saturday night is pretty busy.”

  Stone gave a nod. “Ask, the worst he can say is no.”

  “True,” she agreed.

  They wound their way along the back of the alleyways till they came to the door of the Crystal Dawn.

  “I hate to let you go,” Stone whispered.

  Charity smiled. “It’s only until Saturday.”

  He grinned. “Saturday.”

  Her smile faded as she gazed into his eyes. “Ride safe, Stone.”

  “I will.”

  She moved to him and rose on her toes to bestow a kiss upon his cheek. “Take care,” she whispered as she stepped into the saloon.

  The door closed and he stood staring.

  What just happened? Stone swallowed and shook his head. “I must be plum loco.”

  Yet, in his heart he knew. He and Charity had formed a bond, bond which could not be broken. Grinning, he turned and walked toward the bunkhouse marveling over how quickly life could change.

  Charity walked through the hall and up the stairs toward her room only to see Laiden McMasters standing in the doorway. She came to a stop and removed her cloak. Tossing it over her arm, she gazed in his direction. “Standing here long?”

  Laiden gave a half grin. “Not really. Did you enjoy yourself?”

  She tilted her head up in defiance. “I did.” She took a step toward her doorway and he moved out of the way. “You didn’t come up here to ask that question, did you?”

  Laiden chuckled.

  Charity shifted her cloak to the other arm. “Come inside and we can talk.”

  Laiden followed her inside and pulled the door closed.

  She walked toward the chair and draped the cloak over it. With a deep breath, she turned and before the courage left her, she blurted out, “I want to go straight, Mr. McMasters. I-I have a chance to go to a party with Stone next Saturday and I want to go.”

  Laiden took a slow, deep breath as he considered her request.

  Charity felt her nerves tighten. She brought her hands in front of her and laced her fingers together to keep him from seeing them tremble. Looking down at the floor, her soft voice seemed to echo in the quiet of the room, “It’s not that you haven’t been good to me. You have. I can’t ask for anything better Mr. McMasters. I know when poppa disappeared, you didn’t intend to raise a child, but I am so very grateful for what you have done for me.”

  “But?”

  “
But I don’t want to be a saloon girl for the rest of my life. I’ve seen how some of them turn out. I want more.” She held her breath and waited for him to speak. Seconds turned to minutes as she waited.

  Finally, when she thought all hope might be gone, he spoke, “You sure about this, Charity?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  Laiden turned and walked toward the window. He pushed the lace curtain back and stared into the darkening sky. “I owe you that,” he began. “You weren’t raised to be a dove. Somehow, in all this craziness, the world pulled the rug out from under your feet. Had I been a lawyer, or a drummer, I could have sent you to school. For that, I am sorry I didn’t.”

  Charity’s heart turned over. “Please, do not think less of yourself. My life hasn’t been bad. It’s just that now, I have found someone. I-I want a chance at something special.”

  Laiden turned. The shallow light from the moon cast a blue shadow across his features. His rough smile signaled she had won. “Very well, go to your party. Enjoy yourself. I will see what I can do to help make your dreams into a reality.”

  Charity’s heart seemed to burst at the seams. “Thank you, Mr. McMasters. Thank you.”

  He moved toward the door and opened it. Pausing, he turned and looked back at her. “Don’t thank me yet. Let me see what I can do.”

  She nodded.

  As he closed the door, Charity whirled in a circle and wrapped her arms around herself as happiness engulfed her.

  Pierson stepped from behind a clump of trees that sheltered the outhouses. His eyes narrowed as he watched the couple part. His mouth twisted as if he’d bit into an unripe persimmon. Their voices were either to low or the wind was just right to carry the words in the wrong direction. She moved toward the doorway and he waited, ready to pounce. A yellow light streamed from the opening. He caught a glimpse of Charity as she lifted her hand to tell her suitor goodbye.

  The man turned and he saw the profile.

  “I should have guessed,” he murmured loud enough for only his ears to pick up. “That pony express rider.”

  The door shut and darkness engulfed the alleyway. It didn’t matter; he had all the information he needed.

  Pierson waited while the cowboy made his way back toward the Hawkins place. He’d found the chink in her armor. Yes, he mused. Finally, something I can use to get Charity out and way from McMasters. Then, I’ll get my revenge.

  “It’s a shame this country is so hard on a woman.”

  Chuckling, he slipped his thumbs in the small pockets of his vest and made his way toward the freight office.

  Chapter 6

  Stone hurried to the back door of the Hawkins house. Opening the door, he caught the glimpse of his employer, Levi and the other riders were already seated at the table. Mrs. Hawkins stood poised to place a platter of homemade biscuits between Brett and a new man only known to the crew as Jonas.

  Remembering his manners, Stone swept his hat from his head before he stepped inside the door. “Sorry I’m late.”He snagged his hat onto one of the pegs on the wall and hurried over to an empty seat.

  “Glad you could make it,” Levi remarked.

  Brett tried to hide the snicker that slipped from his lips.

  Narrowing his glare, Stone caught Jonas sending an elbow into Brett’s side turning his laughter in to a mock cough instead.

  The sound captured the attention of Mrs. Hawkins. “Brett, are you catching a chill?” she asked, sliding the plate between the bowl of eggs and the platter of bacon and sausage.

  “No, ma’am.” Brett raised a hand and made the pretence of scratching his throat. “I just got something caught in my throat, is all.”

  She leveled him a disbelieving glare before taking her place to the left of her husband and across from her two children. “See me after breakfast.”

  Brett opened his mouth to protest, but the look in her eye silenced him. Instead, he turned his disapproval toward Stone. Both knew the meeting after breakfast would involve a dose of medicinal cod liver oil.

  Vindicated, Stone lifted the corners of his lips as he pulled his napkin into his lap.

  “Gentlemen. Ladies.” Levi spoke up drawing their conversations to a close. “Let us fold our hands.”

  Every head bent, as they brought their hands together.

  “Dear Lord, we ask your blessings on our extended family,” Levi began. “We ask that you keep them safe as they ride cross country. We ask, too, that you look down with compassion upon the animals that carry them and give them strength as they carry our riders to their destination. May the bounty of your mercy be upon us and strengthen our hearts to do what is right in your sight. Amen.”

  “Amen,” Stone said along with the others gathered around him.

  “Pass the eggs, Anna,” Levi instructed his daughter.

  Lifting the plate, Anna handed it to her father.

  He placed a fried egg onto his plate before passing it to his wife. “Dear.” He took the second platter and continued to talk, “Gentlemen, we have one more ride before the holidays. I know no one wants to ride. We will gather in the bunkhouse and do a drawing after chores.”

  “Stone,” Mrs. Hawkins spoke up. “Did you ask your young friend to join us on Saturday?”

  He paused, his fork hung over the patter as heads lifted and eyes fell upon him. “Yes, ma’am, I did. She should let me know by this afternoon.”

  Olivia Hawkins smiled. “Oh good, I hope she’ll be able to come.”

  “I do too,” he replied, keeping his eyes focused on his plate as he handed the patter off to the next man on his left.

  With breakfast over, the riders departed the kitchen each being responsible for putting their own plates in the tub to be washed.

  “Stone.” Levi pulled a hand written list from his pocket. “Get the men started on the chores and I will be out there as soon as I finish the morning paperwork.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Stone took the paper and with a nod of his head, led the men out the door.

  Brett followed in the rear, just reaching the doorway, when Mrs. Hawkins stopped him. “Brett, please stay for a moment.”

  Head hanging, he turned. “I’d hope she’d forgotten,” he grumbled.

  Stone’s mouth jerked almost to a smile. “One thing about Mrs. Hawkins, she never forgets.”

  With stooped shoulders, Brett moved toward where she was standing.

  Stone didn’t hear the words spoken. However, when she opened the corner cabinet door, he hurried out the door leaving his friend to suffer his fate.

  “What do you want done?” Jonas asked.

  Stone pulled the paper from his pocket. “I need three volunteers to move the horses to the coral. Then, the rest of us will start cleaning stalls. Those who led the horses out will go to the tack and feed room to clean and straighten.”

  Jonas raised his hand. “I’ll work with the horses and the feed room.”

  Stone nodded. “Luke?”

  The rider stiffened as he thought about the open ended request, and then nodded.

  “I need one more?”

  “I’ll do it,” the kid with the big dome hat spoke up.

  “Okay, Tate.”

  The sound of dirt being kicked up caused all heads to turn.

  Stone watched Brett walk in.

  Hand upon his middle, the cowboy rubbed it vigorously.

  “Glad you could join us,” Stone remarked.

  Brett glanced at him. His expression seemed a bit under the weather. “I’m here, but I might be leaving in a few minutes.”

  The riders hung their heads so he wouldn’t see them laughing.

  “All right.” Stone nodded. “Then, you work with me.”

  “Gladly.”

  “Gentlemen,” Stone’s voice rang with authority. “Let’s get started.”

  While Stone and Brett rounded up the wheelbarrow and rakes, the others took the animals out and turned them loose in the corral. Dust stirred and teasing voices echoed throughout t
he barn.

  “Wagon full, you want me to take it?” Brett inquired.

  “If you’re up to it,” Stone called back. “With your condition, you know.”

  “Ha. Ha.”

  Stone paused chuckling. He turned toward his friend and leaned on the rake. “It could have been worse.”

  “Worse?” Brett’s eyebrows shot toward his hairline. “You know what that stuff does to me.”

  “It will all come out in the end,” Stone teased.

  Brett scowled. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.” Stomping to the wheelbarrow, he lifted the load by the handles and marched toward the rear of the barn.

  All the while, Stone did his best not to fall to his knees laughing. Suddenly, the work at the front of the barn ceased. He glanced to the entrance and spotted the figure of a woman. His heart skipped a beat. There was only one woman who would brave coming to the Express barn and he knew exactly who she was. He set his rake aside and brushed his coat off best he could as he strode toward her.

  The closer he moved the wider Charity’s smile became. She was dressed simply. Her gray cloak blew just enough to allow him a glimpse of the peach print calico beneath.

  “Hello.” Her voice was soft and sultry, just the way he liked it. She glanced at the men staring unabashed from the feed room. “I hope you don’t mind me stopping by?”

  “Me?” Stone shook his head. “No, not at all.”

  They stared at each other.

  Stone tried his best to soak in every minor detail of her appearance. A soft blush grazed her cheeks. She shifted her gaze over his right shoulder. He turned his head to get a better idea of what she was seeing. Jonas and the other men stood grinning at them. Stone’s mouth formed a thin line. His eyes narrowed as if daring them to speak. “Don’t you have something to do?” he growled.