Blackwater Burning

by Elle Marlow

  “So, I haven’t seen you around here before, where are you from?”

  “Italy. I had horses there. Then, after my mother died, my father put us on a boat where eventually we ended up practically penniless in San Antonio. And now, I’m here,” she told him.

  His eyes twinkled and her body reacted with a pleasurable squeeze she hadn’t expected. And then, he held out a hand toward her. His grip was warm, firm and filled her with a sense of security.

  “It’s nice meeting you…”

  “Sophia,” she finished for him.

  “Sophia,” he repeated. “Those are beautiful earrings. I’m not sure they match your interesting outfit, but they are very pretty. I’m Cooper Blackwater. I’ll have to leave Nugget to Maya and her tequila. I have a mother who just lost her baby to a stagecoach robbery. She’s under the care of the doc, and understandably inconsolable.”

  Sophia swallowed down the lump that just grew in her throat. She wanted to assure him that the baby was fine and would soon be reunited with his mother, but she’d forgotten she still wore the earrings of that poor woman and a nervous twitch raked through her. Still, she managed a smile. Cooper made a move to turn away, and she hurriedly moved to remove the earrings. But then he stopped himself and looked back at her. “I hope to see you again soon, Sophia.”

  “Likewise. Sheriff?”

  “Cooper,” he corrected with a smile that exposed deep dimples in his cheeks. Suddenly, her tongue felt ten sizes too big for her mouth. “Cooper. Are you working on getting those highway men that keep terrorizing those hills?”

  “Yes, I am. But it’s going to take more than just one man to bring down that murderous bunch.”

  What about a woman?

  ***

  By the end of the day, she had only managed to find a single horse to purchase. But at least, she was no longer traveling on foot. Crow would not be pleased that it had taken so long to gain one lousy horse, but the only decent horses around, happened to belong to Sheriff Blackwater.

  She wanted to tell the sheriff everything. She wanted so badly to tell him where to find Crow and his men. She wanted to drop to her knees and beg Cooper Blackwater to do the impossible and save her pitiful life. But it was as he said, it would take more than just one man to defeat Comanche Crow, and the moment Crow had the slightest sense something wasn’t right, he’d come looking for her. It wouldn’t be much of a life living in fear of being slashed by Crow’s knife.

  Sophia pushed a leg into the horse she’d bought. The black gelding lifted his rump in response. He wasn’t fully broke, she discovered, and as they moved through the streets of Tucson, she entertained thoughts of this horse tossing Crow to the ground. As the faintest of thunder rolled behind her in the mountains, the horse snorted his frustration and tossed his head, pulling at the bit, with the intentions of out-running the weather. Sophia held the reins with a firm grip wondering how much grief this gelding was going to cause her if it happened to storm. What if she couldn’t manage to handle him all the way up those rocky hills where Crow’s hideout was located?

  She continued to struggle with the horse as she approached the outskirts of town. Once she started climbing those hills, Crow would know it. She pulled the gelding to a stop, her chest heavy with apprehension. Sophia ignored the horse jigging beneath her, ignored the smell of the rain on the breeze. She just couldn’t pry her gaze from those scattered hills wondering if chancing her freedom was worth risking her life. If she turned away and rode hard toward California, how long would she have until the Hellfire gang caught up with her? Sophia bit down on her lip contemplating, and failed to notice that Cooper Blackwater was fast approaching on horseback.

  “Going somewhere?” he asked, pulling his horse to a hard stop, blocking her path to Crow. A nervous tickle crawled up her spine. Sophia forced a smile and relaxed herself in the saddle. “Hello, Cooper. Nice to see you again so soon. This is pretty far out for you, isn’t it?”

  “Is it?” he asked, hopping off his horse and then taking a firm hold of her gelding’s bridle. “Please dismount from the horse, Sophia.”

  “Is there a problem?”

  “Yep, you’re under arrest for possession of stolen jewelry.”

  Before she could respond, thunder cracked overhead and rain began to fall in large round drops. Sophia was about to do as Cooper asked, and dismount the horse when it bolted right out from under her and out of his grip.

  Her head hit the ground first. Then her shoulder hit hard enough that air rushed out of her lungs causing a painful squeezing sensation to belt around her.

  The sheriff bent over her, blocking her view of anything else but his face.

  “Christ, you’ve hit your head. Are you alright? Can you talk?”

  Her head buzzed from the impact, and she momentarily experienced a moment of confusion. But, her pulse began to escalate when Cooper ran his hands over her, checking for injury. She started to nod, but the image of his face blurred into fuzzy lines and her stomach rolled.

  “I think I feel sick,”

  “It’s alright, just lay still. I’ll get you to the doc,” he assured her, lightly brushing his fingers behind her head. “I’m feeling one hell of a goose-egg forming. I have to pick you up and ride double with you back into town. Can you put your arms around my neck?”

  Sophia lifted her arms as Cooper lifted her into his embrace. The feel of his strength mingled with a faint scent of cherry tobacco. He easily held her as he walked to his horse.

  “Okay, see if you can swing a leg over. I’ll mount up behind you.”

  ***

  Cooper cursed under his breath when he shoved his hands under her to lift her from the ground. And then when she put her arms around him, a protective feeling coupled with attraction warmed over him and suddenly he wondered what he’d gotten himself into.

  She leaned against him as they rode. Her hair brushed across his face and his arms. He tried to keep his eyes straight out between the horse’s ears. The slack of her body, the lulling of her head, confirmed that she was going in and out of consciousness, and she couldn’t help the close contact.

  Who was she really? Why was she with Crow and in possession of those earrings? He sure as hell hoped there was more than beat the eye, because if he’d just caught her trying to get back to Crow, then she really was with the Hellfire gang and took part in killing people and the stealing of valuables.

  Once he got her inside Doc Saunder’s office, he placed her on a bed situated next to Mrs. Lantham’s bed. The doc had to keep Mrs. Lantham heavily sedated to keep calm, so the woman would have no idea that she shared a room with Sophia. The irony that Sophia could have been a part of Mrs. Lantham’s troubles just wouldn’t settle in his mind. He’d seen killers, cheaters and general misfits in his years of law, and Sophia didn’t fit the mold—not in the least.

  Her head lulled away from him, and he gently touched her face to roll it back toward him so he could see her. Damn, she was pretty. Not just pretty, downright beautiful. His gaze studied her upturned nose, her long and heavy eyelashes that rested on high cheekbones, her pink and full mouth before it finally rested at the rising lump on her head. Was he looking at a killer?

  Chapter Five

  Cooper’s mind continued to fret over Sophia, even as he mulled over a map of the mountains with Gunther at his side. Gunther couldn’t recall just how many men were up in those hills, since his shoot-out with the gang came by surprise, so it made it difficult to come up with an effective strategy. When Sophia awakens, maybe he could convince her to talk in exchange for leniency on her charges.

  The opening door ushered in light and Father Velasquez from the mission. He held an infant wrapped in what looked to be a nun’s robe. “Late last night, this child was left on the mission’s steps. Could this be the same boy that belongs to Mrs. Lantham?” The Father asked.

  Copper high stepped around his desk, with hope burning in his chest. When he looked at the face of the infant, he was just as the woman de
scribed, but he better be sure. “Gunther. Go see if Mrs. Lantham is in any condition to identify this baby.” Gunther jumped to his feet and ran out the door.

  “Could you stay until the mother arrives just in case this is not her child?” he asked. Father Velasquez nodded. “I think I should mention, I saw a woman dressed in men’s clothing running from the child when I opened the doors. The pour soul probably had no choice but to run. If you happen to learn of her identity, please send her to me so I may minister to her,” he informed him.

  “She was wearing men’s clothing?”

  “Yes, sheriff.”

  Cooper sat back behind his desk still cradling the infant and mulling over the holy man’s words. He wondered just what kind of miracle had to have happened for an innocent babe to survive being in the clutches of a man like Crow. But now a picture was beginning to form in his mind. Did Sophia come down from the mountains just to return Mrs. Lantham’s baby? Why would Comanche Crow allow her that kind of freedom to move about if he wasn’t in fact, confident that she would return. Was Sophia his lover? His wife? The facts laid before him pointed to just that.

  Gunther returned to the office, pale and out of breath.

  “Where’s Mrs. Lantham?” Cooper asked, his heart dropping at the pained look on Gunther’s face.

  “Doc said she passed away during the night,” he panted, shrugging a shoulder. “I guess she died of a broken heart. Anyway, she was the only survivor from that coach. Now that she’s gone, there’s no one else.”

  “Oh dear,” Father Velasquez said, lowering his head to whisper a prayer.

  “Gunther. I don’t know about you, but I am getting damned tired of people dying because of Comanche Crow.”

  “Me too, sir.”

  Cooper then turned his attention to the priest. “Could you take the child for just a little while? Just until I find him a suitable mother?”

  “Certainly. The sisters have been happily gushing over him. I should mention, they did find bruises around his feet and tiny nicks to the skin around his neck. The woman who left him with us, must have saved him from a terrible fate. Did the mother ever mention the boy’s name?”

  Cooper’s gut twisted at hearing of the babe’s abuse, and what Sophia might have gone through to see to his safety.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “What a shame,” the priest said, as Cooper handed the baby back to him.

  “The other woman was opening her eyes when I left, sheriff,” Gunther interrupted. “She was saying your name,” he added.

  “Is that a fact? Excuse me, gentlemen,” Cooper said upon hearing the news. He walked out of the office and untied his horse.

  ***

  At first, she was back at that fancy hotel watching the smoke and her father cheat at cards. Then, she was with Crow as he punched a fist against her skull. Over and over Crow pummeled her skull until her stomach swelled with nausea. And then, she could swear that another man had come to her rescue. He was tall, wide shouldered and with kind green eyes. He was strong and had no trouble fighting off Crow to carry her to a warm bed. Oh, but the pain. The pain exploded bright stars and she could find no place to get away from it.

  “She’s going to be fine. My guess she’ll be fully functional in a day or two,” the doc said to someone.

  “Will you send word to me as soon as she does?”

  “I already told you I would. Has she done something wrong, Sheriff? You seem a might bit worried over her.”

  “I don’t know what she’s done—yet. When will she be fit for questioning?”

  “Hard to say. Nobody but you have come to visit her, leaving me to think she doesn’t have a family.”

  “Well, where’s her personal effects? Maybe she carried something with her that will lead me to her family, her…husband.”

  “I found nothing but earrings, some money, and oh…I almost forgot, in her pocket she had cotton swaths cut into squares. The kind of swaths a woman might use to fashion a diaper. So, maybe she’s a mama?”

  ***

  Cooper pinched the bridge of his nose. “Diapers huh?”

  “Yes, so it seems,” the doc told him before leaving them alone in the room.

  Cooper sat down at the chair next to her bedside, leaned his elbows on his knees and then treaded his fingers together. His gaze settled on her profile beautifully crowned by long mahogany hair taped down to hold a bandage.

  “I’m either looking at a saint or the mistress of the devil. Which are you, Sophia?” A strand of hair slipped and fell across her face. Cooper couldn’t help but take a finger to gently swipe it to the side. He swallowed, thinking he’d never seen such a lovely woman. “We found the baby. It looks as though he will be fine, thanks to you,” he added, hoping it would stir up some emotion.

  Her brows scrunched, and a soft moan escaped her.

  “Is he your baby? Or, is he Mrs. Lantham’s baby? I’m guessing you were trying to save him from Crow, am I right?” For that, I might be able to forget all about those stolen earrings. I saw the shame on your face when you shoved them into your pockets. Why don’t you wake up and tell me what you have to say?”

  Doc Saunders walked back in the room and gave him a curious glance. Cooper stood then, placing his hands on his hips, not removing his gaze from her face that relaxed again as she slipped back into sleep.

  “Doc, I’ll be back. If she wakes up, keep her here, and I don’t care how you do it.”

  ***

  Sophia opened her eyes straight into sunshine streaming through a window. She inhaled the aroma of rubbing alcohol and strangely, beef stew. It took her a moment to figure out that she was tucked into a bed inside a small sanitorium. A light cough echoed off the walls and she turned her head to see Sheriff Cooper Blackwater sitting in a chair, reading a paper with a cup of something in his hand.

  Suddenly, she remembered he was going to arrest her, but her stomach clenched. She hadn’t eaten since the Mexican barkeep offered her dried corn. The smell of food made her mouth water.

  The corner of the paper folded down and she was met with a sparkly green eye. “Good morning,” he said, a tad cheerful.

  She tried working her mouth, but her tongue felt stiff, unable to move.

  “Here,” he offered, getting up and reaching for a glass of water placed by the bed. Sophia tried lifting her head to be able to drink, but realized she hadn’t much strength.

  He moved right beside her, sliding a large hand behind her head to help her lift it. The other hand held the glass to her lips where she drank all the liquid. He carefully lowered her head, and as he stood over her, they locked gazes.

  “How do you feel?”

  “Better now. My head only hurts a little. Did you say good morning? How can that be? Morning was hours ago.”

  “Well, that’s because you’ve been in this bed for three days. It’s Sunday morning now.”

  As if to prove his point, bells from the mission began to chime far off in the distance. Sophia touched the bandage listening. When she’d fallen, it was only Thursday afternoon. If it was now Sunday, then she was as good as dead. No doubt, Crow was already sneaking around Tucson trying to find her.

  “Sunday?” she asked again.

  He sat back down. “Do you feel like talking?”

  Sophia gripped the mattress under the sheet. Now what was she going to do? How truthful should she be with the sheriff? Considering her dire circumstances, what would she really have to lose in being completely forthcoming? Could this sheriff help? Maybe being arrested and behind bars would keep Crow away, if only for a few more days.

  Just when she felt ready to talk, Crow’s maimed face flashed before her, angry and determined. Fear boiled up inside her chest, birthing an overwhelming sensation close to panic.

  “I need to go. I need to get back home,” she said trying to sit up. The room took a horrifying spin and Cooper was there in an instant to put a hand on her upper arm to steady her.

  “I think you’re going
to be in that bed a few more days,” he told her.

  “I can’t.”

  “Why? What’s more important than your health?”

  “Nothing. I’m expected somewhere, and If I don’t get back…”

  “Sophia.”

  The way he said her name stopped her cold. She turned to look at him. His expression settled into straight and serious lines.

  “Your baby is fine.”

  “Baby? I don’t have a baby.”

  “But you do know of a baby left at the mission, don’t you?”

  She settled back down on the bed, wondering how he figured that out.

  “It’s okay. I think I know everything now.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes,” he said softly.

  She thought to play dumb. She thought to act like Cooper was way off in his assumptions, but she realized staring at him that it would be of no use.

  “Talk to me,” he insisted. She shifted her gaze to the ceiling. When tears fell from the corner of her eyes, it exposed her guilt, so there was no point in holding back.

  “Do you know he’s going to kill me? Do you know I’m as good as dead right now?”

  Cooper seemed surprised by her words and she wondered if he’d employed trickery to get her to talk. “I think I’m delirious,” she said quickly.

  “No, I think you know exactly what you’re saying, Mrs. Crow.”

  She closed her eyes, and heard him sit himself back in the chair. “Please don’t call me that. I’m not his wife,” she exhaled.

  “Then what are you? Just a cold-blooded killer? A thief, a kidnapper?”

  That jarred her. “Sheriff. I am none of those things. None. But you won’t need to worry, because before the sun sets, Crow will make damn sure I’m dead for betraying him.”

  He leaned forward in his seat, concern, a quick flash in his eyes even though his face remained stoic. “So, why don’t you tell me what you’ve done?”