Blackwater Burning

by Elle Marlow

  Sophia rested her head back down on her pillow. She decided that too much information would only make her situation worse. She wouldn’t be surprised if Crow waltzed in here right now and snatched her out of this bed. What if he was listening?

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “I know you saved Mrs. Lantham’s baby, and I know you’ve risked yourself to do it. Unfortunately, Mrs. Lantham has now died, and now the baby is an orphan. What do you have to say to that? Are you the reason that child is motherless?”

  She winced at the news. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she whispered. “But you’re wrong about me. I don’t kill people.”

  Everything went silent. For a long while, all she heard was her own breathing. It went on for so long, she wondered if Cooper had left. When she turned her head to see, he was still seated in his chair, looking right at her.

  “Would you like to eat?” the doctor interrupted, entering the room with a bowl of stew. Just the mentioning of food made her stomach clench again. She nodded. “Maybe a little.”

  The doc handed the bowl to the sheriff, which in turn, placed the bowl next to his on the bedside table. The doctor squinted at the sheriff but took his leave.

  “You look like you haven’t eaten in quite a while. But, when you’re done, I want to know all the details. I want to know how a woman like you, ended up a part of the Hellfire gang.”

  Chapter Six

  He propped her up with pillows and then handed her a bowl of stew. Her hand shook as she attempted to hold the spoon, but she was so hungry that she forced herself to eat. Cooper politely went back to reading the paper as she struggled, but his questions hung in the air between them, haunting her and taunting her to purge herself of the nightmare that had been her life for six months.

  “Thank you,” she said out loud, already feeling stronger. He put the paper down and took the bowl from her. He put the bowl on top of the paper and then scooted his chair so that he would be as close as possible.

  As she watched him, a sadness crawled over her just as deep and as painful as any day spent with Crow. This sheriff was a good man. A handsome man, a man that any woman would be proud to spend her life with. And yet, she would never have anything close to Cooper Blackwater and a normal life because she would forever be on the run, in hiding, doing what she could to avoid a crazed maniac who promised to slash her face if she even breathed betrayal. And she knew, her face was the only reason why Crow loved her and protected her from the other men. Her face free from scars, smooth of skin, everything he coveted as something to be treasured. If he captures her, and scars her, she will live a new life of an even greater hell, because he will only see himself within her—ugly and unworthy. And he will punish her far beyond anything she could imagine.

  Cooper’s interested gaze was steadfast, and soothed the heat of panic. He was still waiting for answers.

  “I’ll start at the beginning. I was won in a poker game between Crow and my father. And now, in his mind, I am his property.”

  Cooper’s mouth opened slightly, and she wasn’t sure if it was from pity or surprise. “You have been traveling with him for six months or more?”

  “Yes, since before Christmas.”

  “And you never took part in any of his raids?”

  “No, not once. I swear it. And, when they were about to kill that beautiful baby, it was the only time I was able to ignore my fear and stand up to all of them. I promised to return the baby to the church, and then find fresh horses, and then go straight back. Since I haven’t done that, I might as well die, because when Crow finds me, my life will be hell.”

  He sat back then, allowing some space between them. She expected to see judgement, or maybe even disgust for having been a part of such an existence. Instead, there was a flicker of something that she imagined was more like admiration, but that couldn’t be. There wasn’t anything admirable about her.

  “That took a lot of guts for you to save that baby. Maybe when this is over with, you might consider about adopting the boy.”

  She let out a derisive snort of surprise. “You can’t be serious? How will this be over? I’ll forever be on the run, watching over my shoulder.”

  “Not if I get to Crow before he gets to you,” he said simply, and with enough confidence she could almost believe it.

  Her bed swayed like a boat and she reached out to steady herself. A strong hand wrapped around her arm, and held her until the rolling of the bed and her stomach eased.

  “Sophia, are you alright?”

  “I guess I’m just tired.”

  “I’ll leave you to your rest.”

  “Cooper? Please, don’t leave.”

  ***

  Cooper stood by helplessly, watching Doc Saunders tend to Sophia. “Don’t worry, sheriff. This sort of thing is common.”

  A knock sounded off the door. He opened it to find Gunther on the other side. “Sheriff, I have a gun-shot victim needing the doc. He’s waiting right outside. I guess he and a few other fellas were drinking at Maya’s and started arguing about the shoot-out in Tombstone between the Earps and the Cowboys. Things went a little too far, and he says there’s a few more with wounds heading this way.”

  The doc stopped tending to Sophia and went to a cabinet to retrieve supplies. “If that’s the case, sheriff, then this room is going to fill up fast. Is there somewhere you could take the young lady while she recovers?”

  “She’s still under arrest,” he pointed out.

  “Well, you’ve got that big, empty ranch. Watch her there,” the doc suggested, already starting to clean things up around the room. Cooper wondered if Saunders had been dipping into his own medicine. “You know I can’t do that, it wouldn’t be proper, you know how people around here run their jaws.”

  “Yeah? They’re going to do that anyway. When word gets out that she’s Comanche Crow’s woman, you won’t have to worry just about just Crow, because the whole town will have it out for her.”

  Cooper ground his jaw at that. He wasn’t prepared to take her in, hell, he had to get up that hill and put an end to this. But, if what she said was true, and Comanche Crow was out to get her, then he couldn’t ask anyone else to risk their necks looking out for her, and he couldn’t risk her well-being in the event someone wanted revenge for all the things Crow had done by taking it out on her.

  “I guess there’s no choice in the matter,” he mumbled to himself.

  ***

  Sophia knew she was being moved, but she couldn’t open her eyes. When she finally pulled herself out of the darkness, she found herself inside a stage coach with Cooper Blackwater. He sat on the bench across from her, holding a shotgun partially out the window, with two revolvers laid next to him. He took no notice of her as watched the passing landscape with an eye of predator.

  “Where are we going?”

  His gaze softened with relief when he shifted his eyes toward her, but then his posture stiffened and he went right back to looking out the window.

  “You can’t stay at the doc’s, so I’m taking you to my ranch,” he informed her, leaning to the other side of the stage, to peer out. The driver called down that all was clear, but Cooper still held onto that shotgun in a white-knuckled grip.

  “You don’t have to do this. Crow is after me, not you. Just let me have the horse I purchased and you’ll never see me again.”

  “You’re in no shape to ride out, and you’re still under arrest. Besides, you’ll be safe at my place. The house was built so a man can see someone coming for miles.”

  She shook her head, and immediately regretted it. “Arrested or not, no place is safe. I should have just gone right back up that hill after I left that precious baby. Now we’re both going to be punished.”

  “And then what? Eventually, he would have forced you to kill—and then I would have been forced to hang you. At least now, you have a chance at a normal life, and I save myself some rope.”

  His gaze dove into hers, and his reassurance did nothing to soo
the the burn in her eyes. As strong and capable as Cooper appeared, she wondered if he had a grasp on the magnitude of evil that Crow possessed.

  He surprised her when his hand moved to cover hers. “Trust me, Sophia. Men like Crow are nothing but cowards.”

  She carefully nodded, trying to believe that Cooper was right, and that things would find a way to work out. She sat in silence as he continued to look out one window and then lean over to look out the next.

  The entrance of the Blackwater spread, was simple enough. Two pine poles standing at each side of the road was all that marked the entrance. The road weaved like a serpent around tall saguaros, and then crossed a dry riverbed. Eventually, the rocks gave way to a sea of pale grass. The setting was perfect for ranching, but Sophia saw no animals whatsoever.

  When the stage climbed a tall hill, the house came into view. Sophia bit down inside her cheek. Out of the earth rose a Victorian style two story building. It looked to be as large as the Fork Creek Hotel. If Cooper had built this for his wife, he must have planned on a whole passel of children to fill it. Remembering that he was a widower, made her heart drop for the man. He must have given up on it, since it looked incredibly deserted and in need of repair.

  “The land out here is ripe for farming and ranching. But, where are your stock? Why are there no horses, or cattle?”

  “With my work, I don’t have the time for ranching,” he replied thinly.

  “Well, the house is certainly fancy.”

  “That’s because it used to be a brothel. Politicians, businessmen and a few miners who struck it rich would visit the place. Eventually, too many people found out about it, and it went up for sale. I bought it to make it a home, but Adeline hated it. Told me she didn’t want to live in a house of sin. This house was literally built to see trouble coming, giving the soiled doves time to run off. That makes it the perfect place for you to recover and hide until I can get to Crow and his gang.”

  The stage came to a stop and he jumped out and ran around to assist her. She really didn’t feel as weak as he treated her, and his concern was touching. “Let me carry you. The steps up to the porch are steep,” he explained. Sophia touched the bandage on her head. She wasn’t hurting anymore and the dizziness had blessedly stopped.

  “Just lend me a hand, I think I can walk.”

  Her hand became engulfed in his, and that feeling of warmth and security returned. He carefully assisted her as if she were as fragile glass. As they walked up the many steps, she could feel Cooper’ discomfort grow the closer they got to the door. “You look like you’re about to see a ghost, sheriff.”

  “What is see are all my mistakes,” he said.

  Cooper unlocked the door and she walked inside. The spacious and lavishly decorated living room, although beautiful, looked desperate for life. The loneliness weighed heavy inside the massive living room and birthed goosebumps down her arm as she took a few more steps across the floor. The furnishing, the paintings, the deep red wallpaper, seemed as though the house had died along with his wife. She shuddered.

  “You feel that too? Most nights, I sleep out in the barn,” Cooper said, tucking his revolvers into the holsters on his hips. He then rested the shotgun by the door. All their moving around stirred up the dust creating a tickle in her nose.

  Sophia glanced at Cooper. The rough and tough sheriff seemed starkly out of place inside a home like this. But her heart went out to his predicament. “I think, you need to open the windows, Cooper. You’ve locked all this darkness inside and you’re not allowing the light to breathe life into the place.”

  She moved to sit herself in an overstuffed parlor chair, and he was at her side in an instant to help her. His eyes narrowed, as he looked at her, creating a deep V between his brows. Despite of it, she decided that he was extremely handsome.

  “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’ve kept everything closed for too long. I’ll grant you your wish, because I can’t see Crow coming with the draperies closed,” he said, moving toward the massive window that headed the living room. Dust sparkled in the air as he whipped the heavy fabric away from the window.

  Light streamed inside and the windows provided a beautiful view of the world outside. And, he was right. She could see clear to the edge of town. She exhaled as she relaxed against the chair.

  “There’s a trunk left in the attic from the whores…I mean, the former tenants,” he told her turning his attention back on her. “Adeline refused to touch it. She was a bit of a prude, I suppose. But, I imagine, if you don’t mind already worn dresses, you might find something more comfortable than men’s trousers to wear,” he said, shifting his weight from foot to foot and looking everywhere but at her.

  She giggled. “Are you embarrassed, sheriff? I can assure you, I’m appreciative. I’ll bet I can find something to make useful.”

  Cooper lit a cigar and squinted at her through the smoky haze between them.

  “Good. Take what you need and make yourself at home. God knows, it’s past time that somebody should.”

  Chapter Seven

  It had been so long since she’d eaten a real home cooked meal and sat at a real kitchen table. With Cooper’s help, every evening, they’d worked to prepare wonderful meals of chicken or beef, wild potatoes and greens. Sophia enjoyed the time immensely, even though Cooper would constantly stop to look out the windows or out the front door with a gun in hand.

  It had been four days since she arrived here, and during that time not even an animal appeared on the horizon. The home gave her the perverse sense that her and Cooper were the last living souls on earth. No wonder his wife was so lonely, but in contrast, she relished in the peace and quiet.

  Cooper, on the other hand, had taken to walking the perimeter of the home, checking closets, cabinets and even behind the curtains.

  “You can’t keep pacing like a caged wildcat,” she said, over their dinner, placing a napkin on her lap. “If you need to go to town, check on your business, or just go out and feel the wind on your face, I understand, and I’ll be perfectly alright.”

  “Gunter is handling things for me in town. In fact, he’s trying to round up a team of shooters to go after the Hellfire gang. A little easier said than done. It’s taking a while. I guess it’s weighing on my mind.”

  “You haven’t taken your eyes off the landscape all day.”

  “Staying aware is a habit, and what makes me a good lawman.”

  “I see.”

  “When you’re up to it, I’d like for you to tell me exactly where to find the Hellfire gang. Tell me everything, and anything you know that will give us the advantage,” he said, taking a bite of his dinner, barely chewing before he swallowed. “If you help us, I’ll drop the theft charges.”

  Despite the offer and the seriousness of the conversation, her thoughts became distracted. Her gaze followed every line of his face, she became absorbed by the facial hair lining Cooper’s jaw and around his mouth. He heart danced a little, fantasizing of this being the first of many meals at the kitchen table with him. Was it possible? Despite her past, would any fine man give her a chance? His green eyes met hers, and she wondered if Cooper could possibly consider it.

  “I realize you don’t really know those hills, but any little detail will help. Like I said, when you’re ready,” he repeated.

  “Why wait? I’ll tell you right now,” she began, pushing aside her plate. “Crow is heavily armed—and, there are a total of six men up there. Each man is deadly with his guns. All they want is money, and they’ll do whatever it takes to get it. Crow keeps charge of these men by making threats and following through. If they disobey, he cuts them. He is a sick and haunted soul, sheriff. He’ll drink himself close to death each, and every night. But, there is always at least one sober watchman on duty. I’m not sure how to explain where he’s holed up, but he keeps an eye on the main road that crosses between two massive hills that are covered by giant red boulders and tall saguaros. There’s also old Indian drawings on the rocks up t
here, and piles of broken pottery from some ancient tribe. I could see a small river rolling just toward the north. Other than that, I don’t know how to explain their location.”

  “I know exactly where you’re talking about. That’s surprisingly close and easy to reach. It’s far from where Gunther had his run in, so Crow must be patrolling that range from north to south?”

  “Yes, he has done that. On the day of the shoot-out, most of the men were far to the south, where the mountains become very jagged and hard to trespass.”

  “How did you convince him to let you take that baby to the mission? That seems out of character for a man like him.”

  She dabbed at the corners of her mouth with the napkin. “Extremely out of character, but Crow has a weakness. As I understand it, Crow isn’t full Comanche. He’s half Comanche and half white. He was orphaned when his mother died in an attack. To prove he could be as worthy as any other Comanche, when he was nine years old, he stole a pony right out from a powerful war chief’s nose. As punishment, they sliced his face and then banished him forever. He wandered the Texas desert for days near death until he was found by a priest on horseback leading an expedition. The priest saved his life, with what Crow believed to be unearthly, ghostly magic. To this day, he harbors a deep, and frankly, unreasonable fear of anything related to Christ. I couldn’t think of anything else to say to convince him to save the baby, until I saw a birthmark on the child’s arm that looked a little like a crucifix. Crow wanted no part of bringing the wrath of god down on him, and after some pushing, he reluctantly allowed me to leave with the child. But, he swore, if I didn’t return in three days, that he’d find me and the boy and mark our faces. I believe him, sheriff. I believe he will follow through. It’s been five days, and he must be out of his mind with anger by now. I can’t go back, and I can’t continue to put you in danger. He’s crazy, plain and simple.”

  “You let me worry about me,” he said softly.