The Ranger's Wife (Hero Hearts; Lawmen's Brides Book 1)

by Natalie Dean

  "Do you know what this is?" she asked, trying to have some semblance of normality.

  Doc's mind wouldn't focus. His heart still raced as the thought that she could be his took over. Her hair smelled like lavender. He had closed his eyes to breath her in. She was beautiful to him when he first met her, but now that she had freshened up, she was even lovelier.

  He was aware of Cecilia asking a question.

  "I'm not sure what it's from. A piece of a stick. Where's the rest of it?"

  They looked around and found nothing.

  "Let's try the house. Although it'll be dark soon. Cecilia, I'll need to put Frank into your wagon." Cecilia nodded.

  He turned to Lottie. "We can examine him more thoroughly in the surgery. That is, if you'll help me?"

  Lottie felt like he had asked her to the most fabulous ball. They would discover what had happened to Frank and if luck was on their side, bring his killer to justice. With the body in the wagon and the women ready to go, Doc jumped on his horse.

  "I'll let the Sheriff know what happened," he said.

  As he rode off, Cecilia looked at Lottie. "What did you think of this strange turn of events?"

  Lottie didn't know what to think.

  "I know one thing for sure, Doc is sweet on you, Lottie. He'll give you a reason to stay. For a long time, we've been hoping he'd marry. But he hasn't had an interest in any young woman we've put his way. Until now. With Frank gone, the way is clear for you to live how you want."

  Then why did a shiver rush through Lottie's body? Could life really be that simple for her? Could this bad situation end up being a blessing in disguise? She wasn't quite sure.

  "I can't think about the doctor right now Cecilia. How are we going to find Frank's killer? And what of his wife. Would the farm be hers now?"

  "I don't know, Lottie. He was here before my time that's for sure. The prospectors that were here have moved on. I'll talk to Moll Sanders, she runs the girls in the saloon. She's in the ideal position to know what's happened. Decent folk don't tend to talk to her, but I like her."

  Lottie was confused. What did "run the girls" mean?

  "Cecilia, what does Moll do?"

  Cecilia laughed, "You're quite the innocent. Let's just say those ladies have a lot of gentleman friends."

  Lottie's cheeks flushed, she should have known. Cecilia was right. Moll was there, observing and listening and would know what went on in the minds of men. She might know who would want to kill Frank.

  "You'll see her while I go to the surgery?" Lottie asked. Cecilia nodded.

  The plan was set. The information they gleaned may be able to solve two cases.

  It was dark by the time they arrived back in Bannack. Cecilia stopped outside the surgery. The doc's horse was tethered to the post outside, and he was sitting on his porch.

  "The Sheriff wasn't there. I was thinking Moll Sanders may know something."

  "I'll talk to her. You and Lottie figure out if Frank was, indeed, murdered." Doc and Cecilia exchanged glances, Lottie noticed but she said nothing.

  With the body on the table, Lottie set about cleaning it. Doctor McLennon took drawings of the injuries. They worked quietly, each engrossed in their job.

  "Look at this," she looked up to find Doc staring at her. She wished he would stop looking at her with such intensity. Lottie was sure he noticed her hand shake as she began to mumble.

  Doc took her hand and held it. Her heart beat so fast, she was sure she would faint. Then he let it go. Lottie let a breath out. She wanted him to draw her close. This wasn't a feeling she had experienced before. Romance was for someone else. Not for her. She was in a haze, and Doc was talking to her.

  "Miss Cahill, what do you think?"

  Lottie looked down at the body which forced her back into reality.

  "We know he was hit. Whether it killed him, and then the horses trampled him, or knocked him unconscious and the horses killed him, I don't know." This flummoxed Doctor McLennon. If he couldn't prove this was murder, then he would have to rule Frank's death an accident.

  Lottie was determined to prove murder. There was no way another murder was going to get passed off as natural or an accident. No one here was going to threaten her into silence.

  "Let's take it that this is the first wound inflicted, to render him unconscious. There's blood, so we know he was alive. What about this wound, could it be another blow?"

  Doc looked more closely at Frank's chest. A bruise formed around a wound in the chest. The wound itself jagged and different to those applied by the horse which was more rounded.

  Lottie lay on the floor to act out the murder.

  "So I've received a wallop to the head, and I fall on my back. I scream out, and you wallop me with the weapon, and it strikes my heart." Lottie made the action of something coming down on her.

  Doc took over the story and stood over her, acting out the scene.

  "Then as the killer, I would want to make this look like an accident. How do I do it? I smack the horse to make it wild, and the horse rears up and tramples Frank who is already dead. Let me help you up."

  He reached his hand out towards Lottie, and he pulled her towards him. They stood for a moment. Doc wanted to pull her into his arms, but it wasn't appropriate. She may leave for the city in a few days now that Frank was dead. Doc didn't want to be the reason she stayed so he stepped back.

  "If we're saying he was dead when the horse got to him, then the wounds must be different," Lottie said as she watched the Doc look at the wounds in greater detail.

  "Look, Lottie, these are different. He was dead when these hoofs struck him, I would swear it."

  She looked at him. He had called her Lottie, and it sounded nice. Mr. Peabody had called her Lottie, but it never sounded so sweet.

  "Please forgive my forwardness, Miss Cahill," Doctor McLennon said. Realizing his error in using her name. But as he looked at Lottie, she was smiling at him.

  "Not a problem at all," was all she could muster.

  Lottie yawned. She needed to sleep.

  "How inconsiderate of me? You have been traveling for days. I'll escort you back to Mrs. Lavery's. I'm sure she'll want an update in any case."

  As they stepped out into the night air, Lottie shivered. From being so hot during the day, the temperatures plummeted in a way she hadn't expected at night. Doctor McLennon took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. Lottie thought this had been the best day of her life. Seeing as how she had never met Frank, she had no actual connection with him. He was just a man in a faraway land that could provide her with escape. Her whole life had been determined by outside forces. Was that about to change?

  Could she make a life here for herself? Make decisions for herself? If she stayed, she didn't want the doctor to think it was for him. Flattered as she was by his attention, she wanted to be in control for once in her life. Her feelings for the doctor intrigued her.

  "I will see you tomorrow, Miss Cahill. I am very glad to have made your acquaintance." He tipped his hat and bowed as Lottie removed his jacket from her shoulders and gave it to him. She opened the door of the hotel, but as she turned to see him leave, the doctor was looking back. They smiled shyly and went on their separate ways.

  Horace was still at the reception desk.

  "Miss Cahill, mother will meet you for breakfast. She wanted to await your arrival, but it is rather late," Horace looked at the clock behind him as he spoke. Lottie felt he was judging her, but it didn't bother her. She was content to go to her room.

  A comfortable bed awaited her. How wonderful. The few weeks she spent at Mary's had meant sharing her bed. It was no different to being in the orphanage, but Lottie knew she had become a little spoiled at Mr. Peabody's.

  As she settled into bed and pulled the covers around her, Lottie sighed. She was her own woman now.

  "I'll find out who did this to you, Frank."

  She wondered if Frank had family, other than his missing wife. That was for tomorrow. Lo
ttie closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter Five

  Cecilia and Moll sat in Cecilia's living quarters. They drank tea and ate the dainty sandwiches she had made. No one knew these two were sisters. Moll felt it was for the best. She had chosen her lifestyle, and there was no need for Cecilia to get mixed up with it.

  "Well, that's something. Frank dead. Ike will miss his best customer, that’s for sure," Moll couldn't stifle a snicker. Ike owned the saloon. He and Moll were always at loggerheads.

  "I thought you might know who would want to kill him. I know he gambled, but Frank wasn't the angry type. He didn't even have a gun," Cecilia said.

  "I know, but you know how people are here. Frank came in the other night. He was in high spirits, buying everyone drinks. Ike wanted to see the color of his money first, and Frank put a gold nugget on the counter. You should have been there, Cec. The whole place fell silent. Frank with a gold nugget."

  "Where did he get it?"

  "That's what we all asked. He said he was digging on his land and came across gold. There was always talk of gold there, but Willie Parsons never found any," Moll paused to sip her tea.

  "You know who'd want that land if there was gold on it. Clem Palmer. One of his crew was in that night and took great interest in Frank's gold. Kept asking Frank about the gold and where he had found it. Frank tapped his nose. He was keeping that location secret. But I can tell you old Willie was fuming. Someone had told him about Frank's luck, and he came in screaming and shouting that Frank had stolen his land from him. A few whiskeys seemed to quieten him up though."

  If anyone had taken the time to notice Moll and Cecilia, it would be plain to see that they were sisters. But they took care never to be seen together. Cecilia had a very different social standing in Bannack than Moll.

  "Cec, tell me about this new woman and the doctor. Do you think he'll marry her? I can tell you like her. I hope she's an improvement on the dried up old prunes who look down their long noses at me and my girls."

  Cecilia had been thinking about Clem Palmer. Dirty tricks and deaths made to look like accidents were definitely in his playbook. He'd take over the land by running his cattle through it. There wasn't anyone to stop him and all the better if there was gold. She was distracted as Moll talked about Lottie and Doc.

  "Yes, I think she'd be a great addition as a nurse to the town. She's practical, and goodness knows there are times when you'd prefer a woman than a man. I do like her. She doesn't come across as judgmental but whether the good doctor will make a move, who knows. It's my guess, she has nothing to go back to in the city,” Cecilia stopped to take a bite of her sandwich. “I wonder if they found any evidence although for what cause I don't know. It’s too bad the Sheriff isn't going to do anything about this. I'll let you know if I hear anything else of interest."

  "Pity we couldn't spy on them, Cec. I'd love to see Doc in action," Moll chuckled.

  Cecilia was pensive. Moll hadn't given her any real suspects. If Palmer was involved, then the Sheriff wasn't going to do much to convict his brother. It may be too dangerous to go to Fort Benton and look for a Marshall. All Cecilia could do was convey her thoughts to Lottie and Doc. She wondered how they had fared together.

  For now, it was time for Moll to return home. Cecilia lived over the tea shop. Moll slipped out and returned to her saloon under the cover of darkness. Cecilia would breakfast with Lottie and Mrs. Lavery tomorrow.

  The next morning, Doc, Lottie, Mrs. Lavery and Cecilia met for breakfast.

  "It's a dreadful turn of events especially for you, Lottie. Frank has nothing to bother him but you. What will you do?" Mrs. Lavery inquired.

  Lottie shook her head. She wanted to stay, but now was not the time to think about how that was going to happen. Frank finding a gold mine on his farm had definitely opened up the pool of suspects. In a place like Bannack, thievery was rife and an accepted part and parcel of life. But only to a degree. They resolved to tell the Sheriff, knowing he was going to do nothing.

  "I wonder if Mossy Murphy's wife would know anything about Frank's wife or what happened to her. Now that I think about it, I remember Mr. Lavery passing comment at not seeing Frank's wife. But over time, people come and go, and you forget. Enough of that though, who is going to break the news to the Sheriff?"

  Doc agreed he'd go to the Sheriff. Lottie was wondering if Frank had any other family. She and Cecilia would go to the cabin to see if there was anything personal among Frank's possession. As they made their way to the livery, Doc joined them.

  "Sheriff Palmer had no interest, as we expected. I mentioned the gold angle to him, and he raised his eyebrow. If there's going to be any justice for Frank, we may have to solve his murder ourselves."

  Cecilia was sitting on her wagon. She couldn't help but smirk as Doc offered his hand to Lottie as she climbed onto the wagon.

  "Take care ladies. I'll talk to the undertaker," Doc said as he turned to walk away.

  Cecilia called him back.

  "Actually, Doc, why don't the two of you go? I'll talk to the undertaker. It might be better for you, Lottie, if Doc was by your side. He's a good shot, and if there's gold in Parsons, the vultures will be circling."

  Doctor McLennon scratched his head. It made sense for him to go. Lottie looked at Cecilia and noticed Cecilia's smile. Lottie wasn't sure she liked the idea of being set up with the good doctor but they did have work to do, and it would be safer to go with him. Lottie wanted to search for any clues they may have missed when they were so focused on the body.

  "If Miss Cahill doesn't mind, I'll take your place, Cecilia."

  Before Lottie could say anything to the contrary, Doc was sitting beside her. Why did the doctor call Cecilia by her first name, yet addressed others by their titles? Bannack was a curious place. A man arrived with a wife, who disappeared and it's as if she never existed. The same man is murdered, and the Sheriff wasn't interested in solving the crime.

  "See you kids later," Cecilia shouted as she waved them off.

  Mrs. Lavery came to the door of her hotel. "I see you're matchmaking, Cecilia Aikens. I hope you know what you're doing," Mrs. Lavery smiled and walked Cecilia to her tea shop.

  Lottie asked the doctor about his life before Bannack. It seemed he had turned his hand to many things, not quite sure that medicine was the life for him. His father had been a doctor, and he had very little say in his career choice. When the gold rush started, it was his way to escape and no longer be in his father's shadow. In Bannack he was his own man.

  "One's past doesn't exist here. You can start again and people, for the most part, will take you as they find you. Mrs. Lavery welcomes newcomers."

  "May I ask a question? Why have you and Cecilia never, you know…?"

  "Didn't she say? She's quite the dark horse when the mood is upon her. We're cousins. Our fathers were brothers and both as bad as they could be. She wanted to leave the city. One of the men here wanted to marry, and Cecilia came to Bannack to marry him. He died a few months after they married,” Doc said.

  Their familiarity made sense to Lottie now. She told him about Mr. Peabody's death.

  "It makes sense that you wish to solve Frank's death. If you decide to stay, you can work for me if you wish. The women would like that." He turned and smiled at her as he talked.

  Lottie's pulse raced. He would like her to stay. It seemed odd to have romantic thoughts at a time like this. But as she'd been told, love can happen when you least expect it. She hoped they'd discover what they were looking for.

  "Here we are, Miss Cahill."

  Doc jumped off the wagon and came around to her side. He raised his hands, and Lottie found herself leaning towards him. He took hold of her waist and gently lifted her down.

  "You may call me Lottie if you wish. Miss Cahill reminds me of when I was being scolded by the nuns in the orphanage."

  "Lottie," he whispered. He tucked her hair behind her ear. She had worn her hair down as Cecilia wore hers in this
fashion. There was something freeing about not pulling her hair up into a tight bun.

  Her cheeks flushed, and she stepped away. It wasn't the place for special moments.

  "I'll look in the cabin, and you check the barn again," Lottie said taking charge. She strode towards the cabin door. It seemed more askew than yesterday. Or was it her imagination. As she entered, the table that had been upright yesterday was now overturned.

  Hearing a noise, Lottie grabbed a pot which sat on the stove top as a weapon. She wanted to be brave. It might be some wild animal. She reached forward and grabbed some of the stacked bags in the corner.

  A snake hissed at her, and she jumped back, grateful it wasn't a man with a gun. With her hand on her chest to calm her heart, she could hear herself breathing normally again. Then out of nowhere, a bang to the head caused her to drop to the ground. Lottie hadn't seen it coming.

  The doctor was oblivious to Lottie's predicament. There was nothing to find in the barn. He walked outside to widen his search and heard the sound of horses galloping away.

  "Lottie," he said to himself. The horses from the wagon were free.

  "Lottie," he shouted. There was no reply. He ran to the cabin and saw Lottie lying on the floor. She was coming around, but the snake was so close to her that if she moved, it was liable to strike at her.

  The doctor needed to stay calm, but it was hard to do when every fiber of his being wanted to race towards Lottie to protect the woman he was falling for.

  "My head. Someone hit me." She tried to move, and the snake hissed at her, drawing her attention. She wanted to scream.

  "Lottie, whatever you do, stay calm and still. If you move, it will bite you before I can shoot it. Be still."

  Lottie screamed as the shot pierced her ears. The remains of the snake splattered the cabin and onto her. She was in shock but soon felt the warm embrace of the doctor.