Beauty From Ashes

by Lynnette Bonner

  Joe was the first one to the top of the hill that looked down on the back of Liora’s cabin.

  His heart stilled. For there on the road leading down to the front of the house. he could see Liora and Aurora being prodded along at gunpoint by a group of men.

  He tossed a glance at Reagan. “It can’t be!”

  Reagan swung down and stripped his rifle from his scabbard. They both fell to their bellies at the top of the hill, with Wash and Preston following suit. Reagan sighted down his scope, then gave Joe a grim look. “That’s Burt Pike and the rest who were in the jail.”

  “What do we do now?” Wash asked.

  Joe moved without reply. His only thought was that he couldn’t let Pike get the women into the house. If he did it would be the end for them.

  He was already sprinting down the hill before the thought hardly had time to register. He wasn’t surprised to hear Preston join him. Joe knew Reagan would stay at the top of the hill as an overwatch, and that he would send Wash around to flank the outlaws.

  Joe touched Preston’s shoulder and indicated he should go left around the cabin, and he would go right. So far, the men on the road seemed to be so fascinated with the women that they hadn’t noticed what was happening on the hillside behind the cabin. But their advantage wasn’t likely to last much longer.

  Even as Joe thought it, one of Hunt’s men looked up and raised a shout of alarm.

  Reagan put a shot into the dust of the roadbed before the group. “First man to move gets shot,” he said into the stillness that followed. His words weren’t overly loud, but Joe could tell they carried just fine. Each man in the group froze, hands half lifted. They looked at one another. They had obviously only seen Joe and Preston sprinting down the hill and were taken aback by the third voice. They likely couldn’t see Reagan, covered as he was by the tall grass at the top of the hill. They were probably wondering how many other men there were.

  Right on cue, Wash spoke from off to the right and back in the trees. “Sure is a frustrating thing to be on the wrong side of the law, ain’t it?”

  Liora and Rory glanced around, eyes wide. Hopeful, yet fearful.

  Please, God… Joe ignored the pain each footfall caused in his head as he and Preston kept sprinting.

  Joe lost sight of the group for a moment as he descended far enough that the cabin blocked his view, but it only took him seconds to reach the side of the house and peer around past the porch rails. He drew his pistol, and using the foundation of the porch as cover, he pointed his Colt through the log posts. “Gentlemen, drop your weapons, if you please.” He hoped they couldn’t hear the pain and the need for air in his tone.

  None of them moved.

  From the other side of the house came the sound of another pistol cocking. “I’d do as he says, men.”

  If Joe was honest, he wasn’t even certain that the parson knew how to shoot a pistol, but at least the man was putting on a good show of it. His voice had been rock-steady when he spoke just now.

  And the addition of his gun seemed to have swayed some of the men. Three of them eased down to lay their weapons in the dust of the road.

  “Hold your positions, men!” Pike snapped.

  One of the three shook his head as they stepped back, knelt down, and interlaced their fingers behind their heads. “Don’t got enough loyalty to Hunt to die for him, Pike.”

  Something eased inside of Joe. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as he’d feared. Only two left with weapons. They could take them!

  “Well I do!” Pike lurched forward and wrapped a forearm around Liora’s throat, pressing the point of his pistol to her temple.

  And just like that, Joe’s pulse was once again pounding in his ears. Without thought he stepped out into the open space in front of the cabin. He advanced toward the man, making sure to leave the parson a line of sight, as he did so.

  “Whoa, Pike!” The other man tossed his gun to the ground and raised his hands. “You shoot a woman and you will condemn us all to the gallows.”

  “Shut up, Tom!”

  Joe kept his advance steady and slow. He was a fair shot. Better than most. But the closer he got the more accurate he would be.

  Pike backed up a step, dragging Liora with him. “Stop right there!”

  Joe complied. “Easy, Pike. We can work this out without it ending in a death sentence for you.”

  Pike swallowed and glanced around like he was searching for help. But Wash was already there, kicking the weapons of the other men farther away, and Preston was rapidly approaching. He gestured for the four men to lay down on their bellies, and they complied. Wash and the parson bound them hand and foot. Pike’s four compatriots were already out of commission.

  Joe never took his eyes off Pike, even though everything in him wanted to search Liora’s face. “It’s going to be all right, Liora.” He swallowed away the dryness in his mouth.

  He heard footsteps behind him, and the whuff of a horse. Reagan had come down the hill.

  “Pike…there’s no way out of this.” Reagan spoke in a casual tone. “Put down your gun and I won’t even report this incident to the judge when he comes through tomorrow. You’ll only be tried and sentenced for that first shooting. And since no one got hurt, you’ll likely be out inside of five years. But shooting a woman? That’s a hanging offense. And it will be swift and certain.”

  “Hanging nothing.” Joe’s voice was quartz hard. “You shoot her and I’m going to drop you where you stand with a shot through your heart, Pike.”

  He broke his own rule then, and shifted his gaze to Liora. Face pale and eyes wide, her gaze fastened on him like he was her lifeline in the midst of a storm-tossed sea.

  Please, God don’t let me fail her now…

  Pike examined them from behind Liora’s head. The gun in his hand trembled with impotent rage.

  Joe took a step to his left to get a better angle on the man. Then another.

  He heard Aurora speaking in low tones to Wash and the parson but couldn’t quite make out what she was saying.

  But suddenly Washington and the parson scrambled toward the cabin. “Sheriff, I think you better join us inside,” Preston said.

  And then it was only Joe, Pike and Liora left standing in the yard.

  Joe assessed what he could see of Pike. Part of one foot. A bit of his hip. The hand that held his pistol. And every once in a while, part of one eye when the man peered out from behind Liora. Joe despaired. Would any of those shots maim the man enough to make him let Liora go? Or would Pike pull the trigger on reflex and take Liora from him forever?

  Joe inched a little more to the left. Something moved behind Pike—someone. More precisely, Zane Holloway. The other members of the posse had arrived.

  He didn’t dare look, or he would direct Pike’s attention to the man sneaking up behind him, but before that moment Joe would have disbelieved anyone who said Zane Holloway could move that quietly.

  “What’s your next play, Pike?” he asked, as a distraction to cover Zane’s approach.

  And then Zane was on him, pressing his pistol to Pike’s head and greeting Joe with, “Looks like you could use a little help. Mind if I join the party?”

  Pike rolled his eyes and lowered his gun.

  “Liora, come.” Joe held out his hand to her, and wrapped her in a relieved one-armed embrace as Zane ratcheted his handcuffs onto Pike’s wrists.

  Zane patted Pike on the shoulder and leaned close to his ear as if about to impart a very important secret. “Those handcuffs are brand new. Special new design makes them nigh impossible to get out of. Just thought you’d like to know. ’Course you’re welcome to give it a try.” He offered the man a grin that said he wouldn’t mind shooting him if he did manage to escape.

  Pike only glowered at him and slumped onto the stump that Zane shoved him toward.

  Joe had never felt more relieved. “Thank you,” he said to Zane, never releasing Liora.

  Zane nodded.

  Joe holstere
d his pistol and pressed a kiss into Liora’s hair. “You’re safe now. You’re safe. I’m sorry I left you.” He eased back from her and brushed the tangles of her hair away from her face. “Are you all right?” His gaze fell to a blotch of blood on her cheek, and his stomach dropped, but on closer inspection the wound didn’t look very bad.

  Liora rested one hand against his chest and looked up at him. “I’m glad you weren’t here. He would have shot you the moment we walked in the door and I wouldn’t have been able to live without you.”

  Joe frowned. He glanced over at the five men, all trussed and gloomy. “Who would have shot me?”

  Liora tipped a nod toward the house. “John Hunt.”

  Heart almost stopping, Joe turned to see Reagan pushing a cuffed Hunt out the door of the cabin. The man moaned and whimpered and limped. He could barely remain on his feet. And the thought that he’d threatened Liora and Rory only a bit ago made Joe want to finish him off.

  Hunt’s face was a swollen mass of blistered flesh on one side, and red burned flesh on the other. It appeared he could only see out of one eye, and not very well at that. And blood soaked one leg of his trousers.

  Joe’s eyes widened and he looked back at Liora with new respect for her tenacity. “You did that?”

  Rory, followed by Kin, hurried to Liora’s side as Reagan helped Hunt down the stairs.

  Liora swept a hand over Rory’s hair as through assessing whether she was all right, before she lowered her gaze. “I threw the grease in his face, but Rory is the one who stabbed him.” She swallowed, apparently unable to go on.

  Kin bumped Rory with his elbow. “Way to go, but…” His gaze slipped the length of her. “Want to tell me why my kid brother is suddenly wearing a dress and looking pretty as a picture?”

  Liora smiled and Joe laughed.

  Rory blushed. “Right.” She looped her arm through Kin’s. “Come on and I’ll tell you. I know you’ll take it some better than Parson Clay did.” She accompanied the words with a glower in the older man’s direction.

  When they were once again alone, Liora looked up at Joe. He could read a world of sorrow in her expression. “I didn’t know what else to do. He had Rory tied up and the way he looked at her… He…” Tears filled her eyes. “The man is a monster. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I didn’t…” She swallowed and looked down.

  Joe touched her chin. “You gave him more mercy than he would have given you. You left him alive.”

  She turned sorrow-filled eyes on Hunt as Reagan led him by. “I couldn’t think of any other way to fight him. He said he was going to kill us.” Her gaze followed the man to the wagon that Kin had earlier pulled into the yard. “I think the only reason we’re still alive is that he was waiting for his men to arrive from town.”

  Reagan loaded Hunt into the back, followed by the other five.

  Liora’s voice came out small when she said, “He confessed to me that he was responsible for the church. For Tess.”

  Joe pulled her close and tucked her head beneath his chin. He didn’t have the energy to analyze all the emotions pumping through him in this moment. Anger. Fear. Relief. Pride. Horror. The list could go on and on. “You did what you needed to do to protect both yourself and Aurora. It’s always the right thing to fight for life.”

  Liora settled against him, like she was meant to fit in his arms just so. He closed his eyes and relished the feel of her. Safe. Unharmed. Alive.

  “Joe?” Her breath brushed warmth against his throat.

  He swallowed. “Hmmm?”

  “Do you think a posse would have been formed to go after Hunt, if Tess hadn’t died?”

  The words shot an arrow to his heart. He considered. They’d had Kin’s word that Hunt was involved, but would that have been enough if no one had died? Especially considering Kin’s history with the law? “We’d have gone to question him. Probably only Reagan and Zane, though. Not sure if I’d have ridden after them. Like you said earlier, I might have been killed by Hunt the moment we walked into the house. Reagan and Zane probably would have thought to come here looking, but maybe not as soon as I did.” He shook his head. “Likely the outcome of this whole day would have been vastly different.” A shudder worked through him at just the thought.

  She was so quiet he didn’t realize she was crying until he felt the dampness of her tears soaking through his shirt.

  He curved his hand around her head, holding her close, wishing he could also absorb all her sorrow and take it on himself. “It’s all right. Everything’s going to be all right.”

  She swiped a hand across her cheek. “Thank you for coming back for me. For us.”

  He caressed one hand over her hair. “I will always come for you.”

  She leaned back and looked into his face. “Can we go inside?”

  A wave of weariness and pain made his agreement fall quickly from his lips. “Yes. Let’s go inside.” And she needed some levity in this moment, so he added, “We can sit on the settee and discuss when you are going to follow through on your promise to become my wife.” He winked down at her.

  “What?! Congratulations!” Reagan, who had approached without Joe’s notice, clapped him on one shoulder and grinned at him.

  Liora blushed and quickly stepped away from Joe, kicking at a pebble on the ground.

  Joe’s arms felt bereft. He glowered playfully at Reagan. “Now look what you’ve done.”

  “Yeah, man. Sorry about that. Just wanted to let you know we’re going to borrow your wagon to take the prisoners back to town.”

  Joe gave him a nod. “The Paint’s about done in. Take it slow, would you? And make sure he gets a double portion of oats from Giddens? I’ll pick him up sometime tomorrow.”

  Reagan nodded. “Will do.” Then he grinned. “Getting married! Just wait till I tell Charlotte. She’s going to be over the moon.”

  Joe reached over and took Liora’s hand. “Well, nothing is decided yet. So maybe you should wait until—”

  “Hey! I know!” Reagan’s eyes brightened. “You two should get married on the same day as Charlotte and me.”

  Joe blinked at him.

  From his peripheral vision, he saw Liora’s jaw drop.

  Reagan nodded, undaunted. “Why not? All the town will already be gathered together. And then”—he socked Joe in the arm—“You and I can help each other remember what day to bring home flowers every year.”

  Joe chuckled and rubbed his arm. “We’ll let you know.” He gave Reagan a pointed look and a jut of his chin toward the waiting wagon.

  “All right, all right.” Reagan started away, waving a hand over his head. “Get some rest, and good job today. Both of you!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  A week later, Liora awoke with a stretch and a large yawn. She squinted at the window with one eye half open.

  Still just barely dawn.

  She snuggled back into her pillows and pulled the blankets up around her ears. But returning to sleep would be nigh impossible with all of the swirling emotions pumping through her.

  Sadness over the loss of Tess. So much sadness.

  Her funeral had taken place on the church lawn the day after the attack. It had been appropriately gray and overcast. The entire town had turned out for it. Liora had fully expected to return home with just as heavy of a heart as when she’d left for the funeral, but surprisingly Parson Clay’s words had uplifted and encouraged. He’d painted such a bright and joyous picture of heaven that Liora couldn’t help but be happy for Tess to be free of all the burdens of this world. And when they’d all walked to the cemetery on the hill behind the church and Kin and Wash and two of his brothers had lowered Tess into the earth, Liora had surprisingly found peace in her heart. Tess was truly home now. Home where she belonged.

  Another emotion still swirling through Liora was horror at what she and Rory had been through with John Hunt and his men. And marveling that God had brought them through unscathed.

  She and Rory were still prone to s
tarting at any loud sound or clatter. But Parson Clay had revealed Rory’s story toward the end of Tess’s funeral, and everyone had been more than understanding considering all they’d learned about John Hunt the day before. Both the parson and Aurora had been visibly relieved at the response.

  Lastly, and most wonderful and consuming of all was the joy. So much joy over the fact that she would soon be Joe’s wife. What a blessing was that? She still couldn’t believe Joe had actually talked her into taking Reagan up on his offer of sharing his and Charlotte’s wedding day. With so much to prepare between now and then, she really ought to rise early and get a jump on her work. But, for now, she just wanted to lie here and revel in the miracle God had given her over the last few weeks.

  Her thoughts went back to the day of the attack…

  She had been quite concerned about Joe. After the posse had ridden away, he had come into the house and talked with her for a little while but then he had gone out to the lean–to and slept clean through until noon the next day. She had been so worried, she had sent Aurora into town to fetch Flynn.

  After examining Joe, and re-wrapping the gash on his arm, Flynn had insisted that Joe do absolutely no heavy lifting or strenuous work for at least two weeks. “Medicine still has a lot to learn about head injuries, Joe, but I’ve read several recent reports and I think it is better to be cautious. If in two weeks your headaches are gone, then we can reassess.”

  That had relieved some of Liora’s concern, but Joe had been grumpier then a bear fresh out of hibernation about the whole affair.

  Liora giggled and twirled a strand of hair around her finger, remembering how upset he had been the night before when she had insisted he stand by and watch her haul in the wood for the stove. It had given her great delight to tease him until he’d finally given up his frustration and allowed the smallest of smiles. And if some of the reason for his smile had been over the fact that she had linked her arms around his neck and batted her eyelashes at him… Well, she liked that too.