by Bobbi Smith
"Is that all?" Cody practically beamed at him, for she'd feared the worst.
For a minute as she smiled so brightly at him, Luke was surprised to find that he almost thought her pretty. But then he blinked and she was once again mousy and bespectacled.
"Bless you."
And Bible spouting, he added in his thoughts. He told himself he must have been just tired and in desperate need of rest to have thought her attractive even for a moment. "Go to sleep."
She eagerly put the book between herself and the wall, and then lay perfectly still as he stretched out beside her.
Luke wanted to sleep, needed to sleep, and he would allow himself to doze for a while, but he wouldn't let down his guard too much. Until he'd gotten the information that he needed and delivered it to Jack, he would never let his guard down.
"Here." He handed her the only blanket.
Cody wrapped herself in it, feeling as if she were donning armor.
Luke stared at her as she cocooned herself in the cover. He knew she wasn't going to like it, but there was no helping the situation. Until he could find another blanket, she was going to have to share. "This isn't going to work, Sister Mary."
"What isn't?" she asked.
"There's only one blanket. Isn't there something in the Bible about sharing with those less fortunate than you?"
Cody's eyes widened at his unspoken request. He wanted to get under the covers with her? A mental alarm sounded in her head. Had all of his talk been just that? Talk?
"Yes, there is, and I shall abide by it. You have stolen me from my home and friends. You have dragged me out here into the middle of a nest of sinners, and now you want me to sleep under the same blanket with you. I'm afraid I can't do that, sir. My virtue is all I have left right now, and I dare not risk being in such close contact with you." She untucked the cover and sat up, handing it to him. "You may have it all. I have my faith to warm my soul."
Then, kneeling on her side of the bed, she began to pray out loud: "Oh, Lord, deliver me from the midst of these sinners. Save my soul, 0 Lord, that I may proclaim your glory. In this I ask you, Lord, Amen."
Luke stared at her. He remembered saying bedtime prayers with his mother when he was little. It had always been a sweet, loving time, but tonight, listening to Sister Mary, he felt miserable. "Keep the damned blanket! I'll sleep over here."
With that, he snatched up his rifle and sacked out on the floor across the room.
Cody had always had a firm faith, but she was beginning to believe there really was something to this religion thing. She found herself almost crowing out loud in hilarity at his reaction to her prayer, but she bit her lip to bring herself back under control. She took off her glasses and placed them on top of the Bible, then snuggled down under the blanket.
She sought sleep, but sleep didn't come. Her mind was racing as she thought of all that had happened. In some ways, things couldn't be any better. Majors was surprising her with his manners. She knew from what she'd learned about him that he was Southern by birth. Perhaps, she mused, somewhere in his distant past he'd been a gentleman.
Luke managed to doze, but he had too much to do to waste time sleeping. He had gone into El Trajar because he'd thought he might learn something about El Diablo. To his frustration, there had been no contact with the gang's boss. Even in camp, the name was seldom mentioned, and when it was, it was done in such a way that you could tell those speaking feared for their lives if caught saying something derogatory about the mysterious leader. Luke tried to envision the man who led them. He had to be savage by nature, without conscience or morality. Certainly he would be big and powerful, for men the likes of these wouldn't follow anyone less intimidating. He had seen many big, mean-looking men in camp, but none were the leader. Wherever El Diablo was, he wasn't in camp or in El Trajar. Luke's frustration grew.
He supposed since he knew where the camp was, he could sneak away and report that back to Jack, but somehow it seemed less than worthy of him. Luke had told Jack that he would find out who El Diablo was. If he could bring down the whole gang by staying where he was for a little longer, it would be worth it. It had been dangerous from the start, and now with Sister Mary under his protection, his situation was even more complicated. Still, he had to try. If he didn't succeed, he had no life to go back to. All he wanted was to return to the Trinity and raise horses.
Luke roused himself after a few hours and went outside, leaving a sleeping Sister Mary behind. Though he had been in camp for a while, he knew he still was not completely accepted by the others.
Jones was sitting by a campfire, drinking coffee, when he saw Luke emerge. "Want something hot to drink?"
"Sounds good." Luke hunkered down by the campfire to help himself to a mug of the steaming, too-strong brew.
"Rumor has it you brought a preacher woman back with you." There was real humor in his voice.
"Sometimes rumors are right."
Jones shot him a look of disbelief. "I been to El Trajar, Majors. There are a lot of nice women there. Why the hell would you mess with a preacher when you coulda had one of the girls at the saloon?"
Luke shrugged. "She suited me at the time."
"How does she look now that you're sober?" Jones laughed.
Luke's smile was lopsided with self-derision as he stood up and avoided answering the question. It was one thing to drag her here to keep her safe; it was another to ridicule her. "She'll do," was all he answered.
"Well, when you get tired of her, just let the rest of us know. I'm sure there's quite a few who wouldn't mind trying out something new."
"Believe me, Jones, if and when I get ready to share, you'll know."
Jones smiled, believing him.
"Where is everybody today?" Luke asked. The camp seemed quieter than usual. There was no sign of Hadley, Sully, or Carson.
"They went to meet with El Diablo."
Luke was instantly alert. "El Diablo's coming in to camp?"
Jones cast him a look. "No. El Diablo don't come around here too much. The boss just keeps us informed, and we take care of the rest."
"Doesn't he ever ride with us?"
"Not very often."
"Well, if he never leads you, how did the gang come to be known as his?" Luke was puzzled.
"Don't worry. We're El Diablo's gang all right. The boss tells us where to go and what to do, and we do it. The ones who don't follow orders don't last long around here. Hadley sees to that personal."
"I'll just bet he does," Luke muttered under his breath. "What about me? I've been with you for weeks now, and we've only had that one job."
"That's why they're meeting with El Diablo. The boss will tell us where the next job will be. The boss knows everything. When they get back, they'll probably know whether you're really to be accepted or not."
"I didn't know joining up was a popularity vote."
"It's not, but there is a lot we didn't know about you. You did try to stop the robbery at the bank."
"And what did I get for my heroics? Thrown in jail and threatened with a noose."
"You yelled enough about being innocent."
"I thought someone would believe me."
Jones snorted in sarcasm. "It's about time you realized you're better off with us. Here, there ain't nobody got any redeeming qualities. We're all liars and thieves and murderers. There ain't an honest man among us, and, even if there was, we wouldn't believe him. Now take you, for instance; you had no intention of robbing that bank when you went in there, but look how you ended up. The good people of Del Fuego were damned well ready to lynch you. If there had been a run on the jail, Carson and me would have got off easy. You're the one they woulda hanged."
Luke grunted in agreement. It was true.
"So what do you think of the good townspeople now?"
"I'm here. That should tell you what I think of them. At least here I'm accepted for who and what I am. Sully and some of the others may not like me, but I don't want to be their friend."
"I've yet to see any of that. It had better be or I'll be on my way. I could earn damned good money hiring out as a gun for some of the ranchers down south."
"Don't worry. Once El Diablo says you're in, you'll be paid right along with the rest of us."
"How the hell am I supposed to find out if El Diablo approves of me if I never get to see or meet the man?"
"El Diablo has ways of finding things out. Wouldn't surprise me none if the boys came back saying you were okay in the next couple days."
Luke nodded, then dumped out the rest of his coffee and started back to check on Sister Mary. It was good to know that Sully was gone for a while. They could relax. Still, it angered and frustrated him that he hadn't gotten to go along to meet the elusive leader of the group. He was going to have to keep biding his time.
Luke returned to the shack to find Sister Mary still sleeping. Her back was to him and she looked small and vulnerable. He knew, though, when she came awake she would have the ferocity of a shewolf; she was well armed with nothing but her Bible and her unconquerable spirit. He wondered what he was going to do with her.
Some hours later, Cody came awake abruptly. Startled by her unfamiliar surroundings, she sat up, her heart pounding. It took her a moment to remember exactly who she was pretending to be and what she was doing there. As she stared about the filthy hovel, it all came back to her, and she wasn't sure whether to be glad that she was with Luke Majors or not.
Cody took a deep breath and told herself that she was going to be fine. The situation was perfect. She had the man she was after all to herself. All she had to do was figure out how to trap him and get him away from the infamous El Diablo gang and back to Logan.
Cody donned the glasses, even though wearing them annoyed her tremendously. She had perfect vision, but the glasses were an integral part of her disguise. Sister Mary she was, and Sister Mary she would be...for as long as it took.
Rising from the bed, she went to the door and looked out. The thought of escape came to her, but she dismissed it. There was nowhere to go.
Her hair was coming loose from the tight bun, so she quickly refastened it. Then, straightening her dress, she smoothed what wrinkles she could from the skirt. After picking up her Bible, she left the hut, determined to scout out the camp.
The outlaws' hideout was obviously a permanent one. Water was ample, and there were numerous buildings, along with corrals for the horses and other livestock. Cody saw a number of women and children there, too, but it didn't surprise her. As protected as this canyon was, it was probably the safest place for the outlaws' families.
Cody had been wandering through the area for a while when the heavenly scent of coffee came to her. A surly-looking man was sitting by one of the campfires tending a coffeepot and watching her with open interest. She assumed her best Sister Mary manner and approached him.
"Good morning, friend. Your coffee smells delicious. I was wondering if I might have a cup?"
"Help yourself." He gestured toward the pot and gave her a toothless smile.
"Thank you. You're most kind. My name is Sister Mary, by the way," Cody told him as she poured the hot, black brew into a tin cup that looked as if it hadn't been washed in months. Ignoring the dirtiness of the cup, she took a sip.
"I'm Gene."
"It's lovely to meet you," she said with a smile that was genuine, for the coffee was good. She kept an eye out for Sully, ready to retreat to the safety of Luke's house should he appear, but there were few men around. "We've been blessed with a fine day, it seems."
He shrugged. "It'll be quiet, if nothing else."
"Why is that?" She looked at him curiously.
"Most of the men rode out a while ago. They won't be back for a few days, maybe even a week."
"Did Majors go with them?" she asked with a mixture of hope and fear that she didn't understand.
"No. He's seeing to the horses." He pointed toward a distant corral at the back of the canyon.
"Thank you for your kindness. Is there any food around?" From the look of things, this was a commune of sorts; whatever was out was for all to share.
"Check with Juana, over there. She may have something left."
"Bless you, Brother Gene."
Gene stared after her as she moved off, wondering what a woman like her was doing in a place like this. He couldn't imagine what Majors had been thinking, bringing her here. He smiled as he watched her cross the campsite to Juana. Sister Mary was certainly different. She walked straight and tall, her head held high, her Bible under her arm. It had been years since he'd been preached salvation. He wondered if she was going to try. It would be interesting to see what happened. This wasn't exactly a holy bunch.
Juana had heard about the woman Majors had brought into camp. She saw the newcomer walking toward her now and studied her with open interest. With just one look, Juana knew she didn't like her. The woman was thin, pale, wore glasses, and carried a Bible. Juana had no idea why Majors would want her in his bed. She certainly didn't look like the kind of woman who could satisfy a man.
Juana scowled at the thought of this witch bedding Luke. She'd wanted him for herself ever since he'd come into camp, and both she and her friend Maria had been vying for the handsome gunfighter's attention. It irked her that he'd taken this woman to be his. It didn't make sense when he could have had a hot-blooded woman like herself. Juana's eyes narrowed dangerously as the newcomer drew near.
"What do you want?" she challenged without waiting for her to speak.
"Are you Juana?" At her nod, Cody went on, "Brother Gene told me that you might have something to eat here."
"No. All the food is gone. We ate at sunup."
Cody could see the open hostility in Juana's expression. She didn't know why this woman hated her when she didn't even know her, but she knew she would never turn her back on Juana.
"Thank you anyway," she replied cordially. "I'm Sister Mary, by the way. It's nice to meet you." She decided to kill her with kindness. "It's always good to meet new people and make new friends. God bless you, Juana."
Juana stared at her as if she were crazy as Cody walked away.
Cody wondered if "kill her with kindness" would really work, as she felt the other woman's hatefilled regard on her. It was not a pleasant sensation.
Ignoring her hunger pangs, she considered what to do next. She needed to get a look at the lay of the land. Obviously she couldn't apprehend Luke by herself, so whatever she did, she was going to need help. It was important that she find out how many guards there were and if there was an escape route out the back of the canyon. Heading toward the corral where Luke was, she was greeted by many unfriendly stares.
"Bless you this fine morning," Sister Mary responded with a smile to each strange look.
Most turned away from her without speaking, and that suited her just fine. The more they ignored her, the more she could get a good look around without anyone guessing what she was up to. Usually she had Stalking Ghost to help her with this. At the thought of her friend, she prayed once more that he hadn't been seriously hurt.
Through all of the four years of her bounty hunting, she had always known that Stalking Ghost was near, silently watching over and protecting her. Now, for the first time, she was on her own, and it was a bit unnerving. Not that she wasn't confident of her own abilities. Her father had taught her well before he'd died, and Cody knew she was good at her job. She just wasn't used to working completely alone. It was intimidating to realize that she had no one to rely on but herself.
"Good morning, Luke," she said as she found him currying his horse. "It is a beautiful day, isn't it?"
"Morning," Luke growled, surprised that she'd sought him out and surprised that she was in such a good mood. "I thought you'd stay in the house until I got back."
"Oh, no. There's too much of God's work t
o be done in this place to laze around. Have you ever seen a place more in need of the Lord's help in your life?" she asked, looking around.
"Yes, I have," he said without looking up from his work.
"Really? It truly must have been Hell on earth if it was worse than this. Where was it?"
"The South, Sister Mary. Georgia, to be exact, at the end of the war." His voice was emotionless.
Cody was taken aback by his answer. She'd expected him to say some other hellhole where outlaws hid out. "Are you from there?"
"I was, but now I'm from nowhere."
She fell silent for a moment at the harshness of his response. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For whatever caused you so much pain."
"You have to care to be hurt, and believe me, Sister, there isn't much I care about anymore."
"That's obvious. Why else would you be here, living this life with this gang? Perhaps it was through divine providence that I was sent to El Trajar to deliver you," she remarked with seeming thoughtfulness.
"I don't need anything from you, Sister, least of all `delivering,' "he growled, wondering if the only time she shut up about saving souls was when she was asleep. If that was true, he was ready to encourage her to go take a nap.
"Surely you do. Look at your life! You're a thief and possibly a murderer, judging from the company you keep. If that doesn't qualify you as needing saving, I don't know what does." She paused, acting as if she'd just had a brilliant insight. "Then, too, perhaps I was sent to deliver not only you, but the whole gang as well." This time she allowed herself to smile broadly at the thought.
"If you value your hide and want to keep it in one piece, you'd better be careful what you do around here. The last thing I need is for you to start stirring up trouble."
"How can preaching the good news be trouble?"
Luke groaned in frustration. "These aren't your normal run-of-the-mill townsfolk eager for redemption. These people probably would just as soon shoot you as listen to you lecture them on the evil of their ways."
"Most sinners are that way. They're convinced their way is right and that it doesn't matter what happens in the next life. That's why we are called to testify to the truth. It's our duty. If we are to see our own souls to the paradise that awaits us, we must show these unfortunates the way. Those who have never heard the word are to be pitied and loved, for they can still turn to the Lord and be saved. It is those like yourself, who have been taught God's ways and know of his undying love and then choose to reject him, who are the most difficult to deal with. You, sir, are going to be a challenge to me."
