Rebel with a Cause

by Carol Arens

  The big, bold bounty hunter, living only for his next capture, had won a child. That was a story needing to be written down, if ever there was one. She nearly ran back out in the yard to fetch her journal, which was at this moment lying on the grass near Zane's hat and likely being eaten by Muff.

  But no, that was something the old Missy would do, Missy the dreamer.

  "We're all ears, Mr. Coldridge," Missy said, flanked on both sides by her family, those lifelong and those recently come by. Even Raymond Gilroy stood among them, having just arrived to bid his sister farewell. "Please do tell us your tale, but in a hurry. Our train won't wait. Isn't that right, Edwin?"

  Her brother frowned at her, sighed then shrugged his shoulders. "We'll need to be in Dewton by three."

  "Not if I can help it." Zane's voice sounded more a growl than good American English.

  "There's nothing you can say to change what has happened." Without thinking, Missy placed one hand over her belly, feeling protective of the secret that might be growing inside.

  Oh, drat! Maybe not so secret. Mother had noticed the ageless gesture. She looked suddenly pale and more than a little unsteady. To her credit, she did not rush for the couch. Instead, she braced her hands on the back of Suzie's

  chair. Missy hoped that she was the only one to notice that her mother's knuckles had turned white to the bone.

  Zane Coldridge looked as afflicted as Mother did. He might think that whatever he had to say would change her mind about him, but it would not. She knew what she knew, no matter how she wished she did not.

  "Mr. Coldridge," Hortense said, her cheeks flushed and her hands wrung together in front of her. "I'd like to say something before you begin, if I may."

  "Hortense?" Zane seemed surprised, as though he had not noticed her before. Truth be told, she did not resemble the woman Zane would have last seen, with her happy disposition and a newlywed blush to her cheeks.

  For a long moment Hortense stood before him with her head bowed. At last she looked up, meeting his puzzled gaze.

  "This is something for everyone to hear." She glanced at Missy then back at Zane. "I said some hateful things to you and about you. For the extent that I'm responsible for your current situation, I do apologize."

  From close at hand, Missy heard a whispered "Thank you." She glanced sideways to see Raymond looking heavenward and smiling.

  Apparently struck speechless, Zane merely stared at Hortense. He cleared his throat. "None of this is because of you, Hortense. And I apologize to you as well, for... You'll know what for."

  Hortense's cheeks flamed. "Don't think another thing about that... Truly, I tried my best to convince Missy that you were a cad and never coming back. At the time, I believed that is what men did, until I met Edwin. You wouldn't know this yet, but we were married day before yesterday."

  Zane bent and kissed her cheek. "Congratulations, Hortense. Don't think you are to blame for anything, things that had nothing to do with you kept me from getting back."

  "I'm sure we're all desperate to hear what they are," Missy said. Actually, she was desperate to hear them, even though she forced her voice to sound mocking.

  Hortense returned to the line of family facing Zane and slipped under Edwin's arm. He hugged her close with a besotted grin on his face.

  Missy would wait awhile to tell her brother her news, let him enjoy a few weeks of wedded bliss before he had to deal with another of his sister's mishaps.

  "I was desperate," Zane began, looking only at Missy. "You looked like you would slip away at any moment, even the doctor didn't know what to do. The only thing to do was wait...wait and pray. I did that, then I thought Muff might be the one to bring you around, so I lit out. I was going to bring him back or die trying."

  Beside her, Raymond nodded. He must think this was the truth so far, the truth as he understood it anyway.

  "It didn't take long to catch up with Wage. He was camped a day from Foggy Johnson Creek. Probably headed there to finish the job that you interrupted with the hat pin to his backside."

  Missy noticed every eye widen, heads turn her way, but she kept her gaze on Zane, determined not to be swayed by adventuresome memories of the past.

  "I was desperate to get back to you, so I took the horses and Muff. I left Wage stranded by his campfire. I wanted to hand him over to the law, or at least take the time to give him what he deserved for what he did to you." Again, heads turned her way. A look of pure horror crossed Mother's face. "But, darlin', I couldn't spare the time.

  "Under normal conditions I would have been back in a couple of days, but the rain was a beast and the rivers hard to cross. The horses could barely keep the pace I asked of them.

  "A day later I came upon a campfire a few miles outside of Brittlewood. There was a tent set up and a poker game going on inside, just a few men from town wanting a good time. Well, the horses were spent and it was getting late so I asked to join them. Near the far edge of the tent was Little Blue, asleep on a damp blanket and shivering even in his sleep. As time went on the man who admitted to being the boy's father got drunker and meaner. When he was out of money, he offered up his son. Now, the other men seemed pretty uncomfortable with that and got up to go home."

  The family was so silent that a pin dropping in the building next door would have seemed an explosion. Surely, everyone must hear Missy's heart throbbing against her ribs. She'd give anything to believe his story. If only she hadn't reread that blasted telegram so many times that it had become burned into her memory.

  "I wanted to get up and go with them, every minute off the trail home was agony. I started to go but then Little Blue coughed. His own father was too drunk to notice that the boy looked flushed with fever.

  "Forgive me, Missy, I knew you needed me, but how could I leave the child with that man? So I said I'd play for the boy, but only if he signed away his rights. By damn, he did it. Wasn't much to beat the drunken cuss and gather up Little Blue. His pa never even said good-bye.

  "I didn't know what to do, darlin'. What was I to do? I supposed he might have a mother in Brittlewood, so I took him there. Well, he didn't, so I found a lawyer and a judge. Turns out they'd long been concerned about the boy, given who his only parent was. When I told them the story and showed them the paper the man had signed, they let me adopt him right there."

  From out in the back, Missy heard Muff and Little Blue playing. One laughed and the other yipped. She could love that child, without a doubt she could.

  "I took him and rode away fast, just in case his pop sobered up and wanted to fight me for him, because at that point I would have. I stopped in Still Water the next day because Little Blue was sicker than the day before. I couldn't drag him about in the rain so we stayed there for more than a week until he recovered.

  "I sent a wire to Raymond, to explain everything."

  And that is where Zane Coldridge lost her. "Do you know, if it hadn't been for that wire, I'd believe your story?" She turned to her brother. "Grab our bags, Edwin, it's time to go."

  Zane clutched her arm and pulled her out from the midst of her family who had turned, about to industriously gather up bags.

  "I don't understand," Zane whispered, letting go of her arm. "If you read the wire, then--"

  "I read it, all right!" Missy spun away from him, her lacy skirt brushed his muddy boots. "I see it in my sleep, it eats at me every minute of every day, Zane Coldridge. There's nothing you can say to change what you wrote."

  "And exactly what is it about that wire that has you so fired up?"

  "I'm finished talking to you. Let's go home, everyone."

  She had only taken two steps toward the door when Mother's touch on her back halted her.

  "Listen to him," she whispered close to Missy's ear. "There are decisions too important for hurt and pride to decide, and I think you know what I mean." Mother glanced at her belly. "Listen hard to what the man has to say."

  Mother walked away, leaving her face-to-face with Zane and an ocean
of hurt roiling between them. It seemed like they were alone in the world, even though the others had not left the room but stood near the door with

  valises in hand.

  "What was so all-fired wrong with that telegram?" To his credit, Zane truly did look perplexed.

  "You asked Raymond to forgive you for a sin!" She couldn't help it, she poked him in the chest, forcing him back a step. "You said that I was a mistake and a burden! Really, is that what I was to you? A quick buck? A sordid night and a good reward? If you took the time to read the small print, you'd see that you weren't even entitled to the money."

  Edwin groaned, or cursed, it was hard to tell.

  Zane looked stunned. "I'd like to see that telegram, it sure isn't what I noted it to say."

  "It said what it said, Zane." If she stood here one more second, she knew her heart would burst. She spun about, heading for the door.

  "'Forgive me, Raymond,'" Zane called out, clearly reciting his version of the infamous wire.

  Let him make up quotes until forever, for all the difference it would make. Lies that seemed to be the truth rolled so easily off his tongue. She didn't pause in the long walk toward the door.

  "'Forgive me Raymond,'" he repeated while everyone moved toward the door, silent as stones. "'Tell Missy, even if she can't hear you, that I'm on my way. Forgive me for leaving the burden of her care on you. It's a sin to delay but it would be a grave mistake to rush home at present.'"

  She stopped, looking out the open door with her new life's path stretching away. It looked to be a cold and lonely road. If only she could believe that is what the smears on the telegram said, she would turn around, throw her arms about his neck and never let him go.

  She didn't even try to contain her tears now. The sob that had been trapped in her chest for days finally escaped.

  A few more steps toward the door and it would be over. The decision that sliced her heart into bitter pieces would be made. She wiped her sleeve across her face.

  "I've seen the butterfly moon." Zane's words cut her at the knees; they nearly buckled. If a voice could ache, his surely did.

  "Drop the bags, Edwin," Mother ordered.

  Valises hit the floor in a chorus of thuds.

  Zane slipped up behind her, so close that she could feel the warmth of him, smell prairie and wood smoke on his clothes. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her.

  She looked into his eyes and knew the truth. It gazed out at her, clear and honest.

  "I've seen it and there's no going back for me. If you walk out that door I will follow you." Suddenly, her new path had another traveler on it. He'd turned the road around, curved it back so that she was exactly where she wanted to be. "As a former bounty hunter, I've got tracking skills. You'll never be free of me. You know that's true?"

  She nodded, then cupped his face, running her fingertips over two weeks of unshaved stubble. Oh, yes, the West still rode wild in those smoky brown eyes. Her bounty hunter--former, that is--had not been tamed by the sight of the butterfly moon and that suited her just fine.

  "I'm going to begin a new book," Missy murmured. "It's probably going to start off with a little surprise."

  "Should I keep Ace at the ready?"

  She shook her head. While the seeds of adventure had, once again, taken root, they would hold her to this spot and this man forever.

  He lifted her off the purple rug and kissed her, smearing her tears on his cheeks and lips.

  Gradually she became aware of sounds other than Zane whispering in her ear that he loved her.

  When he set her on her feet she looked about and saw Mother weeping, Suzie clapping in delight, Hortense sniffling into Edwin's shirt and the reverend praising God. Desmond and Maybelle stood, arm-in-arm, grinning.

  The last thing she wanted to do was let go of Zane, but he held her at arm's length, then bent on one knee.

  "Darlin', when a man has seen the magic, there's nothing left to do. As I recall we've missed our wedding day. Marry me now, marry me and Little Blue."

  She nodded her head because she couldn't speak. Magic must have robbed her of her voice.

  Luckily, Raymond Gilroy knew what to do. He marched forward with Cupid sitting on his shoulder and a great grin on his face.

  Christmas Eve 1881

  Missy Lenore Coldridge leaned toward the fireplace in the foyer of the Luminary School of Proper Deportment for Ladies of Social Change. She opened her coat to fill it with warmth before she made the short walk to Maybelle's.

  Through the window next to the hearth she watched icy-looking clouds press down upon Luminary.

  "It looks like snow for Christmas," she called out to her mother.

  Footsteps tapped across the wood floor. Mother's head popped into view around the door frame.

  "How utterly romantic." Mother's face blushed with pleasure.

  "Will the ladies be ready for the party tonight, do you think?"

  "Oh, yes indeed!" Mother glanced back into the room, smiling brilliantly. "Most of them, anyway."

  Emily, looking sweet and stylish in a modest gown, came out of the room and stood next to Missy, reaching her fingers toward the heat of the flames. Mother joined them.

  "How do you do, Mrs. Coldridge?" Emily nodded her head, her posture polished, her smile genteel. "It is a pleasure to see you again."

  "Well done, Emily!" Mother clapped her hands. "You are a most becoming woman. You'll certainly gain the favor of the right sort of gentlemen tonight."

  Emily blushed, which must have pleased Mother to no end. It was common knowledge that the only gentleman Emily had in mind was the reverend.

  "If I do it will be because of you, Mrs. Devlin." Emily shook off her proper posture for a moment to wrap Mother in a great hug. "Some of the whores--ladies, that is--" she corrected, seeing mother's sudden frown "--we'd be dead or worse if you hadn't remained here to teach us a better way. To think of the life you left behind in Boston...well, we're all as grateful as can be."

  "Oh, posh, Emily. Boston will hardly be the worse for the loss of one stuffy old matron. Now go back inside and help the others practice their diction."

  "I'd better get going, too." Missy hugged her mother. "It can't be easy preparing the hotel for the Christmas Eve party with Edwin Blue and Muff underfoot."

  "I can't imagine that your brother would ever feel his namesake was in the way. Let me get my coat, I'll walk with you."

  "You don't have to. It's only a few blocks."

  "Don't set a foot outside this building without me, young lady. Your husband would never forgive me if I allowed you to slip belly-first off the boardwalk." Mother shrugged on her coat and tapped down her hat. "Besides, I need to stop by the Gazette and borrow a hat from Suzie. Poor Miss Adele turned up at my door with barely a stitch to her name."

  "Suzie might have a hat, or ten, to spare." Missy looped her arm through her mother's as they walked out the front door. "Since she and Desmond took over the paper it's selling like blazes."

  "Really, Missy, I'd never allow my students to use such an expression." Mother shot her the arch look that Missy had grown accustomed to over the years.

  "Hot cakes, then, selling like hot cakes."

  "That's so much better on the ears, dear."

  The short stroll down Ballico Street was pleasant. The town had changed. It scarcely resembled the wicked place that Missy had first seen while sitting upon Ace and snuggled between the safety of Zane's thighs. Back then, her eyes had been wide with astonishment and delight. But really, all along, she had been naive.

  Cold air nipped at her nose, smelling wet with the coming snow. Once in a while the scent of pine garlands strung over store windows filled her lungs. Merry-looking candles burned in the windows of the bakery and Newton's Steak House.

  Under the freshly painted sign that read Maybelle's Inn for the Gentle Travler, Missy bade her mother goodbye.

  It took only a moment to collect Edwin Blue, but rounding up Muff meant a trip up and down the
stairs, then a romp through the kitchen where she finally cornered him in the pantry.

  Edwin, Hortense and Maybelle, bustling about in preparation for the Christmas and Coming Out Party, spared a quick good-bye when she went out the front door with Blue's little fist gripped in hers and Muff riding her mostly vanished waist.

  Her destination, the marshal's office, was across the street and only a block down.

  All of a sudden, the wind picked up and the temperature seemed to fall by half. On the other side of the street Mother rushed past with a hatbox tucked under her arm. She waved and watched until Missy opened the marshal's door and went inside.

  Missy hung up her coat, set her hat on the desk then led Blue toward the woodstove in the center of the room. She took off his small coat and turned him in circles, evenly warming him.

  "Papa must have just stepped out." Half a cup of coffee sat beside her hat with steam curling up and away. "Now, it's nap time for you, young man."

  "No nap, Mama!" Blue frowned up at her while rubbing his sleepy eyes.

  "You'll need your rest." She picked him up and carried him to the cot behind the desk. She tucked a blanket around him and knelt down to kiss his forehead. "We're going to the Christmas party at Uncle Edwin's hotel. And later, after you go to bed...Santa's coming!"

  Maybe he heard the last part of what she said, but already he was asleep, sucking on his thumb as though it were a candy cane.

  "Sweet dreams, Blue," she whispered. And he would have sweet dreams, now that he had a family. She tucked in the blanket once again, shuddering when she wondered where he would be this very moment if Zane hadn't won him. Out in the cold with no one to care, more than likely. Certainly, Santa wouldn't have a clue where to find him.

  Getting up wasn't as easy as it used to be. She held on to the edge of the cot to push to her feet. With several weeks to go before the baby's birth, she'd likely get so big she'd have to catch a ride with Suzie in her chair in order to get about.

  Beautiful, blessed silence settled over every corner of the room. Until lately, she'd never appreciated the wonder of it. With an hour or so to herself, it was the perfect time to begin her new project.