On his way back to camp, Thorpe thought about the last night Lily was on watch with him. He’d told her that by allowing Stone and Harlow to travel with them, they were adding to their likely problems the rest of the way to Wyoming. She agreed with him that it didn’t make sense to turn back. They’d already been traveling over a month and either way, they’d surely face bad weather. They couldn’t be certain the outlaws would be back. Well, now Thorpe was certain. They wanted Harlow. He might not know the reason yet, but it had to be fairly enticing for them to risk hanging.
* * *
“We’ll have to do without a fire tonight. Their tracks led away, but they won’t get far enough before dark to chance a fire. My gut tells me they know we are here,” Thorpe told them.
“You sure there were nine?” Stone asked.
“Yeah.”
“Dinner is cold, but it was cooked before we doused the fire,” Lily said as she handed the two men their plates.
Thorpe asked Lily to eat with them some distance from the others so she could hear his conversation with Stone. “Why do you think they would come back for Harlow? Is he the leader of the gang?”
“I’m not sure,” Stone replied. “All I know is he kept telling us that the men would come for him. He seemed confident of that.”
“How did you catch Harlow?”
“We got word they were headed south from Deadwood and we found their trail. The gang split up, and Riff, Joe, and I followed Harlow and two of his men. As it turned out, the three of them rode in separate directions, so we were each following one man. I had a shootout with the one I was following and killed him. Joe Martin lost the trail of the man he was following, and Riff came back with Harlow. We didn’t know why they split up, but Riff said he thought two men were riding one horse, but he only found Harlow.”
“You said they robbed a stagecoach. What did they take?”
“There was a large payroll on that stagecoach. Besides killing that woman and little girl, they killed a rancher who had just sold his cattle, and he was traveling with a sizeable sum. They shot the driver, thankfully he lived and he told us what was in the strongbox. He also told us those killers took the jewelry off the dead woman.”
“You say they split up, so it’s possible Harlow had the money with him,” Thorpe said.
Stone looked at him for a minute. “We thought they had already stashed the money when they split. That might explain a few things if they still had the money when we got on their trail. When Riff brought Harlow back to meet up with me, he said Harlow was backtracking.”
“Maybe he was hiding the loot,” Thorpe said.
“Could be. Harlow didn’t have anything on him. If he hid the money, then the rest of them don’t know where to look,” Stone said.
“That would account for the added weight on the horse,” Lily commented.
Thorpe admired Lily’s sharp mind. “She’s right. If it’s the money they’re after, they don’t want Harlow dead. He may be our ace in the hole.”
“Yeah. To tell you the truth, when I pulled Harlow in front of me and told those hombres they’d have to shoot him to get to me, I half expected them to ventilate him. If we meet up with them again, we definitely need to put Harlow out front,” Stone said.
“As long as he’s alive, they’ll keep coming.” Thorpe looked at Lily. “Stone and I could take Harlow and ride out. Of course, that would leave the four of you in the same position you were in before I came along.” He wanted to give her the choice, but he thought it was best if he stayed with them.
“I could take Harlow and light out on our own. Thorpe, I don’t need to involve you in this,” Stone said.
Thorpe shook his head. “I couldn’t let you do that. You wouldn’t stand a snowball’s chance in Hades with those men after you. And no offense, but I go with my horses.”
“I think it’s best if we all stay together,” Lily said. She was afraid that both of them might get killed with that many men gunning for them.
“That’s my thinking.” Thorpe was relieved that she came to the same conclusion he had. He didn’t like the thought of leaving her. He’d given his word he would see them to the fort in one piece, and he aimed to keep his word.
“It took Riff a day to catch up to Harlow. I know the general direction he rode, but it might take some time to find the exact place.”
“Why do you think Harlow’s partners rode in the opposite direction tonight?” Lily asked.
“I’d say they are waiting to see how many are in our party. Men like that want to make sure they have the upper hand before they attack. I expect they will be making their way behind us by morning,” Thorpe answered.
“I was hoping those Indians took care of them for me,” Stone said.
They walked back to camp and the first thing they noticed was Dora sitting beside Harlow, feeding him his dinner like a baby.
“What’s going on here?” Stone asked.
“We didn’t want to untie him without your say-so,” Dora replied.
“He kept hollering about being hungry, but I told her to wait for you,” Isabelle said.
Jed was sitting on a nearby rock cradling his rifle, and Blue was beneath the wagon keeping a close eye on Harlow.
Stone looked at Jed and nodded. “Thanks.”
“Yessir, I don’t trust this polecat.”
Stone approached Dora and offered a warning. “That was real nice of you, ma’am, but I’d rather you stay away from him. He’s dangerous, and besides, he can hold a fork with his hands tied.”
Thorpe thought Stone offered sound advice. He worried Dora might take up with any man, law abiding or killer. He leaned over and whispered to Lily, “She might listen to you if you tell her to stay away from him.”
Lily wondered if Thorpe was jealous that Dora was paying attention to Harlow now. Dora had told her she thought Harlow was handsome even if he was a criminal. Lily supposed he was handsome enough, but there was something about him that made her want to keep her distance. “I’ll tell her, but Dora’s not one to listen.”
Stone stood in front of Harlow when Dora walked away. “I know your friends will keep coming back until they get their hands on you. Either way, when the shooting starts, just know you will be the one out in front of us. You might as well tell me where you hid the money. It could help you at trial if you make it that far.”
Harlow smiled. “Why, Marshal, what makes you think I have any money?”
“Those boys aren’t hanging around this area for nothing. There’s no stagecoaches out here to rob. They want you real bad for some reason.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Thorpe noticed Harlow had dropped the pretense that he was the true marshal. “Stone is right. We will put you right out front when the bullets start flying.”
“You mean he hid the money from his gang?” Isabelle asked.
“He killed a lot of decent people to get at that money. Tell me, Harlow, was it worth it? How did it make you feel to kill a little girl?” Stone ground out.
Harlow grinned at him. “You’ve got it all wrong, Marshal. I didn’t kill anyone.”
Stone had to walk away before he was tempted to put his boot in Harlow’s mouth.
Chapter Ten
Thorpe was awake most of the night thinking about their situation. He had never found it necessary to think like a killer, but right now that was exactly what he was trying to do. He figured the killers wouldn’t go about things in the smartest way, but in the most expedient way. That meant they wouldn’t go to the trouble of searching for the money. It would be faster for them to get to Harlow. They’d already killed so many, what difference would another six lives make?
The little voice in his ear told him to go with what he knew. And if he was skilled at one thing that might help him in this situation, it was tracking. He was an excellent tracker. When he’d left Texas for Wyoming Territory years ago, he learned if he wanted to eat, he had to be skillful at following a trail.<
br />
As he did every morning, Thorpe left camp early to ride ahead a few miles to make sure they weren’t riding into trouble. But this morning he was trailing the killers. Just as he expected, they were circling back behind the wagons. He figured they were planning an attack, or maybe they thought Harlow would bribe the marshal, offering him a cut if he’d let him go free.
After Thorpe rode back to the camp, they headed out and made excellent progress. By nightfall, Thorpe figured they’d covered about fifteen miles. When the men were caring for the animals, Thorpe had a chance to ask Stone some more questions.
“How long had you been traveling with Harlow before the attack?”
“Three weeks. Why do you ask?”
“I found their trail this morning, and just as I expected, they circled around and are following us. I was wondering why they haven’t attacked, and nothing makes sense. Surely, they don’t think Harlow might try to cut a deal with us.”
“You mean for a percentage of the money if we agreed to let him go?” Stone asked.
“Yeah. But I have trouble with that theory. There are too many of us that would have to agree to that arrangement. I tend to believe killers would be too greedy to want to share.”
“Enough incentive will make people do some mighty strange things. Besides, he’d just have to offer cash to one of us.”
Thorpe looked at him and nodded. “Good point. Did he hint at cutting a deal when he was alone with you?”
“No, he didn’t. Even that killer had enough sense to know that after my friends were killed the only deal I want is seeing him swing from the business end of a rope.”
“They are laying back for some reason.”
“They might think he will find a chance to escape,” Jed offered.
“Jed, you may be right about that. We can’t let down our guard.”
“Mr. Thorpe, I don’t know if it’s my place to say anything about this, but I worry Miss Dora is getting mighty friendly with that killer.”
“How’s that?”
“Every time she thinks nobody is watching, she makes a point to go talk to him.”
Thorpe didn’t question Jed’s word. “We need to keep an eye on her.”
“What are you not telling me about that gal?” Stone asked. “I have a feeling she’s not the same sort as Lily and Isabelle.”
Thorpe and Jed exchanged a look. Thorpe figured Stone might as well know the truth. “She worked in a saloon in Kansas City. I guess you’ve noticed she’s partial to men.”
“Yeah. I had that much figured out on my own.” Stone had noticed Dora wasn’t shy about her interest in men. “After I saw you two coming back from the lake together I thought you . . .” He didn’t finish because Thorpe shook his head.
“Not interested. I hope she finally heard me that day.”
“She’s been after Mr. Thorpe from the start,” Jed teased.
Thorpe grinned at Jed. “I’m glad you think it’s funny, Jed. She’s like a dog with a bone.”
“I think she’s just lonely,” Jed said. “She wants a husband in the worst way.”
“How do you know?”
“I heard her talking to Miss Lily and Isabelle.”
“What did you say was her given name?” Stone asked.
“Love, at least that’s what she is going by now,” Thorpe answered.
Stone thought she looked familiar, but he hadn’t been able to place her. He’d seen her before, but it was a long time ago. She had quite a reputation in Kansas City. “I saw her in a saloon once and I’ve heard of her reputation.”
That news surprised Thorpe. “Really?”
“You mean you didn’t know who she was?” It’d been Stone’s experience that word of a pretty soiled dove made the rounds pretty fast in the cow towns.
“I hadn’t left Wyoming for a few years until recently.”
“Dora Love is a well-known soiled dove in Kansas City. Do you think she could be a problem with Harlow? Or do you think she knows him?”
Thorpe thought about his question. “I honestly don’t know.” Dora told them she wanted to go west to get married, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t change course if a better opportunity presented itself. And it was possible she’d met Harlow somewhere along the line.
“Why did she leave Missouri?” Stone asked.
“Like Jed said, she told us she wants a husband and she thought she’d stand a better chance of finding one out west.”
“I don’t think she would do anything to betray Miss Lily after what she’s done for her,” Jed said.
Thorpe didn’t say it aloud, but he wasn’t as convinced Dora would be as honorable as Jed expected. He hoped he was wrong. “I hope you are right about her, Jed.”
“Well, I don’t think Harlow is the marrying kind,” Stone added.
“If he is, he’d best get at it if hanging is in his future,” Thorpe commented.
* * *
Just as Jed had warned them, when they walked back to camp they saw Dora talking to Harlow. Lily and Isabelle were preparing dinner and not paying attention to the pair.
“Ma’am, as I said before, I want you to stay away from my prisoner,” Stone told her.
“It don’t hurt to be friendly,” Dora snapped.
“I realize you are just trying to be nice, but it’s just not safe.”
Lily overheard the conversation between Stone and Dora. “Dora, we could use your help.” She’d told Dora to get the blankets out for the evening and hadn’t noticed she stopped to converse with Harlow.
Lily followed Dora to the wagon to speak with her about Harlow. “Dora, please listen to Stone. He has every right to tell us to stay away from Harlow.”
“I don’t think Harlow did the things Stone said. He seems like a decent sort,” Dora replied.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s Stone’s prisoner and that’s all there is to it.”
* * *
After dinner, Thorpe went to check on the horses and Dora followed him.
When one of the horses walked her way for some attention, Dora pushed him away. “Why is that marshal so touchy about talking to Harlow?”
Thorpe stroked the horse that she’d rebuffed. He thought she’d just shown what kind of heart she had. In his estimation, she didn’t deserve Lily’s goodwill. “He knows he’s a dangerous man. He just doesn’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’ve handled men like him before. Harlow doesn’t scare me.”
Thorpe thought he would ask her straight out why she wanted to know Harlow. “Why are you so intent on keeping him company? Have you met him before?”
When she looked at him, she had a smirk on her face. “No, I’ve never met him. Are you jealous? I didn’t think you were interested.”
Thorpe stared at her. On the surface she was a pretty woman, but the more he got to know her, he found her far less attractive. “Are you wanting to take a killer into your wagon?”
“I don’t see anything wrong with talking. Harlow’s an interesting man.”
“He’s interested in using people.” Thorpe didn’t know if his words hit home. “He’s a killer. You heard what Stone said about him killing a little girl.”
“That’s what Stone said. We don’t know that for sure.”
“We’ve no reason to doubt the marshal.”
“Well, I like Harlow, and if I want to talk to him, that’s my business.” She turned and started to walk away.
“After Lily stuck her neck out for you, don’t betray her trust in you.”
Dora whipped around and glared at him. “So that’s it. You’re just concerned about Lily.”
Thorpe was surprised by her angry outburst. He looked into her eyes and he saw more than anger. He saw hate. “I don’t want any of you getting hurt.”
“Yeah, I’ll just bet you’re thinking of all of us. I’ll do what I want.”
* * *
It was a few minutes before Thorpe walked back to camp. He stopped by the wagon to grab a clean shirt and Dora was
waiting for him.
She moved within inches of him and lowered her voice. “Thorpe, I’m sorry.”
Thorpe didn’t say anything; he was waiting to see what she was going to say next.
“I think this trip is getting on my nerves.” She stared into his eyes and placed her hand on his chest. “And I guess I’m getting lonely.”
Lily was walking to the wagon to get the puppies, but she stopped when she saw Dora and Thorpe talking by her wagon. She watched as Dora ran her hand over Thorpe’s chest. It looked as though they were having an intimate encounter and she didn’t want to intrude, so she turned and walked back to the fire.
Hearing a noise, Thorpe glanced around and caught a brief glimpse of Lily walking away. He guessed Lily saw them together, and probably saw Dora’s hands all over him. He looked at Dora, wanting to put an end to whatever was on her mind. “Just stay away from Harlow.” He forgot about his clean shirt and hurried toward the campfire. Isabelle was there, but he didn’t see Lily. He wanted to tell her about the killers he saw that morning, and to explain the encounter with Dora.
“Where’s Lily?”
“She said she didn’t feel well so she went to lie down in my wagon. She said she would take the second watch with Jed. I volunteered to stay up with Jed, but you know how she is. Plain stubborn. She’d insist on taking watch if she was half dead.”
Christmas at Dove Creek Page 10
