“Sure. I’ll bring you a cup when it’s hot.”
Harlow winked at her. “Thank you, honey. It gets cold sitting here doing nothing, but I know what I’d like to be doing to stay warm.”
“Shhh,” Dora whispered. “Someone will hear you.”
Once the coffee was hot, Dora took a cup to Harlow. She leaned over to speak to him quietly. “Are you telling the truth about that money?”
“Yes, there could even be more than I think. You know we could have a lot of fun, honey.”
Dora heard footsteps so she hurried back to the fire. Thorpe and Lily appeared by the fire at same time.
“The biscuits are warm and I put some bacon on them,” Dora told them.
“Where’s Isabelle?” Lily asked.
“She’s lying down until we leave. I don’t think she’s feeling well.”
Lily took her cup of coffee and walked to Isabelle’s wagon. “Isabelle, are you awake?”
“Yes, come in.”
After she climbed into the wagon, Lily was surprised by Isabelle’s pale face. “You want some coffee?”
“No, I had some earlier. I’m just so tired.” Isabelle opened her coat and looked at Lily. “Just look at me! I can’t even fasten my coat now. All of a sudden it seems like I just exploded. And I’m tired all of the time.”
Hating to agree with her, Lily had to admit that she did look huge. “Well, you are due in less than two months, so I think that’s normal.” She had no idea what normal was, but she wanted to comfort Isabelle. It was unimaginable how she would cope in Isabelle’s position traveling in that blasted wagon all day while carrying a baby.
“I feel like the baby is kicking my ribs out of my body.”
Lily wished they had someone with them that had helped birth a baby before in case this one decided to come early. “I think it’s an encouraging sign that he’s so active.”
“You said he. Do you think it will be a boy?”
“Oh my, I have no idea. But I’ve always heard that boys are active.” It seemed like she’d heard that somewhere. “Do you want a boy?”
“I think his father would like that.” Isabelle wondered if her soldier, Ethan Horn, would prefer a baby boy. She’d thought of nothing else but Ethan for months now. They’d only been intimate the one time, but she’d carried the wonderful memory of that night in her heart. Ethan was so dashing in his uniform, and he’d promised he would marry her upon his return. How could she resist the handsome soldier who proclaimed his love before he departed for Fort Steele? A baby was the last thing on her mind during those passionate hours she’d spent in his arms. The next morning Ethan left for Wyoming with sweet promises for the future. Weeks later, when her morning sickness started, she knew their special night had produced a child. She was frightened, and too embarrassed to reveal the truth to anyone. She hadn’t received a single letter from Ethan. She told herself that once he saw she was with child, he would do the honorable thing and marry her. Surely, he would be pleased to have a son.
“You’ve never told me the father’s name,” Lily said.
“Ethan Horn.”
“You could name the babe after him. I’m sure any man would be pleased to have a son to carry his name.”
Isabelle’s face twisted like she was in pain, and she started sobbing loudly.
“What is it, Isabelle? Are you hurting?” Lily moved to her side and hugged her. “Tell me.”
“I’m so ashamed,” Isabelle said. “I don’t even know if Ethan wants me. I haven’t heard from him since that one night we were together.”
Lily was stunned at her revelation. The poor girl had to be scared to death. “Of course he wants you. Didn’t you know him a long time?” Lily couldn’t imagine a man not wanting anyone as sweet as Isabelle.
Isabelle shook her head from side to side. “No, we hadn’t known each other very long before . . . before . . . you know.” She tried to wipe her tears away, but they continued to fall. “Mother warned me not to give myself before marriage and I didn’t listen. She was so disappointed in me when I told them of my condition.”
Lily assumed that Isabelle and her soldier had known each other for years. She wasn’t sure what she should say, but she wanted to reassure her. “I’m sure Ethan wants you. As soon as he sees you, he will want this baby.”
“But he hasn’t written one letter. He told me when he came back to Missouri we would marry. He was so handsome and he said such sweet things to me,” Isabelle wailed.
“Shhh, don’t you worry. I’m sure he is an honorable man.” Lily thought he’d better be an honorable man or there might be a shotgun wedding. Following that thought, she wondered if Isabelle’s soldier might have found someone new. What would she do then?
“I believed him, but when he didn’t write, I didn’t know what to think. I’m such a terrible person for allowing this to happen. My father told me he never wanted to see my face again and Mother agreed with him. I had to leave my home and I will never see my family again.”
“Stop that right now. You are not terrible! You simply allowed your emotions to take charge.” Lily wasn’t speaking from experience; she’d never been tempted by any man. Lily’s mother had also warned her not to be with a man outside the bounds of matrimony, or she might end up in Isabelle’s predicament. Her thoughts drifted to Thorpe. What if he pursued her? Would she be strong enough to avoid temptation with him? Would her parents have disowned her if she was in Isabelle’s condition? No, they were much more loving and forgiving. She didn’t understand people that would turn their daughter away for such a transgression, particularly in her time of need.
Isabelle collected her emotions and dried her face on her skirt. “I guess we’d best get ready to leave.”
“Do you feel up to traveling?” Lily didn’t want her to be miserable and they could depart a bit later if necessary.
“Yes. It doesn’t help to sit in here and cry. What’s done is done.”
* * *
Sitting by the fire, Thorpe drank his coffee and tried to calm down so his head would stop throbbing. He glanced over at Harlow drinking his coffee with a smug look on his face. Typically, the man was flapping his jaws about something, but right now he was unusually quiet. And Dora was acting strangely, too. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something different about her. Maybe it was because she wasn’t flirting with him or Harlow. Whatever was going on, it was nice to sit there for a minute in peace and quiet. But every time he thought about Lily’s ill-conceived adventure this morning, he found himself getting upset all over again. It was inexplicable why she would put herself in danger. He understood she thought she could defend herself, and maybe she could under most circumstances, but not against so many men. He didn’t even want to think about what would have happened if those killers got their hands on her.
When he’d calmed down somewhat, he realized he shouldn’t have been so gruff with her and he should probably apologize. But he’d for darn sure wouldn’t apologize today. As much as he hated to admit it, he’d been frightened, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt that way. Not even Indians shooting arrows at him scared him like that. Until he saw that she was not harmed, he felt like his heart was going to pound out of his chest. A man didn’t like to admit that he couldn’t protect a woman. And Lily was making it darn tough to protect her. He’d be glad to get these people to the fort, and he prayed he could live up to his word that they would all arrive safe and sound. Then he could go home. With all that had happened over the last six months, Dove Creek sounded like paradise to him. The sooner he got there, the better.
Chapter Twelve
Dora wanted to believe Bryce Harlow when he said he didn’t kill those people on that stagecoach. If he was telling the truth, he shouldn’t hang if all he did was ride with the gang and take the money. All she could think about was that thirty thousand dollars. She couldn’t imagine that much money, and she’d spent the entire day wondering how heavy thirty thousand dollars woul
d be. Not that she was thinking of finding it by herself. Even if she thought she could find it by herself, she couldn’t make it out here in the wild.
Bryce was going to need her help if he was going to go free. She liked Bryce and she knew she would have an exciting time with a man like him. He was handsome, maybe even as handsome as Thorpe Turlow. The marshal said Bryce was an educated man, and he’d certainly been smart enough to hide all that money from his partners. Bryce had told her his friends would come for him, and he said they wouldn’t hesitate to kill everyone, and she didn’t want that. Not to mention, if the gang came for him, the money would be split between them, and Bryce’s share wouldn’t last long. If they left before his partners showed up, they’d have all of that money for themselves. And she’d never been to Mexico. That much money could buy them a beautiful spread and she’d have everything she’d always wanted.
The way she looked at it, there were no guarantees that she’d find a husband in Wyoming, and she couldn’t work in a saloon forever. Women that aged working in a saloon didn’t come to a pleasant end. What would happen when she got old and no one wanted to pay for her time? What would she do then? She wondered if Bryce was the kind of man who would stay with her, or if he would take off after a while. She’d just have to make sure he didn’t want to go anywhere. That shouldn’t be too difficult since she had spent her life pleasing men.
* * *
Thorpe was carrying his saddle to his horse when Lily climbed from the wagon with Isabelle behind her. He reached up to help Isabelle to the ground. “Why is Dora being so agreeable?”
“Maybe she likes you,” Lily quipped.
Thorpe frowned at her. “I’m serious. Haven’t you noticed a change in her attitude today?”
“I think she took some of her tonic. She’s always in a more agreeable mood when she’s had a dose. I don’t know what’s in that medicine, but it must work. She asked me if I wanted some, but I wasn’t sure I should take it in my condition,” Isabelle said.
“No, I don’t think you should,” Lily agreed. She didn’t know what was in Dora’s tonic either, but she didn’t think it wise for Isabelle to take a chance if it could be harmful for her baby. “You need to think of the baby right now.”
“I just hope she listens to Stone and stays away from Harlow.” Thorpe walked away thinking about Dora’s tonic. He’d bet some spirits were included in her medicine because he’d noticed her eyes looking glassy on more than one occasion.
* * *
They’d ridden several days and Harlow’s gang did not appear. Each day they expected the gang to make their move, but nothing happened. Thorpe lagged behind most days to see if the gang was getting closer. He figured they would keep a respectable distance so no one would be the wiser when they attacked. He wasn’t too far from the wagons today when he heard a shrill whistle. Racing to the wagons, he saw Stone waving to him from the front wagon.
Thorpe rode up beside the wagon where Stone was riding with Isabelle. “What is it?”
“Thought you might want to see this before we got too close.”
Thorpe looked to where Stone was pointing and saw four wagons off the trail ahead of them. “Did you see those when you came this way?”
“No. I didn’t get on this trail until just a few days before the attack. I never liked this trail—too open for peace of mind.”
Thorpe agreed with Stone on that score. Trees were scarce and they were pretty much out in the open now. “Stay here. I’ll ride ahead and see what’s going on.” Before Thorpe reached the wagons, Lily rode up beside him. “You should have waited with the others.”
“You didn’t want me riding off alone. Why should you do the same thing?”
“Miss Lily, I’m learning you are one hardheaded woman. To answer your question, I don’t think Harlow’s gang would hardly be as happy to capture me as they would to have you.”
She had no reply.
They dismounted and walked to the first wagon. No one was moving about, not even animals, so Thorpe looked inside the wagon. “They left a lot of things behind.”
“Thorpe.”
Thorpe turned to Lily and she pointed to an area away from the wagons. He saw five crosses lined up in a row.
Lily looked inside the wagon. “This is Mr. and Mrs. Craig’s wagon. I recognize their things.”
“They may have been ill and the other folks left them behind. That’s probably why nothing was taken.” Thorpe walked to the other wagons and the next two were much like the first with all manner of items left intact as if they’d just stopped for the night. He walked to the last wagon and found what was left of a body lying half out of the wagon. The man had been dead for a long time and the animals had gotten to him. “Lily, don’t come back here.” He didn’t want her to see a sight that was difficult for him to handle. Thorpe figured the man had buried the five people before he succumbed to whatever had caused their deaths. The man probably knew he was going to die and freed the animals that had been pulling the wagons. It was sad that the man had to die alone after burying his friends.
Not knowing what disease the man might have carried, Thorpe didn’t want to endanger the women by touching the man to bury him. There wasn’t much left of the body, so he thought the kindest thing to do was to burn the wagon with the man. He struck a match and held it to the canvas top. “Lily, don’t touch anything.” When the fire took hold, he walked to the other wagons and set them ablaze.
“What was it, Thorpe?”
“The last man didn’t get buried. I’m not sure what killed them, so I decided to burn the wagons. If it had been an attack, items would have been taken. Let’s get out of here and stay clear.”
Lily didn’t question him further. She knew he was trying to spare her from seeing something she wouldn’t soon forget. “I’m sorry for them. I hope they didn’t suffer long.”
Thorpe thought she was being very gracious considering those people hadn’t wanted her group to travel with them. “I’m glad you didn’t go with them.” He didn’t like the thought that he could have found Lily on the side of the trail.
Lily looked at him. She wondered if he said that because of Dora, but she didn’t ask.
* * *
That night while they waited for their dinner to cook, Thorpe explained why he burned the wagons.
“They got what they deserved, if you ask me,” Dora said.
“No one deserves to die out in the middle of nowhere with no help on the way,” Lily said.
“They said they was God-fearing people, so why did your God let this happen to them?” Dora asked.
“Dora, we may not have all of the answers about why things like this happen, but that doesn’t mean we should lose faith, or blame God when things go wrong,” Lily said. The one thing she’d learned about Dora was her mind was made up about God and she wasn’t inclined to change.
“Dora, haven’t you ever done something that you knew you shouldn’t, but you went ahead and did it anyway?” Isabelle asked.
“I’ve always done what I wanted,” Dora said.
“But it doesn’t mean you were doing the right thing. I don’t think you would want to be judged by the things you’ve done wrong. I know I wouldn’t want to be,” Isabelle said.
Dora didn’t respond and Isabelle continued. “Maybe that’s why you’ve never been happy. You’ve never given God a chance to work in your life. It doesn’t mean that God is responsible when things don’t turn out the way you want, especially if you are doing things you shouldn’t. Believe me, we all must take responsibilities for our own actions, right or wrong.” Isabelle knew what she was talking about. She didn’t want to be judged by her mistakes, and she certainly didn’t blame God for her situation. It was her choice to do the things that she did.
“We shouldn’t be so quick to judge anyone,” Lily said.
“Like I told Jed, you people preach too much.” Dora turned and walked away.
“That’s what’s really wrong with Miss Dora. She don’
t want to let God in her life,” Jed told them.
Stone overhead the conversation and thought Isabelle was wise beyond her years. “Miss Isabelle, you make a lot of sense. Too bad she doesn’t want to listen.”
“My pa was a preacher and a lot of what he had to say made sense. He probably wouldn’t believe this, considering my condition, but I did listen.”
Lily thought about what Isabelle said about her father. The man certainly didn’t practice forgiveness. It was inconceivable to her how a preacher could turn his back on his daughter and demand she leave her family home in her situation. She had a notion that one day Isabelle’s father was going to regret his decision. If not, he was going to miss out on a sweet grandchild.
Stone didn’t know what had transpired between Isabelle and her father, but he heard the heartache in her voice. He’d had the pleasure of driving Isabelle’s wagon today since Jed had been kind enough to put up with Harlow on his wagon. Jed figured Stone could use a break from Harlow’s smart mouth. Stone was truly grateful for the reprieve; it was a pleasure to have Isabelle to converse with all day. As much as he wanted Harlow to tell him where he hid that money from the stagecoach robbery, he couldn’t take much more of his attitude and his bellyaching.
Talking to Isabelle made him feel normal, something he’d missed riding the territory chasing outlaws. In his estimation, Isabelle was a remarkable woman. Not once did she complain or ask to stop on the trail. He didn’t think there were many women in her condition that would have ridden that many miles without being cantankerous at the very least. But she asked for no special consideration. He noticed she could no longer button her coat, so he gave her a blanket when the temperatures started dropping later in the day.
He’d given a lot of thought to her situation, and he admired her for her courage to travel to Wyoming to find the soldier and hold him responsible. But if that soldier had some character, he would have married Isabelle once he’d bedded her, if not before. She was young and not what he would call worldly, and he figured that soldier had taken advantage of her naiveté. Before the day had ended, Stone vowed to himself that he would make sure that soldier did the right thing by this lovely young woman.
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