by Jae
The door of the bunkhouse fell closed behind Nora. She gathered her skirts with one hand, lifted the lantern with the other, and marched toward the pigpen.
When she walked closer, the circle of light fell on Frankie, who sat on the corral rail and whittled away on a piece of wood.
Luke also did that to while away time or to calm herself. Nora slid her gaze over Frankie and found more similarities: the strength in the tanned hands, the confidence of her movements, and the respect in her eyes when she looked at Nora. Did Tess fall in love with her because she's a bit like Luke?
Sometimes, Nora suspected that Tess and Luke had shared more than friendship, more than their bodies. Not that she could blame Tess if it was true. She, too, had been helpless to stop herself from falling in love with Luke.
But then Frankie slid down from the corral rail. While Luke would have jumped and landed in a wide stance, Frankie climbed down with light-footed elegance. She had changed back into a pair of pants, but the way she moved reminded Nora of the dress Frankie wore to supper.
She has some things in common with Luke, but in others, she's very different. Nora wondered what Luke made of her.
"You know, you could have let Hank and the other boys deal with Adam," Nora said. "You must be exhausted after traveling for so long. You don't have to stand guard in front of a pigpen."
"I don't mind. I'm used to it." A grin tugged at Frankie's lips. "Well, maybe not to the pigpen being used as a cell, but I've guarded prisoners many times before."
Nora studied her. Luke and she had thought Luke's disguise was what enabled them to live their lives the way they wanted. But Frankie did what she wanted too, without pretending to be a man. "And the men just let you do that?" Nora asked.
Frankie walked closer. "The trick is not to wait for permission. After I've already done it, they can protest all they want."
That meant Frankie went off on her own, without any help if things got out of hand. "And when you investigate a case, you don't take Tess with you?"
"Not in the beginning. When we first met, I saw Tess only a few times a year, whenever I got back to Independence. But then we... grew closer, and just visiting every once in a while wasn't enough."
Nora understood. Being separated from Luke for just two months left an empty place inside of her that couldn't be filled by focusing on teaching, working the ranch, or helping her daughters. "So Tess goes wherever you go?"
"I tried to leave her behind once, telling her I would return as soon as I caught the arsonist who set fire to a railroad bridge. Tess would have none of it. She said if it's too dangerous for her, then it's too dangerous for me." Frankie threw away her piece of wood. "And she's right. She's pretty good with that little revolver of hers, and she can handle a rifle as well as I can. She doesn't panic in dangerous situations, so who am I to tell her to stay behind while I go off risking my life alone?"
"Interesting," Nora murmured, more to herself. "I never thought of accompanying Luke to Fort Boise. Maybe I should have. Maybe we have fallen into our roles as husband and wife too quickly, because that's what people think we are."
Frankie's calm gaze rested on her. "You found a living arrangement that works for you, but Tess and I both live as women, so we have to constantly negotiate our roles and can't take anything for granted."
Nora knew she would lie awake tonight, thinking about her role in life. But for now, she was here and taking care of the ranch was her responsibility — and that included Adam. The lantern in her fist swung back and forth as she pointed at the pigpen. "Adam is in there?"
"It has a sturdy bolt, and Hank said the pigs like to bite."
Nora lifted an eyebrow at her.
Frankie grinned. "All right, all right. We put the pigs in the paddock before we locked Adam in there."
"Good." Nora gave a decisive nod. "Wouldn't want to subject the poor animals to such company. That man hit me over the head, not caring if I lived or died, and he set fire to a barn full of horses. Is he still tied up?"
"His hands are bound. Why?"
"Because I want to talk to him." Nora knew she wouldn't be able to sleep before she had faced Adam. Maybe it would help her understand why he had nearly killed her and the horses and why he was still lurking about on their land. She laid her hand on the bolt and prepared to slide it back. "Keep that rifle ready, please, in case he gets any ideas."
Maybe living with Tess had taught Frankie not to stand in the way of a determined woman. She nodded and shifted her rifle.
Nora pulled back the bolt and opened the door.
Adam rushed forward, his bound hands raised.
"Nora!" Frankie shouted and cocked her rifle. "Get back!"
Instead of jumping back to let Frankie deal with him, Nora stood her ground. When Adam was almost upon her, she kicked out.
Her boot hit Adam between the legs.
With a groan, he fell back and sank into the straw.
Nora coldly stared at him. "You still haven't learned not to mess with the Hamilton women, have you? You should know by now that we can defend ourselves."
"Oh, yeah?" Adam gasped out. He rolled to his side, still clutching himself. "Messing with Amy was easy. I kicked her pretty good. I was this close to putting a bullet in her head."
"What?" Nora whirled around to face Frankie. "What's he talking about? What happened with Amy?"
"Nothing happened to her," Frankie said, her voice soothing.
"But if you hadn't been there..." Nora didn't finish her sentence. She didn't want to imagine what might have happened to Amy, alone out there on the range. The gleam in Adam's eyes told her enough.
Bile rose in her throat, and she had to swallow before she could talk. "Lock him back up before I take that rifle out of your hands and shoot him. When you bring him to Oregon City tomorrow, make sure you tell the judge every little detail of what he's done."
Dizzy with anger and fear, she somehow made it back to the main house. The silence in the parlor engulfed her, leaving too much room for her own thoughts, for the images of what Adam might have done to Amy.
Her footfalls on the stairs thudded along with her heart. With a single knock on the door, she entered Amy's room.
When the light of the lantern fell on two figures in the bed, Nora remembered that Hendrika was staying in Amy's room too.
Amy opened her eyes and blinked into the sudden light. She jumped out of bed as if she had done something wrong. Was she feeling guilty for not telling Nora about Adam attacking her?
Well, she should.
Then Amy clutched her side, and Nora's anger drained away, leaving only concern.
"Amy! You're hurt?" With trembling hands, she directed Amy to sit on the edge of the bed. "Where? How bad is it? Why didn't you tell me?"
Was Amy imitating her "papa"? When Luke was sick or hurt, she hid it or pretended it was nothing. Going to the doctor or letting anyone but Nora see her injuries would threaten Luke's life in a way even most sicknesses couldn't. Was Amy now acting the same way because that's what she had seen from Luke growing up?
"Mama, I'm fine."
"Show me," Nora said.
Hendrika sat up in bed. "She's fine, Mrs. Hamilton."
Nora looked away from Amy and met Hendrika's gaze.
"I examined her earlier. Two of her ribs are bruised, but that's all."
So at least Amy had told Hendrika and let her make sure she was fine. Some of the tension in Nora's body faded. Still, it felt strange not to be the one to take care of Amy's scrapes and injuries any longer. She's a grown woman now. She doesn't want to come running to her mama every time she gets hurt.
She didn't miss the grateful glance Amy directed at Hendrika and the gentle smile she received in return. They're becoming friends, Nora realized. It was what she had hoped for and why she encouraged them to share a room. Amy had so few friends.
"Let me see, please." She had to see with her own eyes that Amy was fine. When Amy pulled up her nightshirt, Nora's breath caught. Ange
r simmered until she thought steam would come out of her ears. She wanted to march right back to the pigpen and kick Adam again. Hard.
Careful not to put any pressure on Amy's ribs, she slid her arms around her and hugged Amy. Her eyes fluttered closed when she felt Amy's sturdy body rest against her. "You need to be more careful," she whispered. "Your father and I couldn't stand it if something happened to you or Nattie."
Amy trembled against her.
"What else did Adam do? Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"No, I'm fine. He just kicked me, but I hit him a few times too, just like Papa taught us." Amy stopped trembling. She straightened and looked at Nora with a proud gleam in her eyes. Then she swallowed. "Don't tell Papa, please. I don't want him to worry or think that I can't take care of myself."
"Your father and I promised each other that we'd never keep secrets from each other," Nora said. "You wouldn't want me to break that promise, would you?" She brushed a stubborn lock out of Amy's face.
Amy shook her head.
"Please promise me you'll never try to keep something like this from me again," Nora said. She kept her gaze on Amy's. "I know you just wanted to protect me, but risking your health is not the way to do that."
Bare feet shuffled over the floorboards. "I promise."
"Thank you. I'll let you two get some sleep now, but we'll talk more about this tomorrow." For now, it was enough to know Amy was all right, but tomorrow she would want the details of what had happened. She kissed Amy's cheek, then leaned across the bed and kissed Hendrika's cheek too. "Thank you for taking care of her."
Long lashes blinked up at her. "Uh... You're welcome."
Nora smiled. "Goodnight."
Keeney Pass, Oregon
May 24, 1868
LUKE'S GAZE SWEPT over the hills and mountains on both sides of them. Up ahead, two long, parallel lines wound through the straw-colored grass — ruts that thousands of wagons had carved into the ground as they made their way through the Keeney Pass.
It was the only sign of humans in the area. Just the creaking of their saddles interrupted the rustling of the wind through the long grass. They were alone in the pass.
Still, the little hairs on the back of Luke's neck prickled. She kept the hand that didn't hold the reins close to her rifle.
"You all right, boss?" Phin directed his gelding next to Luke's. Side by side, the horses marched up the steady incline.
"Yeah." Her gaze wandered over the hills. "But I'll feel better once we have a few more miles between us and Fort Boise."
Phin studied her. "It's been two days since we left the fort. By the time they let those three bastards out of their cells, we'll be long gone."
That was what Sergeant Johnson had promised them. The three soldiers had been in trouble before, and this time, they wouldn't get away with a few extra duties. They'd be facing a formal hearing, and the sergeant would read Luke's statement. "I don't trust Kelling. I have a feeling he's doing a lot of things without his superiors' knowledge, and if he's out to take revenge on me..."
Phin adjusted the scabbard on his saddle, making sure his rifle was within easy reach. "We better keep an eye out for trouble."
* * *
Warm lips moved over Luke's. They breathed little kisses over her cheek; then gentle teeth bit down on her earlobe.
Luke moaned. "Mmm, Nora." She stretched her neck to give Nora easier access.
A trail of hot kisses wandered down her neck, sending shivers of delight down her body. The caressing lips stopped when they encountered a barrier — Luke's shirt. Dazed, Luke took her hands from the familiar curves of Nora's body and reached up to open the shirt.
"No." Nora's breath brushed over Luke's collarbone. "Lie still and let me do this."
When Luke sank back, Nora opened the top button of her shirt. She pressed her lips to the bare skin, then moved her fingers to the next button. The fabric of the shirt fell open under Nora's eager fingers.
Teasing nails scraped over the bandages that bound Luke's chest.
Luke arched her back.
"Open your eyes," Nora said. "Open your eyes, Luke."
Luke opened her eyes.
Instead of the enchanting green of Nora's eyes, her gaze found the hazy gray light of dawn. Luke blinked. She lifted her hands and touched her shirt.
All the buttons were closed.
Luke rubbed her hand over her chest, feeling Nora's elusive touch. A breath of longing escaped her. Nora wasn't there. She was still three hundred and fifty miles away.
Going back to sleep was impossible now. She might as well get up and see if Phin had put on some coffee.
She was about to throw off her blanket and sit up, but her instincts stopped her. Something didn't feel right. Not moving, she listened to the sounds around her and peered through half-closed lids into the gray light.
Phin, who had the last watch, sat next to the fire, drawing lazy patterns in the ashes with a stick. To her left, a staccato of snores indicated that Charlie was still asleep.
Her gaze wandered to the horses.
Dancer stood with his head held high. His ears flicked in every direction as if trying to pinpoint the source of a sound.
Cold fear gripped Luke.
Someone was out there, watching them.
Luke slid her hand under the blanket. The worn wooden grip of her revolver felt soothing against her fingers. Without a sound, she slid the weapon out of its holster.
A snort from one of the horses interrupted the silence between two of Charlie's snores.
Phin's head jerked up.
Luke tensed her muscles, ready to jump up. Her gaze darted around.
Shadows moved at the edge of their camp.
A shot shattered the morning's peace.
Luke rolled to her left, away from the fire.
More shots. A bullet scratched along the saddle she'd used as a pillow, raining tiny pieces of leather down on her.
Two men ran up the hill toward her.
Where's Phin?
No time to look around. She got to her feet and squeezed off two quick shots, forcing the attackers to stop their fast approach. With her free hand, she grabbed the still half-asleep Charlie and dragged him with her. Her searching eyes found no cover.
Their only chance was to run down the other side of the hill, out of reach of their attacker's weapons, and then shoot them as soon as the two men crested the hill.
"Come on, Charlie!" She raced toward the crest of the hill, stopping to take a shot at the men following them whenever they came too close.
A bullet smashed into Charlie's leg.
He cried out and fell.
Luke whirled around, her revolver raised. She crouched down next to Charlie and tried to get him up.
"Go!" Charlie waved her away. "Get out of here before they shoot you too!"
Running footsteps came closer.
"Stay down," Luke hissed. She refused to leave Charlie, who didn't even have a weapon.
A flash from a muzzle lit up the semi-darkness.
Luke dived to her belly and squeezed the trigger, aiming for the shadowy shape behind the flash.
With a gurgling scream, the man went down.
Where's his friend? Luke squinted into the gray half-light.
There!
Behind his fallen friend, the second man swung up his revolver and aimed at Luke.
Luke squeezed the trigger again.
Click.
The hammer fell on an empty chamber.
Luke looked into the grinning face of Bill Walters. "Bet you wish you hadn't interrupted our bit of fun now," he said, walking closer.
The muzzle of his revolver pointed right at Luke.
"Forcing yourself on a woman is not a 'bit of fun.'" Luke glared at him. "You are a soldier. Where's your sense of honor?"
"I'm no longer a soldier, thanks to you." Hatred blazed in his eyes. He pulled back the hammer of his revolver with a resounding click.
Sweat trickled down Luke's back. S
he tensed her muscles, even knowing that she couldn't outrun a bullet. She would be dead before she made it to her feet.
The moment when he squeezed the trigger was telegraphed in Walters's eyes.
Luke rolled to the left, but the booming shot rang out sooner than she expected.
