Harv nodded his agreement. "He's got plenty to worry about. Plenty to lose. Just hope he gets there in time. You won't be too far behind him, yourself."
Tom turned the horse to go. "Sounds like you been doin' some heavy thinkin' Harvey. Maybe come to realize forty-one ain't so ancient after all." He looked at Travis. "Trav, you watch out for this ol' man, here."
Travis nodded. "Take care, Tom. God willin', we'll meet up with you back at the cabin."
Chapter Thirty
Tori took a steadying breath and gently freed her wrist from Lily's tight grip.
"It's all right, Lily." For now. But how long would it last? The pigs had scattered at the sound of nearby gunfire, but Fallon's men had spotted her and Lily. It was only a matter of time until Perrin and Sykes returned for them.
She and Lily were sitting ducks in this tree. They needed to find another hiding place. She swayed with weariness.
Oh Mama, Mama. Please help me!
"Tori?" Lily's eyes were wide and worried.
Tori reached to pat her leg, the closest place she could reach now that Lily had shifted on the branch. "We've got to get down from here and find another place."
"I know. Those men saw us."
Tori nodded. "Yes."
Lily sighed. She peered through the slowly clearing fog. "I wish he'd come."
"Who?"
Lily shook her head and didn't answer, and Tori realized belatedly that Lily was thinking once more about her dream.
"I'll go down first, Lily, and you follow."
"I can climb down, Tori," Lily said. She cocked her head. "Remember, I climbed up here by myself."
"Yes, but—"
Tori's protest faded as Lily stubbornly began her descent, and there was nothing she could do but caution Lily to be careful. The branches were smooth and slippery, and climbing down did not seem nearly as easy as when they'd gone up.
"Oh!" Lily stopped her downward journey, her eyes transfixed on something.
Tori twisted awkwardly to see what she was looking at, but her view was blocked.
"You came!" Lily's worshipful voice carried on the cool misty breeze, like a cloud floating past Tori. Had she heard her sister correctly? Who came?
Tori took another step downward, just as Lily's fingers slipped from the smooth wet branch, and her sister plunged through the remaining limbs.
"Aaaaiiee!"
The stranger rushed forward the last few steps, sidestepping the dead boar, anxiety written across his features as he ran to catch her sister.
He reached out at the last instant, catching Lily in his arms. Tori gasped, her eyes wide, as she waited for the worst. But the man prevented it, and he stood motionless, looking into Lily's dirty elfin face, her jewel blue eyes gazing up at him adoringly.
"Prince Charming," Lily whispered, her arms twining round his neck as her lungs began to function again.
"Lily! Oh, Lily, are you all right?" Tori climbed down to the lowest limb where she sat, eye level with the handsome blond lawman who had just saved her little sister's life.
As her eyes met his, she felt as if the breathless Lily had nothing on her. The air went out of her own lungs as swiftly and as joltingly as Lily's had on her downward flight through the tree limbs.
"This is my sister," she heard Lily say. "Victoria Kramer. I'm Lily."
"I'm uh—" The marshal took a deep breath and Lily giggled.
"We already know who you are," she chattered on, seemingly recovered from her unexpected fall. "You're Prince Charming. And you're going to marry my sister."
"Lily!"
The young lawman tore his gaze from Tori and looked down at the precocious child in his arms, as if he wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. "I—what?"
"But first, we have to get out of here," Lily said, not noticing Tori's embarrassed shock at her pronouncement, "before they come back."
The lawman set her down and reached up to help Tori down from the tree. "They ain't comin' back," he said roughly.
"Thank you," Tori murmured shyly as he put her on solid ground.
"I'm Frank Hayes, ma'am. U.S. Deputy Marshal. You know how to ride a horse?" His voice was gravelly.
Tori nodded.
"Well, let's get you up in the saddle." He boosted Tori up, then picked Lily up and settled her in front of Tori.
Tori let her breath go slowly. Safe, at last.
* * * * *
The air was wet and cool, and Frank felt Tori shiver against him.
He stopped long enough to get his blanket out and wrap it around her and Lily, apologizing for not offering them his rain slicker. Being yellow, it would be too easily spotted.
Tori had gratefully accepted the blanket, but not without asking, "What about you? You must be cold, too. And hungry."
"I'll be all right, ma'am," he'd said, feeling suddenly warm and content at the concern in her voice. She raised her cornflower blue eyes to his, and he felt as if he were lying on his back in a green field, looking at an endless summer sky. He took a deep breath. He felt like he could do damn near anything right now. He was somebody's hero, at last.
He'd ridden behind Tori and Lily for a while, but as they climbed the trail up into the nearby foothills, the ground became more treacherous. He got down and walked, leading the horse by the reins.
When they finally reached a level plateau, Frank stopped and tied the horse to a scraggly scrub beside a boulder that was nearly as tall as he was. He reached up for Lily, then helped Tori dismount. His roughened hands lingered over hers longer than was polite, and he was caught up in her smile, as if there were no more shadows or fog, but a bright sunny day in the light of her sweet expression.
"Can we build a fire?" Lily asked.
Regretfully, he shook his head. "No. Not unless you want to bring the rest of Andrew Fallon's men on up here for supper."
Lily shook her head. "No, sir. I'd rather be cold forever."
Frank smiled. "You ain't gonna be cold forever, Miss Lil. It only seems like forever when you're cold."
"And hungry."
"Well, I bet I can fix that. Can't shoot any game, cause then Fallon's men would know we're here. An' we couldn't cook it even if we shot it. But—" He reached into his saddlebags and knelt down eye-level with the child, "I do happen to have some wonderful, delicious, nearly fresh-tastin' hardtack you could gnaw on if you like."
He turned to Tori and she bathed him in the warmth of her smile again. "I might have another piece or two of that elegant fare in my bag, Miss Kramer."
"Thank you." She reached for the food, then stopped as her hand rested on his. "What about you? What will you eat, Frank?"
Not 'Mr. Hayes'. Not 'Marshal'. Frank. His throat tightened.
"I-I've got uh, more… a couple more of those in the uh, in my saddlebag."
Only then did Tori accept the food. "Will you come sit down and eat supper with us, Frank?"
It was then that Frank Hayes believed Lily. He was going to marry her sister. If for no other reason than he liked the way she invited him to supper as if she were serving a five course meal on a fine white tablecloth rather than sitting in the mud around a dirty boulder. He loved Victoria Kramer more in that moment than he'd ever known he could love anything or anyone.
"I'd be honored," he said. He'd never realized just how wonderful hardtack could taste.
Chapter Thirty-One
Forty-five minutes later, Travis and Harv rode into Frank's impromptu campsite, unchallenged. Travis dismounted and stretched his back muscles as Frank watched from where he leaned against the boulder. "Travis. Harv."
"You didn't cover your tracks," Travis said, giving him a wary look.
"Didn't aim to, Trav. If my friends followed, there'd be no cause for concern. I've watched you workin' your way up here for the past twenty minutes." He gestured at the view of the trail through the trees. "Easier to see a ways, now that this fog's clearin' up."
"And if Fallon's men had followed?" Trav asked curtly.
F
rank grinned. "I'm damn tired, Trav. Gotta sleep sometime. If Fallon's men had followed, then I'd've picked 'em off right through yonder." He patted the Sharps carbine in his saddle holster. "Might've discouraged the rest of 'em from tryin'."
"You okay, boy?" Harv took a step closer to Frank.
"Well, sure. What did you think? Why wouldn't I be?"
"Found a dead razorback hog down there. Looks like he might've been sick. Might have hydrophobia. He didn't cut you, did he?"
"He was dead already," Lily said, as she and Tori emerged from the woods.
"Well, hello, little Miss." Harv smiled. He tipped his hat to Tori. "Miss."
"How do you do?" Tori said, nudging Lily.
"How do?" Lily said.
Harv chuckled. "This is a welcome turn of events. You girls all right?"
"Oh, yes. We were in the tree and I fell, but Prince Ch—uh, Marshal Hayes, rescued us," Lily said.
Harv nodded. "Frank's a good one to have around," he said, a twinkle in his eye.
Travis laid a hand on Frank's shoulder. "Sure you're all right?"
"I'm fine, Travis. That hog was already dead, and I never touched him."
"What happened to Jack?" Harv asked. "Last I saw, you two was together."
Frank glanced at Tori. "Tori, would you and Lily excuse us?"
"Of course. We'll just stretch our legs a little."
"Don't go far," he said quickly.
Frank turned to the other two men, unsure of what to say. He'd never had to tell someone a friend was dead. It must have been written plainly on his face, because instantly, he saw that Harv knew.
"How?" Harv asked.
Frank didn't answer. Instead, he laid a firm hand on Travis' shoulder. Slowly, Travis turned to meet his solemn expression. "Come sit with us, Trav. I don't want to have to tell this twice."
Travis swallowed hard, then followed Frank over to where Harv leaned against a tree.
Frank told the story straight, from the time he and Jack had seen Perrin and Sykes, and the girls, to the finish. Harv listened silently, making no comment as Frank spoke, his eyes bleak. Travis squatted, unmoving, his gaze fixed on the trail below.
"I pulled my carbine up and shot Thompson in the chest, through the heart, an' then I-I—" Frank's voice cracked and he squeezed his eyes shut, seeing it all again.
"Shot him again?" Travis murmured after a few seconds had passed.
Frank nodded. "I shot that bastard right between the eyes." His voice shook with anger, and with the full realization that he had killed a man. "You ever kill anybody, Travis?" Frank lifted his head suddenly to look at the man beside him. Without waiting for a response, he turned to Harv. "You? You ever kill a man, Harv?"
Harv nodded. "I've killed. Ain't nothin' to be ashamed of, Frank. That Bernie Thompson, he was a no count son-of-a-bitch, for sure. I know there was bad blood 'tween him and Jack." He shook his head. "Who ever would-a thought they'd run into each other here? That this is where it would end for both of 'em?"
Travis laid a firm hand on Frank's arm. "Between the eyes? Are you shitting me, Frank?"
A reluctant grin twitched at Frank's lips. "No, I ain't, Trav. I can shoot the eye out of a squirrel from a hunnerd yards."
"But you can't find your way out of the woods after you've done it," Travis teased.
Frank let the grin come. "No, but by God, I eat good while I'm waitin' for someone to point me in the right direction."
The laughter faded, both of them becoming somber once more. They were silent a moment, then Frank asked, "Where's Tom? And Kaed?"
"Gone south, back down to Miss Jessica," Harv said. "That's why we need to get this business wound up tight and get down that way quick as we can, in case they need any help with the head mad dog hisself."
Travis nodded. "Fallon killed his own brother, then lit out after Miss Jessica."
"Why would he do that? It don't make sense." Frank rubbed his jaw.
Harv leaned forward. "It does if you carry a hatred in your heart long enough and can't let it go. That's what it does to a man, Frank. It burns in you worse than greed, or lust, or the pain of a loss that you can't numb with all the medicine in the world. You heard the story 'bout what happened at Honey Springs." He sat back on his heels. "Fallon's out to break Kaedon Turner, once and for all. Out to do worse than kill him, and if he gets to Jessica and Lexi first, that's all the laudanum that bastard'll need to dull the ache inside him for a lifetime."
* * * * *
The horse had come up lame. Kaed had slowed his pace, yet still the black stumbled, favoring his right front leg.
"Dammit!"
The rushing wind blew his curse back in his face as if mocking him. He drew Hades to a halt near a stand of trees and dismounted, quickly examining the ruined foreleg. Kaed unsaddled him and carried the saddle and gear to a place several yards away to leave it. He marked the place in his mind, glancing around in the gathering darkness, committing the spot to memory. He removed his shirt and stuffed it into his saddlebag. Then he led Hades to a clear spot beneath the elms and birch trees. He stood for a moment, his hand on the big black's neck. They'd been through a lot together, he and this animal. Should he leave the horse, come back for him tomorrow? His mind twisted away from the thought of putting the horse down. The leg could be fixed, but Hades would never be completely mended. Still, he'd make good breeding stock. Kaed turned away, his mind made up. He'd leave the horse free, knowing he wouldn't wander too far in the night. He'd finish this business with Andrew Fallon, and then come back tomorrow for the horse and his saddle.
Making his way back to his gear, he grabbed his Winchester and the saddlebags containing his cartridges and other provisions, then he started off once more to the south.
Kaed's mind turned over as he ran through the darkening night. This was how he'd been born to travel—with the night wind in his hair, the star shine lighting his way with dim lanterns of the constellations above him. At least the damn fog was gone. A storm brewed farther south. He smelled the rain. He'd be home before it blew in, though. He knew he was only ten miles or so from Jessica's—his and Jessica's—place.
If he were wearing leather moccasins, he could run all night. He smiled grimly. Boots were heavier, noisier, but they were more protective.
If Fallon got there first…God, no. Surely, surely, Jessica would be able to hold him off a few minutes. She wasn't careless, and she knew how to shoot a gun. But would she? Even a moment's hesitation could prove fatal for all of them.
His imagination ran free. Fallon's face leered at him, a gun to Jessica's temple, her hands tied, the baby dead already.
He forced cool rationality into his mind once more, took a deep breath of air, and told himself he was breathing sanity.
He would make it. He had to.
The sweat of his body glistened in the sporadic rays of moonlight. It cleansed him. He focused his thoughts, and still he ran toward the dream fate had given him. And the man who meant to steal it.
* * * * *
"So what do we do?" Travis looked up at Harv, his green eyes somber. "Do we push on tonight?"
"No." Frank said quietly. "Those girls are half-dead, Travis. No way they can do any hard riding."
"What about steady riding, Frank? That's the key here," Harv said. "I don't give a damn about the rest of Fallon's bunch. Couldn't've been more'n a dozen of 'em left to begin with, after Standing Bear got done with 'em before. We know Fallon's gone, presumably alone. We know Sykes, Thompson, and Perrin are dead. We come acrosst what looked to be what was left of Matt Baker and Arch Gilpen after them hogs finished up with them."
"That accounts for half of 'em." Frank turned thoughtfully to look where Lily and Tori walked by the tree line. "I never asked Tori, but I'm wonderin' if there was really twelve of 'em to start with."
"I ain't waitin'," Travis muttered. "I'm worried. Fallon, he's—"
Harv shook his head. "He's an animal, I know. Needs to be put out of his misery. But you let Kaed do it. T
om's there with him. They'll handle it, boy."
"Let's sleep some," Frank said. "Them girls—it's been hard." He looked at Travis. "Trav, give the girls a couple a hours to rest. They'll be ready to go. They don't want to slow us down, and they're ready to get someplace warm and dry."
"All right," Travis said with some reluctance. "We could all use some rest, I guess. Harv's gettin' ready to accuse me of bein' a mother hen, worryin' about Tom and Kaed."
Harv's lips quirked. "Reckon we're all worried, Trav. But," he glanced at where the girls stood talking, "we've got some other responsibilities, too."
* * * * *
Randall Mullens leaned against the sycamore tree and belched. "Damn, that was good. Hadn't had meat in a coon's age."
Chavez Mendoza and Trey Powell nodded their agreement. Powell took a flask from his saddlebag and skirted the campfire they had risked.
"Fallon will be plenty mad when he finds us," Mendoza muttered.
"Well, maybe he won't find us, Mendoza. These godawful woods go on forever." Powell shivered and took a pull from the flask, seating himself beside the Mexican man.
Mendoza's lips curved up sardonically. "The fire will draw him."
Mullens gave him a quizzical look. "Ain't drawn nobody yet. I was kindly worried 'bout it at first, but we ain't seen nobody."
"When they smell the meat, they will come." Mendoza sounded self-assured, and Powell didn't like that. It gave him the shivers, thinking about Fallon and his ways.
"Maybe we're all that's left."
Mendoza and Mullens both shot him a glance.
"Shouldn't'a built that fire," he mumbled.
Mullens gave a sharp bark of laughter. "How'd you think we was gonna cook that pork, Trey? God let a dead boar fall right into our laps, still warm from bein' shot, and you think we oughtta just let it lay?" He shook his head. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you was touched a little. Yessir. Just a little bit crazy."
Powell was beginning to wonder if Mullens was right. Maybe he was touched…crazy. Maybe, too, he was just imagining it, because of his earlier thoughts …
But he had the funniest feeling in his stomach…like maybe he was going to be sick. That pork hadn't tasted just right, but damn, he'd been so hungry he hadn't cared—not at first. As time had passed, though, he became more aware of the tangy taste of the meat, and had eventually set the rest of his portion aside, suddenly full.
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