Suddenly, Gabrielle’s inward fuming came to an abrupt halt. Trust me. It was the first thing, the only thing, that Drew had ever asked of her. Slowly, that realization filtered its way through her anger.
“He loves you,” Kirby had just told her. Could he be right? Anger, fear, and hope all became jumbled in her mind, whirling around like colors in a kaleidoscope. Fear crowded its way to the forefront.
“He went alone?” she demanded.
Kirby’s hands clenched at his sides. She watched various expressions flit across an usually impassive countenance, and she surmised that he was debating how to answer.
“Did he go after Killian alone?” she demanded again, her voice rising in stark terror.
Kirby shook his head in resignation. “No one knows Drew has a connection to me. Or to you. He’s just another cowboy. And he’s only going to my ranch to warn my brother. He’s not out there looking for trouble.”
Except trouble always seemed to find Drew Cameron, even when he tried to avoid it. She wanted to go after him. But it was impossible, and she knew it. She had Ha’Penny to think of. She couldn’t drag a baby halfway across the country, alone, on horseback.
But how did one choose between loves?
You choose the one who needs you most, her heart answered.
She tried to remember what Drew had said about Denver, about his half-sister and brother-in-law. The man was a lawyer, had been a marshal once, and Drew had seemed certain that this man could protect her. It seemed to her that he might also protect a brother-in-law hell-bent on getting himself killed.
“All right. I’ll go to Denver,” she told Kirby. “But I want to go now, with Ha’Penny and Honor. And I want to know that Billy Bones and Samson will be taken care of.”
Kirby heaved a huge sigh, and his expression cleared in evident relief. He gave her a lopsided smile. “Everything will be just fine, Gabrielle. I’ll see to it.”
“Who’ll cook?” she asked.
He shrugged. “We’ll manage.”
“You’ll probably have grit in the beans.”
“Probably. Maybe even a horseshoe in the coffee.”
Gabrielle felt tears well in her eyes. She would miss him. She would miss them all. They’d become her family. “I’ll make loaves of bread before I leave.”
He nodded. “I’ll send someone with you north to the railhead. You can catch a spur to the Union Pacific.” He took two letters from his pocket and gave them to her. “One is to you, the other to Drew’s kin. I’ll get someone to accompany you tomorrow. Oh, and one other thing. Wait here while I get it.”
Walking over to the hoodlum wagon, he took out his own bedroll and pulled from it a parcel wrapped in brown paper. Then, tossing the bedroll back into the wagon, he came back to hand her the package.
“Drew asked me to give this to you.”
Hesitantly, Gabrielle took the package, feeling it squish and the paper crackle in her hands. Looking up at Kirby, she asked, “Do you know what it is?”
He shook his head. “Haven’t any idea.” He started to turn away, then stopped, looking back at her as he spoke. “By the way, you’ve been the best damn louse I ever hired.”
She gave him a smile. “And you’ve been the best trail boss I ever worked for.”
“Make sure I’m the only trail boss you ever work for,” he warned. Then, in softer tones, he added, “Take good care of our Scotsman.”
“I will,” she promised.
She watched Kirby walk away, then carried her letters and package into the marginal privacy of the hoodlum wagon, where Ha’Penny slept peacefully. Sitting cross-legged beside the baby’s bed and laying the letters aside, she untied the strings around the parcel, unwrapped the paper, then sucked in a quick, sharp breath.
And instant later, she burst into tears.
There, folded neatly in her lap, its delicate lace collar pristine white, was the calico dress off the manikin in the Caldwell dry-goods store.
Chapter Twenty-two
Gabrielle peered out the dirty soot-smudged window of the train as it pulled into Denver. Ha’penny fretted in her arms for his dinner, and Honor lay at her feet, growling at any man who approached them. Those few whom an Indian baby didn’t scare away, Honor’s bared teeth did, the results being that Gabrielle had enjoyed a bench to herself the entire way.
She’d sent a telegram to Drew’s brother-in-law from Ellsworth, which she and Hank had reached after three days of hard riding, taking turns carrying Ha’penny in a rigged sling. She’d been exhausted when they’d finally arrived at a rail spur of the Union Pacific.
Two days later—two days spent sleeping in snatches, sitting up, and trying to keep Honor and Ha’Penny from disturbing other passengers—she was arriving in Denver full of doubts. She knew nothing about Lisbeth and Ben Masters, had no idea whether they would accept an actress with an Indian child, and she froze inside at the prospect of invading the home of folks she didn’t know. She had never asked favors of strangers.
And she had a very big favor to ask.
Would they even meet her at the station? Her telegram had been brief: “Friend arriving Monday train. Gabrielle Lewis. Please meet.” And she’d signed Drew’s name.
What would Drew’s brother-in-law say when she told him she’d sent the telegram? When she asked him to go to Texas? And to take her with him?
As the train pulled into the station, she searched the platform. A number of men and women stood there, apparently waiting for new arrivals. Her stomach churned as she scanned their faces.
The train lurched to the stop, making her stomach turn over yet again. The conductor, who had been very kind when several other passengers had grumbled about Ha’Penny, stopped at her seat.
“Can I help you, miss?” he asked.
She nodded gratefully. She didn’t have much luggage—barely anything, in fact. She wore her new calico dress, now sooty and rumpled from the train; her other belongings included a second dress she’d purchased in Ellsworth, her trail drive clothes, a few things for Ha’penny, and her father’s Colt, all stuffed in a cheap travel bag.
She scanned the crowd again. Ben Masters, a former marshal, she reflected. Most of the lawmen she’d met were humorless and rigid. And Drew’s half-sister, Lisbeth? Would she approve of an actress who’d just spent nearly three months in the company of over a dozen men? Yet Drew had asked her in his letter to come here, saying she could trust Ben and Lisbeth. Still, shivers of apprehension ran down her spine and her heart thundered, thinking about the enormous request she needed to make of these strangers.
She stood awkwardly, reluctant to descend from the train.
“I’ll carry the boy and the bag, miss,” the conductor said. “You just go on.”
She looked at Ha’penny, who felt as if he’d grown several pounds during the journey, and gave the conductor a smile from under the hat she’d bought, which she hoped hid the shortness of her hair. “Thank you,” she said.
He grinned. “A pleasure, miss. A real pleasure.”
She had no more excuses. She stepped into the aisle and then made her way to the door and down the three steps to the platform, Honor crowding her legs. Taking Ha’penny and her bag back from the conductor, she gave him another smile, then searched the crowd one more time.
One couple, a tall man and a woman obviously with child, eyed her curiously before turning to look toward other passengers descending from the train. The woman appeared somewhat anxious.
Gabrielle moved a little closer, and she saw the woman’s eyes. Hazel with flecks of gold. Drew’s eyes.
The woman’s gaze met hers, and when Gabrielle smiled tentatively, the woman moved forward, one hand drawing her male companion with her, the other outstretched.
“Gabrielle?” Her voice had a soft Scottish lilt to it, and Gabrielle dropped her bag, balanced Ha’penny, nodded her head, and offered her own hand.
The woman took it warmly. “I’m Lisbeth Masters, and this is my husband Ben.” She inspected Gab
rielle with frank, though not unpleasant, curiosity, then looked at Ha’penny. “A boy?” she asked, and when Gabrielle nodded, she added, “How wonderful. Our Sarah Ann’s been hopping up and down, waiting for her new brother or sister, and now she has one to practice on.” Her eyes went to the dog.
“And who is this?”
“Honor,” Gabrielle said. “I hope you don’t mind, but Honor considers himself the baby’s protector, and I couldn’t leave him behind.”
“Of course, you couldn’t,” Lisbeth said, winking at her husband. “I can’t wait till Honor meets Henry the Eighth. But how did you get him on the train?”
Gabrielle smiled. “Tears.”
Lisbeth laughed. “Sometimes it’s the only way.”
“They wanted to stuff him in the baggage car,” she said, “but he threatened to bite anyone who tried, so when pleas didn’t work, I cried copiously.”
“The ultimate weapon,” Ben Masters grumbled.
“Only because men don’t see reason,” his wife rebuked. “Anyone can tell he’s a very well-behaved dog.”
“Maybe he can teach Henry something,” Ben growled, but Gabrielle heard the fond amusement in his voice.
“And Annabelle, too,” his wife inserted smoothly. “Annabelle,” she explained to Gabrielle, “is Ben’s cat.”
“Henry is Lisbeth’s dog.” Ben added balefully.
Gabrielle looked from one to the other, felt the love flowing between them in their gentle teasing, and some of her apprehension evaporated. She’d heard no hiss of disapproval over an Indian baby or an unexpected dog, not to mention an uninvited guest. Only an open offer of friendship. Gabrielle felt a sense of kinship with these people already and wondered why Drew had said so little about his wonderful sister.
“Here, let me take the boy,” Ben said. “And your bag. Cute little fellow,” he added with a chuckle as Gabrielle gratefully handed Ha’Penny over. Then his gaze returned to study Gabrielle’s face for a moment. “Welcome to Denver.”
“Thank you,” she replied, wondering how soon she could start explaining the circumstances of her trip. She glanced at Lisbeth Masters’ swelling stomach, and her own stomach flip-flopped. Would Ben be willing to leave his wife in her condition?
Gabrielle realized her dismay must have been reflected in her expression, because Lisbeth warmly took her arm and guided her toward a buggy hitched to two lovely gray horses. “I’m sure you need a hot bath, and I want to hear all about Drew. Our ranch is a few miles out of Denver, and I hope you’ll consider it your home.”
Gabrielle felt as if a giant wave had picked her up and was sweeping her along, so powerful was the onslaught of warmth and welcome from these two people.
Ben Masters was tall, she noted, close to Drew’s height, his build a bit heavier but without an ounce of fat on him. Where her Scotsman had always exuded pure devilish charm, hiding the deeper, more substantial qualities she’d found within, Ben radiated sureness and authority and strength. Likely qualities, she thought, for either a lawyer or a marshal.
He handed her up into the buggy, gave her Ha’penny, then assisted his wife with so much tenderness that Gabrielle’s heart lurched. How could Drew be such a loner with these two people as kin?
Ben snapped the reins, and the horses stepped off smartly.
Gabrielle had played a theater in Denver with her father before they headed toward Texas, and her eyes stung as the carriage passed the hotel where they had stayed. She felt Lisbeth’s hand press hers, and she realized the woman must have been watching her.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I—I must be more tired than I thought.”
“Of course,” Lisbeth said. “Travel is always exhausting. Perhaps you’d like me to hold the baby.”
Gabrielle heard the hopeful note in Lisbeth’s tone, realized the other woman was truly eager to hold Ha’penny. “That would be wonderful,” Gabrielle replied, smiling as she handed Ha’penny to her. “Frankly, my arms feel permanently locked in holding position.”
“Oh, he’s adorable. What’s his name?”
“Ha’penny,” she said automatically, then flushed. “Temporarily.”
“Interesting name,” Ben Masters observed dryly.
Gabrielle sensed it was a question, but he was too well-mannered to ask outright. Well, they might as well know the worst. “I … well, I was called Two-Bits on the Kingsley cattle drive, and when we found the baby, orphaned and alone, he was so small that Drew started calling him Ha’penny.”
“Sounds like Drew,” Ben chuckled.
“You were on the cattle drive?” Lisbeth gasped, her voice full of astonishment but bearing no censure. “We knew Drew had joined one, but I’ve never heard of …” She trailed off.
Gabrielle twisted the folds of her dress in her hands. “It’s a long story.”
“Where’s Drew?” Ben asked.
“On his way to Texas,” she said.
“But the telegram—”
“I sent the telegram,” Gabrielle admitted. “But I have a letter for you from him. And he probably didn’t say anything about himself, but I think he needs your help.”
Ben looked at her sharply.
Lisbeth’s face paled.
And Ha’Penny, who had been so very stoic during the trip, chose that moment to start crying, cutting off any further conversation. The horses moved faster as Ben Masters snapped the reins again, and all further questions were postponed.
Gabrielle loved the ranch house that sprawled comfortably beside a wide, briskly flowing stream.
As Ben helped his wife, then her, from the buggy, he gestured toward the barn. “Drew helped us build that.”
Just as he said the words, a small tornado burst from the barn door and hurtled herself into Ben’s arms. She was followed by a massive dog who stopped short upon seeing Honor.
“We gotta a new f-foal,” the little girl stammered in excitement.
Lisbeth leaned over and kissed the child’s cheek. “That’s wonderful. You’ll have to show me later.”
“I want to show you now.”
“But we have a guest. Three guests,” she corrected herself. “This is Miss Gabrielle Lewis, and she’s a friend of your Uncle Drew’s. And this, Miss Lewis, is our Sarah Ann.”
The little girl performed a perfect curtsy, then dropped to her knees to greet Honor, who was regarding the much larger dog with a tentatively wagging tail. “He’s beautiful!” Sarah Ann declared.
“His name is Honor,” Gabrielle said. She stooped down and showed Sarah Ann the baby. “And this is Ha’penny.”
“Ohh,” Sarah Ann crooned. “He’s even better than a pony. I’m going to have a baby.”
“You are?” Gabrielle smiled. “You look a little small.”
“I’m ’most five.”
“Well, that’s very big indeed,” Gabrielle said, enchanted by the girl’s red hair and sparkling green eyes.
“Yes, it is,” Sarah Ann agreed seriously.
“I think Miss Lewis would like to freshen up after her journey,” Lisbeth interrupted. “Why don’t you stay with Pedro and take care of the foal, Sarah Ann?”
“But don’t you want to see him?”
“Aye, I do,” Lisbeth said.
Gabrielle thought of Drew, of the urgency of her mission. But a moment wouldn’t hurt. “I do, too,” she said.
Sarah Ann grabbed Gabrielle’s hand and pulled her toward the barn, followed by Ben Masters and his wife. A beaming Mexican met them at the door. “Señor, Señora, Glory has dropped a colt. Muy bueno.”
The four of them went to a stall and peered in. A lovely black mare was nuzzling a dark gray colt, which took a few steps, faltered, then righted itself.
“He’s beautiful,” Gabrielle sighed. She’d never seen a newborn colt before; it was all legs and sweetness.
“He is beautiful, isn’t he, Mama?” the little girl said.
“Indeed, he is,” Lisbeth agreed. “Would you like to name him?”
The little girl nodded.
“I’ll have to consider it.”
“You do that,” Ben said, his voice warm and amused. “And we’ll take Miss Lewis to the house while you consider.”
Sarah Ann, already engrossed in her appointed task, nodded.
Urgency began clawing at Gabrielle again as they walked to the house, Ben carrying Ha’Penny and Honor following closely behind. The large woolly dog that looked more pony than canine loped after them, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.
“That’s Henry the Eighth,” Lisbeth explained. “He loves everyone, particularly women.”
Gabrielle couldn’t help but smile. She’d never met a more delightful family, not even among her most eccentric theater cronies. Once inside the house, she noted that the furnishings seemed selected for comfort and informality.
A woman dressed in a colorful blouse and skirt protected by an apron hurried out of the kitchen to meet them, a huge smile on her face. “Señora, you saw the foal?”
Ben balanced Ha’penny in his arms. “We did, and we even have another wee one for you to feed.” He turned to Gabrielle. “This is Serena. She’s Pedro’s wife, and she looks after us all. Serena, this is Drew’s friend, Señorita Lewis.”
“Señorita,” the woman acknowledged. “How is Señor Drew?”
“My question exactly,” Lisbeth said. “Gabrielle, you said Drew might need our help. Is he in some kind of trouble?” Concern laced her gentle Scots voice.
“It’s a very long story,” Gabrielle said, “and my name is Parker. It’s … well, it’s a long story.”
Ha’Penny was squirming again, whimpering. Serena reached out and took the baby. “I’ll feed him, and start supper.”
“And something cool to drink for the señorita,” Ben added, turning to Gabrielle with concern. “Would you like a bath first, or some rest?”
She shook her head. “There’s no time.”
“Then please sit,” he said, “and tell us about Drew.”
“You have to go, Ben,” Lisbeth said. “You know Drew. He’s like a dog with a bone. He won’t let go.”
“But the baby,” Ben protested.
“It’s still two or three months away,” Lisbeth said. “And Pedro and Serena are here. Gabrielle and Ha’penny can stay with us, as well.”
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