Montana Sky: Isaac (Kindle Worlds) (Letters of Fate Book 2)

by Paty Jager

  Cursing and howling went on outside for several minutes.

  “Who’s in there?” called a third voice.

  She didn’t answer. They didn’t need to know it was a woman.

  “Now look here. We’re just looking for a place to spend the night.” The voice was deep and sounded friendly.

  But she didn’t think anyone traveling with Tulley would be friendly. These had to be the three who had been following her and Isaac since the lake. Had they hurt White Hawk and Bear Walker? Her heart leaped into her throat. She hoped the two warriors hadn’t come to harm helping her and Isaac get away from the cave.

  “We’re gonna come in there, you best just put the gun down and let us spend the night. It will go easier for you if you do.”

  She saw something out of the corner of her eye. Tulley’s head popped through the hole in the roof.

  “Well, what do we have here?” he said. “It’s—”

  She pointed the rifle at his head and pulled the trigger.

  His body thumped down the roof, and she heard him hit the ground.

  Two men burst through the door. She pointed the shotgun at them. The larger of the two laughed and kept coming straight for her. She pulled the trigger, but she’d used both barrels.

  He grabbed the weapon, ripping it from her hands. “I’ll take this.”

  “Hey, that’s the woman we’ve been following,” the other man, a head shorter and thin as a sapling said. “Alan’s daughter.”

  She stared at the man. “How do you know my father?”

  He smiled wickedly. “He double-crossed us. And we think you know why.” The man started kicking over their supplies.

  “Where’s the gold?” the larger man asked, towering over her.

  “I don’t know what you mean?” she said, pressing her back against the wall to get away from his menacing form.

  “She knows,” said the smaller man. “I bet it’s under her.” He grabbed her arm and started pulling.

  “Ouch! Let go of me!” She winced as pain shot up her leg.

  “Look at her leg.” The short man pointed to the splint on her right leg.

  The big man smiled an ugly smile. “Your old man ditch you because he couldn’t move fast enough to get away from us?”

  “He’ll be back any minute. He’s out hunting.” She put as much conviction into the words as she could muster. At the moment she didn’t know if Isaac was coming back.

  “He is not. I could tell by how deep the tracks are that he’s got the gold on the mule.” The smaller man stated.

  She glowered at him. “Then why did you ask me about gold if you know it’s not here?”

  “See I told you she knew about the gold.” The smaller man gloated and poked his finger at her.

  “Go chase down Isaac. I don’t have anything you want.” She glared at the men. When they both leered at her, the hot ball of fury in her gut chilled to a snowball the size of a boulder.

  “You may not have the gold, but chasing you and your man around, we haven’t had time to visit any girls.” The larger man, leaned down. His nasty breath burned her face. “I think you have something we want.”

  Alamayda eased her hand down between the pallet and the wall. “I’ve been lying here all day. I’m thirsty. How about you get me some water and I’ll think about what you want.”

  The larger man smiled and straightened. “Slim go fetch the woman some water from that stream.”

  “But there’s canteens hanging by her head,” protested the smaller man.

  “Go get her some water.” The larger man bent, picking up the tin cup by her pallet. “In this. It will be fresher.”

  The smaller man glared at the larger one, but grabbed the cup and hurried out the door.

  “You just wanted to get rid of that little twig, didn’t you?” The large man asked, unbuckling the holster around his hips.

  “Yes, I did.” Allie pulled out the pistol and aimed it at the man’s chest. “You can either take your friend and leave, or I’ll shoot you in the belly.” She dropped her gaze a second to his belly and glared back up into his eyes. “It’s a large target.”

  “I told you, and your little friend told you, the gold isn’t here. So get.” Alamayda kept her hands steady even though her heart raced. She’d never killed a man, but she’d pull the trigger if he didn’t leave.

  “I ain’t afraid of no woman with a broke leg.” The man took a step toward her.

  Alamayda pulled the trigger. The smell of burnt powder swirled around her head as the sound rang in her ears and she watched the man’s face go from mad, to disbelief, to slack. Blood oozed from the hole in his stomach and he dropped to his knees.

  The sound of running feet, slapped her out of the fog. She cocked the pistol, not even hearing the click and pointed it at the door.

  “Wallace, why’d you go—” Slim skidded to a stop inside the door.

  “If you don’t want to end up like him, you better get on your horse and ride out of here,” Alamayda said. Her voice was low. Her heart pounded, her gut roiled, and her anger at herself came out in her words.

  “I—Do you want me to take Wallace with me?” Slim stared down at his bleeding friend.

  “Yes.” She spat out the word. Alamayda couldn’t look at the man she’d shot. Her stomach churned and bile rose in her throat.

  Slim grabbed the bigger man’s hands and dragged him toward the door. The sound of running horses and the thunk of a wagon covered the grunts coming from Slim.

  Now who? She didn’t want to shoot anyone else. But she cocked the gun and waited.

  “Allie! Allie!”

  Her heart flipped with glee.

  Isaac stopped in the doorway. His heart had shattered when he heard the gunshot as he came through the trees on the east side of the meadow. His gaze landed on Allie. She held his revolver in both hands, but it was pointed to the ground. A small man was tugging on a larger, bleeding man.

  “What’s going on here?” Isaac asked, stepping in the way of the little man.

  “She shot Tulley with a shotgun and then put a bullet in Wallace’s belly.” The little man had tears glistening in his eyes.

  “They were looking for the gold,” Allie said.

  Isaac grabbed the little man by the front of his shirt and pushed him up against the wall. “What do you know about the gold?”

  The man’s face turned white and he started stammering. “Wallace, Alan, and I stole it from a stage seven years ago. But while we was sleeping Alan took off with it and we’ve been looking for him. Three years ago we was told he was dead. We stopped lookin’ for him. Then at the trading post we ran into Tulley. He was trailin’ you two. He said he thought you were lookin’ for gold and that she—” he pointed to Allie, “—was Alan Wagner’s daughter. Wallace decided to take up with Tulley and find our gold.”

  “Your gold is back where it belongs at the Helena Assay Office.” Isaac pulled the man by the shirt out the door. He stuck his head back in. “I’ll get that one out of there as soon as I get this one tied up.”

  He wanted to hold Allie. She’d had one helluva night. But he had to make sure this man and the other were trussed up to take to Sheriff Mahon in Elkhorn. He tied the little man up and tied him to the cottonwood tree. Back at the shanty, Isaac dragged the bleeding man out after he crossed the room, kissed Allie, and told her he had some good news.

  Isaac tied the bleeding man up to the wagon wheel and put a bandage around his belly. After using the lantern to determine if Tulley was indeed dead or just wounded, he put the body in the back of the wagon and unhitched the horses. The whole time he cleaned up the mess, his mind kept running the scene he’d witnessed when he stepped through the shanty door.

  Once all the outlaws were secured, the horses staked out, and he carried in the food he’d brought back with him, Isaac, sat on the floor next to Allie and pulled her into his arms.

  “Darlin’, I’m sorry you had to shoot a man.” He kissed her head and held her trembli
ng body. “But you are the bravest woman I’ve ever met.”

  “I don’t feel brave. I’m sick to my stomach that I shot not one, but two men.” Her body shook.

  “They would have hurt you if you hadn’t.” He released her and made Allie look into his face. “What you did was self-defense. I know Sheriff Mahon in Elkhorn will take it down as such.”

  “Who is Sheriff Mahon and where is Elkhorn?”

  Isaac held Allie and told her about the town of Elkhorn, the sheriff, and his trip on the train to Helena.

  “That’s how you came back so fast. You took the train.” She snuggled closer. “I’m glad you thought of that.”

  “Me too. I didn’t want to leave you in the first place, but I knew we couldn’t stay here until your leg healed.” Isaac kissed her temple. “I haven’t told you the best part.”

  She leaned away from him and peered into his face. “What is better than returning the gold?”

  “There was a reward.” He pulled the bank note the Assay Office handed him after they counted the bricks. Isaac held the paper out of her reach. “Before you can claim your half, you have to do something.”

  Allie’s gaze left the note and caught his. “What?”

  Isaac grinned. He’d found a foolproof way to get her to marry him. “You have to marry me. This is made out to Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Corum.”

  Allie’s lips formed a straight line and her eyes narrowed.

  His gut squeezed.

  “Why did you have them write it up that way?” she asked.

  “Because I love you and I want to share my life with you.” He dropped the note and clasped her face. “Allie, I proved I will not leave you. I’m here, wanting to share our reward, my heart, and my life with you.” He kissed her with all the longing and love swirling in his chest.

  She returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  When they both came up for air, Allie’s lips tipped into a mischievous smile. “How much is our reward. Is it enough to buy this homestead?”

  Isaac felt light-headed from the kiss and from the knowledge he’d swayed Allie to his way of thinking. “It’s ten thousand dollars. We can buy this, buy cattle, and build a house.”

  “Well, Mr. Corum, I think you should show your wife you missed her while you were gone.”

  Isaac laughed and started shucking his clothes.

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Isaac drove the wagon down the main street of Elkhorn. Allie sat on the seat beside him, her broken leg propped up on his lap. In the back was Tulley’s body, the man called Wallace, and Slim with a neckerchief in his mouth because he wouldn’t stop talkin’.

  Stopping the wagon in front of the post office, he eased Allie’s leg off his lap and onto the seat as he climbed down.

  Sheriff Mahon walked out of the Sheriff’s Office, smiling. “Mr. Corum, I see you retrieved your wife.”

  “Yes, I arrived just in time.” Isaac moved to the back of the wagon. “These two men—” he pointed to Slim and Wallace, “—were looking for the gold. They and my wife’s father are the ones who stole it.”

  Sheriff Mahon stared at Wallace’s bloody belly. “Your wife do this?”

  “Yes. She didn’t have a choice.” He moved to the tarp covering Tulley. He pulled it back enough the Sheriff could see there was a man under it. Allie had made a mess of the man’s face. If not for Slim saying it was Tulley, Isaac wouldn’t have been able to tell. “This man had attacked my wife twice before. When he showed up at the shanty and she was laying on a pallet with a broken leg, she felt threatened and shot. She didn’t mean to kill him. I gave her the shotgun for protection when I left her alone.” He blamed himself for Allie having to live with the knowledge she’d taken a life. If he’d figured out a way to bring her with him the first time, she wouldn’t have had to shoot either man.

  “I see.” Sheriff Mahon grabbed Slim by the arm. “I’ll take care of these. Looks like you need to take your wife to the doc. He’s down the next street to the right.”

  “Thank you.” Isaac walked to the front of the wagon.

  “When doc gets done with your wife, have him come by and give the other one a look.”

  “Will do.” Isaac reached up and lifted Allie into his arms.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, “How many people did you tell I was your wife?”

  He kissed her lips. “Everyone. That first night we came together we became husband and wife, just like White Hawk said.”

  “I felt the same but I couldn’t get past my fears until I saw you standing in that shanty door.” She lay her head against his chest. “You’re the first man to not let me down.”

  “I promise you will never doubt my love and I will never leave you.” Isaac spotted the shingle hanging from the doctor’s house. He walked up the steps. “Knock on the door, please. My hands are full.”

  Allie smiled and knocked on the door.

  A middle-aged woman as round as she was tall, answered the door. “Oh my! My! It looks like you need to see the doctor.” She ushered them into a room that smelled of a strong astringent. “Dr. Helms will be with you in a moment.” The woman rolled out of the room.

  “You don’t have to hold me. You can put me in the chair.” Allie squirmed in his arms.

  “Nope. I’ll hold you until I’m told to put you down.”

  A tall man with a round belly bustled into the room. “I see you need a plaster on your leg,” he said entering the room. “I’m Dr. Helm and you are?”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Corum. Allie broke her leg about ten days ago,” Isaac said, placing Allie on the tall table the doctor indicated.

  “Ten days ago? It’s already started mending.” He glared at Isaac. “Who set it?”

  “I did. We weren’t near anyone.” Isaac’s chest squeezed with fear. Could I have caused her to be an invalid?

  The man grunted and cut the bandages loose. He took off the sticks and looked the leg over.

  Allie only winced once.

  “I don’t see any deformities, but one can’t tell until you walk on it. I’ll get the plaster on. It will have to remain for a month then we’ll see how the leg looks.” Dr. Helm stared at Isaac. “You can go. Come back for your wife in an hour.”

  “I’m not leaving her.” Isaac sat in a chair by the door.

  “Go. You can’t do anything here. Get us a room and find out about a bath,” Allie said.

  “You can’t put this leg in water with the plaster on.” The doctor shifted his glare to Allie.

  “She’ll keep the leg out of the water.” Isaac rose, crossed the room, and kissed Allie. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

  He didn’t like leaving Allie, but he could do more to make her comfortable by getting a room, new clothes, and setting up the bath.

  ***

  Alamayda relaxed in the tub of hot water. Isaac had worked miracles after leaving her at the doctor’s. He returned in an hour, carried her to the hotel, up the stairs, and helped her get in the waiting, steamy bath. Her leg with the plaster sat on a chair next to the tub. Isaac had helped her undress and get settled, then left to get a bath and a shave.

  She’d never stayed in a hotel. The room wasn’t large but it had a soft big bed, room for the bathing tub, and a view of the mountain.

  The water was cooling when a knock on the door opened her eyes.

  “It’s me,” Isaac said, before slipping into the room.

  “Good. The water is getting cold and I can’t get out on my own.” No longer shy about Isaac seeing her naked, she raised her arms to wrap them around his neck.

  He smiled and leaned down. Grasping her under her arms and lifting her out of the tub. He wrapped a large towel around her and placed her on the bed.

  “I have a surprise for you.”

  His shining eyes and smile started her heart humming.

  “What kind of surprise?” she asked.

  “Sheriff Mahon tracked me down at the bath house. There’s a reward for the capture
of Wallace and Slim.” He sat on the side of the bed. “But that’s not the best surprise.”

  “What is the best surprise?” Allie leaned toward Isaac. He smelled of bay rum and new clothes. He was dashing in his new linen shirt and vest.

  “The Justice of the Peace in this town will be here in an hour to marry us and…” he pulled an envelope out of his vest. “We now own the one hundred and sixty acres the shanty sits on. The Sheriff knew who owned it.”

  Allie had never been as happy as she was at this moment. She threw her arms around Isaac. “I love you.”

  He leaned back, his eyes wide. “I didn’t think I’d ever hear those words from you but planned to spend my life workin’ for them.”

  “You made me realize what love is.”

  About the Author

  Award-winning author Paty Jager and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. On her road to publication she wrote freelance articles for two local newspapers and enjoyed her job with the County Extension service as a 4-H Program Assistant. Raising hay and cattle, riding horses, and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

  You can find all of Paty’s historical western books and more books in her series, Letters of Fate, sign up to join her Posse and receive free books, and more at her website.

  Letters of Fate

  Davis

  Isaac

  Halsey Brother Series

  Marshal in Petticoats – Gil’s story

  Outlaw in Petticoats – Zeke’s story

  Miner in Petticoats – Ethan’s story

  Doctor in Petticoats – Clay’s story

  Logger in Petticoats – Hank’s story

  Halsey Brothers Series – Box Set

  Halsey Homecoming trilogy

  Laying Claim – Jeremy’s story

  Staking Claim – Colin’s story

  Claiming a Heart – Donny’s story

  A Husband for Christmas - Shayla’s story

  Western Anthologies