He didn’t want to. He didn’t want to send these two women out into the night all alone, crossing town in the dark, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized he had to. If he went with them, his very presence would endanger them further because the men would know exactly who Posy was. If she was with Giselle, she stood a chance.
“And what am I supposed to do?”
“Go to bed. Auntie Coral said to tell you she’d make an exception and leave the door unlocked until midnight. She also said, though, to knock three times before you open it so she doesn’t get confused and shoot a hole through your chest.”
He threw his head back and laughed. Giselle did a fairly decent imitation of his aunt when she was fixin’ to shoot something. “All right, I really can’t argue with both of you at the same time. Let’s get this over with.”
Giselle shook Posy’s shoulder, and the girl took the dress, walked back into the shadows of the barn, and changed. Then she took the food gratefully and sank her teeth into the soft white bread.
“I haven’t eaten since yesterday,” she said, sounding apologetic.
“Finish up your meat and cheese before we leave, and I’ll get you more at the hotel,” Giselle told her. “I can’t imagine how famished you must be.”
“Thank you. To be honest, I was getting a little sick.”
“Of course you were. So much danger, no food, no rest . . .” Giselle smiled. “I’d be surprised if you weren’t sick.”
Posy finished her food, then stood up and shook the crumbs out of her skirt. “What next?”
“Next we need to do something with your braids.” Giselle moved behind the girl, took her hair in her two capable hands, and put it up into some kind of bun. Jesse watched all this with amazement. Was there anything Giselle couldn’t do—aside from looking at deer blood, of course?
By the time she was done, Jesse could see it—Posy could be taken for a white girl. He’d have to trust in that if she was to be kept safe.
He tried not to curse as he thought about Griffin. How could a man be so filled with hate? He just couldn’t wrap his mind around it. He’d always believed that every man—or woman, for that matter—should be allowed to live their lives without interference as long as they weren’t breaking the law or doing something harmful to others. And being Indian? How was that a crime?
“We’ll be all right,” Giselle said, putting her hand on his arm. “Your sister hasn’t come this far just to be discovered so easily.”
Jesse snorted. “I don’t see how you can know that.”
“I know that because I have faith that it will happen. And because I’m not afraid.” She gave his arm one pat and then stepped back. “Are you ready, Posy?”
Posy took a deep breath. “Yes, I am.”
“Then let’s go.”
Giselle opened the barn door and stepped out into the night, Posy following behind. They crept carefully until they reached the road, and then they began walking normally. Jesse followed them just to the corner of the house, noting how they began talking and laughing together like good friends. He’d never mistake them for anything else, and he nodded in appreciation. They just might be able to pull this off.
He watched until they were no longer in view. Then he glanced back at the barn to reassure himself that he’d extinguished the lantern, and made his way to Auntie Coral’s. He nearly forgot to knock before he entered, but remembered just in time.
“Did the girls get out all right, then?” she asked as he came into the kitchen.
“They did. Giselle seems awfully sure that they’ll be fine, but I can’t convince myself of that.”
Coral set a plate in front of him with the same bread, meat, and cheese she’d sent along for Posy. “She looks like a smart, sensible girl. Do you have any reason to distrust her?”
“Not at all. I just don’t know her well enough to say what she’s capable of. And I know very well what Griffin’s capable of.” Jesse picked up a piece of cheese and toyed with it. “Posy risked her life to come here, believing I’d keep her safe, and now I can’t even do that. I’m stuck here, helpless.”
“Now, don’t be getting all whiny. Don’t you think it’s possible that a kind hand of providence brought you to that hotel so you could get the help you need for your sister?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure that’s how it works.”
Auntie Coral fixed him with a look that reminded him of the one Giselle had given him in the barn not long before. “And just how does it work?”
“Well, that I don’t know.” He popped the cheese in his mouth, giving himself time to think of an answer because he knew she’d want one. Plus, he was hungry.
“Let me tell you something, Jesse. I’ve seen that providential hand over and over again, and I’ve lived a lot more life than you have. Why, I remember this one day in particular. There was a little boy outside, crying in the yard. He couldn’t have been more than five years old. I asked him why he was so upset, and he told me his mama had just died.”
Jesse swallowed, the cheese suddenly feeling like lead in his throat.
“My heart went out to that little boy, and I thought, he needs someone to watch over him. And lo and behold, his papa asked me if I’d do it. Here’s the thing. What if I hadn’t decided to live right here in this spot? What if your folks hadn’t chosen to live next door? I would never have known what it was like to be someone’s auntie, and the good Lord above knew how much I needed something like that in my life. You’ve been a blessing to me, Jesse McVey, you and that sweet sister of yours. There is a plan in all this. Maybe not in every little thing—I’m sure the Almighty leaves much of it to us—but He never stops watching and He never stops caring.”
Jesse reached out and covered her hand where it lay on the table. “Thank you, Auntie Coral,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I do praise God for putting you in my life. I just also know that bad things happen to good people—”
She lifted her other hand and wagged a finger at him. “Don’t go there, young man. You can’t be talking about faith and doubt in the same breath. That’s just ridiculous. Maybe take a sip of water in between times or something. She’ll be all right. Now eat your food and get to bed. In the morning, ride over to the hotel and see how things went. If you go out there before that, you’ll probably mess up this wonderful plan Giselle concocted, and then you’ll have three women irritated with you instead of just me.”
He chuckled. “All right, I’m eating. And I’m taking deep breaths. I know you’re right—I just need to trust.”
Which was a very hard thing to do when his sister and the woman he was growing to care about were somewhere out there with three armed men on the hunt.
Chapter Ten
“You’re doing great,” Giselle said, squeezing the arm of the trembling girl beside her. She was scared too, but she knew Posy was depending on her to be strong, so she had to pretend. “We need to choose a new name for you, though. The men who are chasing you know who you are.”
The moon was bright, thank goodness, and the sky was nearly cloudless. Giselle wished beyond almost anything that they had a lantern with them, but who could possibly have predicted this turn of events and known that they’d need one? Perhaps they should have taken the one from the barn. Would the owner have known, or cared? It was useless to think about it now—they were almost to the hotel, and it was silly to waste time on regrets.
“I can’t think of any names,” Posy said. “I’ve just always been Posy.”
“What’s your mother’s name?”
“Martha.”
“Hmm. I don’t know—that doesn’t suit you.” Giselle started running through every name she could think of in her mind. The girl simply was a Posy—she couldn’t imagine calling her anything else.
“Well now, what do we have here?”
Giselle jumped when she heard the gravelly voice and saw a shadow step out from behind a tree. She sucked in a breath and felt Posy’s hand grab h
ers.
“I think we have two pretty young things out when they shouldn’t be out. What a shame if something should happen to them,” he said, taking a step toward them. “I don’t suppose either of you saw an Indian girl out here tonight.”
“No, we did not, and I’ll thank you to let us pass,” Giselle said, forcing her voice not to shake.
“You’ll thank me? How will you thank me?” He took another step closer. “I wouldn’t mind a kiss from that sweet mouth.”
“Which you’ll never get. Now let us by.”
“No, I don’t think I will.” He grinned, but Giselle couldn’t make out more of his face than that. “And my friends agree with me.”
Two other men stepped out from the shadows.
Giselle swallowed.
The first man reached out to touch Posy’s face, but Giselle batted his hand away. “Sir, if you and your friends don’t step aside immediately, I will be forced to do something about it.”
“Oh? And what might that be?” His eyes hadn’t left Posy, and Giselle was terrified that he’d recognize her. “Seems to me it’s two against three. Of course, that’s two little girls against three men with guns, so I’d know how to bet if this were a gambling matter.” Another grin. “How about we step over there to that nice little spot between buildings and continue this conversation in private?”
“No, we will not.” Giselle lifted her chin. “Let us pass.”
He grabbed Posy’s arm. “I tried to be nice about this, but you’re making it difficult. Come on!”
Posy cried out as he yanked her away from Giselle.
That was enough.
Giselle brought up the pistol she’d been concealing in her skirts, cocked it with her other hand, and aimed. “Let her go.”
The man’s gaze flicked from her face to the weapon. “Oh, that’s quite funny, miss. Put that thing down before things get even uglier.” He pulled Posy back a step, and his two friends came closer.
Giselle didn’t need time to decide. Mr. Brody had drilled into them over and over again what they should do, and she wasn’t afraid to do it. She pulled the trigger, shooting the man right in the shoulder. As soon as she saw that the bullet had struck its intended target, she prepared to shoot again.
The man clutched his shoulder, blood pouring through his fingers, and Posy was safely back at Giselle’s side. Thankfully, she hadn’t been in any danger of catching the bullet by mistake—he’d been holding her off to his right.
“I have enough bullets here for every one of you with some to spare,” she said. “I suggest you let us pass.”
“Let them go,” the man growled between clenched teeth, and the two others moved aside wordlessly.
Giselle kept the gun lifted as she and Posy continued down the street. She turned back every few steps to make sure that the men were right where she’d left them. After a moment, they walked the other direction, the leader hobbling along as though she’d shot his leg rather than his shoulder. What a child.
As soon as she was sure they weren’t being watched any longer, she grabbed Posy’s arm and rushed her toward the hotel and through the gate. She hoped the men wouldn’t guess that this was where they’d been headed.
She opened the front door of the hotel, pulled Posy inside, closed the door, and leaned against it, breathing heavily.
Mr. Brody came to his feet from his chair in the parlor, where he’d been reading a newspaper. “Giselle? What’s going on?”
“It’s . . . a long story,” she said, pressing her hand to her stomach. At that moment, she realized she was still holding the gun in her other hand, and she held it out toward Mr. Brody, handle first, for him to take.
He set it on the counter after checking it for bullets, then led both girls over to the sofa and urged them to sit. “Slowly, from the beginning.”
His eyes narrowed as she spoke, but he didn’t interrupt or react in any other way until she’d finished.
“So these men are still in town?”
“Yes. They were walking into town rather than away from it just now.”
He gave a curt nod. “Stay here. I’m going for the marshal, and I’m alerting Dr. Wayment that he might have a wounded man show up on his doorstep.” He reached to his side and touched the handle of the firearm he always wore. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” His eyes flicked to Posy. “You’re welcome to stay here. We’ll talk more later, after you’ve rested.”
“Thank you, sir,” she replied, relief evident in her voice.
Mr. Brody stepped through the door of his office, and Giselle heard him call out to Elizabeth. Their quarters were just on the other side of that wall, having been built on when the two married.
“My wife will see to your needs,” he said a moment later, coming back through the lobby and pausing in the parlor doorway. “Giselle, good job.”
She gave a faint smile. “Thank you, sir.”
He strode out through the door, and just seconds later, Elizabeth came to find them, tying the sash of her robe tightly around her waist.
“I imagine you don’t want to tell the story all over again, so I won’t ask,” she said. “I’ll make Adam tell me everything later. But come into the kitchen and get something to eat, and then you both need to get to bed. You look worn right out.”
Giselle appreciated Elizabeth’s thoughtfulness. They drank hot tea while Elizabeth sliced them some corn bread and found a pie on the shelf. “It’s not a very exciting meal, but breakfast will make up for it,” she said, smiling at Posy. “Our cooks are something else.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Posy replied. “This will suit me fine.”
“Ma’am? Oh, dear. We’ll need to correct this little problem immediately.” She lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not a ma’am. In fact, I don’t even allow the girls here to call me Mrs. Brody. I’m Elizabeth, and you’d better get used to that right away.”
Posy smiled. “All right. Thank you, Elizabeth.”
“That’s better. And you are?”
“Well, that’s the thing,” Giselle said. “The men who were chasing her know her real name, so we should call her something else.”
Elizabeth raised her eyebrow again. “This is going to be quite the story, I imagine. What is your name?”
“Posy.”
“That’s lovely. Too bad you can’t keep it—I agree that choosing another one is best. Do you have a favorite character from a book?”
Posy thought for a minute. “Auntie Coral read me the story of Ruth out of the Bible when I was a little girl. I liked that quite a lot.”
“I’m sorry to say that we already have a Ruth here, and that would get confusing, but what about Naomi?”
Posy nodded. “I like it.”
“Then it’s settled. Your name is Naomi. We’d best introduce her to the other girls that way so they don’t accidentally slip up.” Elizabeth rose from the table. “Now that you’re done eating, scoot on up to bed.”
Giselle couldn’t think of anything that sounded more wonderful, and she showed Posy—now Naomi—to one of the few remaining spare beds in the attic bedroom.
Chapter Eleven
Naomi—that would take some getting used to—was still asleep when Giselle headed downstairs the next morning, and she decided to let the girl sleep as long as she could. It might even take a month of Sundays for her to regain her strength. It didn’t matter, though—she was safe. That was the important thing.
Elizabeth met her at the bottom of the stairs. “Adam filled me in when he got home last night. I knew you’d had a fright, but I had no idea . . . I’m very proud of you, Giselle.”
“It was hard, I’ll be honest, but I’ll be all right. I’m most concerned about Naomi.”
“I think we’ll ask Dr. Wayment to take a look at her just to make sure she’s well. She seemed so very exhausted.”
“That’s most likely a good idea.”
Giselle took her place alongside the other waitresses as they waited for their customers to arrive
. As the train whistle blew, however, Mr. Brody stepped out of his office and addressed the girls.
“We have a new waitress—her name is Naomi, and she’s a friend of Giselle’s. She’s here under special circumstances, and we’re to keep our eyes and ears open for anything suspicious here in the hotel.”
The girls glanced at each other, confusion on their faces.
“I won’t go into details because it’s best to keep you ignorant for your own safety. However, I’ll encourage you to tell me if you see anyone out of place, lurking around, snooping. Your top priority is making Naomi feel welcome and comfortable. And here come the passengers.”
Dozens of pairs of feet clomped up onto the porch and streamed into the Brody. The girls welcomed them and showed them the way into the dining room, but Giselle hung back and approached Mr. Brody.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “I’m so grateful to you for taking her in.”
“No one deserves to be treated as she has,” he replied. “She can count on our hospitality for as long as she needs it.”
Giselle smiled. “I’ll be sure she knows that.”
She turned toward the door to greet the stragglers and wasn’t surprised to see Jesse and Auntie Coral enter the building. “Welcome to the Brody Hotel. May I show you to a table?”
“Yes, please, young lady,” Auntie Coral said. “I hope you have what we’re looking for.”
“I’m absolutely positive that I do.” She guided them to a spot in the corner. “We had a little incident getting here, but everything’s fine,” she said in a low tone. “If you can stay for a moment after the meal, I’ll tell you what happened.”
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