Long Time Gone

by Mary Connealy

  She wondered if that held for men, too.

  “Add to that your horse could step in a gopher hole, throw you, and you’d break your neck.”

  “I’m quite good at staying in the saddle, thank you.” She touched her neck nervously.

  Justin laughed. She took exception to that, but he didn’t give her time to protest. “And if you don’t fall to your death, you might fall partway with your boot hung up in the stirrup, and you could be dragged like that all the way back to town. You’d be right down on the ground disturbing all number of spiders and snakes, and that’s if the horse doesn’t stomp a hoof on your head.”

  Angie decided maybe riding by herself was a poor idea. “Can we head for town at first light?”

  Justin rode his horse into the barn through wide-open doors. He swung down as a cowpoke rushed forward to take the reins of both critters.

  “Thanks, Windy.”

  The cowhand grunted and led the horses away.

  Justin kept Angie in his arms as he walked toward the house.

  Angie kept her chin down, and she spoke to her hands, twisted together in her lap. “I really did think you needed to know about that map right away.”

  “And you were right.”

  “I thought of asking Sheriff Dunn or Dr. Garner or Parson Gregory to ride out with me. Beyond that, I didn’t feel I knew anyone in town well enough to trust them. And I certainly couldn’t ask Aunt Margaret or Sister Louisa.”

  “That’s wise on your part.” His voice was flat, some might even call it sarcastic.

  “So I took the chance. I know it was reckless, but I thought if I just risked it this once, I’d never do it again. It’s not my wish to cause you worry, Justin. And I have no desire to do hazardous things, nor do I believe I’m a particularly lucky woman—which is how I often end up in bad situations.” She knew that beyond all doubt.

  They paused as they reached the back door. Justin stopped so suddenly, all her attempts to explain herself dried up. He set her on her feet and reached for the back door, but instead of opening it, he looked down at her. His dark blue eyes were shadowed by his hat and the darkness.

  “I admire that you were brave enough that you warned us right away, and I’m glad to hear you’ll never do it again. But, Angie, what if you find another clue and decide it can’t wait? I don’t know if I can trust you. And I don’t know if I can bear the thought of you being in such danger.”

  She thought for a moment that he was going to kiss her. Despite the little scolding she gave herself about not wanting his affection, she realized she wanted it desperately.

  Then he straightened as if he remembered himself and then pulled the door open to the bright lantern light of the Bodens’ kitchen. “I really don’t think you know a lick about this land. No one would go out riding at night over those long miles if they did.”

  No more than the absolute truth. Was he saying this to remind himself of why he shouldn’t get mixed up with a woman who’d lived in a city all her life? Or was he calling her stupid?

  “How am I ever going to keep you safe?”

  That wasn’t his job, but he pushed her gently but firmly into the kitchen, then took her hand and headed back to the office where she’d interrupted the family gathering not that long ago.

  She followed him because she didn’t have much choice—his grip was firm. But she didn’t delude herself. She’d have followed him anywhere.

  And that was all wrong. She had to stay away from him.

  From this moment on, she must never let herself be alone with Justin again.

  Justin didn’t want this time alone with Angie to end. His mind wandered to arranging another private ride. One where no one was liable to shoot at them. That way there was a much better chance they’d have themselves a good time.

  He held tight to Angie’s hand and slowed his pace as he walked to Pa’s office just to draw out this short spell of being with her because he liked it so much. But he knew that it was fleeting. This had to be the last time.

  The family barely glanced up when Justin came in with Angie in tow. Heath’s wild eyes flickered to their joined hands, then flashed with humor, but he kept a straight face. Sadie and Cole acted like it was business as usual, which in a way made Justin more nervous than Heath’s silent teasing.

  Rosita was sitting by the fire and stood. “I’ll get a room ready for you, Angie.” She hurried out. Rosita would always rather be moving than sitting.

  Justin had left them debating how they’d set up the cowhand who’d been reporting to Dantalion.

  Cole leaned back in Pa’s chair behind the desk. Justin was used to him claiming that spot even though it chafed something awful. It wasn’t as if Justin wanted the chair; it just seemed like it ought to remain empty, waiting for Pa’s return.

  John was gone, so Justin turned a couple of heavy chairs to face Cole.

  Justin escorted Angie to the one farthest in the room, to keep an eye on her in the event of another escape attempt. He asked, “What have you decided?”

  Cole’s mouth looked pinched, but he said, “We’re going to do it your way. I agree that Skull Mesa is probably not necessary.”

  “What about Skull Mesa?” Justin had missed that part of the conversation.

  “I sure would like to climb that old beast.” Cole ignored Justin’s question.

  “We’ll do it one of these days,” Heath said with a smirk. “I can get you to the top from two different directions in about half an hour. Easy.”

  Cole and Justin both glared at Heath. They’d been trying to climb that mesa all their lives—and their pa before them. Heath, taking Sadie with him, had gotten to the top on his second try. He’d gone up one way and come down another, using the path seen from the top but invisible at the bottom.

  Heath was a climbing fool and knew some fancy tricks. He claimed he’d spent most of his life climbing around in a cavern. Justin had a hard time believing that. What sort of cave was big enough to climb?

  Cole sketched out their plan.

  Justin was fiercely satisfied that they were using his. He’d barely gotten it told before he noticed Angie’s runaway attempt, so he’d left it to them to hash out.

  “I’ve got to ride to Skull Gulch as early as possible tomorrow to get Angie home.” Justin narrowed his eyes at her. “She took a big risk riding out here alone, but she thought we needed to see that map. Thank you, Angie.”

  “That’s so brave, Angie,” Sadie said. “God bless you.”

  Some might say brave. Some might say stupid.

  “Mighty tough woman,” Heath said with a nod.

  Justin was mighty sure Heath was wrong about the tough part.

  “We appreciate it, Angie,” Cole added, “but we hate the thought of you in danger. We have to find a way to make sure you’re safe. Justin, talk to Sheriff Joe tomorrow about riding out with Angie if she finds something else we might need to know. Now that it looks like Maria was involved . . .” He stopped talking for a solemn moment.

  Justin remembered the quiet, courageous woman who’d saved his life. Her funeral had been a somber affair. With the children all there, tears were shed aplenty.

  Cole cleared his throat and went on. “There might be more clues come to light at the orphanage.”

  Angie looked startled, as though she’d expected the Bodens to scold her.

  Justin had kinda expected it, too. Just in case he failed to mention it before, he said to Angie, “I can see why you thought it was real important to bring the map to us. Thank you. I doubt I can get you to town early enough to keep Sister Margaret from being upset, but we’ll get you there as fast as possible.”

  Justin had another thought. “Heath, why don’t you ride in with us? I think it’s high time we had another talk with Ramone. If Maria knew about this, there’s a good chance Ramone does. I’m pretty sure he was hiding something from me when I questioned him before.”

  “Nope.” Cole cut off Justin’s planning. “Someone else had better ride
her in. I want this thing settled. There’s no reason we can’t spring our trap tomorrow.”

  Justin had been looking forward to the ride. But then he’d thought of “proper,” opened his mouth and invited Heath along, so the ride was ruined anyway. Since Justin was a man of action, it suited him to get on with it. “I agree. In fact, taking Angie home will explain the absence of a few people we need to get in place. Heath, you take her and let Sadie ride along, too. Then instead of heading back to the ranch, you can . . .”

  They planned the next morning a bit longer before Justin said, “All right, let’s get some rest. Maybe after tomorrow we’ll be on our way to putting an end to all this nonsense. Maybe we can enjoy a quiet Christmas without anyone gunning for us.”

  A chill crawled down his spine then, as if his confidence was just asking for trouble. There was plenty that could go wrong, but it did a man no good to worry.

  Rosita came in at that minute. “Everything is ready. Angie, I found some things that will fit you among Sadie’s nightclothes.”

  Sadie nodded in satisfaction.

  “Thank you,” Angie said as she stood. “Thank you all.”

  They gratefully ended the long day.

  “Just set it on the table there.”

  “You want us to help get the lid off, Dr. Radcliffe?” A deep voice sounded a bit too interested, like maybe he enjoyed seeing the occasional corpse.

  “No, thank you. We’ll do that tomorrow when the guests arrive.”

  Chance sure enough hoped no guests arrived. And he also wondered how a man with such a fine reputation and an honorable profession could be such a smooth liar.

  The door shut, and soon after the lid lifted.

  “Hey, Doc.” Chance blinked at the lantern light. The casket had been black as pitch.

  Ronnie didn’t say anything. Instead, she unlatched the side of the coffin and let it swing down. She hopped out like a woman escaping the worst nightmare of her life—and why wouldn’t she?

  “It was a nice, quiet ride, honey. What’s the hurry?”

  Ronnie smiled while her narrow eyes seemed to threaten him. “Let’s get you out of that pine box, Chance.” She turned to the doctor. “And let’s find a less horrifying way to travel in the future.”

  The doctor chuckled. “I don’t think this will be necessary again.”

  Ronnie and the doc eased Chance’s legs around so he could sit up, the doctor handling the broken one with great care. Then they helped him stand, balancing his weight on his one good foot.

  “I asked the sheriff to make sure a bed was made up on the ground floor. Let’s get you in there so we can stop jostling you around.”

  “The sheriff?” Chance asked. “He’s involved in this?”

  “He’s your landlord and your next-door neighbor.” The doctor eased Chance’s arm around his shoulder. “He just married the woman who lived in this house. She hasn’t moved any of her furniture yet, so the place is livable. And you’ve got a man close by who’s so tough, no one’s going to start trouble within a mile.”

  Ronnie held on to him from the other side, and together they all moved slowly toward the bedroom.

  Chance didn’t want any trouble finding him with his leg still on the mend, but if he could walk freely, he’d welcome whoever was hunting him. He’d like to end all this once and for all.

  The two of them helped get him settled in bed. Chance nearly collapsed from the effort of the short walk. Yep, he was useless.

  “I’ve got to go. Make yourselves comfortable. I informed the sheriff that there might be danger coming for you, so he’ll be stopping in to talk come morning.”

  “Doc, before you go, how much longer will I have this cast on my leg?”

  The doctor scratched his head thoughtfully—or maybe his head just itched. “You’re a mighty fast healer, Mr. Boden. I think one more week in that cast is enough. Then I’m going to put on another, much smaller and of a lighter plaster, and get you some crutches.”

  Right now Chance had plaster from his foot all the way to the top of his thigh. “With the bone healed, though not strong yet, you’ll be able to get along with a cast from right below your knee to your toes. I still don’t want any weight put on it, but you’ll be able to move around better and the plaster will weigh half as much. The smaller cast will need to stay on for another month.”

  “A month?” Chance wanted badly to get home.

  “You had a very severe break, Mr. Boden, and I want your leg solidly knit before you’re standing and walking on your own. And you must admit that patience isn’t your strength. If I trusted you to be careful, I might not make you remain in the plaster for as long. But you’re already chafing to fight whoever is pursuing you.”

  Chance fumed, but blast it, the doctor was right. “Can I go home with the lighter cast and crutches?”

  “I want you completely healed before you leave my care. You’re one of the most severely injured men I’ve ever treated. And even I admit I couldn’t have done it without the fine care you received right after the break.”

  Doc Garner in Skull Gulch had helped, but most of the credit went to Heath Kincaid. While Chance had been out cold through it all, he’d heard all the details. Garner had ridden to Denver with them and told them what Heath had done.

  “I’m not going to release you to go running off until I’m sure you can’t do any new damage to yourself.”

  Despite his seeming to relish the trick of slipping Chance out of the hospital and then joking about the coffin, the doctor was dead serious when it came to medicine. Chance would have to step right over him to head for Skull Gulch.

  He didn’t want to leave footprints on such a fine man. He didn’t even want to go against his advice. Yet neither of those wants was necessarily enough to stop him.

  18

  “Cole, you shouldn’t be out of bed!” Justin shouted loud enough to shake dirt down off the barn rafters.

  The men were saddling up, getting ready for the day. Not a one of them missed Justin and Cole scrapping. And that was just how Justin and Cole had planned it. They wanted to make sure everyone heard them making the day’s arrangements.

  “I told you, I’m fine.” Cole headed for his horse, kept in a stall inside until it learned to get along with the other horses. It had been living in town with Cole, and the feisty stallion hadn’t quite found the right herd yet.

  Justin grabbed Cole’s arm hard enough to stop him in his tracks and made a fist. “If you’re well enough to be out here riding, you’re well enough to take a punch.”

  Cole turned to face him, his eyes flashing rage.

  Justin almost smiled, but then caught himself. That’d ruin everything.

  “I have to ride out to the mines today.” Cole yanked his arm free of Justin’s grip. “It’s been a week.”

  “We’ve had reports brought in. Go study them.”

  “The last I heard from them was Monday. It’s been a full workweek since then, and someone should have checked in. I’m worried that they didn’t. Something must’ve gone wrong. I’m well enough to—”

  “Just shut up for a minute,” Justin snarled. Fighting with Cole was his favorite pastime.

  “I plan to take it slow, so I’ll be gone all day—”

  “I said quiet down!” Justin said. “I’ll go.”

  “You’ve got a full day’s work.”

  Justin looked around at his men. “I can head out to the mine after the noon meal. I don’t have to take it slow, so I can make a fast run, get the report you’re so worried about, and still be home by supper.”

  Cole didn’t respond. Instead he glared at Justin and breathed hard through clenched teeth. He knew good and well he wasn’t up to the long ride. But their plan had included Cole losing this fight, so anyone with bad intentions would know exactly where Justin would be riding. And that he’d be alone.

  “Fine, but I want your word you’ll get out there and back today.”

  “Even if I have to ride long after d
ark, I’ll get back here. Anyway, it’s a shorter ride from here because you’ve been starting from town. I’ll cut nearly two hours off your time.”

  “I checked Pa’s office this morning and Monday’s reports weren’t there. Where’d you put them?”

  Justin dragged his Stetson off his head and whacked himself in the leg, as if Cole’s question made him half-crazed with impatience. “I tucked them away. Let’s go, I’ll have to get them for you.”

  He looked up at Alonzo. “Get the men started. I want to bring the cattle up from the east pasture, and I want a head count on the closest herd to the south. I’ll catch the cowhands heading south and help with that before I ride for the mine.”

  Alonzo was in charge because John had ridden with Heath, Sadie, and Angie. As if it took all three of them to get Angie safely to town. All the more reason for Justin to keep busy, so he wouldn’t think about how much he’d wanted to escort her in.

  “Here he comes!” Heath ducked low, not wanting to give his position away.

  “That’s Windy.” Sadie hissed the words. She was a good partner and knew how to keep quiet and stay out of sight.

  Heath looked at her and saw the hurt of betrayal. He hesitated to say more. But he needed her to get beyond hurt feelings and be ready if this turned into a fight.

  He pulled her close and whispered, “He can’t have any business on that trail, Sadie. Justin sent him along with the drovers to bring the cattle closer. Here he is, as if he dropped back to return to the ranch, and then instead of going back he’s heading up that old trail.”

  “The same one where we fought Dantalion.”

  All the sadness vanished from Sadie’s expression, replaced by fury. “He’s trying to find Dantalion and report Justin’s trip to the mines this afternoon. They’re planning to waylay him and kill him.”

  Windy—that was the only name Heath had ever heard him called—vanished into the woods. Heath inched his head up. When he saw no sign of their prey, he grabbed Sadie’s hand and headed through the woods toward the trail Windy had taken. He’d been in some tight spots in his life, but he’d never tried to catch an outlaw and hold a woman’s hand at the same time.