“I’ll tell her tonight.”
“You better. It’s her decision as to whether she wants to be involved.”
“You’re wrong, Liam,” said Zach. “It’s long past time for that decision to be made. She’s involved now whether she wants to be or not because her father believes she is and will use her against Jake no matter what.”
Jake jumped up and swore again, heedless of Liam’s children nearby.
“Please,” said Liam, blocking his path. “Calm down.”
Jake stopped and ran his hands through his hair. Frustration ate at him and had his stomach tied in knots. He took a deep breath. “I’m gonna to go talk to Becky now. Best get it over with.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself or Becky. She may surprise you,” said Liam, clapping Jake on the back. “Heck, you may surprise yourself.”
Jake walked back to his camp, easily stepping over the larger stones on the rough path, trying to think of what to say. She’d want to know everything. Deserved to know everything.
He found her working in front of her fire. It looked like she was whittling a piece of wood into a long spear. She’d laid out her pants and socks to dry and put on her set of dry clothes. She only had two changes of clothing and she rotated them so one pair was always dry. If something happened and both sets of clothes were wet, then her luck had run out. Today her luck was with her. He hoped his was with him.
Jake sat down on the camp stool next to her. “We need to talk.”
She looked up at him question in her eyes. “So what’s the bad news?”
“How do you know it’s bad news?”
“Whenever someone says ‘We need to talk’, it’s always bad news.”
He nodded, “I might as well come on out with it.” He took a deep breath, “I killed a man and there’s a bounty on my head.”
“Are you telling me this so I’ll turn you in?” she teased.
“It’s not funny. I think Billy knows and is planning on doing just that. I saw him in town today talking with a man who looks to be a bounty hunter.”
Her demeanor immediately changed, her back went stiff and she sat up straighter. She looked worried. “If Billy knows, you’re not safe. The way he feels about you he’ll turn you in for a bottle of whiskey.” She paused. “Are you gonna to tell me why you killed the man?”
Jake thought about it before he started talking. He wanted to be able to tell her everything but it was hard. He gazeded straight ahead. He couldn’t look at Becky and tell her the story.
“I was engaged to a woman named Elizabeth Green. Her father was the mayor of Blackwater, Missouri. He didn’t much like that Elizabeth wanted to marry me, a poor farmer. You see, she’d been engaged to a captain in the Army, who was headed for bigger and better things. She broke off her engagement to him when we fell in love.”
“Go on,” she said encouragingly.
Jake stood up, too anxious to remain seated. His hands formed fists and he stomped away from her to the other side of the fire. He kept his back to her and continued the story.
“Elizabeth had been doing a lot of planning for the wedding with her mother and her aunt, so I would go over every day to see her for just a few stolen moments.” He smiled at the memory.
“One day I went by as usual. Just as I was mounting the stairs to the porch, I heard a shot from inside the house. I ran in and saw Elizabeth on the floor, her ex fiancé standing over her buttoning his pants and the man with the gun running out of the room. I immediately shot and killed her ex-fiancé and then ran after the other man.
“I didn’t catch him. I wasn’t fast enough. When I went back in to check on Elizabeth, she was still alive but in bad shape. She told me she loved me,” he whispered, still seeing her lying battered and bleeding in his embrace. “She died in my arms.”
He didn’t hear Becky come up behind him and was startled when she put her arms around his waist and hugged him. He stiffened but she didn’t let go.
“You did what you had to do. Why do they want to arrest you for that?”
He relaxed, turned, and hugged her tighter to him, leaning into her and accepting the comfort she so willingly gave.
“Because even though the sheriff believed me, the man that actually shot her and got away, is a colonel in the Army. He says I’m the one that shot Elizabeth and the captain when I found them together. He’s trying to save his ass.”
She didn’t let him go, just held him while he talked.
“So it’s this colonel that’s after you?”
“Yes, and the Army. He came to arrest me but made the mistake of bringing Zach and his unit to do it. Zach didn’t know anything about it until he got to my house and saw me. Zach cold-cocked the colonel and Zach’s men looked the other way and let us escape. They gave us at least day’s head start and may have found themselves court-martialed as well for doing it, but they for sure saved my life. The Army would have hung me.”
“I’m glad you escaped.” She gave him a little squeeze. “What are we going to do now? Are you going to run again?”
He turned until he faced her and she was wrapped tightly in his arms. It felt wonderful to have her there. Comforting. “No. No more running. We’re on Indian land. There is no law here. No one can touch us, but that also means there’s no one to protect us if Billy does try to turn us over to that bounty hunter.”
“How do you think Billy found out?”
“I have no idea. Someone must have a poster or something that has our description and Billy saw it and put two and two together.”
He gazed down at her. “You’re letting me hold you. You must really feel sorry for me.”
She tried to pull away. “I was giving comfort, that’s all. You seemed to need it. Perhaps I was mistaken.”
“No, you weren’t mistaken.” He wanted to keep holding her but let her go. When she was ready to be held for another reason, to be held for a loving reason, he would be there. He would not restrain her against her will, but one of these days she would want him to hold her.
“So, if you’re not leaving, why are you telling me this?” She turned her drying clothes over so the other side would be exposed to the fire’s warmth and start to dry.
“Because I believe Billy will try to use you against me. He knows how I feel about you.”
She stopped fiddling with her clothes. “And how do you feel about me?”
He gazed at her directly in the eyes. “You must know that I care for you.”
“Why must I?”
“Well,” he took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair and then put his hat on again. “The way I treat you. I’m always here watching out for you, doesn’t that prove something?”
“Just that you like to protect women. You might do that for everyone as far as I know.”
“Well, I don’t let women get beat up when I’m around, but I’ve never moved next to one just to keep her father from taking his fists to her.”
“All right, you have me there. What do you want me to do?”
“I’d like you to move over to my camp…,”
She started to protest. He held up his hand to stop her.
“But I know that’s not proper, so I simply want you to be on your guard, especially when Billy is supposedly gone from camp.”
“You don’t think he’ll try something when he’s here?”
“No. My brothers pointed out that he’s much more dangerous if he thinks we’re not expecting it and if he’s here, it would be too obvious. Although, if anything happens to me, my brothers will be coming after Billy first.”
She nodded. “Understood. How do you think he’ll use me against you? If he’s not in camp, what can he do to me?”
“I don’t know. I just know I don’t trust him. He doesn’t give a damn about you. You must know that.”
She glanced away from him and said softly, “In my heart, I keep hoping that he’ll love me. If I’m good enough and make enough, that somehow he’ll change and he’ll love me.”
Jake went to her and put his hands on her shoulders, afraid that if he took her completely into his arms she’d pull away. “Becky, honey, Billy is never going to change. I understand the need you have for him to love you. We all want our parents to love us, but that’s not going to happen. He doesn’t have it in him to love anyone but himself.”
She held herself stiff and sniffled. He knew she was crying but didn’t know how to comfort her any more than he already was. Slowly, very slowly, so as not to spook her, he brought her back against his chest and rested his cheek next to hers. Today was the closest she’d ever let him come and he didn’t know how long it would last. He savored it.
He felt her shoulders sag as she relaxed against him. He closed his eyes and just appreciated the feel of her against him. He rubbed his hands lightly up and down her arms in a way he hoped was soothing. She didn’t pull away but he dared not wrap her in his arms again, as he had when she was comforting him just a while ago, though he wanted to more than anything. She was skittish as a colt and he’d have to take care not to scare her away.
He was determined that Becky would be his.
CHAPTER 5
After Jake and Becky talked they both decided to keep to their regular routines. No point in letting Billy know anything was different. The only exception being that Jake now went with her to pick up Billy. He was determined to keep her safe
His brothers told him it was fool hardy. That he was more vulnerable to kidnapping himself when he was in Deadwood, but Jake couldn’t let Becky be in danger without helping. Especially when it was his fault she was in danger in the first place.
The first few times were normal. Billy was passed out at The Gem. Dan or someone else had moved him to a table next to the door so Becky could get at him. Usually Dan Dority put Billy on Buster’s back if he wasn’t too busy with other customers. Other times Johnny Burns, the floor manager, did it and if no one else was around, then Becky dragged him and tugged him up with a rope.
Now Jake helped her and none too gently. He threw Billy over the saddle and tied his hands and feet tight. He thought about tying them tight enough to cut off the circulation but decided Becky wouldn’t be too happy with him if her Da lost his hands because of it. It would mean she’d never be rid of him and there was no way Jake would put her in that situation.
Days went by with no change and then two strange men came to camp one day.
“Can I help you?” Becky said to them when they rode in to camp at supper time.
“We’re looking for Jake Anderson,” said the bigger of the two. He was dressed in a dirty coat and pants. His hair was down past his shoulders and hung lank and greasy. He was the bounty hunter Jake had described. The second man was cleaner and smaller but still had a feral look about him and she knew he was dangerous. Maybe the more dangerous of the two.
“I don’t know no Jake Anderson,” she said. “You can ask on the claims further up. Maybe they know him.”
“Isn’t this Billy Finnegan’s claim.” Said the bounty hunter as he started to get off his horse.
At his movement, Becky pulled her Colt revolver from its holster at her side. “Don’t be gettin’ down, mister. You got no call to stay. Billy’s name may be on the paperwork, but this is my claim. I work it. What you want with this Anderson fella, anyway?” She tried to sound nonchalant but since she was not letting him anywhere near her, there was nothing nonchalant about it and the man knew it.
“Just in case you happen to meet him you tell him I got something that belongs to him. Something he’ll want. Bad.”
“I told you I don’t know him.”
“Like I said, if you happen to meet him. I hear he’s got a claim around here. We’ll be back when Billy’s here. Maybe he’ll be more hospitable.” He looked her up and down. Becky could feel his eyes roving over her body like he was taking off every stitch she wore. Her hand started to shake and she grasped the gun with both hands, aiming it at the man’s heart.
“I wouldn’t bother coming back. Billy don’t like strangers any more than me.”
“Who said we were strangers?” He turned on his horse and was followed by the second man who hadn’t said anything but just leaned on his saddle horn and stared at her with cold eyes. A killer’s eyes. If he did or didn’t like what he heard, he gave no indication. Both men put the fear of God into her but she wasn’t going to let them know that.
She watched them ride away and wondered if they’d already stopped at the Anderson camp or come straight here to see Billy. Good thing he was still at The Gem doing his best to keep them in business single handedly.
Becky heard some rustling in the bushes behind her, turned and pointed her gun at the sound.
“It’s just me,” said Jake, walking out of the bushes where he’d gone as soon as he’d gotten the signal from David.
When Jake discovered the bounty hunter was in Deadwood, they all decided to keep watch for anyone who came up the gully. Any traveler would have to go past the Anderson camp first and so they’d posted David at the top of the hill between the two camps with a mirror. If anyone came up that way he signaled to Jake who then high-tailed it into the woods to watch and wait. If there was any danger to Becky, he was there, with his Henry Yellow Boy, to take out the stranger before they could hurt her.
She holstered her gun. “Did you hear?”
“Yeah.”
“So what do you want to do? They’ll be back.” She walked to the fire, took the pot of beans off the heat, stoked the fire and put another piece of wood on it before putting the beans back.
He sat on one of the camp stools and poured himself a cup of the coffee left over from breakfast. “I know. I can’t keep hiding every time someone comes and neither can Zach. It goes against our very nature.”
“Well, what do you propose? You can’t let them take you and that’s exactly what they’ll do if they see you.”
He ran a nervous hand through his blond, shaggy hair. She noticed it had gotten overly long in the few months he’d been in the gulch, now touching just below his collar in dark golden waves. She longed to run her fingers through it and couldn’t believe that she felt that way.
“I don’t know. I’ll handle it when it happens.”
Jake wanted to protect her but that was all. He hadn’t been able to save Elizabeth and now wanted to make that up by protecting Becky. She wasn’t so naïve she didn’t know that. He shielded her from himself, too and she wasn’t sure she wanted him doing that. Her heart leapt a little at the thought that he cared. She was fully capable of taking care of herself, but admitted it felt good to have someone care whether she lived or died.
And having him hold her like he had the night she’d cried for the little girl that still wanted her daddy’s love, was the nicest thing anyone had done for her in years. No one had held her and let her cry since Grandma Bess was alive. That was a long time to go without a hug.
In some ways, she may always be that little girl. That was a prospect she didn’t like. It made her weak and she couldn’t be weak and survive in this world.
Jake didn’t approach her or speak for the longest time. He must have seen that she needed to think and be alone with her thoughts. He was helping her to let go. Trying to make her strong, but what would happen to her if she did? If there was no Billy, what would become of Becky? Would she just fade away into obscurity? She didn’t mind, really, having no desire for fame, but she did have the desire for family, a real family, of her own. One without Billy in it.
So why was it so hard to let him go? Get him out of her life? She didn’t like Billy and he sure as hell didn’t like her, so why? Jake probably had the right of it. She still wanted her daddy’s love and approval; even though she knew she’d never get it.
It was time to put that behind her. She needed to concentrate on the mining claim. On getting enough gold saved to be able to walk away from Billy and never look back.
“Let’s eat. It’ll be dark soon but I’m not going to get Bill
y tonight. I’ll wait until tomorrow. He’ll still be passed out or if not, well, he can find his own way home then can’t he?”
Jake took the beans off the fire while Becky got the biscuits she’d baked at breakfast. She handed Jake two and took one for herself. They each piled their plates full of beans and pork belly. Becky put a new pot of coffee on to brew. It would be done by the time they finished their supper and maybe Jake would linger over a cup of the strong, hot brew.
She could offer him some of the whiskey she kept hidden from Billy. She kept it for emergencies. So when Billy got too bad he’d take the whiskey before he took his fists to her. Of course, he always backhanded her when she gave it to him because she’d kept it hidden, but at least he didn’t beat her as bad as he would have if she hadn’t had it stashed away. Finally, discarding the idea, she concentrated on her dinner.
“How did it go for you today?” asked Jake. “Did you get enough to put some away?”
She stared at him. “How can you just dismiss the danger you’re in and act like the gold matters?”
“Dwelling on it won’t change the fact they’re here. I can be on guard and be careful but I can’t let it rule me.” He took the coffee off the fire and poured them both a cup. He said, “So how did you do today?” Apparently that discussion was closed.
She shrugged. “A little. Most of it will go to Billy. It’s got to be about the same amount everyday or he gets suspicious. This way he don’t ask too many questions.”
“Why don’t you let me help you get the gold you need? We could work your claim together and you could save what I get plus what you normally do and you’d be free of Billy sooner and forever. You could go anywhere you want. What have you always wanted, Becky? What are your dreams?”
She stared into the fire. “You’ll think it’s silly for a girl like me.”
Jake Page 5
