Daniel led Duke out of the barn. He’d been saddled, and saddlebags loaded with supplies enough for a couple of weeks hung at each side. Her bedroll was tied firmly across the back. “What do you want me to tell Sheriff West?”
“Tell him I had to ride to Jefferson City to meet the train. But hold off telling him anything for as long as you can. Let him think that Sarah went to meet up with Samuel. That way, if I can figure out a way to come back as Samuel it won’t look so strange. Let him think I’ll be away for at least a week to meet up with my brother. That’ll give me enough of a head start.”
Daniel bit his lip. “How am I supposed to hold off telling him?”
“I don’t know. Be creative. Have me busy taking a bath, or out hunting, or taking a walk. Tell him I’m in bed with woman troubles for a few days. That should scare him off. Just tell him I’ll come see him when I’m feeling better.”
“What are you gonna do, Sarah? What will you do that will let you come back here?”
Sarah took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking a lot about that. I’m gonna head west. I’ll go as far as I can, and then I’ll let Sarah be seen by somebody that will get word back to St. Louis.” She took a shaky breath. “Then, I’ll go as far east as I can and let Sarah be seen again.” She gave them a smile. “Then, I can go back to being Samuel and head back here. They’ll be chasing Sarah as she heads east and Samuel will be here living with his family.”
Daniel’s mouth dropped open. “You mean you’re going to keep dressing like a man? For how long?”
Sarah shrugged. “Maybe for the rest of my life if the law keeps looking for me.” She pulled first Daniel, and then Rachel into a hug. “Remember chores come first, before play, for everyone. Take care of the animals and try to stay out of town. It’d be best if you didn’t associate with anyone for awhile.”
“What about Jake?” Rachel asked.
Sarah thought for a moment. “Jake’s okay. Encourage him to stick around here so he has a warm, dry place to sleep and plenty to eat. Just be careful and don’t tell him anything about me that he might repeat to the sheriff.” She mounted her horse and smiled. “I’ll be thinking about you.” Without waiting for a reply, she gave Duke’s flank a little kick. “Gid up, Duke.” She took off in a gentle lope. I’ll have to travel through the woods. I don’t wanna accidently run into Abe or Ike on the road. She reached up and wiped the tears from her cheek. This is for the best. There’s no future here for me.
* * * *
Abe looked up when Daniel walked through the door. “Afternoon, Daniel. How are things today? Are you feeling better?” The boy hadn’t been to town in over a week. Jake had told him that Sarah, Daniel, and Rachel had all been sick. “Is everything okay?” The boy looked bone tired and had dark circles under his eyes. It looked like he might have been crying.
Daniel nodded without smiling. “Things are fine.” He went to the corner and picked up the broom and walked toward the open cell.
Abe leaned over and grabbed his arm. “Boy, what’s going on? You look like you lost your best friend.”
Daniel turned away and gave Abe a weak laugh. “You’re imagining things, Sheriff. Besides, I got no friends to lose.”
“I thought Ike and I were your friends, Daniel.” He peered closely at the back of Daniel’s head and tried to gently turn him around. “Is everything all right at the farm?”
Daniel refused to look at him. “Sure, everything’s fine.”
Abe narrowed his eyes. “Is Sarah feeling better now?” He’d ridden out to see her twice after Jake had told him they were ill. Rachel had turned him away each time claiming Sarah was feeling poorly and preferred to rest instead of having company. He’d been worried and demanded to know what was going on. If she was sick, he’d need to drive to Jefferson City for a doctor. Rachel had blushed bright red, lowered her voice, and told him that Sarah was suffering from female ailments. He’d cringed and backed away, happy not to know any more details. He’d visited again two days later and was turned away for the same reason. But, this was a week later, and she should have been feeling fine by now.
“She’s feeling some better, but she’s been taking it easy to make sure she stays that way.”
“Well, I’m missing her something fierce, so I’m gonna ride out there today and make her take a ride with me. A little fresh air and sunshine will do her good. It’ll soon be too cold to ride around the countryside just for pleasure. I think we’re gonna have an early snow this year. Do you know if she’s laid in supplies for the winter yet?”
Daniel nodded. “Yes, sir, we’re pretty much stocked up on anything we could possibly need, plus we have all the vegetables that they canned in the storm cellar.”
“What about your grain stores? Do you have plenty of feed for the livestock?” Daniel nodded. “What about that chicken coop? Did you fix that door so they can come inside the building instead of prancing around in that little yard? They won’t weather the cold well, and with hunting scarce they’ll be dinner for wolves or coyotes if they’re left outside.”
“Everything’s ready for the cold to set in. I’ve got the lean-to stocked with enough wood to keep us warm all winter. The animals have plenty of food, and I moved in another water barrel for them.” Daniel smiled at Abe. “I even strung a rope from the house to the barn, and one to the storm cellar, in case it snows a blizzard. That way we can follow along the rope and not get lost.”
Abe grinned. “Smart lad. What about tying one to the well? You’re going to need water.” He wanted to know what kind of survival instincts the boy had.
Daniel sighed and placed his hand on his hip. “Sheriff, you don’t need to draw water from the well during a blizzard. You can just open the back door and scoop up some snow and boil it on the stove. No sense in risking your life for something that’s right outside your door.”
He chuckled. “You’re absolutely right, Daniel. I can’t imagine what I was thinking. You got plenty of warm blankets for everyone? You know, all of you could come winter at the farm with me and Ike. There’s plenty of room.”
Daniel took a step back, his hands clenching into fists. “No, sir. We have our own home and we ain’t abandoning it.”
Abe silently cursed. He’d have been happy to have Sarah in his home for the winter. Her and Ike had still not found their way together, and she’d been avoiding him since the night she ran from the farm. Ike had become nearly impossible to live with. He’d promised to talk to Sarah for his brother, but he’d been unable to catch her alone since he’d made the promise. Well, no more. He was going to make her talk to him today.
He grabbed his hat and turned to Daniel. “It’s looking kind of bleak, weather-wise, so you go on home when you finish up. I’m heading over to Sadie’s and pick up some lunch, and then I’ll make my rounds to be sure everything’s okay. You tell Miss Sarah to put on a pretty dress ’cause I’m coming calling. He started toward the door and then turned back. “By the way, have you seen Jake around lately?”
“Yeah, he’s been staying out at the farm with us this past week.”
“He’s been visiting with Sarah and the rest of you sick?”
Daniel bit his lip and looked away. “Yeah, but Sarah and Rachel have been staying in their room and Jake’s been out in the main room with me and Zeke and Jonathan.” He looked at Abe. “Sarah encouraged him to stay there so he’d have a warm place to sleep this winter. Don’t worry, Sheriff, we’re being good to him. He’s sleeping on a pallet near the fire and he’s got plenty to eat.” He laughed. “Rachel even got him to take bath last week.”
Chuckling, Abe went out the door, shutting it firmly behind him. He started to cross the street and spotted Ike walking toward him. “Hello, little brother. Come on and I’ll buy you some lunch.”
Ike nodded and followed Abe into Sadie’s without saying a word. They took a seat, and she immediately brought them each a cup of coffee.
Abe watched Ike sip from his cup. “Sadie, bring us some beef stew and c
ornbread, please.” She nodded and hurried off. Abe turned his attention to Ike. “What’s eating you?”
Ike snorted. “Nothing new. Still trying to figure out why Sarah won’t see me.” He took another sip of the hot coffee. “I haven’t seen her since she shot out the front door that night. When’s the last time you saw her?”
Abe picked up his own cup. “I haven’t seen her in person since the afternoon we were together at the creek.”
Ike slammed his cup down on the table, sloshing the dark brew over the sides. “What the hell is going on, Abe? What’d you do that scared her so bad she won’t see either of us?”
Abe felt his anger rising and narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t do anything bad to her.” He lowered his voice. “We made love and she enjoyed every minute of it. But I think she’s feeling guilty because she has feelings for both of us and she doesn’t know how to make it right in her head. She’s probably been brought up to believe that it’s only right to be one woman and one man in any relationship. We just need to give her time.” He took a drink of his coffee and looked up when Sadie brought their stew.
“I’ll be back with the cornbread.”
Ike touched Abe’s hand. “If it was so good between the two of you, why is she refusing to see you as well?”
“She’s not refusing.” He stopped and watched Sadie place a plate of cornbread on the table.
“So, how are things with you boys?”
When Ike remained silent, Abe looked up and smiled. “Things are good. How is Benjamin doing?”
“He’s feeling better now, but he’s been kind of poorly. Had the sore throat and fever for a few days.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything we can do?”
“No, I brewed up some willow bark tea and it seemed to help. His fever broke yesterday and today he’s feeling a little hungry so I reckon he’s on the mend.”
“We need to entice a doc to come settle in Big Springs. We’re getting more and more families with children and you never know when something will happen that we can’t handle.”
Sadie nodded. “That’s a fact. Haven’t seen that pretty little lady that you brought to lunch in here lately. She still visiting her brother?”
Abe sighed. “Yeah, she’s just been staying close to the farm the last couple of weeks.”
“Well, when you see her you be sure and tell her I was asking about her. I’m gonna get back to work now. I’m cooking and waiting tables until Benjamin is better. See y’all later.”
Abe turned his attention to Ike. “Daniel says that Sarah is still feeling a little poorly and decided to stick close to the farm a little longer.”
“If she’s still sick, we need to get out there and drag her kicking and screaming to Jefferson City and find a doc.”
“Don’t worry. I’m heading out there this afternoon. I don’t think she’s sick at all.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I think she’s embarrassed at what we did together and she’s having trouble facing me. I’ll bet she’s thinking I got what I wanted and now there’s no future for us. You know how women get some strange ideas in their heads.”
Ike sighed. “That’s a fact. They don’t ever reason things out and come up with the right answers.” He pushed his plate away. “So, when do we go?”
Abe pushed the nearly full plate back in front of Ike. “Not we, just me this time.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because you want me to talk to her about me being okay with the two of you, and I think she’ll accept that conversation a lot better alone than with you breathing over her shoulder.”
Ike set his jaw and gave his brother a long, hard look. “You’re still okay with the three us, aren’t you?”
Abe reached over and put his hand on Ike’s. “Yes, brother. I’m looking forward to the day we’ve got her living in our house as our wife. It’s what we’ve planned for a lot of years and I’ve not changed my mind at all. I do think it might have been better to have filled her in from the start, but it’s too late now so we’ll just have to make the best of things. I’ll head out right after I make my rounds and see if I can hog-tie the little darlin’ and take her for a buggy ride.”
“You said Daniel told you she was sick. Did he ever tell you what was wrong with her?”
Abe felt a flush traveling up his neck. “No, but Rachel did.” He looked down at his plate.
“Well, are you going to tell me what she said?”
Abe leaned closer. “Female troubles,” he whispered.
Ike reared back in his seat. “Lord a’ mighty, that could be any number of things I don’t want to know about.”
Abe laughed. “At least we agree on that, little brother.”
“I’m not…”
“I know, I know, you’re not the little brother.” Abe dropped a couple of dollar coins on the table and got to his feet. “I’m gonna start my rounds. It’ll take me about two hours to finish them. If nothing’s wrong I’ll head out to Sarah’s place then.”
“All right, I’m gonna head home. You get back as soon as you can. If you make things right with Sarah, bring her with you and I’ll spend the evening showing her just how much I love her.
Abe looked at his brother. “You already love her, too?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m crazy in love with her even without knowing what she’s hiding from us.”
“I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait until she’s comfortable enough with us to tell us the truth.”
“Amen to that, brother.”
Abe turned toward the door. “I’ll see you later.”
* * * *
Abe rode up to the Kees house and quickly swung his leg over Midnight’s back and dropped to the ground. He’d hurried through his rounds so fast he’d felt guilty. He walked toward the door, but before he knocked Rachel opened it.
“Hi, Sheriff, what can we do for you today?”
Abe glared at her. “I’m here to see Sarah and don’t be telling me she’s not feeling well. If she’s still poorly, then it’s time I hauled her off to see a doctor. I’m aiming to take her for a ride in the fresh air.”
Rachel gave him a short, brittle laugh. “No, of course she’s feeling much better now.”
Abe smiled and moved forward. “Then tell her I’m here.”
She frowned. “I’m sorry, Sheriff, but she’s not here.”
“Where is she?” he growled.
Rachel wrung her hands. Her eyes darted around. “She, um, she took off to Jefferson City.”
“She what?” he shouted.
Rachel cringed and backed up two steps. “She headed out to Jefferson City this morning.”
Abe crossed his arms across his chest. “What the hell did she go to Jefferson City for?”
She swallowed hard. “She’s gone to meet the train.”
Abe took a step back. “Why is she meeting the train?”
“Her brother, Samuel, is coming home and she wanted to surprise him.”
Abe swore and clenched his teeth. “Samuel is coming back?”
Rachel bit her lip and nodded.
He ran his hands through his hair and glanced toward the barn. What can I say to make her tell me the truth? If Samuel’s coming back, then Sarah is afraid of something. He spotted the wagon inside the barn. “If Sarah went to Jefferson City to meet up with Samuel how is she going to get him home? The wagon is still here.” He moved closer and took Rachel by the arm. “Tell me the truth, Rachel. Where is Sarah?”
Fat tears began running down Rachel’s face.
Abe sighed and pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay, girl, I’m not upset with you. Rachel, I know that Sarah and Samuel are one in the same. I’ve known for some time.”
Rachel gasped and pulled away. “How did you, I mean, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do and I’ll not have you lying to me anymore. If I have to take a razor strop to your backside, I will. Now, where is Sarah going?”
Before Rachel could answer, Abe heard the pounding of hooves. He turned and saw Daniel galloping toward the house.
“Let go of her right now!”
Chapter 7
Daniel jumped from his horse, ran over, and pushed Abe away from Rachel. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Abe took a deep breath and moved closer to the boy. “I’m trying to get to the truth, and I’d just as soon get it from you as this little girl.”
Daniel glanced at Rachel and then turned back to Abe. “What do you want to know?”
Abe had to grind his teeth to keep from lashing out at the stubborn boy. “Where is Sarah?”
“She’s gone to Jefferson City.”
“Stop it right now,” Abe shouted.
Daniel’s eyes widened and Rachel moved forward and placed a hand on his arm. “Daniel, he knows that Sarah and Samuel are the same.”
Daniel pursed his lips together, his fists clenching at his side. “It’s none of your business.”
“Boy, it is my business because I plan on making Sarah my wife. Now, she could be in all kinds of trouble, and I want to know what’s going on.”
Rachel tugged on Daniel’s sleeve. “Tell him, Daniel. He can help. I’m so afraid for Miss Sarah, being out there all alone.”
Abe cocked his head. “Well, boy, are you gonna do what’s right?”
* * * *
Ike picked up the brush and began grooming Blackie. He looked up at the sound of pounding hooves. He walked out of the barn and saw Abe galloping across the field. He watched as he barreled into the yard, pulling hard on the reins to get the horse to stop. “What’s wrong, Abe. Is it Sarah?”
Abe jumped from the lathered horse. “Yes, she’s in big trouble.” He walked over and pulled a wrinkled piece of paper from his pocked and handed it to Ike.
Ike felt his world shatter when he stared at Sarah’s face on the wanted poster. He looked up at Abe. “Where is she?”
Abe pulled the saddle off Midnight. “She’s running. And worse, she’s running as Samuel.”
Martine, Missy - Star Wishes (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 17
