“Damn it, man. I can’t stand. She shot me in the…”
Ty glanced at the front of the man’s bloody pants. He almost laughed out loud. “I see where she shot you. Guess she didn’t want to have anything to do with that.”
“I’ll—”
“You’ll do nothing except call off your men. What there is left of them, that is.” Ty thrust the man’s face through the broken window. “Now, call them off or let them shoot you in the head. Doesn’t matter to me, either way.”
“Men!” he screamed.
The outlaws pulled up their horses and stared at their boss.
“Hang back for a bit,” one of them shouted.
“And don’t try to come in the back door again. It’s guarded,” Ty yelled.
“What can I do to help, Eldridge?”
Ty was surprised. “I thought he got you, Ray.”
“He’s not a very good shot. It’s just a scratch on my right side. I pretended to be dead so he wouldn’t shoot me again.”
“Glad to hear it. If you will, hold this sonofabitch here so I can see about Xenia.”
“What’s going on?” Mea Ann called.
“We’re getting it under control. You stay down. I’m bringing Xenia to you.” He swooped Xenia up in his arms and hurried behind the cabinet.
“Oh, no. Is she hurt?”
“No. She fainted.” He put her gently down on the mattress.
Xenia began to stir. Rubbing her eyes she asked, “What happened?”
“I’ll explain later. You stay here with your sister, and I’ll be back soon.”
“Did I shoot somebody?”
“Yes, but you didn’t kill him. Actually, you saved my life.”
“I’m glad of that,” she muttered, then tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
Ty knelt beside her and put his arm around her shoulder. “If you hadn’t wounded the man, we’d all be dead, Xenia. Thank you for saving us.”
She leaned against him and nodded. “Then, I must have done the right thing. I guess I’m glad.”
“So am I, but I think you need to stay here with your sister for a while.”
“But I have to load the guns.”
“You can load them later. The shooting has slowed down.”
Her eyes got big. “Yes, it has. Maybe I’ll rest just a little.”
“You do that.” He removed his arm. “Look after her, Mea Ann.”
“I will.”
Ty hurried to Lou’s side. He gave him a quick look and saw he was breathing well. He then turned toward the window.
“She okay?” Ray asked.
“Yeah. She fainted, but she’ll be fine in a little while.”
Ray nodded. “Good. Now, I’ve gottat stop this bleeding. I don’t think it’s a bad wound, but it’s bleeding a lot.”
“Need me to look at it?”
“Nah, I’ll manage.”
“When you finish, check Bullins if you feel like it. I gave him a quick look and think he’s alright, but you make sure.”
“Will do.”
Ty turned back to the outlaw. “Think your men will listen to you?”
“They better.” His voice was weak.
Ty knew he would probably bleed to death soon. “Doesn’t look like they’re too concerned. They’ve gathered in a circle. Probably trying to decide if you’re worth trying to save.”
The outlaw didn’t answer. He’d passed out.
Xenia came around the cabinet. “What’s going on? I heard you talking about Ray. Is he hurt?”
“I’m going to be fine, Miss Xenia. It’s just a scratch.”
She moved toward him. “Scratches need to be taken care of, too.”
“I know that’s what you told Ty, but I’ll be fine.”
“Oh, Ray, don’t try to be as brave and stubborn as Ty was. You’re hurt. Let me help.”
He grinned. “I’d never refuse help from a beautiful Poindexter sister, but maybe you should check on Bullins.”
“I will after I take care of you.”
“I’ll check him again.” Ty propped the outlaw in the window and moved to the salesman. “He’s going to be fine. He hit his head on the corner of the doorframe and knocked himself out when he fell. His wound is only a scratch on the head.”
Ray chuckled. “Looks like our intruder was a poor shot.”
A bullet came through the window, and the outlaw fell backward. Ty raced to the window and fired. “Don’t look like they have any respect for their boss.”
“Is he dead?” Ray asked.
“Looks like it.” Ty shoved him out of his way and took his window position. “When you finish with Bullins, I can use you to reload again, Xenia.”
“I’m almost through. I’ll be there in a minute.”
The gunfight didn’t last much longer. Of the three remaining raiders, one died from a bullet Ray put in his chest. One rode off holding his arm from a gunshot Ty sent there, and the last one took one look at his wounded cohort, turned his horse, and rode off behind him. It wasn’t long until Ty declared the battle over.
****
Later, Lou sat on one of the benches as Xenia bandaged his head. “What happened here?” he asked.
“You fell and hit your head,” she explained.
“Where are the other men?”
“Burying the station manager and his wife.”
“What about those outlaws?”
“I think they said they were going to wrap their bodies in tarps and take them to town. According to Ray, some of them are probably wanted.”
His eyes lit up. “Did he think there’d be a reward on their heads?”
Xenia glared at him. “He didn’t say.”
Lou glanced at Mea Ann, who was sitting on the other bench cuddling the sleeping baby. An empty bottle was sitting on the table. “I see you’re still taking care of the half-breed.”
Mea Ann glared back at him. “Stop calling him that. He’s a precious little baby who has lost his parents. You don’t have to be disrespectful to them by calling their baby a derogatory name.”
“Don’t worry about it. If your conscience won’t let you leave it here to die, you can get rid of it when we get to town.”
“I’m not going to get rid of it.”
“Don’t be stupid. A white woman like you can’t keep a breed. I’m sure some worthless redskin will take it to his village to be with its kind. If not, there’s always an orphanage you can send it to. Those religious idiots will take any child. Even a breed.”
“Shut up, Bullins. Nobody cares what you think should be done with the baby.” Xenia jerked the bandage tight around his head. She didn’t like the fact this rude man was talking to her sister in such a way. “I wonder what kind of parents you had since you turned out to be such a terrible man.”
“Listen, Missy. You need to be a little more careful what you say about my folks as well as the way you’re working on my head. You were easier with Eldridge’s shoulder, and anyone with any eyesight at all can tell he’s got some Indian blood in him.”
“Oh, I didn’t notice anything Indian. His blood looked just as red as yours, to me. Now, sit still—or I’m going to have it so tight around your head that you pass out again, and when you wake up, you’ll never get over the headache.”
“You better not.”
“Listen, you bigoted man, nobody here cares what you think about Indians—and I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your opinion to yourself.”
“That’s telling him, Miss Xenia.” Ray strolled into the room and sat on the bench beside Mea Ann. “How’s the little one doing?”
“He’s asleep right now, but we’re out of milk and I’m afraid he’s going to wake up hungry.”
“Maybe Eldridge will find the milk cow while he’s out.”
Xenia finished Lou’s bandage then walked away. “What is Ty doing, Ray?”
“He told me to come on in here and rest up my side so I can drive the stage. He’s trying to catch
as many of the outlaw’s horses as he can. We’re going to tie the bodies on them and take them to the undertaker in town.”
“Do you think there’ll be a reward for us catching them?” Lou asked.
“Ty and I discussed that. There probably will be, and we decided that if there was anything on the heads of the ones we killed, we’d give it to the baby. He deserves it, since they took his parents.”
“I’ll be damned if my share will go to some half-breed brat.”
“I don’t see how you can claim anything, Bullins. There were eight of them. Two rode away. I shot two, Ty shot three and the gang killed one themselves. Of course we decided since Miss Xenia put the first bullet in him, she gets the reward on him, if there is one.”
“But I helped hold them off.”
“Quit whining, Bullins. You’re alive, ain’t you?”
“Ty said I didn’t kill the man and I’m not taking any money for his death. You can give it to the baby, too.”
“You people are crazy. We could share…”
Ty came into the room. “I caught four horses.”
Mea Ann looked at him. “Did you happen to see the milk cow?”
“Yes, it’s wandering around in the garden area.”
“Do you think you can catch it so we can get some milk for the baby?”
“Sure. Can you milk a cow?”
“No, but I’ll try.”
Ty chuckled. “Don’t bother. I’ll milk her.”
“Oh, thank you, Mr. Eldridge,” Mea Ann said.
He smiled at her. “Don’t you think after all we’ve gone through here today that we could be on a first name basis? Xenia has slipped a few times and called me Ty a time or two.”
“Then I’ll call you Ty, but I refuse to call Lou Bullins by his first name. He talks mean about the baby, and I don’t like him well enough to call him anything except Bullins.”
“I understand that.” He glanced at Xenia. “Want to go help me milk a cow?”
“I don’t know how to milk a cow, either, but I’ll do what I can.” She followed him out of the room.
When they reached the kitchen, he grabbed a bucket and threw a wet rag in it. He handed it to her. “Head toward the barn and I’ll bring the cow.”
She took the bucket and started across the back yard. She was sure the bucket was to collect the milk, but she couldn’t help wondering what he was going to do with the wet rag.
It was only minutes later when Ty walked the cow into the barn and tied her to one of the stall doors. He grabbed some hay and placed it in front of her, then reached for the three-legged stool hanging on the wall. He put the stool in place and sat. “May I have my bucket, please?”
“Here.” She wanted to fling it at him because he sounded bossy, but she didn’t. “What’s the wet rag for?”
He set the bucket beside his stool and took out the rag. “For this.” He began to wipe the cow’s udder and teats.
This puzzled her. “Why are you doing that?”
“Because we don’t want any trash or whatever she’s been into to fall into the milk. We’ll also let the first spurts go on the ground for the same reason.” He completed this chore, then placed the bucket under the cow. In an instant, milk began to pour into the container.
Impressed, Xenia watched with interest. “Doesn’t that hurt the cow?”
He chuckled. “Not at all. It relives the pressure the milk has built up in her udder. She’d be hurting if we left without milking her.”
“Oh.”
He glanced up. “Would you like to try doing this?”
She was hesitant. “Are you sure it’ll be alright?”
“Sure. It’ll be fine.” He stood. “Have a seat. I’ll squat beside you and talk you through it.”
Xenia wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but she didn’t want him to think she was afraid to try. She sat and tentatively reached toward the teat. “I’m not sure I can do this.”
“Sure, you can. Just do what I did.”
She tugged, but nothing came out. The cow swished her tail. Xenia was surprised and almost tumbled off the stool.
He laughed out loud.
She turned her head toward him. “Am I that funny?”
“Yes, my dear, Xenia, you are.” He reached for her hand. “Let me show you.”
She felt all kinds of shivers when his large, calloused hand enclosed hers, but she tried not to let him know.
“Relax and let me guide your hand. First, you take your thumb and you massage down on her sack. Then you gently pull and squeeze at the same time.” A stream of milk shot out and landed in the bucket.
“Look at that. I did it.” She giggled. “Of course, it was with your help.”
“Don’t get over confident. Let’s try it again.” He repeated the process, and in a short time they were able to see the milk begin to cover the bottom of the bucket. After showing her several more times he said, “Now, see if you can do it on your own.”
She nodded and bit her lip as she methodically repeated the steps he’d done with her hand. Each time, a little milk squirted out and awarded her efforts. She was thrilled.
The bucket soon filled, and she looked over at Ty. “Thank you for letting me do this, but maybe you better check and see if I left any milk in her.”
“It won’t hurt her if there’s a little left. You did a fine job.” He stood and held his hand to her. “Now, let’s go inside and I’ll show you how to strain it for the baby.”
“You think I’m awfully stupid, don’t you, Ty?”
“No, Xenia. I don’t think you’re stupid at all. You were raised in the city and never had to cope with the way life is for people in the country. Especially the west.”
“It certainly is different.”
“It is, but look at what you’ve done today.” When she gave him a crooked look, he went on, “You learned to load a rifle and you learned to milk a cow. Why, in a month’s time, with the right teacher, you could turn into the perfect ranch wife.”
Xenia wasn’t sure how to take this remark, but she was pleased. So she smiled at him, but didn’t say anything.
Chapter 4
Ty was able to round up two of the fresh runaway stagecoach horses to add to the six already hitched up. They knew this would help the tired original horses to keep going. After they were readied to go, the milk cow and the four horses with the outlaws’ bodies were tied to the back of the coach. Because Ray’s wound was on his right side and Ty knew it would be hard for him to control the horses, he elected to help drive the coach. Ray decided he’d ride shotgun when he tired of driving, or his wound hurt him and he had to turn the reins over to Ty.
Inside the coach Mea Ann cuddled with the baby. She placed the pillowcase full of all the baby things she could find in the way station at her feet. Xenia sat beside her sister. Across the aisle, Lou Bullins sat with his hat and his case of gambling paraphernalia beside him on the seat. He didn’t seem to want to talk, and he refused to look at the women or the baby.
Xenia turned to Mea Ann. “Do you realize I haven’t had a chance to hold the baby since we found him? Would you share him with me now?”
Lou huffed and let out a low curse, but didn’t say anything aloud to them.
“Of course you can hold him. He’s a sweetie, and I know you’re going to fall in love with him just like I did.” Mea Ann put the baby in Xenia’s arms.
“He is precious.” Xenia wondered what it would be like to have a baby of her own. One like this with dark hair and skin and little round eyes. She was sure they were black, but he was asleep so she wouldn’t swear to it. Maybe his were as black as those of Ty Eldridge. She hoped they were, because Ty had beautiful eyes. Any young man would be handsome with eyes like that.
She figured Lou Bullins had been right, and Ty had an Indian ancestor. If so, it certainly hadn’t hurt his appearance. In fact, it probably helped. Of course, that dimple which appeared when he laughed didn’t hurt his looks either. Though she wouldn’t admit it
if asked, she thought he was one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen, if not the best of all. He was nothing like the top-hatted, smooth talking, silly men her father kept introducing to her and Mea Ann in Richmond. Men like Jasper Newman, who Mea Ann was being pushed to accept as her husband. The type of man her family expected Xenia to marry and settle down with, as well. She wasn’t sure she could ever settle for a man like that. Not now. Not after seeing what a strong man like Ty Eldridge could do.
Of course, she could never see herself with a man like Ty Eldridge either, even if he was strong and handsome. He was too opinionated, too arrogant, and much too sure of himself. Besides, he’d never be interested in a city woman like her. She had nothing to offer him, even if she would consider it. Which she wouldn’t.
“Xenia, didn’t you hear me ask you a question?”
“I’m sorry. My mind was woolgathering. What did you ask?”
“I asked, what do you think of Michael as a name for the baby?”
“Why are you asking me? I have no right to decide on the baby’s name.”
“Well, we can’t keep calling him, the baby.”
Xenia though a minute. “Why don’t you see if you can find out his father’s name? I’m sure when he grows up he’d be proud to know he was named after his father.”
“That’s a wonderful idea. I wonder if Ray would know his name.”
“He might.”
“As soon as we stop, I’ll ask him.”
“Hell fire, why don’t you just call the brat Breed. That’s what he is, after all. Some of them might say they have normal white man names, but they really don’t. They’re all really named things like Bear Killer or Desert Rat.”
Mea Ann squared her shoulders. “Lou Bullins, if you insult my baby one more time, I’m going to kick you in your shins. You’re a mean man, and you have no right to say such things.”
He laughed. “You’ll see as soon as we get to Deer Meadow. The town folk won’t be very accepting of a white woman carrying around an Indian baby. They’ll think you’ve been laying up with some redskin and got yourself pregnant.”
“How dare you speak to my sister like that, you vile man!” Xenia glared at him. “What makes you think other people in town are as narrow-minded and bigoted as you are?”
Xenia’s Renegade Page 4
