by Sara Orwig
“Ellery, I miss you. What will I do?” Crystal Spencer wiped her eyes as she ran her slender fingers over the rosewood piano. Aware she would never hear an answer from her brother again, remembering the bleak little funeral fourteen days ago, she shook her head.
Tears blurred her eyes and spilled down her cheeks, dropping unheeded onto her stiff black cotton dress. She moved restlessly around the small parlor that held, along with her piano and Ellery’s desk, two overstuffed chairs, one marble-topped table and her glass-fronted bookshelves that held the precious English Common Law books, Blackstone’s Commentaries, that had been passed from generation to generation.
On the desk, Ellery’s papers were neatly stacked in the manner she kept them. On a peg beside the desk hung his gunbelt and revolver where they had been for the past month. As she looked at the revolver, she shuddered, rubbing her upper arms. If he had been wearing the gunbelt, would he have survived? Would he have defended himself against Travis Black Eagle, who had coldly killed him? It was like Pa all over again—standing defenseless while someone shot him.
She clenched her fists. Sheriff Hinckel had said it was robbery, a stranger who had ambushed, shot, and robbed Ellery. But Crystal thought differently. Travis Black Eagle had reason to hate Ellery, and Black Eagle looked capable of the temperament and strength to take someone’s life in anger. She had heard about the death of Elizabeth Black Eagle. And Crystal had heard the whispers that came behind her back when she had been in the general store, that Ellery had been too befuddled with whiskey to tend Elizabeth and had let her bleed to death in childbirth.
“Oh, Ellery!” Crystal covered her face with her hands. Then she wiped angrily at her eyes and drew herself up. Crying never solved anything—she had learned that truth back on that disastrous day in Baltimore. Crying would not return Ellery to her or help in her dilemma. She needed to think clearly about her future.
For one more day she would not face the future. Tomorrow, she would have to make decisions. Today, she didn’t want to think about her future. She was alone. Totally alone in the world. She had no one to go to, no relative to care about her. Not even a friend to help. Maybe she should have tried to make friends with Mrs. Shaffer or some of the town ladies, but she knew little about socializing. She needed Ellery badly.
Fear crowded in on her. Ellery’s debts loomed like a hulking monster waiting to devour her. She had had no inkling of the enormity of what he owed. Her justice of the peace salary and her tiny savings for California might save the house, but it would take all her money and leave nothing for living or paying the men who had come by to tell her how much her brother owed them. Perhaps she could give music lessons. The thought nagged at her that she might have to sell her piano, and tears filled her eyes as she ran her hands over the smooth ivory keys.
She heard the clop of hoofbeats and paused to listen because the horse seemed to be approaching the house. Her first thought was Ellery. And then she remembered he would never come riding home again. With curiosity she wondered if someone were coming to call and could not possibly imagine who it would be unless it was Mr. Holder, the barber, who had buried Ellery.
Moving to the window, she gazed through the lace curtain, and her heart jumped as she watched the rider dismount. Travis Black Eagle! A black hat sat squarely on his head, and he wore his usual black clothing. His long legs ate up the ground as he stormed toward the house. His back was ramrod straight; his face was in shadow beneath his wide hat brim. Watching him stride toward the door, she felt threatened. He looked like the devil himself, coming to claim her soul.
Whirling around, she ran across the room to pick up Ellery’s revolver. Her hands shook so badly she could not extract the heavy weapon from the holster. She had never held a revolver in her life, much less fired one.
The door crashed open, slamming back against the wall, rattling windowpanes. She screamed, shaking violently, trying desperately to hold the gun. The broad-shouldered silhouette in the doorway took her breath. As he stepped into the room, her heart thudded in her chest. His dark eyes were filled with fury, and he looked as if he wanted to wrap his hands around her throat and take her life.
“Stay there or I’ll shoot,” she stammered with the force of a frightened rabbit.
“Put that damn gun away before you do shoot me with it!” he snapped. He seemed to fill the small house as he kicked the door closed behind him and strode toward her.
“You killed my brother. Have you come to kill me?”
“No! I’m not going to kill you. Put down the gun.”
“Get out of my house,” she ordered, backing up until she bumped the desk. Her heart hammered against her rib cage.
“It isn’t your house,” he said flatly, and her head spun. How did the odious man know Ellery’s business? Her business? Did the whole town know Ellery had mortgaged the small house?
The gun waved wildly, and her wrists ached holding it. She had no idea how to fire it. Why was Travis Black Eagle here? To kill her in a blind rage was the only answer she could come up with in spite of his denial.
“Give me that gun!” he snapped again, walking directly toward her.
“Stop or I’ll shoot!”
“The hell you will.” Facing the muzzle of her gun, he crossed the room.
Terrified, she closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger. There was a click. She opened her eyes to face him, feeling his anger beat over her in waves. Ellery’s gun wasn’t loaded!
Travis Black Eagle yanked the revolver from her hands, tossing it onto the desk. It landed on a stack of papers with a thump that was as loud as her heartbeat.
She wanted to fling her hands over her head, close her eyes, and sob, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. Instead, she drew herself up and glared at him. Fear poured over her like ice water. The man was a fright. She knew he was a half-breed. There was always talk in town about his lineage. Now he looked wild and savage, as though the veneer of civilization had been ripped away.
His eyes were red with dark circles making shadowy smudges above his prominent cheekbones. Beneath a wide-brimmed black hat, his black hair hung down in a wild tangle, looking uncombed and unwashed. He was broad shouldered, a look of solid strength about him that made her shaking knees even weaker. Yet he had tossed the gun aside. For the first time, she saw he held a tiny bundle in one arm. Her gaze went back to his eyes that were the color of midnight, the devil’s own fires raging in them.
“Let me give you some advice, Judge Spencer,” he said in a quiet voice that was as sinister as his appearance. “An unloaded gun is about as much protection as a gnat’s tooth. If you want to defend yourself, keep it loaded.”
“What do you want?” Her voice was breathless and shaky.
“I’m here because I have a new baby to care for and I can’t do it.” He ground out the words as if he were in dreadful pain, and she felt a wrench of sympathy. “I need someone to care for him. This is your brother’s fault, Judge.”
“And you killed him for it!” The moment the words were out, she wondered if she had sealed her own fate. She wanted to scream at the man—and how she wished there were solid proof of his guilt so he would hang for his deed.
“I didn’t kill your brother, but I damned well would have liked to,” Travis Black Eagle said with chilling conviction. “I would’ve killed him if I could have, but he was dead long before I had a chance to go after him.”
Startled, she almost believed him. Almost. He sounded full of regret that he hadn’t been the one to do the horrible deed.
“Stop your swearing under my roof,” she snapped perfunctorily, her thoughts tumbling in confusion. She couldn’t follow the turn in the conversation, and the man still terrified her. There was no way to get past him to the front door to escape. “If you’re not here to take my life, what did you come for?” She wished her voice sounded firmer and she tried to hide her trembling hands in the folds of her black skirt.
He shuffled his feet and stared at her. He s
eemed at a loss for words, and she felt even more puzzled. “Why are you here?” she repeated.
“You’re going to marry me and take care of my son.”
Two
Stunned, Crystal stared at him, finally realizing her mouth had dropped open. The man’s mind had snapped. Ellery had said men who experienced great tragedy sometimes began to imagine things.
Closing her mouth, she backed up a step and drew herself up. “I what?”
“You’re going to marry me,” Black Eagle repeated grimly as though he were announcing she was to pick up the gun and shoot him.
“I certainly will do no such thing!” she sputtered. He was raving, and she couldn’t imagine how she could get him out of her house.
“While I don’t like it either,” he said firmly, “it seems the best solution to both our problems. You have nowhere to go, no family. You can’t stay here alone.”
“Of course I can!” she snapped, beginning to shake again, knowing what he said was the bald truth, yet hating to hear it.
“No, you can’t.” Moving a step closer, Black Eagle loomed over her like a giant. His bloodshot eyes looked as if he had missed sleep for weeks. His rage was palpable, assaulting her like flames leaping from a fire. “In the first place, this house doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to the Cheyenne Territorial Bank and your brother is months behind on his payments.”
“You needn’t remind me,” she replied stiffly, hating the man for reminding her of her predicament. “I was in hopes the bank would give me a little time.” She felt hot and then cold. She had pushed aside worries while grief was uppermost, knowing she would soon have to face the dilemma she was left in by Ellery’s demise. Now Travis Black Eagle was thrusting all her concerns in her face.
“In the second place,” he continued, ignoring her reply, “you wouldn’t survive a month here alone.”
“Of course, I will. I am doing fine, and everyone has been courteous.”
His derisive snort made her jump. “Why do you think your besotted brother always sobered up on Saturday nights and sat home with you?”
She blinked in uncertainty. It was on the tip of her tongue to retort that Ellery enjoyed her company, but she knew better than that. He shut himself into the back room and buried himself in his books. And he didn’t always stay absolutely sober, but she wasn’t about to reveal that to Travis Black Eagle.
“I’m sure he wanted to stay home,” she said, knowing that wasn’t the case, but unsure exactly why Ellery had spent every Saturday night at home.
“Damn, you don’t even know,” Travis Black Eagle muttered in disgust. “He wanted to make certain your virtue was protected. Saturday is the night the cowboys come to town and cut loose. Men come to Cheyenne to wait for the train and they have idle time on their hands. Our town is thriving, but it’s the male population that’s large. There are damned few women. You’re not safe here alone on Saturday nights.”
“Except for grief, I’ve been perfectly fine the past two weeks and haven’t given a thought to being alone.” The words sounded stiff and false.
“Townsfolk know you just lost your brother. The sheriff has warned men to leave you be, but it will last only so long and then life will return to normal. Strangers will come to town who don’t know our sheriff or care. You know a woman can’t stay out here alone.”
“I’m safe,” she said stubbornly.
“You weren’t safe when Ellery was alive. How safe do you think you’ll be on Saturday nights with your brother dead and gone and you here alone? How about when the next cattle drive pushes into town? How safe will you be then with the place overrun with rowdy cowmen?”
“As safe as I would be with you!” she snapped, yet a tingle of fear ran down her spine.
“You’re safe with me. I don’t want your body, Lord knows.”
“Watch your language, sir! Don’t be disrespectful of the Lord,” she admonished him, feeling her cheeks flush. She knew men didn’t want her body, but it was embarrassing to have it so emphatically announced by one. She couldn’t imagine what kind of woman would be attracted to him. Her mind stopped abruptly because a sweeter, prettier woman than Elizabeth Black Eagle couldn’t be found. Downright dazzlingly beautiful, so maybe that was what put a hint of agony in his voice. He had good reasons to be distraught just losing his wife in childbirth.
“You’re not going to reform me,” he said. “You damn sure couldn’t reform your brother.”
“I’m not going to try, Mr. Black Eagle,” she replied, hoping her voice was growing stronger, “but my brother had the courtesy to refrain from foul language or taking the Lord’s name in my presence.”
“I don’t have your brother’s courtesy or his drunken ways.” Black Eagle leaned closer. “I know I’ve startled you, but I’m desperate. And I know you soon will be. I’ll get Preacher Nealy to marry us.” Travis Black Eagle started to turn away.
“I won’t marry you! And it’s only your word that you didn’t murder Ellery. Townspeople say you did.”
Travis Black Eagle whirled around. “I didn’t kill Ellery,” Black Eagle snarled, his black eyes blazing into her with such fire that she tried to take another step backward. She pressed firmly against the desk, unable to put any more distance between her and Black Eagle.
“Ellery let my Elizabeth bleed to death because he was too blind drunk to do what he needed to do,” Black Eagle said in a quiet voice that held such fury she shivered. “I wish I could bring Ellery back so I could send him to hell myself. And you’re going to marry me. You don’t have any choice. You can’t stay here alone. You’ve made enemies with your fines and jail sentences. You don’t have family. The bank will take the house. You don’t have money to go anywhere.”
“How do you know that?” she gasped, shocked, terrified that a man like Travis Black Eagle would know the full state of her affairs.
“Your brother talked. What money you came out with from the States, he drank up.”
“There are other women in this town you can propose to,” she reminded him in desperation, realizing the man meant what he was saying.
“The whores and Agnes Blair or Myrtle Hastings.”
“There’s Genny Branham, too. Marry one of them,” Crystal implored, insulted by his foul language in her presence. How she detested this town and every man in it! Particularly the man standing before her.
“I gave it thought,” he answered solemnly and, again, his voice carried the ring of truth. “The whores I know are drunk too much of the time to take responsibility for a baby. I’ve lost one person I loved to whiskey. I don’t intend to lose the other person I love to it. Agnes Blair’s father would not let her be courted by a half-breed. Myrtle Hastings and Genny Branham all have regular beaus. Louella Lee Anderson is thirteen. That’s just too young, and her pa would never consent.”
“There’s Eloise Knudsen. She’s a beautiful young woman and just the right age.”
“You know women like the ones we’ve named won’t marry a half-breed,” he declared bitterly.
“No one would marry you, looking the way you do. You have to court the ladies, Mr. Black Eagle.”
“I don’t have the time or the inclination for courting.” He ground out the words with anger. “The marrying ladies in town I might want either don’t want a farrier or their fathers won’t allow them to associate with a half-breed.”
For just a moment he sounded so pained, she felt another stir of sympathy. It vanished as his dark brows drew together in a frown and he leveled another one of his piercing looks at her.
“No, Judge, you’re it.”
“I’m too old to be marriageable.”
“Ma’am, I don’t give a hang if you’re older than Abraham. You’re female. That’s all I need.”
“Get a mail-order bride like Mr. Holder did.”
“Look what he got. She doesn’t speak English; he doesn’t know whether she even has good sense. She’s a child. And it took him three months to get her here. I can’t wait thr
ee months. You’re going to marry me. You have no choice.”
Shivering, Crystal knew the man was right, but he frightened her senseless. And he was incredibly insulting. Yet he knew whereof he spoke. She had no money to go anywhere, no way to escape Cheyenne and its inhabitants. But the thought of marriage to the forceful, powerful man standing in front of her turned her veins to ice water. “No. Marry one of the … the soiled doves. They can make you happy and I can’t.”
“You’ll make me very happy if you care for my son. And I don’t want your body. I’ll go to one of the saloon women if I want pleasure. I swear with absolute honesty that there is no lust in my heart for you, Judge. This marriage will take care of my son and, in turn, marriage to me will give you a home and protection.”
“I’m justice of the peace.”
“I’m well aware of that, Your Honor,” he drawled in an insolent tone that lashed her with his contempt, and she remembered their courtroom confrontation that now seemed ages ago. “You can continue the job for the rest of your term. It takes you from home only one day a week.”
“Your proposal is incredibly foolish,” she argued, feeling as if she were mired in quicksand, slowly sinking into a morass that was closing over her shoulders and neck, sucking her down until she would be suffocated and cease to exist. “Suppose you fall in love with someone—”
“Elizabeth is the woman I love, the only woman I’ll ever love,” he said hoarsely, his voice losing all its anger. Such a look of pain came to his dark eyes that this time she couldn’t fight back a wrench of sympathy. The man must have some warmth buried deep within him. It was obvious he had loved Elizabeth deeply. “I will never love again,” he said with so much conviction, she knew that argument about his falling in love was futile.
“I do have money and I’m going to California,” she exclaimed in desperation.
“Show me this money you have,” he said, narrowing his eyes while her heart began to thud again because that was probably the first lie she had told since early childhood. “Ellery told me that you only have a little money saved and he had damned big debts.”
