by Bobbi Smith
This news didn't make Elizabeth feel better. She was sorry for the fight and wanted to make it up to him. She'd finally come to realize in this time apart, that though she'd always professed to love him, she'd always tried to change him, to make him cater to her wishes and desires. If she truly loved him, she asked herself, shouldn't his happiness be more important to her than her own?
Elizabeth grew contrite as she finally realized that James had been right, that it had been her own selfishness that was ruining what they had together. Tears came to her eyes as she thought of the flowers he'd planted for her homecoming. She thought of her irrational fear of the Cheyenne and of how cruel she'd been to Silver Wolf even though he'd saved Cari's life.
She suddenly understood that she'd failed James miserably. As she wiped away her tears, she vowed to change. She would give up her childish desire to go back East and she would become a true rancher's wife, a wife James could be proud of. She would work by his side and help him build the Circle M into the best ranch in the territory. She would forget about Philadelphia and her wish for Cari to marry Elliot. She loved James, and she was going to prove it to him . . . if he only would hurry home so she could!
Curling up on her cold, solitary bed late that night, Elizabeth lay awake, listening anxiously for the sounds of his horse's hoofbeats. The minute she heard him returning she planned to meet him at the door. It was long past two in the morning when she finally fell into a troubled sleep.
When Elizabeth awoke the following morning, she was devastated to discover that James still hadn't returned. She made her way downstairs to find Cari fixing breakfast.
"I owe you an apology, Cari."
Her mother's change of heart was so unexpected that Cari glanced up at her in surprise. "What?"
"I was trying to force you to live my dream instead of yours. I'm sorry. I thought I knew what was best for you, but I realize now that I didn't even know what was best for me."
"Oh, Mother . . ." Cari forgot all about cooking and went to hug her.
"I'm sorry, dear and I only hope your father gets back soon so I can apologize to him, too."
"I love Silver Wolf, Mother."
"I know." She met her daughter's gaze, and for the first time, understanding existed between them.
Elliot came downstairs a short time later, and they all breakfasted together. As the hours passed, Elizabeth's concern about James grew. She tried not to let it show, but every time she heard a noise, she rushed to a window to see if he was returning. She managed to keep herself busy with housework and cooking, but when darkness fell and their third night apart began, she couldn't ignore her fears anymore. Something was wrong, very wrong. She called several of the hands to the house and told Hank and Fred to start searching for James at first light.
Elizabeth didn't sleep the rest of that night. The hours passed in miserable torment for her. At first light, the men rode out as she'd directed, and it was late the following afternoon when she heard Cari call her. Elizabeth thought her daughter sounded excited, and she dropped what she was doing and ran from the house, smiling because she thought James had finally come home. What she saw when she emerged from the house to join her daughter and Elliot on the front porch sent shock waves through her. Hank and Fred were riding up to the house leading two horses, and the horses looked to be ladened with bodies.
Elizabeth stared at them, her heart in her throat, unable to breathe, unable to speak. When she realized that Cari was already running toward them, she started to follow, but Elliot grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Wait!" he cautioned.
But she would have none of it. A terrible feeling was welling up inside her, and she was desperate to know the truth. She broke free and ran after her daughter.
"What is it? What happened?" Cari asked frantically.
"It's your father, Miss Cari," Fred told her miserably.
"What?"
"We found him . . ."
"You found him where?" Elizabeth demanded as she reached them.
Fred saw the desperate looks on their faces and knew he had to speak the truth, no matter how painful. He glanced at Elliot, who'd come with Elizabeth, and gave him a man-to-man look as he told them, "James is dead, Mrs. McCord. He was shot. We found his body with Charlie's up where they were keeping the Hereford."
A scream tore from the depths of Elizabeth's soul, but she wasn't even aware that she'd made the sound. A wild look shone in her eyes. Elliot tried again to prevent her from going to James, but she was too quick for him. She tore at the ropes that held the covering over his body and went pale when it fell away. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of her dead husband.
"James! Dear God . . . no!!" she cried. She swayed as blackness closed in around her, and she slumped to the ground.
Cari rushed to her mother's side and dropped to her knees beside her. "Mother . . ."
Elliot knelt beside her, too, and started to take Elizabeth in his arms. "I'll take her into the house."
"Miss Cari . . .?"
She glanced up, and through her tears, she could see the two hands standing over her. "Fred, help Elliot with my mother . . ."
Fred hurried to do as she'd ordered.
"You want me to ride for the sheriff?" Hank asked.
"Yes, Hank. Please . . ."
The ranch hand rode for town immediately.
Cari got up and moved slowly to her father. She touched him with trembling hands and knew the terrible finality of death. When last she'd seen him, he'd been hurt, disappointed, and angry, and now . . . now she would never be able to make it up to him. She would never be able to tell him how much she loved him.
"Oh, Papa . . ." Her voice was a ragged whisper that echoed her devastation. Her shoulders slumped, and sobs wracked her as she gazed at his lifeless body.
Fred had returned and was standing nearby, wanting to help her in some way, yet not knowing how. "Miss Cari?"
"How did it happen?" she asked miserably.
"We found him near Charlie's camp."
"But why?" she asked, desperate to make some sense of the horror. "Everyone liked Papa. He had no enemies. Why would anybody want to kill him?"
Elliot hurried back to Cari after he'd seen to Elizabeth.
"How is my mother?" she asked as he came to her.
"She's awake, but in shock. Someone should probably be with her, but I didn't want to leave you out here alone."
"I'll go in to her in a minute . . ." she said distractedly.
Drawing Fred aside, Elliot quietly questioned him. "What happened up there? Were there any tracks, any clues?" He wanted to know everything.
"Had to be rustlers, the bull's missing. It was probably the Indians, just like the Larsons' been saying all along."
Indians . . . When Cari heard this, she looked up at them, her expression even more stricken. "How can you say that?"
"Your father was clutching some kind of bag that belonged to one of them. Hank's got it with him. He's gonna show it to the sheriff."
Cari couldn't believe any of this. Tall Shadow's people would never have hurt her father, and yet . . . Fred said there was proof . . .
Her gaze rested upon her father again, and she gave a deep, heart-rending cry. She wished Silver Wolf was with her. He would have known the truth. He would have helped her.
"Cari, you don't need to be out here," Elliot said gently, slipping an arm around her and turning her toward the house, away from the sight of her father.
"I'll take care of your pa for you, Miss Cari," Fred promised.
Cari leaned heavily on Elliot as he led her back to the house. When they reached the steps, her father's horse gave a forlorn whinny. It was a sad, haunting sound, and it reinforced to Cari the nightmare her life had suddenly become.
"James McCord was murdered, so was Charlie Houser, and that fancy bull of McCord's is missing," Hank told Sheriff Dixon as he raced into his office in Cheyenne.
"James is dead?" It was after midnight and the sheriff had been awa
kened from a sound sleep by the frantic hand from the Circle M.
"Fred and I found him this afternoon," he quickly explained, "and he had this in his hand." Hank gave the lawman the medicine bag.
Dixon opened it and checked the contents, then looked up at the cowboy, dumbfounded.
"I don't believe this. It belongs to Daniel Marshall. There must be some mistake." The sheriff ran a weary hand over his face, trying to come to grips with the terrible news.
"I hope you're right, Sheriff, but Fred was there, too. He'll back me up if you don't believe me."
Dixon buckled on his gunbelt. "I'm going to see if Marshall's in town."
"I want to go with you," Hank offered. "I liked James McCord, and I want to see the bastard who shot him hang."
"Now, Hank, this medicine bag is not firm proof that Marshall did the killing. You can come with me, though, just in case I might need your help."
Dixon and Hank left the jail and headed for Marshall's room over the Douglas law office. They had their guns drawn when Dixon pounded on the half-breed's door. Both men jumped when Ben opened the door to his room behind them.
"Sheriff? What's the matter?" Ben asked sleepily, having been awakened by their knocking.
"Where's your friend?" Dixon demanded.
"I don't know where Daniel is right now. I haven't seen him since he left town Saturday night. Why? What's wrong?"
The sheriff holstered his gun as he faced Ben. "Hank just rode in from the Circle M to tell me that James McCord's been murdered and his bull's been stolen."
"What?" Ben stared at the two of them.
"It looks like Marshall was involved," Hank spoke up.
"That's ridiculous. They're good friends."
"Well, we'll just see about that when I bring him in for questioning. If you see him before I do, you'd better tell him to turn himself in. It'll go easier for him if he does."
Ben watched the two men leave, then he went inside and began to dress. He wasn't sure where Daniel had gone, but he intended to find him before the sheriff did. Within minutes, he was on his horse heading for Tall Shadow's village. The going would be slow in the dark, but he didn't care. He had to find Daniel as fast as he could.
Fourteen
Ben was not afraid to ride into Tall Shadow's village. He'd been there several times with Daniel and had made friends among the Cheyenne, and they greeted him now as he made his way toward Tall Shadow's tipi. Ben let his gaze sweep the village hoping for some sign of Daniel, but his friend was nowhere to be seen.
Tall Shadow came out to welcome Ben when he reined in before his home. "It is always good to see you, Ben Douglas. What brings you to our village today?"
"Hello, Chief Tall Shadow. I've come looking for Daniel. Is he here?" he asked hopefully as he dismounted and approached the older man.
"No. I have not seen my grandson in many days," the chief replied. He saw how Ben's expression grew troubled at this news. "Is something wrong?"
"Very wrong," he admitted as he came to stand before the chief. Their eyes met as he told him, "James McCord has been murdered."
Pain knifed through the chief's heart. "How is this possible?"
"I don't know all the details," Ben replied. "All I know is that James was shot and his prize bull was stolen."
Anguish was etched on Tall Shadow's face. "James was a friend to all. Why would anyone kill him?"
Ben's expression grew even graver as he went on. "There's more. For some reason, the sheriff thinks Daniel was involved."
"Silver Wolf? Why would they think my grandson would do this?"
"I don't know. All I know is that Sheriff Dixon said he was the main suspect. That's why I came here looking for him. I was hoping he was with you. I wanted to find him before the law does, so I could try to help him."
Tall Shadow's gaze was tormented as he gestured toward his tipi. "Come inside, we will talk more."
Ben started to follow him then for some reason, he paused and glanced back around the camp. It was then that he saw her, and his heart lurched in his chest. The maiden he'd saved in town was standing by a cookfire, looking just as beautiful as he remembered. He let his gaze sweep hungrily over her, taking in the loveliness of her features and the gentle curves of her slender body beneath her soft buckskin dress.
Ben wanted to go to her. He longed to hear the melodic sound of her voice again, but he remembered all too well how she'd acted in town that day and he remained where he was. When he realized that she was watching him just as he was watching her, Ben nodded slightly in her direction. It took an effort on his part, but he managed to turn away and follow Tall Shadow inside.
Star Blossom had been on her way back from the stream with buckets of water, when she'd noticed a white man talking to the chief. She'd recognized him immediately as the man who'd rescued her in town, and her pulse had quickened. She'd stopped where she was, wondering if he'd come there looking for her. Panic surged through her and she considered fleeing. After a moment, the comforting sounds of the village, the children laughing, and the women talking, eased her fear, and she realized she was safe. There was no need to be afraid. Drawing a deep steadying breath, she continued on to the cookfire where the women awaited the water.
"It is unusual for Ben to come here without Silver Wolf," Morning Wind was saying to her friend Laughing Crow as Star Blossom joined them. "I wonder why my son did not ride with him."
Star Blossom was surprised at Morning Wind's words. "You know the white man who talks with Chief Tall Shadow?"
Silver Wolf's mother looked at her expectantly. "He is Ben Douglas, my son's friend."
The two older women knew of Star Blossom's tragic past—of how white hunters had murdered her mother and sister and how she'd hated whites with a passion ever since, and they were puzzled by her interest in Ben.
"Why do you want to know?" Morning Wind ventured.
"When I went to the town with my father, this man saved me from one who was drunk and would have hurt me."
Morning Wind nodded. "There are not many whites who would help us that way. You were fortunate that he was there that day. Ben Douglas is a good man."
"There are no good white men!" Star Blossom countered quickly, not wanting to hear anything good about him, even though his behavior that day had already proven it. It troubled her to hear that he was different from the rest of the whites she'd known. Hate was a much easier emotion to deal with than this confusing feeling she had every time she thought of this man.
Star Blossom could still remember how helpless she'd been that day in the face of the drunk's brutality. She remembered, too, how this white man had treated her with respect and how he had let her go when she'd demanded he do so. She had never been able to banish the memory of the look in this man's emerald green eyes when he'd gazed down at her. His expression had been open and honest and had struck a chord deep within her. She'd responded to his kindness instinctively, and that had unnerved her. Her hatred of whites ran deep, and she'd countered his kindness and caring in the only way she'd known how—with anger. All the loathing she'd felt for her attacker, she'd turned on him. Now, though, as she listened to Morning Wind and watched him talk with Chief Tall Shadow, she wondered . . .
Star Blossom glanced Ben's way again, and she was startled when he looked up and captured her gaze with his own. He made no move toward her nor did he do anything else other than just smile slightly as he nodded in her direction. That simple recognition sent an unwelcome surge of tingling excitement racing through her, and her confusion deepened, nearly overwhelming her. Once he'd disappeared inside the tipi, she hurried away.
Tall Shadow's mood was grim as he faced Ben across the width of the tipi. "James warned me that the ranchers thought we were stealing cattle from them."
"And now James is dead and his bull is missing. Something terrible is going on here. I have to find Daniel right away before the men from town do."
"I will send my braves to look for my grandson. We will search for the gu
ilty ones, too."
"If you find Daniel before I do, tell him to be careful. Some of those ranchers are just looking to start trouble, and they'd just as soon shoot him as talk to him right now."
The chief nodded in understanding. "Will you stay with us and share a meal?"
"I'd like to," Ben answered sincerely, "but I can't. It's important I get to the McCord ranch and see if I can do anything for Elizabeth and Cari."
Tall Shadow would have liked to have gone to Little Snow himself, but he knew how her mother felt about him and his people, and thought it best to stay away. "Tell Little Snow and her mother that James was my friend and that I hold a great sorrow in my heart."
Ben heard the strain in his voice, and promised to give them his message.
They rose to leave, and as Ben went outside, he immediately looked over to where the maiden had been standing. He was disappointed to find she was gone.
"Chief Tall Shadow? Who was the girl with Silver Wolf's mother earlier?"
Tall Shadow missed very little. He'd seen how Ben had stared at her, and he smiled slightly. "Her name is Star Blossom."
"She's very beautiful."
He heard the admiration in his tone, but knew he had to caution him. "Yes, she is, but for one so young, she has known much sorrow."
"What happened to her?" he asked quickly, needing to know.
The chief explained about the murders of her mother and sister.
"Were the men punished?"
"Several warriors and I hunted them down. They will never hurt anyone again."
"That's good."
Tall Shadow heard more than just a passing interest in Ben's tone. "Why do you ask about the girl?"
"Star Blossom was in town a while ago, and a drunk was bothering her. I ran him off, but when I tried to talk to her after he'd gone she wouldn't even tell me her name. Now I understand why."
"When a maiden goes for water, a warrior will often wait by the path to speak to her as she returns. Sometimes, a warrior sits outside her tipi at night and sings of his love for her. It is up to the woman and her family to decide whether she will talk to him or not."
