by Linda Broday
The girl knelt beside a box full of playful kittens. They appeared to be about a month old. She selected a cute solid black one and held it out to Josie. “Here. This is for giving me my baby brother.”
“How precious.” Josie put her face next to the soft fur. “But, honey, you don’t have to give me anything. You did most of the work. If you hadn’t told me what to do, I’d have stood there like an imbecile.”
“Yep, I know,” Lucy admitted. “But I saw you had promise. Mama always says that it’s important to repay people for kindness.”
“Your mama is a smart lady.”
“I know. Besides, she’d switch my legs good if I didn’t.”
Josie leaned down to kiss the precocious child’s freckled cheek. “You’re going to grow up to be an important person, mark my words.”
“That kitten was the runt of the litter and almost died,” Lucy said. “He’s the best one.”
The words hit Josie like a blow. It was true that the weakest and most vulnerable were often the ones with the most heart. She could almost hear Luke’s agony as he’d shared his secrets last night. Though he’d deny it, his heart had more depth than anyone’s.
The brush rustled and Josie swung around, hoping she’d find Luke. But the approaching rider didn’t bear any resemblance. Disappointment filled her.
“Pa!” Lucy cried. “We have a baby!”
“Oh no.” He slid from the saddle in a panic. “I was supposed to have been back in time. I rode hard, hoping I’d make it, but the road had washed out and I had to take the long way around. I’ve missed you, punkin. How’s your mother?”
“She’s good. I have a brother,” Lucy shouted, giggling. “And I helped get him out.”
Josie smiled, introduced herself, and shook his hand. “You have a beautiful son.”
“Call me Ben. Thank you for helping my Ada.” The man pushed back his hat to reveal his red hair. “I’m so sorry I got delayed. Sorry I missed it. If anything had happened to Ada, I don’t know what I’d do.”
“She gave me a scare but I think she’s fine now.” Josie found his concern for his wife touching. How would Luke feel if something happened to her? Would his world tilt, knocking him off balance? Or would he go on as normal?
After Ben hugged and fussed over his wife and son, he loaded Josie on his horse and walked beside her back to the trading post. She thanked him, wishing him well.
The sun hung low as Josie looked around for Luke but she didn’t see him anywhere.
Had he left her? Had he simply ridden on without her?
Or…oh dear God…had O’Keefe managed to best him?
A sob strangled in her throat as she adjusted her hat to cover her hair, and opened the door to Doan’s Trading Post.
A gentleman with graying hair and a long, droopy mustache came toward her. “I was about to close up. Can I help you?”
She tried to lower her voice to sound like a male and said, “Looking for Luke Weston. Know where I might find him?”
“I’m sorry to say I don’t. After he brought the shovel back, he left and I haven’t seen him since.”
Relief weakened her knees. He was alive. That rotten man hadn’t killed him. “Shovel?” she said. “What did he need with a shovel?”
“Weston insisted on burying the dead man so I loaned him one.” Doan’s faded blue eyes twinkled. “You’re his missing partner. I’ve never seen a man more worked up when he couldn’t find you. I’m sure he’s scouring every inch around here for you.”
Luke was worked up? That had to mean that she meant something, at least a little, to him.
Josie thanked him and left. Outside, she glanced in both directions. Where could he be? What was she going to do? She had no horse or anything except what she had on.
Deep loneliness swept through her as a sob tried to rise.
What if Luke had given up on her and decided to go back to the Lone Star? What if their lovemaking last night hadn’t meant as much as she’d thought? What if he’d decided she was too much trouble?
The kitten mewed. She stroked the soft fur. “I guess it’s you and me now.” She held the kitten up. “You need a name. Lucy said you were a boy, so we need a boy’s name.”
She thought for several minutes and discarded everything that came to mind, finding none that fit. Finally, it struck her. “You’re going to be Rafael. I’m going to find us a place to spend the night, then we’ll start walking.” She’d head out to the Lone Star at daybreak as Luke had told her to do in case they became separated.
The kitten would fill the immense loneliness. She scanned the travelers making small camps. Best to stay apart from them. She’d return to the squatter’s shack. Maybe she’d find Luke there.
Before she could move, a solid black horse came toward her. The rider was tall in the saddle and moved as one with the animal.
“Luke!” She began to run.
The horse came at a gallop. Luke slid off before Major John came to a halt. He met her and lifted her up. Laughter sprang into Josie’s throat.
She’d found him. Her world had righted again.
She was safe now.
Twenty-two
Frantic mewing dragged Luke’s attention away from the feel of Josie in his arms. A cat? Where was the rascal? He hated cats with a passion—more than he hated buttermilk or persimmons. The animals always stared at him with hate in their little evil, glittering eyes.
When he lowered Josie, she thrust a kitten under his nose and announced, “Look what I brought.”
“I see.” He took a step back and returned the ball of fur’s stare with one of equal dislike. In his opinion, all cats were devil-possessed, just waiting to steal someone’s breath or put a curse on him.
He was cursed enough.
And this one was black—the worst kind.
“Oh, Luke, Rafael likes you.” Josie beamed.
Great. “Where did you get him and where have you been? I’ve looked all over for you.”
She told him about Ada and that Lucy had given her the cat to repay her.
“I’m glad you could help out but I wish you’d taken time to tell someone or leave a note or something.” He raked his hands through his hair.
“I know, but I didn’t think I had a moment to waste. I’m sorry.”
Josie glanced up and he fell into the depths of her brownish-green gaze. Heated desire in her eyes made him forget about the lost day and his search. He even forgot about the damn cat. All he could think about was getting her somewhere private.
“What are you going to do with…Rafael?” Why in the heck had she named the cat that, anyway? There were books full of nothing but names. Far better ones than his, for God’s sake.
“Keep him, of course.”
“Of course.” Why didn’t he think of that? He shifted his gaze to the cat and it hissed. The feeling was mutual, he thought sourly.
“I want to hear about the fight with Munroe O’Keefe,” she said, dragging his attention back to her. “Tell me what happened.”
“Nothing to tell. He’s in a grave. That’s all that matters.”
Josie laid a hand on his chest. “It’s not even a quarter of what matters. I see the pain your eyes. I know it cost you.”
“Yeah, well, it’s over and done. No need to dwell on it.”
“We’ll talk about it later. Where’s my roan?”
“At the shack. I figure we’ll sleep there again since it’s getting late and head out tomorrow. I think we’ve learned all we’re going to here.” He helped her onto the gelding, bared his teeth at the cat in her arms, then climbed up behind her.
“Where will we go when we leave?” she asked.
“Back to the Lone Star. I want to see how Noah’s doing. I need time to think and plan my next move.”
She squirmed, grinding her bottom against hi
m to get comfortable. Luke gritted his teeth and focused on his numbers. Two plus two equaled six. No, four. Five plus five was ten. Oh, dear Lord. Sweat popped out on his forehead. Josie Morgan was going to drive him straight into an early grave, he decided. He draped an arm across her chest and pulled her snug against him.
Luke nuzzled her neck and was rewarded with a happy sigh.
He wouldn’t complain about the damn cat as long as Josie stayed near.
As night fell, they made a fire and cooked supper. Luke talked about the gunfight with O’Keefe.
Josie leaned against him, putting her head on his shoulder. “Why did you feel the need to bury him? He tried to kill you.”
“Because one day, I’ll want someone to do that for me.” Luke drew in a ragged breath. “I don’t want them to leave me for the animals to eat. It brings chills to think of them gnawing on my bones.” He kissed her forehead. “I had a hard enough time leaving Noah’s uncle and the other guy and riding off. If the kid hadn’t been so sick, I would’ve put them below ground.”
Josie glanced up. “You never let it show how you feel. You’re a constant surprise, Luke.”
“Before you drag more secrets out, tell me about this little girl, Lucy. She sounds like a corker.”
He watched Josie’s smile as she recounted the details. “That girl couldn’t have been more than six or seven and smarter than God allows. She made me feel really dumb.”
“Well, you’re not.”
Her smile faded. “Luke, I don’t know what I did before but I know for sure what I wasn’t. I wasn’t a midwife, or even a mother, or I’d have known how to help Ada. Doc Jenkins told me that I’ll automatically know and do the same things I did before without even having to think about it. He said amnesia won’t change that. Still, some part of me wanted to be a mother.”
“Josie, it’s good that you’re not.” His voice softened. “You wouldn’t want to find out that you left some little kids to fend for themselves or have someone else take care of them while you’re gone. Would you?”
“I see your point, and no. It’s just that my heart seems to go out to children—like Noah. He said I spent time with him and gave him Rowdy.” She smoothed Rafael’s black fur. The kitten mewed. “How do you feel about children, Luke? Do you want some one day?”
“I never let myself think about things like that. Not even with Angelina. It makes me boiling mad when people hurt them, but as far as having one of my own…I block that from my mind.”
“Why?”
“Men like me don’t live long enough to raise a son or daughter and I don’t want a kid growing up without a pa. Believe me, I know what that’s like.” He stood and pulled her up. “I need to check on the horses and then you and I need to call it a day. I’m beat.” He grinned. “You kept me awake all night with your demands.”
Josie gave him a playful push. “Just for that, you can sleep on your own damn bedroll. Don’t come near mine.”
As Luke let the night swallow him, he paused and glanced back at the woman standing by the campfire. The longer this journey took, the more they were learning. That she knew nothing about birthing babies was big. Seemed her mother would’ve told her a little about the process somewhere along the line. But she hadn’t. Which led him to wonder what kind of mother Josie’d had.
And what about her father? The two gunrunners had said that Josie’s father had planned the whole scheme and wasn’t one to mess with. Luke didn’t buy into much of the gunrunners’ tale. Shiftless men like them played fast and loose with the truth.
Luke’s gut said Brenner was the Captain. But how did he fit into it all? What was he hiding? And what had happened to him?
Luke’s thoughts went back to the word association game he’d played with Josie following that first night. When he’d thrown out the word saloon, she’d replied, “Home.”
Home in a saloon? Where? Why wasn’t someone looking for her?
Luke shook his head. The questions still outnumbered the answers by a large margin.
Josie was terrified of what they’d find. That’s why she wanted to quit. Part of him did too. Whatever he discovered could take her away from him. He didn’t know if he’d find the will to live, to go back to his dead life once she was gone.
His feelings for her were strong and lasting. But it wasn’t love.
He couldn’t offer Josie that or the things she needed. Someone who’d be around to hold her, not someone hard like him.
Not an outlaw—a killer.
* * *
Luke was riding along a narrow trail that cut between large boulders. Everything screamed ambush. He wouldn’t see the bastards until too late. Those damn buzzards circled overhead, their beady eyes searching. Waiting for him to die, waiting to peck out his eyes. He heard the roar of a pistol, felt the bullet ripping into his back, shredding the muscle and tissue. He didn’t want to die this way. He wasn’t ready. Please let him live a little longer.
Fire raced through his body as he fell from the saddle. Blood poured from him, soaking into the ground. Life ebbed from him until he no longer felt the pain. His breath became slower, his eyes heavy. His Colt lay inches away with the word Legend winking at him. The last thing he saw before the blackness engulfed him.
Luke jerked awake, drenched in sweat, gasping for air, his lungs burning. Tears ran down his face. He’d just seen his death. His stomach clenched at the premonition that he wouldn’t have long.
Following the nightmare, he spent hours watching Josie sleep. He’d made love to her once because he’d been unable to resist her nearness, then let her sleep alone.
He had to let her go. How he could live with the loss, he didn’t know. It, too, would be like dying.
He rose and stood in the open doorway of the shack for a while, staring out into the black gloom, trying to settle the decision in him. Once, Josie had come up behind and slipped her arms around him. They hadn’t spoken. Maybe Josie had known there was nothing to say. She had to feel him slipping away.
Muttering silent curses, he’d laid back down and must’ve dozed off because he’d woken to find the damned cat curled up next to him. He’d picked up the animal and plunked it down next to Josie.
When the first slim fingers of dawn poked through the cracks in the walls, Luke finally rose and put the coffee on.
Josie sat up and stretched. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” Luke answered. He took in her tousled hair, the color of ripe wheat, and the outline of her body. He swallowed hard and turned away, steeling himself.
Rafael left the warmth of the blanket to arch his back against Luke’s boots.
Luke didn’t know why, but he picked up the kitten and held it eye to eye. “You’d better behave yourself at the Lone Star,” he growled. “You won’t have the run of the joint. Stoker will feed you to the cows.”
Rafael hissed and would’ve caught Luke’s chin with his claw, except Luke was too fast.
“Don’t scare him like that, Luke,” Josie scolded, tucking in her shirt. “The poor thing is probably missing his mother.”
“Humph!” Luke set him down and checked the coffee.
“I’m going out to take care of girl business,” Josie said. “I’ll check the horses.”
“Don’t be long. The coffee’s ready.”
Pulling on her boots, she left. Luke filled his cup and stepped to the door. The light of the rising sun caught on a spider’s web covering nearby clumps of sage and milkweed, making it shimmer like pure silver. It danced in the morning breeze. He sipped on the hot brew, letting it clear his head, thinking how much he liked it here.
Josie suddenly ran from leafy cover. “Major John is gone!”
Luke rushed toward her. “He’s not with the roan?”
“No.” She wrung her hands. “I wonder if someone stole him.”
He handed her the cup and
strode through the waist-high tangle of thorns and weeds. Only the roan remained. There was no sign of his black gelding. Just trampled grass where he’d once been. There was no sign of the rope either. Had someone untied the horse and left with it? Then why not take them both?
He untied the roan. “I’m going to see if I can find him.”
“Want me to come too?”
“No. Have your coffee and get ready to ride.”
Disappointment was etched on Josie’s face. Luke tried to block it out but found it lodged in his mind as he followed Major’s tracks. They led to the trading post.
A crowd had gathered around the front of the building. He wondered what they were looking at. Luke dismounted and tied the roan to the hitching rail. He stared in disbelief. Hell!
Major John had broken open two kegs of beer from an untended shipment being unloaded and was lapping up the last of the contents. The gelding raised his head, looked at Luke through bleary eyes, and snorted.
Jonathan Doan stood frowning, his arms crossed.
“Doan, I’m sorry about my horse,” Luke said. “He somehow untied himself. I’ll pay for the damages. Just can’t right away, though. Give me a few days and I’ll be back with the money.”
“I wondered who that horse belonged to.” Doan chuckled. “Never saw one with such an appetite for beer before. I once had a roan, though, that I couldn’t keep tied or in a barn. It could unlatch any door or untie any knot. The damndest thing I ever saw. We’d find him in a cornfield, eating until he popped.”
“Horses are sure contrary sometimes,” Luke agreed.
“They sure are. Hey, don’t worry about the damages, Weston. It’s worth losing a keg to collect such a crowd. Business has never been so good.” Doan glanced up. “If you ever want to sell him, I’ll give you a fair price.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. But I doubt I’ll want to get rid of Major John.” Luke caught the rope dangling from the horse and made a clicking sound in his mouth, the order to get moving. Major lapped up the remainder of the beer before he finally budged.
With a defiant shake of his head, the animal slowly moseyed after Luke.
