by Howe, Cheryl
Lorelei’s face was red when she leaned over him. Her tensed arms strained to keep his blood from leaving his body. “Keep him down, Corey.”
Corey pushed on his forehead, forcing his head back, but not before Braddock saw the blood coating Lorelei’s hands and wrists.
“Ma! Ma!”
Jason stopped next to his mother, his chest heaving from running hard. “We heard the gunshots.” His gaze fell to Braddock. And, as if he didn’t already know, the boy’s wide-eyed look of horror proved to Braddock that he was a goner.
Beth grabbed the boy’s shirt with her free hand and tried to pull him away. “Where are the others?”
“They’re coming.”
“All of them?”
The boy nodded, unable to tear his gaze away from the sight of a dying man.
Braddock let his eyes drift shut. His breath came in ragged gasps despite Lorelei’s best efforts to hold him together. Each rise and fall of his chest hurt like hell. He didn’t even want to keep on breathing. Not that he wanted to die. He couldn’t actually believe that he was. But the timing seemed appropriate. He had cheated death so many times; finally his time had come. Saving Lorelei was worth it. Braddock could live with that. Actually, he was going to die with that. His curse had been broken.
“Jesus Christ!” He heard Jay above him. He took Corey’s place and cradled Braddock’s head in his big palms.
He heard a girl’s gasp. “What happened, Ma?”
“Let me see. I want to see,” cried a little voice much too young to see so much blood.
“Keep him back, Alice,” said Beth.
They were all safe. All accounted for. Nobody he cared about was going to die today, except himself, of course. He had prayed for death during the war. Each day, each night, he’d prayed not to have to do it one more day. Not to have to watch his men die. And then he didn’t pray at all.
He forced his eyes open. Keeping Lorelei safe had been his first prayer in a long time, and the first one God had ever answered. He tried to smile at her. Her blue eyes shone bright with tears. They were bluer than the sky haloed around her head. Ah, Lorelei, don’t cry, he wanted to say, but all he managed to do was lick his dry lips and sigh. But she was safe. She would have a life safe from him.
He let his eyes drift shut, let the darkness in, let the pain overwhelm him until there was no pain at all. His luck had finally changed.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Lorelei wished they wouldn’t stop. A doctor should have been brought to the wounded man, not the other way around. The dust the posse kicked up was enough to choke Lorelei. She hated to think of what the red cloud did to Christopher.
She wiped the mixture of sweat and grit from his brow, then checked the bandage. Blood dotted the white cotton strip in a faint red oval, but didn’t soak through the first layer. Though his bleeding had slowed, it was still a miracle he hung on to life at all. He’d lost more blood than she considered humanly possible. Moving him to Arriba was insanity.
Yet since Garrett Douglas, the federally appointed United States marshal of the New Mexico territory, had ridden onto Jay’s farm with his posse of men, his word had become all-powerful. Her twenty-four-hour vigilance at Christopher’s bedside, her efforts to keep him alive using every means at her disposal including sheer force of will, mattered not. Marshal Douglas had decided Christopher needed a good doctor. An eastern doctor.
After a one way argument, Douglas only pretending to consider Lorelei’s opinion, Arriba became their destination. Though there were no doctors in Arriba, Douglas reasoned they could telegraph a decent doctor in Santa Fe.
“How’s he doing?” Douglas stood at the back of the wagon.
“His fever won’t break. The water from Jay’s well might have cooled him off,” she said more rudely than she meant.
Unfortunately, Marshal Douglas didn’t appear put off. He climbed into the wagon’s bed and crawled across the planks, ducking his head beneath the canvas they’d stretched across the buckboard’s sides. He paused to check the thickness of the mattress that swallowed most of the wagon’s space.
“Do you think he’s comfortable enough?”
The fear in the man’s voice deepened it. That he was uncomfortable seeing Christopher so helpless showed in the nervous dart of his gaze. They had been friends since they were boys, she had heard him say. She didn’t have an exclusive on loving Christopher Braddock.
“The traveling is taking its toll. I’ll just be glad to get him to Arriba.”
“And into the hands of a qualified physician.”
Lorelei stiffened but dropped her gaze and said nothing. Didn’t they know she would walk across fire to see Christopher recover? Even give her own life. She didn’t see how a doctor could do more.
“I’m sorry, Miss…” He hesitated.
“Sullivan.” She glanced up. He didn’t even know who she was, much less that she would be Christopher’s wife. Nor could she tell him. The promise she’d made to Christopher the last night they had been together prevented that.
“You’re Corey Sullivan’s sister.” He studied her with cool brown eyes.
She wondered if he had truly forgotten her name or had just been trying to trick her. Suddenly she felt like she was being questioned.
“Yes. That’s right.”
His sharp features softened. The look of suspicion eased. “Sorry again. I can’t remember the last time I slept. I’m too used to interrogating people.”
He ran his hand over his stubbled chin. “I’m grateful for all you’ve done for Chris. His parents will be grateful, too. They’re very wealthy.”
“I don’t want a reward,” she said too sharply. She hadn’t known Christopher’s parents were wealthy. Discovering that his father was a United States senator had been even more of a shock. Why hadn’t Christopher mentioned any of this to her? For some reason she had assumed his parents were dead. That he was as alone as she.
“You deserve a reward. You have to be exhausted. Why don’t you climb down and stretch your legs?”
“I don’t want to leave him.” The sensation of Douglas’s piercing stare forced her to lift her gaze.
He smiled. “I see. Chris has quite a way with women, the lucky bastard.”
Lorelei didn’t return his smile. She burned to tell him that Christopher loved her, wanted to marry her, but the quirk of Douglas’s lips told her he would only find that amusing. She had nothing to be embarrassed about. But she did feel ashamed, as if she weren’t good enough to be anything other than a passing fling to Christopher Braddock, son of a U.S. senator.
Douglas cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean anything by that. You know, I’m going to put in a good word for you with the judge.”
“Am I in trouble?”
“No, but your brother is. Surely you know that.”
She had the distinct impression he was studying her reaction, hoping she’d reveal something.
“I know Corey made a mistake.”
“A big mistake. Jay said he shot the man who tried to kill Braddock, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was part of the robbery.”
Lorelei had vowed to quit defending her brother, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Corey was afraid of those men. He got away from them the first chance he could.”
She plucked the damp cloth off of Braddock’s head, avoiding Douglas’s harsh gaze. He made her feel as if she should confess something.
“If he told us where the gold is hidden, it would help his story.”
“I thought the gold was at Specter Canyon?” Something Ricochet had said popped into her mind. She hadn’t had time to think about the awful moments before Christopher was shot. Ricochet had thought Corey had the gold.
“We searched every crevice of that hell hole. Most of the gang’s dead, including Mulcahy. But the owners of the Rio Grande Railroad want their gold. And powerful men in Santa Fe want the railroad finished. Heads are going to roll, starting with mine.”
Lorelei rested her palm
against Christopher’s cheek. Fever still burned through him. She couldn’t think about the gold, didn’t dare think about what Corey knew of it. She let her hand stray to Christopher’s heart. The wound had missed it by barely an inch. She slid her hand back up to his throat, checking his pulse. The faint beat barely reached her fingertips.
“We should be on our way. He needs to be in a bed.”
Douglas nodded. “You’re right. He wouldn’t have made it this far if it weren’t for you, Miss Sullivan.”
He smiled sadly, and she wondered if it was because he thought Christopher wouldn’t survive in the end, or because he could tell she was in love with him.
“Thank you. Call me Lorelei.”
“Thank you, Lorelei.” He crawled out of the wagon. When he was again on solid ground, he turned to face her. “You’ll be staying in Arriba, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
Douglas retrieved his hat from the edge of the wagon. He put it on, angling it over his eyes. “I’ll need to question you once we get him into a doctor’s hands. None of this makes sense, Lorelei.”
She nodded, then sagged in relief when he finally sauntered away. Reminding herself she hadn’t done anything wrong didn’t stop the swirl of dread that squeezed her chest. She stretched out next to Christopher, praying for him to wake up. But her fear wasn’t for him, nor even for Corey. This fear was for herself.
***
Lorelei marched down the steps of the clapboard house Douglas had commandeered. He had no right to keep her from Christopher. Though the doctor from Santa Fe slipped past the bedroom door to assure her Chris was still alive, he was under instructions not to allow him visitors. The only thing that kept her from barging past him, besides the fact that he outweighed her by at least a hundred and fifty pounds, was that she didn’t want to disturb Christopher’s rest.
She dragged herself down the dusty street, not daring to think Christopher didn’t want her there. It was all Douglas’s doing, and as soon as Christopher awoke he’d set everything right.
Wade Langston separated himself from the shade cast by the house’s sloping roof and fell in by her side. She hadn’t spoken to him since he had sat tied to his horse on Jay’s farm. Tinges of yellow replaced the ugly purple bruises left by Christopher’s beating. Lorelei thought to apologize, but feared incriminating herself further.
“You don’t have to follow me to my hotel, Mr. Langston. I’m not going to run away. I have nowhere to go.”
“You can call me Wade. And you don’t have to worry, Lorelei. I don’t blame you for things you had no control over.”
Lorelei sleepwalked in the direction of her hotel, letting Wade follow her if he liked. She had assumed the deputy would want retribution and that Douglas, Christopher’s friend, would be on her side.
“They’re going to get what’s coming to them, Lorelei. I’m going to see to that.”
She didn’t know who “they” were, nor did she care. She was tired of fighting. Tired of pleading her case to anyone who would listen. “They’re not worth it, Wade. The only person you can prove anything to is yourself.”
She didn’t know from where the sudden insight came, but it was true. She was good for Christopher. She knew she’d make him a good wife. That was all she needed to know. It didn’t matter who Christopher Braddock’s parents were.
“I have to see that justice is served. It’s not right for him to get away with wrongdoing just because his daddy’s a senator.”
Lorelei halted in the middle of the deserted street, suddenly caring a great deal about who “they” were. “What do you mean?”
Langston pushed his hat back, leaning closer so as not to be overheard. “I’ll hold my tongue while he’s recuperating, but I can’t stay silent forever. Withholding evidence is against the law.”
Her dawning horror must have shown on her face, because Wade gently touched her shoulder to steady her. “Don’t be afraid, Lorelei. I know you were his pawn just like your brother. I have it all in writing. Braddock’s writing.”
“You must be mistaken.”
“He confessed that he planned the stagecoach robbery. He forced your brother to persuade Mulcahy into doing the dirty work. Says he held you hostage to make sure your brother gave him the gold. Braddock’s the reason we didn’t find the gold at Specter Canyon. He knows where it is.”
“None of that’s true.”
The pitying look he’d given her earlier returned. “I know you’re in love with him. He’s a strong man in his own right. He’d be something to reckon with even without his father’s influence. I’ll give him that.”
“Wade, you know him. You know he wouldn’t do any of those things.”
“He stole my horse. Saw it with my own eyes. I don’t want the Hartmans to come to any harm, seeing as Jay’s crippled and all, but he should have considered that before he hid a stolen horse. If Jay didn’t know what Braddock was doing, he can say so in court. For once Braddock’s going to have to own up to his actions.”
Dear God, Christopher had taken Wade’s horse, and he’d willingly go to jail to keep Jay out of trouble.
Lorelei paused to lay a hand on Wade’s arm. “I’m sorry about your horse. We just borrowed it. We took the best of care with him. Christopher was desperate to find Mulcahy, but he had nothing to do with the robbery.”
Wade shook his head. “I was as shocked as you when he told me his tale…”
“Because it’s nothing but a tale. He made it up.”
“They haven’t found the gold, Lorelei. There is something to it. Besides, I’m not a judge. I’m a lawman, and honor bound to turn in any evidence I have. And let me tell you, Christopher Braddock’s signed confession is pretty strong evidence.”
“No one will believe it.”
“Douglas said there are men in Washington who have staked their whole fortune on the Rio Grande Railroad making it to Santa Fe. They need that gold. They’ll want to believe it.”
“But it’s not true,” she argued, knowing she was going in circles.
He held up his hand to stop her plea. “The truth will come out in the trial.”
“A trial? Christopher’s name would be dragged through the mud.” And God knew what would come out about her and Corey and their unscrupulous father. If Jay was implicated too, Lorelei would never forgive herself. And she feared that neither would Christopher.
“Corey can clear this up.” Lorelei gathered her skirts and strode in the direction of the hotel.
Wade hurried to keep pace with her. “I’m sorry, Lorelei. I’m a man of the law, and it’s my duty to turn over the confession as evidence. I’d be breaking the law if I didn’t.”
The Crystal Palace, Arriba’s only hotel that didn’t also serve as a bordello, looked more like a prison than it had before. The squat, two-story adobe’s peeling plaster and cockeyed sign heightened Lorelei’s sense of desperation. She turned her back on the gloomy reminder of her situation.
“Give the confession to Douglas. Let him handle it. He’s your boss, isn’t he?”
Wade glanced past the end of Arriba’s one street and out into the empty miles of dry desert brush. If Lorelei suspected that his desire to see the confession exposed to public scrutiny was more than following the letter of the law, his evasiveness confirmed it.
“You know how you felt when Douglas wouldn’t let you in to see Braddock? That’s how those boys made me feel since I was a young man. I had a chance being accepted into West Point. I had a chance to be a great man. My parents broke their backs so I could have that chance, and those boys tried to take it away from me at every turn.” He straightened. “Justice will finally have its day. You can count on that.” He tipped his hat, then turned and picked his way across the rutted dirt street.
Lorelei had little time to waste. She sprinted through the hotel lobby, purposely ignoring the guard, who stood as soon as soon as he spotted her. At the moment she didn’t have the patience to pretend his presence was for her protection.
By the time she reached the battered door of the hotel room she shared with Corey, she had to pause to catch her breath. She turned the knob, finding the door unlocked, and rushed in without first announcing her presence. The empty room stared back at her with an air of doom. The bed she’d made this morning looked as if it hadn’t even been sat upon. Perhaps Corey had stayed in town after she’d ordered him from the room so she could dress.
She collapsed onto the natty cotton bedspread and stared up at the smooth adobe ceiling with its rounded edges, no longer comforted by the fact that she had first confronted Christopher in a similar room down the hall. When she had so long ago asked him to help Corey, she had never expected it to cost him so much. Maybe she wasn’t good for him after all. The thought forced her off the bed.
She couldn’t let Wade use that signed confession against him, though. She didn’t know why he had done it, admitted to things she knew he had nothing to do with, but she guessed it had something to do with protecting Corey or herself. Either way, he had sacrificed his own interests for her.
She dragged herself over to the cracked mirror that hovered above the washstand and rearranged the pins in her wilted hair. Corey was probably lingering at the saloon. Once she found him, she’d have Corey explain it all to Douglas, and maybe he could head off any damage Wade Langston would do.
Corey had been unusually thoughtful since they’d arrived in Arriba. When he had insisted on sneaking away from Douglas’s watchful eye to check on his ranch, she had been a little surprised to see him return as he promised. She’d been even more surprised that he had not only brought her clean clothes, but a brush set. Perhaps he would be just as eager to discredit Wade’s story as she.
When she reached to splash the water she’d left in the basin on her face, she saw the note tucked under the rim. Her fingers shook as she lifted the torn scrap.
Dear Lori. Bratak is gettn better.
He will take care of you. But if he dosnt I
