Wildfire Creek

by Shirleen Davies

  She scrunched her face a little and looked at Luke. “Do you feel the same?”

  “I do.” He didn’t elaborate. Dax had said it all. He stood and walked toward the window, looking up at the blacking sky. “I’d better head back. Appears as if a storm may be coming and I don’t want to get caught in it.”

  “Why don’t you stay here tonight?” Dax asked. Luke’s room at the ranch would always be his and he saw no reason for him to ride out into approaching weather.

  “Another time. Looks like whatever is coming is moving at a slow pace and I want to get the house heated before I turn in. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Dax stood at the front window, an arm around his wife’s shoulders, and watched Luke ride off. Although his brother seemed more at peace than he had in a while, Dax couldn’t squelch the feeling that the tranquility Luke felt now would begin to unravel…and soon.

  “That’s the last of it.” Flatnose swung up on his horse and stared down at the guards standing with their hands in the air.

  Rick looked around at the men and the surrounding hills, seeing no sign of anyone watching them. Each man had stuffed their saddlebags full of gold. He didn’t want to take the wagon back to the ranch, preferring to tie up the guards and take off.

  Flatnose glanced at two of his men. “Collect their guns, tie them up to the wagon wheels, and set the horses loose. We need to get moving.”

  The men worked at a quick pace, not wanting to prolong their stay. Gold wagons moved within a tight schedule. When the gold didn’t appear as planned, a search group would be formed to find it. They wanted to be as far away as they could by then.

  “Let’s go.” Rick didn’t wait to see if the others followed—he knew they would. He headed toward the brush and a small deer trail hidden from the road. It would take longer to reach the ranch, but it would make tracking them almost impossible.

  They’d ridden close to an hour when Flatnose edged up beside him. “We’re being watched.” He nodded toward the ridge above and ahead of them.

  Rick lifted his gaze to see a band of Indians, he assumed Sioux, sitting astride their horses, making no move to come closer.

  “How long?”

  “They’ve been following for a few miles. My guess is they saw us steal the gold and are waiting for the right spot to attack.”

  Flatnose continued to watch as they kept pace with them. They had little trouble with the various tribes who lived throughout the territory. A few stolen cattle and missing supplies. He’d heard rumors a small band of renegades had been robbing gold shipments north of here. Perhaps they’d moved south. He held up his hand, signaling for his men to stop.

  “Stay close. We’re a mile from where the trail splits and we head to the ranch. If we make it to that point, they’ll have a hard time getting down the ridge and picking up the trail before we head up the creek to the property.” Flatnose glanced up to the ridge. The riders still sat motionless, watching.

  “What do you think they’re up to?” one of the men asked.

  “Could be watching to see what we do and where we stash the gold.” Rick turned his horse back to the trail and glanced over his shoulder. “Keep together.”

  They’d get to the ranch, unload the gold, post guards, and wait. After they’d split the gold with the men, he and Flatnose would stash the remaining bags in an underground room they’d built in the house.

  Rick had thought more and more about this being his last job. Getting a place near Big Pine and Felicity appealed to him more and more, as well as leaving the life of an outlaw behind. They’d taken enough to allow him the luxury of never working again. He’d still find something so as not to make people wonder. Maybe he’d even see about being one of Sheriff Sterling’s deputies. Rick smiled at the thought. What better way to push suspicion away from him than being a lawman? It just might work.

  Chapter Nine

  “When are you leaving?” Ginny asked as she set a drink down in front of Luke. She’d heard him mention to the men at the table he’d be traveling to Denver on business. When Bull asked why so far, all he’d said was a friend needed his help, then went silent. She guessed it had something to do with his Pinkerton work.

  “In two days.” He took a good look at her, the first one he’d allowed himself since walking into the Rose. Luke hadn’t seen Ginny in weeks, purposely avoiding the saloon and the conflicting emotion he felt whenever they were close. Each time he saw her, she seemed more beautiful than the time before. No matter his resolve, he couldn’t control his body’s response to the woman he wanted as a friend and nothing more. At least that’s what he’d been telling himself for weeks as he sat in his place, alone, wishing he could figure out why she muddled his mind.

  “Isn’t it a bad time of year to be traveling over the mountains? The odds are good you’ll be hitting snow.” Bull threw his cards on the table. “I’m out.”

  “I’m meeting up with someone in Big Pine, then we’re riding to Denver.”

  Ginny glanced at him and wondered if the “someone” he referred to might be a woman, then mentally shook herself. She had no business thinking about Luke and other women, especially since she was almost certain he had someone in Big Pine he saw every few weeks. At least that’s what Belle had said, and her friend knew just about everything there was to know about the men in Splendor.

  “Whatever it is, it must be important to have you traveling so far this time of year,” Ellis muttered.

  “Are you making some kind of point, Ellis?” Luke asked. The oldest ranch hand never said much, so when he did, Luke tended to listen.

  “Nothing in particular, ‘cept we don’t have much time to get the work done before the bad weather starts. You haven’t been here a full winter and don’t know how bad it can be. Dax is going to need everyone.”

  “And you’re saying that includes me?” As an equal owner in the ranch, Luke knew the men were hesitant to bring up any of their opinions about how to run the place, which made what Ellis implied worth considering.

  “All I’m saying is you haven’t experienced a Montana winter and neither has Dax. They can be brutal enough to cause even war-hardened men like the two of you to take notice.” Ellis threw down his cards. “It’s been a long week. Think I’ll head back.”

  Bull and the other men followed Ellis’ lead and stood.

  “You coming, Luke?” Bull asked.

  “I’ll follow in a bit.” He watched them leave, then turned toward Ginny, who’d already begun to pick up the empty glasses. “What do you think?”

  She stopped to stare at him. “About what?”

  “Am I making a mistake leaving for Denver?”

  Ginny’s eyes widened. She couldn’t have been more stunned at his question. “You’re asking my opinion?”

  Luke stood, downed the last of his whiskey, and placed the empty glass on her tray. “Yes, I’m asking what you think.”

  “Well—”

  “Ginny,” Al called from behind the bar. “Why don’t you finish up and go home?”

  “Thanks, Al.” She glanced at Luke.

  “Finish and I’ll walk you home.”

  He waited outside, wondering why he’d offered. She walked the short distance to the boardinghouse by herself each night after work. Tonight he realized he didn’t like it. Of course, he’d asked her about leaving for Denver. Luke wanted her opinion, although he didn’t understand why it mattered to him.

  “All done.” Ginny walked outside, slipping into her coat. Luke moved behind, her, helping to pull the tattered wool over her shoulders. “Thanks,” she mumbled, confused and curious about his actions tonight. “Why are you going to Denver?”

  “A telegram arrived from Dutch McFarlin, a Pinkerton agent. He needs help finishing a job in Denver. There’s an agent in Big Pine he’s worked with before who’ll also make the trip.” Luke slipped her arm through his, telling himself the dirt street looked rutted and treacherous this time of night.

  Ginny glanced up at him,
surprised at the simple courtesy. “It must be a big job.”

  “Guess so. He didn’t say much about it in the telegram.”

  They walked to the back entrance. Luke opened the door, then stepped aside, allowing her to pass by him. He could smell the scent of her hair. Roses, he thought as he followed her.

  They stood outside the room she shared with Mary, Ginny’s arms crossed in front of her chest.

  “I do want to know what you think of me leaving.”

  “You mean leaving Dax and the others to handle the ranch?”

  “Ellis doesn’t say much about how we manage the place, so his comments tonight got me thinking maybe it isn’t such a good idea.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling a slight amount of discomfort at needing to hear her thoughts.

  “I don’t know much about this area or what’s needed to keep cattle safe during the winter. It does seem as though there’d be a lot more work, so every man would be needed. Suzanne says storms can arrive with little to no warning, and the temperatures can drop to below freezing in minutes.”

  Like the last time they stood together in the tight space, Ginny began to feel heat flow through her body as her heart rate picked up. She began to shrug out of the old coat, letting Luke pull it from her shoulders.

  “Does it seem hot in here to you?”

  Luke watched her drape the coat over an arm and pat the back of her hand against her forehead before looking up at him. Her soft green eyes drew him in as his gaze locked with hers. In the span of one breath, he used his forefinger to lift her chin. He hesitated when he saw her eyes widen and bottom lip tremble, yet she made no move to step away.

  He lowered his head, brushing his lips against hers in a soft caress, then once more. When she made no move to back away, he stepped closer, cupping her face with his hands before increasing the pressure. Luke couldn’t remember ever feeling anything as sweet as the feel of Ginny’s lips as his mouth moved over hers. He’d kissed many woman, yet the incessant thundering in his chest warned him this was new territory and to proceed with caution.

  He let his hands fall to his sides and stepped back, watching as her eyes opened. Her dazed expression mirrored his own confused state. Luke cleared his throat and put a few more inches of space between them before reaching up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

  “I’d better leave.” The thickness of his voice surprised him. “Thank you for your thoughts.”

  Luke watched as her eyes cleared and she took her own step backward.

  “I didn’t offer much.” Her voice sounded shaky, unnatural.

  He nodded, not trusting himself to say anything else or stay in the small space with her any longer. “Goodnight, Ginny.”

  “Goodnight, Luke.”

  She watched him leave, her heart pounding as her breathing slowed. So that was a real kiss, she thought as she let out a deep breath and turned toward her room. From the comments her mother had made years before, Ginny never thought she’d enjoy the feel of a man’s lips on hers. Her mother hadn’t.

  At first she had no idea what to do, so she’d stood still, enjoying the feel of his warm lips, the unexpected sensations. She hadn’t wanted him to pull back and end the contact.

  Ginny opened the door a crack and peered in at Mary, fast asleep in bed. Suzanne read her a story and tucked her in each night after finishing with her supper customers. Mary would sit in the kitchen, watching everything Suzanne did, drifting off at the table with her head cradled in her arms. The routine had worked for several months now, but Ginny knew she couldn’t rely on Suzanne’s generosity forever.

  She sat on the edge of the bed and touched a finger to her lips, which still tingled from Luke’s kisses. Ginny didn’t know what it meant when a man kissed you. She knew it meant nothing to the ladies who worked upstairs at the Wild Rose, and suspected it meant nothing to the men, either. She wondered if Luke had felt the same jolt she had, and if he’d wanted it to last longer, like she did.

  Ginny fell back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. She knew it would be folly to believe the kiss meant more than it did. A man such as him might dally with a girl like her, but would never take it seriously. As Belle had told her, Luke Pelletier had his pick of women, and it wouldn’t be some poor girl who worked in a saloon.

  Luke loaded the last items in his saddlebags and tied them down. He’d meet Dutch’s associate in Big Pine, then travel to Denver. Who knows? The trip might help him get over the constant thoughts of Ginny and what had happened the night he’d walked her home.

  He derided himself again for his rash action as he checked Prince’s cinch, then walked into the house, checking for anything he may have missed. He’d done this twice already. Each time he walked back outside without remembering what he’d gone inside to do. Luke felt his common sense slip away and knew the cause had to be Ginny.

  “You ready, boy?” he asked Prince as he swung into the saddle, looked around once more, then headed for the ranch house. He’d say goodbye to Dax and Rachel before hitting the northern trail for Big Pine, careful to avoid riding through Splendor.

  “You taking off?” Bull asked as Luke reined Prince to a stop and slid to the ground.

  “Just need to speak with Dax and Rachel.”

  “Dax already took off with Ellis toward the north pasture, but Rachel’s still inside. Have a safe trip.” Bull shook Luke’s hand, mounted his horse, and headed out with Rude and the rest of the men.

  “Rachel, it’s Luke,” he said as he headed inside and towards the kitchen, following the smell of fresh brewed coffee.

  “Good morning.” Rachel reached up and pulled down a second cup, filling it to the top and handing it to Luke. “You ready to go?”

  “I’d hoped to speak to Dax. Bull said I missed him.”

  “Something happened with the cattle and he rode out with Ellis to check it out.” She saw the concerned look on Luke’s face and knew he struggled with his decision to leave. “It’ll be fine. Dax and the men can handle everything while you’re gone.” She offered a vague smile. In her heart, she didn’t want him to leave at such a difficult time of year.

  “I could send a telegram to Dutch, tell him I just can’t make it.”

  “And regret it within a few days? I’ll tell you what I believe Dax would say. Go. Get the job over with, then decide if it’s the last one.” She gave him a hug, then turned toward the hall. “I need to ride to the clinic. Do you mind some company?”

  “Of course not.” He finished his coffee as she walked back into the room, slipping into a heavy coat. “Dax says it looks like a storm coming today or tonight. I sure hope you miss it.”

  “Something tells me this trip is going to be nothing but bad weather. You ready?”

  Rachel narrowed her eyes at Luke. Of all of them, he could be counted on to see the adventure in everything. She wondered from where his dark mood had come.

  “I’ll check to see if one of the men saddled Dancer for me.”

  Dax had given her the beautiful pinto mare as a wedding present. She was the sweetest horse Rachel had ever owned, with good spirit and exceptional lines.

  “I saw Tat bringing her out when I rode up.” Luke glanced upward as they walked toward the horses. For the moment, a cloudless blue sky covered the ranch. The one hint the weather could change in an instant was the brisk, cold wind starting to move over them. “You sure you want to ride to town today?”

  “I told Uncle Charles I’d be available. I’ll come back early if it looks like snow.”

  The wind picked up as they rode closer to Splendor. When they came upon the trail Luke had intended to take, he made a quick decision to stay with Rachel and make certain she arrived at the clinic. Even this close, a freak storm could let loose, reducing visibility to a couple of feet within minutes, which was what happened a quarter-mile from the edge of town.

  “Move closer to me,” Luke said as the storm picked up and visibility lessened. He grabbed his rope and looped an end around Rache
l’s saddle horn, securing it tight. “Stay low and hold on tight. We’ll ride to the livery. Watch for the fire from Noah’s forge.” His voice became a shout as the wind howled around them. At least they could still see the trail well enough to guide them the last part of the trip.

  Within minutes they spotted the outline of the schoolhouse on the right. Looking left, the lumberyard had all but disappeared, while the livery’s fire shown bright through the thickening snow.

  Luke rode into the open doorway, Rachel right behind, the rope still secured to her saddle horn.

  Noah raced toward them, taking Dancer’s reins from Rachel and walking him to a nearby stall. He reached up and helped her down, then uncinched the saddle, laying it and the blanket over a rail before picking up dry rags to wipe down the horse. He glanced over his shoulder to see Luke mirroring his actions with Prince.

  “I was just thinking of closing the doors, but decided to hold off a few minutes. Glad I waited.” Noah wrung out the soaked rags and laid them on the railing beside the blanket. “Stand next to the forge, Rachel, and warm up.”

  “I should check on Uncle Charles—”

  “No!” Luke and Noah said in unison.

  “I’ll check on him,” Luke said. “You stay here.”

  The storm hadn’t let up. In fact, the wind had increased since they rode into the livery, whipping gusts of snow around so fast it stung his face. He pushed his hat low and drew the collar of his coat up as he ran across the open lot between the livery and Western Union office. He poked his head inside to see Bernie Griggs, who ran the post and telegraph office, slipping into a coat.

  “Are you all right, Bernie?” Luke asked.

  “I’m not closing if that’s what you mean. This storm will blow over. Not worth going home and losing business.”

  Luke nodded, although he doubted anyone would be sending a telegram in this weather. He moved on past the saloon to the jail. Gabe stood by the window, watching the storm as Luke pushed the door open, then slammed it shut, warm air enveloping him.