by Sara Jolene
“Of course I forgive you.” Dutch swallowed hard. “Actually I don’t.” He watched as her face changed and got dark after she’d just lifted it when he’d said he did forgive her. “Only because there’s nothing to forgive. You can’t help whom you fall in love with, Ness. We weren’t meant to be. I think we both know that.”
Nessa jumped forward and hugged Dutch tightly, mumbling against his chest. “Please help me, Freddie. Help me get back to him.”
Chapter Eight
It hadn’t taken much convincing to have Rachel agree to meet with Otto and Sophia. Dutch had stopped by the clinic and had Doc JT check his head as well as asking Rachel to meet him when she was through. She was full of smiles, and the doc had given him the all clear, so Dutch was in an excellent mood until they informed him that Wade must have woken at some point in the night when they were all sleeping, and he’d slipped out. No one knew where he’d gone.
Dutch’s irritation rose when he asked if the Marshal or the Marshal had been out to question Wade, and the doc had told him he hadn’t seen anyone. Shaking his head and promising Rachel to see her that afternoon, he left the clinic and rode hard and fast into town, straight to the Marshal’s office.
Dutch pushed through the swinging door. “Murray, what are you doing?” He spun through the room, looking for the Marshal whom he found hunched over his desk, seemingly asleep. His irritation increased as he stalked over to the sleeping Marshal and shook the man. It wasn’t until he noticed a small bump on the back of the man’s head that he forced himself to cool down. He shook the Marshal until he opened his eyes. They were bright but rolled in their sockets. “Murray? You with me, man?”
Finally able to keep his head up, KC looked around, confused. Dutch stood beside him, watching closely. “Do you remember anything?”
KC blinked and took a few deep breaths while shaking his head. “No. I’ve been here most of the night. Things with the explosion got complicated when people started seeing Ab around town but Wade was at the clinic.”
Dutch shook his head. “Not anymore. Sneaky bandit ran off in the night. Didn’t say a word.”
KC nodded. “It had to have been him. I must have fallen asleep at my desk.” He put a hand to the back of his head where the bump was. “He must have wanted to make sure I stayed asleep.”
Dutch paced around the small office. Things weren’t adding up. Wade was a lackey. Without a boss, someone pulling the strings, he could never put anything like this together, but the only people that wanted control of that mine was the Denver Group, and they had all they needed in reassurance in Ab. They’d sent him to keep an eye on things. It worked well for both of them. Dutch needed to stay close to them. Pistol Pete wanted it that way. He was very invested in the relationship they had exchanging silver for women, amongst other things. It’s why Dutch had gone to work at the mine after Archie died. It kept him close. “No. None of this makes sense. Those that are invested in the mine need both Ab and me. They also need it to stay functional. Plus… Wade? He’s not that clever.”
“Clever or not, why didn’t he kill me?”
Dutch had been wondering the same thing. He shook his head and continued to pace. Nothing made sense anymore. “I don’t know, but I will.” He stopped in front of the desk. “Get yourself together, and may I suggest taking some backup with you? Maybe send for the Marshal? Then head up to the mine. I’ll meet you.”
KC stared at Dutch. Dutch waited for him to say the things he was thinking. It’s not like the man was good at hiding anything. Dutch could read his face like he could the post. Every thought was etched in the lines around his eyes and mouth. He looked far too old for his age. “Yes?”
KC narrowed his eyes. “How do I know I can trust even you, Mr. Holan?”
Dutch returned his squinted stare. “You can’t.” He turned toward the door. Halfway out onto the boardwalk, he left the Marshal with one last piece of advice, “Trust no one.”
Dutch rode through town, checking the places he thought Ab might be. He’d been staying in his usual room at the Nugget, even though the place wasn’t operational. The Nugget was mostly dark. Archie had designed it that way when they’d rebuilt after the fire. He wanted it to be night at all times in the Nugget. It gave the men an extended sense of freedom. The men that often frequented there were creatures of the night. Living in the shadows and shade, twisting the reality the sun exposed into half-truths and empty promises. The ladies, well, they were more comfortable not seeing what exactly their lives looked like, and the light of day gave them no options. Darkness begot darkness. Dutch was glad they had been freed.
He didn’t knock, just filtered his way through the back rooms, checking each one for signs that Ab or anyone else had been there recently. He found nothing other than an unmade bed and a pile of dirty clothes in the farthest room, which had always been Ab’s. Dutch ended up back in the front, where the bar was. He took a glass and filled it with ale before sitting on the other side.
He’d just met with Ab the day before. An associate of his from Durango had met them to inquire about the blast. Wondering if they’d seen anything. Dutch had been relieved the man had asked. He’d wanted to ask Ab how one minute he’d been standing right beside Dutch and the next Dutch was lying in the clinic with Wade, and Ab was nowhere to be found.
Ab had cleared it all up. Told them both he hadn’t seen anything and that if Dutch had not hit his head on a tree, he wouldn’t have been in the clinic either. He’d said they were closer to the mine entrance than the shack when the explosion had happened. None of that explained why the explosion had happened though. The door creaked behind him. Dutch didn’t turn around. He didn’t put a hand on the gun at his hip. He sat drinking and waiting, his body tense and ready to react. “Why wouldn’t they hit the mine, Ab? If they wanted it that badly and somehow found out that they weren’t the first to be paid, why would they blow the shack?”
Dutch waited for the man he’d briefly considered a friend to answer, but all he got in return were footsteps, coming closer. Finally Ab rounded the bar and poured himself a short glass of golden whiskey. “Because the goal wasn’t the mine.” He stared at Dutch as he tipped the glass to his lips and swallowed down the entirety of it in one gulp.
“Who?”
Ab shook his head. “Not sure yet. Just met with Jack trying to figure that out.”
“Jack?” Dutch lifted his eyebrows. “Can he be trusted?”
“Can anyone?”
Dutch nodded and lifted his glass to Ab as he refilled his own. The two tilted them back and drank deeply before Dutch rose and headed for the door, leaving his now empty glass on the bar. “Midnight.”
Rachel had spent the day riding with JT, checking on some of their patients that lived further out from the clinic. Instead of riding back with him, though, she stayed in Creede, hitching her horse first outside the mercantile. Inside she looked through some of the new shipments and found Toria at the counter. She bought two of Beatrice’s amazing cookies and stowed them in her bag. “How are you liking working with JT?”
“Oh, very well. I’m learning so much.”
Toria smiled. “How’s Nora fairing? That one never seems to stop. She’s caring for those young ones and helping out with the clinic, plus she’s carrying a new baby. I worry for her.”
Rachel smiled as she watched Toria rub her belly. “Seems it might be contagious.” She laughed, and Toria laughed with her.
Toria looked at Rachel very seriously. “Let’s hope not.”
Rachel nodded. “Could be worse.” And she immediately regretted her words as a man in a long dark duster and matching hat came through the door, followed by Nessa. The air changed as he entered the shop, raising the hair on Rachel’s arms. Toria stood still and straight behind the counter as the man gathered a few supplies, including one of the ready-made shirts. Rachel slid down so he could pay Toria for his goods as Nessa came up beside her. She hadn’t seen his face until he turned toward the door. She bit her lip so
the gasp couldn’t escape her mouth. She had seen him before. Her body tensed as he walked by. She moved as close to the counter as possible, pressing herself between it and her friend so she didn’t have to chance him brushing against her. She felt her body start to quiver. Fear overcame her, and she started to shake.
The moment he was out the door, Rachel began to collapse, but Nessa caught her and held her as she shook.
Toria came running from her spot behind the counter. “Should I send for you father?”
Rachel thought about it and almost nodded but then changed her mind. She shook her head. “No. I need Dutch.”
Nessa nodded. “I’ll stay with her.”
Toria ran off to find someone who could find Dutch, and Rachel leaned against Nessa, gathering herself. The thoughts running through her head were overwhelming. She took deep breaths as Toria came bursting back into the store with Dutch on her heels.
“What happened?” he asked as he went to Rachel’s side, his eyes flitting between hers and Nessa’s.
Rachel looked into his eyes. “One of them…” She paused. She didn’t want everyone to know what had happened. “From the other night.” She stared at him, willing him to understand. He nodded, and relief flooded through her. “He was here. Came in here. So close, I wasn’t expecting…” She trailed off again as she leaned into him.
The voice Nessa had heard the other day up on the mountain returned. “Everything. Tell him everything.”
She still had no idea where the voice was coming from. She’d thought it was in her head that first time she’d heard it, but there was no way it could have been. She turned to Dutch, terrified to find out the truth but knowing she needed to. “It was the man you met with the other day.”
He looked confused. “When?”
“On the mountain. By the mine, with you and Ab. I saw you.”
Dutch’s eyes got wide, and Nessa got nervous. She hoped he wouldn’t deny it. She hoped he’d tell her the truth. She knew that Dutch didn’t live his life on the right side of the law all the time, but she’d thought he’d been changing. That his experience with the blast and healing from it would put life more into focus for him. She knew he was a good man though, despite his flaws or maybe because of them. She watched how he was looking at Rachel, how she was looking at him. She’d seen how the moment he’d walked in the door Rachel had relaxed, the fear draining from her body. Nessa could tell, Rachel was falling in love with him, but he’d have to be careful. Show her who he really was. Rachel didn’t live her life in the gray. She was solidly good.
“The one wearing the duster. I didn’t see his face that day. I hid. I don’t know why, but something told me to hide. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.”
Dutch shook his head and started to lift Rachel by the elbow. “Are you well enough now? Could we walk?” He looked all around the mercantile. Nessa followed his eyes. Every face was staring at them. Rachel nodded.
“Why would you hide?”
Nessa shrugged as he gently helped Rachel to sitting by the hitching post outside of the livery. “Something told me I should.”
Dutch shook his head. “Are you sure it was him?”
Nessa thought about that for a moment and shook her head. “Well, I know the man I saw today was the man I saw on the mountain..” Nessa looked to Rachel and tipped her head. “You said something about seeing him the other day?”
Rachel stared at Nessa as she prompted her to talk about the stranger. She shook with a chill that ran down her spine. “Thank you for that. I never did say that, did I?” she said, switching her gaze from Nessa to Dutch.
Dutch smiled. “It was my honor. Please don’t thank me.”
Rachel smiled. She couldn’t help it when she was around him. Didn’t matter the circumstance. He made her feel safe and special. “Well, I also know that the duster he was wearing and the hat, they were the same as one of the men from the other night.” Rachel looked back up at Nessa. “You never saw his face that day?”
Nessa shook her head. “No. I only saw him from the back.”
Rachel nodded. “I can’t be certain then.”
Dutch sat thoughtfully, running his hand through his rough beard.
“We were just coming to meet you.” Sophia’s voice broke through the sphere of silence that Dutch had created with his musing. Rachel had been quiet, relishing in how she felt just being close to him. His presence changed everything. She spent some time wondering why she didn’t feel more afraid or nervous around him. He was an outlaw, or at least worked with them. He wasn’t exactly your everyday upstanding citizen, and yet she’d rather spend time with him than that landowner’s son from Topaz that had come into the clinic the other day. Sure, Benjamin was refined and well mannered, but he didn’t put her at ease the way Dutch did.
Dutch looked at Rachel, making sure she was up to walking with Otto and Sophia. Rachel knew what Dutch had told her they were meeting them for, but looking at Sophia, she couldn’t see it. Sophia was happy. Her eyes were bright, and she looked at her husband in such a way that Rachel could tell her world started and stopped wherever he was. Knowing she’d overcome such a horrific past made her more remarkable than Rachel could have expressed. She also silently hoped that the man in the duster hadn’t gone far because she really wanted to know if Sophia knew who he was.
Nessa found herself once again sitting and rocking on the porch of the house on the hill, waiting for their guests to arrive. So much had happened since she’d suggested they all share a meal, she was beginning to worry how the evening would go. Her sister was inside finishing up their supper. She didn’t know if Kara had said anything to Aedan about her going back to New York. Plus she wasn’t sure how John Henry was going to feel about Dutch being there. She’d had a lot of time to think about her conversation with Dutch while things were slow at the bank. She’d talked at length with Beth and Byron, and he’d already gone to see Arthur and had a telegraph sent to his father in New York, arranging for Nessa to have a position at one of the many banks his father ran in the city.
She was so grateful to Beth and her husband. They had been wonderful to her, first there in Creede, giving her a way to earn a wage and learn a skill, plus they were her friends. People she could count on just like she could Kara and Aedan. There were a lot of folks like that in Creede, and the number of them was increasing almost daily, but there were other folks there as well, ones with less than honorable intentions. Like the ones who’d tried to blow up Ab and Dutch. She briefly wondered what had happened when Dutch had found Ab. He’d seemed genuinely surprised that he’d been hurt in the blast and Ab hadn’t.
Nessa saw riders’ heads start to crest over the swell of the hill. One she recognized as Aedan, due to his wide brimmed hat. He looked silly in it, and she and Kara reminded him of it often, but he insisted on wearing it. The others she couldn’t place but assumed were Rachel and her father. Once Nessa had discovered that Rachel was the daughter of the famed John Henry, she’d been even more excited about the relationship she saw budding between her new friend and her oldest one.
Dutch was changing. Nessa could see it, even if no one else could. He was less restless, and his mind seemed more clear. She knew it was because of Rachel. Meeting her had him untwisting, and though in most cases she would have said that love had a way of ruining a man, the opposite was true with Freddie. He needed someone to care about him. Nessa saw Rachel as a guidepost, something that Dutch could think about when making tough decisions. It was good for him. She was good for him.
The riders got closer, and Nessa noticed that not too far behind them was someone else. She smiled as Aedan got close enough to shout, “Out here again. What’s stuck, sister of mine?”
Nessa shook her head. She and Aedan had formed a bond. She loved having a brother, especially one that was so silly and taunted her the way he did. He gave her someone to be silly with and to taunt. It was fun. Kept things interesting and everyone laughing. He liked to give her a hard time about her
spot on the porch. Said she was stuck every time she went out there. Nessa couldn’t disagree with him. There was something about that spot, something about the movement of the chair, or maybe the way the wind whistled across the tops of the hill and over the valley. She wasn’t sure, but it did tend to get her thinking in the right direction. “Mind your manners. We’ve visitors. They should know we’re not heathens.”
Aedan hitched his horse and offered Rachel a hand down from hers, shaking his head as John Henry climbed off his mount as well. “This man here,” he clapped John Henry on the back, “he’s seen me far worse, and he’s still here for a meal. I think we’re going to be fine.” Aedan laughed, and he and John Henry started talking about something having to do with work, a conversation that Nessa was sure had started before they’d ridden out of Creede.
Nessa got out of her chair and met Rachel as she took the stairs up to the porch. “Those two …” Rachel smiled.
“They seem to get on well.”
Rachel nodded. “Pa’s been enjoyin’ himself workin’ with Mr. Casey. He’s finding that learning the woodworking could be really beneficial.”
Nessa nodded. “Aedan really loves it. He says it gives him a way to contribute in a positive way that is also a little violent. Appeals to both parts of his nature.”
Rachel laughed. “I can’t see Mr. Casey having a rough nature.”
Nessa shook her head. “Me either, but I do see the way he holds a chisel.” She looked up and out across the meadow to where she saw Dutch riding up. She tipped her head toward him. “Here comes another one that isn’t always what he seems.” She winked, and they both turned and waited for him to come closer.
