Texas Hero

by Ruth Ryan Langan

"You can't." His tone sent a shiver of fear along her spine.

  "You'll just have to trust me."

  "Trust you? I'd rather..." She bit her lip. It wouldn't do to reveal anything more to this stranger. After all, as her etiquette book advised, a lady always kept her thoughts to herself.

  "How much farther?"

  none of his concern. And as soon as he deposited her in town, he'd go about his business.

  Still, he was curious.

  "Where are you from?"

  She gave the slightest pause before she replied, Boston." " How'd you find out Hope needed a schoolteacher? "

  "There was a letter from the mayor posted in our church."

  "And you just volunteered to travel thousands of miles to fill a need?"

  Caroline nodded.

  He waited. But when she offered nothing more, he muttered,

  "Did you know the town was in the middle of nowhere?"

  "It sounded like" -- she almost said heaven, but caught herself in time "--the kind of challenge I was looking for."

  "Challenge?"

  She heard the smile in his voice and found herself bristling.

  "Do you think cowboys and gunmen are the only ones who thrive on adventure?"

  "No, ma'am." His tone was still warm with laughter. "It appears to me that you've already had enough adventure for a year or two. A whole herd of gunmen, a dead driver and guard, a runaway stage."

  ' "Not to mention a crude cowboy with the manners of a mule."

  He threw back his head and roared.

  "Now, ma'am, I'd say more like a stallion. But I'll admit, it was a fine adventure."

  "Don't flatter yourself."

  He swallowed back his laughter. Pressing his mouth to her ear, he muttered,

  "Would you care to kiss me again, Schoolmarm? This time we'll see who backs off first."

  His voice, low and teasing, caused her pulse to accelerate. With every mile, she had become more and more aware of the muscled body pressed to hers, of the work-roughened hands guiding the reins.

  As the sun rose high in the sky, Caroline began to question her wisdom in trusting this man. How did she know if he was really taking her to Hope?

  She had seen how efficiently he'd disposed of those gunmen. She could be facing an even worse fate at his hands. He could be taking her to a cabin miles from the nearest outpost.

  She glanced at the rifle resting in the boot of the saddle. If she were to move her hand slowly, she might be able to make it look as if she were merely flexing her fingers. Then, if he made any sudden moves, she would be able to defend herself.

  Thad felt the slight tensing of her muscles as she moved her hand. A faint smile touched the corner of his lips as her fingers curled around the barrel of the rifle.

  "I think that hat pin of yours might be a better weapon."

  At the sound of his deep voice so close to her ear, she stifled a gasp.

  "I

  don't know what you mean." Composing herself, she turned slightly, and though her tone was haughty, he could see the betraying blush on her cheeks.

  "Don't ever play poker. Teacher."

  She bristled at the laughter that colored his words.

  "How can I be sure you're taking me to Hope?"

  "You can't." His tone sent a shiver of fear along her spine.

  "You'll just have to trust me."

  "Trust you? I'd rather..." She bit her lip. It wouldn't do to reveal anything more to this stranger. After all, as her etiquette book advised, a lady always kept her thoughts to herself.

  "How much farther?"

  "Just beyond that ridge."

  Caroline scanned the area for any sign of the team. Wouldn't the horses have left a trail if they'd passed this way? What if her trunks were lost along the way and never recovered? The thought of losing the warm shawl she'd knitted and the prim gray dress she'd planned to wear in the classroom was bad enough. But the thought of losing her precious supply of books was almost more than she could bear. She had no money left with which to replace them.

  "There's the town."

  As the horses crested the ridge, Caroline looked down on the dusty little town of Hope. A wide dirt trail ran through the center of a row of wooden buildings.

  The stallion, sensing food and shelter, began to strain against the bit.

  Thad gave him his head and he broke into a run. The mare sailed behind, keeping pace.

  As they drew closer Caroline could make out the buildings. At the beginning of town was the blacksmith's shop, and beside it a barn and stables.

  Across the road was a general store, a dry goods store and a sheriffs office and jail. Further on was a saloon and rooming house. At the very end of town she could see a church. Dotted here and there on distant hillsides were solid-looking houses and barns.

  As they started down the wide, dusty trail through the center of town, Caroline saw heads turn as people caught sight of their horse.

  She hoped that they would go first to the jail with the now conscious Fox, who muttered obscenities with every movement of the mare. She prayed she could quietly slip into the sheriffs office before anyone took notice of her state of undress.

  Behind their hands women whispered as they passed, and children ran ahead, shouting about a gunman. Caroline assumed that they were talking about Fox.

  She noted that the street soon filled with people, all taking in the unusual scene. Her hand gripped her torn bodice. She was acutely uncomfortable at the sight of so many cold, staring faces.

  Thad Con way looked neither left nor right. It was as if the townspeople weren't even there.

  As they approached the jail, one man separated himself from the others and made his way toward Thad's horse. His hair had gone white, and a drooping white mustache contrasted sharply with skin the color and texture of aged leather. Though he was no taller than the others in the crowd, there was a solidness about him. When he spoke, his voice rang with authority.

  "Texan. What brings you to town? The only time we ever see you is when we need you or you need us. And you haven't needed us in all the years I've been here."

  When Thad said nothing, the sheriff cleared his throat. "Got a present for me?"

  "Yeah, Sheriff Horn. His name's Fox. Riding with Luke Cochran's gang.

  Don't know why they attacked the stage. They're usually more interested in strongboxes than passengers." He shrugged, deciding to keep the rest of his thoughts to himself.

  "They killed the driver and guard. The rest of the gang are dead."

  The sheriff glanced toward the man who was tossed over the mare's back and spoke sharply to a deputy before looking up at the woman seated in front of Thad.

  "I'm glad you brought me a gunman. But I'm more interested in the woman."

  "Oh." Thad grinned.

  "This is Caroline Adams. Your new schoolmarm."

  He slid from the back of the horse and helped her from the saddle.

  "Miss Adams." The sheriff offered his hand and she self-consciously wiped her hand along her skirt before extending hers.

  "I'm sure glad you're here. Miss Adams. We were worried. The team hauled the stage into town last night, but there was no one aboard. We were afraid you'd all been..."

  "I would have been, if it hadn't been for this man."

  "The Texan always seems to find trouble," the sheriff said dryly.

  "Are you alright, ma'am? You weren't wounded by those gunmen?"

  "I'm fine. But my things..." Caroline said eagerly, turning to the sheriff.

  "Were they still aboard?"

  "Yes, ma'am. They're in my office. I was just getting up a posse to start searching for you." Caroline felt a wave of relief that her baggage hadn't been lost.

  "The attack took place by Circle Rock. You'll find the bodies of the driver and guard," Thad said, "and the rest of the outlaws. I'd go with you, but I want Doc to take a look at my shoulder."

  "Took another bullet, did you?" Sheriff Horn glanced at the blood that soaked the f
ront of Thad's shirt.

  Touching his hand to his hat, Thad turned to Caroline. "I'll leave you with Sheriff Horn." As he sauntered away, the crowd hurriedly stepped aside to clear a path. He took no notice of them.

  "Miss Adams," the sheriff said, "we sure are glad to welcome you to Hope."

  As a crowd gathered around her, Caroline glanced down at her torn clothing.

  This was certainly not how she'd planned to present herself to the people of Hope. But once again, it seemed, her destiny had been taken out of her hands. It was the story of her life.

  As she watched the stranger enter a small building beside the jail, she lifted her head in an unconscious gesture of defiance. No more would she be a victim of her past. From now on, her life was an unwritten book. And today was a brand-new page.

  Thad crossed the dusty road and opened the door of a neat wooden building.

  Inside, a man looked up from the small child who lay on the examining table.

  Standing beside him, a handsome Comanche boy of about ten watched his every move.

  "Thad." The doctor's wide smile faded when he saw the blood that soaked Thad's shirt.

  "Bullet?"

  Thad nodded and slumped wearily into a chair.

  "I'll be with you in a minute." The doctor completed his examination and handed the child to his young mother, who hovered nearby.

  After a few softly spoken commands, he watched them leave, then turned to Thad.

  For a few seconds the two men merely stared at each other, then, with a wide smile, the doctor said,

  "Jessie and Morning Light were worried about you."

  With a grin, he added,

  "Hell, so was I. What kept you?"

  "It's a long story." Thad tousled the Comanche boy's hair.

  "Runs With The Wind, I think you've grown a foot since I left."

  The boy gave him a look of adoration.

  As Thad removed his shirt and lay on the table, the doctor plunged his hands into a bucket of water and began scrubbing.

  Examining the wound, he shook his head.

  "Been doing my job again?"

  Thad's laugh was cut short by a sharp pain. Sucking in his breath he said, "The bullet was festering so I dug it out. But now there's a second one."

  "What is it about you?" Clan Con way asked as he began to probe.

  "Can't you ever keep your gun in your holster? Or do you just like pain?"

  "Yeah, it's the pain. I just can't seem to stay away from it. I guess it all started at the age of four when that mustang stepped on my foot and I discovered I liked pain."

  Across the table. Runs With The Wind laughed heartily at Thad's joke.

  As the doctor probed further, his face revealed his concern.

  "I'd better give you some chloroform. This one is going to hurt."

  "I don't want to be knocked out. I need to get to the ranch."

  ' "Not tonight. You can stay with us. Morning Light complains that you haven't spent enough time with your niece and nephews."

  "How are little Danny and Kate?"

  "Fat and sassy. You can see them for yourself tonight."

  "I'll come by in a day or two. I promise. But tonight I have to get to my ranch. I've been away so long, Manuel and Rosita will think I'm not coming back."

  "You're not. At least not tonight." The doctor reached for a brown-tinted bottle on his shelf, but Thad stopped him.

  ' "I mean it, Clan. No fancy drugs. Just dig out the bullet and let me get on my way."

  "All right." The doctor handed Thad a piece of rawhide. "Better bite down on this. Hard."

  With the boy at his side, Clan Con way worked quickly. He cut open a flap of flesh and began to probe for the bullet. While he worked, he described in detail every step of the operation to Runs With The Wind. The boy listened intently.

  "In time you'll be able to tell the difference between bone and muscle and the feel of a bullet embedded in flesh."

  The boy nodded.

  "You have to work quickly, especially when you're dealing with a patient so thick headed he won't allow you to use modern medicine."

  Despite the somberness of the occasion, the boy chuckled.

  Neither of them was aware of the door opening or of the figure that paused just inside the room.

  As soon as the crowd dispersed, Caroline had a compelling need to see that the man who had saved her was getting the attention he deserved at the medical dispensary. It was not that she wanted to see him again, she told herself firmly, but she had not properly thanked him. A lady should always thank a gentleman for coming to her rescue. Besides, she didn't even know his name.

  While she watched, Thad spit the rawhide from his mouth and muttered,

  "Get on with it, dammit. It hurts like hell."

  The front of the doctor's shirt was smeared with fresh blood. Leaning close he stuck the rawhide back into Thad's mouth and continued probing.

  "One more thing. Runs With The Wind. If a patient starts swearing at the doctor, the doctor has the right to gag him. If that doesn't work, a well-placed blow to the jaw usually does the trick."

  Caroline couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could this man call himself a doctor? What sort of primitive practice was this, that a man could be subjected to such pain without even being given chloroform or laudanum?

  Inching closer, she stared down at the stranger, lying on the table.

  Sweat beaded his brow. Pain was etched in his eyes.

  A piece of leather? Is this what was offered a man who risked his life to save another? Worse, while he was forced to lie there, racked with pain, must he be tormented with cruel taunts? Her gaze swung from Runs With The Wind to the doctor. A couple of savages. What sort of place was this? she thought miserably.

  "If you'll take a seat, ma'am," the doctor said without looking up,

  "I'll be with you when I've finished here."

  "I--came to see the man they call The Texan."

  Thad turned his head. Through a mist of pain he made out the familiar figure. Again he spat out the rawhide.

  "Forget something. Teacher?"

  "I... never properly thanked you," she said.

  At the questioning looks on the faces of the others, Thad explained quickly, "This is Caroline Adams. She survived the attack on the stage.

  Miss Adams, this is Dr. Clan Con- way." Clan studied the woman in the torn, muddy gown and nodded stiffly before stuffing the rawhide into Thad's mouth and bending to his work.

  "The whole town was worried about the empty stage."

  He fell silent when the tip of his knife scraped metal. Unceremoniously dropping the bullet to the floor, he began to mop the blood that now flowed like a river from Thad's shoulder.

  At a choking sound from Thad he paused. Again Thad spat the rawhide.

  In a voice rough with pain he swore savagely.

  "The damned cure is worse than the ill. The bullet never hurt as much going in as it just did coming out."

  "Remember that the next time you find yourself facing a gun. You don't have to jump into every fight." Clan poured a liberal amount of disinfectant on the raw wound, then began neatly suturing it.

  "Make certain your stitches are fine and even, boy," he instructed in level tones.

  "And when you're through, disinfect the wound again. In an emergency, whiskey will do."

  When the doctor had finished sponging the blood, he turned to Runs With The Wind.

  "It looks like you're finally going to have a real teacher. Miss Adams, this is Runs With The Wind. He'll be one of your students."

  Caroline nodded toward the boy, trying to hide her revulsion at the bloody surgery she'd just witnessed.

  "It would seem that you've already been learning some important lessons."

  "I want to be a healer for my people."

  "It's nice of the doctor to let you watch."

  "He's more than a doctor," the boy said proudly.

  "Since the death of my father, he has become my father.
"

  Caroline saw the look of pride on the boy's face. And when she glanced at the doctor, she could see a similar look in his eyes. Her earlier hostility toward him began to dissipate. Despite his tough-talking manner toward his patient, he was willing to share his knowledge. Like another she had once known.

  Thad grimaced with pain. With his good hand he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  "Is there something else, Teacher?"

  "I'm just happy to see that you're being taken care of. And to thank you again for saving my life."

  "How much danger were you in. Miss Adams?" Clan asked.

  "Our stage was attacked by seven gunmen."

  "Only seven?" Clan soaked a linen cloth and began scrubbing his hands.

  "You have to figure that one of these I) times a gunman is going to get in a lucky shot and you're I going to find yourself dead." j At his softly spoken words, Caroline looked up sharply. "Are you suggesting that he shouldn't have come to my aid. Doctor?" ] "No. I'm suggesting what everyone in Texas knows-- j Thad Con way rushes in where even angels fear to tread." ; "Thad Con way?" Thad grinned.

  "Sorry. I guess I forgot to introduce my- " , self." | Seeing the angry look she shot the doctor, Thad said quietly, " Don't mind Clan. He just can't stop worrying :, about my hide." ; " I should be grateful," the doctor said.

  "At least I get a lot of practice whenever Thad's around. He's suffered more gunshots than any man I know."

  Caroline swallowed, thinking about how quickly the man whose name she now knew to be Thad Con way had drawn his gun.

  "If he's that good with a gun, maybe you shouldn't say anything that might make him angry."

  "You don't understand," Thad said with a laugh.

  "Clan can say whatever he wants. He's my brother."

  "Your big brother," Clan put in.

  "And don't you forget it."

  Chapter Four

  his brother! The town doctor? For a moment Caroline almost relaxed.

  This cowboy had a brother. And a nephew. Somehow, Thad Con way seemed less forbidding now that she was armed with such facts. A moment later, however, she took one glance at him and felt again the tingle of apprehension. Family or no, Thad Con way was a dangerous man.

  Dr. Clan Con way smiled, and Caroline could see the resemblance between the two men in the shape of their lips and the way their eyes crinkled in sun-bronzed faces.