Beyond The Horizon (46 page)

“Give up? You think I’m giving up? No, love, I’m staying. I’ll fight with everything I have to hang on to my land.”

“And I’ll be right beside you,” Shannon declared with unshakable confidence.

“You’re too damn brave for your own good, that’s one of the reasons I want you in Idaho. Your life is too precious to me, and I won’t see you suffer on my account. When things are settled here, I’ll come for you.”

“I’m not going, Blade,” Shannon said with quiet determination. “I won’t run away simply because some ignorant people don’t want us here. I’ve never told this to anyone, but I’ve often thought my father a coward for killing himself at a time when his family needed him most. He could have faced his problems like a man, but he chose the easy way out. I’m not like him. I refuse to run away. We’ll face this together.”

“Your father wasn’t right in his head when he took his life,” Blade reminded her. Though Blade couldn’t understand it—taking one’s life was never the answer—he nevertheless felt compassion for the man who had been Shannon’s father. “If he were in his right mind, he would never have considered leaving his wonderful family. Don’t judge him harshly, Little Firebird. War does strange things to people. I thank God you had the strength of will to overcome the tragedy in your young life.”

“Then you agree with me? I can stay?” Shannon asked, an unmistakable ring of triumph in her voice.

“Sometimes I think you’re much wiser than I am,” Blade conceded.

Suddenly a horrible notion occurred to Shannon. “You’re not just saying all this because you’re tired of me, are you? Is that why you want to send me away?”

“My God, how could you think such a vile thing? Without you I have no life. I want only what’s best for you and our child.”

“Then this discussion is over,” Shannon said with a dazzling smile. “What’s best for us is that we remain together. Now stop spouting nonsense and tell me what our plans are for the future.”

“I love you, Shannon Branigan. Though I may live to regret it, I’ll not send you away.”

“You couldn’t send me away, for I’d not go.”

He kissed her then, lingeringly, lovingly, his hand resting on her stomach where his babe kicked strongly against his palm.

“We can’t stay here,” Blade mused when Shannon was once more nestled against his side. “Winter is coming, and it’s too late to rebuild.”

“Do we have enough money to rebuild?”

“There is still money in the bank, but not nearly enough to both rebuild and replenish our herd. I was counting heavily on selling our cattle to the army. There should be sufficient funds to pay our room and board over the next few months but little left for luxuries. With a baby to feed, I’ll simply have to find work.”

Shannon kept a wise silence, wondering who in Cheyenne would hire Blade when he wasn’t even welcome in town. Most of the ranches in the area weren’t taking on help with winter approaching. And Blade was hardly the type to tend store or do menial work. Nor was he likely to join the Sioux. His life was no longer with the Indians who raised him. He was astute enough to realize that the days when Indians roamed free on the plains were swiftly coming to an end. In order to survive and prosper, Blade had to make a place for himself in the white world.

“I could always go back to Fort Laramie and get back my old job as scout,” Blade suggested thoughtfully. “But it won’t be any easier for you there than it will be in Cheyenne.”

“I can manage as long as we’re together,” Shannon declared. “What people say can’t hurt me.”

“It’s the violence they’re capable of that frightens me,” Blade answered guardedly.

Shannon ground her teeth in mute rage. “We’re going to stay in Cheyenne. If we don’t make a stand now, it will be the same no matter where we go. We can’t run away from your heritage. Our child will have Sioux blood running through his veins. I want to instill pride in him, not shame.”

“Fortunately not everyone feels about Indians and half-breeds like Ezra Samms and people of his ilk.”

The next day Blade hitched up the wagon and drove Shannon to Cheyenne. Jumping Buffalo and Sweet Grass elected to remain at Peaceful Valley for the winter and look after things. Their tipi was snug and warm and Blade promised to provide adequate supplies to last through the bitter months.

It wasn’t easy to find a place to live in Cheyenne. Those who were sympathetic to Blade’s plight feared reprisal from the rowdy element of town. It wasn’t until Shannon appealed to Elizabeth Davis, who had remained a staunch friend, that adequate housing was found. Elizabeth was appalled by what had happened at Pleasant Valley and generously offered them her son’s home for as long as her son and his wife remained abroad on their extended honeymoon. The house was newly built and completely furnished. They moved in immediately. But in order to preserve his self-respect, Blade persuaded Elizabeth to accept a modest monthly rent.

One of the first things Blade did in Cheyenne was visit the sheriff to report his stolen cattle and malicious destruction of his house. Sheriff Hall made a note of the skimpy information Blade provided but promised nothing in the way of results. Since Blade could identify none of the men, it was virtually impossible to bring them to justice.

“What are your plans for the future, Stryker?” the sheriff asked. “Are you staying in town?”

“My wife is expecting a child, I can hardly allow her to spend the winter in a tipi or bunkhouse. I’ve rented a house in town and hope to find work. I won’t be satisfied until cattle graze on the hillsides of Peaceful Valley again.”

Hoping to spare her mother worry, Shannon had written to Tucker instead, pouring out her anguish at the destruction of her home. Tucker’s reply arrived one day while Blade was out looking for work, and Shannon was feeling particularly low.

Monday, November 8, 1869, Boise City, Idaho

My dearest Shannon,

I was greatly troubled by your recent news from Cheyenne. Although I think you are wrong about letting Mother know what is happening there, I will abide by your wishes and not show her the letter.

I’m afraid I have to agree with your husband. I think you should come to Boise, at least until after the baby is born. If things are even half as bad as your letter led me to believe, you would be better to leave that town behind. But I can almost hear that stubborn tone in your voice and know that I’m no more likely to convince you to leave Cheyenne than Blade was. So I am resigned to the fact that you won’t be coming to Boise any time soon. However, I have already told Maggie that we’re coming to see you next summer. I mean to make certain my sister is all right, and I think it’s time one of the Branigans met your husband….

Shannon’s reading was interrupted by the sound of rapid footsteps. She looked up to see Blade standing in the doorway, his face like a thundercloud.

“What happened?” Shannon asked worriedly.

“Nothing for you to fret over.”

“You may as well tell me.”

“It was a mistake coming to Cheyenne. You could have been on your way to your family now if—”

“I thought we settled all that,” Shannon said emphatically. “I love Peaceful Valley, and I want to raise our children there.”

“I’m not even certain I can support our children,” Blade complained bitterly. This terrible frustration was a feeling completely alien to Blade. “I’ve had no luck finding work. I nearly had a job at the Bar K Ranch today until Ezra Samms showed up and talked the trail boss out of hiring me.”

“I’d like to wring that man’s miserable neck,” Shannon muttered darkly. “There’s not a better man around than you. Surely there is someone in this town who recognizes your worth.”

“Shannon, I—” His sentence was interrupted by a knock at the door. They exchanged startled looks, then Blade reached for the rifle leaning against the wall. These days he trusted no one. “Step aside, love, I’ll get it.”

The moment the door opened and Blade set the rifle down, Shannon knew it was perfectly safe to show herself.

“What brings you here, Sheriff Hall?”

A frisson of fear traveled up Shannon’s spine. What had Blade done to bring the sheriff to their door?

“Business, Stryker. May I come in?”

“Certainly. Have you met my wife?”

Sheriff Hall stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “I’ve not had the pleasure.”

After introductions were made, Shannon offered refreshments, which the sheriff politely declined. “I can’t stay—duty, you know.”

“May I ask the reason for your visit?” Blade asked guardedly.

“I’ve done a lot of thinking since I saw you last, and I did some digging into your background. I sent a wire to Colonel Greer.”

One black brow rose in an inquisitive arch. “I assume there is a reason for your sudden interest in me.

“I’m getting to it. Greer wrote that you were a captain in the army and special agent to the president. Not everyone in Cheyenne is aware of that. Didn’t know it myself. You were involved in an investigation that halted illegal gun sales to renegade Indians.”

“I’m also a half-breed,” Blade reminded him. “I was raised by my Sioux mother. My grandfather was Chief Yellow Dog.”

“I know that,” Hall returned.

“What is the point of all this?”

“The point is that I want to hire you for my deputy,” Hall surprised Blade by saying. “I could use a man like you. Hell, man, the whole town could use a man like you. Since the railroad pushed through in 1867, we get more than our share of undesirables in town. A few weeks ago, Calamity Jane and the gang she rides with showed up on a Saturday night and shot the town up pretty good. Cattle Kate Watson and her band of outlaws were seen in town recently.

“There is still an unruly element in Cheyenne, but at least we no longer have to rely on vigilante action to keep order. With Cheyenne now the designated capitol of Wyoming Territory I’ll need good men on the side of the law. What do you say, Stryker? I think you’ll find the pay decent enough.”

Blade looked properly stunned and was momentarily tongue-tied. Not so Shannon.

“It’s about time someone in Cheyenne recognized Blade’s worth,” she declared with a hint of censure. “My husband will make a wonderful lawman.”

Shannon’s blessing was all Blade needed to loosen his frozen tongue. “You’ve got yourself a new deputy,” he said, offering Hall his hand. “When do I start?”

Hall grinned, vastly pleased with himself. “Is tomorrow too soon? The new territorial government organized in April this year and is meeting soon in Cheyenne. I’d like to see the rowdies gone, or at least under control by then. I suspect there will be demonstrations against women’s suffrage when the legislature debates giving women the vote.”

“Expect me bright and early tomorrow, Sheriff.”

“Good-bye Mrs. Stryker. It was a pleasure meeting you. I heard you lecture once and was quite impressed.”

“Good-bye Sheriff, and thank you—for everything.”

“I knew something would turn up,” Shannon crowed triumphantly once Sheriff Hall was gone.

“The pay will support us through the winter,” Blade acknowledged, “but it will hardly provide enough to rebuild our ranch. Some way, somehow, I intend to see Peaceful Valley restored and prospering.”

“You will, Blade, nothing is impossible.”

“It would be simple if everything could be accomplished on your faith alone,” Blade contended wryly. “Who would have thought someone like me would be lucky enough to have a wife like you? Each day I thank the Grandfather Spirit for putting you on that wagon train. And to think I argued against having you along.”

“You were quite rude,” Shannon giggled, recalling it as if it were yesterday. “I thought you didn’t like me.

“If I remember correctly, you were properly shocked to learn I was a half-breed. But you were wrong about my not liking you. I was attracted to you from the beginning. Each time I saw you I wanted to throw you down and make love to you. Just like now.”

“Doesn’t my stomach disgust you?”

“How could it when it’s my child resting beneath your heart? You’re still beautiful to me. Even more so than before, if that’s possible. Tell me, Little Firebird, is it still permitted to take my wife to bed?”

“Not only is it permitted, but it is desirable,” Shannon assured him. “We have a few weeks yet to enjoy loving each other.”

It was all the encouragement Blade needed. Lifting Shannon carefully in his arms he carried her to their bedroom. Their loving was slow and sweet, and oh so gentle. He enclosed her in a world that extended no farther than his embrace and powerful strength of his hard body.

Chapter Twenty-Four

T
he next morning Blade was sworn in as deputy and
his duties were explained to him. The one drawback to the job was having to leave Shannon alone on those nights he was on duty. Especially with her time drawing near.

Some of Cheyenne’s citizens were first stunned, then appalled to learn Blade Stryker had been appointed Sheriff’s deputy. Since Cheyenne had been named territorial capital, more people had come to settle. Many of them were personally familiar with Indians and the terrible atrocities attributed to them.