The Texan's Reward (13 page)

wonderful, as always, no one made much effort to keep the conversation going. They all realized Jacob wouldn’t

be coming back tonight.

After dinner, Nell fought to keep from falling asleep in her chair. Finally, the sheriff said he’d better get back to

town. Harrison walked him to the door, assuring the old man that he’d keep guard.

When the bookkeeper returned, Nell realized she would have to sleep downstairs. She couldn’t ask him to carry

her. She wasn’t sure he could lift her. If she’d been standing, she would have been within an inch of his height,

and he was so thin he couldn’t be strong enough.

“Would you like me to help you to your room?” He broke the silence.

“I’ll be all right down here,” she lied, knowing that she’d have to have her privacy. “I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to sleep in the barn.”

He nodded his understanding as Marla slipped from the kitchen. “If you’ll allow us, Marla and I came up with an

idea that might work if you’d like to sleep in your own bed.”

Nell looked from one of them to the other, wondering how either had ever talked enough to come up with an

idea. “I’m all right. I’m listening.” She’d love to be in her own room, if only for a few hours.

Marla rolled her to the foot of the stairs. When Nell stood, Marla shoved the chair away and locked one hand on

her elbow and the other on Mr. Harrison’s arm. He did the same as they bent on either side of Nell. Their arms

made a chair as Nell slipped a hand on each of their shoulders and lowered herself.

Slowly, they straightened, each taking half her weight. “We thought this would be easier on your back,” Harrison

said, his face only a few inches from hers. “Now you can sit straight as we move up the stairs.”

In an easy rhythm, they climbed the stairs one at a time. Nell was almost in tears by the time they reached the

top. The discomfort in her back had been minor. Her relief that she’d have a measure of privacy seemed a great

gift. “Thank you,” she whispered as they lowered her to her bed.

Before she realized what she was doing, she kissed them both on the cheek, then laughed when they both

looked embarrassed. Before anyone could say a thing, Gypsy rattled the wheelchair into the room, complaining

that the thing got heavier every night.

“I’l move my things and sleep across the hal ,” Marla whispered. “Just in case you need anything in the night.”

“And I’ll be downstairs sleeping where I’ve got a clear view of the stairs,” Harrison announced. “You can rest

easy, Miss Nell. No one will climb those stairs tonight without me noticing.”

Nel decided she liked Randolph Harrison more the longer she knew him. But, when she looked up at the man

who had proposed to her yesterday, he was staring at Marla.

JACOB STARED AT THE GIRL WADDLING BEHIND HIM and swore under his breath. He couldn’t leave her. She

claimed she couldn’t go home. In fact, she wouldn’t even tel him where she lived. With her along, he’d never

catch the shooter unless the man accidental y broke both legs and crawled directly ahead of them. Once, he’d

suggested she wait for him in the clearing where he’d found her. He promised to pick her up on his way back.

She’d cried for an hour.

There was no option left. He’d have to take her to Nell’s place. Another town might be closer, but there would

be no guarantee that anyone would accept her. Times were hard enough for most folks without feeding strays.

She looked more kid than adult. Someone might be wil ing to take one child to raise, but not two.

“Wait!” she yelled. “You’re moving too fast.”

Jacob slowed. At this pace, her baby would be walking before they made it to Clarendon. He stopped, checking

Dusty’s saddle and pretending to be busy until she caught up. “You sure you don’t want to ride?”

She shook her head. “It’l be too bumpy.” They had been traveling an hour, and she’d already asked twice when

they would stop.

He knew it wasn’t her fault. Carrying all that extra weight and with legs no longer than a goat’s, he couldn’t

blame her for complaining. Pulling his bedroll down, he laid it over the saddle to use for padding. “I’ll walk

beside you, holding the reins. We’l go slow.”

She frowned. “I’d fall off a horse that big.”

“I’l tie you on,” he suggested, fighting the urge to add, And gag you.

She tumbled over a rock and would have landed on her face if he hadn’t caught her.

“Look.” He felt like he was trying to reason with a squirrel. “We’ll never make any time like this. I crossed a road

yesterday. It didn’t look much used, but maybe we’l get lucky and see someone pass. If you’l climb up, I could

walk twice as fast. You’re safer up there than tripping over rocks walking.”

“I can’t see my feet. It’s not my fault.” She shook tangled reddish brown curls that were starting to look like

roots growing from her round face.

Jacob tried another angle. “I’m out of food, and if we don’t hurry, we’ll starve before we reach any civilization.”

“You don’t have anything in your pack?” She’d complained about the breakfast of coffee at dawn. “I thought you

were saving it.”

Jacob grinned. Final y, he had her attention. “I didn’t plan to be out more than a day or two. You ate my supply

of food last night. All I have left is black coffee.”

“Al right,” she whined, “I’l try it, but I’ve never been much for riding a horse. It may make the baby come.”

A thought occurred to him. “Your mother did tel you what to do when the time comes?”

Wednesday nodded. “She said scream.”

“Great.” Jacob decided, once he got her settled, he’d search for Wednesday’s parents and arrest them. They

were either too dumb or too mean to be running around free. “If you’ll ride, I think I can get you home. Nell will

know what to do when the labor starts. The cook wil bake you something special. She makes apple dumplings

that melt right down your throat.”

Wednesday looked interested.

“If you ride, we could make it by suppertime. I’ll bet there’s cake left over from Sunday dinner.” She took a step

toward the horse, and he added, “Nel ’s cook makes the best cakes in the county. Usual y by evening, they’re

half gone, and there’s extra icing on the plate if you like it piled high on your slice.”

Wednesday raised her arms, and he lifted her onto the saddle. Using the ends of his blanket, he wrapped her so

that she’d stay up, even if she had no skil . He also wanted to brace her back, since she’d been acting like it

ached al morning. “I’m not sure I can strap the stirrups up enough for you to put your feet in.” He’d had the

saddle made for him without any thought that someone shorter might ride in it.

“Is your wife tal , Ranger?” Wednesday had a death grip on the saddle horn but seemed to be trying her best not

to look frightened.

Jacob realized he’d cal ed Nell’s place home. In truth, he thought of it as just that. When other men talked of

heading home, he thought of getting back to Nell and her place by the tracks.

“She is,” he answered, thinking of Nel ’s long legs and how she used to do her best to outrun him when she was

in trouble. He noticed Wednesday staring at him and added, “When she was your age, she could ride like a

man.”

He didn’t want to tel the kid about the mess over Nel getting married. Wednesday had enough problems of her

own. But, with luck, they’d see Nell soon. “My wife,” the words rang strange to his ears, “took a fall last year

that left her in a wheelchair.”

Wednesday’s cheery face melted. “I’m sorry.”

Jacob worked a rope around the saddle, binding her like a pack to the animal. “I just wanted you to know so you

won’t be shocked when you see her.”

“You sure she’ll let me stay?”

“It’s the only place I can think of to take you. Nell will put you up for a few days until we figure out something or

get word to your folks.”

“I’m dead to my folks,” she answered as if simply stating a fact. “I’ll never go back.”

Jacob shook his head but didn’t argue. He remembered times he thought his parents had been hard on him, but

they’d never disowned him. Though they’d been dead since the year before he joined the Rangers, he felt like

sometimes they were still watching over him, worrying about him. He missed the way his parents loved one

another, the way his mother sang and his father complained about the weather. He missed the way he always

knew they loved him.

Jacob calmed his horse. He held the lead close to Dusty’s head as he began walking. If Wednesday would keep

quiet, they might have a chance at getting back. He glanced up and noticed she had already nodded off as the

motions of the horse rocked her to sleep.

His thoughts turned to Nel . She never had a parent’s love. She never talked about her mother, not once, but she

talked about Fat Alice plenty. The old madam might never have hugged the child she took to raise, but she took

her responsibility seriously. He wondered if at any time in all her life, Nell had ever known she was loved. It

might not seem like an important thing when you know you’ve been cared about. But, if you’ve never known

love, would you even know to want it? Maybe that explained why she hadn’t made it part of the bargain for

marriage.

About midmorning they reached a road, little more than ruts that could have been made by a small wagon train

heading from Fort Worth north. Jacob hoped the tracks were made by a supply wagon running from one of the

old forts to another. If so, it might stil be used from time to time, even though most of the forts operating had

train stations nearby.

Wednesday began a long list of endings to a sentence that started with “I’m so hungry I could . . .” Then she

listed all her favorite foods.

When she went back to complaining about being so uncomfortable, Jacob was actually glad. All her talk made

him hungry. He tried to guess how long it would take them to get home, but he didn’t see any way they’d make

it, at this rate, by supper. If he had to, he’d walk al night, and with luck they’d make breakfast.

They stopped just after noon by a stream thirty feet from the road. He stood watch while she took a nap and

Dusty grazed.

Jacob was saddling up when he saw a tattered old buggy rattling along the road. He ran to flag it down before he

could see who drove it. At this point, the distraction of a highway robber would be welcome.

A white-bearded country preacher poked his head around the side of the buggy. Jacob smiled. There was no

mistaking the man’s occupation. He had a Bible in one hand and a .45 in the other. “Are you in trouble, son?” His

voice boomed as if he were speaking to the multitudes.

Jacob held his hands wide and walked closer. “I am in need.” Before he could say more, Wednesday waddled

toward them.

The preacher laid down his gun. “I can see you are. Lucky I came along.” He stepped from the buggy, the Bible

held toward heaven. “Praise the Lord I made it in time before another one of God’s children was born a

bastard.” He motioned Wednesday closer. “Afternoon, my name is Brother Aaron. I’m a sworn man of God,

licensed to marry and bury folks.” He looked at Jacob. “That’ll be a dollar, son. In advance of the ceremony just

in case one of you changes your mind halfway through.”

Jacob couldn’t manage enough spit to swal ow. He took a step backward and raised his hands again, realizing he

much preferred the gun pointing at him than the Bible.

“Are you going to do right by this little lady, sir? It looks like you robbed the cradle, and before spring she’ll be

rocking one.” Brother Aaron raised his eyes to heaven again. “Lord, I’m not here to judge sinners, just help them

get to going on the straight and narrow. If it weren’t for sinners, you wouldn’t need no preachers, so thank you,

Lord, for putting these two fornicators in my path.”

Wednesday final y figured out what the preacher hinted at. She found her words with none of the hesitance

Jacob had. “I can’t marry him, preacher. He’s already got a wife, and she’s in a bad way.”

Brother Aaron shook his Bible and his fist at the sky. “Lord, you do try me greatly sometimes. I’m not judging this

sinner who takes advantage of young girls and beats his wife, but Lord, if you could strike him dead, I’ll do the

funeral for free.”

Wednesday started giggling. Jacob had enough. He stepped forward. “I didn’t take advantage of this girl, and

I’ve never hit any woman in my life.” He took a step closer to the buggy. “And only a few preachers.”

Brother Aaron lowered his arms and looked at Jacob. The old man might be twice his age, but Jacob saw a

challenge in his eyes.

Jacob opened his jacket so the man could see the Texas Ranger badge on his vest. “I found this girl yesterday,

lost and hungry. I need your help to get her to safety before she delivers that baby.”

The preacher cocked his head and looked back at heaven. “Thank you, Lord, for not listening to me.” He smiled

at Jacob. “How may I be of service? I believe in always helping those in need.”

“If you’l let her travel in your buggy, we could make much better time.” Jacob studied the buggy, hoping the

rattling trap would take the weight of both the preacher and Wednesday.

The preacher nodded and offered his hand.

“And if you’ve got any food you’d share,” Wednesday added another sentence to Jacob’s request, “she’d be

most grateful.”

Brother Aaron looked worried, but he pul ed a tin from beneath the seat.

Jacob didn’t bother to ask if that was all he had. “When we get where we’re going, Reverend, I’l see you’re