The Texan's Reward (34 page)

The sheriff picked up the conversation. “When Harrison showed up alone, I got worried that Jacob may have

found trouble or passed out because of his weakened condition. The man would tel me he was fine even if he

were bleeding all over my floor.” Parker scrubbed his face with the palm of his hand. “I took a deputy and two

lanterns on rounds. We checked every alley turning off of the main road. No ranger anywhere.”

“What could have happened to him?” Nel whispered. Jacob couldn’t have just vanished in the rain.

Harrison rested his hand once more on the back of Marla’s chair. “Our hope was that for some reason he’d gone

home. I even checked to see if the buggy was gone. We thought maybe he walked to your house. You showing

up here crosses off that possibility.”

“Who knows he’s missing?”

“Pretty much al the men outside,” Parker answered. “They were kind of waiting around to watch him take the

boy out tonight. Most of them wanted to try to talk Jacob into traveling with them, but I figure they’re about

ready to give up and cal it a night. They’l need their sleep come morning when they haul off these three.” He

pointed to the bedrol s in the left cel . Two of the men were snoring. The third was staring out the back window

as if he expected help to show up.

“When Jacob and I parted at the saloon doors, he was going to meet the man in charge of the posse. A man

named Kelly.” Harrison rubbed his neck.

“Yeah,” Parker added. “Only Kelly’s been by here asking me why the ranger never showed up at the café. He

says if Dalton doesn’t claim Hank by morning, then the boy goes with the posse as part of the gang.”

“I don’t know where Jacob is, but I know he wouldn’t want that.” Nel had a feeling that if the ranger was able,

he would have already been here.

“Exactly,” Harrison said. “I’ve even got the orders releasing Hank back in the ranger’s custody, but I don’t think

those men would let me have the boy on behalf of Jacob even if he signed the form.”

“I would,” the sheriff said, “if I thought you could get past them men. I got a bad feeling that these killers are

going to get what’s coming to them before they have their day in court. I don’t much worry about those three,

but the boy bothers me. He’s not like them. He thanks me ever morning for the mush I feed them for breakfast.

Can you believe that?”

“Maybe we could take him,” Nel planned aloud. “Harrison, you and Hank could run for the wagon at the last

minute after Marla and I are already in it.”

Harrison shook his head. “The boy’s hurt badly, and the doctor is too afraid to come over to even examine him.

Too many people in town don’t think he should dirty his hands. He’s in no shape to walk out, much less run.”

The sheriff agreed. “Even if you made it to the wagon, the preacher would never be able to outrun men on

horseback in an old wagon.”

Nel fought down tears. If Jacob were here, he’d barrel his way through al the trouble and act so tough no one

would chal enge him.

But Jacob wasn’t here to help the boy. In a few hours the posse would be boarding a train with the kil ers and

Hank if she didn’t do something.

“We’ll wait for Jacob,” Nell whispered. They were all silent for a while. Brother Aaron preached on, getting more

wound up about the demons of hell. At one point, a little after midnight, he opened the door and asked the men

stil on the porch to come in so that they could hear better.

They al declined.

One of the outlaws woke up and screamed that he was already in hell after listening to Brother Aaron for two

hours. Then, yelling over the preacher, the prisoner listed all the ways he’d like to kill Brother Aaron. The

preacher took the heckler as inspiration and marched on with his sermon.

A little after one, al but a few of the men outside were gone. The sheriff had taken pity on the prisoners and

handed each a pil ow to block out the preacher.

Parker leaned back in his chair. “One good thing, with the rain and the extra men guarding, we didn’t have a

mob outside shouting for revenge.”

Harrison accepted his fifth cup of coffee from Marla. “If a mob had shown up, we’d turn Brother Aaron loose on

them. He’d shout them down and see it as a ful house to preach to.”

Marla refilled the sheriff ’s coffee when he raised his mug. “You know, since you showed up, my coffee is getting

better. I don’t know what magic you did, Marla, but I could drink this al night.”

Marla whispered, “I washed the pot.” She smiled at Harrison when he laughed.

Nel had been thinking of a plan and decided now might be a good time to talk about it. After al , the preacher’s

voice couldn’t last much longer. In the rainy night there was nothing more to do to find Jacob, but they could

help Hank.

She held her hands out, and they all leaned in close, layering their hands over hers as if they were all in prayer.

Not even the sheriff ’s deputy sleeping by the desk a few feet away could have heard them.

“I have an idea,” Nel began, and the others looked at her, already with her even before they heard the plan.

When Nel straightened, they al lowered their hands and nodded once.

Mr. Harrison stood first. He walked over to the coat rack, picking up first his coat, and then layered Nell’s velvet

cape beneath it. Then he asked if he might make a final check of the boy. The deputy was too tired to walk with

him to the cell. He just handed Harrison the keys. After all, the boy was in no shape to escape.

Next, Marla told the preacher to get the wagon ready.

Brother Aaron nodded and carried his sermon outside.

Marla rolled Nell back to the last cell as Nell demanded to say one last prayer to those she feared were about to

die.

The sheriff yelled to the deputy that these folks were final y saying their farewells, and he thought everyone

should help them along.

The deputy nodded and opened the door as Harrison walked out, tipping his hat and handing the keys back to

the deputy.

A few minutes later, Marla pushed the wheelchair with an invalid wrapped in a velvet cape out the door. The

sheriff dropped a paper on his desk, then oversaw the lifting of the chair into the bed of the wagon. He said his

good-byes as the preacher tied the ropes in place. Then Brother Aaron stood in the wagon and blessed them al

before pulling away.

Parker ordered the deputy and three of the posse to keep an eye on things because he thought he’d cal it a

night. The posse moved inside, huddling against the stove even before the sheriff was out of sight. As the door

closed a cheer reached the street as the posse found the coffeepot ful and hot.

None of them heard the back door open a few minutes later and a slender woman slip out.

Harrison was waiting in the al ey with the buggy by the time Nell moved slowly down the two steps. She used

the railing to brace herself and fought to keep from falling.

If he’d been a minute later, he would have had to pick her up from the mud.

He helped her inside the old buggy, wrapped his coat around her, and drove toward home.

She shivered against him, and he put his arm around her, but the bookkeeper didn’t offer the warmth her ranger

always did, and Nell couldn’t stop the tears from silently falling as she worried about what might have happened

to Jacob.

Harrison patted her shoulder. “You all right?”

She sniffed and nodded. “I would have never made it without the bars to hang onto. Then I only had one step

through the door, and there was the rail waiting for me.”

“Dalton would be proud of you,” he said. “That one step may have saved a boy’s life.”

The others were unloading the wheelchair as Harrison pulled up to the house. He and Marla laced their arms

and carried Nell all the way to the fireplace. Then Harrison and the preacher made a sling out of one of the

blankets and lugged the boy up to the attic.

Nell watched them al struggling from her seat on the couch. Gypsy raced past them to make up the bed that

had once been Nell’s in the tiny attic room. Mrs. O’Daniel, her hair back in rag twists, was shouting orders as she

climbed the stairs beside the boy.

Wednesday woke up and carried the baby downstairs so she could sit with Nel and ask questions while they

watched everyone else go up and down the two flights of stairs. Wednesday spread a quilt over them both and

huddled next to Nell with her baby in her arms.

Nel smiled and circled her arm around the girl’s shoulders. She might be a mother, but a part of Wednesday was

still a child herself.

Finally, Harrison and the preacher came down, saying they would take care of the horses. A few minutes later,

Marla hurried past them to the kitchen to warm soup. The men were back from the barn by the time Mrs.

O’Daniel came down with a report.

“He’s weak,” she said. “Don’t look like he’s had nothing to eat for a few days, or water as near as I can tell. He’s

beat up bad, bruises in the shape of knuckles al over his chest and back. His face looks like it must have hit the

wal a few times. I got him to look at me a few times, but he turned away, acting like he didn’t want my help.”

She shook her head. “I’ve seen that kind of blank stare before. In mothers who lose one too many babies, in

widows after they bury their spouse. He’s not thriving. He don’t care if he lives.”

Nell fought back tears. “He will live, won’t he?”

The nurse shrugged. “Looks like I got my work cut out for me. He’ll recover; I’ll see to it if I have to force food

down him. I figure I owe him one. He saved my life. Now I’l do my best to save his.”

Nel knew she had to do her part, too. “Gypsy, burn his clothes tonight.”

The housekeeper nodded. “I’ve already got them rolled up in a ball. I’ll get rid of everything, even his boots.

We’l have no trace he’s here except in the attic.”

Mrs. O’Daniel straightened. “I need to say something before this goes any further. I was against you going

tonight. I always figured it was wrong to meddle with the law. But if I’d known they’d hurt that boy, I would have

stormed the jail myself. Tomorrow, you’l find the ranger, but tonight you and the others did a good thing here.”

“Thank you.” Nell smiled at her. “That means a great deal to me.”

Harrison and Marla carried Nell upstairs. She didn’t miss that he held the shy cook’s hand a moment longer than

was necessary, but neither of them looked at the other as they left her room.

Nel heard the clock chime three, knowing dawn would come slowly without Jacob beside her.

NELL HAD JUST FINISHED BREAKFAST WHEN SOMEONE pounded on the front door. She’d been talking with

Harrison about where to look for Jacob and the hope that her ranger might have returned made her heart race.

Only it wouldn’t be Jacob. He never knocked.

Harrison crossed to the study, while Gypsy went to open the door.

Nell wasn’t surprised when Sheriff Parker and two other men rushed into the room. The entire household had

been waiting for someone to call.

The two strangers nosed around like hunting dogs near a fox hole, but the sheriff removed his hat politely.

“I’m mighty sorry for the inconvenience, Nell, but these men are with the posse from Fort Worth, and they

wouldn’t leave with the others this morning. They seem to believe a man escaped from my jail last night, even

though I have a signed paper showing that Ranger Dalton picked up his prisoner.”

“They think the paper was false?” Nell tried to act calm as one man boldly opened the door to the kitchen, while

the other poked his head into every little reading cove.

“Oh, they think the paper is real. They just don’t believe the ranger ever came by for the prisoner. It seems they

had men watching for him who claim he never showed up. But when I got to work this morning, the paper was

on my desk, so he must have stopped by when no one was looking.”

The older of the two men faced Nel . “The sheriff knows that would be impossible. One of my men would have

seen him. We’re searching your house, miss.”

Nell lifted the huge Colt from her lap. “Not without my permission.”

The stranger’s eyes widened.

For a moment, Nel thought he might be dumb enough to go for his gun.

“I may be in a wheelchair, but I assure you I have no handicap when it comes to my aim. Ranger Dalton taught

me to shoot before I was ten.” She leveled the Colt to his heart. “Now, you’ve insulted the sheriff and myself. I

suggest you start this visit over unless you’d like to be carried out of my house.”

The stranger glanced at Parker, realizing he would get no help from that corner. “You’d let her shoot me?”

Sheriff Parker didn’t hesitate. “And then testify on her behalf.”

Nell fought down a smile as the stranger reconsidered his campaign.

“May we please look around your house and grounds for a member of a gang who may be a killer? We have

reason to believe he is not in the custody of the ranger but has escaped.”

“I’ll know your name,” Nell said.

“Kelly. Anthony Kelly, miss, and I assure you we mean you no harm.” He looked at Parker. “Tell her, Sheriff, that

we’re not here to hurt her or anyone in her household. For al we know, the killer could be preying on this poor,

helpless woman, holding her prisoner and forcing her to say what she’s saying.”

Harrison stepped from the study, a rifle resting in the fold of his arm. “No one is holding Miss Nell against her

will. Do not also presume that she is unarmed or helpless.”

Gypsy lifted the gun left by the front door and added, “I can never hit anything, but say the word, and I’l give it a try.”