A Kiss for Cade (27 page)

He yanked the blanket over his head. “Don’t…tell…anybody.”

“What? That the big bounty hunter is human? That’s he’s flesh and bone just like everybody else? I don’t see how I could keep a thing like that quiet.” She checked on the others and found them soundly sleeping. She would give all she owned to sleep like that.

She hated her doubts regarding Cade’s absence, although she knew the idea of leaving had to be more appealing to him by the day. If she thought about it, she knew he did too. Her gaze fell on him. So sick, so vulnerable—not the big, tough bounty hunter anymore, just a sick, needy man. For the first time in his life he needed her, and as much as the thought irritated her, she welcomed the advantage.

Stepping outside the jail, she found Pop hobbling back and forth, his crutches thumping soundly on the packed ground. Sawyer filled him in on the number of visitors he’d kept from coming into the jail. “Must’a been fifty or more.”

Pop frowned. “Sawyer, there ain’t fifty people in the whole county. You cain’t count.”

Sawyer spat and walked away mumbling, “Wasn’t fer me, ever’ dern woman, child, and dadburned man around would take sick.” He hollered over his shoulder. “I got that credible stuff now! People oughta listen t’me!”

“You got what?” Pop called back.

Zoe grinned. “I think he means ‘credibility,’ Pop. Cade made him a badge.”

The sheriff sighed. “That could be a dangerous thing. Sawyer ain’t playing with a full deck. He got hit in the head one too many times when he used to box.”

“Actually, Sawyer has been a big help, even if he is a little overbearing.” Zoe sat down on the new bench the mayor had provided and motioned for Pop to join her. She took a deep breath of the fresh air. “Too bad he didn’t have his boxing gloves on when Laticia Wiseman came to town. He had quite a run-in with her.”

“Well, who hasn’t?” Pop said, lowering himself to the bench and carefully stretching his splinted leg out before him. “That woman might mean well, but she can rankle the best of us.”

Leaning her head back, Zoe closed her eyes. “She’s going to take the children home with her.”

“When?”

“She said this morning, if Abraham’s up to it.”

Pop leaned forward. “Abraham’s sick?”

“No, Cade is. I think Abraham is trying to allow me enough time to settle on a course of action.”

“What’s Cade have to say about Laticia wanting the kids?”

“He doesn’t intend to let her have them, but I can’t stop her from taking them.”

Pop rubbed his chin. “Laticia’s like a dog with a bone.”

“I don’t know what I’d have done without Abraham this morning. He helped me find Cade.”

Pop rose up from the bench and propped the crutches under his arm. “Think I’ll go have a visit with Abraham—see if he needs anything.”

“He’d like that. He could probably use a break from the children. They’re over there pestering him again.”

Pop chuckled. “Those kids are too well mannered to pester anybody.”

Massaging the back of her neck, she smiled. “Tell them to go to Glori-Lee’s for dinner. She said she’d feed them.”

Pop waved his crutch and then hobbled away.

Chapter Thirty-Five

L
ater that day the jail door banged open, startling Zoe. The bowl of broth she was feeding Ida nearly slipped out of her hand, and she grabbed a cloth to wipe up the spills.

“Doc! For heaven’s sake, you scared the wits out of me.” She rose as he glowered at her, his face puff y, red blotches covering his skin in various patches. “I’m so relieved you’re back!”

“Look at me. Look at this rash.” He jabbed at his face with his finger. “I got the measles.”

“Measles?” Her jaw dropped as the implication slowly sank in. “Measles.”

“Measles,” he confirmed. “Come down with ’em four days ago. Just felt like riding home.”

Relief flooded her, and she dropped to the nearest chair, weak in the knees. Tilting her head back, she began to laugh. “Measles. They’ve all got the measles, not the fever.” That meant that, most likely, Cade had the measles. She was shocked silly by the news.

“I don’t find it particularly funny,” Doc complained, eyeing her sternly. “Well, maybe it is a little, although measles seems to hit adults real hard.”

Bonnie lifted her head off the pillow. “My Jimmy had them a few weeks ago. He wasn’t very sick, so I never thought much about it.”

Doc collapsed into a nearby seat. “With John and Addy dying of the fever, I thought that’s what it was.”

Bruce sat up on his pallet, blinking sleepily. “But Ida was out of her head with fever.”

Doc nodded. “Like I said, it hits adults hard. Some worse than others.” He glanced around the room. “Is that Kolby over there?”

Zoe nodded, grinning. “He came down with the fev—measles this morning. I was about to send for more quinine.”

“No need now,” Doc said. “It’ll run its course.”

“But why didn’t I get them, or Seth?”

“You both probably had them when you were kids. Makes you immune.” Doc looked at Bruce, Ida, Saul, Belle, and Bonnie. “Soon as you all feel strong enough, you might as well go on home to recuperate. I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable in your own beds.”

“Well, praise the Lord,” Bonnie said. She slowly got up to gather her belongings. The others did the same, complaining but visibly relieved.

When Cade tried to roll to his feet, Zoe stopped him. “All but you,” she corrected. “You’re staying right here until your temperature drops.”

Pop walked into the livery and found Abraham keeping the children busy shining the leather on Laticia’s buggy.

“You keep this thing looking like new,” Pop told him.

“Thank ya, Sheriff Winslow. Miss Laticia’s mighty paticlar ’bout her buggy.”

“Care if I sit a spell?”

Abraham hurried to pull up a crate. “Here ya are. You jist make yoresef ta home.”

Holly helped Pop down as Brody took his crutches, held up one leg, and tried to walk with them. He fell face-first into the hay.

“Not so much fun, is it, son?” Pop asked, chuckling.

Brody sprang to his feet. “How do you do this?”

“Just hope you never have to learn,” Pop replied with a grunt.

Taking the crutches from Brody, Holly handed them to Pop. “Better put these up before Brody breaks them. He’s bad that way.”

Missy hopped on one foot. “Can I twy?”

Pop pulled her onto his lap. “Those sticks are too long for a little’un like you.” He retrieved a piece of horehound from his pocket and pretended to pull it out of her ear. “Well, look what I found. This must belong to you.”

Will pulled on his ear. “Do I got one too?”

Pop motioned for him to join them. “I’ll bet you have.” A stick magically appeared from Will’s ear, and then Pop flipped Holly and Brody each a piece. “You’d better not eat it until after Glori-Lee feeds you dinner, or we’ll all have to answer to Zoe. Go on, now. GloriLee’s expectin’ ya.”

The children pocketed the candy and skipped up the road to the café.

Pop turned to Abraham, his demeanor sobering. “Zoe’s done good by them.”

“Yes’sa. Miz Bradshaw’s a fine woman…fine woman.”

“She wants to keep them, you know.”

“Yes’sa, I knows that.” Abraham spit on his rag and rubbed hard on a spot of dirt on the buggy seat.

“I hear Laticia is set on taking them home with her.”

“Yes’sa, I knows that too.” He slapped the rag against the wheel spokes.

“What do you think about it?”

“Don’t reckon I have a say in it, Sheriff.”

Pop grinned. “Oh, I reckon you have a lot of say in things, Abraham.”

Abraham grinned back, his teeth flashing white in his mahogany face. “Way I sees it, them young’uns need a ma and a pa. Miz Laticia, she’s too old ta be lookin’ fer a man, but Miz Bradshaw—” He rolled his dark eyes. “She ain’t too old a’tall.”

“What’re you tryin’ to say? If Zoe were to marry, Laticia might consider letting her adopt the children?”

“Seems sensible, if’n it was the right man.”

Pop’s fingers smoothed his mustache thoughtfully. “Hmm—you know, Abraham, you could be right. Perry Drake has an eye for Zoe. Now, he’d make a fine—”

“I sez, if’n it was the right man. Miz Laticia be mighty paticlar ’bout who be a papa to her nephew’s chil’un.”

“She couldn’t find fault with Perry. Why, he’s the town banker. They wouldn’t want for anything.”

“Shore ’nuff, Sheriff, but Mr. Drake be jist one more fish in the pond. He not blood kin.”

“Then who? Cade?”

Abraham slowed the rag and wiped in small circles. “Well, now, he ain’t jist one more fish, is he.”

Pop shook his head. “Laticia would as soon whup him as look at him. She makes no bones about being out of sorts with him. And I don’t know that Zoe would have him. She’s pretty intent on him cleaning up his ways.”

Abraham chuckled. “Yes’sa, jist like married folk.”

“She wants the kids…he don’t want her to raise ’em alone…” Pop stopped and thought a moment. “’Course, if they were to marry each other, that would solve the matter. But that’d shore take some doin’.” He slapped his knee. “Abraham! By doggies, that’s it.”

Abraham shook the dust from his rag. “I knowed a smart man like you’d think o’ somethin’.”

Pop grabbed hold of Abraham’s arm and pulled himself up. “Hand me my crutches, my good man. I’ve got to call a town meetin’.”

Abraham glanced up. “Right now?”

“Right now,” Pop said. “The sooner, the better.”

Abraham grinned. “Now, if’n the buggy wheel was to break, it would take me a little while to fix. And it’s a might likely to break ’causin’ it’s old.” He paused, scratching his head. “Might take…oh, much as four, five hours to get the job done.”

“Broken buggy wheel?” Pop mused. “That’d be a shame. Delayin’ Laticia’s trip home and all.”

“Shore ’nuff, Sheriff. Shore ’nuff.”

“Well, now, Abraham, you best go tell Miss Laticia yore shore sorry, but her buggy wheel done broke.”

“Yes’sa, I’ll do that, Sheriff. Don’t ’spect she’ll take kindly to it, but it cain’t be helped. These things jist happen.” He handed Pop his crutches.

Pop winked. “Ain’t it the truth?”