Colorado Bride (38 page)

“Lady, that kid don’t have a posse out after him.”

“If you didn’t shoot that man, you don’t have to be afraid of the sheriff or his posse. You can wait here until they come, and then tell them what you’ve just told me.”

“Can’t you understand what I’m trying to tell you, lady? They don’t
want
to find I’m innocent. That sheriff is the kind that likes to throw his weight around, and I’m the kind that just naturally objects to that sort of thing. Anyhow, the long and the short of it is, I embarrassed him in front of his own town a few years back, and he’s been after me ever since. I ain’t no outlaw, but I ain’t no sissy either, and there just don’t seem to be a lot of people ready to stand up for me.”

“Why not?”

“Look, lady, I have a short temper, a pair of handy fists, a fast draw, and a reputation for being a tough man to tangle with. I been trying to outrun that reputation for five years now, but there’s a lot of people back there who think they have something against me.”

It seems to me, Mr. Butler, that it’s about time you reformed your way of life. Someday one of these people is going to shoot you first. Surely you can’t expect to continue tempting Fate.”

“Lady,
you’re
tempting Fate.”

“I’m just trying to point out the absurdity of threatening four people who’ve never done you any harm, not to mention the cut you gave Jake.”

“Let’s mention it,” Jake said, speaking for the first time. “It hurts bad enough.”

“I’ve got to get out of here,” Sam said, getting up from the table. But his leg collapsed under him and he stumbled to the floor. Carrie started toward him, but Sam whipped over and brought up his gun.

“No, you don’t. I’m not done up yet.”

“Maybe not, but you will be if you don’t let me look at that leg. You know you can’t ride.”

“Yes I can. Just give me a few minutes.”

“In the meantime, let me look at that leg.”

“Lady, don’t you come close to me.”

“Look, if you’re afraid we’ll do something to you, let Katie tend to your wound and you can keep your gun on me.” He looked at her as if she were crazy. “You will lose that leg if it’s not attended to. How are you going to outrun that sheriff then?”

“Okay, but the first person that moves won’t get six inches. And you be careful with that knife,” he growled at Katie. “Make sure you cut the pants, not me.”

Carrie pulled Found over to a seat next to her and sat down right in front of Sam. “Okay, Katie, we’re all seated.”

Katie cut away the material with painstaking care, revealing the swollen and discolored flesh. “The bullet’s still inside,” Katie said. “If it doesn’t come out, he’s liable to get blood poisoning or gangrene. Either way he’ll be dead as a hare inside a week.”

“It’ll last until I can get out of here.”

Carrie knew the only way she was going to get him to let them tend his wound was to attack his pride, and she didn’t hesitate. “Don’t you think Katie is capable of removing the bullet, or can’t you stand the pain?” she asked, her skeptical gaze an open challenge.

“I don’t have time.”

“How much of a lead do you think you have on that posse?”

“Probably three or four hours.”

“That’s more than enough time. Jake, give me your pocketknife. I’ll sterilize it while you get the whiskey. Found, you get me that lamp out of the back room. Katie’s going to need more light.” Sam tried to keep everyone in his sight, but it was impossible. As long as that crazy redhead was running things, there was no way he could control the situation. Well, she could get the bullet out of his leg. He’d be damned glad of it, as a matter of fact, but as soon as it was bandaged up again, he was getting on a horse and getting out of there. He’d rather face a posse than this woman.

“Give me a swig of that whiskey,” he said when Jake returned with the bottle. Jake looked questioningly at Carrie, but it was Katie who answered.

“I guess it’s okay for him to have some, but don’t you get your hopes up. There’s no bullet in you.”

Carrie folded a towel and gave it to Sam to bite on, but it was no use. As soon as Katie cut into the wound, he fainted.

“He’s been out for nearly an hour,” Katie said, coming into the dining room from the back bedroom. “What are we going to do with him if that posse arrives?”

“You wouldn’t be asking that question if it had been you he tried to cut up,” Jake said irritably.

That was a mistake, but if he’s being accused of a murder he didn’t commit, we’ve got to help him.” Jake was about to mention that he failed to appreciate the distinction between crimes, but he lost Carrie’s attention when Found came silently into the station. “Did you hide his saddle and gear?” The boy nodded. “Do you think anybody could recognize his horse among the mustangs?” He shook his head. “Good. He ought to be safe at your parents’s cabin until his leg is well. Do you think you can get him there?” Found nodded. “Okay. Now you go sit with him for a while and give Katie a rest.”

“Do you think you ought to be doing this, Mrs. Simpson?” Jake asked as Found obediently headed toward the back room. “If the law is after him, they won’t take kindly to your interfering.”

“I don’t mean for them to know that I interfered. Besides, it serves them right for trying to hang an innocent man.”

“But you don’t know he’s innocent.”

“He says he is, and I believe him.”

“I do too,” added Katie.

“I’m inclined to take his side, I must admit,” Jake said reluctantly. “He just doesn’t seem like the murdering type to me, but you can’t ever tell.”

“If the sheriff has proof, I suppose we can’t hide him.”

Found came rushing from the back room, gesturing frantically behind him. Carrie looked up in time to see Sam emerge from the doorway, walking with great difficulty, but walking nevertheless.

“Where are my guns?” he demanded, clearly uneasy without his weapons.

They’re right here,” Carrie said, indicating the guns and other property spread out on the table. “Everything is here.”

“You have no right to take a man’s guns,” Sam said. “It makes him feel naked.”

“I had no intention of keeping them, but if you had been
naked
more often, maybe you wouldn’t be in so much trouble.”

“Ma’am, there’s probably a good bit of truth in what you say, but it ain’t going to help me now. I appreciate what you done for me and the way you’ve treated me so kindly, but I’d better be going. I’ve lost too much time now. I’ll just gather up my things and fetch my horse …”

“Let Found do that for you. We hid him for you.”

“Lady, I don’t understand you. Don’t nobody stick his neck out for a stranger. It don’t get you nothing.”

“But I’m not trying to
get
anything. You were in difficulty, and I helped you. Now wait here until Found returns with your horse. He’s an orphan, but his family had a cabin back in the woods …”

The back door burst open and Found tumbled into the room, wide-eyed and gasping for breath. He took Carrie’s arm and pulled her toward the window and pointed. Carrie felt cold fear grip her heart when she saw about a dozen men riding into the station yard. It was the posse after Sam, and there was no way for him to escape.

Chapter 20

In a flash Carrie realized the posse intended to capture Sam and that he would resist arrest. There would probably be shooting, and someone might get killed. By deciding to help him, she had placed Katie, Jake, and Found in the middle of a dangerous situation, and if anything happened to one of them, it would be her fault.

'Into the cupboard,” Carrie ordered, pointing to a small closet used to store her cooking staples and separated from the room by a curtain.

“He can’t hide there” Jake exclaimed. “He’ll be practically under their noses.”

“They’re going to want to search the place,” Carrie said, “and I don’t see why I shouldn’t let them. About the only place they won’t look is this room. Come on, Sam. We’re almost out of time.”

Sam looked at Carrie, and for a brief moment she could tell he was weighing his chance of making a run for it. Abruptly he ducked into the closet and allowed her to stack the sacks of flour and bags of sugar to cover his feet and legs. She wondered whether he had done it because he trusted her or because he had no other choice.

When the sheriff reached the station door a few moments later, Carrie and Katie were busy preparing dinner. Jake was seated at the table drinking coffee, his shirt buttoned over the bandages, and Found was busy filling the wood box. The bloody clothes had been thrown into the wash pot out back, and Sam’s rifle lay hidden on top of a cabinet. Carrie stepped out on the porch to meet the sheriff as he rode up.

“Howdy, ma’am,” he said, pulling his horse to a stop without dismounting. “I’m Sheriff Tate from over Tyler’s Mountain.”

“What can I do for you, Sheriff?”

“I’d like to speak to the manager of this station.”

“I’m Mrs. Simpson, Sheriff, and I manage the station.”

“But you’re a woman.”

“I’m glad you noticed.”

“Where is your husband?”

“Dead.”

“You mean you run this place all by yourself?”

“I didn’t say that. I have a stockman, a girl to help me with the cooking, and a boy for chores. We also have a wrangler who helps out when we need him.”

“Lady, you shouldn’t be here without a man. There’s no telling what can happen to a woman alone.”

“But I’ve just explained that I’m not alone. Now did you have some reason for being here, or did you think it your civic duty to warn me that a woman can’t survive without a man to hold her hand?”

Sheriff Tate was inclined to pursue the argument, but he had a feeling he was not going to get around this woman, and he didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of his men. Besides, this lady was young and stunningly good-looking. The men in his posse wouldn’t take it kindly if he gave her a bad time. The way some of the boys were staring at her right now, they’d be more likely to clean out her barn, fetch water, and chop enough wood to supply the kitchen stove for a week.

“We’re on the trail of a dangerous criminal, ma’am.”

“What did he do?”

“Murdered a man, shot him in the back when it was dark and he was too drunk to defend himself.”

“But why are you here?”

“We trailed him here. To your barn, as a matter of fact.”

“You trailed him here?” Carrie asked, stunned. “How?” She hadn’t planned on this. If they knew Sam was here, what could she do?

“We got an Indian tracker, ma’am. He can follow a hawk over rock.”

“Well, he’s not here,” Carrie said. “At least if he is, we haven’t seen him.”

“Mind if my boys look around?”

“Not at all. Why don’t you come inside and have a cup of coffee while you wait?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” the sheriff said, climbing down from the saddle as the posse broke up to begin their search. “I’ve been in the saddle since dawn.”

“You hungry?” Carrie asked, moving through the door to allow the sheriff to enter. “We could fix your men something to eat if you’re willing to pay for it. We just started dinner.”

“That would be mighty nice. We brought our own food, but we’re not very good at turning it into something tasty.”

“Help yourself to the coffee. It’s strong and there’s plenty of it.” One of the posse came hurrying in.

“Sheriff, we found signs of blood in the barn.”

“You’ll find more in the bedroom and on the rags in the wash pot,” Carrie said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you found a good bit on the ground between here and the barn. This is Jake Bemis, my stock man,” She said, pointing to Jake. “He had an accident this morning. It took us a while to patch him up.” Jake pulled open his shirt enough for the sheriff to see the bandages, just as two more men entered the station, one of them obviously the Indian tracker.

“We found his horse in a corral up the canyon.”

“Any sign of Buder?”

“No, but there’s a set of tracks leading out of that corral that can’t be more than an hour old.”

“How can you tell that?” asked Carrie. Her eyes cut to where Found stood behind Jake’s shoulder, but his face was expressionless. She didn’t know what had happened; she had to play for time.

“I don’t understand it myself, ma’am, but this here Indian can read a trail just like he was seeing it made. What do you figure happened, Mort?”

“Must have come in here and taken one of their horses in place of his. I don’t see any other signs of him.”

“And none of you people saw or heard anything?” the sheriff asked, a little suspiciously, Carrie thought.

“We haven’t been out of the station since Jake came up here bleeding all over the place. It took both of us to fix him up and the boy here to bring in clean water. We haven’t had a stage since early this morning, and I guess we just haven’t been paying much attention.” Carrie could see from the disgusted look on the sheriff’s face he thought that was just like a woman, but she didn’t care what he thought as long as he believed Sam Butler was a long way from the Green Run Pass.