Dashing Druid (Texas Druids) (30 page)

Oddly, he stiffened and hesitated before wrapping his arms around her, and his voice sounded strained. “I’m sorry, colleen, I didn’t mean to frighten ye. I . . . I had some things to do.”

The scent of soap and clean clothes told her he’d visited the bathhouse. “You’re here now,” she said, rubbing her cheek against his chest. “That’s all that counts.”

He tightened his hold for an instant. Then his hands cupped her shoulders and urged her back a step. His eyes held none of their usual flirtatious glint; the corners of his mouth slanted downward.

“You didn’t run into trouble, did you?” she asked.

“No, none, but I need to speak with ye. Alone.” He glanced around, making Lil aware of the curious stares they were getting from the desk clerk and a few other hotel patrons.

“We could go up to my room,” she said.

Overhearing her, the desk clerk cleared his throat loudly.

Lil glanced at him and met a reproachful glare. She flushed, realizing her suggestion had been improper. She had to repress a giggle, thinking of the intimate moments she and Tye had already shared.

“A walk outside will do,” he said, taking her elbow as she turned her back on the nose-in-the-air clerk.

Tye led her outside and along the uneven boardwalk, pausing to glance down the alley that separated the hotel from its neighbor. “This way,” he said, turning her in that direction. The weedy, garbage-strewn passage opened onto a vacant plot of ground behind the building. It was no cleaner than the alley, but it did offer the privacy Tye wanted.

With a disgusted oath, he kicked an empty oyster can out of the way. “’Tisn’t a fit place, but I can’t think of anywhere else.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said with a dismissive shrug. “Tye, before you say anything, I know you’re upset about the shooting and all. But it’ll be fine, you’ll see.” She laid a hand on his arm and reached to stroke his cheek.

He flinched and caught her wrist. “Don’t! Please.” He released her abruptly and took several long strides away.

She whirled to stare at his back. “W-what is it? Did I do something?” she asked in a small voice, flooded with a new kind of fear.

He lowered his head and hunched his shoulders, hands stuffed in the pockets of his britches. “Nay, colleen. ’Tis only . . . I can’t bear for ye to touch me,” he said thickly.

“What! But . . . why?” She had to force the question out.

After a silence, he threw back his shoulders and turned to face her, features starkly composed. “Lily, I’m leaving. Tonight. I’m returning to Colorado.”

The ground seemed to heave under Lil. She staggered, and Tye rushed forward to grasp her arms and steady her.

“Colorado!” she gasped. “But I thought . . . . You said you didn’t miss it. Mining. If . . . if you changed your mind, all right, but we can’t go tonight. I’ll have to tell Pa and –”

“Not
we
!” Tye said sharply, interrupting her babble. “You’re not coming with me, Lily.”

“N-not coming with you?” She stared at him in horror. “You’re leaving me?”

His eyes shuttered briefly, then pinned her like a butterfly to paper. “I’m sorry. I’ve no wish to hurt ye, but I have no choice.”

“No! You can’t mean it!” Tearing free of him, she lurched backward.

“Lily, I must go, don’t ye see? It’s either that or –”

“After all your promises, after . . . everything?”

He glowered at her. “Will ye listen, woman? From what his men said, it seems certain Judd Howard will be out for my blood, and I fear others might –”

“So you’re scared of Howard, is that what you’re saying? And you’re running away. After you refused to run from Frank? Ha! You must think I’m simple-minded.” Cut to the quick by his betrayal, she hissed, “I know why you’re leaving, Tye Devlin.”

His face turned to stone. “Aye? Why don’t ye tell me then, since you’re so certain ye know the reason.”

“You’re tired of chasing cattle, tired of living on a horse. Mostly, you’re tired of . . . of me!” Her voice nearly cracked, but she forced it to remain steady. “You’re just looking for excitement and for some other fool you can peddle your charming lies to. Admit it, you no-good, low-down varmint!”

“Jaysus!” His face turned red with fury, his jet brows met above the bridge of his nose, and he ground his teeth. He took a step toward her, and another. “I’ve got half a mind to wallop your backside.”

“Stay away from me!” she cried, backing up. “Or I’ll scream until you have every cowboy in town on top of you.”

He halted, but his eyes gored her with blue flame and his chest heaved with the effort to control himself. They glared at each other for a long moment. His angry flush slowly faded and he relaxed into a hipshot stance. Hooking his thumbs under his gun belt, he smiled. His voice flowed out in a broad Irish lilt.

“Upon me faith, ye’re right, darlin’. I didn’t come west to sweat me life away for a dollar a day. I set out to strike it rich. The . . . accident may have driven me away for a while, but I’d rather go back to the tunnels than get into a donnybrook with auld man Howard. And now that ye mention it, I’m not anxious to be chained to one woman just yet.” He grinned mockingly at the whimper she couldn’t contain. “So I’ll bid ye good-bye, me fair Texas Lily, and wish ye the best. ’Twas grand while it lasted.”

Rage vibrated through Lil. “I hate you!” she hissed, fists rigid at her sides.

Something flickered in his eyes. Pain? No, she wasn’t fool enough to believe that. Spinning away, she stumbled toward the alley, but his voice stopped her.

“One thing, Lil, I’d not wish a child of mine to carry the title of bastard. I’ll let David and Jessie know where I am. If ye have need of my name, tell them to send word.”

She hurled him a murderous glare over her shoulder. “The hell I will! I never want to set eyes on you again.”

“Aye? Ye may feel different if and when the time comes,” he barked. Then his tone softened. “Good-bye, love.”

Lil gasped. “Don’t you dare call me that!” She longed to tear his heart out, just as he’d done to her, but tears had started in her eyes. She refused to let him see her cry. Hiking up her skirts, she ran and didn’t stop running until she was back in her room.

Locking the door, she collapsed on the bed and rocked back and forth, hugging herself in a desperate effort to keep from breaking down. Why had she trusted that black-hearted Irishman? Why had she let down her guard? All the promises he’d made, all the sweet things he’d said, were nothing but lies. She hated him. She really did!

Oh God, I’ll never see him again
.

Doubling over, she buried her face in her hands and let the pain take her. The shaking started inside and spread outward, along with hot, salty tears that gushed down her face in rivers. She wanted to die. What was there to live for without Tye?

How could he do this to her? How could he call her his love, his darling, and then leave? Sorry to hurt her, was he? Liar! He didn’t give a damn about her. About his child, maybe, should there be one, but not her.

A knock on her door brought her upright with a gasp. She sprang to her feet, swiping away tears and damp strands of hair from her face. Had Tye changed his mind? Had he come back to her? She started to run to the door, then halted at the sound of her father’s voice.

“Lil, you in there? It’s time to go eat.”

Her brief spark of hope died. Pressing a hand to her lips, she smothered the despairing sob that tried to escape. She couldn’t face her father, couldn’t bear to explain the reason for her tears. And she sure couldn’t eat.

“I’m not h-hungry,” she called in a clogged voice. “Go ahead without me.”

“Are you crying?” he asked, trying the doorknob. “Honey, I know you’re worried about Tye, but don’t make yourself sick.”

Lil cleared her throat and crossed unsteadily to the door, leaning her forehead against it. “I . . . I’m all right, Pa. I’m just tired, and my head hurts.” That part was no lie; she had a pounding headache.

“I’ll go look for the boy, if it’ll make you feel better.”

“No! No, you don’t have to. I’m not worried about him. He can take care of himself.” And be damned, for all she cared!

There was silence, then a heavy sigh. “All right, if you’re sure. You want me to bring you up something to eat?”

She smiled through her despair. “Thanks, but I think I’ll just go to bed. I’m sorry to worry you.”

“Shoot, I’m your pa, ain’t I? It’s my job to worry about you.”

Lil bit her lip hard to keep from crying. “I . . . I love you.”

His muffled voice turned gruff. “I love you, too, girl. Get some sleep now. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Unable to speak, she listened to him walk away. Then she dragged herself to the bed and dropped face-first onto it, releasing a fresh river of sorrow on the pillow.

It was late, very late, when she finally stopped crying. Exhausted and waterlogged, she stared into the darkness above her, hearing Tye say he didn’t want to be chained to a woman. The words hammered her bruised heart, driving home the fact that he’d never really cared about her. He’d only used her.

But why, then, had he treated her so tenderly every time they made love, always giving her such pleasure? And how could he open himself up to her the way he had that day outside Caldwell? Was everything he’d told her a pack of lies? How was that possible when he’d actually cried in her arms afterward. He’d also said he loved her, she remembered with a sickening burst of pain. That had been a lie.

Yet he’d risked his life to save her, twice. And he’d gone up against Frank Howard, not just today, but before – for her sake. Why, when she was nothing more than a fleeting conquest to him?

Mercy! She still couldn’t believe he’d beaten Frank to the draw. He’d sure hidden his gun savvy under a bushel, just like his true intentions toward her.

So he could shoot, so he wasn’t a coward. That only proved he wasn’t afraid of Judd Howard. Besides, her father and David had sworn to back him up if it came down to a fight with Judd. Oh, but he
must
go, he had no choice. Horse apples! He
wanted
to go, as she’d finally forced him to admit.

Funny though, he’d seemed so reluctant to tell her he was leaving. She recalled how he’d hunched into himself for a moment, as if it hurt him to say the words. Something else hovered at the edge of her memory, something he’d started to say before she cut him off. Judd Howard would be out for his blood, he’d said, and he feared . . . he feared others might . . . .

“My God!” She sat bolt upright. He was afraid someone else might get hurt! Like David or Jessie – or her. That’s what he’d meant to say. And he’d decided to remove himself rather than cause a bloody feud, was that it? Of course it was!

If she hadn’t been so full of pain and rage, she would have seen the truth immediately. Instead, she’d jumped to the conclusion that he merely wanted to be free of her, and he’d let her believe it, had even confirmed it for her. Why? Because she would have insisted on going with him. He knew her too well, her brave, knot-headed Irishman.

Well, she wasn’t going to let him walk out of her life that easily. No sir!

Bounding off the bed, she lit the lamp sitting on a lowboy near the door. By its opalescent glow, she fought her way out of dress, petticoats and corset, and threw on her worn trail clothes. Yanking out the crushed bow she’d struggled to tie that morning, she worked her hair into a careless braid, then shoved her belongings back in her war bag. She almost left the blue dress behind, but stuffed it in at the last minute. When she caught up with Tye, she would need it.

Dousing the lamp, she dashed into the hall and headed for David’s room. It was at the opposite end of the dimly lighted hallway. No light showed under his door. It was late. He was probably asleep. Too bad. She’d just have to wake him up.

It took him a few moments to answer her knock. He gave a groggy curse and asked who it was, and she replied in an urgent whisper. That brought a softer oath. By the time he lighted a lamp, got some clothes on, and opened the door, she was ready to break it down.

“David, you’ve got to help me!” she cried, pushing past him. “I have to find Tye before it’s too late!”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Lil halted a few paces inside the room and swung around. David stood there with his hand on the doorknob, blinking and frowning at her. His hair was rumpled, his shirt half open and his feet bare; he could have been buck naked and she wouldn’t have cared.

“It’s the middle of the night, Lil,” he muttered, voice thick with sleep. “You shouldn’t be in here. Somebody might get the wrong idea.”

She slashed the air impatiently. “I don’t care. Tye’s gone, left town. For C-C-Colorado.” Her voice broke and her eyes began to leak again. “Oh, damn! I d-didn’t want to start b-blubbering!” she choked out, trying to stem the tide.

David left the door partly ajar and came over to put his arms around her. “Ah, Little Red, don’t cry,” he rasped. “Christ! I’d like to knock that idiot’s block off. If I’d found his note sooner, I would have gone after him and pounded some sense into him.”

Lil pushed away from him, sniffling. “H-he left you a note?”

“Yeah. He shoved it under my door. I found it a while ago when I came up.” David went to retrieve a folded sheet of paper from among his things and came back wearing a disgusted look. “I might’ve caught up with him if I hadn’t played cards so late with the boys. But I wanted to make sure they didn’t get into a shoot-out with the Howard crowd.”

Hesitantly, Lil accepted the paper from him and unfolded it. She’d never seen Tye’s handwriting before. It flowed in a bold scrawl across the page.

David,

I am on my way to Colorado. My thanks to you and Del for offering to stand with me, but I will not see anyone hurt on my account. If I stay here that appears likely, and going back to the River T is out of the question. I won’t endanger Jessie and the children OR Lil.

About Lil, you were right. I have only managed to hurt her, and I shall regret that for the rest of my days. Now all I can do is beg you to watch over her for me. What I tell you now will surely make you think the worst of me and rightly so. To speak plain, Lil may carry my child. This very day I planned to right matters by asking her to become my wife. Now I think that unwise, as Judd Howard might hurt her to get at me. Perhaps I’m wrong, never having met the man, but again I won’t risk endangering Lil.

Yet neither do I wish my child to suffer for my sins. Therefore, if Lil finds herself in need of my name, and I pray not for her sake, I must ask you to contact me. She refuses to hear of it, for she hates me now, with good reason to be sure. But you MUST PROMISE to send me word even if she orders you not to. I shall write as soon as I know where I’m to be. Tell Jessie I love her.

Your repentant brother-in-law,

Tye Devlin

“Durn that man!” Lil cried, noting he hadn’t said a word about loving
her
. But he did. He must or he wouldn’t worry so much about endangering her.

She didn’t recall sitting down, but she found herself seated on the edge of David’s bed. Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, she looked up at him. “I’m going after him. Will you help me?”

He frowned. “Lil, you can’t. A woman alone –”

“Don’t tell me that, David,” she snapped, springing to her feet. “I can take care of myself. You know that. I thought maybe you could point me in the right direction, but if you don’t want to help, fine.” She made a move toward the door, but he stepped into her path.

“Whoa, I didn’t say I wouldn’t help. But why not wait until he writes? Then we’d know where to look.”

“No. It could be weeks or months before he sends word. And what if he never does? What if something happens to him and . . . ?” She shivered, recalling Tye’s account of the mine cave-in. “Now. I have to go now.” She started to push past David, but he stopped her again, this time catching her arm.

“Damned if you aren’t as mule-headed as he is,” he barked. “At least wait ’til morning. Get some sleep and –”

“No, it’s got to be tonight. I’ve lost enough time already.” She made a face. “Besides, if Pa finds out what I mean to do, he’ll try to stop me, and I don’t want to get into a fuss with him.”

David released her and planted his hands on his hips. “You really love Tye this much?”

She caught her breath and let it out slowly. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

“All right, Lil,” he said with a sigh, “I’ll do whatever I can. God knows I owe it to you.”

Relief poured through her. “Thanks, David, but you don’t owe me anything.”

“Don’t I?” He smiled crookedly. “If not for you, I would have lost Jessie the night the raiders struck the River T. I haven’t forgotten that.”

Shrugging, Lil lowered her eyes. “I just did what was right.”

“Mmm, and now it’s my turn.” He sat on the bed and pulled his boots on, talking fast. “The Santa Fe, the line that runs through here, doesn’t connect up with Denver yet, so Tye likely headed up to Abilene. From there, he’ll take the Kansas Pacific through to Denver. If we ride hard, and depending on the train schedule, we might intercept him before he leaves Abilene.”

“You’re coming with me?” She hadn’t expected that.

“As far as Abilene, at least.” On his feet now, he tucked in his shirt and cocked an eyebrow at her. “Could be that knothead might need some convincing.”

Lil nodded, teeth worrying her bottom lip. What if Tye flatly refused to listen? What if he wouldn’t come back to Texas? Then she’d go with him, no matter where he led. She had no other choice because she couldn’t, wouldn’t live without him.

David broke into her thoughts as he belted on his gun. “You want to leave a message for your pa?”

She looked at him uncertainly. “I . . . I don’t know. He’ll go loco if I don’t, but if I do he might follow us and try to stop me.”

“Maybe not, if you tell him we’ll be back inside of a day or two, and I hope to hell we will be.
All
of us.” Slapping on his hat, he grabbed his saddlebags and steered Lil to the door. “Come on. You can write him a note downstairs and leave it at the desk.”

* * *

The ride north seemed to last forever. Lil knew she might have killed herself in her rush to get to Tye, if David hadn’t forced her to exercise some caution in the darkness.

When they finally reached Abilene, it was late morning. They rode straight to the Kansas Pacific depot, but saw no sign of Tye. Lil’s heart plummeted. However, her spirits revived when the ticket agent recalled a black-haired Irishman who’d come through after dawn. He’d caught the early train to Denver, the man said.

Frowning, David took Lil aside. “Are you sure you want to go through with this? Colorado’s a big place, Lil.”

“I’m sure,” she replied, trying to sound more confident than she felt. “Even if I have to tramp up and down every inch of those Rocky Mountains, I’ll find Tye.”

David eyed her a moment, then nodded in acceptance. “I guess I’d do the same in your place. Wish I could go with you, but my pa’s been ailing lately. And there’s Jessie.” He glanced away, and to Lil’s surprise, his face flushed deep red. “She, um, she’s in a family way again and, well, I have to get back.”

Lil smiled at his news despite her own worries. “It’s all right, you’ve done enough already. And congratulations . . . again.”

“Thanks,” he said with a sheepish grin. “Come on, let’s get you a ticket.”

Over her protests, he paid her fare, then insisted on staying to see her off. Her train wasn’t due to pull in for hours, so they had time to kill. David suggested they find a café and get something to eat, and although she was too tense to care about food, Lil went along with him. They didn’t say much over the meal, but as they strolled back to the depot afterward, she voiced her thoughts.

“I kind of figure Tye might head back to the place where he worked before. Do you know where that was?”

David’s brow wrinkled in thought. “No, he was always real closemouthed about it. I got the idea something happened that he’d rather forget.”

“You’re right. He was caught in a cave-in,” she said quietly. Briefly, she explained about Tye’s partner dying and how he blamed himself, and about the days he’d spent trapped in the mine.

“Good Lord! No wonder he didn’t want to talk about it.” By now they’d reached the depot. David folded his long frame onto a bench outside the building and glanced at Lil as she plopped down next to him. “Did he tell you the name of the mine?”

“No. And I didn’t think to ask.” She groaned and slapped the bench seat in disgust, making her palm sting.

David patted her shoulder. “Take it easy. You still stand a chance of finding him. It’ll just take longer.”

Lil nodded, lips trembling. She refused to cry again; it would do no good.

“In the meantime, you’ll need money to live on until you do find him,” David said, digging in his saddlebags.

“I’ve got my pay from the drive.”

“That might not be enough.” He held out a wad of bank notes. “Here, take this.”

“No! I can’t,” she protested, pushing his hand away.

He glowered at her. “Lil, you either take it or you’re not getting on that train.” His tone made it clear he was dead serious.

Reluctantly, Lil took the bills and stuffed them in her pocket. “Th-thanks, David. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

“Uh-uh. Consider it a wedding gift from Jessie and me,” he said with a broad grin. “Just be sure to let us and your folks know when you catch your runaway bridegroom.”

Lil managed a weak laugh. “I wish I knew where to start.”

David leaned forward, elbows on his knees, fingers loosely knitted. “Well, first you ask around the hotels and miners’ supply houses in Denver. Saloons, too, if you’ve got the stomach for it.”

“I’ve taught more than one loaded-up cowpoke to mind his manners, so I’m not apt to let any drunken miners scare me off.”

His mouth quirked. “All right, say you don’t pick up any leads in Denver. Then you head up to Golden in the foothills above the city. Depending on what you find out, you might try Black Hawk and Central City up in Gregory Gulch. There’s a narrow gauge train that runs up there now, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble getting there. That’s gold territory, and Tye was after silver back in Utah, but he might have changed his mind. For silver, your best bet will be over around Georgetown. It’s located up the main fork of Clear Creek, south of Gregory Gulch.”

David paused to frown. “If you don’t find him there, you’ll have to try some of the more remote areas back in the mountains. It won’t be easy going, and you’ll need to hire a guide. Just be damn careful who you trust. Some of the toughs who hang around those mining camps would just as soon slit your throat as look at you.” He sent her a smoky green stare. “And that’s not all they’d do to a woman.”

Lil lifted her chin, shaking off the moment of dread his warning caused. All she could do was pray she’d find Tye quickly. She cleared her throat.

“Uh, I have to ask you for one more favor. It’s Pa. He’ll be fit to be tied when he finds out what I’m doing, and I don’t want him coming after me all steamed up. Do you think you can make him understand?”

David sat up and gave her braid a playful tug. “Don’t worry, Little Red, I’ll make him see reason even if I have to hogtie him.”

Lil smiled and looked away, hands clenched in her lap. “You’re too nice to me, David. I’ve caused you a peck of trouble.”

He was briefly silent before saying, “You didn’t cause me any trouble, Lil. I brought it on myself.”

“But all those years I let my folks think you jilted me, when you never even hinted about us getting married. It was all in my head . . . and theirs. And then, when you came home with Jessie, the way I acted. God! I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me.”

Sighing, David hooked a finger under her chin and made her look at him. “First, I care about you too much to ever hate you. Second, if I hadn’t played with your feelings when we were youngsters, none of it would have happened. Now I’ve got a chance to help you find the kind of love I have with Jessie. And if you do, then maybe my conscience will stop eating at me. Hmm?”