Love by Dawn (26 page)

“Sorry if I was rude a moment ago. I’m Mrs.
Augusta Avery.”

Blake tipped his hat. “No
problem ma’am,” he drawled. “I’m Blake January and this is, err, my
wife, Casey.” He could see by the way her eyes cooled he knew what
she was thinking,
wife indeed!
But she didn’t correct him because he assumed she
realized that he was being kind and only looking after her
reputation. After some small talk, each traveler lapsed into
silence for a while, but Casey said she was miserable and wondered
if she would survive the trip.

The coach traveled about fifteen miles an
hour; dust and heat entered the vehicle under the leather flap that
served as a window cover. Mrs. Avery noticed how peeked Casey
looked and asked, “My dear, are you all right?”

Blake watched seeing Casey force a smile.
“I’m with child and this journey is not helping the situation,” she
half whispered, leaning closer.”

“Oh,” gasped Mrs. Avery. “Here, child, I’ll
move over. Sit behind the driver, the bouncing of the coach is not
as bad. You see I do know a lot about these coffin boxes. You’re
such a pretty thing, but I cannot help but notice how tan your skin
is and you’re, um so…”

Casey thanked the kind lady, accepting the
offer. Blake knew she wasn’t being rude only curious and it was
going to be a long ride. He hoped a little conversion might help
her get her mind off her doldrums.

“We lived with the Apaches for awhile,
Ma’am.” The woman’s mouth makes a perfect O but she didn’t comment.
He listened as Casey told Mrs. Avery what she had told the girl
Raini. He knew she was hoping to convince another to the fact that
the Apaches weren’t blood sucking heathens. A smile ruffled over
Mrs. Avery’s thin mouth at Casey and she nodded, but the lady’s
face didn’t show the enthusiasm that the girl back at the fort
had.

He heard Casey sigh and say that she missed
the snow covered mountains. He couldn’t believe his ears, the
mountains nearly killed her and she still groaned about leaving
them. He assumed it was her new friends that she was feeling
melancholy about. Soon conversation died of natural causes; Mrs.
Avery’s eyelids began to droop and her head nodded until her double
chin rested on her chest. Casey, watched the scenery go by and he
watched the sagebrush roll by a while before he closed his eyes to
take a nap feeling drowsy from the heat.

It seemed as if he had hardly closed his eyes
when a shot rang out and then another. Blake’s eyes snapped open
immediately. “What the hell?!” he barked and looked over at Casey
who’s face was pale. The lady across the way woke in fear and
clutched her large bosom, not appearing any better than Casey;
their eyes reflected the dread that he felt. Just then a body fell
off the coach and Blake stuck out his head seeing three masked men
gaining on the stage, their guns blazing. “Damn!” He quickly pulled
back inside and cried, “Ladies keep you head low, we’re being held
up.” Both women lost all their color and Mrs. Avery began
screaming, “We’ll all be killed!”

“Shhh!” Blake snapped having no time for a
hysterical female. “Be quiet, they’ll not harm you if you do as
they say.” Now if he could only believe his own lie.

Hellfire! What else can go wrong?

Never should one ask
that!
snapped his inner
voice
.

The stage stopped and Casey looked at him as
if to say, “This can’t be happening.” He shot her a twisted smile.
Many scary moments snailed by until a sinister voice ordered.
“Okay, yer folks in there yer wanna c’mon out!” Blake nodded and
stepped out first, his hands away from the gun belt that was
strapped to his waist. He didn’t want to make the outlaw to shot
him just on principle, so he held his hands up high.

Casey jerked to her feet and followed, more
angry than frightened. She turned to see Mrs. Avery frozen in the
doorway. She winced when the gruff voice belonging to the outlaw
holding his gun on them snarled, “Git down here lady!”

He spat a wad of tobacco juice in the dirt
and ordered another varmint to relieve the passengers of their
valuables. Casey assisted the shaking woman as the gun-toting
outlaw told the other bandit to climb up and get the strong box.
All the while Mrs. Avery was bawling into a hanky, Casey knew Mrs.
Avery wasn’t helping the situation one bit.

And then, something inside
of her snapped because she had had it! Her brain screamed
this is the last straw!
Before the three outlaws had a chance to do as they were
told, she marched up to the one who was ordered to take their
personal effects. Placing her hands on her hips, leering angrily at
him, she hissed, “Keep your filthy hands of my things!” She poked
him in his chest and saw the outlaw’s eye bug out. “You look here
mister, miscreant!” She placed her hand over the turquoise necklace
that was a gift from Star Gazer.

“Dammit, Casey, have you
lost your mind, what there is of it! What the hell are you
doing?
Do as he says!” Blake’s curt voice
lashed at her, his hands shaking. “Give him the jewelry
I’ll---”

“Hell, no! No cur dog is going to take what
is mine.” Her voice held a challenge and her anger yielded quickly
to fury. “I’ve gone through hell and back! This is the last straw!”
she voiced her previous thought aloud. The outlaw didn’t know what
to do and looked up at his leader.

“Hey boss, what...?”

His partner in crime atop of the coach
laughed. “I say, Hank, she’s got gumption for just a pip-squeak,”
he spat again.

She narrowed her eyes giving him a hostile
glare for his remark about her size; a deep chuckle greeted her.
Well, she’ll not back down now and jabbed the scumbag before her
with her finger. “I’ve have had all I can take from this God
forsaken land!”

Jab.

Jab.

She heard Blake groan and grumble, “You’re
gong to get all of us killed.”

But for some silly reason the leader seemed
to be enjoying her little performance.

Casey had no doubt that her cowboy was going
to strangle her, if he lived. That notion didn’t stop her and she
continued to say what was on her mind, her temper flaring.

“My pa died, my brother was shot and taken to
a fort, but I help him escape. We traveled

across the country to keep him safe and
journeyed with an old couple, who were like grand-parents to us and
they died. Then we where capture by Indians.”

Jab.

Jab.

The stunned outlaw stepped back, tripping
over a rock, but he managed to steady himself. His eyes remained
wide with confusion. Filling her lungs, she continued, “I was
knocked out by a crazed brave and almost died in the mountains. Two
snakes,” Jab, “the ones without legs, not like you, attacked me. I
was accosted by a wolf in a cave, then one in a dwelling, well, um,
maybe not a wolf, but it still counts. Then some low dawn, piss ant
Spaniard tried to keep me for his slave! And now this!”

Jab.

Jab.

The outlaw’s eyes were darting back and
forth and Casey could hear him mumbling under the bandanna. “Look,
lady, I never killed a woman before, but you’re unnerving me and
hell, my boss is enjoying this too damn much! So back off
or---”

“Do you think for a minute a gunman
frightens me?” she snapped back. She was so incensed she foolishly
pushed away his weapon; it fired shattering a nearby boulder.
Expletives followed. In fact, many words of blasphemy were heard
and she was certain Blake had uttered a few of them himself. She
had managed to distract the robbers and she noticed Blake reach for
his weapon, but when one of the men cocked his gun, he raised his
hands again.

All this was too much for the weeping lady
and she clutched her chest and swooned, falling against Blake who
instinctively went to grab her. Her weight was too much for him and
Mrs. Avery fell on top of him. All Casey could see were two arms
and two legs spread eagle under the big bulk.

“Sh-e-e-e-t!” she heard the
leader spat and raised his weapon. Casey screamed but a gun shot
drowned out her out. Her heart stopped thinking he’d fired at Mrs.
Avery, but when she looked up, the outlaw was clutching his blood
splattered chest. The other two gunmen looked at each other for
split second before they hightailed away from there. Confused, she
stood rooted with her mouth gaping.
What
the hell happened?
Then her question was
answered. Over the ridge came a lone rider who halted his mount
before her and tipped his hat. A smoking rifle lay across his lap,
he drawled, “Howdy, ma’am. You folks all right?”

Puzzled, she would’ve stood there gaping all
day if it wasn’t for Blake’s loud moan and a string of
profanities.

“Oh, Blake!” She ran to him
and helped him struggle from under the dead weight of the fat
woman. They rolled the lady over and her eyes were staring into the
sun. Casey sucked in a painful breath, the poor dear had been
frightened to death, but then all that weight couldn’t have been
good for her heart.
What a thought at a
time like this!
she scolded
herself.

When Blake managed to stand on shaky limbs,
she heard him take in large gulps of air. Relieved, Casey hugged
him, but she was gently pushed away.

“Darling,” he drew in another large gulp, “I
need to catch my breath. I thought sure I was a goner.”

Casey giggled, she was being insensitive but
she couldn’t help it. “What a way to die. Totally mortifying, I’d
say,” she added shamelessly and burst out with whoops of laughter.
She didn’t miss the look he gave her that could make Satan run for
the hills.

Blake now noticed the newcomer and the dead
outlaw. “What happened?”

“I’m Jimmy Six Shooter, a bounty hunter.” He
said as he dismounted. “I’m obliged to yer folks for stallin’ ‘em
varmints. “I’ve been after the leader, Luke Smart for quite awhile.
Too bad he never lived up to his name,” Jimmy Six Shooter chuckled.
“He has a good price on his head, yep,” he twirled his handle bar
mustache, “a mighty fine reward. Say mister, yer got a handle?”

“Blake January,” he extended his hand and
Jimmy Six Shooter shook it.

“Well Blake January, ken ya help me throw
Luke’s body over his horse?”

“Sure can, but we’ll be needing help getting
Mrs. Avery and the driver into the coach so I can bring the team
into the next town.”

“Seems fair enough and I’m much obliged.”

“Sir,” Casey spoke up.
“We’re very grateful to you. If you hadn’t come along when you did
we’d....” She didn’t want to think of what could have happened.
What she had done was beginning to sink in, and she
trembled.
What was I
thinking
?

Apparently you
weren’t,
scolded her conscience. She had
to agree this time; she definitely was not in her right
mind.

“Ma’am, from where I was sittin’ ya looked as
ifn’ ya had takin’ charge of things.” He hooted.

Blake disagreed and gave her another
murderous glance, which she chose to ignore. Again, he couldn’t be
as annoyed at her as she was with herself. Or was he? His eyes
certainly conveyed fury within him. A lecture would be forthcoming
as soon as they reached the safety of the town. Jimmy Six Shooter
escorted them into the nearest cow town to collect his reward. The
Sheriff told her and Blake he was grateful that the money in the
strong box and the mail wasn’t stolen, but sad to lose a good
driver.

Blake put her up in a hotel while he
explained what happened to the sheriff. She undressed and fell into
bed exhausted. What a day! She wondered how long they would be hold
up in this cow town before another stage came along. When Bake came
in, she feigned sleep, not up to hearing his lecture. She wouldn’t
be able to put it off much longer, but she decided she’d wait until
she had a good night’s sleep. He slid his nude body next to hers
and held her tight and heard him sigh. He was quite upset with her
and she couldn’t blame him; she had done a very stupid thing. But
her pa always said that you can’t put the milk back into the cow’s
utters. What was done was done.

Blake stroked her back tenderly. “Casey, I
know you’re awake. She stiffened. “Darling I won’t scold you, you
were an idiot, but you were very brave. I never loved you so much
as when you stood up to that outlaw even thought I wanted to
strangle you. I guess any woman who had gone through as much crap
as you, has the right to speak her mind, as foolish as it was.

So choked up, she remained mute. What could
she say? He had said it all.

THIRTY-ONE

It rained heavily the next day, so with
nothing to do they stayed in bed most of the day; but there was
nary a complaint from her. When one appetite was quenched, they
went down to the restaurant and filled the other craving. Casey was
happy for the extra time to sleep in a bed not infested with bugs
like the ones at the relay stations. Between that and the men
snoring in the other room she never got a good night’s sleep. No
wonder she was cranky. Morning sickness and bad accommodations
would make a saint complain, but this rainy day and the next day
her meals settled quietly in her tummy. Once on the road again, her
queasiness started up.

Would they ever arrive in Georgia?

The train ride was a little better for her
until the locomotive hit a cow and delayed their arrival at the
next town where they were going to connect with another train. The
layover cost them three days, as they had to wait in the one-horse
town. But they were in luck, the train had a box car for Checkers
and once again she and Blake were on their way.

As the train sped through Alabama, sad
memories accosted Casey. It seemed as if it was an eternity since
she and Hunter rode through the state trying to elude Blake. When
they got off in Georgia, much of the war-torn state was still in
shambles. They rented a wagon from the blacksmith. Checkers was not
used to having a harness, but the horse didn’t complain when Blake
hitched him to one to pull them to his home. By the time they
finally arrived at Blake’s plantation, Casey was exhausted, still
ill-tempered and thinner from losing her breakfast for two months.
This was normal, women she met had told her on the stage coaches
and trains, but that bit of information didn’t cheer her up in the
least. Blake said that he chalked it up to being on the move
constantly and promised once she settled down, so would her
stomach. He was probably right and he knew it; giving her one of
those lopsided smiles that any other time, she would’ve loved.