A Family for the Holidays (8 page)

The horse bumped against Jake's sleeve in an affectionate gesture. There was a clear respect between animal and man. Another piece of his curious character. She never trusted people who abused animals. Jake clearly took good care of his horses.

With Sam and Peter astride their horses, Lily took her turn at the mounting block. She could do this. She'd done this before. Too bad her horse back home had been much, much smaller. She'd inherited Benjamin's pony when he'd outgrown the animal. That pony had been petite and stubborn. No matter how hard she kicked, she'd never gotten the animal to move any faster than a bumpy canter.

Aware that the three of them were watching, she approached the mounting block with conviction. That was where her false bravado ended. Her movements ungainly and awkward, she stuck her foot in the stirrup and pushed off. After two more attempts, Jake grasped her around the waist and tossed her into the saddle.

She adjusted her skirts over her legs.

Jake rested his hand on her ankle. “Are you ready for this?”

“Absolutely.”

“You're certain?”

“Yes. Don't worry. You should be worrying about the children instead of fussing over me.”

The realization brought her up short. He was fussing with her.

Jake gave her ankle a squeeze. “You're quite a woman, Lily Winter.”

“I'm a very ordinary woman.”

“Not to me.”

He released his hold but his touch lingered. She loosely grasped the reins and tossed her head. There was no way she was leaving Sam and Peter to the mercy of Vic Skaar. Even if that meant risking her neck on this wild ride across the country.

She glanced down and her stomach heaved. The distance to the ground seemed to have doubled. She stared straight ahead and concentrated on the cottonwoods in the distance. The horse shifted and she flinched. The muscles in her back and shoulders tensed and she unconsciously tightened the slack. Well trained, her horse shifted backward. Lily loosened the reins.

If only she'd been an excellent rider like Benjamin. Then again, her brother had been fearless. She glowered at her gloved hands fisted over her reins. Something of her brother's talent must have been transferred to her. They had the same parents. It didn't seem fair that she hadn't even gained a modicum of his abilities.

Jake led his horse before them as though he was a general mustering his troops. “I'll lead. The boys in the middle. Lily will take the end. The trail we're following is a shortcut used by plenty of other folks, and the path is well cleared. The temperature is a different story. I want your scarves wrapped around your faces, and your ears covered. I've got an extra jacket and hat for you, Lily.”

He tossed up a canvas coat. She shrugged into the arms, then reached for the hat. The brim fell over her eyes. She pushed it back and secured the strings beneath her chin, grateful for the extra warmth. The coat lent her the feel of armor. She was protected against the cold—against harm. Jake's comforting scent enveloped her, that curious mixture of leather, wool and gunpowder. She'd be fearless like her brother.

Jake considered them for a long moment, and she feared he was changing his mind. After an eternity, he held up his fisted hand. “This motion means we're stopping. If you have any problems, if you're cold, if you're tired, if you're having trouble with your mount, raise the signal. Understood?”

“Understood,” the three repeated in unison.

“No one has set up the alarm, which means, worst case, we've got two hours before they can give chase. I've weighed all the options, and the boys are safer in Steele City than here.”

Lily frowned. More often than not, Jake had the bearing of a soldier rather than a gunfighter. Had he fought in one of the Indian skirmishes? According to the newspapers, there were still battles being fought in the Oklahoma Territory.

Perhaps he'd been a soldier for hire. She'd heard the army wasn't above hiring extra muscle when dealing with an Indian uprising. Nothing terrified settlers more than the thought of an attack.

Even as she pondered this strange anomaly in Jake, he opened the gate and led them all from the corral. Her stomach pitched and she jerked in the saddle. When Jake glanced her way, she forced her hips to relax.

Peter twisted in his saddle and gave her the thumbs-up.

She returned his gesture with a weak smile.

Her rolling gait must have passed as horsemanship, because Jake mounted, appearing satisfied with her abilities.

He tucked his bandanna around his neck, tightened his hat over his ears and kicked his horse into a trot.

Sam and Peter followed suit.

Lily's horse, as the boys had predicted, trotted along after them. With each step her teeth clattered together and her head ached. Just when she thought her brains would rattle out of her head, Jake urged his mount into a canter.

Lily's shriek was muffled by the scarf wrapped around her neck. Her heart leapt into her throat and she leaned forward, grasping a handful of mane hair along with the saddle horn. The sudden wind in her face brought tears to her eyes.

The first twenty minutes passed in pure agony. She clenched her teeth together until her jaw ached. Her backside grew numb and her legs throbbed. Ahead of her, Sam and Peter rode beside each other, shouting encouragement, easily swaying in the saddle. Jake appeared as though he was a part of the horse. He bent close over the animal's neck and the two moved as one.

Her aching muscles cramped and she soon lost the feeling in her fingers. Tears streamed down her face. Mostly from the sharp wind, but not without a little misery mixed in.

The second twenty minutes she found something of an awkward rhythm. Sheer exhaustion had sapped all the fight from her muscles, as though her body was being dragged along unwittingly.

After a particularly harrowing journey down a deep gully and back up the other side, with her horse slipping and lunging over the snow-packed bank, Jake slowed. He pivoted in the saddle, one fisted hand on his knee.

“Everyone all right?” he called. “Do we need to rest?”

“Not us,” Sam and Peter shouted in enthusiastic unison.

The little beasts. Lily tugged her muffler higher, the knitted threads stiff with her frozen tears. They appeared as though the last forty minutes of riding had invigorated them. She threw back her shoulders and shook her head, not trusting her voice.

Jake studied them each in turn before giving a sharp nod, then reined his horse around.

They kicked into a canter once more, jarring her bones into a clatter of agony. For a moment she considered flinging herself from the saddle and ending the misery. The fall would be brutal, but with so many other bumps and bruises, the pain would hardly be noticeable.

No.

She wouldn't be the weakest person in the group. She wouldn't hold them back. Gritting her teeth, she leaned forward and ignored the ache in her legs and the fog enveloping her brain.

Not much longer.

She'd endure.

She was made of sterner stuff.

At least Jake had been correct about the terrain. The dry creek bed was well traveled. The leafless cotton trees offered a web of branches overhead. The sky was overcast once more, the day a hazy shade of soot. A blanket of snow covered every surface for as far as the eye could see.

A flock of turkeys, startled by Jake's horse, scattered across the path. Sam and Peter split apart. Peter's horse narrowly missed trampling a large gobbler. Feathers flailing, the gobbler took off in awkward flight and smacked into the muzzle of Lily's horse.

The animal bayed and pitched, rearing on its hind legs, using its forelegs and sharp hooves to defend itself from the unexpected attack.

Lily shrieked.

She frantically clutched at the saddle horn but the past forty minutes had sapped her strength. Her feet slid from the stirrups and she bumped over the cantle. The next instant she was tumbling through the air.

She landed on her backside, and the blow knocked all the air from her lungs. The frightened gobbler clawed over her in its frantic escape, scratching her leg.

She desperately clutched at her throat. Something was wrong. She gasped for breath but her lungs were empty, useless. The sky overhead grew dim. She was going to die on this miserable trail after all.

Chapter Eight

J
ake whipped around. Sam and Peter had maintained their seats, darting in opposite directions around the frightened turkeys. He caught sight of Lily's rearing horse and a wild anguish surged through him.

She plummeted backward. Limbs flailing, she landed flat on her backside. The horse danced away from the chaos. Feathers flying, the turkeys scattered off the trail. In three short strides Jake was by her side.

Hastily dismounting, he knelt over her. She'd clearly gotten the wind knocked out of her. Her eyes were wide and frightened and she was gasping for air. Her hands clawed at her throat.

Quelling his own panic, he rested his hand on her chest. “It's all right, Lily. Calm down. Take a big deep breath. The biggest breath you've taken.”

She reached for him, clutching his wrist. The two brothers leapt from their horses and crowded around.

Jake glanced up. “Let's give her some space. She needs some air.”

“That happened to me once,” Sam said. “Felt like I was gonna die.”

Lily's eyes widened in frantic panic.

“Shut up.” Peter punched his brother's shoulder. “You're scaring her.”

Jake lifted her head onto his bent knee and rubbed her chest in soothing circles. “Breathe. Everything is all right. You're fine. That's it.”

Gasping and wheezing, she sucked in great gulps of air. Utterly helpless to ease her suffering, he smoothed her hair and murmured soothing words. The deathly pallor of her face was gradually suffused with bright red color. Several moments later she coughed and struggled to sit upright. Jake supported her back and helped her into a sitting position.

She collapsed against his chest and took several heaving breaths. “I felt as though I was suffocating.”

“You got the wind knocked out of you.”

Without being asked, the brothers had gathered all the horses and stood a distance away. Jake studied the hazy edge of the horizon. They were still a good twenty minutes away from Steele City. He bit the tip of his glove and tugged it free, then gently brushed the backs of his knuckles along Lily's icy cheeks.

Her eyelashes glistened with tears. He reached between their bodies and unbuttoned his coat, then tucked her deeper into his warmth.

She shivered and turned her head into his chest. A curious tenderness took hold of him. Her head rested in the hollow below his neck, and she wrapped her arms around his waist. She fit against him as though they were meant to be together.

“I'm better now,” she said, her voice weak. “I can ride.”

“I'll be the judge of that. We'll wait here. I'll build a fire and get you warm, then we'll make our way into town.”

“We'll miss our train.” Her teeth chattered. “I'm not quitting now.”

He hadn't experienced that sort of fear since the day his mother had been shot. He'd buried all his tender feelings in an icy grave somewhere near the vicinity of his heart. Seeing Lily hit the frozen ground had ignited a fire, thawing the protective barriers.

The fear shattered him. He needed that protection. He needed that distance. When emotions were involved, people made mistakes.

He was too close. He'd become too involved, and there was no escaping. There was nothing he could do while they were sitting out in the open. They wouldn't be safe until they were off the trail and in town. Until then, he ran the risk of being run down by a posse.

“You'll catch the next train,” he said.

She shivered. “My hands are numb.”

“Take off your gloves. They'll warm faster.”

The next instant she had her icy fingers pressed between the layers of his sheepskin lining and canvas shirt.

He hissed. “We should have stopped earlier. You're freezing.”

“I'm fine. Don't make such a fuss.”

He hugged her tighter, infusing her with his warmth, and she burrowed closer.

When he'd stopped earlier, she'd seemed all right. Had he been wrong about the children, as well?

“Sam, Peter,” he called. “Let me check your hands.”

The two exchanged a glance, looking at him as though he'd lost his mind. They dutifully held out their mittened fingers.

“You're fussing, aren't you?” Peter said. “You're as bad as Lily. I didn't think I'd be fussed over while I was riding with an outlaw.”

Sam and Peter dropped down on either side of him.

Peter held out his hand. “Look. I'm fit as a fiddle. Probably Lily is just cold because of how she gets sick. You know, like on trains and stuff.”

“You can't get sick riding a horse,” Sam said. “That's just stupid.”

Keeping one hand hooked around Lily, Jake pressed the backs of his knuckles against each of their cheeks. They weren't nearly as chilled as the woman he held in his arms.

“Gather some firewood.”

“Won't someone see the smoke?”

Jake glanced at Lily. “Plenty of people build fires this time of year. If I'm caught, I'm caught. We'll sort out the details later.”

“We'll tie up the horses.” Sam gave his brother's shoulder a nudge. “There's plenty of brush by the stream.”

Without fully realizing what he was doing, Jake rocked Lily in his arms, rubbing her back and willing heat into her chilled bones.

“Why do you trust me?” he asked.

“Hmm,” she mumbled against his chest. “What was that?”

“Why do you trust me? You shouldn't, you know.”

“You're a good man. You can't help yourself. You open doors for ladies. You pick up after yourself. You put yourself in danger to save us.”

He loosened his grip.

She twisted sideways. “I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Nothing except he'd better fix his act before he tried another clandestine case. He was giving too much away without even realizing his mistakes. Lily's exaggerated perception had caught several of his quirks. What else was he inadvertently revealing?

With quick efficiency, Sam and Peter built a fire. They stacked the larger kindling in a pyramid, and stuffed leaves and brush at the base. Their time with their missionary parents had served them well. Jake directed them to the matches in his saddlebag. They'd proved they were adept enough to handle them.

Sam scratched the flint and the fire sparked into life. An instant later, heat from the fire enveloped them. Sam and Peter sat cross-legged, their hands stretched toward the flames.

Lily sighed. “That feels positively delightful.”

He sat back and held her away from him. “How are you otherwise? Is anything hurt? Have you broken any bones?”

“I'm perfectly healthy.” She gathered the collar of his borrowed coat around her throat. “If I ever see that turkey again, I'll roast him for dinner.”

Her color had returned and her eyes sparkled. She stood and crossed to the horses. He focused his vision, searching for any sign she'd been injured. She dug something out of her saddlebag and returned. There must have been a better way. He should never have led a bunch of greenhorns on such a dangerous ride.

She flopped down beside him once more. “You didn't have any other choice.”

“What?”

“I know what you're thinking.” Leaning to one side, Lily tilted her head and met his gaze. “You're blaming yourself. You might as well quit beating yourself up. What other choice did we have? If we had stayed, we'd have handed over the custody of Sam and Peter to Vic. I'd rather freeze to death than let them suffer that fate.”

“There must have been a less dangerous way.”

“Then you would have thought of it.” She scooted nearer. “I can say all the right words, but they're just words. I can't make you believe them.”

Jake cupped the back of her neck and tucked her against his side. “I've never met anyone like you, Miss Winter.”

“Really? Must I keep reminding you that I'm quite ordinary? You, on the other hand, are the strangest outlaw I've ever met.”

“How many outlaws have you met, Lily Winter?”

“Just you.”

“Then there's no way to know if I'm strange or not.”

Her muffled laughter puffed against the skin at his throat. “You have an answer for everything, don't you?”

“Not everything.”

Nothing in his career had prepared him for this encounter. Over the years he'd hardened himself to the anguish of others. He'd had to. There were victims. Of course there were victims. All crimes had consequences. He knew that better than anyone. Despite that, or perhaps because of his unique insight, he'd always remained aloof from the suffering.

“We should go.” Lily rubbed her ear against his shoulder. “We can't let them capture you. We can still make St. Joseph, even if we miss the train tonight.”

“I've gotten out of tighter scrapes,” he said. “I'll get out of his one.”

“You were in Frozen Oaks because of Vic, weren't you?”

“What makes you think that?”

“You're a gun for hire. He's the only man in Frozen Oaks with enough money to care.”

“You missed your calling.” Jake stared into the crackling flames. “You should have been a detective.”

“Did he hire you for something?”

“No.”

All the work he'd done had been for nothing. He'd have to start the case over from scratch. Returning was out of the question.

He'd always prided himself on his honor. Everything he'd done up until this point had been little more than playacting. The danger had always been his and his alone.

Not anymore.

He was more danger to them with his current identity. There was no way of shedding his role until he contacted his superior. There wasn't anyone in Steele City he trusted.

Though the sky was overcast, the muted light showed the weary circles beneath Lily's eyes. Exhaustion was catching up with her, sapping her strength. She wasn't the only one adept at reading the clues. He took careful note of the little telltale signs—the slight drooping at the edge of her mouth, the increasing pallor of her porcelain skin.

The longer he lingered between Steele City and Frozen Oaks, the more likely it was he'd be captured. He'd made a fool of the sheriff, and the man wasn't likely to forgive and forget. If Jake's fortunes held, he'd be able to contact the US Marshals before they hanged him for kidnapping and the jailbreak. If his fortune didn't hold, well, he had no one to blame but himself.

“We've wasted enough time.” Lily struggled away from his embrace. “We don't have much longer before the sheriff is sprung. We all need a good meal.”

She made to push off and winced, then cradled her arm against her side.

“What is it?” Her face had taken on a pallor that sent Jake's stomach clenching. “You've been hurt.”

“It's nothing.”

When he reached for her arm, she flinched away.

“Show me.”

“No.”

“Show me or I'll fire this gun into the air and alert everyone from Steele City to St. Joseph of our location.”

“You wouldn't.”

He reached for his holster.

“Stop!” she called. “You don't play fair.”

“That'll teach you to hitch your wagon to an outlaw.”

She reluctantly extended her hand. “It isn't broken.”

“I'll see for myself.”

He examined the fragile bones of her wrist. A darkening purple bruise marred her pale skin.

“Just as I thought,” he said. “You've sprained your wrist. You can barely ride with two hands, let alone one.”

“I said that I was fine.” She scrambled upright and swayed on her feet. “I can ride.”

He leapt beside her and steadied her. “You're exhausted. You're unsteady on your feet.”

“I'm not giving up. How much farther?”

“Lily, I'm a grown man. I can make my own decisions. We're resting until I'm certain you can make the rest of the trip.”

“I'm a grown woman, and I can make my own decisions, as well. I say we're moving forward.”

“You can't ride with a sprained wrist. End of discussion.”

The two brothers had followed the volley of words between them, their heads turning in unison. Sam raised his hand as though they were in school and he was requesting a turn.

“Yes, Sam.” Jake sighed. “What is it?”

“Why don't you and Lily ride together the rest of the way?”

Lily perked up. “I like that idea.”

“She doesn't weigh very much,” Sam continued. “Her horse is still fresh. We can't make the same speed, but we can come close.”

“Yes,” Lily said, grasping his lapels. “Please.”

The brothers crowded around him and hopped up and down. “Please.”

“Easy there.” Jake held up his hands. “I told you, I have to think of the safety of everyone in this group.”

“Including your own,” Lily implored. “You said it yourself. A posse is liable to shoot first and ask questions later. We'll need to be off this trail and in town before those children are safe.”

The longer he stayed out in the open, the more likely his capture. Justice was swift and resolute in this part of the country. If caught, there was little chance of him escaping a possible hanging. By the time word reached his commander back in Washington, he'd be wearing a stone hat in the lonely corner of the cemetery.

Lily took his hands. He hadn't replaced his glove, and she'd removed one of hers. The warmth of her hand was comforting.

She gazed up at him, her eyes pleading. “I didn't mean to trap you in this position. I saw a way to break you out of jail, and I seized the opportunity. Sam and Peter weren't safe in Frozen Oaks. Until we find their grandfather, you and I are all they have.”

She was forthright, brave and not a little headstrong. A trait that both annoyed and enthralled him. How had her staunch, unflagging belief in the goodness of others survived? She wasn't sheltered or naive. He didn't doubt she'd seen tragedy in her life. Her gaze was shrewd, her disposition fearless. She'd known loss. The more he knew of her, the more curious he became about the forces that had shaped her.