A Family for the Holidays (9 page)

“Your plan was clever and unexpected,” he said. “If you ever decide on a life of crime, promise you'll look me up.”

“Be careful who you challenge.”

“Now you're using my words against me.”

“I never promised to fight fair.”

“You'll turn up safe and sound in St. Joseph,” Jake said. She also had an overdeveloped sense of responsibility. “Sheriff Koepke had no reason to throw me in jail. He might even keep the jailbreak a secret. Jailbreaks are bad for reelection.”

He didn't believe his own words, but it was a small fib, and he figured he'd be forgiven since his intentions were good.

“Which means we have to reach Steele City and catch the train. That gives you time to put distance between you and the sheriff. Just until the search quiets.” She glanced away. “I'm sorry about the trouble I caused you. When I first came to town, I made a lot of incorrect assumptions. I didn't know where to turn, and I believed the wrong people.”

“You were fed a bunch of lies from people you thought you could trust. You're a person who looks for the good in others. That's a fine trait. You're a kind human being who expects the best out of people.”

He considered telling her his true identity and discarded the idea just as quickly. He'd waited too long. She'd never believe him. He had no proof and no way to back up his claim.

The wind picked up, tugging at her skirts and tangling through her hair. The brothers had come up with an excellent solution. Lily didn't weigh much. She'd be no burden for his horse. Lily's horse could be led by one of the children.

“Mount up,” he called.

Lily's face flooded with joy. “Thank you.”

“Don't thank me yet. We've still got twenty minutes of hard riding ahead of us.”

Her joyous expression morphed into a grimace. “I'll manage.”

He mounted first, removed his foot from the stirrup and reached for her. He guided her knee and hooked her right leg over the saddle horn, maneuvering her to sit sideways in his arms. She glanced over her shoulder; her nose was pink with cold, and he tugged her muffler over the chilled flesh.

She wrapped her arms around his middle and clung to his waist. “I can't sit like this.”

“You're not used to riding. The change in position will help your sore muscles.”

“I'll fall off.”

“I won't let you.”

He circled her waist beneath her ribs and grasped the reins, then kicked his horse into a gallop. She gasped and tightened her arms around his middle, then buried her face in his chest. As the horse's hooves chewed up the miles, her trembling gradually abated and the warmth of their bodies melded.

Her absolute trust invoked a fierce protectiveness. He wasn't letting anything happen to Lily or the boys. Even if that meant risking his own life.

They arrived on the outskirts of town and Jake led them to a ramshackle abandoned hut he'd discovered on an earlier scouting mission. Only three walls and part of the roof remained. The dirt floor was covered in matted leaves and filth, but at least the space offered a modicum of shelter against the elements.

They dismounted and gathered near one of the crumbling walls.

“The train depot isn't very far,” Jake said. “I'll buy the tickets and return for the horses.”

As long as they were ahead of the posse, the four of them might as well continue moving forward. After Lily had fallen from her horse, he'd known he couldn't leave the trio until they boarded the train. He'd ensure they were safe, even if that meant sacrificing his own security.

“No,” Lily said. “You're too recognizable. Let me buy the tickets. No one will take notice of me, but people might recall a big, scary fur trapper.”

“You might be right.” Jake tugged on his beard. “Do I really look scary?”

“Well, not scary perhaps. But intimidating.”

That was good. He was supposed to be intimidating. Why did the realization bother him so much?

He hesitated. Losing sight of her, even for a moment, sent a shaft of pure fear straight through him. After checking his pocket watch, he glanced over the horizon. He took out a scope and searched the tree line. There wasn't much cover. If a posse had formed, he'd see the movement.

Everything about this felt wrong. He was a lawman; he should be turning Lily and the boys over to the law for protection. Except he was out of his territory, and he didn't have anyone he could trust. The weeks he'd spent in this part of Nebraska had shaken his faith in his fellow lawmen. Delivering her to the sheriff in Steele City might be the same as delivering her into the hands of Vic Skaar.

Was he willing to take the risk?

Jake stared into the wide, innocent eyes of the two boys and made his decision. “All right. You buy the tickets.”

He handed her a wad of bills and she shook her head. “I can't take this,” she said.

“You've got a long journey ahead of you. You'll need every cent.”

“All right.” She hesitated another beat. “Thank you.”

“How is your hand?”

She flexed her wrist. “Good as new.”

She reluctantly took the money. Her chin trembled almost imperceptibly before she set her jaw. He'd already recognized a fierce pride in her that mirrored his own. Neither would risk showing more vulnerability than the other.

This would be so much easier if she weren't quite as intuitive. Her mittens were threadbare and too small for even her small hands. Probably a pair left over from childhood. He had a curious need to tug the mittens free and press a kiss against her knuckles. He wanted to be whatever heroic version of himself that she'd invented in her imagination.

Standing here wasn't getting them any closer to their goal. “I'll expect you in thirty minutes. That gives you time to walk to the train depot and back. Thirty minutes, then we come looking for you.”

“You stay out of sight.”

As far as she knew, he was a gunfighter. She should be more concerned for her own safety than his.

After the first twenty minutes of waiting, his pacing took on a frantic edge. He checked his watch and muttered. He should have gone himself, no matter how memorable and intimidating his appearance.

Since that awful day at the bank, he'd seen a larger plan. He'd stepped outside himself and into something greater. The work he did, though often solitary, was part of a larger purpose. In an instant the world shrank and only the four of them remained. He'd fought so hard in grand gestures, he'd nearly forgotten the true nature of his work. Lily and her charges reduced his obsession to its purest form.

She'd flipped his purpose. He was supposed to be fighting men like Vic to save innocents like Lily. In order to maintain his focus, he'd carefully kept those innocents abstract in his mind. That's what had killed his mother—a hesitation. He couldn't hesitate in his work. The people he fought for were always a manifestation of the victims at the bank. Lily had turned the abstract into a flesh-and-blood person. If he wasn't careful, she'd remove the barriers he'd erected between his feelings and his work.

He couldn't let that happen. His focus was vital. Losing that focus left him exposed and vulnerable. He needed that distance.

Jake looped the reins around his hands. “Let's look for Lily.”

“All right,” the two agreed readily.

The three of them secured the horses and set off in the direction Lily had taken. They'd barely taken a dozen steps when they caught sight of her rushing forward. She was breathless and he thought he noticed a slight hitch in her step.

“I have good news and bad news,” she said. “Which would you like first?”

Chapter Nine

J
ake did not look pleased. Given that Lily had turned him into a kidnapper, he had reason to be annoyed. Granted, given his job, he'd probably been in tighter scrapes before. Still, through no fault of his own, he was a wanted man for a crime he hadn't committed.

Jake set his jaw. “Tell me what's happened. What took you so long?”

“We didn't miss the train. Bad weather has all the trains delayed. Everything west of here is running behind.”

“How long?”

“At least two hours.”

Jake rubbed his eyes with a thumb and forefinger. “That's too much time. Vic will have discovered the sheriff by then, and word will be out.”

“Maybe we're overreacting,” Lily said. “I got the distinct impression that the sheriff didn't care very much what happened to me.”

“We've humiliated him. We locked him up in his own jail.” Jake paced the rotted floorboards of their temporary shelter. “I'll wait around until the train leaves, just to ensure there's no trouble, then I'll head north.”

“You can't do that. The longer you delay, the more likely they are to catch you.”

“I let you plan the first part of this escape—you can't have the second part.”

Lily crossed her arms over her chest. The throbbing in her leg had left her peevish. The turkey had scratched her in its escape. She'd taken a closer look in town, and the wound was deeper than she'd thought. A fact she didn't plan on sharing with Jake.

“Stop being difficult and listen,” she ordered.

“All right.” A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. “I'm listening.”

“We're cold, we're tired, and I'm starving. When the sheriff puts up the alarm, they'll be looking for a woman and two children, and a man with a beard. We have to ensure that's not what they see.”

“I can shave off my beard. How do you propose to change your looks?”

“First off, Sam and I will go into town, rent a room and gather our supplies. You and Peter will meet us there. I did a little scouting—that's what took me so long. There's a back staircase into the hotel. Keep your head bundled and your hat on. The less people see of your face the better.”

“Agreed.”

“There is one more thing that will make this charade perfect.” Lily knelt before Sam. “You know what that is?”

“I think so.” Sam's expression turned mutinous. “Do I have to?”

“I know I'm asking a lot of you,” Lily said. “You don't have to do anything that you don't want to. But your part could be the difference between success and failure. In order to keep our cover, we can't be seen in any combination of the people the law will be searching for.”

Sam dragged off her cap, revealing two coiled braids, then removed the pins holding them in place. They flopped over her shoulders.

Jake gaped. “Sam is a girl.”

“My name is Samantha.” She crossed her arms and glared. “How long have you known?”

“From the beginning,” Lily admitted. Revealing the truth was a weight off her shoulders. “The judge gave me some paperwork. Your name was listed as Samantha.”

“Hah,” Sam declared. “You cheated.”

“Yes, I cheated. You're a rather convincing boy.” Lily gave Sam a quick squeeze around the shoulders. “We're all making sacrifices. Now, come along, we don't have much time.”

“If you knew I was a girl, why didn't you say something before?” Sam remained skeptical. “Why did you go along?”

“I was trying to respect your privacy.” Lily held out her hand. “Are you ready for some shopping?”

“I suppose,” Sam grumbled. “Don't you even want to know why I was pretending?”

“Why were you pretending?”

“Because it's safer for girls if people think they're boys. And also because boys get to do more stuff. Plus, I don't like dresses.”

“I can't argue with any of that. All right, we still need to drop off the horses at the livery.” Lily straightened. “We'll meet Jake and Peter at the back door of the Steele City Hotel in one hour.”

“I haven't agreed to your plan yet,” Jake said. “I reserve the right to back out if I think there's even a hint of danger.”

“Agreed.”

The snow was soft and slushy. Steele City was much larger than Frozen Oaks, which suited her purpose. Since the sun hung low on the horizon, she walked quickly. She discovered a sign for a tailor advertising ready-made clothing and ducked inside. After fifteen minutes of searching and haggling, she and Sam left with their arms full of paper-wrapped packages. Her pockets were also considerably lighter, but she'd worry about that later.

She couldn't bring herself to use Vic's money. The bills felt tainted.

The next stop was the mercantile. She paused in the doorway and inhaled the familiar scent of snap pickles and lemon floor wax. She and Sam made several more purchases. By the time they reached the hotel, their arms were overflowing.

She procured a suite since they'd all need to clean up and change. The clerk who reached behind the counter for the key barely flicked a glance in her direction. With the train depot marking the final stop on the St. Joseph and Western Railroad Line, strangers were probably a common sight.

Reaching into her reticule, she nearly choked out a sob as she handed over the cost of two adjoining rooms. She'd spent nearly the entirety of the rest of the down payment for the boardinghouse. So much for her being sensible. She'd started this trip to make money, and nearly the whole of her second payment had been frittered away.

Throwing back her shoulders, she made her way to the suite. She and Sam dumped their packages and closed the shades, yanking on the fringe tassels until the room was darkened.

Sam lit a kerosene lamp.

Lily paused. “Where did you find matches?”

“Jake gave them to us to build a fire.”

“Be careful you don't burn yourself.”

“Stop fussing.”

After peering into the corridor, Lily slipped through the passage and waited by the back staircase.

She checked the watch pinned to her bodice and heard a knock on the door at the precise time she'd indicated. Jake was nothing if not punctual.

She waved them inside. “Quickly. Did anyone see you?”

“No one set up the alarms,” Jake replied. “If that's what you're worried about. The horses are at the livery.”

“Good.”

She ushered them down the narrow corridor to the first set of doors of their adjoining rooms.

Her plan was sound. Once Jake saw them outfitted in her purchases, he'd have no objections. She'd be home by tomorrow. In an instant the rush of anticipation dissipated and an unexpected melancholy took hold instead. Despite the fact that she was returning home, she couldn't shake the nagging sensation that the changes taking place in her life were permanent.

All the traveling had left her weary and irritable. Perhaps her exhaustion explained why the thought of spending the rest of her days carrying linens up and down stairs no longer held the same appeal.

Sam leapt onto the bed and bounced. “This place is great.”

“Stop bouncing.” Peter threw himself backward onto the mattress. “I'm tired.”

Sam shook the bed again.

“Don't tease your brother,” Lily admonished. “This day has been trying, and we're all exhausted and peevish.”

“This day has been amazing,” Peter said. “I broke an outlaw out of jail, I was a hostage and I escaped a posse.”

Lily groaned. “I sound like the worst chaperone ever when you put the events in that order.”

“Nuh-uh.” Sam shook her head. “You're the best.”

She pictured holding the deed to the boardinghouse in her hand and waited for the familiar thrill of pride. Nothing manifested. Instead, she pictured nonstop mountains of dishes and never-ending piles of laundry.

She forced all thoughts of drudgery from her head.

What other future did she have? She wasn't an adventurous person. She was a homebody. Running with outlaws and hiding from the law should not, under any circumstances, be thrilling. Yet the unexpected kick of excitement remained. There was something of her father's blood in her after all. She didn't know whether to be ecstatic or horrified.

Jake doffed his hat, and Sam and Peter explored the adjoining room. A cheerful fire burned in the grate and Lily arranged her purchases on the bureau.

“Sit,” Jake ordered abruptly. “Have something to eat. Warm yourself. We've been traveling hard. You deserve a rest.”

“I'm afraid if I slow down, I'll collapse into exhaustion and never wake again.”

“At least have something to eat.”

She and Sam had gathered tinned peaches, a loaf of bread and a hunk of cheese from the mercantile. They'd also procured a tin of crackers and jar of homemade jam. She tossed a protective blanket over the bed and arranged their feast.

All four of them were famished, and they lapsed into silence as they ate. The stress of the day had taken a toll. Outside a sleety snow had started to fall. The flakes tapped against the windowpanes. Inside, the room was warm and cozy. With her stomach full, the tension from her shoulders eased.

“Good eats,” Sam said. She sat back and patted her stomach. “What now? Where do we go next?”

“We're traveling back to St. Joseph. That's where this all started. We'll speak with the judge.”

“Grandpa is dead, isn't he?” Peter ducked his head. “That's why he didn't come to meet us.”

“You mustn't think like that.” Lily moved to sit next to him and wrapped one arm around his shoulders. “We don't know for certain what happened to your grandpa. For now, all we know is that your grandpa chose a very odd town for his home, and that he's taken a trip without telling anyone. There wasn't anything in his rooms or in the barbershop that indicated where he might have gone.”

Peter's brown eyes shimmered. “What will happen to us if Grandpa Emil really is dead?”

“When we return to St. Joseph, we'll speak with the judge who located your grandpa in the first place. He might have more information. Either way, he's the one who will decide your future.”

“Is it bad that I'm not sad about Grandpa?” Sam asked, her eyes wide and unblinking. “I don't remember ever meeting him.”

“No,” Lily said. “I'd feel the same as you. It's rather difficult to be sad about someone you've never met, isn't it? Even if they're family. There's nothing bad about that.”

“Yeah.” Sam's expression seemed to lighten. “You're right. It's like reading about someone in the newspaper.”

Lily glanced at Jake, and he gave a nod of encouragement.

“And we don't have to live with that pale guy?” Peter asked.

“Absolutely not.”

“Good. I didn't like him.”

“I'll tell you this much,” Lily continued. “I'm not giving up yet. This is merely a setback. People rarely disappear. Your grandfather must have left behind a clue. We'll talk with the judge—we'll hire a Pinkerton detective if we have to. Once we're back in St. Joseph, there'll be no more running and hiding from men like Vic Skaar.”

“That was fun!” Peter declared. “Better than any book I ever read.”

“And also dangerous. I should not have put you in danger.”

“I don't think that was your fault, Miss Lily,” Peter said matter-of-factly. “I think that was Emil's fault for not being where he was supposed to be.”

Her throat tightened. How typical of children to reduce the complex into a few simple words. “That's very kind of you to say.”

“What happens now?”

“Mr. Jake is going to escort us back to St. Joseph. He's going to make certain the two of you are safe.”

She wasn't giving up on him yet. He'd fight her because he thought his presence was a detriment. She'd find a way to convince him otherwise.

“And you,” Sam said. “Jake will make sure you're safe, too.”

Her heart beat in sudden, painful jerks. “Yes, and me.”

No one had looked out for her in a very long time. Not since her mother had died. Her father's grief had been all-consuming. She didn't blame him; everyone grieved differently. Yet she relished the sense of teamwork the four of them shared. She enjoyed feeling as though she was a part of something.

She was no longer a burden. She wasn't the one left behind. She was truly a part of the circle.

“Is the money why Vic wanted to be our guardian?” Peter asked. “Are we in danger, as well?”

“I don't think anyone wants to harm you.” She paused. They were children, but they also deserved the truth. “Because of the newspaper article, people will know about your wealth. They'll know you're vulnerable.” Vic's words rang in her ears
: Folks around these parts will slit your throat for an acre of land.
Lily shivered. “I simply think it's best if we take precautions. I'd rather not involve the local sheriff. Not until we can sort out what happened at the jailhouse. That means we'll have to travel incognito.”

“You mean in disguise?”

“Yes, something like that. The sheriff from Frozen Oaks is looking for a scruffy-looking gentleman who may or may not be traveling with a woman and two boys. That's why, for the next leg of our trip, we'll be traveling as a family. A mother, father, son and daughter.”

Sam clapped her hands. “I don't mind traveling as a girl because I'll be in disguise.”

“That means we're all going to alter our appearances just a touch. Sam and I picked out everything we need.”

“Then Mr. Jake is coming with us? He's not going north like he said before?”

Lily held her breath.

“Yes,” Jake said. “I'm coming with you. We're better off staying together.”

He hadn't contradicted her before, but she hadn't been certain of his cooperation until he said the words. Thus far, he'd kept all his promises. He wouldn't lie to the children.