A Big Sky Christmas (12 page)

The news hit Savannah hard. She gasped as if she'd been punched in the stomach. Beside her, Bodie put a hand on her arm to steady her.

“Oh, Cyrus, I'm so sorry,” she was able to say after a moment. “Are you hurt badly? Was anyone else hurt?”

Cyrus waved a hand. “Don't worry about me, child. This isn't the first time I've been roughed up. I'll be fine. Harry Sennett has a broken arm, but no one else suffered anything except bumps and bruises.”

Bodie asked, “Why would they do something like that?”

“Because they were looking for me,” Savannah answered before Cyrus could say anything. “Isn't that right?”

“Aye,” Cyrus answered with a shrug. The gesture made him wince. “Kane demanded to know if you were here, and when I told him you weren't, he said that I was lying. One of his men hit me, and Harry jumped into the fight. He wasn't any match for them, though. The commotion drew the rest of the troupe. We tried to give a good account of ourselves, but”—he shrugged again—“we're performers, not brawlers.”

“Wish I'd been here to lend you a hand,” Jamie MacCallister growled.

Cyrus looked him up and down. “My, you're big as a mountain, aren't you, friend? I wish you'd been here, too. Who's this, Savannah?”

“This is Mr. MacCallister. He's the wagon master for that wagon train camped down the street. He helped us after Mr. Cantrell got me away from Kane's men to start with.”

“I'm afraid I'm not acquainted with young Mr. Cantrell, either . . . although you do look a bit familiar, sir.”

“I was in the audience at the show tonight.”

“Ah! That explains it.” Cyrus still looked puzzled, though. “You're a friend of Savannah's?”

“He is now,” she said. “He risked his life fighting Kane's men when they tried to kidnap me. We got away and hid among Mr. MacCallister's wagons.”

“I'm starting to get the players straight,” Cyrus said with a nod. He turned to Moses Danzig. “And you are . . . ?”

Moses introduced himself, then added, “I'm going to Montana Territory with Jamie and the rest of the wagon train.”

Jamie asked, “Did anybody send for the law while that ruckus with Kane's men was going on?”

Cyrus nodded. “One of our people did. But that just made things worse. When the police came in—” He had to stop and draw a deep breath. “When the police came in, Kane and his men claimed that
we
had attacked
them
. He accused us of being criminals. He said we had pickpockets working the crowd and that we were no better than gypsies.”

“Let me guess,” Jamie said with a frown. “The law believed them.”

Cyrus spread his hands helplessly. “Kane and his family are rich. Of course the authorities believed him. The officers threatened to run us out of town . . . but Kane said he didn't want to cause trouble for us and told them he didn't want to press charges. After the police left, though, he said he would see to it that we were all thrown in jail unless we turned Savannah over to him. Then he told us we had until morning to find her and take her to his house.”

Savannah felt sick and light-headed. If not for Bodie's hand on her arm, she might have collapsed. How could things have taken such a bad turn, so quickly? She hadn't done anything to cause it. She'd just been going about her job, following her calling, practicing her art. Then suddenly, without any warning, Gideon Kane had walked into her dressing room, and with him had come pure evil.

That was just the way things were in life, she told herself. Bad things happened for no apparent reason.

But understanding that and being able to accept it were two different things. It wasn't fair for Cyrus and the other members of the troupe to suffer just because Gideon Kane had decided he had to have her.

“Listen,” she said, speaking quickly so she wouldn't back out on going through with the idea that had just occurred to her. “I have to leave the troupe.”

“What?” Cyrus said with a confused frown. “No! You don't need to do that. We'll figure some way out of this—”

“There isn't any other way out of it,” she told him. “Kane will use the law against you, and you know he'll get away with it, too. At the very least, he'll have you run out of town. At worst, you'll all be locked up. I can't stand to have that on my conscience, Cyrus. I just can't.”

“We'll fight him,” Cyrus insisted. “I'll hire a lawyer and fight him in court.”

Savannah shook her head. “No lawyer worth anything will want to go up against the Kane family. There's just no other answer, Cyrus, and you know it.”

He looked miserable as he tried to come up with something else to say and couldn't. Finally he managed to ask, “But where will you go?”

Savannah turned to look at Jamie MacCallister. “To Montana Territory. You can find a place for me in your wagon train, can't you, Mr. MacCallister?”

“It's not really my wagon train,” Jamie replied. “I don't have any say over who stays and who goes, as long as they follow my orders once we're on the trail.”

“I can follow orders. I'm good at taking direction, aren't I, Cyrus?”

“You're a quick study,” Cyrus admitted. “You won't be playing a part, though, Savannah. You'd really be an immigrant.”

With a faint smile, she said, “Isn't all life just playing a part, at least to a certain extent? We know what we're supposed to do because we've read it in books and seen it onstage. And then as we live it, it becomes real.”

“I suppose you could look at it like that,” Cyrus said grudgingly. “But I don't want to lose you. Neither will the others.”

“It's for their own good. The troupe has to come first.” Still smiling, she added, “The show must go on.”

Cyrus winced again. “To have such a hoary old chestnut used against me.” He sighed. “Very well. You'll probably be safer with a behemoth such as Mr. MacCallister rather than with a bunch of actors. No offense intended by that behemoth comment, sir.”

“None taken,” Jamie said with a grin. “I know I'm a big galoot.” He grew more serious. ”I'm not sure about you being any safer, though, Miss McCoy. We're talking about going all the way to Montana, not on some picnic lunch. Hundreds of miles of riding in a wagon that's not very comfortable, miserable weather, maybe hostile Indians and outlaws. Lots of bad things can happen.”

“Something bad
will
happen if I stay here,” Savannah pointed out. “Gideon Kane has seen to that. Besides, maybe I wouldn't have to go all the way to Montana. The troupe's next stop is Des Moines, isn't that right, Cyrus?”

“Yes, we'll be there in a couple weeks.”

“I could travel with the wagon train for a week or so, long enough for Kane to give up on finding me, then leave and join the troupe again in Des Moines.”

“You can't go gallivanting across the prairie by yourself.” Bodie looked at Jamie. “You still interested in hiring another scout, Mr. MacCallister?”

Jamie regarded him with narrowed eyes. “A temporary scout? Just for a week? I don't know about that. But I don't reckon I can stop you from coming along, if that's what you want. You'll have to talk to Captain Hendricks about it, though. He's in charge of the bunch.”

Savannah frowned. “Mr. Cantrell, I can't ask you to—”

“You're not asking me to do anything,” Bodie interrupted. “I'm volunteering.” He paused. “I'll have to talk to some friends of mine, though, and let them know that I'm leaving.”

“It's very thoughtful of you to want to help me. I really appreciate it.”

“Hey, I don't like that fella Kane, either,” Bodie said. “Anything I can do to put a burr under his saddle, I'm all for it.”

Moses spoke up. “I don't want to throw cold water on these plans, but how are you going to convince Kane that you're gone, Miss McCoy? He's liable to think that the troupe is just hiding you.”

Savannah frowned again. “I hadn't thought about that. I know. I'll write him a letter telling him that I'm leaving Kansas City and leaving the troupe. You can give it to him, Cyrus.”

“Even if you do that, there's no guarantee that he'll believe it.”

“He can search the hotel and the theater. He can come to all the performances. I really will be gone, so when he can't find me he'll have no choice but to believe it.”

Cyrus rubbed his chin and frowned in thought. After a moment he said, “Hmm. It
might
work. . . .”

“It's the only chance we have to keep him from causing more trouble for the troupe.”

“You won't tell him where you're going, just that you're leaving town?”

Savannah glanced at Jamie and Bodie. “That's right. I don't want to cause trouble for those immigrants, either.”

“I'm not worried too much about some rich young wastrel like that, miss,” Jamie told her. “I reckon I've dealt with a lot worse in my time.”

“All right, it's settled then. I'm starting to Montana with the wagon train. That is, if I can find someone to let me travel with them . . .”

Moses said, “That shouldn't be a problem. There are plenty of families who ought to be willing to make room for you. These are good people, Miss McCoy.”

“I'm sure they are.” She put a hand on Cyrus's arm. “And if I don't show up in Des Moines, you'll know not to wait for me. Just go on with the tour.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked. “Why wouldn't you join us?”

“Well, something might happen. As Mr. MacCallister pointed out, a trip like this could be dangerous.” Savannah smiled. “Or you never know . . . once I'm on the way, I might decide that I want to be a pioneer woman!”

“We'd better go out the back way,” Bodie suggested before they left the hotel. Savannah had gone upstairs and quickly packed her carpetbag. Luckily, the troupe's nomadic existence had taught her the art of traveling light. “Kane could've posted somebody outside to keep an eye on the place.”

Jamie said, “I thought of the same thing. That's why I had a good look around when we came up. I didn't see anybody skulking around, but it's possible I missed something. We'll go out the back just to be sure.”

Bodie had a hunch it would be hard to out-think Jamie MacCallister, and it was mighty unlikely that he would miss anything, too. He had heard of the big frontiersman. Anybody who had been around as long as Jamie had, leading that sort of adventurous life, was bound to be pretty cunning, not to mention experienced in all kinds of trouble.

Savannah had found pen and ink and paper behind the registration desk and quickly written a note for Gideon Kane, telling him that she was quitting the troupe and leaving Kansas City, to boot. She didn't tell him where she was going, but she warned him not to try to find her. She read the message out loud to the others, then sealed it and gave it to Cyrus O'Hanlon to have it delivered to Kane.

Cyrus insisted on calling the rest of the troupe down to the lobby so they could say good-bye to Savannah. It was an emotional farewell, full of hugs and tears, and it bothered Bodie that she had to abandon the life she enjoyed just because of some worthless skunk like Gideon Kane.

Finally Savannah was able to tear herself away from her friends and colleagues. She and Bodie, along with Jamie and Moses, went to the hotel's back door.

Jamie said, “Better let me go out first and have a look around, just to make sure Kane's men haven't set up an ambush for us.”

“I'll come with you,” Bodie said.

“No, you stay here. In case anything happens to me, you'll have to look out for Miss McCoy.”

“What about me?” Moses asked.

“Have you got a gun?”

“Well . . . no.”

“Ever fired a gun?”

“Actually, I haven't.”

“Then you'd best stay here with Cantrell and Miss McCoy,” Jamie said. “Stick to doing whatever it is rabbis do and let me burn any powder that needs burning.”

“When you put it like that, I see your point,” Moses said.

Jamie slipped out the door, moving with unusual grace for such a big man, and returned after a few tense minutes to report that the coast seemed to be clear. “Kane's probably convinced that he spooked your friends so bad they won't have any choice but to turn you over to him, Miss McCoy.”

“Since we're all going to be traveling together, why don't you call me Savannah?” she suggested. “And the three of you will be Bodie and Moses and . . . Mr. MacCallister.”

That brought a chuckle from Jamie.

Savannah smiled. “It's just that you're old enough to be my, well, my father.”

“I'm older than that, girl,” Jamie said. “I could be your grandpa. But I've never cared much what folks call me, as long as they don't call me late for supper.”

Bodie grinned. “I figured you were going to say that.”

Savannah changed the subject. “Kane is underestimating just how tough Cyrus and the others are. They'd never help him.”

“They wouldn't as long as he didn't box 'em in where they didn't have any choice. Maybe that letter of yours will keep that from happening.”

They went into the alley behind the hotel. It was pitch black, but Jamie led them through it as if it were bright as day. A short time later, they were back at the wagon train camp, which was still dark and peaceful.

Jamie went to one of the wagons, knocked softly on the tailgate, and called, “Cap'n Hendricks.”

A man with tousled hair stuck his head out of the wagon. “Who's there?” He thrust the twin barrels of a shotgun over the tailgate.

Jamie grasped the barrels and shoved them skyward. “Take it easy with that greener,” he snapped. “It's MacCallister and Moses Danzig. We've got a couple more pilgrims for your expedition, and one of 'em's going to be my third scout, at least for the time being.”

Wearing a long nightshirt much like the one Moses had been sporting earlier, Captain Hendricks climbed out of his wagon and listened as Jamie introduced Bodie and Savannah and explained the situation.

When Jamie was finished with the story, Hendricks said, “Normally when a person joins a wagon train, they have to contribute something—”

“I can pay,” Savannah broke in. “I have a little money saved up.”

Hendricks smiled and shook his head. “I was about to say that under the circumstances, I think we can forget about that, at least for now. Since it's possible you may not be with us for long, there's even less reason to worry about it.” The wagon train captain scratched his angular jaw. “Now, there's the matter of finding you a place. . . .”

“What about with the Binghams?” Moses suggested. “There's just the two of them, so they'd probably have room in their wagon.”

“Yes, that might work.” Hendricks turned to Savannah. “They're a couple getting on in age, really probably too old to have pulled up stakes and started west like they did, but their children are all grown and Edward Bingham wanted to see some new country. Can't say as I blame him. I feel sort of the same way myself.”

“Once a man's feet get restless, there's not much he can do about it except move on,” Jamie said. “I know that feeling mighty well.”

So did Bodie. He had been pretty fiddle-footed himself since his parents' deaths had left him alone, but it was from necessity, not choice. As filled with trouble as his life had been, he'd had to stay on the move.

That thought reminded him that he still had something to do before morning, something pretty important. He had to see about getting his share of the train robbery loot from Eldon Swint.

Now that they had obtained Captain Hendricks's approval for joining the wagon train, Moses took Savannah to the wagon belonging to the elderly couple. Before they left, Bodie said to her, “I'll see you later.”

“I really hate to disrupt whatever plans you had,” she said.

“Trust me, I didn't have any real plans, and you're not disrupting a thing.”

That was true. For her sake, he hated what Savannah was having to go through, but it was a good excuse to leave the gang. He had never been that comfortable riding with Swint and the others, and after the cold-blooded murder of that station agent, Bodie wanted more than ever to get away from them.

As Savannah and Moses walked off, Bodie hung back with Jamie. “There's something I have to do before I can leave in the morning.”

“Yeah, you said something about that before. You need a hand with whatever it is?”

That was just the sort of man Jamie MacCallister was, thought Bodie. Jamie had to at least suspect that Bodie's business might involve some degree of danger, but he'd volunteered to come along anyway, without the slightest hesitation. By that, Bodie could tell that Jamie already considered him a friend, and it was a good feeling.

He shook his head. “No, I can handle it. But I'm obliged to you for the offer.”

“We're pulling out at first light. You'll need to be back here by then.”

“I will be,” Bodie promised.