Along The Fortune Trail (15 page)

Blaine slept, and the rest of them took their meal around the fire when Sammy opened up the conversation. “Where are you women from?”

They all looked up at him, but it was Emily who spoke first. “I live outside the village of Abiquiu with my husband and two sons. But I don't know where that is from here or how far. They took me from my own yard when I was bringing in wood. My husband was out hunting that morning with our boy, Grayson. He's eight. Torbin, our five-year-old, was inside. They never went in, I don't think. They blindfolded me. It was January eleventh. We've all been here through the winter.” She paused and looked at Sammy as if for help making some sense of it.

“Abiquiu's not too far from here—mostly east—maybe twenty, twenty-five miles,” Sammy said.

“We rode many hours—close to a day, I think,” Emily replied.

Claire suddenly spoke out. “They killed Jonas … my husband! There's no one else.” She began to weep.

“She has family in Texas,” Emily said. “Isn't that right, dear?” Emily grabbed Claire's hand and squeezed it.

“Yes … but …” Claire did not finish the sentence.

“She and her husband lived by Santa Fe,” Emily said.

Sammy considered that. “These renegades covered some territory. That's two or three days from here.” Sammy looked at Margaret. He thought for a moment about the resiliency of youth versus the ordeal she'd been through. “And you, Margaret. Where are you from?”

She looked at him with pause, as though gathering her thoughts from a place she cared not to delve. “We live in Cordova,” she began. “I was on a stagecoach with my father on the way to Santa Fe. They killed him and the other men. My mother and brothers are still in Cordova … I hope.”

“I'm sure they are,” Sammy said confidently. “My partner and me were headed for Denver. But tomorrow we'll make for your place, Missus Evans. From there, we'll head for Santa Fe. We'll see that you get back to your family in Cordova.” Then Sammy looked into Claire's eyes. “And ma'am, we'll get you to wherever you decide you want to go. I'm not sure about the timing of all this yet. My partner's lost a lot of blood … not sure how he'll do.”

“You all can stay with us as long as you want,” Emily said.

“Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate that. We'll see how it goes.”

After they ate, Sammy built a fire next to the brook at the rear of the cave and strung up some hides as a curtain. The women were grateful, taking the opportunity to bathe the best they could. The two cowboys moved back to a position in the shadows, and Sammy took up watch while Blaine slept again in a sort of delirium. When Blaine awoke, Sammy served him up some elk and frybread with coffee. Blaine had struggled to get up, his leg swollen and stiff beyond use. “Stay put. I'll get you a plate.”

“I gotta get up sometime to piss.”

“Well, if it ain't right now, you might as well lie there and eat.”

“Yeah, maybe I'll wait a little.” Blaine felt a rush of dizziness and half fell, returning to a lying position. As he ate, Sammy told him about where the women were from and what he figured they needed to do. Blaine agreed. They talked about the weather and the terrain of the new routes and the way they'd mount up with four horses. Then they talked about a watch schedule for the night and about Blaine's leg.

“You'll need to see a doctor about your leg.”

“I reckon. But I'll be all right for now. You just wake me after a spell. You're gonna need some sleep too.”

“Yeah.”

T
he storm quit early in the evening like a vanishing act, leaving behind a still, cloudless sky of twinkling orbs looking freshly polished. Sammy let Blaine sleep most of the night, watching the restless nature of it brought by the pain. When Blaine did awaken from his diluted sleep, he quickly sat upright and grabbed his rifle. “Go on and get some sleep now,” he said, half irritated. “You were supposed to wake me.”

“You need the rest more than me. You bled out like a stuck hog … bound to be a little weak.”

“Anymore of that coffee? That's all I need.”

Sammy poured him a cup. “All right. I'll be up in an hour. If I'm not, wake me,” Sammy said, and hunkered down.

Sleep came instantly to him, deep and dreamless like a necessity of exile. He awoke exactly an hour later feeling refreshed and anxious. He looked over at Blaine, who sat stoically pondering. “I'm goin’ out and take a look around,” Sammy said as he got to his feet and pulled on his coat and hat.

Blaine got raggedly to his feet. “I'll go with you.” He limped badly for several steps, but then improved slightly as if learning how best to compensate for his condition.

The night was stark and crisp and all was quiet as they looked around the canyon blanketed with snow. An owl hooted. “It'll come light in another hour,” Blaine said.

“Yeah. We need to ride out of here before then.”

“I hope that red bastard ain't out there just waitin’ to take a shot at us when we leave.”

“I know.”

The women were up, and eagerness permeated their demeanor and their every move. “We can make breakfast quickly,” Emily said.

“We don't have time for that. We'll take some of that cooked elk with us and eat later,” Sammy replied.

“What can we do?”

“Be ready to go in fifteen minutes. We're ridin’ out of here while it's still dark … and we'll be movin’.”

“We'll be ready.”

Sammy and Blaine saddled their horses as the animals stamped and snorted. Sammy reached in his saddlebag, then came to Dobe's head and slipped his open palm with the biscuit on it under his horse's mouth. “You'll be eatin’ more soon enough.” He tossed a biscuit to Blaine.

“Is this for me or my horse?”

“I wouldn't give the horse a choice if you really want it.”

Blaine shot him a straight look. “Yeah, you're probably right on that.” He took half of the biscuit in one bite and fed the other half to Seesaw.

They rigged halters on the Apache horses and tied lead lines to each. Emily mounted double with Claire on the back, while Margaret sat on the other with Blaine taking her lead line. The women were bundled in buffalo hide coats and looked deadly serious about departing the place that had been their hell on earth. “All set?” Blaine asked. The women all nodded.

Sammy looked back at them. “Claire, you hold on tight to Emily. All of you lean forward and low the best you can. I don't believe that Indian is anywhere near, but we don't wanna give him too good a target if he is. If me or Blaine go down, you keep goin’. These lead lines ain't tied. Now we ain't leavin’ at a gallop, but we'll keep a fast trot or a canter goin’ till we're clear of this canyon. Any questions? Ready?”

“I'm ready,” Margaret said.

“Me too,” Claire followed.

Emily looked from Blaine to Sammy. “I don't think any of us have ever been more ready in our lives,” she said.

The horses crossed the cave at a walk and continued out the entrance, past the pile of Apache corpses and on down the outside corridor to the canyon. Sammy looked at Blaine and nodded the signal to go. Each gave the reins a light flick, and the horses came alive. All was visible as the last of the moon spilled across the snow like a canvas of incandescent light. The horses loped forward into the stillness, snow crunching beneath their hooves and their nostrils cycling the air as their muscles contracted and expanded in the lithe flexing that propelled them on seamlessly between the drifts of snow and through the trees.

The night was vacant, but the riders were weighted with unease that accumulated like the haunt of escaping an unending peril. They rode on, tense and anxious, hoping a shot would not ring out. Each minute that passed offered a greater chance, one way or the other. Finally, the dim light of approaching daybreak saw the canyon's mouth give way, flattening out as a grand exit onto upper plains that rolled wide open. They turned to the east and rode at a canter.

An hour later, the sun was up, warming their faces as they squinted against the intense glare. Sammy saw a stand of cottonwood trees. “Let's pull up over there for a minute. Give the ladies a break. I need to get a compass heading.”

“Okay,” Blaine agreed. He looked pale, and Sammy knew he was hurting. A herd of fifty elk trotted from the trees as they reined up. “Looks like we just ran ‘em outta their hotel,” Blaine said

“Storm's over. Checkout time,” Sammy replied, glad to see that Blaine still had a sense of humor.

“They're beautiful,” Claire said, as the herd trotted single file across the open expanse like a wagon train leaving Independence.

Sammy quickly dismounted and helped the women down. Blaine made a rough dismount and stood for a moment, waiting for the blood to return to his leg so that he could move on. Margaret whispered in Emily's ear and then all three women began making their way into the trees. “We'll be back in a minute,” Emily said.

“All right,” Sammy replied. He unstrapped his canteen and took a long drink, then walked out to where he had a full line of sight and pulled out his compass. Blaine hobbled out after him, smoking a cigarette. Sammy glanced at Blaine's pants. The bullet hole in the fabric was surrounded by stiff dried blood that appeared undisturbed. “How's your leg doin’?”

“Well it ain't bleedin’, I don't think.”

Sammy stepped around and looked at the backside of Blaine's pants where he'd cut the bullet out. There was a small bloodstain. “How's it look?” Blaine asked.

“Looks pretty good. I'd say that gal is quite the seamstress. Sewed you up good and tight.”

“She tied them bandages on good and tight, that's for sure. I don't reckon any blood could get outta there if it wanted to.”

“You need to get ‘em loosened?”

“Naw. They's better off tight.”

“We oughta be there in a couple more hours … Emily's place. Then I think you and me should head into Abiquiu for the night. It'll be a tender reunion. I don't wanna be a crowd.”

“What about them other gals?”

“Well, they can stay with her or go with us. We'll ask ‘em in just a minute. Tell ‘em our plans. I gotta hunch Emily will insist they stay with her. She may insist we all stay, but I'm not stayin’. Too personal.”

“Yeah, could be a mite uncomfortable. If that town don't have a hotel or a boarding house or something, we'll bunk for the stars.”

“Yep. That may help Claire and Margaret make up their minds. I'm sure they've had enough of sleepin’ on the ground if they can avoid it. I'm gonna stake ‘em the gold I pulled off that Indian.”

“Gold?”

“Yeah, maybe a thousand dollars or so. If you've got no objection, I'll give it all to them and they can split it up, or whatever.”

“Hell no, I got no objection. Those gals been through it.”

They stood in a circle with a half-foot of snow on the ground and ate biscuits and elk, and passed two canteens around. The sun grew warmer by the minute in the brilliant blue sky. “We'll be headin’ in to Abiquiu for the night after we reach your place, ma'am,” Sammy announced as they ate.

Emily frowned. “Oh no, you must stay with us.”

“Thank you, ma'am … but no. We'll be back in the mornin’. Is there a hotel in town?”

She shook her head. “No, not a proper hotel. There's a saloon, Tomingo's, that has some rooms they rent.”

“That'll be fine,” Sammy replied.

Margaret and Claire looked at one another, suddenly unsure of the situation. Emily instantly sensed it. “We have the room—an extra bed. You girls will stay with me … please.”

“That would be best,” Sammy interjected.

“Thank you, Emily. We'd like that,” Claire said.

“Good. It's settled then,” Emily replied.

As they prepared to mount up, Margaret suddenly rushed to Blaine and hugged him tightly. “Thank you for saving us,” she cried. Blaine stood surprised and uncertain with his arms out, but then brought them around her and patted her reassuringly, looking slightly uncomfortable. “I'm sorry about your leg,” she said. “It's all right. Don't you worry. I'm just real glad we happened on that cave.”

Then she let go and ran to Sammy and hugged him.

As if taken by the moment and the need to acknowledge their saviors, Claire and Emily followed Margaret's lead and hugged Blaine, both at once. “We prayed for help,” Emily whispered as Blaine held both women.

“Yes! We did!” Claire followed. “God sent you!”

“Uhh, I'm just a cowboy, ma'am. I reckon God woulda sent an army. We're sure glad we could help, though.”

Then Emily and Claire went to Sammy and hugged him. “Thank you. Thank you,” they said as they all held each other.

“Like Blaine said, we're happy we could help.”

T
he log cabin had a covered porch across the front with two rockers on it. There was a small barn adjacent with a chicken coop along the side and a corral in the back. The modest spread sat on a rise backed by elm and cottonwood trees and was fronted with an easy slope that gave view to the southwest across good grassland. A creek meandered close by. It hadn't snowed much there. Most of it had already melted as the temperature soared to nearly seventy degrees by eleven in the morning.

Grayson Evans had his little brother on his back, running around the front yard playing ride the wild stallion, when he noticed the riders. He stopped and looked for a moment, then ran up on the front porch with his little brother still aboard. “Paw, there's somebody coming!” He yelled in the front door in a strange, muted tone, brought on from being choked by his brother, who held on to the stallion for all he was worth. “Let go! You're chokin’ me!” Grayson yelled hoarsely as he ripped at his little brother's throat grip and shook his body to get loose.

The boy slid off. “Sorry. I was gonna fall when you jumped on the porch.”

Their father came out holding a Winchester at his side and looked appraisingly at the riders who were a quarter mile off, approaching from the west. He could see two women doubled up on one of the horses and one woman on another horse. Two men flanked the women. They were coming on at a walk when the horse mounted double began to trot. Then he heard it faintly. “Daniel! Daniel!” It was instantly familiar, but he wasn't sure if it could be real. He strained to sort out any imperfections in his hearing and thinking. Then it came again. “Daniel! Grayson! Torbin!”

The little boy stepped forward. “Mama?”

Daniel began running toward the approaching riders. His boys began running after him. “Emmy! Is that you? Is it really you?” He could see her red hair now, and she had put the horse to a gallop with Claire clutching onto her.

The distance quickly fell away. She reined the horse up next to where Daniel had stopped and dropped his rifle. She put her arms out and fell from the horse into his. “Daniel! Daniel!” She cried as they held each other and kissed every inch of each other's faces.

“Emmy! Oh Emmy! I thought I'd lost you.”

The boys arrived and began hugging their mother, and she kissed them wildly. Then they all melted to the ground in a heap and held each other and kissed each other.