Montana Sky Christmas: A Sweetwater Springs Short Story Collection (9 page)

“She doesn’t need Prince,” Kayleigh said, in a tone of defiance.

Her father’s expression darkened. “The decision’s made. Now go back into the house and see to your chores.”

As Kayleigh slunk away, despair weighed her down. Her feet carried her past the house, though the clearing, and into the edge of the forest. A ways into the unbroken snow, she stopped, realizing she didn’t know where she was going, although she was headed in the general direction of Sweetwater Springs.

I wish I was a grownup. I could do whatever I wanted. I’d have a flock of geese, and no one would eat them!
 

Although tempted to keep going all the way to town, Kayleigh couldn’t leave without Prince. Especially—she glanced up at the clouds to the North—not with a storm coming.

For however long the storm lasted, she’d be cooped up—no,
trapped
—in the house with her family, and she didn’t know how she’d bear it.

~ ~ ~

Three days later, Kayleigh trudged along the game trail, leading toward the nearest cave system. She carried Prince and had a rope-tied blanket containing provisions over her shoulder. She judged she’d been on the trail maybe two hours, with frequent rest stops, and figured she was coming close.

She’d never been inside the caves, but her brother had, and told tales about his exploits. Therefore, she knew bats infested the outer cavern, and their droppings littered the floor, stinking up the enclosure. She knew that if she took the passageway in the back right of the cavern, it would take her to a small room that had a thin crack in the ceiling so she could light a fire underneath, and the smoke would rise up and out.

Past that room, a tiny stream trickled water through the cave, enough for her to drink and Prince to play in. She carried candle stubs and matches in the pockets of her coat, but knew she’d have to spend a long time in darkness. Long enough for Christmas to pass and for Prince to be safe.

While camping in the small cave, her brother had made a bed of pine boughs and stacked some firewood. Knowing how Tom didn’t like to pick up after himself, Kayleigh figured they’d still be there.

Although she was a little scared and took quick glances around at the bare winter woods, the excitement of outwitting her parents and embarking on an adventure was strong enough to keep her hurrying through the snowy forest.

Through a break in the trees, she saw a round clearing made by two fallen pines, one on each side. Her arms ached from carrying Prince, and she needed to rest. If she brushed the snow off one of the trunks, she could sit for a while.

Kayleigh headed toward the clearing. She waded through a snowdrift. As some powdery snow spilled over the tops of her boots, she began to regret her decision. She still had a ways to go before reaching the caves where she could make a fire.

Once in the clearing, the snow was thinner, showing brown patches of dead leafy dirt that sent up an earthy smell, although the wind had blown the snowfall to pack against the fallen trees.

Kayleigh heard a crackling of branches and saw a dark shape from the corner of her eye. She gasped, instinctively fleeing toward the trees on the other side.

But before she could take two steps, she was grabbed from behind. A scream tore from her throat, shrill and breathy. She dropped her bundle, and with a squawk, Prince flew out of her hands.

An arm pressed against her throat, making her gag, and yanking her against a man. She struggled to get away, but he jerked her around. His arm tightened against her throat, cutting off her breath. She tried to pull on his arm, but her fingers had no strength.

Another man rode into the clearing and pointed a gun at her. In that moment, Kayleigh knew she was going to die, and desperately wished she hadn’t run away from home.
Please, God,
was all she had time to pray.

The man holding her said something, but the only thing she could hear was
sheriff.
She latched onto the word like a promise, pleading with her eyes for the lawman to rescue her.

Prince had fluttered away. But he turned, and, with a beat of his strong wings, launched himself at the man who held her, and bit him.

The man cursed and pushed Kayleigh away, trying to beat at Prince.

The sound of a gunshot made Kayleigh let out a squeak of terror and scramble away. She grabbed for the gander.

Prince, still upset and squawking, flapped his wings. He skittered out of her reach and away from her captor.

Another gunshot made her gasp and whirl around to see what was going on. The bad man lay on the ground. Blood stained the snow around his leg. Prince waddled over to the outlaw and nipped his nose. He howled and tried to hit the gander, then pulled back.

Good for you, Prince
. Kayleigh felt a spurt of pride in her bird and his protectiveness.

The sheriff dismounted, and ordered her to bring Prince and come over to him.

Kayleigh obeyed, herding Prince in front of her until she reached the sheriff’s side.
 

“Good girl.” He squeezed her shoulder, then handed her his horse’s reins and told her to hold them.

Flattered to be trusted, she straightened her shoulders and took the reins, staying put like he ordered.

Her father, riding his horse, burst into the clearing. Fear tightened his face. He saw Kayleigh, and his expression relaxed to relief. He swung himself down, not even bothering to tie the reins to a branch, took two steps over her direction, and pulled her into a hug, ignoring how Prince tried to nip his arm.

Kayleigh couldn’t remember her father ever hugging her before, and, in relief, she leaned into him, feeling the roughness of his wool coat against her cheek.
I’m safe
. But no matter how good her pa embracing her felt, Kayleigh didn’t forget the sheriff had given her the important job of holding the reins. She kept her hand tight around them.

Pa released her, but only to take a step back and hold her by the shoulders. He studied her face like he’d never seen her before. The lines bracketing his mouth and running across his forehead looked deeper and his eyes were moist.

 
Couldn’t be. Pa never cried. Not even when his own Pa passed away.

“Prince saved me, Pa,” she said, hoping that
 
fact would be enough to keep her gander out of the oven.

“I think the sheriff did that.” Pa looked over at the lawman to get his opinion.

“She’s right,” the sheriff said.

Kayleigh’s chest swelled.
Just wait until I tell Agnes!
She listened to the sheriff tell the story to her pa.
 

Pa pulled her to him for another squeeze. This time, the gesture didn’t feel so strange, like maybe the two of them just might get comfortable with hugging.

He released her, saying, “We’d best get back to your Mama before she goes out of her mind with worry.” He cupped her cheek with his hand. The wool of his gloves tickled her skin. “You and Prince will ride with me. Everything will be all right, daughter.”

~ ~ ~

The trip back was made far faster than when Kayleigh had set out, even with the sheriff on foot, leading his horse. They rode into the farmyard. Kayleigh and Prince rode with her father, followed by the sheriff. The outlaw was tied to the saddle, a feat that had taken the efforts of both her father and the sheriff’s combined strength and involved a lot of cursing and blood.

Good thing her ma hadn’t been around to hear. She would have advanced on the bad man with a thick bar of lye soap in her hand and shoved it into his mouth, grown-up or not. Her ma didn’t hold with swearing.

When they rode to the middle of the yard, Kayleigh leaned over and gently tossed Prince to the ground. He fluttered his wings and scurried out of the way, heading for the water trough.

The door to the house flew open. Ma shrieked and ran to them, followed by Agnes screaming her name. Her brother loped close behind them.

Pa dismounted. He reached up for her, catching her up in another hug, before passing her on to her ma, who pulled her tight against her and rocked her side to side, not letting her go. But unlike with Pa, Kayleigh held her body stiffly.

Finally, Ma released her, and then lowered herself so she could look Kayleigh in the face. She kissed Kayleigh’s forehead. “You took ten years off my life today, Kayleigh Grace.” She shook her head, causing tendrils of hair to fall into her face. She didn’t bother to brush them away. “When I think of what could have happened, all because I…” Ma’s voice thickened, and she turned her head away.

“Holmes’s here has killed several men,” the sheriff said cryptically, dismounting. He sent Kayleigh a secret wink.

Her mother inhaled sharply and paled.

Her father clenched his fists, as if he wanted to punch someone.

Kayleigh fisted her hands on her hips. “Well, Prince didn’t let him kill
me
. He attacked the bad man!”

Her words broke the tension.

The sheriff laughed. He patted her on the head. “Think I’ll get me a gander and make him a deputy. Better yet, a flock of geese to patrol the town.”

Kayleigh had a strange feeling the sheriff understood her love for Prince and was on her side. She gave him a big smile of gratitude.

Her brother gave Kayleigh an awkward buffet on the shoulder. “Glad you’re safe, little sis.”
 

Agnes surprised Kayleigh by giving her a hug and bursting into tears. “I’m so sorry I wanted Prince’s down for a pillow. I was selfish.”

Kayleigh gaped at her sister, not believing what she was hearing. But she saw genuine contriteness in Agnes’s eyes, and the hatred she’d carried around for three days melted away like fat on a griddle.

Prince half-heartedly snapped at Agnes, making everyone laugh. “I’ll be nicer to you from now on, Prince.” Agnes promised. “Maybe someday you’ll like me.”

Will Prince have a someday?
She was too afraid to ask Ma.

But her mother must have understood for she gave Kayleigh a reassuring smile. “From this day forth, daughter, Prince will never be food. He’ll always be your gallant protector.”

Kayleigh didn’t dare believe Prince was safe. She still held herself rigid. “But what about Christmas dinner for all the family?”

Her mother exchanged a look with her father. “We’ll serve something else instead. Pork or turkey.”

Kayleigh knew they didn’t have a pig to spare, nor a turkey. That meant buying something in town, a sacrifice for her parents who took pride in raising all their own food, with some left over to barter at the store. Her doubt must have shown on her face, for her father dropped a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll ride into town with the sheriff and bring back something from the mercantile.”

She glanced at her mother for confirmation.

Ma tucked Kayleigh to her side. “Protecting you is far more important than Christmas dinner.”

This time, Kayleigh allowed herself to relax and lean against her mother. She looked at the circle of people surrounding her and felt their warmth and love. From what she could see under the low brim of his hat and above the scarf around his neck, the sheriff’s face had a stern expression. But she thought she saw a twinkle in the back of his grey eyes. She wished he could stay for Christmas, instead of taking the bad man away.

Everyone else watched Kayleigh with expressions of joy and pride, as if she was someone precious to them, instead of the unimportant baby of the family. As she allowed their love to envelop her, Kayleigh remembered all her prayers.
Who would have thought God would send a bad man and a sheriff just to save Prince?

As she relaxed against her mother, feeling safe and comfortable for the first time in days, Kayleigh began to think of Christmas, and presents, and family, and a dinner that didn’t include Prince. And all of a sudden, she could hardly wait for the holiday to come.

A SHERIFF FOR CHRISTMAS

I’m gaining on him.
From her perch on Big Red, K.C. McNamara leaned over to study the outlaw’s tracks in the snow, the edges new and crisp. Her heartbeat sped up, and she yanked her Colt out of the holster at her hip.

Up to this point, Holmes had been canny enough to avoid the snow, stepping on rocky areas that wouldn’t show his footprints. But after weeks of the chase, he’d started to falter, make mistakes. Yesterday, he’d run his horse to the ground and was now on foot. But only until he could steal another mount, even if he had to shoot the rider to capture the horse.

K.C. resisted the urge to kick Big Red into a faster gait to catch the outlaw. A cornered animal could be all the more dangerous, and she didn’t want to ride into an ambush.

Holmes knew she was on his heels, although perhaps he thought he’d lost her when he waded barefoot downstream in icy water, stepping back through his footprints on the other side of the bank and jumping into the water. And he almost had. A lucky guess—upstream not down—and she had set after him, having not lost more than a few minutes of time.

Although the day was warm—for a Montana winter, Holmes would have to stop soon or his feet would freeze. She tucked her scarf tighter around her neck and chin.

Over to the right, she saw a curl of smoke, too thick to be Holmes’ fire.
Probably a homestead.
Although she didn’t want to take the time to detour that-away, she needed to warn the people to stay armed and alert, and most of all, to guard their horses. With a fresh horse, the outlaw could escape her, drawing out the already weeks-long chase.