Sourdough Creek (7 page)

“When everyone started leaving town, our being alone didn’t seem like such a big deal at first. Then, when there were only a few people left, I suddenly realized that living in Broken Branch with Klem and Bristol Sherman was not a safe place for either of us.” She didn’t want to share the fact that Uncle Arvid was accused of stealing Klem’s personal property.

Josephine looked up at him with her big blue eyes from the safety and warmth of her sister’s bosom. “They’re not nice! Klem watches everything I do,” she said innocently, not understanding the implications. “He always smiled with his stinky breath and tried to give me candy. Cassie said I could never take it—ever.”

Sam and Cassie exchanged knowing glances.

“I really didn’t think our boy costumes would trick them, but I guess we weren’t around long enough for them to figure it out.”

“Did Bristol ever see you? He recognized your voice right away.”

“So that’s how you found out.” She cocked an eyebrow. “You could have enlightened me, you know. Instead, you let me make a fool out of myself. I’ll bet you were laughing the whole time.”

Cassie released Josephine and stood up, pulling her sister to her feet. She turned her in a circle as she inspected for injuries. Finding nothing broken, she brushed at the dirt clinging to her back.

Sam shrugged. “At times.” He took his handkerchief from his pocket and went over to Split Ear for his canteen. Returning, he dabbed at a few abrasions on Josephine’s face.

“Ouch.”

“Don’t be a baby,” Cassie said gently.

Sam winked at Josephine. “I think you and your sister make darn fine-looking men. I can’t picture the two of you as girls.”

Josephine puffed out her chest proudly and patted her trousers, but Cassie blushed and looked away.

“You ride a horse better than most men I know,” he added, giving Josephine a friendly man-to-man pat on the back, but looked at Cassie. “I’ll bet you can drink ’em under the table, too.”

She turned on him, angry, shaking her finger in his face. “I never drink. We all saw how it affected our fa…uncle. He was…” she shut her mouth, leaving the sentence unfinished.

He winked again and gave her a nod.

Her expression softened when she realized he was jesting. “Sam Ridgeway?”

“Yes?” he answered innocently.

“Don’t go treating me like some girl,” she shot back. “I
am
capable. I probably shoot better than you, too.”

He burst into laughter. “That’s just it. I’m agreeing with you!” He struggled to get the words out. “You put that bullet square between Bristol’s boots. I didn’t know what was happening.” All the nervous tension over the near tragedy with Josephine escaped, and he laughed until his side hurt and eyes watered. Josephine looked back and forth, clearly confused by the exchange, and began laughing with him.

Cassie was having none of it. “I don’t see what’s so darn funny.”

“Well,” he answered, and once again took out his handkerchief and dried his eyes. “I guess you wouldn’t. But, I have to say, between that event and now this—I think we make a darn fine team, Cassie Angel. How about you?”

She ignored his question and looked at Josephine. “Now, I’d like to know how in the world you ended up on the other side of that cliff?”

“It wasn’t my fault.” Josephine’s expression darkened and tears pooled in her wide eyes, most likely going for sympathy so she wouldn’t be punished. “Ashes ran off into the woods and I went to find her. Farther up, the ravine isn’t wide and I jumped across and then followed Ashes back to where you found me. When I went to pick her up, I slipped.”

“I thought we’d agreed to leave Ashes in Broken Branch. Where she’d be safe and have plenty of food. What happened to that?”

Ashes, sitting on a log nearby, mewed, as if trying to plead her own case.

“I just
couldn’t
leave her, Cassie. Look how sweet she is.” Josephine cast a glance at the cat. “I love her. Please don’t be mad.”

Cassie wrapped her in her arms again. “Actually I’m relieved that Ashes is coming along. I’ve felt horrible all day leaving her behind. Promise you won’t go looking for her without telling me first.”

Josephine pulled away and nodded, wiping her nose with her sleeve. “I promise.”

Sam went over to his grazing horse and picked up his reins. “Time to move on. We need to make a few hours before stopping to camp.” He chuckled. “That is—if you men are up to it…”

***

Darkness had fallen, making the forest seem even spookier as Cassie listened to the horses’ hooves plodding along. Sam, now as grumpy as a bear, couldn’t seem to find a place he felt comfortable making camp. Every time they found a clearing, he’d find some reason not to like it. Too close to the river. No forage for the animals. An abundance of animal droppings. Too open. Too dense.

Exhaustion and irritation grated inside Cassie. She was starting to think he was the one that was too dense. Josephine had fallen silent two hours ago, and Cassie wouldn’t be surprised if her sister was asleep on her pony’s back.

“Sam,” Cassie called out to him, one horse length in the lead.

“Whoa,” she heard him say. He waited as she came up alongside.

“Sam, we’re tired. Look, over there. That seems like as good a spot as any.”

“How can you tell in the dark?”

The moon outlined his silhouette as it made its appearance above the hills behind him. His face was shadowed by darkness, but she could see the whites of his eyes as they regarded her.

“I don’t like it. Too close to the rocks.”

“
Sam
!”

“Okay, let me check it out first.” He draped Blu’s lead rope across the pommel of her saddle.

It took him a few minutes to make his way to the spot she’d pointed out. He dismounted and stood quietly. After a moment, he bent over and tossed a rock into the boulders nearby.

A chorus of deep rattling erupted from crevasses and cracks. Split Ear snorted and tossed his head nervously. Slowly, Sam and his horse backed away.

“Like I said, too close to the rocks.” He mounted back up and took the lead rope from her shaking hands. “Rattlers,” he said and continued up the road.

Rattlesnakes! Lord above. If she and Josephine had been alone she would have stopped there, most assuredly. Or one and all of the prior places he had found unacceptable.

Thank heavens for Sam. It was becoming more and more evident how much his wisdom counted.

***

A man’s voice rumbled her name, and someone shook Cassie’s leg. She opened her eyes, pulling herself from the remnants of a dream. Raising her chin, she blinked. She was…she was on a horse, Meadowlark…and the man… Oh! It was Sam. She must have dozed off.

“Here,” he whispered. “Dismount.”

He took her hand and she was too tired to fight him. She would show him tomorrow how capable she was. Groggily, she swung her leg over Meadowlark’s back but her boot heel caught the back of the saddle. She fumbled. A small cry of alarm escaped her lips. If not for Sam, she’d have landed in a heap on the ground.

As it was, her arms looped around his neck and she slid down the length of his body. When her boots touched the ground, she gripped his shoulders, not enough space between them for a piece of paper. She gazed up into his face and a burst of tingles lit up her senses. The stars, glittering in the sky, were like a halo around his head.

“You okay?” His breath was warm on her cheek as he leaned in close.

Her voice deserted her. She’d been dreaming about a prince from some faraway land, who’d come to marry her and take her away. Now, she realized with a resounding shock, that prince had been Sam! Sam’s eyes. Sam’s hair.
Sam’s lips
!

“Cassie?” He took her arms from about him and gave her a little shake. “Are you sleepwalking or what? Wake up.”

She stepped back and nodded. “Yes. I’m awake now.”

Sam went over to Pepper, untied Josephine’s bedroll and then lifted her from her saddle. He carried her over to a level spot. When Cassie followed he handed her the blanket. “Spread this out.” When she did, he laid the littlest Angel down without waking her. “You two bed down and I’ll take care of your horses and start a small fire.”

When she started to protest he put a finger to her lips and her dream returned in a flash. She was glad he wouldn’t see the warmth in her face.

“Just for tonight. Tomorrow I’ll welcome all the work you want to do. Go grab your blanket. Josephine is cold.”

Without another word she did as he’d asked. She sank down by her sister’s side, welcoming the warmth. She listened as Sam went back and forth unsaddling the animals and putting them out into the meadow. When he returned he made a campfire and laid down too.

The ground was hard. Although time had passed, Cassie now found herself wide-awake. She reached under her blanket, feeling around for the pebble that was digging into her hip. She tossed it away.

Sam sat up.

“Sorry, that was just me.”

He lay back down and she gazed up at the stars glittering in the black sky, remembering how Sam had looked when he’d caught her, and held her close. She glanced at the fire. An owl hooted somewhere off in the distance.

“Sam?” Cassie whispered.

It took a moment for him to answer.

“Hmmm?”

“Thank you for everything.”

She heard him roll to his back.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Yes, you did.” The sounds of the night were the only response.

“Sam…”

“Cassie.” His voice held a note that she couldn’t discern.

“You saved me from Klem. You kept Josephine from falling to her death. You’re helping us get to California alive.”

“If it will make you stop talking and go to sleep—you’re welcome.”

“I’m really glad you’re with us. I…” A moment passed. “We do make a good team, Sam…”

“Cassie,
please
”

“Well, good night, then.”

“Good night.”

***

Cassie opened her eyes a narrow slit, her head just inches out of the blanket. What time was it? It was still very dark. The dead of night. There was no sound, not even the crackling of the fire. Something had awakened her. She had the unnerving feeling of being watched from behind. She glanced across her sister’s head to the dim bed of coals that had been the fire a few hours ago, and let her eyes adjust to the thick, intimidating darkness.

Five feet farther would be Sam, curled in his blanket. Fifteen feet more would be the horses.

She listened. Everything seemed fine. She closed her eyes and willed herself to relax. Again, the hair prickled on the back of her neck. With a deep breath, she tried to fall back asleep.

One of the horses snorted.

No use. She was going to have to turn over and look. If she didn’t, her childish fears would keep her up until it was time to get up and ride. Gathering her courage, she scooted forward, nearer to Josephine, then rolled quietly to her back. She slowly turned her head.

Chapter Twelve

R
elief flooded Cassie. There was nothing but trees in the distance. And darkness. The stars far above. Releasing a sigh she smiled to herself for letting her fears startle up like a spooky horse. Her eyes drooped.

“
Stay awake
.”

It was as if someone had whispered into her ear. But then, that wasn’t possible. Josephine and Sam still slept soundly. Very slowly, she once again opened her eyes.

From the outer edges of the clearing she thought she saw
something
. Yes! Two golden orbs pierced the blackness. Cassie squeezed her eyelids together several times, straining to focus. Her breathe caught.

She needed to call to Sam but her voice had left her.

The eyes blinked. Cassie released the air locked in her lungs.
Ashes
! Not some horrible monster waiting to pounce. That darn cat was going to be the death of her yet.

Cassie rose to her elbow. “Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” she softly called to their pet.

Right before her eyes the golden orbs seemed to take flight into the sky. A heart-stopping snarl shattered the stillness, causing all the horses to snort and squeal in unison.

Cassie’s scream ripped through the darkness. In turn, Josephine shrieked hysterically and reached for her. Scooping her up, she dashed over to Sam’s side of the fire and fell down beside him on his bedroll.

“Mountain lion,” he yelled over the roar of his gun. He shot another round into the air.

Cassie was a shivering ball of fright. Josephine was crying and holding tight. She couldn’t stop herself and took hold of Sam’s trousers as he stood. The thick stench of gun powder burned her lungs. He tried to take a step but was stopped by her grip around his leg.

He knelt. “It’s long gone.” The horses snorted again nervously, milling around.

“I need to check the horses,” he said. “We’ll be sore put out if they get loose and run off. I’ll be right back.”

“We’ll go with you.”

“Cassie, the mountain lion is clear over the other side of the Sierra Nevada by now.”

Her teeth wouldn’t stop chattering. Josephine was silent, but her grip on Cassie’s arm was fierce.

He took one step and stopped. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

A swirl of thankfulness for Sam’s protection moved through her as he walked away. He was
such
a good man. Nothing like the men her mother had warned her about. She was safe with him, and so was Josephine.

Returning, Sam found Cassie and Josephine’s blanket moved from the other side of the fire. Placed neatly between his bedroll and the now crackling flames, their blankets touched his, and looked like one big bed. Josephine was already curled up in it, fast asleep. Cassie added wood to the fire and now it was blazing.

“The horses are all right, then?” Cassie sat atop her side of the blanket, with the fire to her back.

“Yes. Just a bit spooked. I’m grateful for the hobbles.”

Moments passed. Sam stood, wondering what to do.