Stained Snow (13 page)

“How about this isn’t the first time my brother’s tried to kill me? There’s a reason I don’t bring him up.”

That finally made her stop and look up at him. “Your brother’s the one who did this?”

“He couldn’t handle the fact I had something he didn’t, so he took away everything I loved. I tried to bring him in, but he wouldn’t have that. He tried to take my life as well.”

“That’s awful, Will. Why would he even do that to you?”

“I told you. I had what he wanted, so he tried to take it.”

Maggie wasn’t even sure what to say, but she sensed him lagging behind. “You should get back to the house and your bed. You don’t want to wear yourself out while you’re still healing.”

“I’m fine.”

“Then, now’s the time to stop. Come on.” She tugged on his arm and got him turned toward the house.

He dragged his feet a bit, but she wasn’t sure if that was pure stubbornness or the fact he wasn’t as fine as he claimed to be. Either way, he did follow her. They were almost to the house when a horse came loping into the yard. Maggie turned her head, her hopes rising only slightly. She hadn’t thought much about Thomas in the last few weeks. She’d been too busy making sure William didn’t die on her hands. As soon as she saw the rider, those hopes crashed again.

It was Adam.

The smile faded from his face as he noticed her arm through William’s. He reined up in front of them but didn’t swing down from the saddle. “Who’s this?” he asked. “Another scavenging coyote your father’s taken in?”

William tensed beside her, and she stepped forward before William could act. “He’s not, and neither was Tommy. Pa found him wounded out on the trail. He’s staying here until he’s well enough to ride on.”

She watched Adam’s gaze move past her and rake over William. “Looks well enough to me.”

“That’s what I’ve been tellin’ them,” William muttered behind her.

She ignored that. “He probably would be if he hadn’t gone and tore open his wound again. Pa doesn’t think he’d be able to sit a saddle for long. In fact,” she said, glancing back at him, “he was heading back inside to rest.”

She almost missed Adam’s quick grin as she turned back to look at him. “Right,” William muttered. “I’ll be on my way.” He tipped his hat at Maggie and nodded to Adam before turning to head back into the house.

Maggie waited, making sure he made it inside before turning back to Adam. “What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you still be out at the line shack?”

“Daly sent me to check in with the boss. Neither of us like you two being here on your own. Nothing much is happening up there anyway. Weather’s been mild so far.”

“Pa thinks a storm’s coming in.”

Adam nodded. “Looks like it. Hopefully I can make it back before it hits, but Daly was prepared to wait it out on his own if I don’t.” They headed toward the barn together, but had only walked a few steps when he asked, “What do you know about that man?”

She thought about what William said when she asked him more about his life, and her heart hurt. She didn’t think that’s what Adam wanted to know. “Not a lot. He was hurt, and Pa helped him. He’s been helping around here, at least until he hurt himself again.”

“Maybe there was a reason he was hurt in the first place. Maybe I should stay here and keep an eye on things.”

“Adam, Pa’s perfectly capable of that. Will isn’t going to hurt either of us anyway. You need to relax.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“You don’t have to. You also don’t have to worry about us.”

His fingers brushed against her arm. “I always worry about you, Maggie.”

She barely had time to think about his response before he left her at the door of the barn to go to her father. She remembered she still had chores to finish that she’d set aside while walking with William. She needed to get those done, then she’d go back in to check on him. At least make sure he made it to his bed.

Her face flushed, which was ridiculous. She wanted to make sure he was doing all right. That was all. She turned toward the chicken coop and forced herself to focus on the chores.

Chapter 15

Barnes Ranch, Colorado

December 8, 1887

William stepped out onto the porch. The wind still blew some snow around, but the storm had finally moved on. Two days. They’d been pounded with snow and wind for two days. The skies had looked bad by dinner, and George suggested Adam stay until morning. He hadn’t been able to ride out in the morning through the blinding snow. He’d been stuck there until the storm died down.

Now, two sets of tracks led out to the barn. He must be getting ready to leave. William doubted George would send him off without breakfast. His shoulders tensed as the two men came back out of the barn.

After their initial confrontation, the other man pointedly ignored him. Instead he’d spent the whole time talking to Maggie, leaving William alone.

It wasn’t a problem. He’d sat by the fire and thought about how he could find Thomas again. He wouldn’t be able to get word of him again. He wouldn’t even know who it was safe to ask, who would take Thomas’ side. He didn’t have anyone to reach out to, except George and Maggie, and they didn’t even know who William really was. What if they were on Thomas’ side as well? They didn’t seem the type, but Thomas had fooled good people before.

Asking around hadn’t worked out so well for him the last time. He’d have to be more cautious about it.

Now, with the snow stopped, he could think about going after his brother again. His side still hurt, and a twinge went through his shoulder, but he couldn’t stay here indefinitely. He already felt like he’d used up all of their hospitality, even though both Maggie and George would deny that. He needed to move. They didn’t need his help here, and he hated feeling useless.

Adam and George stepped up onto the porch. He swore he felt the younger man’s hostility. He hadn’t done anything. Adam was the one who kept putting his arm around Maggie. The one who always had his head bent down by hers. Who laughed at everything she said.

He realized he had his fist clenched inside his coat and forced himself to relax.

George clamped his hand down on William’s good shoulder. “What are you doing out here?”

“I was going to head down to the barn to help with the chores.”

“Adam helped me with them. You should be inside resting. I don’t want to have to pick you up off the ground again.”

William’s teeth scraped together. “I’m fine. Sewn up tight this time.”

“You were last time, too. You still pulled it open. There’ll still be chores for you when you’re a bit stronger. Just rest now, Will.”

Adam shifted from one foot to the other on the other side of George, his face still impassive. He only lost that stoic look when he was around Maggie. Any other time William couldn’t tell if he felt anything, or if even one thought went through his head. It was disconcerting.

“I thought I’d ride out in another day or two,” he mentioned as they all headed for the door.

He felt George’s stare on the back of his head, but he didn’t look at the other man. “You’re free to go any time you want, Will. I’m still not thinking it’s a grand idea.”

“I can’t stay here forever, George,” he said as they stepped inside. “I still have to find him.”

George shook his head. “One day you’ll realize there are better things than revenge.”

“I don’t want revenge. I want justice. He’ll never pay if I don’t bring him in. I can’t live with that.”

“If you try to go after him now, you won’t make it a day in the saddle. If you fall in the trail, I won’t be there to pick you up. You may not like who is.”

Maggie gasped, and he turned to face her. “You’re riding out, too, Will?”

His stomach clutched as he looked at her. Her knuckles whitened around the spoon she held in her hand. He wished he couldn’t see the distress in her eyes. “Soon,” he said. It didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter. “I have to find him. He’s gotten away for too long.”

“You’re not healed yet,” she protested.

He hated seeing the tears sheening her eyes. It made his voice rough. “I’ve healed enough. I’ll keep healing while I look for him.”

She turned away from him but not before she bit down on her lip. He wanted to bite his own tongue. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her, but he couldn’t stay here forever. He’d thought she’d be glad to be rid of him. She wouldn’t have to play nurse to him anymore.

“It’s going to be a couple days before the trails are manageable out of here anyway,” George said. He turned to Adam. “The path out to the line shack is sheltered, but it won’t be much better. You could think about staying another day, too.”

Adam shook his head. “Daly’s been out there on his own for three days. I should get back and make sure he’s all right.”

“That old codger has seen worse blizzards than this, Adam. He’ll be fine. If you feel you need to go, I won’t hold you back. You can return if you can’t get through the pass.”

“Of course. I’ve been through worse blizzards than this, too.”

Plates clattered on the table. “Breakfast’s ready,” Maggie said, but she still didn’t make eye contact with any of them.

The four of them ate in silence. When they finished, Maggie gathered plates without saying a word or looking at anyone. William had the urge to reach out and touch her, but he kept his hand at his side. It wouldn’t be right. He still had to find Thomas and make him pay for what he’d done to his family. Until he’d made that right, nothing else mattered.

George offered to go out and saddle Adam’s horse while the younger man finished his coffee. Adam waited until his boss left before looking across the table at William. “I’d like a word with you,” he said after casting a glance at Maggie. She kept her back to them.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know who you are or what you have goin’ on. I don’t want your trouble coming back on them. Maggie and George are good people. They took my pa and me on when no else would hire a man with a half-breed son. I care about them. I don’t want them hurt.”

William’s chest ached at the words. “That’s not what I want, either. Like I said, I should be riding on soon.” He didn’t want to. As much as he wanted and needed to find Thomas, the thought of riding away pained him. “I wouldn’t pay George back for saving my life by putting either of them in harm’s way.” One more reason he needed to ride on. The longer he stayed, the more he put them there.

Adam nodded at William before turning to Maggie. “I’ll be going,” he said with a brush of fingers over her shoulder. Even that made William clench his hands into fists. There was no reason for him to be jealous.

“Are you sure you can’t stay even one more day?”

“I’m sure. I’ll be back around when the snow melts.”

William watched him leave then closed his eyes. He wouldn’t be able to make any such promises when he rode away.

#

January 1888

William didn’t ride out in a couple days. As he thought it would be safe to, another storm blew in, worse than the first. When the snow stopped, they could barely open the front door. George climbed out the window to get to the door and make a path out to the barn so they could take care of the horses.

No way he could leave now.

A month passed since he said he would leave. There weren’t more blizzards, but the snow kept coming. The trails were impassable. He didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t leave until the snow melted.

“Nothing to do for it, Will,” George said as wind battered the window shutters.

Maggie carried a cup of coffee over and handed it to him. “You shouldn’t have been out there so long,” she told him.. “You’re going to catch your death that way.”

He’d tried striking a path through the snow. His horse struggled through it for nearly a quarter mile, then William couldn’t make him go any farther. He’d finally returned to the barn, defeated. After brushing down the horse, he’d returned to the house. No one had to ask, it was written all over him.

“I’ve failed them,” he whispered.

“You failed no one,” George said. “You survived a shooting that should’ve killed you. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I could have joined them.”

Maggie’s hand squeezed on his shoulder over the blanket she’d already draped over him. He looked up to see her face pinched. “Don’t say that.” Her voice came out as little more than a strangled whisper.

He looked back down into his coffee cup without saying a word. Maggie was there every day, talking to him. Asking him questions about Anna and David. He had trouble evading the questions. In his weaker moments, he answered them. Still, he wanted to touch her. It made him feel like the lowest kind of varmint. It had been nearly eight months since he’d buried his wife. Only two since his son died, and he still hadn’t made his brother pay for destroying everything in his life.

He shouldn’t feel anything for this girl. He loved Anna. He’d wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He would have given his life for her, for either of them. They’d been taken from him because he was too damn honorable to say no to the sheriff. He wasn’t feeling honorable right now.