Chapter 9
It had been two days since they arrived at Fort McKavett. Jane had left Maura alone in the Rangers' office most of the time. Maura wasn't upset by that. Frost had been keeping her company for the most part when Jane wasn't sending him off to get something from the Fort's officers. Things seemed to be moving forward as the Army was preparing more patrols in the area.
Jane watched them as Colonel Charles "Casey" Jones was preparing to ramp up patrols. She looked at his patrols. She wanted to follow close enough along with a patrol on their way to Fort Stockton. She knew that having the extra protection would be helpful. It wasn't a matter of pride or ego. Jane wanted to make sure that she got her charge to her location without incident. Traveling near the Army patrols would aid in that.
"What's wrong, Jane?" Korsak asked as he met her outside the Ranger's office.
"Nothing, Korsak. I'm thinking that we'll leave tomorrow. We've hung around too long."
"We need to get to Pecos so we can start investigating. The governor is going to want answers, but what about the girl. We can't leave her here," Korsak told her.
"I know that. I am supposed to take her to Pecos, but we don't even know if Pecos still exists right now. I am going to take her to Fort Stockton and leave her my family while we do the investigation. At least then, I know she'll be safe. She can start dealing with whatever she needs to for the school. The town is going to rebuild. We both know it. The governor will send supplies and he'll petition the Army to help. Pecos will live again."
"I know that, Jane, but the girl?"
"She has to come with us, Korsak. I can't leave her here. I'm her escort. That much hasn't changed. Even if I have to stay at Fort Stockton while the investigation happens, she is going. I gave the governor my word," Jane told him.
"I understand that Jane, but we don't know what we are heading into. And, if it is Hoyt..."
"You don't have to tell me, Korsak. I know. I am going to check on Maura. I'll be back later," Jane told him as she left the office.
She passed Barry on her way out. She didn't even acknowledge him. She just kept going until she saw the golden blond hair across the parade grounds. Barry watched her as she walked over to her charge with a purpose. Jane was on a mission and Frost knew better than to stop her.
He saw Korsak in the doorway. Smiling, he walked over to him and leaned up against the building. Korsak smiled a weak smile back.
"We taking the teacher with us?" Frost asked.
"Yup."
"We going to Pecos with her?"
"Yup."
"You aren't happy about that?" Frost questioned.
"It isn't that I'm not happy. It is that I'm not sure what Jane is thinking. She is heading straight towards Hoyt again if it was him. We don't know and she doesn't want to wait for other Rangers to go find out more. She wants him so bad that she's not thinking," Korsak answered.
"We're going with her this time, Korsak. We'll have her back. She'll be okay," Frost replied.
"That's not what I'm worried about," Korsak said as he went back into the building, effectively ending their conversation.
He sat atop his horse looking over the valley. He was angry. He was so angry that he wanted to kill his apprentice. It was stupid. He didn't know how he could have been so stupid. He shook his head and shifted in the saddle. They would have to clean this up somehow and make it look like he didn't have anything to do with it. He would have to give up his apprentice. He didn't relish the thought, but it would bring Jane closer to him.
Jane...she would be his prize and his downfall. He would give anything for her. She would be his greatest accomplishment, if only he could get her to see that she was really his. He didn't care that she was single or that she was Ranger. But, being a Ranger, she'd pledged her life to Texas and Texas was not worthy of her in his mind. No one was really except for himself. He just needed to make her understand that.
"Charles?"
"What do you want, Jacob?" he hissed.
Jacob winced. He knew he screwed up. He hadn't meant to knock the lantern over in the livery, but he had. They had barely made it out of town before it was completely engulfed. He knew that the Rangers would be sniffing around soon. How could they not? The local sheriff saw Charles and recognized him. Jacob was sure that he got a telegram off to Fort Stockton before the town was decimated.
"I can go to Fort Stockton and wait for her. By now, she should know. Jane will come to you."
"I know that, Jacob, but this was not how I wanted her to find out that I was back in the area. This is not my work. She will know that as soon as as she sees it," Hoyt stated.
"But, she'll be in the area. We could always take someone from Fort Stockton or the surrounding area. Leave her a clue that you're back, sir," Jacob told him.
"I know that Jacob. I might do that. But, for now, I want to make sure that she is back. I can't finish my masterpiece until I have her. It will do no good if she isn't coming. The other Rangers won't figure anything out in time to find me. And, while that is a good thing, it means that I won't have my Jane," Charles explained.
"Do you want me to go to Fort Stockton?"
"Go ahead. Get near enough to see what is going on, but not close enough to let them know that you are there. We can't let that sheriff know that he was right. I want Jane to come for me personally. It is so much more fun when you have a worthy opponent."
"Yes, sir," Jacob replied.
Charles watched the imbecile turn his horse and start towards Fort Stockton. He decided to be sporting. He would give him a chance to make up for his mistake. He didn't know why he was being nice to Jacob, but he didn't have time to train another apprentice. He needed the help with dealing with Jane. She was more Ranger than woman and she was tougher than a buffalo. He wouldn't be able to bring her down completely on his own, but once he had her, Jacob's life would be forfeit.
"Go on, Jacob and find her," Hoyt said into the wind.
He spun his horse and road off following the paths that the townsfolk. He didn't want to leave too many clues for Jane. No, he wanted her to work for it. But, he wondered about the local sheriff. Was he smart enough to call the Rangers in? And, if he did, did they tell Jane about him? He would have to wait and see.
"I'll be waiting for you, my Jane..."
Jane sat down next to Maura. The blond teacher was watching the men work through their paces on horseback. She seemed to enjoy watching them and Jane really didn't want to disturb her, but she wanted to talk to her.
The trip to Fort McKavette was easy. The trip to Fort Stockton was going to be harder, hotter and slower. Jane didn't have a choice in that matter. She couldn't go out full tilt with the possibility of Hoyt being in the area. She needed to have enough room to do what she needed to do and keep Maura safe. Travelling with the Army just made sense to her. It would be tedious and Colonel Jones would drowning her in affection. Jane could deal with all of that, but she didn't want Maura to think that they weren't going to take care of her. There were things that needed to be done and quickly, but Maura was still a priority.
"You going to be ready to go in the morning?" Jane asked her finally breaking her silence.
"I will be ready to leave whenever you are ready to go, Jane. You are my guide and companion on this adventure. If you say we wait, we wait. If you say we are leaving with the cock's crow in the morning, I will do my best to be ready to go then," Maura answered.
"I am not sure that it will be that early, but it will probably be near dawn. I am not sure of the pace, but they aren't going to wait for us, either. We'll need to drive hard. This means less break and more heat. It isn't going to be like the trip here, Miss Maura. It is going to be hard, dirty and long days," Jane told her.
"I'll live," Maura assured her.
"Stay with the wagon and Korsak. Frost and I will be mounted. Your horse will be towed by the wagon. The pack horse and Korsak's will be pulling the wagon. And, before you go and argue, it won't be that bad. You'll be able to exercise Bass in the evenings if you wish, but I think that our pace will be enough for him," Jane explained.
"I will follow your lead. If you think that I need to give him more exercise, I will. If not, then I won't. But, I will do as you ask and stay with Mr. Korsak and the wagon. Is there anything else that I should know before tomorrow morning, Jane?" Maura asked her.
"You'll want to dress comfortably, but other than that, no. I'll see you in the morning. You might want to get to bed early. Morning will be here before we know it," Jane told her.
She abruptly stood and walked away. Maura wasn't sure what to the think about the Ranger. She seemed nice enough and like she cared about her well-being, but there was something deeper to her. It made Maura curious, but she knew enough about social norms not to pry too much. She was learning about her slowly, but she knew that Jane had an entirely different upbringing than she did. She was a woman of the West, of the Frontier, and of Texas. Being from Texas itself lent her some of her attitude and mystique, but there was something else there. It was just under the surface and she wondered what would make Jane finally tell her what happened. She heard the hushed whispers between Mr. Korsak and Jane at the Rangers' station and they were all about a man named Hoyt. All she understood from Jane was that he was a really bad man that all the Texas Rangers wanted. And most of them didn't care if it was alive. She wondered if he was the reason for Jane's change in demeanor or if it was the fact that they had stayed at the fort for a few days.
She could tell that Jane liked being on the trail and riding, when she didn't have to answer to anyone but herself. Sometimes watching her walk around the fort was like watching a caged panther at the zoo. It was always looking for a way out and would strike at anyone it deemed a threat. She was feral and wild. She was exotic and free. She felt things that Maura could only dream about. There was just something about Jane that she couldn't seem to understand and it made her curious for more. Each interaction gave her more clues, more evidence, more things to think about. Jane was like opium for her. She needed more and she'd never felt like that. She'd only known the woman for a handful of days, but she hoped that she would always be Jane's friend.
Maura stayed there. She knew that Jane was right. She would go to bed shortly after their evening meal. She also knew that the meal would be the best meal that she would have until they arrived at Fort Stockton. She could only hope that she would learn more about Jane on their travels and that she would open up some more as they traveled. She knew that she wouldn't have many friends when she got to Pecos, but she hoped that Jane would still stop by and check on her once she was set up in Pecos since she was in her Ranger territory. She sighed as she watched the men pace some more before dinner. It was just something to do to pass her time.
