Chapter 24
Vin looked for Buck. He wasn't in the saloon. He wasn't at the hotel. Holding back a groan, Vin changed direction.
He got to the small boardinghouse at the edge of town and rapped on the door. No answer.
"Miss Millie," he called, knocking again. "It's Vin Tanner. I'm lookin' for Buck."
There was a faint rustling, then the door opened.
Millie Edwards stood there, cheeks flushed, hair tousled, blouse a mess. Vin looked past her to Buck who was pulling his suspenders in place and shrugging on his vest.
Vin motioned with his head for Buck to come outside with him. "Ma'am," Vin said to Millie with a finger to the brim of his hat.
Buck's parting farewell was a kiss that lengthened, his arms tightening around the pretty young thing.
Vin moved to the edge of the porch, waiting for Buck.
When the door closed and Buck came to his side, Vin slid a look at him. "You know her pa has a shotgun."
Buck's grin didn't falter.
"And word will get back to him," Vin added.
"Then I'll die a happy man," Buck said easily. "When I'm with Millie…"
"I don't need the details," Vin cut him off.
Buck chuckled. He and Vin started down the steps, heading back to the center of town.
"You just here warnin' me about Miss Millie's surly pa?" Buck asked.
"You got a telegram," Vin said.
Buck immediately grew serious. "It from a town east of here?"
"Cooper Flats," Vin said.
Buck picked up his pace. "That's gettin' mighty close for comfort."
Having Eli Joe anywhere in the same territory as Lucy was too close for comfort. He was thankful Lucy was safely out of town, even though it still rankled that he wasn't the one taking care of her.
Vin went with Buck to the telegraph office. Buck took the slip of paper and thanked the operator. They stepped outside onto the boardwalk and Buck unfolded it.
"From a little lady I know over there in Cooper Flats," Buck said.
Vin waited for Buck to read it.
"Your pal from Tuscosa's there," Buck said. "Drinkin' and carousin' and bein' a general nuisance. Got locked up last night."
Vin held his breath.
"Gonna stay in the hoosegow for a couple weeks until they get a judge over that way."
Vin let his breath out. A couple weeks for him to know Lucy was safe. A couple week reprieve. The tension didn't leave his shoulders. It was also a couple more weeks to wait to finish this off with Eli Joe.
"Gettin' tired of this game of cat and mouse," Vin said.
"I know, buddy," Buck said. "But you got your sister safe for now. That's what matters."
Vin nodded. He'd go out and see Lucy in a day or two. Take advantage of there not being a risk of him leading Eli Joe to her for the next weeks.
"This lady gonna let you know when he's free?"
Buck nodded. "I might even go get the news in person." His eyes took on a faraway look and his lips curved slightly in a grin.
"How's Millie gonna feel about you headin' over to Cooper Flats to see your lady friend there?" Vin asked.
Buck's smile didn't dim. "I'll just make it up to her when I get back."
Vin raised his eyebrows.
"Women are like flowers," Buck said.
Vin waited to see where this was going.
"A whole bouquet's always better than a single flower."
Vin let out a laugh. He kept walking with Buck toward the saloon. They passed the newspaper office and Vin glanced in the window. Mary was bent over the typeface, setting it all in place for the next printing. Wisps of honey blonde hair had come loose from her upswept do and her expression was intent on her job.
He thought if a man had a flower like Mary, he wouldn't have any need for more.
#
Lucy heard a rustling. She paused, holding the wooden spoon still over the pot of rice pudding she had been stirring. She had been up since dawn, checking in on a restlessly sleeping Chris, tending to the animals, and trying to make something that would give him some nourishment.
She moved the pot off the heat and moved toward the noise.
The door to Chris' room was open. She had left it open last night, too worried that Chris would take a turn for the worse and she wouldn't hear, to keep it closed.
Chris was at the edge of his bed. He started to push himself up to standing, but his breath grew short and he reached out a hand to steady himself on the bedside table. He stumbled and the small clock on his table toppled from the table to the floor.
He lurched, then staggered backwards to sit down hard on the bed.
Lucy hovered in the doorway. He gasped for breath, breathing like he had been running.
He looked up and stared blankly at her. He didn't look like he was seeing anything in the room.
"You should rest," she said, then pressed her lips together, hoping she wasn't being too forward. She had done the chores But Chris didn't seem to hear her, his gaze listless and every breath looking like it was a struggle.
Lucy risked a step into the room. She went to the table near his bed where she had left a cup of tea for him earlier, opting to not wake him up at the time. The tea was barely warm, but better than nothing. She handed it to him.
Chris shivered from fever, even as his skin was radiating heat. Lucy held the mug for him, helping him steady it and bringing it to his lips. It did little to soothe his cough. His face was red from the effort it took to catch his breath and Lucy pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, taking the mug from him when he finished.
Lucy set the mug aside and stooped down, picking up the clock and gently setting it back in place. She cautiously moved around him, pulling the blankets back and straightening them. She wondered if he was going to try to get out of bed again and if he would be able to breathe if he did. Her stomach was tied in knots with worry about him. She needed help. She was so worried about the taciturn man who had been nothing but good to her. But she couldn't leave him to go for help.
He fell back in the bed, every breath a harsh wheeze for air.
Lucy took his legs and lifted them back into the bed, knowing Chris would be chagrined at how helpless he was if he was more alert. She supposed that was a subtle blessing.
She pulled just the sheet over his overheated body, pausing to rest her hand lightly on his forehead. The heat nearly seared her hand.
"You'll be ok," she said in a shaky voice. "You're going to be ok."
He had to be ok.
#
Vin enjoyed the evening sun on his face, tilting his chair back so it rested on only two legs. From his place in front of the sheriff's office, he had a clear view of all the comings and goings of town.
The stage was due and he saw Mary pace outside the newspaper office to look for it again. She frowned when there was no sign of it and turned to go back inside like she had the last four times she had come outside to check.
This time, though, she caught his eye and didn't go back in. She stepped down from the boardwalk into the street and came his direction.
Vin lowered his chair to all it's legs and stood when she approached.
"Awful hard wait," he commented.
Mary lifted her face toward him. Her blue eyes showed eager impatience. "It's been almost a month since I've seen Billy."
Vin smiled. He liked the boy and was looking forward to seeing him.
There was a distant rattle and Mary's face lit up. She turned in the direction of the stage. Vin thought she might just about launch herself off the boardwalk into the street. She held her ground, though, until the stage rumbled to a stop in the dirt street and then she hurried down to meet it.
Vin was there to open the door and step back as the seven year old vaulted down from the coach and into Mary's open arms.
"Billy!" Mary said, holding her son tightly. "I've missed you."
There were times Vin was painfully aware of what he had missed out on, losing his ma so young. Times he knew he hadn't come close to making up for what was missing for Lucy. Seeing the look on Mary's face when she pulled back to look at Billy, he felt the familiar ache of loneliness.
"I don't believe he stopped talking about all the plans he had for when he got here," Oren Travis said, stepping down from the stage.
"Oh?" Mary asked. She smiled indulgently at Billy. "Well we have an entire week to do everything you want."
Oren moved stiffly, his age showing after the rough ride over the countryside.
"Are you stayin' the week, Judge?" Vin asked.
Oren shook his head. "Just passing through. On my way up north to oversee a trial." He nodded toward the driver getting a small bag down from the luggage rack "As soon as Dan's ready to go again, I'll be off."
"I was hoping you'd be able to visit awhile," Mary said, one arm still wrapped around Billy's shoulders.
"I've planned the trip home to allow for a visit," Oren assured her.
The driver climbed back up in his seat and called to Oren.
Oren stooped over to meet Billy's eyes. "I'll see you in a week, young man."
"See you, Grandpa," Billy said, leaving Mary's side just long enough to give the older man a hug.
"Oren," Vin said, taking a step back. He stood away from the carriage with Mary and Billy as it took off, kicking up dust in its wake.
Mary and Billy watched it go before Mary looked down at Billy. "What should we do first?"
"Eat!" Billy declared.
Mary laughed and squeezed him warmly. "I think the café can accommodate your appetite." She gave Vin a happy smile and she and Billy headed in that direction.
Vin watched them go, happy for Mary and Billy to get the time together in spite of the yawning emptiness of the evening that stretched in front of him.
Ready for a quiet evening that passed too slowly, he headed for the saloon.
Inez looked up from the bar when he walked in. Vin gave her a nod. He saw Ezra holding court with a group of men, a pile of money between them as they all studied their cards. JD and Josiah were at a table near the bar. Vin headed for a small table in the corner, talk holding no appeal.
Inez brought him a beer. "I'll have enchiladas ready shortly," she said.
"Thanks, Inez," Vin answered.
She gave him a pat on the shoulder and for a minute Vin was able to remember the family he had found here in town. Think about the friends he and Lucy would have when all this was over and she moved back into town.
Vin idly listened to the conversation around him. A couple ranchers talking about their herds. A few young bucks boasting about their plans.
By the time he had finished the plate of food Inez brought him, the sun had dropped and the crowd in the saloon had grown, the hum of conversation now louder, broken with laughter and shouts.
Shouts from outside started, more agitated than the ones in the saloon. Vin stood, one hand going to check his gun. He glanced over at Josiah and saw the man heading toward the door.
Gunshots sounded outside. Vin pushed past a man standing to see what was going on, heading for the street. A woman screamed, and the shouts built.
Ezra and JD were hurrying toward the door with Vin, guns drawn.
Vin made it outside behind Josiah, just in time to see a group of men on horseback spur their mounts out of town.
Vin was looking at the available mounts to chase them, checking for any injured people on the street.
"Vin!" Buck yelled, running down the street toward them. His gunbelt was slung over his shoulder, he was pulling his suspenders up.
"What happened?" Josiah asked, keeping an eye on the men making a getaway. They were too far away for Vin to recognize, but he hoped it was the same group of cowhands that fired shots last time, too rowdy and with too much steam to blow off.
"They hit the bank! I couldn't get down here in time," Buck said, sounding too frantic for just a bank robbery. The bank had been hit enough times when the seven were first hired for protection that it was a familiar routine.
Vin holstered his gun. He eyed the sky, debating if there was enough light to start tracking them now with the head start they had, or if he should start with first light in the morning.
"Vin!" Buck yelled again, sounding too agitated for a simple bank robbery. "They got hostages!"
Vin swung his attention to Buck. Buck's face was stricken.
"It's Mary," Buck said. "They took Mary and Billy."
#
Lucy came into the house and wearily closed the door behind her. She leaned back against the door and closed her eyes for a moment.
She had ridden the fence line and made sure Chris' cattle were secure after Chris' week away in town with her. But, not wanting to be gone from Chris long, she had ridden at a fast lope, stopping and repairing the fence in three spots on her own. Her shoulders ached from pulling the wire taut and holding it while she secured it. She had checked on Chris, tried to encourage him to drink something, then back out to the barn to clean the stalls. Checked on Chris and managed to get some broth into him while he kept his eyes closed, then back out to feed and water the stock.
He looked worse as the day went on, spurring Lucy to hurry more quickly through every task that took her away from his side.
She heard Chris coughing and quickly pushed off the door. She brushed back the hair that had fallen free from her braid away from her face without stopping.
His cough grew harsher and Lucy didn't pause at the doorway. She hurried right to his side as his face darkened in color with the effort behind his cough. Chris didn't seem aware of her presence.
Lucy murmured quietly to him, words of reassurance she didn't feel. She slipped her arm behind his back. With a small grunt of effort, she helped lift him, then slipped his extra pillow on his bed behind his back, hoping getting him upright would help ease his cough and breathing.
Chris fell back against the pillows. His cough finally subsided. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead.
Lucy reached for the washcloth and basin on the nightstand. She dabbed at his forehead. Chris didn't show any sign he knew she was there.
"Oh Chris," she breathed. Her worry continued to grow. She could hear a rattle in Chris' chest that didn't improve after his coughing fit. If anything, it was worse. As much as she wanted Vin—or anyone—there to reassure her at that point, she was glad at least Vin didn't have to worry about anything. He could get some rest in town without the pressures of worrying about anyone.
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