Page 24 of Love and Order
CHAPTER 7
Saturday, June 28, 1873
“Rion …” Lu’s soft call from afar off drew him, though he couldn’t make himself respond.
Not good. Everything hurt. A chill swept him.
“Rion.”
Was she all right? Her voice was small but urgent, like she was calling from a great distance. She sounded terrified … He should hold her, soothe her trembling, but—
“Rion.”
Something grabbed his left arm, and his eyes flew open. He reached for his pistol, but pain ripped through him, causing him to sag, left hand braced against the saddle horn.
Beside him, Lu sat in Mischief’s saddle, staring back with a mix of fear and worry.
“You passed out sometime after we cleaned your wounds.”
He vaguely recalled her demanding they tend to the bullet holes, but afterward, he’d insisted they get back on the trail.
“I have no idea how, but you stayed on your horse, so I kept us moving.”
He glanced around, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
There was light—was it dawn, maybe? They were still in the trees, but …
“Just over that rise, there’s a large lake down below. I think we’re northeast of Cambria Springs.”
Then they were headed in the right direction. But how far had they gone?
“Where do your friends live? How far?”
His eyes shut again, and he shook his head. “I don’t know—”
“Rion!” When she jostled his arm, he looked up.
Releasing the saddle horn, he retrieved his canteen and managed to free the cork stopper and down some tepid water. Replacing it, he met her concerned gaze.
“Show me the lake.”
She walked Mischief toward the top of the incline.
As he urged Trouble to follow her, a stiff breeze blew, and a full-body shiver gripped him.
God, if You’re listenin’, I’m in a bad way. Please help.
They needed to stop, build a fire, boil water, and clean the wounds again—then keep going. But as fatigued and in pain as he was, once he dismounted, it would be a struggle to mount again.
As he moved, his eyelids slid closed, and he shook his head to clear it, jolting himself with pain in the process. He nearly tipped sideways.
Durn it all, Braddock. Hold yourself together.
He righted himself in his saddle, and only a moment later, Lu Peters drew up as a steep, treed slope opened before them. At its bottom, a beautiful, clear lake filled his sight. He drank in the serene view.
Rion bit back a curse.
Dutch had said there were two posses—one that went up the mountain, and one down. The large group breaking camp on the far bank had to be one of ’em. At least fifteen men—and one woman? No, two!—rolled bedrolls or saddled horses while a few others scrubbed plates or pots at the lake’s edge.
He clumsily dismounted and shoved Trouble’s reins in Lu’s hand. “Take the horses back out of sight and tie ’em. Hide ’em in the brush, if you can.”
She started to turn, though he grabbed the rifle from its scabbard before she moved out of reach.
Once she departed, he found a vantage point where he could see through the trees toward the posse below, and squatting, he made a tube with both hands and lifted it to his right eye.
“What’re you doing?” Lu whispered when she returned minutes later.
“Lookin’.”
“I meant with your hands?”
He glanced her way then returned to his former position. “It’s … a poor man’s telescope. It blocks out all the other sights and helps ya focus on the thing you want to see.” He scanned the faces of those in the camp across the lake.
Lu jostled beside him, her shoulder brushing his injured one, jolting him. Irritation compounding his pain, he found that she’d also put her hands to her eye.
“That’s … amazing.” For an instant she stared, then drew back, rubbed her eyes, and tried again. “Is that Dr. Chellingworth?”
“The medicine show fella?” He furrowed his brow.
“Yes. And—” She gasped. “Elisabeth Gates!”
“Who?”
“The sharpshooter and trick rider from the medicine show.”
Rion put his hands back to his eye and stared down at the camp, seeking the faces one by one. The woman was easy enough to spot, her being one of the only females down there. He’d not been privy to her display of skill that Sunday, given he’d walked with Trenamen out to Mrs. Ingram’s wagon, but the woman looked vaguely familiar, despite her face being half hidden by her Stetson hat and her mass of fiery-red corkscrew curls. Maybe it was just the bright hair, but perhaps he’d seen her in the background as the others had performed.
The pair stood off to one side, the strange-lookin’ Dr. Chellingworth assisting the woman in wrapping her right wrist in a bandage-like cloth, then lacing some type of leather glove or cuff over it.
What on earth …? It was hard to see at that distance, even with the improvised telescope, but it looked as if it slipped over her thumb, wrapped around her hand, and laced along the palm side.
Why would she wear such a thing?
“You said she’s a trick rider?”
“Yes—her tricks were astounding!”
Maybe it was a brace to prevent injury—or help heal one. But once Chellingworth had laced the cuff tight, he smiled at the young woman and settled hands on her shoulders in a rather intimate gesture before sending her along with a wave.
Rion scanned the other faces, recognizing men from town. Sheriff Cooper Downing was there. Joe Trenamen. And Calliope. The pair’s presence gave him some hope he might get a fair shake, but why were two women ridin’ on this posse?
Lu glanced over. “Why are the medicine show people riding with that bunch? I thought they’d moved on.”
His shoulder cramping, he eased his arm to his side with a groan and felt beneath his shirt for fresh blood. “Folks don’t take to anyone harmin’ women out here.” Including him. After what he’d seen—and suspected—from Garvin all those years back, he’d had his fill. “Reckon people might come out of the woodwork to hunt the one they think’s doin’ the harmin’.”
Fatigued, he sat, back against a tree.
“We need to check your wounds.”
“Just make sure I’m not leakin’ blood. With that posse so close, we ain’t got time to do it proper.” Rion stared at the lake. “I think I know where we are. We’re not far from Seth’s. Another hour, at most.”
It finally happened. Once they were away from the lake and perhaps halfway to Seth’s place, Rion passed out again and, this time, fell from Trouble’s back. No amount of jostling or calling his name had awakened him. The single bullet had punched through his shoulder and left a hole, back and front. Both had grown angry and hot. She had no choice. Once she’d wrestled his big frame off the path as best she could, she set out to find Seth and Lena’s place, alone. Thankfully, Rion had told her where their house was, so with a fervent prayer for his safety and her own, she rode for help.
After what seemed forever, the pretty little clearing opened ahead of her, just as Rion said it would, and in that beautiful glade was the log house he’d described, smoke curling from the stone chimney, even as the door stood open. In the corral out front, a man brushed down a brown horse, not unlike Mischief. As she neared, he glanced up then stopped, dropped the brush into a bucket hanging from a nearby fence post, and ducking between the fence rails, walked toward her.
“Can I help ya?”
She glanced around. “Would you happen to be Seth Kealey?”
“I am.” He nodded toward Trouble and Mischief. “You want to tell me how you come to possess those horses, miss?”
Behind him, a woman appeared in the open door of the log house, holding her rounded belly.
“I’m a friend of Rion Braddock’s. He’s not far from here, but he’s been shot.”
His eyes rounded. “Shot?”
“It’s a long story, which I’ll explain, but please help. He’s in danger.”
The man didn’t hesitate. He dashed back, saddled his horse, and with a quiet call to the woman, let the horse out through the gate to meet her.
“What’s your name, miss?”
“Lucinda Peters. Lu.”
“All right, Lu. Lead on.”
She headed the way she’d just come, Trouble trailing her, and Seth following close behind.
“Tell me what happened. Did someone Rion was chasin’ get him?”
Suddenly overwhelmed, she felt tears sting her eyes. “Rion’s being framed for murder.”
“Murder?!” He nearly roared. “Of who?”
“Seven women—and the kidnapping of an eighth.”
Silent seconds ticked by until she finally glanced back to be sure he was still there. He was, though he’d stopped.
“You weren’t joshin’ when you said it was a lot.”
“You don’t know the half of it. There’s a posse on our trail—and they’re close.”
He urged his horse to catch up. “All right. Take me to him, and we’ll cover the rest once he’s safe.”
They finally reached Rion’s location. While she watched for the posse, Seth wrestled Rion’s unconscious frame over Trouble’s saddle. Unable to move quickly, Seth walked the horses ahead of her, and she watched the ground for blood drops as well as any trouble behind them. By the time they reached the house, an hour had passed, and Seth wrestled him inside and onto the table in their small kitchen.
As Lena heated water and gathered bandages, she and Seth unbuttoned Rion’s shirt.
“Now explain to me how in heaven’s name this man is wanted for—what’d you say?—seven murders.”
“Seven?” Lena gasped.
“I’m not sure. I came in partway through. Somehow, Rion reunited with one of his sisters, and—”
“Wait. His sister? Calliope or Andromeda?”
“She isn’t using either of those names. I think she’s a detective for some agency. I’m not sure which. When I came into Rion’s world, Kezia Jarrett—that’s the name she uses now—was delivering him to the Cambria Springs jail.”
Seth stared. “His own sister arrested him?”
“Yes, but she and the man she was with, Deputy Nesbitt, didn’t seem happy about having to do so. They were trying to help him.”
As they worked to free Rion from his shirt, Lena brought shears and cut the sleeves from around his arms, and Lu quickly unfolded the story of how they’d met, her own incarceration, their escape, and all that had transpired between then and now.
“Once we realized this might be tied to his bounty hunting, we came here. He said you have the old wanted posters he’s collected on.”
“Yes, miss. I do. I’ll get ’em once we’re done cleanin’ these wounds. They’re in the cellar, near the cot where he sleeps, and the only door’s under the table.”
“He’ll have to look through them anyway. He knows the history. I don’t.” She heaved a deep breath. “Now … how can I help?”
“You look wrung out, hon.” Lena beckoned as she waddled toward a doorway at the end of the room. “These past few days couldn’t’ve been easy. Why don’t I get you some warm water so’s you can freshen up, maybe close your eyes and rest.”
She watched as Seth began soaking away the dried blood.
“I feel like I should stay.” Just like she’d done for Papa years ago. She couldn’t just abandon her post. “There’s a posse near, and—”
“Honest, miss. I’m gonna have Lena step away while I clean and cauterize these wounds. Neither of you needs to see that.”
She didn’t want to—but she’d done plenty of difficult things in caring for Papa, and if needed, she could again.
“Rion and me—we’ve been lookin’ after each other a long time. Let me handle cleanin’ him and gettin’ the bleedin’ stopped. Once that’s done, I’ll leave it to you gals to bandage him and whatever else needs doin’ while I try to cover y’all’s trail. All right?”
She couldn’t force herself from the spot until Lena waddled in carrying a heavy basin and ladled hot water from the pan on the stove into it. Seeing her struggle to manage the full basin around her big belly, Lu took the bowl and followed her into the next room. The space contained a bed, a hope chest, and little else but the washstand. Lu set the heavy bowl down.
“Have you anything more fittin’ to wear, miss?”
Lu glanced at the men’s trousers and the oversize shirt, still belted at the middle by Rion’s bandanna. “I have my clothes wrapped in the blanket tied behind Mischief’s saddle, but they were drenched when I traded them for these. I’ve no idea what shape they might be in now.”
Lena nodded. “I’ll put Ri’s horses up and get your things. If need be, I’ll find ya somethin’ of mine to wear. I got dresses I haven’t worn in about seven months now.” She rubbed her large belly.
“Thank you. You’re very kind.” Lu nodded, and Lena exited.
For a moment, she could only stare, unable to believe she was safe. How long had it been since she felt that security? At the very least, since before Sheriff Downing chained her to the tree. But really, years—with only a taste of it here or there. One of those tastes was being told she could rest while Seth and Lena stood guard. Another had been as Rion Braddock rode behind her, his body shielding her to keep her safe
No one had ever acted so selflessly for her. She wasn’t sure how to take that. But from that experience grew a tenderness in her heart for Rion Braddock that she’d never felt for any man before.