Page 28 of Love and Order

CHAPTER 11

Whatever words Rion was about to speak died on his tongue as Lu bolted from the cellar.

For an instant, they each looked after her then at each other before Lena shook her finger at him.

“Lucky for you, you’re injured, Orion Braddock, or I might just grab you by your chin hairs and drag you upstairs to apologize.” Lena started up the steps, shaking her head. “That woman was trying to save your life, at her own peril.”

That was the problem. She was putting herself in danger on his account—and he couldn’t live with himself if something happened to her.

Once Lena had gone, he tottered toward the shelves a couple feet away, steadied himself, and turned again toward Seth, his immediate anger quelled somewhat.

“Why don’t you lie down before you fall over.” Seth nodded to the bed. “I’ll see if we can’t coax her back down here to talk.”

“You’ve done enough tonight. I’ll go talk to her.” He needed a change of scenery anyway. The tight quarters and grim darkness in the windowless cellar were wearing on him.

Right arm cradled close to his body, he started toward the steps, far more unsteady than he liked. But Lena was right. There was something special about Lu, and he needed to apologize for whatever fool thing he’d just said to set her off.

“You’re one stubborn cuss, you know that?”

“It’s what’s kept me alive all this time.” He took the first few stairs, and as his head and shoulders emerged through the hole in the floor, he found Lena frozen a few paces beyond, staring out the open door, and Lu just outside, her back to the cabin.

“We saw you and Mr. Kealey leave and return, and you didn’t seem to be under any duress. Are you well, Miss Peters?” a female voice asked.

A familiar female voice …

Calliope’s voice.

How many people had she brought with her? The whole posse? A few? Just Trenamen? Or had she come by herself?

If by herself, he’d have something to say about that to her partner. After all, there was a murderer on the loose—the real one.

Coming from behind him, Seth took the stairs by twos and barged past him, past his wife, and straight out the door.

“Mr. Kealey.”

This time, it was Trenamen’s voice. So there were at least the two of them. Were there others?

“I see you’ve found Lucinda Peters. Is Rion Braddock here too?”

The thought of ducking back into the cellar and tucking himself away in the tunnel flashed across his mind, but he couldn’t gather his belongings, get them stashed, and hide himself quickly enough. And that would leave Lu hanging by herself, which he didn’t want to do. She’d stuck by him through this whole mess. He wasn’t about to abandon her now.

Mustering his strength, he climbed the remainder of the stairs and came to stand near Lena in view of the open door. Beyond Lu stood Calliope and Joe, both beside their horses.

The sight of his sister sent a shot through him—both happiness and dread—and he stifled a groan as weakness caused his head to swim.

He met her eyes across the distance. “I’m here.”

Lena dragged a chair over. “Sit.”

He didn’t argue.

In a flurry of activity, Calliope and Joe Trenamen hurried inside, Seth and Lu crowding into the kitchen after them. Seth closed the trapdoor to the cellar to make more room.

Calliope marched up to him, worry marring her pretty features. “Look at you.” She took his face in her hands. “You’re hurt!”

“Evenin’, Calliope.” He blinked heavily and tried—probably failed—to smile. “I was shot. Once. Bullet passed through my shoulder. I’ll be well enough soon.” He tried to sound confident, but the fatigue pulling at him said otherwise. Hopefully, another day or two of decent sleep would help.

She released him and looked around at the others. “Is he right?”

“The bullet didn’t hit any vital organs, miss, but he’s hurtin’ plenty,” Seth started. “We’re workin’ to get rid of some infection. What he needs most is time and rest.”

Trenamen turned to Lu, who’d positioned herself about as far from Rion as she could get, near the doorway to Seth and Lena’s bedroom. “And are you all right, miss?”

She gave a defiant lift to her chin. “I’m fine. Unharmed.”

“Did he kidnap you from the jail?” Trenamen jutted his chin, now sporting a few days’ growth of a beard, in Rion’s direction.

Irritation clawed his belly like a trapped cougar, though he had no strength to address the needling question.

Again, Lu’s posture seemed to stiffen. “He didn’t force me to go anywhere. I came to get a story.”

“I’m glad for that.” Joe turned his way. “Were y’all here this morning when the posse came?”

“We were.” He shifted, trying to ease the ache that sitting up was causing. “Wasn’t a good time to talk.”

“Doesn’t look like now’s much better.”

“Not particularly.” He glanced toward the windows. If only he could see out into the darkness beyond. “You let me rest awhile, and I’ll talk to you and Calliope. But if that posse’s ridin’ this way, I’d rather know it, and I’ll excuse myself, so long as I have your word Lu won’t be held responsible for anything. She’s innocent in all of this.”

Calliope shook her head. “You look in no shape to excuse yourself anywhere but back to bed. Besides, the posse’s miles from here.”

“Then why’re you here? I thought y’all were ridin’ with that bunch.”

“Sheriff Downing said you were friends.” Calliope motioned to Seth and Lena, then him. “So we followed a hunch that you’d be somewhere about. We asked to stay behind and watch the house. We knew we were right when we kept seeing your boot tracks all around.”

“What?” He rubbed at the intensifying ache in his shoulder. “My boot tracks?”

“You know, that crescent-shaped scar in the right heel?”

“What’re you talkin’ about?” He shook his head, his eyes growing suddenly heavy. “I can’t be leavin’ tracks everywhere. I traded my boots for moccasins just inside the Cambria Springs livery, and I haven’t worn ’em since.”

“Look,” Seth called. “I understand y’all are detectives or somethin’ and you’ve got a case to investigate, but it’s been a hard day here. It’s late. Maybe we could wait until mornin’ when we’re all a little more rested?”

Rion tried to shake his head. He needed to understand what Calliope was saying. How were his boot tracks everywhere?

“I think that’s a wise idea.” Trenamen hooked a thumb toward the door. “You mind if we stay? Put our horses in your corral? We’ll sleep outside if we have to.”

“Like Rion said, so long as you promise that posse’s not comin’, you’re welcome to stay. Lena can give instructions on where.”

At Trenamen’s and Calliope’s agreement, Seth opened the door to the cellar again and helped him up.

“C’mon. I want you downstairs in bed before you pass out on me. You’re nearly an immovable boulder once you go out.”

Rion glanced Lu’s way as Seth guided him down the steps, though she quickly averted her gaze.

This night hadn’t gone well. Maybe things would look different in the morning.

Monday, June 30, 1873

Lu paced out of the bedroom, which she’d shared with Lena and Calliope, once again dressed in her own feminine attire. The strong scent of coffee and frying bacon met her, and she looked around at the faces. Seth and Deputy Nesbitt—or whatever his real name was—sat at the table, deep in conversation. Lena and Calliope stood at the stove, chattering softly as they cooked.

Rion was the only one not present. He was probably still asleep in the cellar. It was the best thing for them both, considering she needed to go down there and see if she could find her journal. She’d not seen it since they’d hidden in the tunnel the morning before, and she had many thoughts to capture in its pages. But she didn’t want a discussion with him. The sooner she could return to her small rented house in Cambria Springs and forget about Rion Braddock, the better.

Nodding to the greetings of the others, she walked through the room and downstairs, the steps squeaking as they often did. She cringed and attempted to avoid the worst creaky spots. At the first shelf, she found the box of matches Rion had used the previous morning to light the lamp and, walking deeper into the cellar where they’d stashed all their belongings, lit a match.

There. Her journal peeked out from under his saddlebags and rifle. She tugged it free and shook out the match, preparing to turn back.

“Lu?”

She cringed at Rion’s voice.

“You’re dreaming,” she whispered. “Go back to sleep.”

He chuckled, the rich depth of the sound tugging at her heart. “I’m not dreamin’ and I’m not delirious. I know it’s you.”

“But you should still be asleep.”

“I actually feel a little better. I think the poultices helped.”

Of course they had. She’d seen them work wonders on her father. “Good. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

She deposited the matches in their place and headed for the stairs.

“Please stay. I need to talk to you.”

A big knot formed in her throat, and she shook her head. “You made everything very clear last night.” She hurried up the steps, pausing long enough to ask Lena and Calliope if they needed help with the breakfast preparations. Upon their negative answer, she excused herself back to the bedroom to write her thoughts.

Kicking off Lena’s moccasins, which she’d donned to run downstairs, she sat on the bed and pulled her pencil loose from the spine. The lead was broken. She puffed out her cheeks in frustration, laid the journal aside, put the moccasins back on, and padded to the other room.

“Would one of you happen to have a knife I could use to sharpen my pencil?”

Both Seth and Deputy Nesbitt looked up, and Seth took the pencil and produced a small pocketknife. Before he even got the blade open and began to shave the wood down, Rion emerged from the cellar.

“I need a word with you, Lu. Please.”

Seth innocently worked on the pencil, acting as if he’d not heard a thing. Deputy Nesbitt watched with curiosity. And near the stove, both Lena and Calliope had turned. Rion grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the bedroom.

Still shirtless and bandaged, he looked much more in control of his faculties than the previous evening. She attempted once to pull free of his grip, but it was strong, and he walked with a purpose that he’d not had the day before. Reaching the bedroom, he drew her inside and shut the door.

“Are you trying to embarrass me?” she whispered when he finally let go and faced her, his back braced against the door.

“Embarrass you?” His brow furrowed. “No. I’m tryin’ to apologize. I said some things last night that either I didn’t mean or they didn’t come out like I intended ’em.”

She stared.

“I may not be the brightest man in the world, but I reckon it’s not usually a good thing when a woman you’re talkin’ to runs out on the conversation partway through, cryin’.”

Her eyes stung again with unshed tears. “Not typically, no.”

“I’m sorry. I woke up last evenin’ and found out Seth had taken you on some kind of … errand, Lena called it. And the way she said it, it made me realize you could be in danger. I didn’t like that. And to hear some old woman took a shot at you while you were tryin’ to clear my name? And my brother let you go there, knowin’ that was a possibility? I really didn’t like that. Between those things and how addled my thoughts were, I said I didn’t need your help.”

“You don’t.” She swiped away a tear before it streaked past her cheekbone. “Since we met, you’ve proven over and over how capable you are. You’ll figure this out too.”

He heaved a breath. “Reckon I’m not makin’ my meanin’ very clear, then. What I’m tryin’ to say is, I misspoke. Lucinda Peters, I want your help clearin’ my name. I just want you safe while we’re doin’ it. And if you’re gonna put yourself in danger, I want to be the one beside you. Not Seth. Not Lena. Not Calliope or Joe or anyone else.” He tapped his chest. “Me.”

She eyed him as she brushed away another tear.

After a moment, his brow furrowed. “Have you got anything to say?”

“Let me make sure I’m not continuing to misunderstand. Do you mean this about our current task of clearing your name, or does that extend beyond that point?”

“Well, now, I reckon that’s gonna depend. We fail to clear my name, and my neck’s probably gettin’ stretched. We succeed, and …” He grinned with a faint, one-shouldered shrug. “I kinda like the idea of a partnership. You in?”

Lu stood a little straighter, pressed her lips together, and nodded. “Under those terms, I think it’s in my best interest to be sure your name gets cleared.”

With his left hand, he tugged her to his side, and she pressed in, careful not to jostle him or lean too heavily. They stood like that only an instant before a single, sharp rap came at the door and, startled, she pulled free.

“Breakfast,” Seth called.

Rion shook his head then nodded toward the door. “That one always did have bad timing.”

Cheeks flaming, she giggled.

When Rion opened the door, Seth looked them both over, then tossed one of the blankets from the bed downstairs at Rion.

“Why don’t you cover yourself, and let’s eat.”

“Yes, sir.”

Seth motioned her out ahead of him, and with one more smile in Rion’s direction, she exited.