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Chapter Eleven

T hat evening, Bernadette sat with Lucas and Gail by the campfire. Blaze had taken Zeke out for target practice. Except for the gunshots, all was quiet. The scenery was pretty barren. She only saw cactuses and bushes dotting the landscape.

“This is what I expected when we arrived in Arizona,” Gail was telling Lucas, who had his arm around her shoulders. “This is what a desert is supposed to look like.”

“Can you tell how far we are from Quartzsite?” Lucas asked.

Gail examined the map she was studying. After a moment, she said, “It looks like we’ll be there in a week.”

A week? That seemed like a short time, and yet, every day they spent chasing Lee and Wilson seemed to be a lifetime.

Bernadette still didn’t know if she should stay in Arizona or go back to Pennsylvania.

The only thing she did know was that she didn’t want to marry Blaze.

Something happened to her after listening to the poetic way Zeke had compared her to that Bisbee turquoise teardrop gemstone.

Blaze should be talking about her that way, not Zeke.

While Blaze was nice, it wasn’t enough. Coming out here had taught her that passion was the best reason to marry.

Lucas and Gail had passion, and there was no doubt how happy they were.

She and Blaze didn’t have that kind of relationship.

She wondered if it was possible if she and Zeke might have it.

Even as the last thought came to her, she couldn’t believe it.

When they started this journey, she wouldn’t have thought there was anything worth liking about Zeke.

Another gunshot rang in the air, and Bernadette glanced over at the two men. Zeke gave Blaze a shrug as Blaze went over to him. She couldn’t make out what either one was saying since they were too far away, but she got the impression that Blaze was trying to encourage him.

“Do you really think Zeke will be ready in a week?” Gail asked.

“Blaze said Zeke made a lot of progress in a short time,” Lucas replied. “I think Zeke can do it. When he sets his mind to something, he doesn’t stop until he gets it. That’s a good trait.”

Gail touched Bernadette’s arm to get her attention. “Are you looking forward to marrying Blaze?”

Bernadette tapped her fingers on the ground. If she was going to bring it up, this was the time. Gail had given her the opening she needed, and Lucas was waiting for her to respond.

She made eye contact with her brother. “Since we’re not in Pennsylvania, do I have to marry someone you arranged for me to marry?”

Lucas blinked in surprise. “I thought you wanted to marry Blaze.”

“You said you wanted to right after we rescued you from the canyon,” Gail agreed with him.

“Yes,” Bernadette conceded, “and back then I did want to marry him. He seemed perfect.”

“But…?” Gail encouraged after Bernadette went silent.

“I think he’d make a good husband,” Lucas inserted when Bernadette struggled with how to continue. “He can provide for you. He knows his way around the area. He can protect you. He treats you the way a brother wants a prospective husband to treat his sister.”

Bernadette hid the urge to grimace. Was Lucas saying that because Blaze’s actions were way too platonic?

“The choice is yours,” Lucas told Bernadette.

“I’m not going to force you to marry him if you don’t want to.

Marriage is the most important relationship you can have with someone.

You don’t want to end up with someone who doesn’t interest you.

If your feelings have changed, it’s best to do something about it now.

You can always return to Pennsylvania with me and Gail. ”

“Is that what you want to do?” Gail asked. “Do you want to come back with us?”

Bernadette didn’t know how to answer that.

She probably should say yes. She probably should want to say yes.

And yet, the way Zeke had spoken to her in the mercantile while holding the necklace up to her eyes changed things.

They’d already been changing, she knew, but now it was too obvious to miss.

“We still have a week,” Lucas said when Bernadette didn’t say anything.

“We’ve been busy going from one watering hole to another and then setting up camp to sleep and then getting up to leave the camp.

We’re going to end up in a showdown with two bandits who are worse than the ones we just sent to jail.

With all of that going on, it’s impossible to take an accurate assessment of what a marriage with Blaze will be like.

If you want, Gail and I can stick around Arizona for a couple more weeks while Blaze courts you.

In that time, I’m sure you’ll get a better idea of how he’d be as a husband.

Right now, all we’re seeing is how he is when he’s pursuing outlaws. ”

Gail nodded in agreement. “We’re only seeing Vigilante Blaze. There’s a romantic side of him that he hasn’t had time to show.”

Bernadette doubted it, but since they were willing to take her back with them if things didn’t work out, she didn’t argue. What she most wanted was to see if anything would go anywhere with Zeke. Perhaps this week would give her the answer she needed.

The next day, the sun beat down on the five travelers as they crossed the flat landscape.

Blaze glanced back at the four who followed, hoping they were really up for the trek across the desert.

Once they reached Granite Wash Pass, they would have access to water.

Also, he’d heard that there was some mining going on in that area.

They were bound to run into other people.

Lee and Wilson could easily hide in an area where there were others.

One would think Wanted posters with their faces drawn on them would make Lee and Wilson easy to spot, but they were probably smart enough to wear disguises.

The one benefit Blaze and Zeke had was the fact that Lee and Wilson had no idea they were coming for them.

Blaze frowned as his attention went to a small wooden home on the horizon. He slowed his horse then held up his hand so the others would stop. Once they were gathered around him, he said, “Someone’s over there.” He gestured to the dwelling.

“Great,” Lucas said. “I wouldn’t mind asking if the person has a well. I’m almost out of water.”

“We can’t be sure it’s safe to talk to the person living there,” Blaze pointed out.

“It can’t be dangerous,” Zeke argued. “That structure is permanent. That means someone lives there.”

Blaze shook his head. “We don’t know what the person living there is like.

We have to proceed with caution. Zeke, you and I are up front.

Draw your gun but have it at your side. We’ll need them out if there’s the slightest hint of gunfire.

The rest of you need to stay behind me and Zeke.

Form a single line. We don’t need to make it easy for the person to shoot us.

Zeke and I will form a wall to protect you. ”

Without a word, Lucas, Gail, and Bernadette formed a single line.

Though Zeke approached Blaze, Blaze could tell he wasn’t convinced the situation warranted the precaution Blaze was giving it. Blaze couldn’t be surprised, he supposed, but he was disappointed. One would think a deputy wouldn’t be so trusting, especially not out in this wild territory.

Zeke retrieved the gun from his holster and set it on his thigh. “Alright, I’m ready.”

Blaze offered a nod, and they continued on their way. Blaze directed the group to go to the right side of the dwelling. The best way to deal with strangers was to confront them. Cactuses and shrubs were hardly adequate barriers. There was nowhere to run and hide if they did end up in a gunfight.

The others were alert for any signs of danger. That was good. They all needed to be alert. It was never good to let one’s guard down. Blaze had made the mistake of doing that in the past and almost lost a hand because of it.

As they neared the dwelling, Blaze noticed a woman beating a rug with her broom.

“Oh, this is ridiculous,” Zeke said. “She’s not a threat.”

“There could be a man inside that house,” Blaze warned. “We can’t assume she’s by herself.”

As if to prove his point, the woman stopped beating the rug.

They were still too far away to see what she looked like.

Also, they couldn’t tell if someone was inside the wooden structure which had seen better days.

All they could make out was that she had noticed them.

She stood still for a long moment as Blaze continued to lead his group toward her.

He would have called out to her if they were close enough for her to hear them.

She took the broom and ran into the house.

In the next instant, Blaze noticed a masculine form hovering in front of a window.

The grip on his gun tightened, but he didn’t lift his weapon. “There,” Blaze said. “She’s not alone. Do you need further proof that we have to be careful?”

“No, but what are we going to do if he starts shooting? What’s your plan?” Zeke asked.

“If he starts shooting, we shoot back. You can see his head and chest.”

“He has a hat on.”

Blaze paused. “Yes, he has a hat, but if you shoot his hat, it will either fly off his head or stay on, and if it stays on, that means you’ve shot him in the head. He probably won’t shoot unless we give him a reason to believe we’re a threat, which is why we need to keep our guns down.”

Zeke nodded, and they continued forward.

Blaze kept his attention on the man as they neared the one-room shack.

The woman wasn’t in view, but the man was, and he wasn’t budging from his spot.

The woman could very well be keeping a close eye on them.

As they got closer, Blaze saw that the window was closed, and the window had too much dirt on it for Blaze to make out the man clearly.

But they should be close enough to call out to the couple.