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Chapter Fourteen

N othing of interest happened for the rest of the day, nor did it happen the next morning. Well, at least not for Bernadette.

Lucas and Gail were in love. They stayed a slight distance from everyone else and talked in low tones.

The smiles they kept giving each other, and the fact that they were laughing, told Bernadette they didn’t mind being stuck out in this barren desert terrain.

They could be anywhere and have a wonderful time.

Blaze and Faye were discussing potential problems they might encounter along their way, and while Zeke would toss in something about the Red Ghost sightings he’d been reading about, neither Blaze nor Faye seemed to think it was a threat.

No, they were more interested in the miners who might try to steal their supplies in Granite Wash Pass or what they would do when they finally caught up to Lee and Wilson.

Bernadette couldn’t be sure, but she thought those two enjoyed the chance that they might end up in some life-or-death situation.

Their eyes were lit up in excitement, and their voices were raised in anticipation.

Thankfully, Zeke didn’t seem as eager to confront danger head-on like those two were.

Bernadette didn’t know what she would do if everyone fit to shoot a gun was hoping to use it.

She considered joining Lucas and Gail, but she wasn’t interested in listening to them list off the things they loved most about each other.

She ended up riding her horse in silence in the middle of the group.

Blaze, Faye, and Zeke took the lead. Lucas and Gail took up the rear.

In the end, she let her mind wander to those stories she’d told Zeke she’d read.

Finally, at three that afternoon, they descended into the gap between the Granite Wash Mountains and the Little Harquahala Mountains.

Settlements composed of tents became more frequent as they entered the rocky terrain where shrubs were scattered about.

Some dry hills composed of rocks were also around them.

It was a wonder this place boasted a good-sized watering hole, and it was along the watering hole where most people had congregated.

This definitely wasn’t as nice as Prescott.

Bernadette didn’t feel like waiting for Blaze to help her down from the horse, so she did it herself.

Then she hurried to lead her horse to a spot where it could drink some water.

She didn’t bother looking over at Blaze to see what he thought.

The more she watched him with Faye, the more she noted the growing interest he had in her.

And who could blame him? He and Faye had a lot more in common than she did with him.

Gail led her horse over to her. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Bernadette replied, hoping Gail wouldn’t press the issue. “I’m tired. It’s been a long trip, and we’re still not at Quartzsite yet.”

“It does seem like this trip will never end, though I am apprehensive about how things will go once we do get there,” Gail admitted as her horse started drinking the water.

“I wish we could let Blaze, Zeke, and Faye go to Quartzsite while the rest of us wait for them.” Her gaze went to a group of men who had approached the watering hole, and though they had plenty of space to choose from, they chose a spot close to them.

Gail lowered her voice. “Even though Lucas would be with us, I wouldn’t feel safe without Blaze.

No one will harm us as long as we have Blaze to scare the men off. ”

Bernadette took a good look at the five men.

The fact that they were dirty from having been in one of the mines didn’t bother her, but they scanned her and Gail in a way that made her skin crawl.

It was like being stuck back in the cave with Bower and his men.

Bernadette instinctively waved for Gail to move their horses closer to Zeke since his horse was at the watering hole.

Lucas was in an outhouse, and Blaze and Faye were sorting through their supplies.

“We’ll stay here for the night,” Zeke told her and Gail. “We’ll have to sleep in our bedrolls, though. A place like this won’t have a hotel. We’re lucky there are some stores, but then, all of these miners would need some food.”

“Do we need to sleep near the miners?” Bernadette asked.

“I wasn’t planning on setting our bedrolls in front of their tents,” Zeke replied, his tone hinting at a joke.

She smiled. “I meant, do we have to set up camp in this pass, or can we go outside of it?”

He gave a good look around them. “Would you two feel better if we camped a good distance from all of these miners?”

Bernadette glanced Gail’s way and knew Gail agreed with her. “Yes, we would. I don’t see any other women here, do you?”

He gave a careful study of the people around them. His eyebrows rose in surprise. “I didn’t realize this place had so many men in it.”

“It has only men in it,” Gail emphasized.

“To be fair, I don’t think women want to go mining,” Zeke said. “However, I understand your concern. Even if there is a woman or two here, they don’t feel comfortable enough to come out. I’ll tell Blaze that we’ll need to camp away from this place.”

Bernadette breathed a sigh of relief, and she noted that Gail felt better as well. “Thank you, Zeke.”

“I’m glad you two told me your misgivings,” he replied. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. A deputy’s job is to make women and children feel safe.” He urged his horse from the watering hole.

Without waiting for him to invite them to come along, they pulled the reins of their horses and followed him to Blaze and Faye.

“Lee can’t resist alcohol,” Faye was telling Blaze, “and Wilson can’t resist drinking with Lee. Those two would have spent at least one night in the saloon. They might even be there now. I need to go in and see if I can find them.”

“We’d be better off going in there together,” Blaze said, his tone indicating that the two had been arguing for a while.

“You need to go in with a man,” Zeke interrupted, his gaze on Faye. “There aren’t any women around. It’s bad enough in an area full of miners. It’s worse when you’re going into a saloon.”

Faye’s eyes narrowed at him, and her hand went to the gun in the holster that rested on her hip. “I’d like to see a man try to do something with me.”

“What if there’s a group of them?” Blaze pointed out.

She tapped the butt of the gun. “I’m a quick shot. They’ll all be kneeling over in pain before one of them touches me.”

“If they’re kneeling over in pain, they can still draw a gun and shoot you,” Zeke countered.

She smirked. “When a man’s just been rendered unable to have children, the last thing he worries about is his gun.”

Bernadette wasn’t sure what Faye meant, but Zeke blanched and said, “You might as well just shoot them in the head and kill them.”

“If I did that, how would they learn to treat a woman with respect?” she asked.

While Zeke looked horrified at her response, Bernadette noticed the way Blaze’s lips curled up.

She couldn’t decide if Blaze was impressed or if he was trying not to laugh because he found her response funny.

Perhaps both things were true. But she supposed it didn’t matter.

There was no way she was going into a saloon.

If Faye thought she could stand up to an army of men all by herself, that was her problem.

“The last thing a woman ought to do is go alone into a saloon,” Gail spoke up.

Faye’s eyes narrowed at her. “You don’t think I can handle myself?”

“I don’t think any woman should be taking the risk,” Gail clarified.

“No woman should,” Zeke chimed in. “What’s the point in looking for danger if you don’t need to? If you think Lee and Wilson are here, then Blaze and I should go into the saloon and look for them. You should stay with Gail, Bernadette, and Lucas.” He glanced toward the outhouse.

On instinct, Bernadette followed his gaze and saw Lucas heading their way with his horse.

Faye huffed. “All you men are alike. You think a woman can’t take care of herself.”

“We don’t even know if we can trust you,” Zeke said.

“What if she goes in with us?” Blaze asked Zeke. “That way she can help us if we get into any trouble, and you can keep an eye on her.”

Faye still didn’t seem happy with the arrangement, but she offered a nod that she was willing to go along with the compromise.

Zeke glanced at Bernadette and Gail. “Do you two feel safe staying out here with Lucas?”

Thinking it was nice that Zeke was concerned about her and Gail, Bernadette nodded. Gail followed suit.

“I think the best place for the three of you to be is close to the saloon,” Zeke told her, Gail, and Lucas. “If anything happens, call out to us.” His gaze went to Lucas, and he offered him his gun. “Point and shoot if there’s trouble. That’ll back anyone off until we can help.”

“I hope you have more than one gun,” Blaze said.

“Of course, I do.” Zeke swung his bedroll forward and removed another gun he had hidden in there.

Blaze’s eyes widened. “I didn’t think you had it in you to be prepared like this.”

Zeke gave Lucas his bedroll and the reins to his horse. “I’m not always inept.”

Bernadette winced at the hurt tone in his voice.

Is that how others viewed him? As inept?

She thought back to her impression of him at the canyon and realized she had thought of him that way.

Face warm, she avoided eye contact with him.

Instead, she looked over at Gail, who also seemed embarrassed to have questioned his ability to be a deputy.

“No one is saying you’re inept,” Blaze said. “Your skills just need some work.”

“That’s what inept means. Not having a sufficient skill in something,” Zeke replied. “Maybe I don’t have the shooting skills you and Faye do, but I do know the definition of words.”

“Sometimes what you know is as important as what you can do,” Lucas intervened. “Zeke knows a lot about being out here.”