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Chapter Twenty-Two

“ I t won’t be long before we reach Quartzsite,” Zeke said as he went over to Bernadette.

Bernadette looked up at him. He had just finished securing their horses to nearby shrubs.

Her gaze went back to the Bisbee turquoise teardrop necklace Zeke had given her.

The more she studied it, the more in awe she was that he had chosen to give this to her.

There was no way Zeke had the kind of money she was used to in Pennsylvania.

A thing like this had to require most of his savings.

She had never thought to question how much things cost until she concluded her family had lost their money.

Zeke sat on the ground next to her and gave her his canteen. “You can finish up what’s left in here. I can wait until we get to town.”

She offered him a smile and accepted the canteen.

She didn’t have the ability to wait thirst out like he did.

First, he had given her this necklace. And now he was giving her what was left of the water.

“You’re a good man, Zeke. I’m glad I’m your wife.

With the way you care about people, I bet you’re going to be the best sheriff Flagstaff’s ever had. ”

“I’m looking forward to being a sheriff, but I want my uncle to be around for a while before that happens. For now, I just want to be the best deputy I can be.”

She kissed him. “You’ll make your family proud.”

“My ma says she’s always been proud of me, but it would be nice if I could make everyone in my family proud.”

“You will. If you can stand up to the Red Ghost, you can do anything.” She took a long drink from the canteen then gave it back to him.

“There’s a little bit left if you need it.

” She turned her gaze back to the necklace.

“This is the best piece of jewelry I’ve ever owned.

” Especially since he had made that comment about how it seemed as if it’d been made just for her.

Every time she looked at it, she thought of how much he loved her.

She smiled at him. “I had to take it off so I could get another look at it. I’m ready to put it back on. ”

He gestured that he would help her, so she gave it to him then turned her back so he could slip it around her neck and secure it with the clasp.

She slipped it under her collar then faced him. “Will I be able to show this necklace in Flagstaff?”

He nodded. “The people there won’t try to steal it.

They’re law-abiding citizens there. My uncle put his foot down.

They won’t mess with him.” After a moment, he added, “They might mess with each other. They do have their share of fights when someone’s caught cheating in a game, but they know better than to go up against me or my uncle. ”

She felt better about that. The necklace was so nice that she hated the thought of having to hide it forever. She slipped her arm around Zeke’s and took a look at the desert path that would take them to Quartzsite.

“How much longer do we have to ourselves?” she asked.

His eyebrows rose. “Do you mean, how much longer until we get to Quartzsite?”

“Yes, that’s another way of asking it.” She paused. “I’ve been enjoying this time with you. A part of me doesn’t want it to end, but I understand we need to get there. Blaze will need your help. It’s too dangerous to allow Lee and Wilson to continue raiding the territory. They have to be stopped.”

He grinned. “We should be in Quartzsite in two hours. I expect we’ll get there right before Lee and Wilson do. That gives us an advantage.” He rubbed her back. “It has been nice having you all to myself. I’m getting spoiled with all of your attention. I’ve never had anything this good before.”

“You deserve it, Zeke.” She kissed him. “I hope my brother will understand why I married you instead of Blaze.”

“You think he’ll be upset?”

Bernadette shrugged. “I’m not sure. I know he likes you.

He also likes Blaze. It’s just that in Pennsylvania, I wouldn’t have been able to run off to a preacher like I did here.

If a marriage is arranged back East, there’s no getting out of it.

I’m not sorry I made the choice I did. I just hope my brother accepts it. ”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Lucas, it’s that he’s a fair man.”

Yes, she knew her brother was fair, but he had also been her guardian, and as such, it had been her duty to obey him.

Zeke brought his mouth to hers, and all of her doubts vanished.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and settled into the thrill of simply being with him.

They didn’t depart for a good, long minute.

When he was done, he took a moment to check her feet which were doing much better, especially with the moccasins.

Then he helped her on her horse and led the way to Quartzsite.

Blaze waited by the doorway of the livery stable for Faye to show up.

He had come here on the pretense of checking on his horse, and since he had talked the owner into letting him keep his horse by the entrance, it was easy to pretend he was giving his horse some extra feed or water as he searched for Faye.

He had chosen not to tell the owner why he was in Quartzsite.

It was always possible outlaws had allies.

Sometimes the allies were willing participants in their schemes, but at other times, they helped the outlaws out of fear.

Blaze wouldn’t put it past Lee and Wilson to coerce someone in this town into helping them.

Blaze almost didn’t recognize Faye when he saw a woman approaching the livery stable.

Faye had her hair tucked up into a bun. She wore a brown bonnet to shield most of her face, and she wore a matching brown dress.

Her choice in attire was perfect. Brighter colors would draw attention to her.

With the muted brown she wore, she practically blended into their surroundings.

The more time he spent with her, the more she impressed him. And he didn’t impress easily.

She made it into the livery stable but didn’t make eye contact with him.

Taking that as his cue, he collected a couple of apples he had set near his horse and waited to make sure the owner wasn’t looking their way before he followed her.

The owner was busy talking to someone about a shipment of hay that was supposed to be brought in later that day.

“Would your horse like an apple?” Blaze asked as he came up to Faye.

She turned in his direction, and as they had agreed, she pretended to be surprised to see him. “You have apples?”

Blaze showed her the apples he was holding. “I got a good deal on them.” He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the owner was still distracted then turned his attention back to her. In a low voice, he added, “I’ve heard nothing about Lee or Wilson being here yet. Have you?”

She accepted one of the apples from him. “No, but I can’t say I’m surprised. They probably keep getting drunk at every bar they come to and get up late because their heads hurt too much. That will slow anyone down.”

“Now I feel bad for telling Lucas he couldn’t stay in that hotel in Desert Station.”

“Why? We were almost here. There was no reason to waste time. By coming here a day early, we figured out good hiding spots. And we located the spot where the treasure is.”

She rolled her eyes in a way that let him know she didn’t believe there was actual treasure, but he suspected there was something valuable buried in the ground.

Lee and Wilson hadn’t been the only ones interested in coming out here.

Bower and his gang had been as well. If word had gotten to two different groups of outlaws about treasure, then there had to be some truth to it.

“Hopefully, Zeke will be here by the time Lee and Wilson make it to town.”

“We don’t need Zeke. We can do it on our own.”

“I don’t know. While you and I are capable when it comes to conflict, it never hurts to have another person who knows how to handle a gun.”

With a shake of her head, she fed her horse the apple. “Zeke’s not adept when it comes to dangerous situations. I could have cut his throat with a knife. His reflexes are slow.”

Blaze gave her a second apple to give to her horse.

“Zeke wasn’t expecting you to lurch at him the way you did.

We were all eating. Everything was calm.

If he had been aware that you were going to prove you could go after outlaws, he would have stopped you before you had the chance to get that knife to his throat. ”

“I don’t believe it.”

“It’s true. When Zeke’s on his guard, he’s good.”

He could tell she still doubted him by the way she sighed.

“I’ve seen him shoot targets in the dark,” Blaze added. “He was a little rough at first, but he improved a great deal. When the situation calls for it, he can be as good as either one of us.”

She finished feeding the horse the second apple and stroked the horse’s nose. “You can believe whatever you want about him, Blaze. I’m not changing my mind. He’s too slow to act.”

He thought about protesting again when he caught her hand flashing up in his direction. He stopped her hand before it reached his neck.

She offered him a satisfied nod. “See how easy that was? I didn’t take you by surprise. And all we’re doing is giving my horse a couple of apples.”

He released her hand. “Zeke doesn’t look for danger the same way I do. I was raised to be on my guard at all times.”

“I was, too.” She set her hand on her hip. “That’s why we don’t need Zeke. If he doesn’t get here tonight, we’ll be fine.”

Even if she was right, he still liked the idea of having additional help. And he thought it would improve Zeke’s view of himself if he could help apprehend Lee and Wilson. In the time he’d gotten to know Zeke, he had come to like him.

“I’m going to sit on the bench close to the saloon and see if anyone’s talking about my brother and his friend,” Faye said. “I noticed a couple of Wanted posters with their faces on them. Obviously, they’re on the lookout for them in this town.”

“Alright. We’ll meet back here at five. If there’s anything new, approach me with some apples. If not, we’ll ignore each other.”

Blaze gave another glance at the owner who was finished with his conversation. The owner’s gaze went in their direction, so Blaze decided to pretend he was flirting with Faye so the owner wouldn’t get suspicious.

Blaze let out a laugh and brushed her cheek with his fingers. “If there’s one thing I like, it’s a challenge. You might not be looking for a husband now, but I’m sure you will be soon enough.” Then he winked at her and headed back to his horse.

The owner chuckled under his breath and shook his head.

Good. Blaze’s ploy worked. The owner had no idea they were planning to capture outlaws.

That meant the owner wouldn’t alert Lee and Wilson to anything, just in case he knew them.

Blaze expected Faye to head right out of the barn since her horse was no longer eating any apples, but to his surprise, Faye was staring at him in shock.

Since the owner was still watching them, Blaze gave her a playful wave then hurried to leave the barn before things got awkward.