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Chapter Six

W hen the second break of the day came, Zeke pulled the map out of his satchel, found a place near the stream, sat on the ground, and opened it.

The others were still around their horses, talking and laughing.

After last night, he didn’t feel quite so isolated from the group.

Blaze had included him. In addition to sincerely helping him last night, Blaze had even directed some of his comments to him.

Blaze was a good man. Arizona was better off because he was living here.

Zeke tried not to glance at Bernadette, but his eyes wouldn’t cooperate with him.

She was taking a drink from her canteen.

He forced his attention back to the map.

Traveling on horseback was slower than going by train, but fortunately for him and Blaze, the path to Quartzsite could only be taken by horse or by foot. That slowed Lee and Wilson down.

At their current pace, they would make the entire journey from the canyon to Quartzsite in ten days, give or take a day or two.

Staying in town last night hadn’t helped.

But then, Lee and Wilson would probably visit a saloon or a brothel.

After hearing about outlaws for most of his life from his uncle, it seemed like outlaws enjoyed those two things the most when they weren’t breaking the law.

Someone approached him. Thinking it was Blaze, he looked up from the map. To his surprise, it was Bernadette. But she didn’t go to him. She went to the stream and lowered her canteen into the water.

Zeke didn’t know what he was thinking. Of course, she came in his direction.

She needed to get water, and he was sitting near the stream.

He’d been a fool to think that she might want to talk to him.

She had Blaze, and Blaze was far more witty and charming than he was, not to mention the physical traits Blaze possessed that Zeke could only wish for.

Zeke forced his gaze back to the map. He had to pretend not to notice the awkward silence that passed between them.

It didn’t help that she was so pretty. Without meaning to, his gaze returned to her.

She wasn’t looking at him. She was concentrating on her canteen.

She had taken her bonnet off. A barrette had the sides of her hair pulled back, but the rest of her hair fell just past her shoulders.

The sunlight framed her golden hair in a way that only accentuated her beauty.

Blaze was a fool for letting her remain single.

Zeke might not be the smartest man to ever live, but he wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to marry her as soon as possible.

Bernadette’s head turned in his direction.

Zeke immediately looked back at his map, his face warm.

She hadn’t noticed him watching her, had she?

Bernadette capped her canteen then walked over to him.

Zeke gulped. She had noticed. And not only had she noticed, but she was going to tell him to stop because there was no way he was ever going to be with someone like her.

“Is that the map to Quartzsite?” she asked.

He waited for a moment to make sure she wasn’t reprimanding him before he dared to make eye contact with her. “Yes.” Before she could ask him why he was in charge of the map, he added, “Blaze said I could carry it.”

“I know. Blaze told us that you’re good with a map.” She gestured to the spot next to him. “Can I take a look at it?”

“Sure.” Like he would deny her anything.

His heart just about leapt up into his throat as she settled on the ground next to him.

Hoping he didn’t seem as excited to be near her as he was, he placed the map between them.

Recalling that Gail got upset with him when he didn’t realize she could read a map, he asked, “Do you know how to read maps?”

Bernadette shook her head. “No, but I’ve seen you doing this.” She put her finger toward the top of the map and made a downward diagonal line to the left. “I also see the word Quartzsite where your finger stops. So we’re heading this way?”

“Yes. The canyon we left was up here.” He gestured to the section on the map that was right above where the map began.

“The canyon isn’t on the map, but this is Flagstaff here.

” He pointed to his hometown. “We aren’t going there.

We’re heading toward Prescott.” He traced the way down to the town.

“After we leave Prescott, we won’t come across as many streams or trees, and the towns will be scarce.

We have some towns in the desert, but not many.

We’ll want to load up as much as possible while we’re in Prescott. ”

“Where is Hardyville?”

“That’s not on the map, either, but it’s all the way over here.” His finger went up and left. He stopped when his finger reached the ground. “It’s close to Nevada.”

“That’s a long way from the canyon.”

“It is.” He paused. He hadn’t asked Blaze where he lived, but there was only one reason she would ask about Hardyville. “Is that where Blaze is taking you?”

“Yes. I was on my way there when Bower, Big Mike, and Squiggy abducted me. I hadn’t even made it to Flagstaff.”

His gaze went to the map. Yes, he supposed the train would take her from Flagstaff to Hardyville.

And when they were done with apprehending Lee and Wilson, Blaze would take her from Quartzsite to Hardyville.

Zeke didn’t want to dwell on it. It was better to think of the fact that people would look at him with a newfound respect when he returned home.

Then he would have something to look forward to.

“Do you really believe there is a Red Ghost near Quartzsite?” she asked. “I remember you talking about it at the canyon.”

“I have to believe in something people have witnessed,” he replied. “If there was only one person who told me they saw the thing, I would think they drank too much or maybe got scared and imagined something. But you can’t argue when five people tell you the same thing.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Five people told you about the Red Ghost?”

He nodded. “Not just men, either. Two of them were women. All settlers out in this land. One of them said that her husband was even killed by it. The others said this thing damaged their buildings and ate their animals. All kinds of critters can get into crops, but it takes a beast to get to animals, destroy buildings, and kill someone.”

“If it’s so dangerous, why are we out here?”

“Someone needs to stop Lee and Wilson.” Noting the worried look on her face, he gestured to her betrothed. “We have Blaze. You saw what he did at the canyon. If anyone can protect us against the Red Ghost, it’s him.”

She turned her gaze back to him, not hiding her surprise. “You are depending on Blaze to protect us?”

Recalling her views of the way he handled things at the canyon, he pointed out, “You don’t believe I can save you from the Red Ghost, do you?”

She paused. “If this thing is that awful, I don’t think anyone can protect us from it. Blaze might be able to manage some terrific feats, but even he has his limits.”

One would think that, but after learning about everything Blaze had faced during his life, Zeke wondered if Blaze had any weaknesses. “I don’t think there is a limit to what Blaze can do.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Why does that surprise you?”

“Because you spent a good portion of your time arguing that he didn’t do that much at the canyon.”

His face warmed at the reminder. He could argue her point, he supposed, but what good would it do?

At the time, he had thought getting to the hideout and then getting her out of harm’s way before the bullets started flying counted for something.

After finding out the others thought his attempts were pitiful, he had realized he was still a long way off from being a hero.

But Blaze was going to change that for him.

With Blaze’s help, he was going to finally do something so great that everyone would have to look at him with respect.

“I’ve gotten to know Blaze since then,” he admitted. “As it turns out, he’s nice. I can see why you’re excited about marrying him. You two will do well together.”

Her expression softened, and he wasn’t sure what to make of the expression on her face. But that didn’t matter since the others came over to them.

“How far are we from Prescott?” Blaze asked.

Zeke studied the map. “If the horses hold up well, we can manage to get there in three and a half days.”

Gail groaned. “That long?”

“We don’t want to push the horses too hard,” Zeke pointed out.

“Zeke’s right,” Blaze agreed. “Prescott is a good town to stop in for supplies. There isn’t much from Prescott to Quartzsite.

We should grab a few more canteens while we’re at it.

It’s going to be hotter, and we won’t be able to access water as easily.

Alright,” Blaze said after a pause, “let’s get going.

If we want to make it to Prescott in three and a half days, we need to keep moving. ”

Zeke quickly rolled up the map and stood up.

Blaze held out his hand to help Bernadette to her feet, and Zeke noticed the way she hesitated. The hesitation was only for a second, but it was there all the same. Zeke’s eyebrows furrowed. That was strange. He was sure she hadn’t acted that way around Blaze before. What had changed?

“Are you ready, Zeke?” Lucas asked him.

Zeke blinked then hurried to get back to his horse.

That evening, Bernadette broke off a piece of her biscuit. The campfire provided warmth and light. She didn’t need it to feel safe. Blaze was there for that. But the excitement she was feeling whenever Blaze was sitting next to her had diminished quite a bit.

Her gaze went to the spot where Zeke was sleeping. He’d said he wasn’t hungry since he ate so much at lunch, and then he set out his bedroll without another word. On other nights, she hadn’t noticed his absence, but for some reason, she noticed it tonight.

“We have plenty of trees in Pennsylvania,” Lucas was telling Blaze. “Gail’s family is in the lumber business.”

Gail put her hand on Lucas’ arm. “You’re a part of the family now, so you’re also in the lumber business.”

“That’s right.” Lucas put his arm around her shoulders and drew her close.

“It’s funny how I didn’t even think about the way families merge businesses when couples marry.

I’m too busy enjoying our honeymoon.” With a glance around them, he added, “Such as it is all the way out here in this desolate terrain.”

“It doesn’t matter where we are as long as we’re together,” Gail replied.

Bernadette caught the smile the two gave each other and felt a sting of envy prick her.

She tried to convince herself that she and Blaze would have that kind of relationship after they had a chance to know each other better, but it bothered her that Blaze hadn’t at least suggested they find a preacher.

She kept telling herself that his focus on finding Lee and Wilson didn’t mean he wasn’t interested in her.

But her thinking it all day long didn’t work.

She knew Zeke was interested in her. There was no denying the longing in his eyes whenever she caught him sneaking a peek in her direction.

If only Blaze would look at her like that.

“Will you be going back to Pennsylvania after we get Lee and Wilson?” Blaze asked Lucas and Gail.

Bernadette already knew the answer. Gail was her father’s only child, and Lucas was the only child their mother had left in Pennsylvania. The businesses their families built up needed them in order to keep operating.

As she anticipated, Lucas said, “Our lives aren’t like yours, Blaze. Our families need us to keep our lumber and steel plants going. We can’t just pick up and leave like you left Colorado to come here.”

Blaze’s attention went to Bernadette. “I suppose you’re going to miss them. Arizona is a long way from Pennsylvania.”

Yes, she was aware of that, but she had already planned on the possibility of never seeing Lucas or their mother again when she boarded the train to come out here.

Lucas was determined to arrange the marriage, so she went along with it.

It wasn’t unusual for the brothers or fathers in their social circle to arrange marriages.

And, having grown up in the environment she did, she was expected to do whatever the men in her life told her to do.

She took a deep breath and released it. She supposed that meant she had no choice but to marry Blaze, even if she was beginning to worry this might not be the best thing for her.

Blaze offered her a comforting smile as he poured water into her cup. “I’ll make sure we go to the post office so you can exchange letters with them on a regular basis. Maybe I’ll even be able to arrange a trip for us to visit them.”

“I think we might be more capable of affording the trip out here,” Gail suggested. “My family has so much money we couldn’t spend all of it in a lifetime. A good use for it would be coming out here.”

“You two are more than welcome to visit me and Bernadette any time you want,” Blaze said on her behalf. “There’s plenty of room on the ranch.”

“That’s wonderful, isn’t it, Bernadette?

” Gail asked her. “I’m sure it couldn’t be easy to leave everything and everyone you’ve ever known behind.

When Lucas and I come to visit, you’ll have a little bit of Pennsylvania back.

Oh,” her gaze went to Lucas, “and we can bring your mother with us. Just think of how excited she’ll be when Bernadette and Blaze have children. ”

“Well, we’re going to have children, too.” Lucas gave her shoulders a playful squeeze. “And those children will enjoy coming out here to visit their cousins.”

Bernadette waited for Blaze to say something about the two of them having children, but he only said, “The more the merrier.”

Maybe Bernadette shouldn’t let her thoughts go to ‘what if’ scenarios, but she did wonder what would have happened if Zeke were the one sitting next to her instead of Blaze.

Blaze placed his hand on Bernadette’s arm and squeezed it. “I hope you know I’ll never turn your family away. I think it’s wonderful you have such a good relationship with them. We’ll make things work despite the distance.”

Well, that was nice, she supposed. She was glad that coming to Arizona hadn’t meant she’d never see her family again. Blaze was making sure she would be comfortable out here. She just worried that it wasn’t enough.