Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Two days later, Caleb and Doc and Sheila got on the trail back to Elkhorn.
The horses, tied in a line behind them, carried the strongboxes with the cash and letters and certificates they’d contained, as well as the weapons that had belonged to the outlaws, the sheriff, and his men.
The weather was clear, and the morning sun was bright in the sky.
The trail, hills, and valleys held no mystery for Caleb now.
Many of the same dangers existed, but he was traveling over familiar ground.
The last time he’d come this way, however, his attention had been focused on tracking outlaws and killers.
Today, he could simply breathe the cool mountain air and revel in the endless forests, the power of the river, and the majesty of the soaring peaks.
“Do you think everything she told us was the truth?” Doc asked, interrupting his thoughts.
They had only an hour or so of easy riding left till they reached the Denver road, and Devil’s Claw loomed behind them.
“It would be easy enough to write to those charities. I could do it, if you like,” Sheila offered. Her father had told her in confidence everything about Mrs. Fields.
Doc agreed. “Yes, that part of it is verifiable. But what about giving up the life of a road agent and settling down in California?”
Caleb knew Doc had begun to develop a friendship with the mother and son as they both recuperated. He shot a questioning look at his friend. “I thought you trusted her.”
“I do. But how can a woman with her quickness and drive settle on a ranch after all she’s done? It certainly will be a relatively quiet life.”
“You should have asked her,” Sheila told him. “I am certain Mrs. Fields has plans, even if she didn’t share them. I think she’s a woman who knows exactly how to put her abilities to use.”
Caleb sensed that Sheila’s comment to her father had as much to do with her own future plans. The night she’d intended to speak to him, she was interrupted by Dodger’s appearance. Since then, she’d had no chance to tell him what she wanted to do with her life. Or rather, what she didn’t want to do.
Doc turned to him again. “Have you decided what you’re going to say to the judge when we get to Elkhorn?”
“Nearly.”
After talking to Mrs. Fields, Caleb decided that he wasn’t going to take the mother and son back to Elkhorn.
They were mending nicely, according to Doc.
She was even up and moving about a little.
So he left them at the mining camp after getting their promise that, when she was ready to travel, they’d go to Denver.
From there, they’d board a train for California.
And that their days as road agents were behind them.
“You’d better decide soon,” Doc said. “Because we need to have the same story.”
Caleb’s instincts told him Mrs. Fields was telling the truth about what had happened to her family in Montana, how she’d approached getting her revenge, and what she’d done with the money.
Who was he to throw stones at a woman who promised to change her life and start herself and her son down a new road? He didn’t see that hanging them would do much good. They wanted to start over, and he wasn’t going to stand in their way.
Hell, he’d done it himself.
More than once. And never because any judge or badge had shown him mercy. Sometimes a man survived because someone looked away long enough for him to become someone better.
When they reached the Denver road, Doc pointed to a group of riders approaching from the direction of Elkhorn. Even from a distance Caleb immediately recognized the hairy, boar-like figure in gray at the head of the others.
Doc seemed to recognize him too. “Isn’t that Zeke, the miner who works for Judge Patterson on occasion?”
“The very man.”
“We still haven’t worked out a suitable story, Caleb.”
“We’ll be all right, Doc.”
The judge’s hired man was genuinely happy to see them—especially Caleb.
“We’ve been searching the hills for two days. Yesterday, we decided to take a look west of the river. Didn’t see no sign of you. And now, here you are, coming back with Doc and his daughter, saving them all on your own.”
“That’s not all he’s done.” Doc motioned to the strongboxes and the string of horses.
The man’s eyes lit up. He rode past them and inspected the boxes and the cache of weapons.
“What happened? I want to hear the whole dang thing.” He tipped his hat at Sheila. “Pardon my language, miss.”
“Before I start, anybody missing the sheriff in town?”
“Horner disappeared the day Doc’s daughter went missing.
” He tilted his head toward Sheila. “He and three of his men lit out, not saying a word to nobody. The judge was fit to be tied. I don’t think he’s feeling too good about our two-bit lawman right now.
I told him the polecat probably weren’t up to no good. ”
“You were right. He wasn’t.”
Caleb exchanged a look with Doc. He now knew exactly the story they’d be telling.
“Horner was in cahoots with one of the members of that gang, a fella named Dodger Clanton. They were the ones that took Miss Burnett here, and that outlaw left a trail for the sheriff to follow. Horner was after these strongboxes, so him and his men followed and shot up the road agents’ hideaway.
It was an old mining camp way out beyond Devil’s Claw. ”
Zeke stared at the doctor and his daughter. “You’re lucky he didn’t kill you both. He wouldn’t have let you go, knowing what he was up to.”
“We owe our lives to Marlowe,” Doc said. “He arrived while Horner was about ready to kill us both. And then our friend here put an end to their thieving lives.”
Zeke’s eyes widened and looked at the horses. “So Horner and his no-account deputies are dead?”
“They’re all dead.”
The miner scratched at his whiskers. “What about that passenger in the stagecoach?”
Doc cut in. “That passenger was actually a member of the gang, wounded during the holdup. That was why they came for me.” He shook his head. “That outlaw will never be robbing another stage.”
Caleb nodded his head soberly. “That gang is finished.”
“And you brought back the strongboxes.”
“Leave it to Marlowe to handle everything right,” Doc told Zeke and his men.
“We searched that hideout for any more loot, but there wasn’t nothing,” Caleb said. “This was all of it.”
“Dang, but we got another story to tell!” Zeke patted Caleb on the back. “This yarn is even better than you taking on that cougar with your bare hands out by Devil’s Claw.”
“What cougar?” Doc and Sheila asked, turning to him simultaneously.
Caleb shrugged. “Zeke will be happy to tell you all about it.”
Sheila’s gaze narrowed on him, half accusation and half wonder. Caleb looked away before she could see how much he enjoyed that look.
There were two bits of unfinished business sitting heavy on him. The first was letting Imala know that Smith was dead. The second was the letter he’d been carrying in his saddlebag since the dying rustler gave it to him to send to his mother.
He addressed Doc and Sheila. “How about if you two ride back with Zeke and his men to Elkhorn? Take the strongboxes back and all these horses and guns with you. I got one stop out here I need to make.”
“What do you need to do?” Doc asked.
“I’m gonna pay a visit to that miner’s wife and let her know about her husband.”
“He’s dead too?” Zeke asked.
“Doc saw the whole thing,” Caleb said. “Dodger Clanton shot and killed Smith in cold blood.”
“He shouldn’t have died, the poor fellow.” Doc shook his head sadly, looking at his friend. “I didn’t know he had a wife.”
As Caleb untethered the string of horses from his own mount and handed the rope to Zeke, he asked him to let Patterson know what had happened.
“The judge is gonna be real happy about what you’ve done.
Last time I saw him, he didn’t sound too dang keen about how wild and dangerous the newspapers would make Elkhorn look,” Zeke told him.
“Yep, he’s gonna be a happy man. I don’t know if he told you, but he has big plans for this here eclipse that’s gonna be darkening the sky this summer.
All manner of dignitaries are gonna be traipsing into town to watch it from here.
All these stagecoach robberies was definitely upsetting his plans. ”
The most important thing Caleb cared about was having the judge live up to his promise of getting Henry out of jail. But he’d have to stop in and see the man himself about that.
Just as he was getting ready to leave the group, Sheila nudged her horse up next to him.
“May I come with you to the miner’s cabin?”
“Why?”
“Because you’re taking this woman news of her dead husband. Sometimes it’s better to have another woman present in these situations.”
Caleb looked at her doubtfully. “Smith’s wife ain’t one of your New York—”
“I know. But I’d still like to come.”
He looked at Doc, who shrugged, mouthing, Take her.
“Fine,” he said, turning his horse in the direction of Imala’s cabin.
She rode beside him in silence for a while then asked, “Will you tell me something about Mrs. Smith?”
“What do you wanna know?”
“Anything. Her name. Her age. Whether they have any children.”
“I will…if you’ll tell me why you’re coming along with me instead of getting back to your father’s house in Elkhorn. I’d have thought a bath and some clean clothes and a decent meal might have been a mite more appealing.”
She looked steadily at him. “I’m coming because if I’m going to live out here, my father needs to know that I can fit in. That I can belong in this community. That I have at least one friend. I thought, why not start with a widow who might possibly use some company?”
“First of all, this woman lives a couple of hours outside of Elkhorn. You ain’t exactly gonna be neighbors.
” He shook his head and held Sheila’s gaze.
“Second of all, however you’re picturing Mrs. Smith, she ain’t it.
She ain’t a helpless widow any more than Mrs. Fields.
Smith’s wife don’t need no saving. She can live her life perfectly fine without friends.
And I have a strong suspicion that might be her wish entirely. ”
“I won’t be a bother. That came out wrong. I meant no disrespect to her. It’s just that I have to start somewhere. And I thought, why not today?”
“Well, we’ll just see.”
She had her father’s heart, and Caleb knew she meant well. More than that, she meant to try. “The miner’s wife is named Imala. They ain’t got no children that I know about. And she’s Arapaho.”
“A native woman.” Sheila’s voice softened, and the brightness in her face changed into something gentler. “Then I’m glad I’m going with you.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because she shouldn’t have to hear this alone, if she’ll allow it. And maybe, in time, if I’m fortunate, she might teach me a few things about surviving here.”
Caleb studied her for a moment, then looked away before the softness in her face did him any more damage.
“Maybe she will,” he said. “And maybe you’ll surprise her too.”
Sheila smiled at that, small and hopeful, and turned her gaze toward the mountains ahead.
Caleb touched his heels to Pirate’s sides, and together they rode on beneath the bright Colorado sky, toward hard news, new beginnings, and the uncertain promise of home.