Chapter 6
“Blaze, do you see it?” Rachel’s voice was thin and ragged from the long night.
“Yeah,” Blaze said. “That’s Red Rock.”
The town shimmered in the first light of dawn, a cluster of wood and stone huddled at the bend of the dry riverbed. The air smelled of dust and smoke, and Blaze’s feet ached with every step. But he still held Rachel’s hand tightly.
“Are we safe?” Rachel asked, staring at the rooftops.
“As safe as we can be,” Blaze replied. “No Riders in sight. Just keep walking.”
Rachel’s eyes brimmed with exhaustion. “I can’t . . . I can’t go any further.”
“Yes, you can,” Blaze said. “One more step, Rachel. Just one more.”
The streets were quiet at this hour, and the sky was bruised with the last shade of night. A few lanterns still glowed in the windows, and the first wisp of smoke from cooking fires drifted above the rooftops. Somewhere, a rooster crowed, sharp and thin in the stillness.
“Blaze?” Rachel whispered. “Where do we go?”
“To Kane,” Blaze said. “Pa always said we could trust him.”
There was a pause. When Blaze looked at her, she was frowning.
“Do you really trust him?” she asked.
Blaze hesitated. “Enough. He knew Pa better than most. He’ll take you in.”
They crossed the main street, boots stirring up dust. A dog barked, chained by the livery stable. Rachel leaned into Blaze, too tired to stand on her own. Blaze draped her arm across his shoulders, carrying most of her weight as they climbed the boardwalk.
A lantern burned behind the curtains of the Kane house, a squat place of timber with a wide porch. Blaze raised his fist and knocked—three hard raps.
For a long moment, nothing. Then slow footsteps creaked across the floor inside. The door cracked open, and a man’s face peered through. His beard was streaked with gray, and his eyes were sharp even in the dim light.
“Blaze Buckeye?” Robert Kane said, surprised.
“It’s me,” Blaze said. “We need help.”
Kane opened the door wider, letting the lamplight spill over them. His eyes fell on Rachel, pale and trembling at Blaze’s side. “Good Lord. Get inside, quick.”
They stepped into the warm glow of the parlor, the smell of tobacco and coffee filling the air. Kane shut the door quickly and drew the bolt.
“What happened?” Kane asked.
“They came back,” Blaze said. His voice cracked, but he forced the words out. “The Riders. Dean Wilder. They shot Ma. Burned the house. We barely made it out.”
Rachel whimpered and pressed her face into Blaze’s arm. Kane’s expression hardened, though his eyes lingered too long on the girl before flicking back to Blaze.
“Sit her down,” Kane said. “By the fire. She needs warmth.”
Blaze guided Rachel to the chair, lowering her gently. Kane fetched a blanket from the couch and draped it over her shoulders. Rachel clutched it tightly, shivering.
“Water,” Blaze said. “She needs water.”
Kane nodded, pouring from a jug into a tin cup. Rachel sipped, her lips trembling. Blaze knelt beside her and rubbed her arm.
“You’re safe now,” Kane said, crouching close. “Both of you. Wilder won’t dare storm a town in daylight.”
Blaze looked at him sharply. “He dared everything last night.”
“You’re right,” Kane said, pressing his lips into a thin line. “He’s reckless. Always was.”
“He killed Mama,” Rachel added quietly.
Blaze’s jaw clenched. “Yeah, he did.”
Kane put a hand on Blaze’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, son. Your father was my friend. I’ll see Rachel safe, I promise you that.”
Blaze looked into his eyes. The words sounded right, but there was something behind the gaze. Something calculating, something that lingered a moment too long on the blanket-wrapped figure by the fire. Blaze shifted closer to Rachel, shielding her.
“You’ll watch her,” Blaze said flatly.
“I will,” Kane replied. “On my life. She’ll have food, warmth, and a roof overhead. You have my word.”
Rachel looked up, eyes red from crying. “Blaze, you’re not leaving me, are you?”
“Just for a little while,” Blaze said, rubbing her back gently. “I’ve got to . . . I’ve got to do something first.”
Her grip tightened on his sleeve. “Don’t go. Please. Don’t leave me.”
He swallowed hard. “Rachel, listen to me. You’ll be safe here. Safer than if you’re running out there with me. I’ll come back for you. I swear it.”
Tears slid down her cheeks. “But what if you don’t?”
“Then I’ll haunt this town until I find my way back,” he said. “You’ll never lose me.”
Rachel clung to him, sobbing. Blaze held her tight, his own eyes burning. Then he gently eased her into Kane’s arms.
“You’ll keep her safe,” Blaze repeated.
Kane nodded. “She’ll be like my own blood.”
“Make sure she is,” Blaze said.
Kane’s eyes glimmered in the firelight, a faint smile curling his lips. “Don’t you worry. I’ll take good care of her.”
Blaze’s gut twisted, but he forced himself to nod. He squeezed Rachel’s hand one last time, then straightened, his body trembling with exhaustion and rage.
“I’ll be back,” Blaze said, voice steady. “Wait for me, Rachel.”
She nodded through her tears, clutching the blanket. “I’ll wait.”
When he turned for the door, Kane was watching him closely.
“Where will you go?” Kane asked.
Blaze paused, his hand on the latch. “I’ll find Wilder.”
“Alone?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“For now,” Blaze said. “He started this. I’ll finish it.”
Kane smirked faintly, though he tried to hide it. “You’ve got your father’s fire. Just don’t burn too bright too quickly.”
Blaze opened the door, dawn spilling across the porch. He looked back once. Rachel was huddled by the fire with Kane’s shadow falling over her. Not a second later, he stepped out into the cold morning, the dust of Red Rock Crossing crunching beneath his boots.