She couldn’t seem to let go. She hated herself for being so dependent on him. She had never depended on her husband, but then she had understood his weaknesses. Douglas was the complete opposite of him. Nothing seemed to faze Douglas.
“Parker needs you until I get stronger.”
“I’ll be back,” he promised once again. “You have to let go of me.”
“Can I do anything to help you?”
“Sure. Give me a list of the things you need. I don’t want to forget anything.”
“There’s a list in the drawer in the kitchen. I started it weeks ago.” She sounded frantic when she added, “I called it my wish list.”
He didn’t realize she was crying until she released him and sank back against the headboard.
“Ah, sugar. Don’t cry.”
“I’m just a little emotional today. That’s all.”
He had to do something to make her trust him. He checked on little Parker, then picked up his pocket watch, told her what time it was, and put it back on the dresser. When he looked at her again, he saw the fear still in her eyes.
“You know what you need, Isabel?”
“It’s all down on my list,” she answered.
“I’m not talking about supplies.”
“Then, no, I don’t know what I need.”
“Faith. Try finding a little while I’m gone, or you and I are going to have words when I get back.”
The hard edge in his voice didn’t upset her. She was actually comforted by it. He would come back, if only to give her a piece of his mind for doubting him. He was arrogant and proud enough to do just that, and, oh, it was so wonderful to have him snapping at her. He acted as though he belonged with her and Parker.
“I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“Well, you did.”
She tried to look contrite. She didn’t want him to leave on a sour note. “I’ll find some faith. I promise.” There was a definite sparkle in her eyes when she added, “You be careful, sugar.”
Four
Old habits die hard. Douglas had never forgotten how to pick a lock or get in and out of a building without being seen. He’d spent several years living on the streets of New York City, surviving by his wits and his criminal skills, before he met his three brothers and his baby sister, and headed west. Before that, he’d been in an orphanage. Granted, he’d been only a boy when he’d perfected his criminal technique. But it was like making love to a woman. After you learned how, you never forgot.
His experience as a petty thief came in real handy now. So did the rain, for it kept the night owls inside their homes. Boyle’s men weren’t a problem, just an inconvenience. Douglas stashed the buggy in a cove near their lair on the hill overlooking Sweet Creek, then crept up on the four men and listened to their conversation in hopes of gaining some useful information about their boss. He didn’t learn anything significant. Other than taking Boyle’s name in vain several times because he’d assigned them this miserable duty, the men spent the rest of the time boasting to one another about the number of shots of whiskey they could swallow in a single sitting. They were incredibly boring, and after listening to their whining complaints for almost twenty minutes, Douglas hadn’t heard anything significant. He was about to make a wide circle around them and continue on when Boyle’s men decided to leave their posts and go back into town for the night. Not only had the weather finally gotten to them, but they were also certain their boss would never find out.
Their laziness made Douglas’s task easier. He made six trips on his sorrel back and forth from the general store to the buggy with supplies Isabel would need, then headed across town to Dr. Simpson’s cottage.
He didn’t knock. He went in the back door because, just as Isabel suspected, Boyle was keeping a close watch on the physician. He had a man stationed out front. Douglas spotted the guard leaning against a hitching post across the street with a rifle in one hand and a bottle of liquor in the other. There wasn’t anyone watching the back, however. Douglas figured Boyle had ordered one of his men to do just that, but like the complainers up on the hill, he’d probably sneaked home too.
Douglas had forgotten that Isabel had told him Simpson was married. His wife was tucked in nice and tight beside him, sleeping on her side with her back to her husband. All Douglas saw was a puff of gray hair above the covers.
He didn’t use his gun to wake the elderly man. He simply put his hand over the doctor’s mouth, whispered that he was a friend of Isabel Grant’s, and asked him to come downstairs to talk.
The doctor was apparently used to being awakened in the dead of night. Babies, Douglas knew, often came during that inconvenient time. Although the physician seemed wary, he didn’t argue with him.
His wife didn’t wake up. Simpson shut the door behind him and led Douglas to his study. He pulled the drapes closed and then lit a candle.
“Are you really a friend of Isabel’s?”
“Yes, I am.”
“And your name?”
“Douglas Clayborne.”
“You don’t intend to hurt Isabel?”
“No.”
The doctor still didn’t look convinced.
“I want to help her,” Douglas insisted.
“Maybe so, maybe not,” Simpson replied. “You aren’t from around here, are you? How do you know our Isabel?”
“Actually, I only just met her. Her husband sold me an Arabian stallion a couple of months ago, but I was expanding my business back then and couldn’t come for the horse until I’d hired some extra hands.”
“But you’re a friend. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
Simpson stared at him a long minute, slowly rubbing his whiskered jaw until he had worked out whatever it was that was bothering him, and finally nodded. “Good,” he said. “She needs a friend as big and hard-looking as you, young man. I hope to God you are hard when it comes to protecting her. You know how to use that gun you’re wearing?”
“Yes.”
“Are you fast and accurate?”
Douglas felt as though he were undergoing an inquisition but didn’t take offense because he knew the physician had Isabel’s safety uppermost in his mind. “I’m fast enough.”
“I saw your shotgun on the table in the hall,” Simpson said. “Are you also good with that weapon?”
Douglas didn’t see any harm in being completely honest. “I prefer my shotgun.”
“Why is that?”
“It leaves a bigger hole, sir, and if I shoot someone, I shoot to kill.”
The doctor grinned. “I expect that’s the way it ought to be,” he remarked.
He sat down behind his desk and motioned for Douglas to take a seat across from him.
He declined with a shake of his head.
“How’s our girl doing? I sure wish I could see her. I expect she’s getting big and awkward about now.”
“She had the baby last night.”
“Good Lord Almighty, she had the baby? It came much too soon. What’d she have? A boy or a girl?”
“A boy.”
“Did he make it?”
“Yes, but he’s thin, terribly thin . . . and little. His cry is real weak too.”
Simpson leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “It’s a miracle he survived. Besides being weak, is he acting sick?”
“I don’t know if he is or not. He sleeps most of the time.”
“Is he nursing?”
“He’s trying to,” he answered.
“Good. That’s real good,” he said. “His mama’s milk will fatten him up. Tell Isabel to try to nurse him every hour or so until he’s stronger. He’ll only take a little each time, but that’s all right. If the baby refuses to eat, or can’t keep it down, then we’ve got a real problem on our hands. I don’t know what good I could do for him if he gets into trouble. He’s too young for medicine. We’ve just got to pray he makes it. A chill will kill him, so you’ve got to keep him varm all the time. That’s real important
, son.”
“I’ll keep him warm.”
“I don’t want to sound grim . . . It’s just, you have to understand and accept the facts. There’s a good chance the baby won’t make it, no matter what you do.”
“I don’t want to think about that possibility.”
“If it happens, you have to help Isabel get through it. That’s what friends do.”
“Yes, I will.”
“How is she doing? Did she have any problems I should know about?”
“She had a difficult time with the laboring. She looks all right now.”
“You helped her bring the baby?”
“Yes.”
“Did she tear?”
“No, but she sure bled a lot. I don’t know if it was more than what’s expected. I’ve never delivered a baby before. I ask her how she’s doing, and that seems to embarrass her and she refuses to talk about it.”
The doctor nodded. “If she were in real trouble, she’d tell you for her son’s sake. Try to keep her calm, and be real careful about upsetting her. Isabel’s a strong woman, but she’s vulnerable now. New mothers tend to become emotional, and I don’t expect Isabel to be any different. The least little thing might set her off, and she doesn’t need to be fretting about anything. Paul Morgan’s wife cried for a full month. She plumb drove her husband to distraction worrying about her. The woman cried when she was happy and when she was sad. There wasn’t any rhyme or reason to it. Eventually she snapped out of it. Isabel’s got more serious problems to deal with. I don’t know how I’d stand it if I had Boyle breathing down my neck. I’m sure worried about her son though, coming early like he did, and I know she must be worried too. If the baby makes it, are you planning to stay with our girl until he can be moved?”
“Yes, I’m staying. How long do you think that will be?”
“At least eight weeks, but ten would be even better if he’s slow to put on weight. I’m mighty curious about something, son. How’d you manage to get to Isabel’s ranch in the first place?”
“It was dark and I was taking the most direct route, using the moonlight to guide me, until it disappeared and the rain started. I almost ran into Boyle’s lookouts by accident then. They were so drunk they didn’t hear me. I wondered what they were doing hiding out in the rain,” he admitted with a shrug. “But I wasn’t curious enough to find out. I’m glad now I didn’t stop.”
“It was dangerous riding down the mountain path in the dark.”
“I took my time, walked some of the way, and the light in Isabel’s window provided a beacon for me.”
“Are you sure you can get back to her tonight?”
“I’m sure.”
“I wish I were younger and more agile. I’d try to get to Isabel in the dark too, but I don’t dare chance it at my age. I was never very good with horses. They scare me,” he admitted. “I’ve fallen more than I care to recollect. Now I use a buggy, and my wife helps me rig the horses up every morning. Besides, even if I could get there, Boyle might hear about it and then my Trudy would get hurt. No, I can’t chance it, but I thank the Lord you came along.”
“You told me there wasn’t anything you could do for the baby now,” Douglas reminded him.
“I could be a comfort to Isabel. She’s like a daughter to Trudy and me. After Parker died, I asked her to move in with us, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She’s determined to stand on her own two feet. Trudy pleaded with her to at least stay with us until after the baby was born; then Boyle got wind of our plans and put a stop to it. My wife found a nice little cottage down the road from us, and we wanted Isabel to consider moving in there and raising her baby in Sweet Creek. She’d be as independent as she wanted, yet close enough that we could lend a hand every now and then.”
The doctor’s affection for Isabel made Douglas like him all the more. “I’ll take good care of her and the baby,” he promised.
“Have you noticed how pretty she is yet?”
Douglas felt like laughing, so absurd was the question. “Yes, I noticed.”
“Then I’ve got to ask you what your intentions are, son.”
The question blindsided him. “Excuse me?”
“I’m going to be blunt, and I expect I’ll rile you. Still, I’ve got to ask. After she recovers from childbirth, do you plan on dallying with her?”
He’d never heard it put quite that way before. “No.”
Simpson didn’t look convinced. He suggested Douglas pour each of them a shot of brandy, waited until he’d given him a glass, and then leaned back in his chair to think about the situation. “It might happen anyway,” he remarked
“I’ve only known Isabel for—”
Simpson interrupted him. “You just promised me you’d stay with her for ten weeks, remember? You’re a man of your word aren’t you?”
“Yes, and I will stay, but that doesn’t mean I’ll . . .”
“Son, let me tell you about a man I happened to run into in River’s Bend.”
Douglas could feel his frustration mounting. He didn’t want to hear a story now. He wanted to talk about Boyle and get as much information about the man as he could.
The doctor wasn’t going to be rushed, if the way he sipped his brandy and stared off into space were any indication. Age gave the older man the benefit of Douglas’s attention and respect, and so Douglas leaned against the side of the desk and waited for the tale to be told.
It took Simpson over thirty minutes to tell his story about three couples who got stranded in a snowstorm and stayed together in a miner’s shack for the entire winter. By the time the spring thaw came, the six of them had formed what the doctor called an undying friendship. Yet five years later, he happened to meet one of the survivors and asked him several questions. To the doctor’s amazement, the gentleman couldn’t remember the name of one of the men he’d spent the winter with.
“That’s the point of my story,” Simpson said. “Yes, sir, it is. You’re going to be living close to Isabel for a long time, and I want you to remember the fella I just told you about. He pledged his friendship, went so far as to call the other two men his brothers, yet once he got on with his life, he plumb forgot about them.”
“I understand,” Douglas said.
“Do you? Isabel has a good heart, and she sure is an easy person to love. It’s the future I’m worried about, after you take care of this business with Boyle and go back home. You are going to do something about the tyrant, aren’t you?”
Simpson had finally gotten to the topic Douglas wanted to discuss. “It seems I am,” he said. “Tell me what you know about Boyle.”
“I know the man’s a monster.” His voice echoed his disgust. “The only reason I’m still breathing is that he thinks he might have need of my services in the future. He’s threatened to kill me, but I don’t think he’d do it. Doctors are hard to come by in these parts. He’d hurt my Trudy though. Yes, he would.”
“Isabel told me that only a few men in this town have had the courage to stand up to Boyle and that you were one of them. Why won’t the others help?”
“Everyone that I know would like to help, but they’re afraid. They’ve seen what happens to those good men who have tried. If one of them so much as whispers about doing something to help Isabel, word gets back to Boyle, and then the instigator gets hurt bad. Both of Wendell Border’s hands were broken after he told a couple of men he thought were his friends that he was going to find the U.S. marshal everyone’s been hearing glory tales about. The lawman was scouring the territory, looking for some wanted men, but Wendell never got the chance to go hunting for him. Boyle’s men got to poor Wendell before he could even leave town. While I was setting his broken hands, I promised him in a whisper that I’d find a way to get help here. I promised him I’d pray too.”
“Were you going to go hunting for the lawman?”
“No, I’m too old and worn out to go hunting for anyone. My Trudy, fortunately, came up with a better idea. Twice a week I go into Liddyville to se
e patients there. It’s only two hours away from Sweet Creek by buggy,” he added. “My wife told me to use the telegraph office there and send wires to all the sheriffs in the territory. She thinks one or two might want to help us. I took it a step further and sent wires to two preachers Wendell told me about and asked them to help with the hunt for the marshal. I still haven’t heard back from anyone, but I’ve got this feeling that if the Texan hears about our trouble, he’ll come, especially if he knows a mother with a brand-new baby needs help. Why, he’ll drop everything and come running.”
“Why do you think—”
Simpson wouldn’t let him finish his question. “If the rumors are true, the marshal accidentally caused some women and children to get killed during a bank robbery in Texas. He didn’t know they were inside and being used as shields when he and his men rushed in. From what we’ve heard about the robbers, they would have killed them anyway, but the marshal still blames himself. Oh, he’ll come all right . . . if he hears of our trouble. Sure wish I knew the fella’s name. It would make chasing him down easier, I expect.”
“You’re looking for Daniel Ryan,” Douglas told him. “My brothers have been searching for him too.” He paused when he heard the creak of the steps behind him. “Did we wake your wife?”
“No, but she’s used to snuggling up against me and she must have awakened when she got cold.”
“Would you mind telling her to put the gun down?”
Simpson was astonished. “Do you have eyes in the back of your head? Trudy, put that away and come in here. I want you to meet Isabel’s friend. He’s promised to help our girl.”
Douglas turned around and nodded to the woman. “I’m sorry I disturbed you and your husband,” he began.
Trudy laid the gun on the desk and rushed forward to shake Douglas’s hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong for a woman her size, for the top of her head barely reached his shoulders.
“The doctor and I were praying for a miracle. Looks like we might have gotten one. I know you aren’t Marshal Ryan. You’re big like we were told he was, but you don’t have yellow hair and blue eyes, and our preacher gave us a good description of the lawman so we’d recognize him if he came into town. We pray every Sunday that the dear man will hear of our troubles and come here. Could you be a friend of the marshal’s? Did he send you here?”