A Lady in Defiance (38 page)

Chapter
34

March first stunned everyone in Defiance by dawning like a
fireball. The weather did a complete, but welcome, turnabout from the snow and
ice of February. The sun burned away clouds and the temperature rocketed into
the forty’s, melting ice and snow in a torrent of rivulets. The vast, empty
blue sky shocked Naomi with its brilliance as she stepped outside to sweep the
front porch. She was tempted to believe spring was just around the corner, but
knew not to bet on it.

Soon the false spring would be a real one and wagon trains
would trudge into Defiance with more regularity than the sporadic mule trains.
In fact, she had just heard from a customer that the first stagecoach would
attempt to make the Defiance and Silverton route by the first week in April.
With its arrival, Lily, Jasmine and Iris would be saying good-bye to Defiance.
She prayed the good-bye would be figurative as well as literal.

Working hard to sweep the stubborn snow and mud off the
steps, Naomi guessed Daisy would go soon as well. She had told the sisters she
was satisfied to stay here through the summer since they were paying her now.
Naomi doubted, however, that she would make it that long. The pull to see her
family was something she mentioned on a daily basis.

Naomi wondered about her own desire to see Mr. McIntyre.
Straight out, undeniably, all guilt aside, she missed him. Oh, it was not an
easy thing to admit, but the truth stared at her as boldly as her reflection in
the mirror. She wanted to see him, talk to him, fuss with him. She missed his
arrogance and the way he called her Princess. She had apologized for her own
arrogance, invited him to start coming around again…and then rejected him by
running from his office like a frightened, petulant child. No wonder he hadn’t
shown his face at the inn.

Her humiliation driving her to desperation, Naomi had
discussed things with Ian. As she’d hoped, he had gone to see Mr. McIntyre and
urged him to come to dinner. Would he, though? Had her reaction put an
insurmountable wall between them? What if he did show up for dinner? What then?

She happened to glance up at that moment and was stunned to
discover Rose watching her from across the street. Standing in front of the
pharmacy, the woman glared at her with a palpable hate. The wind blew her
ragged, red cloak open revealing a frightfully haggard and boney frame. Rose’s
face was gaunt and her skin pasty, but her sunken eyes carried an undeniable
message. Clearly, the managerial role at the Broken Spoke was sucking the life
out of her…but not the venom. Oddly, Naomi felt a flash of pity, but it was
instantly replaced by a shot of fear. There was something more menacing in
Rose’s stare causing Naomi to back up a step.

 She heard a voice whisper with great urgency, “Pray
now.” So strong was the feeling that she tightened her grip on the broom and
murmured, “Lord, in the name of Jesus I just ask your protection on our
home...” Staring into Rose’s hate-filled face, she spoke louder. “My loved
ones...and our friends. Keep us safe, Lord, please…” A group of several men on
horseback trotted between her and Rose. When they passed, the woman was gone.

The incident chilled Naomi to the bone. She thought of Mr.
McIntyre telling her to keep her gun close, but over the months she had let
herself be lulled into a false sense of security. Haunted by the look in Rose’s
eyes, she took one last swipe at the porch and marched back inside. She
followed voices to the kitchen and found Daisy and Hannah prepping food for
dinner that night. Little Billy was sitting on the floor on a blanket, pillows
tucked all around him.

“Well, look at you,” Naomi squealed, dropping to her knees in
front of him. “What a big boy, sitting up all by yourself!” Unable to resist
his smiles and coos, she picked him up and hugged him, then peppered him with
kisses. A determined protectiveness reared up in Naomi and she hugged Billy
tighter. “Aunt Naomi sure loves her little man.”

Rising to her feet, she danced and swayed with the babe over
to the table where Hannah was slicing potatoes. “Have you seen Ian?” she asked
her little sister. Naomi really wanted to discuss Rose with Mr. McIntyre, but
Ian was the more comfortable choice.

Hannah shook her head. “Not in the last little bit.”

“I heard him say he had to go see Mr. McIntyre,” Daisy told
her as she slid sliced carrots into a pot of boiling water. “Rebecca showed him
a letter or a postcard that seemed to upset him.”

Again, Naomi felt the flutter of fear. “Where is Rebecca?”

Hannah rolled her eyes innocently. “In her room, mooning over
Ian−oh, I mean, writing in her journal.”

 Daisy chuckled. “She writes a lot these days.”

“Yes.” Naomi nodded, but she wasn’t listening to the teasing.
Absently shoving little Billy into his mother’s arms, garnering a perplexed
look from Hannah, she headed upstairs.

Rebecca was sitting at her desk, a half-written page in front
of her, but obviously her mind had wandered. Naomi found her staring blankly at
the page, pen poised to write but frozen in midair.

“Did we get some mail that upset Ian?”

Rebecca jumped at the interruption, clutching her chest in
fear. “Goodness, you gave me a start.” She shrugged then answered the question
hesitantly. “Well, we got a note; it was with our mail. It did seem to disturb
him, but he said he didn’t want to explain why just yet.”

“What did it say?”

“Here,” she rifled through a mess of letters and statements
on her desk and produced the note. “It’s addressed to you but Ian said I should
wait before I gave it to you. He wanted to talk to Mr. McIntyre first. He
wouldn’t tell me why.” She handed her sister the note. “Perhaps I shouldn’t
have kept it from you, but Ian was emphatic. What’s going on? Why would someone
send you a note with nothing on it but three crosses?”

In sloppy, rushed handwriting, someone had written Naomi
Miller on the outside of the note. Naomi opened it and stared at three crudely
scribbled crosses. There was nothing else on the page or on the back of it.
Naomi had told her sisters about Rose attacking Diamond Lil, but not what she
had done to her. The omission had been a mistake.

“When Rose attacked Lil...she also carved three crosses on
her chest.”

Rebecca cringed. “You think that’s from Rose? Are you in
danger?”

Naomi was far less worried about herself than the others,
especially little Billy. “I think she’s just trying to rattle us…but I also
think it wouldn’t hurt to gather for prayer tonight.”

~~~

Mr. McIntyre came for dinner near closing time when the
restaurant was down to a handful of quiet customers. Naomi was bussing a table
when she looked up and saw him settling at a corner table. Her heart leaped at
the sight of him dressed in a dapper black suit and red silk vest. His raven
hair was still wet and the ends curled up. She knew he would smell of sweet
tobacco and lilac water. Watching him made all those dark thoughts about Rose
fly away.

She had been praying about him since their startling
talk
and Hannah’s lecture. From her reaction to Mr. McIntyre now, Naomi knew it was
time to step off this cliff. She prayed for wisdom, then left the tray on the
table and approached him.

“It’s good to see you, Mr. McIntyre.” She clasped her hands
in front of her, trying to look humble and repentant.

“Is it?” He leaned back in his chair and shared a smug look
with her. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather run out the back door?”

He had a right to be sarcastic after her panicked departure
last time. Knowing he was protecting a bruised ego, she straightened her
shoulders and eyed him defiantly. “I’m through running.” 

~~~

McIntyre watched Naomi walk away as he held his face
perfectly still. When she disappeared into the kitchen, he let out a breath.
I’m
through running?
Could her meaning be as clear as it seemed? The turnabout
was unexpected and almost alarming.

Ian joined McIntyre, warmly slapping him on the back. “It’s
good to see ye, lad.” He settled across from him and grinned. “We’ve missed ye
rapier wit.” Before the two even had their napkins in their laps, Naomi
delivered the meals to the table. She smiled at both of them, but held
McIntyre’s gaze the longest. Both men noticed, but neither understood it. When
she was gone, Ian scratched his head, clearly puzzled. “I’ve this feelin’ the
two of ye have turned a corner somehow. It does my spirit good.”

“Something has changed.” And he was dying to find out what.

He and Ian ate the food while it was hot and enjoyed the
lofty discussion of building the future Defiance. Eventually, however, McIntyre
pulled a note from his breast pocket. “So, have you told her about mine?”

“As we discussed, I started to. But then I wasna sure what
purpose it would serve.”

McIntyre had suggested Ian tell Naomi so she wouldn’t think
Rose was after only her and her sisters. If the notes were a threat, it seemed
to be aimed at all of them. But perhaps Ian was right. If there wasn’t a
compelling reason to tell her−

“Did you get one, too?” Naomi spied the note as she
approached their table. She took it from McIntyre and studied the drawing. The
art was virtually the same. “Do you think it’s from Rose?”

“Yes. She may not mean anything by it, but be watchful.” A
picture of Diamond Lil with bandages over her eyes flashed through his mind.
The thought of something like that happening to Naomi twisted his guts and he
berated himself for the hundredth time for having let Rose stay around.

Naomi handed the note back to him. “We’re going to have prayer
tonight when the restaurant closes. If you could stay, I’d like to talk to you
afterwards.”

“I’ll either stay or come back.” He was curious about her
invitation but not enough to sit through a prayer meeting.

She nodded. “Can I get you gentlemen anything else?”

They were fine. Perfect, in fact, McIntyre thought, pleased
that at least there was something happening in this strange, strained
relationship.

~~~

After the restaurant closed, and the cleaning was finished,
the sisters, Daisy, Emilio and Ian gathered in a tight circle in the kitchen.
Mr. McIntyre had made his excuses, but said he would return. In a way, Naomi
was relieved. His absence left her free to focus on her worries over Rose. As
they reached for each other’s hands, Naomi looked into the eyes of her family.

“When Rose left the Iron Horse, I was initially under the
impression she had settled things with us, so to speak. I didn’t tell all of
you that she nearly clawed Lil’s eyes out, but she also carved three crosses on
her chest.” Puzzled and frightened looks made their way around the circle,
though Ian only looked somber. Emilio’s jaw tightened with the announcement.
“Today I received a note with three crosses drawn on it,” Naomi continued.
“Nothing else. No message. No signature. I learned this evening that Mr.
McIntyre also received one. He’s convinced these notes are from Rose. I think
he also believes they’re veiled threats.”

Emilio hung his head and groaned. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“I’m so sorry. I knew she would not leave us alone. I should’ve killed her when
I had the chance.”

Hannah and Daisy, flanking the boy, quickly moved to comfort
him. Daisy squeezed his hand and Hannah shook her head in disagreement. “No,
no.” She put her arm around him. “Don’t say things like that. We’ll be all
right. Rose can’t do anything to us.”

Clutching Naomi’s hand with her left and Ian’s with her
right, Rebecca raised their hands. “We’re going to pray, Emilio. Our God is
more powerful than the darkness surrounding your sister. She’s not going to hurt
anyone here.”

“She’s not going to hurt
anyone
we care about,” Naomi
added, thinking of someone who wasn’t in the room, but needed these prayers
just the same. They bowed their heads and Naomi, ever ready for a fight, lifted
up the first battle cry. “Father, we know that you are King of Kings and Lord
of Lords. We know that your word says that we battle not with flesh and blood,
but principalities and powers of the air. You have given us power and authority
over the enemies of your kingdom and we claim, in the name of Jesus, that no
one here will be harmed by Rose. We put on the full armor of God, Lord, so that
we may stand against evil.”

Her voice grew stronger as a feeling of protection settled
over them. “In the name of Jesus, we bind the demons who would come against
this family and remind you that you have no power here. We lift up our shield
of faith and extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy. In the name of Jesus,
in the name of Jesus, you will not prevail against the children of the Most
High God!”

~~~

From across the street, hidden deep in the shadows, Rose
watched the hotel. For at least half an hour, her breath had swirled in the
chilly night air and her hatred had grown exponentially. When she saw McIntyre
walk down the street and enter into that awful place of light, her head had
nearly exploded with fury, but the voices bid her wait. And so she settled
deeper into the darkness, pulling her cloak closer, listening to the sound of
melting snow all around her.