Brides of Prairie Gold (52 page)

"All right, everyone." Five minutes later, Cody stood at the front of the cave. His voice carried easily in the clear frosty air. The snow had almost stopped. "You can come out now. We've got three dead outlaws and two wounded."

Cautiously, Perrin sat up. The wounded outlaws sat in the cave looking down the barrels of Webb's pistols. The ruffled bushes ran forward, faces exposed now.

"We did it!" Cora shouted, waving a smoking carbine.

Cody roared at them. "Who the hell fired that first shot? We agreed I would fire first when the time was right!"

"It was me," Sarah shouted. "Thea was about to sneeze and Hilda had to answer nature's call. We had to begin. It would have been a good shot, but I fluffed it. Where's Perrin? Perrin?"

"Over here," she called, rising to her feet.

They converged on her in a rush, seven women wearing snowy white dresses and fancy shawls, waving carbines and hankies twisted around extra ammunition. Flushed with triumph and everyone talking at once, they made Perrin prove that she was not injured, then told her about the plan and how they had crept through the snowy woods, how they feared Thea would sneeze and give them away, how they just knew they had outshot the men and the victory belonged to them.

"Thank you," Perrin whispered, tears filling her eyes. "Thank you for not leaving me behind."

"Tell her," Cora said, giving Sarah a shove.

Sarah touched Perrin's hand and cleared her throat. "We talked and well, we're ashamed of ourselves and sorry for how we treated someone who's become a friend. We were wrong."

Mem pushed forward, her shawl dropping back to expose shining auburn hair. "We hope you'll forgive us."

Perrin embraced her tightly. "There's nothing to forgive," she said, strangling on tears. "You were never part of it."

"But I was, and I'm ashamed of myself," Bootie said, coming forward. "I'm sorry."

"You been a better friend to us than we been to you, but that's going to change. And there's something else," Cora said, looking at Sarah. "Tell her the rest of it."

"We, ah, like I said, we talked, and well, neither you nor Captain Snow are pledged to anyone else, so"

"Oh, for heaven's sake." Hilda rolled her eyes. "A person could grow old waiting for you to get to the point. If you and Mr. Snow want to court, no one here has any objection."

"It's no one's business but yours," Mem snapped, glaring at the others.

When Perrin raised her eyes, Cody was standing at the mouth of the cave, hands on hips, staring down at her with smoldering eyes. In all her life Perrin had never seen eyes that rogue-blue, or a smile that promised so much.

"Since we seem to have everyone's permission," he said dryly, a twinkle sparkling in his gaze, "I'd like to call on you after supper tonight, Mrs. Waverly. I have some crow to eat, some forgiveness to beg, and a future to discuss. Will you welcome me at your fire, or do I have to plead for the next ninety miles? I'll do it, but we'll be wasting time that could be spent making plans and doing other things."

She gazed up at him with shining eyes. She didn't intend to make it easy for him, she wanted to hear three certain words, but her heart sang in the knowledge that the time of anxiety had ended. Everything was going to work out and she and Cody Snow would be together. The future spread before her like a bright package waiting to be opened.

"You may call on me, Mr. Snow," she said primly, aware that her hair was hanging, her gown was torn and soiled, a rope hung off her ankle, and she was probably the most bedraggled object of a man's courtship to pass through these parts.

A cheer went up, and laughter and a few whispers of congratulations, then Bootie's plaintive voice rose above the others. "Now can we go back? I swan, I'm plumb freezing to death!"

Cody called to them in a voice Perrin would never tire of hearing. "Pack up, ladies. As soon as the men finish here, we'll roll. We can get a few miles under the wheels before supper." He stared at Perrin. And his eyes told her everything he would say later.

Dazed with happiness, she floated back to camp.

Cody placed the last stone on Quintan's grave, then stood and wiped mud and snow off his hands. "Odd, isn't it?" he murmured to Webb. "This man has been a thorn in my side for years, and maybe I've been that to him then, in twenty minutes of gunfire, it ends." He fell silent. "I don't think it was even me who shot him. I think Sarah Jennings killed him."

"What do you want to do with those two?" Webb jerked his head toward the cave where Heck held his gun on the two wounded outlaws.

"Tie them up. We'll take them to Clampet Falls and let the authorities there deal with them."

On the walk back to camp, Webb studied the clearing sky. "It doesn't matter who killed Jake Quinton."

"I wanted it to be me," Cody said between his teeth. "Quinton took my woman."

When Webb grinned, Cody glared at him. Then they both laughed, the sound ringing through the forest.

"You were right," Cody said when he could speak. "Is that what you're waiting to hear? At least I hope to hell that you're right. You're going to be dealing with one sorry sad son of a bitch if she doesn't forgive me and agree to marry me."

He bolstered a sudden flag of confidence by remembering the shine in her huge cinnamon eyes when she had gazed up at him.

The women lingered at Perrin's wagon, talking about the skirmish and their victory, and asking what had happened during the time Quinton's gang held her prisoner. Eventually Mem pointed out that the snow had stopped and weak sunlight poked through the clouds. Sarah hustled everyone away to break camp.

Perrin watched them go in their ruined wedding dresses, her heart filled to overflowing. Words seemed inadequate. How did one thank people for saving one's life? Or for being true friends? Mere words couldn't express the depth of emotion involved.

While she put water on to heat for washing the blood out of her hair, she thought about how far they had traveled from Chastity, Missouri. Alliances had formed along the way, broken, and reformed in new groupings. Old animosities had mellowed, love had blossomed. People had died. Bonds had been forged that would endure for a lifetime.

Hilda touched her arm, then embraced her. "I am so glad you are back and not badly injured," she said, lightly brushing the bruise on Perrin's temple with her fingertips. "You are a good woman, Perrin Waverly. I am ashamed that I let others influence me for a while." A blush lit her cheeks. "I will not let someone else decide my opinion again. If you will forgive me, you and I will be neighbors and friends for the rest of our lives." She smiled. "I will teach your children in my school."

Tears reflected the light in Perrin's eyes. "I'll tell them how fortunate they are to have you for their teacher."

"But now"Hilda gave her a look of apology"this damned dysentery lucky for me we aren't still on the desert. Lots of bushes here." Leaving Perrin with a weak smile, she dashed toward the forest.

"I think we have laudanum in the wagon. I'll look," Perrin called. Conventional wisdom advised laudanum to treat dysentery although it wasn't noticeably effective. Walking to the back of the wagon, she lowered the tailgate and prepared to climb inside.

A dark form flew out of the wagon bed and knocked Perrin to the ground. Instinctively, she fought to protect herself. She managed to grip Ona Norris's wrist in time to halt the descent of a paring knife that would have plunged into her throat.

But Perrin was weak from the day's ordeal. And Ona was imbued with the strength of the insane. Slowly, but certainly, Ona overpowered her.

It was Sarah who reached him first, with Hilda running right behind her. "One at a time," Cody ordered them. "I can't understand what either of you is saying."

"Thea found Smokey Joe trussed up behind her wagon," Sarah said, gasping to catch her breath. "Smokey's been stabbed. He's lost so much blood, at first we thought he was dead, but he isn't. He'll live."

"And Ona was gone," Hilda added, wringing her hands.

"We found Ona at Perrin's wagon," Sarah gripped his sleeve. "Cody, she's got Perrin on the ground, a knife at her throat. Oh, God! Ona says she wants you to watch her slice Perrin's throat so you'll know that she loves you."

He didn't wait to hear more. He and Webb raced through the forest. When they arrived at Perrin's wagon, he skidded to a halt, then pushed through the white-faced women, absorbing the scene at a glance.

Ona sat braced against a tree trunk, holding Perrin against her chest. One arm looped around Perrin's body, pressing a paring knife against her throat. As Cody watched, a tiny red droplet welled at the tip of the knife, caught the frail sunlight for an instant, then trickled down into Perrin's collar. Perrin fastened huge dark eyes on him, but she didn't attempt to speak.

"I finally understood," Ona said eagerly. She smiled at him. "You're angry because I only wounded her. I didn't kill her like you wanted me to."

Lifting his hands, Cody advanced a step. He spoke in a calm expressionless voice. "You're wrong, Ona. I don't want you to harm Perrin Waverly or anyone else."

She nodded at the group watching in horrified disbelief. The movement caused another red drop to swell at the tip of the knife and Perrin winced. "You have to say that because they're listening, I understand. But I know you want her punished for coming between us. I want to punish her too."

Cody saw the muscles tighten along her thin arm. "Wait!" Sweat broke over his brow. "Perrin has learned her lesson. You don't have to punish her now. There's nothing standing between you and me."

"I warn you. Don't come any closer until it's done. I don't want you saying later that I couldn't kill her or that you had to do it for me."

Perrin's eyes flickered, then steadied. She gazed at him with absolute trust, gazed at him with eyes that confirmed she loved him, eyes that said good-bye.

He wiped sweat from his brow and advanced another step. "Ona, you must listen to me. You can't do this."

"Oh, yes, I can!" She seemed to think he doubted her ability and fortitude to draw the knife across Perrin's throat. "I've done it before. I killed Ellen because she betrayed you. When I learned Ellen's baby couldn't be yours, I knew that was God's signal that I should kill the whore so we could be together." She nodded and another red drop appeared. Perrin pressed her lips together and closed her eyes.

"It was easy. I held the pillow over Ellen's face. I punished her for whoring like I knew you'd want me to." A frown puckered her brow and she gave him a puzzled, sad look. "I will be very angry if you continue to let whores distract you. I hope I never have to punish you for bringing another whore into our lives. That would break my heart."

Her arms remained tight, poised and ready to rip the blade across Perrin's throat. Suddenly Cody knew there was nothing he could say to stop her. He couldn't reach his pistol faster than she could jerk back the knife. And he didn't have a shot anyway, as she held Perrin against her body as a shield. Rage shook his body and frustration blacked his mind.

"Let her go," he snarled.

Instead Ona smiled and tightened her grip on the knife, digging the point into Perrin's throat. In horror, he realized she wanted to do it slowly.

A shot exploded from Cody's right. Ona's head jerked to the left and the knife dropped from her fingers, falling into Perrin's lap. In an instant Perrin was on her feet and running toward him, then she was in his arms. Screams rang in his ears. Someone jumped forward to press a handkerchief against the wound dripping blood on Perrin's collar and bodice.

Until Augusta walked around the wagon and lowered her carbine, Cody believed it was Webb who had killed Ona. But Webb emerged from the forest in the opposite direction. He shook his head when Cody stared at him. "The angle was wrong."

Tightening his arms around Perrin's shaking body, Cody swung his gaze to Augusta. "That was one hell of a shot. But you might have hit Perrin!"

She dismissed the suggestion with an airily superior smile that exposed her missing teeth, but which would have made dozens of Boyds proud. There was almost a swagger in her step as she walked toward Perrin. "This makes us even. I don't owe you and you don't owe me. We start over from here."

Perrin flew out of his arms and embraced Augusta, both of them trembling. Cora took the carbine from Augusta's suddenly boneless fingers and Perrin and Augusta held each other tightly, weeping and speaking in voices Cody could not hear.

Shaking his head over the mysteries of women, he walked away from them, removing his coat, then gazing down at Ona Norris before he covered her. She had murdered Ellen. And she would have murdered Perrin. For an instant guilt slammed across his chest, it required several minutes to convince himself that the seeds of madness had been planted long before he met Ona Norris. He told himself that he was not responsible for Ellen's death. Perhaps he had not been responsible for Ellen's life or how she chose to live it either.

Kneeling, he placed his coat over Ona's body.

And finally he let Ellen go. Whatever crimes she had committed against him and their marriage, she had paid a terrible price for them. Ellen's image slowly receded into the past.

Standing, he turned toward the woman who would be his future. She met his eyes over Augusta's shoulder, then gently disengaged herself. Almost running, she came to him.

Whatever she sought in his gaze, she must have found it, because she smiled, then slipped her arm around his waist and leaned into his body when he dropped an arm around her shoulder.

His chest lifted in a deep breath. He was never going to let this woman go. After signaling Miles and Heck to begin digging Ona's grave, he waved his hat in the air.

"We've got ninety hard miles left to travel, and we can cover at least three of them yet today. Waaaagon's hoooo!"

"We should get some sleep. It's going to be a long, hard day tomorrow," Cody murmured. They sat on a log, Perrin's back nestled against his chest, his arms around her waist. The flames had long since died to embers.