Dangerous Men (Flynn Family Saga Book 2) (5 page)

And he had too many ghosts haunting
him.

Usually, he enjoyed the ride back
to Nebraska.  After six months of listening to the complaints of the people who
paid his salary, he was ready to ride alone through the silence of the empty
places.  But this year was different.  Maggie O’Brien had walked into a corral
in St. Jo wearing a ridiculous yellow slicker that was two sizes too big for
her.

And walked right into his heart.

That night, he camped on the
eastern side of Mount Doloroso.  It began to snow, and he remembered the night
he spent with Maggie on the way back from burying her grandparents.  It had
snowed that night, too.  He had built a shelter for her out of pine boughs. 
And after watching him for just a few minutes, Maggie had drawn her own knife
and helped him build it.  It was bitterly cold that night, despite the fire he
kept going.  He and Maggie had huddled together for warmth, and she had fallen
asleep in his arms.  Even now, the memory stirred a longing in him that was
more than physical.  He longed to protect her from the cold.  He longed to keep
her from ever being hurt.

And he knew, from bitter experience
that was impossible.

He rolled over on his side and
watched the flames of his fire flicker in the wind, but it was Maggie’s face he
saw.  Sometimes, she looked twice her age.  She had taken care of her drunken
father for years, and that had taken its toll.  And then, she would see a newborn
foal or a rainbow or just the wind in the prairie grass, and her face would
light up like a child’s half her age.

Flynn sighed.  He sat up with his
blanket wrapped around him.  He rummaged in his saddlebags and took out his
copy of
Don Quixote
, the one in Spanish, and started to read.

He knew he would not sleep again
that night.

*  *  *

Maggie, Sam and Frank arrived in
St. Jo on the first day of November.  The sky was gray and rain drizzled
desultorily, turning the streets to mud.  They walked to the white house on Main
Street, and Sam knocked on the door.

Kate Hamilton opened the door. 
Maggie blinked.  Kate’s face was pale and drawn, and she did not smile. 
Instead, she started to cry.

Sam took a step toward her.  “What
is it, Kate?”

She stepped back from him.  “It’s
Richard.  He has come home.”

Sam took off his hat and ran his
hand through his thinning hair.  “I’m sorry.”

“Who’s there?”  A strange voice
came from inside the boarding house.

Kate drew a deep breath.  “It’s Sam
Anders.  Mr. Anders, this is my husband, Richard Hamilton.”

A tall, handsome man with salt-and-pepper
hair entered the foyer.  He eyed Sam suspiciously.  “Ah, Mr. Anders.  My wife
has told me so much about you.”

Maggie recognized the signs of
heavy drinking in the puffiness beneath Hamilton’s dark eyes and the tremors in
his hands.  She looked at Kate with concern.

Richard stared at Maggie.  Slowly,
he smiled an ugly, knowing smile.  “Are you the Mr. Anders’ special...friend?”

Sam scowled.  “She’s my ward.”

“Oh.  Of course.”  His smile did
not reach his eyes, which were cold and hard.

Sam met his gaze levelly.  Finally,
Hamilton’s face darkened.  He turned and walked away.

Kate drew a deep breath.  “Sam,
maybe you’d better stay at another establishment.”

Sam hesitated.

“Please, Sam,” she said softly.

He nodded.  “I’m sorry, Kate,” he
whispered.

“So am I, Sam.”  She turned and
went back into the house, closing the door softly.

Maggie looked questioningly at Sam.

Sam drew a deep breath.  “Let’s go
see Jasper Williams.”

Maggie blinked.  “What for?”

Sam grinned.  “Didn’t I tell you? 
To start the adoption process.  I want to make it official, Magpie.”  He
touched her hair lightly.  “I don’t want anyone to be able to take you away
from me.”

Maggie blinked back tears.  She
threw her arms around Sam and hugged him.  “Thank you,” she whispered.

He hugged her back, and then he
held out his arm.  Side by side, they walked to Jasper’s office.

Jasper smiled when he saw them.  He
listened politely while Sam explained what he wanted to do.  When he was
finished, Jasper sighed.  “It’s possible, Sam, but it’s unlikely that the court
will grant custody to a single man, especially one who’s unrelated to a minor
female.”

Sam nodded.  “I understand, Jasper.” 
He hesitated.  “I want to try anyway.”

Jasper smiled.  “I rather thought
you would.”

Sam stood up and held out his
hand.  “Thank you, Jasper.”

Jasper shook his head, and his
smile faded.  “Don’t thank me until we win.”

Maggie and Sam walked to the
smaller boarding house by the river.  Hannah Jolson opened the door and smiled
at them.  “Sam!  Maggie!  What brings you here?”

Sam took off his hat.  “You heard
about Richard Hamilton?”

Hannah’s smile faded.  “I did.  I
take it you’re looking for other lodgings, too?”

Sam nodded.  “But what do you mean ‘too?’”

Hannah sighed.  “He comes in drunk
at all hours of the night.  Kate’s having a hard time keeping boarders this
year.”

Sam scowled.

Maggie turned to him.  “Let me stay
with her.”

Sam touched her shoulder.  “Are you
sure, Maggie?”

Maggie nodded.  “I have experience
dealing with drunks.  And besides, Mrs. Hamilton took me in when my parents
abandoned me.”

Sam stared at her a long time.  “All
right.  But I want you to come find me at the first sign of trouble.  You hear
me?”

“Yes, Major.”

He smiled at her.  "I think
it's time you started to call me 'Papa.'"

Maggie blinked.  "Yes,
Papa."  She hugged him.  Then, she walked back to the boarding house.

CHAPTER
FIVE

Kate opened the door.  Her eyes
widened when she saw Maggie.

“Is everything all right?  Is Sam—?” 
Her voice broke.

Maggie shook her head.  “He’s
fine.  But I need a favor.  Hannah doesn’t have room at her place, and I need a
place to stay.”

“I don’t know.  My husband is
drinking and...”  Kate’s voice trailed off into silence.

Maggie touched her arm.  “Mrs.
Hamilton, I can help.”

“Oh, Maggie, I don’t want to drag
you through that mess again.”

Maggie tilted her chin up.  “I owe
you, Mrs. Hamilton.  And I always pay my debts.”

Tears filled Kate’s gray eyes.  “Maggie,
I know you do, but—”

“Please?  I promised Sam I’d keep
an eye on things here.”  Maggie grinned.  “Otherwise, you’ll probably have him
knocking at your door before sundown.”

Kate laughed shakily.  “All right,
Maggie.  Come on in.  Your old room is available.”

Maggie fell into the old routine as
if she had never been away.  She helped Kate with the cooking and cleaning. 
Richard Hamilton slept until noon and was out most of the night.

Kate looked paler and more worn
with each passing day.

One night, when Hamilton was out,
Maggie went to Kate’s room and knocked on the door.  “I can’t sleep.”

Kate nodded.  “Me either.”  Kate
pulled on her wrapper.  Together, they went into the kitchen.  Kate brewed tea
and poured it into two china cups.  She sat down across the table from Maggie.

“How did you meet him?”  Maggie
took a sip of her tea.

Kate stared into her teacup.  “It
was all so romantic.  It was my debut, my coming out ball.  I was sixteen.  He
was dashing and handsome.”  She looked up at Maggie knowingly.  “A lot like
Flynn.”

Maggie blushed.

Kate looked back at her teacup.  “We
danced every dance, which was scandalous.  A week later, my father sent me to West
Point to visit my brother.  I think he was hoping that I would meet someone
else and forget all about Richard.”  She smiled sadly.  “Sam escorted me to the
Spring Ball.  But Sam wasn’t as handsome or as charming as Richard was, and so,
like a fool, I ran away from my chaperone on the way home.  I met Richard in Baton
Rouge.  We eloped.  Here.  To St. Jo.”  Kate sighed.  “I was young and in
love.”

Maggie nodded slowly.  “I can
understand that.”

“Yes, I thought you might,” Kate
said dryly.

Maggie blushed again.

Kate’s eyes took on a distant look,
as if she saw something Maggie couldn’t.  “He left me a month later.  I was too
ashamed to go back to my father.”  She shook herself, and her gaze focused on
Maggie again.  “After Richard left, I sold my jewelry and bought a small place,
and in five years, I had made enough to buy this place.”  She looked away.  “But
I always had a feeling that Richard was still alive, that he would come back
one day.”

Maggie touched her hand.  “I’m
sorry.”

Kate brushed away her tears with
the back of her hand.  “It was a long time ago.”  She drew a deep breath.  “I’m
sorry.  I’ve been so caught up with my own problems that I never asked.  How
was the trip?”  She touched Maggie’s hand gently.  “Sam wired me that your
parents had died.”

Maggie nodded.  “I know.  He said
he asked you to take me in, that you said yes.”

Kate nodded back.  “Of course I
said yes.  You’re the daughter I always wanted, Maggie.”

Tears filled Maggie’s eyes, and she
looked away.  “The Major says the same thing.”

Kate took Maggie’s chin in her
strong fingers and turned her to face the fire.  “Why are you crying, Maggie?”

Maggie rubbed her eyes hard.  “Because
my own parents didn’t want me!”

Kate pulled her into her soft,
strong arms.  “Oh, Maggie.”

They clung to each other, the woman
and the child, for comfort against old hurts.  Finally, Maggie drew a deep
breath and pulled away.  “Let’s talk about something else.”

Kate nodded.  She dried her eyes
with a lace handkerchief.  “How was the crossing?”

“The Major said it was a rougher
crossing than usual.  First, we got hit with cholera.”  Maggie talked about the
trip, and Kate listened, interrupting only occasionally with questions.

Then, the front door banged open.

Kate sighed and went to help her
husband into bed.

Maggie sat staring at her cold tea
a long time.  She saw Lucy and Michael, smiling at each other.  She saw Michael’s
expression change, saw his hand curl into a fist, saw him strike his wife
viciously.  She winced as if his fist was real and not just a memory, as if he
struck her instead of her mother.

Maggie sighed and washed the
dishes.  Then, she climbed the stairs to her room, but it was a long time
before she fell asleep.  She kept listening for sounds from Mrs. Hamilton’s
room.

Sunlight woke her early.  She got
up and went down to the kitchen.  Kate stood at the stove with her back to
Maggie.  Maggie began to slice the bread for toast.  Kate turned.

A dark bruise stained her cheek.

Maggie dropped the knife.  She got
up and went to the back door.

“Maggie!  Where are you going?”

Maggie turned back to her.  “To get
the Major.”

Kate took her arm.  “Don’t. 
Please.  He’ll hurt Richard, and he’ll get into trouble for it.”

“I didn’t get help for my mother,
and my father killed her!”  Maggie’s voice broke, and her throat felt tight.

Kate’s breath caught.  “Is that how
she died?”

Maggie looked away and nodded.

Gently, Kate squeezed her
shoulder.  “And your father?  How did he die?  Did Sam—did he have to—”

Maggie shook her head.  She turned
back to face Kate.  “No.  He shot himself.”

Kate’s hand tightened on her
shoulder.  “I’m sorry.”

Maggie nodded slowly.  “So am I.” 
She pulled free of Kate’s grasp and went out of the door.

“Maggie!”

Maggie’s back stiffened, but she
kept on walking until she reached Hannah’s boarding house.  Hannah answered her
knock.

“Where’s the Major?”

“Upstairs.  The second door on the
left.”  Hannah stepped back and let Maggie inside.

Maggie ran lightly up the stairs
and knocked on the door.

Sam opened the door and frowned.  “What
is it, Maggie?”

Maggie drew a deep breath.  “He’s
hitting her.”

Sam scowled.  This wasn’t the same
frown he used when he was pretending to be angry with Frank or Ben or Flynn. 
The fury in his face frightened Maggie.  “I’ll be right out.”

Sam slammed the door shut.

Maggie leaned against the wall and
shut her eyes.  “What have I done?” she whispered.

A few minutes later, Sam emerged
from his room.  His pistol hung low on his hip, and he brushed past her without
speaking.  Maggie opened her mouth and shut it again without speaking.  Fear
clawed at her as she hurried to catch up to Sam.  He went to the backdoor of
Mrs. Hamilton’s house and opened it so hard that the door struck the wall,
cracking the plaster.

When Kate saw Sam, she turned
away.  “You shouldn’t have come.”

“I had to, Kate.”  He crossed the
room and took her shoulders.  Gently, he turned her to face him.  “Hamilton did
this?”

Kate smiled tremulously.  “Would
you believe me if I said no?”

Sam shook his head.

She looked away.  “Please, Sam. 
There’s nothing you can do.”

“I can beat the tar out of that son
of a—”

Kate put her hand across his
mouth.  “Don’t swear, Sam.  Not in front of Maggie.”

He smiled faintly.  His smile faded
quickly.  “If you ever need anything, Kate, Maggie knows where to find me.”

Kate let her hand fall to her
side.  For a moment, she rested her head against his broad shoulder.  Then, she
raised her head.  “Thank you, Sam.  Now go before I get you into trouble.”

Sam nodded.  He turned and started
toward the door.  Before he reached it, he turned back.  “Maggie, at the first
sign of trouble, you come and get me.  You hear?”

Maggie nodded.  “Yes sir.”

Sam nodded back.  He left the
house.

Maggie drew a deep breath.  “Mrs.
Hamilton—”

Kate held up her hand.  “Not now,
Maggie.  Give me a few minutes to collect myself.”

Maggie nodded again.  She picked up
the knife from the floor and washed it.  She dried it on a towel and resumed
slicing bread.

But there was a knot in her
stomach, just like there was the day that Flynn drove off with the Lonnegans.

*  *  *

Day after day, Maggie had to watch
while Richard Hamilton got drunk and Kate wilted.  Thanksgiving came, but
Maggie felt little joy in the preparations.  Even the smell of the turkey didn’t
cheer her up.  Kate’s husband stayed home for the feast, but the next day, he
went out as soon as he woke up.

The knot in Maggie’s stomach
tightened.

That night, he didn’t come home.

Maggie pulled on her trousers and
work shirt.  She started down the stairs to look for him.

Kate intercepted her.  She shook
her head.  “Don’t, Maggie.  Maybe the sheriff will let him sleep it off in the
jail.”

Maggie nodded.  She went back upstairs
and got into bed without undressing.  She lay awake, listening.  Eventually,
she fell asleep.  The sound of someone pounding on the door woke her.  Maggie
rubbed her eyes, but it was still dark outside.  She lit a lantern and ran down
the stairs.  Kate stood in the doorway, and Craig Lister, the sheriff’s deputy,
stood outside.

“He killed a man, Mrs. Hamilton.” 
Lister’s tone was cold.

Kate sagged for a moment.  Maggie
put her arm around the older woman’s shoulders.  Slowly, Kate drew herself up
to her full height.  “Can I see him, Craig?”

Lister shook his head.  “Visiting
hours are on Sunday.”

Kate bowed her head a moment. 
Then, she lifted it.  “Can I at least bring him his meals?”

Lister shrugged.  “It will save the
town the cost of feeding him.”  He descended the stairs and walked down the
street toward the jail.

Kate started to shake.

Maggie led her into the kitchen and
brewed a strong pot of tea.  She put two lumps of sugar in the cup and handed
it to Kate.

Kate took a sip and made a face.  “Why
do people always put too much sugar in tea during a crisis?”

Maggie smiled sadly.  “It’s
supposed to help with shock.”

“Does it?”

Maggie shrugged.  “I’m not sure.  I
didn’t faint when my parents died, so I guess it does.”

Kate smiled.  “I can’t imagine you fainting
under any circumstances.”  Her smile faded, and she sighed.  “We’d better make
breakfast.  The boarders will be down soon.”

Maggie shook her head stubbornly.  “You
go back to your room.  I can handle breakfast.”

Kate laughed, a short, sharp bark that
sounded more like the yelp of a wounded animal than human laughter.  “No,
Maggie, you can’t.  You’ll burn the toast, and I shudder to think what you’ll
do with the eggs.”

Maggie smiled ruefully.  “You’re
right.”

Kate sighed.  “Besides, I need
something to do.”

Maggie nodded.  Together, they made
breakfast, but the kitchen was silent, and the air was heavy with unexpressed
grief.

Maggie had just carried the last
platter of ham and eggs into the dining room when Sam came to the back door.  “I
came as soon as I heard.  Are you all right?”

Kate nodded.

Sam came into the kitchen.  He took
off his hat and sat down at the kitchen table.  “What happened?”

Kate sank down into the chair
across the table from him.  “He killed a man, Sam.”

Sam reached across the table and
squeezed her hand.  “After breakfast, we’ll go see Jasper Williams.”

Kate shook her head.  “No, Sam. 
The scandal is going to be bad enough.  I need you to stay away.”

“But—”

She lifted her head.  “Please, Sam.”

He sighed.  “All right, Kate.”  He
got up and walked toward the door.  He turned back once.  “But if you need
anything...”

Kate nodded.  “Maggie knows where
to find you.”

Sam nodded.  He drew a deep breath
and left the kitchen.

Maggie let out a breath.  “He’s
right.  We should hire Mr. Williams.”

Kate shook her head.  “No, Maggie. 
Richard killed a man.  There were witnesses.”

Maggie came around the table and
laid her hand on Kate’s shoulder.  “He still deserves a fair trial.”

Kate turned her head and smiled at
her sadly.  “Are you sure you aren’t Sam’s flesh-and-blood
daughter?”

Maggie smiled back.  “That’s the
nicest thing anyone ever said about me.”  Her smile faded, and she tilted her
chin up.  “But if you don’t go see Mr. Williams, I will.”

Kate sighed.  “All right, Maggie. 
After breakfast, we’ll go see Jasper Williams.”

Jasper listened without
interrupting.  When Kate finished.  He nodded.  “I’ll do what I can, but there
were witnesses, Mrs. Hamilton.”

Kate nodded.  “I know.  I just don’t
want him to have to face this alone.”

Jasper reached across the desk and
patted her hand.

As soon as the news broke, all of
the boarders left.  Sam appeared at the front door with his saddlebags.

“Sam...”

“I’m moving in, Kate, and that’s
that.”  He scowled at her.

Kate smiled tremulously.  She took
his hand and squeezed it.  “Thank you, Sam.”

*  *  *

Flynn reached the cabin he and
Alexander Ridgeton had built near the end of November.  The cabin was dark, and
the woodpile was dangerously low.  Flynn smiled grimly.  He needed the work to
keep his mind off Maggie O’Brien.

He stabled Horatio in the lean-to
and went into the cabin.  He brought out the ax and began to chop wood.  That
night, he slept on his old cot.  It felt strange, sleeping in a bed again.  A
fire crackled on the hearth, and the cabin was warm.