The Cowboy's Baby Bond (4 page)

She turned to stare at the man who called out, in time to see Johnny ride up to her side.

She blinked, as if to clear her vision, but when she reopened her eyes, he was still there.

He reached for her hands and unwound her fingers from the reins.

It took forever for her mind to begin functioning again. She looked behind her and saw nothing but twin tails of dust as the men rode away. She brought her gaze back to him. “What...? Where...?”

He grinned. “They didn't stick around once they saw the scales were balanced.” He leaned back to check on Adam, who gurgled in pleasure. “Why, I think the little scamp enjoyed the race.” Johnny regarded Willow with some concern. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

She shuddered. “I'm fine. But where did you come from?”

He swung off his horse and reached up to lift her down. It never crossed her mind to refuse or wonder about his intentions.

Her knees rattled, so she couldn't stand on her own, and she clung to his arm.

Adam climbed from his little nest and crawled toward them. Johnny took the boy in one arm and, with Willow clinging to the other, led them to a grassy spot. “Let's sit down for a few minutes until you're feeling better.”

How did he know her stomach alternately clenched and rolled? Was it so evident in her expression? Not that it mattered. She gratefully sank to the ground, glad that Johnny had Adam. Her arms were too weak to trust herself to hold him.

“Who were those men?” Her voice came out in a frightened whisper. She must get herself under control. This weakness could not be allowed. She must be strong and in control.

“I've never run into them before, but rough men pass through from time to time. I expect we've seen the last of those two.”

She shuddered again. “I certainly hope so.”

Johnny edged forward so he could look her directly in the eyes.

She met his gaze and felt her fear instantly abate. She hoped he saw nothing but courage in her glance. She repeated her question. “Where did you come from?”

He smiled gently, almost undoing her determination to be strong on her own. Wouldn't it be nice to feel a pair of sturdy arms about her? No, she would never again trust a man's arms to shelter her.

“I got as far as where I found you and little Adam yesterday.”

Hearing his name, Adam chuckled. “Man,” he said. “Man.”

Any other time, Willow would have been thrilled to hear him say a word she could understand, but right now she wanted to know why Johnny was there.

He paused to grin at Adam. “Me, man. You, boy.” Then he shifted Adam to one side so he could give Willow his attention. “When I got there I knew I couldn't go on. I felt responsible to see you and your sisters get settled in your own home. So here I am.”

“I have to say I'm thankful. Those two men were frightening.”

“Who was responsible for the shot I heard before I got here?”

She grinned at him. “That would be me. I needed to scare them off.”

He shook his head. “Sure am grateful you didn't try to scare me off yesterday.”

“You were a gentleman or I would have.” They considered each other at length until a chill raced up her spine. What was there about this man that threatened all her hard-learned lessons?

She pushed herself to her feet and reached for her son. “Thanks for your help. Now I'll be on my way.”

Johnny rose, too, and shifted Adam to his hip as if he'd done this all his life. He led the way back to the wagon, grasped his horse's reins and, using his free hand, tied them to the back, then offered Willow a hand up to the bench.

She hesitated. “You're coming with me?”

“Thought I would, if you have no objections.”

Objections? She had plenty of them. “None at all.” Where had those words come from? She tried to clear her thoughts. Then gave up and shook her head as she settled herself on the bench. He handed her the baby and climbed up beside her, then drove across the ford with an ease that made her feel safe. Maybe it didn't hurt to accept help once in a while.

They said little as they continued on toward the town. She tried to ignore Johnny's presence beside her as she planned what she would do as soon as they arrived. “Where will be the best place to ask about houses to rent?”

“I'd suggest Mr. Marsh at the general store. He knows pretty much what's going on in the town. I'll take you there first, if you like.”

“Yes, please. What time does the train come in?”

“There was talk about changing the schedule, so I can't rightly say.”

What if her sisters had already arrived and she wasn't there to meet them? What would they do? If they hadn't changed greatly, Celia would be angry and set off to find her own way, and Sarah would go along because she didn't have any choice, but she'd protest the whole way, saying they should just wait.

Soon the wagon approached the town. It appeared to be a decent size, which provided encouragement. The children could go to school here and Willow could find employment rather than deplete her little stash of gold.

They pulled up at a store and before she could move, Johnny hurried around to lift her and Adam down and then escort them up the steps and inside. She breathed deeply. It had been a long time since she'd been in a store that didn't reek of tobacco smoke and unwashed bodies. For the most part, the populace of Wolf Hollow cared more about finding gold than they did about cleanliness.

“How do, Johnny. How's your folks?”

Willow's gaze followed the sound to a man at the end of the counter, a big canvas apron covering most of him. Mr. Marsh, she presumed.

“Just fine.” Johnny introduced Willow to the owner of the general store. “Mrs. Reames is looking for a house to rent.”

“Hmm.” Mr. Marsh rubbed his chin several times. “Only thing I can think of offhand is the one at the end of the street behind the hotel. It belongs to the Sears family, but they left last fall. I'm sure he won't mind you using it. I have his forwarding address. You can write him and make arrangements with him. Now, mind you, it's a little run-down on the outside. I haven't been inside, so can't speak for what it's like. But it's about all there is at the moment.”

“I'll take it.” She didn't care what it looked like, only that her family could be together. “Is there a key?”

“Doubt it's locked, but if it is, just look over the doorjamb.”

She jerked about. “Do I hear a train whistle?”

Mr. Marsh consulted his watch. “Yup and right on time.”

“I've got to go. I'll take the house and contact the Sears family. Thanks.” She hurried out the door, not surprised that Johnny beat her to the wagon. In minutes they were on their way to the depot.

They pulled up to the platform as the train chugged to a halt, releasing a gust of steam.

Again, Johnny helped her from the wagon, and carried Adam as they went up the stairs to the platform.

Willow rocked back and forth on her tiptoes. “I can hardly wait to see them.” She tidied Adam's shirt. “Soon you'll see your aunties and they'll see you.” She laughed for the sheer pleasure of the occasion.

Adam gurgled and turned back to Johnny. “Man.”

Johnny looked pleased at the baby's attention. But Willow had eyes only for the train. The conductor swung down and placed a step stool in place. He offered his hand to the first passenger to disembark—an older woman with a black satchel. Then two businessmen stepped out, and a cowboy who went to claim his horse from farther down the platform.

Willow waited. Where were her sisters? Why weren't they getting off? She held her breath until she felt faint. The conductor crossed toward the station house.

Willow stared at the empty entrance to the train. Where were they?

Slowly it dawned on her. They weren't getting off.

She raced toward the train and scrambled aboard, ignoring the call from the conductor. “Ma'am, no need to rush. We aren't leaving for half an hour.”

She stood in the empty aisle. Every seat was vacant. Just to be sure they weren't playing a trick, she called, “Celia, Sarah, where are you?” She went the entire length of the car, looking behind each seat, till she reached the end. “Where are they?”

Johnny had followed her. “I think you better ask the conductor if he's seen them.”

Her pulse hammered in her ears. “If they didn't get on...” She shook her head. What had befallen them?

Johnny guided her down the steps, across the platform and into the station, where the conductor conversed with the ticket agent.

“My sisters,” Willow blurted out. “I was expecting them. Two girls. Ten and fourteen. Celia and Sarah Hendricks. Were they on the train?”

“Those two. Yes, they were on it. They had quite a little argument, then got off back at Martens. We waited as long as we could, but they didn't come back. I wondered what happened to them, but it wasn't my business, now, was it? The older girl seemed to know what she was doing.”

“Martens? Where is that?”

“'Bout fifty miles east.” The conductor turned away, his business done.

Willow sank to a nearby bench. Her sisters had gotten off. She thought of the men who had recently accosted her, and reached for the conductor's sleeve to get his attention. “Were they in some kind of trouble? Was someone bothering them?”

“No, ma'am. I made sure no one did. Like I said, they argued. Seems to me the older one wanted to do something the little one didn't care for. That's all I can say.”

Willow rocked back and forth as disappointment and worry twisted through her. There was only one thing to do. She pushed herself to her feet.

“I must go find them.” She took Adam from Johnny, ignoring the baby's protests, and marched out to the wagon.

Johnny followed and clambered aboard.

“What are you doing?”

His jaw muscles bunched. “I'm not letting you ride all over the country by yourself, that's for certain sure.”

“You have a cabin to fix.” From what Maisie had told her, that seemed very important.

“You have sisters to find. That outweighs a cabin.”

“You don't need to do this.”

He flicked the reins and they drove away from the station. “I do need to if I want to be able to live with myself.”

“That's an odd thing to say.”

He spared her a brief glance full of challenge and stubbornness. “I don't know what kind of men you've known in the past, but some of us live by principles, and my principles will not allow me to let a young woman and a baby travel unescorted across Montana.”

She opened her mouth, but could think of no reply and snapped it shut.

A man with principles? She liked the sound of that. But it didn't change her plans. Nor her vow to never again trust any man, because, to her sorrow, she knew words came easily.

Noble talk without noble actions was, in her mind, the worst sort of deceit.

Chapter Four

J
ohnny turned the wagon around to head back to the store.

Willow grabbed his arm. “Where are you going? We have to go east.”

“We will, but I plan on being prepared. Fifty miles and back will take us several days. We'll need food and water and supplies, and some oats for the mare if we expect her to carry us.”

Willow swung her head back and forth. “I don't like the delay.”

He understood her concern to find her sisters. “A few minutes now will save us hours of regret later.” He stopped at the store. “No need for you to come in. I'll pick up what we need.”

Her glance challenged him. He half expected her to argue, demand that they race after the girls without thought of food and supplies. Then she nodded. “I hope this won't take long.”

At her easy agreement he released his breath. Perhaps she realized that arguing would only delay their departure. “I'll be as quick as I can.” He hurried inside, ordered enough staples to last a few days and rushed back out with them, fearing she wouldn't wait. With relief he saw the wagon and its occupants still there, and he stowed the box of supplies.

“I'll have to make one more stop.” Johnny went to the feed store and purchased a sack of oats. He looked at Gray. Should he leave the horse at the livery barn or take him along? He decided on the latter. A man never knew when he'd be wanting a horse to ride.

“That's it,” he said, climbing back onto the seat and flicking the reins. “We'll be on our way.”

Willow held Adam on her knee and strained forward as if she could make the horse go faster. But Johnny knew he'd have to pace the old girl if he expected her to complete this journey.

“You're going to get an awful crick in your neck if you sit like that the whole trip.”

Inch by inch, she eased back, until she looked halfway comfortable.

They left Granite Creek behind and followed the dusty road east. Johnny did his best to avoid the potholes and stay in the well-worn ruts, but sometimes the holes couldn't be avoided. The wagon wheels dropped into another, and Willow was jostled against him. Adam merely laughed.

She righted herself. “At least he's enjoying this.” She sounded aggrieved.

“Willow, I know you're worried, but I assure you we'll find your sisters. In the meantime, you might as well relax and enjoy the scenery.”
And the company
, he almost added. But they were together simply out of necessity. Her need to find her family, his to make sure she got safely settled. After that? Well, he meant to move on with his plans. He owed it to himself, but more so to Thad. It took effort to move past the death of a sister and the treachery of a girl he'd trusted. Johnny meant to be there for his friend each step of the way.

Speaking of sisters... “I'm surprised your folks let your sisters travel across the country on their own.”

“My parents have been dead two years.”

“You've lost your husband and your parents? That's tough. I'm sorry.” Words were so inadequate. He wished he could do something practical to express his sympathy. Helping her find the girls would have to suffice. “Your sisters have been living somewhere. Shouldn't the people they've been with be concerned about them traveling alone?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Reames are their guardians. Or rather, they were.” The look Willow flung at Johnny clearly expressed anger. But surely she was not angry at him. His questions had been innocent enough.

“Were? What happened?”

“When my husband died, they refused to keep the girls any longer.”

“What? Why, that's downright dishonorable.”

“I couldn't agree more.”

Johnny mulled over the information. Things began to fall into place, though they made no sense. “Your married name is Reames. Any relation?”

“I married their son.” The words were spit out as if they were bitter to the taste.

The more she told him, the less Johnny understood. “Had the girls done something to make them angry?”

“No, I did.”

“What could you possibly do that would justify them closing their home to your sisters? Seems they should be more than willing to forgive it, if only so they could enjoy getting to know their little grandson.”

She wrapped both arms about Adam, pulling him into a cocoon of safety. “That will never happen.”

“Never? Surely they'll change their mind when they get over their grief.”

“I don't want to talk about it anymore.”

Johnny longed to understand this unusual situation, but he must respect her wish to end the conversation.

In the ensuing silence, the little he knew about her went around and around in his head. Her parents had died two years ago. She hadn't seen her sisters in almost two years. Were the facts connected? How long had she been married? From what she'd told him, he guessed her to be nineteen years of age. Wouldn't that make her seventeen when her parents died? Was she married before then? She must have been.

“I know how death changes a person's plans.” He told her how Levi had been planning to marry Helen. “But she drowned. After that, her family packed up and left. Thad—he's the man who is going to live in the cabin I'm repairing... Huh.”

The truth suddenly hit Johnny. He didn't care if he lived there or not. It was all for Thad's sake.

Willow gave him a questioning look. “Huh, what?”

“It's a long story.”

“Might help ease my mind to think about something besides my missing sisters.”

If Johnny could do that, he would tell her almost everything. “Okay, here goes. Helen had a brother, Thad. We've been best friends for years. He and I were raising horses together. We had plans to breed fine draft horses and break them. No one hereabouts raises the big animals. They are all brought in from east or south. We already had half a dozen broodmares and a fine stallion. But when his sister died, it seemed like Thad lost a goodly portion of himself. Then he discovered the girl he thought he loved had been secretly seeing another man. Between the two things, he almost lost his mind. He didn't want anything more to do with the horses and insisted we sell them to a breeder over in Wyoming.

“Nothing mattered to Thad anymore. It was like watching him die inside. He moved away with his parents and I didn't hear from him all winter. But a few weeks ago I got a letter. He wants to buy back the horses and bring them here so we can continue with our plans. He's going to live in the house where Thad's family lived before Helen's death.”

Willow had shifted so she could watch Johnny as he related his story.

“I told you it was a long one.”

“So you need to fix the cabin before he returns.”

“There's been a little damage to it—you know, shingles missing, a window broken, the porch sagging.”

She nodded. “Are you worried he won't stay if it's not in good repair? Like maybe he isn't really committed to this partnership between you two?”

Her question startled Johnny. Was that his reason for being so dedicated to this task? Except how dedicated could he be if he'd dropped everything to escort Willow and Adam around the country? Face-to-face with the thought, he had to admit it held some truth.

“I suppose I am afraid he'll change his mind again, maybe return to the black mood he was in when I last saw him, so I'm doing everything I can to see he doesn't have any reason to do so.” Johnny met her eyes, saw understanding and compassion.

“I know what it's like to wonder if you can trust someone.”

“I trust Thad.”

“So long as nothing goes wrong. That's not trust.”

“Like I said, death changes things.” Johnny had to make her understand, if only to prove he trusted his friend. “I think by coming back, Thad is confronting his pain head-on. I want to help him heal. I believe if he sees the cabin damaged he will only see how things go bad. If I have it repaired, he'll see that it's okay to remember the good times.” Johnny shrugged, more than a little embarrassed by his philosophical take on the matter. “It's like the Bible says, ‘Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.' I guess if he comes back I hope he can mourn his loss and move on.”

Willow stared straight ahead, her shoulders drawn up and her back rigid.

Johnny wanted to touch her, ease the strain he saw, but feared she would be offended. “What's wrong?”

She shook her head. “He's fortunate to have a friend like you.” She eased back.

Adam, who until now had been happily playing with his mother's fingers, arched his spine and tried to escape her hold.

“He's not sick again, is he?” Johnny asked. It seemed foolish to drag the little guy all over the countryside when he'd been ill the day before.

She lowered her cheek to his forehead. “No fever. He's just getting restless.” She poured a little water into a cup and held it for Adam to drink, then turned and placed him in the area she'd prepared for him. There was room enough for him to stand or sit or move around a bit, yet he was safe from falling out. He stood and bounced up and down.

“Man, man.” He grinned at Johnny.

Johnny grinned back. “He's a friendly little guy.” The words weren't even out when he recalled what she'd said about Adam not going to others...especially his father. How odd. Johnny wanted to ask about that, but feared he'd be intruding on her grief. “We'll stop soon and have dinner.” Normally, when he or his brothers were out doing something, they didn't stop at noon, satisfied with grabbing jerky or biscuits from their saddlebags. But he guessed a woman and a child might need a little more care.

Up ahead, some leafy cottonwoods beckoned and a stream flowed nearby. “There's a good spot.” He turned the wagon aside and pulled into the shade. He helped Willow from the wagon, then lifted Adam to the ground, where the little guy toddled about.

“He's glad to be down where he can move around,” Willow said.

Johnny would have enjoyed watching Adam explore, but he had to tend to the horses, and took them both to water, then left them to graze.

By the time he returned, Willow had spread a quilt and brought out a loaf of bread and some cheese from the supplies he'd purchased.

“I will pay for our share of the food,” she murmured, not meeting his gaze. “You don't need to be taking care of us.”

“We'll see.” He had no wish to argue over petty things.

“You're trying to avoid an argument.”

He shrugged. “What's wrong with that?”

They studied each other. He couldn't say what she saw, apart from a half-breed man with dark skin. Did she see the guardedness that he wore about him like armor? Did she see his determination to never again open his heart to any woman?

On his part, he saw a woman with flyaway brown hair that had again escaped every hairpin and hung about her shoulders. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask why she wasted time trying to control it, but then he thought better. Much too personal for two reluctant traveling companions. He saw—or did he sense?—a guardedness that matched his own. He wondered at the cause. Though perhaps he knew. She'd lost parents and a husband. That seemed enough to make a person build walls around her heart.

A smile brightened her eyes even before it reached her lips. “Avoiding an argument seems a good thing to me.”

He grinned. “Me, too. Do you want me to ask a blessing on the food?”

She blinked.

He guessed she hadn't thought of grace.

“That would be nice.” She held her son's little hands as she bowed her head.

Adam gave Johnny a wide-eyed, curious look.

Johnny closed his eyes and prayed, keeping it short and simple, though he added a request for safe and successful travels.

They ate the plain meal. He wished they had time to make coffee, but there seemed no point in starting a fire. As Willow gathered the dinner things together to wash with water from the stream, the little boy tackled Johnny, making him chuckle.

He caught Adam and swung him into the air, earning a rolling belly laugh.

Willow stared at them, a tight look on her face.

Johnny lowered Adam to the ground. “Will I hurt him, doing that?”

She shook her head. “He loves it.”

“Then what did I do to make you look at me that way?” Adam clung to his leg, getting a free ride as Johnny moved closer to Willow, wanting to read her eyes for a clue as to what worried her.

She returned the dishes to the wagon, seeming to use it as an excuse to avoid looking at him again. “Nothing. It's nothing. Can we resume our travels?”

“I'll get the horses.” He brought them back, hitched up the mare and tied Gray to the rear. Willow already sat on the bench, Adam perched on her knees. There was nothing to do but climb up beside her.

They returned to the road and continued their journey, but the silence between them that had earlier been comfortable now crackled with tension.

“Willow—”

“Adam is ready for a nap.” She laid him on a quilt in the back and he fell asleep sucking two fingers.

Johnny had no intention of spending the rest of the day with this strain between them. “Willow, I know I did something, or said something, that upset you. I'd apologize but I don't know what I did. I think it fair that you explain it to me.”

* * *

Willow's thoughts twisted and turned. Was there anything more hurtful than seeing a man like Johnny play with Adam? If only she could dream of someone like him. Her chest muscles clenched with a thousand painful regrets.

“It's nothing you did. Not really.”

“There is no one else here to blame for the way you looked at me.”

There's me
. But she wouldn't tell him that, nor what she meant by the words. She would carry the blame the rest of her life. If only for her own sake, she wouldn't care so much, but her mistakes would hurt Adam and perhaps her sisters. At least her marriage to Bertie had given Adam a name, though she wished it wasn't Reames, one that carried too many regrets.