Buch lesen: «Montana Lawman Rescuer»

Chapter One

Bella Creek, Montana, summer 1891

What was she doing sitting on the ground, her head throbbing? She slowly turned to take in her surroundings. The stagecoach lay on its side, one wheel broken in half.

“Ma’am?”

Blinking away the pain behind her eyes, she turned toward the voice. A man with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes faced her from a few feet away. A gray cowboy hat had been pushed back, allowing her to see his strong features clearly. He hunkered down on his haunches, his look gentle and patient, making her feel safe even though he was a stranger and she in an awkward position. Or perhaps it was the silver star on his chest that made her feel safe.

“Do you recall what happened? Who did this?” His voice eased through her thoughts.

“There were three men chasing us. They yelled at the driver to stop and shot at him. Then we went over the edge of the cliff.” Her voice wobbled as she recalled the terror.

“I’m sorry to question you when you’re injured, but if you can tell me anything about the men, it would help.”

She pressed her hands to her face, drew in a deep breath and let her mind fill with the terrifying pictures of the robbery and accident. “Three of them, like I said. With their faces covered.” She squinted. “One man wore a pair of boots with silver tips.”

“Very good. That will be useful in identifying them.”

She screwed up her face. “I wish I could remember more.” She grimaced.

“Take it easy. You and the boy are okay.”

At the man’s words, she shifted her gaze slowly and painfully to her other side.

“Mikey?” Poor little boy looked terrified. As well he should. She shuddered as she recalled the horror of that chase, the gunshots making her wince and the scream that tore from her throat when the stagecoach started to tumble. Her heart went to the child and she held out her hand.

With a muffled cry he scuttled to her side and pressed tight to her.

“Ma’am?”

She lifted her gaze to the man waiting patiently.

“I’m the sheriff, Jesse Hill. I’ll see that you get safely to your destination.”

She squinted as she tried to recall the details of her trip. Obviously she’d been going somewhere to be on the stage, but at the moment, she couldn’t recall her plans.

The sheriff kept his steady gaze on her. “What’s your name?”

“Emily—” There had to be more to it than that. Emily what? But she couldn’t remember.

“Emily?” His voice, deep and kind, prodded her for more information.

“It’s...it’s...” Despite the pain the movement brought, she shook her head. “I can’t remember. I don’t know my last name.” Panic clawed at her throat. She scrambled to her feet and swayed. “Oh, my head.” She pressed her palms to her temples, felt a lump on the right side and moaned.

Sheriff Jesse Hill had also risen and he caught her elbow. “Steady, now. You’re hurt. Why don’t you sit down again until you feel better?”

“I can’t.” She clung to his hand to keep from falling and breathed deeply to still the rolling of her stomach. “I must find my belongings. They’ll have my name on them.”

“Miss Emily, everything is gone.” His words drained the strength from her.

“Gone.” She sank to the ground and stared at Mikey. How did she know the little boy’s name? Who was he?

“Is this your son?” The sheriff squatted down beside her. “The two of you were the only passengers on the stagecoach.”

She looked at the little boy, his blue eyes wide with shock, his blond hair tousled. She shook her head, and then turned back to the sheriff. “I don’t remember.” The words whispered from her as if she couldn’t bear to hear them aloud. Surely she would know if she had a child. If she was married. She looked at her hand. No ring. She squinted. No depression to indicate she’d recently worn one.

The sheriff spoke to Mikey. “What’s your name, son?”

Mikey patted his tummy. “I Mikey.”

“Do you have another name?” The sheriff spoke softly.

Emily could hardly breathe as she waited for the child to reply, hoping the information would enable her to remember something...anything.

“I Mikey.”

She pressed her lips together and blinked back disappointment.

Sheriff Hill chuckled. “Hi, Mikey. Pleased to meet you. How old are you?”

He held up two fingers. “’Most...” He struggled to get a third finger up bringing a chuckle from Emily. The sound ended on a groan as her head protested the sound.

Knowing how any sudden movement increased the pain in her head and brought a twinge of nausea, she slowly turned her gaze back to the sheriff. “Mr. Hill, I can’t remember who I am or where I’m going.” She would not cry but tears stung her eyes. A sob caught in the back of her throat.

Mikey sensed her distress. Or perhaps only felt his own and again pressed to her side. “Mem...mem...mem...” he chanted.

Was he saying his name? Hers? Or did he mean mama?

Mikey stuck a thumb in his mouth. Somehow, Emily found comfort in watching him suck it.

“Calm down, Miss Emily. You’ll be okay in a few minutes.”

His assurance drove back the sense of panic. “Of course. My head hurts. As soon as it’s better, I’ll be better.” Please, Lord Jesus, let it be so. And soon. Not knowing who she was or where she belonged left her fighting to make her lungs work.

The sheriff patted her arm. “You’ll be just fine. At least you are safe and in one piece.”

“Not quite.”

He eyed her carefully. “How’s that? Are you injured elsewhere?”

She smiled though her lips quivered. “I seem to be missing some of my memories.”

He looked sympathetic, or at least, she hoped that was what she saw. “I’m sure they’ll return once the shock has worn off.”

A wagon rumbled down the slope toward the scene of the wreck.

Sheriff Hill pushed to his feet. “I sent for help and here it is. I’ll take you to town and we’ll sort out things.” He offered her a hand up.

She placed her fingers in his strong grip. And then couldn’t let go. He was the only thing between her and an abyss of darkness. She shivered.

Perhaps he understood, for he held her tightly. Or more likely, he was only making sure she didn’t fall.

“Come along, little fella.” He scooped Mikey into his other arm.

Mikey giggled. “’Kay.” He patted the man’s cheek. “Nice.”

“Thanks. Good of you to think so.” The sheriff’s droll response brought a smile to Emily’s lips.

“Not used to being told you’re nice?” It felt good to be able to tease a little, despite the seriousness of the situation.

“Get told it all the time,” he said with a shrug. “But not often by a little boy who has just met me. He must be a good judge of character.” He slid her a look that he no doubt meant to be serious but he couldn’t hide the teasing light in his eyes.

She laughed, ignoring the way the sound brought pain to her head. “Aren’t all children good judges of character? Accepting us for who we truly are?” The question stirred a thought, as if it meant more to her than simply an observation. She stared inward at the teasing memory, willing it to open the door to who she was. But it flitted away.

The sheriff guided her toward the wagon. Two men jumped down, carrying dark blankets.

She turned to follow their journey. They bent over a body, covered it with one of the blankets, hoisted it up and moved it to the wagon, where they put it in the back.

Emily’s legs shook. The sheriff had lifted Mikey up to the seat and turned back to Emily in time to see her fold.

He caught her before she hit the ground and swept her into his arms.

She clung to his firm shoulders. “Those poor men.” The driver and the shotgun rider were both dead. She and the boy were alive, but she didn’t remember her name. Or a destination. It was too much and she wept.

His arms tightened around her. “It’s okay.” He didn’t seem in the least flustered by her emotions. “I’ll take you to see the doctor. He’ll be able to fix you up.”

“I hope so.” Her words were interspersed with sobs. “But what if he can’t?” She couldn’t hold back the wail but she quickly choked it off. “‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I have put my trust; I will not fear.’” The scripture verse had never meant more to her. Not even when...

But she couldn’t remember.

“Psalm Fifty-six,” the sheriff said. “Hang on to those thoughts.”

“Thank you, sheriff. Did anyone tell you that you have an encouraging way about you?”

“Sure, my grandmother says it all the time.” He smiled at her, his face so close to hers she could see the dark shadow of his whiskers, the smile lines about his eyes and something in his gaze that filled her with courage. “And seeing as I have no choice but to use your name, you best use mine and call me Jesse.”

“Thank you, Jesse.” She meant for more than the use of his name.

He lifted her to the wagon seat. “My pleasure.”

She closed her eyes as another body was placed in the wagon box. Then the two men climbed into the back. Jesse sat beside her on the seat and flicked the reins. She pulled Mikey to her knees, finding comfort in the warmth of his small body.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Bella Creek, Montana. Does that name ring a bell?”

She rolled the name—Bella Creek—round and round in her head. “Nothing. Not even the faintest chime.” Montana. That would be why she saw mountains nearby. Why was she here?

He grinned at her. “Maybe someone is waiting for you.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice?” Except she didn’t feel any sense of looking forward to joining anyone. She grabbed Jesse’s arm and hung on like a drowning woman to a life buoy. “But what if there isn’t? Where will I go?”

“Now, don’t you worry. If no one is meeting you, then I will take you to my grandmother. You can stay there until we sort things out.” His smile was gentle, promising to keep her safe. Was it the star on his chest that made her feel that way? Or the fact he had rescued her? Or was it the plain and simple fear that she was alone without any knowledge of who she was?

* * *

Jesse Hill had known something was amiss when the stagecoach was more than an hour late. Hoping he’d find it broken down, he’d gone looking. When he saw the wrecked coach at the bottom of an incline, he had approached with caution. It might well have been a simple accident, but having been a sheriff for four of his twenty-five years and having worked with the sheriff before him since he was twelve, he knew better than to ride mindlessly toward such a scene.

First he’d seen the bodies of two men. He had recognized the driver and his partner.

Nerves twitching at evidence that a crime had been committed, he’d studied the stagecoach, waiting for someone to make a sound should there be anyone hiding. A movement to the right had jerked his gaze in that direction and he’d seen a child sitting on the ground.

And then he’d seen the woman.

She’d clutched at her head and moaned.

He’d hunkered down before her, spoken to her.

Her eyes had jerked toward him and she’d blinked as if trying to bring him into focus. Dark blue eyes. Golden-blond hair matted with dirt. He’d guessed her to be in her twenties, though he was not a good judge of young women. She wore a navy skirt and blue flowered shirtwaist, now streaked with dirt and torn at the elbow.

He had waited for her to sort out her thoughts and then asked her name.

He’d wanted to soothe her when she couldn’t remember. And now she clung to his arm like she was afraid to let go. The little boy snuggled against her as if he knew he was safe in her arms. That alone convinced him she was a good woman.

Was the boy her son? Why else would he be traveling with her? And where was she going with him?

“I will help you figure out who you are.” They approached Bella Creek. “First, I’ll take you to the doctor so he can examine both of you.”

He pulled to a halt before the doctor’s house. “You wait there until I help you.” He had visions of her trying to climb down on her own and getting dizzy. Perhaps incurring another blow to her head. He gave the two men with him instructions to take the bodies to the undertaker. “Then check and see if anyone is waiting for the stagecoach.”

He ran around to take Mikey and set him on the ground, then he reached up to lift Emily down. She was of medium height and weighed hardly a thing. Though he might be feeling just a bit protective of her.

He took Mikey by one hand and Emily by the other and led them into the doctor’s office.

Doc Baker looked up, saw the condition of Emily’s clothes and bounded to his feet. “What do we have here?”

“They were passengers on the stagecoach. It’s been robbed. I found it at the bottom of Knotley’s Hill.”

“The driver and his friend?”

He led Emily to the nearest chair and she sank to it with a groan before he answered the doc. “They’re in the back of the wagon.”

Doc nodded, understanding his meaning. “I’m sorry.”

Jesse drew the doctor a few steps away. “This is Emily and Mikey. Emily can’t remember anything but her first name.”

Doc nodded. “I’ll examine her.” He turned his attention to his patients. “Shall I look at the youngster first?” Doc didn’t expect an answer. “How about you sit up here, young man?” He patted the examining table.

“’Kay.” Mikey scrambled up and sat facing the doctor, his eyes revealing wariness.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” Doc ran his hands along the boy’s body as he spoke. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Mikey rattled off an explanation that was mostly unintelligible. Between the odd word Jesse understood and the way Mikey waved his arms, Jesse understood bad guys had chased them. They shot guns and then they flew through the air. “Owie.” He pulled up his trousers to show a scraped knee.

Doc examined it carefully. “I think it needs a cleaning and a dressing. What do you think?”

Mikey nodded. “’Kay.”

Doc poured water into a basin and gently cleaned the wound, then covered it with a wide swath of bandaging. “How’s that?”

Mikey nodded. “Good.”

Jesse watched Emily as she kept her attention on Mikey and the doctor. A tender smile curved her lips. This boy seemed to hold a special place in her heart.

Doc helped Mikey from the table. “Now let’s look at the young lady. Jesse, would you take Mikey into the waiting room? I’ll call you when I’m done.”

Jesse held his hand out to the boy. Mikey hesitated.

“It’s okay,” Emily said. “Go along with the nice man.”

Mikey nodded and obediently took Jesse’s hand.

Jesse paused at the door and looked back at her. She sat on the edge of the table, much as Mikey had, and looked every bit as apprehensive. Jesse wanted to offer her some kind of assurance. But before he could speak, she looked in his direction, correctly read his concern and smiled.

“I’m okay. Don’t worry.”

Ironic that she felt she had to reassure him when he had wanted to reassure her.

He pulled the door shut behind him. Father in heaven, help her remember who she is. This woman deserved to be with those who loved her. Parents. A brother or a sister. An aunt or an uncle. Perhaps even a husband, though she wore no wedding ring.

Did that mean she was unmarried?

Perhaps she’d be able to tell him after the doctor did his examination.

Jesse sat down.

Mikey pulled a children’s book from the nearby table and handed it to Jesse. “Read me.” He waited for Jesse to take him on his knee.

Jesse lifted him up and turned the pages of a brightly colored book. “Ball. Cat. Dog. Apple.” He read the words and pointed out the pictures without paying attention as he tipped his head toward the door, listening to the murmur of voices.

Mikey repeated each word.

The outer door squeaked and young Clarence poked his head in. Clarence often helped Jesse. “Didn’t see anyone waiting for the stagecoach. Asked at the store and at the hotel.”

“Thanks.” Why was no one waiting for her? What had brought her to town?

He jerked toward the inner door as it opened.

“Mikey, can you read the book by yourself while I talk to the sheriff?” the doctor asked.

“’Kay.”

Jesse rose, transferred the boy to the chair, settled him with the book, then followed the doctor into the examining room. “Is she alright?” he asked.

Doc Baker nodded. “A concussion is the only injury I found. It’s responsible for her loss of memory.”

Emily looked ready to cry and Jesse went to her side. He didn’t reach for her hand. He had no right. But she took his and squeezed with a strength that surprised him.

“What if I don’t remember?” Her voice shook with tension.

“Now don’t you worry, miss. You’ve been in an accident. You’ve banged your head. Your memory will return in its own good time. Don’t push it or fret. That only interferes with healing.”

Her grip tightened. Jesse squeezed back.

“What’s going to happen to me? To him?” She nodded toward the room where Mikey waited. “If he’s my son, wouldn’t I remember? But if he’s not, then why do I have him with me?”

Doc patted her hand. “You aren’t wearing a wedding ring so I would think you are unmarried. As to who Mikey is to you...well there could be any number of explanations. Perhaps he’s a nephew or the child of a friend you planned to meet.”

Jesse could have informed the doctor that he didn’t sound at all convincing.

“But what are we to do?” Emily wailed.

“I’ll take you home to my grandmother.” Jesse had already told her that, but perhaps she hadn’t thought he meant it. Or had she forgotten that, too?

“There you go.” Doc stepped back, his job done. “Mrs. Whitley will take good care of you. As will Jesse.” Doc gave Jesse a look that informed him he better do so.

“I sure will.” It was all he could do not to wrap his arm about her shoulders and hold her tight. Her situation made him feel protective. “It’s my job.”

He helped Emily to her feet. In the waiting room, he scooped Mikey into one arm. As they stepped outside, he offered his elbow to Emily and she clung to it. Whether out of fear of her unknown future or out of lingering dizziness, he couldn’t say. In either case, he meant to make sure she was okay before he let her out of his sight.

She shivered and he pulled her tighter to his side. Then he realized she shivered from cold, not concern. Dark, rain-filled clouds scudded across the sky.

If he didn’t get back to the stagecoach before the rain came, any trail the thieves had left would be washed away.

But he couldn’t go until he had Emily and Mikey in his grandmother’s care.

The wind picked up in velocity. The sky darkened. He hurried them toward home. He reached the gate and nudged it open.

Emily held back, studying the house.

He followed the direction of her troubled gaze. “The house is twelve years old. It was built when old Mr. Marshall started Bella Creek so people wouldn’t have to live in the rough mining town of Wolf Hollow if they didn’t want to.” His home was two stories. Four bedrooms upstairs. The main floor had a room used for Grandmother’s seamstress business, as well as a welcoming kitchen and a cozy living room. At least, that’s how he viewed them.

“Come on. I’ll introduce you to my grandmother.” He put Mikey down and held out his hand to invite her to join him.

She held back. “She doesn’t know me.” Her eyes came to him. “I don’t know me. Maybe I’m someone you wouldn’t want to know. Maybe I’ve done something wrong.”

“Have you?” Maybe the direct approach would unlock her memories.

She held his gaze for a moment, then her eyes darkened. “I—I think—” She shook her head.

“Remember what the doctor said. Don’t try too hard.”

She nodded, relief clearing her eyes.

Was it possible she did have a checkered past? Was she running from someone or something?

It was his duty to find out who she was, and if her past involved breaking the law, he would deal with that according to his sworn duty. He would not be fooled by her innocent looks.