Chapter Thirty
Rose was awake, waiting for Frank and Corbin to fall asleep. She’d been worried Frankie would tie her wrists again, but when he didn’t she knew she needed to make her escape. Frankie wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. She turned over to see how far she was from the horses, but when she saw a brave leading them away she almost yelled out, but stopped when a dark hand covered her mouth.
“Shhh,” Joseph whispered in her ear.
Rose looked at the man looming over her. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Joseph! He’d come to help her. But where was Morgan?
Joseph removed his hand from her mouth. He helped her to her feet, and pointed to the brush. They hustled through the brush to their horses. Rose looked behind her to see if they had awakened Frank, but another brave was behind her.
* * *
To Rose, it seemed as though they rode forever before Joseph stopped. Finally, she was able to ask the question she’d dreaded. “Frank told me he killed Morgan.”
“He is alive,” Joseph said. “But we must hurry.”
From his serious tone, Rose thought Morgan must be severely injured. Tears formed in her eyes. “Is he in danger of dying?”
“No, but if we are not back by morning, he’s coming for us.”
“You are sure he will be okay?”
“Yes. The sheriff is with him.”
“Thank you for coming for me, Joseph.” Then she cried tears of relief. Morgan was safe, and they would be together again.
Joseph looked at the sky. It would be morning soon, so they needed to ride fast. “We must go.”
* * *
At dawn, Morgan stood and walked to his horse. He was determined to go after Rose, and nothing Jack said persuaded him to wait longer.
Though frustrated by his obstinate friend, Jack saddled his horse so he wouldn’t tear his stitches.
“If you fall off that horse, I’ll leave you in the road this time,” Jack threatened.
“I appreciate all you’ve done, Jack, but I’ve got to find her.” How could he explain to Jack that the pain he was feeling from his wound was nothing in comparison to the pain he felt when he thought Rose had died in that fire? Nothing he could ever face would be worse than losing Rose.
Jack stopped arguing with him. If he’d learned one thing about his friend, it was his determination when he set his mind on something. Thankfully, he didn’t have to help Morgan into the saddle because they heard horses riding through the trees.
Morgan and Jack pulled their pistols and waited. They spotted Joseph first, and then Morgan’s eyes landed on Rose. Rose slid out of the saddle and ran into his arms.
The men took the horses some distance away to give the couple some privacy.
“He said he killed you,” Rose cried. “I refused to believe you were dead. I asked God to protect you.”
Morgan held on to her, understanding what she had gone through. “And He did, honey. It’s okay now, sweetheart.”
She looked up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Joseph said you were shot. Why aren’t you lying down?”
“I’m okay, honey. Are you hurt?” Morgan wanted to look at her to make sure she wasn’t injured, but she wouldn’t let go of him.
Rose buried her head in his chest and cried as though her heart was breaking. She was mumbling words, but Morgan couldn’t understand her.
“Honey, I can’t hear you.” He kissed the top of her head. “Come on now, stop crying. You’re safe with me.”
She wiped her tears on her sleeve, but they didn’t stop. “I can’t stay with you. Frankie will keep trying to kill you. You will never be safe. I’ve seen what he is capable of doing.”
Cupping her chin, Morgan urged her to look up at him. When he saw her face, he became enraged. She had blood in her hair, dark circles around her eyes, her cheek was swollen and red. He held her hands and looked at her bandaged wrists. “Who hit you? What happened to your wrists?”
“Frankie. He tied my arms to the horse.”
What Morgan wanted to do was get on his horse, find Frank and beat him to death. But he wouldn’t forget his promise. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
“Please listen to me: Frank will never stop. He will kill you, and I can’t let that happen. I need to go far away from you.”
“Rose, Frank didn’t kill me. He won’t kill me. And you aren’t going anywhere but to our home. Jack is going to get a posse together and go after them.”
“He’ll never find them. Frankie is crazy.” She was fully convinced that her brother was so evil that he would always evade the law.
“Honey, you’re tired and scared. Things will look better when we get home.”
“No, they won’t. He’ll come back.”
He knew she was frightened and not thinking straight after what Frank had put her through. All he could do was hold her, and try to assuage some of her fears.
The men walked back to the fire, and Morgan thanked them for bringing his wife back to him.
After Joseph told them they had released Frank’s horses, they decided they could stay at their camp one more day. Morgan was relieved they could stay put for several hours so Rose could rest. He thought she looked worse than he did. The two braves didn’t stay in camp, but they remained close by in case they were needed. Joseph knew they would be keeping watch, and if anyone approached they would have plenty of warning.
Jack warmed some water so Rose could wash her face. When she finished, she sat beside Morgan and leaned against his chest. Even though she was secure in Morgan’s strong arms, she couldn’t stop crying. She’d nearly lost him, and she couldn’t stop thinking about Frank’s vow to kill him.
Once Rose settled down, Jack joined them at the fire to ask Rose some questions. “Do you know where Frankie was headed?”
“Yes, they were going to meet the rest of the gang in Las Vegas. They talked about going to Mexico, but they also talked about robbing a bank in Denver.”
“Who was with you?”
“Corbin was the only one. I think Frankie was expecting another man to show up, but he never did.” She wanted to give him as much information as she could so he could find Frankie and put him in prison before he could hurt someone else. “He knew Stevie was in the house as it was burning.”
“Did you see him set the fire?”
“No, I got there after it was already burning, but I know he started it.”
“Did he say that to you?”
Rose tried to think about Frank’s exact words. Her memory was fuzzy. “I don’t know. But he knew Stevie was inside. I tried to go in the back door to see if Stevie was there, but I think Frankie hit me. When I woke up, I was at some cabin with Frankie and Corbin. I don’t know where we were.”
Jack looked at Morgan. “It couldn’t have been too far from the ranch since Frank left that message for you.”
“He must have been hiding out at one of the abandoned homes,” Morgan said.
“It was well-hidden, you would never know it was there,” Rose told them.
“I never thought he rode to Purgatory Canyon each time he rustled cattle. It’s too far away for him to go back and forth. It makes sense to me that he was hiding in plain sight.”
“I’m real sorry about all of this, Rose,” Jack said.
“I just want you to find him and put him in jail. He won’t stop,” Rose said. “I can’t prove he started the fire, but he did, and he didn’t help Stevie. Not only that, he said Joseph is the only one who can testify against him and I know he will try to kill him.”
“I’ve already thought of that,” Morgan said. He’d tried his best to keep Joseph on the ranch, but even that plan hadn’t kept him safe.
“I’m sure no one saw him shoot you,” she said to Morgan.
“Rose, we will get him,” Jack said.
When Jack walked away, Rose looked up at Morgan. “I prayed Frankie was just trying to hurt me when he said you were dead. I didn’t want to believe him.”
“I guess he thought I really was dead,” Morgan said. He reached in his saddlebag and pulled out her Bible. “I brought this for you.”
It meant so much to her that he’d thought of the one item that would bring her comfort. Rose reached up and touched his cheek. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without you. I love you so much.”
Morgan leaned over and kissed her. “You just said you love me.”
Rose didn’t want to hold back her true feelings. “I love you very much. I think I have since I was fourteen years old.”
Her confession surprised him. “What? I thought you were afraid of me.”
“I was afraid of you when I was young. But as I got older, I started noticing how all the women competed for your attention. They flocked to you every Sunday. That’s when I started noticing how handsome you were. Of course, my older sisters had already pointed that out to me.”
“Women didn’t flock to me,” Morgan said, but he was smiling.
“You know they did. Every Sunday after church, it would take you forever to get to your horse. Every woman in town stopped to talk to you. Even my sisters were smitten. When I imagined my wedding at the altar, my groom was always you.”
Morgan took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “I was waiting for you to grow up.”
“You didn’t pay attention to me.”
Morgan grinned. “That’s not entirely true. I remember the pretty little gal with long blond hair who would peer over the church pew at me with those big green eyes.”
Rose gave him a sad smile. “And now I’ve brought you nothing but problems.”
“Honey, you’ve made me the happiest man in the world. This is nothing we can’t handle.” He told her how he thought she was the one who died in the fire. “I’m really sorry about Stevie, honey. I don’t know why Frank would do something like that.”
“He really is crazy,” Rose said. “I saw it in his eyes. I never knew he was so filled with hate. You tried to tell me, but I’d never seen that side of him before. I wish you had told me about Judge long ago. Anyone who could hurt an animal would have to be insane.”
“I didn’t understand Frank back then, and I guess I don’t understand him now.”
“How did you find out it was Stevie and not me?”
“Joseph told me there was no wedding ring on the . . . body.” He didn’t want to tell her how badly Stevie was burned. That was one detail she didn’t need to hear. “Before Joseph told me it wasn’t you, I didn’t know what I was going to do without you. I didn’t even know how much I loved you until I thought you were gone. Granny was devastated.”
Though saddened by what he’d gone through, Rose was thrilled by his admission. “It makes me happy to hear those words from you.”
Morgan kissed her again. “I love you, and you’ll hear those words forever.” He pulled her ring from his pocket and placed it on her finger. “This belongs to you, Mrs. LeMasters.”
“Jack said Frankie left you a message. Was it my ring?”
“Yeah.”
* * *
“Corbin, wake up,” Frank yelled.
Corbin’s eyes opened. “What’s going on?”
“Rose is gone and so are our horses,” Frank said.
Jumping to his feet, Corbin looked around. “How . . . when?”
“You didn’t tie her up, and it looks like she played us for fools,” Frank said. He walked in circles as he cursed. When he found Rose again he was going to put a bullet through her head, just like he did Morgan’s. “We’ve got to find those horses. We can’t walk all the way to Las Vegas.”
“There’s a small town a couple of days from here,” Corbin said.
Hands on his hips, Frank glared at him. “You feel like walking for a couple of days?”
“What if she took the horses with her?”
Frank had already thought of that, but he didn’t think Rose could lead two horses for long. “We’ve got to look.”
* * *
“Rose!” Granny was sitting on the porch when she saw Morgan and Joseph riding in with Rose.
Morgan helped Rose from the saddle and she ran to her grandmother. “I’m sorry about Stevie, Granny. I’m so sorry you had to go through this alone.”
“Hush, now. It’s in God’s hands.” She turned to Morgan. “Thank you for bringing her home.”
“You can thank Joseph, Granny,” Morgan said.
Granny turned to Joseph. “I figured you took off after him. Next time you leave, please let me know so I won’t worry so much about you.”
Joseph had never considered that someone other than Morgan would worry about him. “Yes, ma’am.”
Granny smiled at him. “Thank you for your help.”
Rose quickly gave Granny a brief explanation of what had happened. “Granny, we need to get Morgan into bed. He’s been shot, but he refuses to rest.” She’d told Morgan when they got back to the ranch, Granny would make sure he stayed in bed. He wouldn’t be able to argue with Granny.
Granny gave him a stern look. “You go right on up to bed. The men will carry water up for a bath, and then to bed you go.” She turned her attention on Rose. “You don’t look much better than your husband. Both of you take a bath and go to bed, and I will bring you something to eat. I have a lot of questions, but nothing that can’t wait until you are well rested.”
To Rose’s amazement, Morgan didn’t put up an argument. He even allowed Joseph to take Faithful to the stable.
Morgan didn’t want to admit it to Rose, but he was in considerable pain. He was determined to make sure she was safe at the ranch before he relaxed. “Thanks, Granny. A bath and bed sounds good to me.”
Morgan slumped in his chair while his wife bathed first. He wished he felt better so he could have a second wedding night, but he’d be content just to hold her in his arms all night.
When Morgan sat in the tub, Rose cut his bandage away and washed his back. “I could get used to this. I think I might have to get shot every month.”
“I’ll scrub your back every night if you promise not to get shot again.” Rose tried to sound normal, but she was scared to death Frankie was going to come back once he found out Morgan was still alive.
“I like that deal better.”
Rose bandaged his back again, and they climbed into bed. They were holding each other, thankful to be alive and together when Granny brought them something to eat. Granny ate dinner with them, and after she left their room, they fell asleep holding each other.
Morgan could not recall a time when he’d stayed in bed all day, but he found he’d never been as happy and content in his life as he was while recuperating. His beautiful wife was caring for him, and she was snuggled up to him at night as they discussed their dreams for the future. He had no reason to complain, and every reason to be thankful.
* * *
“Hello, Stella, Reuben.” Walt had arrived at the prearranged meeting place the night before. He hadn’t been back to his family farm for over a year. It was the place where he’d been born and lived until his parents died. He’d never sold the place, and he’d come here often when he wanted to be alone. He’d even slept in his old room last night, though he’d tossed and turned all night wondering if Stella would come with Reuben. He’d thought of nothing else since the day he left Denver. He didn’t want to think too far ahead and make plans, in case she didn’t show up, but he’d given some thought about where they would go to make a fresh start if she did. Now, here she was right in front of him.
“Hello,” Stella said as Walt helped her from the buckboard.
“I’m glad you came, Stella,” Walt said, not taking his eyes off of her. He was so excited she was there that he could hardly contain himself. She was the first woman he’d ever asked to take a chance on him. And she’d said yes.
Stella gave him a big smile. “So am I.” She’d never thought this day would arrive. She’d prayed for years that some man would come along and take her away from the saloon. Nothing had come of her prayers, until now. She’d questioned what made Walt ask her to join him that day as he was making his getaway, but she’d never come up with an answer. It had to be fate. Nothing else made sense. It was risky going away with a man she didn’t know, yet she had a good feeling about Walt. She figured she’d taken bigger gambles in her life. Working in a saloon since she was fourteen years of age was a risk every day. Men with guns, drinking alcohol, was the perfect lethal combination. She’d actually been shot once when two men had argued over a card game.
“Walt, have you seen Stevie?” Reuben asked, climbing down from the buckboard.
“A friend of mine told me he was killed in a fire on the farm,” Walt said.
Reuben was shocked by the news. He liked Stevie, and he’d tried to warn him about his brother. “That had to be Frank’s doing. I told Stevie not to trust him. When I met Frank I knew he wasn’t a man to trust.”
“I don’t know if Frank had a hand in it or not, but I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Does Frank know about this place?” Reuben asked, glancing around the old house that was located about twenty miles east of Denver.
“No. My family owns this land. I’ve never told anyone about it, so we are safe here. Come on inside the house. I just made some coffee.”
The three entered the kitchen, and Walt pointed to the saddlebags he’d placed on the table. “You know how much you put in there, Reuben. I didn’t spend a penny yet.”
Reuben trusted Walt. Initially, he was skeptical about trusting an outlaw, but once Stella said she was riding with him to meet Walt, he was encouraged that he might actually get his share of the money. He didn’t really have an option. It was either trust Walt, or get killed by Frank Langtry if he didn’t help with the robbery. He walked to the table and opened the saddlebags. “Walt, thanks for keeping your word.”
“Reuben, it ain’t none of my business, but I’m thinking you should probably move on. Frankie knows by now that one of us double-crossed him. I don’t think it’s safe for you to stay around Denver. If you want, you’re welcome to ride with me and Stella. I figure we’ll head East and get out of this territory.”
“That’s why I bought the buckboard. My belongings are in the back, and I’ll ride with you as far as St. Louis if you’re going that way. From there, I will get passage East on a train.”
“St. Louis sounds like a good place for Stella and me to make a fresh start.” Walt looked at Stella as he poured her some coffee. “How does St. Louis sound to you?”
“St. Louis sounds just fine.”