A Texas Kind of Christmas Read online

  “What if?” Andy whispered.

  “What if?” Travis answered as he stepped back a foot as the doctor worked.

  “You’ve been injured recently, son,” Doctor Hollis said to Nate as if he hadn’t been listening to the deputies. “Some of these bruises look to be a few days old.”

  “I was in a stagecoach turnover,” Nate answered, then looked at the deputies. “I didn’t rob a bank like the marshal claims and I didn’t hurt the lady I was with. But, I’m worried about her.” He swore through clenched teeth as the doc pinched his skin together and began to sew with a shaking hand.

  The two deputies watched the show as if they’d paid to see it. They were little more than boys, but Nate swore they were aging as they watched.

  When the doc began to wrap his ribs, the deputies moved close to the door and whispered. Nate didn’t care what they were planning since neither had agreed to go tell Jacqueline he was alive. The only good news Nate saw was the fact that they were no longer guarding him closely. Maybe they figured he was too injured to run. They were wrong. As soon as he saw a break, he’d take off and they’d have to shoot him in the back to stop him.

  Nate closed his one good eye and tried to relax. He tried to remember every moment since he’d first seen the pretty lady rush into his hiding place. Jacqueline was a nice name but he liked Littlebird better. She’d said her mother called her that. In the back of his mind he’d put together that she might be the woman whose father was trying to marry off, but a few things didn’t fit. The man downstairs had said she was plain. That couldn’t be her.

  Also his littlebird was about to run away. She’d even laughed and said she’d run away with him and live an outlaw’s life or be a pirate. A rich girl wouldn’t say that.

  The doc’s voice drifted into Nate’s thoughts.

  “Looks like you’re patched up good enough to hang tomorrow.”

  “Thanks,” Nate managed to say.

  The doc started putting away his tools without bothering to clean them. “You boys help him back into his shirt. I’ll get a clean blanket since he ain’t got a coat. Wouldn’t want him catching a cold on his last night on earth.”

  Nate grinned at the old man’s humor.

  Just as the two deputies lifted him to stand, the back door of the doctor’s office blew open.

  “Evening, Miss Hartman,” the doc said as casually as if they’d passed on the street.

  All three young men turned and stared. Jacqueline wore a black dress with a cap that whirled around her in the wind.

  “Evening, gentlemen,” Jacqueline said in little more than a whisper as she raised what looked like a new Colt revolver. “I’ll ask you two deputies to lift your hands and step away from my friend.”

  If they’d been seasoned deputies they might have rushed her or even shouted orders for her to lower the weapon. But the idea of someone pointing a gun at them was too new to allow Andy or Travis to form words.

  “You look mighty pretty tonight, Miss,” the doc said. “This your fellow?”

  Jacqueline smiled. “He is. Sorry we can’t stay to visit, Doctor, but we must leave.”

  Nate didn’t hesitate. He clenched his teeth, lifted himself off the table, and moved toward her. Then he stood right in front of her and lifted his hand to her cheek. “Who hurt you, darling?” He lightly brushed his fingers along her jawline.

  She lowered her weapon so he could move closer. “My stepmother hit me, trying to make it look like you hurt me.”

  “I’d never . . .”

  “I know.” She sighed. Her gloved hand cupped his bruised face. “They beat you up pretty bad. I can’t find a single place to kiss you. Oh, Nate, you look terrible and it’s all my fault.”

  As they kissed very lightly, Nate heard the old doc mumble to the deputies, “Sounds like you boys got a really bad outlaw here. The little lady appears to be fighting him off with kisses.”

  “Someone made a mistake.” Andy looked at Travis. “When they found these two in the storage room no one listened to them. You think there is any chance they’ll listen to us? Calaber and Hartman want him dead.”

  “Don’t forget the drunk mob the captain said might be headed our way? If they come, they won’t take the time to listen to us. The sheriff already thinks he’s solved the case. He’s not likely to listen either.” Travis swore. “If a mob comes for him tonight, they’ll take one look at the lady’s bruised face and hang him before anyone has time to explain anything.”

  “How’d you find us here, Miss?” Travis asked.

  Jacqueline carefully cuddled against Nate. He couldn’t stop staring at her and much as he hated it, he needed her support to stand.

  She’d saved him. Just like she said she would. No one had ever cared enough to help him when he was in trouble.

  “I followed the trail of blood in the snow. When I saw what was going on here, I left my lantern outside.” Panic suddenly flashed in her beautiful eyes. “If someone followed me . . .”

  She raised her Colt once more.

  “Wait,” Andy said, taking a step. “I’ll get the lantern. We can’t help a prisoner to escape, but we can walk back toward the jail accidentally stepping on any blood we see.”

  Everyone moved at once. The doctor suggested Nate and Jacqueline go through his home toward the front entrance. Travis balled up the bloody blanket and clothes the doctor had used. He shoved them out of sight as Andy stepped outside and lifted the lantern.

  Nate caught one last glimpse of them as he looked back. Both of the deputies had worry in their eyes, but they waved, silently wishing them luck.

  When the doc reached the front door, he warned Jacqueline. “He won’t make it far with all those wounds, Miss. You’d be best to find a place to hide for a day or two. Maybe leave him somewhere where no one would look.”

  “I’m not leaving him,” she whispered. “I’m never leaving him. I don’t care if my father disowns me. I don’t care at all. I’m not leaving him.”

  “We’ll be on the run, Littlebird.” Nate fought a darkness that circled in his mind. “I can’t ask that of you.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes drowning in tears. “You don’t want me?”

  He saw a lifetime of pain floating in her gaze. “Of course I want you with me. I have no doubt that if I left you, I’d be sorry every day I drew breath. But you’d be giving up everything. Everything.”

  “No, Nate, I’d be winning a life, a world with you. Every day with you would be an adventure. My father said I could pick the man I wanted to marry and I pick you.”

  “If you’re sure. We’ll make it somehow.”

  The doctor opened the front door. “You’ve got to go. You have to get somewhere safe and this will not be it. Once they hear you’ve escaped, the sheriff will search every house in Dallas.”

  Nate leaned on her as they moved outside. A woman with a long black cape like Jacqueline’s stood waiting for them. She was dressed like one of the maids from the St. Nicholas Hotel. Without a word she stepped to his other side and they half carried him off the porch and onto the snowy road.

  Nate made it maybe ten steps before the world started spinning around. He went from seeing white snow to darkness closing in. The last thought as he collapsed was that he was breaking his promise.

  He was leaving the one woman he’d ever thought he could love.

  Chapter 13

  Cody slept lightly on the hay in the barn’s loft. His feet were cold in wet boots but his thoughts of Katie warmed the rest of his body. She’d be the best memory he’d ever had even if he never saw her again. And if he did find her, he planned to collect a few more memories that would remain with him forever. But, for tonight, he’d relive every moment. What she said. How she smelled of roses. How she touched him lightly.

  The dog she’d said was her friend crawled up beside him and Cody couldn’t help wondering if the pup missed her as much as he did.

  The music from the St. Nicholas whirled in the cold air, remindin
g him that he was far from home tonight. The town didn’t sleep in peace like the prairie did. Too many people, he thought. Too many problems.

  If the mob decided to move from the gaming room at the St. Nicholas to the jail, he’d wake, but for now he liked the idea of drifting and thinking of his beautiful fairy who’d danced in the moonlight.

  He could almost feel her lips on his. Hesitant, soft, cold.

  Cold! He opened his eyes.

  She straightened above him and smiled. His Katie had found him.

  “Were you just kissing me?”

  “I was, Mr. Lamar.”

  “Do it again.”

  “Only if you close your eyes. Then you’ll think you’re dreaming.”

  He did, but when her lips touched his, the kiss turned far more real than his thoughts could have conjured up. He raised his hand and gently touched her hair. “I was just dreaming of this and I got to tell you, this reality is far better.” He tugged her closer until they touched. “Let me warm those cold lips up for you.”

  “I’d like that.” She opened her mouth slightly in invitation.

  It had been so long since he’d been kissed or tried to be gentle. Thoughts stumbled through as his logical mind tried to take hold. She liked him, maybe even wanted him, but he couldn’t just take her home and build her a house. She’d need so much more than a roof and food. His Katie would need loving and kindness. She’d need a garden to dance in the moonlight.

  As she rubbed her cold cheek against his, Cody decided he’d have a great deal to learn about this woman, but damn if he wasn’t willing to die trying.

  When she pulled a few inches away, he whispered so low it was more a thought passing between them. “I promised myself when I saw you again I’d either kiss you or ask you to marry me.”

  “But, Mr. Lamar, we barely know each other. It crosses my mind that you might be crazy, but it seemed a kind of insanity I could grow to love.”

  “We’ll take our time learning all about each other. We’ve got the rest of the night to talk and come morning we’ll find a preacher if you’re willing.”

  “No.” She straightened. “I need your help right now, then we’ll continue the talk about us. Jacqueline said you’re her friend and to tell you she needs you.” Suddenly she was tugging at him. “What is between us will have to wait. We have to help them.”

  “Jacqueline Hartman needs my help?” Cody felt like he blinked and the world shifted. The image of the little girl crying over her mother’s grave flashed in his thoughts. He’d wanted to help her. Maybe now was his chance?

  “We have to hurry. She said to tell you that the lady in blue velvet is calling in your promise to be her friend.”

  Cody rose and reached for his rifle. “I’m right behind you. Take me to her. But, Katie, when this is over, we’re going to talk. We will have our time.”

  She didn’t answer as she rushed toward the barn’s ladder.

  When she hesitated, Cody handed her his rifle, circled her waist with one arm, and headed down from the loft.

  Katie laughed. “I feel like the world’s biggest doll being carried under your arm.”

  “I just didn’t want you getting all tangled up in your skirts.” He reached the ground and let go of her.

  She stood on tiptoes and kissed him again right on the mouth as several sleeping men mumbled for them to be quiet.

  As they headed out of the barn he asked, “You planning to do that often?”

  “What?”

  “Kiss me right out in public.”

  “I do. Any objection?”

  “Not a one.” He couldn’t stop grinning. She might not have time to talk, but he knew that come morning she’d be riding home with him.

  “This way,” she whispered as she turned into an alleyway.

  Cody sobered. This was no time for dreaming. His entire mind and body shifted into the soldier he’d been in his early twenties.

  He heard a moan before he saw two people huddled between buildings. Snow had dusted them almost invisible, but he made out their outline even in the dark. Two feet farther and he smelled blood.

  In the dim light, he saw the face of the lady he’d met earlier. “My lady in blue,” he whispered.

  “Mr. Nobody,” she answered. “My friend.”

  He knelt and lifted the blanket covering her lap. A man’s bloody head rested there, so still he seemed to be sleeping. “Is he alive?”

  She nodded. “He’s lost a lot of blood. We have to get him to safety. He can’t die.” Her tears blinked like tiny diamonds on her cheeks.

  Cody didn’t pretend not to know Nate Ward. He’d seen him in the jail cell and if possible he looked worse than he had there. He handed Katie his rifle once more. “You know how to use this?”

  “No,” Katie whispered.

  “I do,” Jacqueline answered as she held her Colt in one hand and reached for his rifle. “If you can carry him, I’ll stand guard. We have to get him somewhere warm and safe. The only place I can think of is my room at the hotel.”

  Katie began wrapping the blanket tightly around Nate. “I’ll run ahead. Bring him in the back door and I’ll make sure the path is clear.”

  As Cody lifted the man, Jacqueline stood and Katie disappeared.

  “We’ll have to move slowly because of the snow,” Cody ordered. “Hold on to my arm. There’s no hiding the fact I’m carrying a body, but visibility is so bad maybe we’ll make it.”

  They stayed to the shadows of buildings. He could feel Jacqueline’s hand tucked into the folds of his coat at the elbow. She was shivering from the cold, or fear, he couldn’t tell which.

  “I was at your mother’s funeral,” he whispered. “It was cold like this but the snow had turned to rain.”

  “I remember.”

  “I was young then. Just bought a piece of land and was headed to serve in the war with Mexico. Every time I came home, I’d look for you. Wanted to tell you I was sorry about your mother.”

  Her shaking stopped. “I remember seeing you a few times. I used to love to ride out to the river between our two ranches and watch as you moved the cattle down on your side for a drink.” She tucked the blanket around Nate’s face. “Thanks for helping me now. I love this man and if he’s found, they’ll hang him.”

  “I know. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  “No.”

  “Then we’ve got to help him. Maybe if he lives long enough to marry you, we’ll be neighbors.”

  “Maybe.” She stepped ahead of Cody, shoved the Colt deep into her cape pocket, and opened the garden gate.

  As Cody stepped inside the garden, he heard boots stomping along the walk maybe ten feet behind them. He lowered Nate in the dead weeds near the three-foot stone wall and leaned close to Jacqueline.

  “Who’s there?” a man yelled as he materialized from the falling snow.

  “Captain Lamar,” Cody snapped back when he recognized one of the older deputies. “Go away. I’m talking to a lady.” Cody leaned over the fence, blocking any view of Nate hidden below.

  Jacqueline covered her face with her scarf and turned into Cody’s shoulder as if hiding from prying eyes.

  “Sorry, sir. Miss. We’re covering the town. That outlaw escaped, but we’ll catch him.”

  Cody nodded and pulled Jacqueline close. “Good night, then,” he said as if in a hurry to be left alone.

  The deputies marched on and Cody silently lifted Nate as Katie opened the back door.

  Without a word Cody followed Katie through the hallway, past the kitchen, and up the stairs. Jacqueline shadowed with the rifle at the ready. At each landing, a bellboy or maid stood guard. “They won’t tell,” Katie whispered. “We’re taught to never tell what happens at the St. Nicholas.”

  Cody followed her into Jacqueline’s suite. A parlor, a bedroom, and what looked like a small dressing room. Katie spread a blanket over the bed and he lowered Nate.

  “Step aside,” the round cook announced as she rushed in with two baskets
of bandages and supplies. “You all have to leave. I know that old doctor and I’d bet he didn’t clean a single one of them wounds. My mother always believed a clean man heals faster and if he doesn’t, he’s in proper shape to meet his maker.” She looked at the three. “Out you go. I can handle this.”

  Cody might have argued with a general a few times in his life, but he didn’t argue now. He held the door for the ladies and stepped into the parlor room. “We’ll keep the lamps low and the door locked. If anyone gets in here they’ll have to pass me to get to Nate.”

  He sat down in what looked like the sturdiest chair in the room while Jacqueline and Katie took the settee. They held hands like women tend to do.

  Five minutes later a bellboy whom Jacqueline called Sam brought in hot water. Cody let him pass through to the bedroom. On his second trip, he brought in sandwiches and hot tea.

  “Thank you, Sam,” Jacqueline said, sounding tired and worried. “And thanks for keeping my hiding place secret for as long as you could.”

  “I didn’t tell.” Sam glanced at Cody and straightened slightly as if he were a soldier reporting in. “They were just searching every floor. I was surprised when they even noticed the door beneath the stairway. If I could have got past them, I would have warned you.”

  When Cody nodded once at him, Sam seemed to relax and he turned back to Jacqueline. “The cook asked if I could find your outlaw more clothes. Everything we pulled off him is too bloody to put back on.”

  Jacqueline let a tiny smile raise the corner of her mouth. “You said he was about the size of the marshal?”

  “Yes, Mr. Calaber claimed the outlaw stole his clothes tonight. The marshal complained it was downright embarrassing to have to wear his traveling clothes to a ball.”

  Jacqueline locked her hands behind her and passed back and forth across the small parlor. “Then I see only one solution. It couldn’t hurt to take a few more of Calaber’s things. I saw a trunk branded with double CC under the stairs. It’s no wonder the marshal travels by stage, his wardrobe wouldn’t fit in his saddlebags.”