A Temporary Family Read online

  “Is that man going to die?” Victoria asked, her face stricken.

  “I hope not. I’m going to do everything I can to help him. You girls can offer up a prayer.”

  She dropped a kiss on each of their foreheads and gathered a handful of linens, then took a fortifying breath before exiting the room.

  The captain’s complexion had gone ashen, and his lips had taken on a bluish tinge. Tilly rushed to his side.

  Charlie had Nolan’s arm wrapped around his back, the gun barrel pressed against his forehead.

  “Be quick, girlie,” Dakota Red ordered. “As soon as you’re finished, we’ll leave. I need to make certain the captain isn’t in any shape to cause us trouble.”

  She kneeled beside Captain Ronald and he slumped onto his back. The captain had a small wound on the front of his thigh, and a much larger exit wound in the back. At least she didn’t have to dig out the bullet. Her hands shaking, she ripped the linens into several strips, then wrapped them around the captain’s leg.

  “Hold on here,” she requested gently.

  The captain placed his fingers over the binding, and she knotted the length over his fingers. He slid his hand free and she quickly tightened the knot. Blood oozed from the wound.

  Her stomach pitched and nausea rose in the back of her throat. She’d never had much tolerance for this sort of thing.

  Gathering herself, she added two more layers of bandages. By the time she’d finished, a dark red blotch had oozed through the binding.

  “He’s no threat,” Nolan said. “He needs stitches and rest. Leave us alone so that we can attend him.”

  “He needs to answer my questions, first.” Dakota Red loomed over the prone man. “First you need to tell me why you’ve been prowling around all by your lonesome. Seems like you don’t trust your men to do their jobs.”

  “I don’t,” the captain groaned. “We’ve been watching the opposite side of the river for two days solid, and we didn’t see you cross. The only sign of an encampment had been abandoned. You hadn’t gone north, which meant you must have gone south. Since we were watching the crossing, I figured someone helped you.”

  “You’re a real clever fellow. Too bad you ain’t gonna live.”

  “Stop it!” Tilly demanded. “Just stop it! I won’t have you threatening this man. He’s wounded. He’s no danger to you.”

  “Your gal has some sass.” Dakota Red chortled. “Fine, little lady. We’ll let you play nursemaid to the man until he dies on his own. That wound will probably turn septic in these conditions.”

  “You’ve done your damage,” Nolan said. “Leave us.”

  Dakota Red stifled a yawn. “Even if you run, you ain’t getting far with a wounded man and three children. Y’all are too softhearted to leave each other behind. That’s gonna get y’all killed.”

  “Too stupid, more like.” Charlie pointed the tip of his gun at the ceiling. “Ain’t none of them going nowhere, and Snyder has the next watch.” His beady eyes narrowed. “I’m getting some shut-eye.”

  They were a pitiable group. Exhausted, bedraggled and wounded. There was no need for the outlaws to fear them.

  The men tramped out, and Nolan and Tilly assisted the captain to his feet.

  “Let’s get you into a bed before you collapse,” Nolan said.

  Tilly strained beneath the man’s weight. “I only know how to embroider. I don’t know if I can sew his wound.”

  “Don’t worry, I do.”

  “You do?”

  “We didn’t get much medical attention as prisoners of war. We learned to do for ourselves.”

  “I’ll help.” Tilly offered. “I can do that much.”

  The captain staggered. “I’ll be fine. No need to put yourselves out on my account.”

  “You’ll be fine, all right,” Nolan said. “After we get you in bed and stitched up.”

  This time the captain didn’t argue.

  Together they led him into the last unoccupied bedroom of the relay station and hoisted him onto the mattress. Tilly helped with removing his jacket, then excused herself.

  Giving Nolan time to attend the man, she returned to the girls. “You’ll need to say in here a little longer, all right? Then you can leave. I have to clean up a few things.”

  “The blood?”

  “Yes.”

  There was no use lying. The older girls had witnessed everything.

  “Why did those men shoot that officer?” Victoria asked.

  “It was an accident.”

  Victoria sat up straighter and folded her hands in her lap. “I’m the oldest. I’ll be in charge. I’ll help watch Caroline and Elizabeth.”

  “I don’t need watching,” Caroline huffed.

  Tilly pressed a hand over the painful ache in her chest. “You three will look out for each other. You’ve done exceptionally well already, but you’ll have to be brave awhile longer. I have to assist Nolan while he cares for the captain. I need you three to get along. No fighting. Agreed?”

  “All right,” Caroline reluctantly conceded.

  “That’s the spirit,” Tilly said. “Try and sleep if you can. Tomorrow is going to be another long day.”

  Caroline slumped against the headboard. “I want to go home.”

  “Me, too,” Tilly replied weakly. “Me, too. Nolan and I working our hardest to get us home soon.”

  After kissing each of them on the forehead and tucking them back into bed, she quietly shut the bedroom door behind her.

  While Nolan prepared the captain for stitches, Tilly gathered towels and scrubbed at the floor. Not wanting the girls to see the mess, she stuffed the towels in a hamper. Considering there was no one coming to rescue them, there’d be time enough tomorrow for the washing.

  She returned and discovered Nolan setting out his supplies. Blood oozed from the wound on the captain’s leg, and she grimaced.

  Averting her gaze from the sight, she threaded the needle Nolan had finished sterilizing with the flame from the kerosene lamp.

  “I can do this part, at least,” she said.

  Nolan poured antiseptic on the wound and the captain hissed out a breath.

  “Easy there.” The captain grimaced. “You don’t want to kill me tonight and save Dakota Red the pleasure tomorrow.”

  “Let’s save the gallows humor for another time.”

  The captain’s gaze flicked toward Tilly. “My apologies, ma’am. I’m accustomed to the company of men.”

  “I don’t mind a little gallows humor. Whatever takes your mind off the pain.”

  “You’re a kind woman.”

  Tilly’s cheeks flushed.

  “How long until your men come to look for you?” Nolan asked. “Any chance they’ll get here before Friday?”

  “That’s the hope. If my men follow orders, they’ll send out a search party today or tomorrow, give or take. I’ve been splitting my time between the fort and the men on lookout. Which means they may not realize I’m missing right away.”

  “Traveling alone was stupid,” Nolan said. “You should have known better.”

  “I know, but I didn’t know who I could trust.”

  “There’s no need to assign blame,” Tilly admonished. “The captain was doing what he thought was best.”

  Nolan scowled. “He knows what he’s done. He knows he put us all in danger.”

  “Nolan!”

  The captain held up a weak hand. “Mr. West is right. I behaved foolishly. I acted on my own.”

  “How many men are guarding the shipment on Friday?” Nolan asked.

  “None.”

  A muscle ticked in Nolan’s cheek. “None? What fool sends gold through this territory with no escort?”

  “I’m sorry,” the captain was ashe
n, his voice barely more than whisper. “There isn’t a stagecoach coming through town on Friday because there isn’t any gold.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nolan felt as though the floor had collapsed beneath him. “What do you mean there’s no gold?”

  “The whole thing was a trap,” the captain replied. “I thought it was you. I thought you were helping them.”

  Nolan rubbed the back of his neck. “You were wrong.”

  “I know that now.”

  Tilly handed over the needle. “We’ll sort this out while you stitch up the wound. The captain has already lost too much blood.”

  Nodding grimly, Nolan accepted the needle and thread and began stitching. “You’re fortunate the bullet went clean through your leg.”

  “I don’t feel fortunate.”

  “What gave you the fool idea that I was involved?” Nolan demanded. “Let me guess—the lieutenant planted the idea.”

  “Lieutenant Perry encouraged my thinking, that’s true. But there were other things that made me suspicious. No one in their right mind would man this station all alone. No one lasts out here for more than a few months. You did. You also took over the post the same month Dakota Red and his brother were jailed in Yankton. When they broke out, the trail was leading directly to you.”

  “The trail led to the river.” Nolan snorted. “I just happened to be on the other side. Did you really think I’d shelter a bunch of outlaws with a woman and three children staying at the relay station?”

  “That’s when I started second-guessing myself. We’d already set the plan in motion, and if you weren’t involved, there would have been no harm done.” The captain gripped his leg above where Nolan was stitching. His knuckles whitened and he pursed his lips. “There was no way you’d let a woman stay here if you had something planned. I figured you’d either caught a bad break, or you were innocent.”

  Tilly tore off another strip of bandages. “I can’t believe you were suspicious of Nolan.”

  She gave his arm an encouraging squeeze, and his chest swelled. Her faith in him was heartening.

  “He was the obvious choice,” the captain said.

  “When did you figure out that you wrong?” Nolan asked. “Before or after Dakota Red shot you?”

  “About the same time.”

  “That’s comforting.”

  “Look, I’m sorry. I was focused on you, but then we lost sight of Dakota Red. People don’t vanish around here. There were no hoofprints, no signs of an encampment, nothing. I knew they couldn’t cross the river without someone helping them. I figured I’d check on you. I figured even if you’d thrown in with the outlaws, you couldn’t shoot me in front of the woman and her nieces.”

  “At least you had that much faith in me.”

  Nolan motioned for Tilly to finish tying up the wound.

  She wrapped more bandages around the captain’s leg, then she stepped back and planted her hands on her hips. “What now?”

  “I don’t know,” Nolan replied. “We’re on our own. I don’t know where the lieutenant has gone, but he sure didn’t go for help.”

  Tilly crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “I didn’t think our situation could get any worse, and yet it has. The captain is wounded and we’re waiting on a shipment of gold that’s never arriving.”

  “Yep.” The captain struggled to sit upright. “I’m real sorry, ma’am. I never once suspected Lieutenant Perry would do something like this. He helped those outlaws across the river right under my nose.”

  “You’re certain your men aren’t looking for you?” Nolan hooked his arm beneath the man’s shoulder and helped him to recline against the headboard. “Will your scout come back for you?”

  “Eventually. With the weather, he’ll probably figure I stayed overnight. He won’t send out a search until tomorrow evening at the soonest.”

  “Unless Lieutenant Perry tells him not to search,” Tilly said. “He’s been keeping the cavalry away from town this whole time. He’s not going to stop now.”

  “I’m not counting on a rescue,” Nolan said. “With Perry in the area, who knows what he’s telling the rest of your unit. For all we know, he’s taken charge.”

  “I hadn’t considered that.”

  “We have to assume that Tilly is right. He’ll find a way to sabotage any rescue attempt. He’s still thinks there’s gold.”

  “I’m no help in this condition.” The captain pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead. “What do you suggest?”

  “We float out of here. They’re keeping watch on the horses. The girls will slow us down on foot, and you sure aren’t going to make it very far without a horse. Our only choice is the river.”

  “You have a boat?”

  “There’s a boat that needs repairs in one of the barns near the edge of town. It’s small, but it’ll hold the six of us. I need at least a day to make repairs.”

  “How long before the outlaws notice you’re up to something?” the captain asked. “Too risky.”

  “You can help us, Captain Ronald,” Tilly said. “You can stay with the girls. You can keep watch on Dakota Red and the others. I’ll work on the repairs with Nolan.”

  Nolan wiped his bloodied fingers on a towel. “I can’t involve the girls.”

  “They’re already involved,” Tilly said. “What do you think will happen when the stagecoach fails to appear on Friday? We’re all dead. You said as much yourself. Help isn’t coming, and neither is the gold. We’re on our own.”

  “All right,” he conceded. “You’ve made your point. We need to start as soon as possible. First, we need a plan. I need some tools from the livery, which is risky. Dakota Red keeps track of what I take. He’s not very worried about us escaping, but he’s smart enough to protect his own hide.”

  Tilly paced the narrow space beside the bed. “We’ll fetch the tools and erase the chalk marks. I doubt any of the men will even notice they’re gone.”

  The captain frowned. “Chalk marks?”

  “Never mind.” Tilly flapped her hand. “It’s a long story. But Nolan’s organization will help us tremendously. Dakota Red keeps track of the tools by the empty chalk marks. As long as we’re careful, he’ll never be the wiser.”

  “We also need a distraction,” Nolan said. “If we’re spending too much time in one building, they’ll grow suspicious.”

  “They hardly pay any attention to us these days. Mostly they play cards or drink or sleep.”

  “What happens when they run out of whiskey?”

  “That shouldn’t happen for a while. Snyder found a stash in the saloon.” Her cheeks were flush with excitement. “We simply need to outsmart them, which shouldn’t be too difficult. With the girls’ help, we’ll track their movements. As long as we stay one step ahead of them, they’ll never figure out what we’re doing.”

  “You’ve convinced me, but I still don’t like the idea,” Nolan said. “Clearly we need the help of the children for this plan to work. Call them in.”

  Tilly stepped out and returned with the girls a moment later.

  She kneeled before them. “We’re going to play a game.”

  “Like tag?” Victoria asked.

  “More like hide-and-seek,” Tilly said. “Nolan needs to fetch some tools from the livery without the men staying in town noticing.”

  “Like taking a piece of cake without Mama finding out.”

  “Exactly!” Tilly exclaimed. “Cake is the perfect solution. We’ll bake a cake for the outlaws. While I’m delivering the cake, Nolan can fetch his tools, and no one will be the wiser.”

  “How can we help?” Victoria asked.

  “You can keep watch. We’ll need to keep track of their movements.”

  “That shouldn’t be hard,” she said. “If the
y’re not here or in their house, then they’re at the livery.”

  “Which makes your job easier.”

  “That’s all well and good for you people.” Captain Ronald pressed a hand against the wound on his thigh. “How can I help?”

  “You can help by keeping an eye on the girls while Nolan and I are working on the boat.”

  “All right,” the captain grumbled. “But I feel as though I should be doing more.”

  “You should be resting. We need you strong for the escape.”

  Nolan exchanged a glance with Tilly. Their plan would work. It had to, because they were fresh out of other options.

  * * *

  Tilly and the girls gathered their supplies and baked a lopsided cake.

  Tilly licked her thumb and studied their achievement. “It’s not pretty, but it tastes good.”

  She transferred half of the cake to another plate, and wiped off the counter.

  With the help of the girls, in another twenty minutes, she had the kitchen gleaming. Nolan returned from assisting Captain Ronald, and his eyes widened.

  “Wow. You girls were busy.”

  “I know you don’t like a mess, so we cleaned up.”

  He blinked. “You did this for me? Why do you care?”

  “Because you care, and this is your home.” She grasped the plate and presented their lopsided cake. “What do you think?”

  “I think you’re a genius.”

  She flushed beneath his praise.

  “We’re ready. Caroline has been keeping watch on the outlaws, and they’re all playing cards in the undertaker’s house. I’ll deliver the cake while you retrieve your tools from the livery. The girls will keep watch. If one of the outlaws leaves the house before me, signal Nolan.”

  “How do we signal him?”

  Victoria raised her hand. “I can start a fire.”

  “No!” Tilly placed a hand over her chest. “No fire. That will, um, that will take too long and it’s far too dangerous. Instead, one of you can yell, ‘Olly, olly, oxen free.’ The men will think you’re playing a game.”

  Victoria’s shoulders drooped. “All right.”