The Kissing Stars (25 page)

“You do?” Will broke out in a smile. “That’s great!”

“Montana is right, sweetheart,” Jack said, frowning. “I’d worry myself sick if you made the trip with us to the Big Bend. It might be better for you to stay here, or at least in Eagle Gulch.”

“Now, why would she stay in Eagle Gulch?” Twinkle asked.

“So she isn’t alone in Aurora Springs,” Jack replied.

“She won’t be alone in Aurora Springs.” Gabe glared his way around the parlor, skipping Will, but giving Tess a double dose.

She stepped forward and said, “You need someone to take the gold or at least act as a decoy for the gold. You need someone to watch your back. You need someone to show you where to go.”

“Don’t insult me. I track folks for a living, remember?”

“But you’ve never tracked anyone into this part of the world. The land bordering the bend in the Rio Grande is as rough and primitive as any you’ll ever see. I’m not doubting your abilities, Gabe. I know you could rescue Doc on your own. But why should you? You don’t have to do everything by yourself anymore. You have us to help you; you’re not alone. We’re your friends, and if you’ll but allow it, we can be your family.”

Family
. He gazed slowly around the parlor. Colonel Wilhoit stood, looped his thumbs around his suspenders, and nodded sagely. Jack and Amy Baker rose, linked their fingers, and nodded. Andrew rolled to his feet and braced his hands on his hips. And nodded. Twinkle sailed across the room, grabbed him by the shoulders, and planted a fat kiss on his mouth.

Recovering, Gabe looked at Tess. She went and stood behind their son, placed her hands upon his shoulders, and offered a smile of such hope and encouragement, of such love, that his heart all but cracked right in two.

Family
. Damned if the woman didn’t cut right to the nut. Damned if she didn’t fight dirty. She knew that having a real family had been a secret wish of his. Now she offered him one—a strange one—but a family nonetheless. Too bad these poor, innocent Aurorians didn’t realize they’d taken a skunk into their midst when they made Monty Cameron one of their own.

Gabe had no choice but to chase down the truth of this kidnapping plot. And it looked like the liberty of going alone on the trip had been taken from him, too.

Next thing you know, they’ll want to bring the pig
.

“First thing we’ll need to do is find out whether Jimmy Wayne has escaped. Since we must go to Eagle Gulch anyway, I won’t argue with y’all coming along that far. What we discover there will determine whether I allow you to go any farther or not.”

Twinkle swelled up to argue, but Tess stopped her with a gentle squeeze of the older woman’s shoulder and a wink. She might as well have come out and declared they would win that battle later, the hell of it being the woman was probably right.

Disgusted, Gabe turned to Andrew. “I’ve an idea in mind for you and your Regulus if you would consider it.” After explaining how Mack Hunter’s skills could be extremely useful in this situation, Gabe asked Andrew if he’d be willing to ride out immediately in the hopes of catching the westbound train due to come through Eagle Gulch that evening. Andrew readily agreed and Gabe addressed his son. “I know you must be plumb wore out, but I need to ask you some questions. I need to know more about your campsite and what Doc had been doing shortly before he disappeared.”

“I’ll do anything I can do to help, Mr. Montana. We’ve gotta save Doc. I’d lie down and die if something happened to him. You see, Mr. Montana, he’s the only pa I’ve ever had.”

“One problem at a time, son,” Gabe said with a sigh. “I gotta take ‘em one problem at a time.”

CHAPTER 14

DAMNED IF THEY DIDN’T bring the pig.

And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, they loaded up the camels and brought them along, too. One would think they were off to join a circus rather than track down a criminal. At least bringing Castor and Pollux along made sense. The dromedaries were perfect for toting the colonel’s gold, although Gabe thought having Rosie ride atop Castor in a Bedouin basket was a bit much.

A seasonal chill nipped the late afternoon air as the Aurorians rumbled into Eagle Gulch. At the livery, Gabe was dismayed not to see Regulus in a stall, and he asked the owner about Andrew and the white horse.

“Took him on the train, he did,” said the gray bearded, grizzly man. “Damnedest thing I ever saw. You’d have thought the two of them were having a conversation. He tried to leave the horse here, but that stallion followed him right to the station and bellowed at the boxcars. When the train pulled out a couple hours ago, both the man and that white beauty were aboard.”

Gabe thought it curious, but he wasn’t about to question anything to do with Andrew and his mystical Regulus.

Tess kept the livery man distracted while the men stealthily unloaded the gold and hid it in the camels’ stall. With that chore accomplished, the Aurorians split up and went about their business as planned. With promises not to start any fights or cause an uproar, Amy and Twinkle headed for the hotel to secure rooms for the night. Jack and the colonel took off for the mercantile with a supply list and their pockets full of cash.

Gabe, Tess, and their son walked along Main Street toward the sheriff’s office. Halfway down the first block, Gabe realized he was strutting. Pride had puffed out his chest and lifted his chin. He’d bet every dime he’d earned that not a man in Eagle Gulch could boast of such a fine family. Tess, mind reader that she was, gazed at him with knowing eyes and smiled. Surreptitiously, he reached over and caught her hand, giving it a squeeze.

They arrived at the sheriff’s office only to find it closed. A sign on the door referred all inquiries to the Texas Rangers, headquartered out of an office on First Street Tess glanced up at Gabe. “Will the Rangers have information about a jailbreak in Huntsville?”

“They should. Wanted posters go out to all the peace-keeping organizations in the state.”

“Good,” Will said. “Maybe I’ll get to see Captain Robards again. Have you met him, Mr. Montana? He sure is a mighty fine man.”

“Yeah, I’ve met him.” Gabe left it at that.

They found the “mighty fine man” in his office finishing up a supper of stew and cornbread. He glanced up as they entered and a smile blossomed across his face. He dabbed at his lips with a napkin, then stood. “Tess. Will. Now isn’t this a nice surprise. Please, come in and have a seat. May I offer you some stew? It’s delicious and I’d be happy to send for more.”

Gabe didn’t mind being ignored, but he drew the line at watching another man tousle his son’s hair, then drool at his wife. “This isn’t a social call, Captain. We have business.”

Robards finally looked at Gabe. “Business?” he repeated, his brows arching up. He sent Tess a smile filled with flirtation and regret. Gabe restrained himself from punching the man, then scowled at the way Will watched the proceedings with interest. Surely the boy hasn’t been encouraging this sort of eyelash-batting behavior.

Maybe he has. Maybe he is pining for a father
.

Well, by God he has one. Gabe decided right then and there to see the truth revealed at the earliest possible moment.

“We’re not here to socialize,” he said gruffly. “We need to know if you’ve had a report out of Huntsville regarding Jimmy Wayne Bodine.”

The Ranger nodded. “I thought you might be interested, considering the history between you two. When did you hear about it?”

Tess whipped a fearful glance at Gabe, then asked, “Hear about what?”

“The prison break.”

Gabe said a mental epithet as Captain Robards stood and crossed the room to where a wooden filing cabinet sat against one wall. He slid the drawer open, reached inside, and removed a stack of papers two inches thick. He handed them to Gabe saying, “You’ll find a poster on Bodine and also one on his accomplice. Happened the last part of September. Should be toward the front of the stack.”

Bodine’s poster was the fourth one down. Loathing filled Gabe as he stared at the outlaw’s familiar likeness. He read the brief description of the breakout with disgust. The prison officials weren’t any better at taking care of Jimmy Wayne than the Rangers. Maybe the penal system needed overhauling, too. He handed the poster to Tess to read and asked, “And who was his accomplice?”

“We don’t have a name. Got a good drawing, though. In fact, I have the nagging suspicion that I know him from somewhere.” He snapped his fingers. “Wait a minute. I forgot I took his poster out of the stack. I studied it a couple days ago.” He opened a drawer of his desk then handed over a folded sheet of paper.

Will looked over Gabe’s shoulder as he opened it.
Well, I’ll be damned
. The boy’s quick gasp verified what Gabe suspected.

“Do you know the man, Will?” Robards asked.

“No, sir.”

“But you made a noise like you did.”

“No, sir. I mean, I did make a noise, but that was because I just then realized I forgot to bring some corn for Rosie.”

Gabe couldn’t tell whether or not Will’s fib fooled Robards, but it didn’t come close to bluffing his mother. Tess took one look at her son, then gazed at the wanted poster Gabe held in his hand. She went pale as moonlight on a cloudy night.

“You
do
know this man,” Robards accused hotly. “Who is it?” He yanked the page from Gabe’s hand and gave it another look. “He must be one of your…” Then he jabbed the drawing with his index finger. “
That’s
who it is.
Your Doc
. I knew I recognized the face, but I let the big hat and the spectacles and that mustache throw me off. Must have been a false one. I can’t believe I didn’t put it together, especially since he’s the one responsible for all the trouble along the railroad spur.”

“No,” Tess snapped. “Doc didn’t do that, and he is not the man in that drawing. It’s mere coincidence that they look alike. Doc would never have done anything as wicked as free the Cottonwood Hollow school killer from prison.
Never
. Besides, when was he supposed to have done this evil deed? The man can’t be in two places at once. He’s been with Will down in the Big Bend area since mid-September. You know that yourself.” She motioned toward Will. “Tell him, son. Tell him Doc was with you…What was the date? The end of September?”

“The twenty-second,” Gabe said, reading off the poster.

Will’s eyes went round as a telescope mirror, and he threw a panicked look toward the Ranger. Apprehension crawled up Gabe’s spine.
What the hell was going on here?

“Cap’n, Doc would never do anything bad like that. This man isn’t Doc. He’s not.”

“Will?” Tess asked, a question in her tone.

The boy sent a pleading glance toward Robards, and the Ranger answered. “When I delivered the message you sent to Doc, Will here told me he was bored to death from searching for pictographs. I had some personal time coming, so I took a couple weeks off duty, and Will and I spent it together. He taught me about the constellations, and I showed him how to hunt javelina and coyotes through the mountains.”

“Hunting?” Tess rounded on her son. “Hunting!” She shot a befuddled glance at Gabe. “He’s never killed an animal in his life. You know how he is about Rosie.”

“Mama, all I did was track ‘em. Drew a couple of pictures, too.”

“Why?” She looked at the Ranger. “I didn’t say he could go with you. I didn’t give my permission. What made you think you could take my son away from his grandfather and teach him to hunt?”

“It wasn’t my idea. His grandfather was the one who suggested it and now we know why. He needed the time to break a killer out of jail.”

“No!” Will cried, his eyes snapping anger.

“I have to ask myself why he’d go to all that trouble. Is there a connection between your Doc and Jimmy Wayne Bodine?” Gesturing toward Gabe he added, “Beyond the one that involves you, of course.”

That floated right over Will’s head, thank goodness. Gabe didn’t know what he would have said if the boy had questioned the remark.

Tess stood staring at the wanted poster, her expression troubled and shaken. “I can’t believe this. I simply can’t. Why would he do it?” She looked up at Gabe. “Why?”

Had his father been within shooting distance Gabe would have killed him on the spot for putting that pain in Tess’s eyes. “Who’s to know why Monty Cameron does anything, Tess. I do think the gold probably has something to do with this kidnapping scheme, though.”

Robards snapped up straight. “Kidnapping scheme?”

Gabe wished he’d bitten off his own tongue. After that there was nothing to do but to tell the entire tale. The tricky part was relaying the facts without revealing too much to Will. He managed to get the job accomplished, however, and to his dismay, but not to his surprise, Robards declared his intention for the Texas Rangers to join with the Aurorians in the hunt for Monty “Doc” Cameron.

Through it all, Will protested the very idea that Doc was in the wrong, Tess acted stunned and uncertain, and Gabe refrained from expressing his opinion. Finally, when the boy appeared on the brink of tears at the defense of his grandfather, Gabe reached out and put his hands on Will’s shoulders. “Listen, Will. It’s a good thing to stand up for those you believe in. I hope you’re right about Doc. More than you can ever know, I hope he hasn’t let you down. But if things don’t work out your way and you find out Monty Cameron isn’t the man you think he is, I want you to remember one thing. You still have your family. Your mother, Twinkle, the Bakers, and Colonel Wilhoit. You’ve even got Rosie. They’ll all stick by you. And, even though you don’t know me from Adam yet, I want you to know that I will help you in any way, shape, form, or fashion. You just say the word.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You don’t have to understand right now. Just accept it. I’m here for you if you need me.”

“Thank you, Mr. Montana,” the boy said hesitantly. He sent a questioning look toward his mother, but all she did was stand by with tears in her eyes.

Gabe nodded toward the Ranger. “I’m going to see Tess and her son settled in the hotel. We intend to leave at first light. If you still plan on trailing along, we’ll meet you at the south end of town at daybreak.”

TESS TOSSED and turned most of the night. She couldn’t believe Doc would do anything so vile. She wouldn’t believe it. But deep inside her a little seed of doubt began to sprout. Doc had lied to Gabe about her whereabouts; he’d kept Will’s existence a secret. All the while, Doc had known of Tess’s wish to speak to her husband again and see if there might be something in their relationship to salvage. If Doc lied about something as important as that, what else was he capable of? Was Gabe right? Had Doc kept an evil side of himself hidden from her? She hated to think so. She hated to think she’d been that blind. She didn’t believe that, not really.

But the doubt had been planted.

When she dragged herself from her hotel room and assembled with the others downstairs, she learned that with a little help from Mother Nature, Gabe had won the first battle of the day. Following the bumpy trip in from Aurora Springs, Amy Baker suffered an uncomfortable night so neither she nor Jack would join them on the trip. Gabe’s victory wasn’t complete, however, because neither Twinkle nor the colonel paid heed to his request to remain behind safe and sound. Tess wouldn’t consider it, herself, and she knew her son well enough not to waste her breath insisting he hole up in Eagle Gulch like Gabe demanded. They’d have to lock him in jail to keep him from coming along, and even then she couldn’t be certain the boy wouldn’t wiggle his way out of the cell and follow. Will Cameron was a stubborn young man.
Takes after his father
, she thought, watching Gabe give his argument one more try with Twinkle.

Twenty minutes later than he had intended, Gabe led their party south. Lionel Robards and two of his men joined them a half hour into the trip. Up until that point, the mood among the Aurorians had been subdued. The accusations against Doc hung over them all like a gray winter day.

If nothing more, Lionel’s presence managed to dispel the gloom somewhat. The interplay between the Ranger and her husband proved downright entertaining. Tess didn’t like to be vulgar, but men used a term that perfectly defined the nonsense Gabe and Captain Robards spouted throughout the day. The term was “pissing contest” and the person they attempted to impress was her son.

For every story of personal bravery Lionel told, Gabe had a subtle, but stronger tale of his own. For every act of physical strength performed by one man throughout the day, the other made sure to find some task requiring even more effort. It got to be so silly that at one point, the men decided to snack on chili peppers and darned near ruined their mouths by eating one too many of the extra-hot habanero peppers.

By the time the caravan halted for the night, Tess was disgusted with both men. Will, on the other hand, was enthralled. When after-dinner talk turned to an arm wrestling contest, Tess reached her limit. “Will, come with me. I want to climb that hill and see if the Kissing Stars might make an appearance this far from home.”

Both Gabe and Lionel pushed to their feet. “I’ll go too,” said Gabe.

“So will I,” replied Lionel.

“Absolutely not,” demanded Tess. “I require some time alone with my son.”

Both men advanced a protest. Tess quelled it with a glare as hot as the habaneros burning their stomach linings. “It’s been a long day. Why don’t you men turn in, and Will and I will see you both in the morning.”

Robards tried to protest further. Gabe knew when to cry off.

Tess and her son climbed the nearby rise and sat side by side gazing out over the desert just like they’d done so many times before. It was comfortable and familiar and oh, so needed. “I’ve missed you so much William Gabriel Cameron. Remind me never to let you go off for an extended length of time like that again.”