Wildfire Creek (9 page)

Ginny’s ears perked up at the mention of Luke. She took her time wiping down a table close by, trying to listen without being obvious. She hadn’t seen him since their talk at the boardinghouse weeks earlier. The disappointment at not seeing him for so long surprised her. He’d been gone weeks at a time in the past and she’d barely noticed, but his disappearance this time left an unpleasant and unwelcome emptiness Ginny hadn’t expected.

“They went to Big Pine for supplies. We expect them back tonight or tomorrow.” Ellis threw down his cards and settled back in his chair.

“The house is coming along then?” Gabe asked.

“Almost finished. Guess he’ll be talking to you soon about more hardware and locks, Noah.”

Until tonight, Ginny hadn’t heard a word about Luke building a house. She didn’t know why the information surprised her, except she’d assumed he’d live with Dax and Rachel until he met someone, which she believed would be a long time coming.

“Your cabin almost finished?” Rude asked Noah.

“It will be by tomorrow. I would’ve stayed up there tonight, except I left some tools in town. Hey, Ginny, can you get me one more?”

“Sure, Noah.” She wanted to hear what else they said, but she still had to work. Since telling Luke she’d pay him back, she’d saved an extra fifteen cents. It would be slow going, but she’d not stay indebted to him.

Everyone looked up as the front doors swung open and Bull walked in, followed by Luke. Both men looked exhausted and thirsty.

“A couple of drinks, Ginny.” Bull grabbed a seat next to Ellis.

“Sure, Bull,” she replied, but her eyes never left Luke as she walked toward the bar. The flutter in her stomach, which started the moment he walked in, irritated her. Ginny didn’t want to have
any
feelings for him, especially attraction. She liked him, his smile, the way he laughed, and even the way he made fun of himself. Everyone enjoyed his company. Her mother would have said he was the type of person who attracted others. Magnetism was the word her mother used to describe an actor she’d once seen on stage. Ginny believed Luke had the same trait.

He spotted Ginny the minute he stepped into the saloon. She didn’t offer her usual smile. Instead, he saw a cautious look in her eyes, which she normally reserved for saloon customers who made her uneasy. A tinge of regret passed through him although, looking back, he wasn’t certain he would’ve done anything different. It hadn’t occurred to him she’d take his actions of paying the doctor and Amos so wrong.

“How’d it go in Big Pine?” Ellis asked, dealing Bull and Luke into the game. Luke held up his hand to decline, then pushed his hat back on his forehead.

He didn’t feel the normal desire to talk with the men or focus on a game of cards. One drink and he’d be back on the road toward the ranch. Tomorrow they’d unload the supplies and continue working. He stood and nodded at Noah and Gabe as he took a seat at their table. He wanted to let Splendor’s sheriff know what he’d learned in Big Pine about the gold thefts, plus what he considered to be strange behavior by the small band of Indians who’d tracked them much of the way home.

“Here you are.” Ginny set a glass of whiskey in front of Luke, then turned to walk away.

“Good evening, Ginny,” Luke said, trying to catch her gaze while offering a sincere smile.

“Hello, Luke.” She didn’t meet his eyes, deciding instead to check on a group of gamblers at a nearby table. Two of them were familiar, both cowhands at Tolbert’s ranch.

“You’re not at your boss’ party tonight?” she asked and picked up their empty glasses.

“It’s pretty tame. Besides, after a week working, it’s time to get away. How about another one?” The cowhand nodded at the glass on Ginny’s tray.

Luke followed her retreat toward the bar. She’d always been friendly toward him, standing by his chair on occasion, watching him play his cards, and laughing at his jokes. On some nights, after the bar quieted, she’d even taken a seat at his table. She said little about her and Mary, although he knew their parents died on the way west. He also knew the responsibility of raising her young sister weighed heavy and how serious she took her obligation.

“Saw your brother and his wife at Tolbert’s tonight, Luke,” the cowhand called toward Luke’s table. “The boss asked about you.”

“They mentioned his party earlier in the week. Bull and I were in Big Pine.”

“You didn’t miss anything,” the man laughed and resumed his card game.

“You two didn’t go?” Luke asked Gabe and Noah.

“We spent the day finishing Noah’s cabin. It’s looking good.” Gabe sipped his whiskey, glad his friend had let him help again. “You ought to come by and see it.”

“I need to finish up at my place, then I’ll ride over. The offer of help still stands, Noah.”

“I appreciate it, Luke, but you and Dax have done enough.”

“Not nearly when you think we could’ve lost Rachel and the doc.” The encounter with outlaws at the Frey ranch a few months back had been too close.

Noah let the compliment pass. “The place is about done. I’ll haul up a few more tools tomorrow. By Friday, I’ll be staying at the place when I can.”

Luke’s eyes kept drifting toward Ginny as she moved from table to table, talking and laughing. He’d give it time. Maybe there’d be a way to regain the friendship they’d started.

“You hear any news in Big Pine?”

Gabe’s question pierced his mental ramblings and he leaned forward, not wanting everyone in the saloon to hear what he’d learned. A couple minutes later, he sat back, having provided Gabe all the information he knew about the gold thefts.

“I’d gotten a telegram from Sheriff Sterling. He’s heard of the mines near Splendor and suggested caution. I rode out to tell the miners, but so far I haven’t heard about any thefts. The wagon master stopped by a couple days ago. He told me about meeting you and what he knew. The train camped not far from town until this morning. A couple families ended up staying.”

Luke wondered if the families intended to ranch, farm, or open a store, but let the thought pass. There were more urgent issues to discuss. “What do you make of the band of Sioux? I don’t have enough experience to guess what’s going on.” Luke knew neither Gabe nor Noah had been in the territory long, yet they’d both been in the territory while he and Dax had been Rangers in Texas.

“From what you said about the band who attacked you, and their actions lately, my guess is they’re looking for something or someone. It’s as if they’re searching—except for the missing supplies and livestock. Even Noah’s had some jerky and hardtack taken from his cabin.”

“That so?” Luke looked at Noah. “Hank’s been complaining about missing supplies for weeks now, but we can’t catch them.”

“Small stuff. Like Gabe said, hardtack and jerky. One oddity is the sickle I use for clearing brush. Last week I found it leaning against a different wall from where I keep it, and it still had brush wrapped around it.”

“Appears someone borrowed it. At least you got it back.” The news left Luke more perplexed than ever. He pushed his hat down and stood. “I’m taking off. I’ll be by to see you, Noah.”

He took a couple of steps toward the door before taking one last look at Ginny. She leaned against the end of the bar near the back door, trying not to make it obvious she watched him. He tipped his hat at her before walking out, letting the doors swing behind him.

Chapter Six

“That’s the last of it, Luke.” Bull wiped his hands down his trousers and stepped a few feet away to look at the home. It had turned out well and all the men were pleased, but no one more so than Luke.

He walked from one man to another, shaking hands and thanking them. Even though they were paid for all the work, it hadn’t been what they’d signed up for when they hired on, yet he’d never heard any of them complain. Bull had picked the right men.

“I’m riding over to Noah’s to check out his place. I’ll see you all at the Wild Rose tonight. Drinks are on me.”

All except Bull mounted their horses, ready to clean up for a night in town.

“Mind if I ride along, boss?” Bull asked.

“Let me put these tools away and we’ll get going.” Luke stored what he’d brought from the house, including food supplies, and closed up. Noah had provided locks for the doors and windows, the type he’d built for his cabin. Of course, if someone wanted to get in, all they had to do was break out the windows. At least nothing much of value was inside. He doubted anyone would haul away a stove, table, or chairs.

He walked around once more, noting the tall stack of wood the men had cut. It would be enough to last through the winter. A stable for Prince had been constructed on one side of the house. He’d asked Travis Dixon to handle it and the man had done a fine job building and installing a front gate, using a lock from Noah. Luke had thought it would be temporary and he’d just tear it down once he erected the barn next spring. Now he wasn’t so sure.

Luke’s only real concern centered on Prince, the horse he’d trained before the war and who’d served him well after the surrender. He was as much a partner to Luke as Dax.

“Let’s go.” Luke swung onto Prince, took one more look around, and headed toward a small trail opposite the one he used to ride back and forth to the ranch. It followed the creek much of the way to Noah’s land.

They hadn’t ridden long when Luke spotted something odd hanging on a branch near the creek. He stopped alongside it, reached down, and grabbed what appeared to be a scrap of cloth.

“What do you have?” Bull asked.

“Looks like an old piece of fabric.” He turned it over. It couldn’t have been more than an inch square, frayed all around, and dirty. They took a few minutes to circle the area, riding across the stream, then up and down several yards before meeting back where they’d started. They found nothing.

“You know, it could have been on the bush for years.” Bull continued to look around. He had the sense they were being watched, but didn’t see or hear anything.

“Guess so.” Luke slid it into his pocket, paying more attention during the rest of their ride.

An hour later the roof of Noah’s cabin came into view. They could hear someone pounding as they approached, finding him securing a water barrel on the side of the cabin.

“Need any help?” Luke asked as he and Bull slid from their horses.

“Got it done. Thanks.” He set down his hammer and stood, stretching his arms above his head. “Come on. I’ll show you the inside.”

It didn’t take long. Noah had built his cabin on a twenty-four by twenty-four foot foundation using two twelve foot squares with a large opening between the two. This made it close to twice the size of similar structures Luke had seen. A cooking and living area were in the front, his bedroom in the back.

“You’ve done a fine job.” Unlike Luke’s home, which was made of cut timbers, Noah had built his home out of logs. He scanned the notches Noah had made in each log to connect the corners. They were perfect.

“Someday I may add more rooms,” he said, pointing to areas where he’d used vertical logs to board up openings for passageways if he ever expanded. He walked to a stove, grabbed cups, and poured coffee. “Come on.”

They followed Noah outside and leaned against the front porch railings.

“Anything else turn up missing?” Luke asked.

Noah let out a low groan. “A bucket, my last blanket, and a tin of hardtack from Suzanne at the boardinghouse. There has to be someone living up in the mountain, maybe in one of the caves not far from here. Similar caves exist near your place on Wildfire Creek.”

“The caves where the Mayes gang hid before they took Rachel and the others captive.” Luke sipped his coffee, remembering those days several months before.

“That’s my guess. You missing anything?” Noah asked.

“Not the last few days, but I’ve been staying there at night.” Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out the piece of fabric. “We found this on the trail over here.”

He handed the scrap to Noah. He turned it over a couple times, then gave it back to Luke. “No telling what it’s from or how old it is,” Noah commented.

“It’s not much, but I may get some men together and start searching the caves before the snow starts, see if we can find the culprits and stop the aggravation.”