Cindy Holby (21 page)

Cade moved on. The livery was a few houses down. There was a corral behind it that went all the way down to the stream. Smart move on Martin’s part. The water was right there for the horses. Beyond it he saw the glow from the forge. It was sheltered under a roof that was open on three sides. Another smart move. Less risk of fire but cold work this time of year.

The corral was empty. Cade looked behind at his trail and was happy to see his tracks had already filled with snow. By morning no one would be able to tell what had passed through here, only that something did.

A wolf howl sounded. Long, sharp and mournful, it froze him in place. It carried into town, drifting through like a silent wraith. A dog, not Dodger thank God, barked from behind the stout walls of his house, heroic because he knew he was safe inside. The wolf was close, come down from
his mountain into the valley to hunt. More would follow. Coming up against a pack of hungry wolves was a battle he’d rather not fight. Not until he was much stronger at least.

Cade gingerly climbed between the bars of the corral. His ribs were killing him. Just the thought of mounting up and riding out was painful, more proof that he was in no shape to go. Digging the washtub out had taken nearly all of his strength. Yet here he was prowling about town when he should be resting up for when he could go. But he couldn’t help himself. He wanted to get a lay of the land for future reference.

Two wide doors from the stable opened into the corral. They weren’t locked, not that a lock had ever stopped him if he wanted what was inside. Thankfully he didn’t have to mess with it as it was so cold his fingers would be practically useless if he took off his gloves. He opened the doors enough to enable him to quickly slide inside.

Cade paused a moment to give his eyes a chance to adjust to the darkness that engulfed him. The only light was on the opposite end, from a lamp turned so low it was barely more than a pinpoint. The wind rattled through the doors and windows, finding the weakness of the stable’s defense against the weather. A low grumbling growl sounded and the horses sheltered within tossed their heads in ghostly apprehension. Cade stood, silent, while they shifted around in their stalls. A ghostly white head appeared at the one closest to him. Cade recognized the horse that had carried him through the blizzard.

He rubbed the long nose. “Hey there boy. I never had a chance to thank you for saving my life.”

The horse snorted in response and snuffed against Cade’s gloved palm.

“I reckon they’re taking good care of you here.” The horse dropped its head and nibbled delicately at the straw beneath its feet.

A cat stood in the middle of the stable when he turned. She studied him for a moment with eyes that glowed like coals and her tail twitching before she stalked off, confident that he was no threat to her domain. There were a few more horses that stared at him curiously as he walked through. The gear was stashed in a small room close to the street side door. Saddles lined up on a rail and the bridles hung neatly from hooks. A donkey was penned across from it. The creature stared up at him and stretched its lips out as if he wanted to say something. A feed bag sat on a barrel outside the tack room. Cade flung a handful at the donkey’s feet and then checked the street by offsetting the doors.

The saloon was directly across from where he stood. It was difficult to see if anyone was inside with the heavy snow falling down. Or maybe it was because there was something in the middle of the street. The statue? Cade moved to a window.

He’d expected the saloon to be open. It was late, but not that late. He suddenly realized he had no idea what day it was. Hopefully a Monday so he could be good and gone before Sunday got here. The doors were barred and the only light shone from a room up above. Still it’d be best if he went out the back of the stable. If anyone was up and watching they’d surely notice someone walking down the middle of the street.

Cade went out the way he’d come in. Quietly he circled the town, moving slowly, so that he was nothing more than a shadow covered with snow. He tested the locks at the back of the general store and the assayer’s office. Cade moved on and came to the end of the line of buildings. He wandered down the trail a bit before crossing to the other side. He skirted the back of the buildings on the opposite side of the street, making sure to stay well away from the saloon. When he came to the back of the sheriff’s office he placed his hand against the wooden building. It was as cold as ice and no
smoke came from the stovepipe. He cautiously looked in the window and confirmed his suspicions. Angel’s End wasn’t only lacking a preacher; it was also without a sheriff. The last building on the south side of the street was the diner. It was locked up tight.

Cade walked between the diner and the deserted sheriff’s office next to it. He stood there for a moment, lost in the shadows and the snow and stared at Leah’s house. The quiet settled over him like the flakes of snow that obliterated his body from view until he was no more than an extension of the building he leaned against. Yes, he was cold and yes he hurt like hell, but he ignored it, as he’d had to so many times in his life.

Leah…
Of all the times in his life to meet someone like her. If things were different, if he wasn’t on the run, if the past had been different. If he was a different man. If he was good and honest and she knew him as what he could be with her.

“All those blows to the head must have rattled your brain,” he said to the empty streets. Thinking that way would get him killed. He had the wound to prove it. Thinking that way was what got him in this predicament in the first place. It was another one of God’s jokes. The one time he tried to do good he paid for it. The smartest and the safest thing to do was get out of town as fast as he could. Maybe in a few days he’d be feeling better. In his present condition there was no way he could survive the elements.

Cade looked to the north. The church stood there, the steeple taller than any other structure in town. He felt as if the church stared down at him with expectation. He’d felt the same thing when Timothy looked at him. Cade shook his head at his foolishness. He should skirt around the diner, cross behind the church, and return to Leah’s.

As was the case lately, he did exactly the opposite of what he should do. Instead he stepped out of the shadows and
walked straight to the statue. It stood in the middle of the street like a sentinel that never wavered from its appointed task. He couldn’t make out the base as the snow was piled around it. It had to be standing on something because it was close to nine feet tall. The outstretched wings were at least five feet wide. Snow covered the peaks and valleys of the wings and the shoulders and the carved indentations of the robes.

Someone hauled this thing west and left it here?
They must have been crazy.

Crazy to bring it west with them. Desperate when they abandoned it after carrying it for hundreds, possibly even thousands of miles. Cade walked around to the front. The angel faced south with her arms outstretched and palms facing upward. Why? Was she supposed to be welcoming? Waiting? Praying? He stood in the snow and looked up into the carved face that had been beaten by the elements.

An image flashed before him. One from his feverish dreams. The angel, bringing him water, bringing him relief, bringing him momentary peace.

Leah…

His longing for her made no more sense than the fact that he was wandering around the middle of town during a blizzard. He should get back before someone caught him and started asking questions. Cade looked once more behind him to make sure there was no sign of his passing. The heavily falling snow quickly filled his tracks. It was as if he’d never gone out. Never existed.

He dusted his coat off before he entered the house. Dodger lay in the hallway, right outside Leah’s room, keeping watch on both her and the door. Cade knelt down and let Dodger have a sniff.

“Nate?”

She must be dreaming. Nate was her dead husband’s name. Still it would be difficult to explain to her why he was out and armed in the middle of the night. He moved on silent
feet to the door of her room. She moved restlessly beneath the blankets. A pillow hung off the side of the bed and the kitten stood on the far corner washing a paw. Had he disturbed her or was she caught in a dream?

She coughed, a dry hacking sound that grated hard in her throat. He stepped into her room and looked at her closely. A fine sheen of sweat covered her face. Her mouth moved, silent words spoken to the ghosts who visited her dreams. Cade slowly reached out his hand and touched her face. She was burning up with fever. The measles had struck.

Thank God he hadn’t been stupid enough to leave town. She needed him now. The prospect didn’t scare him as much as he thought it would.

“W
hat are you doing?” Cade leaned casually against the kitchen doorjamb with his arms crossed.

“I’m going to fix breakfast.” Leah coughed and rubbed at her watery eyes. She felt like she’d slept in a stagecoach. Her body ached all over and her eyes were swollen and watery. The light, what little bit there was, hurt and she blinked against it. The realization that she was once more talking to Pastor Key…no, Timothy…no, he said to call him Cade…wearing nothing but her gown hit her, but for the life of her she couldn’t summon up the strength to care.

Dodger lay in the hallway with his legs before him and his head tilted to the side as he looked at her. “Where is Banks?” she asked. “Did he go to school?”

“He stayed with his friends last night. Remember?”

Ashes swatted at the hem of her gown. Leah pushed her fingers to her forehead. She had a pounding headache and felt confused. She wasn’t really sure what day it was. And
this man, this preacher who didn’t talk like a preacher, was standing in her house and leaning against the door frame like he owned it.

“I’ve already fixed breakfast,” he said. “Why don’t you try to eat something before you go back to bed?”

“Why would I go back to bed?” Why was he arguing with her? Why was he even here? Why didn’t he go away and leave her alone. “I’ve got to go to work.”

“No. You’ve got the measles. You’re going back to bed.”

Leah sputtered. A pair of strong arms circled her and suddenly she was lifted into the air. “What are you doing? Put me down this instant.”

“You are one stubborn woman.” He carried her into her room and in a surprisingly gentle motion, placed her on her bed. “Stay here.” He pushed her back with one strong finger to the middle of her breastbone and pulled the blankets over her legs.

“I’ll bring you something to eat.”

“Wait!” He turned, crossed his arms and quirked an eyebrow at her. There was no doubt in her mind that if she tried to get out of the bed he’d chase her down in a heartbeat. Leah put her hands to her face, then before her, turning them up and down to look. “Do I have spots?”

“Not yet.” His grin was cheeky as he left. She wanted to slap him but instead flopped back onto her pillow. She heard him moving about in the kitchen. He was probably making a huge mess that she would have to clean up.

“I don’t want to be sick,” she moaned as Ashes clawed her way onto the bed. She wiped her nose on her sleeve. “This is not good…not good at all.” She coughed. What was going to happen to her? No one would be able to come and help—it would put the entire town at risk being exposed to the deadly disease. How did it happen so fast? It was only yesterday that she helped the two little boys.

But now that she thought on it…there was a tinker who
came through a few weeks ago. He’d been friendly and talkative. He’d also coughed a lot and was moist with sweat. He’d blamed it on the unseasonably warm weather they’d experienced that week and kept wiping his face with a napkin. Leah recalled it being soaking wet when she cleaned off the table after he left.

“I bet he’s the one who gave it to the miners.” The poor man. He was more than likely dead now, caught up in the blizzard or else he’d spread it on to another unsuspecting town. Thank goodness Jake had followed that crazy donkey back to the camp.

If she’d been exposed a few weeks ago did that mean that she’d passed it on unwittingly in the time since? Or was she only contagious once her symptoms started?
We really need to have a doctor in town…

What if Banks gets sick and needs me? What am I going to do? Leah smoothed down the blanket on either side of her. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She just couldn’t be sick. She had to be well so she could take care of her son. She threw the blankets back and moved to rise. She didn’t recall it being this difficult earlier this morning. Or maybe it was. Slowly she stood. The room spun around her. She heard a crash just as the world went black.

Cade had a choice between the breakfast tray or Leah. Much to Dodger’s delight, he chose Leah. He caught her right before she hit the floor. Her head hung limply as he arranged her in his arms to put her back in bed. Her cheeks were bright red with fever, yet the rest of her skin was pale and shiny with moisture. He placed her carefully on the bed and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. She was burning up.