Courting Kate (17 page)

The fires did nothing to quell the panic. Five people had died. Thirteen new cases had appeared. The Board of Health ruled Jacksonville was in quarantine. No one was allowed either in or out. She thought it ironic that when the vaccine was plentiful a number of people refused to have it. Now that the supply of vaccine had run out, people were clamoring to be immunized.

Since public gatherings were prohibited, Kate had closed her shop and remained inside her house, only going out for short periods to walk her dog. Even Fluffy appeared nervous, never straying from her side.
 

The bustling town of Jacksonville had become a tomb. Yellow flags indicating the presence of the disease were seen on every side. Even more frightening, black wreaths had now appeared on more than a few doors.
 

Although ineffective, the fires burned on, manned by day and night. The editor of the
Sentinel
drew a vivid picture of the eerie scene.

By day the town is enveloped in thick smoke and by night the deserted streets are lit up by lines of fire that blaze and flicker among the shadows, and throw a ghastly and sepulchral light over everything....

Kate stared through the haze, her gaze going to the mountains. The boys hadn’t been to see her in quite a while now, and while she missed them, she also gave thanks. She couldn’t stand it if any of them contracted the disease.
 

Tanner had been in town. What if he had been exposed? She thought about the theater and the large gathering of people, some of whom were in the pesthouse now. Unable to bear the thought that he, too, might get the pox, she closed her eyes and bowed her head.

Dear God, please keep Tanner and the boys safe.
Please don’t let them get the disease.

She added a few prayers for the victims and their families. Some of them were church-going folks. Some that died were devout Christians. And that poor little Love girl... a sweeter child had never been born.
 

God hadn’t helped them. Maybe he wouldn’t hear her either. She went back to look out the window. The scene resembled a picture of hell. Somewhere a woman wailed and screamed, the sound terrible, desperate. Was she the wife, the mother of one of the victims?

How many more would be stricken and die? Kate drew her shawl more closely around her. It was as if the Almighty had washed his hands of the whole Rogue Valley.
 

* * *

Freezing rain, then sprinkles of snow, drifted down from a cloud filled sky, making Tanner put aside his tools and head for the house shortly before noon. It had been three days since he’d seen Kate. Three days that he’d been worried sick. The doctor had promised she’d be all right, but Tanner couldn’t rest until he’d seen her for himself.
 

After making sure the boys were all right, he checked the food staples, making a note to pick up whatever they might need. He knew this would probably be his last trip to town until spring. Not just because of the smallpox epidemic, but also because heavy winter snow would soon engulf the pass. Like it or not, they would be isolated for the rest of the winter.

Maybe the danger’s past. Maybe Kate will be all right.

But his optimism died when, nearing Jacksonville, he paused to rest his horse on a rim overlooking the town. From there he noted the bonfires in the streets and the cloud of smoke covering the town. He also saw a campfire at the trailhead. A man with a rifle stood guard.
 

Finding the trail to Jacksonville blocked and guarded only increased Tanner’s fears for Kate. It appeared that the town was in quarantine, which meant the smallpox epidemic had grown worse. Anxiety knotted his middle, and he fought the urge to race the horse down the hill and see if Kate was all right.

Common sense told him the only thing that would accomplish would be to get himself shot, or put in jail, neither of which would help Kate or the boys.

He stealthily retreated from the rocky ledge before he could be spotted. Avoiding the main trail so that he wouldn’t leave tracks in the fresh snow, he kept to the trees and made his way down the hill. When he neared the trailhead, he led the horse into a draw and tied him to a sapling.

Kate’s place sat in the middle of town, in the open. He couldn’t possibly go there until full dark or else he’d be seen. Because it was closer and surrounded by shrubbery and trees, he decided going to the doctor’s place would be his best bet. The physician could tell him the state of things, and also how Kate was—if the doctor was there. If he wasn’t, at least it would be a good place to wait until Tanner could get to Kate’s.
 

Like a shadow, he slipped from tree to tree until he reached the clapboard house. Relieved to see a light inside, but also afraid the doc might be busy with a patient, Tanner hugged the wall and peered through the window.
 

The doctor sat alone, dozing in a chair.
 

Tanner tried the door and found it unlocked. He quietly went inside. “Doc, it’s Tanner Blaine,” he said softly. “I need to talk to you.”
 

“Tanner? What are you doing in town?” The gray haired man’s face was etched with weariness. He staggered from the chair and pulled the curtains. “Son, don’t you know we’re in quarantine? If anybody found you here, you wouldn’t be allowed to leave.”

“I don’t intend to stay that long. I had to find out about Kate.”

The physician gave him an uneasy look. “She’s well, so far.”

“So far?” Tanner gripped his arms. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Today a man came down with the pox, someone I gave the vaccine to a few minutes before I injected Kate.”

A chill swept through Tanner’s veins. “I thought you said she was safe. She couldn’t get it.”
 

“I thought she couldn’t. Apparently something was wrong with the vaccine.”

“Then she could get sick, too.” An aching fear tightened his throat.

“She might. I’m not sure.” The doctor let out a weary sigh, then peered at him through red-rimmed eyes. He motioned Tanner into the kitchen and poured them each a cup of coffee.
 

Tanner took his to the table and sat down.

Dr. Thomas took the chair opposite him. Ordinarily fastidious, the medical man’s clothes were wrinkled and stained, making it apparent that it had been several days since he’d gone to bed. “How are the kids? Anybody feeling poorly?”

“No, they’re fine.” Tanner took off his hat and ran a hand through his snow-dusted hair.

“Tanner, you ought to know that Kate’s volunteered to nurse the sick, although nobody has taken her up on it yet.”

“You can’t let her do it.”

“She’s a grown woman. I’m very fond of Kate, too, and much as I’d like to stop her, I have no say in the matter.”

Tanner knew he wouldn’t either—if he gave her any choice. A muscle jumped in his clenched jaw. He downed the coffee then shoved the cup aside. “That tears it. I’m taking Kate out of here, Doc, and God help anybody that tries to stop me.”

“Do what you have to, Tanner. I, too, would feel better if Kathleen was away from here, at least until the disease has run its course.”

His mouth grim with determination, Tanner held out his hand. “Take care of yourself, Fred.”

“You, too, son,” the physician called softly after him before shutting the door.
 

Tanner waited in the shadows and checked the street. Except for the men stoking the fires, there wasn’t a soul in sight. Hoping it would stay that way, he crept from shadow to shadow until he reached Kate’s.
 

He peered through her window and saw her sitting by the stove. Raising a finger, he tapped on the glass.

Fluffy raised his head and growled.
 

“Don’t bark, dammit,” he whispered.
 

Kate came to the window and peeped out, then she hurried to open the door. “Tanner! What are you doing here?”

He stepped inside. “Gather your things, I’m taking you to the mountain.”

“You’re crazy. I can’t leave with you. The town’s in quarantine. Besides, what would people think?”

“They’d think you’ve got some sense.” He strode to her bed, stripped off a blanket and began throwing things inside.
 

“Stop it! I said I’m not going.”

Frowning, he glanced toward the window. “You keep up that racket and neither of us will be allowed to leave. The boys need me at home. I’m not going without you, so make up your mind which way it’s going to be.” He stood, waited.
 

She sighed in defeat. “You leave me no choice. What about Fluffy?”

“He can come, if he stays quiet.”

She stared at him a minute, then she nodded her head. “This is just temporary. As soon as the danger’s over, I’m coming straight back to town.”
 

“Fine. Get your stuff ready, and let’s get moving.” He waited for Kate to put on heavier clothes and boots, then she put night garments and a change of clothes into a carpetbag.
 

“Do you have any foodstuffs; flour, sugar...? The mercantile is closed, and under the circumstances...”

“Yes, I have both, along with a few other things we might need.” She stuffed carbolic acid and other medical supplies into her bag, then wrapped the foodstuffs in a navy blue blanket and tied the corners shut. “I’m ready.”

He extinguished the light, then led the way from the house. “What if somebody comes by and finds me missing?” she asked quietly. “Shouldn’t I tell someone I’m leaving?”

“Doc Thomas knows. Now be quiet and get a move on.” He motioned Kate to go ahead of him until she’d reached a grove of bushy cedars. Tanner followed close behind, using a fallen limb to brush the snow free of their tracks.
 

After that, he led the way, keeping to the shadows. Kate, the dog beside her, stayed close by his side.

When they neared the trailhead, he motioned her to silence.

Now two men were there, one standing beside a campfire, the other sitting, wrapped in a blanket. “Damn, it’s colder than a witch’s tit.” The man that had complained stomped his feet and held his hands out to the fire. “How long we gonna stay out here?”

“Nobody with any sense would be out on a night like this,” the other man said, drawing the blanket closer.

“Nobody with any sense would be trying to get into a town that’s quarantined.”

“What are we sitting out here for, then?” He struggled to his feet. “I’m for going home.”

“May as well die of the pox as pneumonia,” the other man agreed. He kicked some snow on the fire, then gathered up his rifle and the rest of his belongings. Muttering to each other, the men headed back into town.
 

Tanner let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “We wait a few more minutes, then we’ll go find the horse.”
 

When he was certain the men weren’t going to come back, he hurried Kate across the clearing and into the trees. The horse stood, tail to the wind, where he’d left him. “We’re in luck— with the snow falling like it is now, we won’t leave a trail.”

“That’s good,” Kate said, her teeth chattering.
 

He frowned. Although her cloak was wool, it wasn’t all that heavy. She’d be half frozen before they reached the crest of the hill. Then he remembered the slicker he carried behind the saddle. It would keep the wind and snow off and help the cloak retain her body heat. He removed it and made her put it on. “How’s that?”

“Much better. I’m warmer already.”

He unwrapped his own muffler and tied it over her head, then helped her onto the horse and tied her carpetbag and food bundle behind the saddle. “Guess we’re set.”

“What about you?” she asked. “Aren’t you going to ride?”

“I’ll walk. It will be quicker, and besides, I’m used to it.” He didn’t tell her that because of the snow, the horse couldn’t carry double. He glanced up, where a flurry of white swirled from the sky. He also didn’t tell her that the way it was coming down, they’d have to hurry or they wouldn’t be able to get through at all.

Knowing they dare not tarry, he led the horse back to the trail and called to the dog, who was scratching around beneath a pine tree. “Come on, Fluffy. Let’s go home.”

The huge beast bounded past him and trotted up the trail, effectively breaking the way for the horse.

“You might be good for something, after all,” Tanner said, watching the dog plow through the thick powder.
 

By the time they reached the summit, the storm had set in in earnest and, by the look of it, wouldn’t let up anytime soon. In the mountain meadow where his cabin sat, it would be even deeper. He wouldn’t be able to fell timber, not for a while at least. Aside from doing a few chores in the barn, he’d be housebound, a condition that he normally detested. This time he looked forward to it, because he’d have Kate to keep him company. He remembered the other night after the play when they’d been together in the buggy, and the kisses they’d shared before they’d been discovered. This time they wouldn’t be interrupted because it would be spring before anybody would be able to get up the mountain.

He envisioned long winter nights by the fire, with the boys asleep in their beds. Just him and Kate and the snow piling up around the house. Thinking of the possibilities, his blood grew hot, despite the freezing cold and snow. If it wasn’t for the timber contract, he wouldn’t care if it snowed until next June. From the way it was coming down, it might do just that.