The Mavericks (5 page)

But looking at Josie as she glared at him across the fire made him wonder if she would ever be able to keep any job for long. She seemed so angry, so determined to attack anyone who disagreed with her, that he was sure she'd either be fired or walk out after a few months. Even beauty like hers could compensate only so long for a cantankerous personality.

“I'm sure you'll manage without our help,” Zeke said. He bent down and picked up the pot Anna had used to cook the stew. “Since you cooked, we'll clean up. Give Hawk your bowls.”

Three women readily accepted his offer. Only Josie seemed reluctant, but she handed Hawk her bowl after a brief hesitation.

Zeke was relieved to walk away from the camp. He could feel the tension ease a little bit with each step he took into the darkness. By the time he and Hawk reached the riverbed, the camp was only a red glow in the distance. Zeke squatted down and began to scour the inside of the pot with sand. “I don't know what's bothering Josie, but I'm surprised the men didn't run her out of town without waiting for the women.”

“Some man has given her a rough time.”

“Hell, some man has given every woman a rough time, but it hasn't turned all of them into man haters.”

“You shouldn't judge her until you know what happened,” Hawk said. “It could be that—”

Hawk broke off at the unmistakable sound of a horse approaching. Both men dropped their work, drew their guns, and headed back to the camp on silent feet.

Josie hated to admit it even to herself, but the moment she heard the horse approach, she looked toward the river to see if Zeke was returning. She could even feel his name rising in her throat before she forced it back down. She wasn't going to depend on any man to protect her. “I think we ought to get out of sight,” she said.

“I'm not sure I can move.” Laurie grimaced as she tried to sit up.

Josie saw Anna's eyes dart fearfully to the campfire. “Whoever it is will see our fire,” Anna said. “I think we ought to call Zeke and Hawk.”

“We can take care of ourselves.” Josie had retrieved her rifle from where she'd propped it against the wagon. She turned, pointing it in the direction of the sounds that were coming closer all the time.

“Suppose it's a bunch of men come to carry us off?” Anna said.

“It's just one.” Suzette's features had turned hard. “But I can only guess his purpose.”

“Move away from the campfire.”

Zeke's voice came from the shadows. It made Josie angry to realize she felt better just knowing he was there.

“If you need help, just say so,” Zeke said when Laurie was slow to get to her feet.

“I'd be obliged,” Laurie said.

Materializing out of the dark like a shadow, Zeke picked Laurie up and lowered her into the wagon, then pulled Anna behind it. “Nobody comes out until I say so.”

“Where's Hawk?” Suzette asked.

“Guarding the horses. Until we know who's out there, we don't know what he's after.”

Suzette had retreated into the deep shadows, but Josie hadn't budged.

“Don't stand there,” Zeke hissed. “Move.”

“I'm not afraid of any man,” Josie said. “I've got my rifle. I'll—”

Zeke didn't wait for her to finish her sentence. Nor did he try to persuade her to change her mind. He simply walked up behind her, clamped one hand over her mouth and the other around her waist, picked her up, carried her to where Suzette stood, and set her down.

“If you want to risk getting yourself killed, do it when you won't endanger other people,” Zeke snapped.

“If you ever do anything like that again, I'll shoot you.” Josie's body shook with such fury, she could hardly form the words. “I don't need you to—”

“Look,” Zeke said, interrupting her. “I won't tell you
what to do when you sing and dance in a saloon, and you don't tell me what to do out on a trail. I was guarding cattle from rustlers before you were born.”

“That doesn't make you—”

“It sure as hell does. Now be quiet. No point in telling whoever is out there that you'd rather shoot me than him.”

“I
know
you. I don't know him.”

“You don't know me, either.”

Josie choked back a sharp response. Just because Zeke was a man didn't mean she knew him. She'd have been incensed if he'd said he knew her simply because she was a woman. Besides, she wasn't sure she knew just how she felt about him. Despite being so mad at Zeke she wanted to bang her rifle stock against his hard head, she could still feel his hands on her waist, still feel the lingering sensation of his hard muscles against the length of her body. Rather than feel distaste or repugnance, her skin had come alive with almost painful sensitivity. How could this man do that to her when she didn't even like him?

“What are you going to do?” Laurie asked Zeke in a small, frightened voice.

“I won't know until I see who's coming and find out what he wants.”

“He can't be friendly, can he? I mean, he wouldn't be riding about in the dark if he was.”

“Sure he might,” Zeke replied. “He could be hungry and looking for a meal. He could be lonely and looking for a little company for the night. He's not trying to hide. He's riding straight in and letting his horse make plenty of noise.”

Josie had seen too many men who on first appearance
seemed to be friendly. Later, when they saw something they wanted, their attitude changed. If this stranger wanted company, he could bed down with Zeke and Hawk.

Moonlight cast the rider into silhouette. He was alone, riding with one hand on the reins and the other held up to show he wasn't holding a weapon.

“Hold up,” Zeke called. “What's your name and what do you want?”

“My name's Ben Norman.” He spoke from where he'd pulled up about twenty feet from the campfire. “I'm looking for a woman named Anna. She used to sing at the Golden Slipper in Globe.”

“What do you want with her?” Zeke asked.

“That's my business. She was traveling with three other women. If you haven't seen them, I'll be on my way.”

“If I do see her, what message should I give her?” Zeke asked.

“Just tell her Ben Norman's looking for her. She left Globe before I could tell her something important.”

“Ben, I'm here,” Anna said, her voice choked with excitement as she moved from behind the wagon.

“What are you doing here with that man?” Ben asked as he walked his horse closer to the campfire.

Ben's tone was sharp and accusing, probably because he could see only Anna and Zeke. Josie stepped from behind the wagon.

“We're all here,” she said to Ben. “This man and his friend stopped to help us fix a wagon wheel that came off.”

Ben's gaze returned to Anna. “Why did you leave? I told you I was coming back as soon as I could.”

“Some ladies got us fired because they thought we were undermining their husbands' morals. What good would your coming back do? You couldn't make them change their minds.”

Ben dismounted, ground hitched his horse, and started toward Anna, a warm smile on his face. “I don't care about those women. I only care about you. I want to marry you.”

Josie's surprise was nothing compared to Anna's. Her mouth fell open. She turned white, then red. Zeke reached out to steady her before Ben took his place.

“Are you sure?” Anna asked. She gazed into Ben's eyes as if she hoped to find the answer to her question written there.

“Of course I'm sure,” Ben said, a touch of impatience in his voice. “I'd be a fool to sell my claim if I wasn't.”

“You sold your claim?” Anna asked in disbelief.

“Yep. Got a real good price for it, too.”

“But you've been working that claim practically night and day for a year.”

“Hell, it's just a claim. I was only working like a fool so I could get the money to buy a ranch like I always wanted, like we talked about.”

Anna gazed up into Ben's eyes with what Josie thought was a mooncalf look. She was disgusted to see her friend so ready to throw herself into the arms of a man, ready to blindly entrust her future to him.

“I thought you were just making up stories like everybody else,” Anna said.

“I sorta was until I met you.” Ben looked almost as lovesick as Anna. “Then everything started to make sense.”

A whimper caused Josie to turn around. Laurie was
leaning against the wagon, staring at Anna and Ben, tears running down her face. “They're perfect for each other,” she whispered.

Josie wasn't sure there was any such thing as a man who was perfect for a woman, but she tried to be pleased for Anna. They'd all done their best to keep her from falling in love with Ben—falling for a miner was just about the most stupid thing a woman could do—but they hadn't been able to stop her. Anna had tried to hide it, but they all knew she cried most of the night before they left Globe. From the looks of things, she was about to start crying again.

“You know this man?” Zeke asked Josie.

“He was a regular at the saloon. I knew he liked Anna, but I never thought he'd want to marry her.”

“Why not? She's pretty, and she can cook.”

“Just like a man! Concerned only with his physical needs.”

“No. I just haven't had time to learn much else about her except that she seems nice, easy to get along with, and not prone to falling into hysterical fits. That's important. Men hate hysterical women, because we never know what's wrong with them or how to fix it.”

“Since it's nearly always a man who is the cause of the hysterics, you might begin by getting as far away as possible.”

“Now, when did you ever know a woman who was that easy to figure out?”

Josie wished the moon was full and bright. She had the feeling the expression on Zeke's face would tell her something very important, but she couldn't see anything in the shadows.

“Will you marry me?” Ben was holding Anna's hands in his, pressing them against his chest.

“You know I will.”

“Do you want a wedding?”

“No. There's nobody except Suzette, Josie, and Laurie I'd want to come.”

“They can come back with us.”

Josie was sure Ben didn't care whether they took part in Anna's marriage or not. “You two go back alone,” she said. “If we come, it'll just cause trouble.”

“But I want to share my happiness with you,” Anna protested.

“We can share it tonight.” Suzette emerged from the dark to walk over and embrace Anna. “You can't leave until morning, so we've got all night.”

With Josie's help, Laurie joined Suzette and Anna. In a moment Ben found himself closed out of the circle of women.

Zeke crossed over to Ben. “You might as well come sit with me. There's something about weddings that makes women close out the man who's making it all possible.”

Ben didn't look at all happy about spending time with a black man he'd never seen before instead of the woman he'd trailed fifty miles.

“Don't worry. It only lasts until the marriage vows are said. After that, she'll be impatient to be alone with you.”

“You been married before?” Ben asked.

“No, but there've been a lot of weddings in my family.”

Ben continued to stare at Anna, who seemed completely
absorbed in sharing her happiness with her friends. Occasionally she'd glance up at Ben, cast him a broad smile, then turn her attention back to her friends. Zeke thought this closing of the circle around the prospective bride was akin to a primitive rite. Maybe it was some sort of mysterious channeling that changed her from a girl into a woman. Whatever it was, it was clear that men had no part in it.

“Do you have any liquor in your saddlebags?” Zeke asked.

“One bottle. Why?” Ben asked.

“You might as well break it out. It's going to be a long night. Come on. I need to tell my partner you're not trying to steal our horses. If you're gone for a while, maybe Anna will start to miss you.”

Ben left to get the liquor, and Zeke turned back to the women. They were standing in a circle, their arms entwined, their heads inclined toward the center. Occasionally a laugh rose above the soft murmuring of voices. Moonlight reflecting on Anna's hair caused it to stand out in marked contrast to the others. It was almost as though the cosmos was proclaiming that she was the woman of the moment, that the whole world should stop and take note of her happiness.

“Sounds like you've found a good spot and have a good plan,” Zeke said after they'd listened to Ben's enthusiastic description of his new ranch. “With a little luck, you ought to do quite well.”

“I know finding silver was a stroke of luck,” Ben said, “a one-time thing. I don't mean to waste it.”

The three men were sitting in a small clearing that enabled them to
keep an eye on the horses and still keep the women's campsite in view. About half of the bottle was gone, thanks mainly to Ben. Zeke drank little, Hawk none. Zeke had encouraged Ben to tell them about his plans for his ranch. Zeke and Hawk offered a few suggestions, but mostly they let Ben talk to take his mind off the fact that he'd effectively been banished from the company of the woman he loved. It wasn't much of a bachelor party, but it was the best they could do.

“I think I'd better turn in,” Ben said. He wasn't drunk, but his speech was beginning to be a little slurred. Fifty miles, plus the distance he had to travel from his ranch to town, was a long ride to make in one day.

“Bring your horse over here. You can bed down with us,” Zeke said.

“I thought I'd bed down next to Anna.”

“You can try if you want.” Zeke couldn't keep a hint of amusement from his voice.

Ben got to his feet. His muscles had stiffened from sitting so long, and he stumbled before regaining his balance. “She's going to be my wife. She ought to want me to sleep next to her.”