Healing the Hooligan (Cowboys and Angels Book 18) Read online

  She’d gotten to know a few of the girls. She liked Celeste and had been over a few times to help out. Some of their stories weren’t that different from hers and Kara’s, the stand out being that they’d had some money when their father had died. If he hadn’t shown Kara that hiding place, she wasn’t sure where either of them would be right now. If they’d stayed in New York, who knew what Pete would have done with them, but they wouldn’t have had the money to get on the train West. They’d have been completely at his mercy.

  “Excuse me.”

  Nessa’s train of thought was interrupted by a soft voice at her window. A young girl with light brown hair and dark eyes was looking at her through the bars. She wasn’t familiar, so Nessa sat up a bit straighter. “Yes, I’m sorry. How can I help you?”

  “I’d like to open an account.”

  Nessa smiled. “But of course. I’ll just need a bit of information.”

  The girl nodded. Nessa tried to place her. She had a trustworthy face. One that could blend into a crowd and yet was pretty and got prettier the longer you looked at her. She got out her ledger and started to fill in the necessary information. “Name?”

  “Rachel Denton.”

  Nessa knew she’d never heard of Rachel Denton before, but the name did nag at something in the back of her head.

  “Do you reside in Creede?”

  The girl shook her head. “Not really. We’re more between Creede and Topaz. Is that a problem?”

  Nessa looked up. The girl’s eyes were wide. She looked terrified. Like a critter that knew it was about to become a meal. Nessa shook her head. “Not at all, dear. Mr. Cromwell just likes to be able to know where to find folks should the need arise.”

  Rachel nodded and seemed to relax as they went through the rest of the questions. She gave Nessa a small sum to start the account. “I’ll be having more soon. I’ve found a position with Doctor JT.”

  This was news to Nessa. News often ignited the former-debutante gossip in her. Her chest got warm, and she started to squirm in her seat. “I didn’t realize he was looking for help.”

  Rachel smiled. She really looked innocent and young. “He wasn’t really. He’s been caring for my father. Checking in on us and whatnot, like neighbors and doctors do. He saw that I have some medical aptitude, and when he suddenly found himself in need of help more often than Hannah can come to Creede, he asked me if I was willing. It’s very exciting!”

  “But I thought Nora was working with him at the clinic.”

  Rachel shrugged. “Nora is wonderful, and the children are so fun. She does work with him, but I think it’s becoming too much. The children are more demanding, and she’s been tired.”

  Nessa stared at the girl, listening to every word. She had a feeling Nora’s experience wrangling young ones was about to get deeper. “How old are you, Rachel?”

  The girl brightened. “I just turned twenty two days ago.”

  Nessa smiled. “Happy Birthday.” She was older than she’d thought. Nessa couldn’t help but see a little of herself in the girl. She realized that maybe it wasn’t youth she was seeing in her, but lack of life experience. “Have we met before?”

  Rachel shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ve been home a lot, and we haven’t lived here long.”

  “You should come to the house on the hill for dinner. I’d love to have you meet my sister. We’re always looking for new friends.”

  Rachel’s smile widened. “Now that Pa is back working, it would be lovely to make some friends.”

  “It’s settled then. How about tomorrow you come around for supper?”

  Rachel nodded.

  “We’re the big white house on the hill just as you leave Creede headed into Bachelor. You can see it from the main cart path.”

  Rachel nodded. “Thank you…” She trailed off while looking at Nessa expectantly.

  “Oh! I’m terribly sorry.” She stuck her hand through the iron bars. “Nessa Dobbs. It’s great to meet you, Rachel.”

  “Likewise.” The girl took her hand and shook it softly before dropping it, turning, and leaving the bank. Nessa couldn’t help but hope that she’d done the right thing. She had barely asked the poor girl much about herself. Hopefully she wasn’t tied to any of the drifters in town. She had mentioned her father but nothing about her mother. She sighed and picked up her story. Either way, they’d find out tomorrow at supper.

  Dutch arrived at the shack and exhaled in relief as Ab came stumbling out. “Where have you been?” he asked as he swung himself off his horse.

  “Things are getting complicated.” Ab looked around, checking out the miners, making sure no one was too close. He leaned forward. “We’ll have to talk about it later.”

  Dutch nodded. Some things were best left until the opportune moment. Holden’s words rang in his ear. “They’re watching.”

  “Let’s make our rounds, then?”

  Ab didn’t look like himself. He was jumpy, and his eyes were darting back and forth. It was making Dutch uneasy. He nodded, and the two of them set off out of the shack and up the hill to the entrance of the mine.

  Holden’s words never far from Dutch’s thoughts as they neared the mine, he made a split-second decision. He found the foreman at the entrance, told him to gather all his men and get them back to their homes or other pursuits for the day. Ab was so preoccupied that he didn’t even balk at giving more than half the staff the day off. Dutch shook his head as he watched Ab looking for things that didn’t seem to be there.

  They sat and watched as the miners filed out of the mouth in the hillside. Dutch was surprised by just how many of them there were and how the foreman stayed until he’d counted each and every one of them. He waved farewell and marched after his men down the hill. The moment they were out of earshot, Dutch stood. “What happened? Where have you been?”

  Ab’s eyes finally found some focus. They narrowed in on Dutch. “Things didn’t go as planned in Durango.” He shook his head. “Archie gettin’ run over was something most folks, including me, wanted, but now that he’s not here the chaos he was controlling has unraveled.”

  Dutch had noticed. The whole town had. He nodded.

  “I’d been sent to Durango for a meet. Simple. But this wasn’t. It didn’t happen as planned. The Condon Bros. aren’t stepping back, and we’ve not been able to make any headway at getting them to back off.”

  Dutch knew it was important to keep those fellows in Durango. The men that Ab worked for, the ones that he’d come to Creede to secure a relationship with for Pistol Pete, they were mean and they had goals. The Condon Brothers couldn’t be allowed to interfere. “So we send a message. One that isn’t easily forgotten.”

  Ab stood and started to pace. He shook his head a lot, making Dutch’s own head spin with the confusion of it. “We’ve tried.” He looked Dutch square in the face. The man was haunted. Dutch had seen it before. His cheeks were hollowing out, and the whites of his eyes were starting to gray. Something had happened on that trip.

  Dutch went to Ab and grabbed him by both his arms. “What happened in Durango?” Ab’s eyes got wide, and he started to open his mouth. Dutch eagerly waited for the man to tell him what horror he’d experienced that had caused him to be so sunken, but he never heard the words because next thing he knew his ears were ringing and he was flying through the air. He was thrown back against a tree, the wind crushed from his lungs. He gasped for breath as another blast went off, this one closer and more powerful. Three dark shadows came from behind a tall formation of rocks. Dutch could just see them out of the corner of his eyes as shock began to register, but he hadn’t caught his breath and the world faded out.

  Chapter Three

  His head was filled with softness. It muffled the sounds. All but the ringing. He could tell people were around him, but even the brightness of the light against his eyelids hurt. He was afraid to open them fully. Instead he listened.

  “Has Marshal Wheeler or anyone else figured out what happened?�
�

  “Not that I’m aware of. Hannah will be here soon. She might know more.”

  “Thank you, Rachel.”

  Dutch wasn’t sure where he was. He didn’t know anyone named Rachel, and he didn’t recognize the man’s voice. He was a bit assured he hadn’t fallen into the wrong hands because the Marshal had been mentioned. Wait, he knew this…Hannah. Hannah was married to the Marshal and she worked with Doc. That’s where he must be.

  He wondered what was wrong with him, what had led him to be there. He tried to move his limbs, but they were heavy, too heavy to lift or even think of lifting. Fear rushed through him, taking all the energy he had with it. He drifted back off.

  Rachel rushed around the clinic. The Marshal had just brought in two men. One of which she knew. Her heart skipped in her chest as she recognized him as the man who’d saved her a few nights back. She’d been terrified. Huddled against the wall behind the mercantile, praying that someone, anyone would come by. She knew what type of men they were that had her trapped back there. She was young and she’d been sheltered, but she wasn’t that naïve. She’d known what was going to happen to her, and even thinking about it made her stomach flip and bile rise up in her throat.

  She stared down at him. His eyes were closed and he looked peaceful, as long as she didn’t look past his eyes. His forehead was coated in dried blood. “Can you clean him up? I need to see what his true injuries are.”

  Rachel nodded in response as she hustled to the stove, where she took the pot of water they always had warming and brought it to the bedside of the man. She wished she knew his name. The Marshal was standing in the doorway, watching them all very carefully. She dipped a cloth in the warm water before lifting it and wringing it in her hands. She brought it to the patient’s face and started to wash away the sticky blood.

  “I need to know the moment one or both of them wakes up.”

  Rachel listened but didn’t look up. She’d learned a long time ago that you learn a lot more when people think you’re not listening.

  “I’ll send Willie into town to fetch you. He’s just returned from school for the day.” JT’s voice full of concern.

  There was a heavy pause in the air. Rachel closed her eyes as she rewet the cloth. She didn’t want him to say the words they’d all been thinking. Silently she prayed he wouldn’t. That they could just leave the idea out there floating with nothing concrete to hang onto because if they did then it couldn’t take root and grow.

  She heard JT get up and shuffle around. He must have walked closer to the Marshal. His voice was low, almost like he didn’t want the men to hear him. “I have to tell you that might not happen though.”

  “What might not?”

  “Them…waking up.” Another long pause. “I’m not sure of the extent of their injuries as of yet, but I can tell you that they’d already been unconscious for quite some time by the looks of it. Plus, they traveled here and neither woke from that journey down the hill. Look, all I’m saying is I would look for other clues to help you also.”

  Rachel continued her ministrations. She’d wet the cloth and wipe the blood, then repeat the action. She’d repeated it so often that as she dipped her hands into the water again it was cool, and when she looked it was a deep red.

  “We’ve got a few things but not much. It would be really helpful if we could talk to them.” The Marshal didn’t say anything else, and Doc didn’t respond. Rachel heard him headed her way. She turned towards him. “It looks like most of the damage is on the top of his head.” She showed JT where she’d found a large gash in the patient’s hair. JT nodded. “Doesn’t look as if it needs stitching.” Rachel stood by watching as he examined the rest of the man. He lifted each leg and arm, feeling for breaks. Doc walked her through each step, telling her what he was doing and what he was looking for. She’d been learning a lot from him. He was a great teacher. Finally he stopped and looked up at her. “When you’re done getting him cleaned up, come over to the other one here, and I’ll show you how to splint an arm. He wasn’t as lucky as his friend here.”

  Rachel nodded, worry creeping back into her mind. “Doc?” she asked as he was walking away.

  He turned back toward her. “Yes?”

  “Will they wake up?”

  The look on his face told her all she needed to know. His eyes got heavy and his mouth, though it didn’t turn down into a frown but went limp from lack of confidence. He shook his head. “I’m not sure.” He paused. It was another one of those heavy meaningful pauses. “But if they do, I think they’ll be alright. Let’s hope they were just knocked out from the blast. It’s known to happen, and from what the Marshal said, they weren’t right next to the site, so that’s hopeful.”

  Rachel wanted to believe that they’d both wake. She had to have the chance to thank the man that lay before her. He’d saved her from certain pain and suffering that night and maybe even many more after that. Lord knew what those men had planned for her.

  Nessa was still angry with Kara when she arrived home but not enough so that when Kara flew from the front door yelling for her she didn’t have to push down the anger to see that Kara was in a panic.

  “I’ve been waiting here for you. Aedan’s already gone into town. Come on, we’ve got to go now.”

  Nessa stayed rooted to the spot she was standing in. Kara was rambling gibberish. “I’ve just gotten home. I don’t feel like riding anymore. What’s wrong? Is Aedan well?”

  Kara nodded furiously. “It’s not Aedan. Marshal rode through from sending a telegram, wanted you to know.” Her eyes were full of tears, and her face was turning pink. But Nessa was the one having trouble breathing. If he’d just come from the telegraph office, had someone found them? Had something happened to Lillian or… Henry? When she thought his name, her heart plummeted. She took slow breaths, waiting for Kara to finish.

  “It’s Dutch. He’s been hurt in an explosion.” She pulled Nessa in for a hug of reassurance and concern, even as relief washed over Nessa. She pushed her sister away as shame replaced the relief, and she turned back toward the barn. No matter how she felt about anything, Dutch had been there for her. He was a dear friend, and she cared about him. Just not the way her sister thought she did.

  Nessa helped her sister saddle a horse and re-saddled her own before they climbed on their backs and took off out of the meadow. The sun was beginning to set. Nessa was thankful they didn’t have far to ride to get to the doc’s clinic. They were quiet most of the ride, but it was making Nessa uncomfortable. “Kara…we’ve got a new friend coming for supper tomorrow night. I hope that’s not too much trouble.”

  Kara smiled softly. Nessa had a feeling her sister would have given her anything she wanted in that moment. Just like she had when they were younger. Nessa was always manipulating her sister and their father into doing or giving her whatever it was she wanted at the time. Lillian had been the only one that ever put her on notice and told her no. She smiled remembering Lillian and her sternness. She never thought that Kara and Nessa not having a mother was an excuse for them to be spoiled. Their father had thought differently.

  “I’m happy to have friends for dinner. Is it anyone I know?”

  Nessa shook her head. “I’ve only just met her today. She came into the bank and opened an account. Said she’ll be working for JT.” She stopped as Kara’s face changed. Then it all registered. They were on their way there now. “Come to think of it, maybe you’ll not have to wait until tomorrow to meet her.”

  Kara nodded, though her face was still sullen. “Either way, I’m happy to have new company to chat with.”

  Nessa returned her smile, though only partly. She was worried about Dutch, and it seemed to be getting worse the closer they got to the clinic. She cared for him. He was the man her father had chosen to be her husband, and her sister was still pushing her to marry. They’d often been seen around town together, and even though neither of them had meant for it to, it seemed that others in the town were thinking the same
as Kara, that it was only a matter of time before they asked one of the preachers in town to perform the ceremony.

  Nessa shook her head as the cabin came into view. There were men outside working on the expansion, and after hitching their horses and offering them each a nod of hello, the girls rushed through the door. Aedan was waiting just inside for them. He stood and caught them both. “He hasn’t woken up yet. Neither of them have, but Doc says other than that, he’s not broken anything or in need of stitching.”

  “What happened? Kara said something about an explosion.”

  Aedan nodded just as the doctor came around the corner, a girl with her head down trailing behind him. She was distracted, rubbing something into her hands. Nessa immediately recognized the dress. “Rachel?”

  The girl looked up. “Nessa?” She looked around at the others, first examining Kara and then Aedan as he’d wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “What are you doing here?”

  Nessa wasn’t sure how to answer. She didn’t know if Rachel knew Dutch or the reputation he had around town. She didn’t want to scare her off from not coming to dinner or anything. Most of the folks in Creede had realized that, though Dutch wasn’t a completely straight shooter, he wasn’t to be feared either. He was kind and respectful and helped folks out. He wasn’t a thief or a vagrant, just a bit of a hooligan. She smiled softly but didn’t answer as JT went straight to her. “I’m so sorry, Nessa. We’re watching him closely. I’m hoping he’ll wake soon.”

  “Do we know what happened?”

  JT shook his head. “Not really. Marshal said they know a little, but he’s really hoping both Dutch and Wade wake up soon.”

  “Wade?”