Sherri Shackelford - A Temporary Family

Unable to contain her curiosity, Tilly returned to the dining room. The warped door hadn’t shut fully behind Nolan. Her pulse thumping, she pressed her ear near the opening. Nolan met the three riders in the center of the street. The strangers were dressed in rough canvas jackets with their hats pulled low over their eyes. Foam flecked the sides of their horses, indicating a grueling ride.

Tilly fisted a hand against the dread settling in her chest. She didn’t like the look of the men. An air of menace hung thickly over them. There was something off-putting about the way they carried themselves—a desperation in the bedraggled cut of their clothing and the ribs showing on the sides of their horses.

Nolan propped one hand on his gun belt. “Where are you headed?”

One of the men tipped back his hat with his index finger. “We’re on our way south.”

“You’re going in the right direction.”

The second man chuckled. “Is this the route for the Pioneer Stagecoach line?”

“Yep.”

The man crowded his roan horse nearer to Nolan. Unease skittered along Tilly’s spine.

Nolan tensed, and he hooked his fingers around the barrel of the gun. He glanced over his shoulder with a piercing stare, and she scooted out of sight. He’d obviously sensed her scrutiny. Once again she marveled at his intuition. At home, her father rarely paid her any mind. He always had his nose in a law book. He rarely looked up except to scold her for interrupting him, or to admonish her for not being more like Eleanor. In contrast, Nolan was always aware of her movements. Not in a cloying, overbearing manner—but a watchful, comforting sort of a way.

The first man reined his horse around. “When is the next stagecoach due?”

“Week from Thursday,” Nolan lied.

Tilly frowned at the falsehood.

“Why so little traffic?”

Nolan shrugged. “Why take the stagecoach when the riverboat is faster?”

“That’s an odd thing to say. I heard the riverboat sank. You know something I don’t know, stagecoach man?”

“This station is isolated. We don’t hear the news except for when folks pass through.”

“Then you won’t mind if we stick around for a while.”

Nolan drew himself taller. “There’s nothing here. You might as well keep going south.”

“You’re all alone?”

“Just me.”

The man rubbed one finger up and down the side of his bulbous nose. “No. I think this town will be perfect. Just perfect.”

Nolan glanced over his shoulder once more. His lips were set in a hard line. Tilly shivered. Something brushed against her arm, and she stifled a shriek.

“Gracious, Caroline, you frightened me.”

Caroline clasped her hands. “Elizabeth is gone.”

“What do you mean?” Tilly demanded. “Where could she go?”

“Victoria and I only turned our back for an instant, and she was gone. There’s a door leading to the next building. I didn’t even notice because we were watching for the raccoon.”

Tilly started back for the kitchen but Caroline pointed, her face pale. Tilly followed the direction of her niece’s horrified gaze.

Elizabeth had exited the barbershop next door, and was clumsily navigating her way down the boardwalk steps and into the street directly before the strangers.

Tilly’s heart jerked into her throat. “Stay here,” she ordered the girls.

Her blood pounding, she pushed through the door and dashed after Elizabeth. Nolan spun around. She reached the errant toddler and caught Elizabeth beneath the arms.

“No-wan,” the toddler declared, reaching for Mr. West.

“You lied to me,” the outlaw declared. “I don’t like liars.”

In an instant the scene descended into a chaotic scuffle. The second man kicked Nolan square in the chest. Nolan doubled over with a groan. The third men leaped from his horse and wrapped Nolan’s hand behind his back. He struggled and the third man joined the effort to subdue him. The outlaw snatched the stagecoach man’s gun and tossed the weapon to his companion.

The leader remained mounted. He edged his horse closer, then drew his sidearm and pressed the barrel against Nolan’s head.

“You said you were alone here, mister. I don’t like when folks lie to me.”

The second man moved his horse between Tilly and Nolan. She clutched Elizabeth and scooted away. The third man blocked her exit. Frightened by the commotion, tears welled in Elizabeth’s eyes.

“Mama,” the toddler sobbed.

The mounted outlaw yanked on Tilly’s hair, tipping back her head in a painful stretch. “You should have told me you had a wife, mister.”

Chapter Four

A fierce haze clouded Nolan’s vision. The pain in his chest sucked the breath from his lungs. With a burst of strength he broke free from the outlaw twisting his arm. At the same time, the third man released Tilly. She launched herself toward Nolan. With Elizabeth clutched between them, she threw one arm around his waist and buried her head against his shoulder.

He stiffened in surprise but didn’t pull away. The toddler’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. He transferred Elizabeth into his arms and wrapped his free hand around Tilly.

“What do you want?” Nolan demanded, fearing he already knew the answer. “There’s nothing for you here.”

Tilly trembled and worked her hand between them, clutching her throat. Elizabeth hiccupped a sob.

“I’m Dakota Red.” The red-haired leader grinned. “This fellow is my brother, Charlie, and Snyder here is a friend we busted out of jail.”

Tilly gasped.

Though the brothers were similar in appearance, Charlie was at least a head shorter with small, sunken eyes and shaggy blond hair visible beneath his hat. Snyder was the largest of the bunch, a mountain of a man with a long, dark beard and heavy eyebrows. From the looks of the third man, Nolan guessed the brothers had busted Snyder out of jail for his brawn and not his brains.

Nolan slid his arm down Tilly’s back and drew her closer. “I told you, there’s nothing for you folks here.”

“Not yet. But there will be.” A scuffle sounded from the hotel and Dakota Red sighted his gun on the building. “Who’s there?”

Tilly wrenched from Nolan’s protective grasp.

Her eyes wide and frightened, she frantically splayed her arms. “They’re children. Don’t shoot.”

Nolan moved before her, but there was no way for him to shield both her and Elizabeth from the outlaw.

“You heard her.” Impotent fury settled in his chest. “Drop your weapon before you harm a child,” Nolan said.

The outlaw’s stance slackened, and the tip of his gun lowered.

His mocking laughter erupted in the strained silence. “How many young’uns you got, feller?”

“There’s just my wife and our three nieces,” Nolan answered quickly, his mind racing. They were outnumbered and outgunned. The safety of Tilly and her nieces mattered most. He grasped for any advantage he could exploit against the men.

“Where’s their pa?” The outlaw narrowed his gaze. “And don’t lie, or I’ll know.”

“Dead,” Nolan replied shortly.

Dakota Red didn’t ask about the mother. The outlaw must have assumed she was dead or he didn’t care. Another piece of information Nolan tucked away for future reference. The man clearly didn’t see women as a threat.

“Charlie.” Dakota Red motioned for his brother. “This place will work just fine.”

A muscle twitched in Charlie’s cheek. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Tilly’s hair had come loose from the coil at the nape of her neck, and the tangled mass tumbled around her shoulders. A break in the clouds sent a shaft of sunlight glinting off the silken strands. As though drawn by an invisible force, Charlie sidled nearer. He caught a handful in his gloved hand and brought the strands toward his face. Inhaling deeply, his eyes glittered dangerously.