Elizabeth Lane - The Lawman's Vow

Flynn was a strong swimmer. If the storm hadn’t carried him too far out, he might have a chance of getting to shore. But in the howling blackness, he had no idea which way to go. He could just as easily swim out to sea and drown. Until he could see land, he’d be better off staying with the boat. But as a precaution, he unbuckled his gun belt from around his hips and stowed the .36 Navy Colt in the bow compartment with his store of powder, caps and balls. If he ended up in the water, the added weight could be enough to drag him down.

Sea spray battered his face, the taste of it as salty as the tears he’d devote himself to shedding for Catriona once her killer was brought to justice. His sister had been young and beautiful, eager to laugh, too quick to love and far too young to die. But he couldn’t allow himself to mourn her until he’d avenged her murder.

A blinding flash interrupted his thoughts. Stunned by the ear-splitting boom of thunder, Flynn could only be half sure of what he’d glimpsed yards ahead. It had looked like a sheer cliff, towering above rocks that jutted out of the water. Now, high in the darkness, he could make out the faintest flicker of light.

That light was the last thing he saw before the boat shattered against a rock, flinging him over the side. Something struck his head, and the world imploded into darkness.

“I can’t sleep, Sylvie. I’m scared.” The boy stood trembling in the lamplight. Dressed in a ragged flannel nightshirt, he was small for his age. His long-lashed eyes, the color of new copper pennies, were filled with anxiety that went straight to Sylvie Cragun’s heart.

“Come here, Daniel. I’ll rock you awhile.” Sylvie put down the novel she was reading and gathered her six-year-old half brother onto her lap. He snuggled against her shoulder, his black hair and tawny skin a rich contrast to her porcelain fairness.

Outside, though the storm battered the quaint cabin they called home, Sylvie had no worries for their safety. Their father had fashioned the outer walls and roof from the inverted hull of a wrecked schooner he’d sawed into sections and windlassed up the cliff. It was sound enough to hold up under any deluge. But the wind was ferocious tonight. It howled like a chorus of harpies, shrieking among the ancient pines that sheltered the clearing. Lightning flashed through the porthole windows. Rain beat against glass that was thick enough to withstand an ocean tempest. She couldn’t blame the boy for being frightened.

Daniel stirred on Sylvie’s lap. “Papa’s been gone a long time. When’s he coming home?”

“He’ll be here as soon as he can.” Sylvie’s arms tightened around her little brother. She was worried, too. Their father had left two weeks ago with a wagonload of salvage to sell in San Francisco. It wasn’t like him to be gone so long. She could only hope he wasn’t caught somewhere on the road in this awful storm.

“Will you tell me a story, Sylvie?”

Her breath teased his hair. “What kind of story?”

He mulled over his answer for a moment. “A story about a prince. I like your prince stories.”

“All right, let’s see…” Sylvie enjoyed telling stories almost as much as Daniel enjoyed hearing them. She usually made them up as she went along, spinning out whatever came to mind. Sometimes her stories surprised even her.

“Once upon a time there was a prince,” she began. “A prince who lived at the bottom of the sea.”

“How could he breathe?”

“He just could. It was magic.”

“Oh.” Daniel snuggled closer. Sylvia rocked the chair gently, her voice soft and low.

“This prince was the son of the great sea king. They lived in a palace with gold and jewels and all sorts of treasure. It was a beautiful place. But there was just one thing the prince wanted—and it was the one thing he couldn’t have.”

“What was that?” Daniel asked.

“He wanted to walk on land. He wanted to see mountains and rivers, birds and animals and everything that was there. But the prince couldn’t walk. Instead of legs, he had a tail like a fish. He could only swim, so he had to stay in the water.

“One night, while the prince was swimming, a storm blew in. A huge wave picked him up and swept him right onto the beach. When he opened his eyes, he was lying on the sand. Where his tail had been, he had two fine, strong legs. The prince was delighted. He stood up, took a few practice steps and set out to explore the land.”

“But he wouldn’t have any clothes on,” Daniel muttered drowsily.

“Oh, dear, you’re right!” Sylvie exclaimed. “Maybe he could make some out of seaweed. Or just say a magic word, and the clothes would be there. What do you think?”

But there was no answer from Daniel. He had fallen asleep.

Brushing a kiss onto his forehead, she lifted him in her arms and carried him to bed. She’d been a girl of thirteen when her father’s second wife, a sweet-faced Mexican woman, had died in childbirth. Sylvie had taken the tiny black-haired baby and kept him alive on goat’s milk. Now, after six years, she couldn’t imagine a real mother loving her child any more than she loved Daniel.

With a sigh, she settled back into the rocking chair and picked up her book. Her father usually brought her a used book or two each time he returned from San Francisco. By now, the books filled several shelves on the far wall. Tonight she was reading Moby Dick , a weighty novel about hunting whales. The book was filled with enthralling description, but Sylvie wasn’t sure she liked it. She had glimpsed whales from the top of the cliff. For all their great size, they’d seemed as peaceful as grazing cows, nothing like the monsters in Herman Melville’s book. And the story was all about men! The only women in it were the ones who stood on the dock with mournful faces, watching their menfolk sail away.

It wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t women travel the earth and have adventures, too?

Sometimes when Sylvie gazed into the ribbed ceiling of their ship-turned-house, she wondered where it had journeyed before the sea cast it into the cove below the cliff. Had it beat the battering waves around Cape Horn? Sailed into Canton for a cargo of tea? Brought fortune seekers to the California gold fields?

Through the pages of her books, Sylvie had traveled the world. Paris, New York, Cairo, Zanzibar, Bombay…The names sang like music in her head. She could almost imagine herself strolling the bazaars, fingering silks, sampling exotic foods, wandering through ancient palaces. But she knew it was only a dream. Even if she had the money to travel, how could she ever leave Daniel or take the boy away from his father?

Even a visit to San Francisco would ease her wanderlust, she thought. She remembered the place dimly from her childhood, but she hadn’t been there since before Daniel’s birth. Judging from the occasional newspaper she saw, the sprawling settlement had grown into a vast wonderland of mansions, docks, businesses, fine restaurants and theaters. She yearned to see it for herself. But her father refused to take her and Daniel along on his trips. “San Francisco’s a wicked place,” he was fond of saying. “There’s danger around every corner and sights not fit for a young girl’s eyes. Better you stay safe at home.”

Restless, Sylvie laid her book aside, rose and walked to the door. Sliding back the bolt she stepped out onto the porch. Wind lashed her flannel wrapper. Rain streamed off the low eave. From far below, at the foot of the cliff, surf thundered against the rocks.

Heaven help anyone who had to be out on a night like this.

Shivering, she moved back inside, barred the door and prepared to go to bed. Maybe tomorrow their father would be home. They would hear the creak of wheels on the bluff road, the jingle of harness and the wheezing bray of the tired old mule. If the trip had been a good one, their father would be singing in his hoarse, off-key voice. Then Sylvie would grab Daniel’s hand and they would run down the trail to see what he’d brought them. Aaron Cragun might not be the most sober of men or the most honest. But no one could deny that he loved his children. And they loved him.