her back resting lightly against his chest was enough for the present.
After a few minutes a buggy pulled up to the back and Jamie jumped out and broke into a dead run until she spotted them on the porch. She slowed to a stroll.
Moving off the porch toward her, Win yelled, ‘‘I thought you were staying in town.’’
‘‘I thought you died!’’ Jamie shouted angrily. ‘‘I guess that’s what we both get for thinking.’’
He laughed, guessing her anger was directed at someone else other than him. He looked into the darkness of the buggy.
‘‘Evenin’, Doc.’’ Winter tried to hide the surprise from his voice. He’d have bet ten to one on the gambler.
‘‘Evenin’,’’ Steven Gage mumbled with controlled anger. ‘‘Wyatt was out of town tonight, so I thought I’d bring Jamie home.’’
‘‘Is that why she’s so mad? The gambler’s out of town?’’ Winter thought about shouting to his sister-in-law that the gambler was probably running for another state after knowing her for days.
‘‘No,’’ Gage mumbled with uncharacteristic rage. ‘‘She’s upset because we stopped a while back to look at the stars.’’
Running his fingers through his hair, Winter tried to listen without laughing. He’d heard this before. Stargazing seemed to be Jamie’s favorite pastime. ‘‘She didn’t like that?’’
‘‘Oh, she liked it fine until I went and did a foolish thing like asking her to marry me.’’ The doc’s voice rose. ‘‘Then she called me every name she could think of and accused me of trying to put her in chains. She says she’s never speaking to me again as long as she lives.’’
Win almost felt sorry for the doctor. He was a good man who didn’t know how lucky he was. ‘‘Don’t worry, Doc. It won’t last. I can almost promise you she’ll be talking to you sooner than you’d like.’’
Gage shrugged. ‘‘Guess I’m out of practice when it comes to women.’’
‘‘I’m not sure practicing helps.’’ Winter laughed. ‘‘You’re welcome to spend the night if you like.’’
‘‘No, thanks. I’ve got a man to check on in the Breaks Settlement. I promised the old woman they call Rae that I’d take a turn sitting with him tonight. But thanks for the offer. I’ll stop by tomorrow and look in on Cheyenne before I head back to town.’’
Winter waved the doc off. ‘‘Be careful.’’
When he looked back at the house, Kora was inside. He could hear Jamie shouting about how the gambler had left her for some sudden business and she was never speaking to him again.
From the corner of the house Dan walked out of the shadows. Winter fell into step with the silent man, and they walked in a wide circle without either seeming to notice the other.
When Dan finally returned to the sunroom, Winter went to his study. As he closed the door, he noticed a large slice of pie and a glass of milk by the fire. Part of him wanted to scream at the top of his lungs that he wasn’t Dan, then run up the stairs and prove to Kora just how alive he was. But the reasonable part told him to sit down and eat the pie, then close his eyes and try to sleep. Yet Kora wouldn’t leave his thoughts. Somehow, she’d tiptoed into his life. Her soft words and gentle ways had passed through the barbed wire around his feelings. If he believed in luck, he’d say all his luck was riding on her staying in his life.
FOURTEEN
KORA SNUGGLED INTO HER WARM COVERS AND watched the night sky. In a few minutes it would be time to get up and start the day, but right now was a quiet time when she listened to the music of a sleeping world. She could hear coyotes howling, horses moving in the corral, the house creaking slightly as it shifted in the wind. A few clouds threatened rain, but only managed to deliver enough moisture to occasionally cause a few drops to fall from the roof.
Rising and walking to the window, Kora watched the apple trees slow dancing in the shadows and the windmill beside the barn turning in time as it pumped water.
Far into the night a light flickered like a firefly who hadn’t yet found its mate. Kora watched as the light drew closer.
From the shadows of darkness, came a rider dressed in black.
Alarm brought Kora full awake. Three men in black had shot at Winter and Jamie and wounded Cheyenne! Why would one of Winter’s men be coming in now? Everyone knew the shift changes came at full dawn.
The man came closer. The tiny light became a huge torch.
He didn’t slow as he reached the center ground of the ranch, but raised in his saddle like a black knight preparing to fight. He swung the torch in a mighty arc and let it fly.
‘‘No!’’ Kora screamed as the fire hit the stack of hay beside the barn and seemed to explode.
She ran down the stairs, stopping only a moment to bang on Jamie’s door. ‘‘Fire!’’ she screamed. ‘‘Fire!’’
Win met her in the hall. ‘‘Stay back!’’ he yelled. ‘‘Until I know it’s safe.’’
Kora was right behind him as he reached the barn. Men were dressing as they poured out of the bunkhouse.
‘‘Wet the barn!’’ Win yelled. ‘‘Let the hay burn.’’
Within minutes, like a colony of ants, everyone had found a job. The well, though closer to the barn, was much too slow a way to get water. A line was formed from the windmill trough. Jamie and Kora both took a link along with the men swinging buckets as fast as they could toward the flames. The wind made the splashing water icy, and almost everyone stood barefoot in mud. Jamie was probably warmest in her buckskins with a rifle strapped on her back.
‘‘Take off that rifle, Jamie!’’ Win yelled from closer to the fire. ‘‘It’ll bruise your shoulders the way it’s swinging back and forth.’’
‘‘No!’’ Jamie shouted in return. ‘‘If that rider comes again, I’ll be ready.’’
Win jerked his head toward the house, where Cheyenne sat on the porch, his wounded leg propped up on the railing. A rifle lay across his lap; another rested beside his chair.
When Jamie glanced at Win, he winked. ‘‘We’re covered,’’ he said, ‘‘but thanks for the offer to protect my ranch.’’
Jamie laughed but didn’t slow the line down as she answered. ‘‘I’m not protecting this place, I’m planning on shooting the fellow for waking me up so early.’’
Several of the men voiced similar feeling toward whoever started the fire.
Within minutes the fire was under control, burning only the hay and leaving the barn and corral safe. The flames were high, lighting the night sky. Kora and Jamie moved toward the house as Win kept watch. The men milled around guessing the identity of the rider Kora had seen.
Just as Kora reached the steps, a scream shattered the air. A horrible cry of someone in great agony.
‘‘Dan!’’ both women said at once.
‘‘The fire must have frightened him.’’ Jamie looked across the smoky night for her brother.
‘‘I’ll get the blanket!’’ Kora shouted as she darted to the house.
Jamie ran as fast as she could toward the open field, screaming Dan’s name as though she believed he might answer her.
Dan was kneeling a few hundred yards from the house. He covered his ears and closed his eyes as he screamed. The fire from the haystack still danced behind him and black smoke bellowed, choking the dawn.
‘‘Dan!’’ Jamie knelt beside him. ‘‘It’s only a fire, Dan. It’s only a fire.’’
Kora joined her in seconds. ‘‘It’s no use calling him,’’ she said. A slow rain began to fall. ‘‘You know when he’s like this, the only thing to do is wrap him tight and carry him back.’’ Tears ran down her cheeks. How many times had she and Jamie found him like this and carried him back, kicking and screaming, to his bed? Sometimes he would have spent all his energy and fall asleep. Sometimes they’d have to tie him down until the madness passed.
Dan pushed them away as they tried to cover him with the blanket. Their efforts only brought louder screams. As he fought his demons, he lashed out, knocking Jamie to the ground without even seeing her.
Jamie jumped up when Kora touched her shoulder. ‘‘Maybe we should let him scream until he’s
