Blood Blade Sisters Series (15 page)

Chapter Sixteen

The next few weeks were a curious mixture of heaven and hell for Cilla. And, she suspected, for most of the people in the house. She and Leo avoided each other whenever possible. They spoke to each other only when it was necessary and they had managed to avoid eye contact altogether. Though Lucy and Carmen noticed that things had changed between them, both kept it to themselves, for now. And Brynne was completely absorbed by her baby.

Coraline was the bright light for everyone. She was small, but she was a feisty wee thing. The cries that began as tiny mouse squeaks grew in volume as her little lungs grew in strength.

Not that she cried much. She was a good baby, protesting only when she was hungry or needed changing. She was rarely set down, often nestled in the arms of Cilla or Lucy or most often, cuddled next to her mama.

On occasion, Leo would hold her, though he preferred to leave the baby coddling to the women. Every now and then, though, Cilla would catch him cradling the baby. And every time, it would hurt a bit more. To see him gently rocking the tiny infant in his strong arms was one of the sweetest, most touching, and most heartbreaking things Cilla had ever witnessed. She felt like the world’s worst aunt for begrudging little Coraline even a fraction of Leo’s love, but every time she saw him with the child it only served to remind her that he would never cradle their child against his chest. Would never murmur off-key lullabies when he thought no one was listening in
their
home.

The first time she’d handed the baby to him and felt the unfamiliar pang, it had taken her a moment to realize what she was feeling. It had never occurred to her that she might want a home and family of her own. A husband and children of her own. A family had never seemed to be more than another burden, more people to love—possibly to lose. More loved ones to protect from Frank. She’d shied from the subject any time it had been broached. She’d made up her mind long ago. She never wanted to marry and had certainly never wanted children.

Yet when she watched Leo with little Coraline, she couldn’t help but feel a crushing sense of loss. The dream she never knew she wanted was already lost to her. The small spark of whatever it was that they’d had between them had been extinguished. She’d lost him for good.

Not that he had been hers to lose.

Maynard snorted, bringing Cilla’s attention back to what she was supposed to be doing. She tried to shake off her melancholy and turned back to brushing him, running the stiff brush across his coat as her thoughts ran rampant in her head.

“I was fine until he came along. I never wanted any of this. Didn’t want the whole marriage and children thing. Certainly never wanted him,” she whispered to Maynard. “So why is my heart breaking for something I never even wanted? That was never mine to lose? How do I make the hurting stop?”

The horse huffed and tossed his head. Cilla smiled. “You don’t have any idea, do you?” She rubbed Maynard’s head, buried her face in his mane. “If you figure it out, let me know, will ya?”

Maynard snorted again and Cilla gave him a pat before heading off to finish the rest of her chores. Though there weren’t enough chores in the world to chase the thoughts from her churning mind.

She drove the hoe into the ground with extra gusto. She knew that the situation with Leo was only part of the reason for her mood of late. She was getting antsy. They hadn’t heard from Frank in weeks. He’d made a brief appearance after Jake’s funeral, and he’d “questioned” everyone at the ranch, though everyone knew it was a farce.

He was up to something. Cilla just wasn’t sure what. If he was trying to frame them for the murder of Jake, and the Hudner family, and Bobby, then why wasn’t he arresting them? It seemed a lot of trouble to go through just to alienate the sisters from the townspeople. Surely there were easier ways to get that accomplished. And if he had planned on arresting the sisters for guilt by association, he would have done so by now. Frankly, he had plenty of reason to do so. It looked bad even to Cilla and she knew they’d done nothing wrong.

So what was his game?

The uncertainty was driving Cilla mad. They had also decided not to run anymore raids for a while. With Frank up to no good, and with Brynne still recovering from Coraline’s birth, the sisters had agreed it would be better to lay low. And Cilla hated to admit it, even to herself, but she wasn’t sure the townspeople would want or accept Blood Blade’s help anymore. Frank had managed to accomplish at least one thing with all his murders.

The midwife wasn’t the only one afraid to be seen with the sisters. Most others in town felt the same way, and they didn’t want any association with Blood Blade either.

For the first time, Cilla felt a qualm of unease at the thought of going into town, but they needed some supplies. And she had never been one to back down from anything that made her nervous. She had no intention, however, of letting Lucy go with her. She knew she was being overcautious, but better that than be sorry. Miguel would accompany her instead.

As it turned out, Lucy didn’t even ask to go. She was so enamored of little Coraline, she would spend her spare moments playing with the little one than going into town.

As Cilla and Miguel were readying their horses, Leo came out to the barn. He didn’t say a word to Cilla but grabbed a saddle and went to his horse.

“I’ll be fine with Miguel,” Cilla said, watching him from the corner of her eye. It was the first thing she’d said to him in almost a week. Her heart constricted just being in the same space with him. She didn’t think she could handle the twenty-minute ride into town with him riding beside her.

“I’m not letting you ride into a hostile town without me. Especially with Frank planning God knows what.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve got Miguel.”

“And now you’ve got me.” He finished saddling his horse and mounted.

“Leo…”

He pinned her with his gaze. Cilla fought down the rush of butterflies that hit her belly at the first eye contact they’d made in over a week.

“You’re not going without me,” he said, his jaw set.

Despite her best intentions, Cilla felt her traitorous heart skip a few beats as he stared her down. She knew there was no arguing with him, and truth be told, she’d be glad to have him at her back if things went bad. But he didn’t need to know that.

“Fine,” she muttered, turning to mount her own horse.

“Let’s just get what we need and get out.”

“Agreed.”

“If Señor Leo is going into town with you, then I should stay behind and keep an eye on things here,” Miguel said.

Leo nodded. “It’s settled.” He turned his horse and rode out before Cilla could get another word in.

She looked back and forth between Miguel and the cloud of dust where Leo had been, her mouth dropped open in surprise.

Miguel made a half-hearted attempt to keep the smile off his lips. “You’d better hurry and catch up,” he said, his smile widening as Cilla scowled at him.

She turned and spurred her horse after Leo, catching up to him a few minutes later.

“I didn’t need you to come with me. It would be better for you to stay behind in case they need you at the ranch.”

Leo glanced at her briefly before turning his attention back to the trail ahead of him.

“They’ll be fine at the ranch. We haven’t seen another soul there in weeks. You are the one riding into possible danger. You need me at your back.”

“I would have been fine,” Cilla muttered, prompting a laugh from Leo.

“Do you have to fight
everything
?”

“I don’t
have
to,” she said, inciting another laugh from him.

Her lips twitched in response. She was well aware she was a stubborn ass. It would do him good to keep that in mind.

They spent nearly the entire ride in silence, but for the first time since the night Coraline was born it was a comfortable silence. It felt good to be near him without the danger of anything happening between them. Just to be alone with him for a minute, out in the open air. Cilla relaxed for the first time in weeks. She wished the ride could last forever.

The town appeared at the end of the trail long before Cilla was ready to arrive. The tension began to return to her body, every muscle tightening, wary for any sign of danger. It was a weird sensation riding through the streets that had once been filled with their friends and allies. Now people stopped their conversations to watch them pass, their eyes wary, some distrustful, some concerned. But none were outright threatening. Yet.

That is, the people who were visible on the streets. The place looked like a ghost town. Some of the shops had boarded up windows; most looked like they’d seen better days. Not that the town would have ever won any awards, but now it looked like a town under siege. Which, Cilla supposed, it was.

They tethered their horses outside the general store and went inside. Mrs. Williams looked up as the bell chimed, her face paling when she saw who it was. Cilla hesitated just inside the door, not certain she’d be welcome. There were a few other shoppers in the store who looked back and forth between Mrs. Williams and Cilla and Leo, probably wondering the same thing.

Leo moved closer behind her and put one hand on her upper arm, though she noticed he was careful to leave her gun arm free. Finally, Mrs. Williams drew herself up and wiped her hands on her apron.

“Come on in, Priscilla. What can I get for you?”

Cilla could feel the tension going out of Leo even as she relaxed a bit. She went to the counter and gave Mrs. Williams her list. Leo stayed near the door, meeting her eyes every now and then with a reassuring look, before resuming his scan of the store and walkway outside. Mrs. Williams laid the last item on the counter and took the money that Cilla handed her. Leo came over to help carry the supplies, but Mrs. Williams grabbed Cilla’s hand.

“Just a moment, please. I’ve got something for you.”

Cilla’s brow furrowed but she nodded. The older woman gave her a small smile and hurried into the back.

Cilla glanced at Leo, but he just shrugged. Big help.

The door opened and Leo tensed, so Cilla immediately knew that whoever had come in was a potential threat. He put his arm around Cilla and turned her to face the counter, keeping their backs to the newcomers, but kept his head slightly turned so he could keep watch.

Two men Cilla had seen riding with Frank came bustling into the store as Mrs. Williams came out of the back with a parcel wrapped in brown paper. Her face went even paler, if that were possible, but the men were too engrossed in their conversation to pay attention to anyone else.

“Can I help you gentlemen?” Mrs. Williams said, the tremor in her voice revealing her anxiety.

“A pound of tobacco, and make it fast. We’re in a hurry,” one man said, not even bothering to look her way.

“I’ll be glad when we get this next load safe under guard,” the other man said to him.

“Me too. Blood Blade has been too quiet lately. I don’t like it.”

Cilla froze, every sense on alert the second Blood Blade’s name was mentioned.

“Me either. This is exactly the sort of thing he’d love to get his hands on. All that gold sitting there just waiting to be taken.”

Tobacco Man snorted. “It’s not here yet. And when it does get here, he wouldn’t dare try to touch it. Even he’s not man enough to steal it from right under the sheriff’s nose. Though I don’t know why he’s insisting on bringing so much here anyhow. It’d be safer in his bank in San Francisco,” he said, grabbing his tobacco. “Well, it’ll be gone soon enough once we get that safe in. Then I can rest easy.” He finally looked at Mrs. Williams. “Put it on my tab.”

Mrs. Williams’s lips tightened—she didn’t run tabs, and never had, Cilla knew—but she didn’t say anything as the man burst out laughing and turned away. The men continued talking as they headed out the door.

Cilla fumed, incensed at their treatment of Bobby’s mother, and their outright theft of the tobacco. She had no doubt that Mrs. Williams would never see a penny from them. And she had a feeling that this happened more often than not.

But as the men’s conversation seeped into her consciousness, her body buzzed with excitement. A shipment of gold! If she could get her hands on it, they could hold it as ransom and use it to bribe Frank to get out of town, or give it back to the townspeople and show just how much Frank was really bleeding them dry. Or…hell, she didn’t know, hire a gunslinger to clean all the riffraff out of the town or something.

Better yet, they could buy back all the property Frank had been snatching up and rescue those he was pressuring to sell. Without the gold to pay his goons and bankroll his overtake of the town, Frank’s hold on the town would be over. They could make plans for the gold later. All she knew was that she wanted to get her hands on that gold. Frank had no right to it! He’d stolen it from every person in town and they deserved to have their hard-earned money back.

As soon as the men were out of the store, Cilla turned to Mrs. Williams. “I’ll be right back.”

She ducked behind the counter and ran for the back door, ignoring both Mrs. Williams’s squeak of protest and Leo’s cursing. She poked her head out the back and crept to the corner of the building. The men had paused just inside the alley between the general store and the Whitteker’s old, now-abandoned, hotel.

Their voices were a bit muffled, but Cilla could just make them out.

“Think she bought it?”

“Oh, yeah. Did you see her droolin’ over the thought of all that gold? She’ll tell the devil bandit for sure.”

“You really think he’ll be dumb enough to try and snatch it?”

“ ’Course. Too much a temptation for a regular man, no counting one like him. When’s it going to be here, anyhow?”

“Cooper’s bringin’ it in on the morning train on Thursday. The sheriff has us setting up a fake safe and everything back in his office. Damned waste of time, if you ask me. We’ll grab the son of a bitch soon as he shows his bandana’d face.”

“Yeah, but the boss wants to make it look real. Wants to make sure the bait is set nice and proper.”