He’d been infinitely patient at her mishap in his jail the day before. The unexpected guilt she’d felt at lying to him about her reasons for being there had brought tears to her eyes. She almost wished he hadn’t been so nice. It would be so much easier to accomplish what she’d come here to do if he’d been angry with her. And yet, she reminded herself, if she’d aroused his suspicion with her foolish actions, she would never be able to find information about Papa’s treasure.
Mad Dog Gulch. That was the name of the place mentioned in the letter to Hawk that she’d found in the wardrobe. Papa and his men had been seen there. Perhaps they’d even spent a significant amount of time there. She wished she knew more about the place, about what Papa had done there, but for now, that was all she had to go on. And it was one more clue than she’d had before.
“Mrs. Pryor runs the boardinghouse with her husband,” Hawk said as they approached a nondescript wooden building with a sign that read simply,Boardinghouse Rooms for Rent. “Their clientèle often leaves one wondering, but the Pryors themselves are good people.”
Mrs. Pryor was a round, pink-faced woman about ten years Lina’s senior. She was quick with a smile and took one of Lina’s hands in hers to welcome her to Perseverance. “I’m so happy to meet you,” she said. “We ladies are greatly outnumbered here, but we look out for each other. If you ever need anything, please come and see me.”
Heartened by Mrs. Pryor’s generous welcome, Lina looked forward to meeting the other ladies. Hawk next introduced her to Miss Danforth, who wore a pistol on her hip and ran a laundry out of her home, much like Lina had done back in Kansas—but without the sidearm. Lina met the postmaster’s wife and the mercantile owner’s wife, who she’d seen but not spoken with on her previous trip to the store. And then finally, Mrs. Garner, a widowed woman who operated a small diner sandwiched between two saloons. Mrs. Garner invited her to take tea the following Thursday, and Lina eagerly agreed.
“Billy Morrell acts as a sort of guard for Mrs. Garner’s establishment when he isn’t working for us,” Hawk told Lina as they left the diner with two slices of cake in hand, a gift from Mrs. Garner.
“I imagine she has her hands full with that location,” Lina remarked.
“The citizens of this town have a vested interest in keeping the lawless element to a minimum. Thanks to people like Miss Danforth and Billy Morrell and a number of others, it stays that way.” Hawk shielded his eyes against the sun as they made their way down the board sidewalk. “I wish I could say the same for the Pass or Mad Dog Gulch.”
Lina glanced up at him at the mention of that town, but Hawk said nothing else on the matter. “How far away is Mad Dog Gulch?” she asked, hoping her question sounded like innocent curiosity.
“Not far. About an hour’s ride to the south. They have a town marshal whose job is merely to prevent men from killing each other too frequently.” When Lina’s eyes widened, Hawk added, “He’s a good man, but it’s more than he can handle. I’d like to get down there more often to help out. Maybe take a few men with me.”
Lina nodded. It sounded like something that was necessary, even though it left her with a bereft sort of feeling she hadn’t expected. “Would you be gone long?”
Hawk tucked her arm more securely around his. “Not very. And it isn’t anything I plan to do immediately.” He gave her an impish grin. “And before you ask, no, it isn’t a journey you can take with me. Although I know how handy you are with a gun.”
Lina giggled. His gentle teasing made her feel as if she hadn’t a care in the world, as if all that mattered was Hawk and herself and whatever they managed to build between them.That isn’t true, something in the back of her mind reminded her, but for a moment, Lina shoved the responsibilities away. Instead, she breathed in the fresh air that came down from the mountains, admired the sturdy little town, and reveled in the feel of Hawk’s arm fitted securely around hers. And she wondered if this was how most girls her age felt each day—carefree and full of hope.
At the edge of town, the road continued, a dusty trail that cut through the sagebrush and grasses, heading south along the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and toward, Lina presumed, Mad Dog Gulch before finally reaching New Mexico Territory. A handful of trees sprung up here and there, and the grasses waved in the breeze. All felt right with the world, and Lina let out a contented sigh.
“It’s something to see, isn’t it?” Hawk said, looking out over the vastness of the land.
“It is. It’s so different from Kansas with these mountains. I’m used to looking out over perfectly flat land.”
“The mountains are what struck me the most when I arrived too,” Hawk said. “Where I grew up in Texas, there isn’t much besides cattle and dust.”
“What made you come here?” Lina looked up at him.
“My father.” Hawk smiled sadly, still looking out over the land.
Lina didn’t speak, sensing there was more he wanted to say.
“He’s the one that gave me my name. Hawk,” he added at Lina’s curious look. “Said I could see to shoot better than the hawks in the sky.” He paused, likely turning the fond memory over in his mind. “My family had a small ranch. It wasn’t much, but my pa was proud of it and worked hard to build it. He was out one day when a band of outlaws came by and demanded his horse. Pa refused, and they shot him.”
Lina covered her mouth, her heart ripping in two for Hawk.
“I was fifteen. My brothers and I were up at the house, messing around when we should have been working. I always wondered what would have happened if one of us was with him. If he would have survived . . .”
Lina squeezed his arm, wanting him to know she was here and that she felt his sorrow all too much. He glanced down at her and smiled just a little.
“It about broke my mother, and it made me want to do something,” he continued. “To stop things like that from happening to other people. I wound up finding my way to the Colorado Territory, working as a deputy here and there, until I landed in Perseverance. I was here maybe a month when the sheriff I was working for died of influenza. And here I am.”
“Here you are.” Lina held his gaze until she thought she might get lost in his warm eyes. When she blinked and finally looked away, she felt unstable, as if everything she’d thought and known was up for questioning.
As Hawk led her back toward home, the joy she’d felt at his protective touch and his desire for her to enjoy being part of his town faded into a persistent hum of guilt. It sat in the back of her throat, like she’d swallowed a lemon.
His father had been killed by an outlaw. Hawk would never forgive her if he knew who she really was.
