Chapter Ten
AWEEK PASSED, ANDHawk fell into the pleasant rhythm of returning to a warm home filled with the scents of supper each evening. Lina had even taken it upon herself to edge some of his plain curtains with lace, which lent a soft and welcoming feel to the front room.
After supper, they’d talk of any number of things. Fond memories of siblings, Lina’s dear neighbors in Kansas, Hawk adventures as a sheriff. Lina continued to show a great interest in his work, and although Hawk certainly hadn’t expected it, he enjoyed telling her about various nefarious characters and perilous moments.
“When I brought over the noon meal the other day, one of your men mentioned a big shootout up in the mountains. He said something about how you’d gone to negotiate with one of the outlaws when the shooting started?” Lina peered at the stitches in her embroidery as she spoke.
Hawk sat back, the memory of that day coming back as if it had occurred only the day before, when in fact, it had been the previous autumn. “That was Joseph Grayson’s gang.” It had been a grisly affair, and he debated how much to share with Lina. She certainly didn’t recoil from any of the harsher aspects of his work, but he felt far too protective of her to talk about anything that might cause her distress.
When he looked up, she was watching him expectantly. She quickly ducked her head and picked up her needle. Hawk chewed his lip to keep from laughing. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve Lina, but it seemed God had found the perfect wife for a man like him. “Joseph Grayson and his men were wanted for a handful of train robberies farther north in the Territory, and had begun preying on the stagecoaches once the railroad wised up and started placing guards on the trains. We caught wind from some of the miners that they were holed up in the mountains, up past where the prospectors are on Navarro Creek, at Horsethief Pass.”
“The same place my stage was help up?” Lina asked.
“The very same, just a little farther down the road. We headed up there and arrived in late afternoon. It was late fall, so the sun was already low in the sky. It wasn’t hard to discover where they were hiding. I suppose they hadn’t expected anyone to come looking up there. When it became clear we knew where they were, one of them fired off a warning shot.”
Lina’s embroidery lay forgotten in her lap. She watched him with rapt attention, and Hawk warmed inside—yet again—at her interest.
“What did you do?” she asked.
“I put down my guns and walked out in front of my men, my hands up—”
A knock sounded at the door, making Lina jump. Hawk rose, his story momentarily forgotten as he answered the door. He opened it to find Garland and beckoned him inside.
“Evening, Mrs. Rodgers,” Garland said, his hat clutched in his hands as he nodded at Lina.
“Good evening,” she replied. “Would you like something to drink? Or we have some food left from supper if you’re hungry.”
“No, thank you, ma’am. I’ve come to fetch the sheriff.”
Lina set her embroidery to the side and excused herself to the kitchen, presumably to give them privacy.
“What is it?” Hawk asked. The look on Garland’s face indicated trouble, and trouble, Hawk had learned, was best dealt with as quickly as possible, before it had time to spread.
“We had a rider up from Mad Dog Gulch. Says he was sent by Marshal Beech. They’ve got men rampaging through town, causing a ruckus and scaring folks. The marshal’s confronted them, told them to leave, but they’re too much for him and those two deputies. He’s sent for help.”
“Let’s ride on down there and see what we can do. Can you round up Jackson—”
“Already done,” Garland said, replacing his hat.
Hawk nodded. Garland was smart and would make a good sheriff one day. Until he figured that out, Hawk would be thankful to have him. “I’ll meet you at the office in a few minutes.”
