Chapter Five

When they finally made it to Flagstaff, the sun was setting for the day. Lucas didn't hide his disappointment. All of the shops would be closed by now. He would have to wait until tomorrow before he could buy supplies for the trek into the wilderness to find his sister. He tried not to keep glancing at the skyline as he and Gail left the train station, but it was hard not to think about his poor sister. He prayed the bandits hadn't killed her. He also prayed that they weren't abusing her.

He forced his attention back to the line of buildings around him and Gail. Whether he liked it or not, he had to rest for the night. He was sure that one needed a good night's sleep in order to track down a group of bandits.

Carrying the luggage he and Gail had brought with them, he led her down the street. The dust from the road swirled up around his new boots and the denims he had purchased. He didn't like these clothes. The denims were tight and uncomfortable. The shirt had a ridiculous red-and-black plaid pattern on it. The hat had a large rim that restricted how much he could see. He had to tilt his head upward in order to see anything above his eye level. If it hadn't been for those men pestering him about his clothes, Gail wouldn't have insisted they buy these monstrosities. He still didn't understand why those men had a problem with the nice suit he'd been wearing. That suit had been tailor-made just for him. His gaze went to Gail. At least her dress and bonnet looked comfortable.

She tugged on the sleeve of his shirt and pointed to a building on the other side of the road. "There's a nice-looking hotel. We could sleep there tonight."

If he hadn't been so weary after all their traveling, he would have winced at the reminder that they would have to share a bed tonight.

Gail started crossing the road, so he hurried after her.

Quite a few people were out. More than he would have expected given how many of the businesses were closed. One glance at the building labeled ‘Barney's Saloon' with the loud music and rambunctious laughing coming from inside let him know that this was a place people, specifically men, only frequented after dark. He hurried to get away from it.

Gail reached the hotel first. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have opened the door for her, but given the fact that he carried their luggage, she opened it for him. Thanking her, he slipped into the hotel but waited for her to join him before proceeding across the large room. Men were at the tables, playing cards and smoking. He didn't expect that kind of thing here, but this was the Wild West, so maybe it was normal for people to gamble in a hotel.

He set the luggage down then shook his arms to loosen his muscles.

"You two aren't from around here," a man who looked to be in his early fifties said as he approached the counter.

Lucas resisted the urge to tell the man that he wouldn't need to stay at a hotel if he was from the area.

"We're from Pennsylvania," Gail spoke up. "Is there a room available?"

The man turned to his ledger where a few names had been written down. "The only rooms we have left are those with a single bed." He glanced between them. "Please tell me you're married. I can't have you stay here unless you're wed."

The hotels around here offered two beds in some of the rooms? It was on the tip of Lucas' tongue to tell Gail that they might want a different hotel. Rooms with two beds, after all, would be larger than ones with only one bed in them.

"Lucas and I just married," she told the man before Lucas had a chance to intervene.

The man grinned. "Newlyweds? How wonderful! I'll tell you what. I'll give you the room at a discount. And I'll give you the best one we have. Just write your name down in the ledger, and I'll get your key."

Lucas retrieved the fountain pen that had seen better days and wrote down Mr. and Mrs. Lucas Reid . He hadn't thought of Gail as Mrs. Lucas Reid before, but he supposed the sooner he got used to thinking of her this way, the better.

The man grabbed one of the few keys that was left hanging on the wall. "You can pay me in the morning when you two are ready to leave. Unless you plan to stay for a while?"

Lucas glanced at Gail. He supposed it would take time to find his sister. As much as he'd like to think they would find her tomorrow and head right back to Pennsylvania the next day, things would probably go in a different direction. Reluctant to give the answer, he muttered, "I'm not sure how long we'll be here. We're here to find my sister. A group of bandits kidnapped her."

The man's eyes grew wide. "I heard about that. The deputy was out posting Wanted posters all over town. Don't you worry. You're not the only one who is looking for her."

"Do they know who the bandits are?" Gail asked.

"We figure it's Bower and his gang," the man told her. "That's because there were three men spotted on that train. But it's possible Lee and Wilson could be behind this, too. They could have acquired a new man since they robbed a bank two months ago. They almost didn't get away. I tell you, the sheriff and deputy weren't happy about that incident."

"Come now, Cody," one of the men who was playing cards called out. "The reason those two got away is because the deputy is a dunce."

"He's not a dunce," Cody was quick to throw back. "He lost his balance while running to the bank."

The man rolled his eyes. "Sure he did. The dirt on that road is a treacherous landmine."

"It is when a rattlesnake gets in the way," Cody replied.

The man snorted. "You can't tell me you believe that story. Zeke is as clumsy as they come. He can be heading for an open doorway and miss it."

Cody looked as if he was going to respond but settled for shrugging. His gaze went back to Lucas and Gail. "Well, I don't feel right charging for the room, given the circumstances that brought you here. I'll tell you what. You can stay here free of charge for a week. If it takes longer than that to find your sister, we'll talk about a payment."

Lucas frowned. It wasn't really going to take that long to find Bernadette, was it?

Cody handed Lucas the key. "Make sure to let Sheriff Walter know you're here before you start looking for her. I'm sure he'll want to help." He offered them a sympathetic smile. "I hope you find her."

Lucas thought about going to the room without asking the question on his mind, but he didn't know if he could sleep if he didn't find out. "These bandits… Bower and his gang… Lee and Wilson…" He took a deep breath and braced himself. "Are these the kind of men who will hurt a woman?"

"I can't say they're honorable in all things, but they strike me as being more interested in money and drink than in the pleasures of the flesh."

Lucas hoped he was right. He didn't know what he'd do if any of those men hurt his sister.

Gail placed a hand on his arm. "We'll keep praying for her, Lucas. I'm sure God will see to her protection."

He blinked and turned his attention to her. For a moment, he had forgotten she was there. But since she was here, he had another problem to deal with. The consummation of their marriage. She was going to expect it. It was something every newlywed couple had to go through. Surely, not every groom was excited by the prospect of consummating his marriage. If those other reluctant grooms could get through the night, he could too.

Hiding his resigned sigh, he thanked Cody and picked up the luggage. As he followed Gail up the stairs leading to the second floor, a couple of the men let out some hoots and whistles. Lucas' face flushed from a mixture of irritation and embarrassment. He hoped Gail didn't pick up on their not-so-subtle message.

"Stop it!" Cody called out to them. "You leave the newlyweds alone."

Gail glanced at the men with wide eyes.

Lucas grimaced and pretended he hadn't noticed her shock. If she hadn't picked up on it before, she certainly had now.

Thankfully, she had grown up in the same civilized society he had, for she proceeded to ignore the light snickering and continued on to their room.

Once they were alone in the room, he realized he couldn't do it. He just couldn't make himself do anything with Gail when his sister was out there somewhere, alone and scared. Yes, he had a duty to Gail, but sometimes duty had to wait.

He let the luggage drop to the floor then slumped on the bed. He put his face in his hands. He felt Gail sit next to him and immediately regretted his decision to go straight for the bed. He should have picked the plain rocking chair in the corner of the room.

This was why he had wanted her to stay in Pennsylvania. He didn't only have to think about his sister; he had to think about Gail as well.

"I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better," she said, her tone surprisingly comforting.

As tempted as he was to give into the urge to seek comfort, he reminded himself that he shouldn't. It wasn't good for him to show such weakness around a lady. He was a man. It was his duty to remain strong. He could worry all he wanted. He just needed to keep that worry to himself. Strengthening his resolve, he straightened up and placed his hands on his thighs.

He cleared his throat. "I'm sure everything will be fine. I'm just tired. It's been a long journey here. It's not easy to sleep sitting on a train, even when the seats are nice." If it hadn't been for her money, he wouldn't have been able to go first class, and that wasn't something he took for granted.

He wondered if she would remind him that she had suggested a sleeping car, but thankfully, she didn't. Instead, she said, "I'm worried about Bernadette, too. There's no telling what a group of bandits are capable of."

Feeling a little better about assuming the role of being the comforter, he put his arm around her shoulders. "Cody said they're more interested in drinking and gambling." He decided not to add, rather than other activities, lest he offend her sensibilities. "First thing tomorrow, I will rent a horse, gather supplies, and head out to find her."

"You don't intend to go alone, do you?"

"Who else would go with me?"

"Me."

He had to stop himself before he let his jaw drop to the floor. She couldn't be serious. She was a lady. She couldn't join him.

"I'm good at reading maps," she said.

"Since when did they teach girls to read a map in school?"

"They didn't teach me in school," she replied. "My father taught me."

"He did?" Why hadn't her father mentioned this to him while he was extolling all of her virtues after Lucas asked for permission to marry her?

"We made a game of it. When we traveled, he would give me a map and let me direct the coachman on how to get there. If I gave him the correct directions, I would get the gift of my choice. If I was wrong, then I didn't get anything." She chuckled. "Receiving something because I read the map correctly always made those gifts fun."

"Well, yes, I suppose it would. But why did he teach you to read a map? Why didn't he focus on having you learn something more feminine, like hosting a dinner party or sewing something pretty?"

"He isn't interested in those things. He loves maps. I do, too."

"What about your mother?"

"Yes, she made sure I learned to host a dinner party and sew, but I enjoyed reading maps more."

He didn't think a lady should be interested in maps. It didn't seem appropriate. But who was he to tell Mr. Patterson what he should or shouldn't teach his own child?

"The area around here is relatively new, but it has been mapped out," Gail continued. "I saw a shop selling maps on our way to this hotel. The way I figure it, we should each get a canteen, a couple of days' worth of food, make sure we are near a water source like a stream, have two bedrolls, and something to make a fire."

He had to process everything she was saying before he was able to come up with a reply. "How do you know all of this? Did your father take you out into the wilderness?"

"No, but we read books about people who did it."

Her matter-of-fact answer baffled him even more than her father's willingness to teach her things that only boys should learn. Not that he had learned any of those things. His interests were more in intellectual pursuits than physical ones.

A loud shout came from downstairs, followed by the sound of a table breaking.

They both bolted to their feet, and Lucas did the first thing that came to mind: he used the rocking chair to block the door. As soon as he realized the flimsy piece of furniture wasn't going to work, he looked over at the table with the pitcher on it. No, that wasn't going to work. The only other item they had that could block the door was the bed. It was a shame there was so little in this room, but he supposed if this was Cody's idea of a newlywed room, the occupants had other things in mind than protecting themselves from a brawl downstairs.

Men started yelling as Lucas moved the pathetic chair out of the way then ran over to the side of the bed. Picking up on his idea, Gail helped him move the bed over to the door. A gunshot fired. Then another. Whatever was going on down there, he didn't want to get involved in it.

Without thinking, he grabbed Gail and pulled her to the corner of the room with him. Unfortunately, as he took her by the window, a bullet flew through the glass pane. They screamed and scrambled to get to the other side of the room.

On their way there, someone fell against the door and dislodged the bed from its place. Lucas heard someone punching someone else right before the door flung open. The bed whooshed across the room, and a man with a bloody nose fell right on top of their luggage.

Two more men barged into the room. The taller one went over to the man on the floor and grabbed him by the collar. He gave him a swift punch in the jaw. "No one cheats on me. You understand that, Gus?"

Gus groaned but didn't give an answer.

Lucas and Gail tried to get out of the room without attracting their attention, but the short one pointed a gun at them. "Where are you going?"

Lucas tried to respond, but his throat went dry.

"Oh, let them go," the tall one said after punching Gus again. "They don't have anything to do with this."

Cody ran into the room with a shotgun. "Get out of here," he barked at the tall and short man. "I told you that you're not allowed to fight in the rooms. They are for hotel guests."

Lucas glanced at Gail. These men had done this before?

Another man smashed what remained of the window with the butt of his gun.

Cody sent a warning shot across the room before he could enter. "Stay out, Rex! These are decent people who just got married. They don't need this on their honeymoon."

Rex slipped back out from the window. Lucas could only guess where he went…or even how he got up to the window in the first place.

A couple more men ran through the hallway then stumbled into their room so they could help Gus. Cody let out a few words that Lucas had never heard in his life but knew was wrong to say in front of a lady. The men ignored Cody while they went after the tall and short men.

All Lucas could think about was getting Gail—and himself—out of there. He shielded Gail as much as he could as they slid out of the room. Once free, they ran down the steps. They bumped into two men who had badges on their vests as they reached the bottom of the staircase.

Feeling much better that the sheriff and deputy had arrived, Lucas gestured to the room he and Gail had escaped. "They're up there," he told them.

The sheriff nodded. "Stay outside. I'll talk to you after I get this taken care of."

The man didn't have to tell him twice. Lucas escorted Gail out of the hotel.