Blaze! The Christmas Journey Page 10

  The hall was crowded. The atmosphere was one of celebration and fellowship. A Christmas tree dominated the décor, towering to the ceiling and alive with every manner of shiny, sparkling decoration and tinsel. The rafters echoed with dozens, perhaps hundreds, of conversations simultaneously in progress, folks raising their voices to be heard above the string band at the far end of the room. The band was playing a rousing fiddle tune that filled the dance floor.

  The sisters were known and were warmly greeted by ladies drew the three wise women away, into the crowd, transporting the baked goodies to a line of tables loaded with plates brimming with food.

  Kate, J.D. and Mrs. Mitchell fell behind. They eyed the crowd, seeking a man with a badge. Kate became aware of someone beckoning them from off to their left.

  "Ma! Ma, is that you!? Ma, over here!"

  Kate spotted him first. "There." She pointed for Mrs. Mitchell's benefit.

  They were being hailed by a young man, not out of his teens, who sat in a wheelchair.

  Mrs. Mitchell cried out, "Nate!"

  Kate and J.D. had trouble keeping up with her. Alma Mitchell hurried across the hall as quickly as the density of the crowd would allow. The closer they got to the young man in the wheelchair, the more Kate could see the family resemblance between mother and son in hair color and in their facial features.

  When she reached her son, Mrs. Mitchell was weeping again but this time under it was with joy and unfettered emotion.

  "Oh, Nate! Oh my son, my son! Praise be to the Lord. They told me you were going to hang. That you were a killer! Oh, Nathaniel..."

  She showered him with so much affection that the young fellow became flustered.

  "Aw, Ma, there must have been a misunderstanding."

  Kate said, "I'll say there was. It was those Waddell boys."

  J.D. said, "Mrs. Mitchell, they lied to you just so's you'd do what you did in Horseshoe to provide them with a diversion."

  "Those no goods," said Nate. "Ma, I'm sorry I left home like I did without a word. Those fellers had me fooled with their big talk like we was off on a grand adventure. They come and woke me up at three in the morning and said if I wanted to ride with 'em, I'd have to head out right then and there with no time to say goodbye to you. But when we got to Lordsburg, turns out they just wanted me to hold their horses out front while they went in and robbed the bank. Heck, Ma, I ain't no bank robber! I'm an honest man, like Pa was. Like you raised me to be."

  His mother drew back, regarding his condition.

  "What happened to you, son? What did they do you?"

  "I caught a bullet. It's been kinda tough going for me. That's one of the reasons I wasn't able to contact you, and they told me the lines were down cuz of the Apaches. I was fixing to come home soon's I could. The doc told me I oughta be walking and back to normal within a month or so."

  A broad shouldered man approached. A badge was pinned to his chest. He smiled, having overheard. He gave Nate a paternal pat on the back.

  "Considering the grit you've shown since you came to town, boy, I wouldn't be surprised to see you healed up in half that time. Howdy, folks. I'm Sheriff Todd."

  Introductions were exchanged. The sheriff's interest sparked when he heard the name Blaze.

  He said, "Would you two be—"

  J.D. said, "We would. Uh, Sheriff, we've got a couple of prisoners to turn over to you. The hombres who held up your bank, and the one in Horseshoe. They're all nice and wrapped up like a, well, like a Christmas package, waiting in a covered wagon out front of your office."

  "Then I reckon you'll have to excuse me." He sheriff tipped his hat brim. "I'll round up a deputy and tend to it that before those punks get a chance to break free."

  Kate said, "Don't you worry about that, Sheriff. When J.D. ties 'em up, they stayed tied up. We'll be in for that reward first thing in the morning."

  "And I'll be mighty glad to pay it out," said the sheriff. "It's about time those hombres were taken out of circulation." He rested a hand on Nate's shoulder. "And remember, you've got that job offer when you come of age. This land needs lawmen like you."

  "Thanks, Sheriff. That's mighty kind of you to say."

  Mrs. Mitchell glowed, though uncertainty lingered in her eyes. "Yes, thank you, Sheriff. But what happened...exactly?"

  Sheriff Todd said, "Here's the young lady who can give you that story. My daughter, Ellie."

  An attractive, well turned out young woman, about twenty years old, joined them as Sheriff Todd walked away. She balanced a contented baby in one arm. She handed Nate a glass of punch.

  It turned out that Ellie was a young widow. Her baby was ten months old. A month after the child's birth, Ellie's husband had died in an accident out on the range. She'd been walking to the bank when the Waddell brothers held it up. There was gunfire. Nate saw that Ellie and her baby were about to be caught in the crossfire. He dived into the line of fire and caught the bandit's bullet that would have injured or killed Ellie and her little girl.

  J.D. said, "That's not quite the story those skunks told your mother."

  Ellie's eyes moistened. She kissed her baby. "It was the most heroic thing I've ever seen anyone do. He saved our lives."

  Kate recognized romance when she saw it. Another year and Nate would be old enough to return to Lordsburg and marry the sheriff's daughter, give that baby a daddy and take on the deputy job.

  Mrs. Mitchell was bright-eyed and had begun making quite a cooing fuss over the baby, her troubles all but forgotten. Her son and Ellie welcomed her interest and affection. The baby just seemed to grow happier.

  J.D. sent Kate a glance. Kate nodded. They eased away without anyone noticing. Soon they stood outside in the chilly afternoon sunshine in front of the hall.

  J.D. heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm glad that's done. What a long, strange trip it's been."

  Kate nodded. "I'm grateful it's over. J.D., why do so many people hate?"

  "I reckon for some folks it's easier to hate than it is to love," said J.D. "When you hate, everything is real simple, real cut and dried. When you love, well heck, that can lead anywhere. It can turn your world upside down. Love has been known to drive some people crazy."

  Kate slipped an arm through his.

  "I'm crazy about you, J.D."

  J.D. said, "I've got a great idea. How's about we get us a room? All I want for Christmas is a bed and a bottle of sipping whiskey."

  "All I want is a bed and you."

  "Well, I'm certain we can accommodate that."

  They strolled along the boardwalk. They passed a saloon where the resident professor could be heard rendering Silent Night on an out of tune piano.

  Kate said, "Merry Christmas, J.D. Thanks for coming into my life."

  J.D. said, "I love you, Kate. Thanks for coming into mine. Merry Christmas."

  BLAZE!

  The All-New Adult Western Series

  J.D. and Kate Blaze are two of the deadliest gunfighters the Old West has ever seen. They also happen to be husband and wife, as passionate in their love for each other as they are in their quest for justice on the violent frontier!

  BLAZE! by Stephen Mertz

  BLAZE! #2: THE DEADLY GUNS by Robert J. Randisi

  BLAZE! #3: BITTER VALLEY by Wayne D. Dundee

  BLAZE! #4: SIX-GUN WEDDING by Jackson Lowry

  BLAZE! #5: AMBUSHED by Michael Newton

  BLAZE #6: ZOMBIES OVER YONDER by Stephen Mertz

  BLAZE #7 HATCHET MEN by Michael Newton

  BLAZE! #8: RIDE HARD, SHOOT FAST by Wayne D. Dundee

  BLAZE #9: A SON OF THE GUN by Stephen Mertz

  BLAZE #10: HELL'S HALF ACRE by Jackson Lowry

  BLAZE! #11: BADLANDS by Michael Newton

  BLAZE! #12 BLOODY WYOMING by John Hegenberger

  BLAZE! #13 NIGHT RIDERS by Michael Newton

  And more to come...

 
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