The man returned his nod and walked on down the street. Adam noticed Russell always made his rounds at sunset, never after dark.
Just as Adam reached the door, something moved amid the boxes and scattered chairs. “Terry?” Adam called the dog. “That you, boy?”
A shadow moved slightly, growing before his eyes. A shadow of a man.
“Who’s there?” Adam’s muscles tightened.
The stranger moved again, closer.
“Adam!” someone whispered. “Help me.”
In one blink Adam was by her side. “Nichole?” He shoved the hat from her head and pulled her into the light. “Nichole, how-”
Before he could ask, she raised her hands. “Help me,” she whispered again.
Adam looked down and saw her hands wrapped in olive green strips of cloth. From the way she held them away from her body, he could tell she was in pain.
“Come in here.” He led her through the door and into his office.
Without wasting time asking questions, he lifted her up on the table and began unwrapping her hands. The smell of burned flesh assaulted his senses.
“Nance!” he yelled without slowing. “Nance!”
The boy appeared in the doorway. “Yes, Doc?”
“Get me fresh water from the well. Cold water. And tell Sister to make a pot of coffee.” He glanced up into Nichole’s face. “And bring food, warm and hearty.”
Nance disappeared without questioning. He’d learned over the weeks that the doctor never asked for something unless he needed it fast, and he never requested help unless someone was in pain.
“Relax,” Adam whispered as he pulled the strips of bandage away from burned flesh. “Burns hurt a lot more than most injuries, but they heal.” Blisters on her palms had seeped and dried against the cloth. Flesh pulled away with the cotton strips.
He started with the water in the pitcher though it wasn’t cold enough. Tenderly, he patted at the red, swollen flesh, examining each open wound for infection.
Nichole looked into his face. The pain was already starting to subside, and the chill was leaving her bones one degree at a time. “I found you,” she whispered.
“Thank God.” He didn’t look up at her. “I was about to go crazy with worry. I wasn’t sure, but I had a feeling you were the shipment Wolf would be sending.”
“I’m fine,” she answered. “I only burned my hands trying to pull the drivers from the blazing stage. Then I realized they were dead and it didn’t matter.”
“The robbery? What happened?” He lowered her fingers slowly into cool water.
“I’m not sure. I was by the stream sleeping. There were no gunshots, but the sound of horses woke me. I guess I’ve spent too long on the run to walk into anything without taking a good look first. I climbed up in the branches and watched as men watered their horses before riding off.”
“Did you get a good look at them?”
“Not really, just body types mostly, but I’d know a few of their horses. I think there were only three, which seems odd that the driver and the man riding shotgun didn’t at least get off a shot. The man watering the horses had a belt with conchos the size of silver dollars all around it.” She bit back the pain. “They made a few swings at finding me, but were in too big a hurry to really look. If they had, I’d have been somewhere else.”
“I figured that you’d get away.” He smiled at her. “But you’re not much help on descriptions.” Adam worked as he answered, “A lot of vaqueros come up from Mexico to help with the herds. The belts are common. Are you sure they didn’t see you?”
“I waited until they were out of sight, then I ran to the stage and tried to help the men, but it was too late.” She looked at him directly. “They didn’t see me, but from the way they looked, they knew I was on the stage.”
“What about the other passenger?”
Nichole shook her head. “A young man, about Rafe’s build. He didn’t say two words to me. I don’t remember seeing him with the driver when I left, and I couldn’t find his body.”
She fought back any cry of pain as Adam dried her hands. “I changed into my pants and used my dress for bandages. I walked all night, but with the wind and rain, I couldn’t be sure I wasn’t walking in circles. After sunup, I headed west and by luck passed over stage tracks. About midafternoon I wandered into town. I asked about a doc and found you, but I wanted to make sure you were alone before I came in, so I curled up on the porch.”
“Why? No one knows about the trouble you and Wolf are in. No one is looking for you here.” Adam couldn’t believe she’d waited for hours outside and in pain.
“No one knows about me,” she whispered. “But I saw the men riding away from the stage robbery. They were a dirty lot, men raw with meanness. I know their types. They’ll try their hardest to slit my throat if they find out I saw them.”
Her statement was obvious. Adam’s forehead wrinkled in worry as she continued.
“I’ve been thinking it over. The attack was too clean not to have been planned by professionals. Maybe the kid on the stage was one of them. Maybe the driver knew whoever stopped to offer help. Otherwise, why would there have been no shots?”
Nichole’s voice died suddenly as she looked toward the doorway.
Adam glanced over his shoulder, moving closer to her in protection. “Sister.” He relaxed. “Thank you for bringing the coffee.”
The nun moved to his side. She took one look at Nichole’s hands and wrapped a coffee cup with a thick towel so none of the heat would pass to Nichole as she drank.
“Nick, I’d like you to meet Sister. Sister, this is the shipment I’ve been expecting for days. She was on the stage that was attacked.”
Both women nodded a greeting, but the nun didn’t waste time with small talk. “You’re in great danger, child.”
“I know,” Nichole agreed.
Before Adam could ask any questions, the nun spoke again. “I’ll put a bed in the storage room upstairs with boxes all around. No one must know you’re here.”
“Including the deputy,” Adam added. “We must keep her safe and I don’t trust the man not to talk.”
“Thank you.” Nichole let the exhaustion reflect in her voice for the first time. “I knew I’d be all right if I could just find you.”
The nun smiled, turning her face into tiny ripples of skin. “When Dr. McLain gets you bandaged, move upstairs and I’ll bring food. Men mean enough to kill and burn the two stagecoach hands won’t hesitate to kill you.”
Adam gently wrapped Nichole’s fingers as he studied both women’s faces. “I don’t know how, but the two of you seem to share a secret. Want to let me in on it?”
She bit back the pain the thin cotton caused. “I’m not sure I understand, but Sister is right. If anyone finds out I’m here, we may all be in great danger. I can’t explain. I just sense it. I think she does, also.”
Curling his arm beneath her knees, he lifted her off the table. “Then we’d better get you upstairs. I promised your brother I’d guard you with my life, and that is exactly what I plan to do.”
An hour later, he helped Nichole eat both her supper and his. She’d told him every detail that she saw of the robbery. If there was a loaded strongbox traveling with her, the men who killed for it wouldn’t hesitate to kill again. Something didn’t make sense. If they were only after the money, they could have just robbed and taken it at gunpoint, not killed and burned the two men.
Adam took the tray of empty plates downstairs. A low lamp still burned in the kitchen, though it was long past time all were usually in bed. Mrs. Jamison liked a late dinner. She said it reminded her of her youth in Georgia when her family would have huge dinner parties served after nine. But most nights they ate at seven or Nance would fall asleep at the table.
Tonight, the nun sat alone by the window, her rosary circling her hands. When he entered, she looked at him with tear-wet cheeks.
“How is the girl?” she asked in a whisper.