Chapter XI
By Joanna Phillips
Lou and Noah scrambled to their feet, holding their hands up.
"Who are you?" The tall man repeated.
"Who are you?" Lou shot back at him.
His hat shielded his eyes, but she saw the corner of his mouth twitch in irritation. He shook his head and said, "I asked you first, and I seem to be the one holding this gun, so why don't you answer my question before I lose my patience."
Noah glanced at Lou, who stood with her chin jutted out stubbornly and her jaw clenched. Knowing well enough what that meant, he supplied, "I'm Noah Dixon. Your posse is holding some of our friends without cause."
"And who might they be?" The man asked.
"Pony express riders," Lou spoke up, "Your precious senator is going to execute them!"
"Who said I was with the posse?" The man wondered.
"Aren't you?" Lou asked evenly.
His lip curled into a smile and he shook his head, "I don't believe I know your name, Miss?"
"It's not important! But you listen to me! Callie Sullivan is an innocent girl who has been hunted down by that man!"
Suddenly, the man's teeth flashed in a smile and he swept off his hat. Lou and Noah both gasped in surprise. The man sitting in front of them had coal black hair and brilliant blue eyes. Eyes that were unlike any they had ever seen…with the exception of Callie. "I'm Daniel Sullivan, Callie's brother, and I couldn't agree with you more."
"I thought all her brothers were dead," Noah began suspiciously.
But Lou was shaking her head slowly, "No," she murmured reflectively, "Callie told me that one of her brothers was alive and had gone to Canada to help with the Underground Railroad."
Noah instantly sized the man up, as if trying to decide if he was worthy of the admiration he felt for him that instantly followed the words Underground Railroad.
Daniel nodded, "Yes, but one of our slaves escaped and made it all the way north to tell me what had happened at the plantation and that Callie was the only one left. I'd forsaken my family long ago, but I couldn't let the senator get away with what he has done to them!"
Lou saw the flash of grief cross his features and could only imagine the nightmare of learning that the people he'd never made peace with were all gone, and never could he seek or offer forgiveness.
"I haven't seen Callie in ten years. I rode down and found the posse just outside of Texas. I've tracked them ever since, waiting for them to lead me to Callie. I just hoped to find her first! But now, I'm going to get her!"
"I'm afraid it won't be that easy," Noah began, "You know how many men he has, don't you?"
Daniel dug around in his jacket and pulled out a piece of paper, "A pardon from the governor of Louisiana. Horace, that's the slave who rode to Canada to find me, and I begged an audience with him on our way back to New Orleans. I explained everything, and it turns out he and my father knew each other well. He has offered to set the whole matter straight, and order an investigation into the matter. As the oldest son, I have a right to reclaim Sullivan Manor, much as I don't want it."
"You can at least liberate the slaves there," Noah began.
"There's time for this later! Right now, let's go get the boys and Callie!" Daniel smiled at Lou, "I still don't know your name," he said in his delightful drawl.
"Louise," She offered him shyly, and was glad that a certain other southern man already held her heart quite securely, because she feared this one could have swept it from her easily if Kid had not done so long ago.
"Louise, you must be a very brave woman to put yourself in this kind of danger for my sister," He said as they began walking toward the horses.
Lou offered him a smile, and on her cheeks appeared two bright spots of red that only served to broaden his smile, "I'm no braver than she is, sir."
Cyrus Stevenson walked out of his tent with his pistol in one hand and a deck of cards in the other. Of course the poor girl could draw any one of them and still not save any of the young men, but he couldn't have anyone saying that he wasn't sporting. He was surprised to see his posse gathering to watch three horses ride slowly into camp.
Murmurs flew from them and were passed along.
"That's the missing one," He heard one of the men say as he pushed through the crowd and came to a stop in the front of them.
He recognized the girl from earlier that morning, and with her two tall men, one black and one white. The latter stepped from his horse and came to stand before him.
Slowly the new arrival pushed back his hat with his index finger, and the Senator couldn't control a gasp. He felt that surely the breath must have left his body as he looked into the eyes of a man he'd murdered and buried. They were the same piercing, icy blue as Callie's, but even more so of Thomas Sullivan, the rightful owner of Sullivan Manor. They were set in the same angular, striking face, framed by the same heavy dark brows, separated by the same prominent nose.
"Why you look like you've seen a ghost," Daniel drawled slowly, "And you may well wish you had by the time you finish hearing me out! My name is Daniel Sullivan. And this paper," he'd raised his voice so the whole posse could hear him and waved the document, "this paper releases Callie Sullivan from all charges, and places Cyrus Stevenson under arrest for murder! It is signed by the Governor of Louisiana!"
Cyrus Stevenson was too shocked at the moment to do anything but stare into the eyes that occasionally haunted him in his sleep. Lou watched him and the men carefully. There was general chaos as the men talked amongst themselves. Stevenson continued to stand where he was, not daring to move.
"Furthermore, it restores Sullivan Manor to the Sullivans! You killed my father, my mother, and my brothers, and have done my sister great harm! And I will see to it, as God as my witness, that you pay in every sense of the word sir!" His voice remained calm, as his years of training to be a gentleman took precedence over the raw fury igniting his blood.
His cold, commanding eyes grazed over the posse, "And you! Can you be trusted with the task of arresting and detaining the man who has led you far from your families in order to satisfy his own selfish desire? Will you honor this contract from the Governor himself! Any man who wishes to take a closer look is surely invited to do so."
Robert Washburn stepped forward, "We've chased this girl all over the West! And for no reason?" He sputtered and looked at Cyrus.
"Men! This man is an imposter! Arrest him at once! The letter is a forgery! Why, many congressmen were in my home the night Miss Sullivan murdered Mayor Barksdale!"
Lou and Noah both took in breath sharply, afraid that the men might believe him. However, moments passed and no one made a move to grab Daniel.
"Cowards!" Cyrus screeched, and raised his pistol.
Lou shrieked and kicked her horse hard, knocking Daniel out of the way and at the same time bumping Lightning into Stevenson's side and causing him to fire wildly into the dusk.
Noah moved to quickly subdue the Senator, and finally Robert Washburn again stepped forward, "Hell, the only reason I'm with this posse is because Stevenson threatened to foreclose on my farm if I didn't join up!"
"Me too!" several of the men shouted.
They stepped forward and surrounded the senator, and Daniel took grim satisfaction in knowing the man might not live to stand before the governor if these men had their way. "Take me to my sister," Daniel said, his expressions guarded closely as he turned to one of the men in the posse.
Callie struggled to see through the darkness that had fallen on the camp. None of the fires had been lit yet, and the last thing they'd been able to see was three riders coming into camp: Lou, Noah, and another man.
Kid was chafing at his ropes, knowing Lou was out there and that a shot had been fired. And then, they spotted a torch moving toward them, and Kid caught sight of the burgundy of Lou's skirts in the light. Still, he strained his neck until he caught sight of her beloved face. She met his eyes when the circle of light reached him, and broke away from the others to run to him and kneel to examine his bloody forehead.
Jimmy and Callie both looked cautiously at the tall man who suddenly came to a stop in front of Callie. She seemed to have to tilt her head back forever to meet his eyes, which were shadowed by his hat. Still, there was something familiar and almost comforting about his strongly shaped jaw line.
He swept off his hat, and Callie felt tears rise as she looked into identical eyes, also glazed with tears. She'd been only a girl of seven when she'd last seen him, and only had vague memories of a gangly young man that used to lift her to his shoulders to keep her away from the taunting hands of her other brothers. And yet, now, it was if she was looking into the dear face of her father again.
"Daniel?" Her voice left her and she could only mouth the words.
Daniel kneeled down beside her and quickly reached back to slash the ropes that bound her. They sat in front of each other for long moments, tears rolling rapidly down Callie's cheeks, and standing stubbornly in Daniel's eyes. He looked apologetic and endlessly guilty.
Daniel felt the weight of a thousand worlds settle on his shoulders as he thought of all she'd endured, and how far away he'd been. He'd turned his back on her and the rest of the Sullivans years ago, and had worked against the very thing that constituted their livelihood, slavery. He found himself wondering how Callie could feel anything but contempt for him.
Then Callie found her voice and flung herself into his more-than-ready arms, sobbing, "Daniel, I love you! And so did they!"
There was no need for Daniel to ask whom Callie referred to. She was fully confident that the forgiveness that he feared he'd never find from the Sullivans was his. "He killed them all, Daniel. All but me."
"Honey, you can be sure Stevenson will pay!"
"He's not dead?" Callie asked, stiffening.
"No, he's going to go on trial. He will pay for what he has done!"
"Daniel, he owns the law!" Callie cried out hopelessly, "he won't be punished!
"I promise you, he will! But now, lets get you back into town and warm. We're all going to catch our deaths out in this cold!" He stood up and gently helped Callie to her feet. He then stood at arm's length and studied her in the darkness. Her brows were drawn together in an unsatisfied scowl over the news that Stevenson was still alive.
"You have grown into such a beautiful young woman, darling," He whispered to her.
Callie dropped her eyes, "Sometimes I don't feel so beautiful, Danny," she murmured, unconsciously reverting back to his childhood nickname, "So much has happened. I have so much to tell you," her eyes clouded over as if she feared his reaction to what she would tell him.
"Doesn't matter, honey. Whatever it is, we'll be all right," with that he took off his long duster and placed it about her shoulders.
Callie smiled with new hope as she started to walk toward the horses. She came to an abrupt halt when she saw Jimmy standing not far from them, on the outskirts of the other riders, staring intently at her. Her lips trembled and tears filled her eyes as she quickly went to him and threw her arms around his neck.
Jimmy was a bit baffled at this display of affection, albeit pleased. He wrapped his arms around her buried his face in the soft cloud of her hair. Her tears wet his neck. "It's over," He whispered softly to her, "You ain't got to run any more. You ain't got to be scared."
"I know!" She whispered fiercely and her embrace tightened.
"Callie, why didn't you tell me the truth back at Rachel's?"
"Because you'd already made your mind up, Jimmy," Callie said softly and took a step back from him, seeking his hand as she looked into his searching eyes. They darkened with hurt at her quiet accusation, and Callie squeezed his hand, "Oh, Jimmy, I don't blame you! I know how it looked, but I just couldn't tell you. Not when you stood there with that damning look on your face! I wanted to tell you, but I was so afraid you wouldn't believe me! I couldn't have borne it if you hadn't!"
"I would have Callie! I swear it! But when you never denied it, I just thought…"
"Shhh," Callie told him, and pushed her fingers against his lips to quiet him, "We were both wrong."
Jimmy impulsively reached to gently grab her wrist and kiss her fingers lightly. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't draw her hand away until Jimmy released her arm. They stared deeply into one another's eyes and Jimmy took a step toward her. Suddenly, a movement over her shoulder caught his eyes and he straightened and took an involuntary step away from Callie as he met the curiously and not altogether approving eyes of Daniel Sullivan.
Callie reached her hand out to Daniel, and placed the other one on Jimmy's shoulder, "Daniel, this is the man who saved my honor...and my life...more than once, Jimmy Hickok."
There was a moment of silence as the two men sized each other up. Callie hid a smile as she watched each of them gauge the other, as if each was trying to discern if the man in front of him was worthy of her.
Slowly Daniel extended his hand toward Jimmy and in a voice that was still a little guarded offered, "It appears I owe you a debt of gratitude, Mr. Hickok, for taking care of my sister."
Jimmy shook his head slowly, and his mouth turned up in a slight smile of amusement as he thought of Callie's initial reaction to him, "Actually, Callie does quite a good job of fending for herself. She'll be the first to tell you that."
Callie's cheeks turned bright red, but she shared a laugh with Jimmy. Daniel couldn't help smiling a bit.
A flurry of wine colored skirts was soon breaking up the meeting as Lou burst into the small circle and flung her arms around Callie.
"Thank you, Louise!" Callie told her, tears welling in her eyes all over again.
"Kid told me the story! Oh, I knew you didn't do any of those things!" Lou gasped fiercely, as if somewhere in the back of her mind there had been a moment of doubt.
Just then approaching hoof beats drew their attention and they looked up to find Teaspoon riding towards them. In his hand he held a paper containing information identical to the information Daniel had presented the posse. He was breathless and dirty, obviously coming from a hard ride.
"Cyrus Stevenson is under arrest!" Teaspoon proclaimed, as if he was saving the world.
"We know, Teaspoon," Buck said quietly.
"What? How? I came straight from the telegraph office in Cave Springs."
"Teaspoon, this is Daniel Sullivan, Callie's brother," Kid offered, "He brought the warrant from Louisiana. And just in time. The senator was ready to start shooting us. After you left, he took us hostage."
"Where is he now?" Teaspoon wondered, knowing his boys' habit of getting into trouble.
"The men are getting ready to take him back to Louisiana," Daniel offered.
"No need. There are three territorial marshals coming to pick him up in the morning and take him to Louisiana personally. The governor requested it."
Callie's brow wrinkled, but Jimmy was the only one to notice. She grew agitated and nervous, clearly disturbed by the news. Her eyes darted around nervously under her scowling brows and she finally threw her gaze to her feet, standing docile while Teaspoon instructed Noah and Buck to go see to bringing the senator in to Rock Creek.
Daniel wrapped his arm protectively around his sister and started guiding her back to the horses. She broke from him when her eyes fell upon Phantom, her father's prize black Arabian stallion. She ran to him and stroked his neck, leaning her head into the animal's fine, long neck and breathing the scent that had been so much a part of her father. Tears stung her eyes and her stomach turned violently as she thought of all the senator had done to her family, all he had done to her life, her home, herself.
There was no way he was going to get away with it.
Jimmy noticed the change in Callie's carriage as they made their way slowly back to Rock Creek. Her eyes were dry, and her back was ramrod straight. He was reminded of her fury when he first laid eyes on her, and couldn't understand what on earth brought about the change in her. It was two in the morning by the time they finished unsaddling their sleepy horses and settling in for the night. Daniel was offered a room in Rachel's house, which he gratefully accepted, and the boys and Lou turned into the bunkhouse.
Callie was painfully silent as she crept toward the door of the main house. Every movement was calm and deliberate. No one stirred as she let herself out into the frosty night air. She didn't feel the cold, even though she was clad in only a long flannel nightgown. She drifted almost like a ghost toward the jail, as if she was being drawn there by some force that she didn't understand. She never considered turning back, stopping, or reasoning. This was the only option she had, she was certain.
She stopped in front of the dark jail and looked up at the sign that read "Marshal" for a few moments. It was too late to turn back. Too much had happened. Every moment of her life led her to this one, as desperate and unthinkable as it was.
One trembling hand held a gun.
The other held a deck of cards.
To Be Continued...Chapter XII
Copyright 1998-This work is not to be reproduced without the permission of the author
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