As Clint rode in with Fiona in his arms, the wagon train had stopped for the noon hour’s break. Several women ran to meet them. “Can we help?” “Is she all right?” “If you want to put her in her wagon, I’ll see to her.”
Zeke came up. “Fiona’s about half unconscious. Clint’s going to take her to Granny Weatherbee. As soon as she’s feeling better I’m sure she’ll be happy to visit with all of you.”
When they got to Granny’s wagon, the old woman motioned them in. “Put her right here on my mattress.”
Clint gently laid her down. “I think she’s...”
“You don’t have to tell me, young man. I can see for myself. She’s going to be fine as soon as I get this bleeding stopped.” She reached for a handful of herbs.
“Granny, aren’t these the ones you used on Carver?” Zeke picked up a bunch of herbs on the shelf below where Granny had selected some for Fiona’s injury.
“Of course not. I wouldn’t use those. They make a person bleed. I only use them when I need to bleed a wound to get rid of infection.”
Zeke frowned. “But I’m sure...”
“Are you going to argue with me, Mr. Zeke?” Granny eyed him. “I know what I give my patients.” She turned to Clint and handed him a little pouch. “Put this under that bandage on your head and go on to your wagon. Young Joey needs to hear that Miss Fiona is all right. Bring him over here in an hour or so. I’m sure she’ll be ready to go to her own wagon by then.”
“Are you...”
“Don’t question the doctor,” Granny said. “I don’t hold with people questioning my cures.” She spoke to Clint, but she looked at Zeke.
Clint felt sure something had passed between the wagon master and the medicine woman, but he didn’t say anything. To him it didn’t matter as long as Fiona was going to be all right.
* * * *
“What’s the matter, Zeke? Do you think I shouldn’t have left Fiona with Granny Weatherbee?” Clint was leading his horse toward the corral.
Zeke had a pensive look on his face. “Of course you should have left her. Granny will have her well in no time.”
“You have such a strange look on your face and I couldn’t help noticing Granny gave you some strange looks. Made me wondered if I’d done the right thing.”
“It didn’t have anything to do with Fiona, Clint.”
“”Do you want to tell me what it was about?”
“I’m not sure if I should.” There was doubt in his voice.
“It’s up to you, Zeke, but it sure looks like you have something you need to get off your chest.”
Zeke took a deep breath. “I’m confused about something Granny said. I’m sure she used the herb I pointed out to stop Leo Carver’s bleeding, but she said that herb was to make one bleed more. You heard her refuse to use it on Fiona.”
Clint paused. “Do you think...”
“I don’t know what to think, Clint. If I thought Granny deliberately used the bleeding herb on Carver...”
“What would you do, Zeke?”
Zeke rubbed his chin. “I would be supposed to turn her over to the authorities when we get to Fort Laramie.”
“Supposed to, huh?”
“Yeah. Still...”
“Listen, Zeke, that bastard molested and raped Rose. He took the little Fritz girl and who knows what he intended to do to her. If I hadn’t fired my rifle when I found her bonnet, scaring Carver into dropping her, he would probably have molested her. The good Lord only knows how many other little girls and young women he’s raped or molested. Does it really matter what kind of herb Granny Weatherbee used to try to stop his bleeding?” When Zeke didn’t answer, Clint went on, saying, “Personally, if I hadn’t been so upset about Rose at the time, I’d have taken him apart with my hands and never had a sleepless night over it. I bet Herman Fritz would have killed him if you hadn’t stopped him. Others on the train have said they regret they didn’t have the pleasure of lynching him where everyone could witness it.”
“So you’re saying if I say Granny used the wrong medicine, more than one person will swear my eyesight isn’t what it should be.”
“Something like that. I might even say you looked at the wrong herb myself.”
Zeke took another deep breath. “Granny Weatherbee is an asset to this train. We may need her expertise more than once more before this trip is over. She’s in her eighties and if she made a mistake, at least she made it with the right patient.”
“I agree.”
“Thanks, Clint. I don’t see a need to mention this conversation to anyone. Do you?”
“Not a single person, Zeke.”
“Uncle Clint! Uncle Clint! You’re back.” Joey ran toward him with his arms outstretched. “Where’s Aunt Fiona?”
Clint took the little boy in his arms. “Yes, I’m back and so is your ma. She has a few scratches so she’s getting them cleaned up at Granny Wetherbee’s wagon. We’re going to go back and get her in a little while.”
“I worried about you and her.” Joey clung to Clint’s neck. “Did mean old Mr. Markin get her?”
Zeke took Clint’s horse from him. “I’ll take care of this. Looks like you need to do some explaining.”
“Come on, Joey. Let’s go to our wagon and have a talk.”
Joey looked frightened. He swallowed as if he was expecting bad news. “All right,” he muttered.
Refusing to stop to talk to anyone, Clint hurried Joey to their wagon and climbed inside. Sarah was there with Hope. “Oh, Clint, I’m so glad to see you. What in the world happened? Where’s Fiona?”
“I’ll answer all your questions later, Sarah. I need to talk with Joey alone right now, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course. I’ll take Hope...”
“Leave her. She’s part of our family and she needs to be here, too.”
“I understand.” Sara put the baby in Clint’s lap and left the wagon.
Clint turned to Joey. “Sit down, son.”
Joey dropped to the mattress beside Clint. “Is Aunt Fiona dead?”
“No, Joey. Fiona is very much alive.” He placed the sleeping Hope in her crate and put his arm around the shaking boy’s shoulders. “I told you she’s in Mrs. Wetherbee’s wagon. I’m going to get her in a little while and you can go with me if you like.”
He smiled up at Clint. “Yes. I want to go with you.”
“What I need to tell you, Joey, is that Luther Markin is dead.” He let these words sink into Joey’s mind.
Joey’s eyes got big and he stared at Clint. “Really?”
“Yes, really. He won’t bother you or Fiona ever again.”
Joey threw his arms around Clint’s neck. “Thank you for killing him, Uncle Clint.”
“I didn’t kill him, Joey.”
“You didn’t?”
“No. Would you like to hear the whole story?” Joey nodded and Clint went on. “Markin caught Fiona out in the weeds. He tied and gagged her and put her on a horse. He was trying to get far enough away from us so we couldn’t find her, but he didn’t count on your Aunt Fiona. She tore off pieces of her big floppy hat and left a trail so I could follow it.”
Joey smiled. “I bet she hated to tear up her hat.”
“Even if she did, she wanted us to find her and her hat was all she had to use. Mr. Fritz, Bruce, and I followed her trail to a cave several miles from here. When we got there, Markin heard us and was ready when I went into the cave to rescue Fiona. He hit me on the head and knocked me out. What I didn’t know was that Mac had followed the trail after we’d already left. He found his way to the cave where Markin had tied the three of us up. I got loose as he tried to hurt your Aunt. I knocked him away and Mac shot him. After we buried him, we headed back here.” He smiled at Joey. “I must say, I was sure glad to see you and this place again.”
“How about Hope?”
“Of course, I’m glad to see Hope. Has she done all right with Fiona gone?”
“I guess so. I talked to her and told her you’d be back and we’d be a family again. I don’t know if she understood, but I think she knew I was here with her.”
“I’m sure she did, Joey.” He patted the boy’s back. “Now while we’re talking, there’s something else I want to discuss with you.”
“Okay.”
“When I thought I might never see Fiona again, I realized how much I love her. I wanted to ask you if you had any objection to me asking your aunt to marry me.”
“Does that mean you’d want to send me to an orphanage?”
“Of course not, Joey. I’d never want you to go away from Fiona.”
“But Mr. Markin said if Aunt Fiona wanted to get married she’d have to get rid of me.”
“Look at me.” When Joey looked up at him, Clint said, “Would you believe anything Luther Markin said?”
Joey shook his head.
“Well, don’t. What I want is for Fiona and me to get married and then she and I and you and Hope would be a real family. We might even add some more kids someday. If we do, we’d still be a family that nobody could ever split up. I’d be your second Daddy and Fiona would be your second Mama.”
“Do you want me to call you Daddy?”
“You don’t have to, Joey, but if you decided you wanted to, I’d be proud to be your daddy.”
“I guess since I’m used to calling Aunt Fiona Ma most of the time, I think I’ll call her Mama.”
“I think she’d like that.”
“I bet Hope will want to call you Mama and Daddy when she learns to talk.”
“I bet you’re right. There’s only one thing, Joey.”
“What?” He looked worried.
“You can’t tell anyone on this train about this. We have to keep it as our family secret. I haven’t even asked Fiona if she wants to marry me and I’m not going to until she’s all well. She might not want to be my wife.”
“I bet she will. She likes you, Uncle Clint.” Joey stretched over the crate where Hope slept. “I know you don’t know any of this, yet, Hope, but if they get married you will be my little sister, but if you start talking you can’t tell anybody. It’s a family secret.”
By the time the wagon train started out again, Fiona was on the mattress in their wagon. Her wounds had been tended and she was feeling much better. Joey sat by her side and held her hand. Hope was on the mattress beside her making baby noises.
Clint was driving the wagon. Just like a real family headed to Oregon, he thought. I only wish we were headed to Texas.