Page 8 of Inventions of the Heart

“What? That’s why you were coming here?”

“Yes, we were running for our lives and thought we’d gotten away. It was a land grab, pure and simple.”

“I’ll gather my men. We’ll go down and take that land back. We’ll do it today.”

Annie shook her head. “There’s nothing to go back to, Zane. We saw the house burning and the cattle being driven off.”

“That’s cattle rustling. We’ll go to the law,” Zane insisted.

“Benteen is rich and connected to powerful people. Todd has been to Lodi several times with complaints to the sheriff, but he said what happened outside of town wasn’t their problem. Benteen owns the sheriff.”

Zane drew her back into his arms. He didn’t want her to see the fury on his face.

“The hands who were loyal rode with us a long way. Most of the way to your property line. Long after we’d left all pursuit behind. Finally, all but two of them split off, heading for their own destinations. We thought we’d made it. We thought we’d live to fight another day.”

Zane looked grimly at the three graves.

“The men who rode with us were cut down first. Then Todd. Benteen must’ve known we would run here to you. They must’ve been waiting. Just a mile or so before we reached your land, someone opened fire on us. And me with Caroline riding on my lap. They might’ve let me live just because they couldn’t quite descend into such evil by killing her. But for Todd and the men riding with us, they spared no lead.”

“We’ll get a lawyer. We’ll figure this out. I know that ranch was bought legal. Until it’s sorted out, you’ll stay here.”

Which set him to thinking of his crowded house.

With Laura and Caleb gone, there was an empty bedroom upstairs.

Jilly seemed to like building. Maybe he’d let her add on a couple of rooms.

“Let’s go in. I’ll send a rider for town to wire Beth Ellen and Todd’s brother.”

And where was he going to put Beth Ellen? Zane was a little ashamed of himself for worrying about it. He could sleep in the bunkhouse.

“Who are all these strangers in your house, Zane?” Annie’s confused voice sounded the littlest bit interested. He hoped that, if only for a moment, she could think of something besides her husband. Zane knew grief would fill her thoughts for a long time to come.

JILLY HAD WITNESSED THE WOMEN PREPARINGTodd’s body for burial. It was something she’d never seen before, but it seemed to be nothing unusual to the Hogan sisters orAnnie Lane. The three women had covered his bloodstained clothing by wrapping Todd in a blanket. They’d combed his hair and washed his face.

The Hogan sisters, women of strong faith who’d been with Caleb on his mission, were a bulwark to Annie. They’d talked quietly with her, prayed with her, held her when they needed to.

Jilly was in charge of Caroline and was surprised how much she enjoyed the little girl. Annie broke into sobs often, but she’d go on working. The tears would end, then they’d come again. Jilly tried to keep Caroline away from the funeral preparations and her mother’s tears.

All the while, Gretel, who’d also come here with the mission group, had worked with Michelle to clean the wreckage in the kitchen.

Jilly would come into the kitchen on her walk through the house bouncing the little one or holding her hand as she toddled along exploring a different house. Caroline couldn’t really see her papa after the Hogan sisters and Annie surrounded him. And Caroline seemed to have no idea what was going on.

As much as possible, Jilly let Caroline down to run. The toddler seemed to have taken a liking to her. A pang in Jilly’s heart told her it was mutual. She’d been around babies before. She had friends her age in San Francisco who were married and already mothers. But as for being in charge of one for such a long time, it was all new. It twisted Jilly’s heart to realize she’d like to have a child. But the only way to get one went through a husband and marriage.

She dreaded the very thought.

She’d kept Caroline inside during the rustic proceedings ofthe funeral. Michelle and the Hogans had come back inside. But looking out the kitchen window, Jilly watched Zane and Annie linger at the gravesites. She bounced Caroline in her arms as she wondered about the two other men. Who were they? Who would mourn them?

Jilly gave the little one a gentle kiss on her unruly dark curls. Caroline giggled as if the kiss tickled. The little girl had eyes as blue as her mama’s and hair as brown. Of course, her papa had dark hair, too. Jilly hadn’t seen the man’s eyes. They’d been closed most of the time.

This baby girl would never remember her father. She was too young. It caught hard in Jilly’s throat to think of such a loss for one so young. Jilly’s mama and papa were the foundation of her life. They’d been her first and strongest support. The faith they’d taught her was the rock she leaned on, grew on, built on.

Losing Papa had devastated Jilly. Well, all of them. But Jilly knew how the grief had torn at her heart. Caroline was spared that, but somehow that seemed like its own terrible tragedy.

Michelle came up beside Jilly at the kitchen window. “We need to leave.”

Jilly turned toward Michelle. “Why? What happened?”

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