Josie's Dream (Grandma's Wedding Quilts Book 9) Read online

  “Sure, I’d be glad to,” the clerk smiled. “Anything for a pretty lady, especially one that the kitten likes.”

  Smiling, Josie laughed as she and the clerk headed over to the station to bring her trunk back. It held more of her medical supplies. The rest of her clothes and books were in Kit Carson at the train station.

  Back at the hotel, the clerk followed Josie upstairs, bringing her trunk with him. Walking into the room, he quickly set it down, grabbing his handkerchief as another fit of sneezing overtook him.

  Josie glanced at the kitten making itself at home on the bed then, at the poor clerk. “Okay little one, out you go,” Josie said, reaching for the ball of fur, only to have it jump off the bed and quickly disappear underneath.

  “I’m sorry, Mister?”

  “Krieder, Amos Krieder,” the clerk answered between sneezes. “And it’s okay,” he continued, wiping his nose. “I’m glad the little—,” he began only to be stopped by another series of sneezes.

  Josie got to her knees, looking under the bed, seeing the kitten just out of reach. Lying on her stomach, she almost had it when the kitten again scooted just out of reach.

  “Ma’am, you keep that kitten,” Amos said, “it wants to be with you.”

  “But what about your allergy?” Josie asked as she wiggled farther under the bed. Josie had to admit, it wasn’t easy in her traveling dress, but there was not much she could do about that. That kitten would not get the best of her.

  “Ma’am, you come out,” Amos insisted. “Maybe, if you are a doctor, you could maybe give me something?” he finished on a hopeful note.

  Slowly, Josie scooted out from under the bed, surprised at the lack of dust on her clothes. The hotel was turning out to be as spotless on the inside as it had appeared on the outside.

  “Mr. Krieder, are you just being nice or do you truly like cats, despite the allergy?”

  Krieder grinned, a twinkle showing in his reddened eyes. “I really like cats, and if you will tell me where to put your trunk, I’ll leave you with the kitten.”

  Josie smiled, choosing to believe what the man told her. “Over in this corner for now. I’m not sure how long I’ll be here.” Despite her desire, she needed a place to set up her office, and if there were repercussions from the earlier incident with the boys she’d deal with that...too. Well, she wasn’t going to give up before she started.

  Amos moved the trunk to the designated spot, then hastily moved out of the room. Josie followed, closing the door to keep the kitten from following her, just in case. She did like cats, and the kitten was so adorable, but they’d have to come to some understanding. Well, as much as one could with a cat.

  “Mr. Krieder,” Josie called as she followed Amos down the stairs. “I’d be glad to help you with your allergy in exchange for helping me find an office space.”

  The two had reached the bottom of the stairs, Amos heading for the hotel office, and Josie following close behind.

  “Tell you what, there’s an office just off the lobby you might like,” Amos said pointing to the closed door off to his right, “And please call me Amos.”

  “Can we take a look?” Josie asked, fear and anticipation growing as Amos went to get the key. Together, they moved toward what Josie hoped would be the answer to her prayers, a place to help people get well, or like Dr. Alida Avery, who was now in Denver said, keep them from getting sick.

  Chapter 4

  Sun greeted Will as he lay on the bed at the hotel. Stretching, he felt the pull and twinge of sore ribs. He knew he likely had a few bruises on his face and hands. Richard had been waiting for Will as he left the restaurant last night.

  “I remember you now, you’re little Willie Murphy,” and then he’d thrown a punch at Will’s stomach.

  Just at the last moment, Will had turned and taken the blow on his left arm and ribs. “But, I’m not the little boy you always picked on,” Will had retorted as he drew back his right arm and followed through with a return punch that knocked Richard back about three feet.

  “You interfered where you shouldn’t,” Richard growled as he recovered and rushed Will.

  What followed was a fight that had been building for years since the two had been boys.

  Will mentally went through the events after the fight. He didn’t quite understand why he’d taken up for Jenny, but he was glad he had. This brief stop to visit his parents’ graves had turned into much more than he’d bargained for. The resulting brawl had brought the town marshal, and after some discussion, Richard had ended up behind bars, and Will in a hotel room to rest his sore muscles.

  What a waste of time, Will thought. Well there’s nothing to be done about it. The sun’s rays hit Will’s eyes and he realized he’d lain in bed longer than he’d thought. Rising, stretching again to loosen up, he washed face and hands then headed to the telegraph office to send a wire to Buena Vista letting them know he’d been delayed. He then headed to the restaurant the marshal had recommended.

  The tiny place was already full, making Will appreciate the tip, for it seemed to be a town favorite.

  Searching out an empty seat, he found one back in the corner by the door to the kitchen, nodding to folks as he made his way back to the seat.

  On her way back to the kitchen, the waitress stopped by Will’s table.

  “Having the special?” she asked.

  Will nodded and she continued on, not sure what the special was, but if the other plates were an indication, he was in for a treat of ham and potatoes.

  Will prepared his mind for dealing with the cacophony of voices, tuning his ears to single out different voices, different conversations. It was a trick he’d learned in his travels since leaving home.

  “You know, Andrew, you’re lucky you own the bank. I don’t know how much longer I can shave folks with these hands.”

  “Well, maybe you might think of taking on and training a...”

  “As you know, Mr. Bailey has been a good mayor, the town is doing well and with the election coming, well what kind of wife would I be if I...”

  All these people had found their place in life. Will wondered if he’d ever settle down. Shaking his head, Will remembered how he’d never been comfortable doing nothing. Life is for living and living was doing, Will said to himself. Just as he was wondering if all this introspection was going too far, the waitress set his food down. Will was lifting his fork when his ears caught a child’s distraught voice outside the window.

  “The man was up on the roof and threw the bottle down. It hit the woman and killed her.”

  “Are you sure?” the Marshal asked.

  Will recognized Marshal White’s voice from the night before.

  “It was right over there,” her voice catching as she answered.

  Will got up, leaving his meal untouched, money lying next to the plate, and hurried outside to see a little girl, about seven, leading White back down the road.

  He wondered at the control in the girl’s voice, but the crime, if there was one, captured his curiosity. Who was the victim, and why throw a bottle at someone? He hoped it wasn’t Richard taking his anger out on Jenny, but surely he was still in jail.

  Arriving at the scene just after the others, Will watched as the girl pointed to the top of the gun shop. He saw no one on the roof, but a woman lay still, a deep cut across her forehead. Blood pooling around her head.

  Suddenly, the girl started crying, her small body trembling. White started to shake the girl, but he was cut short as Will grabbed his arm.

  “Don’t.”

  “She knows,” White began.

  “Knows what?” asked Will. “How would you react if you had seen something like this?”

  White looked down, hands fisting open and closed. His body tense, then he let out a short curse.

  Glancing at the Marshal, Will bent down, gently wiping the tears from the child’s cheeks with his thumb.

  “The Marshal is upset, but not at you,” Will said, his look daring White to di
sagree.

  “I’m not angry at you, Sally,” White said, looking up at the roof again. “I knew her.”

  Sally gulped, tears slowing. Suddenly she threw her arms around Will’s neck, her voice sounding in his ear. “I’m scared. What if the man comes back?”

  Will hugged the girl then turned her so he could look her in the eye. “Sally, it is Sally, right?” Will began, “We will find the man and make sure he doesn’t come back.”

  “You promise?” Sally whispered.

  “I do,” Will promised, turning to help the Marshal as he checked the woman’s wound. Although there was a lot of blood, the woman was still breathing. Will gave a sigh of relief, turning back to Sally.

  “Sally, the woman isn’t dead, but we need to get her to a doctor. Is there one here in town?”

  Sally perked up, “I’ll go get the doctor,” she offered.

  “Why don’t you go with her, then you can take her home,” Marshal White suggested.

  “Be glad to,” Will answered. “Lead the way young lady.” Will bowed and took Sally’s hand, as they walked through the crowd that had gathered.

  “Did anyone see what happened?” Will heard the Marshal ask as he moved away.

  Just past the restaurant, Will heard a commotion coming from the jail. Leaning down, Will said, “Sally, something is happening over at the jail. I need to go check it out. You stay here.”

  Sally clung to Will’s hand, holding him back. “We have to get the doctor.”

  “Yes, we do, but what if there are bad men trying to get out?”

  Sally looked into Will’s eyes, then with a hug, she replied, “I’ll get the doctor while you catch the bad men.” Then she ran across the street and down an alley.

  Will watched to make sure she had moved out of sight, then headed toward the jail just as the door flew open and Richard and three other men rushed out.

  Will started forward only to rush back to shelter as the men began shooting.

  Before he could raise his gun, four men mounted up and headed out of town. Will stared at the receding riders, realizing who had actually escaped. It was Richard and three others, and just before fading out of sight, a fifth man joined them. Now Will was determined to catch the five and bring them back. Will feared what might happen with Richard, what Richard might do.

  “For someone who had so much,” Will spoke, moving to gather his horse to take out after them.

  “Who had so much?” the Marshal asked, coming up behind Will.

  “Richard Danson,” Will replied, “I knew him back when I was young. People like him, who had life handed to them, they don’t always know how to function in the world.”

  “You may be right,” the Marshal answered, “He didn’t really contribute much here, and you know how he behaved in a fight.”

  “I know it can leave them haunted or rotten. Either way they don’t escape, do they?” Will asked, as he packed his saddlebags with the supplies he’d purchased as he and the Marshal had been talking.

  “No,” the Marshal replied. “Any other question or information you need?” The Marshal asked as Will mounted up to take off.

  “No, I pretty much have an idea about how Richard did it, and if the others were in jail…”

  “Those three just got a bit rowdy and were sleeping it off. You still think the incident with the woman is tied to the break?” the Marshal asked.

  Will paused before answering. He told the Marshal of his suspicions, but so far, the man wasn’t buying it. “Yes,” Will replied.

  “Still doesn’t make sense, but be careful. If what you think is true, it will be five men to your one.”

  Will grinned, saluted the man, “I’ll be careful,” he said as he took off at a fast walk. Once away from town, Will pushed the horse into a gallop, alternating between that and a fast walk.

  The escapees had a substantial start, but Will hoped — no felt — he would catch up. He worried about the idea of the incident, the nature of what happened as the escape occurred. Will also worried about little Sally. How all of this would affect her in the future?

  When he thought about it, Will supposed it was how Sally had been affected that was really driving him. That and the fact of the incarcerated men possibly being wanted for more than just being drunk and blowing off steam. He was sure there was more to the other three than what Marshal White believed them to be.

  “Well, I’ll find out more when I catch them.” Will said to the wind. “If I do,” he added.

  Chapter 5

  Returning from her ride to the Roberts’ place, Josie slowly climbed the stairs to her room, tired from the trip. An hour out, then another two hours treating the children, then the hour back had taken a lot out of her. Still, a part of her was pleased folks were accepting her as their doctor. True, it was primarily women and children, but her hope was the men would also seek her aid when they needed it. She was also intrigued by the man she’d seen riding in the distance. There was something about the way he sat his horse, the intent way he studied the ground, she stopped and studied him, even though he was too far away to see his face. She enjoyed the company of men, but for her, she was married to her work as a doctor.

  As she placed her hat on the chair, she noticed the kitten preparing to pounce. Glancing to see what had grabbed the kitten’s attention, she didn’t see anything. “Probably just a bug,” Josie murmured as she moved across the wood floor to the window. Josie opened it, letting in the fresh air. She watched tiredly as the breeze caught the curtain, moving it in and out.

  Josie took a deep breath of the outside air, catching movement out of the corner of her eye. Facing that direction, she saw something slither out of the dark corner. Swooping in, Josie just caught the kitten before it landed on the snake. The kitten squirmed, fighting against Josie’s hold. Josie tried to work out the logistics of a squirming, determined kitten, along with how a snake made it to her second-floor room. She’d no doubt the kitten could deal with the snake, but she couldn’t see sacrificing the innocent snake just to make herself and the kitten happy.

  The snake quickly slithered under the bed. In the intervening seconds, Josie, still holding the squirming ball of fur, walked to the door, intent on calling the clerk up to remove her unexpected visitor.

  Pulling the door, Josie was met by two young boys, their arms held by Amos.

  “I caught these two sneaking toward your door,” Amos said. “The blonde one is Everett, and this redhead is Mason, they claim they were just…”

  “We didn’t do nothing,” the boy called Everett declared, trying for all the world to not show how uncomfortable he must be with his shirt bunched around his neck and shoulder in a strong grip.

  “It was Jack what put us up to it,” the boy named Mason said, glancing over to his cohort.

  Josie watched as the two glared at each other. That someone had used them as pawns to try to frighten her she didn’t doubt. “And who is Jack?” Josie asked the boys.

  If anything, they looked even more stubborn than before. “We ain’t telling you nothing,” Everett declared, while Mason said, “The cowboy by the saloon. He gave us two bits.”

  Everett tried to kick Mason and it was all Amos could do to keep the two from getting away or doing harm to one another.

  “Amos, perhaps these two would be willing to help with a slight problem I have,” Josie suggested. She would question Amos later about the mysterious Jack.

  The two continued their glares, as Amos ushered them into the room, the kitten hissing as they went by.

  “It seems there is a snake that has hidden under the bed. How about you help get it out before Cassie here gets out of my arms and we end up with a mess?” Josie suggested to the boys.

  Carefully, after a stern look from Amos, the two set about chasing after the snake. As uncomfortable as Josie was with a snake nearby, she was more concerned for Cassie, the kitten. Cassie watched as the two moved around, and squirmed under the bed. Finally Mason gave a shout of triumph and came ou
t with the snake in his hand.

  “Be careful, it’s more frightened of you,” Josie warned, holding Cassie even tighter as the kitten renewed its efforts to get at the snake.

  “Okay, out with you two,” Amos said, ushering the two out the door, a wink at Josie as he shut the door.

  “I wonder what Amos is going to do with those two?” Josie asked the kitten in her arms, finally turning her loose. In response, the kitten immediately went to the door, meows of frustration echoing in Josie’s ears.

  Smiling, she set about cleaning up the pricks of blood the kitten had drawn in its struggles to get loose.

  “You are a beautiful brat, young lady,” Josie said, “but you’re not going out.”

  In response, Cassie darted to and fro in the room. She finally bounced from the chair to the windowsill, sitting silently watching the action below, tail whipping back and forth.

  With a final glance at the kitten, Josie laid down on the bed, hoping for a short rest before returning to work in her office for her afternoon hours.

  Soon the sound of the bed creaking, then purring, reached her ears as the ball of fur curled up against her side. Placing a hand on Cassie’s head, Josie drew her hand down the soft fur, a relaxed sigh escaping her lips.

  Josie must have dozed off for she was awakened by a pounding on her door.

  “Dr. Josie, Dr. Josie,” sounded through the wooden door.

  “Just a moment,” Josie called, straightening her dress and hair, the kitten already at the door to

  greet whoever was there. Josie opened the door.

  “Dr. Josie, my aunt cut her hand real bad it won’t stop bleeding.”

  Grabbing her bag, Josie exited the room. “Let’s go, Homer, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, Ma’am, please hurry,” the young man said as he made for the stairs.

  Josie called as Homer took the stairs two at a time. “Homer, slow down.”

  Halting at the bottom of the stairs, Homer looked up, “Please hurry, Dr. Josie.”