A Temporary Family

She approached the far end of the table and held out a handful of smashed purple. “Want?”

Dakota Red drew his chin toward his chest and angled his head with a shake. “You keep ’em. Let’s go, boys.” He pointed one gnarled finger in Tilly’s direction, his mouth set in a grim line. “Remember your young’uns the next time you want to try something. You got me?”

She suppressed a shiver of fear. His threat was obvious. “I understand.”

Gracious. She was beginning to sound like a parrot, chirping the same phrases over and over again.

“Me and the boys will be keeping a tight watch on the horses,” he continued. “You play along real nice like we asked, and everything is going to be fine. You got that?”

Tilly gave a hesitant nod.

“Glad we came to that agreement. We’ll just search the place again. Even though you’ve given us your word.”

The outlaws tore up the entire station looking for hidden weapons. They emptied all the drawers, moved all the furniture and tapped on all the floorboards. During the search, Tilly kept the girls busy with baking a batch of blackberry muffins.

Victoria glanced up at a particularly loud thump. “What are they doing? What’s taking them so long?”

“They lost something. They’re trying to find it.”

“Mama said if you put your stuff away when you’re done, you don’t lose things.”

“She’s right. But I don’t think they’re interested in your mother’s advice right now.”

Once the outlaws were satisfied, they left to tend their horses. Snyder took a seat outside the front door, and filled his pipe bowl with tobacco.

After the excitement of the afternoon, the rest of the evening passed in relative monotony. Only the faint stench of pipe smoke kept Tilly on edge. As much as she and Nolan struggled to present an air of normalcy, the danger was ever present. With each tick of the clock the tension took its toll, gradually draining her body and soul of energy. Tilly fed the girls and had the three wash up for bedtime.

Caroline stifled a yawn behind her fingers. “What time will the stagecoach come by tomorrow? I’m ready to see Nanny and Poppy.”

“About that.” Tilly tugged her lower lip between her teeth. “Nolan thinks the next stagecoach might be too full. If that’s the case, we’ll have to stay another day or two.”

Caroline shrugged. “All right.”

Tilly breathed a sigh of relief at her easy acceptance of the lie. The next few days were going to be a trial. Tonight she needed rest.

After they’d finished cleaning up the broken looking glass and preparing for bed, the three of them stretched out on the mattress in the main bedroom. Tilly pulled the covers up to their chins, and they each said a quick prayer. Caroline and Victoria prayed for their mother’s safe travels, and Elizabeth prayed for a puppy.

Caroline rolled her eyes. “You’re never getting a puppy. Mama doesn’t like dogs. She says they’re messy and they shed hair. She says dog fur is disgusting.”

Elizabeth set her chin in a stubborn line. “I pray.”

She stuck out her tongue for emphasis.

Caroline swiped at her sister and Tilly lunged between them. “No fighting. Elizabeth can pray for whatever she wants. No hitting each other at bedtime.”

Her nerves were stretched too taut for this sort of the nonsense. Thankfully, the two scooted away from each other. The girls chatted and their animosity quickly dissipated.

Pausing at the door, Tilly blew each of them a kiss. Their eyes drifted shut and she lingered in the doorway. She’d missed them terribly over the past few years. She hardly knew Elizabeth, who’d been an infant when her parents moved to Virginia City.