Page 90 of Wyoming Promises
Jake slipped closer and chucked the baby’s chin with his thick, rough finger. Cap’s tiny head turned and he settled to sleep.
A look Bridger recognized passed between Grace and the marshal. It made him smile.
Frank gripped his arm. “Hey, he’s named after me!”
Bridger patted his brother on the back. “I reckon he is.”
Grace tore her gaze from the baby long enough to glance at Frank. “If you hadn’t acted with such bravery, my little boy might not have arrived into this world.”
Silas spoke just behind his shoulder. “From what I hear,” he said, “she had to narrow that name quite a bit from all those involved in last night’s drama.”
Lola’s eyes clouded. “I’ve never been so terrified.”
Bridger moved to her side and slid his hand over her sleek hair to rest on her shoulder. “I’ve never seen someone so strong.”
Doc Kendall’s eyes held pride. “I can tell you this—she did one fine job of getting that baby here.”
Lola sent a sly glance his way before she spoke. “Thanks to you, Doc.”
A laugh burst from Bridger. “Yes, I can honestly say, I’ve never been happier to see another human being than I was to see you at that moment, Doc.” He slipped his hand to the small of Lola’s back. It felt comfortable, warm, right. Her eyes lit.
“You did a fine job and would have seen it through if needed. You prayed when neither of us would’ve been able.” The pride in Lola’s smooth voice made him want to be a better man.
“I’m very happy to give the Lord full credit,” he said.
“Me, too,” Silas said. “I’m only a helping hand if He can use me.”
Jake broke from his baby trance. “What about you, Lola? I’ve been thinking—”
“Thinking’s good,” Frank proclaimed, his attention focused fully on his namesake, as well.
Jake continued. “I’ve put your father’s notes together with Sheriff McKenna’s and some of my own digging. Your father kept track of other businesses being leaned on by Ike and his men, trying to gather enough to close them down. He made the initial contact with the marshal’s office that brought Alex here. I think he may have talked to Ike about the loan in order to implicate him for usury and extortion, but somehow Tyler found him out. At any rate, the money sits in a Denver bank account, waiting your acceptance into medical school. Between that and the reward money on Ike and his men, of which you’ve earned a share, you ought to have enough to provide this town with a second doctor.”
Her eyes grew wide. The dark fringe of lashes made their pale green color all the more mesmerizing. “We already have one doctor—”
Silas waved off her protest. “This is a growing town. I’d be obliged for the help.”
“You’d be perfect for it,” Grace added.
Lola clasped her hands together, long fingers steepled. “I don’t know what to say.”
The distance east to a women’s medical college staggered Bridger, but she deserved every opportunity to help others the way the Lord saw fit. He shrugged. “Say you’ll pray about it.”
* * *
Lola waited as Bridger, Frank and Jake buried Ike’s coffin along the far edge of the churchyard. Few had turned out for the service, though Pastor Evans delivered a fine sermon and did his best to portray Ike’s wrong choices as a means the Lord might still use for good. She couldn’t help but shed a few honest tears for the friendship they’d once shared. For a man who had served his life seeking approval from others—even if it were in all the wrong ways...such a lonely passage broke her heart.
Bridger brushed dust from his shirt and handed the shovel to Frank, who trailed after Jake to return them to the jail. Marshal Anderson would stay on to complete the investigation and provide primary law enforcement for Quiver Creek. Seeing Jake’s pride for Grace and her son, it pleased Lola to know he’d be spending more time in town.
Bridger joined her. His brown plaid shirt held a vein of yellow that highlighted golden flecks in his eyes. His lithe frame moved with ease across the field, and she admired the warm strength he carried. Even the scar he believed marred his face only added to his handsome allure, and a flutter awakened in her chest each time she saw him. How could she think of going east to school?
Lost in thought, she was startled by his touch on her arm. “Are you finished? I thought we might take a walk along the river. I’d like to talk with you.”
Warmth tingled through her, magnified by his gentle caress. He placed her hand in the crook of his arm and led her into the secluded stand of trees behind the church.