to Jesse’s wound from over her shoulder. “Eight there were who robbed us.”
Papa looked at her for a moment, and then without a word he strode away toward the corpses. When he approached, he removed his straw hat and held it in two hands in front of him while he inspected the bodies. After a moment, he replaced his hat and returned.
“Their faces are familiar.” His expression was troubled as he glanced at Maummi and then at Luke. “Those men took our belongings. The man who showed us mercy, the leader of the others, is there.” He bowed his head and closed his eyes in a moment of silent prayer.
“And what of the man with the black teeth?” Emma asked. Lester, his boss had called him. That man had frightened her more than any of the others. Something about the way he looked at her, the disrespectful way he sneered at Maummi, disturbed her far more than the mere act of taking their possessions.
Papa shook his head. “That one is not here.”
So. Emma lifted her gaze to a swell in the land that bordered this plain to the west. The man with the black teeth was still out there.
“Wrong!” Maummi’s sharp reprimand startled all of them. She glared down at the cook. “Not clean enough is that wound. And set it before it is wrapped, else you’ll lame him for life.”
McCann bristled. He drew himself upright and glared at her. “I’ve been dressing cowboys’ wounds for more’n twenty years.”
Maummi didn’t back down one inch but returned his glare full measure. “A slow learner you must be, then.”
The man’s bushy eyebrows dropped lower over his eyes. “If you think you can do better, ma’am, then have at it.”
Maummi had been waiting for the invitation. She dropped to the ground and quickly unwrapped the strips of cloth. “Fresh water,” she barked toward the cook. “And alcohol for cleaning.”
“The only alcohol we have is the drinkin’ kind,” he said. “Whiskey—”
He shrank before the glare she turned on him. “Bring it.”
Emma almost felt sorry for him as he struggled to his feet and slunk away toward his wagon. When he passed Luke, he muttered sideways, “I can’t abide no woman taking over. No good will come of this, mark my words.” His glance slid to Emma, and he ducked his head. “Sorry, ma’am.”
Beside her Luke nodded absently, his gaze fixed on a faraway point. Emma drank in the sight of his rugged profile, the fresh lines of stress around his tight lips. The burden he must feel! If only she could help him.
“We have to round up strays. The fact that you found so many, Jonas, is encouraging. Maybe they’re too tired from the last stampede to run far.” He shook his head. “I can’t spend much time looking, though, nor can I spare men for the hunt. We’re running way too lean now.”
The older man, Griff, had been standing quietly off to one side. “We have four able-bodied men here, Luke. You, me, Morris, and Charlie. That’s got the compass points covered. We’ll cross our fingers that Vic will be back soon with the rest of the horses.”
Luke shook his head. “I can’t send you out alone, Griff. You know that. There are four rustlers still out there, and for all we know they’re lying in wait for us.”
“I’ll go,” Jesse put in from his position on the ground. “I’m feeling better already. Put a tight binding on this leg and heft me into my saddle.”
Maummi’s jaw dropped open and she gave him a stern stare. “Unless you want to lose your leg, you will stay here.”
A stubborn look came over his face, but Luke stopped any argument. “Forget it, buddy. The only place you’re going is into a wagon.” His voice softened as he looked around the circle. Emma’s heart ached at the tone of his voice when he next spoke. “Maybe we ought to cut our losses. Hit the trail and push hard. We might still make the train if we run them on the hoof. After all, it’s better to arrive in Hays with three-quarters of a herd than to not arrive in time.”
Concern deepened the creases on Griff’s weathered face. “That’ll do you in, Luke. Your first cattle drive, and you show up that light of beef?” He shook his head. “You won’t work as a trail boss ever again.”
He lifted a shoulder. “Probably not.”
Something inside Emma’s rib cage twisted at the resigned look on his face. Words flew