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she noticed a well with a hand pump, and chickens roamed free within the confines of the chapel grounds. They clucked and scratched at their breakfast on the hard-packed dirt of the open court.
    Following memory, she traced her steps to Mara’s room. She did not hesitate before entering.
    Cool air met her face as she stepped through the door. She suspected the thick, white-painted adobe walls would keep most of the extreme desert heat at bay. A small, curtainless window showed a view into the courtyard and the mountains beyond that towered above them. While ordinarily she would have stood in awe of the foothills and peaks with their great stone edifices and evidence of trees and waterfalls above, she only had eyes for the slight girl on the white bed.
    Mara’s even breath filled the small room. Her onyx hair still damp from a broken fever, now brushed and lovingly arranged around her face. The welt on her forehead remained purple and large, but her eyes looked peaceful. The furrow in her brow had relaxed.
    RuthAnne knelt beside the bed and took the girl’s hands in her own.
    “Oh, Lord, please let it be Your will for my sister’s healing...I thank You for the aid of Your servants. Of that beautiful Indian woman, Mariposa, and even of that gruff soldier who manhandled me here...”
    “I don’t suppose you enjoyed it much, ma’am, but I did the best I could under the circumstances.” Captain Shepherd stood from where he had rested in a carved wooden chair.
    “Captain!” RuthAnne immediately crossed her arms in front of her, uncomfortable in the unfettered blouse. He did not look away for a long moment, holding her eyes captive with his own of smoky green.
    She’d seen that look on Evan’s face a time or two, right before he started courting her. RuthAnne’s cheeks flushed with heat. Her heart skipped, mid-beat. She’d not had a man look at her like that since Evan. She wrenched her gaze from his and grabbed a colorful tablecloth to wrap around her bare shoulders.
    He took a step back in understanding. “I have no intention to dishonor you, ma’am. I stayed with her so Mariposa could sleep. I’m on my way back to the fort this morning.”
    “You owe me no explanation, Captain. Thank you for your efforts in seeing us to safety. We’ll be getting on to Tucson ourselves as soon as...Well, as soon as Mara is well enough.”
    “That’s what I wanted to discuss with you, ma’am.” His deep voice resonated with a decidedly Midwestern accent. His people were probably farmers, but she couldn’t see this towering, dark-haired, hazel-eyed man in anything but the army blues. She didn’t care for the thoughts that flickered to her mind, being a woman alone for so long.
    He shifted his weight. “After El Tejano...after yesterday, I know you are in dire straits. Do you have any means? Anyone we could telegraph back east to come fetch you?”
    Heartache filled her bruised throat. True, she could reach out to her remaining family in Somerville, Alabama, but they had all lost so much in the War Between the States. Her father had barely recovered himself.
    Besides, she had chosen a different path when she had married Evan. They took Mara in following Mother’s passing, promising to love and look out for her little sister until she grew up enough to marry and start her own life. Evan’s only living relative consisted of an aunt in San Francisco whom RuthAnne had never met. They had nowhere else to turn. For now, Mara was all that mattered. In a week, the army wagons would return with their goods, and they would have means. That would have to do. She attempted to clear her throat and found it very hard to swallow.
    “Mara and I are completely on our own.” She softened toward him, seeing his pained expression. “Not to worry, sir. The bandit didn’t take everything from us. They’ll ship the bulk of our belongings from La Junta as soon as I call for them. The army said it’d take about a week.”
    “I see.” He