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except of course my second brother, Ben, who must have liked the third row so much he stayed there for three years. He probably never would have advanced, only others kept complaining about having trouble seeing around him.”
    Delta smiled, seeming to forget her pain. “I remember that,” she said shyly.
    Austin didn’t miss the way Audrey turned and nodded toward the younger woman as though showing approval for such a small comment.
    A porter brought in a bowl of water and an armful of towels. “Doc says to clean the wound and he’ll be here as soon as he can drink enough coffee to sober up.”
    “Well, Hell’s bells!” Audrey said the words like an oath. “I swear, Delta, we’ve been dropped off at the end of the world. First the train robbery and now only one doctor and he’s a drunkard.”
    “No, miss, Florence ain’t the end of the world, but I think you can see it from here. It’s just over the Oklahoma Territory and into Texas.” The porter giggled like a stuttering hiccupper. When he noticed the frown on Austin’s face he elected to change the subject. “Most folks about these parts think the doc does his best work drunk.”
    Helping Delta remove her coat, Audrey said, “Well, I’ve had some training in medicine, and if he doesn’t do a fine job by my friend, he’ll be dancing to a six count.”
    “A six count?” Austin didn’t understand, but he had to admire this woman’s spirit. He’d seen chiefs who didn’t protect their whole tribe as carefully as Audrey protected her friend.
    Audrey studied him a moment before answering, “You sure you didn’t sit too long on the same row yourself, Marshal? How about counting the bullets in that Colt you’re so fond of patting and maybe you can figure out the dance.”
    Laughter exploded from Austin before he could stop himself. It had been a long time since anyone, man or woman, had questioned his intelligence. First, Jennie on the train and now this redhead. He figured he’d better get out of this town as fast as possible, while he still had enough self-respect left not to drool.
    Audrey didn’t pay any attention to his revelry as she unbuttoned the top few buttons of Delta’s blouse and pulled blood-soaked bandages away from the injury.
    Austin swallowed his laughter the moment he saw the wound. It was over two inches long and in the shape of a V. Blood still oozed from the deep gash, but no redness festered around the wound promising infection. “But I thought …”
    Glancing up at him, Audrey’s eyes narrowed. “You’d best leave,” she demanded. “I can clean the blood while we’re watching for the doc.”
    Austin raised his finger and started to put her in her place. He might be a road-weary lawman and it might be dusk, but he’d be three days cold before he couldn’t tell the difference between a gunshot hole and a knife wound. Plus, if this little lady had been shot on the train, she couldn’t possibly have had time to dress the injury. Those bloodstained bandages had been wrapped by someone who knew what they were doing, not just stuffed over the wound until the train stopped.
    Before he spoke, he turned to Delta, wondering what lie these two women were trying to pull on not only him, but the whole town. The petite blonde’s pale blue eyes stared at him with such fear, Austin forgot what he was going to say. He’d seen fear in eyes before. Fear of the law, fear of the truth, fear of death. But never this kind of bone-crushing terror. She looked at him as if he might do worse than send her to hell and back for lying about being shot during the robbery.
    “The bleeding is slowing up some. I might be able to close the wound with a tight wrap.” Audrey broke the barrier of silence that seemed as thick as mortar between him and the women. “Wish there was something you could do to hurry that doc, Marshal.”
    Austin moved toward the door. He had to break Delta’s stare. He doubted he could help with the doctor, but he had to