Falcon steadied her, and her eyes popped open with a quick smile that turned mean.
Hawkins rushed forward.
Blood flowed down Kingston’s back. Rachel hit the floor but not from collapsing. She did it deliberately, then kicked hard and high from flat on her back and managed to land a boot straight into Hawkins’s backside.
Hawkins hollered with pain.
Kingston turned at the noise his brother made and saw Falcon. He jumped away, ever the coward, to grab Win. Falcon leapt on him, carrying him over backward. They dragged Win off her feet again.
Hawkins turned and ran for his horse. He was on it and galloping around the back of the cabin.
Falcon swung one wild punch after another to stop Kingston, who was clawing at Win to get her in front of him, to protect him from Falcon’s assault. They rolled, and Falcon was on the bottom. Win went tumbling backward. A fist plowed into Falcon’s face.
He barely noticed John rush outside, then another set of galloping hooves went after Hawkins.
John, alone now against Hawkins.
They came here thinking five against one. All of them against Hawkins. Now it was one-on-one, John against the worst of the lot. The man who’d been killing since childhood.
Then a whirlwind hit Falcon. He thought for a second it was Win, turned into someone nearly as tough as Cheyenne. Then he saw it was Cheyenne. His wife had bought into the fight.
A slashing thud ended the fight. Kingston toppled off Falcon. The big galoot landed on poor Win again. Cheyenne shouted something out the door, but Falcon’s ears were ringing from so many hard punches to the face that he wasn’t sure what she yelled.
Falcon opened his rapidly swelling eye to see his little firebrand wife come to save the day. She twirled her gun with casual skill and tucked it in her holster, her eyes cold on the man lying facedown whose head she’d just bashed.
The sheriff joined the fight after it was over and shackled Kingston’s arms behind his back.
Satisfied her outlaw was dealt with, Cheyenne turned to Falcon. “Are you all right?”
He grinned, and she smiled back.
Then her smile shrank. “And how are Rachel and poor Win?” Her eyes scanned around to see who was left standing.
Win jerked her knife out of Kingston’s shoulder, wiped it on his shirt, then tucked it back in her boot.
“If Kevin dies”—she more growled than spoke—“I’m going to hang you myself.”
Falcon decided maybe not so poor Win after all.
Wyatt had let Cheyenne get too far ahead. He heard shouting inside the cabin.
Hawkins charged out, empty-handed. He’d left Rachel behind. John, at a sprint, came out next and slammed shoulders with Cheyenne as she rushed past him to go in. John leapt on the horse standing there—the only one left—and went tearing after Hawkins.
He yelled over his shoulder at Wyatt. “My horse is tied up with Falcon’s and the sheriff’s right there!” He jabbed his finger at the woods. Wyatt hoped that pointing finger was enough.
Cheyenne yelled, “We’re all right. We got Kingston.”
“We’ve got to help John.” Wyatt had Molly’s hand, and they raced toward the woods as John rode out of sight hard on Hawkins’s heels.
The horses were right handy. They mounted up and were close enough to John to hear hoofbeats. Wyatt should have left Molly behind, but when he’d dropped her hand, she’d just kept on coming. There was no time to argue with her now.
They were gaining. Molly leaned as far over her horse’s shoulders as Wyatt.
A gunshot split the air ahead, then another.
Molly kicked her horse to get more speed out of it. It was the horse John had ridden in on and a fine animal. Wyatt had Falcon’s mount, a long-legged sorrel, as game as any on the ranch.
They rounded a bend in the narrow trail to find John off his horse and running for the woods, his shoulder bleeding.
“Get off the trail,” John yelled as he dodged behind a boulder on the side of the trail away from Hawkins. Bits of rock exploded as he ducked low.
Wyatt grabbed Molly’s reins, but she was pulling up already. The aim of the gun shifted so bullets came at them. They threw themselves off their horses, and Wyatt, Molly in hand, charged into the brush. He didn’t want to be on the same side of the trail as John. He wanted Hawkins’s attention split.
Hawkins quit shooting. The horses were in the way, and John, Molly, and Wyatt were out of sight. All four of the horses milled in the trail, rearing and screaming in panic. One of them kicked out wildly. At last, they gathered themselves and ran back the way they’d come.
Hoping the horses covered any sound, Wyatt moved. Low, as quiet as he could, he closed the distance between him and Hawkins. He wished Falcon was here. Now there was a man who knew how to be quiet in the woods.
With the horses gone, Wyatt braced himself for a new round of gunfire. There was none.
Moving faster now, he reached the spot where he knew Hawkins had been. Nothing.
Crouching low, he looked all around, expecting a bullet to come flying, in true dry-gulching style.
Not a sound. Not even the whisper of a footstep or the quiet breath of a man running for his life.
Gritting his teeth, Wyatt called out, “He’s gone. I don’t see a sign of a trail.”
The woods were heaped in leaves. There was snow, but it wasn’t deep enough to make a smooth coat on the forest floor. The wind tossed the leaves and sent the snow scudding here and there.
John came fast. Molly caught up. The three of them exchanged a look, then Molly said, “We need the best trackers. We need Falcon and Cheyenne.”
All three of them turned and ran for the cabin. They met Cheyenne and Falcon, coming fast. Before they reached the two trackers, they heard a high yell of pain. All five of them whirled to face the forest.
“What was that?” Molly edged closer to Wyatt, and he felt her shudder. He slipped an arm across her waist.
“It sounded like Hawkins to me. It sounded like fear.” Cheyenne pulled her gun and checked the load.
Another shout. Hawkins for sure.
Win came running down the trail.
“You were supposed to watch Kingston,” Cheyenne growled.
“He’s tied up and unconscious, and the sheriff and Rachel have guns on him. He’s not going anywhere.” Win heard the next shout. Then she smiled as Hawkins emerged from the woods, being shoved along by Kevin.
John strode forward and said, “I’ll take him back to the cabin. Let’s get the horses caught and head back for the jail.”
He nodded at Kevin—they had matching bleeding shoulders. “Glad to see you made it.”
John took hold of Hawkins and turned to march him back toward the cabin.
“You’re alive.” Win rushed to her husband and wrapped her arms around him. Gently, as if she could see he was a man nearing the end of his rope.
Kevin wrapped both arms tight around her and hugged her close. “You’re alive.”
They held each other, rocking a bit, utterly silent. Then the silence was broken by the sound of Win’s tears. Kevin held her tighter.
Cheyenne went to Kevin and said, “Did you leave your horse around here?”
Kevin told her where, and she headed up the trail away from the cabin. Falcon jogged along until he caught up with her, and they disappeared into the woods together.
Kevin and Win walked the opposite direction Cheyenne went, arms around each other, talking quietly.
John left them behind, shoving Hawkins along at a fast clip. Win and Kevin moved slower because she was fussing at Kevin’s bleeding arm.
Molly headed after her brother to help, but Wyatt reeled her back in like a newly roped maverick calf.
John gone on ahead with Hawkins.
Falcon and Cheyenne gone together.
Win and Kevin leaving them behind.
Wyatt found himself alone with Molly.
“How many times would you say we’ve been alone
together, Molly?”
“Are we counting when you were half mad with fever and when you were bound up in that tight sling so your collarbone would heal?”
“No, we are not counting that.”
“How about the nights you sneaked into Hawkins’s house at night?”
“Nope.”
“I think maybe we should count those.”
Wyatt smiled. “Maybe. But alone when there was nothing stopping us from really spending time together?”
“About twice. Three times maybe.”
“It has to be at least four times because I’ve kissed you four times.”
“Only three, I think.”
Nodding, Wyatt said, “That’s right. I didn’t kiss you when we woke up together that morning.”
“I fell asleep from pure exhaustion, and you mostly just regained consciousness, and you were still bound up in that sling. That doesn’t really count as waking up together.”
Wyatt smiled. “It doesn’t count, you’re right.” He leaned down and kissed her. “But I would dearly like to do it when it does count.”
Molly’s eyes went wide as if she might be going to cry. Well, it’d been a hard day. He wouldn’t fault her for it. But he hoped she didn’t make a habit of it like Win.
“Y-you shoved me away when I told you about my pa.”
“There were outlaws coming down the trail.”
“I told you the law might come after me, and you turned your back on me.”
“That is not what happened.”
“It doesn’t matter what happened. I can’t marry you, have children with you, and maybe someday hang.”
“No, you most certainly can’t.”
She gasped and pulled away from him. He still had her as good as hog-tied and pulled her back.
“Let me go.”
“I mean, you most certainly can’t hang.” He dragged her all the way into his arms. “We are not going to let that happen.”
She stopped struggling and looked into his eyes. “We aren’t?”
“No wife of mine is going to hang.” He smiled. “I’m a powerful, connected man in this territory. I think we can clear it all up.”
“I-I-I . . . b-but I did it. I’m guilty.”
He kissed her into silence. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, he decided she was sufficiently distracted.
Pulling only inches away, he spoke just above a whisper. “You wanted to talk, before you could say yes to my proposal. Now we have. Will you marry me, Molly?”
She looked into his eyes. Hers wide with hope and unshed tears.
“Just say yes and help me find a horse.” Rachel cut into the touching moment. “I need to go back to the RHR or somewhere and collapse.”
They both turned to see a very pale Rachel. They’d forgotten about her.
“Are you all right?” Molly let go of Wyatt, rushed to her, and slid an arm across her back. “You were unconscious when they brought you in.”
“John sent me to hunt for you. He caught a bunch of horses. He’s bleeding, but it doesn’t look serious, and the sheriff got both outlaws loaded. Win and Kevin have already headed out with the outlaws, John and Corly riding with them. We need to get back to Bear Claw Pass. I can put off collapsing for a while, but it’s already been a long day, and it’s not half over.”
“Let’s go.” Molly started walking off with Rachel.
“Wait a minute.” Wyatt caught up to them. “Aren’t you going to say yes?”
“Kevin, I can’t, not with a killing in my past.”
“Tell me what you did.” Rachel, in her typical straightforward fashion, seemed the perfect person to talk to.
After Molly told her tale, Rachel said, “You didn’t break any laws. It was self-defense.”
“No, you don’t know how I felt. You can’t know the anger in my heart when I pulled that trigger.”
“I’ve never killed a person, Molly,” Rachel said. “But I’ve been in a tight spot a few times and thought I might have to. It leaves a wound on your heart, in your mind. You think about being executed for it because it’s such a bad feeling that you think you deserve to be punished. That feeling is something you’ve just got to live with. A nine-year-old shooting her father who’d just killed her mother and was coming at her, that’s self-defense.
“If Kevin disposed of the bodies, that’s against the law. But it’s not a real serious crime. If it’d been murder, then he’s aiding and abetting. But since it’s self-defense, no one will kick up a fuss. We should tell the sheriff, and when he doesn’t arrest you, you’ll feel better.”
Molly flinched when she said sheriff.
“Or we could just go on keeping it a secret for the rest of your life. I won’t tell.” Wyatt slung his arm across her back and said, “Whatever you do about the sheriff, marry me first.”
They reached the clearing with the cabin. Four horses remained.
“Let’s head on.” Rachel seemed determined to interrupt Wyatt’s proposal. “We’ll leave one more horse for Cheyenne and Falcon, they’re supposed to come back with Kevin’s. Let’s catch up to the others.”
Wyatt swung up on horseback just as Molly did. Then Rachel. He probably should have boosted Rachel up. She looked a little shaky. But she made it. They caught up with the others in a few minutes, then Falcon and Cheyenne came along soon after. All of them with their problems finally solved.
Wyatt could only hope.
Thirty
And then I shot him.” Molly had insisted on talking to the sheriff before she’d agree to a wedding. A hanging right after she said “I do” would be upsetting for everyone, that is . . . even more upsetting than being hanged.
And it was hard for something to be more upsetting but just in case.
Her heart pounded like a drum. Her face was so hot she had to believe she was seconds from having flames shoot out of the top of her head.
And not the heat of embarrassment. That was too mild an emotion. The heat of guilt. The heat of knowing what she faced, suspecting what she deserved.
“A clear case of self-defense, Miss Garner. Don’t you worry about it.” Sheriff Corly patted her on the shoulder. Almost in a fatherly way.
“No, I hated him. I wanted him dead. I wanted to shoot him.” Now that she’d started talking, she couldn’t seem to shut up. She’d explained her anger. Explained her intent. She didn’t think self-defense quite covered it.
“Most folks that shoot someone in self-defense have such feelings, miss. I ain’t arresting you for it.”
“Are you sure you get to make that decision, shouldn’t a jury decide?” She didn’t want to walk out of here free and have them change their minds after a stretch of consideration. That would be something else hanging over her.
“Molly”—Wyatt dragged her back a few steps from the lawman—“hush now. No sense begging the man to arrest you.”
“Nope, no jury necessary.” Sheriff Corly settled into his chair and laced his fingers together across his rather rounded belly. “It don’t matter if you were mad as sin and wanted him dead. He’d shown himself to be a dangerous man with evil intent toward you. And by my reckoning there is no doubt he meant you terrible harm. You acted to protect yourself. It’s only a shame you didn’t get there in time to save your ma. You did the only thing you could do to save your life.” The sheriff nodded at her. Then in a kind voice, he said, “I’m right about this, Miss Garner. I understand the law. And I listened well to your confession. It qualifies as self-defense, and a jury would agree with me. A man who puts his hands on a woman, as your pa did your ma and you, well, there’s no place for such a man, not in Kansas and not in Wyoming.”
Sheriff Gatlin, who was pale and had his arm in a sling, said, “Wish I’d been there to shoot him for you, miss. That’s a powerful burden for a youngster to carry with her all these years. I hope it sets just a bit easier in your mind to have confessed to what happened.”
Through the trembling, through the heat of guilt and fear, Moll
y could say honestly, “It does set easier. Thank you both kindly. I wish now I’d talked to a lawman right at the time. But there were dangerous forces in Kansas then, and even lawmen chose sides. I was too afraid.”
Both the lawmen nodded. Sheriff Corly said, “You’re free to go. There isn’t even the necessity of any of you speaking at the trial for these men we brung in. Sheriff Gatlin is a witness to the jailbreak. To Hawkins shooting two men, including a lawman, to get his brother free. And we’ve got enough evidence from Hawkins’s house to lock him up without any of you needing to stand as witnesses. We don’t put up with such as he’s done, not here in Wyoming. My only regret is we didn’t know about it sooner. We could have saved a few of these young women.”
Cheyenne said to Wyatt, “We need to bring Jesse in to be arrested.”
Wyatt nodded. “First thing.”
“I’d like to attend the trial anyway,” Rachel said. “Kingston shot me, and I heard him brag of it to his brother, who said they’d planned it right down to the route I was taking to Casper. That’s conspiracy to commit murder. Attempted murder. And gloating about attempted murder.”
“Uh, Miss Rachel.” Sheriff Corly rubbed his belly as if he was fond of being prosperous enough to have it. “Gloating’s not exactly a crime. Probably oughta be, but—”
“I know.” Rachel swept his words aside. “But it made me mad enough I’m going to attend the trial and make sure neither of them gets away with anything. Kingston’s got a way about him, blaming everything on his brother, acting like he was only involved a little bit. He even acted like that about waylaying me on the trail and shooting me in the heart. I don’t want the jury to believe him.”
“So be it, Miss Hobart. The trial will be tomorrow afternoon. We want to give Sheriff Gatlin here a chance to rest, or we’d have it right now.”
Nodding, Rachel said, “I’ll be here.” Rachel turned to Cheyenne. “Now I’d like to go back to the ranch. I need a chance to rest, too.”
“Not before the wedding.”
Every eye in the place turned to Molly when she said it. And she smiled, but it was a private smile of joy. Only for Wyatt.
Love on the Range Page 22