by Karen Kirst
D.B.’s fingers stilled on the upmost paper. Lips tightening a fraction, he lifted his distinctly unfriendly gaze. “Isaac was my brother. Why do you care?”
“Was?”
A vein throbbed at his temple. “Isaac died a couple of months ago.”
“My condolences.”
D.B. nodded stiffly. “Is that all, Sheriff?”
“Tell me, D.B., do you have any other siblings? A sister, perhaps?”
While his expression didn’t alter, his gaze shifted to the left. “It was only me and Isaac.”
“So no more family?”
“Our parents passed before the war. Why the interest in my family tree?”
“Because a little bird told us that your assistant bears a striking resemblance to your late brother.”
D.B. didn’t visibly react. His forehead appeared damp, however.
Will turned from the posting he’d been perusing. “Where is Prudence today? I rarely see her without you.”
“Mrs. Haywood left town on yesterday’s train.” He looked perturbed. “Before you ask, she told me it was because Cowboy Creek lacked suitable husband material.”
Was the editor annoyed because he’d lost a valuable assistant? Or because their questions were making him uncomfortable?
“She didn’t seem inclined to give any of our bachelors a fair chance.” This from Daniel. “Not what I expected from a mail-order bride.”
“Don’t ask me to explain the workings of a woman’s mind,” D.B. responded drily.
The mention of mail-order brides pushed Noah’s thoughts right back to Constance.
“So you deny any family connection to Prudence Haywood?” He put his final question out there.
“That’s not information I would hide.” Shuffling his papers, he said, “You gentlemen obviously have too much time on your hands if you’re digging around in my past. I’d think you’d put that time to better use.” His beady gaze arrowed through Noah. “Like seeing to your own muddled affairs.”
Noah stiffened. He was referring to Constance.
Tamping down the urge to throttle him, he slipped off the desk. “Thanks for your cooperation. Good day, Burrows.”
“You, too, Sheriff.” He smirked.
Outside on the boardwalk, Will wore a thoughtful frown. “Do you believe his story?”
“He struck me as uneasy.” Noah wiped a handkerchief over his brow. Only midmorning, but the humidity was thick, making his clothes stick to his skin. “I’m going to speak to Aunt Mae over at the boardinghouse. Prudence was a guest there. She might can tell me something useful.”
“I’ve got to return to the stockyards,” Daniel said. “Promise me you’ll fix things with Constance.”
Sighing, Noah jerked a nod. “I’ll handle it.”
How he was going to do that, he had no idea. I’ve landed myself in a heap of trouble, God. Constance, too. What am I supposed to do?
It was a request for direction he probably should’ve prayed for a long time ago.
Chapter Twenty
“What’s this horse’s name, Momma?” Jane held her hand flat so the mare could take the carrot.
Abigail clasped the stall slats, happy to observe.
“Cherry.” Grace stayed close to supervise. As soon as they’d finished with lunch, they had begged to visit the barn.
The girls giggled. “That’s a funny name.”
“Are you making fun of my friend here?”
At the sound of Noah’s deep, rumbling voice, Grace reluctantly turned toward the entrance. She hadn’t spoken to him since before their stop at Hannah’s. The ride home had been completed in silence, and he’d headed straight for the barn and stayed there. She’d missed their nightly reading sessions. They were getting close to the story’s end, and she was eager to hear the rest. Eager for his companionship, too.
With his sheriff’s badge pinned firmly to his vest and a gun on each hip, he looked like the lawman she knew him to be, not the fancy gentleman who’d escorted her to the party and kissed her in the rain.
Abigail ran over to him, her braid swishing to and fro, and tilted her head way back to smile up at him. “Mr. Noah! What do you have in the box?”
Grace’s heart squeezed with wistfulness. The formidable sheriff had won Abigail’s trust without trying. Jane joined them. Grace remained by the stall while he crouched down and let them look inside. The hat on his bent head blocked his face from view.
A loud gasp lifted to the rafters. “Momma, come see!” Abigail bounced up and down. “Mr. Noah brought us a rabbit!”
“Can you take him out?” Jane asked.
“May we pet him?” Abigail added.
“You sure can.” Noah scooped out the brown ball of fur with floppy ears and long feet. Holding it against his chest, he gave them a chance to make friends.
“It looks like Pepper,” Abigail murmured to Jane. Her big brown eyes fastened onto Noah. “Are we allowed to keep him?”
For the first time since he’d walked in, he looked at Grace, his eyes shining like the blue Kansas sky in the barn’s dimmer light.
“That’s up to your ma,” he drawled, a bit of his Southern accent creeping in.
They ran over, tugging on her skirts, trembling with excitement. “Please, Momma?”
Jane clapped her hands. “Say yes!”
Smoothing Jane’s silky hair, Grace smiled. “Yes.”
Watching them dance about in happiness, she noticed Noah was smiling, as well. A rare sight. His smile lit up his face.
Placing the rabbit into the box, he stood. “You girls entertain him while your ma and I talk outside, all right?”
“We have to think of a name,” Jane told her sister as they knelt on either side of the box.
Outside, Grace squinted in the too-bright sunshine. She cupped a hand over her eyes.
Without a word, Noah dropped his Stetson on her head and moved to stand against the barn wall near the corner closest to the corral. The hat was too big for her. Adjusting it, she trailed behind him, her nerves as jumpy as the grasshoppers in the fields.
When he faced her, all lightheartedness was gone. She missed his smile immediately.
“You’re not gonna like what I have to say.”
Unable to stay still, she adjusted the folds of her brown skirt, then righted her sleeves and collar. Checked the pins in her hair. “That’s not unusual. You’ve had plenty to say since I arrived.”
He sighed. “The entire town knows about us. Bailey paid me a visit this morning.”
This wasn’t a surprise. “Was he terribly upset?”
“At me.” He scuffed the ground with his boot. “He’s right. I wasn’t thinking about your reputation. Mine either, for that matter.” Leveling his gaze at her, he fisted his hands at his sides. “There’s only one solution, Constance. We have to get married. The sooner, the better.”
She couldn’t help it. She laughed. Couldn’t stop laughing.
It bubbled up inside, frantic and bordering on hysterical.
A scowl carved grooves on either side of his mouth. “I fail to see the humor in this situation.”
Before she knew it, tears streaked down her cheeks. Not happy ones. “Oh, Noah.” Bracing her hands on her knees, she shook her head at the sparse grass stalks beneath her boots. “You’ve lost your mind if you think I’d marry you.”
“You don’t have a choice,” he gritted out, exasperated. “Tell me. What man is going to want to court you now that everyone knows about our little rendezvous?”
Sadness welled up inside her. Her head whipping up, she demanded, “Is that all it was to you? A convenient opportunity to not be lonely for a few minutes? Kissing me had nothing to do with me. You would’ve kissed any one of Cowboy Creek’s availabl
e women!”
His jaw hardened to marble. “That’s not true, Constance.”
My name is not Constance, she longed to scream. Her cousin’s recent letter prevented her. All of a sudden, her options narrowed to one. “I have a better solution—the girls and I will leave.”
His pale brows lowered. “And live where? At the hotel? I doubt even you have that much money. Not for long-term lodging.”
“Not the ranch.” Straightening, she spread her arms wide. “Cowboy Creek.”
“Leave town?” he murmured slowly. “Where would you go? Chicago?”
“No. I’m not going back there.” Not willingly. Scanning the rolling plains and the horizon where they met blue sky, she shrugged. “We can head further west. I’ll speak to the train station manager. I’m sure he’ll have useful information that would help me choose a suitable location.”
Approaching her as he would a nervous filly, he erased the distance between them with measured steps. He didn’t touch her, thankfully. She couldn’t have withstood that.
“You would really rather pick up and move to another town, uproot Jane and Abigail again, than join your life with mine?”
He was close enough that his warm breath fanned her cheek, and she could see the waves of cerulean blue in his irises. His lashes were light blond and spiky.
“You don’t want to share your life with me, Noah.” Her voice caught on a sob. “You’ve made that plain from the first day. You’ve endured our presence simply because you’re too honorable to force us to leave.”
His throat worked. Emotions ravaged his face. His fingers tangled with hers.
“City girl, I—”
She’d never know what he’d been about to say, because his deputy came barreling into the yard.
Pulling away, she hugged her arms about herself as Noah intercepted him.
“Hanley, what’s happened?”
The horse came to a staggering stop. The deputy panted as if he’d run here on his own two legs. “The Murdochs. Out at Pete Lyle’s ranch. One of the hired hands was out checking a well and spotted them.”
Noah was already moving to his own mount. Hauling himself into the saddle, he looked at Grace. “I don’t know what time I’ll get home. Don’t make any rash decisions while I’m gone.”
What did he expect? That she’d pack up and leave before he returned?
As much as that idea appealed, she couldn’t do that to the girls or him. They deserved a chance to say goodbye.
Aware of the deputy’s gaze, she swallowed hard and nodded. “Be careful.”
“Always.”
She watched the pair until they were dots on the horizon.
* * *
Noah paced alongside the cell. “Tell me where your brother and the rest of your outlaw buddies are, and I’ll make sure the authorities grant you leniency.”
Xavier Murdoch let loose a string of foul words. He was sprawled on the lone cot, one arm thrown over his face. His wrinkled, stained clothes hung loosely on his thin frame.
“Doesn’t look like a life of crime has paid off,” Noah observed. “At least in prison you’ll have three square meals a day. Plenty of rest in your very own cell. Medical attention for any injuries.”
At that, Xavier flung his arm down and sat up, his eyes narrowing to slits. “You’re responsible for my injuries. Just like the former sheriff almost succeeded in killing my brother.”
Noah flicked a gaze at the outlaw’s upper arm where a white bandage peeked out from the tear in his sleeve. He and Hanley had ridden straight to Lyle’s spread and, with the help of Pete and his hired boys, cornered Xavier.
“I wouldn’t have had to shoot you if you’d surrendered peacefully.” Still pacing, he said, “How did Zeb get clipped?” He snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah, making off with the congregation’s belongings.”
Weeks after the Murdochs had brazenly interrupted a church service and stole everything from wedding rings to the offering money, Noah had come across a very ill Zeb behind the laundry. His wound had turned septic and, desperate, the gang had left him in town to be discovered and treated by a doctor. Although Sheriff Davis and the others had expected his cohorts to try to bust him out, they’d failed to prevent it from happening.
Xavier scratched his scraggly beard and glared. “I ain’t helping no lawman.”
“Fine.” Nodding, Noah ambled to his desk and removed a sheaf of papers. Lifting the top one, he said, “You’ll be shipped off to Lawrence in the morning. And when I find Zeb and the others, I’ll make a point of sending him the opposite direction. You’ll never see your brother again.”
Xavier’s upper lip curled. “You ain’t gonna find him.”
Noah made a point of reading the paper. “You recognize the name Sarah Paulson?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm. Hang on a minute. Her maiden name might ring a bell.” Twisting slightly, he studied Xavier’s reaction. “Sarah Murdoch Paulson. That sound familiar?”
Alarm followed by rage had the outlaw up and at the bars in an instant. “How do you know about her? Leave my little sister alone, you hear? I’ll make your life miserable, Sheriff. I’ll—”
“You’ll what, exactly?” The paper drifted to the desk. Noah propped his hands on his hips, waiting, letting the man imagine the possibilities.
“She’s done nothing wrong.” He rattled the bars. “She ain’t seen me or Zeb in years!”
“Why would I take your word for it? I don’t have a choice but to have her investigated. You know, once word gets out that she’s related to the infamous Murdoch gang, I wonder how her new husband and in-laws will react? I’m sure the locals in her town wouldn’t take kindly to having a Murdoch relation in their midst.” Strolling over to the cell, he added, “Your gang has left a lot of irate folks in your wake. I wonder how many of them might aim for a bit of revenge. If they can’t get to you or Zeb, a man might go after Sarah. She has a six-month-old baby boy. Did you know?”
Xavier blinked fast, his dirt-stained fingers flexing on the metal bars before dropping away. He presented Noah with his back, shoulders slumped.
“He’s not named after his uncles, rest assured,” he tacked on.
Silence reigned in the jail, except for the sounds of supper-time traffic filtering in. Through the glass, he could see the innocent citizens traversing the streets, unaware of the dangerous criminal mere yards away. They wouldn’t be truly safe until the rest of the outlaws were captured and made to face justice.
“I’ll tell you which hideout they’re in, but you have to swear to leave Sarah alone.” Turning, he stared at Noah, defeat aging him.
“I’ll put it in writing.”
Major details and a crudely drawn map later, Noah met his deputy on the boardwalk outside.
“I need for you to round up a half dozen able-bodied men. Gideon Kendricks might be interested in riding along.” He waved the paper. At last, they had key information that could help them put away the Murdochs. “We’re going after Zeb.”
“How’d you get Xavier to cooperate?”
“As soon as I was appointed sheriff, I hired an investigator to do some digging. Fortunately for us, Xavier Murdoch has a weak spot.”
Hanley looked at him with admiration. “Nice work, boss.” Going to the hitching post, he climbed into the saddle. “Oh, I forgot to mention, earlier today there was a man in the office searching for a woman by the name of Grace Longstreet. I’m not familiar with all the recent mail-order brides. Told him I’d ask you.”
His mind on the coming search, Noah dismissed the query. “I’m not aware of anyone here by that name. Right now, capturing the gang is the priority. I’ll see what I can do to help this man out later.”
“Got it.”
“Hanley, I’ve got to see to something out on the ranch
. We’re riding that direction anyway. You and the men meet me out there as soon as you can.”
“Yes, sir.”
Leaving his other deputy, James Johnson and another sentry to guard Xavier, Noah headed out to the ranch, working out in his mind exactly what he should say to Constance.
When he spotted her in his vegetable garden pulling weeds, his prepared speech vanished. This thing he was about to do carried inherent risks. Zeb was holed up with six other outlaws that they knew of, and not one of them was about to be captured without a fight. He couldn’t leave without knowing her future was settled.
Glancing up in surprise, Constance stood and wiped the bits of grass and dirt from the apron over her navy skirt. She walked to the end of the row.
“Noah—”
“We’ve got five minutes. Let’s make them count.”
Her brows knitted together in bewilderment as he took her elbow and steered her toward the cabin. Inside, the girls looked up from where they sat practicing their letters at the table.
“Stay there, girls,” he told them. Ascending the steps to the loft, he turned and extended his hand to help her up.
“What’s this about?” she said, taking in the desk and bookshelves. “Did you find the outlaw?”
“One of them is sitting in the jail.” Hastily writing out his declaration, he handed the paper to her. “We’re going after the rest. I’ve no idea how long we’ll be gone. Or who’ll make it back.”
Fear registered where before there’d only been concern. Going to her, he tapped the paper. “This will ensure your future, Constance.”
“I can’t read this.”
His voice grew thick. “It says that, in the event of my death, this ranch transfers to you and the girls.”
She went white, shaking away his words. “You can’t do this, Noah.”
“I can and did.”
“You’re coming back safe and sound,” she said forcefully, as if she could make it so simply by stating it.
“I certainly plan to.” Tenderly brushing away a single tear sliding along her cheek, he murmured, “I can’t go unless I know you’ll be okay.”