by Jodi Thomas
Nodding slowly, Win turned and yelled down at the man in the pass. ‘‘Leave my wife out of this!’’
‘‘I’d like to, Mr. McQuillen. We don’t want to hurt her. All we want to do is get our cattle to market. But the boss has given orders to move north no matter what we have to do.’’
‘‘Not across my land!’’ Win answered.
‘‘We’ll give you an hour to think about it. Then we’ll show you that wife of yours for the last time unless the cattle start moving through this pass.’’
Win watched the man disappear below the caprock. Reason told him that they couldn’t have Kora. But his heart argued, what if they did? He pulled back out of sight and signaled his men to move closer.
They formed a campsite far enough away to be safe and rotated guard. In a few hours it would be dark and not a man would ride for home. Win climbed down from his horse and began to pace. There wasn’t time to send someone to check on Kora, so he had to accept the possibility that they had her. But these weren’t murderers. They were ranchers. Running cattle was one thing; killing a woman seemed quite another. Something beyond profits from the herds must be driving them.
‘‘Rider coming in!’’ one of Win’s hands yelled as a rider galloped in from the west.
Win looked up as a stranger, traveling fast, kicked his horse toward them. For a moment he looked familiar. All he needed was a dark duster.
But as he rode closer, Win recognized the gambler. He’d shed his black suit and string tie in favor of chaps and cotton.
‘‘Wyatt,’’ he whispered to Cheyenne. Both men rested their hands on the handle of their Colts.
Wyatt jumped from his mount without slowing. ‘‘Wait!’’ he shouted. ‘‘Don’t start shooting. They’ve got your wife!’’
‘‘What?’’ Win grabbed Wyatt by the collar. ‘‘How do you know?’’
The gambler knocked Win’s hand away with surprising strength. ‘‘I know because I’ve been watching them for weeks now.’’ He straightened before them, looking far less of a dandy than he had before. ‘‘An hour ago I saw two men riding near the settlement with your wife across one man’s saddle. She was screaming and kicking, but alive.’’
‘‘Are you sure?’’
‘‘She had on that same blue dress she wore the last time I visited your place.’’
Win studied him closely. The pieces had never fit with Wyatt. He rode too well to be a man who spent his days at a gaming table. He disappeared and reappeared whenever trouble boiled. ‘‘The only reason you’re alive is because of what you did to help my wife at the settlement. But don’t bank too heavy on one action. You’ve got some explaining to do.’’
Wyatt let out a breath, as if tired of holding it. His eyes darted to the left, then the right. ‘‘I was sent in to keep a lid on this war you people are trying to start over a few head of cattle. I’m a ranger stationed at Fort Elliot.’’
‘‘Sure you are,’’ Cheyenne whispered.
Glancing at Cheyenne, Wyatt shouted, ‘‘I don’t care if you believe me or not!’’
‘‘I don’t,’’ the Indian said simply.
‘‘Look, I’m here to help. I know these people. They aren’t here to murder, just move cattle. Let them through. You’ll recover in a year or so. Let them pass and end this blockade tonight. You don’t have a prayer of winning anyway. If they stampede the cattle toward the ridge, they’ll come up from too many directions for your men to stop them all. A few will get through your web and infect your cattle. They’ll lose the herd and you’ll lose half, maybe more of yours. No one wins.’’
Win didn’t answer.
Wyatt moved closer, pressing his case. ‘‘The trail boss will listen to reason. He’ll let Kora go if you give your promise. But you’d best do it fast. Most of his offspring are bloodthirsty, and if you hesitate you’ll be giving them the chance they’re looking for to kill. I’ve never met a woman like the oldest daughter, all sweet one minute and deadly the next. It’s more than money with her. She’s out for blood. Let me talk to them. I can bluff my way through this.’’
‘‘All right.’’ Win hesitated for only a moment, realizing he had nothing to lose.
The gambler relaxed for the first time. ‘‘Before I go I have to know how far you’re willing to play the hand.’’
Win didn’t blink. ‘‘If they don’t have Kora and it’s only a bluff, I’ll shoot the beef as they try to cross. My word stands.’’
‘‘And if they do have her?’’
‘‘Tell them to turn her loose and they can cross my ranch.’’
Wyatt looked surprised. ‘‘You’d bet the entire ranch against her life?’’
‘‘I would,’’ Win answered. ‘‘And more.’’
Wyatt nodded and swung back into the saddle. ‘‘ Someday I’ll sit down and explain my part in all this,’’ he said. ‘‘But until then, it wouldn’t hurt to trust me a little. When this is over, we might even become friends, or maybe even family.’’
‘‘Yeah,’’ Cheyenne interrupted. ‘‘When you come up with a story we’ll believe.’’
Wyatt glared at Cheyenne silently, the look promising a reckoning in the future. Then the gambler rode off into the pass with his hands high and in plain sight.
‘‘He’s lying,’’ Cheyenne said.
‘‘I know,’’ Win agreed. ‘‘Only I can’t figure out why.’’
‘‘The hour is up!’’ A man shouted from the entrance to the pass. ‘‘Do we move the cattle?’’
Win shifted to where he could watch the pass. He hadn’t heard a word from Wyatt. He’d either joined them, or they’d killed him. Neither would come as a surprise.
‘‘Where’s my wife?’’ All the McQuillen guns were pointed at the long rock-walled vee that marked one of the larger gateways to Win’s land.
Slowly two men walked up from below, dragging a woman between them. Her hands were tied to a rope in front of her as if she’d been led. A bandanna covered her eyes and most of her face. Another dug into the sides of her mouth muffling her screams.
Her hair was long and almost white in the afternoon sun. Win felt his stomach tighten as he saw her dress, dirty and torn. She’d put up quite a fight. He remembered the first time he’d seen her. He’d wondered then how such a tiny creature, so fragile, had survived. He wondered the same now and his heart ached.
‘‘Turn her loose!’’ He fought to keep from moving down the pass. Her life depended on his remaining calm. ‘‘I’ll give you whatever you want.’’
Both of the drifters stood tall, proud of themselves for capturing her. They might have failed the first time, but she’d almost stumbled right into their camp this morning.
Wyatt rode from below to where the men stood holding Kora. He looked none the worse for wear. ‘‘I told them you would!’’ he yelled at Win, then glanced to the men. ‘‘Untie her, boys, and I’ll take her to him.’’
As they worked, Wyatt turned his attention back to Win. ‘‘All they want is to cross your land.’’ He didn’t have to say more. Everyone watching knew what the action would cost. ‘‘She’s free when we have your word.’’
‘‘You have it.’’ Win stared at Kora as she kicked at the men untying her. ‘‘As soon as they’ve crossed, I’ll burn my own ranch to keep the fever from spreading.’’ All he cared about was the woman below.
As the men pulled the bandanna from their captive’s eyes and mouth, one word echoed across the space between Wyatt and Win. ‘‘Jamie!’’
Cheyenne was in the saddle and riding down the incline before anyone else could move.
The kidnappers suddenly realized they’d captured the wrong woman. They tried to pull her back, but she kicked and screamed like a wildcat.
No one was sure who opened fire first, but all at once the air rained bullets. They ricocheted off the stone walls, echoing certain death. The men in the pass who’d been holding Jamie scrambled for cover. The men above lowered their aim.
‘‘Wyatt! Please!�
��’ Jamie lifted her still-tied hands to him. ‘‘Wyatt!’’
He fought to close the ten feet between them, but bullets splattered the ground around him. His mount danced in the flying dirt, wild with fear. Wyatt fought for control as the men above shot at the men below and the men below returned fire.
With a sudden turn Wyatt pulled his horse back from the center of the passage and rode up toward Win, leaving Jamie standing alone in a circle of gunfire.
Win kept a steady stream of bullets aimed at the rocks behind the pass as he saw Cheyenne approaching Jamie at full speed. Like a wild warrior from another time, Cheyenne rode into the fire and swept Jamie up. Unlike the men who’d tried to kidnap her at the ranch, Cheyenne could hold her in balance and control his powerful horse.
By the time Win reloaded, Cheyenne was out of trouble and riding at gale speed toward the safety of the camp.
Jamie was bouncing and swearing as she lay across his saddle. But she was alive.
The gunfire died down. There was no one left in the pass. Win motioned for his men to stay ready. Nothing or no one would cross now and live. All bargaining was over.
THIRTY-TWO
CHEYENNE RODE BEHIND A BANK OF ROCKS TO THE campsite and dropped a screaming Jamie to the ground a few yards from Wyatt. She fell onto her backside as he swung from the saddle and pulled his knife.
But before he could cut her free, she whirled and turned on the gambler like a skillet-warmed rattlesnake. ‘‘You left me!’’
‘‘I tried to reach you,’’ Wyatt said, looking like a man who’d faced death and had no stomach for the sight. ‘‘If I’d stayed longer, we both would have been killed.’’ He crossed his arms in front of him to keep his hands from shaking.
Jamie doubled her bound fists together and swung, knocking the gambler down with one mighty blow that almost toppled her. ‘‘One of us may be killed yet!’’ she screamed. ‘‘Stand up so I can hit you again.’’
Wyatt remained on the ground.
Cheyenne walked up behind Jamie and circled his arm around her waist. The action was becoming a habit. He lifted her just high enough so that her feet left the ground.
‘‘Let me go!’’ Jamie shouted and twisted against his side.
He moved several yards away from Wyatt and the others. ‘‘Don’t make me sorry I rode down after you,’’ Cheyenne said calmly as he set her down and tried to untie her. ‘‘Be still, or I’ll leave you bound.’’
Jamie straightened, offering her hands before his blade. ‘‘Don’t expect me to be grateful. It’s not one of my traits.’’
‘‘I imagine I’ll come to regret what I did.’’ Cheyenne smiled. ‘‘Sooner or later.’’ His knife sliced through the ropes.
She looked at him then, truly looked at him, for the first time. A portion of her anger passed as the realization of what he’d done sank into her frightened brain. ‘‘Thank you,’’ she said. ‘‘No one else would have risked his life for me like you did.’’ Jamie offered her hand.
Cheyenne closed his grip around her fingers and held tightly as he pulled her a step closer. ‘‘You’d have done the same for me,’’ he mumbled, but his eyes seemed to say so much more. His thumb moved across the back of her hand in almost a caress.
‘‘I tried to reach you, Jamie,’’ Wyatt interrupted. ‘‘In fact, when I rode away from you, you were safer because everyone was shooting at me. I’m probably the reason Cheyenne didn’t get hit when he rode in.’’
Jamie glanced in Wyatt’s direction without turning loose of Cheyenne’s hand. ‘‘Then I guess I should thank you, too.’’ Her gaze came back to Cheyenne. ‘‘You never know what someone will do until under fire.’’
She moved beneath Cheyenne’s arm, and he let her close for once. His hold was strong, but not an embrace.
‘‘You’ve got some explaining to do, Wyatt.’’ Cheyenne stared at the man. ‘‘You’re no ranger and you’re no gambler, but you’ve been trying real hard to straddle the fence. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that the man who sits the fence makes the easiest target?’’
Wyatt lowered his head, unable to stare at Cheyenne. ‘‘I was a ranger for a while, and I fancy myself a gambler.’’
‘‘But that’s not all.’’
‘‘Maybe it is.’’ Wyatt looked dissatisfied with himself. ‘‘And somehow it’s not enough. Whatever I am, whatever I do, never seems to be right, or enough to measure up.’’
He lifted his hand to touch Jamie, but lowered it before he reached her. ‘‘I sent you the note hoping you’d meet me and run away from this mess. But they got to you first.’’
A wagon rattled up to the campsite, drawing everyone’s attention and ending the conversation.
Kora jumped out and ran toward them. ‘‘Jamie! Are you all right?’’
Jamie pulled away from Cheyenne. ‘‘Sure. No problem now. You missed all the excitement.’’
‘‘We heard your scream, and Logan went to look for you,’’ Kora announced as she hugged her sister. ‘‘Some men hit Logan in the back of the head and rode off with you before I could stop them. Rae was very upset, even trying to get men to follow.’’
‘‘I’m fine now thanks to Cheyenne… and Wyatt,’’ Jamie added. ‘‘How’s Logan?’’
‘‘Rae’s looking after him. He’s hurting, but we got him back to Rae’s place and doctored up. He told me to ride along the south border and I’d find help. I was so frightened. I pushed the team as hard as I could with Dan asleep in the back.’’
Win climbed over the cluster of six-foot-high rocks and slid down the incline to the camp. He was issuing orders as he approached, but when he saw Kora, he froze. Slowly he straightened and faced her directly as though forgetting all else. ‘‘What are you doing here?’’ His voice was low. ‘‘And why did you bring Dan?’’
‘‘I was worried about Jamie,’’ she answered, no longer bothered by his gruffness. ‘‘There was no time to get Dan out of the wagon. He’s sleeping like a baby. I couldn’t leave him with Rae. She had her hands full with Logan.’’
‘‘Jamie’s out of harm’s way, for the moment.’’ He seemed to be fighting to keep his voice calm. ‘‘Take her back to the house and wait this out there.’’ He started moving toward the wagon. ‘‘Is Logan hurt bad?’’
‘‘No, just a headache and a two-inch cut. He’ll be fine.’’
Kora followed, but didn’t step forward when he offered to help her onto the seat. ‘‘Are you coming back?’’ She touched Win’s sleeve gently as she always did.
‘‘No. I’ve work to do here,’’ he answered, looking irritated that she wasn’t already on her way but not pulling his arm away. ‘‘But you’ll be safe back at the house.’’
Kora took a step backward. ‘‘If you’re not going, I’m staying.’’
Everyone in the campsite was silent, not even breathing as they waited for Winter’s reaction.
Win knew he could reach down and lift her into the wagon. Or he could raise his voice and frighten her with his anger. If it had been Jamie, he’d already be yelling at her.
But Kora didn’t even look afraid. He didn’t know whether to be proud of himself for being so convincing that he’d never hurt her or proud of her for being so brave.
She raised her hand and gently laid it over his heart.
‘‘I’m a rancher’s wife. I belong here.’’ Her words were only a whisper.
‘‘But we may be here all night,’’ Win began. He’d just offered his entire ranch for her safety; he couldn’t hurt her by arguing now. And no matter how much he wanted her safe, he wasn’t sure he could turn her away.
‘‘It doesn’t matter,’’ she answered. ‘‘I’ll stay with you.’’
Leaning, Win propped his rifle against the wagon wheel. Then, without a word, he unbuckled his gunbelt.
No one moved. Jamie started to move toward her sister, but Cheyenne’s hand on her shoulder stopped her.
Win knelt on one knee and wrapped the belt around Kora’s waist.
‘‘If you’re staying, you may need this.’’
Everyone in the site let out a breath at the same time.
Win adjusted the gunbelt. ‘‘Promise me you’ll follow orders. There may not be time to talk things over.’’
Kora nodded. ‘‘What can I do?’’
He stood beside her and pointed toward a cluster of cottonwoods. ‘‘You could use the wagon and bring as much wood up as you can. By dark I’d like several fires going just back from the rim. With enough wood at each to keep it burning all night.’’
Win reached for his rifle. When he rose, he met Kora’s eyes. For a moment all the trouble didn’t seem so bad. All he’d asked for was a woman to marry him so he wouldn’t lose the house, and he’d gotten all he’d ever imagined a woman could be in the bargain. She’d even said she loved him once, and if she never said it again, once was enough.
Kora climbed into the wagon as men within hearing distance tried to act as if they hadn’t been listening. ‘‘I’ll make a bed for Dan under the trees. He’ll be safe there while I move the wood.’’
Jamie ran to the other side of the wagon and jumped in.
‘‘I’ll help, ’cause I’m staying, too. I don’t want to miss the fun.’’
‘‘But, Jamie!’’ Wyatt ran to her side of the wagon. ‘‘What about us? My offer still stands. Run away with me now, and I promise you a wild time.’’
Jamie shook her head. ‘‘I’m sorry, Wyatt. I have to turn you down. I’m not sure what you’re looking for, but it’s not me.’’
Wyatt tipped his hat as though she’d turned him down for a dance. His lack of sorrow made it plain to everyone that she was just an extra and not a staple in his life.
As the women moved away toward the cottonwoods, Win said to Cheyenne, ‘‘Take a man and ride as fast as you can back to the house for supplies. We may be here for the night, and I don’t want Kora hungry or cold.’’
Cheyenne nodded. ‘‘And I’ll pick up your extra Colt. You want me to take Dan back?’’
Win smiled, thinking of where his gunbelt was resting around Kora’s waist and wishing his arm could do the same. ‘‘No, she wants her family close.’’