by Bobbi Smith
Dev wished he shared her conviction that everything would turn out all right, but too many times in his life he'd seen the cruel twists that fate could play on you. He wanted to believe that he would get out of this mess unscathed, his reputation intact. He wanted to believe that he could have a future with her, that they could marry, have children and grow old together. But the harsh realist he'd become through the years refused to allow him that dream.
He loved Molly more than he'd ever loved anyone, but with that love came a deep abiding respect and caring. He refused to be a source of hurt for her. He didn't want to cause her any pain. So, since that first night here at her house, he'd held himself slightly aloof from her, even though the longing he had for her in his own heart gnawed at him endlessly.
Dev wondered how much longer this could go on. Surely, he mused in frustration, purgatory couldn't be any worse. He was surrounded by a loving family, but he could never be a part of it. If only things had been different. But they weren't, he warned himself sternly. He was an accused murderer. His future looked less than bleak. Short of Clay showing up with some wonderful new shred of evidence, he didn't see how any of this was going to change.
The sound of footsteps outside alerted him, and because of the ever growing darkness he couldn't see who was coming. Though he'd been safe so far, he never let his guard down; just one mistake could prove fatal. He was about to dive behind one of the walled stalls when he heard Molly softly call out his name. He relaxed and went to meet her as she came through the ramshackle door.
"Dev? I didn't know how much longer you were going to work, but dinner's ready up at the house." She stopped just inside the doorway to look around for him.
He feasted his eyes on her, the beauty of her burnished hair as it tumbled about her shoulders, the gentle curves of her slender figure. He ached to sweep her up in a lover's embrace, to hold her and kiss her for all eternity, but he didn't. Mentally, he chided himself for even thinking such thoughts.
"Here, Molly."
Molly's heart was pounding when she spotted him in the shadowy interior. He came walking toward her, his stride confident and easy and so manly. His shirt was unbuttoned and hanging open to the waist, revealing just a teasing view of his broad chest, and his bearded jaw, unshaven since he'd come to stay with them, made him seem a bit untamed, yet even more masculine, if that was possible.
She hurried forward, eager to be with him again. It had only been a matter of hours since she'd last seen him, but it seemed like days. The time at the restaurant was miserable for her now that she knew Dev was here. She always hurried straight back home as soon as she could.
"I've fixed something good tonight, since it's my only night off from the restaurant," she told him cheerfully, giving him her brightest smile. She was tempted to throw herself into his arms, but she held back.
"Your meals are always good, Molly."
She glowed under his praise. "Thanks, but tonight is special. We've got chicken and dumplings, and I even made a pie. Are you finished working here?"
"Yeah, it's getting too dark to do any more."
"Let's go on up to the house then. Jimmy can hardly wait to attack the pie."
Dev chuckled as they left the barn and started up the path. "I imagine he's got quite an appetite. I worked him hard today."
"I really appreciate you being so nice to him. Not many men would take the time." She cast him a sidelong glance.
"Jimmy's a good boy. I like him, and I enjoy being around him."
"He really likes you, too."
As they neared the water pump about half-way up to the house, he paused. "I'm pretty dirty. I'd better get washed up before I go in. You can go on in, if you want to."
"No, that's all right. Go ahead, I'll wait for you."
Dev quickly stripped off his shirt and started to work the pump. The muscles in his arms and across his back flexed with the action, and Molly found herself standing watching him, mesmerized. The moon was out, sculpting his chest and shoulders in silver as he began to wash, and she was nearly overwhelmed by the crazy desire to caress that powerful sleekness.
Her pulse quickened at the thought of touching him, and her mouth went dry. She actually felt herself blushing, and she was glad that the cover of the night hid her discomfort from Dev. She had never thought a man could be beautiful, but he'd changed that. She thought him the most glorious man God had ever created. She had not forgotten the heated embraces they'd shared that first night. It had been heavenly, and she longed to know the ecstasy of his kiss and touch again.
"How's your mother feeling tonight?" he asked as he finished washing and was slipping his shirt back on. He turned to face her, fighting with himself not to notice how desirable she was or to think about how much he wanted to kiss her. He forced himself to concentrate on buttoning his buttons, but even that dredged up memories of when he'd unbuttoned Molly's buttons ...Dev stifled a groan as he brought his errant thoughts under rigid control.
An odd disappointment filled Molly at his question, but she didn't let it show. She kept her voice light and happy as she answered him, "She's much better. Another day or two of rest, and I think she'll probably be fine."
As much as Dev tried to avoid it, their gazes met and locked as they stood there. A force more pow erful than the both of them drew them magnetically toward each other. In another minute they would have embraced, but a heavy footfall and the sound of a twig snapping somewhere on the far side of the house broke them apart.
They knew immediately that it was not Jimmy for it was just not in his nature to move quietly. Unable to think of anyone else who would have a reason to be out there snooping around, Dev grabbed her hand and they ran silently back to the barn, seeking a hiding place there until they could see who was coming. The tension that had enveloped them changed quickly from sensual awareness to fear.
"Stay down and be quiet," he warned.
"Why? What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to find out who's out there, that's what I'm going to do."
"Oh, no, you're not!" Molly argued in a heated whisper. "That's all we'd need is for somebody to see you. You stay right here, and you keep down and be quiet. I'm the one with a reason for being here, and I'm the one going out there to look."
Without giving him a chance to respond, she hurried away from him. Dev cursed under his breath, feeling once more totally and completely helpless. He knew she was right, but it didn't make it any less emasculating to have to hide in a damned barn while the woman he loved risked her life for him. Jarred by the thought of her possibly being in danger, he threw all common sense to the wind and crept from his hiding place. He kept her slender form in sight as he moved soundlessly from the barn.
Molly was scared, but she didn't show it as she walked out of the barn and up toward the house. When she saw a man coming toward her, she stopped, startled and more than a little scared.
"This is private property! Who are you? What are you doing out here?" She tried to sound as indignant as possible.
"Molly?"
The sound of Sheriff Macauley's voice drained all the fear right out of her, and she sagged weakly as relief surged through her.
"Oh, it's you, Sheriff..." she answered. "Thank God."
"It's me, all right," he replied good-naturedly. "Sorry I gave you a fright, but your brother told me you and O'Keefe were out here somewhere. Is he around? I need to talk with him"
"He's waiting inside the barn."
"No, I'm not," Dev interrupted, appearing at the sheriff's side. He had managed to stay in the shadows and slip around to the side of her to make sure she was safe. He wasn't about to let anything happen to her.
"Dev! I told you to stay inside!"
He ignored her protest as he faced the lawman. "What is it, Sheriff? Has something happened?"
"Yes, something has, O'Keefe."
The sheriff sounded so sober and serious that Dev automatically assumed the worst--that he had come to tell him that he was taking
him back to jail and that his trial would start soon. For a split second, he thought about running, but just as quickly as it came, he discarded the idea. He was not guilty, and he was certainly no coward. If he could do nothing else, he would act like a man and keep Molly's respect.
"I see..." Dev said slowly, resigning himself to his doom, accepting the unacceptable. "Well, let's go then..." He wanted to get away from Molly. He didn't want her to know how badly this was tearing him up inside. He didn't want her to see him at his lowest.
"Go?"
"Back to jail. That is why you came, isn't it? To take me back?"
"I think you're jumping to conclusions, boy," Macauley told him, and for the first time Molly and Dev could hear a lightness in his tone.
"What are you talking about, Sheriff?" Molly grabbed the lawman's arm in an excited hold at the thought that his news might not be all bad. She looked up at him questioningly, hopefully.
"I'm talking about the fact that O'Keefe here's a free man as of right now."
"What?" Molly and Dev exclaimed in astonished unison.
"Earlier tonight I arrested Charley Stevens, and I've now charged him with gunning down Santana in cold blood."
"You did?" she cried in happiness.
But Dev was not so easily convinced. He couldn't believe his good fortune. "But what about all the evidence pointing at me?"
"I can only figure that Stevens planted it himself, trying to frame you," he answered, "but really, O'Keefe, what does it matter as long as you're a free man again?"
"You're right, Sheriff. Nothing else matters. Nothing else at all!" Dev was so stunned that he was hardly able to think. He had never really expected things to work out right, and now that they had, he was at a loss. Molly, however, was thrilled, and she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"I told you everything would work out! I told you so!" she cried in delight.
Dev hugged her back, swinging her around in a full circle of celebration and then gave her a quick, excited kiss as the sheriff looked on, quite pleased with himself.
"Why don't you come back to the office with me now and pick up your things? After that, you'll be free to go," Macauley suggested, smiling at their happiness. Watching the way Molly looked at him, he had a good feeling about these two. He hoped everything worked out for them for they certainly deserved it.
"Fine," Dev agreed, still a little in shock. "I'll be back just as soon as I can, Molly."
"I'll be right here waiting for you, Dev," she promised, hardly able to contain her excitement.
He gave her one last, enthusiastic kiss then joined the sheriff for the walk back to the jail. Molly walked with them as far as the house, then remained outside watching as they moved off toward the jail. Tears traced damply down her cheeks, but she wasn't even aware of them. She was only aware of the deep, abiding joy that filled her. Dev was free! It had happened so suddenly, and yet it couldn't have come soon enough for her. She believed with all her heart that he should never have been locked up in the first place.
As Dev and Sheriff Macauley disappeared out of sight, Molly went inside to tell her mother and Jimmy the good news. When she had, Jimmy erupted in whoops of happiness.
"Oh, boy! Now Dev doesn't have to hide any more when we go outside to work on the barn!"
"Well, now Jimmy, I doubt that Dev will be working on the barn any more" Eileen cautioned. She knew how fond her son was of the young man, but she also knew that Dev had a life of his own to live.
"Sure he will, Mother," Jimmy argued. "We still have lots to do."
Her mother's words of warning struck Molly hard, and her heart skipped a painful beat at the very real possibility that Dev might leave. She hadn't thought beyond Dev's being found innocent and being freed. She hadn't considered that he might return to his old way of life, hunting down criminals all over the country with his friend Clay.
"Hell be back, won't he, Molly?" Jimmy asked plaintively as he, too, was filled with the sudden fear that he might be losing his good friend.
"He told me he would be, and he's a man of his word," she answered confidently.
"He's gonna stay, isn't he?" he pressed, wanting to be reassured.
"I hope so, Jimmy."
Eileen heard the worry in her tone, and her gaze sharpened as she regarded her daughter. "You've come to care for this young man, haven't you, Molly?"
"Oh, yes, Mother." Molly gave her mother a small, tremulous, teary-eyed smile. "I more than care for him. I love him."
"Then you're crying because you're happy?" she questioned astutely. She'd always been able to read her daughter's feelings, and she had a feeling that Molly was not crying out of joy.
Molly looked quickly away.
"What is it? What's bothering you?"
Wringing her hands nervously, she went to stare out the window into the darkness of the night. "I'm not sure. It's just that when you said he wouldn't be working on the barn any more, it suddenly dawned on me that he might leave." She spun around to face her. "I always knew he was innocent. I wanted him to be free. I prayed for it! But I'd never thought past that. I don't want to lose him."
"How does he feel about you?"
"I don't know.. .I'm not sure."
"He's never said anything?"
"He wouldn't. Not before. He said he wouldn't let me be hurt that way." She shrugged. "He said he cared about me and respected me, but now..."
Eileen got up and went to hug her daughter. She had always liked Dev, but now she felt an even greater admiration for him. It had been a very chivalrous thing he'd done in the way he'd treated Molly, and she thought a lot of him because of it. She only hoped that now that he was free, that caring would become something deeper. She hoped he would see what a treasure her daughter really was.
"Sometimes, darling, you just have to wait and see what happens. If Dev said he was coming back, he will. When he does, you'll be seeing him for the first time as a free man. Maybe things will change, but maybe the change will be for the better."
"I hope so," she answered, and at her mother's urging, they set about having their dinner before it got cold.
"Got any future plans?" Macauley was asking Dev as they strolled through town.
Dev gave a weary laugh. "If you'd asked me that an hour ago, I would have told you no. I didn't think I had much of a future, short of a hangman's noose. Now, though..." He paused, allowing himself to visualize once more, the dream he'd been longing and hoping to share with Molly. "Now, I know what I want to do with my life.
He said it with such passion, that the sheriff glanced at him curiously. "Oh? What?"
"I'm going to propose to Molly. If shell have me, I'll marry her tomorrow! Hell, if she'll have me, I'll marry her tonight," he said with a chuckle.
The sheriff smiled knowingly. "I was hoping you'd say that. She's a fine young woman, and the two of you will do well together."
"I hope so."
"What are you planning on doing for a living? You going to keep working with Cordell?"
"I hadn't really thought about it" he remarked. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I've got an offer I'd like to make you."
"What kind of offer?"
"A job offer. I could use another good deputy, and I think you'd be perfect. You've got the experience. You know how to handle a gun, and you're an honest and fair man."
Dev felt honored at this assessment of his character. "Thank you."
"No need for thanks, I'm only telling the truth. I like you, O'Keefe, and I think we could work well together" Macauley stopped as they came to stand in front of the office. "What do you say?"
Dev couldn't believe that everything was happening so fast. One minute, he'd been a prisoner with a rope practically around his neck. And, the next, he was being offered a job as a deputy sheriff here in the very town that had locked him up. He gave a rueful shake of his head as he thought about it.
"How long do I have to make up my mind?" he asked. He knew the job would give h
im the security he would need if Molly accepted his proposal.
There was no way he could spend his time chasing around the countryside with Clay if he and Molly were married. He'd have a home and a ready-made family to care for.
"As long as you want. The job's yours if and when you want it," he promised as they went inside.
Dev knew he had to talk to Molly first, before he could decide anything. Then, too, there was Clay to consider. He wondered suddenly where his friend was and how soon he'd be back. He wished he was here to celebrate his release with him.
Deputy Carter was sitting at the desk as they entered. When he saw Dev, he stood up and offered him his hand. "Sorry about all the trouble, O'Keefe."
"So am I.I'm just glad everything's been resolved," he responded, shaking his hand in friendship.
"Here you are." The sheriff handed him his gunbelt, saddlebags and the rest of his things.
"Thanks." Dev quickly strapped his gunbelt on, and he enjoyed the heavy feel of it against his thigh.
"And here's your money" Macauley handed him the money he knew was his and the extra cash that did not belong to him.
"This isn't mine, sheriff," he said, holding the money back out to him. "I don't know how it got in with my things, but it doesn't belong to me."
"It's not Santana's either, his money has already all been accounted for."
"Does he have a widow? You could give this to her."
"No. He lived alone, and we don't know of any living relatives. Keep it, O'Keefe. After what you've been through, you've earned it."
Dev didn't like taking money that didn't belong to him, but if there was no one else to claim it, there wasn't much else he could do. "If you're sure..."
"I'm sure," Macauley insisted. "It'll be a good nest egg for you and Molly."
He looked up at the lawman and smiled. Thanks."