Lester reined the horses to a halt, then turned to face Beth. Leaning forward, he kissed her on the cheek. “If you and Chase ever need anything, you let me know.”
“I will. Thank you.”
He smiled at her, then took up the reins and clucked to the horses.
A short time later, they drew up in front of the Fallon house.
* * * * *
Chase drew Beth closer, thinking that, if they lived together for a hundred years, it would not be long enough. He placed his hand over her belly, trying to imagine his child growing within her womb. Was it a boy or a girl? He told himself he didn’t care, so long as the child was healthy, but deep inside, he hoped for a son.
“What are you thinking about?” Beth asked.
“The baby.”
“What about it?”
“I was wondering if it is a boy.”
“Oh. I guess every man wants a son.”
Chase nodded.
“Will you be terribly disappointed if it’s a girl?”
“Not if she looks like you.”
With a sigh, Beth settled back in his arms. They were sitting on Chase’s bed, a blanket spread across their legs. It was raining again, a soft, gentle rain. Earlier, they had locked the door and made love.
She still felt shy about making love in Chase’s room, knowing his relatives were in the house, but not making love was unthinkable. She couldn’t be near him and not touch him. His kisses drove her wild, his caresses made her pulse race and her heart race like a runaway locomotive. She loved to touch him, to run her hands over his hard-muscled flesh, and know that he was hers. He had a beautiful body, taut and strong.
Turning her head, she ran her tongue over his chest, heard him groan low in his throat.
“Beth…”
“Hmmm?” She looked up at him and batted her eyelashes. “Is something wrong?”
“Not a thing,” he replied, his voice hoarse. Lifting his hand, he cupped her breast, heard her gasp of pleasure as she arched against him.
“Kiss me,” she whispered, turning her face up to his. “Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me.”
Lowering his head, he claimed her lips, his tongue delving into the sweetness of her mouth. His hands roamed up and down her back; in minutes, they were locked in each other’s arms again, all else forgotten as they renewed the love they felt for one another.
* * * * *
Lester and Dorinda sat on the sofa, trying to pretend they were alone. Dusty and Rebecca were playing checkers across the room; Ryder and Jenny had gone into the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee.
“Tell me about your children,” Dorinda said. “Do you think they’ll like me?”
“They’ll love you, don’t worry. Alice is six. She’s the youngest. She’s a sweet thing. Big smile. Big dimples. Curly hair. Kathy is the middle child. She tends to be very quiet, very introspective for one not yet ten. She’s quite bright, and very talented at the piano.” Lester sighed. “Polly’s twelve going on thirty. She doesn’t want me to marry again. She doesn’t want to move out here.” Lester sighed again, heavily this time. “Actually, I expect her to give us a lot of trouble.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure we’ll all be friends, eventually.” Dorinda smiled up at Les. “I’m so glad you came out here to meet Beth. And so glad she fell in love with my brother and not you.”
“Me, too.” He slid a quick glance at Dusty and Rebecca. Seeing that they were both intent upon the checkerboard, he pulled Dorinda into his arms and kissed her. “I’ll be glad when we get to spend some time alone.”
“Me, too.”
“When do you think that might be?”
“Well,” Dorinda said, grinning at him, “if all goes as planned, Chase and Dusty will both be married by the twentieth.”
“Yeah, except my girls will be here by then.”
Dorinda sighed in mock despair. “Maybe we’ll never be alone.”
“Oh, yes, we will! I don’t know how, but we will.” He groaned softly, his hands sliding up and down her arms. “Do you know how much I want you?”
“I can guess.”
“Maybe when the rain clears up, I can drop Beth off here, then you and I could go for a ride, a long ride. Maybe check out the land I just bought.”
“I’d like that.”
“Good. It’s a date then.”
“A date,” Dorinda agreed. “If it ever stops raining.” She grinned up at him, so happy she thought her heart might burst with it. “At least we’re all paired up two by two if there’s another flood!”
* * * * *
Dusty reached across the checkerboard and took Rebecca’s hand in his. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I know. I love you, too,” she whispered back.
“Do you think we’ll ever get to be alone?”
Rebecca glanced over at Dorinda and Lester, who were huddled close together, doing some whispering of their own. “I don’t know.”
“It isn’t fair,” Dusty muttered. “Chase and Beth get to spend hours in his room, just the two of them.”
“Well, they are married, sort of.”
“Yeah, sort of.”
“We’ll be married soon,” Rebecca reminded him. “And that reminds me, I should be getting home. I have a lot to do between now and the wedding.”
“Okay. Come on, I’ll take you home.” He helped her with her coat and scarf, handed her her gloves, then leaned forward to nuzzle her ear. “Any chance your mother might have gone visiting an old friend tonight?”
* * * * *
Ryder sat back in his chair, one hand fisted around a cup of coffee as he watched Jenny slice apples for a pie.
“Do you think we’ll ever have the house to ourselves again?” he asked.
“Someday, I reckon.” She tossed the apple peelings into the scrap bowl to feed the hogs later. Wiping her hands on a towel, she stood behind Ryder’s chair and began to massage his shoulders. “It’s nice to see them all so happy together.”
“I’d like to see us together,” Ryder muttered.
“We will be. They’ll all be married and have homes of their own soon enough.”
“You don’t sound too happy about that.”
“Oh, I am.” Her hands moved to his neck, gently kneading his nape. “It’s just that the house won’t seem the same when they’re all gone.”
“I can live with it.”
“Ryder, has Les said anything to you?”
“About what?”
“About what! About the wedding, that’s what. He’s supposed to be marrying Beth on the seventeenth.”
“Yeah?”
“You don’t think they’re going to let everyone show up for the wedding, and then just call it off, do you? I mean, aside from the expense, think about how embarrassing it would be for Beth’s parents.”
Ryder let his head roll forward, giving her better access to his back. “I don’t know what they’re gonna do. I asked him about it a couple of days ago, and he told me not to worry. He said he and Beth and Chase have everything under control.”
“So you’re not going to worry?”
“That’s right.”
Turning his chair away from the table, he drew Jenny onto his lap. “The first night that we’re alone, I’m gonna build a big fire in the fireplace, lock all the doors, shut all the windows, and make love to you all night long.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Jenny murmured.
“It sure does.”
Jenny sighed as he pressed his mouth to her breast and blew softly, the warmth of his breath heating her skin.
“What do you say we just throw them all out tonight?”
“Ryder, it’s pouring outside.”
“So what?” He looked up, and she saw the heat smoldering in the depths of his eyes. “They won’t melt.”
“Ryder, did you ever talk to Ralph about extending Martha’s loan?”
“Yeah, I talked to him. I even offered to bring her loan up-to-date. He said it was too late fo
r that, that the bank had already sold the property to someone else. She has to be out of there by the first of the year.”
“They sold it? To who?”
“He wouldn’t say.”
Jenny sighed with regret. “Thanks for trying.” Cupping his face in her hands, she kissed him deeply, thoroughly. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
“Probably, but it wouldn’t hurt to tell me again.”
“I love you, Ryder Fallon.”
“And I love you, Jenny girl,” he whispered, his voice suddenly husky. He ran his hands over her back, slid his thumbs along the supple curve of her breast. Aching with need, he kissed her, wishing, for one fleeting moment, that they’d never had kids in the first place.
They were still kissing when the kitchen door swung open.
“Oh, sorry.”
Ryder glared at his son over Jenny’s shoulder. “What is it?” he growled. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“I’m gonna take Rebecca home,” Dusty said, a grin in his voice, “and as long as I’m gonna be in town, I think I’ll just spend the night in the jail so I don’t have to ride back in the rain.”
“Fine. See you tomorrow.”
Dusty nodded, stifling the urge to laugh. “Night, Dad. Mom.”
“Good night, Dusty,” Jenny said sweetly.
Ryder looked up at Jenny and grinned lecherously. “Two down, two to go.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Dusty’s face was grim as he sat back in his chair, his feet propped on his desk. Life was full of surprises, he mused. He’d no sooner figured that road ahead would be clear sailing than he’d gotten a wire informing him that Rance Crenshaw and Joby Berland had escaped from prison on December 5. Both men were armed and thought to be headed back toward Twin Rivers.
Damn, what a mess. No doubt Martha had written to tell Rance that the bank had foreclosed on the ranch. No wonder Crenshaw had busted out of prison. Dusty knew he’d do the same thing under the circumstance. A man couldn’t sit by and let his wife and kids be tossed out into the cold. Still, Crenshaw would be stupid to come back to Twin Rivers. Surely he knew that the first place they’d look for him.
But then, Crenshaw had never won any medals for being bright. After pondering his options, Dusty had deputized Pete Hampton and Lenny Wible and then he had ridden out to the ranch and asked for his father’s help as well.
His mother hadn’t been thrilled with the idea of her husband pinning on a badge again, but she understood Dusty’s need to have someone beside him who he could depend on, someone he could trust with his life, if need be.
Propping his elbows on the arms of his chair, Dusty rested his chin on his clasped hands. Damn. Today was the tenth. He was supposed to be getting married in ten days; Beth was supposed to be marrying Harbaugh on the seventeenth. He didn’t know whether to hope Crenshaw and Berland stayed out of sight until after his wedding, or if he hoped they’d make their play beforehand and get it over with. He had a feeling that Crenshaw wouldn’t be taken without a fight.
Damn. It just wasn’t fair. He didn’t want to have to worry about Berland and Crenshaw right now, didn’t want to think about anything but marrying Rebecca, without wondering if he was going to marry her, and then make her a widow.
Rebecca… It was getting increasingly difficult to let her go at night, to hold her and kiss her without giving in to the desire to possess her. The fact that she wanted him almost as badly as he wanted her didn’t make things any easier. And as tempting as the thought of making love to her might be, he was determined to keep his desire in check until she was truly his.
Still, the thought of marrying her only to leave her a widow preyed on his mind.
He glanced up at the clock. Almost noon. Swinging his legs to the floor, he grabbed his hat and left the office, bound for the schoolhouse. Crenshaw and Berland could wait. He had a date for lunch with the prettiest schoolteacher in town.
* * * * *
Rance and Joby pulled up on the outskirts of the Crenshaw farm shortly after sundown.
“You sure this is smart?” Joby asked. He glanced around, his movements quick and nervous. “I mean, anybody lookin’ fer us is sure to come here first.”
“You damn fool, don’t you think I know that? But I’ve got to talk to Martha and my boys. We need to figure on a place to meet up later.”
Joby nodded. He hated himself for being such a coward, but he didn’t have the guts to cross Rance twice. In prison, Rance had beat the shit out of him for snitching on him. Joby hadn’t complained, and he hadn’t turned stoolie. He’d deserved that beating. Still, he considered himself lucky to be alive. Rance Crenshaw was a soft-spoken man most times, but he had a vile temper when he was riled, and Joby didn’t intend to rile him again, at least not in this lifetime. For better or worse, he’d cast his lot with Crenshaw. Anything was better than rotting in prison.
“You wait here,” Rance said, thrusting the reins of his horse into Berland’s hand. “I won’t be long.”
Joby nodded. He’d tried to talk Rance out of stealing the Harveys’ stud horse, too, but Crenshaw hadn’t listened. He’d needed to get his hands on some money to meet a mortgage payment, and Rance had insisted that stealing and selling the Harveys’ stallion would be a piece of cake. Not only that, but he’d said there would be enough money left over to fix up Joby’s place if Joby wanted.
Nothing had gone as planned. They’d lost the horse. Rance got shot, and they’d wound up in jail.
Joby grunted softly. Sometimes he thought he had more brains than Rance. All he needed was a chance to prove it.
He glanced up at the moon, hanging low and full in the sky, and wondered what was taking Rance so long.
By the time an hour had passed, his palms were sweating. Something was wrong. He knew it.
Maybe he wasn’t as smart as he thought, Joby mused as he tethered the horses to a low-hanging branch. If he was smart, he’d climb into the saddle and ride for Texas just as fast as he could.
With a sigh, he snuck up to the side of the house and peered in one of the windows.
A vile oath escaped his lips as he heard the prison doors clanging shut behind him one more time. Forever this time.
Muttering under his breath, Joby walked around the house, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. “Rance, you damn fool, what the hell are you doing?”
“Shut up,” Crenshaw hissed. “And close that door.”
Feeling the hand of doom clamping down on his shoulder, Joby closed the door, his gaze moving from Jenny Fallon’s face to her daughter’s face to that of Elizabeth Johnson’s, and back again. The three women were seated on wooden chairs, their hands and feet tied. They were all gagged. Martha Crenshaw sat on the edge of the sofa, worrying the hem of her skirt.
“Martha, get me some coffee,” Rance said, “then fix us something to eat.”
With a nod, she went to do as bidden.
Joby waited until Martha left the room, and then his temper exploded. “Dammit, Rance, Ryder Fallon’s gonna come down on us harder than a duck on a June bug when he finds out what you’ve done.”
“I told you to shut up.”
“Not this time. Turn them women loose, and let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Don’t be any more of a fool than you already are,” Rance growled. “Don’t you see what I’ve got here?”
“All I see is trouble, and lots of it.”
Crenshaw shook his head in disgust. “This is the answer to all my problems,” he said, grinning.
Joby wiped hands gone suddenly sweaty on the sides of his pants. “Fallon will kill you for this.”
Crenshaw snorted softly. “I ain’t gonna hurt ’em none. All I want is enough cash money to get Martha and the kids settled somewheres else. I figure Fallon and Johnson ought to be good for at least a couple grand between them.”
Joby held up his hands, palms out. “I don’t want no part of it. Ryder Fallon’s a hard man. He ain’t gonna take kindly to yo
u holding his wife for no ransom.”
“You wouldn’t be thinkin’ of walkin’ out on me, would you, Jobe?”
Berland shook his head. “Of course not, Rance. We’re in this together, you know that.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Crenshaw smiled at his wife as she handed him a cup of coffee, then offered one to Joby. “Stop worrying, Martha, everything’s gonna work out fine.”
“I’m not worried,” Martha replied, but Joby knew she was lying. Her voice was shaking almost as bad as her hands.
“Good. How’s that food coming?”
“It’s almost ready.” Martha laid a hand on her husband’s arm. “Are you sure this is the best way, Rance? Ryder and Jenny tried to help me.”
“Sure they did. That damned ’breed helped me go to jail.”
“Listen to what I’m saying, Rance. Ryder went to the bank and offered to pay off the mortgage, but Mr. Johnson said it was too late.” She looked up at her husband, frightened by the hint of madness in his eyes. “Don’t you think we should let her go?”
“Is that what you think?”
“Yes. Please, Rance, do it for me.”
“Maybe tomorrow,” Crenshaw said. He dragged a hand over his eyes and down his jaw. “I’m can’t think straight right now.”
“All right, dear,” Martha said. “You just relax. I’ll get you something to eat, and some more coffee.”
Rance smiled at her. He’d let the Fallon woman go tomorrow. He’d give her a note to deliver to Johnson, and one for Fallon. He’d tell Johnson he wanted five thousand dollars cash or he’d never see his daughter alive again. The note to Fallon would be pretty much the same, except that, in addition to the money, he’d demand safe passage out of town for himself and Berland in exchange for his daughter’s life.
It would work. It had to work.
* * * * *
Ryder paced the floor of the sheriff’s office, his hands clenching and unclenching as he glanced at the clock. It was after six. Dammit, where were they?
“Staring at the clock ain’t gonna make the time pass any faster,” Dusty muttered. Sitting back, he propped his feet on the desk.
Ryder grunted, and continued pacing.
He whirled around, his hand streaking for his gun, as Chase and Harbaugh entered the jailhouse.
Chase the Wind (Apache Runaway Book 2) Page 27