by Sue Heasley
“She must have been practicing that punch for quite some time.” Rex headed back through the trees with Jose toward their waiting horses. The rest of the men laughed at the sight of his bruised chin.
“I don’t want to hear another word from anyone, or there will be hell to pay.” The men stopped whispering. “Which direction did she head off to?”
Jose rode up beside him. “Lillie hightailed it toward the ranch. You must have said something to upset her.”
“Only that I missed her.” He mounted his horse.
“Well, amigo. We better head out. The sheriff and his posse will be tracking us. We’ll take the back trails.”
Rex rubbed his sore jaw. He had to admit he probably deserved worse than a punch in the face from Lillie. Clearly, she remained upset about the past. He needed to have a nice long talk with her.
Chapter Three
Lillie’s pulse picked up every time she glanced over her shoulder to see if Rex was following her. Dust spiraled through the air a few miles back. She urged her horse into a faster gallop. In the distance, the farm, surrounded by rolling hills and valleys, came into view. Large billows of clouds rolled across the horizon like a large cozy blanket ready to caress the land beneath it. The outlines of the buildings grew larger as she drew closer. She needed to talk to her father before Rex arrived. She had to see her son before he noticed him. Their son she corrected herself. Those thoughts left an ache in her heart.
Lillie refused to tell him what their passionate lovemaking had produced all those years ago. She would do anything to protect her son from the heartache she endured. She didn’t want to take the chance Rex would leave all over again. She flexed her fingers on her right hand. It still throbbed from punching him. She didn’t care. It had felt too damn good to knock his butt to the ground.
Lillie reined in her quarter horse in front of the ranch house. In no time, she had tied her reins to the hitching post. After taking the front wooden steps two at a time, she yanked open the front door and ran straight to her father’s bedroom. She burst through his door so hard it slammed against the wall. Even though her breathing matched her anxiety, she struggled to calm herself. Ben and her father looked up from playing cards. Concern clear on their faces.
“We need to talk.”
“Grandpa’s teaching me how to play poker.”
“Ben, can you give my horse some water? He’s out front. I have business with Papa.” Lillie pushed her hair back from her sweaty forehead.
“Do I have to? We just dealt a new hand.” He stood by the side of the bed.
“We’ll finish later.” Her father patted Ben’s shoulder. “Go on now.”
After her son left the room, Lillie shut the bedroom door. She faced her father who was laid up with a broken leg.
“Well, did you get to him in time?”
“Yes.” Her lip trembled, and she balled her hands into fists. Lillie couldn’t hold back the tear that appeared at the corner of her eye and then slid down her cheek.
“Ah, honey.” Her father held out his arms to her.
Lillie sat on the edge of the bed and hugged him. As the tears flowed harder, she buried her face into his shoulder.
“Why did you make me rescue him? It hurts too much to see him again.”
He lifted her chin. “You and I both know he’d never commit murder. I couldn’t let them hang my grandson’s father, or the man my daughter still loves.”
Lillie sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I don’t love him. I wish I could forget about him.”
“Honey, you can’t fool me. Look at what you’re wearing. A matter of fact, button that shirt up. You’ve never dressed that way in front of the men before.”
Lillie glanced down at her revealing camisole. “It wasn’t like that. I mean I was at the river.”
Her father’s eyebrow shot up.
She buttoned her shirt until all her skin was covered. “I was in a hurry and forgot about it.”
Her father suddenly became aware of her bruised knuckles. He grabbed her hand. “What happened?”
“I’ll be okay.” Lillie gave him a half smile. She rather enjoyed knocking Rex out cold. It had given her a lot of satisfaction. But still not enough to ease the hurt she felt inside. She started to back away. “I’m going to take care of my horse.”
Her father sighed. “Well, where the hell is Rex?”
“The men should be riding in at any time.”
“I want to see him straight away.”
“Remember, I will be the one to speak to Rex about Ben. If he decides to leave town again, I won’t tell him. Pops, I don’t want Ben to get his feelings hurt like I did.”
“I agree. Now pull yourself together before he sees you.”
****
Rex tried to ignore his edginess as he reined in his horse next to the stables. He couldn’t stop staring at the little boy standing on tiptoe and offering a bucket of water to a horse. He looked like a miniature cowboy. His oversized cowboy hat slid to the back part of his head when the horse nudged its protruding brim. Rex drew in a deep breath at the sight of curly auburn hair. Lillie’s hair. The kid’s brown pants were dusty at the knees, and a dirty red bandana stuck halfway out of his back pocket. The shirttail of his off-white shirt hung partly out over his belt. His small hand suddenly pulled a carrot out of his side pocket and offered it to the horse.
Jose rode up next to Rex and slapped him on the back. “What’s the matter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Lillie got married without me.” The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Jose laughed. “This is going to be better than I expected.”
Rex gave him a stern look. “You want to tell me what is going on around here?”
“Sorry, I’m sworn to secrecy.”
“Jose.”
“Hey, do you want your old buddy to get kicked off the ranch?”
“Damn.” Rex dismounted. He stared at the ranch house unsure if he should go in or not.
Jose grabbed his reins. “I’m sure the old man will want to see you. I’ll take care of your horse.”
Rex observed Lillie as she hurried down the front steps of the ranch house and stopped beside the boy. He could tell she was nervous as she bent over to talk to her son. He didn’t know what to expect when he showed up at the ranch. This was a big surprise that made him feel uncomfortable. He expected the boy’s father to suddenly step out the front door.
The boy tugged on Lillie’s arm as he drew near. “Who’s that man?”
“Honey, he’s not important. Right now, I need you to go do your chores.”
Rex ignored their conversation and bent down to look at the little boy’s face close. Dark brown eyes stared back at him. A few red freckles dotted his nose and cheeks. “Do a good job on those chores, little man.”
“I’m not little, mister.” Ben hooked his thumbs in his pockets and frowned up at him.
“Sorry, of course you’re not, partner.” Rex smiled and held out his hand for a shake. “The name is Rex Utah.”
The boy tried to give him a firm shake, but his little fingers didn’t quite reach around Rex’s palm. “I’m Ben.”
Rex stood and took in the change in Lillie’s appearance. He leaned in close as he brushed by her arm. “I much prefer the unbuttoned look.” He paused to consider her narrowed eyes. She did a great job of holding her composure in check because of the presence of her son.
“Pa is in the front bedroom waiting for you.” She turned her back on him, grabbed her son’s hand, and headed toward the barn.
Rex took the porch steps two at a time. He pulled open the creaky wooden door and glanced over his shoulder at Lillie. He watched the sway of her hips until she disappeared into the shadowed barn entrance.
“Damn, I’m in trouble.” He didn’t want to admit it, but he still had feelings for her even after all these years. He stepped inside the farmhouse he had helped Lillie’s father build and took in the familiar surrou
ndings of the rustic living quarters. The crackle of burning logs in the stone fireplace made him take a deep breath. A past memory of Lillie, Charlie, and him sitting in front of the fire made him melancholy. He’d missed their nightly chats about running the ranch.
Rex suddenly became uneasy. He’d ruined everything by taking advantage of Lillie and running away from the ranch that he loved. He couldn’t deny his intense feelings for her that day. It had scared him. Then there was the fear of Charlie’s wrath once he found out he had taken her virginity. It didn’t take him long to figure out his best option was to hightail it out of town on his favorite Appaloosa.
“Young and stupid,” he whispered. “Well, it’s time to get this over with.” He entered the small kitchen, poured two cups of coffee, and headed toward the front bedroom.
Rex paused in the bedroom doorway. His mouth went dry, and he couldn’t speak right away. Charlie had changed. His hair had grayed. Wrinkles had appeared at the corners of his eyes and mouth. The man who had rescued a half-starved little boy abandoned in a back alley next to his dead parents had aged. Rex owed him his life. He didn’t know how to deal with the sudden guilt overcoming him. His past actions were shameful. He had some apologizing to do to the man who had fed and clothed him for years. Charlie had even spent countless hours teaching him how to read. Most of the time during Rex’s lessons, his attention was drawn to Lillie who flirted with him from across the room.
“Give me that coffee and sit your ass down in that chair.” Charlie’s gruff voice suddenly boomed in the small bedroom startling him from his reverie.
“Yes, sir.” Rex automatically obeyed. “It’s good to see you.” He fought back a tear threatening to slip out of the corner of his eye. He couldn’t help himself. He bent over and gave the old man a kiss on the head.
“Get away from me.” Charlie growled in a deep voice although he had a half smile on his face.
Rex took in the old man’s splinted leg. “What the hell happened to you? You aren’t dying, are you?”
Charlie frowned. “I could ask the same question about you.”
“I don’t know where to start.” Rex lowered his head, leaned forward in his chair, and stared at the worn-out floorboards.
Charlie sighed. “Why did you leave?”
“You know why.”
“If I could get out of this bed, I’d beat your hide. You’d be face down on that floor by now.”
“When you get better, I’ll let you.” Rex sat back in his chair. “I deserve it.”
“Well, hell.” Charlie rubbed his unshaven chin. After a long pause and a few sips of coffee, he reached toward Rex for a handshake. “Boy, I missed you.”
Rex returned the shake and tried not to be overly pleased with Charlie’s comment. “I thought a lot about the ranch while I was gone.”
“I’ve always known there was something between you and my daughter. Why didn’t you ask for her hand in marriage?”
Rex lowered his head. He clasped his hands together so tightly his knuckles turned white. “Things just happened. I was young, stupid, and scared.” He drew in a deep breath. “Anything I say will not make things any better. Besides, it’s obvious Lillie’s life has changed.”
Charlie started to reply but abruptly stopped. He mumbled something so low Rex couldn’t hear him.
“Speaking of Lillie, why the hell did you send her to rescue me? She could have gotten herself killed.” Rex stood and began to pace the room. “The ranch hands could have handled it.”
“Lillie didn’t trust the men to rescue you in time. She also did it to keep me from getting up out of this bed and attempting it myself.”
“A lot of good you would have done with your injured leg. You never told me about the accident. What happened?”
“I was trying to break a young stallion and got thrown up against a fence post.” Charlie sat up straighter in bed as Rex puffed the pillow up behind his back.
“The time has come when you need to let the younger bronc busters handle the green horses.”
“Enough. I already got one hell of a lecture from Lillie.” Charlie waved his hand in the air. “Let’s get back to you. Now tell me what happened. I know you didn’t rob the bank and murder the teller. You’re not a killer. I also know you had a good chunk of change saved up in that bank. Unless you spent it all gambling, drinking, and womanizing this past week.”
Rex stilled and shoved his thumbs into his back pockets. “You knew about that.”
“A couple of the ranch hands recognized you in the saloon.”
He sighed. “To be honest, I know nothing about the bank heist. The sheriff dragged me out of bed after a night of drinking and threw me in jail.”
Charlie pulled a small flask out from under his faded blue blanket. “I’m sure you can use a little whiskey right about now.” He poured the golden brew in each of their cups. “Go on, what happened next.”
“I think the sheriff was in on the heist. I requested a trial. He refused and said he had a witness. He was in a hurry to hang me.” Rex took a large swallow of his spiked coffee.
Charlie rubbed his chin. “I think someone wanted you out of the way. Have any enemies?”
“I made a few working as a hired gunman for some cattle barons in California, but no one here in town.”
The door to the bedroom creaked open. “Well, look who’s here. Haven’t seen you in a long time, young man.”
“Mabel.” Rex gave the ranch cook a big hug. “Do you know you’re the best cook in the whole southwest?”
Her cheeks blushed. “Your flattery may get you a berry pie.”
He laughed. “I’ll look forward to it.”
The kitchen had always been her domain. She would have a fit if anyone attempted shenanigans at the dinner table. She instilled strict manners especially on Jose and him growing up. She had wanted to take a switch to their behinds more than once, but Charlie always intervened by making them do extra chores instead. Her once brown hair was now completely gray and wound in a tight bun. Her hips were a little more rounded.
Mabel frowned and poked her finger into his chest. “You and I are going to have a nice little chat later. Now let Charlie rest before dinner. He was up half the night worried about you.”
“Stop fussing over me,” Charlie snapped.
“You’ll both do as I say, or no one will be eating chicken and dumplings for the evening meal. She turned to Rex. “Get me some fresh water from the well. Right away.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted her as he headed for the doorway. He’d do anything for a good meal. Especially since he was tired of eating rabbit over a campfire. Before Rex left the bedroom, he glanced over his shoulder at Charlie. His old friend seemed upset that Mabel had interrupted their talk. He sensed their friendship had changed. Mable acted as if their roles had been switched, and she was now the boss.
Chapter Four
Rex filled his second bucket of water at the well when the sound of a woman’s laughter reached his ears. Familiarity hit him like a punch in the stomach. The giggles of a little boy echoed her voice. He abandoned the bucket of water on the ground. The sweet sound of Lillie’s voice drew him forward as though he was hypnotized. He paused at the side porch of the house, crossed his arms, and leaned against a wooden post. If jealousy were a knife, he’d be dead right now.
Jose and another man were in the corral teaching her son how to ride a small pony. Lillie clapped her hands in approval as her son giggled. He became uncomfortable. Could one of the men be Ben’s father? The thought of another man touching Lillie made his anger level rise. She suddenly glanced over her shoulder at him. She then made a point to walk over to each man and touch their arm while conversing with them.
“Damn it all to hell.” Rex turned to leave and came face to face with Mable.
“I used to think the good Lord put a good head on your shoulders seeing how you took to reading so quickly when you were a young’un.” She took his arm as they walked back to the well. “But
somewhere during the last several years, I bet you’ve lost your good sense.”
Rex shook his head. “Yes, ma’am, you might be right. I did a lot of drinking and womanizing trying to forget Lillie while I was gone.” He could always talk easily to Mable.
She turned to face him. “You should never have left. Lillie missed you. We all did. You two would have been married by now.”
“We are two bull-headed people. It would never have worked out.”
“Well, she has been courting a ranch hand off and on for the last month. I wonder, do you still love her?”
“I don’t.” The vein on the side of his neck pulsed. His stance stiffened. “Who’s the lucky guy?”
Mable’s eyebrow shot up.
“I’m curious.” He picked up the bucket of water and headed toward the kitchen.
She shook her finger at him. “Now, you listen here. When you find out who it is, I don’t want any fighting. I don’t want Charlie upset by your shenanigans.”
Rex glanced over his shoulder at her with a crooked grin. “Mable, I’m hurt. I thought you liked watching my fist fights.”
“You got into more hot water when you were a young’un.” She sighed and placed her hands on her hips.
“Who’s the cowboy she’s seeing? You never answered me.”
“Talk to Lillie about him. I’m not getting in the middle of this. I’ve said too much already.”
Rex kissed her on the cheek. “Can I expect one of your delicious berry pies while I’m here? You’re the best cook around. I can’t leave town without one.” He could always make her blush.
“Yes, I’ll make pie.” Mable stopped him in the doorway. “Listen to me. Lillie still has mixed emotions about you. Be sincere when you talk to her. Everything you need to know is right in front of you. It’s time she moved on with her life.”
Rex nodded and headed back outside. He dreaded coming face to face with Lillie. He needed to apologize for leaving without saying goodbye all those years ago. His guilt had plagued him since the day he left the ranch. His conscience would not rest until she forgave him. Maybe then, they both could put the past behind them. Although he’d never been able to forget her, no matter how many women he had bed. His recent antics had dealt him a murder charge and a hangman’s noose. Now, he had no future. He was a wanted man on the run. His steps slowed. He repeated Mable’s last sentence over in his mind. What the hell did she mean by everything was right in front of him?