“All right, I won’t tell you.” Rafe gave a lopsided grin and lifted her hand to his lips for a kiss. “The rangers are hot on my backside, love. And according to Luella, Luke is arriving tomorrow. If the rangers get to Lake Bliss before I get away, I’m a dead man. If Luke gets here before I leave, I’ll wish I were dead. So tell me what you did with the treasure, Treasure. Let me take care of you before I leave. I have to do that. I’d rather Luke Prescott hanged me himself than leave here knowing you intended to go through with this travesty of a wedding.”
“Leave? You’re leaving?” Another tear ran down her cheek.
Rafe had to look away then. The emotion in her eyes cut his heart out, and he felt like crying himself. He needed to finish this, then and there. It was ripping him in two to do this, and that damned manly pride he’d told her about wouldn’t allow him to let her know. “I have no choice if I want to save my neck. I’ll admit I’ve grown rather fond of it these past thirty-odd years.”
Her voice cracked as she spoke. “Where will you go?”
“West. I hear a man can still find a lot of adventure in the West. Texas has grown too civilized these past few years. It’s been difficult to find a good adventure. Should be easier in the West.”
Maggie steepled her hands in front of her mouth. She rolled off her bed and began to pace the room. Rafe watched her, wary, a lump the size of the Gulf of Mexico in his throat. Hell, hanging couldn’t hurt a man worse than this. Leaving her would kill his soul just as dead as any rope.
He loved her, loved her like he’d never loved before. But he couldn’t tell her that, not now. It would only make matters worse.
His gaze drifted down to her bare feet. For some reason, she looked uncharacteristically vulnerable without her shoes.
“I’ll go with you.”
His head snapped up. “What?”
“I’ll go west with you. I like adventure, too, Rafe. You asked me once before if I cared to go adventuring with you. Well, I do care. Take me with you. I want to go.”
“You can’t go!”
She swayed on her feet, taking it like a blow.
Cursing, Rafe shoved to his feet. Two furious strides took him to her. “Not because I don’t want you, dammit. Believe me, that’s not it at all. What about Hotel Bliss? What about your grandfathers? What about the water you need?”
“They’ll be all right. I’ll be all right.”
Maggie whirled around and opened the door to her wardrobe. Pulling down a box from the uppermost shelf, she rifled through what Rafe recognized to be the clean rags she undoubtedly used during her monthlies. When she pulled out the blue velvet pouch, Rafe knew it proved how well she knew him. He’d never have gone searching through those.
She handed him the pouch, saying, “Take it. Pay off Barlow. The papas will have the hotel, and we can leave tonight.”
His hand clutched the bag tightly. “Sweetheart, you don’t understand. I’m not coming back. I’ve broken my parole and the Texas Rangers know it. I can’t come back.”
“I do understand! My papas will be all right. They’ll have Bliss water for their aches and pains.”
“Well, what about their heartache? Losing you could kill a man. Believe me, I know!”
She whirled around. “Losing you will kill me! I love you, Rafe. God help me, I love you!”
She loved him? He stared into her eyes. Read the truth. She loved him. God help them both.
“Ah, shoot, Maggie. I—”
“No.” She laid her hand against his mouth. “You don’t have to say anything. Please, don’t say anything. Just listen to me. I’ll be good for you, Rafe. You said it before. I’m loyal and I’m courageous. Heaven knows, I’ve had plenty of experience with adventure. I won’t tie you down. Let me come, please.”
One of her tears fell upon his hand, scalding him. Rafe yanked her against him, tucked her head against his chest, and wrapped his arms around her. “Maggie…” He choked and cleared his throat, then tried again. “Maggie, you’re not thinking straight. What about your papas? They are not young men. If you left, you probably would never see them again. I can’t take you with me and do that to you, to them. They cared for you when you were young. You should be here for them now that they are older. And what about the rheumatism? You need the Bliss water, too, Maggie. That’s why I did what I did. And that’s why…”
I’m leaving you behind. Rafe couldn’t say it. He sucked in a deep, strengthening breath. Firmly, determinedly, he set her away from him. He stared down into her watery Caribbean eyes and felt himself drowning. He knew then he had to be honest. Maggie deserved it; she deserved to know how he felt. And maybe he deserved to tell her, too. “I love you too much to let you come with me, Maggie. I’ve got to go, but you have to stay. It’s that simple.”
“Rafe, no.”
He slipped the jewels into his shirt pocket. “Give me one last kiss, Mary. Kiss me good-bye.”
From the doorway to Maggie’s room came the sneering sound of a familiar voice. “What perfect timing.”
Not again! Rafe closed his eyes. Well, shoot. He had thought he’d have more time.
“Go ahead and kiss him good-bye, Miss St. John,” Nick Callahan drawled, gesturing with his Colt Texas Paterson revolver for her to go ahead. “I reckon I can allow my brother such a boon before I hang him.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Maggie was in a panic.
Waves of heat rippled up off the dry grass leading down toward the lake, down toward the old oak with its spreading branches. The oak where the hangman’s noose dangled like a sin from a thick branch.
Nick Callahan had brought a posse with him, a handful of scraggly deputies he’d collected along the way from Triumph Plantation. He’d announced his intention to use Rafe’s own horse to do the deed. Maggie had wanted to slap both the brothers when Rafe expressed thanks for Callahan’s consideration.
Now she watched in horror, her heart in her throat, as the lawman looped a rope around Rafe’s wrists behind his back. “No, you can’t,” she protested yet again. Her knees went watery and she sagged against Papa Snake, who wrapped an arm around her. Luella Best stood white-faced and trembling beside Papa Ben, nervously twirling her parasol.
“Dammit, man! Get Maggie out of here,” Rafe demanded, sending Snake a pleading look. “Take her across the lake to Hill’s house. She doesn’t need to see this.”
“None of us needs to see this, Malone.” Ben stepped forward and addressed Nick Callahan. “You are making a mistake, son. One you will regret the rest of your life.”
“What I regret is taking this long to get the job done.”
Maggie shook her head slowly. Her gaze shifted between Rafe and his half brother. “This is so sad,” she said, speaking to them both. She squared her shoulders and stepped away from Snake. “You are family. You are brothers. Do you know how lucky you are to have one another? All my life I’ve wished for a brother or a sister. You have that precious bond between you and here you are ready to throw it away.”
Callahan tossed her a look. “I appreciate your sentiment, Miss St. John, but in this instance the argument is a poor one. Our family tie isn’t one to be proud of, under the circumstances.”
“Pride has nothing to do with it. It’s blood, and it’s a history, and it’s a connection no one else on God’s earth shares with you. It’s priceless and here you are ready to throw it away because of what, some rigid sense of right and wrong that takes none of the extenuating circumstances into account?”
“Extenuating circumstances?” Callahan repeated, arching a brow.
“Love, Mr. Callahan. Your brother did what he did out of love for me. He tried other ways to solve my troubles first, but when all else failed he was willing to risk his life, to break his highly valued word to a dear, dear friend, because he loves me. And you know what? I love him just as much. I’d break a law or two if Rafe needed it. I’d break a law or two if my grandfathers needed it. We’re not talking murder here, Mr. Callahan, or any ot
her crime that caused injury to another person. We’re talking theft of goods that were stolen goods in the first place. Is that truly worth a man’s life? Is it truly worth your brother’s life?”
“The law is the law, ma’am, and I’m here to uphold it.”
“Bah,” she said scornfully. “You’re here to follow through on some personal vendetta. Your behavior that day at Gallagher’s Inn proves it.”
“He broke his parole!”
Maggie threw out her hands. “Well, I broke a toe one time. Nobody wanted to kill me.”
Snake piped up. “That’s right. And I’ve broken ribs more times than I can count.” He glanced at Ben. “Didn’t you break your arm years ago? On that voyage to Madagascar, wasn’t it?”
“No, I don’t believe so,” Ben replied, picking up the change in conversation without hesitation. He held Luella’s gaze for a meaningful moment and appropriated her parasol. Moving away from her, he started pacing, pausing beside Maggie to hand her Luella’s parasol. Then he bowed his head and scratched behind his ears. “If I remember correctly, Snake, the arm was on the Tahiti trip. Madagascar was Lucky’s leg.”
“Lucky’s leg!” Snake snapped his fingers and took to striding around in a wide circle himself. “How could I forget about Lucky’s leg? He whined about it for a year afterward.”
“That’s true. Still, he wasn’t near as bad as Gus was that time he got his nose broke.”
Snake hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Now that was a mess. Never saw so much blood. And the hollering? Remember that, Ben? Remember how he wore out his throat with all the carrying on?”
“I remember,” Maggie said, twirling the parasol as she stepped forward to join her grandfathers in their route. They were up to something. She’d watched them play this game a number of times in the past, and she knew to follow their lead. “He threw a fit because Magic Tongue Sally did it. Gus always has hated being bested by a woman.”
She hazarded a glance at Rafe and Callahan. The ranger returned her look, his expression dumbfounded. Rafe arched his brows, silently mouthing the words “Magic Tongue Sally?”
Ben, assuming his customary leadership role, widened the circle they paced as he continued with Maggie’s conversational thread. “That’s why Gus won’t play you in golf, Maggie. You get the drop on the three of us at the word ‘go.’”
“Now wait a minute,” Snake said, halting just in front of one of the lawmen. “Maggie doesn’t beat me in golf.”
“Yes I do, Papa Snake.” Maggie stopped beside a second lawman, not meeting his eyes, but carefully observing his stance. If she’d interpreted Papa Ben’s instructions property, she figured to hear the word “go” at any moment. “I beat you just this morning. Rafe was there. He’ll tell you.”
Rafe studied Maggie closely, obviously trying to figure out how she wanted him to answer. Finally he said, “Uh, Maggie. Do you think now is the right time for this?”
She put her hands on her hips. “Well I don’t know when else we might get around to it. Your brother, here, is ready to hang you any minute. For my sake, Rafe, tell us.”
“Yes,” Ben agreed, stopping within arm’s length of a third ranger. He braced his hands on his hips. “Tell us, Malone.” Ben waited until all eyes had shifted toward Rafe, then he said, “Tell us. Go on.” And with that, he lunged toward the ranger and laid a knife against his throat. Snake moved simultaneously with Ben, the gun he’d slipped from the ranger’s holster now pressed against the lawman’s temple. Maggie, not as practiced as her papas with such maneuvers, threw herself at her ranger and knocked him to the ground. Before he recovered from the surprise sufficiently to knock her off, she’d stuck the pointed metal end of the parasol against the thin skin of his lower eyelid.
“Son of a bitch!” Callahan exploded. “Do you people want to get yourselves killed? What do you think you are doing?”
“It is what we like to call a Caribbean cutoff,” Ben replied, twisting his knife so that sunlight glinted off the blade. He slipped the revolver from the lawman’s holster, then gave a little warning whistle and tossed the gun to Maggie, who exchanged her questionable weapon for a sure one. “You can’t get Malone without sacrificing at least one of your men,” Ben continued as Maggie rose to her feet and backed away from the deputy with the gun aimed at his heart. “Not all three of us will lose in a fight.”
“Oh, my,” Luella said, rapidly patting her chest. She gazed helplessly at a fourth deputy and said, “Young man! Help! My heart!” She swayed on her feet and let out a little scream. The young lawman lowered the pistol he had aimed at Papa Snake and rushed over to help her.
And he was surprised with a little pistol in his side to show for it.
“I’m sorry, son,” Luella said, smiling kindly. “I’m afraid I must stand with my friends on this.”
Rafe started chuckling as Callahan let out a stream of curses. “I can’t believe this. How could I let you people get the drop on me again? I should have hanged you immediately rather than let you stand around jawing. I’m a Texas Ranger. I’m better than this!”
“Yes, you are,” Rafe agreed. “You have a fine reputation, Nick. I’ve kept up with you over the years. I have to admit I’m surprised the buccaneers fooled you.”
“Well, I’m not!” Maggie said. “It’s perfectly obvious to me why you delay this stupid endeavor of yours. For all your talk, you don’t truly wish to kill your brother. You understand what I meant earlier about family. You know what else, Mr. Callahan? In many ways you and your brother are very much alike. You both have a highly refined sense of honor.”
Callahan cried, “Honor! The man is a thief!”
“But he’s an honest thief. An honorable thief.”
“He’s Gentleman Rafe Malone,” added Luella Best.
“That’s right,” Maggie agreed. “But he’s something else, too. He’s human, only human, just like you are, Mr. Callahan. And human beings make mistakes. Family members make mistakes. The operative word here is ‘forgiveness.’ We have to learn to forgive one another when we err. Rafe has told me of some of the history between you two. You don’t need to hang Rafe; you need to forgive him. Just as Rafe needs to forgive you.”
“Forgive him?”
The ranger’s scornful laugh grated like sand against Maggie’s ears. With every word he spoke, his tone grew harsher, louder, and meaner.
“It’ll be a cold day in hell before that happens, lady. You say he told you some of our history. Did he mention how he’d raped and murdered my wife?”
For a long, unbearable minute, Nick Callahan’s shout echoed across the land. Maggie saw the shock on her grandfathers’ faces and watched with satisfaction as it faded into obvious dismissal of the ranger’s charge. They believed in Rafe, as they should. As she did.
Then, heedless of the gun against his temple, Rafe whirled on Callahan. “Damn you, Brother! Listen to me. For once in your life, believe what I say, because I’m telling you the truth! Rosa was almost gone when I found her. I didn’t rape her. I didn’t cut her. I held her until she died.”
The gun pointed at Rafe shook with the force of Callahan’s fury. “You did it! You killed her! You were covered in blood!”
“It was a battlefield! People tend to get bloody on a battlefield. Some of the blood on me was Rosa’s, but not most of it. I couldn’t exactly tell you under the circumstances. I avenged her for you, Nick. I took a Mexican bayonet from a corpse and gutted the bastard who’d done it—Colonel Jack Randolph.”
“No!”
Maggie’s heart stuttered as he aimed the gun inches from Rafe’s face.
“The colonel didn’t do it,” Callahan cried. “He was killed during the battle.”
Rafe looked down at the gun, then up at his brother. He spoke in a quiet, controlled voice. “Listen to me. For once in your life, listen to what I’m saying. I. Did. Not. Hurt. Her. I was drunk, yes, because I’d just heard about Luke’s family. But seeing Rosa sobered me up fast. Randolph still had his p
ecker hanging out, for God’s sake. Randolph is the one responsible. Not me.”
Rafe’s tone rang with honesty and anguish as he added, “I wasn’t responsible, Nick, and despite the blame I’ve tried to load on your shoulders ever since, neither were you.”
Maggie held her breath, her gaze locked on Nick Callahan. The moment drew out silent and long as his inner struggle shone on his face.
“It wasn’t your fault, Nick,” Rafe said softly.
All the fight seemed to drain right out of Callahan. He lowered the gun and closed his eyes. A shudder racked him. “Yeah, it was,” he said, his voice cracking. “I didn’t send her home. I should have sent her home.”
“You botched it, true,” Rafe said, glancing upward toward the thick branch—the hanging branch—on the old oak tree. “Just like you bungled it by not sending a man back to protect Rachel Prescott when you told me you would. But as far as your killing either one, well, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have blamed you. Randolph killed Rosa, not your poor judgment. It was my own guilt talking where Rachel is concerned. I broke my promise to Luke, and that’s no one’s sin but my own.”
“Sins,” Callahan muttered. “So many people and so many sins.” He slowly turned his head and looked at Maggie. “Maybe you were right, Miss St. John. Maybe forgiveness does need to be the motto of the day, but it’s not that easy to do.”
“I understand,” Maggie said. “You’ve held hatred in your heart for a long while, and it takes time to let it go. But it’s the right thing to do, Mr. Callahan.”
Slowly, hesitantly, the ranger captain returned his gun to its holster. Relief flooded Maggie like a tide. It would be all right. Rafe would be safe. Her lips began to lift into a smile until Callahan’s next words stopped her cold.
“The problem is, forgiveness and understanding don’t negate the fact that a crime has been committed.” He pinned his brother with his gaze. “Rafe, you stole something from the safe at Triumph Plantation, not to mention the fact y’all drew guns on lawmen. You broke your parole. It’s my job as a ranger to deal with it.”
The Wedding Ransom Page 28