Ana Leigh

by The Mackenzies

  “Just stay still, honey, until I can get you to a doctor.”

  He ran his finger lightly over her bruised cheeks. Rayburn had done a real job on her, but her nose and her cheekbones didn’t appear to be broken.

  He heard the wagon pull up outside, and Tait came in. “Wagon’s ready.”

  “Call in the boys to cart out Rayburn’s body. You carry Rose outside—and handle her gently.”

  Tait gave him a scathing glance. “Ya sure like to give orders, MacKenzie. Why in hell don’t ya do it yerself?”

  “Not that I don’t trust you, fellas, but I prefer to keep both hands free.”

  “Ya sure goin’ to a lot of trouble to keep her alive.”

  Zach casually rested his hand on the butt of his Colt. “That’s right. So remember, if I have a choice between you or her, she has the edge.”

  Soon they were under way. Tait and Bull rode ahead, with Joe driving the wagon. Zach rode behind, where he could watch all three.

  They hadn’t traveled more than a couple miles when Cain and Pike rode up to them, leading a mustang with a body slung over it. Zach’s stomach knotted the moment he recognized the horse. He forced himself to remain impassive when Pike dumped the lifeless body of Will Grainger on the ground.

  “Who in hell is he?” Tait asked.

  “We caught him snoopin’ around the ranch,” Pike said. “I had to shoot him when he tried to ride off.”

  “What do ya want us to do with him, boss?” Cain asked.

  “Why’d you even bring him? Toss him into the chasm and let the scavengers have him,” Tait grumbled.

  Zach drew his Colt. “Put him in the wagon.”

  Startled, the five men looked at him. Seeing the drawn Colt in his hand, they backed away.

  “Whatta you up to now, MacKenzie?” Tait asked. “This another friend of yours?”

  “Matter of fact, he is. His name’s Will Grainger—and we’re taking him into town with us. Pike, you and Cain put him in the wagon.”

  Puzzled, Pike looked at Tait. “Is that what ya want, boss?”

  “You heard me!” Zach could barely keep from shooting them all on the spot.

  “Do what he says, Pike. MacKenzie’s got the gun.”

  Cain and Pike picked up Grainger’s body and carried it over to the wagon.

  “Hey, what’s goin’ on? Ain’t that Rayburn and his gal?” Cain asked when he looked in the bed.

  “Yeah, Rayburn’s been killed. We’re taking the gal to the doc in town.”

  “What happened, boss?”

  “One of them rustlers shot him.”

  Cain looked bewildered. “Boss, there ain’t no rustlers ’ceptin’ us.”

  Tait snorted. “Reckon one of us must have shot him then, huh?” Bull and Joe burst into laughter.

  With the arrival of Pike and Cain, Zach knew it would be impossible to keep an eye on all five of them. He’d have to take their weapons.

  “Okay, boys, time to shuck those gunbelts.”

  “Like hell I will!” Bull declared.

  “What’s he talkin’ about, boss?” Cain asked.

  “I’m not partial to getting shot in the back, the way Will was. I want to see those gunbelts hit the dirt now.” Tait started laughing and unbuckled his belt. “What’s so funny, Tait?” Zach was suspicious that Tait gave in so easily; it was unnatural.

  “You’re playing right into my hands, MacKenzie. You take off with that gal, and our deal’s off.”

  “Then what’s keeping me from putting a bullet into you right now, Tait?”

  He laughed. “ ’Cause ya ain’t the kind to shoot an unarmed man, MacKenzie.” His statement seemed to get through to the other four men. They couldn’t remove their gunbelts fast enough.

  “Gather them up and put them on the wagon, Joe,” Zach ordered. “And no tricks. Not one of these guys is worth you dying for.”

  Zach backed over to the tethered horses, untied his saddlebags, and tossed them into the back of the wagon. Then he released all the horses. Climbing up on the wagon seat, he sat down and picked up the reins. “Sorry, fellas, but I have to slow you down a bit.” He fired several shots in the air and the horses bolted, trailing clouds of dust.

  Whipping the reins, Zach shouted to Rose, “Hang on, honey. This is going to be a bumpy ride, but we have to get to town as fast as possible.”

  “Zach, who is this man they killed? He’s the same man we met that day on the trail, and I remember seeing you talking to him at the fair.”

  “He’s an old friend, Rose.”

  He whipped the horses to a faster gait, and the wagon bounced behind on the rough terrain. After several miles, he reined up and jumped down from the box.

  “What’s wrong?” Rose asked.

  “Time to switch.” He’d already begun to unhitch the team.

  “What are you doing?” she asked when he put the reins on one of the horses.

  “If we ride into Brimstone in a wagon, we’re sure to be seen. The best way to get in unobserved is on horseback. I don’t think you’re well enough to ride alone, so we’ll ride double. As soon as Tait finds this wagon, he won’t know if we headed for Brimstone or Zanesville.”

  He weighted down the other horse with the gang’s gunbelts, then smacked it on the rump. The horse galloped off.

  “Hope it runs far enough to keep them occupied for a while looking for their weapons. They won’t take the chance of riding into Brimstone without packing iron, if they think that’s where I headed.”

  He picked up Rose and lifted her onto the back of the horse. Then he returned to the wagon and grabbed his saddlebags. For a long moment he gazed at the body of Will Grainger. “I’m sorry, old-timer. I’m going to have to leave you behind.”

  “Rose, you’ll have to hold these.” He handed her the saddlebags. Then he swung up behind her, pulled her back against his chest, and reached for the reins. He prodded the horse to a gallop.

  Zach almost wished Rose was still unconscious, because the ride would be hard on her. She was probably hurting like hell, but she had a lot of grit. And if this ploy worked, he could get her in and out of the doctor’s by the time the gang rounded up their horses and got to town.

  He had some explaining to do to her, too, but at least it would soon be over. Jess Tait was a merciless killer and had to be stopped.

  His jaw hardened. Yep, once he had Rose safely tucked away, he had a score to settle with Mr. Jess Tait.

  When they reached Brimstone Rose refused to go to the doctor, insisting instead on returning to her boardinghouse.

  Zach avoided the main street and used the rear window again to get into her room. Once he had Rose tucked away safely, he needed to send a telegram.

  Rose groaned when she looked at herself in the mirror. “Oh, my!” Her left eye was swollen and blackened and her cheeks bore the bruises from Stephen’s beating.

  “I suspect Tait and his gang will be showing up here very soon, Rose, so I want you to do exactly what I tell you. If Tait sees you, he’ll kill you to prevent you from telling your side of the story.”

  “Stop speaking to me as if I’m a child, Zach. I know Tait intends to kill me, but he can hardly try to do that now in front of the whole town.”

  “There’s no law in this town, so what’s to stop him?”

  She turned around and, despite the pain of the effort, managed a soft smile. “You.” The trust in her eyes shone through the bruises that had been inflicted upon her.

  And in that moment, he realized just how deeply he loved her.

  He opened his arms and she walked into them. For a long moment, he held her and knew she was right. He’d go to any means to protect her. She was his woman.

  So he held her, wanting to kiss her but knowing it would hurt her—and Lord knows she’d been hurt enough.

  “I was so frightened,” she whispered.

  He gently cupped her bruised cheeks in his hands. “Honey, what were you doing out there alone?” He brushed aside a tear sliding down h
er cheek and thought of how close he’d come to losing her forever.

  “I went there to tell Stephen I couldn’t marry him.”

  “How’d you come to that decision?” He found himself holding his breath waiting for her reply.

  “You know the answer to that. We’re not fooling ourselves anymore, are we? I could never have married Stephen knowing what’s between us. And when he found out about you and me, he began hitting me. Zach, Stephen was behind the cattle rustling, and Tait was the one who murdered the Wilsons.”

  “How long have you known?”

  “I overheard him and Tait discussing it today.”

  He felt relieved. There’d be time to talk about it later; now it was a grim reminder that he still had work to do. He kissed her on the top of her head, then forced himself to step back and release her. His arms suddenly felt so empty that he wanted to pull her back. “I have to get to the telegraph office.”

  “Why?”

  “I could use some help to get out of this mess.”

  Her lips trembled as she looked up at him. “Zach, were . . . were you involved in any of it?”

  “I knew about the rustling, Rose. I even helped to change some of the brands. We’d do it at night. That was the light people saw. But I didn’t know about the Wilsons, or I’d have tried to stop it.”

  Her shoulders slumped in despair. “Then you really are an outlaw. I held out the foolish hope you weren’t a part of it. What about those shootings? Was it Tait?”

  “I don’t know. He’d hardly admit it to me, because I was with you at one of the times.”

  “Well, what about the time Melanie and Andrea were shot at?”

  “If he did that, he never admitted it. I’m convinced he did, though.”

  “What about the robbery at the restaurant?”

  “I don’t think he’s the one who did it. Tait was a braggart; he’d have said something. It was probably some drifter. This town’s full of them. Tait was the one who set that tiger loose, though. The bastard had a big laugh about that.”

  “Zach, we’ve got to get out of here now. When the truth gets out, you could be hanged for cattle rustling.”

  “Don’t worry. It’s a long story, honey, but I’ll explain everything later. Right now I have to get to that telegraph office, but I’m afraid to leave you here. This is the first place they’ll look for you.”

  “I’ll go next door into Kate’s room. She’ll help me.”

  “Okay. Stay out of sight. There’s a good chance Tait might think this is the last place we’d show up, so the fewer who know we’re here, the better.”

  “Kate can be trusted.”

  “Have her put something on that eye of yours.”

  “I will. Be careful, Zach.”

  He grinned. “Don’t worry, Rosie, I can take care of myself. Now go on—I want to know you’re safe before I leave.”

  She nodded and left the room. In a few seconds, Kate came to the door. “Don’t worry, Zach. She’ll be safe with me.”

  “Thanks, Kate. Take care of her. I’ll get back as quickly as I can.”

  Kate nodded and went back to her room. Zach closed the door and climbed out the window.

  As Zach came out of the telegraph office, Tait and his gang rode into Brimstone with the bodies of Stephen Rayburn and Will Grainger in the wagon. Their arrival and the news that Rayburn had been murdered attracted a crowd immediately.

  “Who shot Rayburn?” the sheriff asked.

  “That gal he was gonna marry. They had a big fight and she killed him.”

  “Who’s the old guy?”

  “One of the rustlers. Him and MacKenzie wuz in it together. We wuz bringin’ the bodies to town when MacKenzie caught up with us. He drove off our mounts and rode off with that gal. By the time we rounded up our mounts, we figured we oughta get the bodies into town.”

  An angry murmuring rumbled through the crowd.

  “That Miz Dubois was a nice gal,” one of the men said. “Don’t seem like she’d be the kind to kill a man.”

  Tait snorted. “Women are all whores. Ya can’t trust any of ’em.”

  “What was Mr. Rayburn and her fightin’ about, Tait?” Sheriff Bloom asked.

  “He found out she wuz cheatin’ on him with MacKenzie.”

  “She was cheatin’ on him, all right,” Rita confirmed, her mouth curved with a smug smile. “I saw her one night sneakin’ into the Long Horn to meet her lover. And I was out at the Lazy R today when she showed up there.”

  “Sounds to me like Mr. Rayburn was doing some cheating himself,” the storekeeper’s wife said with a disparaging look at Rita.

  Rita giggled. “He weren’t the only man in this town cheatin’ on his woman, lady.”

  “A man’s got needs,” the sheriff grumbled, “and there’s no call to be shot for it. Did you hear what MacKenzie and this fella argued about?”

  “Splittin’ up the take. Heard him say they killed them Wilsons, too. Sounded like the old guy didn’t like the idea of the gal ridin’ along with ’em. He wanted to split up the take, and go their separate ways.” Tait smirked. “Reckon MacKenzie had a different idea of what the old guy meant by ‘separate ways.’ ”

  Just then Bull and Joe came hurrying up to the crowd. “The doc ain’t seen Miz Dubois, and she ain’t at her rooming house or the restaurant,” Bull said. “Her clothes are still in her room, but them other gals said they ain’t seen her since mornin’, and her boss told us she quit her job this mornin’ and told him she wuz leavin’ on the train tonight.”

  “Dammit!” Tait cursed. “They musta headed for Zanesville, or are hidin’ out waitin’ to catch that train tonight. Whatta ya gonna do about them, Sheriff?”

  “Reckon I’ll have to swear in some of you men for a posse and ride out to look for them.”

  “Me and the boys’ll ride with you,” Tait said.

  When several other men volunteered as well, the sheriff swore them all in as deputies. “We got a better chance of finding them if we split up into two groups. Tait, you and the other Lazy R riders can be one, and all you other fellas come with me.”

  Zach couldn’t have been more pleased. With the posse headed out of town it would buy him some time. He could only hope for a quick response to his telegram.

  As soon as they rode away, the undertaker drove off with the two bodies, and the crowd dispersed, Zach stealthily returned to the boardinghouse. He paused when he saw the Harvey Girls come out of the house and head for the restaurant. Kate was among them. When he was certain the coast was clear, he climbed in the window of Rose’s empty room and tapped lightly on Kate’s door.

  “Rose, it’s me,” he said softly. She opened the door and he stepped in and closed it. “Anyone else in the house?” She shook her head. “What about the housekeeper?”

  “Mrs. White went to Albuquerque yesterday. Andre and Colette don’t come back until after the dinner hour. Mr. Billings rents a room at the minister’s house.”

  “Good. That gives us a little freedom, but we still have to keep out of sight.”

  “What’s happening in town?”

  “It’s not good. Tait and the boys rode in with Rayburn’s body and convinced the sheriff that you shot Rayburn in a lover’s quarrel. The sheriff formed a posse and just rode out.”

  Her shoulders slumped in despair. “So now not only Tait’s after me, but the sheriff, too.”

  “He’s after both of us. They claimed I’m one of the rustlers who committed the Wilson murders, and then killed Will Grainger. Tait’s gang rode out with the posse, but when they get back they’re sure to check out this place again. We’ve got to figure out where to hide until I can prove Tait killed Rayburn.”

  “And how are you going to do that?”

  “I’m waiting for an answer to my telegram, but that can take hours. Why don’t you try and get some rest?”

  Her head snapped up in surprise. “Rest! How do you expect me to rest, knowing there’s a madman out to kill me and a posse searc
hing for us?”

  She was right. He walked over to her and tucked a finger under her chin, tilting her face up to look at him. Whatever Kate had done to Rose’s eye had helped. It still was discolored, but the swelling was down. Time would heal the bruises on her cheeks, too.

  “Rosie, you’ve had a rough time. A rest would do you good. How are you feeling?”

  She tried unsuccessfully to smile. “Like I’ve been socked in the jaw.”

  He lightly traced the bruises on her cheek. “Could have been worse. At least there are no bones broken.”

  Suddenly her expression changed back to desperation. “Zach, why don’t we get out of here while we have the chance?”

  “If we run now, every bounty hunter in the territory will be tracking us. The thing to do is clear our names once and for all.”

  “How can we do that? You said yourself that Tait has convinced everyone that we’re both murderers. It’s our word against theirs.”

  “Leave that to me.”

  “Zach, you’re only one man. There’s five of them! The sheriff thinks we’re murderers—the town, too—so you can’t expect anyone to help us.” She turned away from him. “I don’t want your death on my conscience, too.” There was mounting hysteria in her voice.

  He moved closer and put his hands on her shoulders. Her body was trembling. “Hey, honey, don’t worry. I’ve gotten out of worse spots than this.” He slipped his hands down her arms and pulled her back against him. Lord knows there’d been plenty of close calls that he’d escaped by the skin of his teeth. But this time Rose was in danger, too. His arms tightened around her. Despite everything, he had fallen in love with this woman. And as long as there was breath in him, nobody was going to hurt her again.

  Not even him.

  Chapter 21

  The day passed slowly. Kate returned to change into her black uniform for the evening meal and thoughtfully brought them sandwiches and fruit. As they ate, she filled them in with the local gossip: Stephen Rayburn had been well thought of, and the citizenry was anxious to see that his murderer was punished.

  As soon as she left, Rose slumped down on the bed. “How can anyone believe Tait’s story?” Sighing, she lay back with her head on a pillow. “He’s so evil.”