Some of his glory spread to Cade, Ty, and Asa for their part in the actual capture of the rustlers, but Quint received most of the adulation and acclaim. Which didn’t sit too well with him. Naturally a bit shy, he was more comfortable staying in the background, letting people like Cade and Ty entertain folks.
“I bet it was exciting,” said Will.
“Sometimes.” Quint shifted, draping an arm around Brad’s shoulders. “But in a scary way.”
“Aw, Uncle Quint, nothin’ scares you.”
Quint laughed and glanced across the room to where Jessie and Cade sat wedged together on another couch in Nola’s family parlor. They weren’t forced to sit so close. There were plenty of chairs in the room, a couple of them empty. But she couldn’t help herself. She needed to touch him, to feel the solid firmness of his body next to hers, to know that he had returned safely.
Ellie seemed to need reassurance, too. She had shadowed Cade from the minute they walked in the door, sitting on his lap at every opportunity.
“Well, Brad, I hate to disappoint you, but I was frightened just about every minute I spent with those outlaws. I think I would have been even if I’d truly been part of the gang. There were a couple of mean hombres who would have shot any of us if we’d looked at them cross-eyed. It might have taken a bit more to rile a few others, but I was never sure about them.
“Some of the men weren’t all that bad. They had probably been drawn into it by the excitement and appeal of earning money without having to work very often or too hard. There were at least two who had never taken into account what would happen if they were caught. Dimwitted as possums.”
The boys exchanged a grin. “That’s pretty dumb,” said Brad.
Quint nodded. “Then there was young Sam. He’s only seventeen. Shouldn’t have been in the saloon or a poker game in the first place. He got deep into debt playing with Rawlins, the man in charge at the camp. When he couldn’t pay, Rawlins gave him the option of joining the rustlers and working off what he owed him, or getting shot.”
“That’s not much of an option.” Brad frowned thoughtfully. “What will happen to him?”
“I don’t know. He’ll probably go to the pen like the rest of them. But I hope not. Maybe he’ll get a shorter sentence.” He paused and blew out a deep breath. “And there was always the worry that I might accidentally give myself away. If I had, they would have killed me quicker than a roadrunner on a rattler. Add the fact that a rancher might shoot me while we were stealin’ his cattle, and I had plenty to be afraid of.”
As he stretched his legs out in front of him, careful not to bump Will, a lump rose in Jessie’s throat. How easily she could have lost him!
He looked up, meeting her gaze. “Of course, my biggest concern was that I might die from Billy Bob’s cookin’. I never met anybody who could ruin a can of beans like he could.”
Jessie managed a smile while everyone else laughed. Cade squeezed her fingers, and she glanced up, seeing the understanding in his eyes. How like him.
“Mr. Webb, nobody can ruin a can of beans,” said Will.
“Billy Bob could. He’d open up enough for everybody and heat them in a kettle, but he hated just plain old beans. He kept trying to make them taste better by adding things. Stirred up some strange concoction of vinegar and molasses, heavy on the vinegar. Made everybody gag and cough for five minutes. Same thing with the ground cayenne pepper. Used a whole pound bag. When the first couple of fellers took a bite, they tried to yell but flames shot out instead of sound.”
Even Ellie giggled at that one.
“But the last straw was when Sam caught him emptying a bottle of Warner’s Kidney Cure in the pot.” He paused while the others laughed and hooted. “I thought for a minute the kid might wring his neck himself. After that, Billy Bob was banned from cooking. We each heated up our own beans over the fire. Turned out that Sam could make decent biscuits, and one of the other men fried the salt pork without burning it, most of the time anyway.”
He smiled at Jessie. “Doesn’t compare with that fine dinner you fixed, though.” Quint stretched his arms above his head. “It’s mighty good to be back with civilized folks.”
After the initial hoopla over their arrival with the prisoners, he had slipped away to the local bathhouse for a much needed soak. He told Jessie he had kept a clean set of clothes tucked away in his saddlebag for the day he could celebrate the outlaws’ capture. Then he stopped by the barber’s for a shave and haircut before coming to Nola’s to eat and relax.
“Are you going to take the sheriff up on his offer?” Asa reached over the arm of his chair to take Lydia’s hand. He flashed her a smile before turning his attention back to Quint.
“I’m considering it.”
Jessie tensed, not liking the fact that once again she had been left in the dark about something concerning her brother. “What offer?”
“Uh-oh,” muttered Asa. “Looks like I opened my mouth when I shouldn’t have.”
“It’s all right.” Quint looked at his sister. “I just haven’t had a chance to talk to Jess about it. Sheriff Proctor offered me a job as his deputy. Seems Jacobs resigned after we got back this morning.”
Jessie bit her tongue to keep from saying the first thing that popped into her mind, an emphatic no. She had made her own choices, both good and bad. She had to allow him to do the same, without interference from her, even when they frightened her. He held strong convictions about right and wrong and had the determination to follow them through. He also had a keen sense of justice and compassion for those who had been hurt.
“Well, if you were the deputy, you wouldn’t be able to join up with any outlaws to try and catch them. You’d make a good lawman,” she said quietly. Surprise flickered across his face, followed by relief. She knew she had said the right thing.
“Yes, you would,” added Ty. “You handled yourself well today. And the rest of the time, too, or the ending would have been different.”
Cade slipped his arm around Jessie’s shoulders. “You have my blessing, too. Though you still have a job at the ranch if you want it. Brad tried to get me to hire him instead, but I told him he had to grow a little taller.”
Brad giggled, then looked up at his uncle, something akin to awe in his eyes. “Are you really going to be a deputy?”
“I’m considering it. It’s always good to sleep on big decisions.”
“Wouldn’t a bed feel better?” asked Ellie, her expression concerned.
The adults laughed, causing her to frown. “Well, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, sweetheart, it would. And I do plan to sleep on a bed over at the hotel. What I meant was that I wanted to think about whether or not to take the job and wait until at least tomorrow to give the sheriff my decision.”
“Oh.” She wiggled down from Cade’s lap, then turned and looked up at Jessie. “Dolly’s hungry. Can we have some cookies?”
“Yes, you may. Brad, would you help your sister, please? You and Will may have a couple of cookies apiece, too. Take them out on the back porch so you don’t have to worry about the crumbs.”
“We’ll be right back, Uncle Quint,” called Brad as the children raced off to the kitchen.
Cade nudged her with his elbow. “Do the rest of us get cookies, too?”
Jessie laughed. “Your stomach is a bottomless pit. Come on into the kitchen. You can help me fix a plate.”
A mischievous sparkle lit his eyes as he stood and pulled her up beside him, filling her with anticipation. “Yes, ma’am. I’m a good helper.”
“None for us, thank you,” said Lydia. “I need to go on home.”
“I wouldn’t mind taking a few with me.” Asa winked at Jessie as he stood.
“Me, too.” Ty led the way into the kitchen. “I need to wander over to the store.”
Jessie looked back at Nola, who shook her head. “None for me, dear. I’m ready for a nap. There’s been too much excitement today for this ol’ lady.”
Ty stuck hi
s head back around the doorway. “Nola, you’re just hittin’ your prime.”
“Land’s sake, boy, I hit my prime thirty years ago.” She smiled sweetly at him. “Nice of you to fib about it though. I’m proud of you boys. All of you.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Ty came back into the room, two cookies in his hand. He grinned at Jessie. “Brad’s handing them out.”
He leaned down and kissed Nola on the forehead. “Thank you for dinner.”
“Thank Jessie. She cooked it.”
“But you paid for it.” He winked at her and turned to Jessie. “Thanks for the meal, soon-to-be-sister-in-law.”
Jessie laughed. “Glad you enjoyed it. You’re welcome to come to dinner anytime. Just give me a little warning so I can cook enough.”
“Watch it, darlin’, or I’ll get jealous.” Cade slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side.
“Looks to me like we’re all in the way.” Asa strolled back into the family parlor and took a bite of shortbread. “Cade, are you going back to the ranch today?”
“I should. First thing tomorrow, we’ll need to move those thirty head back to our range. I’ll see you in a little while.”
Asa nodded and held out his hand to Lydia. “You might beat me home, but if you do, I’ll be along directly.”
Quint stood and yawned. “I’ll go now, too. I didn’t sleep a wink last night and not much the night before. Come to think of it, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since I left the ranch.”
“You’re liable to be mobbed before you get to the hotel.” Jessie pulled free from Cade and hugged her brother.
“I’ll use the back stairs. The clerk gave me my room key so I won’t even have to stop by the front desk.” He gave Jessie a squeeze. “I’ll go tell the kids adios and be on my way.”
When Quint went out the back door, Cade looked around, smiled and pulled her into his arms. “Finally.”
His kiss was slow and gentle, filling her soul with sweetness and gratitude that he had come home safely. She laid her cheek against his chest. “I hope we never have another day like this one.”
“Me, too.” He sighed heavily. “I killed a man this morning.”
She looked up at him, her heart aching at the deep regret in his eyes. “You didn’t have any choice.”
“I still don’t like being the one to send a man to meet his Maker. Never have, not even when he’s trying to kill me. But maybe, by stopping the rustling, we kept some innocent from being murdered.”
Jessie hugged him tightly. “From what Quint says, they were bound to kill someone sooner or later.”
“Even if they didn’t, they were about to drive a few of the smaller ranchers out of business. Conveniently, the ones who owned land near Doolin. We should have thought of that sooner.”
“Why would you? Everyone thought he was an upstanding citizen.”
“Everyone except you.” He cradled her head against his chest. “You knew better. I still see red when I think about him touching you.”
She tiptoed her fingers up his chest and around his neck. “Don’t trouble yourself over it. The only touch I think about is yours.”
“I’m glad.” His eyes grew dark as he pressed her even closer. “But if you keep talking like that, I won’t be able to wait a whole six days for the wedding.”
He glanced out the window, smiling when all three kids ran by, playing chase with Will’s dog. “Did you order a wedding dress? I want you to have the seamstress make you something special. Don’t worry about the expense.”
“With everything else that went on today, I haven’t even thought about it.” She tilted her hand, admiring her lovely engagement ring. “I suppose I should have a new dress for my wedding. But I’m too practical to get something that I’ll only wear once.”
“Buy whatever you want. If it’s real fancy, you can wear it to the ball when we go to the Cattlemen’s Convention in Dallas. Or if you pack it away and never wear it again, I won’t complain. I just want you to have something new, beautiful, and special for your wedding.”
She caressed his cheek and stretched up to kiss him lightly. “I wore my two-year-old Sunday dress for my last wedding.”
“Your first wedding. This will be your last wedding.”
Jessie smiled. “Yes, sir. But I don’t know if the dressmaker can sew one up in such a short time.”
“Tell her I’ll pay her double if it’s ready by Tuesday afternoon. That should encourage her to do the impossible.”
“Only you can do the impossible.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“You made me fall in love.”
Grinning, Cade took a deep breath and flexed his muscles—popping a button off his shirt.
Jessie collapsed against him with a peal of laughter. Life was good.
But soon it would be wonderful.
Chapter 22
On Saturday, Jessie woke up at dawn, despite going to bed at one in the morning. Nola and the children had been up until almost eleven, playing dominoes with her and Quint. After they went to bed, she sat up talking with her brother.
He told her some of what went on in the outlaw camp, but they didn’t dwell on it. She shared a little more about Neil’s death and their journey to West Texas, but like Quint, her thoughts were more on the future.
She had ordered a new gown from the dressmaker on Friday. The woman assured her it would be ready by Tuesday afternoon. They had looked through the pattern books together, picking a pretty, but fairly simple design that wouldn’t require a lot of extra work. She had thought about blue silk, but when Cade brought over some ornately trimmed white lace from the store, the dressmaker insisted only a white dress would do it justice. She didn’t know if there would ever be an opportunity to use it again in Willow Grove, but it would do nicely to wear to the Cattlemen’s Convention.
It was customary to have weddings at home, and Nola had offered hers for the ceremony. They only invited family, close friends, and the men who worked on the ranch, otherwise probably everyone in town and half the county would want to attend. She was glad they kept it small; otherwise, she would have been much more nervous.
Quint had decided against taking the deputy sheriff’s job. He said chasing Longhorns and playing mumblety-peg was as much excitement as he wanted for a long time. Jessie was relieved, even though she knew he would make a good peace officer.
Pushing aside the temptation to go back to sleep, she climbed out of bed, washed up a bit, and dressed in one of her old everyday dresses. She wanted to give the house a thorough going-over. They would be busy Monday with the trial, possibly Tuesday, too. She didn’t want to be doing much other than tidying up on her wedding day.
Jessie quietly went downstairs, stopping by the front window to breath the lovely fragrance of honeysuckle and roses. Cade had already promised to order her some rose bushes to plant at the ranch house and the new home he was going to build in town.
It was still hard for her to comprehend having two houses, but she could see the merit in the plan. The only thing she didn’t like about it was that she and the children would likely wind up living in town during school, and Cade would have to be at the ranch at least part of that time. Many ranching families did it, but being away from him was not appealing. No doubt she would dislike it even more after she spent one night in his arms.
A little shiver of anticipation danced along her skin, prompting her to turn to the tasks at hand lest she grow all hot and bothered first thing in the morning. Giggling softly, she went through the kitchen and out the back door to the outhouse.
Returning to the house, she had one foot on the first porch step when she sensed someone behind her. Before she could turn, a large hand clamped down on her mouth, and a man held the tip of a knife close to her side. He was about Cade’s height, with a slighter build, but strong. She couldn’t see his face, but he wore a suit and smelled clean, with a hint of cologne.
“Don’t make a sound or we’ll hur
t you, then the old lady and the kids. Understand?”
Heart pounding, she nodded, barely moving her head, wishing desperately that her derringer was in her pocket instead of in her purse upstairs.
“Ira, go put that letter on the kitchen table,” he said quietly. He pulled her to one side and back a couple of steps so another man could go past. This one was skinny, only a few inches taller than her, with worry in his eyes but determination in the set of his jaw.
He eased open the screen door and slipped inside the kitchen, laying an envelope on the table. Turning toward the porch, he paused and cocked his head. A second later he darted across the room. Pressing back against the wall by the doorway of the hall leading to Nola’s bedroom, he drew his pistol.
Jessie stared through the screen and the soft morning shadows in the kitchen, hoping desperately that he had only heard the house creak and not the tap of Nola’s cane on the floor. When she glimpsed Nola’s cheerful yellow wrapper, her heart leaped to her throat.
Pulling at the hand covering her mouth and trying to cry out, Jessie did her best to warn her friend.
“Be still!”
She jabbed her left elbow into his stomach. He was tougher than Doolin, her blow merely prompting a muffled complaint. As Nola stepped into the kitchen, Jessie kicked backward, but he dodged. Her heel glanced off his boot, and she felt the knife cut her side.
Ignoring the pain, she struggled harder. The man inside raised the gun and brought the handle down on Nola’s head. She crumpled to the floor. Jessie moaned softly and closed her eyes. Guilt and fear overwhelmed her, and she stood still, no longer fighting her captor, holding onto his arm for support.
He swore softly as the other man barreled out of the house, catching the screen door just before it slammed shut. “Go see if she’s still breathing. And check for a cut on her head, see if it’s bleeding.”
Ira dashed back into the house, bent over Nola, then rushed back out to the porch. He was white as a sheet. His hand trembled when he wiped his face. “She’s just out cold. Getting’ a goose egg, but there’s no blood.”
McKinnon's Bride (Willow Grove, Texas Series Book 1) Page 19