“I’ll tell you and show you. How would that be?” He leaned down to brush his lips along her throat. “Marry me, Anna.”
She felt his hands moving over her as if there were no clothes between them.
“Marry me, Anna,” he whispered again as he cupped her breast. “I’m not alive without you.”
She never said yes. She was too lost in the kiss. When they were both out of breath, he walked her back to the buggy and they continued without a word. He’d said the words she’d needed to hear.
Epilogue
Wynn and Anna McCord built one of the finest cattle ranches in Texas. When she died at the age of seventy-four, her husband and four sons placed her in a grave on the ranch. The stone at her head read, To my angel, Anna McCord. One more time, “I love you.”
Wynn McCord joined his wife less than a year later. Everyone agreed that once she’d gone he was never really alive.
The great-great-grandchildren of Anna and Wynn still work the ranch today. If you ask any of them why they always settle on the McCord land when they marry, they all say the same thing. McCords stay.
Undertaking Texas
LINDA BRODAY
Chapter 1
South Texas
1883
Slender pink fingers of dawn drifted through a crack in the livery’s loft and stabbed Stoney Burke in the eye. He shifted on the bed of hay and blinked, trying to recall where he was.
He’d been in so many towns they’d blended together into a patchwork of faces and problems.
Oh yes, he recalled this unsavory one. Devils Creek.
He had a dozen reasons to avoid this place. A friend he couldn’t say good-bye to. A woman he couldn’t forgive. A memory he couldn’t erase. If he could avoid Texanna Wilder, all the better.
But fate had a cruel sense of humor in most cases.
Sooner or later he’d run into her, no doubt about it.
A heavy sigh came from deep within him. Stoney ignored his complaining bones and stood, settling his hat on his head. Then lifting the saddlebags that had served as a pillow, he slung them over his shoulder and made his way to the ladder.
Halfway down, all hell broke loose outside.
Had he run smack into a range war? Or maybe a jailbreak?
Clearing the last steps in a giant leap, he flung his saddlebags aside and ran for the door of the livery.
Chickens running loose in the street squawked angrily, flapping their wings. Dogs aired their lungs, their barking fit to raise the dead, as though they were trying to rise above the loud voices of humans. And in the midst of all the clamor and carryings-on came the pounding of hooves as the morning stage thundered into town, adding another level of chaos.
Stoney knew of the lawless ways of Devils Creek, although the town had appeared as peaceable as a widow woman’s rocking chair when he’d ridden in late last night.
Now he could’ve sworn he’d stepped into a full-scale war of some sort. A crowd formed a circle in the middle of Main Street, blocking Stoney’s view.
For a second the mob parted and shock jolted through him.
A hoarse oath sprang free before he could swallow it.
Someone had trussed up a woman like a turkey on Christmas morning. She lay in a heap in the swirling dust of the street.
His gaze hardened. The squawking chickens scattered this way and that when he stalked into their midst.
Pushing through the swarm of people, he saw that not only was a woman at the center of the attention, but a youngster clung desperately to the woman’s skirts as well. The boy’s lip quivered as he bravely tried not to cry. He lost that battle when a tear spilled and trickled down the patch of freckles on his cheek, followed by a sob.
Suddenly the boy launched himself, kicking and clawing, on the man who was attempting to drag the woman. “Leave my mama alone.”
“What in the Sam Hill!” Stoney bellowed, wrenching the man’s grip loose from the length of rope that remained after tying it around the woman’s waist. Clearly intending to flog the woman, the scoundrel didn’t see him coming. Stoney delivered a hard right hook to the middle of the well-dressed stranger’s face. The man’s narrow-brimmed bowler went flying as bones cracked under Stoney’s fist.
“You broke my nose!” The jackass grabbed his bloody face, dancing in a circle as if trying to find a safe place to light.
“That’s all I broke…for now. You’ll get more of the same if you don’t untie this woman and be quick about it.”
The man’s eyes lit on Stoney’s Texas Ranger badge and widened a bit. He seemed to have trouble swallowing, although he hadn’t totally lost his bluster. “This ain’t none of your affair, Ranger.”
Stoney set his jaw, his glare scanning the crowd. “I’m making it my business. You folks go on home.” He swung around to the scoundrel. “I said, untie the woman. Now.”
Anger reddened the fool’s cheeks. He obeyed the order even though it clearly irked him to do so.
Stoney offered the woman a hand, lifting her to her feet. “Are you all right, ma’am?”
She wrapped her arms around the young boy. “None the worse for wear, I reckon. Thanks for rescuing Josh and me.”
When she glanced up, Stoney got his second jolt of the morning and it wasn’t even high noon yet. “Texanna? Texanna Wilder?”
He groaned inwardly. Yep, fate hadn’t wasted any time.
“Stoney? Lord, I don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn’t come along! But I know one thing—this sorry excuse for a man would’ve had to kill me to get me to the altar.” Texanna straightened her spine. Then before Stoney could stop her, she whaled off and kicked her assailant with her high-topped boot.
“I ain’t done with you, woman.” Mr. Jackass glared, holding his leg while blood streamed from his nose. Splotches of red stained the fancy brocaded vest and white shirt. “You either, Ranger.”
The man’s hand sought the bulge in his vest pocket. If Stoney could hazard a guess the lump was a hidden derringer.
“I wouldn’t,” Stoney warned. “I’ll drop you like a sack of manure before you can get that peashooter out and aimed.”
The man reconsidered, letting his hand sag limply at his side.
“I determine when you’re finished,” Stoney continued. “And I say that’s now. Stay away from Mrs. Wilder and her son or you’ll regret that you didn’t.” Stoney slung the rope at the varmint before turning his attention to Texanna and her son. “You’re shaking. Let’s find you a place to sit down.”
Taking her arm, he led her and Josh, whom he hadn’t seen since the boy was a tiny babe, to one of the velvet couches inside the nearby Madison Hotel. Stoney removed his hat and propped it on his knee.
Tears clouded Texanna’s pale blue gaze that was like melting snow on a mountaintop. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
Yep, fickle fate was having a hell of a laugh.
Stoney squirmed when she rested her hand lightly on his arm. He gently removed it and put distance between them. This meeting might’ve been unavoidable, but it needn’t get cozy. He considered saving her to be nothing but a job, nothing more than helping a frightened kitten out of a tree. He’d rescued her from Mr. Jackass. This wouldn’t turn into anything else.
He could promise that.
“I suppose you know about Sam.” Her voice quivered with emotion as she mentioned her husband.
A curt nod was his only reply.
“Did you hear how he got killed?”
“Never heard the particulars.” He felt in his vest pocket for a handkerchief and pressed it into her palm.
Texanna dabbed her tears. “Sam was gunned down in the barbershop…minding his own business.”
Stoney didn’t miss the subtle jab aimed at the Texas Rangers—and him specifically.
“Got caught in the crossfire between the customer he was shaving and a rival,” she continued. “Never stood a chance. Sam stopped wearing his pistol right after we married. Said he didn’t need it anymore.”
Likely story. Cold anger swept through Stoney. He imagined Texanna badgering Sam about the Colt the same way she kept at him until he quit the Texas Rangers. His friend might still be alive if not for that fact. But she’d thought the job, and the Colt, too dangerous for a husband of hers. And look where it got her—where it got them all.
“Heard they strung up the murderer,” he said when he trusted himself to speak civilly. “That’s some justice.”
“Doesn’t bring Sam back.”
It definitely couldn’t do that. Thickness clogged Stoney’s throat. “I meant to come and check on you. It’s just…”
“Your work keeps you busy. I know.” Texanna’s voice dropped to an anguished whisper. “I’m still trying to get used to him not being here. Six months has passed and it seems like yesterday.”
Stoney clenched his jaw, unable to picture the world without Sam in it. “What sort of trouble have you gotten yourself into?” His voice suddenly sounded like he’d swallowed a handful of gravel.
“The rotten sort.”
Stoney focused a hard stare out the hotel door. “I’m guessing it concerns that fellow in the street?”
“Marcus LaRoach. He and Sam were half brothers. He’s trying to force me to marry him. He’s already attempted to lay claim to my undertaking and barbering businesses. Says he has Sam’s will, leaving him everything…including me. He’s lying. If Marcus has one, it’s forged. Sam wouldn’t have left a mangy dog in Marcus’s care. I’ve looked everywhere for the genuine document and can’t find it.”
“Meanwhile, you’re still trying to run the businesses?”
“Doing a fair job of it. And I’ll keep on until the law makes me give it up.”
Some Texas laws weren’t worth the paper they were written on, especially the ones concerning widows. She seemed determined though. Texanna always had a lot of gumption—he’d give her that.
“What did this LaRoach think to gain by binding you up like that?” Remembering the sight made him mad as hell. “And why did he suddenly get it in his head to make you marry him today?”
Texanna pushed tendrils of hair the color of ripe wheat away from her face. “He finally got tired of my sass, I reckon. Got all riled up. And when I kicked and tried to claw his eyes out, he tied me up and dragged me.” A wobbly smile tilted the corners of her mouth. “If I’d had Sam’s Colt handy, I’d have shot the no-good skunk.”
“Where was the sheriff while all this was going on?”
Exasperation rattled from Texanna’s mouth like the lid on a boiling pot. “That old bag of wind? He can’t handle Marcus. Whatever Marcus wants, he gets.”
“Not this time.” The brittle clip in his tone was one he reserved for hard cases and scalawags of every description.
Still clinging to his mother’s skirts, Josh sniffled and tugged at Stoney’s sleeve. “Is Uncle Marcus gonna be my daddy?”
“Nope, he’s sure not. I promise.” Not as long as he had breath in his body. No one was going to hurt Sam’s widow—despite how he felt about her—or his boy. “Your father set great store by you. He loved you more than his own life.”
“I don’t know why he had to die,” Josh said, crying.
Before Stoney knew what was happening, the boy released his mother’s skirts and crawled onto his lap. Stoney stiffened, unsure what to do. He’d never been much good with children. Didn’t know what to say to them. He tried not to notice that Josh was the spitting image of Sam. Truth was, Josh had inherited his father’s intense gaze, the quirk of his mouth, and the same stubborn tilt of his chin. Stoney’s heart clenched tight around memories. He struggled to unglue his tongue from the roof of his mouth while his arm encircled the small, proud back.
“I don’t know why Sam had to die either. Your father was a real good friend of mine and I’m going to look out for you and your mother. No one will make you do anything you don’t want to. All right?”
Josh gave a solemn nod, swiping his sleeve across his nose.
“Bet you take care of your mama real good.”
“I’m six and I have a real gun.”
“But you’re not allowed to use it yet, young man.” Texanna gently ruffled the top of her son’s head. “I said you could have your pa’s pistol to remember him by when you grow up. What brings you to Devils Creek, Stoney?”
“Picking up a prisoner from the jail and taking him to Menardville for trial. Got in late last night so I bedded down in the livery. Haven’t introduced myself to the sheriff yet.”
Like most women with an eye for comfort, she probably preferred him to stay in the hotel, but that wasn’t his style. He liked being able to see trouble coming.
“Don’t expect much from him. Why don’t you come and let me fix you breakfast? It’s the least I can do for an old friend. We live above the undertaker’s shop. At least for now.”
“I appreciate the invite but I don’t think that’s wise.”
“I’m not offering anything more than food,” she replied stiffly.
“Please,” begged Josh. “Eat breakfast with us.”
Stoney found he hadn’t the heart to dash the hopes of a little boy who stared at him with puppy-dog eyes. A short while later, over a plate of ham, eggs, and mouthwatering biscuits, he watched the small replica of Sam. Earlier the boy had hauled up water for his mother from the cistern in back of the undertaker shop and brought in wood for the stove. Then, for no particular reason, Josh had thrown his arms around Texanna’s waist and hugged her.
Stoney’s chest tightened. Sam would be proud of the young man Josh was growing into. If only he’d lived to see it.
Damn! There was that lump trying to block his windpipe.
Traces of Sam were everywhere in the small living quarters. Sam’s hat still hung beside the door, his boots stood near an overstuffed chair, and a pipe rested in the ashtray. It was as though Sam had just stepped out for a minute and would return.
“I haven’t had the energy to get rid of them yet,” Texanna murmured.
“What?”
Texanna pointed to Sam’s boots. “I know it doesn’t make a nickel’s worth of sense to hold on to a pair of worn-out old boots, but I can’t just pitch them out, pretend he never existed.”
“You don’t have to apologize. Do what you think best, whatever helps you cope. The devil take everyone else.”
“Mama’s looking for some important papers,” Josh piped up. “She says they’ll solve all of our troubles.”
Stoney cocked an eyebrow toward Texanna.
“The will,” she answered to his unspoken question.
“She’ll find it,” Stoney assured the boy.
Josh’s chest puffed out proudly. “I’m helping.”
Stoney stared into Texanna’s blue eyes. “I’m sure your mama appreciates it. She’s blessed to have such a fine son.”
Josh fidgeted in his chair. “Can I be excused, Mama?”
“May I,” she corrected. “Where are you off to, young man?”
The boy pulled out a bag from his pocket. “Gonna shoot marbles with Matthew an’ tell him we’re friends with an honest-to-gosh Texas Ranger like Pa was.”
“You watch out for Mr. LaRoach.” Affording the man any smattering of respect by adding “mister” to his name severely irked her, Stoney could tell, but she obviously wanted Josh to treat everyone with regard, whether deserving it or not. “Stay clear of him. He’s mad as a frog on a hot skillet.”
“I will, Mama. I ain’t ’feared a him though, with Ranger Stoney around.” Josh took his plate to the washtub and sprinted out the door, hurriedly closing it behind him.
“Do you think you oughta let Josh out of your sights?”
“Marcus won’t hurt him. He wants me, not my son. But a friendly warning, Stoney…Marcus LaRoach isn’t anyone to cross. He’ll itch to get even.” A smile replaced the serious frown. “You sure knocked the living daylights out of him today and ruined his plans.”
He returned Texanna’s grin. It’d felt downrigh
t good to wallop the beady-eyed weasel. “I’ve dealt with far worse than LaRoach. It’s you who needs to be careful.”
Stoney meant to pay the man a visit and impress upon him what’d happen if he kept messing with Sam’s family. Hopefully that’d make a believer out of LaRoach.
And if not?
Stoney didn’t want to think about that part. He couldn’t stick around forever. He had a job to do—a prisoner to collect and plenty more lawbreakers to arrest.
But his pledge to Sam Wilder on his wedding day came back to haunt him.
“Promise that you’ll see to Texanna if anything happens to me,” Sam had pleaded following the short ceremony.
If only Stoney had known she’d make Sam quit the Rangers and everything he’d loved. He had a real hard time feeling charitable toward her. To his way of thinking, she was as much responsible for Sam’s death as the man who’d pulled the trigger.
Still, a promise was a promise, he reckoned.
But how far was he willing to go to uphold that vow?
Chapter 2
Sitting across from Stoney, Texanna had no trouble recalling what a handsome best man he’d made the day she married Sam. It had been the happiest day of her life—her husband and her good friend together.
Stoney and Sam had been inseparable in those days, and both men had come courting her. The two formed a friendly rivalry for her affection and wouldn’t be outdone. Stoney had been the first man to kiss her and it would’ve been oh so easy to fall in love with him—except he was married to his job. There was nothing on this earth that would make him give up the Texas Rangers. Stoney had admitted he had no room in his heart for a wife and children.
Sam had been a different story, easily forsaking that dangerous life for her. So Sam Wilder had been the one she’d chosen. She’d grown to love him with her heart and soul.
But she’d always had a special, deep fondness for Stoney.
Truth to tell she still did, although it wasn’t wise to admit. Heated swirls rose up, turning her insides to mush.
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