“Marcus is going to take it anyway and leave you with nothing, even if you escape the marrying noose.”
“What about Sam’s and Jenny’s graves? And my parents’? I can’t just leave them.”
“Girl, those things are insignificant. They’re in the past. You have your whole future ahead of you. And what good is it if you’re dead too? You and Josh have your lives to live. Think about what would happen to that little boy if you ended up six feet under yourself. Who would take care of him and raise him to be a man?”
The teakettle whistled and Texanna went to take it off the fire. She added tea leaves to the china teapot and poured the hot water over them to let them steep.
“Stoney says the same thing.” Texanna brought the teapot to the table and sat back down.
“He’s right. You should listen to him.”
“I knew him before I married Sam. Stoney gave me my first kiss.” Texanna ran her fingers across the smooth oak of the kitchen table. “I’m attracted to him, Loretta. There’s this thing between us that we can’t deny.” She gave Loretta a sideways glance. “He kissed me again, tonight, just before you came.”
Loretta laughed. “And that’s a problem?”
“I ruined everything. He left angry.”
Texanna poured the tea and continued. “I asked the unthinkable. I made Sam give up being a Ranger, and Stoney thinks it cost him his life.” Texanna threw up her hands. “I don’t know why I had to ask Stoney to forsake his job and take another. I knew how he felt. It’s a sore subject between us.”
Loretta took a sip from her cup. “We all do crazy things. You can fix this…if you want to. All it takes is some gumption. Stoney Burke is a handsome piece of manhood.”
“That he is.” Her stomach fluttered when he was near and she became as giddy as a schoolgirl.
“Is he offering you marriage, girl?”
“No. Just friendship.” He didn’t trust her enough to marry her. Therein lay the problem. And thanks to her blunder he would never give her a chance to show him she could change.
One thing for sure, there would be no changing him.
If she wanted him she’d have to accept him the way he was.
Did she want a husband who lived in constant danger and was gone for weeks on end?
Yes. Oh yes, if the man was Stoney Burke.
Catching a cool breeze in the doorway of the livery, Stoney opened the telegram that had just arrived from Austin. It was from Judge Goodnight.
As he skimmed it, his heart sank. The judge couldn’t help unless they could prove beyond a doubt that the document Marcus had was a fake. And the only way to prove that was to find the real one.
The telegram hadn’t helped a bit. The judge’s hands were tied.
What was Stoney going to do about Texanna’s problem?
You could always marry her, whispered a voice in his head.
That would protect Texanna and Josh, but wouldn’t save her businesses. Marcus LaRoach could still take those.
But marrying her, even in name only, she’d issue all kinds of ultimatums. His jaw tightened. He’d never take to a bit like a docile horse. Not for any woman.
There had to be another way.
He’d promised Sam he’d watch out for Texanna and he meant to do his best, but he had limits that couldn’t be stretched and lines that couldn’t be crossed. She might as well realize that.
Though supper time was about an hour away, Stoney would take it at Mattie’s Cook Shack rather than Texanna’s. He had to put some space between them for both their sakes. And after he ate he’d visit the Pig and Whistle. Maybe he could rustle up a poker game with LaRoach and take some of the little pissant’s money. The picture of the man’s angry face enticed him.
He climbed to the loft with the freshly laundered clothes he’d collected from the bathhouse and laid them on top of his saddlebags.
Just then a volley of gunshots erupted in the street below.
Sam Hill!
Stoney took the ladder at a run.
Chapter 9
Stoney ran into the street with his Colt drawn. Smoke, gunshots, and holy hell came from the sheriff’s office.
Jailbreak!
Dodging bullets, he zigzagged his way toward the commotion, returning fire. As best he could tell, three men were hunkered down behind a buckboard loaded with barrels. He’d heard Colfax had some brothers and each one was more rotten than the next. He guessed these to be none other than the infamous Colfax brothers. His day had taken a turn for the worse.
The gunmen were sending volleys of shots into the jail. When they spied Stoney, they turned the hail of hot lead on him. Using a horse trough as a shield, he crouched low. Then his heart froze.
In the middle of the street, a little girl curled up in a ball with her hands over her ears.
If he didn’t do something she’d be killed.
Without wasting a minute, Stoney jammed his Colt back in the holster and dashed toward her. Bullets peppered the ground around his feet as he scooped her up in his arms and sprinted for cover inside Truebill’s Mercantile. He carefully sat her down. Tears created paths through the grime on her face.
“Stay here.” He smoothed her hair. “You’ll be all right.”
Mr. Muttonchops came from the back of the store. “You go on. I’ll look after her.”
Leaving the girl safe in the care of the mercantile owner, Stoney rushed back into the fray. They wouldn’t break Newt Colfax out if he could help it. Not today.
He darted into an alley, circled around and came up from behind. All three men were focused on the jail. They’d let down their guard. He eased up next to the closest outlaw and put his Colt to the man’s head.
“Put down your weapons if you want your brother to live,” he ordered the other two.
When they hesitated, he added, “Doesn’t make any difference to me what you choose. You’re either going to be dead or locked up. Make it light on yourself.”
Growling, the trio slowly dropped their pistols to the dirt and raised their hands.
“You all right, Sheriff?” Stoney called.
“They got me.”
“We’re coming in. Don’t shoot.”
Stoney marched the threesome inside. Sheriff Ezra lay on the floor in a pool of blood. The prisoner, Newt Colfax, had also been wounded. He slumped onto a thin mattress in his cell.
Lifting the brass key ring from the sheriff’s desk, Stoney locked the three men in an empty cell, then knelt beside Ezra.
“Is there a doctor in this town?”
“Nope. Being the barber and all, Mrs. Wilder generally takes care of the doctoring too.” Ezra grimaced in pain. Blood seeped from his shoulder and thigh.
At that moment several wide-eyed townsfolk burst through the door. “Did you get ’em?”
“Yep. Go round up Texanna Wilder and get her here as fast as you can. Sheriff Ezra’s in a bad way. Haven’t checked on Colfax yet, but he’s not moving.”
Someone scooted out the door to do his bidding.
One of the three men he’d just put in a cell growled and launched himself onto one of the others. “Damn you! Why’d you hafta go and shoot our brother? You don’t have the sense God gave a tree stump.”
“How do you figure it was me?” the second one asked. “Coulda been anybody, even you. Even the Ranger.”
That brought on more scuffling. One of them slammed into the bars of the cell.
“Go ahead and kill each other. It’ll save me the trouble of carting you to Menardville,” Stoney bellowed.
While the outlaws were going at it, he lifted Bill Ezra and carried him into the only unoccupied cell. The sheriff groaned when Stoney gently stretched him out on the cot. He removed the old lawman’s shirt to inspect the shoulder wound.
A bullet had created a gaping hole and was still lodged inside Ezra’s shoulder. Next, Stoney slit the man’s pants leg to assess the damage to the lawman’s thigh. The piece of lead appeared to have splintered the bone. He�
�d seen his share of gunshot wounds and this was one of the worst.
Texanna’s breath was ragged as she sprinted into the jail. She carried a medical bag of sorts.
“I was afraid you were the one who’d been shot.” Her clear blue gaze swept him from head to toe as though to make certain before she turned her attention to the sheriff. “Thank God it wasn’t. How bad is Ezra?”
“Took two bullets. Both are still inside. Haven’t had time to give Colfax more than a glance. He’s unconscious and bleeding. You start on Ezra and I’ll check on the prisoner.”
She took out a metal instrument that resembled a long pair of tweezers from her bag. “I haven’t had much experience with gunshots, but I’ll do my best. The last time I tried, the bullet was in Sam. I couldn’t save him.” She trembled.
In her line of work, she probably didn’t get too many patients who were still breathing. Seeing all the blood, remembering Sam, took a terrible toll on her.
Stoney took her hands in his. “It’ll be all right. I’m here if you need me.” His lips brushed her forehead.
She nodded and took a deep breath. Her skirts snapped around her ankles when she bent over the sheriff. The business part of her had taken hold. She’d be all right.
Stoney unlocked Newt Colfax’s cell. He proceeded cautiously, afraid the cattle rustler and murderer was simply faking. The outlaw’s breath was shallow. Stoney turned Newt’s head and saw the bullet had entered just above his ear. The man had no other wounds. He dragged the big outlaw onto the narrow cot and had turned to get a basin of water when Texanna called to him.
He hurried to her side. “How is he?”
Texanna looked up. Stoney was glad to see relief in her eyes. “He’ll make it. I need your help with his leg. We’ll have to put a splint on it. But I need to set the bone first. What’s the verdict with Colfax?”
“Head wound. Gonna be messy removing that bullet. Not sure he’ll make it.”
“There’s some water in the pitcher. You can wash your hands and we’ll get started. Looks like we have our work cut out for us before the day is done.” Texanna turned to Bill Ezra. “Do you have any whiskey?”
“Top drawer of my desk.”
She went to get the bottle while Stoney washed and dried his hands. She sterilized the tweezers, then offered the bottle to the sheriff along with a dose of laudanum. “You’re going to need this. It’s going to hurt.”
“Reckon I can stomach the pain. Just do what you gotta do,” Ezra said through gritted teeth.
Over the next few hours, Stoney and Texanna removed lead and bandaged wounds. She gave Ezra another dose of laudanum to take the edge off his misery and moved to her other patient. The outlaw was still unconscious, which was probably a blessing, considering the nature of his wound.
Texanna washed the blood from around the bullet hole. Carefully, she probed the wound until she found the piece of metal. Dropping it in a metal tray, she bandaged his head. There was nothing more they could do for Colfax.
Sheriff Ezra called Stoney to his side. “Until I’m able to be up and around I’m turning over the reins to you. I know you’re more than able to keep the peace.”
“Appreciate the vote of confidence. I’ll do my best.”
“Just don’t put too much stock in anything Marcus LaRoach says. The big bag of wind likes to hear himself talk.”
“I can manage LaRoach. You focus on getting well.”
Texanna shot a glance toward the prisoners and leaned close to Stoney’s ear. “We should move the sheriff out of here.”
“I agree. Where does he live?”
“Marcus gave Ezra a small house behind the hotel when he made him sheriff. But I don’t think he should be alone. Not safe in his condition.”
“Where then?”
“Loretta Farris’s place. She’ll watch over him like a mother hen. I’ll go ask her while you find something to carry Ezra on.”
Stoney left Texanna at the boardinghouse and went to locate a litter and get Dusty Haws to help him. The only thing he could find to use was a coffin lid. He and Dusty carried it back to the jail. Texanna had already returned. She reported that Loretta had wasted no time in volunteering her services.
“You have another think coming if you expect to load me onto a coffin lid,” Sheriff Ezra declared. “Goldarn it, I ain’t dead yet. Quit rushing things.”
Stoney grinned and shook his head. “It’s the best I could do under the circumstances. You’ll just have to deal with it, you ungrateful old coot. This is the thanks I get for saving your ornery hide. Next time you can get your buddy LaRoach to do it. But there’d be a price involved, I’m thinking. Speaking of the varmint, where do you suppose he’s hidin’?”
“Under a rock would be my guess,” Dusty rumbled.
The old sheriff added, “Somewhere safe from gunfire.”
Despite Ezra’s grumbling, they managed to get him onto the make-do litter and carried him to the boardinghouse. Texanna followed on their heels to see that Ezra got settled to her satisfaction.
Stoney’s heart soared with pride at the way Texanna and Loretta hovered over the old lawman, whose face had turned three shades of gray, seeing to his every need.
“Now, this is much better.” Texanna handed a brown bottle of laudanum to Loretta. “Give him another dose of this every two hours. I’ll be back tomorrow. Get some sleep,” she ordered the lawman.
“Yes, ma’am.” Ezra gave her a snappy salute.
“You did yourself proud, Texanna.” Stoney offered his arm as they left Loretta’s. “You’re quite the doctor.”
Texanna gave him a wan smile. “Just doing what I can for the people who depend on me. If I weren’t here, there’d be no one to call. What about Newt Colfax?”
“He’s fine where he is. I won’t endanger your life. Besides, I’ll sleep at the jail until Ezra mends.”
“All the same, I’ll check on him before I turn in for the night.” She suddenly clasped a hand over her mouth. “You haven’t had any supper. I had it ready to set on the table when everything broke loose.”
“Reckon I could use a bite at that. Then I can make my rounds.” He let his arm drop to her trim waist, wishing he could kiss her again. In the next instant he remembered her asking him if he’d ever thought of getting into another line of work and his stomach lurched. He considered going to bed hungry.
The final vestiges of daylight vanished as darkness drifted over Devils Creek. Her skirts swished against his leg as they walked to her home.
Texanna preceded him up the stairs, and when she reached the top she made a low cry.
“What’s wrong?” Stoney tried to see around her.
She turned. Color had drained from her face, leaving it ashen. She clutched a rock with a note attached. “This was lying in front of the door.” Fear clouded her blue eyes. “Josh! I left him here alone.”
Chapter 10
Stoney picked up the note that fluttered from Texanna’s hand. In heavy black print on a piece of parcel paper were the words I’M WATCHING YOU.
Texanna opened the door and ran inside. “Josh!”
The boy jerked the top he was spinning. It whirled and spun away under a table next to the settee. He jumped to his feet, clearly shaken by his mother’s sudden entrance. He was poised to sprint for cover, the same way Stoney did when outlaws were trying to fill him full of holes.
Texanna ran and threw her arms around her son. “I thought something had happened to you.” She smoothed his hair. “Thank God you’re all right.”
“I’m okay, Mama.”
Stoney dropped the rock to the ground below and crossed the threshold. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who wrote the warning. For two cents he’d go find the slimy skunk and settle up with him. LaRoach was nothing but a coward who hid in the shadows, just waiting to strike when a person least expected it. Stoney’d take a stroll over to the saloon when he left.
It wouldn’t hurt to see what was going on.
Besides
, he was in charge of keeping the peace now.
A short while later, Stoney followed the sound of the tinny piano and stepped into the dimly lit Pig and Whistle. His narrowed gaze swept the crowd and found LaRoach at a card table. It had no vacant seats.
In no particular hurry, Stoney ambled toward the bar.
“Beer, please,” he told the bartender.
The aproned man slid a mug with an inch of foam on top in front of him.
Taking the thick mug, he wandered over to the card game and positioned himself across from LaRoach. A measure of satisfaction filled him when Marcus glanced up and turned a sick shade of gray. The man evidently found Stoney’s hard stare a mite difficult to take when it was turned on him. Marcus swallowed and hunched over his poker hand.
After a long minute, Marcus slammed the cards down and got up so fast his chair clattered backward to the floor. “You got anything better to do than ruin a man’s concentration, Ranger?”
The other men at the table got up slowly, one by one.
“If you didn’t have a guilty conscience, it wouldn’t bother you.” Stoney pushed back his hat with a forefinger.
“Don’t have nothing to feel guilty for.”
“Don’t you?” Stoney set his half-empty mug of beer down on the card table. He didn’t know how this might play out and he wanted both hands free. “Don’t suppose you know anything about a note that was left on Texanna Wilder’s doorstep this evening.”
“Why should I? Are you accusing me?”
Stoney let the corner of his mouth quirk up. “Not yet. When I do, I’ll arrest you.”
“Any time you think you’re big enough, just come ahead.”
“You’re not the only one watching. If I catch you so much as spitting on the sidewalk, you’ll find yourself in a cell. And come near Texanna or Josh and you’ll get what’s coming to you so fast your head’ll spin. That’s a promise.”
The man’s hand inched toward the .45 he wore.
“I really hope you draw that gun.” The warning was soft and low. “It’ll be the last thing you ever do.”
Marcus snatched up his bowler hat and marched out the door.
Give Me A Texas Ranger Page 14