by Linda Broday
“I spoke with Dr. Mary about the bullet still lodged in there and she wants to examine you.” Nora put a hand on his arm and said softly, “It’s time. As soon as Tally has her baby, let Dr. Mary take a look. The slug may have shifted or something.”
“I know you’re right, but I can’t stand being poked around on.”
“Just think about it.” She knew better than to push. Best to introduce the idea and let it simmer. She got better results that way.
“I like the disguise. You’ve gained thirty pounds. I always liked a woman with meat on her bones. Where did you get the gold fabric, Mrs. Long?”
“It’s a tablecloth that Susan Worth gave us as a wedding present. Like it?”
“It’s nice. I can think of all sorts of uses for that sash the next time we make love.” His positively sinful grin came near to stopping her heart.
Nora slapped at his arm. “Don’t be saying that stuff around these children!” But she couldn’t keep the smile off her face or settle her racing pulse.
Just then, the guard above the town entrance gave three loud owl hoots.
“Get the children inside, Nora!” The words barely left Jack’s mouth before he limped toward Clay and Ridge.
Icy panic gripped Nora as she picked up Willow. This was it. This was what they’d been waiting for. Had she and Jack just run out of time? She caught Sawyer’s worried eyes and put an arm around him. “All right, children. Let’s get into the house. We’re going to play hide-and-seek.”
A bloodcurdling scream came from Dr. Mary’s office. Tally! But Nora couldn’t stop to even consider what that meant. A large group of riders—must’ve been two dozen—poured into the town. All of them against one man with a limp—it bordered on the ridiculous. But then tears filled her eyes. They were after the man she loved more than all the stars in heaven.
The riders stopped in a cloud of dust in front of Jack and his group of men. Clay’s dog, Bullet, circled them, barking and snarling. Scout whipped around from the side of the house, adding her deep, bloodhound howls to the chaos. The townspeople scurried out of sight, slamming their doors.
Clay and Ridge stood in front of Jack, blocking him from view. She knew they’d die before they let the lawmen take him.
Shooing the last child inside, Nora stood in the doorway clutching Willow to her. She recognized several of the riders—the sheriff and deputy of Saint’s Roost, Seamus Belew, and Darius Guthrie. She sucked in a breath. She should’ve known she wasn’t rid of the bastard.
“Afternoon, gentlemen.” Ridge stepped forward. “Can we offer you food or lodging?”
“Who the hell are you?” Belew snarled.
Ridge drew himself up straight from his seemingly relaxed pose and gave them a bland smile. “I’m the mayor of Hope’s Crossing. To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“I’m U.S. Deputy Marshal Seamus Belew, and we’ve come for Jack Bowdre.”
“Who is that?” Ridge asked. “Don’t know him.”
Nora admired how Ridge restrained his temper, though the strain showed in the clenched fists at his sides.
Sheriff Baxter shifted in the saddle and introduced himself. “Bowdre broke out of my jail a few days ago. We tracked him here.”
“Sorry to dispute your word, but he didn’t make it to this town.”
“Jailbreak is only one of the charges against him,” Belew shot back. “I know he’s here. Unless you want me to charge you with aiding and abetting, turn him over.”
Clay stuck a match stem between his teeth. “We said we don’t know him.”
Baxter squinted hard. “I heard this used to be an outlaw den. I wonder how many of you have rewards on your heads.” He paused to let that sink in. “If I had time, I might just find out.”
Ice slid down Nora’s spine.
Jack stepped around Clay. Nora sucked in a breath and gripped the door facing. This was the moment she’d dreaded. Dear God, don’t let them recognize him.
He pushed back his hat a bit where his blond hair showed. “I’m Deputy Marshal Joe Long. Bowdre ain’t here. I came myself to arrest him after getting wind that he holed up here sometimes.”
Baxter frowned. “What do you want him for?”
“Horse thieving and murder.”
Seamus Belew swung down from his horse and marched up to Jack, peering into his face. “Never heard of you.”
Oh dear Lord! Nora trembled, tightening her hold on Willow, who’d begun to squirm.
“That’s because I’ve only recently been appointed—by Judge Isaac Parker in Fort Smith. If you’d like to wire him, feel free. I heard he has a terrible temper when his word is questioned.” Jack released a wad of spit that landed on the edge of Belew’s boot. “My assignment is Indian Territory. Came down to Texas for Bowdre, like I said.”
Baxter peered at him with an intense stare. “You seem very familiar.”
Guthrie also dismounted. “Bowdre travels with a woman named Nora Kane. She’s a disagreeable sort in need of a firm hand.”
Nora snorted. He’d think disagreeable if she could get her hands around his scrawny neck.
Belew kicked at the dogs. “Look, their tracks led here. Give them to us.”
“Hurt my dogs and I’ll put a bullet between your eyes.” The hardness of Clay’s warning wasn’t lost on Nora. She remembered Jack saying that Clay would feel better if he could shoot something.
The old sheriff pointed a finger at Belew. “You’re a disgrace to the badge. Hurt those animals and I’ll add my bullet to his. Get back to the business we came for. Deputy marshal or not, this is my posse. I put it together, not you.”
Nora watched red streaks climb up Seamus Belew’s throat.
“Well, first you’re looking for Bowdre and now you’re looking for this Kane woman.” Clay added his spit to Jack’s on the ground. “Which is it, Sheriff?”
“Both, I reckon. The woman helped Bowdre break out.”
“Can you prove that?” Jack asked.
“She and a kid left town at the same time as Bowdre. To me that says she helped him somehow.”
“Hey, ain’t that our dog Sadie?” Alan Jones, the kind deputy of Saint’s Roost pointed to Scout.
Nora’s heart froze. They hadn’t given the red bloodhound a thought. She handed the baby to Sawyer, adjusted the pillows under her dress, put the scarf around her hair, and marched out.
“You’re crazy, deputy.” Clay patted Scout’s head. “I’ve had this dog since she was a pup. Next thing I know you’ll be claiming my dog aided in Bowdre’s escape.”
Jack removed his hat and wiped sweat from his brow. Nora supposed he did that to give them a clear view of his light hair. It was if he was pointing to it. “For your own safety, I think you’d best ride on, Sheriff. Water your horses and be on your way. Good luck in finding Bowdre. He likes to run with wild women—maybe you’ll find that Kane woman with him. I’ll keep an eye out for your prisoner and telegraph you if I find him.”
“You can’t tell us when to leave,” Darius Guthrie sputtered. “We can go where we want.”
Another bloodcurdling scream split the air, coming from Dr. Mary’s.
Belew and Guthrie jumped out of their skin and the horses skittered sideways.
“What the hell was that?” Deputy Jones asked.
Her hips swaying, Nora sidled up next to Jack and spoke in a thick accent. “We have sick voman here. Bad, bad disease.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe…how you say…cholera.”
Belew and Guthrie turned and leaped onto their horses so fast they missed the stirrups.
More screams came from Dr. Mary’s. Nora couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like more than one voice joining in the chorus.
“I’m getting the hell out of here!” Guthrie yelled and spurred his animal.
Sheriff Baxter directed his words to Jack. “Marsh
al Long, if you catch Bowdre, let me know.”
The riders left the town in a swirl of dust. It was only then that Nora took her first real breath since their arrival. “It worked, Jack.” She hugged him. “We’re safe.”
“For now.”
She slapped his arm. “What was that remark about me being a wild woman?”
“Just telling the gospel, darlin’.” He slid an arm around her waist and leaned in to whisper, “You are pretty wild with a boot in your hand, declaring war on all wood rats. But most of all, your fiery passion in bed, and that’s no joke.”
A warm glow filled her. She stared at the entrance to the town and foreboding crept in, squeezing out the happiness. This was only a temporary reprieve. As Belew had said, they’d tracked her and Jack here. They, or others like them, would be back.
Twenty-nine
By the time the sun went down, Tally had a little boy and Clay was beaming. Jack had never seen two people so happy.
Tally was sitting up in bed when Jack and Nora briefly looked in. “I’m real sorry I missed all the excitement. I hear Nora gave quite a performance, and they lit out like the devil was chasing them.”
Nora grinned and shrugged. “I just wanted to do my part.”
Clay put the baby in Violet’s lap and she played the loving big sister, running her fingers across her brother’s tiny features, wearing a smile as wide as the Mississippi.
“She’s too modest.” Jack chuckled. “You should’ve seen her in that getup and her accent was perfect.” He met her brown eyes and drowned in their depths.
“Maybe you gave a performance yourself, Tally.” Nora shot her an accusing stare. “I know I heard more than one scream coming from here, and yours seemed unusually loud.”
Tally laughed. “Mine wasn’t fake, but I did embellish it. And then Dr. Mary and Belle screamed as loud as they could too.”
“That gave me the opening I needed to say that we had sick people. We make a good team.” Nora stood. “We should be going. There’s a whole line of people waiting outside to get a peek at the little one. When you’re up and around, we’ll have a long talk.”
They said their goodbyes and went out into the night. Jack glanced up at the stars and sucked in a deep breath, giving thanks for not being in a cell somewhere. Or dead.
* * *
Jack rose before dawn, made himself a pot of coffee, and went outside with a cup. He loved this time of morning, when the air was fresh and crisp. He could get a lot of thinking done in the quiet. With his hat low over his eyes, he walked to the corral and propped a foot on the bottom rail. A couple of the horses moseyed over to nudge him. He rubbed their faces.
He thought about Travis and wondered where he was. Malloy should be getting back anytime now and hopefully had learned something. Jack wasn’t above breaking him out.
All of this had to end one day, though. But damn if he knew what he and the others’d do. Except for Clay, who’d gotten a pardon from the governor, and Tobias, they were all wanted men. The lawmen were closing in, and soon they’d clean up this last portion of Texas and kill or arrest every last one of them. With each day, he felt the noose getting a little tighter. How could they escape? Tricks like the day before only worked the once.
Maybe he could wait until the next election and a new governor and try again for a pardon. Maybe he’d have better luck. He just didn’t want to be hunted anymore.
To live out his days in peace with Nora and the kids—that was his dream.
Love for her swept over him. She shouldn’t have to live this way. Sawyer and Willow either. In them, he had three good reasons to clear the slate.
The sky began to lighten. He took a sip of coffee, and then movement near the town’s entrance caught his attention.
A man was staggering toward him. Wet blood created a sheen on his clothes, the red clearly visible even from the distance of thirty feet. He went down on one knee, then struggled to his feet.
On he came, one half-step at a time.
Then the stranger sprawled facedown on the ground.
Jack threw down his cup and ran. He heard no moans, nothing. Jack turned him over. The man’s eyes were closed, his face stark white around a light beard. A quick glance revealed bullet wounds to his chest and legs. He’d been shot four times. Something familiar niggled in Jack’s brain. He looked closer and tried to imagine him without the beard.
Jack’s blood stilled. Pushing up the sleeve on the man’s right arm, he found a long scar.
Tait Trinity.
He had a five-thousand-dollar bounty on his head. Every marshal and Pinkerton this side of the Mississippi would give anything to capture this outlaw. Jack had thought his was high at one thousand. Five thousand would make a bounty hunter richer than sin and twice as bloodthirsty.
Trinity would only bring more trouble.
Footsteps sounded as Clay, Ridge, and Dallas Hawk raced up.
“Who is it?” Clay asked.
“Tait Trinity.” Jack pushed back his hat. “I almost didn’t recognize him. Let’s get him to Dr. Mary or he won’t make it.”
They picked him up and carried him to her office. She took one look and motioned to a vacant bed in her two-bed clinic, then shooed them out.
Outside, Jack met his friends’ gazes. “Got a bad feeling about this. Why do you think Trinity sought refuge here?”
“Word probably hadn’t gotten to him that this isn’t an outlaw haven any longer.” Clay struck a match to his freshly rolled cigarette. “Towns are few and far between in this part of Texas, and news travels slow.”
Ridge glanced at the doctor’s door. “What are we going to do? He’s all shot up. We can’t turn him away. He saved my life once when he could’ve turned a blind eye and ridden on.”
“Hell, we’ve all saved each other at one time or another.” Clay blew smoke rings. “Didn’t you used to ride with him, Jack?”
“Yeah.”
Memories of a different time filled Jack’s head. He and Tait had a bond nothing would break. Then, they’d gone up against the Reese gang. The gang had taken over a small border town, holding the people hostage, killing at will. Together, Jack and Tait had cleaned it up. Then one morning, Jack had woken to find Trinity gone. That was the last he’d heard of the man until his name popped up in some train and bank robberies. It seemed Tait was working alone and becoming a force to reckon with.
Which had gotten the Pinkertons on his trail.
Hell! Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. “We were more like brothers than friends.”
“He’s going to bring trouble,” Ridge said. “Every lawman in the territory will come after him. Can we afford to hide him?”
“He’d do it for us.” Jack turned and limped away, wishing to hell he hadn’t seen Tait lying on the ground all shot up, barely clinging to life.
* * *
To Jack’s amazement, Tait Trinity lived through the day. When he looked in on him the next morning, Tait had regained consciousness.
Jack pulled a chair close to the bed. “Glad to see you awake. Been a while since we parted ways.”
“Heard you’d built a town here where Devil’s Crossing used to be.” Tait’s gray eyes betrayed his pain, but his voice was strong. “Came to warn you. You have a traitor in your midst.”
Surprise to hear it from Tait rippled through Jack. “Hell, figured as much already! Do you have a name?”
“No. I overheard a stranger talking to this bounty hunter named Will Spencer in a saloon in Tascosa. The man bragged about being the eyes and ears for the marshals and others and he’s getting rich doing it.”
Jack’s thoughts raced. “Would you know him if you saw him?”
Tait shook his head. “Had his back to me the whole time and the saloon was dim and smoky. I’d know his voice though. I tried to follow him when he left but los
t him in the alley.”
“Tait, was he the one who shot you?”
“No. A Pinkerton agent. The bastard picked up my trail after I left Tascosa. Shot my horse out from under me. I hid in a gully until he gave up and rode on.”
“He meant to kill you, Tait. You’ve made the wrong people mad.”
“I knew I would when I started robbing trains, but I wanted to hurt them.” Tait paused, closing his eyes for a moment. “The railroad company stole my folks’ land. They declared eminent domain and booted them off the land that had been in the family for one hundred and twenty-five years. The bastards! Sam Houston gave him that land as payment for fighting for Texas freedom.”
“That wasn’t right no matter how you look at it, but you can’t win this fight.”
“Reckon not, but I aim to try. Jack, I’m sorry for leaving with no word the way I did.” Tait laid an arm across his forehead. “There were things I didn’t want to drag you into. You’re a far better man than me. You have possibilities. Me, I’m in too deep to crawl out. I’ve done a lot of things there’ll be no forgiving.”
“That’s a bunch of malarkey. If you stop now, you have a chance at freedom. Help us settle this town and make it a safe place to raise kids and grow old.”
Tait shook his head. “That’s crazy, my friend. How can that erase our crimes?”
“Don’t know exactly, but if we live right and stop robbing and killing, maybe the law will eventually quit looking for us. I’m still working that part out. In any event, I want you to stay. There’s safety in numbers, and the way this place is built in this canyon, we can hold off an army.”
Jack left his old friend to rest, his own mind filled with thoughts of a traitor among them. He’d have to alert the others that it was no longer speculation.
Clay met him outside the doctor’s office. “How is he?”
“Alive. Tait came to warn us.” Jack relayed what Tait had told him. “He never saw the man’s face though, so we have nothing more than we did.”
“Dammit!” Clay glanced around, scanning the face of each man in the vicinity. He called Ridge and Dallas over and told them their suspicions were fact. “Keep your eyes peeled. I have a feeling the rat will ride out soon.”