Cole reached for his Colt and handed the rifle to Kate. “Can you still shoot?”
“Of course, I can.” She’d been a least as good as him in their younger days. Of course, now, she had to admit he’d gotten a whole lot better.
“Cover me.” Then he rose off her, got to his feet, and, with his gun cocked, walked toward the rustler.
Cole and her father had the rustler secured in no time, tying his hands and feet. Some of the blanket was sacrificed to bind the man’s profusely bleeding hands. He’d likely never hold a gun again.
Once that was done, Cole donned his shirt and boots before wrapping a rope around the rustler’s waist and tying the end to the saddle horn of Cole’s horse. Likewise, Kate scrambled to put on her blouse and riding skirt over her still damp chemise and pantalets and slipped on her boots while her father trained the rifle on the outlaw.
The man looked like he’d led a hard life, two scars on his chin, a weathered face, and eyes with no light in them. He might be mean, but he didn’t look all that smart.
Cole addressed the man while her father kept the gun aimed at the fellow’s gut. “They call you Whitey, don’t they? Who’s running this operation, Whitey? Your men said you’re the only one who knows his identity.”
“There is no one else,” Whitey said, defiantly. “I’m the brains.”
Cole and her father exchanged glances.
“Not likely. I’ll ask you again and this time if I don’t have a name, there’ll be consequences.”
Whitey jutted his chin out like a stubborn old mule and tried to stare Cole down. “I’m the boss.”
Cole cracked the back of his hand across the man’s face. Whitey yelped like a dog that’d gotten stepped on.
“I don’t have time for baseless bragging. Tell me who your boss is.”
Blood formed on the man’s cracked lip as he focused cold eyes on Cole. “I ain’t going to tell.”
Cole raised his hand again and Kate stiffened. She’d never seen this side of Cole and yet, she wasn’t appalled. More like thunderstruck.
Her father was standing by, watching with narrow eyes, but, for the first time in Kate’s memory, her father was letting someone else handle the situation.
“I can kill you and collect the reward just as well, so tell me who put you up to this and I’ll say a word to the sheriff about your cooperation and be sure you get medical treatment.”
The man stared at Cole as if trying to gauge whether Cole had reached his limit. It was clear from the man’s ashen color that he was weakening from the loss of blood.
“Jake Parrish.” The name tumbled off the rustler’s lips like rocks in a landslide.
Kate felt the hairs on her neck stand at attention.
“What name did you say?” her father asked, his eyes wide in disbelief.
“You heard me. He’s had us stealing from all the ranchers, but he wants Tyler’s and Pritchard’s land the most, or so we’ve gathered.” By the smirk on the man’s face, he seemed to be getting a measure of satisfaction from doling out this news.
The rustler had just confirmed what her intuition had always told her about Jake Parrish.
Though he must have been momentarily stunned at the revelation, her father recovered. “That slithering worm of a horse’s ass is a dead man.”
“There are courts for the likes of these. We’ve got Parrish dead to rights. That’s what matters,” Cole said, showing more level-headedness than her father. “Let’s get this one into town so he can tell the sheriff.” Cole mounted his horse, then reined the horse around to face her father. “Is this sheriff an honest one?”
Will Flanders nodded. “I’ve known Evan McCaffrey all his life. I’d stake my name on it.” He paused a moment as he looked Cole dead in the eye. “But then, I’m known to have been wrong about character in the past.” Without another word, her father strode to his horse, mounted it, and signaled for Kate to do the same.
Kate’s heart beat wildly as she walked toward Cole. He was ready to head out as if there was nothing more to be said. But, as far as she was concerned, they had a lot yet to resolve. She intended to invite him to come to the house, proper-like. He’d been right about how she had treated him. Today she’d learned a lot about Cole she hadn’t known before, a lot about the man he was, and she loved him even more.
“Cole, we need to talk,” she said when she reached him.”Come to the house after?”
He looked down from his atop his horse, a sad smile forming on his lips. “Go home, Kate. It’s over.” He turned his horse and began to ride out, Whitey stumbling along behind.
Chapter 7
“I’m not going,” Kate declared, the pain of rejection still as raw as when Cole had told her to go home. “I’ve got my pride.”
Her father sat on the bench of the buggy parked outside the ranch house, one booted foot against the riser, waiting for her to climb aboard. His expression serious, Kate mentally braced for a lecture.
“Pride’s got its place, Kate. It keeps us from doing foolish things and it motivates us to keep trying when things get tough. But it rides the reins with a heavy hand, sometimes stopping us from acting when our future calls.”
Was this the same man who just a day ago had forbidden her to see Cole ever again? “You threatened to lock me in my room if I went to see him and now you’re prepared to escort me into his arms?”
A sheepish grin claimed her father’s face. “And you told me you wanted to marry the boy and now you’re turning tail.”
She wasn’t turning tail. But she’d all but groveled to Cole and he’d still said no. Cole’s reasons were all twisted up in her mind. Somehow he’d made it seem like it was her fault.
All day she’d waited by the window in the parlor dressed in her best green silk dress, expecting him to come down the ranch road, declare his love for her, and ask for her hand. After all, once he had time to think things through, how could he leave her? He’d risked his life to protect hers. She was sure that, with some reflection, he’d realize he couldn’t live without her, the same way she felt about him. And she’d all but decided she’d go away with him if that’s what he wanted.
Hour after hour ticked by. Mary came and sat with her. Her father poked his head in now and again. She’d sat there like a parched desert flower waiting for a rain that never came.
“He made it clear he didn’t want me.”
Her father gave a lopsided smile. “He wants you, honey. There’s no mistake there. When a man is willing to give up the woman he wants, sacrifice his needs for her sake, that’s love, honey.”
“Not the other?” she shot back.
“No. Not the other.” His eyes took on a serious cast. “All I want is for my girl to be happy. I now believe Cole can make you happy.” He leaned over the passenger side of the cracked leather seat and peered at her. “And you do, too. Get in and we’ll sort things as we drive. If we don’t go now, I can’t guarantee what state we’ll find him in. Man gives up everything important in his life, no telling what he’ll turn to.”
Kate’s heart clenched. Would Cole turn to drink and all that could mean for his soul?
Without another word, she put her boot on the step and reached for her father’s outstretched hand.
The slapping of the horse’s hooves against hard ground measured the time, while dust billowed around them as they headed toward her future. Or not.
Neither talked. Kate was glad for the respite. Her father probably knew she needed time to think.
It was a while coming, but when he did speak, it was with sober authority.
“He’ll want you to leave, is that it?”
Kate nodded since the words caught in her throat. She’d had her differences with her father, but he loved her and she loved him. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her if he thought it right—including, it appeared, letting her go.
She was trying to come to terms with going away, with putting distance between her and everything and everyone she knew. C
ould she leave her father, Mary, her friend Lizzie?
And would Cole offer for her after telling her it was over? She didn’t dare speculate.
“He doesn’t feel right here, Pa,” she said by way of explanation.
Her father nodded, hardly seeming surprised. “He needs a fresh start. Like the one he should have had back then.” He clicked the reins, hurrying the horse on, before he spoke again. “How far does he want to go?”
She thought she detected a hitch in her father’s voice. “Idaho or Montana Territory. Says there are wild horses there. He wants to start a horse ranch, though he may still have to bounty hunt for a while.”
Her father nodded again. “Horse ranching seems like a right good idea. Better than bounty hunting. A little wedding present might help that dream and give me a place to visit if you’ll have me for a spell.”
Tears ambushed her eyes. “A long spell?”
“After you’ve had time to settle. Get to know one another. If he’d have me.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “If he’s as big on sacrificing as you say, I guess he will.”
Her father’s low laugh felt like a reward.
Kate tried to imagine a life with Cole. She could see him tending the horses with the same care he’d given that bird so long ago. And she’d be working right alongside him.
If only he was still in Three Bridges. If only he was of a sober and reasonable mind. If only he didn’t mean what he said about it being over.
She felt foolish chasing after him, but she’d have more regrets if she didn’t try. There was no way she would ever believe he didn’t love her. And if he wanted her respect as well as her love, well, she’d have to figure out a way to convince him he had both.
“I was wrong about him,” her father said, breaking into her thoughts. “I’ve thought of him as that scared boy who’d run away. He’s grown into a finer man than I thought possible. Guess his ma had more influence over him than his old man.”
“Thank you for saying so, Pa.” She was sure it cost her father to admit he was wrong.
“You can be proud of the way he handled things. He’d been within his rights to kill that man rather than aiming for his hands, a shot worthy of any sharpshooter.” Her father was staring at the road as the buggy clipped along, but she doubted he was studying the ruts.
Kate was proud. She was also leery of the reception Cole would give her. She couldn’t handle his rejection—again. What could she say to him to change his mind that she hadn’t said already?
As if he was a gypsy who could read her thoughts, her father opined, “You’ll know the right words when you see him.”
* * *
He loved her. That truth ricocheted inside him like a bullet fired in a cave, leaving its mark on every organ in his body, especially his heart.
Cole palmed the shot glass of whiskey, but didn’t lift it to his lips. The Red Bull Saloon was an unlikely place for contemplation, but here he was doing just that. It had been too late to leave town by the time he’d settled Whitey in jail and told the sheriff about Parrish.
Just like Flanders had predicted, McCaffrey had wasted no time in going after Jake Parrish. He’d invited Cole along, but Cole had declined. The sheriff had two deputies who were more than capable of handling the job. And Cole had no desire to greet the man who’d been courting Kate.
Matt Tyler had come by and paid Cole his wages and bonus for catching the fifth man, then wished him well. There hadn’t even been a hint of an offer to stay on and work cattle. Not that he would have taken it, but Tyler could have at least asked.
Tying up loose ends, Cole had found Pritchard at the General Store and told the man he’d decided not to buy the ranch. After he bought his supplies, he’d needed a drink. Something to dull the ache. Something to stop him thinking about what could be if things were different. Something to get him to stop wondering if he should go out to the Flanders’ ranch right then and ask her to leave Three Bridges with him tomorrow, force her to choose.
She’d spent her time trying to convince him to stay here. Not once had it entered her pretty little head that she could go with him. She’d built up this dream of him being a rancher and not once had she considered the possibility of marrying him even if he was a bounty hunter. And now that she’d experienced what his life was really like, she was probably counting her blessings that he hadn’t taken her up on her offer. And if she was ashamed of him, how the hell could she say she loved him?
She was made for a finer life. He had to remember that.
Cole downed the whiskey in one gulp, the crisp liquid scratching down his throat. He slapped a coin on the bar.
Ted, the bartender, slid over. “It’s paid for.”
“By who?”
“Pritchard.” Ted nodded in the direction right of Cole’s shoulder.
Cole turned to look. Pritchard sat in the corner with Polly on his lap, looking as happy as a sow in garbage despite his earlier disappointment at Cole’s decision not to buy. Cole didn’t doubt Charlie was in a cheerful state of mind with Polly whispering in his ear.
Pritchard spotted him, raised a glass of beer, and winked. “Sold my land to Tyler,” Pritchard announced. “Celebrating.” Polly grinned in confirmation.
Cole nodded his thanks and turned back. “Don’t know why.”
Ted was wiping down a beer glass with a towel that had seen cleaner days. He kept his focus on Cole. “Said you deserved a drink after getting the rustlers and Parrish. Whole town’s talking about it. Next one’s on the house.”
Getting the rustlers didn’t affect Ted or the saloon.
“Why a drink on the house?”
Ted’s craggy face broke into a grin. “Boss says its thanks for getting the goods on Parrish. Don’t know for certain, but I think Parrish was bleeding the boss. Wanted the boss to buy his vote when things came up that affected the saloons.”
Cole held his surprise in check as he fingered the unnecessary coin. “Tell your boss thanks, but one’s my limit.”
“I’ve noticed. Guess you take after your ma.”
Cole’s teeth clenched, but he let the comment pass.
“You can take the offer tomorrow,” Ted said companionably as he set the large glass down and picked up another.
“Won’t be here tomorrow. I’m heading out in the morning.”
“Figured since you’d come back home, you’d be staying. Heard you were marrying the Flanders girl.”
Small towns.
“You heard wrong. And I’ve got business elsewhere.” Cole didn’t have anything elsewhere.
“I expect a lot of people will want to thank you,” Ted said as he started drying another glass.
Cole resettled his hat. “Time to leave.”
With that he flipped the coin he’d been holding in Ted’s direction. “Have a good life.”
Cole strode through the swinging doors and out onto the sidewalk. He surveyed the main street of Three Bridges for the last time. A few people were down by the hotel. Otherwise, it was a quiet evening in town, like any other. The sun was low in the sky, setting the clouds on fire. Nothing had changed—yet everything had.
Kate’s words flashed through his mind. Words he hadn’t been able to forget all day. Maybe you’ve got to love yourself, Cole, before you can believe that someone loves you. He still wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but he certainly didn’t love himself. He hated his whole damn life. And she was right. He didn’t believe she loved him, Cole Turner, Bounty Hunter. She loved the boy she thought he’d been. Today should have opened her eyes to what he really was.
And maybe you’ve got to forgive yourself before you can expect the people of this town to forgive you. Had he forgiven himself? He’d hated his father. Hated what the man did to his mother. To him.
And feared every day he’d turn into the S.O.B.
It was a fear that gnawed inside him. Knowing Kate had wanted him had kept that fear at bay all these years because if someone like Kate, who could ha
ve anyone, still wanted him, he couldn’t be like his father. Could he?
“Hey,” the familiar feminine voice coming from behind him caused his heart to nearly leap out of his chest. He hesitated, hoping it was true. He turned to face her.
Kate stood in the twilight looking every inch the lady in a silky green dress that must have cost a penny or two. It set off the fire in those blue eyes. She looked beautiful. A memory to tuck away and take out in lonely moments, and there were sure to be many of those.
“I was hoping you’d be available to join my father and me for supper.” She cocked her head to the side.
“Your father?”
“Yes. He wanted me to tell you that he’s proud--his words—of what you did today. Bringing the man in alive when you’d have been within your rights to kill him. And pulling the connection to Parrish out of him.” She placed her hands behind her back as she said words he’d never expected to hear from a Flanders, much less her father. “He’s waiting at the hotel. He’s got a table reserved for the three of us.”
“What’s this about, Kate? “ Had Will Flanders really said he was proud? And what about Kate? Could she say that after today?
She took a deep breath. “Just thought a certain man might want to come courting a certain woman by taking supper with her and her father.”
“At the hotel?”
“At the hotel. For everyone to see. So he can see she’s not ashamed of him.” She bit her lower lip as she cast her gaze downward. “I’m sorry Cole. I’m sorry I treated you—us--as something wrong, something to be hidden. I hadn’t meant it that way, hadn’t thought it, but I guess somewhere I felt it.
Cole stomach was in a scramble. “And now?”
“I can see how hard you try to be fair. You make judgments that can have life or death consequences. I see how you struggle to do the right thing. A lesser man wouldn’t care, wouldn’t struggle. I really am proud of you.”
He could feel the tightness in his throat ease, the heaviness in his chest lighten. Could it be that she really did understand?
Saving Cole Turner Page 6