The Damaged Heroes Collection [Box Set #1: The Damaged Heroes Collection] (BookStrand Publishing Mainstream)

by James, Sandy

  Could this little tête-à-tête she’d stumbled upon have anything to do with the awful things that had happened to her husband earlier in the day? Maybe the horses hadn’t spooked and the gunshot hadn’t been a stray. Maybe they weren’t accidents after all.

  Caroline might be a selfish little brat, but surely she wouldn’t have someone try to hurt James, not when she wanted him so badly. Plus she’d been with them when the gun shot whizzed through the bar.

  That left Hank. His personality sure didn’t fit the mold of a person who played sniper and tried to shoot an unarmed man.

  Susan needed to help James. If danger stalked him here, then she’d make damn sure she got him to that destiny rock and out of River Bend as fast as possible.

  Pressing herself hard against the wall, she tried to gather more information. All her answers would be found when he was.

  “Hank, sugar, you promised. Remember? Just let me see that Big Jim’s okay, then we’ll come right back here.”

  “Carrie…”

  His protest was drowned out by the sounds of them kissing, and Susan saw their shadows merge. Caroline had quite a way with convincing Hank to do exactly what she wanted, and he was obviously male enough to think with his groin instead of his brain. Susan rolled her eyes in exasperation.

  “Fine,” he finally said as their shadows separated. “But you can only stay a few minutes. I’ll take you to the cabin, you’ll see he’s fine, then I’m gonna bring you right back here. No arguments.”

  “Promise. Cross my heart.”

  Susan almost snorted a laugh at the fake sincerity in Caroline’s voice. There was something more going on here, something more than even Hank knew.

  Desperate to follow them, Susan searched her mind, flashing back to this afternoon at the river. Cain had been going to check on some trapping cabin nearby. That had to be the cabin Hank mentioned. Had they known then what was planned for James? Was Cain the one who took the shot at him? She didn’t know enough about the cowboy to judge his personality. She added a third name to her suspect list.

  As Hank dragged Caroline down the alley, Susan ducked down behind a cord of firewood. They passed by without noticing her. Hank tossed Caroline up onto his horse and climbed into the saddle behind her. As they rode away, Susan followed, wishing she had the time to go for help.

  She was on her own.

  * * * *

  A sigh of relief followed when the clearing came into view and Susan saw the cabin in the moonlight filtering through the thick pines.

  Following Hank’s horse hadn’t been difficult because he rode slowly, probably to keep his horse from losing his footing in the darkness. She knew the area well from her long trips scouting for the rock.

  As Hank helped Caroline down from his horse, Susan considered charging in and catching them all by surprise. She talked herself out of that tactic when she saw the gun strapped against Hank’s hip. Not that she feared he’d use it on her, but then again, she’d already misjudged the boy once when she thought he had kind eyes. Those kind eyes belonged to one of the people who had kidnapped her husband. Until she knew exactly what was happening and the danger Hank posed to James, she’d bide her time and glean as much information as she could.

  Susan ducked behind a large fallen tree, watching the drama unfold before her and hoping to catch snippets of the conversation.

  Hank tied the reins of his gelding on a small tree stump. That was when she noticed the other horse. As Cain stepped out of the cabin, she whispered a curse when she saw the gun resting against Cain’s hip. Two stupid teenagers with guns sure didn’t bode well, and it wasn’t as if Caroline had a single ounce of common sense or self-control.

  This just kept getting worse and worse.

  “I told you she didn’t belong out here,” Cain scolded, his voice hard and angry. “You should’ve let me take care of this. She’s nothin’ but trouble, and you damn well know it.”

  Caroline actually stomped her foot like a spoiled toddler. “Hank, you can’t let him talk to me that way. I’m not trouble.”

  Hank’s snorted laugh hung in the air. “You most certainly are.”

  She pushed past the cowboys to enter the cabin, and it took all of Susan’s strength not to run after her. No doubt that James was inside that cabin. Hank and Cain ducked through the small door and shut it behind them, effectively ending any chance Susan had of figuring out their plans.

  Silently counting, she gave herself five minutes of waiting. If they didn’t come out by then, she would have to think of a plan to get herself inside that cabin.

  Chapter 22

  The first thing James became aware of was the roar in his ears. Then the pain in his head hit full force, strong enough he felt as if his skull would explode. Thank God, he’d already been lying down. He groaned, keeping his eyes squeezed shut and trying to breathe slow and easy to bring the nausea under control.

  Panic sizzled through him when he finally forced his eyes open and tried to sit up. His hands and ankles were bound, making him feel helpless. Between the nausea and the fear, he had to swallow hard a few times to keep what little food he’d eaten in his stomach. After a short, unsuccessful struggle against the ropes binding his wrists, he finally sat up.

  Taking a careful look around the place, he didn’t recognize a thing. He sat on a metal cot that had a thin, musty-smelling mattress. Not even wanting to think about what kind of vermin might live in the thing, he had to fight the urge to jump to his feet. His pounding head kept him sitting.

  The only light came from a small lantern sitting atop a wooden stool. Other than the bed, the stool, and a small table and chair, the place was empty. Not even a window so he could see where he was or figure out how long he’d been unconscious.

  Think, damn it.

  The last thing he remembered was practically sprinting back to the Golden Nugget because he was going to meet—

  Susan! What had happened to Susan? She was supposed to have her little good-bye talk with Daniel Miller and then meet James back in her room. Something had happened to him before he’d gotten to the saloon. God, he hoped she hadn’t been assaulted and kidnapped like he had.

  The sound of creaking wood drew James’s gaze to the only door. Odd that it pulled out instead of swung in. The thing had obviously been rigged to be locked from the outside. As it opened, he could see the couple silhouetted by the moonlight. They were already arguing.

  “See, Carrie?” Hank said, his voice harsh and scolding. He jerked his thumb to point at James. “Just like I told you. He’s fine. Now I can take you home to your pa.”

  When James’s eyes caught hers, Caroline’s face lit up in a welcoming grin, and in a flurry of satin skirts, she hurried into the cabin. He returned her smile with the meanest scowl he could fix on his face. Her smile vanished. “Aren’t you glad to see me, Big Jim?”

  James ignored her and spoke to Hank. “Why am I here?”

  Before he could answer, Cain came striding into the cabin. “Had to get you away for a spell,” he replied as if James had directed the question to him. Cain’s sullen frown appeared menacing, sending a quiver of warning racing through James.

  Hank put himself in front of Caroline when she tried to take a step toward the bunk. He glowered at James. “Cain and me needed to keep you from sniffing after Miz Susan’s skirts ’til Abigail can get her and Daniel in front of the preacher.”

  James’s throbbing head sure wasn’t helping him make sense of what Hank said. “Preacher? What in the hell are you talking about? Susan and Daniel and a preacher?”

  “Abigail said Daniel’s gonna marry Miz Susan tonight. She’s ’sposed to get Reverend Charles and take him to meet them.”

  Caroline tried to take another step toward the bunk. “Hank, sugar, let me see his head. He’s bleeding.”

  Looking first at Caroline then back to James, Hank started to nod before everything changed in a heartbeat.

  “Stop!” Cain swept his vest aside and pulled his Colt from hi
s holster. Cocking it, he aimed it at Caroline’s chest. “Step away from Big Jim.”

  Caroline’s eyes flashed fire. “Don’t you dare point that gun at me, Cain Butler.” She wagged her finger at him like she was scolding some naughty child, not a man pointing a gun at her.

  Hank grabbed Caroline’s arm and jerked her behind his back. “Cain? What in the hell are you doing? Put that gun down before someone gets hurt.”

  Cain stood his ground, still staring holes through Caroline from where she peeked over Hank’s shoulder. “You never thought about Hank at all, did you? Well, he’s my brother, and I thought about him.” He shook his head before shifting his gaze to Hank. “She lied to you. That girl lies like a damned rug.”

  Caroline wrapped her arms around Hank’s waist and pushed her face into his shirt. Her words were a bit muffled by the fabric. “Don’t know what you’re talking ’bout.”

  A derisive scoff erupted from Cain. “Sure you don’t. You’re a schemer to the very end, ain’t you? Figured you’d get exactly what you wanted and didn’t care a damn who got hurt. Go on, Hank. Ask her. Ask her why she’s really here to see Big Jim.”

  “Carrie?” Hank glanced over his shoulder. “What’s he mean?”

  She squeezed herself a little tighter into his back. “He’s crazy. That’s all. Just plain loco.”

  Hank’s heavy sigh hung in the air. “Damn it, Carrie. Now what have you gone and done?”

  James watched the teenaged melodrama playing before his eyes and saw a whole lot of backstabbing going on in that little cabin. The three of them had brought him here, but it seemed each had their own selfish reason for his capture and a different plan for what to do with him now.

  If he had it all straight, Hank wanted to help clear a path for Daniel to get to Susan. That probably meant he’d hold James at the cabin until the marital knot was tied.

  Caroline had agreed to help, but she clearly had a motive other than Daniel’s happiness. As if her selfishness came as any surprise. Her plans had to revolve around a wedding, but James figured she might be stupidly targeting him as the groom.

  The gun pointing at Caroline said that Cain had expected a shift in her alliance. Cain represented a wild card because James didn’t have a clue as to his ultimate motive. The Colt didn’t give him a whole lot of peace of mind.

  Funny, but none of these ignorant kids seemed to consider that Susan wouldn’t be easily manipulated into marrying Daniel. James never once worried that she would. Not only didn’t she love Daniel, but James knew she was now as committed to their marriage as he was. No, she wouldn’t marry Daniel Miller. He just didn’t think blurting out the fact that she was already married would do anything except make matters worse.

  Unsure of how much time had passed, he wondered if she realized he’d vanished. If she did, he had little doubt she’d be whipping River Bend into a frenzy to find him. His confidence in her was the one shining beacon that helped him harness his fear that this would all end in tragedy, especially with three total idiots squaring off for some kind of battle of wills in the middle of that dingy cabin.

  For now, he’d watch closely for any chance to end this ridiculous plan of theirs and pray stupid kids and firearms didn’t make a tragic combination.

  “She’s nothin’ but trouble, Hank. Always has been, always will be.” Cain now had the gun pointed at Hank, but James sure didn’t think he would shoot his friend, the guy he’d called his brother. “Ask her why she had to come out here and check on that varmint.”

  Hank turned enough to grab Caroline’s shirt and drag her in front of him. Holding her by the upper arms, he gave her a shake that made her blonde curls bounce around her shoulders. “What’s he talking ’bout, Carrie? You were here to make sure Big Jim was fine, right?”

  “That’s right, sugar. Just to see he’s not hurt bad. I told you, Cain’s crazy.”

  A slow growl rose from Hank’s chest. He stared hard at her then shifted his gaze to James. Another growl echoed from the boy. “You’re here for him, ain’t you? Not to check on him but to be with him.”

  Cain nodded as Caroline shook her head.

  Hank gave her another shake. “Tell me, damn it!”

  “Fine.” She stomped her foot. “I’m here for Big Jim.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I wanna marry him!”

  “But I love you, Carrie.” The hurt in Hank’s voice echoed through the room. “I wanna marry you. Why would you want him?”

  “I can’t stay here, Hank! I can’t live in this pissant town my whole life. Big Jim can take me to the big city, to Chicago.”

  Now might be the time to remind her that he already had a wife and that it would take nothing short of the threat of imminent and painful death to get him to even kiss the selfish brat. Take Caroline to Chicago? Not in a million years.

  “Why did you come here, though?” Hank asked. “I’m here. Cain’s here. You can’t be alone with Big Jim.”

  “’Cause Abigail’s coming here with Reverend Charles and my daddy. When they find Big Jim and me alone in this cabin, he’ll have to marry me.”

  “Alone? Alone? You mean you expected Cain and me to just go and leave you two here?”

  Her face scrunched up in concentration. Clearly, she’d discovered a gigantic hole in her less-than-brilliant plan. Caroline was the Wild West’s version of a dumb blonde. “I was gonna stay and tell you to go back to the dance while I fixed Big Jim up from when you snatched him.”

  “And you think I would’ve just…left?”

  “But you always do what I ask you to. Always.”

  Another derisive snort came from Cain. “Always. Need to learn to think above your gunbelt, Hank.”

  Hank’s mouth set into a hard, grim line. James admired the guy’s restraint at not giving that girl the tongue lashing she so richly deserved. “Not anymore, Carrie,” the cowboy finally said. “Not ever again. I swear, sometimes I don’t think you’ve got the brains God gave a sheep.”

  Cain hadn’t lowered the weapon, and he sure didn’t look amused by Hank’s quip. An angry man and a gun didn’t make a good combo, especially since Cain seemed to be pissed at James as well as Caroline. The cowboy pointed his free hand at one of the dark corners of the cabin. “Hank, you and Caroline need to move. Now. Move over there.”

  James thought it odd that Hank’s face broke out in a grin. Then he realized why. When Li’l Jim and the reverend arrived, it wouldn’t be James facing the barrel of a shotgun as he took wedding vows. It would be Hank, effectively giving the guy exactly what he wanted.

  God help the poor boy with Caroline Simon as a wife.

  But where exactly does that leave me?

  “I don’t wanna stay here now,” Caroline whined. “Take me home, sugar. We can’t be here alone when Daddy comes. I can’t marry a…a…cowboy.”

  With a shake of his head, Hank pushed her back in the corner. She cried, pouted, and wailed at him to let her leave, but he finally put his hand over her mouth. “You’re done telling me what to do.”

  Cain stepped over, pulled a knife from his boot, and slit the ropes holding James’s ankles together. “On your feet.” He pointed the gun at the door. “Time to go.”

  * * * *

  Just as Susan reached two hundred and had decided five minutes was simply too long to wait, the door to the cabin banged open.

  Her heart leapt, pounding out a rhythm she wasn’t sure would ever settle to normal again. She’d been right about the trapper’s cabin. Thank God Cain had stumbled across them that afternoon or she wouldn’t have even known where to begin to look for her husband.

  Cain had a gun, and it was pointed at James. None of this made any sense. James’s wrists were bound behind his back, and Cain gave him a shove toward one of the two horses tethered near the cabin. If they rode away too fast, she’d never be able to follow them because she hadn’t had time to fetch Tobacco. If she jumped out, Cain might just shoot someone in surprise.

  “Get on,” Cai
n said, putting his gun in the holster and giving James a rough boost into the saddle.

  James could barely ride, let alone ride with his hands tied behind his back. If that horse took off, he’d have no way to stop it. She crept closer, hoping to catch Cain in a moment of distraction so she could grab James’s horse.

  Throwing himself into the saddle of the other horse, Cain steered the animal close to James’s mount, grabbed the loose reins, and rode away at a brisk trot. James bounced around in the saddle, trying to keep his balance.

  Susan scurried after them, darting from tree to tree to keep Cain and James in her sight until she could find the right opportunity to end this stupid game.

  * * * *

  Out of breath and terrified she would lose the men she followed, Susan leaned heavily against a tall pine when Cain stopped the horses in the middle of a large clearing.

  Moonlight trickled between the trees, and she tried to slow her frantic breathing and watch to see what Cain would do next. The only thing that kept her from rushing in was that damned Colt. No, she needed to be careful so someone didn’t end up getting a bullet wound. She whispered a silent prayer that this whole thing would somehow turn out right.

  Cain grabbed James’s arm and dragged him off his horse. Her husband tumbled to the ground, landing on his shoulder and hip. He rolled to kneel and fired a mean frown at Cain. “Now what?”

  Cain pulled his Colt from the holster and started pacing back and forth. “I told Abigail I’d put you on the next train outta town. But that’s not enough. Not now.”

  “Not enough?”

  “I can send you to California, but you’d just come back. I seen you with Miz Susan. Don’t matter that she marries Daniel. You’d be back.”