The word “love” plucked at his heart. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to keep Odessa safe. But how could he do that if he was a wanted man, or even worse, dead? Why had he been such a blithering idiot and agreed to this?
“I been thinking about a way to get out of this.” T.J.’s voice sliced the silence.
“I’m listening.” Zach cocked his head.
“What do you say we turn the tables and take control? I’ve got a bad feeling if we carry out this plan, either way, we’re going to end up dead. I don’t trust Spence or the other two.”
Zach leaned out and made sure no one else was near. “Do you think we could take ‘em?”
“We’ll have to whittle down the numbers and make it even.”
“How?”
“I have some rope back on my mount. Axel would be easy to take out. He’s watching for the stage. Pete and Burt are down front waiting, they won’t be any the wiser.”
“Me or you?”
“Me. I’ll simply sneak up on him, give him a gun butt across the head, tie him up, and muzzle him with his bandana. You come along as backup, but when the stage stops, follow my lead.”
Zach nodded. “I hate to admit it, but my legs feel like jelly.”
T.J. smiled. “Mine, too, but if we’re going to make a move, we have to act now.”
Zach followed behind as T.J. climbed back up to where the horses were tied. His heart thundering in his chest, Zach walked softly and stayed close to the rock’s base while T.J. crept to the horses. Zach held his breath, hopping the animals wouldn’t whinny and draw attention. They didn’t.
“Got it,” T.J. whispered and held out his lasso. He began climbing to where Axel lay. Zach pulled his pistol and kept watch.
He heard nothing but his pulse in his own head. In a few minutes, T.J. was back, breathing heavily but smiling.
“How’d it go?” Zach whispered.
“Piece a cake. He’s out like a light, hogtied with his bandana stuffed in his mouth and mine tied around it. He’s goin’ nowhere anytime soon.”
“Now what’d we do?”
“Let’s get back down and watch for the stage.”
“Then what?”
“Just take your cues from me. We’re gonna be sure to get our money. Just not exactly as Spence planned.”
Zach shook his head and sucked his bottom lip between his teeth. Was he making a bigger mistake by following T.J.?
“I’ve never hanged a man. It is the law that has done it.” —Judge Parker
Chapter Twenty One
Odessa paced the room. Boredom and worry had become her constant companions and she grew weary of them. She’d spent most of the day combing Charleston for another job, but there were none to be had. A family ran the mercantile, the eateries were all well-staffed, and although Sheriff Brody displayed an ad in his window for a deputy, she wasn’t suited or equipped for the job. Shoulders sagging, she’d returned to the boarding house.
She stared at the jar of coins on the dresser. Her room and board was paid through the end of the week, but surely Zach would be back before that. How long could it take to rob a stage? Did she have enough money to get to Phoenix? She had no idea about the costs of things, though a small voice warned she might have to learn. She turned a deaf ear.
Her jaw tightened. Why couldn’t she have talked him out of such a dangerous plan? The foolishness. If he truly loved her, why hadn’t he found another way to make money? She gnashed her teeth. How fair was she to condemn him for not listening? She hadn’t heeded his warnings either. Maybe if…when God brought him back safe and sound, they could grow old together and build a decent future—like Ma and Pa had done until…
Tears clouded her eyes. She’d never felt so alone in her life.
The room grew stifling and too confining. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her it must be dinnertime—or past. She ran a brush through her hair, blotted her eyes, and slipped out the door. A mixture of wonderful cooking smells greeted her on the landing and made her mouth water.
She descended the stairs and met the uncomfortable stare of the skinny boarding house clerk. He stood at the dining room door and viewed her as if she was on the menu. “Well, Miz Clay, don’tcha look mighty pretty.” The spittle in the corner of his toothless mouth almost killed her appetite. In her discomfort, she fisted her hands in her skirt.
“I’d like a table for one, please.” She flashed a polite smile, but wished him gone. He certainly didn’t look like Mrs. Hughes, the person for whom the boarding house was named. Maybe his mother? An aunt? Regardless, she pitied the woman.
The clerk raised a hand in the air and snapped his fingers at the apron-clad redhead who’d treated Odessa with such disregard before. “Bess, give Miz Clay our best table, and dessert is on the house.”
The server rolled her eyes at him, but waved Odessa to a table in the corner. “Will this do your Highness?” She sneered and pulled out a chair.
Odessa sat, but cocked her head toward the woman. “I have no idea why you dislike me so. If serving me upsets you to the point of rudeness every time, point me to the kitchen and I’ll fetch my own dinner.”
The server released a heavy sigh. “I reckon I’m just tired.” Her nasty attitude melted away before Odessa’s eyes. The woman put pencil to pad. “What can I get you this evenin’?”
Odessa lifted her nose and inhaled. “Do I smell beef stew?”
“Yep, you do.”
“I’ll have that… and a hot biscuit?”
“Comin’ right up.” Bess turned away, but glanced back. “And I ‘pologize for my behavior. I’ve had about all I can stand of my brother and his high-handed ways of runnin’ this place.”
Odessa widened her eyes. “The clerk… he’s your brother?”
Bess nodded. “Unfortunately. When our mother died, she left this place to us, but Rooney acts like he’s the boss and I’m only someone he hired off the street. In fact, he won’t pay anyone to help me…thinks I can do it all: cook, clean, serve, change the bedding. He does nothing but stand behind the counter and snap orders at me. I have a good mind to—”
“I’m sorry you’re so troubled.” The last thing Odessa wanted was to be dragged into anyone else’s problems. She didn’t mean to cut the woman short, but had enough worries of her own. Besides, now she was really hungry.
“Oh, fiddle dee dee,” Bess exclaimed with a wave of her hand. “Here I am telling you my tale of woe, and you don’t know me from Adam. Let me get your dinner.” She scurried into the kitchen.
Odessa’s gaze wandered to the gaily papered walls and the other patrons in the room. Utensils scraped against china, and voices engaged in conversation created a low murmur. What she wouldn’t give if Zach were there to enjoy dinner with her. Where was he? Was he alive and well? She imagined his beautiful eyes staring back across the table at her. Too bad, it was only an illusion. She sighed.
A makeshift calendar on the far wall with red checks marking the days caught her attention. The month: May… and if the calculations shown were right, her birthday was less than a week away. The only gift she wanted could be anywhere by now.
* * * *
“Here comes the stage.” T.J. pointed to a dust cloud in the far distance.
Zach’s shaking hand rested on the butt of his holstered gun. “I’m nervous as a bug on a lily pad in a pond fulla frogs.” He chuckled, but the lump in his throat belied his attempt to be light-hearted.
“Don’t fret. Jes follow me.” T.J. walked back up the trail they rode in on.
Obeying, Zach crept along with his friend, but his nervous gaze darted back over his shoulder. “Where are we going?” he whispered.
“To meet the stage.”
Zach stopped dead in his tracks. “Are you crazy?”
T.J. swiveled aro
und, his brows arched. “I know what I’m doing,” he hissed. “If we use the boulder to keep out of the other two’s line of vision, we’ll catch the stage before it gets here.”
“Then what?”
“We’re gonna tell the driver and guard we know there’s a planned holdup ahead.” He continued onward. “Now quit wasting time with questions or you’re going to spoil everything.”
“All right.” Zach followed. “You’re the boss,” he muttered.
After what seemed ten minutes, T.J. halted. “This’ll do.”
“But,” Zach fretted. “Won’t Pete and Burt notice the coach stopping?”
“Look,” T.J. pointed. “There’s a definite hump in the trail. Once the stage dips down, we’ll make our move. Spence and that oaf with him can’t see from their hiding place.”
Zach flashed a pointed look at his companion. “I’m puzzled how you know the layout of the land so well. I’m starting to think you had this planned all along.”
T.J. winked and smiled.
Zach wondered if he’d jumped from a log into the flames. What made him so sure he could trust T.J.? The heat he’d ignored because of nerves and worry now seemed more intense and stifling. He swiped at the sweat on his brow and released a pent-up breath. He’d come too far to turn back now.
He waited for T.J. to make the first move. As soon as the stage barreled down the incline, T.J. stepped out and began waving his arms. “Wait up!”
Zach gestured, too, but still fearing the outcome, kept a wary eye on T.J.
“Whoa, gals,” The man holding the reins leaned back, planted his boot against the footboard and brought the stage to a halt. The fellow riding guard atop pointed a rifle at T.J. and Zach. Beneath a sweat-stained hat and bushy brows, the driver peered down at them. “What the hell’s going on here?”
T.J. fished in his front pant pocket and pulled out a badge. “I’m Deputy T.J. Bennett from Maricopa County. I’m here to warn you that the Spence gang is waiting ahead to stage a hold up and relieve you of the payroll you have on board.”
Worried faces peered out the windows: an older man and woman, a girl not yet in her teens, and a man of the cloth.
Zach looked from T.J. to the passengers then back to T.J. again, his brow arched, his eyes wide. “Deputy?”
“Sorry, I couldn’t tell you. But I had to make sure you were as honest as I believed you to be.”
“B-but…back in Phoenix?”
T.J. held up his hand. “I don’t have time to explain right now, but I will later, I promise. Right now, we have to take care of business.”
Zach nodded, but anger turned his blood fiery. What gave T.J. the right to play with someone’s life? Humbled by his own actions, Zach dipped his chin. No one had put a gun to his head and forced him to make a stupid decision. He’d done that all on his own. He took a breath. Thank God, he’d followed T.J. and taken the right path.
“Zach,” T.J. pointed. “Get inside. I’ll join you as soon as I discuss my plan with these gentlemen.”
Zach climbed aboard, amidst tense bodies pressing away from him. He flashed a friendly smile. “Things’ll be fine, folks. I’m with a Maricopa County lawman and we’re here to prevent a robbery.”
The gray-haired woman clasped her bosom. “Robbery?”
“Now, now, dear. Don’t give yourself a case of the vapors.” The older gentleman patted her hand. “I’m sure this strappin’ young man will see nothing happens to us.” He looked at Zach, hope shining in his eyes.
“I’ll do my best, sir.” He smiled at the young girl then nodded to the minister. “Parson, you might want to say a little prayer for us.”
A huge Adam’s apple bobbed above the man’s white collar. “I certainly will.” He closed his eyes then bowed his head.
T.J. opened the door on the coach’s opposite side and climbed in. “Howdy, folks. Sorry if we’ve frightened you, but I wager you’ll be happy we came along. This way, you get to keep your property, and more importantly, your lives.”
The woman passenger paled. “What do you mean?”
“Mr. Johnson and I are here to protect you, so try and relax. Nothing to worry about.”
Rolling his eyes, Zach pondered T.J.’s assurance. Not worry? Two hired guns…three if Axel had worked himself loose, were nothing to discount. Why hadn’t Zach listened to Odessa? Would he ever see her again? His palms dampened and a lump formed in his throat. What had happened to the brave man he professed to be?
The stage lurched forward. He braced himself with a boot against the seat, his heart beating a rapid cadence. Powdery dust thrown up by the wheels obscured the passing desert beyond the window and sifted through the coach. He pinched his nose to stop a sneeze.
“Get ready, Zach,” T.J. ordered. “We’re almost there.” He turned his attention to the passengers. “When the stage stops and we jump out, I want you people on the floor.”
The woman’s wide eyes plucked at Zach’s heart. She reminded him of his departed ma, and he felt a need to comfort her. He dared touch her knee. “Don’t worry, ma’am. This will all be over soon and you’ll be safely on your way.”
Her smile provided a reward, but his serenity ended when T.J. threw open the door while the coach still moved.
“Out we go,” he announced as he leapt to the ground and rolled. Zach took a deep breath and followed.
T.J. came to his feet with gun drawn and brows knitted together. “Let’s get this done.”
Zach drew his own pistol and slunk alongside the lawman. They scurried to catch up with the slow moving coach and ran alongside.
“Pull up!” Zach recognized Spence’s raspy voice.
Burt rode in front of the team and grabbed the reins. T.J. squeezed off a round and the plump man tumbled off his mount. Before Zach had a chance to circle the stage, another shot rang out. The noise pulled his gaze to the top of the coach, where the guard stood with rifle trained and still smoking. Looking in the direction the barrel pointed, he turned his head and saw Pete Spence slumped in his saddle. The man’s hand clutched his shoulder, and blood dripped through his fingers.
The driver looked down at Zach with a smile. “I guess they got more than they bargained for.”
“Zach,” T.J. called before he could answer. “Tie up the boss man, then go fetch Axel. Bring him down so we can tie him with the rest of this riffraff.”
The guard leapt down next to Pete Spence. “I’ll take care of this one; you go see to the other.”
Zach took a deep breath. Was it finally over? Had he escaped unscathed? He climbed the hill behind the boulder and scaled to the top. He drew his pistol and steeled himself for payback to the man who’d beaten him in the alley. But, instead of finding Axel, securely tied as they’d left him, only empty ropes lay on the rocky top. Zach’s breath hitched then swelled with urgency. “T.J., we have a serious problem.”
* * * *
After dinner, Odessa climbed the stairs back to her room. Bess had found time to take a break and sit with her for a while, and the welcome companionship avoided eating another meal alone. The woman wasn’t nearly as abrasive as she appeared, and like Flo, believed herself trapped in a life she hadn’t chosen. Pity, that two caring women were locked in such unhappiness. Odessa feared she might suffer the same fate, but struggled to remain certain of Zach’s return and a happy ending for them both. Rather than stay in Charleston, she’d find a way to Phoenix and her Aunt Susan—somehow.
The heat and mustiness of the room greeted her when she opened the door. The closed window kept out the bugs, which she considered far worse than the offensive heat. Growing up in Arizona, she knew nothing different. The gingham she wore clung to her like a second skin, and perspiration trickled between her breasts.
She marched straight to the washbowl and dampened a cloth, then bathed her heated face and ne
ck. The upstairs was so much hotter than the lobby. She arched her neck and drizzled the cooling liquid down her chest. “How much longer, oh Lord?” she asked, while her eyes were turned toward heaven. “I just want to go home, but I don’t even know where that is.” She mashed the wet cloth to her lips and stifled a sob.
“I take no sass but sasparilla.” —John Wesley Hardin
Chapter Twenty Two
Scuffing sounds alerted Zach to someone scaling the rock. T.J.’s face crested the boulder; his brows met in one giant curve when he spied the empty ropes.
“Damn,” he growled, pulling himself upright, “I thought I tied him good enough to keep him from escaping.”
“Where do you think he went?” Zach asked.
“No tellin’. And since we have no idea which way he went, tracking him is almost impossible.”
Zach frowned. “And I wanted the pleasure of personally delivering him to the law.”
T.J. laughed. “Right. If I remember, he gave you quite a welcome to town.” He slapped Zach on the back. “The important thing is we got the most wanted man. Pete Spence has a hefty price on his head. You’ll be able to pay off your pa’s debt and then some.”
A weight lifted from Zach’s shoulders. Finishing this whole ordeal, returning to Charleston for Odessa, and beginning a new life was what he wanted more than anything. His stress melted into a smile as he followed T.J. down to the coach where Pete and Burt sat tied against one of the multi-spoked wheels. Someone had opened Spence’s shirt and bandaged his shoulder. The kerchief pressed against the wound had already darkened with blood.
“Well, gentlemen,” T.J. addressed the driver and guard. “Thank you both for your help. We’ll take these two off your hands now and escort them to the nearest jail. It’s time they paid for their bad behavior.” He bent and yanked Spence to his feet by his collar, then Burt. “Go on, you two. Get mounted.”
“You’ll pay for this,” Spence leveled an icy stare at Zach. “No one double- crosses me and gets away with it.”
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