“Just remind him to stay out of Arizona or I’m done for. I’d better get along before someone sees us together. I’ll contact you later.”
Curly caught her elbow to halt her and suggested, “If you help me git that gold and stay with me a few nights, I’ll drop off Ferris’s payroll and forgit about Rogue.”
Carrie Sue knew she couldn’t do as he demanded, sleep with him, not after Rogue, not for any reason. She mused, what to do? If she coldly spurned him, all was lost. If she sought T.J.’s help and confessed the truth, all was lost. If she duped Curly, he would expose Darby’s location and get her captured. Desperately she replied, “Give me a day or two to work out the details. Make sure we aren’t seen together again or someone might get curious about both of us.”
Curly James grinned at the prospect of laying his hands on a golden treasure and a fiery one. He had wanted this woman for ages, but Darby always kept the men away from his sister, even his friend Kadry Sams. Now she was in a bind as snug as wet rawhide and had no choice but to lean his way. If she liked him in bed, maybe she would take off with him after he finished his business for Ferris, which he had no intention of dropping, especially with Rogue sweet on her. He didn’t want that gunslinger tailing them because of her. Of course taking Carrie Sue would rile his boss Harding something terrible, but he would betray any man for lots of gold and the Texas Flame, even dangerous men like Harding and Ferris. He had planned to do Ferris’s job while waiting for Darby to surface again to join him. After finding where the gang was holed up and learning their plans, he knew he had time to complete it before going back to work for Harding again. Now, he wouldn’t need Harding’s job. “It’s a deal, Carrie Sue.”
She cautioned, “Don’t call me that again or someone might hear you. I’m Miss Carolyn Starns, schoolmarm, here. I’ll contact you soon. Where are you staying?”
“The Morris Hotel, room ten. Let me hear from you by Friday.”
“You will. It’s a promise, Curly. Thanks.” She smiled and left.
T.J. witnessed the curious interaction between the beautiful woman he loved and the violent outlaw he was waiting here to kill. He had seen Curly James in town this morning and had been dogging him for a chance to cause a legal showdown. He wondered what they were talking about and how they knew each other, as their conversation seemed too friendly to suit him. Had they met while she was passing through Texas, where Curly was from? Didn’t she know who and what that blond was? Something wasn’t right here…
T.J. intentionally bumped into Curly James. The sunnyhaired man gaped at him, recalling where and how they had met. T.J. was aware that Curly’s fingers were stroking his gunbutt and the man was tense.
Martin Ferris walked up and commented, “I see you found him, Mr. James. This man has been looking for you, Rogue.”
T.J. noticed the look of astonishment which filled Curly’s eyes.
The outlaw swallowed hard and tried to master his infuriating rush of fear. “You’re T.J. Rogue?” he finally asked, wondering why Quade hadn’t told him that fact before he barbwired this man to a tree. If he had known, he could have killed Rogue that day.
“Yep. We have some old business to settle, don’t we?” he said with a cold smile.
“You two know each other?” Martin inquired, baffled.
“We’ve met before, but we weren’t properly introduced. Were we, Curly?” There was a steely edge to T.J.’s voice and gaze.
“Why don’t we step into the street and git it done?” Curly sneered, his false courage having returned. He mentally cursed Quade for getting him into this bind. He had heard that Rogue was good, but hatred made an opponent even more dangerous. Curly thought of his Brownwood boss and chuckled. Quade would be the one in a tight bind when Curly didn’t carry out his part of their bargain!
“You calling me out?” T.J. asked loudly for the witnesses who had gathered around them.
“If you ain’t no coward, Rogue, you’ll give me satisfaction.”
“I guess I’ll be obliged to send you back to your maker below. You’ll count for us, won’t you, Ferris?”
“I’ll be more than happy to,” Martin answered with a grin. Curly had been too late to do that stage job which had caused him problems, but not too late to rid him of this intimidating foe.
The two gunslingers stepped into the street. Martin counted off the paces and the men halted. Slowly they turned. “On three!” Martin shouted, rubbing his hands together in eagerness.
T.J.’s left hand was hanging loose at his side. His right one was poised near his waist as if he were planning to use it, and he knew Curly James would watch the wrong hand. He waited.
Carrie Sue had seen the action beginning from the store window. She had hurried to the doorway and listened to the men’s conversation. How, she mused worriedly, did T.J. and Curly know each other? Yet, Curly had looked shocked to learn the black-haired man was Rogue! Who had Curly believed he was? The hatred between them was thick and black like mud in the bottomlands. What was the “old business” to be settled between them? It looked as if Curly was going to try to do his job for Martin Ferris, which she hadn’t doubted for a moment, but not this soon. Was the Rogue as good as legend claimed? She dearly hoped so.
Martin counted to three and a flurry of action took place. T.J. drew his left revolver, fired twice, and replaced it before Curly’s gun cleared its holster. Suddenly Curly lay in a heap on the dusty street. Never had she seen a man pull a gun, fan the hammer, and shoot as swiftly and accurately as T.J. Rogue had done. If she had blinked, she would have missed everything! She asked herself if Curly James was the reason for T. J. coming to Tucson. Had he been waiting for this “old business” and showdown before leaving? Did he know Martin Ferris had hired Curly to slay him? It was terrible, but she was relieved by the outcome of the gunfight, because now Curly couldn’t betray or blackmail her, and T.J. was uninjured. Her peril was over for now. Yet, she wished she had asked Curly if Darby had told him she was here. And, she wondered if the other job he had mentioned was the foiled holdup. That would have given her evidence against Martin. Then, she realized she couldn’t have used it.
The sheriff came running down the street. Ben Myers went to where T.J. was standing beneath the sun, calm as a windless day. The two men chatted for a few minutes, then shook hands! Wariness filled her. Why was T.J. always gunning down outlaws? Had he lied to her about being a bounty hunter? Or was he something else? Carrie Sue wondered what was going on…
Carrie Sue walked rapidly toward the boarding house to do some serious thinking, but T.J. caught up with her.
“Wait just a minute, woman,” he ordered sternly. When she turned to face him, he read doubt and fear in her gaze. “I saw you back there.”
Carrie Sue misunderstood his hint. She alleged, “He wanted directions and information, but I told him I couldn’t help him because I was new here. He started flirting with me, but I set him straight. I told him I didn’t like gunslingers. You surely do a lot of killing,” she murmured in an attempt to focus the attention away from her.
T.J. knew she was lying and he needed to learn why, but later. “I meant, I saw you during and after the showdown. I’m sorry you had to see something like that. What else could I do, Carolyn? He called me out in front of witnesses. If I’d backed down, he’d have kept pushing until I got riled and fought him, or I’d have gotten a reputation as a coward. Besides, he’s one of the men who barbwired me to that tree in Texas. We had an old score to settle. Myers said there’s a reward out on him now, so he wasn’t as smart as he believed he was. He was thanking me for taking him on ‘cause the sheriffs old and slow with a gun. Curly James would have killed him in a showdown.”
“Was Curly James the reason you were lingering in Tucson?”
Rogue knew she had learned the truth about the rewards and his horse, and he guessed those were the real reasons behind the note she’d sent him. He had left her alone since Monday afternoon, but had planned to see her tonight to straighten ou
t the misunderstanding which he had created to explain his continued presence. She did not want him to leave her alone, he had reasoned, and she was not that afraid of Ferris, the town council, or of losing her job here! She had been angered, hurt, and alarmed by his lies. She had to wonder why he had duped her and others, and she had to question his honesty about his feelings for her. But, why hadn’t she confronted him about those deceits? She was a brave and forthright woman, but a proud and cautious one. No matter her reasons for spurning him and for writing the seemingly desperate note, he had to earn her trust and respect again.
He replied carefully, “Yep, but I couldn’t tell you I was lying in wait to kill a man. I caught up with his friends and they told me they were to meet him in El Paso to head here for a job. Their tongues got real loose after I barbwired them back-to-back. I was afraid Curly wouldn’t show up when they failed to meet him as planned. It’s my guess Ferris hired them for that holdup, but Curly got waylaid somewhere. You can bet he’s worked for Ferris before, because men like Ferris don’t use their own men for dirty work and risk exposure. I’m sure he hired Curly to kill me for thwarting his plans for that gold and you.” He breathed deeply before saying, “You already know I didn’t tell you the truth about those rewards and Nighthawk. Is that why you’re mad at me?”
“After what Curly and those men did to you, I don’t blame you for making them pay. I suppose you’ll be moving on now.”
She didn’t answer his last question, and he didn’t press her. That telegram had told him Curly was on the way, and Darby was on the move again. He had to get to Texas. “I’ll be pulling out at dawn, but I’ll send word where you can locate me in case you have trouble with Ferris and need my help. I hate for that bastard to outdo me, but you know we can’t prove he was behind that robbery attempt or that he hired Curly to gun me down. Seems he made a mistake there, one he won’t take lightly. I best move on to prevent trouble for both of us.”
Carrie Sue realized she had to let their relationship end here in the open, not in her room tonight. She wanted him badly, but it would only make losing him more painful. His business was done and he wasn’t hanging around because of her, so she needed to keep her pride and wits intact. “You’ve been a good friend, T.J., and I wish you luck wherever you go. Good-bye,” she said and shook his hand.
T.J. clasped it snugly between his and met her gaze. “I wish it could be different for us, Carolyn, but it can’t. You understand?”
Carrie Sue forced herself not to break their visual contact and expose the pain which was tearing through her soul. “Yes, I understand.”
“You sure you’ll be all right here?” he asked, his gaze tender.
She smiled and jested. “Of course I will be, Mr. Rogue. After seeing you in action today, Martin Ferris will be too scared to harm me.”
T. J. mentally added, Especially after I get rid of his three hirelings tonight. “Would you like to have a farewell supper tonight?”
She shook her head. “That wouldn’t be wise for either of us.”
“You aren’t sorry, are you?” he asked, needing to know.
“No, only sorry we are too different to make it work.”
T.J. breathed a deep sigh of relief. “If either of us ever changes—”
Carrie Sue squeezed his hand and interrupted, “Don’t say it because we won’t change, T.J. We can’t change and survive. Go celebrate your victory—the men in the saloon will be drinking to you all night.”
“You’re one unique woman, Carolyn Starns,” he murmured.
“Be careful, T.J.; Martin Ferris hates you.” She told him about the man’s slip about the picnic. “Watch your back, Rogue. An enemy like that doesn’t give up easily.”
“I’ll be careful, woman, and you do the same.”
She smiled radiantly and left him standing there. She was glad he had come after her to explain, to apologize, and to say good-bye. That told her he did care about her.
T.J. exhaled forcefully. Lordy, he hated to leave her behind, but he couldn’t ask her to go with him. And it wasn’t fair to her to try to see her tonight. By the time he finished his next task, maybe he would be ready to give up this wild life and settle down. And maybe she would still be willing to give him a chance. But that was months away.
T.J. was sprawled on his bed, trying to get some sleep before dawn. He wanted to sneak over to see his woman, but he didn’t want to make his leaving any harder than it was on her. He had read the pain and disappointment in her gaze, and he was feeling the same way.
A knock sounded softly at his door. He came to alert. Surely it wasn’t Carolyn taking such a risk to see him one last time! He opened the door. A man hurried inside and bolted it. T.J. eyed him inquisitively. “What are you doing in Tucson?”
“Trying to protect your cover, Thad. Captain McNelly got your telegram and sent me to see you about it. I was in Tombstone tracking down the Kelly boys, so I rode here as soon as I got his message. None too soon from what I heard tonight about your run-in with Curly James today. Now that’s over, you can move on to the Stover case. I’ve been ordered to partner up with you.”
T.J. stared at Texas Ranger Joe Collins, an old and close friend. Joe was one of the few men who knew his real identity, and they had worked together many times in the past. “Captain McNelly has agreed to let me take it on? He’s been fighting me on it. I told him if he didn’t relent I was going to resign and take it anyway.”
Joe Collins replied, “He thought you were too personally involved to keep a clear head. He didn’t want you getting yourself killed. He thinks you’ve probably settled down by now. If anyone can get to that gang, it’s Thaddeus Jamison. Curly was one of those men who did that barbwire number on you, wasn’t he?”
T.J. glanced down at his scars and said, “Yep, the last one except for Quade Harding. Are Will Clarke and Captain McNelly still having Harding watched?” T.J. asked, referring to a Texas sheriff, and to Capt. L.H. McNelly of the Texas Ranger Special Force—one of his bosses. When he was in that trouble over killing a deputy, President Grant had come to his rescue with the offer of exoneration if he’d go to work as an undercover Special Agent and U.S. Marshal. Thaddeus Jerome Jamison had accepted the entwined jobs and been at them for years. As a cover, he had used the reputation of a famed gunslinger and the name Rogue, which he’d chosen because he’d often been called a savage rogue during his orphanage days. Two years ago he had added Texas Ranger to his jobs, a position that gave him all the authority he needed anywhere and any time to accomplish the most difficult and dangerous assignments, if he couldn’t carry them out as Rogue and remain undercover.
Joe replied, “They know the Hardings are gobbling up land illegally. All they have to do is get evidence against them. You can’t work on them again because they know your face. Besides, you can do more as T.J. Rogue than as Thad Jamison, Ranger,” he remarked.
Half the time all he felt like was a hired killer who was paid and ordered to clean up the dirty West. “Yep, I can kill off lots of scum as Rogue. Just make sure they get Harding for me, or I’ll have to give it another go,” he warned. “Before you join me, Joe, contact Charlie Shibell. Have him check out a man named Martin Ferris. He owns a big ranch and silver mine.” T.J. related the facts and his suspicions about the attempted holdup of the gold shipment and the probable murder of Helen Cooper which he wanted the Pima County Sheriff to investigate. “I thought it would look odd if Rogue contacted an Arizona lawman. Since I couldn’t use a coded telegram, I was afraid Ferris might get hold of my message to him. I planned to wire Charlie after I left town.”
“You had trouble with Ferris years ago when you worked on the Carillo case. He still after you?” Joe inquired.
“Yep. But he’s after a friend of mine more, Carolyn Starns. She’s the woman I rescued on the stage and we’ve gotten pretty close. Ferris has his mind set on getting her, like he did on Helen Cooper. I want Charlie to make certain he doesn’t harm her. Handle it for me while I get a lead on the
Stover Gang. Headquarters is keeping a file on their attacks, watching for a pattern. I need to learn what they’ve done since that Forth Worth job Monday. I haven’t been asking about them ‘cause I figured it might entice me to head after them before I finished this task. After you see Charlie, join me in El Paso at Mitch’s.”
“That’s why I’m here. That holdup Miss Starns survived near Sherman was pulled by the Stover Gang. She might be able to give us some information about them. Your friend Jacob was killed on that stage, so McNelly wants that gang as badly as you.”
“They murdered Arabella and Marie in March. Now they got Jacob. If they give me any trouble, I won’t bring them in alive.”
“I know, Thad. I’m sorry about your family and friend.”
“Me, too. I hadn’t seen Tim since I was seven. When I heard the name Major Timothy David Jamison, I couldn’t believe he was still alive. Those Mexican bandits got him before we could be reunited.” He gritted his teeth.
Joe Collins thought about T.J.’s three badges: U.S. Marshall, Department of Justice for President Grant, and Texas Ranger for L.H. McNelly of the Special Force. Few people knew about Thad Jamison, but plenty were aware of the legendary gunslinger named T.J. Rogue. Thad took on secret missions, reaching far and wide, ignoring perils and hardship to solve crimes and stop criminals. Thad did those jobs other men couldn’t handle and didn’t want. Joe didn’t like, respect, or trust any man more than this one.
“Old man Harding is the one who’s offered the biggest rewards for the Stover Gang’s capture. They used to harass him all the time. Quade’s the one who furnished the names and descriptions for their new posters, claimed he got them from a detective he hired to track them down. He wants them real bad, even Darby Stover’s sister. But there’s something strange going on there—her poster says “Alive Or No Reward.” He’s raised it to ten thousand each for the sister and brother, and he’s even offering five each on the others. That Texas Flame is a real beauty, Thad. Flaming red hair to her waist and strange blue eyes. I brought along one of her new posters; it has a different sketch. Take a look,” he said, withdrawing the paper from his pocket and unfolding it. “Did you ever see prettier eyes or hair? She looks as innocent as an angel. ‘Course we know she isn’t. A real shame she went bad.”
Kiss Of The Night Wind Page 17