“And you don’t want your son Zach, a lawman, to have to turn in his own brother.”
The older woman frowned, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Why did you take Zach’s horse?”
Meg crossed her arms and gazed at the older woman. She looked a lot like Zach. She had the same earthy brown eyes, the same smile, and tough chin. Meg determined she was going to be honest with her, even if it got her nowhere. “We were riding together, me and Zach, chasing Simon, but I didn’t know our criminal was Zach’s brother. This morning I learned the truth, and I left Zach tied up in bed. When I got to the corral, I took off with his horse.”
The woman stared at her, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. Then a smile curled her lips, and she started to laugh. “I think you need to come in, sit down, and tell me this story from the beginning. You’re telling me a lot this old mind doesn’t comprehend. I mean, no one has ever gotten the best of Zach Gillespie. What’s your name, girl?”
“Meg McKenzie.”
The woman smiled and opened the door to the house wider to let Meg come through the portal. “You’re that girl Zach was going to ask to marry.”
Meg stepped through the door, removed her hat, and shook out her hair.
So it’d been true, he really had planned on asking her to marry him the night she’d tied him up and left him in town. He’d been serious.
“I’m sure you’re wondering how I knew, but he came to visit me and told me all about you.” She glanced at her clothes. “He said you liked to wear men’s clothes.”
“I hate wearing men’s clothes, but it’s all I have,” she said and remembered the beautiful dress Zach had bought for her. God, how she wished she hadn’t left the dress behind. She’d loved it. But she couldn’t take the dress and hate him at the same time. Though, she loathed going off and leaving that gown.
Patricia patted her on the arm. “Have a seat, Meg. I want to hear this story about you and my son. Then, if I think it’s right, I’ll tell you everything I know about Simon.”
An hour later, they were still talking, and Meg felt like she’d found someone who reminded her of her own strong-willed mother. She liked Zach’s mother and thought that if she had married Zach, they would have gotten along. But there was no chance of that ever happening. Now that she’d learned of Zach’s deceit, how could she ever trust him again? Though, somehow last night, he’d loved her body and soul enough to own a chunk of her heart. But without trust there was nothing. And there was no point in dreaming fanciful dreams of a man who she couldn’t have faith in.
“Tell me about Simon?” Meg asked. They’d talked about Zach and Meg the entire time with Meg telling her everything, except the fact they’d slept together. That little piece of information Patricia didn’t need to know.
The older woman shook her head and let out a deep sigh. “My sons mean the world to me. I love them all, but he’s been the most difficult one to raise. My biggest regret is marrying Simon’s father. Mr. Gillespie had been dead and gone for four years when I met John Trudeau. He was a fast-talking French man who swept me off my feet and had such great visions. We were married soon after we met, and then the real horror began.”
She paused for a moment and gazed around the room as if searching for her husband. “I got pregnant with Simon, and John began to visit the saloons. For years, I put up with him coming home smelling of whiskey and other women. Then one day when Simon was about fourteen, his father didn’t come home. We went into town to look for him, and he was standing in the middle of the street embroiled in a gunfight. While we watched, he was shot and killed. I don’t think the boy ever recovered from seeing his father shot dead.”
Meg felt a little compassion. The memory of her own father’s death washed over her like it was yesterday and not a year ago. The sight of his body lying helpless in the bed wrenched her stomach, and she realized how much her own life had changed because of his death. “That had to be hard. How about your other kids? How did they take it?”
Zach’s mother laughed, a hard sound coming from her tiny body. “My other sons were old enough that they knew this was a blessing because John would never be coming home drunk again. I think my second marriage is the reason Zach’s a sheriff. I think he wanted to make certain no other family had to put up with a sorry drunk.”
“He’s told me he loves his job,” Meg said, knowing Zach enjoyed being the town’s sheriff.
“And he’s good at it,” Patricia said, gazing at Meg.
“Yes,” Meg admitted, though she could still outshoot him.
“His brothers are important to him. He’s the oldest and he looked out for each of them when they were growing up. He loves them. Even Simon.”
The image of Ruby and Annabelle came to mind, and Meg thought about how much she loved her sisters. Obviously, Zach loved felt the same toward his brothers. Only her sisters had never committed a crime.
“Yes, but he told me he’d take Simon in if he found out his brother had killed that man.”
“He told me the same thing,” Patricia said, staring off into the distance. “I love all of my sons, even Simon. And if he killed someone, it will break my heart, but I know Zach will have to do his job. He will turn him in. But I asked him to investigate and find out the truth. Simon said he didn’t kill that man. That Frank killed him. I don’t know, but before I watch my son hang, I have to learn the truth.”
Meg felt her anger toward Zach simmer down. How could she stay mad at a man who was doing something so his mother could live with the consequences of his actions? How could she be angry with him when he was only a dutiful son to a loving mother?
She could be mad because he didn’t trust her enough to tell her. All he had to do was tell her that Simon was his brother and he was going to find out the truth before Simon hanged. A simple conversation. A simple acknowledgement that there was a connection between him and Simon.
But oh no, he’d kept his secret for as long as possible, would still be hiding his brother if she hadn’t learned the truth from his silly note.
“Do you know where Simon is?”
Patricia shook her head. “I don’t. He was here for a while, but I’ve not seen him in over a week. Zach told him to stay here and lay low until we learned the truth, but he’s gone and that makes me doubt his innocence.”
Meg didn’t know if Simon was innocent or guilty, and frankly, she didn’t care. There was a bounty on his head. It was up to a jury to determine his guilt or innocence. She wasn’t the executioner. She was just the deliverer.
“Let me fix you another cup of tea,” Patricia said, getting up.
Meg glanced at the clock. It was getting late in the afternoon. Zach would be arriving soon, and she wanted to leave before he showed up. She had no idea where she was going, but she hadn’t spoken to the widow Lowell. If she were the only witness, it would be imperative nothing happened to her. She could be in danger. If Simon had shot her husband, he might want to see her dead as well.
“Thanks, but I should be going. It’ll be dark soon, and I’d like to get on down the road a ways and set up camp.
The woman stared at her. “Do you enjoy catching criminals?”
Pausing to consider her question, Meg thought about it for a moment and then slowly shook her head. “Not really, but it beats being a saloon girl, and it pays better than being a seamstress. And I’m in charge of myself.”
Bounty hunting was a tough, dangerous job. She’d be glad to hang up her spurs and guns forever. But right now, it was the best paying job where she was in control, not working for a man who refused to pay, a restaurant owner who thought he deserved free desserts from his waitresses, or a spoiled college boy who didn’t understand the word no. Soon, this would all be behind her and her sisters, and they could live like normal folks.
The woman smiled. “That’s why I’m a rancher. I have control over my destiny. Sounds like you’re a self-sufficient woman, as well. Don’t ever let a man take that away from you.”
“
I’m doing my best,” Meg said as she rose from her chair in the small kitchen and pushed it under the table. “It was great to meet you, Mrs. Trudeau. I’m sorry I’m going to be the one who turns your son in.”
“What will you do with the money?” Zach’s mother asked.
“It’ll pay off the note on my family farm. Then my sisters will have a place and won’t have to be bounty hunters any longer.”
She nodded. “What will you do, Meg?”
The image of that green dress came to mind, and her heart clinched in sorrow. There would be other dresses like that one in her future. She would make certain of it. “I’m going to open up a dress shop.”
The woman’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“I’m good with a needle, and I love to create dresses. It’s just that there’s never been the money for me to own a dress of my own.” Meg hated admitting she had no money for a dress. And when she got home this time, the first thing she would do was buy herself a fancy new dress and let the people of Zenith see she could be a lady.
Patricia nodded, her large eyes shining with understanding. “I hope you don’t find Simon, but I do hope you get your dress shop. And if you see Zach again, tell him I said he should have married you.”
“Thanks,” Meg said, knowing with certainty it would have been a mistake. “We weren’t ready.”
“What about now?”
“Ha, now it’s impossible. He’s tied up in a hotel room, hating me right about now, and well, I’m not real happy with him either.”
The elderly woman smiled, her facial expression tearing at Meg’s heart. It reminded her of Zach so much she could feel tears welling up and she pushed the hurt down.
“Zach is like his father. Stubborn to a fault. He needs a strong woman who can challenge him and put him in his place. He’s a good man, but he’d walk all over a woman who doesn’t have a backbone. You have a backbone.”
Meg almost thought the woman was going to tell her to marry her son. And while part of Meg’s heart was interested, the other part was reminding her they had no trust between the two of them. What else was Zach keeping from her? What else had he lied about?
“Thanks for the cup of tea. When Zach shows up, tell him I’ve gone after Simon.”
Zach had had enough of Meg’s games. If that woman ever came near him with a rope again, he’d use her own rope to hang her. Twice now she’d tied him up and left, and he’d had all he was willing to take from her.
The final straw was taking his horse and leaving him with this old nag he’d had to rent from the livery stable. And Nick had enjoyed sticking him with the slowest horse just this side of six feet under.
Zach had pushed the old nag until he feared she was going to drop dead right here in the middle of the road and leave him walking. Finally, the old homestead came into view, and when he saw Meg walking down the steps, he kicked the side of the old gray mare.
Meg looked up and saw him riding toward her. She rested her hand on her gun, and he knew he was still in a lot of trouble.
He pulled to a stop in front of her, leaned over his horse, and shouted, “I should arrest you for stealing my horse.”
She gave him that cold stare that sent a chill straight to his heart. “Just try. There’s your horse.” She pointed to the courtyard. “I’m just aching for a chance to knock some sense into that empty brain of yours.”
Ice cold fury seethed within him like a snowstorm in July. “Empty brain? I’m not the one who has a thing about ropes. I’m beginning to wonder if you secretly want some man to tie you up.”
“You’ve already done it to me twice.”
He smiled, remembering the satisfaction in tying up Meg and her sister. Yet, he hadn’t enjoyed leaving them that last time on the road in their pantaloons.
“And you’ve done it to me three times. Leaving me tied to the bed for the maid to find. That was downright humiliating.”
Her green eyes flashed with amusement, which only made him madder. She thought his humiliation was funny?
“Well, it’s better than shooting you, which is what I really wanted to do,” she replied, walking down the last two steps.
“You’ve done that too. Don’t forget.”
She halted in mid stride, her eyes widened and her breath came out in a whoosh. “Oh, my God! You let me believe I’d accidentally shot you when you rode in front of me to keep me from shooting your brother. You’re dumber than a tortoise in the desert.”
He frowned, knowing she’d now fully realized he’d placed his own life in jeopardy to save his brother. Yeah, maybe it had been a dumb move, but it was the kind of thing a man did when he loved his brother. And even with all his faults, he still loved Simon. “You weren’t supposed to shoot.”
She threw up her arms, her face contorted in rage. “If I’d known he was your brother, I wouldn’t have. But somewhere along the trail, you forgot to mention you were kin,” she said with a sarcastic tone to her voice.
They stared at one another, each one breathing hard. Finally, Zach couldn’t stop the words from flowing from his mouth. He knew they were bad, yet he could no more stop them than the creek from rising during a flash flood. “You’re hunting the man. What was I suppose to say? Don’t hurt my brother? Yes, he’s a known criminal, but there’s a chance he’s innocent. I’m trying to save him. You want me, the lawman, to ask for special favors for my brother?” The very idea had his guts turning inside out. He was a respectable man of the law, and he did not take advantage of his position. His conscience cringed.
“Yes, was that so hard to say? Would it have made a difference? I can’t say, but at least, you would have trusted me enough to tell me the truth. At least then, we could be working on building trust between us and not destroying our friendship.”
“I don’t ask for special favors for anyone!” he fairly shouted at her.
She laughed, which sent anger rippling through him because he knew the irony of the words he’d just said.
“Oh, yes, you do, cowboy. Don’t lie to yourself. You want people to ignore the fact that your brother could be guilty while you try to prove his innocence. But what if he’s guilty?”
Zach hated her at that moment because her words were true. And as much as he didn’t want to accept them, they made him feel dishonorable. And he’d always prided himself on being honorable. “Yes, I’m trying to protect him until I know he’s guilty. Once I’m convinced he’s done wrong, then I will turn him in. I’ve said that all along.”
“Not to me you haven’t. Because I didn’t know he was your brother.”
Silence filled the dusty courtyard. She untied the reins to her horse and climbed up into the saddle. With ease, she backed the horse and turned him toward Zach.
“I’m going after Simon,” she said. “Don’t even think about stopping me. Don’t follow me. Don’t come near me,” she said emphatically, her voice trembling with anger. “We’re done.”
“I’m going to find him first,” he said. “And we’re not done.” He didn’t know what he wanted, but he wasn’t through with Meg. He wanted to explore this thing between them. He wasn’t ready to profess undying love, and she’d probably shoot him if he did, but he wasn’t ready for this to end either.
“By the time you rid yourself of that nag, I’ll be down the road, and you’ll have no idea where I’m going.”
“I’ll find you, Meg. I will hunt you down, and wherever you’re at, I know Simon won’t be far away. You can’t hide from me.”
She spurred her horse and rode down the lane, leaving him behind. She raised her arm in the air with a clenched fist to let him know how she felt regarding his words.
God, the woman was infuriating. She probably thought she’d won this little skirmish, but he’d win the war. He’d find her.
Chapter 10
Meg spurred her horse down the lane away from the house. She didn’t know where she was going, but she thought her first clue would be wherever the widow Lowell resided. If she was the only wit
ness, could Simon possibly be thinking of doing away with her? No one to say that the farmer hadn’t drawn first. No one to prove Simon’s guilt.
Except that would mean Simon was definitely guilty, and even as angry as she was at Zach at this moment, the thought of his brother hanging, wrenched her heart and filled her with sadness. Mrs. Trudeau didn’t need the heartache of knowing her youngest son would hang. That he had killed someone.
If Simon was nowhere near the widow, then maybe he was innocent. Seemed way too simple, yet it also made sense.
For the next hour, Meg pushed her horse, hoping to stay far ahead of Zach, needing distance from the deceitful man. After talking to his mother, she understood his reasons, but why couldn’t he have been honest with her? Why hadn’t he told her Simon was his brother?
Would it have made a difference? Maybe, but probably not. Still, she deserved to know. If it had been one of her sisters who’d committed a crime, she would have explained to Zach that nothing came between blood. Nothing. And while she hoped her sisters would never do such a horrible thing, even so she would do everything to protect them. She’d been caring for them since they were kids, and it was hard to even think about letting them go now.
In so many ways, she was more their mother than their sister. She could understand Zach’s feeling of protectiveness toward his brother, but without trust, they had no chance as a couple.
And he was a lawman. He was risking everything to fulfill his promise to his mother. What would this do to him as a person if he had to turn his brother into the law? Would he throw his ethics to the wind and let his brother go free? Either one was a terrible choice. One that Meg would not want to make.
As the afternoon sun waned, she glanced behind and saw Zach had indeed caught up to her. He was probably half a mile back. She ignored him, hoping she could reach the town before nightfall. Knowing that was probably impossible.
She rode until the sun sat just above the horizon. Shadows like whispers of darkness filled the trail. With little sleep the night before, her body craved rest. She had no choice, but to stop and make camp for the night. Hopefully, Zach would keep his distance. They were not sharing a camp, a bedroll, a whiskey bottle—nothing.
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