Thirty minutes later, Addie sat outside, unable to sit inside and listen to the cat calls from the prisoners. While Zach logged in her prisoner, she needed some time to gather her thoughts before she rested.
It wasn't long before Zach came out and handed her the cash she collected. He stared at her, sadness filling his eyes. "You look tired."
"Beat," she said. "Plan on splurging for a room tonight, a hot bath and a decent meal."
"Of course, you deserve it," he said and sank down beside her. "Before you go, I've got some bad news."
"The bank put your property up for sale," he said.
Sitting next to him, she whirled around to stare. "No, I don't want it sold. That land is mine."
"But they think you're dead," he said.
"Who's the buyer?" she asked.
"Don't know, yet," he said. "I was going to talk to the banker, but if I tell them you're alive, I'm afraid whoever is behind this will learn the truth and come after you."
Fear gripped her stomach. The bank selling the land would be the final betrayal. "What can we do to stop this? What if a distant relative files an injunction saying my papa's will stated he would get the property?"
Shaking his head, Zach said, "They would want to see a copy of the will. Did your father have one?"
"I don't know," she said. "It would have been in the house along with everything else."
They sat contemplating how to keep the bank from selling her family land. "Tell you what, I'll go to Harper’s Mill and ask several of the lawyers in town who is trying to purchase your family farm. Don't worry, I won't mention your name, because they would want to see you in person and then your cover will be blown."
What did she choose? Her revenge or the property she loved and didn't want to lose. “If we can hold them off for another couple weeks, that would give me time to find most of the gang. After that, my interest will only be the Colonel."
With a tilt of her head, she stared at Zach. "Is there any way to find out if any ex-military men are living in this area? Years have passed since the Civil War, but is someone here that was a colonel?"
Zach nodded. "I'll ask around and see who all were soldiers."
Placing her head in her hands, she rubbed her face. "This is much harder than I ever thought. When I left Wesley tied up, he called me so many bad names. Men think I'm some kind of whore for what I'm doing, and yet, I can't give up searching for these outlaws."
A deep breath couldn't dispel the anxiety building inside her. "Once this is over, I fear what I'm going to do. My family were good Christian people who didn't deserve to die the way they did. And I feel so guilty for surviving."
The sheriff patted her on the back. "There's a reason you survived. Maybe you were meant to be here to avenge their deaths."
"Maybe," she said. "Though, if I live through this, it will be a miracle."
He nodded. "Be alert and don't let anyone sneak up on you. Always be vigilant."
"If I'm still alive, after their trial, I'll leave town. Especially if the bank sells the land," she said.
"Just get through finding the gang and don't think about tomorrow," he said, staring at her.
With a sigh, she stood. "Tonight, I rest, and in the morning, I'm headed to Callahan City. Clyde told one of the whores he was going to meet some men there. What if that's where they all meet up?"
For days, Addie wondered the streets of Callahan City until she saw a face she recognized. The man with the jagged scar walked from the saloon to some men who sat waiting on their horses. There he met up with a couple of other men she remembered from the fire.
While they believed they killed everyone, she had the advantage.
Together, the group rode out of town, and she followed them at a discreet distance. Could they all be staying in one place? But how could she take them all to Zenith?
When they arrived at a cabin sitting on the edge of Callahan City, she hid in nearby bushes to watch to see who entered. Everyone went inside the building. When she counted the number of horses, she could only see five. The exact number of men left in the gang besides the Colonel.
It was tempting to set fire to the building, but what if innocents were there? No, she needed to be patient and wait. In due time, she would get her men.
Staring at the house, she felt a hand over her mouth. Whirling around she kicked and flailed her arms at the person who laid their body over hers, effectively pinning her to the ground.
"Stop, bounty hunter," a familiar voice whispered. "I'm going to remove my hand. Don't scream."
Wesley. How did he find her?
The feel of his hard masculine body on hers wasn't as bad as she thought, in fact all his hardened edges against her soft curves seemed to go together rather nice. "What are you doing here?"
"Wondering the same about you? You were supposed to be in Zenith."
"And I thought you were in Waco," she hissed.
He chuckled. "No, after you left me tied up, God intervened and a preacher by the name of Moll told me to come here," he said grinning.
"Oh, Earnest Moll's father."
"Yes, a good man," he said. "So, who all are in the house?"
"Five men rode in about fifteen minutes ago."
Watching the house, Wesley rolled off her, and she moved to her stomach, wondering why she experienced so many tingles with him on top of her. They lay there in the grass, side by side, staring at the house. The smell of food drifted past their noses, and she longed for a home cooked meal. One like her mother used to make.
"That smells wonderful," she said with a sigh, thinking her last decent meal was at the hotel a few days ago. "Every moment, I looked over my shoulder expecting you to follow me to Zenith."
"And gotten tied up yet again?"
She shrugged. "Once you released the prisoner to me, I would have left you alone."
His whispered voice became indignant. "Released the prisoner? You took Clyde. If you remember, I had no choice."
The poor lawman had no clue what he was up against. "The way I choose to remember that morning is you let me take my bounty to Zenith while you rested."
Shaking his head, Wesley said, "Rested, my ass. You're crazy."
"So I've been told," she said, her eyes not leaving the house. "I like to think of myself as determined with a touch of deviousness. Besides, in court, it would be your word against mine."
"Ha," he spat. "You've got the devious part right. If we weren't in hiding, I'd arrest you right now to show you how wrong you are. A judge would believe me over you."
"Doubtful. I can play a soft-spoken woman very well," she said chuckling. "By the time the jury is through hearing my testimony, you would be the villain."
"As much as I hate to admit it, probably true," he said. "But that still doesn't mean I won't arrest you next time."
“Would you put handcuffs on me?" she questioned.
His head spun around, and she grinned at him. "Just wondering. A big bad lawman like yourself would certainly need protection from a bounty hunting woman."
"You're not a bounty hunter," he said with a fierceness that riled her.
"Don't tempt me, Ranger. Don't tempt me into roping you again," she said.
"Next time, I will arrest you," he promised, staring at her.
"Sounds like a challenge to me," she hissed, feeling the need to show him she was capable of hog tying him again.
"Shh, they're coming out," he said, gazing at the group exiting the front door.
A woman came out on the porch and a man walked out the door and grabbed her. They watched as he spun the woman and kissed her soundly on the lips. "Come home to me, James Clemens. I'll be waiting for you."
Wesley jerked with reaction, and she turned and stared at him. "What's wrong with you?"
He ignored her and continued to stare, his face almost ghostly white while the outlaws climbed on their horses. James gave the woman a slap on the buttocks, and then he hurried to join the other men. With a wave, they rode out of
the yard and down the lane.
Addie sat up as the woman went back into the house. "Come on, move we've got to follow them."
The Texas Ranger looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"What is wrong with you? Who is that woman?"
"My ex-fiancée," he said, bitterness in his voice.
Chapter 5
Wesley knew if it weren't for Addie, they would have lost the gang. Because of her, they camped close to a half mile away from them and hoped they didn't lose them in the morning.
All afternoon and evening, the memories of him and Clara overwhelmed him and left him cringing inside. She had never looked at him the way she did James. She never kissed him the way she did the outlaw. And never told him to hurry back.
Addie tossed another log in the fire. "Are you going to mope about that woman all night long? Never figured you to be a lovelorn sap."
With a quick glance, he frowned at the woman. As a whore, how could she understand the pain, the humiliation, of being left standing at the front of the church? "On our wedding day, my fiancée chose James over me. An outlaw rather than a law-abiding man."
Addie's brows rose and she chuckled. "Maybe he's not as much of a stick in the mud as you are. He looks more exciting than a lawman."
The audacity of the woman. When Wesley wasn't being a Texas Ranger, he was fun.
"How do you know what I'm like when I'm not working?"
Yet, he couldn't remember the last time he had laughed out loud. Could he be boring, like she implied?
Addie shrugged. "I kind of gathered you were this way, whether you're working or not."
The glare he sent her, made her laugh. What could he say? In some ways, he was the same both as a ranger and a man. Simple, you obeyed the law, or he arrested you. On duty or not.
"I'm right, aren't I?"
With a swift kick, a log of wood rolled into the fire, sending sparks flying. "Maybe."
As much as he didn't want to admit it, he got the feeling his life outside of work was as dull as they came. Was that why Clara chose an exciting, daring man who broke the law?
After three months, Clara's betrayal shouldn't hurt any longer. While he was technically over her, seeing her kissing his nemesis was unnerving. The sight just pissed him off. If she had chosen a doctor or even a preacher, he would have understood. But an outlaw? The exact opposite of Wesley. It seemed like she was repudiating his values and ideals.
Like they never had anything in common. Like his morals were not what she wanted.
"So, you got stood up at the altar. You should be glad you didn't say I do. The woman likes danger and excitement, evidently, and you don't appear to be the type of man to give her that thrill."
"Are you saying I'm boring?" he asked. Just what he needed, another woman concurring with him. "What do you do to keep love interesting?"
No man wanted to be considered dull and uninteresting.
"Don't know. Can't say I've ever been in love with a man. My mother was protective of me and never let me around men," she said, rolling over on her bedroll facing him.
The memory of laying on top of her, so he wouldn't startle her this afternoon, the impression of her body tight against his own, sent a trickle of awareness through him. The woman had to be a whore. She had never been in love before? Then again, how many whores ever fell in love.
"You were the first man to ever kiss me," she said softly.
His head jerked around, and he couldn't believe that statement. It didn't make sense. "You're lying."
The woman was a red-haired beauty and her temper matched her hair, and he felt her piercing glare stabbing him in the heart. If something had been nearby, he would be wearing it at this moment and not in a way that would make him happy.
"Just because I'm a bounty hunter doesn't mean men can sample my wares," she said, sitting up. In the glow of the fire, her eyes flashed like an angry bull out of control.
"There is no way I'm the first man to kiss you," he spat.
"Every time I think we're going to become friends, you say something that makes me understand why the woman left you at the altar. Don't assume things about me that you don't know, lawman."
Her comment made him cringe. "Seems to be a recurring problem I have with women."
They sat, listening to the sounds of the night. A hoot owl, crickets, and even frogs all sang to the moon. Finally, she answered him.
"Apparently. Were you completely oblivious to the fact Clara was unhappy?"
Recalling the memory of the week before the ceremony, he realized Clara withdrew long before the big day, but he didn't understand why.
"Before that day, I didn't comprehend what was going on. Clara suddenly became quiet and didn't act excited. I thought she had the jitters, but later I learned, when James rode his horse into the church to stop the wedding, what the real problem was."
"So you were oblivious," she said.
"Very much," he replied. "Don't worry, women no longer need be concerned about me. After that fiasco, I swore off ever getting married or even getting involved with a woman again. If I couldn't make Clara happy, I'm not husband material."
"Good," she agreed.
A frown crossed his forehead. Did the woman believe he would never make a suitable companion? What did she want from him? "What do you mean?"
"You're right. Some men can't please a woman," she said, staring at him.
How dare she agree with him that he was not great husband material. As much as he hated Clara, he really did want to be someone's mate, someday.
"You're agreeing with me?"
"Of course. Right now, I could never make a man happy."
"That's for certain," he said, grinning at her, trying to hide the fact he actually liked to spar with her. "Look at you. You're wearing a skirt that allows you to ride like a man. You're wearing guns like a man, and you're chasing outlaws, like a man."
And looking like a million dollars all sweet and sassy wearing a man's holster. At the moment, she may say and act like she’s a bounty hunter, but she was only pretending.
A bitter smile crossed her face, her eyes cold, causing a shiver to go down Wesley's spine. The woman wanted vengeance. "The law failed me. Now I'm taking justice into my own hands and I'm doing much better than the sheriff's Texas Rangers or any other agency out there."
After hearing her talk to the prisoners, he knew something happened in her young life, but what? Had she been raped? What changed her from a young woman living in a carefree world to a woman bounty hunter? Why did he feel this urge to protect her and how was he going to do that?
"Let's consider working together."
The look she gave him let him know quickly it would only be on her terms. "Why? So I can steal more bounties from you?"
"No, we keep running into each other and instead of working against one another, what if we combine forces to find these men."
"You don't believe I'm a bounty hunter."
What could he say? Either agree or admit he was wrong, and he didn't like his choices. "You're a great sharp shooter and your roping skills are excellent."
"Thank you," she said. "But you didn't agree I'm a bounty hunter."
She'd be waiting a long time before he would concede to her being an actual bounty hunter.
"Are you going to let me take the prisoners back to Zenith?"
Shaking his head, he stared at her. A coyote howled in the night and he sighed.
"Why do you keep returning them there?" he asked, wondering what was so special about that small town.
"Because Zach knows why I'm bringing them in. The sheriff of Zenith is prepared to make certain they don't get away and go to trial where they should hang."
"Why are you so convinced of their verdict."
A cold bitter laugh came from Addie. "Oh, believe me, they'll hang for their crimes."
"Tell me what they did," he said.
Like she grasped she had said too much, she dropped down to her bedroll. In disbelief, he watched as sh
e gave him her back.
"Goodnight, Wesley. Remain vigilant."
A random thought created a shiver through him. "When I fall asleep, you're not going to tie me up again are you?"
A chuckle came from her side of the fire. "Sleep well, Wesley.”
Addie woke before dawn from a nightmare. This time, she was trapped in the house with her brother and sister, doing everything she could to put out the fire. Nothing kept them alive. Lying there with her heart pounding, her body sweating, she realized she had to ride.
She feared Wesley would try to stop her. Nothing would keep her from capturing these outlaws.
While she picked up her bedding, birds sang an early morning song. In the predawn light while he lay sleeping, she saddled her horse and rode away.
Seeing embers after a half mile, she quietly hid next to where the gang camped. For the next three hours, she followed them, hoping they would visit the Colonel. But was disappointed when they entered Comyn, Texas, a sleepy little city with a bank, saloon, and small hotel.
Being behind them, she kept enough distance that they arrived before she did. The sound of gunfire going off shocked her as she hurried down Main Street. Darting into an alley, she saw as they turned their horses and galloped out of town with sacks of money from the bank.
They rode right past her, laughing and firing their guns, as she readied her lariat. At the edge of the town, the riders separated going different directions, but one lone rider hung back. Her rope whirled through the air and slid down over his arms as she gave it a jerk, tightening it.
With a thunk, he landed on his backside in the dirt, his mare galloping off without him. Well, that could be a problem. Even though his hands were tied down, when she rode up beside him, he reached for his guns.
Jumping down from her horse, she knocked the pistol he'd managed to get loose from his grip. "Earnest Moll?"
"Who the hell are you?"
"That's irrelevant for now. You're under arrest for bank robbery and murder," she said, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.
"Murder. I didn't kill anyone in that town," he said, trying to stand.
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