From them, she’d come up with ideas for the ranch. And they’d made the ranch more profitable. She watched out the window for Cade. He’d said he’d come by today.
Tingles shot through her, just thinking about him. Why her father couldn’t understand that she loved Cade, she didn’t know. Maybe because Mother had been gone so many years, love was too distant an idea for her father.
Besides, she was no fool and could take care of herself.
She smiled when she saw the dun mustang and rider top the ridge. It was Cade. She ran outside to the barn and saddled her palomino mare, Nugget. Rusty needed more than cows and horses. She was lonely for someone to talk to that understood her love for books as well as the ranch.
She jumped on the horse and rode to the ridge. To Cade. She waved, and her heart warmed when he returned her wave.
Finally, she reached him and jumped off her horse. Cade was already off his, and they ran together.
Grabbing her, he swung her around and kissed her lightly. “I couldn’t wait a moment longer.”
“I saw Hereford calves today.”
He shook his head. “My rancher lady. You are something.”
“I won’t give up the ranch, Cade. If you want me, you’re going to have to make up to my father.”
He shook his head. “Your father hates me. That isn’t going to happen.”
“You can make it happen if you want to. It’s up to you, Cade Monroe.” She spoke his name using all her womanly wiles. She got to him, and she knew it.
Her father accused her of torturing the poor man. An odd choice of words seeing how he didn’t like Cade.
Cade tucked a loose strand of hair from her face. “You stole my heart, Rusty Trucilla Allred.” He held her at arms’ length. “Who names their daughter Trucilla anyway?”
“Roy and Ann Allred.” She laughed. “Father has called me Rusty since I can remember.”
“And that’s a boy’s name. Your hair isn’t even red, but gold like your horse. So, how did he come up with Rusty?”
“I was supposed to be a boy. He always wanted a son named Rusty. Instead, he got me. Mama couldn’t have any more children, so he called me Rusty.” She wandered over to his horse. He was magnificent. Nearly seventeen hands tall. Muscular and fast as lightning, she’d always admired his horse.
Cade came up behind her. “Sometimes, I think you love me for my horse.”
She turned and looked him the eye. “Sometimes, I think you love me for my ranch.”
“That hurts.” He feigned an arrow in the heart.
She grinned. “Make my father like you. That’s all you have to do.”
“Impossible. He hates me.”
“What did you do to him to make him dislike you so much?”
“Kiss his daughter.”
She pushed him away. “What have you been doing? I know my father will not give me to you if you’re not doing anything.”
“I’m working on it. Trust me.”
Rusty grinned. “Well, trust comes when it is earned.” She walked to the stand of pine on top of the ridge. “Don’t let me down, Cade.”
“Never.” He followed her and held her to him. “I love you, Rusty.”
“Do you? Sometimes, I wonder. Make me proud, Cade.” She kissed him lightly on the cheek. “I better go. I see Jackson looking this way. I’ll watch for you in a couple of days.” Rusty walked to Nugget and, in one fluid motion, jumped onto the saddle. She blew Cade a kiss and galloped away.
Chapter 4
Sam kept an eye on the land. Ulyssa might be an accomplished Pinkerton agent, but she didn’t know anything about riding in the wild country. She may be able to recall the map, but she had no idea of the dangers lurking about.
Sam could already see signs of trouble. Indian ponies had galloped across the road several times. He could feel eyes on them. Watching. Weighing the trouble that it would be to take them.
As the sun skipped over the sky, Sam began looking for shelter. He was about to settle for boulders to put their backs against when he saw an old shack.
Riding up beside her, he pointed. “We should spend the night in the shack. It will provide shelter.”
Ulyssa looked up. “I don’t see any clouds. I doubt it will rain.”
“I’m worried about it raining arrows. There are Indians around, and I don’t want to look like a tenderfoot with them watching.”
She looked startled. “Indians. Watching us? I haven’t seen any.”
“Well, despite the fact you have an excellent memory, the Indians don’t show themselves until they want to take whatever is that they want to take.”
Ulyssa shook her head. “We have nothing valuable.”
“No, nothing but our horses and hair.”
“Hair! What do you mean? I thought the Indians were all tame and on reservations.”
“Not this side of civilization. Trust me.” He reined his horse to the shack. “Good, it’s got a corral that ought to hold the horses. Shack looks secure enough to hold off an attack.”
Ulyssa rode beside him. “You said you saw Indians.”
“Signs.” He dismounted and pointed at some hoofprints. “Indian ponies.”
She stared at the ground. “How do you know?”
“Barefoot. No horseshoes on them.”
“Oh. I see.” She looked rattled.
He held her horse’s bridle. “Might as well get down. I’ll hobble the horses and give them feed.” Sam checked the saddlebags. “You brought grain along?”
Ulyssa just stared at him.
Sam stared at her. “You didn’t buy any?”
“No. I bought food for us like I always do when I’m on cases.”
He groaned. “Out here, after your rifle, the most important thing is your horse.” He stared at her. “Just what kind of cases have you done?”
Ulyssa puffed up. “I have found counterfeiters, kidnappers, thieves, and murderers.”
“Where?”
“Mostly east of the Mississippi. Although the last one took me to Denver to find the counterfeiters.”
“Well, out here in the mountains and plains, things are different. From now on, you follow me.”
Ulyssa stomped a foot and folded her arms. “I am the one who knows the map.”
“Well, I’ll give you that.” He looked around at the lengthening shadows. “It will be dark in an hour.” Sam pulled the satchels and saddlebags from the horses and set them down. “Why don’t you take the food in and start cooking supper.”
Ulyssa cleared her throat. “Just because I am a woman does not mean I will cook the dinner.”
Sam ignored her. He could eat jerky and she could starve. He hobbled the horses and gave them water. Sam studied the land and got the feeling they were in for some trouble. “How far do you think the ranch is from here?”
“I don’t recall this shack being on the map. But the road and the creek shouldn’t be more than a couple of miles from here. After that, it’s a straight shot up the road that crosses the creek. The map said ten miles.”
Sam looked around. “Start a fire. There’s a hearth in the shack. Make it big.”
She stared at him. “I would think that would give us away.”
He led the horses behind the shack and came out to get the saddles. “You did buy cartridges for the rifles and pistols?”
Ulyssa glared at him. “Yes, what do you take me for?”
He glanced at her and decided he wouldn’t answer. Not aloud anyway. Because he wouldn’t take her for anything. She was just liable to get him killed.
***
Ulyssa was out of her element. Usually, in control, she felt sure of nothing other than she was in trouble. Why hadn’t they warned her of the dangers of this case? It had sounded so simple.
Now, she knew why they’d thrown her together with Sam. He knew the area, the land, and its dangers. They could have told her. But no, they let her go on thinking she was in charge and would be able to do this case and train Sam at the
same time.
There were times when she felt the lead detectives hated her and wanted to force her to quit. She’d avoided having to work with partners all these years until this case. Oh, there’d been that other one.
The one that she took over from a senior agent and made him look foolish. Actually, the man had made himself appear foolish by getting drunk just before they were to flush out the killer.
If it hadn’t been for her quick thinking and fearlessness, they would have both been killed. As it was, she caught the killer as he was coming down the hall to do them in. Agent Callahan had never forgiven her.
Well, she was not one to lie. She wrote the truth in her notes about the case. It wasn’t her fault that Callahan had finished off a bottle of whiskey that night.
So, it was no wonder the men of the agency bonded together to try and get rid of her. She looked about the shack and found some wood and started the fire. Why Sam thought it would be a good idea to advertise their whereabouts, she wasn’t sure.
Yet, there was something in the way he had given the orders. An air of authority that she wasn’t willing to go against. She was no fool. She’d let him get them to the ranch. And then she’d take over.
She looked outside but saw only their satchels sitting on the ground. Sam must have taken the horses to find grass. How was she supposed to know she needed to buy feed? In her other cases, she just dropped the horses at the livery.
It hadn’t occurred to her that there wouldn’t be a livery on the way to the ranch. She couldn’t imagine people living so far from a city. And then having to fight Indians and who knows what else.
She glanced out the window but didn’t see Sam. That made her more nervous than she wanted to admit. Ulyssa prayed she wouldn’t do anything crazy like run into his arms when he walked in the door.
But right now, with all the talk of losing their hair, and it being dark and the fire creating dancing shadows on the walls of the shack, she was scared. Really scared. Something she hadn’t felt since a child.
Then Sam came in the back door. Although she hadn’t pictured that there was a back door. “How did you get in?”
“The window.” He pointed to her. “Put another log on the fire.”
She huffed and did as he said. Gone were any intentions of running into his arms for protection.
Sam threw her a package. “Throw some bacon on the fire.”
“On the fire? I brought a pan.”
“On the fire.” He slunk to the wall and peeked out the window and frowned.
She didn’t like that. Not at all. She was about to ask him what was wrong when he grabbed her to him and shoved her against the wall. “Out the window.”
Before she could argue, he bent down and eased himself out the back window and waved for her to follow. Ulyssa may not like to be told what to do, but she was no fool. Danger was in the air. She could feel and breathe it.
Outside, he threw her on the paint mare, jumped on his horse, and took off.
Ulyssa held on and realized Sam had her reins in his hand. They galloped over the dark ground. Hard and fast, they rode up the ridge and down. Behind them, she heard wild yells at the cabin.
She hunkered down over the horse and prayed that Sam knew what he was doing. Because she sure didn’t.
Chapter 5
Sam held onto Ulyssa’s reins, prayed she had sense enough to hang on, and then prayed the Indians wouldn’t see her paint horse. He should have never let her get the black and white mare. He’d ridden from enough posses to know the value of a dark horse.
He reined his horse down a gully and stopped to check on the woman. “You all right?”
She nodded.
Even in the dim moonlight, he could see that she was scared. He grinned. “Guess you don’t have many Indian raids east of the Mississippi.”
She shook her head.
He rode beside her, looked behind them, and then at her. “Now you know why I said take the sorrel.”
“Shouldn’t we go?”
“Horses need a rest. Besides, it sounds like they’re having a good time at the cabin. It looks like they must be burning it down.”
She patted the mare. “I’ll trade in the horse when we reach a town.”
He laughed. “I don’t think there are any towns out here. Allred might have a horse you can buy at his ranch.”
She nodded.
Sam glanced toward the cabin and listened, but he didn’t hear any sign of Indians following them. “Let’s go. The ranch shouldn’t be but ten miles away. We should make it by morning.”
He kept the reins to her horse, and she didn’t argue. Good, maybe she would have a little respect for him now. Sam urged his big black up the gully and onto the road. The paint mare was game and kept up.
Keeping the horses at a steady pace eased the spiny shots of fear that prodded his back. By the time they’d ridden a couple of hours, he had relaxed and soon stopped the horses to rest again. This time he handed Ulyssa the reins.
She took them. Gone was the small bit of respect that he’d heard in her voice in the gully. “Are we close to the ranch?”
“You’re the one with the memory. What do you think?”
Ulyssa sighed. “I think it’s dark, and I’m tired. Can we dismount and rest for a while?”
Sam regretted talking to her so sharply. Then again, she’d about cost them their lives. He nodded. “I guess so. Not for long, though. But the horses could use the rest.” Sam dismounted and helped Ulyssa from the saddle.
She patted her paint mare. “It’s a shame. I really like her.”
“That white stands out at night and during the day.”
She glanced at him. “Is that outlaw wisdom?”
He shook his head. “I guess you could call it that.”
Ulyssa sighed and sat down on a boulder. “Well, for what it is worth, I’m glad you had the knowledge to save our lives. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. My sister, Evangeline, always told me that everyone has some value.”
Ulyssa nodded. “She’s a Pinkerton agent, I believe. I read that she and her husband solved the stagecoach robberies in Wyoming plus a bank robbery. You must be proud of her.”
Sam sat beside her. “I am. She saved my life. Rescued me from the hangman’s noose. Because of her and Mark, I’m a Pinkerton agent.”
Ulyssa shook her head. “Well, I wouldn’t have believed it wise to hire an outlaw, but you’ve proven there are some reasons. I assume you are an ex-outlaw.”
Looking back the way they’d come, Sam nodded. “That I am. I owe my sister that much. Plus, I had a change of heart after a tornado ran us down. Do you think a bad man can change?”
She moved from him, stood, and paced in front of him. “I hope so.” She faced him. “But many don’t.”
“Fair enough. I hope to prove to you that it is possible. I don’t intend to ever go back to those ways.” He checked the horse and saddles. “We better get going. We’ll walk from here.”
“I like that idea. Maybe give the horses a break and a part of me that isn’t used to hanging on for dear life.” She laughed.
Sam nodded. That was the first real laugh he’d heard from the woman. Until now, he didn’t think she had it in her. Oh, she’d had a few mocking snorts at him, but a real laugh, no.
They walked side by side, leading the horses. The moon was bright and lit up the road. Sam just hoped none of the Indians had decided to follow them.
“How did a woman get involved with the Pinkertons. You must have been young if you’ve worked for them for seven years.”
She kept her gaze straight ahead. “I started by working on my own. My memory came in handy on deals with financial partners. They paid me to read their contracts and spot discrepancies. That led to a case with a counterfeit ring in Mississippi. With all the reconstruction after the war, there was a lot of corruption.”
They were quiet for a time. Ulyssa figured both of them were in their own thoughts. Tired of the silence
, she looked at him. “And you, how did you get on the crooked path of an outlaw?”
“Oh, a couple hard knocks. Evangeline is my twin. Often, we can feel a connection between each other. Our parents died. I couldn’t provide for her, and we drifted apart. I went west, looking for easy money to solve our problems. It didn’t work out.” He stopped.
Sam didn’t want to relive the hard years. Worse had been his hard heart. He did things that he couldn’t forget. He’d never killed anyone, but he’d come close. He sent an upward gaze and prayed that those days were behind him. Forever.
Ulyssa stumbled.
He reached out and caught her before she could fall.
Sam led her to a rock. “We can rest a minute, and then we’ll ride the rest of the way. I think we’re safe from the Indians. They’re probably trying on your dresses and well, clothes.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to see that.”
He laughed and went to check her mare’s legs. “The land is harsh, and I’ve learned early on that keeping your horse healthy means you have a better chance of surviving.”
“More outlaw wisdom?”
Sam looked at her. “Wilderness wisdom.”
“Ah, well, that does sound better. It looks like the sun will be up in an hour or so.”
He glanced east and nodded. “I like this time of morning when the dark releases its hold, and the horizon promises the day is coming.”
“Very poetic.”
“Not much else to do out here.” He helped her into her saddle. Sam mounted his big black and pointed west. “The road goes straight west. Do you remember if this is the right one?”
Ulyssa pointed. “Until we get to a creek and a bridge.”
“Let’s go.”
***
Ulyssa couldn’t wait to get to the ranch and hoped they had a bathtub.
Sam looked around them. “Smell that?”
“What?”
“Bacon. Someone’s making breakfast.” He urged his horse on and topped a small rise. Sam turned to her and waved her back. “Let me check this out. I’ll call you if it’s safe.”
Ulyssa stayed in the shadow of the small valley and listened. She prayed it wasn’t more Indians. The longer she waited, the more she worried. Not that she cared about Sam, but what would she do without him out here in nowhere land?
An Agent for Ulyssa Page 3