One figure stood alone in the swirling dust.
She felt a shaft of pain around her heart and choked back the cry that sprang to her lips. She watched until they dipped below a ridge and the figure in the distance slipped out of sight.
She closed her eyes against the pain. And only opened them when the rig stopped in front of the small cabin that, for the past few months, had been her home and the source of all her dreams.
Chapter Twenty-One
"There isn't much time to pack. Miss Adams."
Sheriff Horn's voice conveyed his sorrow at his unpleasant task." The stage driver will want to get started before noon." " It won't take me long. Sheriff. "
Not long at all, she thought sadly as she opened the door to the small cabin and stepped inside.
After the heat and dust of the trail, the interior of the cabin seemed cool, serene. Caroline made a slow turn around the room, touching a hand to the crisp white curtains that hung at the windows, stooping to run her fingers over the colorful rag rug in front of the fireplace.
Cora and Bel va. The first friends, along with Jessie and Morning Light, to bring her gifts and welcome her to Hope. They had been shocked by her admissions, as she'd known they would be. She didn't blame them.
She removed the curtains and folded them for Cora, then rolled the rug for Bel va. Perhaps the women would bring them again when a new teacher arrived.
The thought of another teacher taking her place brought a fresh bout of sadness. She ran her fingertips along the smooth wood of the rocker, imagining Thad's hands as they'd shaped and fashioned the chair. The thought of him brought a sharp pain.
Crossing the room, she carefully wrapped her mother's china in the embroidered towels and placed them in her trunk. On top of these she placed her blanket and pillow. Like the dishes, they had once belonged to her grandmother.
She slipped out of Rosita's colorful skirt and blouse and folded them carefully, placing them atop the other items in the trunk. Though she would probably never wear them, it would bring her pleasure to be able to look at them occasionally, to remember a time of magic in a life that had had too few happy memories. But for now, the sight of them made her heart ache.
She slipped on the drab brown gown. Twisting her long hair, she pinned it into a neat knot and secured her hat with pins. A glance in the looking glass had her heart plummeting. For a few brief shining hours she had felt loved and cherished. She'd believed she was beautiful.
Now. now she must become again that other person she had tried so hard to be. The one she no longer knew or understood. The liar. The cheat who had come to town pretending to be a fine lady. A lady. She turned away in self-disgust.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door that led to the classroom.
She stopped to touch each desk, mentally speaking the name of the child who had sat there. She knew them all. Jack, Lisbeth, Frank. Runs With The Wind, Danny and little Kate. Emma and Ethan Waverly. Her heart contracted.
She loved them all.
At the front of the classroom she ran a hand lovingly along the top of the table that had served as her desk. A teacher's desk. It was all she'd ever wanted. To teach. To feed hungry minds all the knowledge that she had once craved so desperately in her own starved and lonely childhood.
She swallowed back the tears that threatened to choke her and filled her arms with her precious store of books. Then she resolutely strode from the room and closed the door.
When her trunk was shut and the straps secured, she took a last loving look around. Tears clouded her vision. She'd had such hopes, such dreams.
And for a little while she had found heaven. She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. Now it was time to face the consequences of her actions.
Wrapping her shawl modestly around her shoulders, she opened the door and called to the sheriff,
"I'm ready."
He strode inside and lifted her trunk. It was surprisingly light.
"The curtains, rug and chair should be returned," she said.
"And I would like you to give away the food in the root cellar to those most in need."
The sheriff nodded as he strapped her trunk to the back of the rig.
When he was finished he saw Caroline standing by the shed, kneeling among the chickens, which gathered around her like pets.
She looked up when he approached.
"Runs With The Wind gave them to me.
You'll see that he gets them back, won't you? "
" Yes, ma'am. "
"Thank you."
She scattered grain inside the shed and watched as the chickens scrambled after it. Carefully closing the door against predators, she secured it and turned away.
The sheriff could see the tears that glittered on her lashes. He glanced aside, to give her a chance to compose herself.
"We'd better be leaving, ma'am."
"Yes." She gave a last look around, then climbed up to the seat beside him.
As they drove away, she turned for a final glimpse. To casual observers, she thought, it probably looked like a little shack in the woods, badly in need of repair. But they didn't know. She twisted her hands in her lap and blinked back tears. They didn't know that this had once been a place of great promise. A place where children's futures were forged in the pages of books. A place where one woman had found her whole reason for being.
Thad prowled the empty rooms of his house. He'd sent everyone home.
Jessie and Cole, Clan and Morning Light, Manuel and Rosita. He preferred his own company. He needed no chorus of voices, no sympathetic looks.
What he needed was action. What he wanted was to ride into town and challenge Silas Tate to a gunfight. He had no doubt what the outcome would be. There wasn't a man in Texas who could out draw him.
But even though killing Tate would satisfy his bloodlust, it wouldn't be a solution to Caroline's problems. She would still be guilty in the eyes of the townspeople.
He slammed a fist against the wall. It went against everything he'd ever believed in to stand by and do nothing while the woman he loved was being railroaded.
The sight of the mare loping around her corral caught his attention.
Leaning a hip against the windowsill, he paused to watch. The animal's pure bloodlines were obvious to the trained eye. He'd bred her to his finest stallion, a mustang that, until now, had roamed these hills freely since birth.
From another corral the stallion whinnied and the mare stopped and lifted her head. The fire in her eyes was un mistakable. Except for the bars that confined her, she would race to the stallion's side, and despite all the generations of fine breeding, she would gladly follow him to the distant hills, where they would never see a human again.
That was what he wished for Caroline. He wanted to carry her off to his ranch and keep her safe from all the cruel words, the cutting accusations.
It didn't matter to him what the others thought. All that mattered was that she be here with him, safe from the Silas Tates of the world.
But, he realized, it would matter to Caroline. Despite what he might want, she had a need for other people and an unquenchable love for children. No matter how much he loved and protected her, it would never be enough. Like the mare, who would never survive life in the wilderness, Caroline would never survive the loneliness and isolation if she had to endure the rumors of her guilt.
He turned away from the window, deep in thought. If he couldn't fight Silas Tate with a gun, he would have to find a way to fight with Tate's own choice of weapon.
"You can wait in my office until the stage arrives, ma'am."
"Thank you. Sheriff."
Caroline felt the stares from the people as their rig rolled through the town. When they pulled up in front of the sheriffs office, she waited until he unlashed her trunk, then followed him inside the jail.
He dropped her trunk on the floor and dusted off a wooden chair. She sat and folded her hands primly, keeping her gaze fixed on a spot on the floor.
At a s
harp rap on the door, the sheriff scraped back his chair and crossed the room. Caroline heard the murmur of men's voices before the sheriff called,
"Make yourself comfortable. Miss Adams. I'll be gone for a while, but I'll be back before the stage leaves."
Caroline nodded. A moment later she heard the door slam and saw the sheriff walking toward the church.
Caroline looked up as the door opened. Thad strode into the sheriffs office and stood facing her, a look of grim determination on his face.
"Don't try to talk me out of this again, Thad." Caroline turned away and began to pace in anticipation of whatever was to come.
"I won't."
She turned to study him. He seemed so still, so watchful. Squaring his shoulders, he crossed to the sheriffs desk and began to unbuckle his gun belt.
"What are you doing?"
He tossed the belt and pistol down.
"Turning in my gun."
"But why?"
"You were right, Caroline. Being quick on the draw isn't the answer anymore.
Tate taught me that. Without firing a single shot, he's managed to ruin both our lives. "
"I'm so sorry, Thad." Without thinking, Caroline touched a hand to his sleeve. But when she looked up and saw the intense expression in his eyes, she took a step back. "I never wanted you to be hurt. But when I saw all those people invading your land, I realized how selfish I'd been. I hope someday you'll find it in your heart to forgive me."
They both looked up sharply as the door that separated the cells from the sheriffs office burst open and they found themselves face-to-face with Silas Tate. In his hand was a gun.
"Isn't this tender?" His tone was heavy with sarcasm. "Amanda's dirty little brat, Caroline, who now calls herself the very proper Miss Adams.
And the hero of Hope, Texas." His gaze slid to the gun lying atop the sheriffs desk.
"Unarmed? How noble. Noble and foolish." He laughed as he aimed the gun at Thad.
"Think you can reach it in time?"
Thad stood perfectly still.
"I wouldn't even try."
"Too bad." Silas gave a satisfied smile as he crossed the room and jammed Thad's pistol into the waistband of his pants.
"I'm going to enjoy killing you, Texan."
Caroline felt terror growing in the pit of her stomach. "How did you get in?"
' I removed the grate in the last cell. I had Fox working on it since the first day he was brought in. That's how I managed to break him out of jail without the deputy seeing me. Poor Fox," he added with a laugh, " he thought he was heading toward freedom, but he only made it as far as the grave." Caroline swallowed the fear that was filling her throat." The sheriff will be back any minute. "
Tate gave a harsh laugh.
"The sheriff isn't coming back until the stage arrives."
"How do you know that?"
"I watched him leave and followed him. He's in a town meeting in the church, arranged by the preacher. Practically everyone in town is there.
They're probably choosing your successor." His words caused her unexpected pain. She had given up without a fight and had lost everything. Not only had her lies been uncovered and her job lost, but now even Thad was being forced to pay for her mistakes.
And from the hatred that throbbed between these two men, she had no doubt he would pay with his life.
"Come here," Silas ordered.
Caroline felt her heart thundering in her ears as she inched away until she felt the rough boards of the wall against her back.
Tate's hand snaked out, catching her by the wrist. "Where do you think you're going?"
She struggled to free herself but he dragged her closer until she could feel the sting of his breath against her cheek.
"Let her go, Tate."
Silas swung around and brought his pistol to the side of Thad's head, knocking him to the floor. When Thad started to get up, Silas kicked him, sending him sprawling. As Thad came to his knees and shook his head, Silas pressed the gun to Caroline's temple.
"You move, Texan," he warned, "and I'll have to kill your woman."
He gave a satisfied smile as Thad remained on the floor, his eyes hot with fury.
"If you shoot either of us," Caroline cried, "the gunshots will bring the whole town running."
Tate threw back his head and roared.
"And who do you think they'll believe? A concerned citizen or a hardened gunman?"
"You forgot about me. I'll tell them the truth," she said.
"You do that, woman. And we'll see who they believe when I tell them you just offered to pleasure me in return for enough money to take you back to Kansas City."
"You filthy animal." She swung her hand in an arc, but he easily caught it and twisted it behind her.
"Now," he rasped against her ear, "you listen, my high- and-mighty lady.
Before I'm finished with you, you'll beg me to let you work in one of my shacks." " Never. I know what it did to my mother before you killed her. "
"Do you? Well, did you know that she begged me to spare her miserable life? She even offered to work for nothing if I'd let her live."
At his words, Caroline felt tears spring to her eyes. "You're worse than an animal. I wish I'd killed you with that knife instead of only wounding you."
"You should have," he sneered.
"Because you'll never have another chance.
I vowed I'd make you pay for what you did to my face if it took me to the ends of the earth." He touched a hand to the jagged scar and his features twisted into a mask of pure malice.
"And," he added, "you'll keep on paying until I decide to end your suffering.
Like I ended your dear mother's. "
"And Jonathan Coming?" Caroline cried.
"Did you kill him, too?"
Silas Tate laughed.
"The old man swore he didn't know where you were headed. But I knew how to make him talk. I put a knife to his wife's throat and started cutting. He told me everything before I killed them both and burned down their house."
Caroline was blinded momentarily by the tears that spilled from her eyes.
How could any man's cruelty against another go unpunished?
She pulled back, and his grasp on her wrist tightened.
"You can force me," she whispered.
"But you can't stand over me every minute of the day and make me keep on doing your bidding. No matter what you do to me, short of killing me, I'll escape. And when I do, you'll pay for what you've done."
He laughed again, and the sound sent a chill along her spine.
"There's a way to make anyone do anything. Like your cool, elegant mother.
And the very cultured Jonathan Coming. They ended up doing what I told them.
And look at your hero. Doesn't he look good on his knees? " He twisted her arm painfully.
"And you will, too. You'll do exactly as you're told. And you'll start now. The Texan can watch." He pointed the gun at Caroline's temple and said to Thad,
"Get up."
Thad got slowly to his feet.
"Walk," Silas ordered. From the sheriffs desk he picked up a ring of keys.
Thad walked to a cell and Silas slammed the door and turned the key.
Then he dragged Caroline into the next cell and tossed her down on a narrow cot.
His gaze raked her.
"When I saw you that day, a dirty little street urchin with big eyes and long black hair and a body that was just beginning to bloom, I knew I had to have you." He touched a finger to the jagged scar along his cheek.
"And when you left your mark on me, I knew that I'd make you pay and pay."
He gave a short laugh. "You'll never know how many nights I dreamed of ways to make you pay. I'm going to enjoy every minute of this." He turned to where Thad stood, seething with impotent rage.
"I
know you'll enjoy every minute of this, too, cowboy." Tate's hands went to the buttons of his shirt, and then suddenly he froze.
Behind him the sheriffs voice said calmly,
"Better start with the gun belt, Mr. Tate."
The moment the key twisted in the lock of Thad's cell, freeing him, he pushed his way through the crowd. Silas spun around to find the sheriff and half the town facing him. But it was Thad's fist that bloodied his face and sent him sprawling. Caroline scrambled to her feet and rushed past Silas, falling into Thad's arms with a sob.
"But you were at a town meeting." Silas mopped at the blood with his sleeve and leaned his head back weakly.
"I followed you."
"That's what we wanted you to think." Sheriff Horn turned toward Thad, who was watching the color begin to return to Caroline's face.
"It was The Texan's idea. He said a bully always has to do a little bragging, if he's given the chance." Sheriff Horn shrugged.
"The town has long owed Thad Con way a big favor. It was about time we paid our debt to him." He turned back to Caroline.
"So we decided to give him one last chance to prove your innocence.
Sorry, Miss Adams. There was no way to warn you." The sheriff turned to Thad and saw the blood that trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"I'm sorry you had to take such a beating."
"I expected it," Thad said dryly.
"Although you could have broken in a few minutes earlier."
"We wanted to be sure he'd confessed to everything before we showed our hand."
Removing Silas Tate's gun belt, the sheriff turned the key in the lock.
"Thanks for letting me know about that jailbreak. We still hadn't figured out how it was done." He turned to his deputy.
"See that the bars in that other cell are secured. Mr. Tate will be our guest until the federal judge arrives for trial."
The sheriff turned to Thad.
"I'm real proud of you, Texan. I know it took a lot of courage to face a man like Tate without a gun."
Thad gave a crooked smile and winced at the pain.
"It was Caroline who convinced me that it's sometimes more courageous to throw away a gun and face an attacker with your wits."
"In this case it paid off," the sheriff said with admiration.
They all looked up as the stagecoach arrived with a clatter of harness and hooves and drew to a stop in front of the jail. With a sigh the sheriff hurried outside. Caroline could hear his voice raised and a muffled response as if from many voices.
Texas Hero Page 24