Ana Leigh (21 page)

“How long have you known?”

“I overheard him and Tait discussing it today.”

He felt relieved. There’d be time to talk about it later; now it was a grim reminder that he still had work to do. He kissed her on the top of her head, then forced himself to step back and release her. His arms suddenly felt so empty that he wanted to pull her back. “I have to get to the telegraph office.”

“Why?”

“I could use some help to get out of this mess.”

Her lips trembled as she looked up at him. “Zach, were . . . were you involved in any of it?”

“I knew about the rustling, Rose. I even helped to change some of the brands. We’d do it at night. That was the light people saw. But I didn’t know about the Wilsons, or I’d have tried to stop it.”

Her shoulders slumped in despair. “Then you really are an outlaw. I held out the foolish hope you weren’t a part of it. What about those shootings? Was it Tait?”

“I don’t know. He’d hardly admit it to me, because I was with you at one of the times.”

“Well, what about the time Melanie and Andrea were shot at?”

“If he did that, he never admitted it. I’m convinced he did, though.”

“What about the robbery at the restaurant?”

“I don’t think he’s the one who did it. Tait was a braggart; he’d have said something. It was probably some drifter. This town’s full of them. Tait was the one who set that tiger loose, though. The bastard had a big laugh about that.”

“Zach, we’ve got to get out of here now. When the truth gets out, you could be hanged for cattle rustling.”

“Don’t worry. It’s a long story, honey, but I’ll explain everything later. Right now I have to get to that telegraph office, but I’m afraid to leave you here. This is the first place they’ll look for you.”

“I’ll go next door into Kate’s room. She’ll help me.”

“Okay. Stay out of sight. There’s a good chance Tait might think this is the last place we’d show up, so the fewer who know we’re here, the better.”

“Kate can be trusted.”

“Have her put something on that eye of yours.”

“I will. Be careful, Zach.”

He grinned. “Don’t worry, Rosie, I can take care of myself. Now go on—I want to know you’re safe before I leave.”

She nodded and left the room. In a few seconds, Kate came to the door. “Don’t worry, Zach. She’ll be safe with me.”

“Thanks, Kate. Take care of her. I’ll get back as quickly as I can.”

Kate nodded and went back to her room. Zach closed the door and climbed out the window.

As Zach came out of the telegraph office, Tait and his gang rode into Brimstone with the bodies of Stephen Rayburn and Will Grainger in the wagon. Their arrival and the news that Rayburn had been murdered attracted a crowd immediately.

“Who shot Rayburn?” the sheriff asked.

“That gal he was gonna marry. They had a big fight and she killed him.”

“Who’s the old guy?”

“One of the rustlers. Him and MacKenzie wuz in it together. We wuz bringin’ the bodies to town when MacKenzie caught up with us. He drove off our mounts and rode off with that gal. By the time we rounded up our mounts, we figured we oughta get the bodies into town.”

An angry murmuring rumbled through the crowd.

“That Miz Dubois was a nice gal,” one of the men said. “Don’t seem like she’d be the kind to kill a man.”

Tait snorted. “Women are all whores. Ya can’t trust any of ’em.”

“What was Mr. Rayburn and her fightin’ about, Tait?” Sheriff Bloom asked.

“He found out she wuz cheatin’ on him with MacKenzie.”

“She was cheatin’ on him, all right,” Rita confirmed, her mouth curved with a smug smile. “I saw her one night sneakin’ into the Long Horn to meet her lover. And I was out at the Lazy R today when she showed up there.”

“Sounds to me like Mr. Rayburn was doing some cheating himself,” the storekeeper’s wife said with a disparaging look at Rita.

Rita giggled. “He weren’t the only man in this town cheatin’ on his woman, lady.”

“A man’s got needs,” the sheriff grumbled, “and there’s no call to be shot for it. Did you hear what MacKenzie and this fella argued about?”

“Splittin’ up the take. Heard him say they killed them Wilsons, too. Sounded like the old guy didn’t like the idea of the gal ridin’ along with ’em. He wanted to split up the take, and go their separate ways.” Tait smirked. “Reckon MacKenzie had a different idea of what the old guy meant by ‘separate ways.’ ”

Just then Bull and Joe came hurrying up to the crowd. “The doc ain’t seen Miz Dubois, and she ain’t at her rooming house or the restaurant,” Bull said. “Her clothes are still in her room, but them other gals said they ain’t seen her since mornin’, and her boss told us she quit her job this mornin’ and told him she wuz leavin’ on the train tonight.”

“Dammit!” Tait cursed. “They musta headed for Zanesville, or are hidin’ out waitin’ to catch that train tonight. Whatta ya gonna do about them, Sheriff?”

“Reckon I’ll have to swear in some of you men for a posse and ride out to look for them.”

“Me and the boys’ll ride with you,” Tait said.

When several other men volunteered as well, the sheriff swore them all in as deputies. “We got a better chance of finding them if we split up into two groups. Tait, you and the other Lazy R riders can be one, and all you other fellas come with me.”

Zach couldn’t have been more pleased. With the posse headed out of town it would buy him some time. He could only hope for a quick response to his telegram.

As soon as they rode away, the undertaker drove off with the two bodies, and the crowd dispersed, Zach stealthily returned to the boardinghouse. He paused when he saw the Harvey Girls come out of the house and head for the restaurant. Kate was among them. When he was certain the coast was clear, he climbed in the window of Rose’s empty room and tapped lightly on Kate’s door.

“Rose, it’s me,” he said softly. She opened the door and he stepped in and closed it. “Anyone else in the house?” She shook her head. “What about the housekeeper?”

“Mrs. White went to Albuquerque yesterday. Andre and Colette don’t come back until after the dinner hour. Mr. Billings rents a room at the minister’s house.”

“Good. That gives us a little freedom, but we still have to keep out of sight.”

“What’s happening in town?”

“It’s not good. Tait and the boys rode in with Rayburn’s body and convinced the sheriff that you shot Rayburn in a lover’s quarrel. The sheriff formed a posse and just rode out.”

Her shoulders slumped in despair. “So now not only Tait’s after me, but the sheriff, too.”

“He’s after both of us. They claimed I’m one of the rustlers who committed the Wilson murders, and then killed Will Grainger. Tait’s gang rode out with the posse, but when they get back they’re sure to check out this place again. We’ve got to figure out where to hide until I can prove Tait killed Rayburn.”

“And how are you going to do that?”

“I’m waiting for an answer to my telegram, but that can take hours. Why don’t you try and get some rest?”

Her head snapped up in surprise. “Rest! How do you expect me to rest, knowing there’s a madman out to kill me and a posse searching for us?”

She was right. He walked over to her and tucked a finger under her chin, tilting her face up to look at him. Whatever Kate had done to Rose’s eye had helped. It still was discolored, but the swelling was down. Time would heal the bruises on her cheeks, too.

“Rosie, you’ve had a rough time. A rest would do you good. How are you feeling?”

She tried unsuccessfully to smile. “Like I’ve been socked in the jaw.”

He lightly traced the bruises on her cheek. “Could have been worse. At least there are no bones broken.”

Suddenly her expression changed back to desperation. “Zach, why don’t we get out of here while we have the chance?”

“If we run now, every bounty hunter in the territory will be tracking us. The thing to do is clear our names once and for all.”

“How can we do that? You said yourself that Tait has convinced everyone that we’re both murderers. It’s our word against theirs.”

“Leave that to me.”

“Zach, you’re only one man. There’s five of them! The sheriff thinks we’re murderers—the town, too—so you can’t expect anyone to help us.” She turned away from him. “I don’t want your death on my conscience, too.” There was mounting hysteria in her voice.

He moved closer and put his hands on her shoulders. Her body was trembling. “Hey, honey, don’t worry. I’ve gotten out of worse spots than this.” He slipped his hands down her arms and pulled her back against him. Lord knows there’d been plenty of close calls that he’d escaped by the skin of his teeth. But this time Rose was in danger, too. His arms tightened around her. Despite everything, he had fallen in love with this woman. And as long as there was breath in him, nobody was going to hurt her again.

Not even him.

Chapter 21

T
he day passed slowly. Kate returned to change into her black uniform for the evening meal and thoughtfully brought them sandwiches and fruit. As they ate, she filled them in with the local gossip: Stephen Rayburn had been well thought of, and the citizenry was anxious to see that his murderer was punished.

As soon as she left, Rose slumped down on the bed. “How can anyone believe Tait’s story?” Sighing, she lay back with her head on a pillow. “He’s so evil.”

Zach joined her on the bed. Stretching out on his side, he propped up his head in his palm and smiled tenderly at her.

“Because you’re not there to defend yourself.”

“Maybe it’s a mistake for me to remain in hiding,” she said, sounding demoralized and uncertain.

“Not if you want to stay alive. Have you forgotten Tait was on the verge of killing you? Show yourself now, and he’ll finish the job. That damn sheriff won’t try to stop him.”

“Oh, Zach, how are we ever going to get out of this mess?”

She looked so sad and vulnerable that he wanted to hold her, but he knew he’d want more once she was in his arms. Instead, he lightly brushed aside the hair clinging to her bruised cheek. “Nothing’s going to happen to you, Rosie. I promise you. As soon as I get an answer to my telegram, we’ll get the help we need.”

“I’m afraid we’ll need a troop of cavalry to get out of here.” She rolled over on her side, tucked a hand under her cheek, and closed her eyes.

For a long moment, he gazed at her. The trouble was, he didn’t feel as confident as he implied. It was unlikely they could remain hidden much longer. His hope rested on a speedy response to his telegram.

He saw that Rose had fallen asleep. To avoid waking her, he stood up and went over to the window. Damn! Tait and his gang had returned to town and were at the depot checking the eastbound train that had just pulled in. Obviously in search of them, the gang boarded the train. They finally climbed off and began checking the passengers returning to board. Zach decided this would be the best chance to avoid being seen. He woke Rose.

“Honey, Tait and his gang are back. I’m going to the telegraph office to see if the reply to my telegram has come in. Stay away from the window and don’t open the door to anyone except me or Kate.”

“But if Tait’s in town, he might see you, Zach!”

“They’re occupied checking the train so they must figure if we’re in town, we’ll try and leave on it. I should be able to get to the telegraph office and back before they’re through.”

As he started to climb out Kate’s window, Rose came over to him and put a hand on his arm.

“Be careful, Zach. He wants to kill you, too.”

He grinned at her. “Tait’s on borrowed time, Rosie. Trust me. Now lock the door. I’ll tap three times when I get back.” Seeing her worried frown, he kissed her lightly on the nose. “Hey, Rosie, didn’t I tell you I won’t let anything happen to you?”

Zach succeeded in reaching the telegraph office without incident, only to get the bad news that there was still no response to his wire. Leaving the office, he saw a large crowd had gathered. To his further dismay, Tait was in the center of it elaborating on his lies about Rose’s involvement in Rayburn’s death. Maybe rather than remaining hidden, he should go on the offensive, Zach thought. He drew his Colt and spun the chamber. Satisfied, he sauntered over to the crowd.

“Tait, I understand you’ve been shooting your mouth off about me.”

Tait’s forced smile didn’t fool Zach for a minute. He knew the man was itching to kill him. “You helped Rayburn’s killer escape, didn’t ya? Where ya got her hidden, MacKenzie?”

“Where you can’t hurt her until she can prove her innocence. Maybe you should have checked those passengers more carefully before that train pulled out.”

“What did I tell you, folks? He helped that killer get away.”

“You’re a damn liar, Tait. Rose Dubois didn’t kill Rayburn—
you
did!”

As Zach had anticipated, the crowd swiftly backed away. They’d witnessed enough such confrontations to know what followed such an accusation. Now only Tait and his gang remained facing Zach.

Tait’s thick lips curled in amusement, but his dark eyes glared blatant hatred. He slipped his hand to his holster. “Did I hear you call me a liar, MacKenzie?”

“Nothing wrong with your hearing, Tait.”

“And I suppose she ain’t the kind to cheat on Rayburn with you either, huh, MacKenzie?”

“That doesn’t make her a murderer.”

Cain and Pike started to sidle behind Zach. Not shifting his fixed stare from Tait, Zach said, “Rather have you boys stay where you are. Same goes for you and Joe, Bull.”

“You don’t see me movin’, do ya?” Bull grumbled.

“You figure you can take us all, MacKenzie?” Tait asked.

“Can’t say— but
you
won’t live to find out. I’m not as easy to kill as Rayburn and that old couple you murdered.”

“That’s damn fool talk even from you, MacKenzie. Ya ready to back it up?”

“Anytime you feel lucky, Tait.”

Pandemonium broke loose when Tait started to draw. Shouting men and screaming women scampered in all directions to get out of the line of fire. Tait’s shot went astray, but Zach’s bullet found its mark, and the outlaw was dead before he even hit the ground.

In a hail of bullets, Zach dived behind a horse trough as the gang scattered and ducked for cover. Water squirted like a fountain through the dozen bullet holes in the trough. A bullet ripped into his shoulder, and he looked around for better cover. The closest place was a run-down barn. He had to risk it, so he fired several rounds at the gang to make them keep their heads down, then crouched and dashed for the safety of the barn a few feet away. A bullet ripped into his leg just as he dived through the doors and closed them. Bullets splintered the wood as he shoved the bar in place to prevent anyone from entering, then he crawled away from the door.

Zach pulled off his bandanna and tied it around his thigh, then took a look around him. A loft, no window, and empty stalls. At least there’d be no way anyone could get in. The bad part was that he’d have to wait until dark to slip out of there, and time was running out: the sheriff and his posse might return before nightfall.

Several shots slammed into the door again, as if to remind him just how desperate his situation was. When he peered out through a crack he couldn’t see anybody, but he knew there were at least four men out there hoping to gun him down. He was safe for the time being, though: none of the four were the kind to risk their hides by rushing him.

His shoulder was stinging and his leg hurt like hell. He reached behind and touched the back of his shoulder, then wiped his bloody hand on his pants leg. At least the bullet had gone right through him. The rip in his jeans at front and back showed the same was true of the wound in his thigh. Good.

Once again, bullets riddled the door. How long would those idiots continue to waste ammunition? At least he’d taken down Tait; the bastard couldn’t hurt Rose now.

Grimacing with pain, he sat down, reloaded his pistol, then leaned back against a post and began to work out his strategy. He figured the loft door offered a better escape route than trying to pull out some rotted slats.

He knew damn well he’d get no help from the town. “You gotta admit, MacKenzie, this sure isn’t the smartest move you’ve ever made,” he said with self-deprecation.
What would you do in this spot, Dad? Uncle Luke? Uncle Cleve?
He wracked his brain, trying to remember their countless stories of narrow escapes.

Rose bolted to her feet the moment she heard the gunfire. Certain Zach was in the center of the shooting, her heart began pounding so hard it felt like her chest would burst. Ignoring his warning, she went to the window, but all she could see was the train depot. The shots were coming from the other end of town.

Frustrated, she began to pace the floor. Was Zach still alive? Was he wounded? Maybe it was just a drunken cowboy shooting up the town. When the gunfire stopped suddenly she froze, unconsciously holding her breath. Her anxiety built to an overwhelming panic. She couldn’t remain hidden in the room; Zach might be out there fighting for his life! Or lying dead in the middle of the street! She rushed to the door, then paused when the gunfire resumed. Relieved sobs burst from her throat. As long as the firing continued, it meant he was still alive. She had to go to him.

Just as she reached to turn the key in the lock, there was a rap on the door. Startled, she jumped back.

“Rose, it’s Kate.”

Her hand was trembling so much she could barely turn the key in the lock. Kate came in and at the sight of her grim expression, Rose’s previous fear returned. Tears blinded her eyes and the knot in her throat burst into a wail of despair. “Zach’s dead, isn’t he?”

“No, Rose! No.” Kate’s eyes glistened with tears of compassion as she clasped Rose’s hand. “He killed Jess Tait, and the rest of the gang’s got him trapped in a barn.”

Joy surged through Rose in a floodtide. “Then he’s still alive, or they wouldn’t be shooting. I’ve got to help him.”

Kate pulled her back into the room and closed the door. “Rose, what help can you be to Zach if you rush out there half-cocked and possibly get yourself killed?”

Hot, salty tears stung her eyes and choked her words into sobs. “Don’t you understand? I love him, Kate. It’s my fault he’s even in this fix. I can’t stand by and not try to help him.”

“I understand, honey,” Kate said, trying to soothe her. “But we’ve got to think this out.”

“And while we’re doing that, Zach could be killed! No, I’m going to him.” Rose tried to leave but Kate’s grasp held firmly.

“Listen to me, Rose. If you really want to help Zach, you’ll take time to think what would be the best way to do so. He’s safe in the barn for the time being. The sheriff and his posse haven’t returned yet, and you can be sure those four fools aren’t about to risk getting themselves killed by trying to go in after him. We’ve just got to think of a way to divert their attention so Zach can escape.”

The wisdom of Kate’s practicality began to cut a swath through Rose’s panic. Little by little she felt warmth creep through her body, which had been cold with despair.

“I guess you’re right—I’ve been too upset to use my head.”

“That’s right.” Kate led Rose over to the bed. “So let’s sit down and think this out. Surely the two of us can outsmart those four idiots.”

“Well, we certainly can’t start a fire, or we’re liable to burn down the whole town.”

“That’s for sure,” Kate agreed. “From what I’ve seen of that Bull, though, any woman can divert his attention.”

Rose lifted her head. “Well, we’re women, aren’t we?”

“Sure, but you can’t show your face, because Tait’s convinced everyone in town that you murdered Stephen Rayburn. And Bull wouldn’t trust you anyway, even though he knows you didn’t kill Stephen.”

“I realize that, but he’d have no reason to distrust the rest of you.” Rose jumped to her feet as an idea entered her head. “You girls could appear sympathetic and offer something like . . . ah—”

“Like what?” Kate asked, feigning indignation. “Just what do you have in mind, Rose Dubois? You know as well as I do what’s always on Bull’s mind.”

“I was thinking more along the lines of a cup of coffee and pie, or cake.”

“That’s not a bad idea. We had a couple of apple pies left over from dinner. Maybe we can lure them into the restaurant with that offer.”

“And when you do, I’ll get to Zach.”

“But I doubt they’d all just walk away from the barn and not leave someone behind to guard it.”

“Right, but that will probably be Joe, because he’s the dumbest. And Joe always does whatever Bull says. My guess is that probably makes Bull the leader now that Tait’s dead.”

Kate smiled with satisfaction. “And we all know that Bull only has one thing on his mind. A smile and an offer of coffee and pie from a gal is sure to give him even bigger ideas. It will be easy to get him away. And where Bull goes—”

“So go the others,” Rose said.

“Rose, we can do it!” Kate exclaimed.

Rose felt there still was another obstacle to consider. “What about the people in town?”

“The decent people have returned to their homes. They want nothing to do with it. The ones I talked to said Zach goaded Tait into drawing by calling him a liar, but at the same time, he let Tait make the first move.”

“Then why don’t they help Zach?” Rose cried, feeling the return of her frustration.

“Honey, nobody’s going to put their lives on the line against four armed outlaws, unless it personally affects their own families. Remember, they consider Zach as bad as the rest of the gang, so what do they care who shoots who? As for the no-gooders in town, they don’t much care who ends up on Boot Hill. So let’s get this done before the sheriff gets back.”

“Do you think the other girls will be willing to help?”

“I’m sure they will. None of them believed for a minute that you killed Stephen Rayburn.”

Within minutes, the other Harvey girls had joined them in Kate’s room. All three were appalled to see how Stephen had beaten Rose and were eager to help in whatever way they could.