Bobbi Smith (28 page)

The lawman directed several of his deputies to escort Wade back into town and to lock him up in the jail.

“You ready to ride with me to the Turner ranch?” Sheriff Johnson asked Jack and Hawk.

“We’re ready,” Hawk, Randi, and Jack all answered.

Hawk didn’t want Randi to ride along with them either, but he knew there was no way they would be able to convince her to stay behind. Everything that had happened had been so upsetting for her that she wanted to be there to see justice done. She wanted to watch Pete Turner be arrested and taken off to jail, just as Wade had been.

Most of the hands from the Lazy S decided to accompany them to the Turner ranch. Only a few stayed behind to keep an eye on the ranch.

The plan was made for the best way to corner Pete as they covered the long miles to his ranch. Their hope was to catch Pete at the main house. If they were lucky enough to find him there, they could surround the place and force him out.

When they drew close to the house, but were still out of sight, Sheriff Johnson sent several of his men to take up positions around the building. He wanted every angle covered just in case Pete or any of his men tried to sneak away. That done, those who were riding in girded themselves for what was to come.

“Randi, I want you to ride between me and Hawk. I don’t want you anywhere out in the open where you might get hurt,” Jack said as the house finally came into sight.

“Yes, Pa. Let’s just hope we don’t have to worry about that. Let’s hope Sheriff Johnson can take care of this and make his arrest without any trouble.”

There were close to twenty in the posse as they thundered up the road toward the house. They were all armed. As much as they would have liked for things to go smoothly, Sheriff Johnson and Jack both understood the kind of man Pete Turner was and the very real danger they might be facing this day.

“Pete! It looks like we got some trouble coming!” Stan Lawson, the foreman, called to him.

Pete had been working in the corral out back behind the stable, and he came around front to see what Stan was talking about.

“Ain’t that Sheriff Johnson?” Stan asked.

“It sure as hell looks like him,” Pete answered, immediately concerned. “Go warn everyone. Tell them to get their guns and keep watch.”

Stan hurried off to do as he’d been ordered.

Pete knew the sheriff and his men were too close for him to try to avoid facing them. He stood by the stable entrance with his hand resting on his sidearm as he waited for the confrontation to come.

Stan returned quickly. He’d gotten his own gun and came to stand behind Pete with some of the other hands from the ranch to back him up.

Pete swore under his breath when he saw that Jack, Hawk, and Randi were with the lawman. It only proved to him that Wade had failed miserably. Things couldn’t have turned out any worse.

“Afternoon, Jack. What brings you out this way, Sheriff?” Pete asked, trying to sound cordial as he walked forward to speak with them.

“I need to talk to you, Pete,” Sheriff Johnson told him in a tone that was deadly serious.

“What’s wrong, Sheriff? Is there some kind of trouble?” He pretended innocence.

“Yes, Pete. There’s trouble. You know damn well there’s trouble,” Sheriff Johnson stated with certainty. He recognized the rancher’s stalling tactic and slowly drew his gun to emphasize the point he was about to make. “You’re under arrest, Pete.”

“For what?”

“Rustling.”

“What are you talking about?” Pete cast his men a sidelong glance that warned them to be ready.

“Look, Pete, you can talk real nice all you want, but the truth is, I know everything. I know what’s been going on out here, and I’ve come to put a stop to it.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“We’ve already arrested Wade. He told us everything. We’re taking you in. You can make this easy for yourself or—”

“You ain’t taking me in!” Pete shouted, erupting in fury.

Filled with anger, he drew his gun and started firing as he ran for the cover of the stable. His men joined in, firing wildly as they, too, fled for safety.

The posse was ready. The instant gunfire erupted, they attacked.

“Stay here!” Hawk ordered Randi as he and Jack followed the posse’s lead, pursuing the rustlers.

Pete hated Jack. Jack always won. Jack always came out ahead in everything he tried! He despised him! Pete knew that if he were going to hang, he wanted Jack dead along with him. He spun around and took aim at the hated rancher.

As Pete paused to get a shot off at Jack, the sheriff’s aim proved true. Pete fell to the ground. Several of his main gunmen were shot, too. The rest of the men made it to the stable and continued to fight, but it didn’t take them long to realize there would be no getting away. They were trapped, outnumbered, and running out of ammunition.

Sheriff Johnson had feared the situation might end up in a siege, but the battle ended relatively quickly.

“We’re coming out!” one of Pete’s men finally yelled.

“Throw your guns out first!” Sheriff Johnson ordered.

They watched anxiously as several guns were tossed out the stable door.

“Now come out with your hands up!” the lawman dictated.

Pete’s men did as they were told. The deputies made short work of restraining them and getting them ready for the trip back to town and to the jail.

The fighting over, Hawk rode back to where Randi waited a short distance away.

“It’s over?” she asked nervously. She had her own gun in hand, just in case.

“It looks that way.”

“Let’s ride up and see if Pa needs us.”

They rode forward to join her father.

Jack and Sheriff Johnson had dismounted and were going to check on Pete, who lay unmoving on the ground.

Hawk and Randi drew near and were about to dismount when they saw something. There, leaning out of the stable’s loft area, was Stan, and he was ready to take a shot at Jack.

Randi and Hawk acted instantly. They both fired their guns at the same time.

Stan screamed as he was hit. He fell from the loft. He was dead when he hit the ground.

Hawk and Randi dismounted and rushed forward to make sure Jack was all right.

“Oh, Pa! When we saw him up there, I didn’t know what to think!”

“I sure am glad I taught you how to use a gun, darling,” Jack told Randi; then he looked at Hawk. “That was some fine shooting. Thank you.”

Randi’s relief was overwhelming as she stood with the two men she loved.

“Jack,” the sheriff said from where he knelt beside Pete, and turned him over. “It looks like Pete won’t be causing any more trouble. His rustling days are over.”

Jack nodded slowly. “Thanks, Sheriff.”

Jack looked at Hawk and Randi. “Let’s go home.”

Randi nodded and slipped her arm through her father’s as they walked back to where they’d left their horses.

Hawk watched them walk on ahead of him for a moment.

Randi looked back at him, wondering why he hadn’t come with them. “Let’s go home, Hawk.”

Hawk gazed at the woman he loved and knew she was right—he was going home.

Four Weeks Later

Everyone gathered for the wedding reception in the church hall watched happily as Hawk and Randi made their way to the center of the room. The wedding had gone perfectly, and now it was time for their first dance as a married couple. Randi was lovely in her gown, and Hawk handsome in his dark suit. They looked perfect together as he took her in his arms.

“I remember the last time you gave me a dancing lesson,” Hawk murmured to Randi.

“And I remember what a fast learner you were,” she said, smiling.

The music began, swirling around them as they began to move about the dance floor.

Hawk gazed down at Randi, thinking how beautiful she was and how lucky he was to have her. The days since their return had been filled with excitement, planning the wedding and building the small home that would be theirs a short distance from the main ranch house. Hawk and Rob and the other men had worked long hours to make sure it was finished before the wedding.

“What are you thinking about?” Randi asked. “You look like you might be up to something.”

“I was thinking how much I’m looking forward to the rest of the evening,” he told her with a devilish grin.

Randi couldn’t help herself; she blushed. “I like the way you think.”

They both laughed as they continued to dance. In the time since they’d returned to the ranch, they’d had very little time alone together. Her father had seen to that, making sure they’d been chaperoned every minute. Tonight would be different, though. Now, they were man and wife, and they would begin what would be the rest of their lives together.

At the side of the dance floor, Andy and Sherri stood together watching them dance.

“I’m glad everything turned out so well for them,” Andy said.

“So am I. If it hadn’t been for Hawk saving Randi from that terrible man . . .” Sherri shuddered as she thought about everything her friend had been through. “But she’s going to live happily ever after now.”

“Yes, she is.” Andy paused, gathered his nerve, and then asked, “And what about us?”

“What about us?” Sherri looked up at him, a bit confused.

Since the first time they’d met, Andy had been attracted to her, and the more time he spent with her the more he’d come to realize how special Sherri was. During the time when Randi had been missing, they’d grown closer, and now he knew what he wanted to do.

“Well, do you think we could live happily ever after, too?” he asked.

Sherri blinked in surprise and then broke into a beaming smile as she answered, “Are you proposing to me, Andy?”

“Yes, I am,” he stated with certainty now that the hard part was over.

“Then I suppose I’d better give you an answer.”

Andy waited anxiously.

“Yes,” she told him.

He wanted to kiss her right then and there, but instead took her hand and drew her outside. “You’re sure about this?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

Andy took her in his arms and kissed her.

“Why wouldn’t I want to marry you?” Sherri said teasingly when they broke apart. “You’re handsome, and I love you, and being married to you, I’ll always have all the candy I want. I don’t think marriage gets any better than that. We’d better go tell my parents.” She took his hand to lead him back indoors.

“In a minute,” he said, drawing her into his arms again for one last delightful kiss.

Jack stood with Wilda watching Hawk and Randi dance.

“I never thought I’d say this, but Randi’s got herself a good man,” Wilda told him. She had come to admire and respect Hawk.

“Yes, she has,” he agreed.

Pat walked up then, and Wilda moved away to chat with other friends.

“She looks so beautiful and so happy,” Pat observed.

“That she does,” he agreed. He couldn’t have been more content this evening. Only weeks before he would never have believed things could have turned out so well. “Things can only get better around here now that the rustling’s been stopped.”

“I’m hoping I can hold things together at my place till roundup.”

“I’m here if you need anything, Pat. You know that.”

“Thanks, Jack. You’ve always been a good friend.”

“It’s just a shame we both trusted Wade the way we did. I always thought I was a good judge of character, and I believed Wade was a good man at heart for all those years. He sure proved me wrong,” Jack admitted.

“Me, too,” Pat remarked, feeling saddened at being so used. She’d actually believed Wade had cared for her. She was angry with herself for being so naive.

“The good news is the trial is coming up soon, and Sheriff Johnson believes he’ll be locked up for a long time. Once that’s over with, we can get back to normal around here.” Jack knew that was going to feel real good after all they’d been through.

Randi and Hawk’s dance ended, and the musicians began another tune.

“Pat, would you like to dance?” Jack invited, wanting to lighten their spirits. It was time to put thoughts of Wade and his betrayal behind them and enjoy the celebration.

“I’d love to, Jack,” she answered.

He guided her out onto the dance floor.

It was much later when Hawk and Randi were finally able to slip away from the reception. They made their way to the hotel and hurried up the staircase to their room. Hawk unlocked the door and then swung Randi up into his arms and carried her inside. With utmost care, he set her on her feet.

Randi didn’t move away from him, though. She linked her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her for a passionate kiss.

Her kiss was all the enticement Hawk needed. He worked at the buttons on the back of her gown as she unbuttoned his shirt. The fever of their need grew as they undressed and fell together upon the welcoming softness of the bed.

They came together in a glorious celebration of their love. With each kiss and caress, their desire grew. Hawk whispered the truth of his devotion to her as he moved over her to make her his own. Randi welcomed him to her, loving him, needing him, wanting him forever.

Rapture swept over them and left them breathless in love’s aftermath. They held each other close, thrilling at the joy of being husband and wife.

“I think I’d better give your father both Phantom and Bruiser,” Hawk murmured contentedly. “You’re worth it.”

Randi rolled over him to look down at him. She was smiling. “I love you, Hawk.”

“And I love you,” he said.

And then he showed her just how much.