Carol Finch (5 page)

Gideon had lived with that ornery Galen and impulsive Glenn for years. He didn’t consider them exceptionally lovable. Perhaps the fact that ruthless raiders had killed
Sarah’s family five years earlier made her cling so fiercely to her new husband and family. After Gideon tracked down every last one of the three men and then watched Judge Parker send them to the gallows, Sarah had sworn eternal gratitude.

“He’s at it again,” Sarah said as she breezed onto the porch. “Galen insisted he can mount a horse to begin a search for our horses. I swear you’ll have to tie him to the bedposts. Glenn is trying to do just that, but he needs help.”

Shaking himself like a duck to shed water, Gideon strode into the house. He could hear Galen swearing a blue steak, long before he witnessed the struggle between Galen and Glenn.

Gideon walked over to press his palm to Galen’s forehead, noting his high fever and forcing his brother down while Glenn secured his good arm to the iron headboard. “Stop resisting. You’re a sick man and you’re worse than a belligerent prisoner.” Like the one he’d tethered in his barn. “You’re hurt and you need rest,” he added tersely. “Do us all a favor and calm down.”

“You have your own problems,” Galen panted, completely out of breath. “Can’t expect you to take time off to hunt down our horses. They’ll be miles away if I don’t track them.”

“I will track them down. Count on it,” Gideon guaranteed. “The other marshals can handle the jail wagon and still round up fugitives before we head to Fort Smith.”

“What about the woman?” Galen’s green-eyed gaze zeroed in on him. “What are you going to do about her?”

“I think you should let her go.” Glenn spoke up. “She looks innocent to me.”

Galen and Gideon exchanged glances before staring at their younger brother. Gideon said, “So is a delicate rose…
until you grab hold of it and suffer the painful prick of its thorn. Looks are deceiving, little brother. It’s time you learned that.”

Glenn gestured toward Sarah. “Lori is pretty like Sarah.”

“Thank you,” Sarah murmured.

“I think Lori also has a kind heart and generous nature,” Glenn continued. “You should give her the benefit of the doubt.”

“I did more than that,” Gideon replied. “I tested her and she attacked me.”

“
Tested
her?” Glenn smiled wryly. “How?”

“I provoked her temper.”

“I can see why she might’ve attacked you.” Glenn crossed his arms over his chest and studied Gideon all too closely. “I never knew you were so rude to women.”

The comment caused Galen and Sarah to arch their eyebrows and study Gideon speculatively.

“Sparring with each other, were they?” Galen asked.

“Stay out of this. You’re injured,” Gideon snapped.

“Nothing wrong with my mind, except when my lovely wife overdoses me with that foul-tasting sedative.”

“Everything’s wrong with your mind,” Gideon said, and smirked. “When you’re sedated you think you can fly and your judgment is skewered.”

“He’s not that bad,” Sarah put in defensively. “And I must say I’m surprised by your attitude toward Lori. In fact, I’m on my way out to offer her food and make amends.”

“Just be careful that she doesn’t bite the hand that feeds her,” Gideon warned.

Sarah scoffed as she exited the room, provoking Gideon to mutter under his breath. He wasn’t accustomed to his family ganging up against him. All because of that feisty female prisoner who went around shooting former lovers
for proposing to her. If that wasn’t the dumbest excuse he’d ever heard, he didn’t know what was.

Furthermore, his family should trust his instincts.

Gideon lashed Galen’s leg to the bedpost—just in case he became rowdy again.

Galen cursed him sourly. “That isn’t necessary, you—”

“—tyrant,” Glenn teased, borrowing Lori’s description.

Gideon’s arm shot toward the door, as if his annoying little brother was too dense to know where it was. “Leave. Go with Sarah to make sure Lori doesn’t try to escape while taking her meal.”

“Where is she?” Glenn inquired.

“Tied to a post beside the sheep pen in the barn.”

“Tied to a post?”
Glenn howled in outrage.

“She’s a prisoner, not a princess,” Gideon reminded him caustically. “I’m not going to book her a room at the hotel in the Osage Capitol at Pawhuska for safekeeping.”

Flashing Gideon a disapproving glance, Glenn hastened from the room.

Galen smiled wryly. “We both seem to be upsetting the family today.”

Gideon plunked down in the chair next to the bed. “I’m cranky from lack of sleep. I’ve been tracking fugitives for five weeks. You’re irritable because you’ve been shot, sedated and restrained. We’re destined to upset a few people along the way… Now tell me about the horse theft.”

Galen yawned broadly then shrugged his good shoulder. “Not much to tell. I heard the broodmares and Appaloosa stud stamping around and banging against the corral railing. They were nickering uneasily so I went to investigate and called to Glenn on my way out the door.”

“What time was this?”

“Before eleven. I was late in returning from police headquarters in Pawhuska. I’d had to investigate a domestic quarrel between John Running Bear and his wife, Leta.”

Gideon nodded. “Those two were going at each other while I was an officer with the Osage Police. As I recall, Leta constantly accused John of cheating on her.”

Galen nodded. “Not much has changed. They still go on the warpath and take after one another. Their neighbors heard them raising a ruckus from a quarter of a mile down the road.”

“So you came home late,” Gideon prompted to get his brother back on track.

Galen blinked owlishly then shook his dark head to clear his thoughts. “Sarah fixed me something to eat. Glenn had already gone upstairs to his room. When I heard the horses nickering, I hurried outside. Like I said, I called to Glenn and grabbed my pistol on the way out the door. I figured a panther or bear was lurking around, disturbing the horses.

“The light was behind me so I couldn’t see much more than two silhouettes on horseback, trying to open the corral gate. The men had on hats and kerchiefs to conceal their faces. I shouted at them and fired a warning shot as Glenn barreled out the front door. One of the men shot me in the arm.”

He glanced down at the stained bandage then scowled. “Glenn was determined to chase the bastards, but I refused to let him, for fear he’d wind up shot, too. Or worse. Besides, someone has to be here to do the chores while I’m patrolling my district of the reservation. I don’t want Sarah doing any heavy lifting. She works hard enough around here.”

Gideon smiled faintly. “You won’t let Sarah overdo it, even when she insists on pitching in to help any way she
can. She’s a good woman, Galen. Still don’t know what the hell she sees in you.”

Galen flashed a lopsided grin. “I have a lot of hidden charm.”

“
Well
hidden,” Gideon teased. “It’s escaped my notice for years.”

Galen’s smiled faded. “So tell me the whole story about Lorelei Russell.”

“I don’t know the whole story. A messenger arrived in camp before I went looking for Pecos Clem Murphy. The foreman at Burgess Stage Station and Ranch had been shot by a jealous woman who might be headed our direction. The widow who owns the place witnessed the incident then put up a reward for the capture of the woman who killed her foreman and left her understaffed.”

Galen frowned drowsily. “What does Lori have to say in her own defense?”

“She claims the foreman was her friend. He supposedly proposed and she turned him down. According to her, a shot rang out from the underbrush and her would-be husband collapsed.”

“So she ran for her life,” Galen mumbled. “Is that it?”

Gideon shifted restlessly, knowing he’d been too wary of Lori to ask for details. He didn’t want to hear more of her lies and he was afraid he’d be swayed because of his personal desire for her. He should’ve left her at marshal camp, but they’d likely take her side, just because of her compelling beauty and irrepressible spirit.

“I didn’t ask for the specifics. I had just captured Pecos Clem when she walked out of the fog. I took her captive when I realized who she was, then headed for camp. Then Glenn showed up and here I am.”

“I think you need more details,” Galen insisted.

“Thank you so much for telling me how to do my job.”

Galen yawned again. “You’re welcome. Always glad to return the favor, big brother.”

Gideon rolled his eyes ceilingward and expelled an audible sigh. “You think I’m a tyrant, too?”

“She said it. I didn’t.”

“Always nice to have family support and appreciation,” Gideon grumbled sarcastically as he rose from the chair. “I cared for you and our reckless little brother for years after we lost our parents. This is the thanks I get.”

“Thanks,” Galen said dutifully.

“Thank me by staying in bed until the fever breaks. I’ll scout the area to see if I can pick up the horse thieves’ trail.”

“I’d appreciate it, Gid. Those horses are our future.
All
of our futures. One day we can resign our commission in law enforcement and live comfortably here.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Gideon admitted as he walked away.

He’d spent too many years battling the elements and outlaws, while living like a predator in the wilds. But a marshal’s salary and collected bounties paid the bills and made it possible to purchase exceptional broodmares and stallions. Gideon and his family had made money selling livestock to stage stations for years, but they were making a name for themselves with Appaloosa and pinto crossbreeds. Horses like Pirate were in great demand and brought high prices because of their flashy color, unique markings, speed and powerfully built bodies.

Speaking of Pirate, Gideon had left the stallion tied to the hitching post. The horse was his most reliable friend and constant companion. He needed attention and a bucket of grain.

Striding down the hall, Gideon glanced up then skidded to a halt when he saw Lori sitting at the dining table with
Glenn and Sarah. Like old friends making up for lost time, they were talking quietly.

He would not let that female weasel her way into Gideon’s family and turn everyone against him. “What’s going on?” he growled, making the threesome flinch in surprise. “My prisoner is to remain tied outside in the barn.”

Glenn squared his shoulders and met Gideon’s condemning frown. “She’s a woman and she deserves better treatment. I watched Mother be mistreated and knocked around, as if she counted for nothing. I won’t have Lori tied up with the sheep while she’s at my ranch.”

“
Our
ranch.” Gideon was quick to correct him.

“I’m here more than you are,” Glenn pointed out. “So…you want something to eat or not?”

Gideon muttered under his breath when Lori glanced up at him briefly. He could tell she’d been crying by the redness and swelling around her golden eyes. Probably crocodile tears to draw Sarah and Glenn’s sympathy. These two were younger and more trusting than Galen and Gideon, whose rough-and-tumble profession made them jaded and cautious.

While Lori ignored him completely, Gideon took a seat and ate the tasty stew in silence. Lori posed questions to Sarah and Glenn, who were gracious hosts and were eager to share their life stories. No harm in that, Gideon supposed. However, he wasn’t going to soften toward the flame-haired siren who played hell with his iron-willed self-discipline until he had all the facts.

If
he decided to open an investigation rather than carting her back to the marshals’ mobile headquarters.

He refused to listen to Lori’s side of the story. If he investigated, he wanted to hear what the Widow Burgess had to say about the incident. But first and foremost, he
needed to recover the stolen horses so Galen could relax and recuperate.

Swallowing down the meal in haste, Gideon came to his feet. Then he reached over to grab Lori’s arm and hoisted her up. “Let’s go.”

“She’s not finished eating,” Sarah protested.

Gideon propelled Lori toward the front door. “That will tide her over for now.”

“I’ll bring out bread and cheese later,” Glenn volunteered.

“No, you won’t,” Gideon called over his shoulder. “You keep your distance and tend to the ranch chores while I’m tracking the thieves.”

“When will you be back?” Glenn asked.

Gideon smiled astutely. “I’ll be back when I get here, so if you’re planning to grant Lori more privileges, don’t. I don’t want to run you in for obstructing justice, Glenn. Then Sarah won’t have any help around the ranch because you’ll be locked up.”

“My, you are such a ray of sunshine,” Lori said in a caustic tone—for his ears only. “Is there no end to the special privileges of being one of your family members?”

Was he that hard on his kin? he wondered. He was accustomed to being in charge. Plus, his profession made him authoritative and decisive. Lori had him questioning himself.

That hadn’t happened before.

He stared into her thick-lashed amber eyes and noticed they were twinkling with mischief. He suspected she was messing with his mind, the same way he’d messed with hers while he battled the lusty temptation that clawed at his defenses.

“I need to find you a muzzle,” he grumbled. “Surely we have one stashed around here somewhere.”

Lori sighed audibly when Gideon tied on her leash then secured it to the post.

“I’ll check on you after I scout for tracks and figure out what direction the thieves took.”

She batted her long lashes at him and drawled, “I’ll miss you while you’re gone, Marshal Fox. Please hurry back.”

Gideon loomed over her, taking advantage of his towering height. He crowded her against the post, telling himself not to react to the suggestive brush of his body against her luscious contours.

“Do not take advantage of my family’s kindness and generosity,” he warned. “You can torment me all you want, but don’t use them for your devilish purposes. Do you understand me, Lorelei?”

“I don’t understand you at all,” she said, squirming against him, making him wonder if she was trying to avoid him or arouse him—and she was definitely doing that, damn it. “Now go away. I’ve enjoyed you as much as I can stand for one day.”