Colin's Quest (25 page)

At first, Quinn had argued with her, saying she’d not be included in whatever their decision concerning punishment for their father’s killer. But she wouldn’t let it go, arguing that allowing someone who wasn’t family, such as Caleb, and not her was wrong. She could ride and shoot as well as any of her kin and had a right to be a part of any decision the men made. Besides, she didn’t trust Caleb, wondering at his motives for leaving his family in Oregon to venture hundreds of miles south to work for a family he’d not seen in years.

The bigger truth was the unease she felt around him. She’d felt the same sense of discomfort during their journey west years ago. It seemed no matter where she rode or what she did, Caleb wouldn’t be far away. He never spoke or intruded, which irritated her even more.

Now he’d shown up again—older, taller, well-muscled, a man in every sense. Unlike her female cousins, she didn’t see the reason for wanting a man as a permanent part of her life. Every suitor who’d spoken to her da, trying to court her, had been soundly rebuffed until few came around any longer. She’d felt nothing for any of them—until Caleb. Never had she felt such odd feelings for a man—nervous, unable to form a coherent thought, as if she were a daft lassie. She had no idea what bothered her so about him, but Heather was determined to push the nonsense from her mind. 

“Yost says we can’t be sure it’s Coffman. They wore bandannas, and never spoke, only gestured at each other.” Blaine scrubbed a hand down his face.

“The man’s a coward,” Quinn spat out. “More worried about his own hide than seeking justice. The way I see it, we’re the ones who’ll have to do what’s right.”

“Are you thinking we ride out, leaving your families here to take care of themselves?” Caleb asked. “I’m not sure that’s a wise idea. And remember, Coffman is Coral, Opal, and Pearl’s father.” Most every MacLaren, except Heather, had accepted Caleb right off, put him to work, and treated him as if he’d been a part of their family forever. He glanced at Heather now, her arms crossed, staring at him as if he were an unwanted insect. His lips tilted into a grim smile, remembering her from the wagon trip west. Beautiful and wild with a free spirit, she defied the ordinary definition of a female. She also had a natural distrust of those outside of the family.

“Hell, I don’t know what’s best. All I know is we need to find who did this. There won’t be peace for any of us until we do.” Quinn stood, pacing toward Colin, who’d taken a spot near the horses.

Crossing his arms, resting a hip against a post, Colin listened without comment. His sentiments mirrored Quinn’s. If it weren’t for Sarah and his impending marriage, he’d already be on the trail, searching for the killers.

“What do you say, Colin? Are you with me on going after them?”

“Aye, Quinn. Just not yet.”

“And why not? The longer we wait, the harder it will be to find them.”

“For one, I’m getting married in a few days—”

“And he won’t be getting out of his bed for days afterwards,” Blaine added, seeing Colin’s mouth quirk up in a slow grin. It was the first smile he’d seen since his brother returned.

“Aye, Blaine, you’re right. And I’ll not be leaving the others until we know where we’re headed.”

“After Coffman.” Quinn paced back to the fire, dropping onto one of the logs.

“Aye, but there are questions I’d like answered before we rush off to kill the man. As Caleb said, he’s the girls’ father. Even if they ran, killing someone’s kin is never easy. Also, we need to be certain he’s in Crocker before all of us ride out, leaving the ranch with a partial crew.”

“But you agree Coffman and his gang are responsible for the murders?” Heather asked. She’d believed the same, yet she’d never been able to convince her uncles of it.

“I do. It’s moving into winter. They’ll hit what banks they can before the snows force them to stay in Crocker. That’s when we go after them. They’ll settle in, not expecting anyone to be brave or foolish enough to take them on in their own town. We do what we need to do, then ride out without anyone knowing.”

“That will also give us time to learn more about him from the girls.” Caleb understood they couldn’t let the killers go unpunished. At the same time, he didn’t want to cause the girls more pain.

“So you aren’t planning to tell Yost?” Blaine asked, unsure of the wisdom of keeping the man out of it.

“I’m not planning to tell
anyone
.”

Blaine’s jaw dropped open. “Not even our uncles?”

“No one.” Colin glanced at the men around the fire. He’d trust his life to each one. “We’re the only ones who’ll know what we plan.”

“When?” Quinn relaxed for the first time since their return.

“We ride to Crocker as soon after the wedding as possible. Brodie and Blaine will ride into Crocker, leaving the rest of us a few miles outside of town. No one will recognize either of them. We’ll wait until they return, confirming Coffman is there, then we all ride in. We were able to get here in three days, and that was with the women.”

“We’ll make it in two each way. Won’t be gone more than a week.” Quinn liked the idea. He’d ride out tonight if they could.

“And if we learn it wasn’t Coffman?” Blaine asked Colin.

“It was. I’d bet my life on it.”

Chapter Seventeen

“It’s so good to have you and Geneen here.” Kyla continued stitching the wedding gown Sarah would be wearing on Saturday. The work kept her mind off Angus and the life she faced without him. The days weren’t so bad, but the nights were complete agony, crying herself to sleep, then reaching over in the early morning to find the space next to her cold and empty. How she wished he’d lived long enough to see what a beautiful woman Sarah had become. “Now, tell me more about the girls.”

Geneen and Sarah stayed close to Coral, Opal, and Pearl each day, helping with chores, trying to get them to talk about their parents and where they’d been raised. So far, she’d had little success.

“They’re still somewhat of a mystery to us. You already know Coral is the oldest at eighteen, more a woman than a girl. Seems she’s been responsible for Opal and Pearl for a while.” Sarah looked up from stitching lace on her veil. Several MacLaren women had ridden into town a few days before to pick up the rest of the supplies for the wedding. Kyla had insisted they purchase additional lace and clear beads. Sarah would be lucky if she didn’t go blind trying to apply them.

“Colin told me you think their father is the same man who killed Angus and Gillis?”

“Coral told Caleb their last name is Coffman, and neither Opal nor Pearl have said otherwise. According to what Colin has learned, Lonnie Coffman is the head of a group of notorious outlaws who live around Crocker. That’s where the girls said they were living before they ran away.” She opened the veil, inspecting her work.

“I wonder what made them run away.”

“None of them will talk about it. Whenever it seems like Opal or Pearl might say something, Coral is quick to stop them. Whatever the reason, they don’t want to go back there.” Sarah stood, holding up the veil. “There. How does it look?”

“Oh, Sarah. It’s beautiful. By tomorrow afternoon, I’ll have the dress ready for you to try on again. Then we need to start cooking. Saturday will be here before you know it.” Setting down the dress, Kyla glanced out the window, watching the girls play while Geneen watched. “Your sister is only a year younger than you?”

“Yes, she’s twenty-one. Isla, the youngest, is sixteen and not at all like either Geneen or me. She loves being in the house, reading, helping Ma.” At the mention of her mother, Sarah’s chest tightened. If only her da wasn’t so stubborn, her family might have been here to celebrate the marriage, instead of not knowing if she’d ever see them again.

Kyla sat back, folding her hands in her lap, watching Geneen lean against the barn, talking to Coral, keeping a vigilant watch on the younger girls. Her nine-year-old twin daughters, Chrissy and Alana, had taken to Pearl right away, following her everywhere.

“Does she want to teach, like you?”

Sarah laughed at the thought. “Heavens no…unless it involved being outside. Geneen isn’t as accomplished as Heather around a ranch, but she can hold her own with most chores.”

“I’ve seen them talking. Geneen mentioned Heather doesn’t say much, which is true. That girl always has been a loner. Maybe in time…”

“Geneen told me the same.” Sarah walked to the window, standing behind Kyla. “Of course, my sister can be quite chatty. It may take Heather a while to warm up to her.” She looked at the horizon, seeing a group of riders approach. “Looks like the men are heading back.”

“Guess it’s time to finish supper and feed them.” Kyla smiled as Sarah took off, dashing outside onto the front porch to wait for Colin. It had been the same each day since their return. Any free moment they had, the two spent it together.

Except for Caleb, she’d known the young men all their lives. Kyla’s instincts warned her they had something planned, fearing it had to do with chasing the outlaws. A part of her sought justice as much as they did, wanting to put Angus’s killers in the ground. Another part caused a cold lump to lodge deep in her stomach when she thought of the possible outcome. She couldn’t handle losing anyone else she loved. She had to make time to get Colin alone, find out what they intended, and put a stop to it.

“What will we do if they won’t let us stay, Coral? I don’t want to go back to Crocker.” Pearl sat on her bed in the room the three sisters shared, worry etched on her young face. At ten, she’d already witnessed too much violence, had too many sleepless nights wondering if she’d be torn from her sisters, forced to live in a house not of her choosing.

“If they wanted us to be in Crocker, they would’ve left us there weeks ago.” Coral wrapped an arm around Pearl’s trembling shoulders, pulling her close. “We can’t waste our time worrying. Instead, we need to show them how much help we can be—convince them to let us stay. Now, let’s help Mrs. MacLaren with supper.” She let her arm drop as Pearl slid off the bed, racing down the steps.

“No running, Pearl,” Coral called after her.

“Do you truly believe they won’t send us back?” Opal stood at the bedroom door, glancing over her shoulder. At fourteen, she was four years younger than Coral, but already a young woman in many ways.

“Yes, I do,” she sighed, walking up to place a hand on Opal’s arm. “Maybe they’ll let us stay here or look for a family in town, but they won’t return us to Crocker.” She prayed her thoughts were true. It had been years since they had a real home, people they could depend on. Living with the MacLarens had given her the first sense of peace she’d known in a long time. “I promise, no matter what they decide, I won’t let them pull us apart.”

“Where are you taking me, Colin?” Sarah gripped his hand tight as he led her down a path through what she knew to be a thick forest. Over her weak protests, he’d insisted on using a bandanna to blindfold her. She could hear water in the distance, feeling leafy limbs brush against her skirt as they got closer to the sound. Their rides and walks after supper had become a tradition, even in the short time they’d been together.

“Show some patience, lass. It’s a surprise.” Colin looked around, keeping her close as the trail narrowed. He hadn’t been out here in at least two years. It used to be his special spot to be alone and think about Sarah, wondering if they had a future.

“Are you sure you can see where we’re headed?”

Chuckling, he shook his head. “Aye. There’s a full moon, the same one you saw rising on our ride out here.” Several more minutes passed. To his surprise, Sarah didn’t utter another word. Drawing her ahead of him, he stopped, gripping her shoulders in his hands. “Do you hear that?”

“Aye. Sounds like a waterfall.”

“It is, but there’s more.” Untying the bandanna, he stepped to her side, watching her face.

“Oh my…”

He watched her eyes widen as her voice trailed off, turning to flash him one of her bright smiles, the kind that always made his breath hitch.

“It’s stunning.” She peered down into a lagoon, the surface sparkling from the light of the moon. “Can we get closer?”

Taking her hand, they took an overgrown path to the water’s edge. “I found it not long after we settled here. I used to come here often to get away.” He cast her a cautious look. “To think of us, wonder if I’d ever find you, if you’d follow me here.”