Dorothy Garlock (33 page)

Realizing that the barn walls would be no protection against the powerful weapon, Corbin was tempted to toss down a stick of dynamite and end it. But he was not sure of the effect the blast would have on the barn if it went off close enough to get the men. The walls of the barn might come down and bury them.

Leaving the window, Corbin quickly moved the blanket and food sack over behind the pile of junk. Annabel was sitting on the floor with her back to the wall. She looked up at him with lifeless eyes. Her face was dirty, her hair tangled. Corbin knelt down beside her.

“Sweetheart, are you all right?”

“Poor Marvin. He didn’t deserve to be shot down like a dog.”

“No, he didn’t, but you can see now the type of men we’re dealing with.”

“Do you think they found Boone and Jack and Tess?”

“No, honey, I don’t. It was a mistake for us to come back here, but at the time I thought it was the thing to do. Now we’re between the men out there and the Carters, who will blame us for killing Marvin.”

Annabel made a move to get to her feet, but Corbin put his hand on her shoulder to hold her down.

“Rest. If they go into the house, we’ll make a run for it out the back of the barn and take our chances of running into the Carters.”

“I’m worried that Boone or Papa will come. I expected Papa the day before yesterday; surely he’ll come today.”

“We’ll leave here as soon as we can and get down to the road to warn him.”

“Can’t we go now?”

“Honey, the barn door is open and they can see through to the back. We’ll have to wait until they go in the house.” He put his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face. He kissed her lips, held her cheek against his and whispered, “I love you.”

“I keep thinking that God wouldn’t be so cruel that he’d take you from me now that I’ve found you,” she murmured. “I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.”

“Nothing is going to happen to either of us. Soon we’ll go somewhere and have a good bath, a warm dinner and find a soft bed. When we get to town, I’m going to find a preacher to marry us so that you’ll truly be mine to take care of.”

“I want that too.”

“Your papa will just have to like it or lump it.”

“He’ll lump it for a while, but he’ll get used to it.” A half smile tilted her lips. “I’ll tell him how much I love you and how happy I am.”

“I love you too.” He placed another gentle kiss on her lips and went to look out the door again.

An hour passed. Lester and Benny were sprawled on the back porch. Corbin decided that they were waiting for the Carters to come looking for Marvin. He was worried about Annabel. She had been strangely quiet since Marvin was killed. He turned from the window to look at her and was startled to see a man’s head coming up out of the hole in the floor.

Corbin jerked the gun from his belt and held it on the man coming up the ladder. “Hold it right there,” he ordered.

“Shit, man. Don’t shoot me.” He continued on up until his knees were against the floor of the loft.

“You’re a Carter.”

“Calvin Carter. I was here the other day. I’m lookin’ for Tess.” His eyes searched the corners of the loft.

“She isn’t here. Only me and Miss Donovan. Did you see what they did to your brother down there? He was going to help us get out of here.”

“Bud saw it. He was watching with his spyglass.” Calvin came on up out of the ladder well and squatted on the floor. He had a long-barreled pistol tucked in his belt.

“Thank God for that. We were sure you’d blame it on us.”

“Bud said another man was here, but the tall one in the striped shirt did it.”

“Did he recognize the other man that was here and left in the one-seated car?”

“He said the gray-haired man from the drugstore was here, and a woman and a man was up here in the hayloft. He could see ya with the spyglass. He thought it was Tess. I come to get her outta here before the shootin’ starts.”

“Tess is up in the hills with Boone and Jack.”

“Why’d them fellers shoot Marvin?”

“Potter told the other fellow to kill him and he did. Maybe it was because he saw Potter and could connect him to the killings when they killed us. They’re out of Chicago looking for Donovan. Marvin was going to help me get Annabel out of here.”

“They’ll get what’s comm’ to ’em. The little cocksucker from the drugstore will get his too.” Calvin’s face was hard as stone.

“He’s their connection here.”

“Did they blow the cave where Donovan kept his hooch?”

“I think Donovan’s man blew it up to keep them from getting it. They want to get their hands on Donovan’s girl and hold her so they can get to him and Boone.”

“Why’re ya stickin’ yore neck out?”

“Because I’m going to marry Miss Donovan.” Corbin spoke firmly while looking Calvin straight in the eyes.

“Ya’re the one who run down Leroy, ain’t ya?”

“Yes, I hit the mule Leroy was on, but it wasn’t intentional. I was trying to avoid the roadblock.” Corbin thought it best to tell the truth.

“I ain’t sayin’ ya done right, but I ain’t holdin’ it agin ya … now. Who’s tied up in that last stall down there?”

“Is he still tied up? It’s one of them. I found him in the house before the others got here. How did you get in here without them seeing you?”

“Come across the cow lot behind a pulled-up bush. My papa taught me that. I climbed over the stall boards next to the wall instead of comin’ down the middle. When I stepped on a pile a hay, it moved. Found a man under it, tied and gagged and wallerin’ in cow shit. He was a dressed-up dude. I figured he was one of ’em and kicked a bit more shit in his face.”

“I’ve got to get Miss Donovan out of here.” Corbin went to the loft door and looked out. “They’re still on the porch and can look straight through the barn.”

“I’ll signal Bud. When the ball starts rollin’, get’er out the back.”

“What ball?”

“Ya’ll see. Carters take care of Carters. Ain’t nobody guns down a Carter and lives to tell it.”

“Are you comin’ out with us?”

“Naw, we got a little surprise for ’em. We didn’t have time to gather up many of our kinfolk, but we got enough to do the job.”

“They’ve got a tommy gun.”

“Them fellers ain’t leavin’ here alive if’n they got a dozen tommy guns.” Calvin was at the side of the loft door waving his cap. “Bud will be comin’ with a hay wagon and they’ll be watchin’ it. When I tell ya, take the woman and get out the back.”

“Thank you, Calvin. I’m sorry about Marvin.” Annabel had come to stand beside Corbin.

“Ya suckered him in, girl. He was ’bout as foolish over ya as Pa was over Ma.”

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t … like him.”

“Ya woulda in time. My woman didn’t like me much at first. Now she’s wild for me.” There was no brag in Calvin’s voice. He sincerely believed what he was saying was true. “Marvin was a wild one. It’s said Pa was wild too when he was young, but Ma settled him down. Tell that Boone feller that I’m top dog now Marvin’s gone, and I’ll be comin’ back for Tess. She ain’t goin’ to be his whore.”

“Boone cares for her. He’ll marry her and take good care of her.”

“Shit! He ain’t going to marry a woman like her. She been ruint.”

“Why do you say that? She’s as nice a woman as I’ve ever met,” Annabel said firmly.

“She ain’t either nice. Ya don’t know what yo’re talkin’ about. She ain’t nothin’ but a whore, even if she is a Carter.” Calvin’s voice was a harsh whisper. “She’d honey up to an oak tree if’n it had a branch in the right place. She ain’t fit to be no man’s wife—”

Annabel felt Corbin’s hand on her arm and snapped her mouth shut before she made a caustic reply.

“Here comes the wagon.” Calvin pulled the long-barreled gun from his belt. “It’ll be just like shootin’ fish in a barrel. Sons-a-bitches! I’d like to roast ’em over a slow fire for gunnin’ Marvin down.” A minute later he said sharply, “Go!”

Corbin hurried Annabel to the hole in the floor. He went down first and guided her feet to the rungs on the ladder. Each holding tightly to the other’s hand, they scrambled out the back of the barn and ran across the cow pasture toward the woods.

Safely amid the dense growth of bushes, Corbin turned back toward the homestead to see four men with guns at the ready coming up out of the hay in the back of the wagon. There was a blast of gunfire from the wagon and from Calvin, who was shooting from the door of the hayloft. Benny and Lester never got off a shot. The Carters continued to shoot into the bodies as they lay on the ground.

Corbin put his arm around Annabel. She turned and clung to him.

“Is it over?”

“Part of it is. We’ll wait and see what the Carters are going to do now.”

As they watched, Calvin came out of the barn with the man from the stall.

“Looky what I found,” he shouted. “Ain’t he pretty?”

Chapter
24

H
OW YA FEELIN’?” Boone had come to stand beside the bunk where Spinner lay. His face was cut and bruised. He took shallow breaths through his open mouth.

“Like … I been run over by a freight train,” he gasped.

“Ya look like it too.”

“Where’s the boy?”

“I sent him out to look around. When he gets back, I should get on down to the house and see about Annabel.”

“Murphy ought to be back by now.”

“He’ll have a run-in with Appleby when he learns that she’s been with him all night and that there’s somethin’ goin’ on between him and Annabel.” Boone chuckled. “I’d like to see it. Appleby can hold his own. He’s ’bout as bullheaded as Murphy.”

Spinner grunted and spoke with difficulty. “Ain’t no man goin’ to be good enough for that girl to Murphy’s way a thinkin’.”

“Annabel’s stuck on him. Murphy might just have to back off.”

Tess came to stand beside Boone. “Can ya eat somethin’, Mr. Spinner?”

“Lass, ya been pokin’ that stuff down me since I woke up. I’m so damn full of broth my eyes is crossed.”

Tess bent down and looked into his eyes. “They’re no such thing,” she exclaimed. “You need to eat and get your strength back.”

“Why? I’m doin’ just fine a-laying here lappin’ up all this waitin’ on … by a pretty woman.”

“This pretty woman belongs to me,” Boone said gruffly and put his arm around Tess. His black eyes shone with pride. “Let the old goat lay there and starve,” he murmured in her ear but loud enough for Spinner to hear.

“He don’t mean it, Mr. Spinner.”

“Hell, I don’t. Ya been fussin’ over him like he was some-thin’ special.”

“Pay him no mind,” Tess said and dug her elbow in Boone’s ribs. “If you want something, call out. Hear?”

Boone moved Tess toward the door. They stepped out into the bright sunlight. Tess’s face wore a worried look.

“What are ya frettin’ about?” Boone asked with concern.

“I keep wondering how Leroy is doing. Marvin might of got him away from the doctor.”

“I doubt that. Doc Perkin’s got sand. He’ll not give him up till he’s able to go.”

“This is a pretty place,” said Tess. “I wish Leroy could see it. He would be good at fixing up a place like this.”

“Is this the kind of place you’d like to have?”

“Who wouldn’t?”

“It’d be lonesome up here.”

“Not for me. I love the woods. Course, I like to go to town once in a while,” she said, her amber eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Are you wantin’ to go to town now?”

Tess bit her lip and thought about it. “Are you?”

“I don’t want to, but I ought to go back to the house. Marvin may have sobered up enough to try something. Appleby won’t stand for crowdin’ Annabel.”

“Let me go with you.”

“Are ya ’fraid yore brothers will find ya here?”

“When the Carters spread out, they can find a safety pin in these hills. They’re going to be awfully mad, but I’m not afraid if I’m with you.”

“I’d only be gone a few hours … unless there’s trouble of some kind.”

“Don’t you trust Mr. Appleby to take care of her?”

“Yes, but her papa left her in my care. If he’s there, I’ll be glad to turn the chore back to him and come right back.”

“Let me go with you.” She had that fear in her voice again. Her arms went around his waist and she hugged him tightly to her.

Boone buried his face in Tess’s hair, as if to close out the world and enjoy the pleasure of her soft body against his. His hand came up to rest at her waist, then moved in a slow glide over her back and down to her hips, stroking with loving possession.

“Sweet girl, I can see the writin’ on the wall. You’re goin’ to twist me ’round yore little finger.” His voice was a breathless whisper before he bent his head to find her lips with his. His kiss was long and sweet.

“Do you mind me … doing that?”

“Twistin’ me ’round yore finger? It means I got to watch my step, or I’ll be doin’ handsprings ever’ time ya blink them pretty eyes.”

She laughed. It made her look like a young girl. Then the smile left her face and she sobered.

“I just love you so much, Mr. Boone. When you’re out of my sight, I get to worrying that you won’t come back and I’ll never see you again.”

“How can you love me?” he asked, feeling as if he were holding the treasure of the world in his arms. “I’m just a big old ugly bugger that knows nothin’ but riverboats and boot-leggin’.”

“You’re not ugly! Not old! And … you’re smart. We can get us a chicken farm or … something.” She framed his face with the palms of her hands. “You’re the prettiest and the sweetest man in the whole world.”

“Well … what do you know about that?” Boone could hardly talk for the pounding of his heart and the warm tide of tingling happiness that washed over him.

“How can you love me … knowing … what you know?” she asked hesitantly.

“Knowin’ what I know makes me love ya all the more. Yo’re a woman who come through a troubled time with her head held high.” He lifted her off the ground and swung her around. She squealed and clung to him. “I’m not wantin’ ya to worry, darlin’. I’ll send Jack to see about Annabel.”

“If you think you should go, I could go with you.”

“We’ll stay here and look after Spinner. Appleby could have taken Annabel to town by now. It’s what he wanted to do. After you poke some more broth down Spinner, we’ll walk Jack down to where we left the truck. I’m not sure he could find it.”