Dusty Britches (74 page)

“
Do you think I left here feelin
’
like I did with no plans of ever comin
’
back and seein
’
what would happen between us when you
’
d grown up some? You can
’
t really think that little of me.
”
He shook his head and continued,
“
I did a winter in
Montana
, then Wyomin’. When you would
a been turnin
’
about sixteen, I started home…back here. But there was a bad storm
’
tween here and there
,
and I stopped over down in
Texas
. Had me a bad case in my lungs
,
and it was warmer there. I figured I
’
d just winter it out. Stopped over and hired on to a man named
Montgomery
. So…I was impatient…but I wintered it out, figurin
’
you
’d
be almost seventeen by the time I got here and still young enough that maybe no slimy banker
’
s son had snatched y
a
up yet.
”
He looked up at her for a moment
. S
he looked away.

“
So, come spring, Mr. Montgomery brings in some new cattle
. W
e get through the calving…and I make ready to leave. I
’
m packin
’
my saddlebags. Dusty, my dog, is as happy a
s any hound ever was at my side…
and I hear it start. I could hear the ruckus and the girls screamin
’
. I run out to see Lilly caught in the path of the herd hell
-
bent on tramplin
’
anythin
’
in their
way
.
I jumped on my horse, bareback…only a bit on…
and rode out there.
”
He swallowed hard and looked down at his hand
as he made a fist. “I had her…r
ight there. I had her
,
and she slipped. I don
’
t know how she slipped, but she pulled me off my horse too, bein
’
that it wasn
’
t saddled proper
…
and by the time I scooped her up again, some mad steer had kicked her in the head. Though she woke up after a week, it was obvious she never would be in he
r right mind again, and Wesley…well, he was
needin
’
s
omethin’ to throw his anger at…so he
blamed me.

“
Wesley and me had a go
-’
round. But I was tryin
’
to understand what he was goin
’
through. When he threatened to track me down and kill me…course I thought it was just pain eatin
’
at him. But I figured I
’
d play it safe awhile and not drag you and your family into the mess. So I cowboyed around for a few months until I felt it was behind me. Went down to
Arizona
. And just as I was feelin
’
I could start out for here again, Wesley and his
boys
showed up. They did me in pretty good that time. I was beat near to death before they tried to…
”
He paused and shrugged his scarred shoulder.
“’
Cause, y
a see…
they don
’
t come at me head on. They sneak up in the night or like when I
’
m not payin
’
as much attention. If it hadn
’
t been for the townfolks a
-
knowin
’
and lovin
’
me…that meetin
’
in
Arizona
probably would
’
ve been the end of me. I realized I couldn
’
t come back here.
”

He looked up at her.
“
But when I seen your daddy with that herd goin
’
through Tucumcari…
”
He stood up, went to her
,
and took her by the shoulders.
“
I won
’
t leave, Dusty. I
’
m tired of runnin
’
from somethin
’
that wasn
’
t my fault. Heaven knows I
’
m lucky Cash Richardson is a big enough idiot to s
how his true colors, or I might
a come back to find I was too late after all.
”

“
Don
’
t touch me,
”
Dusty breathed, stepping back and out of his grasp.
“
Don
’
t touch me again. Get on your horse and leave before they find you here.
”

“
I know what you
’
re tryin
’
to do
,
and it won
’
t work,
”
he growled.

“
You can
’
t stay, I can
’
t go with you
,
and
—”
she sobbed.

“
I
’
m stayin
’
. I will not leave you. Do you understand that?
”
he growled.

“
But…
”

He walked forward and took her face firmly between his
powerful
hands.
“
Give her to me, Dusty!
”
he demanded. The moisture in his eyes was profuse
—
threatened to spill over as he spoke.
“
Give me that girl you found…that girl or the other one that was here when I came back. I don
’
t care which. But I want you now. I
’
m tired of waitin
’,
and I
’
ve wasted enough time. I won
’
t leave you. I love you. Girl, I
’
ve loved you since you were a brat of a thing with dirt all over the sweet little fanny of your britches. And I love you more every minute that goes by. You
’
re in my dreams…day and night. In my mind…in my soul…in my blood!
”

She could not resist him—would not lose him!
Dusty fell into his embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around him. She
’
d never let him go! N
o matter what was to come, she w
ould keep him. She had to! She inhaled deeply the scents that were about him. She let her lips rest on his neck for a moment
, and
then she drew back and took his handsome face in her own small hands.

Ryder nodded.
“
And you need to stay away from me like this.
”
His eyes flashed with desire.
“
One of these days…once it
’
s all legal on paper and in front of the preacher…I
’
m gonna take y
a
out to this waterfall, strip y
a
down
,
and
—”

Dusty clamped her hand over his mouth.
“
Ryder,
”
she began
to scold
.
“
There are things you still shouldn
’
t say to me.
”
She kissed him on the cheek and whispered,
“
Yet.
”

S
he dashed out from under the waterfall intent on finding help and protection for Ryder. She ran along the rocks looking back at him as he pursued her. She needed to get him back to the house w
here there were more people—w
here
they’d be safe.

The strong arms
wrapping
around her body like steel bands caused her to gasp
. L
ooking up, she screamed as she saw the frightening, intimidating war paint of a renegade warrior.

“
Dusty!
”
Ryder shouted as two men appeared from behind the large
willow. They took hold of him and immediately
ceased his struggle when the renegade holding Dusty put a knife to her throat.
“
Don
’
t hurt her,
”
Ryder pleaded angrily through clenched teeth.

“
Ah,
”
another man
’
s voice sighed, thick with sarcasm. Dusty glanced over to see another man, a young man perhaps Ryder
’
s age
,
holding a sobbing Rose Montgom
ery by the back of the neck. He held to a short length of rope—a rope tied around the neck of a dog.
The dog began barking and straining on the rope, trying to get to Ryder. The man was tall, blond, blue-eyed
,
and powerful
-
looking. His eyes
lewdly traveled
the length of
Dusty as he said,
“
Is this the famous Dusty?
”

“Don’t you touch her, Wesley,”
Ryder growled.

T
he man named Wesley only chuckled.
“
What
’
s that
,
Maddox? You don
’
t want me to throw her in front of a stampeding herd of cattle?
”

The dog finally succeeded in pulling the rope from Wesley
’
s grasp and ran to Ryder, barking and excitedly panting at his feet. The wolf-like animal with different colored eyes growled menacingly when one of the men holding Ryder kicked at her.

“
Sit, Dusty,
”
Ryder commanded
. T
he dog immediately sat on its haunches, panting
with delighted expectance
.

“
Amazing, Maddox,
”
Wesley chuckled.
“
How do you keep such a hold on dogs, women
,
and children?
”
Again Wesley made a full and quite intimate visual appraisal of Dusty.
“
Of course…I guess that little girl you
were always pining
away after grew up in the end, didn
’
t she?
”

“
Let her go, Wesley,
”
Ryder ordered.
“
You don
’
t have anything to blame on her!
”

Wesley
’
s triumphant smile disappeared.
“
An eye for an eye perhaps?
”

Ryder began to struggle violently, shouting
,
“
No!
”

Dusty shrieked as Wesley snapped his fingers and the two men holding Ryder began dragging him toward one of the smaller trees nearby.

“
You see, my dear,
”
Wesley whispered
,
bending toward Dusty
’
s ear,
“
he could get away easily enough…but he knows I
’
ve got you!
”

“
It wasn
’
t his fault, you filthy coward!
”
Dusty shouted at him.

She was met with the stinging force of the back of his hand
. I
t was too much for Ryder. Breaking free from his captors, he lunged toward Wesley.

“
Stop,
”
Wesley reminded Ryder, pointing to the knife at Dusty
’
s throat. Ryder stopped his aggression
. W
hen the two men began pulling him back toward the trees, he simply glared at the villain.

“
You don
’
t understand it all, Wes!
”
Rose pleaded suddenly, struggling in the madman
’
s grasp.
“
There
’
s more to it than you know!
”