Relentless (17 page)

Cale had regained consciousness, but was unable to move or make a sound as he lay bound in the back room of the stable. He waited there alone for a long time and then he finally heard the door being unlocked. He watched carefully to see who was coming in, and soon learned it was the man he’d seen working at the stable earlier that day. He grunted and squirmed, trying to get the fellow’s attention, but the man just gave him a cold, hard look.

“Don’t get any ideas about me setting you free. That Texas Ranger will be back, and he’s going to take you in.” Gus was satisfied when he saw the look of fear that shone in the outlaw’s eyes. “You’d better be scared,” he taunted. He’d heard all about this deadly gang of gunmen, and he was glad that the law had finally caught up with them. “He’s facing down your partners right now, but he’ll be back. That’s for sure.”

Gus sat down in the chair across the small room from where the gunman lay on the floor, planning to keep a close eye on him.

It wasn’t too much longer before a knock came
at the door. Gus quickly went to answer it. “Who is it?”

“Ranger Spencer,” Grant answered quietly.

Gus didn’t hesitate. He unlocked the door and was not surprised to find Grant half dragging another man with him. The other outlaw had his wrists bound behind him, and he was gagged, too. Grant shoved Ugly Joe down on the floor next to Cale and quickly bound his legs, too.

“You got ’em all?” Gus asked, impressed with the lawman.

Grant nodded. “Jackson’s dead.”

When Cale and Ugly Joe both heard the news about Les, they were shocked. Les was the fastest gun around. They didn’t know how this Ranger had done it, but they knew they were in serious trouble. Their last and only hope of freedom would be if Jim showed up right now.

“Weren’t there four men riding in the gang?” Gus asked, remembering all he’d heard about them.

“That’s right. I caught up with Jim Harper a few towns back. Killed him in a shoot-out.”

“You’re one fine Ranger.”

Grant looked at the stable man, his expression serious. “I’m just doing my job.”

Cale and Ugly Joe were furious to know this Ranger had killed Jim, too. The only solace they had was that they’d killed the other Ranger, and they intended to brag about that the first chance they got.

“Looks like you got winged there,” Gus remarked. “Let me take a look at that arm.”

Grant didn’t say anything as the stable man tore
back his shirtsleeve and set to quickly cleaning up and doctoring the graze with the medicine he had stored there in a small dresser. Gus bandaged the wound.

“I don’t think that’ll give you any trouble.”

“At least it’s not my shooting arm,” Grant said with a half smile. “Thanks, Gus.”

“Where’s the kid?” Gus asked.

“Getting our gear ready. We’ll be riding out at first light. Did they stable their horses here?”

“I got all three of them,” he responded.

“Keep whichever one you want, but I’ll need two to transport these men to Gold Canyon.”

“I’ll have them ready for you at sunup,” Gus offered. “Do you and the kid want to bed down back here for a couple of hours? That way you can keep an eye on these two while you get some rest. I can sleep out in one of the stalls.”

“That’s real kind of you,” Grant said in appreciation. He’d been wondering how he and Dusty were going to get any rest tonight. As it was, he still wasn’t going to get much, but at least Dusty could get in a few hours of sleep.

“You need anything, just let me know,” Gus said as he left Grant alone with his prisoners.

Grant looked down at Cale and Ugly Joe to find them watching him, their expressions hate filled, and he knew he couldn’t let himself relax until they were safely locked up in Gold Canyon.

“You boys might as well try to get some rest, too. You’re in for some long, hard riding in the morning,” he said.

Just as he’d finished speaking, Dusty came into the room. She stopped inside the door and stared down in disgust at the captured outlaws. “Gus said we were staying in here for now?”

“That’s right.”

“He fixed your arm?” She noticed the bandage.

“Yes. It was nothing serious. If you want to sleep for a while, I’ll keep watch,” Grant offered, gesturing toward the small bed against the wall. He could tell she was exhausted.

“I’ll try,” she agreed. She knew they had to be ready for anything over the next two days while they transported the killers to the jail.

Cale and Ugly Joe were even more furious to see Dusty with the Ranger. They had no idea how she’d come to be riding with a Texas Ranger, but they knew now they’d been fools not to stay on her trail when she’d escaped from them that night. None of this would have happened if they hadn’t given up trying to find her. Now, she was the one who’d tracked them down. Ugly Joe, in particular, was humiliated that she’d caught him so off guard up in his hotel room. He wished he’d ignored Les’s warning and gone ahead and raped her when they were first riding out of Canyon Springs. That was what she deserved. He hoped he could manage to get free somehow and take his revenge, but if nothing else he had the satisfaction of knowing they’d killed her daddy and the other Ranger.

Dusty curled up in the narrow bed, facing the wall so she wouldn’t be looking at the outlaws, while Grant settled into the only chair in the room.

The last few hours of the night passed slowly. Grant was glad when he saw that both outlaws had fallen asleep. He didn’t let his guard down, though. Glancing over toward the bed, he thought it looked like Dusty had fallen asleep, and he was glad. She needed the rest.

As Grant watched Dusty, he knew the time was coming when he was going to have to decide what he was going to do with her. He loved her. He knew he’d met his match in the feisty tomboy, and he wasn’t going to let her go. He had been relentless in tracking down the Jackson gang, and he planned to be just as relentless in winning her hand.

The memory of Miss Gertrude handing Justine over to him at the dance in Canyon Springs played in his mind, and Grant realized that night seemed like a lifetime ago after all they’d been through. He found himself looking forward to seeing her wearing a fancy gown again, and he definitely was looking forward to holding her close—

Grant had to force his thoughts back to the reality before him.

He had Ugly Joe Williams and Cale Pierce to bring in.

The rest would have to wait.

Grant tore his gaze away from Dusty and concentrated on staying awake.

It was just before sunup when Grant woke Dusty and then left the room to find Gus already up and waiting for him. Grant was surprised to find the stable hand had gotten them a hot breakfast.

“That was real nice of you, Gus,” Grant told him.

“My girlie friend is the cook over at the saloon.”

“From the way it smells, I’d say she’s a good cook.”

“How do you want to do this?” Dusty asked, joining them.

“You go ahead and eat, while I see about getting those two ready to ride.”

“All right.”

“As soon as they eat a bite, we’ll ride out.”

“You eat something, too,” Dusty told him.

“Don’t worry. I will.”

He went to rouse his prisoners. He took off their gags and made short order of tying their hands in front of them, then untying their ankles. When they finally joined Dusty and Gus, the two outlaws didn’t say a thing. They just gorged themselves on the biscuits and bacon and hot coffee.

Grant took Gus aside to talk to him privately for a minute, and it wasn’t too much later that they returned with two lengths of chain attached to some metal cuffs.

“This will work,” Gus told Grant, and over the snarling protests of the prisoners, he quickly chained their wrists together in front of them. “That’ll hold ’em until you get to Gold Canyon.” He looked at the angry outlaws. “You might as well get used to these chains. You’ll be wearing them while you’re in the pen.”

Ugly Joe and Cale knew he was right, and the thought of ending up on the chain gangs terrified and unnerved them. They said nothing more.

Dusty was glad that Grant had thought of the
chains. She’d been on edge, worrying that their captives would figure out a way to escape just like she had.

With the prisoners now securely restrained, Grant and Gus wasted no time getting the horses saddled. It was just getting light out as they mounted up.

“I can’t thank you enough, Gus.”

“Glad to help, Ranger Spencer.”

The two men shook hands.

“Good luck to you,” Gus bid.

Grant was holding the reins to their horses, and he noticed that Ugly Joe and Cale were watching them real carefully.

“Don’t even think about trying anything,” Grant ordered. “Like I told you before—I’m taking you in—dead or alive. It’s your choice from here on.”

Cale and Ugly Joe stayed silent as Dusty and Grant rode out of Flat Rock, leading the outlaws’ horses.

Keeping pace with Grant, Dusty felt a warm glow of accomplishment

They had done it—

They’d caught Les Jackson and his men.

It was the moment she’d been living for. The capture of the gang put an end to the nightmare her life had become. She knew she should have been thrilled that it was over, but, in truth, as she faced her future for the first time, she felt only a great emptiness within.

She had no idea what she was going to do. Her need for revenge had kept her going since her father’s death, but now—

Now, she faced the reality of her existence—

She had nothing.

She had no family.

It took all the willpower she could muster to keep up a brave face. She wasn’t about to give in to her heartache now. She couldn’t be weak. She had to stay strong. They had to finish the trek to Gold Canyon with Ugly Joe and Cale. Only when she saw them locked up would she allow herself to consider what she was going to do with the rest of her life.

Dusty thought of Francie then and missed her friend desperately. She wondered how Francie was, and if her friend thought she was dead. She was certain the posse from town had never come near to catching up to the Jackson gang, so there was no way for Francie and her parents or Miss Gertrude to know what had happened to her. The thought of seeing her friends again heartened her, and she found she couldn’t wait for the trek to Gold Canyon to be over.

Ugly Joe and Cale looked at the Ranger and Dusty as they sat opposite the campfire from them late that night. Neither outlaw had said much during the long ride, but now that they were settled in, Ugly Joe and Cale were ready to taunt the lawman with what they knew about the missing Ranger.

“Yeah, Les and me did a real good job,” Ugly Joe bragged to Cale, grinning broadly at him.

“I’ll say you did,” Cale agreed. “Why, the way you and Les gunned down that other Ranger—That was some fine shooting.”

They both noticed how Grant tensed at their words, and they smiled even more. They wanted to make him miserable.

“Yes, it was. He’d been trailing us after we split up, and Les had had enough. He wanted that Ranger out of the way, so we were waiting for him up in a canyon near Eagle Ridge,” Ugly Joe went on. “I always knew Les was a good shot, but that day—I’m telling you that Ranger had no idea we were hiding up there, ready for him. Best I could tell, Les got him in the head. Then his horse bucked him off and
threw him down the canyon. We had some real cause for celebrating—”

It wasn’t often Grant lost control, but when he looked up at Ugly Joe and saw the smug grin on the outlaw’s face, his temper exploded. He threw himself at the outlaw and pinned him to the ground, his forearm pressed against the other man’s throat.

“What did you say?” Grant demanded harshly.

Ugly Joe was half choking, but he still managed to smile up at him and sneer, “You heard me. Me and Les ambushed the Ranger that was following us. We killed him, and we was real glad we did.”

Shocked by what had happened, Dusty leaped up and drew her gun, just in case the outlaws tried to break free.

Grant glared down at Ugly Joe, thinking of Frank being ambushed and killed by these cold-blooded gunmen. Fury, rage and devastation filled him.

For an instant, Grant wanted to exact justice right then and there.

He didn’t want to wait for a judge and jury.

He pressed down harder on the outlaw’s throat. There was no doubt he would feel no sorrow over Ugly Joe Williams’s death, but somehow, he managed to restrain his fierce, feral need for revenge. It wasn’t easy, but he drew back in disgust. In short order, he quickly gagged both prisoners again to silence their taunts, then got up and moved away.

“I’ll be back—” he told Dusty in a low voice, his face bleak with sorrow as he walked off into the night.

Dusty understood his need to be alone. She backed a little farther away from the two prisoners, but kept her gun trained on them. Even though they were restrained, she didn’t trust them for a minute.

Grant moved some distance away to stare out across the darkened land. Frank was out there somewhere. A great resolution filled him, and he knew once he’d turned the outlaws over to the law in Gold Canyon, he would go find his friend. It wouldn’t be easy to locate Frank’s body after all this time, but he had to try. He could do no less for his partner.

When Grant returned to the camp, he was glad to see that the prisoners had bedded down.

Dusty had been watching for Grant. When she saw him coming out of the darkness, her breath caught in her throat. He looked powerful and commanding, and his expression had hardened, revealing no emotion. She knew he was a man on a mission, and nothing was going to stop him from seeing these two men brought to justice.

“I’ll take first watch,” Dusty offered. “You get some rest.”

“All right. Wake me in an hour or two,” he said as he sought what comfort he could find on his bedroll and closed his eyes.

Dusty sat down a short distance away from the campfire, determined to keep a close watch on the prisoners. She was armed and ready for anything they might try. She planned to let Grant sleep longer
than he’d told her, knowing he needed all the rest he could get, but he awoke on his own and took over so she could get some sleep, too.

At dawn, they were on their way, planning to reach Gold Canyon by midday.

They rode into town just after noon and brought the two outlaws to the jail, where they turned them over to Sheriff Becker along with what was left of the money they’d stolen. After the sheriff had made sure Ugly Joe Williams and Cale Pierce were securely locked up, Grant and Dusty had told him all that had happened in Flat Rock.

“I’m proud of what you’ve done,” the sheriff told them. “You’ve saved a lot of innocent lives by stopping Les Jackson and his men. What are you going to do next, Ranger Spencer?”

Grant’s expression darkened. “I’m going to wire my captain and let him know I’ve put an end to the Jackson gang, and then I’m going to ride for Eagle Ridge and see if I can find Frank.”

Dusty had known Grant was deeply troubled by the news of his partner’s death, but she hadn’t expected him to ride for Eagle Ridge. She didn’t know what she’d expected to happen, but she realized now they would soon be parting company. She supposed he would want to put her on a stage and send her back to Canyon Springs so he could be done with her. All the emotions she’d fought so hard to keep under control were threatening to overwhelm her, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep the tears away much longer.

Fortunately, she was sure neither man was aware of her thoughts.

Sheriff Becker looked at Grant. “I understand what you’re feeling. I don’t know if I’d believe anything they told me either.”

“I intend to find out what really happened to Frank.”

“Well, if there’s anything I can do for you while you’re here in town, just let me know,” Becker offered.

“Thanks, Sheriff,” Grant said.

As he and Dusty started from his office, Ugly Joe and Cale yelled out at them from their jail cells. “We ain’t done with you!”

Grant moved back so they could see him as he responded harshly, “Oh, yes, you are. Get used to seeing those bars. You’re going to be spending a lot of time behind them.”

He turned his back and walked away from the killers, ignoring the foul language they hurled at him. He was glad to know they would never be free again to hurt anyone else.

Grant and Dusty stepped outside to stand on the sidewalk. Grant knew what he wanted to do—he wanted to get Dusty alone and kiss her. This would be the first time they would be alone together without the threat of the outlaw gang hanging over them, but first he had to send the telegram to his captain and let him know everything that had happened and the news about Frank.

“Let’s get some rooms at the hotel, and then I’ll go send that telegram,” he said.

“All right,” Dusty replied briefly, trying hard to keep her emotions in check.

Grant thought she was quiet just because she was tired.

“I think we’ve been in this room before,” he said drolly as he went upstairs with her to see her safely to the room the clerk had given her.

“Yes, we have.” Dusty realized then that her room was the same one he’d had the night she’d caught up with him. She paused to look up at him as she opened the door to go in. “Which room is yours?”

“I’m right next door,” he told her. “Do you need anything else?”

“No,” she answered.

“Then I’ll be back after I take care of our horses and send the wire,” he told her.

Dusty went into her room and tossed her gear on the chair. She happened to look up and saw her reflection in the mirror. It wasn’t the first time she’d been taken aback by her appearance, but as she stared at her image, a great sadness welled up inside of her. She hadn’t meant to lose control so quickly, but her broken heart overwhelmed her.

Throwing herself across the bed, Dusty gave in to the heartache that she’d borne for all this time. There could be no more hiding from the truth. She was truly alone in the world. She wept, her sorrow leaving her devastated and vulnerable.

Dusty knew Grant had watched over her during their hunt for the outlaws, but that had only been because he’d been forced to take her along. She
believed if he’d had his way, she would have taken the stage back to Canyon Springs, and he would never have seen her again. Dusty honestly believed when he returned to the hotel that afternoon, he would be ready to put her on another stage and go his own way. He certainly didn’t need her anymore. They’d accomplished their goal. They’d caught the Jackson gang.

Grant had gone into his hotel room to leave his saddlebags and rifle, and had just started back down the hall when he heard a strange, muffled sound coming from Dusty’s room. Fearing something was wrong, he stopped and threw the door open.

It hadn’t even occurred to Dusty to lock the door. After all, Gold Canyon was a safe town. She was unnerved when the door flew open so unexpectedly. She forced herself to look up from where she was lying on the bed, and found Grant standing over her.

“Dusty? What is it?”

He pushed the door shut behind him and sat down beside her on the bed, lifting her onto his lap and holding her against his chest. She was trembling as she buried her face against him and continued to weep. He suddenly realized as he cradled her so protectively in his arms, just how delicate and fragile she truly was.

“Dusty, darling, it’s all right. Everything is all right now,” he crooned, trying to calm her.

“No—no, it’s not—” she managed in an emotion-choked voice.

“You’re safe, darling,” he said quietly. “The gang will never hurt you or anyone else ever again.”

“You don’t understand,” she said, keeping her face hidden against him.

“Tell me—”

“It’s over—My life is over—” She lifted her head to look up at him.

He could see the pain that was devastating her. “No, it’s not—”

“My father is dead. I miss him. We only had each other after my mother died, and now—Now, I’m alone—”

Grant understood how she was feeling more than she would ever know as he remembered his own father’s death. He carefully reached up to wipe some tears from her cheek. “You’re not alone, Dusty—You’ve got me—”

She was stunned by his words and could only stare at him in total confusion.

“Dusty, I love you. I’ve never known another woman like you, and I want you to marry me,” he said softly, holding her gaze.

“What—?” she whispered, not believing what she was hearing.

“You’ll never be alone again, Dusty. I’ll be with you always. Marry me, darling.”

Ever so gently, he bent to kiss her. It was a loving exchange, and conveyed better than any words what he was feeling for her.

When the kiss ended, Dusty drew back to look up at him.

Grant gazed down at her, unable to read her expression. He had no idea what she was thinking,
and for a moment, he worried that she didn’t feel the same way about him.

“Oh, Grant—” she said, starting to cry again. “I love you, too. I think I have ever since we danced that night in town—”

At her words, he gathered her to him again and kissed her deeply.

“So you’ll marry me?” he asked, smiling down at her.

Dusty was half crying, half laughing as she answered. “Yes. I’ll marry you, Grant Spencer.”

She wrapped her arms around him and clung to him, savoring the pure joy of the moment. She had thought she was alone in the world, but she’d been wrong. She had Grant.

“How do you want to do this? Do you want to wait until we go back to Canyon Springs?”

She answered quickly. “No. There’s no reason to wait. Without my papa there to give me away—”

The thought saddened Dusty, and Grant felt the change in her. He bent again to press a sweet kiss to her cheek.

“Do you want to get married now? We could see if there’s a justice of the peace in town willing to do the job.”

She looked down at what she was wearing. Her pants and shirt were a far cry from a white satin wedding gown. “But my clothes—”

“Dusty, I love you no matter what you’re wearing, but if you want to go buy yourself a dress to get married in, that’s fine with me.”

“Really?”

“Really.” He kissed her one last time. “I’ll go take care of my business and see what I can find out about having a wedding. I’ll meet you back here.”

“I’ll be waiting.”