Texas Brides Collection (11 page)

He looked at her then, something indefinable in his eyes. Again, there was that look of desperate yearning. He opened his mouth to say something, then quickly closed it.

“Thanks,” he told her, his voice lacking emotion. “And thanks for letting me stay tonight and feeding me.”

“You’re welcome. Anytime, Ted. You know that.”

His shining eyes smiled into hers. “Have I ever told you just how much I love you?”

“No, but there’s always a first time,” she told him, grinning impishly.

He got up from the chair and knelt beside her. Lifting a finger, he stroked her cheek. “Just in case anything happens to me, I wanted you to know.”

At the husky tone of voice, April felt a prism of fear clawing its way up her stomach. What was he trying to say? Just exactly what did he expect to happen?

“I’ll get my bedroll,” he told her, “and camp out here in front of the fireplace.”

He left her sitting there worrying over what he had just said like a dog worrying over a bone. When he returned, she pulled chairs aside so that he would have ready access to the floor in front of the fireplace.

She opened her mouth to ask him about what he had just said, but she noticed the weary lines graven into his face. She decided it could wait until morning.

“ ’Night,” he told her, and she heard the sluggishness in his voice.

“Good night. See you in the morning.”

She went to the other side of the cabin, and placing her robe on the wall peg at the foot of her bed, she climbed beneath her double wedding ring quilt.

Though she had much to think about, the rattling of the shutters by the wind soon lulled her to sleep.

When they entered the bank the next morning, Mr. Dice, the bank manager, saw them coming and quickly rose to his feet. He looked immaculate in his business suit, his dark hair parted in the middle. It had surprised April when she had first met him to find out that he was so young yet held such a responsible position.

She exhaled softly. For several weeks now Jason Dice had been paying marked attention to her. At first she had been delighted, never having had much attention from the male set before, but then she had overheard Jason talking to another gentleman when he didn’t know that she was just around the corner.

“Marry April Hansen? Sure. A man can overlook a woman’s lack of good looks when she has a sufficient bank account.”

His greediness had repelled her more than his thoughtless words. Since she knew that she was not pretty like other girls, his remark had left her unfazed. She had enough confidence in her abilities not to worry about good looks. What were good looks when you had to make a living? Though she had never mentioned the conversation to Jason, she had studiously avoided him as much as possible. The trouble was, he didn’t take subtle hints very well.

Now he crossed to their side, assessing Ted as he came. There was an ambiguous look to his face when he finally stood before them.

“Miss April. What can I do for you?”

April motioned to her brother who was carefully scrutinizing the other man. She could tell by the look on his face that he had appraised Jason’s character in that all-inclusive look and found him lacking.

“Mr. Dice, this is my brother, Ted Hansen.”

Looking relieved, Jason held out his hand. At first, April thought her brother was going to ignore it, but then a sudden sparkle lit his eyes and he suddenly crushed the banker’s hand in a mighty grip.

Rubbing the offended appendage, Jason quickly moved to April’s side and out of Ted’s way. April gave her brother a reproving look.

“Mr. Dice, my brother has something he wishes to place in your vault.”

“Indeed?” he glanced at Ted doubtfully, slipping his fingers into his vest pockets and puffing out his chest pompously.

Ted pulled the handkerchief from his own pocket and held it open for the banker to see. An avaricious light entered Jason’s eyes. His demeanor changed instantly, becoming almost fawning in his attempt to please.

“Come this way. I’ll help you fill out the paperwork myself, since April is such a good friend of mine.”

April barely kept from rolling her eyes at the ceiling.

“If it’s all right with you, Mr. Dice,” Ted interrupted hastily, looking suddenly uncomfortable, “April has a few things she needs to attend to at home.”

Both Jason and April glanced at him in surprise. “They can wait, Ted,” April disagreed, frowning. “I’d like to spend time with you.”

He looked from her to Jason, and April sensed his nervousness. His jaw tensed, the muscles working convulsively.

“That’s all right, sis. You can go ahead. I’ll come straight home when I’m finished, and we can have that long talk.”

The bell jingled over the door and a tall man came in. His dark, stringy hair looked like it hadn’t seen a washing in many a long day. April saw her brother’s face pale. He tried to push her toward the door.

“You go ahead.”

April resisted. There was something mighty strange going on here, and she wasn’t about to leave now.

“I think I’ll just wait,” she told both men inflexibly.

Quick anger fired in her brother’s eyes. He gave Jason a forced smile. “Perhaps you can convince her, Mr. Dice.”

Ignoring the undercurrent of tension between brother and sister, Jason smiled at April, his white teeth gleaming. “Oh, don’t ask me to try to persuade April to leave. Her very presence adds sunlight to an otherwise drab day.”

April hastily averted her eyes from the banker’s proprietorial look. She noticed that the stranger caught Ted’s eye, flashing him a message, and April wondered how they knew each other.

Biting his lip, Ted tried once more to get her to leave. Again, she refused. Though she could tell he was angry with her, he said nothing more.

April sat quietly while the two men transacted their business, her gaze wandering around the bank. Few people were there this early in the morning.

Jason got up, motioning them to follow. There was an edginess about Ted that communicated itself to April.

“This way, please. Your trinket will be safe here, Mr. Hansen, I can assure you. Our safe is the finest quality steel. We have never been robbed.”

Fumbling with the tumbler on the safe, he puffed out his chest proudly, turning to retrieve the necklace. He found himself looking down the cold barrel of Ted’s revolver.

T
hings happened so fast, April was caught totally unaware. When she finally realized what was happening, she grabbed for Ted’s arm.

“What are you doing? Put that gun away!”

Wrapping a large arm around her shoulders, Ted pulled her to his side and held her firmly.

“Be still, April, and no one will get hurt.”

The stranger had his gun out as well and was glaring menacingly at the bank’s occupants. He waved his Colt threateningly.

“That’s right. Everyone just take it easy and no one will get hurt.”

The look of betrayal April gave her brother caused his lips to turn down at the corners. His returning look asked for understanding.

“I’ll never forgive you for this, Ted,” she told him coldly.

Jason stood frozen to the spot, his angry gaze flashing from sister to brother. “Don’t try to make it seem as if you had nothing to do with this, April.
You
brought him in here.”

Ted’s look became more threatening, and the banker’s eyes filled with fear.

“My sister had nothing to do with this. She knew nothing about it.”

Though Jason said nothing, his expression was skeptical. April realized that she might possibly go to jail for something she had no control over.

The stranger pushed past the trio and entered the vault. “Let’s get the stuff and get outta here.”

After filling a bag with cash, the man motioned for Ted to take it. Ted released April and took the bag from him, avoiding her accusing glare. He reached across and grabbed the diamond necklace from Jason’s unresisting fingers.

“I’ll see you hang for this,” Jason hissed. The hatred in his eyes filled April with alarm. Instinctively she knew that having his pride dented would make him a lethal enemy. It was obvious that his anger was directed at April as well. There was no way that he was going to believe that she had nothing to do with this fiasco. He had quickly changed from ardent suitor to impassioned foe.

“You’ll have to come with us,” Ted told her grimly, recognizing the threat to his sister.

“I won’t,” she answered defiantly. “Unlike you, I’ll take my chances with the law.”

Ted exchanged glances with Jason, the look in the banker’s eyes bringing a swift frown to his face. Ted shook his head, never breaking eye contact.

“I said you’re coming with me.”

“We ain’t taking no woman along,” the stranger interrupted angrily. “She’ll only slow us down.”

Throwing the man a blistering scowl, Ted set his shoulders uncompromisingly. “She’s my sister, Amos, and I’m not leaving her here to face the consequences alone.”

So intense was their argument that neither man noticed Mr. Harris, the bank teller, lift a rifle from behind the counter. He pointed the gun at Ted.

“Drop them revolvers,” he told them, his voice shaking slightly. His beetling eyebrows lifted to his receding hairline as he waited for compliance.

Everyone went still. A split second later, Amos whirled to fire at the teller. Seeing his intent, April lunged to stop him. The Colt revolver went off, the bullet missing Mr. Harris’s heart, but imbedding itself in his shoulder. A woman screamed and fainted to the floor.

Amos looked shocked, then turned an accusing glare on April. “Let’s get outta here!”

Grabbing April, Ted lifted her and threw her over his shoulder, striding out of the bank behind Amos. He unceremoniously dumped her on her stomach over his saddle. Climbing up behind her, he quickly turned the horse.

“Let’s go!” Amos shouted, and from her upside-down vantage point, April could see a flurry of horses’ hooves kicking up the mud. It was then she realized there were more men than just Amos and Ted.

As they thundered out of town, April heard shouts behind them. Bullets winged by her head, and for the first time in her life, she felt the very real presence of death.

When they were far enough from town, Ted briefly stopped his horse and helped April to sit upright. Her stomach was still heaving from the pummeling it had received from their fast escape, and she glowered at her brother.

“I’m sorry,” he told her, and there was true contrition in his eyes. “I never thought this would happen.”

“You never thought, period,” she snapped. “You never do.”

April heard a chuckle and turned to find Amos and two other men watching them with interest. The other two looked as disreputable as Amos.

“Shoulda left her behind,” Amos smirked. “Women ain’t nothing but trouble.”

“Aw, now, Amos,” one of the others disagreed. “They have their uses.”

Gleaming eyes studied April thoroughly, and she cringed closer to her brother. She could feel him tense against her.

“Watch it, Chauncy. She’s my sister.”

The other man lifted his hat slightly, surprising April with his courtesy.

“Ma’am.” He smiled. “I’m pleased to meet you.”

April’s reproachful silence met this greeting. Amos frowned. “Enough of this. We gotta keep moving. They’ll be after us by now.”

The others waited for him to take the lead, then rapidly set out after him in a quick gallop. April clung to the saddle horn, wishing that she would wake up and find herself in her nice cozy bed.

She tried to button her blue wool coat, but her fingers felt frozen, whether from cold or fear she wasn’t quite certain. Only the fact that it was her brother’s arms wrapped around her kept her from giving in to sheer hysteria.

Several hours later, Amos pulled to a stop. April’s teeth were chattering with the cold, but it was her bones that felt like they had been jarred out of her body.

“Al,” Amos commanded, “go back and see if you can catch sight of a posse. We’ll head for the canyon. Be sure you take the back route to find us, just in case anyone spots you and follows you.”

Al nodded once, turning his horse back the way they had come. He raced away like the hounds of fury were after him, his speeding horse churning up mud behind him.