The Marshal's Rebellious Bride (21 page)

He didn’t wait for an answer just held the skunk close
to his thin chest and hugged him. His bright-eyed gaze darted to the other end
of the corral. “Is that one of them camels? I heard about them. I
ain’t never
seen one before.”

He focused on her once more. “He sure made a mess of
you. You don’t seem to care, though.” He clearly found that strange for a
woman.

The man put a hand on Tyler’s shoulder and said,
“Normally it takes him a spell to warm up to strangers. Excited, I guess.” He
smiled. “I’m Chase, Morgan’s brother. I had a feeling you already guessed as
much.”

She liked children, but she wasn’t sure how to handle
this youngster. For the first time it hit her that if she actually went through
with marrying Morgan, this boy would be her
step-son
.
She’d be a mother. Lord
a’mighty
, that
was a scary notion!

Tyler eyed her anxiously now, almost squeezing her
poor skunk to death. Good thing Morgan loved attention, especially being held.

“I
heared
that you were
marrying my pa. Are you really? I can’t imagine a lady as fine as you
wantin
’ to do that.”

He swallowed hard and stepped closer to Chase. “Pa’s a
lawman. Good one. The best.” He dusted the toe of his worn shoes back and forth
in the dirt, lowered his voice. “He’s
kinda
fearsome,
too. Him and
Grampa
get into some fierce
yellin
’ matches.”

He looked up with shining eyes filled with tears.
“Got, I mean.
Grampa’s
dead. Some evil Comanchero
done
killed
him.”

She sucked in a breath and glanced at Chase, who shook
his head. It wasn’t a subject to be discussed right now. Did Morgan know? He’d
only told her that his brother was bringing his son up here to keep him safe.
Was the Comanchero that “Rafe” she’d overheard him talking about with Taos? She
really didn’t like being kept in the dark about important things. She would be
sitting both Taos and Morgan down when they got back for a long talk.
If they got back.
No!
When
they got back.

She forced a smile. “How about we go to the house? I
need to clean up a bit. And I think Manuel, our cook, made a fresh batch of
cookies this morning. I don’t suppose you like cookies?”

“Cookies! Oh, yes, ma’am, I surely do like cookies.”
Tyler’s expression perked up. “Can I bring your skunk?”

Manuel wasn’t all that fond of the skunk, but she
wasn’t about to say “no” when Tyler looked so hopeful. “Sure.” Then she glanced
at Chase. “Where are your bedrolls?
Your belongings?
Your horses?
I assume you didn’t just walk here from Texas.”

Chase grinned again, a smile that reached his eyes.
“We left the horses and all in those trees alongside the river. I’ll fetch them
in a bit.”

He seemed to be studying her with interest, not with
the heated kind of interest so often in Morgan’s eyes, but seeming to measure
her up as a woman.

Well aware that the back of her britches were wet and
now sticking to her, and that her hair was straggling out of her braid around
her face, she suddenly felt extremely lacking as a woman. She attempted to tuck
a fallen strand behind her ear and shook her head sadly. “I’m a real sight.
Sorry. But I wasn’t expecting company.”

She bent down to pick up the curry brush and empty
pail. “It’s nice to have someone here, though. It’s been way too quiet.”

“You look fine to me. Like a woman who gets involved
in life.”

“Yep, you’re right
purty
,”
Tyler added and then his face turned red.

She blinked at both of their comments not sure what to
say.

Chase changed the subject. “I noticed there didn’t
seem to be anyone about, except you and that Mexican we spotted going in the
back door of the house.” He didn’t prod, but she knew he was waiting for her to
tell him where the others were.

She couldn’t help looking toward the road to town once
more. Worry rolled within her. “Morgan and my brother, Taos, rode out with a
posse a couple of days ago. A gang member waiting for the judge to come to town
for his trial escaped. A bunch of men went after him. I thought they’d be back
by now.”

Chase nudged Tyler forward. Since the mule and the
camel were content to stay at the other end of the corral he opened the gate
for them all this time. “They’ll be back soon.” He sounded so definite that she
believed him. She needed to believe him.

* * *

After four long days on the trail Morgan was more than
ready to stop being a lawman. The posse had tracked the escaped outlaw for
three days, all the way to Fort
Larned
. Damn fool had
gotten into a
gun fight
with a pair of soldiers only
hours before the weary posse had made it to the fort. He’d managed to kill one,
wound one, and get himself killed in the end. There had been a dozen hot,
sweaty, tired men ready to shoot him full of even more holes. All that time
wasted. They’d spent the night at the fort and left the next morning, with
Morgan and Taos riding well ahead of the rest of the posse.

Watching the sun settle lower in the rapidly darkening
sky, he nodded toward a creek. “Let’s camp here tonight. I’m beat, our horses
our beat.” They had ridden hard a great part of the day, both of them anxious
to get home.

Taos nudged his horse to follow him. “With luck we
should be back to Dodge by noon or so the day after next. I’m sure ready. And
I’m wiring in my final resignation as soon as I can.”

Morgan slid from the saddle and led Demon to the creek
where he eagerly put his nose into the water. “Soon as Rafe Marino has been
dealt with I’m quitting as well.”

They’d argued several times in the last few days about
him turning his badge in now. This time Taos didn’t even bother to try to
change his mind. There was no way in hell he could stop being a lawman until
the threat of Rafe was out of his life. He hated living with the idea that the
bounty hunter turned killer had sworn to get even with his father and with him.
He hated knowing that his son was in danger.

“I ought to rest up a day or so and then head out to
track the bastard down.” But that wasn’t what he really wanted to do. He wanted
to see Whiskey. He wanted to hold her in his arms and make damn sure to himself
that she was all right.

Taos dismounted and walked closer. “You’ll be getting
married in less than two weeks. Chase and Tyler might even now be at the ranch.
You should wait a spell.”

He heaved a sigh. “I’ve had a bad feeling in my gut
lately.” He faced Taos. “Those rumors about Rafe being in Wichita could be
true. He could also be headed toward Dodge City, toward my son.
Toward Whiskey.
Waiting a spell might be the wrong plan.”

“We also heard rumors that he’d headed toward
Colorado,” Taos countered, although he sounded worried, too.

Morgan hunkered down and splashed water over his
sweaty face. “My gut tells me he’s not heading anywhere but to hurt what’s mine
or what will be mine.”

“I don’t suppose we could hope he got into a gun fight
with a couple of soldiers from Fort Dodge? That they ended up killing him?”
Faint, unrealistic hope, was in Taos’ voice.

He didn’t even bother to respond.

* * *

Whiskey walked down the boardwalk with Chase and Tyler
at her side, heading for Sanderson’s General Store. She hadn’t slept well,
again, and needed to get away from the ranch for a while. She’d no sooner mentioned
it at breakfast than Chase had stated that Tyler was in need of some new
britches. He was growing fast and only had one pair, and they didn’t come close
to reaching his ankles anymore. So here they were, going shopping, drawing
curious gazes, no doubt firing up gossip. Chase was a handsome man and he moved
easily beside her. Too close to her for some of the whispers she’d overheard.
She was betrothed! What was she doing going
around with another man?

She had just stepped into the well-stocked dry goods
store when Camelia spotted her from behind the counter. A smile lit her face
and she scurried by her father as he was taking money from a customer. “I’m so
glad to see you!”

Chase walked up behind Whiskey, towered over her like
Morgan did. Silent and unsmiling he was as intimidating as his brother. Camelia
skidded to a halt and gasped, “Oh my!”

When she also caught the disapproving look on Carl
Sanderson’s face as well as the customer’s frown at the sight of the half-breed
in the store, she slipped her hand into the crook of Chase’s arm. She raised
her chin and said boldly, “This is Chase Rydell. Morgan’s brother.”

Carl gave a relieved-looking nod of acknowledgment and
the customer lost interest after the introduction.

Camelia remained frozen in place. “You…you are a
bounty hunter, aren’t you? I thought that’s what I heard Taos say once.” She
gaped at him in much the same way she did Morgan. Both men clearly made her
uneasy.

Tyler dashed into the store and went straight to
Chase. His eyes danced with excitement. “Train’s coming! Can we go? Please!”

Chase grinned and Camelia sighed in pure pleasure at
the sight of his smile. It changed his whole appearance. He ruffled Tyler’s
hair. “He’s always had a fascination with trains. Reckon I should mosey on down
to the station with him. We can get him britches later.”

She waved them away with a laugh. “You two go on then.
I’ll stay here and visit a bit with Camelia.” As the big man and the skinny boy
left the store, she faced her friend with a smile, teasing. “I thought you were
in love with my brother?”

“Oh, I am. I am!” She heaved a sigh and watched Chase
disappear from her sight. “That’s one good looking man, though. Not as handsome
as Taos, of course. Still…”

“He’s easy on the eyes.” She thought about his brother,
about all his rough edges, about the sadness that seemed to haunt him. “But
he’s not Morgan.”

“So you’ve finally fallen in love with the marshal?”
Camelia questioned, sounding delighted.

Had she? The man had stormed into her life—okay,
he’d been pushed into it by her brothers
. He’d
basically stolen her ranch from her, in her opinion. He butted heads with her,
wanted his own way on things, which really irritated her sometimes. Like
insisting she try on dresses for the wedding that she hadn’t completely agreed
to as yet. He’d burned her bottom on more than one occasion. They’d had a
pretty sorry courtship, again in her opinion. But he made her heart race
whenever she saw him…and not always because she was frustrated with him. And
she
’d been near worried sick
these
last few days he’d been gone.

Yet she remembered how cold he’d been to her before
he’d walked away. Her heart still hurt.

“Maybe,” she finally admitted, although she wasn’t yet
ready to marry him. She wasn’t sure she could even forgive him. But she wanted
him back safe and unharmed.

Camelia took her hand to lead her to the back of the
store. “Let’s get some lemonade and catch up in the back room. I want to know
all about the dress you chose for the wedding.”

Whiskey followed her. “Morgan chose it, not me.”

They hadn’t been visiting ten minutes when Tyler raced
into the store and straight to the back room. He looked directly at Whiskey, his
eyes wide in amazement. “There’s a lady got off the train what looks just like
you. Except she’s
wearin
’ a fancy dress.” He looked
at her usual braid that reached to her waist. “And her hair’s all piled up high
in funny curls.”

“Brandy,” Whiskey muttered, surprised. She wasn’t sure
if she was happy or not, but she leaned toward “not.” She slowly stood, avoided
looking down at the familiar britches she wore, at her dusty boots.
Night and day difference between them.
“She’s my sister.”

“Twin sister,” Camelia added as she watched her in
concern.

Walking out of the
store room
with an excited Tyler, she headed toward an awkward reunion with the sister who
always made her feel less than feminine. She recalled one day overhearing
Morgan grudgingly ask Taos why he hadn’t been chosen to marry Brandy. She
remembered his first look at her, how he’d been less than impressed. How would
he look at her now, once he met her “perfect” sister?

* * *

Chase walked quietly behind the Wakefield twin who
went by the nickname of Brandy. He didn’t think the nickname fit her. Wearing
an elegant walking suit with a cascade of ruffles down one side and carrying a
rolled up, matching parasol, she looked like an “Ariana,” not a “Brandy.” She
had spotted Tyler and him in the small
crowd watching
people get off the train and pranced right over to them. It had surprised the
hell out of him, as well as those standing nearby. After all he was clearly a
half-breed and most strangers reacted much like how the customer in the general
store had, with distrust and often disgust. She was clearly a lady, although
slightly rumpled after traveling on the train. She had studied him for a second
and then thrust her satchel at him before she started following Tyler down the
street. He could have shoved the satchel back at her, but he’d been too
stunned.