The Texan and the Lady (32 page)

The yard was empty. No ranch hands moved between buildings. No idle talkers on the front porch of the bunk-house. No men in the corral. Everyone had vanished, leaving Jennie alone.

Refusing to allow panic to overtake her, Jennie fought down a scream. What if everyone were busy somewhere and they all heard her yell like a frightened child in a corn patch only one row away from his mother?

She moved slowly along the length of the porch, knowing the dark calico of her dress blended with the shadows. There was a simple answer to the silence. She’d wait until someone returned. Only in a nightmare could an entire ranch population disappear without a trace.

Looking toward the barn, Jennie felt panic dance along her spine. Barn doors were never closed and bolted during working hours, yet this one looked like it was blockaded against a storm. She could feel trouble blending in the breeze even before she saw the lone barrel of a rifle poking out the loft window.

Her first thought was that Ward had found them, but that was impossible. There had to have been more than twenty men around the place when they arrived. All of them couldn’t have vanished because of a lone gunman.

She paced the length of the porch. Reason told her to remain in the shadows until she knew whose hand was on the trigger of the one rifle; fear told her to scream for help and hope it arrived before a bullet

When she reached the swing at one end of the long porch, she turned, risking another look at the rifle. Maybe it had been left there some time ago. Maybe there was no man in the blackness beyond the loft opening. But maybes were no protection to stand behind if firing started.

“Miss,” someone whispered from behind her. “Miss, stay back close to the house!”

Jennie recognized Link’s voice. “Lincoln? Is that you?” Relief filled her. She was no longer alone. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, but something is,” he whispered back. “Move real slow to the door and slip inside. I’ll go around back and meet you in the entry hall. Take your time. You don’t want that rifle to swing this direction.”

Jennie followed his instructions. Whoever held the rifle pointed his aim away from the house, toward the road, so there was a good chance he hadn’t noticed her.

Slipping inside, Jennie bolted the door. The house appeared even darker than before; only now the heavy furnishings and plain walls seemed stark and unwelcoming. Colton had built the house to stand as a fortress with waist-high windows and thick walls. Today the windows seemed even smaller and the walls felt as though they were closing in.

Link almost ran into her in the shadows.

“Where is everyone?” She grabbed Link by the arm, panic tightening her grip.

“Most of the hands are either on the north pasture or trying to round up the horses someone set loose. I was supposed to go with them this morning, but with the cook gone, Pa told me I needed to stay and clean up. He figured I ain’t much of a cook, but I could haul wood and water for you and Mrs. Delta.”

Link’s thin body jerked with nervousness, reminding Jennie of a willow facing a full gale. “After Colton and Mrs. Delta decided to take a morning nap, I curled up on the cot in the supply room and fell asleep. When I woke up, I looked out the window. Two strangers were dragging one of the hands into the barn. I watched them from the corner of the house until they disappeared inside. I was headed in to check on Mr. Barkley when I noticed you walking right into a trap.”

Before Jennie could ask more questions, they heard several horses approaching fast. Jennie moved to the parlor window, with Link a half step behind.

Two strangers ran from the barn. “How’d it go?” one yelled to the leader of the riders.

“Just as expected,” the rider answered. “We won’t be seeing any of Barkley’s men before nightfall.”

“Good. We’ve got everyone around here tied up except Barkley and his wife. He’s too shot up to give us any trouble. Wanta go in with us to get them?”

One of the men on horseback grunted. “I don’t much like the idea of killing her, too. Buck’s feud is with Barkley, not his wife.”

The head rider climbed from his saddle. “If you got any objections, J. D., maybe you’d best take it up with the boss. He’s got his reasons; and with the money he promised, I can drink my conscience clean.”

Link moved to the other window in the parlor. “We’ve got to do something.”

“Are you armed?” Jennie whispered.

“No,” Link answered. “But we can lock them out. Every window in this place has got shutters that bolt from the inside.”

“But they’ll see us.”

“Then we’ll have to act fast. I bolted the back of the house earlier. Except for your bedroom and where Mr. and Mrs. Barkley are, the place is closed up.”

Jennie looked at the window before her. She’d have to shove up the glass and reach way out to pull the shutter in. They’d never be able to close all six windows running along the front of the house without being shot. The men were not thirty feet from the porch.

A question arched Link’s eyebrow. “Do we give it a try or give up?”

Jennie glanced at the men. They were a gutter lot, scraped from the charred bottom of humanity. Everyone of them looked as if he would kill her and Link without blinking.

“We give it a try,” she answered. “When I say now, we both move at once. Then maybe they’ll only have time to shoot one of us.”

“Great plan.” Link’s smile didn’t hide his fear. “Wish I had a better one.”

Jennie slowly slid the glass up into its casing. As she opened her mouth to say “Now,” something darted across the space between the corral and the barn.

One of the men saw it also. “Damn,” he yelled and started running toward the corral. “It’s that kid. He was the hardest to catch and now he’s got untied.”

The men on horseback climbed down, laughing. “Can’t keep up with one that size, Red. You’ll be facing hell when Lawton gets here.”

The other men hooted and yelled as if they were watching a horse race.

“Now,” Jennie whispered as she leaned from the window and pulled the first set of shutters closed. Link did the same.

They ran to the dining room. As Jennie pulled the second set shut, she noticed that the men had moved toward the barn and were taking bets on how long it would take Red to catch True. There was no doubt in her mind who the child was, and she almost felt sorry for Red for wasting his time. True could outrun a jackrabbit on hot sand.

As she and Link shoved the locks on the third set, Jennie took a deep breath for the first time in several minutes. “We’re safe,” she whispered.

“Mr. Barkley’s room!” Link answered, breaking into a dead run down the hall.

Jennie was right behind him when he opened the bedroom door. Colton slept quietly atop the covers with only a lap quilt for warmth. He was fully dressed except for his boots. Delta sat beside the bed, unaware of any trouble.

“What’s wrong?” she asked the moment she saw their faces.

“Trouble!” Link yelled. “Bolt the windows!”

Colton jerked full awake, gripping his abdomen in pain as he paid for his fast action. “What?”

Delta’s hand moved to his shoulder as Jennie and Link crossed the room and took care of the windows. “We’re not sure what’s happened or where everyone is,” Link said, “but some men were headed toward the porch planning to kill you.”

In fear, Delta’s face drained of all blood, but Colton didn’t even look surprised.

“Impossible,” he answered. “I’ve men on guard. We would have heard shots.”

Looking ill at ease in arguing with his boss, Link glanced at Jennie for help.

“There’s a man with a rifle up in the barn loft. We saw seven, maybe eight others, and none of them were your men.” Jennie looked straight at Colton. “They’re here to kill you and Delta.”

Colton nodded and gripped Delta’s hand resting on his shoulder. “Link, there’s a rifle in my study and a Colt in the middle drawer.”

“Yes, sir,” Link responded and vanished.

“Delta.” His words softened as he looked at his frightened wife. “My gunbelt’s in the wardrobe. Get it and load both guns.”

He looked at Jennie. “Can you shoot?”

Jennie shook her head. “No.” She silently promised the Almighty that if she got out of this alive, learning to shoot would be her first priority.

Delta returned. “I can use a gun.”

“So can I,” Link answered as he ran back into the room. “Whatever we do, we’d better do fast. I looked out the front and saw three more strangers ride in.”

Colton took a deep breath and pushed himself to the edge of the bed. “Did one of them have a scar streaked across his cheek?”

“I didn’t notice,” Link answered. “You want me to go back and check?”

“No. It doesn’t matter. I know he’s here.” With a grunt of pain, Colton reached beneath the bed and pulled out a tray loaded with rifles and boxes of bullets.

“There’s only two doors they can come through. Link, you and the women stay in the back watching the kitchen door. You’ll be safer there. There’s slits in the shutters, so shoot at anything that comes within ten feet of the back door. I’ll take the front.”

Delta started to object, but Colton added, “With the solid door, I can handle the front alone, but I have to know my back is safe. I’m banking my life on no one getting past you and Link.” He handed Jennie one of his Colts and a box of shells. “We’ll consider this your first lesson in how to shoot. Can you load this?”

Jennie nodded as she fumbled with the weapon, dropping several bullets on the bed as she tried to load.

Colton looked at his wife and whispered, “Lawton might come in both directions at once, so make sure you’ve got plenty of rounds. Turn the kitchen table over. It’ll protect you if they storm the back door.” He took a breath and fought back the hurting in his gut. “I don’t know how many there are, so stay in the kitchen no matter what you hear from the front.”

Delta looked as if she might argue, but she knew there was no time. Colton’s orders continued in his cold rapid-fire manner. “Take Link and go get ready. Jennie will help me get in position in the front hallway, then join you.”

Delta, her arms filled with rifles, stopped in the doorway to their bedroom and turned back to her husband. “No matter what happens,” she whispered, “I’ll never regret marrying you.”

Colton stood slowly. “And, madam, whether we live through this or not, I’ll never stop loving you.”

Delta almost ran from the room, but not before Jennie saw the tears tumbling from her eyes.

“You’ve made her very happy.” Jennie smiled at this hard man called Barkley. Without another word she handed him the Colt she’d loaded.

“I hope I haven’t just sentenced her to death by making her my wife.”

Jennie went to his side and allowed him to lean on her as they moved to the front hallway. “The other reason I wanted her in the back,” he whispered between clenched teeth, “is I didn’t want her to see me shot. If I’m lucky, they’ll kill me and leave her be.”

The first pounding sounded just as Jennie pulled a chair up for Colton to sit in so he could face the front door. She had no time to think of his words. They both froze until the pounding stopped.

“We’ve got a few more minutes until they figure how to break in. There’s no use my hiding behind something. I could never get up and down to fire. Bring the rest of the guns in, and I’ll show you how to load them.”

Jennie ran back to his bedroom for the rifles. She could hear Colton checking the weapons as she returned. His cold manner didn’t change as he showed her how to load each weapon. He was as hard as ever, looking as though he’d been steeling himself for this moment for years.

“When they come,” he ordered, “run for the back. Don’t look back at me. Keep a pistol in your hand just in case they kill me. You’ll have six shots to hit anyone chasing you.” He rammed his fingers into his vest pocket and handed her a small two-shot derringer matching the one he’d given his wife. “When they take us, keep this in your pocket. If they kill me first, I won’t be able to help Delta. If they follow you to the back, don’t let them take her alive.”

Jennie accepted the small weapon. “Are you saying I should shoot her?”

Colton nodded once, his dark eyes dead serious. “If you’re her friend, you won’t allow them to hurt her.”

“I can’t.” Jennie couldn’t believe he’d ask such a thing of her.

“I’ve heard of these men. Most of them escaped with Lawton from prison. If you care anything about Delta, you’ll not let her suffer.”

Before Jennie could answer, rounds popped in rapid succession from the back of the house. Within a minute, something heavy slammed into the front door, rattling the front wall with its force.

Jennie curled behind Colton’s chair and prayed every prayer she could ever remember hearing. “Austin,” she whispered. “Please help us!”

The heavy slam sounded again, echoed by the cry of wood being split. Colton raised his guns. “Run, Jennie!” he ordered as he cocked the weapons.

Chapter 30

T
rue ran the length of the corral and darted under the gate. The man called Red swore as he had to stop to unlatch the opening.

By the time he’d finished, True was across the open space and hiding behind the bunkhouse. The child slid into a gap between the pier and beams forming the floor of the building and crawled to where the porch had been added. Safe! No grown man could crawl between the spaces only large enough for a cat to deliver a litter in.

But safety wasn’t True’s goal. Getting away and finding help had to come first.

The outlaws’ plans had dribbled out of Red’s mouth while he’d tied the men in the barn. He told all about how they’d snuck up the dried creek bed last night and captured the men one by one. Thanks to the low clouds, the guards on the cliff above were useless. He’d bragged that Buck Lawton might let all the ranch hands watch him kill first Delta, then Colton.

True wrapped a bandanna over the rope burns that had cut into the scabs left from a week ago. No sound punctuated the pain, for there was no time for tears.

Crawling to the end of the porch, True saw Red run around the bunkhouse, his gun ready like he was chasing something as worthless as a rat.