Whirlwind Groom (26 page)

Catherine shot her a sympathetic look. “I'm so sorry,” she murmured.

“Nonsense.” She forced the words out of her aching throat. “We do live in the same town. We're bound to run into each other now and again.”

“If it helps, he looks as miserable as you do.”

Josie didn't think so. She felt her smile tremble. “You'd better go catch your Ranger. I know you missed him.”

Catherine nodded, smoothing her gray wool skirt self-consciously. “This is the first time I've met his mother,” she said shyly. “And his sisters.”

Josie reached out and squeezed her hand. “When Mrs. Blue sees how much her son loves you, she'll love you, too. I know it.”

The other woman smiled.

“Now go.” Josie fluttered her hand toward the door. “I'll bring your dress in the morning. I know you have a lot to do, especially with all of Jericho's family arriving.”

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow.” She waited until her friend had left before starting for the stairs, not so much because she was hoping for another glimpse of Davis Lee, but because her legs wouldn't work.

That was the closest she'd been to him since that awful morning at his house. And seeing him brought all the hurt welling back. There had been no forgiveness in his eyes today. The pleasure she'd thought she had seen there had never existed. After his initial surprise at seeing her, there had been only emptiness except for when he'd told her about the circuit judge.

Things between them were over. Avenging her family was all she had left. She owed Davis Lee nothing. She
would attend Ian's trial, but if he weren't sentenced to die, Josie would kill him. And then she would leave Whirlwind, get far away from Davis Lee.

She knew it didn't matter how far she went or where. Her heart would stay here, with him.

J
osie didn't see Davis Lee again until the wedding three days later. She had gone because Catherine had invited her, and if she were honest, because she wanted a look at Jericho's best man. Davis Lee was darkly handsome in a black suit and white shirt. Just seeing him made Josie's chest ache with regret.

The bride's young brother had walked her down the aisle, and Josie thought Catherine was the prettiest bride she'd ever seen. Evidently, Jericho did, too, because he couldn't find his voice for a moment when asked to repeat his vows.

After the ceremony, held at four o'clock in the afternoon for those who had a long drive home, Josie joined the rest of the guests at the Pearl Restaurant for refreshments and dancing. She danced with Mitchell Orr and all three of the Baldwins. Davis Lee didn't even look in her direction.

She wished she could follow suit. Her attention strayed to him more than she liked. She wanted desperately to talk to him, but his demeanor clearly told her not to.

One time, after a dance with Matt Baldwin, Davis Lee fixed his gaze on her. She could read nothing on his face, but was afraid he could plainly see her feelings for him. She could not spend one more minute in such close quarters with
Davis Lee. That he was clear on the other side of the room didn't matter.

She left, going outside and into the street, her shadow stretching in front of her as she headed slowly back to the hotel. During a slight pause in the music, Josie heard the sound of thundering hooves. She looked back over her shoulder and caught a blur of movement out behind the livery stable.

Turning full around, she saw a man stumble out of the jail and fall to his knees on the landing. Jake Ross!

With the lively music from the Pearl playing behind her, Josie gathered her skirts and ran. As she reached the bottom step of the jailhouse, Jake slumped back against the wall, his features creased in agony.

She raced to the top of the stairs. “Jake! What happened?”

The deputy leaned his head back against the wall, staring at her, his black eyes dazed and glittering with pain. She saw a dark stain on the shoulder of his shirt and sank to her knees beside him. “You're hurt.”

“McDougal. He's gone. Get Davis Lee.”

McDougal had escaped?
She felt her heart stop then start with a painful kick. She struggled to keep her mind on the injured man in front of her. “Let me help you get to Pearl's. Dr. Butler's there with the other wedding guests.”

“I don't think I can make it that far.”

“Will you be all right if I go for him?” She could scream for help, but no one had heard her that night in the alley. She didn't imagine anyone would hear her now over the music from inside the restaurant. “I don't want to leave you alone.”

“If you're worried about McDougal, he won't come back this way.” His voice was labored.

No, Josie supposed the outlaw would get as far away as he could. “How long ago did this happen?”

“Minutes.”

“You should lie down.”

“If I do, my head will explode. I'll stay real still next to this wall.”

“Okay, I'm going.” She hurried down the stairs. “Don't move!”

Heart pounding in her chest, she burst through the open door of the restaurant. The dance floor was still crowded. Her gaze shot around the room and she saw Matt Baldwin first, standing against the wall while he spoke to Charlie Haskell. Matt saw her and frowned.

She rushed over and quickly explained about the deputy and the escaped prisoner. “Could you bring Dr. Butler? I think I should get back to Jake. Ian hit him really hard.”

“It's done. I'll be right behind you.”

She could feel Davis Lee's gaze on her as she whirled and rushed outside. He would know something was wrong and most likely come, too.

She reached Jake and sank down beside him, holding her aching side.

“That was fast.” The smile he gave her was wobbly, his eyes unfocused.

“Let me…look at your head.” She dragged in deep lungfuls of air. “Matt's bringing…the doctor.”

The shy man gingerly bent forward and Josie winced at the gash just behind his ear. Blood matted his dark hair and stained the collar of his gray shirt. There was a smear of red on the side of his neck.

She heard the rush of approaching footsteps and glanced over her shoulder. Davis Lee and his brother were in the front. They were followed by Dr. Butler and all three of the Baldwins. Josie rose, making room for the doctor.

The slender man knelt and examined the patient's head. “You're gonna need stitches, son.”

Davis Lee crouched in front of the deputy. “What happened, Jake?”

“McDougal was coughing up a storm. Seemed like it wouldn't stop. Then he started screaming that he was hacking up blood. By the time I got in there, he was on the floor.” Jake carefully touched the cut on his head, his words labored. “I saw blood on his shirt and some on the cot mattress. He sounded like he was strangling on it. I was afraid he would choke to death so I unlocked the cell and went in. As soon as I knelt down, he shoved me. When I lost my balance and fell, he grabbed my gun and hit me twice. He took my revolver, and one of the rifles is missing.”

Davis Lee muttered a curse.

“I'm sorry,” Jake began.

“It's not your fault. I would've gone in there, too, if I thought he was about to choke to death.”

“I should've been more suspicious since he tried something like that with Cody a while back. McDougal hasn't been gone long.” The injured man inhaled sharply when Dr. Butler touched his head again. “Saw him tear out behind the livery. For what it's worth, he headed north.”

For Indian Territory. As the doctor cleaned Jake's wound, Davis Lee stood and stepped over to Josie. “Were you the one who found him?”

“Yes.” This close to him she could smell his soap-and-leather scent. Almost feel the arousing sweep of his hands over her body.

A muscle worked in his jaw. “What were you doing outside?”

“I was walking back to the hotel.” The same distrust that had been in his voice the morning he'd found out about her plan for Ian was back. Her temper spiked. “And yes, I know the hotel is in the opposite direction from the jail. I heard a
galloping horse and turned. That's when I saw Jake and ran to check on him.”

He stared at her. “You better not have had anything to do with this.”

She felt the blood drain from her face; she swayed. “How can you say that to me?”

His gaze moved over her and she thought perhaps she saw regret in his eyes. A minute later she was convinced it was a trick of the glaring sunlight. His face hardened and he moved away, saying to his brother. “I'm going after McDougal.”

“Want me to come?” Riley offered.

“We'll come, too.” J. T. Baldwin gestured to himself and both his sons.

Davis Lee shook his head. “I can travel faster if I'm alone. If I need help, I'll send word. I don't expect a man with consumption to get far.”

“Especially if his condition is worsening,” the doctor agreed. “From what Jake saw, I'd say Ian is one sick man.”

J. T. Baldwin offered the use of his fastest horse.

Davis Lee thanked him. “My buckskin's fast. I'll take her.”

Josie stood behind him, her nerves throbbing with hurt. Now that Jake was in good hands, she had no reason to stay. Trying to slip away unnoticed, she eased around Davis Lee. He turned his head and leveled a long, unreadable look at her. Woodenly, she started down the stairs.

“Thanks, Josie,” Jake called in a faint voice.

“You're welcome.” Her gaze swept the small group that had gathered around the jail.

Cora Wilkes and her brother stood behind J. T. Baldwin. Seeing the pinched look on the other woman's face, Josie wondered how her friend felt about her husband's murderer escaping.

At the bottom of the steps, Matt Baldwin offered her his
arm. “Would you let me walk you back, Miz Josie? You look a little wobbly.”

“Thank you.” She took his arm and they started toward the hotel.

Matt's presence kept her from bursting into tears. How could Davis Lee have said such a thing unless he were well and truly done with her?

Well, fine. She'd let her heart rule her emotions for too long. Her need for a man—for Davis Lee—had made her forget the vow she'd made to her parents. To William. She wouldn't forget again.

She managed to thank Matt and make it to her room before a sob broke from her. Trying to see through her tears, she went to the window. Davis Lee was still at the jail, but he wouldn't be for long.

Drying her eyes, she pushed away thoughts of everything except Ian McDougal and what he'd done to her family. Let the anger and loss strengthen her determination. Along with a box of matches, her hairbrush and tooth powder, she rolled a clean undergarment up in an extra bodice. She exchanged her plum alpaca silk for a blouse and her split skirt, then put on her sturdiest traveling boots and brown wool traveling coat.

When Davis Lee rode out, she would be right behind him.

 

Why had he said that to Josie? Davis Lee wondered. After what McDougal had done to her and her family, she wouldn't help the outlaw
escape.
Kill him maybe, but not let him go free.

Davis Lee watched her walk away, regret making him want to call back the words. If he were honest with himself, what he felt was more than regret over what he'd just said to her.

Watching her dance with those men at the Pearl had made him want to plow through the crowd and carry her out of
there, but she had every right to dance with whom she wanted.
He
was the one who had ended things between them. The one who'd been betrayed. So why couldn't he stop thinking about her,
wanting
her?

After making sure Jake was going to be all right, Davis Lee locked up the now-empty jail and took off for the livery. The sun hung in a fiery ball just on the edge of the horizon. About an hour's worth of light remained.

After grabbing his bedroll and a couple of canteens, he was on his way. With the ground too hard to hold more than the faintest track, Davis Lee positioned himself so that the sun would cast a shadow over any patterns in the grass. He saw one. A flattened patch with pieces of grass and dirt scooped out of the earth, crescent-shaped like the curved top of a horseshoe.

McDougal was pushing his animal hard, still in the direction of Indian Territory. Davis Lee had no doubt that was the killer's planned destination since the McDougal gang had hidden in various places there over the years.

As Davis Lee rode, he tried to keep his mind off Josie. He wanted to stop wondering what she did every minute, wanted to forget how she'd felt beneath him, wanted to stop feeling the hurt she'd caused. He hadn't forgiven her for sleeping with him before telling him her secret, but he knew he couldn't walk away from her yet, either.

His brother was right, Davis Lee finally admitted. He loved Josie. He'd hurt her, and right now it didn't seem to matter that she'd hurt him, too. After he brought McDougal back to Whirlwind, he would talk to her and try to make amends.

Having settled that in his mind, he swept his gaze across the prairie. The setting sun turned the grass gold, tipped the scattered trees in red. A faint path of trampled grass was still visible. Davis Lee reined up and dismounted, running his hands over the broken grass. He gave a curt nod, sure
that the tracks had been made by the same horse he'd been following.

He walked forward several feet; the tracks veered off to the right, then the left. Had more riders come this way? Or was McDougal trying to throw him off? These tracks wouldn't lead him much farther, and since it was nearly dark, he'd need to stop for the night.

Davis Lee started to swing back into the saddle when he saw something in the distance behind him. A speck of black against the horizon on top of a hill he'd crested some time ago. He couldn't tell for sure, but his instincts hammered that it was another rider.

McDougal? It was possible the outlaw had backtracked, either to change direction or to come up on Davis Lee from the rear. Needing to make sure who that rider was, he climbed back in the saddle.

 

She'd lost him. In more ways than one, Josie thought sadly as she reined up the gelding she'd rented from the livery and squinted through the settling darkness. Night spread over the gently sloping hills, making it look even more endless. They were headed north; she knew that and not much else.

She'd managed to leave town within minutes of Davis Lee and keep him in sight without alerting him to her presence. But a while back, the crest of one hill had given way to level ground on the other side. For as far as she could see, there was only grass and scrub brush, randomly scattered lines of mesquite, pine and oak trees. No doubt Davis Lee would've run his horse flat-out on this stretch of ground. She might never catch sight of him.

She would have to stop for the night. She had passed a creek about fifteen minutes ago. Though she didn't want to backtrack, she had to think of her horse. Frustration swirled inside her. Losing sight of Davis Lee could destroy any
chance of her finding McDougal. But she couldn't see in the dark, and it would be foolish to risk injuring either herself or her mount.

Holding desperately to the hope that in the morning she would be able to recognize a sign that would lead her to the sheriff or McDougal, Josie turned the gelding around. When they reached the small stand of trees close to the creek she'd seen, she dismounted.

While the gelding drank his fill, she gathered up twigs and broke off what slender pine branches she could to use for a fire. She had filled her canteens earlier and could do so again in the morning.

The wind sweeping across the prairie had turned chilly once the sun set. Slipping into her traveling coat, she briefly considered going back to Whirlwind, but she kept picturing that night two years ago. The bloody images of her parents and William. Blinking back tears, she knew she wasn't going back, not when she finally had a chance to kill McDougal.