Come the Spring (Claybornes' Brides (Rose Hill) 5)

He tested Cole sorely when he put one hand on the counter and waited.

“I wasn’t thinking about shooting you,” Harley lied. “You being a lawman and all. I just don’t want any trouble. I got me a brand-new mirror, and I…”

Before Harley could blink, Cole drew his gun and shot the mirror. Glass shattered down on Harley’s shoulders. The bartender roared an obscenity and put both hands on the counter.

Besides the four men at the back table, there were only three other customers inside the saloon, and those three went running for safety. Cole made certain none of them were armed as they filed past him, as the notion of getting a bullet in his back didn’t sit well.

“What did you want here?” Harley demanded.

Cole nodded toward the four men. “It’s a personal matter.”

The tallest of the gang stood up first. “We don’t know you, mister.”

“You will by the time I’m finished with you,” he promised. “Now, all of you get up, and take it slow and easy. I’m taking you boys to jail.”

“You’ve got no right to arrest us,” a man with a puckered scar across his cheek protested. “We haven’t done anything wrong.”

Cole’s attention stayed on the man with the knife. “Is your name Robertson?”

The question got a swift reaction. Robertson’s eyes bulged. “What of it?”

Cole didn’t explain. “Which one of you is Bell?”

“None of us go by that name,” Robertson said.

“Never heard of him,” one of the others said.

“What’s this all about, Marshal?” Robertson asked, his voice reeking congeniality. “Like my friend told you, we haven’t done anything wrong.”

“I’m not arresting you,” Cole said. “At least not yet. We’re going to go on over to the jail. There’s a lady waiting there to have a look at you.”

The men’s demeanor rapidly changed, and they suddenly turned into a pack of cornered jackals.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” one of the others protested.

Robertson glanced at the man on his left. “We can take him.”

“You’re welcome to try,” Cole said, and finally let some of his fury explode. “Damn, but I want you to try.”

Scar Face snickered. “Four against one? You must think you’re fast, Marshal.”

Cole shrugged. “Why don’t you find out? I’ll get every one of you, and I won’t make you kneel down first.”

Scar Face twitched, and Robertson paled.

“We can take you,” Robertson said, his eyes narrowing as he studied his adversary. “You think you’re as fast as lightning?”

Cole smiled. “Nah,” he drawled out, deliberately baiting them. “Folks say I’m all thunder.” With a tilt of his head, he added, “He’s lightning.”

Daniel was standing inside the back door. The men whirled around and then turned back to Cole. They were trapped, and they knew it.

“You’ve got five seconds to put your guns on the table,” Daniel said.

Robertson was the first to go for his gun. Shouting, “Now,” he swung left and dropped. Cole shot him in the chest just as his hand reached his holster. The other three had also gone for their guns. Daniel shot two dead and left the last man for Cole, who put a bullet through his throat.

Cole was putting his gun away when he and Daniel saw the bartender raise his shotgun. They fired simultaneously and watched without expression as Harley fell across the counter. His shotgun crashed to the floor.

Cole hadn’t killed Robertson. He was sprawled on the floor, his back against the wall, whimpering in pain. Blood trickled down from the wound in his chest.

Daniel squatted beside him. “Tell me the name of the man in charge.”

He put the barrel of his gun to Robertson’s temple. “If you want to die quick, give me the name. Otherwise you’re going to die real slow.” He started counting.

Cole rushed across the room. “Don’t do it, Daniel. He isn’t worth it.”

Daniel didn’t hear him. “Give me the name.”

Robertson started crying. “I’m hurt. I’m hurt bad,” he sobbed. “You’ve got to get the doc to fix me up.”

Cole ignored his whining. The hate in Daniel’s eyes scared the hell out of him, and he knew he had to figure out some way to make him let go of his rage before it was too late.

“Put the gun away,” Cole said softly. “Jessica saw him. She can point him out to us.”

Daniel’s eyes were glazed with anguish as he glanced up at Cole. Then he shook his head and pressed the gun against Robertson’s temple.

“No, she only saw his eyes and heard his voice. Without a name…”

Cole put his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “We’ll get him,” he promised. “Don’t do it this way. You have to keep him alive.”

“No.”

“Yes,” Cole argued. “Don’t do it this way. I can’t let you kill him.”

“Then walk away,” Daniel demanded.

Cole reached down and pushed the gun away from Robertson. “We’re in this together,” he said. “We will get him … We’ll get all of them.”

Daniel suddenly came to his senses. With a shudder, he jerked back and stood. “Bring Jessica in here.”

Cole shook his head. “I don’t want her to see this mess. There’s blood everywhere.”

“She has to look at them, just to make certain.”

Gus came charging into the saloon but staggered to a quick stop when he saw the marshals’ guns pointed at him.

“It’s just me,” he stammered.

Cole and Daniel holstered their guns. “You gave me a start, drawing on me like that,” Gus said.

He strutted across the room, looking as pleased as could be. “I did all right, didn’t I?” he asked, craving a compliment.

“Yeah, you did just fine,” Cole said.

“I was worried Harley wouldn’t believe me, but he fell right into my hands, and then those four went running out of here. Did you follow them to the cavern?”

“Yes,” Cole answered.

“I’m real good at lying,” Gus said. “But I got to ask you just one question before I leave you to your jobs. I was wondering … are there really two women here?”

“Yes, there are.”

“Are they fresh whores?”

Neither marshal liked the question. Gus hurriedly put his hand up in conciliation. “I don’t mean no disrespect if they ain’t.”

“You’re the one who came up with that lie, not us,” Cole reminded him.

“It was a good lie, wasn’t it? Where do you have them hidden?”

“The safest place in town,” Cole answered.

“Gus, go get help for me,” Robertson cried out. “I’m hurting bad.”

“I ain’t gonna help you. I know you did something bad to Flo, ’cause I seen you riding out of town with her. She was a sweet old gal and I know you hurt her.”

Gus realized a golden opportunity was slipping by and ran to the bar to grab two bottles of whiskey. Three sounded better to him, and he snatched up another one. He rounded the corner of the bar with his booty clutched to his chest, stopped to spit on Harley’s head, then hurried to the door, his fervent hope to get away before the marshals noticed his thievery.

Daniel and Cole searched through the dead men’s pockets, looking for identification, while Robertson continued to blubber like a baby. The noise was distracting. Frustrated at not being able to find anything, Cole grabbed Robertson and demanded that he tell his friends’ names.

“I’m not telling you anything,” Robertson answered in a near shout. “The boss will kill me.”

“I’ll kill you if you don’t,” Daniel threatened. Cole spied Gus still hovering in the doorway. “Is there something you wanted?”

“Did you find any money in their pockets? I could sure use some extra, I know you already gave me three dollars, but I hate to see good money buried with them.”

“You can take the whisk

ey, Gus,” Daniel called out. “But that’s all.”

“Marshal?”

“What now?” Cole asked.

“I sure would like to get a look at them women. Could you maybe tell me what cavern they’re in?”

“They aren’t in a cavern,” Daniel said. “They’re in jail.”

Gus grimaced. “Never mind, then. I ain’t going over there.”

Daniel left Cole to watch over Robertson while he went to get Jessica. The sheriff was waiting outside the front door, and Daniel asked him to find a doctor for Robertson.

“Are you sure you want to save him?” the sheriff asked.

“No, but get the doctor anyway.”

Jessica and Grace were sitting at the desk, but both jumped up as soon as they saw Daniel. Grace was so overwhelmed at the sight of him alive and well she threw herself into his arms.

Shocked by how much he needed to hold her, he hugged her tight.

“We heard the shots, but we didn’t know … Oh, Daniel, I’m so happy you weren’t hurt.”

“Is Cole …?” Jessica began.

“He’s fine.”

She was so relieved she had to sit again. Daniel continued to hold Grace until she calmed down and stopped shaking. Then he realized she wasn’t shaking; he was. It had been a close call, and he wanted—no, he needed to tell her what had happened and how he had almost crossed the line between the law and a personal vendetta. Grace would understand the torment he was going through.

“Did you get all of them, Daniel?” Jessica asked.

“No. There’s still one unaccounted for. You’re going to have to look at the men. Three are dead.” He added the warning so she could prepare herself for what she was going to see. “I hate to ask, but I have to know if they were hired thugs or part of the gang.”

“I understand.”

“I’m going with you,” Grace told Jessica, ignoring the fact that Daniel was shaking his head at her.

“I would rather you waited here.”

She patted his chest. “I know you would, but I’m going with her,” she insisted, and before he could argue, she went to the door and pulled it open. “Come on, Jessica. Let’s get this over and done with.”

Jessica led the way. She was worried about how she would react to the sight of the dead men and didn’t want to disgrace herself in front of Cole. She was a strong woman, she reminded herself. She could and would get through this.

Grace’s hand kept brushing against Daniel’s as they walked along, but she couldn’t make herself move away from him. She couldn’t stop looking at him either and kept glancing up just to make certain he wasn’t going to vanish. When she had heard the gunshots, her heart had felt as though it had stopped, and it wasn’t until that very moment that she realized how much she loved him. No, that wasn’t true, she thought. She’d known for a long time; she just hadn’t been willing to acknowledge it because of the complications and the pain he would cause her. He had been honest from the very beginning. He loved his Kathleen and no other.

“Daniel, I know now isn’t the time … in fact, it’s a terrible time to tell you…”

He was barely paying attention to her as his gaze scanned the buildings on either side of the street. There was at least one member of the Blackwater gang still out there, and Daniel wasn’t taking any chances.

“Tell me what?” he asked.

“I’ve become attached to you.”

She didn’t think he’d heard her whispered admission, for he showed absolutely no reaction, and she was glad of it. She shouldn’t have said a word, because the timing was all wrong. She should have waited until they had a quiet moment together and then admitted how she felt, but she was compelled to tell him this very moment, fully expecting a rebuke.

“Yeah, I know.”

It was such an arrogant response she smiled. “Should I try to stop?”

He looked straight ahead when he answered. “No, I don’t want you to stop.”

“Well then,” she whispered on a sigh.

Jessica had increased her pace until she was running to the saloon. She certainly wasn’t in a hurry to view the gruesome scene, but Cole was inside and she desperately needed to see for herself that he hadn’t been hurt.

When she reached the swinging doors, she straightened her shoulders and then pushed the doors aside. She found Cole right away. He was leaning against the far wall, watching her. A wave of relief made her weak, and it took all she had not to run to him. She had expected to be frightened and was prepared to hide her reaction, but what she didn’t expect was the surge of rage that rushed through her. Three of the men were already dead, but she had the insane urge to shoot them again.

She pointed to the first body. “He was there,” she said. “I didn’t hear his name, but I saw him.”

She moved to the second and third man, shook her head, and said, “I don’t know if these two were in the bank or not. I didn’t see all their faces.”

She turned to the wounded man. Hate radiated from his eyes as he stared up at her. She neither flinched nor trembled, her gaze dispassionate as she stared back.

“Yes, he was there. His name is Robertson.”

She was more shaken than she realized, for she hadn’t noticed that Cole had moved to her side and that she was holding his hand. She held tight and let him pull her out the door while Grace and Daniel waited for the sheriff to return with the doctor.

As soon as Jessica stepped outside, she turned to Cole. “There’s another one,” she told him. “You shot Johnson, they’re holding a man in jail in Blackwater, and if all four of the men inside were in the gang, that leaves one missing.”

“And Rebecca,” he said.

“And Rebecca,” she agreed. “I really want you to get her.”

“We will,” he promised.

Thirty-Six

It was a race against the clock to get to Blackwater, and Daniel pressed hard. He was obsessed now with getting to the jail so Jessica could tell him if the man they were holding was Bell. He hadn’t thought the rest of it through, and didn’t know what he would do if she confirmed that this was the man who had killed his little girl.

The women didn’t complain about the grueling pace, but the group stopped when the sun was going down and made camp by a clear stream. Daniel had wanted to push on, but Cole refused.

While Grace and Jessica unpacked the food Cole had gotten in town, Daniel paced.

“We should keep going,” he said. “The moonlight’s good tonight.”

Cole shook his head again. “Look at Jessie and Grace,” he suggested. “They’re both half dead. The horses aren’t in much better shape.”

“But we could—”

Cole cut him off. “The idea is to get a live witness there, not a dead one.”

Daniel came to his senses. “Yeah, you’re right.”

While he helped Cole with the horses, he kept glancing at Grace and Jessica. The two of them were covered with dust and looked too tired to move.

“Maybe I did push a little hard today,” he conceded.

Cole was already thinking about tomorrow. “Did you send a wire to the sheriff in Blackwater?”

“Yes, but I didn’t get an answer. That worries me.”

“We’ll be there tomorrow afternoon, and then maybe we can finish this.”

“It still won’t be over,” Daniel said. “We have to get Rebecca and the man in charge.”

“Do you think the man they’re holding is Bell?”

“Jessica saw him and said he turned when the leader called his name, and he wasn’t one of the four in the saloon. It has to be Bell.”

“Rebecca could be with Bell.”

“No, she’d align herself with the one running the show. She wouldn’t take up with one of the hirelings.”

“Maybe, but don’t get your hopes up.”

Several minutes passed in silence while Daniel carried the saddles over to the camp and Cole brushed the horses.

“Daniel?” Cole

said. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Yes?”

“If Jessica tells you it is Bell, you aren’t thinking about doing anything you’d regret, are you?”

“What would you do if you knew he killed your wife and your baby?”

Cole thought it over a long while before answering. “I honestly don’t know.”

“Neither do I. I won’t know until I look at him.”

“If you kill him, they’ll lock you away or hang you.”

“I realize that.”

“You know what’s worse than hanging?”

“There’s lots of things worse than hanging.”

“Sitting in a cell somewhere knowing that because of you, two of the gang got away.”

“You’d get them.”

Cole didn’t want to argue the point. “What about Grace?”

Daniel shook his head. “I don’t know what to do about her. She kind of … took me by surprise.”

“I know all about that,” Cole admitted. “Meaning Jessica?”

“I’m that transparent?”

“No, but she is,” he said. “She’s always looking at you like she’s thinking about shooting you.”

Cole grinned. “It’s love all right.”

“How can you be so sure? Everyone who meets you wants to shoot you.”

“We’re getting married.”

“Has she agreed?”

“No.”

Daniel burst into laughter and was surprised at how good it made him feel to let his guard down and relax for a few minutes.

“Then how do you think you’re going to get her to marry you?”

Cole smiled. “Ever hear of a shotgun wedding?”

“No, but I’ve got a feeling I won’t want to miss it.”

“Good,” Cole said, “because your attendance is going to be required.”

“Why?”

“Who do you think is going to hold the shotgun?” They both laughed.

Grace turned to smile at Daniel. She and Jessica were sitting side by side at the edge of the creek, dangling their feet in the water.

“What do you think they’re laughing about?” she asked Jessica.

“I don’t know. I’m trying to figure out where they found the strength. I’m too tired to eat.”

“Me too.”