by Connie Mason
“Time to leave, Miss Lowry,” Pringle said. “I have business elsewhere and you can’t stay here while I’m gone.”
“Go,” Ryan whispered. “I’ll understand if you don’t come back. This can’t be easy for you.”
“One more moment, Marshal,” Kitty called back. To Ryan, she whispered, “What can I bring you? Would a gun help? I thought about it before but…”
“Wait for my brothers and talk it over with them,” Ryan whispered back. “They’ll know what to do. I’m willing to try whatever they suggest. I’m not going to die, Kitty. I decided to live when I realized how much I love you. I’ve never been a quitter and I’m not going to become one now.”
He gave her a quick kiss, then pushed her away from the bars. “The marshal is waiting.”
Kitty’s steps dragged as she walked toward the marshal. Her mind whirled with everything Ryan had told her. He loved her. Had always loved her. He’d just been too stubborn and settled in his ways to open his heart to her.
Before Kitty left town she made a quick detour to the doctor’s office and was told he was out on a call. She didn’t wait, but rode home in a daze, her mind consumed with Ryan. Where were Ryan’s brothers? she wondered. They were long overdue. All her hopes were pinned on two men she didn’t even know. Yet Ryan seemed confident that they could help him. It must be wonderful to trust someone so completely, she mused. Until Ryan had come along she’d distrusted all males, except perhaps for Lex, who had done his best for her. But her experience with the Bartons had taught her to rely on no one but herself.
That notion got her to thinking. Less than two weeks remained before Ryan’s hanging. Should Ryan’s brothers fail to arrive in time, she was the only one he could rely upon for help. Her spirits lifted as she contemplated the difficulties she would encounter breaking Ryan out of jail and how she could overcome them.
Kitty reached the ranch before a viable plan made itself known. But she wasn’t about to give up. She rode her horse into the barn and dismounted, handing the reins to a stable hand who was mucking out the stalls.
“Two men came calling, Miss Kitty,” the man said as Kitty started toward the house.
“Two men? Do you know them?”
“No, ma’am. They arrived about an hour ago asking for Ryan Delaney. I told them Ryan was in jail, and they skedaddled up to the house to talk to Bert.”
“Ryan’s brothers!” Kitty cried, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from her. Suddenly a terrifying thought occurred to her. “Bert! Oh, no! He doesn’t know about Ryan. I have to hurry before they tell him. The shock could kill him.”
She didn’t hear the man’s reply as she raced to the house.
Chapter 16
By the time Kitty burst into Bert’s room she was out of breath and her heart was beating like a trip-hammer. When she saw two men standing beside Bert’s bed she feared the worst. Both men turned toward her at her abrupt entrance.
“Is Bert all right?” Kitty asked anxiously. “He’s not… you didn’t…
“I’m sorry. We didn’t know Bert was so ill. We came here first to find out from Bert the kind of trouble Ryan was in,” the older of the two men said. Kitty thought his resemblance to Ryan was remarkable. They both possessed the same dark hair and extraordinary green eyes.
“I’m Pierce Delaney, and this is my brother Chad,” Pierce said. “You must be Bert’s daughter.”
Kitty turned her gaze on Chad and thought him every bit as handsome as his two brothers. In contrast to Pierce’s and Ryan’s darker coloring, Chad’s hair was brown and his eyes hazel. Both men exuded the same power and strength she admired in Ryan.
“Call me Kitty,” Kitty said. Her gaze turned anxiously toward Bert. She thought he looked paler than he had been looking, except for his eyes, which blazed like two burning coals in his wan face.
“What did you tell Bert?” Kitty asked, fearful of the damage that might have been caused. “The doctor said he’s not to be upset.”
Chad sent Kitty a sheepish look. “Sorry, Kitty, we had no idea. Your stepsister said it would be all right to talk to Bert. We hoped he could tell us about the trouble our little brother has gotten himself into, but Bert doesn’t seem to know.”
“Teresa had no business allowing you into Bert’s room,” Kitty said with asperity. “I told you, Bert’s not supposed to …”
“It’s all right, Kitty,” Bert interrupted. “You should have told me about Ryan’s arrest. I think it’s time for explanations. If you won’t tell me, I’m sure Teresa will. Shall I call her?”
Kitty shook her head. “I wanted to spare you. I had no idea Ryan’s brothers would come here first.”
“Perhaps we should talk about this in private,” Pierce suggested, apparently concerned about Bert’s grave condition.
“I won’t hear of it,” Bert said, becoming agitated. “It would hurt me more not to know. I’ve grown fond of Ryan in the short time I’ve known him. I had hoped … well, that’s not important now. If Ryan is in serious trouble we have to band together to help him.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Pierce said, his expression solemn. “Go ahead, Kitty, tell us everything, don’t leave anything out.”
“Ryan is going to die in less than two weeks!” Kitty exclaimed on a rising note of panic. “He hoped you would arrive before his trial.”
“Ryan’s going to die?” Chad asked in a hushed voice. “Why? What trial?”
“It’s a long story.”
“We have time,” Pierce said. “But if what you just told us is true, time is running out for Ryan.”
“That’s why he’s counting on your help. It all started when Ryan agreed to find Bert’s missing daughter,” Kitty began. She then launched into the details, save for intimate ones, about her involvement with the Barton gang and how Ryan had found her and briefly joined the gang in order to question her about Kathryn Lowry.
Pierce stared at her in disbelief. “You posed as a boy all those years without anyone seeing through your disguise?”
Kitty gave him a wobbly smile. “Except for Ryan. He knew I was a woman almost immediately.”
“That’s our brother,” Chad chuckled. “Rogue Ryan could smell a woman at fifty yards. Go on with the story, Kitty.”
“I won’t go into all the details, but when Ryan realized I was the missing Kathryn Lowry he convinced me to come to the ranch to meet Bert. At first I wasn’t happy here. There was a great deal of antagonism between me and Teresa. One day I decided to leave the ranch and live my own life.”
“Why would you do that?” Pierce asked, pinning her to the wall with his probing green gaze.
“The reasons are no longer important. What matters is that Ryan came after me and ran into the Barton gang outside Tucson. They were on their way to rob the bank. They recognized Ryan and forced him to ride with them. Ryan intended to escape before the robbery took place but it didn’t work out that way,” she said on a sob. “Billy Barton’s contact at the bank betrayed him for the reward and the marshal was waiting with a posse. Two members of the gang were killed outright. Ryan and Durango were captured and taken to jail.”
“Good God!” Pierce exclaimed. His dismay was mirrored on Chad’s face. “Didn’t Ryan explain the circumstances to the marshal?”
“He tried but Marshal Pringle wouldn’t listen.” Kitty swallowed past the huge lump growing in her throat. “Ryan was brought to trial, found guilty, and will hang in less than two weeks for crimes he didn’t commit.”
“Damn!” Chad muttered, fracturing the profound silence that Kitty’s words had produced.
“Didn’t Ryan speak in his own defense at the trial?” Pierce asked.
Kitty flushed. “He was afraid to say too much for fear of revealing my involvement with the Bartons. He wanted to protect me. I rode with the Bartons several years and played a minor role in their robberies. I was perfectly willing to testify, even if it meant revealing my identity, but Ryan wouldn’t allow it.”
�
��What about Teresa?” Bert asked after hearing Kitty’s story. “I may have been too ill to attend the trial but Teresa knows the truth and should have testified on Ryan’s behalf.”
Chad and Pierce waited for Kitty’s answer, placing her in an awkward position. She had no idea how Bert would react when he learned how Teresa had betrayed Ryan.
“Spit it out, honey,” Bert urged. “I already have some idea of what took place at the trial. Teresa changed the day Kitty walked into the house,” he explained to the Delaneys. “I would put nothing past her.”
“I’m sorry, Father,” Kitty said regretfully. “Teresa lied about Ryan on the witness stand. Oh, I don’t suppose one could call it lying, exactly. What she did was skirt the truth. She confirmed that Ryan rode with the Bartons and tried to implicate me at the same time. But Durango had already testified that I was not Kit, so the judge disallowed that part. I suppose that’s why Ryan chose not to tell the whole truth. Suspicion had already touched me and he didn’t want to raise the subject again.”
“So Ryan was found guilty and sentenced to hang,” Pierce said grimly.
“If only we could have gotten here on time,” Chad lamented. “We would have if the train hadn’t broken down outside Cheyenne and forced us to make the trip on horseback. Took us two weeks of steady riding. I’m sure my legs will be permanently bowed after this trip.”
Kitty glanced at Bert and suddenly feared for his life. His eyes were closed and his breathing erratic. “Father! I knew this would be too much for you. That’s why the doctor forbid us to excite you. I’ll send someone for the doctor right away.”
Bert opened his eyes and stretched his hand out to cover hers. “No, honey, I’ll be fine. There is nothing more the sawbones can do for me. I’m not going to die yet. Not until I know Ryan’s been cleared and released from jail. Ryan and I have unfinished business.”
“What business is that, Father?”
“That’s between me and Ryan,” he said with a trace of his old sparkle.
“Try not to worry, Bert,” Pierce advised. “Chad and I won’t let our brother hang. The marshal will have to listen to us. If that fails, we’ll locate the judge and tell him our story. And as a last resort, we’ll break him out of jail. We’ll take a room in town so as to be near Ryan and check back with you when we know something.”
“I’ll walk you to the door,” Kitty said. “Bert needs to get some rest. He’s had enough excitement for one day.”
“Kitty…” Bert’s voice was weak, but his tone was resolute.
“Yes, Father.”
“Tell Teresa I’ll speak with her as soon as I’m up to it.”
“Very well, Father,” Kitty said, wondering what Bert would say to Teresa. But she couldn’t worry about that now. She wanted to speak privately with Ryan’s brothers before they left.
“I’m sorry we arrived too late,” Pierce said when he and Chad stood alone with Kitty in the parlor. “We had no idea the trouble you mentioned in your telegram would be so devastating. We thought Ryan had gotten into one of his usual scrapes.”
“We brought enough money to pay off the unhappy papa of the woman Rogue Ryan had compromised,” Chad added, “but we never suspected anything like this.” He ran his fingers through his brown hair and spit out a curse. “How could anyone mistake Ryan for an outlaw?”
“It wasn’t much of a trial,” Kitty admitted. “The jury tried and found Ryan guilty before the trial began. Is there nothing you can do? I’d die if Ryan were to lose his life because of me. He doesn’t deserve to die. Ryan is good and kind and… and, well, you both know that Ryan is a special man.”
Chad and Pierce exchanged startled looks. “You think Ryan is special?” Chad asked, trying to hide his amusement. “Has he added you to his stable of women?”
“That’s enough, Chad,” Pierce reprimanded. “Kitty is too distraught to appreciate your teasing. We need to speak to Ryan pronto, if we’re to help him. Take care of Bert, Kitty, he looks mighty peaked.”
Kitty nodded. “I’m really worried about Bert. I didn’t want to love my father when I first heard about him because I hated what he did to my mother and me. But in time I came to realize that what happened wasn’t entirely Bert’s fault He didn’t even know I existed until a few years ago. I reckon we both have a lot to be grateful for. During the weeks I’ve been here I’ve grown quite fond of Bert, and I have Ryan to thank for bringing us together.”
“I’m glad Ryan found you before Bert… well, in time for Bert to get to know you,” Pierce replied. “We’ll be on our way now. There is much to be accomplished in a short time.”
“Are you leaving already?” Teresa asked as she ambled into the parlor. “I told Rosita to put two more plates on the table for dinner.”
Hotheaded Chad took one look at Teresa and lit into her. “Kitty told us that your testimony helped convict Ryan,” he charged. “What in the hell were you thinking of? You know damn good and well that Ryan is no outlaw.”
“Easy, Chad,” Pierce warned.
Teresa sent Kitty a venomous look and backed away from Chad. “I told the truth,” she claimed. “Ryan did ride with the Bartons.”
“That’s not the truth and you know it,” Kitty berated. “You were green with jealousy because Ryan showed me too much attention. Testifying against Ryan was your way of punishing him.”
Pierce stifled a groan. “I told Ryan a woman was going to be his ruination one day. Are you saying that Teresa’s jealousy is behind all this? Sounds all too familiar to me.”
“Not exactly,” Kitty admitted. “Ryan was caught riding into town with the Bartons, and the evidence against him was overwhelming. I will say in Teresa’s defense that her testimony was only the icing on the cake. As I said before, the jury had reached a verdict before the trial began. Ryan didn’t have a chance.”
Teresa’s eyes widened, apparently stunned by Kitty’s words.
“We haven’t time to debate the issue,” Pierce, ever the practical brother, said. “Our first priority is Ryan, and getting him out of jail.”
Kitty’s hopes soared for the first time since Ryan’s trial as she watched the Delaney brothers ride off. She knew now why Ryan believed them special, and she thought their women were lucky to have them. They were fiercely loyal, handsome, strong, and determined. She prayed their determination would work in Ryan’s favor.
Ryan stared at a square place on the floor where sunlight pierced through the tiny barred window and puddled in the dirt. He couldn’t even recall what day it was. How many days remained until he left this earth in a horrible manner? he wondered distractedly. No matter when it came, it would be too soon.
Ryan’s thoughts returned time and again to Kitty, recalling her luminous beauty, unmatched by any other woman. For her sake Ryan hoped she’d change her mind and marry Tucker after he was gone. Kitty needed someone to comfort her after his death. He reminisced about their last time together, recalling her passionate response to his loving. No woman, and there had been plenty, had ever pleased him like Kitty. He closed his eyes and imagined the sweetness of her kisses, the erotic scent of her arousal, the heat of her when she opened to him and took him inside her. The feeling was so vivid that he dropped his head into his hands, surprised when he felt tears upon his fingers.
He was brought back to reality when he heard footsteps echoing down the corridor. Expectantly, he peered through the bars, hoping yet fearing that Kitty had returned. He didn’t know if he could handle another visit from her, given his state of mind. He heard the jingle of spurs and decided the footsteps were too firm and heavy to be those of a woman. His spirits rose considerably when he recognized his brothers advancing toward him.
“Well, brother, you’ve gotten yourself into one helluva mess,” Chad greeted as he clasped Ryan’s hand through the bars.
Ryan offered his other hand to Pierce. They stood united, staring at one another in perfect understanding. After a long pause, Ryan asked, “What in the hell took you so long?”
“Blame it on the railroad,” Pierce explained. “We rode our butts off getting here. The locomotive broke down, and when we learned a replacement wouldn’t arrive for days, we continued on horseback.” He rubbed his backside. “Talk about rough country.”
“I reckon you know why I’m here,” Ryan said.
“Yep,” Chad answered. “We stopped off at the ranch first.”
“You didn’t talk to Bert, did you?” Ryan asked worriedly.
“Yeah, we did,” Pierce answered. “Kitty wasn’t home and Teresa told us it would be all right to talk to Bert. We found out he knew nothing about your arrest and trial.”
“God! Did your information upset him? Is he all right?”
“He was fine when we left. A bit weak but still breathing. We didn’t learn the full truth until Kitty arrived home. She told us the whole incredible story. Whatever possessed you to join the Bartons? If you weren’t behind bars I’d beat the shit out of you,” Pierce said.
“Not until I finished with him,” Chad echoed.
“It was the only way I could get to Kitty,” Ryan explained. “Didn’t Kitty tell you how we met?”
“Kitty told us everything. Almost everything,” Chad clarified. “Knowing you as I do, I imagine there are things she didn’t want to divulge. What exactly are your feelings for Kitty? She gave the impression that she is in love with you. Is Kitty just another feather in your cap?”
“I never thought I’d say this, but I love Kitty,” Ryan admitted somewhat sheepishly. “Kitty is every bit as perfect for me as Sarah and Zoey are for you and Pierce. I’ll admit I was skeptical at first, doubting my own feelings. But I know now I could be happy with Kitty as my wife. She’s not like most women. She’s loyal and trustworthy and…” He shrugged. “Oh, well, what’s the use?”
“Rogue Ryan in love?” Pierce chortled. “Aren’t you the one who laughed at us for falling in love?”
“I didn’t know then… I mean, who would have thought I’d meet someone who has come to mean the world to me? But it’s too late to worry about what might have been. I’m going to die in a few days.”
