“How’d you know it was me, back there at the restaurant?” he asked.
She shrugged, “I don’t know, something inside of me just knew.”
He laughed, “Zion would have been impressed. I thought I was good, but you …”
She smiled as she reached for him and pulled him into a hug so that she could lay her head on his chest, “It only works with the man I love. Otherwise, you could have been a team of horses and I would have been oblivious.”
“You need to go inside,” he said as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.
She slumped into him, obviously unhappy about it. “We haven’t talked,” she said, “not really. Every time I think we might, something interrupts us. Pap, Jake. When are we going to have time, just the two of us?”
“What is there to talk about?”
Becky gasped as she pulled back to look up into his eyes. “What is there to talk about?” she asked with a stern tone. “You aren’t serious?” Then suddenly her eyes grew big as she pulled away from him. “Unless … Maybe we don’t have a future. Maybe I’ve been stupid.”
Luke frowned at her. “Not have a future? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Oh, now I’m ridiculous? And stupid?” she said as she placed her hands on her hips.
“Becky,” he said as he quickly looked around to see if anyone had heard her then pulled her back farther behind the house away from the street. “I don’t need half the town hearing us having an argument.”
“Why not?” she demanded. “Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?”
Luke had to fight to stop from rolling his eyes. This was going the wrong way too fast. Was it all the tension she had been feeling over the last few days? Immediately, he knew it would be a mistake to raise that possibility. Instead, he took both of her hands in his and stared into her eyes.
“Becky,” he said when he knew he had her full attention. “Just so you know, the future I was thinking on would be you and me and a dozen kids at either your uncle’s ranch or at a place up near Hanna and Zion in Oregon. Either would be fine with me, just as long as you were there.”
She froze as she stared up at him, “Are you asking me to marry you?”
His gut twisted in a knot, “I hadn’t planned on it right now. Not like this, not here. Maybe after this business with the Feltons is finished. When I can do it up right.”
She grabbed his upper arm with talon-like fingers and pulled him down to her level. He noticed that she chose his right arm and avoided his wounded left. “Lucas Parker, you are not walking away unless I hear the words. Do you understand?” She squeezed tightly to emphasize her point.
“Becky,” he laughed then forced himself to a more somber perspective. “Miss Rebecca Johnson, would you do me the honor of being my wife.”
She let go of his arm and stepped back then smiled slightly, “I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it. After all. This isn’t exactly the right place. Not very romantic. And your timing. Really, I don’t know what you were thinking?”
He sighed heavily then glanced down and shook his head. This was so Becky. The woman he loved. She would never let him think he was in charge.
“Well, you think on it for a bit. But you got to know, I ain’t letting you marry anyone else.”
“Luke Parker,” she gasped with a mocking tone, “you aren’t in charge of me.”
“Maybe,” he said, “but that don’t stop the way I feel. I am yours and you are mine and deep down you know it. It’s always been meant to be that way.”
She sighed then smiled up at him. “Well, if you insist. I suppose I could agree to be your wife.”
He laughed and pulled her into his arms. There had never been any doubt in his mind. But he also knew that his life would always be like this. Becky making sure he didn’t get too confident, didn’t take things for granted.
Of course, that was all assuming he lived through the next week.
Chapter Twenty
Rebecca put the clean coffee cups back on the station next to the brazier and smiled to herself once again. It had been that way for the last four days. Ever since Luke had asked her to marry her. Her cheeks hurt from smiling too much.
Just imagine. Luke Parker wanted to marry her. A penniless farm girl with no family. Rebecca Parker, she thought. It had such a nice ring to it.
What would they call their first child? she wondered. What were the names of Hanna’s children? They would have to name them differently. No sooner had the thought entered her mind than she felt her cheeks blush. Her, a married woman and all that meant. She worried if she would be enough for him. He was Luke Parker after all. He had seen things, been places.
But deep in her heart, she knew it was right. More right, than any right thing in this world. The man knew her and loved her anyway. He had seen her cry her eyes out when her parents died. Seen her tremble in fear when that tornado tore apart the wagon train. He’d heard her complain about the trail. Then, come to her aid when she asked.
She felt so special. As if she was the luckiest woman alive. Almost as if she didn’t dare deserve such a man.
She turned just in time to see Sarah Felton step in, followed by an unknown cowboy. Rebecca’s heart fell as she once again remembered the dangers Luke faced. That their chance at happiness would not happen until this was all resolved, and this woman across from her would do everything in her power to stop him.
Taking a deep breath, Rebecca approached the table as they sat down. The man with Sarah was a stranger. Her brow furrowed, she thought she knew every cowboy within forty miles. Heaven knew most of them had come through there to get some of Helen’s cobbler.
Her stomach tightened as she examined the man. He had predatory eyes, she realized. No laughter, no happiness. Eyes that looked at a person like they were nothing more than a target. She glanced down at the gun on his hip and swallowed hard. This was not run of the mill cowboys. The clothes were too clean and the gun too well cared for.
The man had a nasty scar on his cheek and looked at her as if she was nothing more than roadkill for noticing his scar.
Suddenly, she felt a strong urge to run to Luke and tell him about this man.
“You new to the area?” she asked as she poured them coffee.
Sarah studied her for a moment then smiled. That evil smile. “Mr. Dawson works for me.”
Rebecca stepped back, “Oh,” she said. “Are you starting your own spread?”
Sarah Felton shook her head, “There are other tasks a man might be hired for. Cleaning out coyotes for instance.”
Rebecca’s stomach fell at the bluntness of Sarah’s words. This woman had hired this man to kill Luke. It was her only hope at getting her brother out of jail.
“How would you like your steaks,” she asked without giving any indication Sarah had scared her. She refused to give the woman the satisfaction.
When she passed their order to Helen, she quickly removed her apron and started out the back. Helen reached out a hand to stop her but Rebecca shot her a quick look that let the woman know that there wasn’t a force in this world that could prevent her from going to Luke.
She found him with his feet up on his desk. Jake in the bunk, snoring so loudly he would have made a locomotive jealous.
“Luke,” she gasped as she slid to a halt in front of his desk, “Sarah, … gun hand,” she tried to get out as she fought to catch her breath.
“Slowly,” he assured her as he came to her, his smile calming her racing heart. Nothing ever bothered this man. Why did she think if she rushed in here and told him the world was ending, he’d meet it with a calm expression?
“Sarah Felton has hired a man,” she said as she forced herself to speak clearly. “A gunman, I am sure of it. A man hired to kill you. The … woman has to be stopped.”
Luke laughed. “What did he look like?”
Rebecca gave his appearance and the name he had given. Her heart refused to still. A man wanted to kill Luke. A man who looked like he k
new what he was doing. “This wasn’t some cowboy,” she added. “I know the difference. His clothes were too clean and his guns too expensive.”
He nodded that he understood and believed her but then he infuriated her by shrugging.
“You have to do something,” she gasped.
“He ain’t broken no laws. Not yet. And Dawson doesn’t show up on any of my wanted posters.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked him.
Luke shrugged. “I suppose I could arrest him on some trumped up charge. Keep him off the streets until after the trial. It won’t make any difference after that.”
Her heart broke. “No,” she said as she grabbed his arm. “That is what they want. For you to try. That was why Sarah made such a public display. In fact, she came to the one person she knew would run and tell you about him.”
A sickening guilt filled her. Why had she come here? Once again. she had placed Luke in danger. When was she ever going to learn?
“We ain’t got a choice,” Jake said as he turned over in the bunk and stared at them. “If we don’t go after him. He’ll just cause problems until we can’t ignore him no more.”
Luke glared at him. “There ain’t no we in this. You will stay here until I get back.”
Jake swung his legs over the edge of the bunk and scowled at his brother. “You know more ways to ruin fun than any man I ever met.”
“Maybe,” Luke said, “but Hanna would skin me alive and boil my liver if I let you get hurt.”
“Luke,” the young man sighed, “that ain’t the way it works and you know it. You can’t keep me out of trouble, you never could.”
Rebecca bit the inside of her lip as she watched the two men argue. The tension in the air was thicker than the North Platte.
“This ain’t a man telling his kid brother what to do,” Luke said with a heavy sigh. “This is a sheriff telling his deputy. And you will stay here to guard the prisoner. Some of those Circle B men rode into town this morning. We march down the street and one of them will waltz in here and set him free.”
Jake grumbled under his breath, then nodded that he would comply.
Once he was sure of his brother, Luke turned to Rebecca and smiled. “I’ll walk you back.”
Her heart broke. Had she made a grievous error in coming and telling him? Was she going to cause his death? But there was no stopping him. Oh, how she wished he, they, could just ride away and put all of this behind them. But that wasn’t her Luke.
When they stepped out into the sunshine, he gently took her elbow
They’d only taken a few steps when the doors of the Red House slammed open and three men tumbled into the street. She could feel him stiffen next to her as he turned to face a possible threat.
“Stay here,” he cursed as he started for the commotion. Three men were fighting, cowboys, fists flying and feet kicking. Her heart raced at the pure violence, and Luke was wading into the melee.
One of the cowboys grabbed the arms of the smaller man and held him still as his friend pulled back and landed a gut-busting punch to the man’s stomach.
Luke arrived to hold the man back from throwing another punch, pulling him away. The man turned on him with an angry scowl. But Luke didn’t seem to realize the danger as he ignored the man and told the restraining cowboy to let the man go.
She gasped when the man smiled and let go of the man’s arms and stepped forward.
The man who had been hit straightened up, obviously unhurt. Rebecca held her breath. Suddenly, all three men turned to face Luke. Her heart fell as she realized it was a trap. They had set it up so that they could come at Luke together.
“Luke!” she yelled uselessly.
Then, without warning, all three men charged him. She froze, unable to look away, too terrified to watch. It was like a pack of wild dogs trying to take down a bear.
Luke shifted then threw a quick punch, catching the first man in, then spinning on his heel he threw an elbow into the nose of the one coming in behind him. Her heart stopped as he erupted into action. Fists darting, connecting, then spinning to kick another in the knee.
One of them charged and tried to wrap him up so they could get him to the ground. She knew in her heart if they got him down, he’d never get up. They’d take their boots to him until he was nothing but a bloody pulp.
But Luke caught the man under the arm, twisted and threw him over his hip and into his partner then pulled away in time to land a punch in the third one’s middle that lifted him up on his toes. The man fell, gasping for breath.
Rebecca could only watch as Luke turned on the remaining two with a ferocious scowl that made her soul hesitate. He looked so mean, so angry. As if he wanted to destroy the world itself. Then without warning, he charged into the two men, swinging and kicking until they too were down.
Two men were moaning on the ground. The third was out cold. Only after he was sure they were going to stay down did he step back, his chest rising as he sucked in air. Then he turned around to look for any additional threats.
“Luke,” she yelled as she raced to him.
He spun around and her heart squeezed tight with fear as he stared at her without seeing her. His eyes searching for the next thing to destroy.
She pulled back, freezing in place until slowly recognition returned to his eyes. Only then did she approach him. He had a nasty cut over his left eye and both fists looked like they’d been drug over the rocks for two miles.
“Luke,” she said again as she gently took her hand in his. “It’s over.”
He sighed heavily then took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said as a look of guilt and shame washed over him.
She scoffed as she brushed something out of his bloody knuckles. Her mind refused to believe it might be a bit of tooth. Instead, she looked up into his eyes, silently telling him she loved him.
His shoulders slumped as he slowly relaxed.
“Jake,” he called to his brother who had come out of the jail. “Tie ‘em up to the hitching rail. I don’t want them in Felton’s cell.”
His brother nodded as he rushed back into the jail then returned with a long piece of rope.
Rebecca continued to stare at him, desperate to know if he was all right. His violent reaction had shocked her, she knew that she would never get the images out of her mind. It was so different from the sweet, kind man she thought she knew.
“Let’s get you back to the jail so I can clean you up,” she said as she turned to pull him away. It was only then that she saw the strange looks people were giving Luke. They had witnessed his violence and been shocked. She could see it in their eyes. This man was different than them, those looks said. And not in a good way.
That violence might be unleashed on them. And deep in their hearts, they knew they wouldn’t be able to stop him.
Ignoring them, she tucked her arm into his, silently letting them know that she didn’t see it the same way. Once again, Luke had stood against wrong. And if these people couldn’t see it then they didn’t deserve him.
Chapter Twenty-One
Luke ground his teeth as he watched Rebecca clean the wounds on his knuckles. She had already wiped away the blood from the cut over his eye.
She kept shooting him questioning looks that tore at his insides. He could see it in her eyes. He was a monster. A beast. A man unable to control the animal inside of him.
Jake stepped through the door, tossing the prisoner’s gun belts onto the bunk. “They’re tied up like hogs going to the butcher and McAdams is looking them over.”
“How bad?” Luke asked.
His brother shrugged. “Unfortunately, they’ll live.”
“Jake,” Luke said as his head sank to his chest. “Just tell me how bad.”
“From what I could see, a few missing teeth, a busted thumb, and one of them might be limping for a year or two. You took out his knee pretty bad. Other than that, cuts, bruises, and sore heads. Oh yeah, three broken noses.”
Luke sighed. It could have been so much worse. The thought of Becky seeing him kill a man with his bare hands made his shoulders shudder. The fact that she had witnessed his uncontrolled rage made his stomach clench with shame.
She looked up at him from under her brow and gave him a quick smile. He knew instantly that she was glad they would all live and what is more, he knew she was pleased for his sake. That he wouldn’t be burdened by another death.
“Flex your fingers,” she said as she stood up and studied his hand.
He slowly made a fist then spread his fingers. Things worked, but not as easily as normal, probably more from the swelling than the cuts and scrapes. He hoped he didn’t have to draw his gun anytime soon, things weren’t as fast as they should be.
“I don’t think anything is broken,” she said. “Which is a minor miracle, if you ask me.”
He laughed as a small sense of hope filled him. At least she was talking to him. She hadn’t run away with hate and disgust.
“Do you think they are working with the man Sarah Felton hired?” she asked with a deep frown.
“No,” Luke said as he shook his head. “It weren’t coordinated. No, these were just some Circle B boys who thought they could impress their boss.”
She frowned at him as if she didn’t necessarily agree with him. Sarah Felton’s man scared her, he could see it in her eyes. She was worried, but he had bigger problems to tackle at the moment.
“Thank you,” he told her as he pushed up out of the chair and walked outside. His anger still bubbled just below the surface. How had he let himself fall for such an obvious trap? Jake had all three men sitting under the hitching rail, their hands, and feet tied up and secured to the rail. They weren’t going anywhere, not without help.
Luke stood there for a moment and watched as people walking by gave the men derisive looks of contempt. In fact, it looked as if the town’s people were making it a point to visit the jail area just so they could look down their noses at the cowboys.
Silver Creek (The Parker Family Saga) Page 13
