Lady Deception

by Bobbi Smith

  Luke had let her go because he'd had no life to offer her. But now, with his father and brother by his side, he didn't have to move on, he didn't have to keep running. They could settle down here. They could have a life.

  Still he hesitated. Cody had left him that night in San Antonio. Luke was convinced that she hadn't meant the words of love she'd whispered in the heat of the darkness.

  Luke was hard at work mending a fence late one afternoon when he caught sight of a rider coming. He'd paused in his work, walking out to meet the visitor, only to find that it was Fred.

  "Good to see you, Luke," Fred greeted him.

  "What brings you all the way out here?"

  "Got something for you. Thought you might want it right away," he said, handing him a thick envelope.

  Luke opened it to find that it was stuffed with money. "What's this for?"

  "There's a letter in there from Cody Jameson. She sent it to me, asking me to deliver this to you. Evidently it's half the reward money for bringing in Hadley and Elizabeth."

  Luke opened the missive and read:

  Dear Sheriff Halloway,

  Please see that Luke Majors gets his fair share of our reward money. He is more than deserving of it.

  Sincerely, Cody Jameson

  "There's over a thousand dollars in there. That's why I thought I'd better bring it out personal like."

  Luke looked up at him in amazement. He'd had the entire reward sent to Cody because he'd wanted her to have it. Now she was sharing it.

  "Thanks, Fred. I appreciate it."

  "Hope it helps you."

  "You want to stay for some dinner?"

  "Don't mind if I do."

  Over the meal that night, Fred started regaling Charles and Dan with stories of Cody's prowess that Jack had told him.

  "How come you never mentioned any of this to us?" Charles asked, studying his son's expression carefully.

  "There wasn't much to say."

  "You don't think Jameson's ability to disguise herself is worth talking about?"

  "And she fooled you how many times?" Dan asked with a laugh.

  "Three," he answered, grinning wryly at himself.

  "I think I'd like to meet this woman someday."

  "I would, too," Charles added.

  Without a word, Luke got up and walked outside to stare across the countryside. The sun was setting and the western sky was a pink - and goldstreaked panorama. It was beautiful, yet for all the glory of his ranch and his reunion with his family, Luke felt as if a part of him was missing. There was only one way to remedy it.

  "Do you love her, son?" Charles's voice came softly from behind him.

  "Yes, I do, but I never told her." He sighed.

  "Don't you think it's time you did?"

  Luke stared out across the heavens for a long moment before answering. "Yes, I think it is time. Can you and Dan run the place with Jessy?"

  Charles smiled. "If you love her, Luke, then go get her. Bring her home."

  Luke left later that night with Fred for town, and he rode for San Antonio the next day.

  "I need to get in contact with Cody Jameson," Luke told Nate Thompson when he found him in the sheriff's office in San Antonio.

  "Sorry, Majors, but I can't help you there."

  Luke stared at him in disbelief. "Why not? You know I worked with her to bring in El Diablo. Why won't you tell me where she lives?"

  Nate studied Luke for a moment, then answered slowly with the truth. "I'm not going to tell you, because that morning you left for Del Fuego she left me a note asking me not to tell you anything about her if you were to ask. I'm honoring her wishes."

  "Thanks," Luke muttered as he left the jail.

  He was stymied, but he remembered very well how Cody had tracked people down. He'd learned a lot working with her, and he turned her lessons to his own uses right then. One by one, he visited all the stores in town until a clerk at the general store answered his questions.

  "Sure, the Jameson family lives just a short way out of town. It's about half an hour due north." He went on to show him which road to take.

  Luke thanked him, and went off to find the woman he loved.

  Luke faced down Stalking Ghost. The old man had stopped him as he had ridden in to the Jameson homestead. Stalking Ghost's expression was impossible to read, and Luke didn't even try. He knew what he wanted now. He wanted Cody, and he was going to find her if it was the last thing he ever did.

  "I need to talk to her," he told Stalking Ghost. "It's important."

  Stalking Ghost regarded him quietly, betraying nothing.

  "Look, I'm going to find her, with or without your help. It'll be a lot easier if you tell me where she is, but one way or another I'm going to talk to her."

  "Why do you want to speak with her? Why must you come back into her life now?" he finally asked, his black-eyed gaze fixed intently on Luke.

  Luke was silent for a long time as he gathered his thoughts. He gathered his courage to speak of his feelings, knowing the old man would not help him unless he was completely honest.

  "Because I love her. I want to marry her-if she'll have me."

  For the first time ever, Luke saw a spark of emotion in Stalking Ghost's expression. He nodded. "What day is this?" the old Indian asked him.

  Luke was completely baffled and frustrated by his question. What day is this? Who cared? And what did that have to do with him seeing Cody again? "It's Wednesday. Why?" He tried not to sound impatient.

  The Indian nodded again, peering up at Luke, studying him, searching for the truth behind his words. "You will find Cody on the stage to Waco. You will have to ride hard to catch her."

  "I'd cross hell to find her."

  Stalking Ghost almost allowed himself to smile. He would like to be riding with this one when he caught up with the stage.

  "Thanks." Luke hurried to his horse, mounted, and rode off. He.thought about going on to meet her aunt and brother and sister, but that could come later. Right now there was no time to waste. He'd been apart from her for too long already. He wanted Cody. He had to find her.

  Stalking Ghost watched him ride away, and this time he did smile.

  The stagecoach was crowded as it rumbled along the rough road heading for Waco. Cody sat wedged tightly between an elderly man who was sleeping and a heavyset, kindly looking lady. Across from them sat two armed cowboys and a bespectacled man, who looked like a salesman of some sort.

  Cody didn't know why she was doing this. It was crazy, but she'd needed to get away. She couldn't stay home anymore thinking about Luke. He was never going to come after her. He didn't love her. He never had. She had to accept that.

  Sighing, Cody rested a hand on the rounded mound of her stomach. It was awkward being this big.

  "Is this your first child?" the heavyset, nosy woman next to her asked.

  "Yes," Cody answered with an almost bittersweet smile. "My husband and I are very excited."

  "Is your husband meeting you in Waco?"

  "No, I'm continuing on to Abilene."

  "Well, you take care of yourself. Too much of this bouncing isn't good for you."

  "It is an adventure, isn't it?" Cody said, grabbing on to the seat to keep her balance as they hit a particularly rough stretch.

  "I don't like you traveling all by yourself this way."

  "My family was worried, too, but everything will be fine once I get there."

  "Well, I'm Mary Bradshaw, and if you need anything, you just let me know." She patted Cody's hand supportively. She was the mothering type, and this young woman looked so forlorn and lonely that her protective instincts came to the fore.

  "I will."

  They rode on. Though Cody knew the area, for some reason, this time, the miles seemed endless. She was lulled by the monotony of the trip, and then suddenly, she heard the driver shout something that sounded like a warning and the stage began to slow, then stop.

  The old man tried to get a look out his window, but could
n't see anything. Across from her the two cowboys looked annoyed, and the salesman awoke from a nap.

  "I wonder what's going on," Mrs. Bradshaw said as she strained to see what was happening. "Oh, my!'"

  "What?" Cody asked.

  "The driver just jumped down, and he's coming this way with another man who's leading his horse."

  "Maybe his horse went lame, and he needs a ride," one of the men offered.

  "Well, he's not going to fit in here." Mrs. Bradshaw sniffed indignantly. "We're crowded already. He'll have to ride up top."

  The driver opened the door, and the man stepped from behind him to look inside.

  Cody gasped, her heart leaping to her throat. Luke! It was Luke... She almost launched herself into his arms, but stopped herself cold. Not now. She couldn't.

  Luke looked inside and went still. Cody was there all right... and she was pregnant! Very pregnant!

  Luke couldn't speak. He couldn't think. He could only stare at her in wonder. She was pregnant. And with his child.

  Immediately, he mentally berated himself for having stayed away from her for so long. But how could he have known? She'd never sent word. She'd never let him know. Had she planned to have his baby and raise the child alone? Without him ever finding out? His heart ached that she hated him that much, and he was desperate to know the answers to his questions.

  Luke lifted his gaze to Cody's after the long silence.

  "We have to talk," was all he could say. His declaration of love was important to him, and he didn't want to do it in front of all these people.

  "Are you her husband?" Mrs. Bradshaw demanded protectively, wondering what this scruffy-looking cowboy wanted with the sweet young thing next to her.

  "I plan to be," he answered. "If she'll have me."

  Cody could have groaned in frustration.

  "She's already married," Mrs. Bradshaw insisted.

  "Cody?" Luke snared her gaze quickly, fearing that she had married someone else just to give his child a name. The possibility nearly made him physically sick.

  "We need to talk, Luke." She struggled to rise in the cramped quarters.

  Mrs. Bradshaw gave her a helping hand, her ex pression bewildered by this turn of events. The young girl was married, wasn't she? It would be terrible to think that she was in a family way with no husband.

  Luke took Cody's hand in his as he helped her descend from the stage. His gaze went from her face to her stomach and back up again.

  "Don't take too long. I gotta stay on schedule," the driver told them as Luke led her a short distance away from the stagecoach.

  "Thanks for stopping," Luke said; then, thinking they were out of earshot, he turned to her. "Cody ... I'm sorry. I never knew."

  "Luke, I really don't want to hear this right now."

  "If not now, then when? Is what that lady said true? Did you marry someone else to give my child a name? Stalking Ghost didn't tell me any of this. If only he had..."

  "But you came," she pointed out, feeling the love she felt for him blossom and grow even stronger. "You came."

  "How could I not? I love you, Cody. If I had only known about your condition, I would have been here sooner. It's taken me a while to realize what we had, and I don't want to lose it. I don't want to lose you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" The words he'd thought would be so difficult to speak actually came from him freely. He did love her, and he wanted her to know it. He needed her to know it.

  "Luke, I can't," she said hesitantly, glancing back toward the stage.

  "Did you marry someone else?"

  "No, it's not that. It's just that this isn't the time or the place for us to discuss these things."

  "If you're not married, then this is the perfect time to discuss these things. In fact, it looks to me like it's already several months too late to be discussing these things. Marry me, Cody."

  He reached out to take her in his arms, but she pulled away.

  "Luke, no."

  "I don't understand."

  "Wait right here a minute," she said, turning in frustration back to the stage. "Hold that thought."

  "What?"

  Cody walked to the other side of the stage from where she'd gotten out and opened the door.

  "What is it, my dear? What's that young man want?" Mrs. Bradshaw asked, her expression avid with interest. What she'd thought would be a dull trip had turned into something quite different. Was the girl married or not? Who was the tall, handsome stranger?

  "I'll tell you in a minute, Mrs. Bradshaw, but there's something I have to do first."

  "What's that?"

  "This," Cody announced as she opened the purse she was carrying at her wrist and took out her gun and a wanted poster. "Michael Denton, you're under arrest."

  Cody pointed her gun at the shy-looking salesman, who blanched at her announcement.

  "No! You can't take me back!" he shouted, clutching his small valise to him as he tried to es cape out the other door, but suddenly Luke was there, grabbing him by the arm as he tried to get away.

  "Cody?" Luke looked at her across the stage.

  "Keep a hold on him, Luke. He's wanted for embezzlement. I've got the poster right here to prove it." She circled the stage to confrontthe man she'd been trailing for days now. She'd meant to make the arrest in Waco, but this was as good a place as any. Especially with Luke here to help her.

  The stage driver was shocked by what had transpired, but quickly cooperated, tossing an extra rope down to Luke so he could tie Denton up.

  "He was a wanted man?" Mrs. Bradshaw was nearly shouting in her excitement.

  "Yes, ma'am," Cody told her. She watched as Luke bound him tightly and shoved him toward the stage driver, who hauled him up on top for the rest of the ride.

  Luke turned to Cody. He was furious at the thought that she might have been hurt in some way. "Are you crazy? Trying a stunt like that in your condition? You might have hurt yourself and our child."

  Cody smiled sweetly. She knew all eyes were upon them, and she needed a moment of privacy. "Luke, we have a lot to say to each other, but this may not be the best time to do it."

  "This is the perfect time to do it." He had no idea what she was smiling so brightly about. They'd been apart for months. He'd just discovered she was having his baby, and she wouldn't give him a straight answer to his proposal.

  "I love you, Luke."

  "You do?" He stared at her in surprise. He wanted to hold her, but something in her manner held him at bay.

  "But you don't have to marry me," Cody concluded.

  Mrs. Bradshaw had been hanging out the window, trying to hear what they were saying. She collapsed weakly back in her seat and started fanning herself at this last statement. "Goodness gracious! She's having his child, but she won't marry him? And he's offered? Oh, my..."

  The others in the stage were watching avidly now, too. The young pregnant woman had seemed so sweet and nice. And now she'd just arrested one man and was turning down a marriage proposal from another. What was going on here? This trip to Waco certainly wasn't boring anymore.

  "But I want to marry you," Luke said, taking a step nearer to her, wanting to protect her, to shield her from all the ugliness of life, to keep her safe forever. "Marry me, Cody."

  She held up a hand to keep him at bay. "Stay there."

  She quickly disappeared behind the stage, out of sight of everyone.

  "What are you doing?"

  When she appeared before him a few minutes later, Luke could only stare at her. Gone was the pregnant woman he'd been proposing to. Before him stood the slender, beautiful woman he knew so well.

  "You were in disguise," he said in amazement, and then frowned.

  "Oh, my," Mrs. Bradshaw said from inside the stagecoach. "Do you see that?" She looked at the others in shock and they all turned to look out at the couple again, wanting to know what would happen next.

  "I was after Denton. The disguise worked." She grinned at him, then seei
ng his scowl, her smile faded.

  "You could have trapped more than just the outlaw," Luke remarked.

  "I told you, you didn't have to marry me, and I meant it."

  Luke looked up at her, and she saw sadness in his gaze.

  "I liked the idea that you were having my baby."

  She went to him then, lifting her arms around his neck and drawing him to her. "I like the idea, too. We could work on it."

  "It wouldn't be work," he growled just before his mouth claimed hers.

  "That's true." She sighed.

  "But only if you marry me."

  Luke kissed her again. She had won his heart as Sister Mary; she had seduced him as Armita; she'd charmed him as an old lady and completely knocked him for a loop as a pregnant woman. Cody was beautiful, generous, kind, and loving. It didn't matter which person she was. He loved them all. Luke held her to his heart, knowing he would never let her go again.

  "I'd love to be your wife."

  Cody kissed him to seal her pledge.

  "Oh, my," Mrs. Bradshaw said, looking away to give them some privacy and fanning herself even more quickly. But now she was smiling.