The Bounty Hunter's Bride

by Victoria Bylin

  Howie spoke up. “I’m headed out there now.”

  Dawes looked at his son with pride. “Stay alert.”

  “I will, Pa.”

  “It’s settled,” Dawes said. “We’ll meet at the office.”

  As the sheriff left, Josh clapped Beau on the back. “Go with God, my friend.”

  Beau’s mouth hardened. “He’s welcome to ride along, but I doubt He’s interested.”

  Josh didn’t say a word. He simply looked at Beau with the same eyes that had wept with him for Lucy, then he left to find Adie.

  Beau strode back to the blanket where Dani was neatening up. At the sight of him, she pushed to her feet. She’d worn pink today. Until now, he hadn’t noticed. Beau stopped three feet away. He could still smell the chicken. “I’m riding out with Dawes.”

  “Of course.”

  He hated himself for the quaver in her voice. He wanted to keep her safe, not cause her worry. He wanted other things, too. Things he couldn’t have until Clay Johnson paid for Lucy’s murder. To keep from touching her, he crossed his arms. “I spoke to Josh. You and the girls are staying with them.”

  Her brows snapped together. “What about the milking?”

  “Howie’s handling it.”

  “I see.”

  Beau had expected a fight. Instead Dani’s expression melted into womanly concern. His stomach knotted with thoughts he couldn’t afford. Beau couldn’t bring himself to pray to the God who’d let Lucy die, but he wanted to. In the distance he saw the cemetery with its stone markers. He heard children skipping rope and the muffled voices of men and the women who’d fed them. Wordless, he turned to go.

  Dani grasped his arm. “I have something for you.”

  His eyes followed her hand to the pocket of her pink dress. She reached inside and withdrew Lucy’s handkerchief. “This is yours.”

  “Keep it.”

  “But—”

  “I want you to have it.”

  Neither of them had spoken of their feelings, but he could see Dani’s heart welling in her eyes. She cared about him…maybe she even loved him. Beau expected to come back in one piece, but bullets, like lightning, struck without warning. He couldn’t leave without showing Dani how he felt, so he kissed her cheek.

  She tipped up her face, putting them just inches apart. “Be careful.”

  “I will.”

  With his throat tight, he left to borrow a horse from Sheriff Dawes. The sooner Clay Johnson dangled from a rope, the sooner Beau could come home.

  Dani and the girls sat huddled on the divan in the parsonage. Stephen had built a fort on the floor out of books and had lined up soldiers for a war. Adie was still in the kitchen, but Pastor Josh had started a story. He’d picked Noah’s ark, a fitting choice with rain pounding the roof and thunder rumbling down the mountains.

  Any child would have been frightened, but for these girls, Emma in particular, the storm evoked memories of Patrick’s horse racing into the yard. Lightning flashed again, filling the room with a blue light. As the girls grabbed for each other, thunder shook the house. Dani whispered a prayer for Beau.

  She’d learned from Josh that he’d left with Sheriff Dawes and two deputies. No one had seen Andy leave town, but Sparrow Canyon, a maze of gorges running north and south at the base of the Rockies, offered good grass and places to hide. Knowing Johnson, Beau had felt confident he’d be in those canyons and had led the men in that direction.

  Dani prayed he was right. Her cheek still tingled from the brush of his lips. He’d bought the picnic basket to protect her from Andy, but the kiss had been a confession. He cared about her. The hankie, folded in her pocket, told her just how deep his feelings ran.

  Adie came out of the kitchen with a lantern. “That’s quite a storm.”

  Emma trembled. “I wish God would stop the thunder.”

  “Me, too,” Ellie said. “Uncle Beau’s out there.”

  No one said a word.

  Dani’s mind raced through possibilities. Patrick had died on a night like this one. Lightning could strike. A flash flood could rip away the sides of a canyon and carry a man and his horse to their doom. In His wrath, God had flooded the earth and cleansed it of iniquity. In His mercy He’d promised to never do it again. He’d given Noah a rainbow and a dove. Dani prayed Beau would find that peace.

  Pastor Josh bowed his head. “Let’s pray.”

  Stephen copied his father. Dani and the girls held hands. Adie sat next to her husband and reached for his hand.

  “Lord Jesus, we come to You in faith.” Josh spoke in a normal tone, but Dani felt it like thunder. His words soared on the wings of Noah’s dove, rising higher and growing stronger.

  “Beau Morgan, our friend and uncle, needs Your grace. His heart is weary, Lord. We ask You to sustain him in this troubled time. We pray he’ll be guided by Your wisdom and protected by angels. We pray for the healing of his heart, Lord. Beau lost a wife and he wants revenge. You lost a son and offered mercy to the whole human race. We praise You for that gift. We thank You for the promise of Heaven, a place where there’s no pain and no wrongdoing, where justice is complete and love abounds. May Beau have that assurance. Amen.”

  Six voices echoed Pastor Josh, making a choir of sorts. The thunder hadn’t lessened nor had the lightning dimmed, but Dani felt calmer.

  Esther, who hadn’t sucked her thumb in spite of the storm, looked up at her. “My pa’s in Heaven, isn’t he?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I’ll see him again.”

  “You sure will,” Josh said.

  Adie joined in. “And your mother, too.”

  Someday Dani would see her own parents again. Beau, she believed, would greet Lucy. And Patrick…he’d gone home to be with Beth, the woman he’d loved to the point of misery on earth. Christ had torn the veil between time and eternity. She knew Beau had that faith. She prayed he’d find the peace to go with it, and that he’d find it soon.

  Thunder rolled again, more distant now.

  Josh cleared his throat. “Let’s finish Noah’s Ark.”

  Stephen chimed in. “I like the animals. Did Noah bring horses?”

  “Sure,” Josh answered. “He brought two of everything—bears, horses, all the pretty birds we see.”

  By the time the Reverend finished the tale, the animals had names and personalities and the storm had passed. The girls, even Emma, were giggling about the messy ark. When the dove came back with the olive branch, Adie sent Stephen upstairs to bed, then offered to tuck the girls into bed in the guest room. Josh went with his son, leaving Dani alone.

  She lifted her shawl off the hook by the door and went out to the porch. The rain had washed the air clean and left a million stars. Hugging herself, she looked up and wondered if Beau saw the same beauty.

  The door creaked behind her. Adie came to stand at her side. “You love him, don’t you?”

  She meant Beau. Dani knew her feelings, but she feared Adie’s opinion. She didn’t want to appear fickle. “It’s not that simple.”

  “Why not?”

  “Things just don’t make sense.”

  Adie’s voice dipped. “I know you loved Patrick, but that doesn’t mean you can’t love again.”

  Dani almost laughed. “It’s not Patrick.”

  “Then what?”

  Clutching her shawl, she told Adie about Patrick’s letters to Beth and his intention to send her home. In the middle of the story, she sat in the chair she’d used her first day in Castle Rock. That day she’d been afraid of Beau. Now she feared for him. If he didn’t come back—she couldn’t stand the thought.

  Adie sat next to her. “Does Beau know about the letters?”

  “Yes.” Dani started to rock. “He burned them. I was crying. He gave me a handkerchief, then he…” Kissed me. She couldn’t say the words. “He was so kind, so strong. I felt…I don’t know what I felt.”

  “Safe?”

  Dani nodded.

  “Cared for?”

&n
bsp; “And more.” For that moment, they’d had one heart.

  Adie hummed softly. “I know about the ‘more.’”

  “I like it.”

  “Me, too.” Adie smiled. “Does Beau know how you feel?”

  “I haven’t told him.”

  “So you’re waiting for him to speak first.”

  “Mostly I’m afraid.”

  The moon had turned the yard into streaks of silver and black velvet. Dani saw beauty yet knew a deeper truth. If she stepped off the porch, she’d be up to her ankles in mud. Her feelings for Beau glistened like the water, but she didn’t know what lay below the surface. If she told him how she felt, would they walk on the water or sink in the mud? She pulled the shawl closer. “I care for Beau, but he won’t rest until he catches Clay Johnson.”

  “How do you know?”

  “He told me.”

  Adie rocked gently. “Maybe they’ll catch him tonight.”

  “I hope so.” But would it be enough? Dani flashed on the pistols she’d seen in Beau’s room. “He’s hated Johnson for so long, I wonder if he can stop.”

  “A man can change.”

  “If he wants to.”

  “God has a way of making that happen.”

  Dani stared at the puddles. They were growing smaller by the minute. “Maybe, but right now Beau’s out in the storm.”

  “It’s what men do. They fight for the people they love.”

  “You mean Lucy.”

  “No, I mean you.” Adie’s voice turned light. “I saw Beau’s face when he bid on your basket. He’d have paid double for it.”

  Dani smiled. “He likes fried chicken.”

  “He likes you even more.” Adie sat straighter in her chair. “There’s just one thing for you decide.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Do you love him enough to fight for him?”

  Her chest ached. “I do. But how?”

  “Put arms on the love of God. Show him what he’s missing. For some reason, the Lord dropped Beau into the middle of a good life. He brought you to the same place at the same time. I have to believe there’s a reason.”

  “I can see it.”

  “It’s a matter of courage,” Adie said. “Can you trust God to finish what He started?”

  Dani looked across the yard where the last puddle reflected the moon and stars. Someday she’d come face-to-face with her Lord and the past weeks would make sense. Until then, she had a choice. Believe God for the best or protect herself from the worst. Dani’s heart swelled with longing. She wanted everything God had for her future. She wanted Beau and would fight for him with her best weapons.

  A good meal.

  Children at the table.

  Listening when he talked. Staying silent when he didn’t.

  Warm to her toes, she smiled at Adie. “Of course, I’ll fight. I love him.”

  “He’s a blessed man.”

  Dani looked at the distant hills. She needed Adie’s wisdom. “What should I do?”

  The pastor’s wife got a look in her eyes that made Dani think of Adam, Eve and the apple. “There’s a dance next Saturday. It’s to honor the church’s third anniversary.”

  “I like to dance.”

  “So does Beau.”

  Dani’s mind drifted to the dresses hanging in her wardrobe. She’d brought something special for her wedding, an ivory gown that had belonged to her mother. She wanted to wear it for Beau, but not yet. The rest of her gowns held memories of Wisconsin. “I wish I had a new dress.”

  Adie grinned. “We’ll go shopping tomorrow.”

  Dani felt embarrassed. “I don’t have much money.”

  “I’ll raid the cookie jar.”

  “But—”

  “No ‘buts’!” Adie said. “I know just the dress. It’s blue like your eyes. It’ll be worth every cent to see Beau’s face at the dance.”

  Dani imagined fiddles and guitars and whirling in Beau’s arms. Worrying about a man was a trial, but courting promised a world of wonder. Shivering, she looked at the stars and prayed Beau would feel the same way.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Two days had passed since Beau had left Dani at the picnic. Every minute had been a torture. He missed her. He missed the girls and even the blasted cows. To add to his irritation, Dawes and his two deputies had as much grit as goose feathers. Beau bristled at their whining, but they had reason to be disgruntled.

  A storm had destroyed whatever tracks Andy had left. A packhorse had gone lame, forcing them to visit a local ranch. Dawes had accepted the offer to spend the night, so they’d lost time. To add to Beau’s misery, the youngest of the two deputies, a kid named Teddy, whined like a buzz saw. He’d gotten stung by a hornet and was still fussing. The other deputy called himself Ace and claimed to be “a real wild card.” Dressed in a bowler and purple vest, Ace talked about poker and not much else.

  Beau didn’t give a hoot about cards and bee stings. He wanted to end his fight with Clay Johnson and he wanted to do it now. He blinked and saw Dani in her pink dress. She’d looked so pretty, so fresh and young and full of hope. His mind flashed to Ellie being a tomboy in the barn. Esther had stopped sucking her thumb and he didn’t want her to start up again. Emma, for all her anger, maybe because of it, was the closest thing he had to a daughter.

  Daughters.

  Sons.

  A wife…Beau had paid twenty dollars for Dani’s basket. He’d have paid a hundred for it, but he couldn’t give her what she most wanted…the next fifty years, every day of his life. He had to end his business with Johnson before he could think of Dani as more than a friend. If he’d been a praying man, Beau would have begged the Almighty to bring Johnson to justice, both on earth and for eternity, but the words stuck in his throat. Two fruitless days on the trail had rubbed him raw. Looking up at the sky, he blamed God for the rain, the injured horse, bees, poker and everything else that had gone wrong.

  Even Dawes had been a thorn. The lawman had gotten confused and led them five miles into a box canyon, forcing Beau to hold in a snort. No outlaw would shelter in a canyon with one opening. Never mind the good grazing and fresh water. The spot didn’t suit Johnson and Beau knew it.

  But Sparrow Canyon did…Talking over jerky and beans last night, Beau had surmised from Dawes that Sparrow Canyon had three openings. The ravine lay within a day’s ride of Castle Rock. A gorge ran west and led into the Rockies, and an easy trail stretched to the south. Sparrow Creek, the stream where Beau had caught fish with Dani and the girls, marked the way.

  They were miles past that peaceful point, but Beau kept the memories of that day tucked in his heart. He hadn’t stopped hating Johnson, but somewhere in the past few weeks, he’d started caring about Dani and his nieces. Josh had once told Beau that darkness and light couldn’t fill a room at the same time. The light, he’d said, would always win. Beau hoped that was true.

  “How much farther?” Teddy’s whine cut into Beau’s thoughts.

  Dawes answered over his shoulder. “Just around the next bend.”

  They couldn’t arrive soon enough for Beau. Aware of the pistol on his hip and the long gun in the scabbard, he urged his horse forward and followed Dawes out of a ravine. What he saw made the hairs on his neck prickle. The canyon had lush grass, a stream and good cover. Beau inspected the rocky slopes and spotted a cave. From a distance, it looked black, narrow and deep.

  “That’s the spot,” he said to Dawes. “That’s where Johnson would hole up.”

  The four of them stopped short of the cave. Taking charge, Beau turned to Ace and Teddy. “You two cover me from the trees.” He looked at Dawes. “Go north and watch from the other side.”

  Beau motioned for the men to take position, dismounted, then walked along the creek where willows shielded him from view. As he neared the cave, he looked for tracks but saw none. He listened for horses but heard only a rustle in the trees. With his weapon drawn, he stared at the opening in the rocks. His gut told him Johnson had fled, but
he fired one shot to be sure. Bats burst out of the cave, a sure sign no one was inside. Even so, he approached with caution. When he reached the side, he turned the corner with his gun drawn.

  The empty cave stared back at him. Lowering his Colt, Beau took in tin cans, empty whiskey bottles and something he recognized…the tiny stub of a cigar. No one but Clay smoked them that low. More than a few wanted men had used the cave for shelter. Beau felt certain Johnson had been one of them.

  He shouted for Dawes, Teddy and Ace, then squatted next to a fire pit and took a pinch of ash. It couldn’t have been colder. He let it go and watched it vanish into thin air.

  Dawes walked into the cave. “Looks like we missed them.”

  Beau said nothing. If they hadn’t dawdled at the ranch and gone down a box canyon, they might have found Clay.

  The sheriff crossed his arms. “What do you want to do, Morgan?”

  “Forge ahead.”

  Teddy and Ace walked up together. Teddy pouted like a little girl. “Johnson’s gone. I say we go home.”

  “Me, too.” Ace slouched against the opening. “There’s a game at the Silver River tomorrow. If we hurry, I can make it.”

  Beau clenched his jaw. “We’re not done.”

  Teddy frowned. “My bee sting hurts.”

  Beau pushed to his feet, faced Teddy and squared his shoulders. “Look, kid. I’m sorry about your bee sting, but you need to toughen up.” He directed his gaze to Ace. “So do you.”

  Dawes frowned. “Now, Morgan—”

  “I’m plenty tough,” Ace said to Beau. “If anyone needs to wise up, it’s you. Any fool can see Johnson’s gone.”

  Teddy stood taller. “We’re going home.”

  “Hold up,” Dawes said. “I’ll make that decision.”

  “Johnson made it for us.” Ace waved his arm. “Look around. He’s gone.”

  The sheriff rubbed his moustache, then turned to Beau with a pitiable lack of leadership. Beau understood lawmen like Dawes. He was a peacemaker at heart. He valued justice but didn’t hunger for it. Beau wouldn’t find peace until justice had been served, but he had to face facts. Being quick to compromise, Dawes would take a vote. Beau would lose three to one. He didn’t like the lawman’s methods, but he respected the badge.