Ping rubbed his eyes again. As long as he lived, he would never be able to escape the memory of the horrible events that had followed.
Ping glanced at his three companions from the night of the murder. The moment that they had been brought into the jail he had known that they could all lose their lives. If the investigators had enough information to catch all four of them, surely they had enough to convict them as well.
Besides, he knew how the system worked. They were Chinamen, and the people who would conduct the trial would be white men. They didn’t stand a chance.
He wracked his brain, trying to come up with a way out of this. His hallucinations had become fewer now because Chang had not made good on his promise. He grimaced at the irony. He had savagely murdered in order to obtain a few ounces of opium. Opium that he never received. Now he hadn’t had any of the drug for almost two whole weeks. What a fool he had been to take Lee Chang at his word.
Then a sudden thought entered his mind and his knees went weak as he recognized its truth. There was no way out of this thing he had done. He was going to die. Whether at the hands of a lynch mob or at the hands of a judge, he would be sentenced to death.
Fresh on the heels of the first thought came a second. Lee Chang would get away with this. Ping glanced over at the obese man who leaned against the wall of his cell, rubbing his trembling hands together. Chang himself was now inflicted with hallucinations due to his missing pipe. Why Chang had wanted Fraser dead, Ping did not know. But Fraser was dead now, and no evidence could be traced to Lee Chang. Chang had made sure of that.
Well, Lee wouldn’t walk if Ping could help it. The man had manipulated him into doing a terrible thing, and Ping would use his last breath telling everyone all the details. Chang would pay if he had anything to say about it— and he would have plenty to say.
Ping called out to the man sitting at the front desk.
Snow fell softly as Brooke made her way across the yard minutes later. The barn door groaned as she opened it and stepped into the warm interior. Leaning back against the doorjamb with her hands tucked behind her, she noticed a lantern hanging from a beam in the ceiling. It cast a warm yellow glow across the room, leaving only the corners in shadow. The musty smell of hay, horse sweat, and other not-so-pleasant horsy smells greeted her, causing her nose to wrinkle momentarily. Sky’s chuckle brought her eyes to one corner, where he sat on a wooden crate.
“You find the smell of my barn objectionable?” he asked as he rose and walked toward the light.
She smiled lightly. “Only at first. When I’ve been in here awhile I won’t even notice the smell.”
He did not reply, only watched her, a gentle smile playing on his lips. A straw of hay dangled from the corner of his mouth. His dark eyes never wavered as he looked at her. Only when she tore her gaze away did he come out of his reverie.
Throwing the piece of straw on the ground he gestured toward the back of the barn where she now noticed a small, square piece of paper attached to a mound of hay. “Your target, ma’am,” he said with exaggerated fanfare as he gave a deep bow from the waist, sweeping his hat from his head.
She giggled at his foolishness but raised an eyebrow in his direction. “You expect me to be able to hit that?”
He raised an eyebrow in return. “You doubt my instruction before it has even begun?”
She opened her eyes wide, joining in the game and gave a deep curtsy, bowing her head to the ground. “Far be it from me, gallant sir, to doubt you. You came to my rescue when I was a damsel in distress. You have given my life new meaning and new hope. You have treated me more kindly than anyone ever has and you have shown me that there is more to life than—” She broke off abruptly, as she realized that she had wandered from the silly utterances of the game into the truth, revealing her deepest feelings.
Her heart thundered like a runaway stagecoach as she stood erect. She darted a glance at his face. He no longer wore the amused expression of only moments before, but his face was serious and, oh, so tender. She wanted nothing more than for him to reach out and pull her into his strong embrace, but at the same time she feared that he would. After a split second’s reflection her fears transcended her desire and she turned to flee. Picking up her skirts, she headed toward the door.
But Sky was quicker than her. He moved around her with lightning speed so that he stood between her and her means of escape. She froze in her tracks, pressing her palms together and looking at the hay-strewn floor.
He reached out slowly and gently took her hands in his own. When she still did not look at him, he sighed in frustration. “Brooke, look at me. Please.”
She lifted her head, slowly raising her eyes to his face.
“This is not a good time for a deep conversation, I know. We are newly married and under an unusual set of circumstances. That in itself is bound to bring a lot of stress into our lives. Now, on top of everything, I have this murder that is pressing in on my mind and on yours, too, I would imagine. So I know this isn’t a good time, but Brooke—”
He stepped closer and she turned her face away slightly. His voice quivered as he continued. “I know you are feeling things. I know you wanted to kiss me the other night at Jed’s.” Her heart stumbled to a stop as his voice dropped to a husky whisper, and he fingered one of her curls. “And there are times, like now, when I know you care for me. I can see it in your eyes. Why are you fighting this?”
Deception was her only defense. Pulling her hands free from his, she looked him square in the face. “Fighting what?”
He gave an exasperated sigh, his dark eyes never leaving her face, as one hand went to his hip and the other combed back through his hair and paused at the base of his neck.
She almost caved in at the hurt that showed on his face. She wanted this, didn’t she? She wanted to love him, to allow him to love her in return, but…. I can’t go down that road again. She kept up her front, carefully concealing her emotions, knowing she could never allow herself to love him. “You don’t know me, Sky. You don’t have the faintest idea what kind of person I am or where I have been in the past.”
“You’re right. But I want to know.”
“Trust me, Sky, you don’t want to know.”
“All right.” He held his hands palms outward at shoulder height. “You don’t have to tell me everything, but I am asking you to trust me. Somehow I think you have gotten the impression that when you tell me about your past I am going to be so horrified that I won’t want to be around you anymore.” Tucking a curl behind her ear, he let his fingers trail across her cheek before his hand dropped back to his side. “That’s not going to happen, Brooke. I love you, honey. I don’t know why God brought us together this way. This is not the beginning to the marriage I always imagined for myself. But I do know that I’ve fallen in love with you and that you are the woman meant for me from the beginning of time. I hope that one day you will love me in return and will want to tell me all about yourself. But for right now I want you to know that I am committed to you. I will never forsake you or betray you. I know I’ve said this before, but I am going to keep saying it until you believe me. I am committed to you, and I’m not going anywhere.”
When he didn’t say anything more, just stood watching her, her heart constricted within her chest. She knew what he said was true. Even if he found out the truth about her past he wouldn’t reject her. He would go on being the same wonderful Sky, and he would never have the true happiness that he deserved.
She spoke softly, “I trust you, Sky. More than you know.” I just don’t deserve a man like you. And you certainly don’t deserve a girl like me.
He stepped up right in front of her and, reaching out, took one of her hands in his own. She closed her eyes momentarily against the wave of dizziness his closeness caused. Turning her hand over, he kissed her palm and then looked up into her face. “Thank you,” he whispered as he let her hand fall gently back to her side. His dark brown eyes were warm and tender on her face, but his e
xpression changed subtly.
“Will you tell me what scared you at the funeral?”
She stiffened. “I-I can’t, Sky.”
There was a long silence as they simply stood and looked into one another’s eyes. She saw disappointment, and something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on, radiating from his face. Again, she got the impression that he might know about her lying.
Brooke finally spoke into the stillness. “I-I don’t really want to learn how to shoot tonight.” Her hand fluttered distractedly toward the makeshift target at the back of the barn. “I’ll just go inside now.” She turned to leave, but he laid a firm hand on her elbow.
“Brooke, I want you to learn this. Tonight. I am not going to be here very much in the next couple of days and there are going to be a lot of men around that may not be as gallant—” he paused slightly and when her eyes darted to his, he winked with a slight smile—“as me. I will feel much better knowing you can protect yourself.”
It was her turn to give an exasperated sigh as she pulled away from him and turned toward the target. “Fine. Let’s get on with it.”
Reaching into the back of his waistband he pulled out a small gun and held it out for her inspection. “This is a .22 caliber pistol. It is very easy to use. All you have to do is cock it like this,” he demonstrated as he talked, “then point it in the right direction and pull the trigger.” There was a loud crack and the paper target jumped as a hole appeared directly in its center. Geyser nickered from his stall, eyes rolling and head swinging at the loud pop of the gun.
“Here you try,” Sky said as he handed her the gun.
Brooke tried to cock the hammer as she had seen him do but her thumb was not strong enough. She looked at him, irked.
“That’s all right. Here, just use both of your thumbs to pull it back.”
When she used both hands she found it easier to do.
“Good, now just point it at the paper and pull the trigger.”
She held the gun out at arm’s length and squeezed. The gun bucked in her hands and the paper did not even vibrate. The bullet sank harmlessly into the hay, and she turned toward him with an I-told-you-so look.
“Good! You did great! I expected you to close your eyes when you pulled the trigger but you didn’t. That is one giant step in the right direction.”
“Close my eyes?” She was incredulous. “How am I supposed to hit anything with my eyes closed?”
Sky smiled. “My point exactly. This time try keeping a tighter grip on the butt of the pistol as you squeeze the trigger. That way it won’t jump so badly.”
Brooke tried this bit of advice but squeezed so tightly that the gun shook in her hands and again she missed the mark. She stamped one small foot in frustration and turned just in time to see Sky wiping a smile from his face.
“What kind of teacher laughs at his pupil?” she asked, more angry that she’d missed than at him.
“I’m not laughing at you exactly. You’re just so...cute,” he ended lamely, his eyes warm on her face.
Cheeks burning, she turned away quickly and aimed the gun once more.
“Here, let me help you.”
Every muscle in her body tensed as Sky eased up behind her and put his arms around her shoulders. He took her hands and the gun gently in his and, placing her hands in the right position, held the gun steady. He was so close that she could smell the warm spicy scent he always carried. When he spoke softly into her ear, his breath brushed warmth on her neck. “I could get used to this. Couldn’t you?”
Her heart thundering like a stampede of wild buffalo, she swallowed hard.
His grip tightened and he pressed his lips against her hair. In desperation, she pulled the trigger. The paper jumped, and a hole appeared in the bottom right corner.
“I did it!” she said in disbelief. Sky stepped back slowly, and inwardly she sighed in relief to have some space between them. She turned to him with a smile. “I hit it.”
He nodded. “I knew you would be a star pupil.”
“Star pupil?” She sniffed. “Just a minute ago you were laughing at me.”
He gave her an unrepentant grin. “Try it by yourself this time.”
She turned, took careful aim, held the gun steady, and squeezed off a shot. The paper flinched, but she could see no hole in it.
Sky stepped up to it. “You just nicked the edge. You’re pulling a little to the right. Concentrate on that.” He stepped toward her and asked innocently, “Maybe you’d like me to help steady the gun again?”
Brooke’s heart raced but she only said, “No, I think I’ve got it now.”
He winked. “I just thought I’d give it a try.”
Despite her resolve to keep from falling for this man, his comment made her heart leap with pleasure. Goodness! I’m blushing again! Refusing to allow herself to think about it, she spun back toward the target, took careful aim, and fired.
Brooke enjoyed her lesson and after several more shots, almost all of which at least nicked the target, Sky told her he thought that was good enough for one evening.
She handed him back the gun and reached a finger up to jiggle her ear. He chuckled. “Your ears ringing?”
“Let’s just say I am glad you told me we were done for the night. I had begun to fear that I might not be able to hear your next set of instructions.” She headed for the door. “Good night, Sky.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly they heard a voice from outside. “Hello the House!”
Sky frowned and quickly reloaded the empty chambers in the gun, shoving it into the back of his waistband. He stepped out into the dark, and then immediately to the right of the door pulling Brooke after him, so neither were outlined in the light cast from the lantern in the barn.
Through the falling snow they could make out the dim outline of a horse carrying two riders.
“Sky?” came a strange voice.
“Pa?”
“Oh Sky!” cried a feminine voice as a woman slid from the saddle and rushed toward them. She flung her arms around Sky, hugging him, laughing, and crying all at the same time.
“Ma.” Sky wrapped his arms around the woman in a warm embrace.
15
Brooke felt dazed. Sky’s parents? What were they doing here? Would they like her? How long until they figured out that she would never be good enough for Sky and how would they treat her when they realized it? Brooke pulled her mind back from its wanderings and focused on the conversation around her.
“We got your letter,” his mother was saying, “telling us you were married, and we had to come. Your father wanted to stay the night in Greer at the ferry house and come up in the morning, but I said we had come that far and we might as well come up tonight. So we borrowed a horse from Mr. Greer and came on up.”
“Son.” Sky’s father approached leading a horse and Brooke stared, amazed at the resemblance between Sky and his father. Were they closer to the same age, they would have been mistaken for twins. The men embraced. “We heard that a merchant from Pierce City has been murdered?”
“Yes. In fact, if you had come in the morning I would have been gone to the inquisition.”
Brooke shuddered at the thought that they could have come when Sky was gone. What would she have done?
Sky continued, “We are trying to determine who of the men arrested should be held over for a more extensive trial.”
“Will the trial be held here?” asked his mother.
“No. They’ll be taken to Murray, the county seat.”
“We thought we heard shots.” His father changed the subject.
“Brooke!” Sky turned, remembering her. Gesturing, he motioned for her to step from the shadows into the light cast by the open barn door. “Brooke, I want you to meet my parents, Rachel and Sean Jordan. Ma, Pa, this is my wife, Brooke.”
Brooke stretched out her hand, hoping they wouldn’t notice how badly she was shaking.
Rachel Jordan ignored her hand and pulled her in
to a gentle embrace. “I have prayed for you all of Sky’s life.”
Tears pooled in Brooke’s eyes even as she was drawn into a fatherly hug from Sean. How disappointed these kind people would be when they learned of her past. What would they say if they knew the way she had lived her life?
“I was showing Brooke a little about handling a gun since I won’t be around for the next couple of days. There’s going to be more men here than we’ll need, I’m afraid. I’ll feel much better knowing you’ll be here, Dad.”
Brooke squinted up into the softly falling snow. “Sky, why don’t we go into the house? I’m sure,” she said to Rachel and Sean, “you are cold and tired. I have hot coffee on the stove. Does that sound good?”
“Very good!” Rachel replied.
Sky took the reins of the horse from his father. “I’ll take care of the horse, then be right in. You all go ahead.”
As they entered the house a thought struck Brooke. Where are they going to sleep? She shoved the thought aside as she poured four mugs of steaming coffee. She made small talk with the Jordans as they waited for Sky to come in from the barn and tried not to think about the evening ahead.
Sky came in brushing snow from his sleeves. He picked up his coffee mug and took an appreciative slurp. Pulling out his chair, he asked, “How are Sharyah and Rocky?”
“Just fine. They’re staying out at the Bennetts’ while we’re gone. Rocky will go to the house every day and take care of the animals, but this way Sharyah won’t have to worry about housework and schoolwork at the same time.”
“That’s nice. Is Shar still determined to become a teacher?”
Brooke took a sip of her coffee. She glanced back and forth from Sky to his parents. How close their family seemed, and she’d only seen them together for minutes. She rubbed her finger around the rim of her cup as Rachel laughed, a low melodious sound.
“As determined as ever. She only has one more year, and she’ll be done with her studies. Your father and I finally convinced her to slow down a little, or she’d be done already and itching to leave us.”
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