Cade switched from the rifle to his Colt as Red slowly took the incline. Once Red stood before him, he said, “Down on your knees.”
“You’re making a big mistake, son.” Red spoke around the still-smoking cigarette.
Cade plucked it from his lips and crushed it beneath his boot. “Oh yeah, how’s that?” He kept the muzzle of his pistol pressed to Red’s head, as he stepped behind him and slipped a loop of rawhide over one of his hands.
“If you betray him, Judd won’t let you live.”
Cade made quick work of binding the man’s hands behind his back. “By this time tomorrow, Judd won’t be in any position to give me any worries. And neither will you. Now on your feet.”
Cade glanced down at Red’s weapons on the ledge below. He hated to leave them lying around for just anyone to find, but after he considered his options he decided to simply leave them there. Going down for them was too risky.
When they arrived back at the camp, Katrina had all five horses saddled and ready to go. Sharyah had finished packing up the wagon, and had pulled the logs in the fire apart so that only a few glowing coals remained. Smart girl not to douse the fire with water. The sudden cloud of smoke kicked up by a dousing of water, and then its immediate disappearance would be a sign to anyone paying attention that something was amiss. This way the smoke would peter out slowly, but the fire wouldn’t be in any danger of spreading unless a drastic wind developed.
Katrina blinked at Red as Cade walked him toward one of the horses. “I didn’t expect you to go down without at least a shot being fired.”
Red shrugged. “Judd’s going to kill you, you know. You betraying him like this.”
Katrina paled slightly, but she lifted one shoulder. “He’s not the man I thought he was when he begged me to come with him.” She tossed Mick a quick glance.
Mick growled and tried to speak but his words were indecipherable through the gag.
“Sharyah, bring me that rope on the chuck wagon,” Cade called. He boosted Red up onto a horse.
Sharyah handed him the length of rope and he passed her the pistol. “Hold this on him while I tie him.”
Red chuckled. “That little slip of a gal wouldn’t have the guts to shoot me even if she knew how to handle that gun.”
He kicked out, his boot connecting solidly with Cade’s sternum and Cade felt a jolt of surprise as he stumbled backwards trying to catch his balance.
Red swung his far leg over the horse and leapt after Cade, his boot narrowly missing crushing his ribcage as Cade rolled away to one side. “And I could take you even with both my hands tied behind my back.”
The report from the forty-four caliber crashed through the glade and Red’s hat flew from his head landing a few paces away.
Everyone froze.
A large hole, jagged and black, marred the crown of the ten gallon’s leather.
“Next time, I won’t miss.” Sharyah’s voice was as calm as could be. She thumbed the hammer back with a loud click and Red turned whiter than pancake batter above the line of his beard.
Cade clambered to his feet the rush of adrenaline sending tremors all through him. That was too close for comfort. Lord, I just want Sharyah safe. Scooping up his own Stetson, he dusted his pants with it giving himself time to suppress the shuddering. Then he stepped over and took Red by the arm once more. “Never judge a dog’s bite by the shine of her coat. Now get up on that horse and sit quiet.” He snatched up the rope as Red grumbled and moved to comply. “Sharyah, if he tries anything else shoot to kill.”
Her face paled and he knew she’d never be able to obey that command. But he figured Red was in a much more compliant mood right now than he had been a moment ago, thanks to her smart thinking and he wanted to keep him scared. This time he was able to get Red’s feet tied to the stirrups without incident and after he did the same to Mick, Cade put Katrina at the front of the string, followed by the two outlaws, and they all headed for Beth Haven with Sharyah bringing up the rear. He wanted as much distance between her and the two men as possible.
The main street of Beth Haven lay silent as they all rode into town. Sharyah sighed in relief, feeling tears prick the backs of her eyes as tension released from her shoulders. The whole way here she’d only been able to think what might happen to Cade if the other outlaws had decided to return early and they met them on the trail.
Cade directed them all toward the sheriff’s office.
From everything she’d heard from Sam and the other locals, Sheriff Collier left a lot to be desired when it came to being a lawman. The man was nicer than hot tea in a china cup, and had the tendency to be too trusting and easily deceived. He’d originally been elected because everyone thought so well of him, and only after he’d been Sheriff for a while had people realized the same characteristics that made him so likable made him a terrible lawman.
Sheriff Collier stepped out onto the boardwalk as they rode up in front of the jail and Cade swung down. “Sheriff.”
Collier nodded and eyed the two trussed up men. “What have we here?”
“Two members of the Rodale gang.” Cade reached to help her down from the saddle.
Sharyah wanted nothing more than to step close and feel the strength of his protective arms surround her. But as soon as her feet touched the ground he turned away to help Katrina down, all the while holding the reins of the two outlaws’ horses in one hand. “You have a deputy?”
Collier shook his head. “Nope. Can’t rightly say that I do.”
“Well you’re going to need one. This is Mick Rodale and that there is Red Hendrix. I know for a fact you’ve been wanting a meet up with Rodale here in regard to the incident with Miss Green. And I believe you’ll find a long sheet of grievances on a poster somewhere with Red’s name and handsome mug on it.”
Collier pulled at his beard with a low whistle. “Well, I’ll be. I been Sheriff several years now and haven’t seen hide nor hair of any o’ that gang. And here you been ’round these parts, what, two days?”
Glancing up and down the street, Cade apparently didn’t recognize the awe in the man’s voice. Either that or he was simply ignoring it. He asked, “When’s the next time a judge is supposed to come through?”
“Well now we have Judge Green here most o’ the time, but since it were his daughter Mick is accused o—’,” the sheriff glanced her way, snapped his mouth shut, then opened it and continued, “well, I don’t think the Judge would be the best man to preside at Mick here’s trial. But, as luck would have it, Judge Thatcher, a traveling judge who stops by to take care of any cases Green needs help on, is due to ride through tomorrow or the next day.”
Relief eased some of Sharyah’s tension. At least the man’s justice would be swift. That was something that didn’t happen too often these days with judges spread so thin.
Cade nodded and set to untying the knots in the rawhide strips around one of Red’s feet. Pure hatred glittered from Red’s eyes.
Sharyah couldn’t stop a shiver at the memory of those boots almost crushing the life from Cade earlier. Thank God her aim had been true.
Cade moved around the horse to loose Red’s other leg and said, “You’ll need a deputy to help you stand guard over these two until the trial’s over.”
Collier grinned. “Well I think I know just the man for the job.”
Cade glanced up, a question on his face, but then apparently realized Collier was referring to him. His eyes flicked Sharyah’s way and then back to the knots again so quickly that if she hadn’t been paying attention she would have missed it entirely. “Sure, I’ll hang around for a couple days. No problem. But we need to take a posse and ride back to the Rodale hideout right away. They should all traipse in half-drunk about midnight tonight.” Cade stepped back, drew his gun, and motioned Red down from the saddle.
Red complied. Rather stiffly, but without incident.
So Cade Bennett would be in town for a few days. Sharyah pressed one hand to her chest, willing away the dou
ble-time beating of her heart and looked at Katrina. The woman’s eyes held a gleam of decided excitement and her focus was fixed solely on Cade. With a disgusted sniff, Sharyah returned her attention to the men.
Collier escorted Red inside at gunpoint and came back a moment later as Cade was pulling Mick down off his horse. Cade handed the young disgruntled outlaw off to him, and Collier thrust something into Cade’s hands. “Pin that on. You’re deputized.” He disappeared back into the jail with Mick and a moment later Sharyah heard the satisfactory clang of the jail gate locking into place.
Cade pinned the star to the shoulder of his shirt and stepped over in front of her. The blue of his eyes was as dark as sapphire. His black Stetson, pushed back on his head, had allowed several curls to escape across his forehead and the dark stubble from several days of missed shaving accentuated the sharp angles of his jaw. Sharyah swallowed and forced her gaze away. She was a hopeless case.
He shifted. “Come with me out to the Perry’s to take Kat home, and then I’ll bring you to your place before I ride out with the posse to the hideout.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded.
“I’m sure she simply wants to get home to rest.” Katrina’s expression had turned decidedly cool.
Cade arched a brow, questioning whether that was true.
“No. No. I’ll ride with you, I’m fine.” She forced a smile. Tired as she was, she wasn’t ready to face her little cabin alone, just yet.
Besides maybe seeing Sam again would help her regain her determination to finally and completely forget about Cade Bennett and his alluring blue eyes.
“You’re sure?”
She nodded. “Yes. Let’s go. It will be good to see Sam again.”
A muscle ticked at the corner of his eye, and he pressed his lips into a firm line, giving a concise nod and holding out his hand toward her horse in indication that he would help her mount now. She kept her eyes averted from his as he lifted her into place, but Katrina had no such qualms.
As Cade attempted to help her into her saddle, the woman rested her hands much too far around his shoulders for propriety, and at one point she contrived to slip and crash forward into his chest. Cade grunted and caught her to him. “You okay?”
Katrina somehow insinuated herself even closer to him and tilted her head, batting her eye lashes, as she looked up at him. “Yes, thanks to you.” She ran the tip of a long fingernail across his chin.
Cade grinned.
Sharyah’s mouth turned dry and she felt a familiar wave of jealousy cramp her stomach. The woman was obviously another of Cade’s female friends. He had one in just about every town. Each one of them smitten and hoping that some day he would make them his wife. Not that she thought he’d ever done anything improper with any of them. But he certainly had never discouraged them from thinking he might be in love with them. Well… had never discouraged anyone but her.
The humiliation of the day he’d told her there could never be anything but friendship between them, crashed over her in an all-too-familiar wave. She glanced down and smoothed the material of her skirt. What did she care what Cade felt for this woman? It was nothing to her. She’d moved on, and she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of getting angry that right at this moment he had another woman in his arms and was grinning about it. She clenched her teeth, lifted her chin, swallowed her mortification, and forced her gaze down the street, waiting in silence for their little tête-à-tête to finish.
Cade glanced past Katrina to where Sharyah sat on her horse. If her nose lifted any higher it would be pointed at the sky and her hands clutched the reins so tightly that her horse sidled a step backwards. Well, well. His grin widened. Maybe he hadn’t shot his chances with her all to pieces that day at the church picnic, after all.
He let Katrina go so abruptly that she had to scramble to keep from falling onto her backside. She cast him a glower of annoyance, then caught herself and quickly tried to hide her displeasure with another round of fluttering lashes.
He did his best not to laugh. “You get some dust in your eye, there?” He handed her the bandana from his back pocket. Whatever the woman wanted with him it couldn’t be anything good and her flattery and flirting would get her nowhere. “I’ll be right back.” He needed to let Collier know he would come later this evening to lead the posse to the hideout.
Collier agreed to the arrangement and when he came out onto the walk again Sharyah still stared toward the other end of the street as though her very life depended on it. She’d had a hard day. He really should just get both ladies home and let them rest, yet he couldn’t help but feel a tad giddy at the evidence that she still cared for him, at least a little, even if Sam might be a slight complication.
He walked over to Katrina. “We really should be going. Here let me help you up.” He grabbed her and tossed her up onto the saddle so quickly that she didn’t have time to do anything but grab onto the reins out of sheer surprise. The bandana he’d given her fluttered to the ground and he retrieved it.
Swinging onto his own horse, he clucked to the animal and set it into motion, leaving a sputtering Katrina and a silent Sharyah to follow in his wake.
As Cade reined up at the hitching rail in front of the main house out at the ranch, Sam stepped onto the porch.
“Sammy, darling!” Katrina leapt from her horse and threw herself into her brother’s arms. “I’m so sorry. Do forgive me and let me come back home.”
Sam patted her, doing his best to maintain his balance. “There, there, Kat. All is forgiven and you’ve learned your lesson, I hope?”
Katrina sobbed against her brother’s neck. “I certainly have! It was most dreadful! Most!”
Cade had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He turned instead to focus on Sharyah. Her big brown eyes were shimmering with a soft glow and focused directly on Sam. Cade’s stomach bucked in protest as a wave of jealousy rolled over him. Disgusted with himself he swung to the ground and strode to her side. “Here let me help you down.”
She leaned toward him and as his hands settled around her waist and he lifted her down, he couldn’t help but linger over the task.
Her small hands resting on his shoulders, she carefully kept her attention fixed on the center of his shirt and tried to step away the moment her feet touched the ground.
He tightened his hold and her gaze flew to his before darting away.
Sam was still busy with his sister so he kept her where she stood. “You alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine. Thank you.” She tried to take a step back, but her horse didn’t take kindly to being crowded and bumped her back toward him. A little gasp of surprise escaped her, and as he steadied her in his arms crimson tinged her cheeks.
He suppressed a smile. He’d have to give the beast an apple later. A man could stand looking down at this woman all day and never tire of the view.
“Cade I’m fine.” She pushed at him. “You can let go of me now.”
“Maybe I just like where I’m standing.”
She cleared her throat and gave a little shake of her head. “Don’t.”
He bent down to interrupt her line of vision. “Don’t what?”
“Please, Cade don—”
“Sharyah?” Sam strode around the tail end of her horse.
Cade rolled his eyes. Lucky for Sam Sharyah’s mount was as docile as a kitten or he could have been kicked to kingdom come.
“Are you alright?” Sam glanced from Sharyah to Cade and back.
Relief etched her face and she stepped away, smiling at Sam. “Yes, Sam, I’m fine.”
Cade let her go and she went willingly into Sam’s arms for an embrace. Clenching his fists, he shoved them into his armpits and, as Sam dallied over the hug, reminded himself that Sam was his friend.
Finally after interminable moments Sam stepped away. “So Katrina tells me that Red and Mick are down at the jail and Cade here has been deputized.”
Sharyah nodded. “Yes. And Cade is taking a group
of men back for the rest of them tonight. If the judge arrives tomorrow as scheduled, the trial will be held then. I’m sure Missy will be so relieved.”
At the mention of Missy’s name an odd look crossed Sam’s face and he shuffled his feet. Cade felt a prick of curiosity. Interesting.
“Well,” Sam recovered quickly, “Did you gather any evidence about my rustling problem?”
Cade gestured to the two horses he and Sharyah had ridden. “I’m fairly certain I sold you both of these horses, but their brands have been reworked.”
Sam glanced at the brand on the haunch of the nearest horse and then bent to look at something on the animal’s inner foreleg. He stood with a grin. “But they missed the second brand I always tag my animals with.
Cade squatted down to peer under the animal. Sure enough there was Sam’s Rocking P brand, way up high on the left front foreleg. He stood and nodded. “Well there’s your evidence.” That would save them from having to slaughter and skin one of the animals to see the original brand on the inside of the hide.
Sam shook his hand. “Thank you. I’ll have your money for you tomorrow.”
“All of them aren’t caught yet.”
Sam shrugged. “I hired you to get me evidence and you’ve done that.”
Cade rested one hand on his horse’s saddle and the other on his hip. “I like to finish what I start.” He didn’t add that he wouldn’t feel safe leaving Sharyah here until Rodale and his entire gang were either behind bars or strung up.
Poking out his lip, Sam cocked his head to the side. “Suit yourself. And I appreciate it.”
He nodded.
Sam motioned Sharyah toward the door. “Come into the house. Millicent just about has dinner ready and I want to hear all about your adventures.”
Sharyah’s face paled at that. “Oh, I’ll have to tell you another time. I really should let Cade take me home. Could you pass the word to the school families that lessons will resume tomorrow?”
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