He looked up, and relief flooded his eyes. “Good. You’re back.”
“Looks to me like you’re doing just fine.” Katie smiled and checked on her son. He wiggled as if he wanted Dusty’s attention again.
“Well, what do you think?” She shook out the denim shirt and looked at Dusty, wondering if he’d be pleased.
His eyes lit up, and she watched his gaze travel down the length of the sleeve. “That looks mighty fine. If you’ll just take back your baby, I can get the coins I have in my pocket.”
Katie grinned this time. He might enjoy holding the baby in private, but this tough deputy marshal didn’t want to seem too soft in public. She folded the shirt and laid it on the coffee table, wishing she could ask Dusty to try it on but knowing that wouldn’t be proper. She’d like to make sure the sleeves were long enough before she cut out the other one.
After settling back onto the settee, she reached out, and Dusty laid Joey in her arms. Katie tried to ignore the way her heart pitter-pattered when Dusty brushed against her arm.
He heaved a sigh that she was sure was relief. He stood and pulled two gold dollars from his pocket and set them on the table.
His boots thudded on the rag rug as he paced across the room. With his hands on his hips, he stared out the window. Disappointment surged through Katie. Did he dislike being near her that much?
Dusty stood tall and straight. Wide shoulders angled down to a narrow waist and long legs. His straight, dark hair hung past his collar in an appealing manner. Where Jarrod had been solid and stocky, Dusty was long and lean. She couldn’t help being curious about him. And curiosity had gotten her into more trouble as a child than any of her other traits. She was tired of wondering why he was tracking Ed Sloane—or if he had a wife somewhere—or why he kept coming to see her.
“So, Dusty, do you have a family somewhere waiting on your return?”
Dusty’s back stiffened, and he remained quiet so long she thought he wasn’t going to answer. Finally he shook his head. “No.”
She barely heard his soft whisper. Determined to plod through the rock-hard soil of Dusty’s past, she considered her next question. “You told me you spent a year and a half hunting down Al—I mean, Ed Sloane. Can I ask why? It just seems to me most lawmen would have given up a long time ago.
Dusty spun around, his mouth puckered and eyes blazing. “Not if that man had burnt down your home and killed your wife.” His fists clenched so tight that his knuckles paled. He glanced down at Joey, and his expression quickly relaxed.
Confusion and pain muddled Katie’s thoughts. It was true then. Ed Sloane really was a murderer. Dusty had saved her from making the worst mistake of her life. Losing her home was a small price to pay.
As she considered Dusty’s words, surprise shot through Katie at the similarity of their experiences. She had been so wrong when she said he didn’t know what she was feeling. Her angry statement that day must have hurt Dusty terribly. Compassion swirled through her, knowing he’d lost his spouse just as she had. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
He turned away and stared out the window again. “So now you can see that I do understand what you’re going through and why I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”
She wanted so much to go to his side, but with her hand still in the cast, she refused to carry Joey while she was walking. “Dusty, please look at me.”
Dusty was ready to bolt like a captured mustang that had broken its restraints. He wanted to walk out the door and ride off on Shadow, but he didn’t want to be rude. He hated the pain of remembering. But as much as it hurt to talk about Emily and Sloane, in an odd way, it felt good. He turned to face Katie, and the sympathy in her gaze took his breath away.
“I’m so sorry for all the mean things I said to you.” She looked away for a moment, then faced him. “People say things in anger when they are hurting. I blamed you for the fire—”
He winced at her words, knowing he was to blame for all her troubles.
“That was wrong. You weren’t the one to knock over the lamp. You weren’t even in the house when it happened.”
He blinked, considering her words, and searched his mind, realizing she was telling the truth. There had been no lamp near the window that he dove through when he followed Sloane. He didn’t start the fire. Sighing, he felt as if an anvil had been lifted off his chest.
“The truth is, I owe my life to you—and Joey’s life.” Katie stared up at him, sincerity blazing in her gaze. “And you kept me from making the horrible mistake of marrying—Ed Sloane.”
She looked as if she could barely voice the words.
The remorse and condemnation he’d felt the past few weeks melted away. As he considered her words, he recognized the truth in them. He studied Katie as she watched her baby.
He admired her spirit and stubborn determination. She was lovely to look at with all that golden hair and her pretty eyes—even more so now that she was no longer tossing angry glares his way. She glanced up at him, making his heart skip.
“So, you see, you’ve helped me so much. I feel bad for the way I treated you. Will you please forgive me?”
Dusty didn’t know how to respond. It was God’s business to forgive, not his. But how could he resist those pleading eyes? He nodded, instantly rewarded with her glowing gaze.
Her bright smile broke down the walls of his heart, and he knew then that he cared more for her than he should.
He turned away again and stared out the window. “Thank you for making the shirt. It looks real nice.” In truth, he couldn’t imagine how she had managed to sew a whole shirt with her hand in a cast. That stubborn independence of hers was a driving force.
“You’re quite welcome. After you get a chance to try it on, let me know how it fits. I’ll wait to cut out the other one until I’m sure this one fits all right.”
“Sure. That sounds sensible.”
His heart soared, knowing he had a legitimate excuse to ride out and see Katie again, but he clamped down his emotions. He’d decided a long time ago that he didn’t want to experience again the pain of losing someone he loved. He had to distance himself from Katie, yet he felt compelled to care for her.
Dusty hated these tugging emotions pulling him in two different directions.
The cast would surely come off in a few weeks. Until then, he’d maintain his distance and think up some other way to help Katie. But he wouldn’t let his heart get any more involved. He’d help her until she was free of her cast. Then he’d ride off and try to forget about her.
nine
Dusty sat at the marshal’s desk and studied the latest WANTED posters. It had been two weeks since he’d ridden out to the Danfield farm and seen Joey and retrieved his denim shirt. Looking down, he fingered the fabric and wondered if Katie had gone ahead and finished his other shirt even though he’d never told her how well the first one fit. He wanted to ride out and see her but knew he had to stay away if he was going to keep his heart intact.
The door creaked open, and a shadow darkened the doorway a moment before Mason walked in. Dusty smiled, happy to see the man again. He stood and held out his hand.
“Good to see you, Mason. What brings you to town?”
Mason solidly gripped his hand and smiled. “Jimmy’s still down in Texas, and I needed some supplies.”
Dusty waved his hand toward the empty chair in front of the window. He glanced outside, making sure things were quiet, then sat down in his chair.
Mason narrowed his eyes. “Why haven’t you been out to the farm lately? Been busy?”
Dusty sighed, not wanting to talk about Katie and his feelings, but he couldn’t lie. “No, things have been pretty quiet around here.”
“Katie’s missed you coming around.”
Lifting his eyebrows, he looked at Mason, hoping he’d elaborate.
“She thinks maybe she scared you off because she asked about your past. Is that true?”
Mason’s pointed question thr
ew Dusty off guard. Though Mason was an honorable, God-fearing man, he didn’t understand the depth of Dusty’s pain. He didn’t know how it felt to walk away from God and not be able to find your way back.
Mason stuck his feet out, crossed his ankles, and laced his fingers together behind his head, looking like he planned to stay for a while. “Let me tell you a story. I bet you didn’t know that Rebekah is my second wife.”
Dusty blinked, trying to imagine Mason married to someone else.
“A little over twenty years ago, I had a farm up St. Louis way. My sister and her husband owned the farm next to us. One day my wife and sister rode off in a wagon to help care for a sick neighbor. It started to rain while they were gone, and on the way home, they were crossing a low water bridge—” Mason closed his eyes as if remembering hurt him.
He looked at Dusty again. “They must have been in the middle of the river when a flash flood swept through. We found their bodies downstream near one of the dead horses. The wagon had broken apart, and most of it was gone.”
Mason sat up and leaned forward. “Annie—my wife—was seven months pregnant with our first child.”
Dusty’s mouth went dry as he absorbed Mason’s story. The man had experienced losing his wife, too. His pregnant wife. And his sister.
“Danielle, my sister, left behind two children—Jimmy and Katie. Jimmy was seven, and Katie only three. I buried the two women I loved most on this earth, sold my farm, and traveled to the Oklahoma Territory to find my brother-in-law, Jake. He was a low-life scoundrel who’d abandoned Danielle, preferring adventure over family.”
Mason sighed and tightened his lips. “I was hurting so bad that I was determined to deliver Jimmy and Katie into his care, even though I’d been more a father to them than Jake ever had. Then I planned to head west and forget all those I’d ever loved.”
“Wow, that’s some story.” Dusty ran his hand through his hair, feeling as if he should say something more comforting, but not knowing what.
“It’s not a story. It’s the truth. Jake talked me into riding in the Guthrie land rush. He got land, but I didn’t. Afterwards, I was ready to leave town, though leaving the kids behind was about to do me in. Jimmy barely knew Jake, and Katie didn’t remember him at all.”
Dusty leaned forward with his elbows on the desk, engrossed in the tale. “So what happened? Obviously you didn’t ride west.”
“Jake approached me in the street. Said he wanted to talk to me. At the same time, an old man started hollering about how Jake had swindled him. The next thing I knew, Jake was shot and dying in my arms. Before he died, he pulled out the deed to his land and asked me to take care of the kids. After he died, I looked at the deed. Jake had put the land in my name instead of his.”
“Whew! So what did you do?”
Mason settled back in his chair. “By then, I’d met Rebekah and fallen in love with her. But when I got back from the land run, I discovered she’d left town. I went after her. Rescued her from a couple of no-goods in Wichita, married her, and brought her back here. But before that, I had to let go of my anger. I was angry with Jake for abandoning his family. And mad at God for allowing Annie and Danielle to die. The pain was almost unbearable at first.”
Dusty sat back, analyzing how similar their stories were. A spark of hope flamed to life. If Mason had found his way back to God, there must be hope for him, too. “How did you get past it all?”
“Falling in love with Rebekah helped. But I came to a point where I had to let go of my anger. Holding on to it was only hurting me—and nearly cost me the woman I was growing to love. I still don’t know why God allowed what happened, but I would have never met Rebekah or had the family and life I have now if Annie hadn’t died. We only see a speck of what’s happening in our lives, but God sees the whole picture. I had to believe that He was watching my back. That’s what you need to believe, too.”
Dusty knew Mason was right, but how could he turn loose of his anger? It was what drove him to be who he was. And he couldn’t get past the nagging question that haunted him: Why would God forgive a man who turned his back on Him just because life bucked him from the saddle?
Mason stood and stretched. “Well, don’t be a stranger. We’ve all taken a liking to you. Come on out for dinner sometime and see how much Joey is growing. Katie would like to see you—oh, and she’s got that other shirt ready. I offered to bring it to you, but she said no.”
Mason grinned and moseyed out the door, not waiting for a response. The door clicked shut, and the sounds of the street faded. Dusty considered his words. He liked Mason and trusted him. But Mason had never hated anyone as much as Dusty had Ed Sloane.
No, surely God wouldn’t welcome him in His house, but maybe Katie would.
“I can’t believe how much Joey has grown since I last saw him.”
Katie watched as Dusty held the baby against his chest. Her bright-eyed son made an O with his lips and stared up at him. Dusty put his finger against Joey’s fingers, and the babe grasped it tightly.
He glanced wide-eyed at Katie. “Got quite a grip.”
His smile tickled her belly. “Yes, but that’s natural. All babies do that.”
Rebekah walked in and set a tray of coffee and slices of cake on the table in front of the settee. “We’re so glad to have you visit again, Mr. McIntyre.”
Dusty peeked up at her. “Please call me Dusty.”
Rebekah smiled. “All right then, Dusty. But you must call me Rebekah. Mason is finishing up in the barn and should be in soon. He’ll be happy to see you again.”
“I saw him when I rode in. Offered to help, but he said he and Josh could handle things.”
“Well, I need to go help Deborah get the twins in bed. You and Katie go ahead and enjoy your cake and coffee. I’ll be back in a little while.”
Katie watched Dusty talk to her aunt. She enjoyed watching his lips and the way his mouth moved. When he looked down at Joey, his thick, dark lashes fanned his tanned cheeks, and his straight, coffee-colored hair hung down over his forehead. He’d often brush it back with his hand, but the straight strands seemed to have a mind of their own.
Dusty glanced up and caught her staring. Her heart stampeded, but she couldn’t look away. His gaze held hers, and she read the longing that she felt herself. Finally, she turned her head and stared at the sunset. Pinks and oranges wafted across the navy blue sky, silhouetting the barn in a dark shadow.
Now that she’d gotten over being angry with Dusty, she feared she was falling for him. How could she trust her heart after falling for the charms of an outlaw?
But Dusty was nothing like Ed Sloane. He was an honorable, law-upholding citizen.
Katie hated the confusion swarming in her mind. Was it possible to fall in love this quickly? Had she stayed angry with him so she wouldn’t admit her true feelings?
Katie rose from her chair, pushing aside the unwanted thoughts. “You can lay Joey against the back of the settee so you can eat your cake. He doesn’t turn over yet, so he’ll be fine.”
Dusty looked unsure but did as she suggested, making sure Joey was nestled safely against the back of the settee before he let go. His caution with her son made her value him more. If only she could trust her heart.
Dusty savored the spicy apple cake as his eyes feasted on Katie. Her face had filled out a bit, and she didn’t look as tired as she had right after having the baby. She took a small bite of cake and licked her lips, making him wish he had the right to pull her into his arms.
Would she accept his kisses?
She glanced up from her plate, checked on Joey, and then smiled at Dusty. He looked away, not wanting to think about what that smile did to his insides.
Why did he keep coming back here and torturing himself? Even if he carried affections for Katie, nothing could come of it. He quickly finished his cake and swallowed down his coffee. It had been a mistake to come here.
She’d gotten over being angry with him, but the warm look in her eyes ma
de him wonder if she was beginning to care for him. He couldn’t continue to lead her on.
Nothing could come of their relationship other than friendship. He wouldn’t allow it. To care for Katie meant he had to release his anger over Emily’s death—and that wasn’t something he was prepared to do.
Dusty stood, then realized he’d left Joey unsupervised and sat back down. Katie stared at him. “I should be heading out. It’s nearly dark, and I’ve got a ways to ride.”
Disappointment filled her eyes. “I suppose you’re right. If you can sit there with Joey for a minute, I’ll run upstairs and get your other shirt.”
He nodded, and she flitted out of the room. Joey squeaked, so Dusty lifted up the baby and held him out in front of him. Making sure nobody was looking, he smacked his lips together. Joey turned his head and settled down, gazing intently at Dusty.
“You’re some little fellow; you know it? Katie’s mighty lucky to have you.”
Moisture gathered in his eyes, and he blinked it away. He would have loved to have had a child, but if he had, he never would have tracked down and captured Sloane. And if ever there was a man who needed to be locked up in jail, it was he. Things were the way they were meant to be, and “what ifs” wouldn’t change that.
Katie entered the parlor, holding his shirt up in front of her. “What do you think?”
He stood, cradling Joey in one arm, and nodded his approval of the finely constructed garment. Deborah followed Katie into the room and took the baby.
“I’ll go change him for you, Katie. Good evening, Mr. McIntyre.”
He watched Katie’s cousin glide out of the parlor, taking Joey with her and leaving his arms empty. Dusty crossed the room, digging some coins from his pocket. He handed the money to Katie and held the shirt up between them. “Very nice. This will look good with my vest. Do you suppose you could make me another one?”
A Bounty Hunter and the Bride Page 8
