Lone Star Romance Collection

by Cathy Marie Hake

  “Aye, you leave matters to me.” Mr. Gregor’s voice resounded with confidence. “Your life is bound to change now.”

  In more ways than you know.

  “I’ll help you. In fact, our town is in sore need of a seamstress. Old Mr. Rundsdorf is gnarled as mesquite, so his clothes canna come out of a catalog. And he’s just the start. You’ll be making a whole new life as soon as I get you home. Set your mind on that.”

  “ ‘Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.’ ”

  “Ahhh, yes,” Chris stretched out those two simple words in such a way that she knew he relished them. “Philippians chapter four and verse eight.”

  Self-conscious, she confessed, “I can’t ever seem to recall where verses are in the Bible. I’ve memorized countless verses, but I jumble up the books and chapters and verses.”

  “Da and Ma worked on that with me and my brothers. They knew ’twas important to drum things into our impressionable minds during those tender years.”

  “You were blessed to have good parents.” How would my brother have turned out if his father had been a good man instead?

  “Aye, I was blessed. But hear me well, Katie.” He stressed what he called her and paused until she looked directly at him. “Regardless of how rough things might become, you’re to think on the good that lies ahead. You’ll have a safe and happy future. I’ll see to it. Aye, I will.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Gregor.”

  “Chris,” he corrected.

  “Thank you, Chris.” Burrowed in the blanket, she lapsed into silence. If it weren’t for her worries over her stepbrother’s gunshot wounds and the guilt that she’d inflicted one of them, life would be incredibly sweet. As it was, things couldn’t become more complicated. Even so, Chris Gregor’s good-hearted ways impressed her and made her feel safe and secure.

  Chris told her Dogtail was Sodom and Gomorrah all rolled into one, and the short drive through town more than confirmed his estimation. She scooted closer to him on the buckboard bench. He even took the liberty of wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Under normal circumstances, she’d never allow a gentleman to behave so boldly, but this was as far from normal as she could imagine. Chris promised to make sure she was fine, and she knew he’d keep his word … until he pulled her buckboard to a stop before the last in a string of tawdry-looking buildings.

  Katie squinted in an attempt to see where they were. Even without her glasses, the sign was clearly legible. Huge, garish red hearts had been painted before and after the lettering on the place’s false front: LUCILLE’S.

  Chapter 6

  The man’s a rascal! He probably chats with Lucifer on the banks of the River Styx each week. Earlier, he said it was as hot as the hinges of Hades. He ought to know.

  Katie clutched the quilt around herself more closely and shrank into its folds. Dear merciful heavens, he’d driven up brazen as a bottle-stealing sot and sat there in broad daylight so everyone could see who he was and what kind of business he wished to transact. She closed her eyes and moaned.

  “Well, well!” a deep, oily voice schmoozed from beside her. Someone touched the blanket right over her knee. Her eyes shot open. She stared in horror at the bristle-faced, rheumy-eyed man. “New kitten comin’ to the cathouse? I’ll have to visit and listen to you purr.”

  Chris drew his Bowie knife. “I’ll thank you to leave my sister alone.”

  “Hey!” The man jerked back his hand.

  Another man elbowed the first. “Stop gawkin’ at the woman and take a look at who’s on them horses!”

  “Who cares? They’re dead.”

  Chris leaned forward. “You know who they are?”

  “Not one. T’other’s Skip Freelon. Wanted dead or alive.”

  “Well, he’s dead, and I don’t regret it.” Chris turned the knife so the blade glittered in the hot Texas sun. “I’ll slice the neck or plug a hole in anyone who tries to hurt my sis.”

  “She ain’t really your sis, is she?”

  Chris pulled some of the quilt off of her head to give the folks in the general vicinity a quick peek at her dirty face and tiny shoulders before flipping it back up. “Aye, sister. She’s been sick.”

  “Don’t look none too sick to me. Mite pale, but that’s all.”

  “Best you think to step back. She lost her breakfast this mornin’.”

  The man warily shuffled back.

  The other stranger scowled. “How come you got black hair and your sis gots blond?”

  “Different mothers. Same Father.” Chris thrust his face close to hers. “He gave us both blue eyes. See?”

  She tilted her head toward Chris’s. At the moment, he seemed the lesser of the evils. He hadn’t told a lie, but he sure did manage to twist the truth to suit his needs.

  “She’s weak, my wee sister. Couldna take another day on the trail. Seein’ as I didna see a hotel here in your town, I thought to ask the only place with beds to rent us a room for the night.”

  She made a sound of distress. He couldn’t possibly expect her to set foot in that place—let alone spend a night!

  “You don’t happen to know any church ladies who’d come watch my sister for me for a short while, do you?”

  “Dogtail don’t have a church, and shady ladies is all we got. That there kid’s looking right puny.”

  “Betwixt her ailin’ and me needing to drop off the vermin who tried to jump us, I was glad to spy your town. I need to get her set.”

  As soon as the men ambled away, Chris gave Wren a quick squeeze. “Sorry, little one. We have to make do. You’re playing along just fine. I’ll dash inside for a minute and then come back out after you. If you think to cough every so often, it’d be a good idea.”

  She dug her fingers into his arm and hissed, “You don’t mean to have us go inside there! You’re just doing this to confuse Whelan, right?”

  He raised his voice, “No, Katie honey. Father would understand that I’m just trying to take good care of you. We’ll stay just till you’re feeling a wee bit better.” He wrapped the reins around the brake lever and jumped down.

  Appalled at his plan, she decided this might be her only opportunity to get away. She reached for the reins.

  Chris reached for her. He was faster.

  “Katie, lass, are you runnin’ a fever again? Your cheeks are all red. Come here.” He deftly kept the quilt wrapped about her as he hauled her into his arms. She couldn’t possibly extricate herself from the bundle. “We’ll go inside. You gotta lay down and have somethin’ to drink.”

  “Please, I beg of you,” she whispered thickly against his neck, “don’t take me in there!”

  He patted her and said in a normal tone, “Everything’ll work out.” When he’d joined the rangers, he’d been given contacts where he’d find help. Though he’d never been here—or any other house of ill repute—Chris knew another ranger had saved this woman back when she’d just opened her establishment. Out of gratitude, she had an open door policy for every Texas Ranger. They were welcome at any time, for any reason. Reportedly, she provided an excellent cover for them, and she’d been good about sending telegrams and passing notes when necessary. All any ranger had to do was ask for Rahab—the biblical prostitute who helped the Israelites.

  “Stop your wiggling. Trust me.”

  “No. Not if you plan to take me into one of those places!”

  “Dinna go jumping to conclusions.” Chris tightened his hold of her. The sight of her trembling lips cut straight through him. “Appearances can be deceiving.”

  “You said we were coming here to drop off those men and store my goods.”

  “And we will.”

  “Turn loose of me, you scoundrel.” She twisted and smacked at him.

  “That’s some wildcat you got yourself.”<
br />
  Chris clamped still tighter around Katie and turned toward the sound of the entertained voice. A buxom redhead in a garish red-and-black dress lounged against the brothel’s door.

  Irritated by the fact that he hadn’t been able to give chase to Whelan, that he was stuck with a woman who suddenly summoned gumption she should have displayed years ago so he wouldn’t have had to rescue her, and that his presence provided entertainment for the residents of Dogtail, Chris wanted to snarl a response. He tamped down the urge and said in the blandest tone he could, “I’m looking for Rahab.”

  The woman’s eyes widened very slightly, and she straightened up. “You’ve found her.” She tilted her head toward her door. “C’mon in.”

  “If you try to take me in there, you’ll be sorry.” Katie resorted to pinching him because she couldn’t do much else.

  He glanced down. “Behave yourself.”

  “You behave yourself!” She stopped pinching him. For an instant, Chris thought she’d finally realized he didn’t have any scandalous plans, but she slapped her hand onto the center of his shirt, scrunched in her fingers, and yanked the hair on his chest. “Listen to me,” she ground out.

  “No, you listen to me.” He pried free and tossed her over his shoulder. “We’re doing things my way.”

  Chris walked into the red brocade parlor of Lucille’s and scanned the place. No telling who might be here. Even with Katie over his shoulder, he kept one hand on his pistol. The madam’s cloyingly sweet perfume made his nose twitch.

  “Rahab” led him into a private parlor, shut the door, and motioned for him to dump Katie into a chair. He shook his head.

  An amused look crossed the redhead’s face.

  Before she opened her mouth and revealed he was a ranger, Chris said, “Miss Rahab, Katie’s not been feeling much like herself—”

  “You try hanging upside down and feeling decent!” Katie pummeled his back. “And speaking of decent—”

  Chris went on speaking as if she hadn’t said a thing. “She needs to rest and have something to drink.”

  “Follow me upstairs. I have a room available.”

  Katie began to thrash more desperately. “No! Please, no! You can’t sell me to her!”

  Chris half dumped Katie onto a nearby settee and growled, “How dare you think I’d betray you!”

  She struggled to break free of the quilt and stand up. “First, you cost me my job. Then, you compromised my reputation by dragging me out overnight. Then, you killed a man. After that, you brought me to a … a … house of ill repute.” She stammered, but with every accusation, her voice rose. “Now you have the nerve to order me to trust you?”

  He stepped closer and towered over her. “I’ve dealt with thickheaded, stubborn mine mules that would look docile compared to you.”

  To his utter astonishment, she inched closer, stood on tiptoe, and prodded him in the center of his chest. “Don’t you forget that. I’m stubborn, and I’m getting my way. I’m going to make you miserable until you listen to me and get me out of here!”

  “It’s not going to work.” He reached down and brushed her finger away from his chest. “You made me miserable a minute after we first met. It hasn’t made me follow any of your ridiculous instructions yet.”

  She clutched his hand. “I confessed I was stubborn. I’m not going to give up.”

  “If you’re so intent on getting out of here, why are you hanging on to me for dear life?”

  “Because I’m my brother’s keeper. I can’t leave you in a den of iniquity. It’s fallen to me to drag you out of here and put you back on the straight and narrow.”

  She tugged. He twisted his wrist at that same moment. He broke free from her, and she stumbled backward to fall in a heap on the settee.

  “You are a perfectly dreadful man. I can hardly wait to get away from you.” She turned toward the soiled dove. “Miss Rahab, you are worthy of far more than any of this. The Lord Almighty sent His Son to redeem us all. I’m marching out the door. You’re welcome to join me.” The crazy woman started smoothing her skirts as if she were preparing for a Sunday stroll. “I’ll help you establish a respectable new life.”

  “Katie,” he growled.

  “Everyone deserves a second chance,” she snapped back. “God’s forgiven me, and I have faith He’ll do the same for Miss Rahab. Don’t you interfere, Christopher Gregor. I want her to have this opportunity. I’m breaking free of this place, and she can, too.”

  “You couldn’t find the door. How do you propose to escape?”

  She heaved a huge sigh. “Honestly, Chris. You promised you’d help me get spectacles right away. Instead, you’ve dragged me across Texas and stuck me in the middle of a gunfight. Miss Rahab, do you see me wearing any spectacles?”

  “No.”

  Katie folded her arms across her chest. “There you have it, Christopher. You have to take me out of here this instant and fulfill your promise. Miss Rahab, you’re still welcome to come along.”

  “You need glasses?” Rahab laughed. “Go no further. I have a box full of them.”

  “There you have it, Katie.” Chris relished turning her phrase back at her. “You can get your spectacles while I tend to other matters.”

  “Is there a doctor in town?”

  He frowned and looked at her more carefully. “Why?”

  “If you try to leave me here, you’re going to need his services. It’ll be your fault. You’re provoking me.”

  “If that was supposed to scare me, it failed. I still have your derringer.”

  “It’s past time that you return it. I need to dig through the wagon so I can get what I need to reload it.”

  “They’re called bullets.” Chris didn’t bother to hide the wry tone in his voice.

  “I know they’re bullets.” She sounded exasperated. “What I need are the instructions on how to load them. Never you mind. Miss Rahab, could you possibly assist me with that task?”

  “No, she won’t. I’m not giving that firearm back to you.”

  “Rahab” laughed. “Miss Katie, he’d be a fool to arm you in your present state. On the other hand, Mr. Gregor, a woman has the right to own and carry a firearm. Once she settles down, you should give it back to her.”

  Katie huffed. “You should listen to her. She’s the voice of reason. Miss Rahab, I’m sure you can see how calm I am now. Why, I’m utterly serene. Just look at me.” She stuck out her hand, palm up. “I’ll take that weapon now, Mr. Gregor.”

  “It’ll get in the way while you try on spectacles. Rahab, Miss Katie’s possessions are slowing us down. Whelan’s on the loose nearby, and we shot two holes in him. He’ll seek revenge. Can you temporarily store the wagon’s contents?”

  She thought for a moment, then nodded. “Darlene left. We’ll put the stuff in her room. Was that a sewing machine under the blankets?”

  “Yes.” Katie’s voice shook.

  “I thought so. I have one myself.”

  “You do?” Chris blurted out the words.

  “What’s wrong with that?” Katie bristled. “Many women enjoy sewing. Like any other person, Miss Rahab needs clothes.” Just after delivering her staunch defense, Katie turned three shades of red and said in a tiny voice, “Isn’t that true, miss?”

  “She really can’t see.” “Rahab’s” brow puckered. “I’ll have her things unloaded while she sorts through the box of glasses and you dispose of those bodies.”

  “You can’t leave me here!”

  He thought he’d calmed her down, but the panicky edge to Katie’s outraged words triggered his anger. “Much as I’m tempted, I won’t.”

  “You tend to things,” “Rahab” said. “I’ll have Miss Katie sit in the kitchen and give her the box of glasses.”

  “Fine.” Chris started toward the door. “Don’t take long, Katie. I want us out of here as soon as possible.”

  “You’re the one who hauled me in here to begin with.”

  “She needs a disguise.” He lo
oked at Katie, then at “Rahab,” and back to Katie. “See what you can do. She’s scrawny. Turn her into a boy.”

  “Whelan isn’t going to have to track you down.” Katie glowered at him.

  “Because you’re going to kill me yourself?”

  “Of course I wouldn’t. I’m a lady. But your charming ways must have earned you dozens of enemies by now.”

  He smothered a laugh. For as much of a bother as she’d been thus far, at least the woman was finding her backbone. That might make the difference between life and death. Instead, Chris locked eyes with “Rahab.” “Do whatever you need to. We’ll leave in half an hour.”

  Chapter 7

  Katie sat at the kitchen table, blinked, and tried to read the label on the coffee tin. Though the lettering grew bigger, it also started to blur. “No,” she muttered to herself. She pulled off the spectacles and winced as the right arm of the pair caught in a wisp of hair. “Ouch.”

  “Find a pair yet?” “Rahab” asked from the doorway.

  “No.” Katie sighed. “But at this rate, you won’t have to put me in a disguise. I’ll be bald.”

  The cook plunked a plate down on the table. “Things’ll look a lot better once you eat.”

  “Thank you. I hope so.” Katie’s stomach lurched as she glanced at the plate. “Things couldn’t look any worse.”

  “Spaghetti today, Lucille,” the cook proclaimed proudly.

  “Wonderful!”

  Katie stared at the plate. It looked like a mess of bloody worms. But it did smell good. Unable to summon the courage to pick up her fork, she opted for another pair of glasses. I’m an ungrateful coward. That’s what I am. What kind of Christian witness am I being? These women need the Lord in their lives. Dogtail doesn’t have a church. It’s up to me to be a beacon of love and hope.

  “Well?” the cook said.

  “I want to say a prayer and ask God to bless the hands that prepared the food.”

  “It’s a waste of time. Dogtail is a godforsaken town,” the cook declared. “But it’s awful nice of you to wanna ask Him to think of me.”