William laughed. “Yep. Steady and Sure.”
~*~
KodyAnne caught a glimpse of two men standing beside a covered buggy as she raced past that farmhouse on Mike’s mustang. Didn’t surprise her to find this pretty, little horse in Mike’s barn. Or that the little fellow could eat up the ground and stretch to go even faster with her holding him back. Too bad she’d picked the closest route to the pond, which took her within touching distance of Fireball’s master. Maybe he hadn’t noticed. Then again, the way he’d run after them, yelling, he probably had. At least they’d reached the willow tree in good time.
“Whoa, boy.” KodyAnne tugged the horse to a stop before they reached the bridge that crossed the branch. He sidestepped and tossed his head as if he hadn’t finished his run. She patted his neck. “This is it. We aren’t going any farther tonight, but maybe Mike will let us have another run sometime.”
As if Mike let them go tonight. If he’d been home, he might’ve, only he wasn’t, so borrowing his horse was the only thing she could do. She dismounted and led the horse among the small grove of weeping willow trees growing beside the pond. The biggest that stood against the edge was where she wanted to be, so she tied Mike’s mustang to another tree a few feet away. A cool breeze ruffling her hair carried the scent of lilacs. One of her favorite scents. KodyAnne followed the fragrance to a nearby bush. She ran her fingers over the purple flowers and breathed deeply. Was it only last night she’d camped here with Papa and Tyler? Seemed a lifetime ago.
She turned and walked to the big willow and sat on the creek bank beside the drooping branches. If she crawled inside to the trunk, would the branches shield and hide her from life’s ugliness? Her eyes burned with unshed tears.
“Papa.” She whispered his name and lifted her face to the black sky and a multitude of blinking stars. Was he among them? “Why’d you have to leave me?”
The stars shimmered and blurred before she realized the knot of tears she’d carried all day had found release. “Oh, Papa.” She lowered her face to her bent knees and sobbed as she hadn’t been able to do before. He was gone with Mama now. They were with Jesus, and she should be glad, but right now it hurt too much.
Time meant nothing while the tears fell, then with a hiccupy breath, KodyAnne used up the last of her tears. She sat, still bent forward for long moments, while her emotions settled down. Everything she’d been taught told her Papa was in a better place. Mama, too, but she still missed them both. They’d been good parents to a scared little girl who was probably more trouble than she was worth. But Mama and Papa found worth in her, and they taught her to live right and serve the Lord.
A soft voice floated to KodyAnne. She jerked her head up and turned toward the sound. That was a woman. The deeper response sounded familiar. Tyler? Where was his horse, and what was he doing with a woman? KodyAnne scrambled to her feet and stepped back into the sheltering arms of the willow’s branches where she could see without being seen.
Two figures leading a horse took shape coming toward her from the south. There wasn’t anything out that way except that house polite people never mentioned. Why would Tyler be walking with a woman from there?
When he got close enough, and she knew without doubt it was Tyler, she stepped from the shadow of the tree into soft moonlight. “Ty?”
“Oh, there you are.” He held the girl’s hand.
He had no right to bring a stranger into their business.
“Who—” KodyAnne’s voice broke. Probably from her crying spell. She cleared her throat. “What are you doing, Ty?”
The tone of her voice must’ve warned him. He dropped his horse’s reins and held up his hand. “Now, Kody, don’t start in on me. This is Sam, my friend. She’s not going to talk.”
“Sam?” KodyAnne’s voice rose. “That’s a boy’s name. I thought the Sam you talked about was a boy.” This girl, no older than she was, could never be mistaken for a boy. Why’d he hide her from them with a name such as that?
Tyler chuckled. “Some people think Kody’s a boy’s name.”
“Well, it isn’t.” KodyAnne lifted her chin. “Besides that isn’t my name, it’s just what you call me.”
“Same as Sam.” Tyler’s face softened into a sweet smile when he looked at the girl beside him. “Her name’s Samantha, and she’s definitely a girl.”
The girl was pretty, especially with her cheeks all rosy from the way he looked at her. The expression on her face told a story KodyAnne didn’t know if she wanted to decipher. Looked like her brother had some explaining to do.
“I hate to interrupt your time together, but there’s things you need to know.” Even yet her eyes felt swollen. Tyler should be able to see that, and how upset she was, if he’d stop looking at Sam. “We need to talk family business, Ty.”
He kept his gaze locked with the girl, and KodyAnne huffed. She thought about kicking his shin to get his attention, but figured she’d better not. “Papa went to heaven tonight, Ty.”
That was better than a kick. He swung to stare at her, his eyes wide and disbelieving. “No.”
The whispered word carried a world of hurt. “He told me to go on. I thought he’d be all right. I should’ve stayed with him.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” KodyAnne looked at Sam and saw compassion in her eyes. “Are you sure it’s okay to talk in front of her?”
Tyler nodded. “She knows everything, anyway.”
“You told her?” How could he? What was she to him? This wasn’t like Tyler, going around telling everyone their business.
“It’s fine, Kody.” Tyler sank to the ground, finally letting go of Sam’s hand. “Sit down, both of you. Let’s talk.”
KodyAnne sat crossed-legged on the ground, her arms resting on her knees. “You can’t show your face in Willow Springs. If you do the sheriff will arrest you, but he doesn’t plan to go looking for you anymore. The posse went out once. I guess he figures that’s enough. I’m sort of arrested.”
Tyler snorted. “You look arrested. How’d you get out here, anyway?”
KodyAnne pointed to the tree behind her. “I borrowed a horse from Mike. He’s tied up over there.”
“Mike or his horse?” Tyler frowned.
“The horse, of course.” KodyAnne tossed her head. As if she could tie Mike up or even want to.
“Borrowed?” Tyler shook his head as if to clear it. “You mean stole? And who’s Mike?”
KodyAnne folded her arms. “I said borrowed, and that’s what I meant. Mike’s my— You know, he’s the boy I looked for all these years.”
“Oh, your husband.” Tyler’s voice held a large dose of sarcasm. “How could I forget?”
“Right.” KodyAnne lifted her chin. “You can’t steal from your husband, can you?”
Tyler rested his forehead against his hand, hiding his face. He looked up and sighed. “Too bad he isn’t really your husband. You’re forgetting, I know about your youthful marriage, and I know it was just a childish prank to make you feel better when you were scared.” He shrugged. “Just because he was nice to you back then doesn’t mean he’s going to be now.”
“He is.” KodyAnne spoke with confidence in Michael. “He’s a preacher, Ty. He’s changed and all of it’s good.” All except he didn’t want her, but she refused to dwell on that fact. “The doctor’s wife said the sheriff would make arrangements for a funeral. I told her he’d better plan on having Mike preach it.”
A cloud seemed to cross Tyler’s face as he looked down at his clasped hands. “Yeah, Pop deserves a decent burial. I tried to talk him out of this, but he wouldn’t listen. I went along, hoping I could stop this from happening, but I didn’t do a bit of good.”
“There’s more you don’t know.” She frowned. “At least, I didn’t.”
“Like what?”
“Papa had a heart condition.” Her breath hitched. “He was dying already, Ty. He’d been to see a doctor and was desperate to get Uncle Mark’s box. He figured his time was short.
That’s why he pulled his gun. He didn’t know what else to do.”
Tyler sat staring at her. His face showed no emotion. Finally, he lowered his head as his body slumped. His hand hung limp where his arm rested against his bent knee. He balled a fist and swallowed then looked at her. “Thanks for telling me that. I’ve been trying to understand what he did. He was never a violent man. I shouldn’t have pulled my gun, but I did it to protect him. And you. I didn’t know what to do. I want to be at the funeral.”
“I don’t see how you can.” KodyAnne frowned. “I’m pretty sure the sheriff will be there, and he’ll take you in quick as anything. I’m sharing a room at the boardinghouse with the lady from the diner, but he’d put you in jail. Have you been out to see Charlotte?”
“No, not yet. When I leave here tonight, I’ll go home. At least for a while.” He looked up. “Didn’t she stay with her friend, Hannah?”
KodyAnne nodded. “Yes, I need to go after her as soon as I can get a room for us to share. She’ll want to know, so it’s up to you to tell her.”
“Yeah, I’ll tell her.” Tyler’s frown changed into a smirk. “If you’re under arrest, how will you get out of town to get Charlotte?”
KodyAnne shrugged. “I’ll get Mike to take me. We’ll need a wagon so we can bring some things with us.”
“After you steal his horse, you’re going to get him to take a wagon to pick up your kid sister.” Tyler shared an amused look with Sam. “Yep, you do sound like a married couple.”
KodyAnne placed her hand over her heart where Mike’s ring still hung under her shirt. “Will you stay at the house, Ty? Charlotte and I may need to get in touch with you. The sheriff said he’d have the U.S. Marshal come and question me. After that, I’ll probably be free to go. Especially now that Papa—”
Tyler’s eyebrows drew together. “Yeah, I imagine I’ll stay at the house as much as I can, but I may have to hide out if the Marshal decides I’m an outlaw.”
KodyAnne leaned back and stretched her legs. “I’m going to get into that safety-deposit box at the bank.”
Tyler straightened and opened his mouth when his horse lifted his head and whinnied. Another horse answered. He snapped his mouth closed and stood in one smooth movement.
KodyAnne sprang from the ground to stand beside him.
A twig snapped near the pond on the opposite side of the willow tree from where they’d been sitting. He put a finger over his lips and glared at her. “You stay here with Sam.”
His whispered command flew past her intentions. When he turned to go around the tree, she pulled the small derringer from her purse that Uncle Mark had given her three years ago.
Samantha gasped. “He told you to stay.”
KodyAnne ignored her shocked whisper and crept softly in the opposite direction from which Tyler had gone. She cleared the drooping willow branches before she saw anything. A man in a white shirt stuck out like a beacon in the night when he crept through a patch of moonlight. Mike. What was he doing here?
She opened her mouth to call out to him when a quick movement behind him stopped her. Tyler raised his hand above his head. Light reflected from his gun.
“No.” She yelled out. “Tyler, don’t hit him. It’s Mike, my husband.”
Thud. The sound of Tyler’s gun hitting Mike’s head almost knocked her from her feet.
He crumpled on the bank of the stream that fed the pond.
Panic set in when he didn’t move. She had to get to him. Spying what looked like a natural ford, she ran in and across the stream, sinking to over her boots. Her wet feet didn’t matter. Only Michael did.
“Mike.” She sank to the ground beside him, but he didn’t move. “Tyler, if you’ve hurt him, you’ll answer to me.”
Tyler knelt on the opposite side of Michael. “Looked to me like he was creeping up on us. I don’t think anyone else is with him. There’s an old work horse tied to a tree over by the bridge. Don’t tell me this is your husband.”
KodyAnne ignored the sarcasm sounding loud and clear in Tyler’s voice. “This is Michael Wellington, pastor of the only church in Willow Springs. He isn’t my husband and never will be because he doesn’t want me.”
Tears welled up in KodyAnne’s eyes. How much more could she take? She brushed her hand over Mike’s head and felt a bump rising on the upper back. “Oh, Ty, how could you hurt him? He’s the bravest, kindest, sweetest man you’ll ever meet.”
Without waiting for a response, she stuck out her hand. “Give me your handkerchief.”
Tyler handed a white square of folded cloth to her.
She jumped up and ran to the stream, dousing the handkerchief in. Maybe the cool, wet cloth would ease the hurt on his head. When she returned, Tyler held her back. “Maybe you’d better not wake him up. I’m thinking we need to get him to his own bed first. Do you know where he lives?”
She nodded.
“Oh, yeah, I forgot. You took his horse, so you should know.” Tyler grinned before he stood and turned to Samantha, who had joined them. “Sam, we’re going to take this fellow home. Seems I hit an innocent man. At least that’s what Kody thinks. I’ll get in touch with you next week.”
He took her hand and pulled her close for a kiss on the cheek. “Can you get back by yourself?”
Samantha shook her head. “I’m going with you. You’ll need help getting him in his house. Your sister can’t do the work of another man.”
“You’re right.” He turned back to KodyAnne. “I’ll get this man’s horse if you think we can get him on it.”
She nodded. “We’ll manage.”
When he left, she looked at Samantha. She didn’t look much like the women she’d seen in the brothel when she was little. Maybe she lived on a farm nearby. “Thanks for helping.”
“It’s all right.” She shrugged. “I don’t mind.”
KodyAnne held the cool, damp handkerchief against the knot on Michael’s head. If he woke up, she’d explain everything and hope he understood. If not, he didn’t need to know who hit him. How had life become so complicated? Only one thing mattered now. Mike had to be all right. Her heart had been torn once today. She couldn’t stand another loss so soon.
Chapter 8
“Thank goodness, his house isn’t far from the pond.” KodyAnne breathed a sigh of relief when they came within sight of Mike’s big two-story house. She still couldn’t believe he had that entire house to himself. He could get lost in there all by himself.
Tyler stopped the horses near the front porch. He tried the door and found it unlocked. “I’m going in to get a quilt. We may have to drag him inside if you girls can’t hold up your end.”
KodyAnne shared a look with Samantha. “Get the quilt. We can do it.”
Michael’s house was the last on the street with only one neighbor between him and downtown. He groaned when they pulled him from the horse and laid him on the quilt. KodyAnne’s heart leapt. He’d wake up real soon. Of course, that’s what she wanted. Only she couldn’t let him see her or Tyler.
“Grab your end. He’s coming to.” Tyler snapped
KodyAnne understood. Tyler was as scared as she was. A quick glance toward Samantha, and KodyAnne grabbed her corner. Together, they lifted and carried Michael across the porch and through the door into his parlor.
Tyler hesitated in the middle of the room. “We’ll never make it up the stairs before he wakes up. That sofa looks comfortable. We’ll put him there.”
KodyAnne and Samantha waited while Tyler lifted Michael’s upper body onto the sofa. Together the girls swung his legs over until he rested with the quilt under him. KodyAnne covered him with the edge and bent forward to place a kiss on his cheek. Bristly whiskers scratched her lips, but she liked the masculine feel and kissed him again.
“Get away from there. What do you think you’re doing?” Tyler’s whisper sounded loud in the quiet room.
KodyAnne jerked up and swung to meet the scowl on her brother’s face. “Nothing.”
Michae
l moaned.
KodyAnne twirled back in time to see his hand move to his head.
Tyler grabbed her by the arm and propelled her out the door with Samantha scooting ahead of them. “You were kissing him.”
“So?” On the porch, KodyAnne stretched to her full height of five foot two and faced her brother. “You hurt him.”
Tyler narrowed his eyes and nudged her to move. “He’s a stranger, Kody. He was sneaking up on us. What was I supposed to do? Offer him tea?”
KodyAnne grabbed the reins to Michael’s little mustang. “He’s not a stranger to me.”
Tyler took the big work horse, and Samantha followed with his mount. “Yeah, and before yesterday, when’s the last time you saw him?” Tyler opened the barn door.
“Ty, don’t be so mean. I can’t help it if we got separated and he couldn’t find me. He tried.” KodyAnne led the mustang into the barn. “When we got married, I meant it. Don’t know about him, but I’ll never marry anyone else. I guess you notice, he’s not married.”
“Another five years, and he probably would’ve been—with a couple of kids.” Tyler followed with the big horse.
KodyAnne put Michael’s horse back in the stall where she’d found him while Tyler took care of the other one. Tyler’s words hurt more than she’d let on. Sometimes it was best to ignore him. She led the way back outside.
Samantha handed Tyler the reins to his horse. “I didn’t see any movement at the house. No lights or nothing.”
“Nothing?Ty.” KodyAnne’s stomach quivered and her heart pounded. “Do you think he’s okay? You hit him pretty hard. He should be up by now.”
“I didn’t hit him that hard. He’s fine.”
“Well, I’m going to go see.” KodyAnne took two steps before she was jerked to a stop by her brother’s hand around her arm. “Let go of me, Ty. He’s my—”
“He is not.” Tyler whispered the words so loud, he might as well have shouted them.
She turned to face him. “Friend. See, I wasn’t going to say husband. Let go, Tyler Delmont.” Her voice caught. “He might die.”
The Preacher's Outlaw Bride Page 8
