“Let me explain something, Diamond. I didn’t become the cattle baron I am today without making scores of enemies, one of whom regrettably is Marshal Dallas Banks. I knew I had to hire someone who doesn’t have an ax to grind with me if I stood a chance in hell of getting Beth back.”
Suddenly the world around Larissa spun. Blood pounded inside her head while a cold, deadly stillness invaded her body.
Beth has been stolen from us.
Larissa strangled a sob before it could escape.
Dunston continued, “And I also know it’s going to take someone with your reputation to do the job. A renegade like you can go places where a lawman can’t.”
“Do you think the kidnappers are men you might’ve had sour business dealings with?” Diamond asked.
Her father snorted. “Without a doubt.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“I wouldn’t know where to start. The list is . . . rather long.” Dunston’s voice held bitterness and anger.
“I have to ask. Why not just pay the ransom, Mr. Patrick?”
“Even had I been so inclined, which I’m not, I can’t immediately lay my hands on the huge sum they’re asking for my daughter’s return. Not without selling off part of my herd or land. My holdings as well as my daughter are mine and I intend to keep ’em. I’m trusting you to rescue Beth in a timely fashion. If you don’t think you can do the job tell me now so I can get someone else.”
Suddenly Larissa prayed Johnny Diamond would accept what was asked of him. She only wanted to get Beth back.
The sooner the better.
Didn’t matter the cost.
Or if they had to place their trust in an outlaw’s hands.
The familiar creak of her father’s desk chair reached her ears and she knew he’d stood up. When Dunston Patrick spoke again his voice came from right above her. He was probably staring out the window at Patrick land, which stretched as far as the eye could see and then some. The scratch of a match, the smell of sulphur, and she knew her father had lit a cigar.
If he looked down he’d see her. She pressed herself closer to the side of the house, making herself as small as she could.
“Are you wasting my time here, Diamond?”
“I will get your daughter back. There’s no question of that.” Dangerous confidence colored Johnny Diamond’s terse tone. He wasn’t bragging; he stated fact. “I just don’t know if you’ll like how I do it.”
“As long as you make the sorry thieving yahoos pay. I need to send a message that no one steals from Dunston Patrick. You do that and you and I won’t have a problem. Whatever you have to do to accomplish that is your business. But if I had my druthers, I’d prefer you end their miserable lives and silence them once and for all.”
Larissa quickly put her hand over her mouth to squelch her startled protest. Her father was more interested in seeing the culprits pay than in Beth’s welfare. Beth could’ve been nothing more than a horse or a prized piece of land. They were all possessions to the great Dunston Patrick. Larissa didn’t know who he was anymore. And maybe she’d never really known.
“If they’ve harmed a hair on Beth’s head I’ll take exception. Hell will seem mild in comparison to what I’ll unleash on them,” Johnny Diamond vowed.
“Diamond, just make sure they won’t come back and try the same thing again a month or a year from now. Understand me, I want them stopped and stopped for good. Any questions?”
“What about your daughter Larissa?”
Larissa jolted at hearing her name on the stranger’s lips. Johnny Diamond had said it so easy like he’d known her forever.
“What about her?” her father snapped.
“Begging your pardon, but don’t you think she has a right to know about her sister? She clearly suspects.”
“Larissa is my concern. You just worry about upholding your end of the bargain.”
So he didn’t even plan on telling her. Anger rose. If a subject didn’t pertain to the smooth running of the house, he wouldn’t discuss it with her.
“I suppose this concludes our business.” Diamond’s deep voice carried through the open window. “I’ve got to collect some provisions before I take to the trail. Unless I miss my guess they’ll cross the border into Mexico. That’s where I’d go if I were running from the law.”
Larissa wondered how many times he’d dodged into Mexico until the heat died down. Sounded like it’d been pretty often.
“You could be right,” Dunston agreed. “Don’t worry about your supplies. I have everything you need right here at the ranch.”
“Including a packhorse?” the younger man asked.
“Yes, including that. It’ll save time we don’t have.”
“Appreciate it, Mr. Patrick. Then I reckon I’ll be on my way if you’ll give me half of the money we agreed on. I’ll scout around and with luck can pick up a trail before nightfall.”
“Good. I like a man who takes a bone and runs with it.”
Larissa heard the dial on her father’s safe clicking and the door swinging open. Her mind was made up. She backed away from the window and ran.
She needed to hurry.
Chapter 2
Johnny Diamond looked for Larissa Patrick as he strolled for the front door. There was no sign of her. Disappointment wore like a woolen winter shirt. He’d have liked to have seen her again. Maybe he would when he asked for the promised provisions.
Intelligence had shown in her velvety brown gaze. She was much too smart to buy the bill of goods her father had tried to sell her.
Dunston Patrick had done her a disservice.
Larissa was nobody’s fool. He’d seen that much.
The wild tale of Beth going to visit their oldest sister wasn’t the only lie Larissa had caught. The brown-haired beauty had clearly seen through the flimsy lawyer story as well. He’d seen it in her fluid gaze.
But as Patrick had gruffly reminded him, Larissa wasn’t his worry. He’d best focus on the job at hand and leave well enough alone.
He let himself out and adjusted his hat at an angle that blocked the harsh sunlight from his eyes. He’d do some checking around and see if he could scare up some tracks.
That the ransom note told Dunston Patrick to leave the money at a line shack on the most remote section of the ranch in five days told him the kidnappers didn’t stay together. Most likely at least one of them was still in the area.
Maybe the accomplice was one of the ranch hands.
Regardless, his gut told him they’d taken the young Patrick girl to a border town to wait. Then, if Patrick didn’t come through on the ransom, they could easily sell the girl to willing buyers.
Five days to complete the job. That wasn’t long.
A squint at the sun told him he had about three hours before dusk.
Blue Boy, his Appaloosa gelding, nickered and shook his head when he spied Johnny. The animal didn’t appear none too happy to be tied to the brass ring in front of the sprawling two-story ranch house.
“Quit your bellyaching, Blue. I won’t be much longer.”
Giving him a baleful stare, the horse dropped his head to nibble on a sparse patch of buffalo grass.
An hour later, leading a laden packhorse, Johnny mounted Blue Boy and headed south. Near as he could tell, four men had tied their mounts in a stand of juniper not far from the ranch house in a little arroyo. They must’ve lain in wait there, biding their time. Evidently, after the house had grown dark and everyone was asleep, they’d stolen into Beth Patrick’s room through an open window and grabbed her.
An easy plan. And it’d gone off without a hitch.
No one had learned the girl was missing until morning.
Johnny followed their tracks until one set veered off from the others. One man had indeed stayed behind to collect the ransom while the other three hid the girl.
The group of men acted like they’d done this before. The plan appeared well thought out and implemented.
He made a mental
note of the three sets he’d be tracking. One horseshoe was missing a nail and the deep impression of one of the other horses said the man who rode the animal carried a heavier load.
Johnny had just happened to be staying in the nearby town of Sonora for a few days, considering his options. At first light, Patrick had sent a rider from the ranch with a message for Johnny and the offer of a job. He’d wasted no time in satisfying his curiosity. Plus, his funds had gotten very low. The work meant he could replenish his coffer and set more money aside for that horse ranch he’d dreamed of owning.
It was past time for him to make a change and become respectable.
If it wasn’t too late.
A short while later, still on Four Spades land and a good distance from the ranch house, he turned sideways in the saddle. Dust rose in the direction he’d just come. He took a spyglass from his saddlebag and held it to his eye.
One horse and rider was coming fast. He was too far away to see many details other than that the rider was a slight figure. Could be a boy.
Johnny got the horses out of sight behind a clump of scrub oak. He didn’t have long to wait. When the mysterious mount came even to his hiding place, he leaped out and hauled the rider to the ground.
The figure fought like a wildcat but couldn’t break free.
She was soft with curves in all the right places.
And she wore a riding skirt.
Her hair spilled from the confines of a dark floppy hat. “Let me go!”
No one had eyes the color of rich fertile earth except Larissa Patrick. She stared up at him, her eyes snapping with fury.
He slowly eased his weight off her, got to his feet, and offered her a hand. She hesitated before taking it.
“Dare I ask why you’re following me?”
Larissa beat the dust off her skirt with her hat. “You can lead me to my sister.”
Johnny’s head jerked. “How did you know Beth has been taken?”
The beautiful woman chewed her lip and had the grace to blush. “I sort of overheard you and my father talking.”
“You were snooping, you mean.”
“That’s pretty blunt, Mr. Diamond.”
“I never mince my words. I believe in calling a spade a spade. Saves time. And a whole lot of energy.”
“That’s admirable, I guess. At least for a made-up shyster. I think we’ve both done our share of swapping ends with the truth today. What happens now that you’ve caught me?”
“I’m going to turn you around and send you home. Either you’ll get your sister killed or the kidnappers will capture you too and you’ll be no good to Beth. You’re much better off waiting at the ranch and letting me do my job. Do I make myself clear?”
“Is that an order, Mr. Diamond?” she asked stiffly.
“Take it any way you like, but you’re going back.”
“I can help you. I know it.”
“No.”
“Won’t you even discuss it?”
“No.”
“She’s my sister. I have a right to help rescue her.”
“No, and that’s final.” He reached for her horse’s reins.
Tears welled in her eyes and her lip trembled. “I feel so helpless. Won’t you even consider it for a second?”
The lady had spunk, Johnny gave her that.
“Good-bye, Miss Patrick. I have a job to do and I’m burning precious daylight standing here arguing. Let me help you onto your horse so I can go about my business.”
Larissa straightened her spine. “You don’t have to get snippy.”
A long-suffering sigh escaped his lips. “Just go home. Your father will wonder where you are.”
“My father could care less about Beth or me.”
Johnny wanted to pull her into his arms and soothe her hurt. He’d witnessed Dunston Patrick’s ill treatment of her, seen her embarrassment. He didn’t hold with a father being rude to his own flesh and blood.
“You’re just upset. If Dunston doesn’t care for Beth, why did he hire me to find her?” he asked, trying to ease her anguish.
She shrugged her shoulders. “He’s concerned with appearances, for one thing. He knows this makes him look weak. If his enemies smell blood in the water, they’ll attack. All I know is that Beth and I mean little to nothing to him. We’re not his precious cattle. And we’re not the son he always wanted and dreamed of someday taking over the ranch. And maybe it’s nothing more than besting the men who took something from him. You don’t know my father.”
“Grant you that. But please don’t make my job more difficult than it is. I wouldn’t be able to focus on your sister if I was worried about protecting you.”
“I can look after myself. And I’ve been taking care of Beth since she was born. I’m the only mother she’s known.”
Johnny blew out an exasperated breath. “Okay, ma’am, here’s the deal. I’m tired of this nonsense. You are not going with me. If you continue to follow, I’ll have no choice but to take your horse and let you walk back to the house.”
Larissa gasped. “You wouldn’t do that.”
“Try me.”
“Of all the nerve!” She planted her hands on her hips. “You’re impossible. Oh, all right. Just promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“That you’ll tell Beth I love her and bring her home to me.”
Johnny relaxed and allowed a fleeting smile. He thought she’d ask for something a bit harder. “I’ll do that anyway, but if it makes you feel better, I promise to treat her as if she’s my own family.”
She turned away but not before he caught the quick flash of tears brimming in her eyes. He cupped his hands, making a step for her. She placed a booted foot in them and threw a leg over the saddle horn. “Thank you, Diamond.”
“No problem.” It was all he could do to touch the brim of his hat with a forefinger in farewell and pretend he hadn’t seen her heart breaking.
His life might’ve turned out differently if he’d had someone like Larissa at home waiting for him to return.
Or a mother and father to provide love and support.
But all he had, all he knew, was the outlaw trade.
And Sam Whiskey.
If it hadn’t been for Sam, those Comancheros would’ve killed him too, right along with his parents and sisters.
This was a hard, unforgiving land, just as Sam Whiskey had preached. To get by, a man had to be as tough as a piece of boot leather and twice as mean as a water moccasin.
Johnny shook himself and climbed into the saddle. It was time he got to the task of following the trail that would lead to Beth Patrick.
The kidnappers were smart. They’d taken time to erase their tracks on several occasions and doubled back on the trail more than once to try to throw him off. He’d had to use all his tracking abilities to stay with them.
His enemy was nightfall. He couldn’t see the trail in the dark. His only choice was bedding down for the night. Besides, Blue Boy and the packhorse would need some rest.
He only prayed the ones he trailed did the same.
The moon had risen by the time Johnny decided to stop. With no trees around and precious little vegetation, he led Blue Boy down an embankment to a narrow draw that held a trickle of water. He could at least have coffee in the morning without using the water from the canteens he’d brought along.
After unsaddling Blue and unloading the packhorse, he hobbled them within easy reach of the stream. After spreading his bedroll, he rooted around in his saddlebag for some jerky. It’d have to do for supper. A fire would likely be seen. He didn’t need a target on his back.
He’d just stretched out and was dozing off when he caught the sound of boots crunching on the rocks.
Instantly awake, he reached for his .45 and crept stealthily up the side of the embankment. The full moon cast a silvery sheen over the south Texas desert landscape. He flattened himself against the hard ground that still carried the heat of the summer sun even though it had long
since set.
A dark horse stood silent a short distance away.
And beside the mount was a figure that was slowly coming his way.
Johnny eased himself back down the embankment just enough until he was out of sight. He quietly worked his way down the side until he figured he could come up behind and get the drop on the culprit.
The strange horse hadn’t moved but the rider had made a bed on the ground on a bedroll.
So much for thinking it might be one of the kidnappers. They wouldn’t be that careless.
Guided by the moon’s rays, he snuck up to the sleeping form. Placing his Colt to the side of the figure’s head, he ordered, “Stand up nice and easy and you won’t get hurt.”
A feminine scream rent the air and Johnny’s conscience pricked. This was no threat, it was a frustrating setback.
Larissa Patrick leaped to her feet with her fists balled. “Diamond, what on earth are you trying to do, give me a heart attack? I thought you were one of the kidnappers.”
“It’d serve you right. You aren’t supposed to be here.” He holstered his Colt. “I told you to go home. But here you are, continuing to dog my trail every last step of the way. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“She’s my sister and I’m going.” Larissa’s chin jutted defiantly.
“So you flat out lied.”
“I told you what you wanted to hear. It’s a free country, isn’t it?”
“Oh, lady, you have no idea how much trouble waits for you.”
Chapter 3
The dangerous softness in Johnny Diamond’s voice made goose bumps dance up and down Larissa’s spine. She wasn’t exactly sure what he meant, but it appeared she may have bitten off a mouthful of something she’d have trouble chewing.
She tilted her head back to look up at him. Dern! He towered over her like a sturdy oak tree that had been battered by storms but still stood tall and proud. She felt so small beside him, but safer than she ever recalled being.
Light from the moon washed his face in silvery shadow. She searched the lines of his face for signs of anger or that she’d provoked him past the point of all reason.
But she found nothing except boiling frustration. Although, the fact she nettled him was a true and accurate statement.
Give Me A Texas Outlaw Bundle with Give Me A Cowboy Page 9
