“Why should I?” Floyd hollered.
“Because if you don’t, I’m gonna let that dog tear your throat out. Now get out here and quit skulking around like the yella-bellied coward you are.”
Floyd didn’t need to know the dog wouldn’t bite him, let alone rip into him. Tuffy was about as gentle as they came. Regardless, Zane held onto his bravado, even though his arm stung like the dickens. At least the blood wasn’t gushing from the graze. The trickle had even slowed a little.
A figured walked from behind a tree and started his way. Zane rode toward him and whistled once to the dog. Tuffy bounded over to him, panting and wagging his tail.
“Good boy, Tuffy. You’re a good boy,” Zane said, grinning down at the dog.
“Got yerself a dog, a horse, yer old clothes, and a place to live. Yer hard to keep down, Two-Bit. I’ll hand ya that,” Floyd said, coming to a stop a dozen yards away. “Thought ya were blind. How’d ya get past that obstacle?”
“A miracle,” Zane said. He rode over to his brother, closing the distance. He wanted to be able to see Floyd’s face when he imparted an important tidbit of news. He observed his brother, wondering what he’d been doing the last month. Floyd looked horrible, like he’d barely eaten or slept. He smelled like he hadn’t had a bath since the last time he’d spoken to him.
“What happened to you?” Zane asked, shifting slightly to get a better look at his brother.
“Being on the run isn’t as easy as you might think,” Floyd said, leaning against his rifle.
Zane wondered if the dunce would accidentally shoot his arm off or blow a hole through his head. With Floyd, either outcome was a distinct possibility.
“That’s a choice you made, like choosing to have a slimy, scum-sucking quack try to kill me. Honestly, Floyd? I thought you were better than that.”
“Spit out what ya want to say or I’ll shoot ya right now.” Floyd started to lift the rifle.
Zane knew his brother wouldn’t shoot him, at least not face to face. He might shoot him in the back, but not when he was watching him.
“What do ya want to tell me?” Floyd asked in a whiny tone that set Zane’s teeth on edge.
“Put that gun back down.” Zane ordered.
When Floyd complied, he gave him a long, studying glance that made his brother squirm.
“What I wanted to tell you is that I had a will drawn up and sent to Dad’s attorney. A copy of it is also with my military information. The will says if I die, my half of the ranch goes jointly to Rock and his wife. So you can shoot me if you want, but the ranch still won’t be yours. And if you kill them, too, it’s going to look mighty suspicious. In fact, we let the local sheriff know to keep an eye out for you and dad’s attorney will turn you in if he hears I’ve died.”
The color drained from Floyd’s face. The man looked deflated and defeated. A string of curses that would have made the most seasoned sailor blush rolled out of his brother’s mouth until Zane scowled at him.
“Enough,” Zane said authoritatively. He’d always felt like the older brother, the responsible brother, when he was growing up, and nothing had changed. Floyd was a sniveling idiot who’d never learned a single useful lesson.
“The way I see it, you have three options, Floyd. The first option is to go on a killing spree that I guarantee will land you in jail and the ranch still won’t be yours. The second option is to buy me out. I’ll sell you my half of the ranch at a rock-bottom price just to be rid of you. The third option is to sell your half of the ranch to me. Since I know how far you are in debt, that you have no hands to do the work, cattle-rustlers pilfering the herd a few head at a time, and the place has gone to wrack and ruin, I figure it’s not worth much.” Zane quoted a number so low it set Floyd into cussing again.
Zane tossed him an impatient glare. “What’s it gonna be, Floyd? You gonna sell it or buy, because killing isn’t an option.”
“Even if I spend the rest of my life rottin’ in a filthy jail cell, it might be worth it just to shoot that smirk off yer face.” Floyd glowered at him then sighed, resigned. “I’ll buy your half of the ranch. You’ll sign the deed and I’ll never have to see you again?”
Zane nodded. “I’ll sign the deed and you’ll never see me again, on two conditions.”
“And they are?” Floyd asked, clearly annoyed.
“You’ll never, ever come looking for me again. I don’t care what kind of notice the military sends you, or what kind of catastrophe has happened. I don’t ever want to see your face again, unless you’re truly sorry for what you’ve done and are ready to make amends.”
“That ain’t ever gonna happen, Two-Bit. Ya’d be cold in the ground if things had gone the way I planned.”
Zane ignored the comment and continued. “The second condition is simply that when you decide to sell the ranch, which I’m certain you will, at least find someone to buy it who’ll appreciate all the blood, sweat and tears our family poured into making it successful. Mama and Daddy are buried there, after all.”
Floyd started to say something, pressed his thin lips together, and nodded once. “I’ll head back to Texas today. I’ll have to sell some things to get yer money together. Ya should have it within a few weeks.”
“As soon as I do, I’ll sign the deed and send it to Dad’s attorney. Fair enough?”
Floyd nodded. “Fair enough.”
Zane leaned over and held out his hand. “Give me the rifle before you hurt someone or, more likely, yourself with it.”
Floyd’s gaze narrowed, but he handed Zane the gun.
Zane removed the remaining shells from the chamber and tucked them in his pocket. “And the pistol.” He waggled his fingers at his brother.
With a huff of irritation, Floyd handed him a pistol he had tucked in the back waistband of his pants. “How’d you even know that was there?”
Zane smirked. “Because I know you, Floyd. Now get out of here.”
“Can I get a ride into town?”
“No, you can’t. You got yourself out here and you can get yourself back. Go.” Zane kept an impassive expression on his face as Floyd tossed one last sneer his way and stomped out to the road then started walking toward the main road that would take him into town.
Zane watched until Floyd’s blurry form disappeared in the distance before he started riding toward the house. Tuffy trotted along beside him. Zane wondered if the dog would like to learn to ride on the saddle with him. He might train him to jump up there for fun.
They were almost back to the house when he heard Rock calling for him.
“Come on, Big Red,” he said, urging the horse into a gallop. He rode down the path and almost over Rock before he tugged on the reins and pulled the horse to stop. “Are you trying to get your dang self killed?”
Rock stared at him. “I could ask you the same question. You think it’s a good idea for you to be riding when you can’t see in the distance?” His friend noticed the guns he carried and the blood from his wound. “Why are you armed to the teeth and dripping blood all down your arm?”
“Floyd paid a social call,” Zane said, riding the horse over to the barn.
Before he could respond, Miko and Billie raced out of the house, running toward them.
“You’ve been shot! What on earth happened?” Billie asked, placing a hand on his leg as he stopped in front of the barn.
He handed Rock the rifle and pistol, and then swung out of the saddle, spurs jingling. With a rakish grin, he tipped his hat back and turned to Billie. “My brother dropped in for a visit.”
Billie grabbed the rifle from Rock and looked at Zane. “Where is he? I’ll return the favor.”
Zane laughed and took the gun away from her. “He won’t be coming back. He promised to stay in Texas from now on.” He handed the gun to Rock again and pulled Billie into his arms. Despite Rock and Miko’s presence, the fact his arm burned like Lucifer had licked it with his fiery tongue, and the lightheaded state that threatened to bring him to his
knees, he lifted Billie off her feet and kissed her the way he’d wanted to kiss her since the moment he’d left back in May.
“Zane, your arm. We need to go inside so I can take a look at it,” Billie said when he finally let her up for air. “You shouldn’t…”
“Wait another second to kiss you again, Billie, girl. I heartily agree.” He planted another sizzling kiss on her lips while Rock laughed and Miko led Big Red into the barn.
“I sure do love you, beautiful Billie,” he whispered in her ear, then kissed her once again.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Since the day Zane had climbed into her room when she was sick, something had changed in Billie’s relationship with Miss Burwell. The woman had been softer, kinder, and far less quick to judge. In fact, Miss Burwell confided she’d known Zane had climbed in Billie’s window back in May, too.
“Why do you think I stood out in the yard until he left, Billie? I didn’t want the lovesick fool to break his neck climbing down the tree in the dark.”
Billie had laughed and given Miss Burwell a hug, thanking her for not kicking her out even when she’d broken the rules.
“Well, it doesn’t count because you didn’t know he was going to do such an idiotic, entirely romantic thing as climb in your window — twice.” Miss Burwell had clasped her hands beneath her chin and sighed dreamily. “Oh, how marvelous it must be for a man like your Captain West to pursue you, to be determined to win your heart. You are a very fortunate young lady, Billie.”
“Yes, ma’am, I am.”
With her heart warm and full, Billie thought of how Miss Burwell had become like a grandmother to her recently. When Billie stopped looking at her as a nosy, annoying burden, she realized Miss Burwell was really just lonesome and needed to feel useful and appreciated. Wasn’t that what everyone needed and deserved?
Hastily tugging on the beautiful burgundy sweater Miss Burwell had given her for her birthday, Billie settled a dark wool hat edged in burgundy velvet on her curls, and picked up the bamboo handbag Zane had sent to her for her birthday.
In a rush to get out the door before Zane arrived to pick her up, she clattered down the stairs and nearly ran into Miss Burwell.
“Are you off to spend the day with Captain West?” Miss Burwell asked. She gave Billie a pleased look as she noticed she wore the sweater she’d made.
“Yes, ma’am,” Billie said, smiling at the woman. “It’s such a lovely day. He mentioned something about a picnic.”
“Won’t that be wonderful, dear? It should be quite spectacular with the leaves all changing colors, and the afternoons still warm. I don’t know when I’ve seen such a mild October.”
“It has been an unusual autumn,” Billie said, thinking that statement applied to far more than the weather. So much had happened since the day Zane had ridden up to the yard at Rock and Miko’s place, toting guns and bleeding from a wound his brother inflicted.
Billie had been so enthralled with the way Zane looked in his hat, boots, and spurs, she could hardly think straight. After he’d kissed her senseless, not once, but multiple times, she’d barely been able to cleanse the wound and treat it.
She thought of the many moments they’d spent together since then. Zane had been teaching her to ride. She’d learned to drive a car. And they’d grown unbelievably close as their love gained a depth and richness that seemed impossible to fathom or describe.
Together, they’d shared their dreams and made plans for the future.
As much as she hated the idea, Zane would return to duty after Christmas. He’d be stationed at Pendleton Air Field where he would train new pilots. While she wanted him to stay by her side and never leave, she understood his need to serve his country. At least he’d be close enough to visit when he had a long weekend off.
She’d made peace with the fact he was a soldier. Zane would never willingly walk away from what he saw as his duty, especially not in the midst of a war. All she could do was love him, support him, and never stop praying for him.
However, in the past weeks, with his return to duty looming ahead of them, she’d expected him to propose, but he hadn’t. It was as though he hesitated to ask her to commit to a soldier, knowing how she’d fought against it when they’d first met.
But those days were behind her. She loved Zane completely and that meant loving him as a soldier, too, not just when it was convenient or easy.
Yet, she found Zane so easy to love, with his teasing, dimpled grins and fun-loving manner. Zane was funny, gentle and kind, but also a fierce protector when she needed one. And he was handsome. So incredibly good-looking in a rugged, heart-melting way. As snappy as he looked in his uniform, Billie best liked seeing him in his jeans and boots with his Stetson tipped back on his head as he rode one of the horses around Rock and Miko’s farm.
She could get lost in his eyes and those kissable lips of his were often in her thoughts. The boys in room seven had teased her about daydreaming of him more than a few times in recent weeks. In truth, Billie had been trying to think of a way to take some of the men out to the farm. The outing would do them good along with the fresh air. But then she worried about how they would react to Miko and changed her mind.
Poor Miko. She and Rock had finally received a letter from her parents letting them know they were in an internment camp near Jerome, Idaho. Billie had to find a map to see where it was located. Weekly, Miko and Rock sent boxes of food and supplies to her family. Zane and Billie had asked for names of other families that could use help and sent boxes to them, hoping it would make a difference.
Billie was so proud of how far Zane had come, both mentally and physically. He still wore his sunglasses outside and perhaps he always would, but he could see well enough to drive a car, and that had given him such a feeling of freedom. Doctor Ridley had sent Zane to an eye specialist who ordered prescription glasses for Zane. Billie hoped when they arrived, they’d help him see distances with greater clarity.
When she’d first met Zane back in May, she couldn’t imagine how much her life would change because of him. But it had. Her life was far richer and fuller, filled with such unconditional love. Just thinking about Zane made her smile.
The only cloud in her sky was the uncertainty of their future. Billie was coming to understand, though, that life was uncertain and no one could predict what tomorrow might bring. All they had was today, this moment, and she was learning to fully live in it and enjoy it while she could.
And that’s what she intended to do with Zane today on their picnic. Enjoy each moment as it came and not worry about tomorrow.
Billie opened the door and she and Miss Burwell stepped outside onto the porch. They watched as Zane pulled up and parked out front in a convertible with gleaming chrome.
“What a gorgeous car,” Miss Burwell said. “That color almost matches your sweater.”
Billie glanced down at her sweater then gave her landlady a warm hug. “It does. Thank you, again, for making it for me. I love it.”
“I’m glad, dear. Now, go have a splendid day with your young man.” Miss Burwell gave her a little nudge forward as Zane ran around the car and jogged up the walk.
“Howdy, Miss Burwell. How are you?” he asked politely.
“Excellent, Captain West. And yourself?”
“Fit as a fiddle,” he said, giving her a grin as he held out his arm to Billie. “Ready to skedaddle, Billie, girl?”
“I believe I am, Zane.”
Zane tipped his hat to Miss Burwell then escorted Billie out to the car, settling her on the passenger side of the seat before he hurried around and slid behind the wheel. He waved once at Miss Burwell before turning around and heading up the street.
Billie was glad she’d used an extra pin to hold on her hat as the wind blew around them. The air was crisp and fresh, but not too cool — perfect for an incredible autumn day.
She turned her head and studied Zane. He looked particularly handsome in a pale blue shirt that matched his eyes and his cow
boy hat on his head.
“Hiya, doll,” he said, stopping at a stop sign and leaning over to kiss her cheek. “You look amazing, as always. Is that a new sweater?”
“Miss Burwell made it for my birthday,” she said rubbing the soft yarn along the cuff of her sleeve.
“I noticed you’ve got your birthday bag I sent.” He gave her a rascally grin. “And you’ve got your birthday suit. Don’t suppose you’d show it off to me later, would you?”
“Zane West! What a thing to say! You very well know it’s just not proper,” she fussed at him, although she was secretly amused. “And no, I won’t be showing it off to you later. What has gotten into you today?”
“A fantastic autumn day with a gorgeous girl, I suppose,” he said, smiling at her.
Billie ran her hand over the smooth leather seat between them. “How’d you talk Miko into letting you borrow her car?”
“She offered to let me take it when I told her my plans for the day.”
“That was kind of her. How’s she doing?” Billie asked.
“As well as she can. It’s been rough on her knowing her family is stuck in the internment camp and no one can say for how long. She got a letter from her sister, letting her know where they were relocated and that they’re doing as well as they can. I just feel so bad for them all.” Zane sighed. “I couldn’t have been more wrong, Billie. Those people are just like us. Patriotic. Good people. American people. They’ve lost so much for no good reason.”
She nodded. “It’s a tragedy, for certain.”
Zane’s hand settled over hers and he brought it to his lips. “Let’s not think of unhappy things today. We’ll pretend, just for today, there’s no war. No sadness. Nothing but glorious sunshine and good food.”
“Good food?” She glanced behind her but the backseat was empty. “Where’s this good food of which you speak?”
Zane chuckled. “Patience, beautiful Billie. Patience.”
The banter between them was light and playful as Zane drove out toward Rock and Miko’s place. He told her about going to visit Mrs. Wilkerson and her granddaughter, the women who’d given him a ride to the hospital on the day he’d met Billie.
Dream of Her Heart Page 27
