by Alison Bruce
"I'm not playin' your game, Baker," Jase said, sounding unnaturally calm to Marly's ears. "You're gonna kill Landers no matter what I do. And now you gotta kill me too. What makes you think I'm gonna make it easy for you?"
"Wishful thinking," she retorted. "Just like Baker wishes Amabelle loved him instead of me."
Marly's taunt hit home. Baker shifted his stance and she could see him well enough now, even if Jase couldn't. Determined to get Baker's attention, she twisted into an awkward semi-sitting position, propped up by one hand and holding onto the saddle horn with the other.
"It must really burn you that not only does Amabelle prefer me, but her brother wants me in the family as well. Even if you kill me, she won't marry you and you'll never get to add Egan's land to your own."
She got what she wanted―Baker's rifle pointing at her head.
Jase caught the dull glint of gun metal. He fired a quick shot.
Damn. He missed.
Baker stepped out of the shadows and took aim.
In the second it took for Jase to drop his rifle and draw his Colt, another shot rang out in the night.
Baker dropped to the ground.
Jase moved so fast, he wasn't aware of his feet hitting the ground. He didn't holster his Colt until he had checked Baker.
The man was dead. One bullet through the head.
Jase ran to Marly's side.
"You okay?" she asked, a tendril of gun smoke hanging over her like a halo.
Shaky laughter upset his balance and he fell back onto the dusty road. "You are the coolest hand I ever met, Marly Landers. A natural born Ranger who doesn't need any help."
Marly gave a snort. "I could use some help getting free."
Muttering an apology, Jase hefted the Trouble's body enough to allow Marly to get her leg free. The dead weight of the horse hit the ground again with a tremor and a puff of dust.
"Let me check your leg," he said.
With practiced hands, he palpitated her leg from knee to boot top, then cautiously flexed her ankle.
Marly winced.
"You seem to have full range of motion in your joints," he said.
With a little help, she was able to stand. She took a few tentative steps on her own, then returned to Jase's side.
"Well?" he asked.
"I've been better," she admitted. "But I'll do. How about you?"
"I'm fine."
She grabbed his right hand. "You're bleeding."
"Just a scratch."
With a tug, she guided him out of the gully and examined the wound in the pale starlight. Before he could stop her, she returned to the dead horse and retrieved the canteen from her saddle.
"I'm sorry about Trouble," he said in a quiet voice.
She shrugged.
Jase knew this wasn't Marly's usual stoicism. She was on the edge of being overwhelmed. Her hands were shaking as she cleaned and bandaged his wound, using a clean handkerchief and her bandana to hold it in place.
"That's great," he told her.
No matter that he wanted to hold and comfort her, this wasn't the time for sympathy. They had miles to go and she needed to hold it together for a little while longer.
"You take Grandee and ride back to town―"
"No," she argued. "Not without you. There might be more of Baker's men. We shouldn't split up."
He blinked, taken aback. "I have to go back. I left a wounded man back there. Young Jed caught one of my bullets in his shoulder. Roy Parker's dead. Locke's back there too, tied up. There's one horse left between them. The others ran off. Baker's should be around here..."
Marly limped up the road and ducked into the brush.
"Marly!"
She reappeared with Baker's black gelding.
"Dammit, Marly."
Leading Baker's horse, Marly went to Trouble and gave the horse a last gentle pat. "You done well."
She picked up her carbine where Baker had dropped it and took his longer rifle as well. After topping the magazines of both and replacing the spent shell in her revolver, she shortened the stirrups and mounted the black. Placing Baker's rifle in the saddle holster, she kept hers across her lap.
Jase stared at her for a moment, then gave in to the inevitable.
If he'd wondered why Locke had warned him about Baker, he got his answer soon enough. Locke had taken advantage of Jase's absence to make his escape.
Jed McKinley had passed out. They slung him across Baker's horse and tied him to the saddle.
Marly mounted Grandee, behind Jase.
"What about Baker and Parker?" she asked.
"The dead will have to fend for themselves," he said. "For now, at least."
When they came to the hollow and had to pick their way carefully around Trouble's body, Jase could feel Marly's face press against his back. Her tears couldn't penetrate his jacket, but he felt the tremors that shook her.
He clamped her arm to his side, covering her hand with his injured one. If the bandages had allowed it, he would have clasped her hand. Instead, her fist clenched a handful of his shirt.
Marly managed to pull it together and was riding upright by the time they reached town. The first order of business was seeing to the injured man so they went straight to the doctor's house.
Leaving Marly with the doctor, Jase made a beeline for The Haven. He hoped to find Tierny. The Lazy-E foreman wasn't around, but he saw Birke and deputized him on the spot.
"Your first task," Jase said, "is to retrieve Baker and Parker's bodies and their effects."
Birke wasn't particularly honored.
"Round up a few men," Jase added, "And get some lanterns and a buckboard from the livery."
"I know the drill," Birke assured him.
"Good, 'cause I'm making you responsible for retrievin' Landers' saddle, holster and bridle too. And I want Trouble buried off the trail."
"I could round up the hands I need from the shanties and pay them in horse meat."
Jase hesitated.
Birke cleared his throat. "I don't think Landers would grudge a few poor families fresh meat."
"I don't suppose he would. But we're not gonna tell him, okay?"
Doc Whitney summoned his son to help Jed McKinley into surgery. Then he turned his attention to Marly.
"Marshall says a horse landed on you."
Marly shrugged. "I'm okay, sir."
"Doubt it. But you're walking, so follow me. If Jed starts babbling out a confession, you'll need to take notes. I'll have my hands full."
She figured the Doc's son was about her age. Taller, broader and sporting the beginnings of a moustache, he looked older. A handsome young man, she thought with amusement, if his complexion wasn't so green.
"Dad, can I..."
"Go!"
Jed was awake and trying to sit up on the examining table.
Doc pushed him down gently. "Stay put, son. I don't want you passing out on my floor." He started gathering up equipment.
"I can help," Marly offered. "I often helped our doctor when I was living with my aunt."
"Bullet wounds?"
"A couple of times. Mostly broken bones and cuts. I'm not squeamish."
Doc's face broke out in a broad grin. "Let's put that to the test."
Marly passed, but Jed fainted again.
By the time the bullet was extracted and Jed was sleeping with the aid of laudanum, Doc Whitney seemed to have forgotten he was going to examine Marly.
That was fine with her.
Bone weary and wanting nothing more than her bed, she thanked the doctor and assured him she'd be back to see the patient in the morning.
"Afternoon will do," he replied, yawning. "Practically morning already and I gave him enough opiates to put a horse down."
Jase was waiting for her on the front porch.
"Doc says Jed will be out until the afternoon," she told him.
"Okay."
She looked down at her bloody clothes. "I helped Doc."
"I can tell."
He took her by the elbow and guided her back to the office. While she washed and changed, he made coffee. He hardly spoke until she was settled in an armchair.
"Baker was driven to murder by insane jealousy," he said. "Although he never admitted to orderin' Locke to kill Strothers, Locke made it clear he was actin' under orders. He said Baker planned to kill you himself."
"Locke said all that," she asked.
"He said most of that," he conceded. "I didn't stick around for a full statement once Locke made it clear you were a target. You and I know Baker killed Strothers as surely as if he held the knife. Locke was just the instrument. But for you makin' him jealous enough to come after you personally, I might never have been able to prove Baker's connection."
"You would have done the same."
"Maybe. But you're the one who saved our lives tonight. I'm proud of you, Marly Landers. Very proud."
She was warmed by the compliment. Jase warmed her further by placing a blanket around her sore shoulders and handing her a hot cup of coffee, generously laced with Jezebel's best brandy.
She took a cautious sip. "What about Locke?"
"I've wired El Paso and Presidio. The border companies can look for him and I'll send a posse out in the mornin'. We've got other fish to fry."
Marly nodded.
"First we'll have to find you a new horse," he said, pulling a chair around to sit beside her.
"I still haven't paid you for the last one," she replied wryly.
"No, you earned Trouble a couple of times over."
Marly smiled. Then the smile dissolved into tears.
Jase gathered her in his arms and pulled her close. She felt his warmth comfort her, easing her sobs of grief. They remained like that until her tears were spent.
She must have dozed because she wasn't aware of being picked up, only that Jase had carried her to the bedroom. He put her in his bed and tucked her in, kissing her forehead.
Maybe he will climb in beside me, she thought.
Exhausted, she drifted off.
Jase watched Marly until he was sure she was fast asleep.
"If you had any sense," he whispered, "you'd have taken her to The Oasis tonight."
Of course, if he had the honor he always laid claim to, he wouldn't think those thoughts.
He got ready for bed and glanced ruefully at the cot. With a sigh, he crawled between the covers, hoping the damn thing wouldn't turn over in the night.
Sleep came easier than he expected.
He dreamed of Marly's head on his shoulder, her hand over his heart.
Chapter 16
First thing in the morning, with Mr. Winters' blessing, Jase sent Troy Riley and Hugh Birke out with a posse. He didn't hold out much hope they would find Locke, but he had to try. The telegraphs he sent out the night before were more likely to be productive.
Next, he went to The Oasis where the first order of business was smoothing Jezebel's ruffled feathers. She had roused herself from her room early because of the shocking rumors and required a full explanation of the events before she would let Jase leave. If Egan hadn't shown up, she would have kept him longer. Instead, she had to bow to his greater claim on the marshal's time.
When Jase got back to the office, Marly was awake, sitting at the edge of the bed.
"How do you feel?"
"Like I was sat on by a dead horse," she said, forcing a smile. "Everything seems to hurt."
"Understandable. Think you're up for breakfast? Egan's gonna meet us at the hotel."
"Egan?"
"Yep."
She sighed.
"You don't have to," he said quickly.
She smiled weakly. "If he doesn't treat me like a deputy, can I shoot him?"
Jase laughed. "With my blessin'."
"Then I'll come."
Matt Egan looked worse than Marly felt. His eyes were pouched and he kept running his hands through his hair, causing it to stand on end. Regrettably, she wasn't required to shoot him since he barely paid attention to her.
Nelly, her usual friendly manner subdued, kept their coffee cups filled as Jase explained what happened the night before. With what Marly considered extraordinary forbearance, the young woman didn't linger or eavesdrop either. She just seemed to know when cups were empty and when there was a lull, she came to take their breakfast orders.
"I'm not in the mood to eat," Egan said.
Marly, on the other hand, ordered steak, biscuits and chili, all the things she knew Cookie prepared well. She was famished.
"Make that two," Jase said. "And bring some biscuits right away, Miss Nelly. A little food might do you some good, Egan."
Egan shook his head and pushed his coffee away. "It had crossed my mind that one of Gabe's men might be responsible for Strothers' death. I hoped I was wrong. It never occurred to me that my friend would order someone's death."
"Mr. Baker was obsessed with your sister," Marly explained. "He had every intention of pressuring Miss Amabelle into marrying him and he had no compunction removing the obstacles to his end."
Egan shot her a murderous glare. "He should never have gone after you. You should never have given him cause."
"If not me, then it would have been someone else. At least I was expecting trouble and I knew Marshal Strachan had my back."
Egan gave her a look that hinted at his own obsession.
She suppressed a shiver.
"Baker was your friend," Jase said. "It's understandable that you should find it hard to accept his death, even if it was his own doing. I assume you will wanna take care of his burial arrangements?"
"I've talked to Purvis already," Egan said. "I told him I'd take care of Parker's burial as well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to compose a telegram to Mrs. Baker telling her that her son is dead."
After breakfast, Marly and Jase went to check on Jed McKinley. With the doctor's permission, Jase took the young man's statement. McKinley was cooperative, but not as helpful as Marly would have liked. Having shot a man, she wanted to know beyond all doubt that he was the one responsible for Strothers' death.
"I never talked to Mr. Baker," McKinley insisted. "Ray let it slip that they were doing this for the boss, then Locke shut him up. To be honest, Tom Tyson suggested me as his replacement and I was truly honored. I really didn't think about what I was getting myself into. Not that I'm making excuses. I suppose I got what I deserved." He wagged his shoulder.
"What did they tell you?" Jase asked.
"That we were giving a bit of payback for Tom. I should've known they would have roughed Landers up." McKinley tapped his forehead. "I was damned stupid. And I'm lucky to be alive. But I got to say, I don't want to die at the end of a rope."
Jase rested a hand on the young man's shoulder. "If Tyson didn't tell you the attack was with intent to kill, and he'll swear to that, you might still die of old age."
Once they left the patient, Marly said, "Is there really a chance that Jed will hang?"
"No. Locke told me Jed had no knowledge of their plan to kill us. I believe his story and I think he's learned something."
"I'm glad. Still, I think you should let him worry a bit longer."
McKinley had been willing to rough her up and for that he deserved some punishment.
"What about Tyson?" she asked.
"I'm gonna bring him back in as a material witness. He's got charges against him already. With this, he might rabbit and we don't want that. I'll head out now, if you're okay."
Marly didn't really feel she was okay, but she waved him off anyway.
Little more than an hour later, she returned from a very slow patrol of the town and found Grandee and a second horse hitched to the rail. The office was empty, but the door to the jail was ajar. She found Jase guarding, while Doc bandaged up Tyson's left forearm.
"That was quick," she said to Jase.
"As it happened, I met Tyson on the road. Curiosity got the better of him. He was on his way into town to find out what happened t
o Parker, Locke and McKinley. When he saw me, he panicked. Drew his gun and yelled out that he wasn't gonna be taken alive." He gave her a self-satisfied smirk. "He was."
"Now he's up for attempted murder of two lawmen," Doc said, staring the wounded man in the eye. "Sounds like he better be very cooperative when he gives his statement."
"That's 'bout the only hope this fellow has," Jase said.
When Doc left, Marly retrieved a notebook and dragged a chair to the cell door. Jase said nothing and Tyson watched, while tapping his foot with noticeable unease.
Sitting, she readied the pencil. "All right, Tyson, what's your story?"
Tyson was not nearly as cooperative as McKinley. Aside from saying that he didn't know anything about the attack the night before, he wouldn't talk.
She turned to Jase. "If he doesn't cooperate, there's no reason for showing leniency in the two attempted murders, right?"
"Right."
"Well, that's all right by me. How about the murder of Marshal Strothers? Is the circumstantial evidence sufficient to hang him?"
"If McNelly wires me to go ahead with the trial, then it's up to me. I might just go for a life sentence. If he sends a judge, chances are he'll hang."
"In that case, can we skip this and go have lunch? It's been a long morning."
"Fine with me."
With rising concern, Tyson watched the play and almost rose to the bait. Then he scowled and clamped his lips.
Marly was disappointed he hadn't felt more pressure to talk.
Damn. They were so close.
Marly preceded Jase out of the cell hallway. When she staggered slightly and leaned against the wall, he could have kicked himself. How could he be so stupid to not notice the pain she was in?
"Here, let me help you."
Jase put an arm around her waist and half carried her to their living quarters.
"Hang up your gun belt, strip off your pants and tuck up in my bed." Even to him, his voice sounded gruff. He attempted a calmer tone. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes to check that leg."
It took more than a few minutes to do what was needed, but he returned with the news that Fred would be bringing over lunch and a liquid painkiller―namely Jezebel's best brandy.
