High Mountain Drifter

by Jillian Hart

  "Zane?" A man's voice boomed out of the dark, friendly and familiar. "Hey, it is you. I almost didn't recognize ya."

  "Dom." He skidded to a stop at the end of the shadowed boardwalk. The faint light from a second-story window cast enough of a glow to recognize the dark-haired man. Same no-nonsense gait, same spare features, but there was something different about his old friend. Something calm and relaxed. "Is that a deputy's badge?"

  "Hard to believe, I know." Dominic Santana shook his head in disbelief. "It surprises me, too. I'm on the right side of the law this time."

  "How's that working for you?"

  "Better than the five years of hard labor I served, I'll tell you that." Dom stepped into the street. "Been straight seven years now. Worked over in Oregon Territory for a bit after I was out. Worked as a hired gun for a rancher, impressed the sheriff with my gun skills and he offered me a job."

  "Good to see you're doing well." They crossed the street, side by side. Zane felt the past cut deeper than the bitter wind. "How long have you been working here in Aspen Gulley?"

  "Two years now." Dom gave a soft bark of laughter. "The wife had family here, so it seemed like a good place to settle down. Since we had a little one on the way."

  "You're a father?" Zane missed a step. Talk about being surprised. "You? Thought you once said domestic life was like slowly being strangled by a noose."

  "Yeah, well, opinions change." Dom didn't seem upset. Good natured, then again, he always was, he stopped in the middle of the street, looked up and down, clearly on foot patrol. Seeing nothing to interest him, he kept walking. "I was young and stupid when I said that. Trying to be a big man, maybe to make up for all I didn't get growing up, but that's changed now."

  "The wife and baby." Zane took the step up onto the boardwalk, plunged his gloved hands into his coat pockets. Couldn't help the stab of envy. "You have a family. That sounds nice."

  "Oh, it's more than nice. Best thing I ever did." Dom stopped, leaned against the corner of the building. The light was better here, giving glimpses of the hard jaw now softer, the happiness at the mouth that had always been tense with a young man's anger. "Dottie is toddling around, the spitting image of her mama. Pretty and sweet as could be."

  "A girl?" Don't know why that surprised him, but it did. He relaxed against the railing, crossed his arms over his chest. "You have a daughter?"

  "Yep, and she's irreplaceable." Dom went silent, maybe still too tough to say what he felt, but it was clear he felt it.

  Zane bowed his head, staring down at the icy plank boards at his feet, thinking of the woman he'd left behind, of Verbena and the way she could undo him. Just grab hold of his heart, turn him upside down, inside out and leave him that way forever.

  "Susannah, that's my wife, she made me happy from the first moment I met her," Dom said quietly. "I never knew what happiness was. How could I, growing up the way we did?"

  "My pa's gang was no place for a couple of boys." Hard to think about those years, that past he'd buried. Pa and his men roaming the West, pillaging and pilfering, causing hurt and misery wherever they went. "Everything I learned there, every value, everything about being a man, I had to unlearn."

  "It took prison for me to figure that out," Dom admitted. "You were always the smart one, getting out before we were caught."

  "Pa couldn't run forever. The marshals kept getting closer and closer. Just a matter of time." Remembering the man he'd been, well, that could tear him down, bring his knees to the ground. Zane held his breath for a moment, trying to hold it all in. It hadn't been easy to turn his back on his father and friends, everything he had. "I was better off alone."

  "Took me a while to figure that out, too." Dom shook his head. "Those were lost years. How many missions did you and I run together? Stealing food, stealing horses, equipment, whatever the men needed?"

  "Robbing banks, holding up stages?" Zane continued, growing cold inside, feeling the warmth and light Verbena had put there, dead center in his heart, fading away, as if it had never been. "Scaring people, taking their money and leaving them stranded? We were wanted men, and we were just kids."

  "This is a better life. No doubt about it. And look at you." Dom leaned against the building, shoulders square, hands relaxed at his sides, a nostalgic hook to his grin. "Big, bad bounty hunter. It's good to see what you've made of your life."

  "You too." His throat ached from the emotion lodged there, the feelings he kept trying to shove down. "Course I don't have a family the way you do."

  "You should get one. It's nice to have a home, a place that when you walk through the door, everyone's glad to see you. There's nothing better."

  "Can't see myself settling down." The words sliced, the truth cut deep. "Can't see a woman wanting me."

  Not the real him, anyway.

  "You've got a point there," Dom joked lightly, kindly. "Although they say there's someone for everyone. Maybe you just haven't met her yet."

  Or maybe I have, he thought, gazing northwest against his will where she was, miles upon miles away.

  "So, you must be hunting a bounty if you're in my town," Dom said, ambling down the boardwalk again.

  Zane started walking, boots ringing along the abandoned boardwalk. "I'm tracking someone. I intend to stop by the sheriff's office, as a courtesy, and check in."

  "Word is you track the big bounties," Dom sounded concerned. "Does that mean we have a dangerous outlaw in this town?"

  "Klemp is armed and wanted for aiding and abetting, and for kidnapping a woman with the intent to rape and murder." Zane spotted a light up ahead, a sign swinging over a door. "He's in his fifties and desperate, but he'd want to lie low and not make any trouble. He's already done time for horse theft."

  "Good to know. I'll tell the guys." Dom halted in front of the lit door. "Want to come in and get some coffee? Warm up?"

  "No thanks, I'm just starting my hunt. If I'm lucky, I'll need to borrow your jail."

  "Not a problem. Stop by anyway, just to talk. Don't leave town without at least poking your head in to say goodbye."

  "Will do." That was a promise. Zane tipped his hat, leaving Dom to retreat into the light and warmth of the sheriff's office.

  As he strolled away, he felt more tangled up inside than he'd been since the night he'd cuffed and chained his own pa. The past was always right there behind you, always a shadow dogging you down the trail. The good and the bad, the friendships and the enemies, the mistakes and the victories. It all balled up together, reminding you of who you were.

  And that was a man who was better off on the move, alone and drifting through mountains and plains, with only his horses and guns for company.

  But his thoughts returned to Verbena McPhee and how darling, she'd felt in his arms, how treasured. He didn't dare let in the warmth she made him feel or any of the light. Stay dark, stay cold, he was destined to be alone.

  Maybe it was easier just to stay that way.

  Chapter Sixteen

  "The bruises are gone, that ankle is better so you shouldn't need that cane anymore." Doc Hartwell had a kindly face with wrinkles worn into deep grooves. He snapped his medical bag shut and stood. "Those cuts are almost healed too. Just keep an eye on them. If they feel hot or look red, you give me a holler."

  "Thanks, Doc." Verbena finished buttoning her shoe, glad to be rid of the bulky and uncomfortable ankle wraps. "I feel better. Nothing hurts."

  "Good." The middle-aged medical man crossed the parlor, his steps muffled by the thick wool carpet. "I hear there's going to be a Christmas season wedding in your family."

  "Yes. It was Hailie's suggestion." Verbena escorted him to the door, snagging her shawl off the coat tree. It was chilly here in the foyer. "Have you been by to see Beckett?"

  "That's where I'm heading next. Hear he's on the mend." Hartwell opened the door, nodded a friendly goodbye to the McPhee sisters who were keeping a close eye on things, as they worried. The doctor shrugged into his coat and buttoned up. "He'll be as
good as new come wedding time."

  "We like hearing that," Magnolia called down the hallway, pleased. "We have plans for him."

  "Of the matrimonial kind, since we're helping with the wedding." Rose bobbed into sight from the kitchen, wooden spoon laced with frosting in hand. "Dr. Hartwell, would you like some cake? I'll wrap it and you can take it with you."

  "Oh, dear girl, it sounds wonderful, but I have to turn your offer down." He patted his mid-section. "I get offers like that all day, and if I said yes to every one, I'd be rolling across the lawn instead of walking."

  "Yes, at your age you want to stay dashing for all the ladies," Verbena quipped, fetching his hat from its hook.

  "Dashing, yep, that's exactly what I'm trying to be." He gave a little chuckle, as if he didn't believe he could accomplish that feat for even a single moment. "You young ladies have a nice day, and say hello to your aunt for me."

  "We will." Verbena held the door for him, wincing against the biting cold. No more snow had fallen, but the gray skies and mean winds made you wish for snow.

  "Hurry, close that door," Iris called from the kitchen. "I can feel it back here."

  Verbena went to comply, when a horse and rider emerging from the depth of the forested land snagged her attention. For one brief instant--just a fraction of a second--she thought it was Zane. In her mind, she saw his wide shoulders, the shadowed strength in his face, the muscular line of his strong arms before her eyes took over, replacing the imagined image with what was really there. A young man, more boy than man, riding fast on a swayback horse.

  He exchanged words with the doc, who was untying his team, nodded with relief and slid out of his saddle. He hit the ground running, his straw hat threatening to blow away as a wind gust hit it. With a hand clamped on his head, the youth dashed up the porch steps.

  "Are you one of the Miss McPhees?" he asked, out of breath, black eyes hopeful. He was unarmed, harmless but seemed to alarm Burton who launched from the gazebo across the way toward the porch. Poor Burton looked exhausted and nearly frozen solid. Maybe she'd better make him some fresh coffee.

  "I'm Verbena," she answered the boy, wrapping her shawl more tightly around her.

  "Good. Then this is for you." He dug in his pocket for an envelope with her name scrawled on it in an unfamiliar script. "Here. It's from Mr. Reed. He paid me to deliver it, so no need to worry about a tip."

  "Oh." Surprised, she watched as the youth tipped his straw hat politely and dashed off, racing back to his horse. He looked half frozen too (both the boy and the horse, come to think of it), and she considered calling him back and inviting him in, maybe getting a blanket for his horse, but they were racing off before she could speak up.

  "Verbena!" Iris hollered from the kitchen, both amused and annoyed.

  Verbena shouldered the door shut, cutting her gaze sideways down the hall to see if any sister was standing there being nosy. Of course there was. Two of them.

  "Don't you have anything better to do?" she asked.

  "No," Rose and Magnolia said simultaneously, standing in the center of the hallway, two golden girls full of unbridled curiosity.

  "Is it from him?" Magnolia asked.

  "Of course it is, that's what the kid said," Rose told her.

  "Oh, I didn't hear that part," Magnolia confessed.

  Wisely, Verbena slipped the envelope into her skirt pocket for later reading. Not that curiosity wasn't killing her too, she wanted to know what Zane had taken the time to write to her, but she didn't want her sisters to know. And being the youngest of five girls, she'd learned a long time ago her older sisters thought everything was their business.

  "What? You aren't going to read it?" Magnolia looked crushed, and well she should since she was the nosiest of them all. "Oh, now I'm disappointed."

  "Me, too," Rose commiserated.

  "Well, hello?" Iris called from the kitchen. "Forget your disappointment. I need help with this cake, since Daisy had to run to town and pick up Hailie. That means you too, Magnolia."

  "I'll even refrain from licking the spoon this time." Magnolia took a backwards step toward the kitchen. "Don't think we’ll forget about the letter, Verbena."

  "That's right. We never forget." Rose pivoted, slender and graceful, hurrying down the hall with a flounce of her blond hair and a bounce of her skirt ruffle. "We'll find out one way or another."

  "Go ahead and try," Verbena leaned against the closed door, her mind turning a little dreamy. Upstairs rang a rapid bam, bam, bam, echoing through the house. The men at work on Rose's room. "It's probably just a bill for services rendered. I wonder how much he charged us for hunting down those men?"

  "He's not charging you, remember?" Magnolia said, still going backwards, perhaps torn between curiosity and her agreement to help Iris with the baking. "He's doing it as a favor for Milo."

  "Not entirely true." Verbena shrugged out of her shawl and hung it back up. "I promised him a dozen cupcakes when the job was done."

  "We owe him more than that." Magnolia was no longer teasing. Her face crinkled with sincerity. "Maybe a lifetime supply of cupcakes? We could send them to wherever he is at the time. Forever."

  "It's a thought." Verbena's step faltered as she retreated back to the parlor. She'd commandeered the room to work on the dress she'd promised to sew. The neatly cut pieces were stacked on the large coffee table, some pinned together, others basted, others waiting for her attention, but Magnolia's words had hit a sore mark. A reminder that Zane's future was out there somewhere. It would never be here.

  That hurt more than she wanted to admit. Ribs aching, she eased onto a sofa cushion, let the warmth from the big fireplace wash over her. It didn't drive away her feelings of caring for him. It didn't change the fact that he would never really be hers. Well, life was like that, she thought ruefully, full of things you couldn't have. She slipped a hand inside her skirt pocket. The envelope felt cold from its long ride.

  When she pulled it out, she studied Zane's writing. The letters were dark slashes, straight up and down, with no slant. Writing for a no-nonsense, straight forward man.

  Fearing he might have changed his mind about coming back, that this might be some sort of goodbye, she slipped her fingernail under the flap and carefully tore the envelope. Heart thudding, she pulled out the sheet of paper and shook it open.

  Dear Verbena,

  I have Klemp. Found him on the boardwalk outside a saloon. Took him down and hauled him to the local jail where he's cooling his heels while I get some rest and a few meals. It's a rugged ride back to Bear Hollow and I need to be alert. Not that he's much of a threat, but better to be well-rested than under. I'll be back as soon as I can, at the latest the day after tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you. Oh, spotted the trinket in a window and thought of you.

  Yours sincerely,

  Zane

  #

  Relief was the first thing she felt. Klemp was caught, not that she doubted Zane's bounty hunting abilities. She smiled, thrilled because he was coming back to her. Looking forward to seeing her. That didn't sound like a goodbye at all, did it? Her pulse tripped over itself as elation zipped through her. How good it would be to see him again, to hear his gruff, gravelly voice, to wonder if he might give her another full, genuine smile.

  And he'd mentioned a trinket. Come to think of it, the envelope did feel a little heavy. She gave it a shake and something slid around inside. A present? Delight and curiosity got the best of her. When she peered into the envelope, she spotted the gleam of gold and...was that a diamond?

  Yes, she realized, pulling the charm bracelet from the bottom of the envelope. Her jaw dropped, she forgot to breathe. It was a dainty chain of airy, woven gossamers of gold. A single charm swung from tiny links in the shape of a heart, made of polished gold and encircled by diamonds. Not little chips, but fine quality, dazzling white diamonds. When the lamplight hit them, rainbows of color sparkled.

  A little trinket? That man was the master of understatement. She
'd never seen such a fine piece of jewelry. A little shocked, she traced her fingertip across each gem, just admiring it.

  "Here, let me help you put that on." Magnolia pushed away from the doorframe where she'd been leaning, the shameless spy that she was, and sailed across the room. "That bounty hunter knows his jewelry. I'm really starting to approve of him. He might turn out to be the best beau you've ever had."

  "He's not my beau." Honestly. She rolled her eyes. Sisters. Was nothing private? "He's just being nice."

  "Right," Magnolia said a touch sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "Hey, this must mean good news. Did he catch that Klemp guy, the one Aumaleigh told us used to work for the ranch?"

  "Yes." Verbena handed over the delicate bracelet. "That means no more guards. No more worrying."

  "But what I keep thinking about is that Zane paid a rider to come all this way?" Magnolia took the bracelet and plopped down on the sofa. "That had to be an expensive delivery fee. Something tells me your Zane is rather devoted to you."

  "Or just careless with his money," Verbena teased, not that she believed it for a second--Zane was the epitome of self-control. She suspected she might be blushing again, as her nose had turned strawberry red. She could just see the tip of it if she crossed her eyes. Oh well. "The bracelet is beautiful, isn't it?"

  "Yes, very thoughtful and expensive." Magnolia opened the clasp and secured the delicate bracelet around Verbena's wrist. "Look. He's given you his heart. I think that's what this charm means."

  "No, you're reading too much into it. I'm sure it was just the charm that was on the bracelet when he spotted it in the window." She held her wrist up so the lamplight would catch the diamonds. They glittered like dozens of tiny stars. "It is absolutely lovely."

  "Yes, and just accept the truth. He cares for you. You don’t need to work so hard to protect your heart." Magnolia bopped to her feet with a swirl of calico. Her emerald engagement ring glittered merrily in the light too. "For one, everyone can see how you feel about him. For another, it never works. You can put up all the barriers you want, deny your feelings all you possibly can, but it doesn't matter. You'll just be left with the same feelings anyway. Trust me, I've tried it. The heart does what it chooses."