by Carol Finch
Doc flashed him another killing stare. “Maybe you need to schedule your departure for right now.” He dug into his pocket, then thrust a roll of banknotes at him. “Purchase whatever else you need before you leave. Don’t bother paying me what you owe. Your leaving will be payment enough.”
Nate slapped the money back into Doc’s hand but Doc countered by cramming it in Nate’s shirt pocket. “I’m not leaving until after the performance at Evening Shade,” Nate insisted. “And I will repay all the money you loaned me. Every last penny of it. Plus interest.”
Doc shook his blond head briskly, then lurched around. “I misjudged you, Montgomery. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Nate watched Doc storm off, then he blew out his breath in frustration. Just what he needed, Rachel’s adopted father crowing at him like an offended rooster.
When Doc reached the door to his room, he halted to glare daggers at Nate once more before he disappeared from sight. Nate made a mental note not to drink any potion Doc might offer him in the future. He suspected it would be laced with arsenic.
The next morning Rachel awoke with a smile on her face and an incredible sense of well-being. Nate’s skillful brand of seduction left her swearing that she was floating on a puffy cloud in a universe far, far away from harsh reality. Whistling a tune, she dressed, then packed her belongings. She planned to eat a hearty breakfast at one of the restaurants, store her satchels in the back of the wagon, then leave town.
She crossed her fingers, hoping Adolph’s men wouldn’t be there to greet her when she arrived in Evening Shade. She didn’t want to put her emotions through the meat grinder again so soon.
When she walked past Nate’s room, she slowed her pace, wondering if he was awake. Then she strode away, reminding herself that she wasn’t one of those clinging-vine types who needed constant reassurance and protection from a man.
If anything, Rachel was a realist. Spending every spare minute with Nate would only make his inevitable departure more painful.
Rachel was halfway down the staircase when a man with brown hair and a lean, tanned face halted in front of her. He looked to be only a year or two older, and had a shiny badge pinned to his shirt. She tensed, wondering if there was a Wanted poster with her sketch on it and the young marshal had come to arrest her.
To her relief the law officer didn’t slap handcuffs on her wrists. Instead, he looked her up and down with masculine appreciation, then flashed a flirtatious smile.
“Morning, miss. I’m Marshal Phillip Dexter.” He touched the brim of his hat politely. “You’re with the medicine show, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am.” She returned his smile, but since lawmen made her nervous, she was poised to break and run if he posed the slightest threat.
“Incredible voice,” Phillip praised, then gave her the once-over again. “I thoroughly enjoyed your performance.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m looking for the U.S. marshal,” he commented. “Have you seen him this morning?”
Rachel’s hand clenched around the banister until her knuckles turned white. It took all of her acting ability to appear unconcerned when she learned there was a federal marshal in town. Had Adolph survived the fracas in the storeroom and sent a federal marshal to track her down, since his goons hadn’t had success apprehending her?
Dear God, she was going to have to commandeer another horse and thunder away again, leaving Doc, Ludy and Nate without an explanation for her sudden disappearance.
“I didn’t know there was a federal marshal in town,” she said, willing her voice to remain steady.
“Sure there is.” He looked at her as if she ought to know. “It’s Montgomery.”
Rachel kept a stranglehold on the banister because her knees wobbled to such extremes that she feared she was going to pitch forward and tumble down the steps. Nate was a federal marshal? Holy hell! That was infinitely worse than being a city marshal or county sheriff!
For God’s sake, the president of the U.S.A., no less, had appointed him! Plus, Nate had misled her purposely. Ex-lawman, my eye! she thought furiously. If Adolph had sent him, what was Nate waiting for? For her to incriminate herself so he could arrest her?
She opened her mouth but no words came out. Her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. Not that it mattered because her heart was pounding so hard that she couldn’t draw enough breath to voice a sentence.
Finally, she pulled herself together enough to speak, but it took several moments. “Oh…right. You mean Nate. Of course, what was I thinking?” She smacked herself on the forehead, then managed a false smile. “He’s been traveling with us and I’ve come to consider him part of our troupe.”
“Montgomery came by my office yesterday to file a report,” Phillip explained—and let his gaze wander at will over Rachel’s trim-fitting calico gown. “He was looking for three men. I came by to tell him that I asked around town last night while I was making my rounds. I heard several reports of sightings from local businessmen. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen anything of them this morning.”
When the young marshal started past her, she clutched his arm. “I’ll tell Nate the news,” she insisted.
“I’m not sure that would be a good idea,” Phillip said hesitantly. “Montgomery is sort of a stickler for rules and regulations. Maybe I better tell him myself.”
Learning that Nate was a by-the-book law officer caused her alarm and anger to escalate with each passing second. The voice in her head kept shouting, Get out of town while the getting is still good!
“I’ll deliver your message to Nate the moment I return upstairs.” She directed Phillip’s attention to the satchels she had dropped accidentally when he announced that Nate was a U.S. marshal. “Would you mind carrying my satchels to the wagon for me?” She batted her eyes at him a few times—and silently cursed herself for resorting to deceptive measures to divert Phillip’s attention.
“Sure, I’ll be glad to.” He scooped up her luggage, then reversed direction.
Although Rachel walked alongside him, posing questions about his life in Possum Grove, she was silently seething. Nathan Montgomery had outright lied to her. There was nothing former about his profession. If he was a U.S. Marshal and he was taking a new “job” in Dodge City, it was entirely possible that he was, at this very moment, investigating Adolph Turner’s murder. Either that or he had interviewed the supposed victim of assault and robbery during her absence in Dodge. Then again, Nate might not have the details of the case yet and he was on his way to Dodge—soon to discover that she was the fugitive he was to track down.
Oh, God! she thought, on the verge of panic. What if he already knew what she’d done and this was a setup?
Her mind whirled like a windmill, wondering whether Nate was trying to force a confession out of her by probing into her past with his cat-and-mouse game. And what if Adolph had twisted the truth until it was almost unrecognizable? He’d certainly done it before in the case of his departed mistress. He could be hell-bent on having her captured and tried for robbery, horse thieving—and only God knew what else he’d dream up to add to her list of crimes.
Sure enough, dead or alive, Adolph was driving her crazy with dread and fear.
Calm down! Rachel shouted silently at herself. She was allowing her imagination and anxiety to get the better of her. Surely Nate didn’t know who she was. But from now on, she’d watch him astutely, just in case he knew more than he was telling and waiting for her to incriminate herself.
The feeling of well-being that had greeted Rachel this morning fizzled out. She felt confused, betrayed, outraged and apprehensive. It was worse than the tormenting emotions that had hounded her the previous day, for her heartfelt affection for Nate had shattered in the wake of the shocking information Phillip Dexter had delivered.
The urge to flee nearly overwhelmed her again. There was no question that she would have to abandon the medicine show very shortly. When Nate reached Dodge City and discovered her invo
lvement in Adolph’s death—or injury—he would know exactly where to find her. He would place her under arrest—for something.
If Adolph had his way—which the bastard did all too often—she would rot in jail…or hang.
Neither option appealed to Rachel.
Having Nate apprehend her would be too humiliating. She loved that deceptive rascal, damn him! She still couldn’t figure out why he’d told her that he was an ex-lawman. For certain, he had downplayed his profession after she had confided that she knew too many corrupt officers and lacked faith in any of them. And to think he had the nerve to fire questions at her about her past when he hadn’t been honest about his present occupation!
Angry frustration ate her alive as she listened to Marshal Dexter try to charm her while he tucked her satchels in the medicine wagon. He wasted his breath, because she was finished with men forever and was too busy conjuring up tortuous ways to dispose of Nate.
What was another murder to her credit now? she asked herself bitterly.
You could only hang once, right?
When the marshal continued to follow her around like a puppy, Rachel buzzed around the wagon, checking to ensure it was in proper working order. Then she hitched up the horses. Still, Phillip didn’t wander off to do whatever marshals did when they weren’t making arrests or rounding up posses for manhunts. Or womanhunts, as her case happened to be.
The thought of having men with guns on horseback chasing after her made her twitchy.
Phillip tagged along when she announced that she was going to eat breakfast at one of the restaurants before leaving town. Although she had lost her appetite, she cleaned up every morsel on her plate while Phillip regaled her with his entire life story. She had plenty of secrets to keep, but evidently he didn’t have even one.
On the way back to the hotel Rachel silently cursed Nate for deceiving her. Then she reminded herself that she had detained him in his room to avoid Adolph’s ruffians. In addition, she had doctored Nate’s food with a love potion and had diverted his attention by seducing him before he had conked out to sleep for several hours.
You are a hypocrite, she chided herself.
Nevertheless, she still felt betrayed. The man she loved turned out to be the worst thing that had ever happened to her.
Chapter Ten
Nate had received the silent treatment from Doc, starting the moment the older man stamped downstairs to stash his gear in the wagon so they could travel to Evening Shade. Judging by the red streaks in Doc’s eyes and the expression on his face—that made him appear as sour as curdled milk—he’d drunk himself to sleep in the privacy of his room.
No doubt, seeing Nate walk from Rachel’s room, looking ruffled and half-put-together was the perfect excuse for Doc to drink. As if he needed another one besides battling private demons that escaped at dark most every night.
Doc’s hostility Nate understood. It was the cold-shoulder treatment he’d received from Rachel all day that he didn’t understand. She had detained him in her room the previous night—not that he had complained about the erotically satisfying passion they had shared. He thought they were getting along extremely well.
Suddenly, she treated him like the enemy—after they had been as close as two people could get. He was at a loss to explain why.
“Something going on that I should know about?” Ludy asked as he shifted on the wagon seat beside Nate.
He lifted his shoulder in a noncommittal shrug, then popped the reins to send the horses into a faster clip.
Ludy hitched his thumb toward the wagon bed where Doc slept. And beyond to where Rachel, dressed in men’s clothing, rode Ludy’s horse. “What did you do to annoy those two? And it better not be what I think it is,” he added darkly.
Nate sighed when Ludy puffed up, much the same way Doc had last night. Doc’s and Ludy’s protective instincts toward Rachel couldn’t have been more obvious.
“What do you think it is?” Nate questioned.
Ludy’s green eyes narrowed accusingly and his usual good humor disappeared in nothing flat. “You know what I think.”
“You can think what you want, friend, but it is none of your business.”
The frizzy-haired banjo player straightened on the seat, then gave Nate the evil eye. “If it pertains to Rachel I’m making it my business. I was looking after her before you showed up.”
“When? In between jaunts to bordellos to make your rounds in every nameless little town in Kansas?”
“That’s none of your business, friend,” Ludy snapped defensively. “That’s entirely different. We are discussing Rachel, who was exceptionally leery of men until you came along.”
Nate blew out his breath in exasperation. He’d never had to explain himself to a woman’s substitute father or brother. Not even to a woman’s blood kin. Yet, here he was trying to soothe Ludy’s ruffled feathers.
“I don’t have to tell you that she is very special and unique,” Nate commented.
Ludy scoffed. “That goes without saying. I figure Rachel’s refusal to confide her past indicates she’s had problems and now you’ve come along to complicate her life further. And here you are an ex-lawman.” He stared pointedly at Nate. “I expected more from the likes of you.”
So did Nate. His code of conduct had taken a direct hit when confronted with his obsessive desire for that onyx-eyed siren who had the voice of an angel and a body built for sin. Who could resist that devilishly sweet combination?
Nate figured he was headed to hell and there was a bonfire with his name on it awaiting him.
Ludy crossed his arms over his chest, twisted on the seat to face Nate directly and said, “So what are you planning to do about what you did?”
“I do not want to have this conversation,” Nate muttered.
“Too bad. We’re having it, anyway,” Ludy insisted. “Rachel is the only woman friend I have and I intend to see that she is treated fairly.”
Nate gave a caustic snort. “Judging by all your stops in the towns we’ve frequented, I’d say you have a lot of woman friends, so don’t be so self-righteous.”
“You know what I mean. Rachel isn’t a passing fancy…so what are you planning to do about it?” Ludy prodded.
Nate glanced over his shoulder to ensure Rachel wasn’t within earshot. She’d kill him if she knew she was the hot topic of conversation. She’d acted as if she’d wanted to kill him all morning and he had no idea what had set her off.
“I offered marriage and she turned me down flat,” he confided reluctantly.
Ludy blinked like a startled owl. “What? Why?”
“She said she didn’t want a man hovering around, thinking she needed his constant protection and trying to tell her what to do.”
Ludy smiled reluctantly. “Sounds like something she’d say.”
“I’m leaving tomorrow to take a new job in Dodge City so I’m hoping I can count on you to keep me updated on how things are going with Rachel and Doc. If you need me, I’ll be here as soon as I can.”
“Good to know. But I’m still not happy with you.”
“Neither am I. My resistance isn’t as invincible as I used to think,” Nate said in a begrudging tone.
Ludy chuckled wryly. “That’s a difficult thing for a man to admit, I reckon. At the tender age of seventeen, I discovered that I have a hopeless attraction to all shapes, sizes and dispositions of women. I haven’t been the same since.”
Nate thought Ludy was going to let him off the hook, but the banjo player added, “I did, however, show enough restraint not to tamper with Rachel. Especially with Doc, the scarecrow of vengeance, flapping his wings around the medicine show.”
There was no doubt that Nate had made a resentful enemy in Doc Grant. Yet, it was Rachel’s refusal to acknowledge his existence this morning that bothered him most.
Speaking of the devil…Nate cast Rachel a wary glance when she trotted the horse up beside the wagon seat. She didn’t glance at him, didn’t smile or frown. In fact, he
r bewitching face lacked all expression.
“Let’s stop at the creek to eat the picnic lunch Ludy was thoughtful enough to purchase for us.”
Having said that, she trotted ahead of the wagon.
Fifteen minutes later, Nate halted the wagon beneath a sprawling shade tree, then strode off to fetch water for the horses. When Rachel walked past him on her way to the creek, Nate set aside the buckets and blocked her path.
“Mind telling me why you have nothing to say after last night’s—”
She made a slashing gesture with her hand to silence him. “I have told you repeatedly that I do not have to answer to you, Mr. Montgomery.”
“So now we are back to formality, are we?” he said irritably. “I helped you make it through a bad night and you’re finished with me?”
She glowered at him with her dark eyes flashing. “Precisely. Consider yourself used and discarded. It happens to women all the time. Now you know what it feels like.”
When she started past him, he latched on to her arm. She hatchet chopped his wrist with the side of her hand. Despite the sharp pain, he didn’t release her.
“You may be a gifted actress and performer, but you aren’t fooling me one bit, angel face. I was there last night, if you recall—”
“More’s the pity in that,” she snapped disparagingly.
He ignored the insult. “You liked me well enough then.”
She avoided his pointed stare by glancing at the tree limbs above his head. “It’s a new day, Montgomery, and you’re leaving very soon. I have nothing else to say to you but good riddance and goodbye.”
When she jerked her arm from his grasp abruptly, Nate let her go. She was bristling with hostility, but as usual, prying information from Rachel required a crowbar. He didn’t have one handy.
Huffing out his breath, Nate picked up the buckets and returned to the wagon. Doc had climbed down to scrub his hands over his head and face. His blond hair was jutting out in all directions.
