by Carol Finch
The instant Doc saw Nate he scowled and wheeled around. “You’re still here. I told you to leave.”
“I told you that I’m staying until after the Evening Shade performance.” Nate set the buckets in front of the team of thirsty horses.
Doc glanced around to note that Ludy and Rachel had vacated the area. “Fine, then. I’ve changed my mind about what I expect from you. I’m holding you responsible for what happened.”
“I already hold myself responsible,” Nate declared as he walked up to Doc.
“Good. You and Rachel are getting married in Evening Shade.”
Nate barked a laugh. “You’ll have to drag her, kicking and screaming, to the altar. I offered last night and she rejected me.”
Doc’s bloodshot eyes shot open wide. “Why?”
“Not good enough for her?” Nate suggested helpfully. “No honor or integrity? Do you have anything else to add to the possible list? You seemed to have several complaints about my character and personality flaws last night.”
Doc grumbled sourly. “I was just plain mad at you last night. This morning I’m thinking about how the future might play out for Rachel.”
“Then you’ll have to talk sense into her. She’s barely speaking to me.”
“Just why is that?” Doc asked suspiciously.
“I honestly don’t know. Last night she was the one who—”
He clamped his mouth shut, cursing himself for even hinting that Rachel had held him to his solemn promise to do whatever necessary to make her forget the drifters’ physical attack. “I don’t understand women. Rachel especially,” he admitted. “She has me completely baffled.”
That got a smile from Doc, who removed his wrinkled jacket and draped it over the back of the wagon. The midday sun beamed down on him, calling more attention to his peaked face. “That’s the beauty of women. The never knowing and always wanting to make them happy.”
Apparently, a fond memory had flooded over Doc because his smile widened and his eyes glistened in a way Nate hadn’t noticed before. All too soon, however, Doc’s smile turned upside down. The mysterious demon was back to torment him, Nate was sorry to say.
Doc turned away, then strode off. “I’ll talk to Rachel.”
Nate grimaced. If she thought he had bragged to Doc, she would likely skin him alive. “That might offend her. Or at least make her uncomfortable. I should talk to her.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
“All right. We’ll camp near Evening Shade and wait until tomorrow afternoon to open the show.”
Nate breathed a sigh, hoping he’d dodged the bullet by preventing Doc from approaching Rachel—and very likely embarrassing her. She was such a private person that he had no doubt that she’d be offended by Ludy’s or Doc’s prying questions and unwanted advice.
She’d certainly let him have it with both barrels blazing when he’d tried to question her about her past and discuss the consequences of their trysts.
“Rachel, I want to talk to you.” Ludy walked up beside her on the creek bank, spoiling the peaceful tranquility of the setting. “I wasn’t going to interfere, but this thing with you and Nate is—”
She cut him off at the pass. “Nate and I are old business. I needed comfort and distraction last night and he was it.”
And curse him to hell and back for boasting about his conquest. No doubt, this was his way of getting back at her because she had wanted nothing more to do with him. No doubt, his male pride was smarting something fierce.
“I shouldn’t have to explain such things to you. After all, you’ve given new meaning to the word distraction in every town we visit,” she remarked.
Ludy reared back as if she’d slapped him. Rachel felt guilty for lashing out at him.
“Sorry. I have no right to take my anger and frustration out on you when it’s Nate I’d like to roast over a campfire.”
Ludy frowned, bufuddled. “But he said he was prepared to do the right thing by you.”
There was that infuriating turn of phrase again. It made Rachel gnash her teeth in irritation. “I might be a lot of things—” like a thief, murderess and fugitive “—but I will never be a man’s right thing to do!”
Ludy held up his hands in supplication and smiled cajolingly, showing his dimples. “Easy, buttercup. I usually know what to say to appease women, but I’m at a complete loss with you. Are you telling me that you are opposed to getting hitched to Nate?”
“That is exactly what I’m telling you. Now go away—”
“There you are. I want to talk to you, Rachel.”
She rolled her eyes heavenward, asking for divine patience when Doc’s voice wafted toward her. “He tattled to Doc, too?” She glared at Ludy, who had the good sense to back away. “What is this? A two-sided assault? Did Nate put you and Doc up to this?”
Ludy shook his head vigorously while he retreated uphill. “No. Honest. I took it upon myself to talk to you.”
“Nate asked me not too broach the subject, but I decided I want to talk about this right now,” Doc declared as he halted in front of Rachel. “Now what is this nonsense about refusing to accept Nate’s proposal? Of course you are going to accept!”
Her fingers curled, wishing she could put a chokehold on Nate’s thick neck and squeeze until his eyes popped out. Damn him! Next thing she knew he’d be posting notices of their affair in every town on the circuit!
“I’ve decided to become a hidebound spinster. So yes, wedding proposals from anyone aren’t in my future,” she retorted hotly. “Furthermore, you can tell Blabbermouth that I’m never speaking to him again. Ever.”
“He didn’t boast,” Doc insisted. “I came to check on you last night and I saw him exit your room. I am certainly old enough to know what’s what, young lady,” he added pointedly.
“Oh.” She glanced the other way, unsure what else to say.
“You should give serious thought to accepting his proposal,” Doc advised. “Nate looks to be a strong, healthy man who can support you in case—”
Rachel flung up her hand to forestall him. “There are extenuating circumstances that make any proposal impossible.”
Doc blink, startled. “You’re engaged? You’re a runaway bride?”
No, she was running from the law—and Nate was it. He was the worst kind of law and order, in her book. A U.S. marshal, for heaven sake! His jurisdiction was wide ranging and he had influence, and he had friends in the very highest of places. One word from him and her head would roll. Even if, by some remote chance, he believed her story and stood up for her, she suspected his reasons for siding with her would draw speculative smirks that insinuated she had slept with him to ensure his assistance.
Damn it, she really needed to pack up and head to Colorado. She’d leave tonight, she decided suddenly. Having Ludy and Doc know that she had become intimate with Nate, who had lied to her about his federal appointment in law enforcement—the cad—was too humiliating and awkward. She’d have to confiscate Ludy’s saddle horse to make her fast getaway, but she would leave him all the monetary compensation she could spare.
Doc jostled her from her mental arrangements by snapping his fingers in front of her face. “I could use a good soaking. Give me some privacy, please.”
Rachel spun around and walked off. She didn’t want to leave Doc behind for fear he would use her disappearance as another excuse to consume the fifty-proof patented remedies. Of course, very soon he would encounter the water she had replaced in the amber-colored bottles. That would really set him off, she predicted with a wince. Maybe it would be better if she wasn’t around for that inevitable explosion—
She squawked in surprise when Nate suddenly appeared in front of her.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said.
She glared at him. “You have no idea.”
“You think I told Ludy and Doc about what happened last night,” he hurried on. “I didn’t. I also think you should marry me so we can resolve t
his uncomfortable predicament and appease your two, highly affronted protectors.”
“Fine,” she said, startling him—and herself.
It suddenly dawned on her that this was the perfect way to pacify everyone. She could agree to anything…because she was leaving tonight. If accepting the proposal that Nate really didn’t want to offer—because he didn’t love her and only felt obligation—would shut him up and satisfy the other two men, then she would agree to marry him.
Besides, Nate wouldn’t want to hold her to the arrangement when he reached Dodge City and realized she was a fugitive—if he didn’t know it already.
She gave that a second, rational thought and decided he didn’t know it yet. Unfortunately, he would very soon.
His dark brows shot up his forehead and his jaw sagged to his chest. “You will marry me?” he chirped, incredulous.
His startled expression was a dagger through her heart. He hadn’t expected her to agree, because he was only soothing his nagging conscience and Ludy’s and Doc’s indignation on her behalf. She was no more than a physical diversion to him. After all, she had seduced him twice. She was pretty sure ingesting the strong potions that appeared to have long-lasting effects accounted for his interest in her.
“Sure,” she said belatedly. “I’ve thought it over and I’ve changed my mind. After tomorrow’s performance in Evening Shade we’ll tie the knot.” I’d rather tie a knot around your neck and put one on your head because you lied to me, Mr. U.S. Marshal!
Leave it to Nate to appraise her carefully after his initial surprise wore off.
“Okay, what’s the catch?” he asked warily.
She shrugged lackadaisically. “No catch. I’m madly in love with you and I don’t want to live without you. You’re the light of my life and all that.”
He cocked his head to study her from a different angle for a long, thoughtful moment. Then he said, “While you’re being so incredibly agreeable, tell me your last name and where you lived before you joined Doc’s traveling medicine show.”
“Rachel Waggoner,” she replied, using her father’s last name, hoping to shock him.
Sure enough, it did. He blinked in astonishment. “Henry Waggoner is your father?”
“None other. Which is why I have such a low opinion of corrupt lawmen who turn to crime and abandon their young daughters and wives burdened with their shame.”
“And your mother?” he questioned. “Where is she?”
“She died of a broken heart, with the help of whiskey,” she confided, certain her questionable background would prompt him to retract his offer of marriage. It didn’t, surprisingly.
“Which explains why you have become Doc’s guardian angel,” he mused aloud.
She lifted her shoulders nonchalantly. “I tried to rescue Doc, but as you can see, I haven’t been very successful yet.”
“Where were you living and working before you joined the medicine show?”
Damn, he sounded exactly like a marshal firing questions, didn’t he? “Colorado. I stayed with my Cheyenne grandmother after my mother died.”
“Where you learned about the culture and learned to speak the language,” he guessed correctly.
“I’m one-quarter Cheyenne.” She wondered if her mixed ancestry might offend him. But he didn’t so much as blink. Just peered intently at her, as he had an unnerving habit of doing when he was trying to sort out facts.
“My grandfather was a French trapper, who used marriage to my grandmother as a useful tool to become accepted by her tribe and have access to its hunting grounds. Of course, when he’d gathered enough furs to make himself wealthy, he returned to white society to get himself a proper wife,” she added, unable to quell the bitterness in her voice, refusing to mention the name St. Raimes.
“You also sang for audiences in a mining town,” he prompted. “When was that?”
It was her turn to blink in surprise. “How do you know that?”
“A bystander in Crossville mentioned that you reminded him of a little girl with an incredibly big voice. He heard you sing at a theater years ago. I figured it must have been you. You’re musical gift is without equal.”
The compliment pleased her enormously, but she was still mad at him because he hadn’t been completely honest with her about his occupation. Therefore, she refused to feel guilty for feeding him half-truths and making crucial omissions about her past.
“I’ve also worked in several saloons the past few years.”
She cast him a challenging stare, but if he found that offensive, he didn’t let it show on his ruggedly handsome face. But then, he was a lawman who had likely heard it all and he probably could wear a deadpan expression with the best of them.
“That is where I practiced deflecting unwanted advances from drunken men. However, last night was not a good indication of my skills of self-defense.” She stared meaningfully at him. “I was extremely distracted all day.”
His sensuous lips twitched, but he kept silent on the subject and posed another question. “Where did you learn to sew expertly?”
She hadn’t anticipated the question but she replied smoothly, “From my grandmother. She taught me a great deal about other things, such as making healing potions and surviving in the wilderness.
“Now that I’ve answered your questions, you can answer a few of mine,” she insisted. Let him squirm, she thought to herself. She knew his present occupation and she knew he would lie about it.
“Where do you call home?”
“I was born in Kansas City.” He gestured for her to accompany him back to the wagon and their waiting picnic lunch. “I joined the Army of the West and it fulfilled my sense of adventure. Turned out I was skilled with weapons so I decided to accept a position as city marshal in a dusty little town called Dover Flats. My main duty was corralling rowdy cowhands and drovers that stopped by while driving cattle to Abilene. After the city of Abilene quarantined longhorns because of the ticks that caused Texas Fever and infected local herds, the town became a quiet farming and ranching community. It was too far from the railroad tracks to draw gamblers and outlaws looking for easy money and drunken targets.”
“So you ran for sheriff in the county?” she pressed.
He nodded his dark head. “That provided the opportunity to move from town to town and track renegades. The nomadic lifestyle suited me.”
“But you gave it up to visit your ailing father?” She watched him carefully, wondering if she’d catch him in the lie.
He chuckled. “I couldn’t fulfill my duties when I was called home. It turned out that my father used the ruse, in hopes of planting me in my hometown permanently. Hedecided I needed to settle down and he handpicked a young woman for me to marry.”
“So you are a runaway groom?”
“I didn’t bolt and run, if that’s what you’re asking,” he corrected. “I politely refused to be shanghaied into marriage.”
“Then you came west to coerce me into marrying you.” She frowned when a disturbing thought struck her. “Are you proposing to me to make sure your father can’t marry you off to someone of his choosing? If I am to be the consolation prize—”
Nate flung up both arms. “Whoa! You are nothing of the kind.”
“Then what kind am I?” she huffed, offended.
“The grand prize. Now don’t get bent out of shape more than you already are,” he insisted. “I came here as a favor to Edgar Havern, my ex-future father-in-law, and his father-in-law because they are having a problem with an investment in Dodge City. That was the consolation for rejecting Lenora.”
He knew he was revealing more than he should because the information was confidential. But he’d finally gotten Rachel to confide the details of her past so he had to return the favor. Otherwise, the feisty little termagant would cancel the wedding plans.
The fact that she had agreed to marriage surprised him. And hell, he still wasn’t sure if he was pleased or disappointed that she had. All he knew was that he had the
instinctive feeling she was still keeping secrets and she didn’t trust him enough to confide in him.
Then again, he couldn’t be completely honest with her, either. Her corrupt father had turned her against lawmen and he didn’t relish telling her that there was nothing former about his occupation.
“Are you still in law enforcement?” Her dark eyes riveted on him.
“I’m doing private investigation during my leave of absence,” he hedged.
She studied him for a few moments. He suspected she was processing the facts and trying to decide if she believed him. Damn, she was cautious. She would make an exceptional law officer because she didn’t take anyone at his word and she reserved judgment until she had gathered all the information.
“So basically you are still in law enforcement?” she asked again.
“More or less.”
“Which is it? More or less?” she demanded.
That was all he intended to say about that so he ignored the pointed question and said, “I’m sorry your father soured you against lawmen, but not everyone is corrupt.”
“I wonder what percentages of lawmen are honest,” she said, then strode off to set out the lunch basket.
“One more thing—”
She waved him off. “We are finished talking. There are no more things I wish to discuss with you.”
Nate watched her go, wondering how honest she had been with him. He doubted he’d heard the whole truth and nothing but.
When Ludy and Doc arrived on the scene, he had no opportunity to grill her with the other questions swirling around his head.
To his shock and amazement, she set the basket on an outspread blanket and said to Doc and Ludy, “Nate and I are getting married, so you can stop badgering me.”
“Really?” Ludy grinned broadly. “Congratulations. When?”
“Tomorrow. The sooner the better.” This from Doc.
“We are thinking about waiting until after the performance in Evening Shade,” she elaborated.
“That works.” Doc munched on his meal. “I’m giving you away. I never had the—” He stopped talking abruptly.
