by Faye Adams
"What?" Cass gasped incredulously. He'd lost his mind. If only she could get one of her hands free she'd feel much safer.
"We're going to be so happy, Cass," he rambled, "I love you so much. You're beautiful and exciting. When father wrote me you'd murdered all those men I didn't believe him, but now I know it's true."
"I didn't murder anyone, Ramsey. I killed the men who murdered my family."
“I know, and we'll forget all that once we're married."
Cass could take no more. "I'm not going to marry you, Ramsey," she said.
"Of course you are."
"No, I'm not!"
“But I love you. That damned marshal put ideas in your head, didn't he?"
"No. It has nothing to do with Brett."
"I don't believe you. He's done something to you." His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I can make you forget him," he said, leaning toward her.
"Ramsey, stop this," she protested as he tried to kiss her.
Ramsey clamped both of her hands in one of his own. With the other, he grasped her jaw, holding her head still. "I'm going to make you forget all men but me."
Cass fought to turn her head, but he was too strong. She nearly gagged when his mouth descended on hers in a crushing kiss, and she clenched her teeth against his attempt to put his tongue in her mouth.
“You'll change once we're married," he hissed, glaring down at her. "I'll not have a wife who refuses my touch."
"No!" Cass struggled. She flinched when he squeezed down harder on her wrists.
"This would be so much easier if you wouldn't fight me, Cass," he said.
Cass's eyes widened as she suddenly realized how easy it would be to free herself. "Maybe you're right, Ramsey," she said, ending her struggling.
Ramsey looked down at her suspiciously. "I am right," he continued to argue.
"I know you are. It just took me a minute to realize it."
He leaned toward her for another kiss.
This time Cass didn't fight his attempt to open her mouth. She accepted him almost eagerly, waiting for her opportunity.
Ramsey was startled by her apparent passion. "Cass, are you teasing me?" he asked.
"I would never do that, Ramsey," she purred.
He couldn't believe his good fortune. He'd been certain it would take longer to make her see the light. He bent to kiss her again.
Cass allowed his kiss, though she wanted to vomit directly into his mouth. "Please, Ramsey?" she asked, wiggling to free her hands from his grasp.
"Not yet," he said, still not sure she wasn't trying to trick him. With his free hand, he cupped her breast, hearing her shocked intake of air when he did. He waited for her to pull away.
Cass nearly shook with anger, but she stayed close to him. She even pressed her breast deeper into his hand, groaning with disgust at his touch.
Ramsey heard her moan and knew he'd won. Releasing her hands, he leaned forward to enjoy her passion.
The second her hands were free, Cass jerked away from him and leaped up from the bench, pulling her guns. “You stupid, sick bastard!” she cursed "I should plug you full of lead for that!"
Ramsey stared surprised down the barrels of her twin Colts. "But, Cass…"
"Don't even try to say anything. Don't ever say anything to me again."
“But, Cass, I love you."
"Hah! You don't know what the hell love it. I'm not sure I even know what it is, but I can guarantee it isn't this!" she exclaimed.
Ramsey's surprise turned to anger. "Put down the guns, Cass," he said. "We need to talk."
"I'm through talking to you, Ramsey."
"You don't understand how important it is for us to marry, Cass."
I would never marry you. Not even if you were the last man on earth," she said vehemently"
"Because of the marshal."
"No, Ramsey. Listen to me…"
"What did he do to you, Cass?"
"Brett hasn't done anything to me."
"He's been staying out at your place. It's been real convenient for him, hasn't it?" His eyes became evil slits in his face.
"Ramsey, you don't know what you're saying."
"I know exactly what I'm saying. Did you make it easy for him, Cass? Or did you string him along for a while before you screwed him?" he demanded.
"You bastard," she hissed. "I'm leaving now, Ramsey. Don't try to follow me, and don't ever speak to me again " Her voice was an even tone, threatening in its timbre. She began to back away from him toward the front of the hotel.
“Slut!" he screamed as she left. "You filthy slut! You're going to pay for this!"
Cass kept walking backwards until she was once again on the sidewalk and could see other people on the street around her. Letting out her breath slowly, she realized she'd begun shaking, and holstered her guns. Lowering herself to sit on the bottom step of the porch, she let her head fall forward for a moment. She needed to compose herself before seeing Brett again. If he ever found out what Ramsey had just done to her, he'd kill him. And though she'd wanted to kill him herself, she didn't want Brett to spend the rest of his life in jail, or end up dangling from a hangman's noose, because of a demented fool like Ramsey.
It took her a full twenty minutes to calm down enough to go looking for Brett. When she found him, he'd just put up a campaign poster in the store window.
"What do you think?" he asked her, grinning.
She began to laugh, glad she had something to take her mind off Ramsey. "Is that supposed to be you?" she asked, looking at the ridiculous caricature that graced the sign.
“It's not that bad, is it? It's the best I could do."
She laughed again. "You drew that yourself?"
He nodded.
"I thought maybe you'd had one of the grade school kids do it for you."
"Very funny," he told her. "I suppose you think you could do better?"
"I couldn't do worse," she gibed.
Just then Jasper Martin, the storekeeper, stepped outside and looked at the sign. “Hey, I like your sign,” he said, a huge smile splitting his face. "It shows you don't take yourself too seriously."
"That's what I thought," said Brett.
Cass snickered.
"You've got my vote," Jasper said, then walked back into the store.
"Because of that sign?" asked Cass incredulously when Jasper could no longer hear her.
Brett laughed. "I didn't know that campaigning was going to be so easy. I figured people would be interested in my record, what I could do for the town as sheriff, and here all I have to do is put up silly-looking pictures of myself."
Cass laughed with him. "I'm sure there are a few citizens of Twisted Creek who are interested in what you have to offer."
"Are you interested in what I have to offer?" he asked, his voice full of innuendo.
"That depends on what exactly you're offering," she teased.
“I'd love to tell you or, better yet, show you," he said, his voice rumbling deep within his chest.
Ramsey watched this laughing exchange from the alley opening, and glowered. "You'll pay for this, Marshal. And, Cass, you will be my wife," he snarled.
Jasper stepped back out onto the sidewalk. “Cass, I almost forgot to tell you. I got word from the railhead. Your wire arrived early. It’ll be here sometime tomorrow morning.”
"Great," she said.
Brett grimaced. "Are you still going through with this?"
"Yes. I'm still going through with this," she mimicked. She then looked at Jasper. "Thanks, I'll be here tomorrow to pick it up."
Ramsey had moved closer by sneaking along the opposite side of the street. His jaw clenched in rage when he heard about the wire. Turning back the other way, he headed for his horse. His father had to be told right away.
"King me!" squealed Cass as she jumped another of Brett's checkers.
"I believe you cheat," said Brett.
"I never cheat. I don't have to. I'm simply brilliant at playing checkers."
"That's what I said," Darby answered from his seat across the room.
"I think I've been hustled," Brett complained.
"Shut up and king me." Cass giggled.
Brett did as he was told. "All right, you nag. Now it's my move."
"Nag! Did you hear what he called me, Uncle Darby? I think you should throw him out of the house at once."
"Whatever you say, Cass," Darby answered, not moving from his chair. “Although, I have to admit you do nag a bit."
"It's a conspiracy," she huffed. “I think…"
The explosion of a lantern being thrown through the front window abruptly ended Cass's sentence.
"Fire!" shouted Darby. "Soony, bring water"
Brett jumped up and ripped the burning curtains from the window and began to beat out the flames. Cass grabbed a quilt from the daybed and swiped it over the floor where the flames danced on the wood.
"What happened?" shouted Soony, throwing a dishpan full of water over the flames.
Brett didn't have time to answer. Shots began flying through the windows. "Everyone gets down!" he shouted.
Darby and Soony fell to the floor. Cass dove for her guns, grabbing them quickly and sliding to the floor with them.
Brett got down on his knees and crawled to where his holster hung over the headboard of the daybed.
Bullets ripped through the air over their heads. They could hear shouts outside and saw more flames.
"They're burning my new barn!" yelled Cass. Rising, she poked one of her guns through the window and began firing.
"Stay down, Cass!" Brett shouted. "Stay down!" He crawled to another window and broke out the shards of glass still clinging to the frame. "Who are you and what do you want?" he yelled through the broken window.
His answer was laughter from outside and more shots blasting through the windows.
"Damn you to hell!" shouted Cass, firing more shots of her own. She could see several riders passing the house when they got in front of the flames from the barn, and she aimed and fired again. A man fell from one of the horses to the sound of an anguished cry. "I got one of the bastards," she said through her teeth.
Brett fired into the night. "Cass, they're coming with torches," he yelled.
Cass looked out in the direction Brett was staring. Three, maybe four, men were riding hard for the house carrying blazing torches. "They mean to burn us out," Cass breathed.
"They’ll not get us," said Darby as he scooted next to Cass. "I've still got my rifle." He raised the weapon and stuck the barrel out of the window.
Cass gave her uncle a smile of encouragement. He'd managed to get the rifle from over the fireplace without getting himself shot. Aiming once again, she fired at the men riding toward them. Brett and Darby did the same. One of the men fell, then another, but two got close enough to throw their torches on the roof of the house.
"The roof's dry. If it catches, the house will go up like a tinderbox," Cass yelled above the noise. Then another torch crashed through a window in the back of the house.
"I'll go take care of it," shouted Brett.
Cass continued to fire, hoping against hope the roof wouldn't begin to burn.
"Missy, Cass!" shouted Soony. "The roof. It's on fire!"
Cass's heart sank at Soony's words. If the roof went, they were lost. Smoke started filling the room. "Damn you to hell, Tylo," she cursed' "You're going to win after all, you bastard!" She turned back to the window and fired several more rounds into the darkness.
Darby fired his rifle again and again.
Brett carne back down the hall. "It's no use, Cass. The house is a loss," he said, choking on the smoke billowing around them, thick and black. "'We've got to get out."
"And go where? That's what they want. They'll shoot us as soon as we go outside."
"There's an awful lot of smoke. Maybe we can use it to our advantage. I'll kick open the door and all of the windows. They won't know which way we're coming out. We'll leave through Darby's bedroom window. That's the darkest side of the house."
"We don't know how many of them are left. They might have men all around us."
"They might, but this is our only chance.”
Cass looked at her uncle, then at Soony. They were looking at her with trust. "All right, we'll try it. I sure don't want to die in this fire."
Brett went to the window by the table. Picking up a chair, he threw it through the broken panes, destroying what was left of the frame. Shots rang out as the chair crashed into the night. He then went to every other window in the house in a haphazard order, including Darby's. When he was done, he came back. "Now for the door," he said. Standing up, he turned the knob and kicked with all his might. The door swung wildly open, breaking the hinges off the frame.
"They're coming out!" someone shouted. More shots followed the words.
"Come on. It's now or never," Brett said, choking on the smoke.
Cass took her uncle's arm and tugged on him to follow her. Soony went with Brett. The smoke was so thick now they could barely see, and breathing was nearly impossible. Cass's eyes burned, and she coughed on each breath.
Brett darted in front of her, next to the window. "I'll go first. If they see me I'll draw their fire. I'll try to cover for you," he said.
Cass nodded. "All right." She coughed again.
Brett stood up to climb through the window. At the last second he crouched back down.
"What's wrong? Don't you think you can make it?" Cass asked.
Brett took her face in his hands. "No. I don't think I can make it, but this is our only chance. I just had to tell you something."
Cass looked expectantly into his gray eyes.
"I love you, Cass," he whispered, then pressed his lips to hers.
Before she could respond, he stood up and jumped through the window. The gunfire continued around the house, and her heart stopped beating. Holding her breath, she peered over the sill, sure she'd see his beautiful body dead in the dirt. Instead, he signaled from the shadows on the other side of the yard.
"He made it! come on, Uncle, Soony. Let's go."
Darby pushed Soony out ahead of him. When he tried to make Cass go next, she refused. "Get going, Uncle," she ordered him. "I'm right behind you."
Darby climbed over the sill and out onto the ground. Cass jumped out after him. Running together across the yard, they heard hoof beats corning toward them.
"Cass, get down!" shouted Brett. He could see the rider, but he couldn't get a good shot past Cass and Darby.
"They're over here!" the man shouted. "They're getting out the back." He started firing.
Cass heard Brett, but turned toward the rider. "You bastard!" She shouted, aiming one of her Colts at him.
Brett shouted again, "Cass, get down!"
The man fired again, his bullet catching Darby in the leg, sending him to the ground.
Cass fired a single shot. The bullet passed through the air like a spear from hell, finding its mark between the rider's eyes. "Meet your Maker!" she shouted.
“Cass, help me," Darby moaned from where he'd fallen.
Cass whirled around. "I'll get you out of here, Uncle," she hissed. Grabbing him under the arms, she began to drag him toward the shadows.
Brett hurried out to help them. He lifted Darby like a baby and ran for the dark again. "Come on, Cass. We've got to keep running. It won't be long before the rest of them come around the house to find out what the shooting was."
Cass ran as fast as she could. Her lungs were filled with smoke and she had trouble catching her breath as she ran. She didn't know how Brett could carry Darby and run, too.
In a little while they caught up with Soony, who waited under a tree. "Mr. Darby, you're shot," he cried. "Please be okay."
"I'm fine," said Darby, his voice a faint whisper.
"We've got to keep going," said Brett.
"Get t
o the wash,” said Cass. "We can hide until they've gone."
Brett nodded his agreement and followed her.
Cass knew the land as well in the dark as in broad daylight. In minutes she led them down into the deep section of the wash where she'd tricked Brett during their race. "We can stop here," she breathed. "Let me look at your wound, Uncle," she said.
"He fainted," Brett said.
"He's not ..." Cass's eyes grew wide with terror.
"No, he's not dead," Brett hurried to assure her.
Sighing, Cass touched Darby's forehead. "Let me look at him."
Laying Darby on the ground, Brett knelt beside him to help Cass see how badly he was injured.
Cass found the hole in her uncle's trousers where the bullet had entered. Forcing her fingers inside it, she ripped the material apart. The moonlight overhead showed the bullet had entered high on his thigh, and though a lack of forceful bleeding indicated it had missed the artery, a steady stream of dark red oozed from the wound. "We've got to get him to the doctor," she said.
"As soon as we're sure those men have left," Brett told her.
"Ohhhh," wailed Soony all of a sudden.
"'What is it? Are you injured?" Cass asked him frantically.
"Pork Chop!" he cried.
Cass sighed. "I'm so sorry, Soony. We couldn't save her this time."
Soony dropped is head and wept for his lost pet.
"I'll go see if it's safe to leave yet," Brett whispered.
Cass looked up at him. "Be careful," she said.
"I will." He climbed up the side of the wash and belly crawled through the grass back toward the house.
Cass watched him go, her heart hammering in her chest. She then turned back to tend her uncle's wound. She had to try to stop the flow of blood. Scratching some damp dirt from the bottom of the wash, she wrapped it in some grass. This she placed over the wound. Tearing a section from the hem of her shirt, she tied it tightly around his leg, holding the grass in place. "That’ll have to do for now," she whispered.
Brett crawled as close to the house as he dared. He could see several men on horseback riding back and forth around the flaming structure and out into the adjoining fields. They were looking for them. They’d figured out that their prey had escaped. Crawling back to where Cass, Darby and Soony waited, he slid down into the wash.
