Riley relayed basically the same story they’d heard from the man on the street earlier. He rubbed the back of his neck as he finished. “He’s demanding we give him a horse and let him ride away, or he’s going to come out shooting, using Pru as a shield.”
Cassie’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, how awful.” Then her brow crinkled. “But I don’t understand. All he wants is a horse, and he’s in a livery...”
Riley shook his head. “It just so happened that at the time Guy ran in, the owner had all the horses that weren’t leased penned in the corral behind the stable. As soon as he realized what was happening, he opened the gate and ran ’em out.”
She shook her head over that, then moved on. “Have you been able to see or talk to Pru?”
Riley shook his head in turn. “He was already holed up inside when I arrived and he hasn’t allowed Pru to say anything.” Which could mean any number of things, some of them worse than others.
“What does the sheriff want to do?”
“That’s what we were just discussing when you arrived.” Arguing about, actually. “Sheriff Calhoun thinks the best way to keep Pru safe is to let Guy have what he wants for now, in the hopes that he can be recaptured and dealt with later under better circumstances.”
“And what do you think?”
Without answering her question, he turned to the detective. “I take it your presence means you have the evidence we’ve been searching for?”
“I do, and it’s about as ironclad as it can be.”
Cassie spoke up again. “And Guy knows all about it.”
Again, Riley felt the urge to howl in frustration. But he had to keep his wits about him. “That’s it, then. If we let Guy drive out of town with Pru, we will likely never see her again. She’s become a liability to him. He knows he needs to travel light, travel fast and change his entire identity if he’s going to escape capture. Pru just won’t fit into those plans once she helps him get out of town.”
“You can’t mean—”
“He will either abandon her somewhere, or worse. We have to end this here.” Riley gave Cassie’s hands a squeeze, trying to draw strength from her. Then he reluctantly let them go. “Stay here, out of the line of fire, in case he makes good with his threats. I need to speak to the sheriff again.”
Riley headed toward the lawman, rock-solid determination in his steps. His argument was no longer based on a hunch. Sheriff Calhoun had to listen to him now. Pru’s life depended on it.
But he’d hardly launched into his argument when Cassie stepped up beside them.
“Let me talk to him.” Her voice was steady, as if she’d just commented on the fine weather they were having.
“Absolutely not!” Riley felt his voice thunder from him, but Cassie didn’t look the least bit fazed.
“I wasn’t speaking to you,” she answered calmly. “I was speaking to the sheriff.”
“And just who might you be?” Sheriff Calhoun asked.
“I’m Cassie Lynn Vickers from over in Turnabout. And I’m also someone who cares very much about that terrified little girl in there.”
“Cassie...” Riley’s voice was a growl now. This was ridiculous. It was bad enough he had Pru’s safety to worry about. He would not allow Cassie to put herself in Guy’s hands, as well.
But the sheriff raised his hands to halt Riley’s protest. “I want to hear what the lady has to say.”
“Thank you, Sheriff. I think we’re all agreed that the primary concern is getting Pru to safety. What happens to or with Guy Simpson is secondary.”
“I’m with you so far.”
“Mr. Walker tells me that no one has seen or heard Pru since Guy dragged her in there. I want to try to make certain she’s all right, to see if she needs any medical help.”
Cassie was voicing thoughts Riley had been trying to avoid since his arrival.
“I want to try to talk to him, to get him to let me in.”
Riley opened his mouth to issue another strong protest, but the sheriff’s glower held him off. He clamped his teeth tight enough to tense his jaw. He’d let the sheriff hear her out, but he’d be hanged if he’d let her go through with any of it.
The lawman crossed his arms. “And what makes you think he’ll listen to you?”
“Because I’m a woman, he won’t see me as a threat. In fact, he’ll likely see me as another potential hostage, doubling his chances of negotiating his way out.”
“And you don’t think that’s what you’ll be handing him?”
She shook her head. “I’m pretty nimble and more clever than I look. If he lets me get close to Pru, and if she’s not seriously injured, I’m pretty sure I can get her out. I have to try, at least.”
“I heard a lot of ifs and pretty sures in that statement.”
At least the sheriff wasn’t letting himself be bowled over by Cassie’s harebrained logic.
“But none of them were very long shots. Besides, I don’t believe either you or Mr. Walker here has come up with a better plan, have you?”
Riley fumed as the silence drew out. Finally, he bit out the only response he had. “Any plan would be better than that one.” He could not bear to have her fall into Guy’s clutches, too.
She raised a brow. “I’m listening.”
This time it was the sheriff who spoke up. “I know you want to save that little girl, but I don’t see how giving this Simpson fellow another helpless hostage—no offense, Miss Vickers—is going to do that.”
“And what makes you think I plan to be a helpless hostage?” Cassie reached into her pocket and drew out a derringer. “Mrs. Flanagan gave me this before I left Turnabout. And don’t worry, I know exactly how to use it.”
Riley had had enough. “So now you’re planning to shoot your way out, with Pru in tow, no less? This is utterly ridiculous. I won’t have it.”
Claypool cleared his throat, making his presence known. “Actually, I think the lady’s plan makes a great deal of sense, given the dire circumstances. And I think that for her to even suggest it, much less do so in the calm, logical manner she has, makes her one of the bravest women I have ever known.”
Didn’t Claypool think he knew that? “Miss Vickers’s courage is not in doubt here, it’s the soundness of her plan.” Riley just couldn’t risk losing both her and Pru. It would kill him.
Cassie patted his hand as if he were a child, and then turned to the sheriff. “What do you think of my plan?”
“It could work. Or it could get you killed.”
Cassie offered him a crooked smile. “Let’s focus on the could work part.”
A great deal more discussion ensued, but in the end, the sheriff was convinced to let her do it.
Riley, however, was not happy.
She looked at him, her eyes liquid wells of emotion. “Before I do this, there’s one thing I need from you.”
There was nothing on this earth he could refuse her when she gazed at him that way. “Name it.”
“Kiss me. Kiss me like you want me to come back out of there. Like you wish you could go in with me. Like I truly matter to you.”
He stepped forward and took her gently into his arms. “Yes, to all of the above,” he whispered. Then he bent down and gave her the kiss she’d asked for, a kiss that came pouring from him with all the force of his pent-up emotions, a kiss that didn’t care who was watching or what they might think.
When he finally pulled away, he gently pushed a few tendrils of hair from her forehead, not surprised to see his hand trembling slightly. How could he let her do this? “Now I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything,” she whispered.
“Promise me you won’t do anything stupid in there, that you will do all in your power to come back to me.”
“I promise.” The
n she stepped away from him and faced the livery. She didn’t see him reach for her again and then drop his hands in defeat.
* * *
Cassie took a deep breath. Now that the moment was upon her, doubts were creeping in.
But she had the memory of that amazing, soul-searing kiss to give her courage.
“Guy!” She was surprised that her voice came out steady and strong. “It’s me, Cassie Lynn Vickers.”
It took a moment for him to respond, and when he did, she could tell he was close to the door. “Well, well, so it is. It appears my do-gooder brother has got his woman to do the talking for him.”
She heard a snarl from somewhere behind her, but ignored it. “No one has gotten me to do anything. It’s Pru I’m worried about and it’s her I’m here for.”
“I’ve already told the sheriff what needs to happen if he wants to keep Pru safe.”
“I just want to see her, to talk to her and make sure she’s all right.”
“You think I would hurt my own flesh and blood?”
That’s exactly what she thought. “You’ve both been through a lot these past several hours. Lots of bad things could have happened to a little girl in that time.”
“I told you all, she’s fine. But she won’t be if I don’t get my horse.”
“Come on, Guy, I just want to see her, assure myself she’s okay, maybe cosset her a little bit and let her know it’s all going to turn out okay.” Cassie infused a touch of incredulousness in her voice. “Surely you’re not afraid of what I’ll do if I get inside?”
He made an inelegant noise. “That’s a laugh.”
“Then let me see her. I’ll just come in, check her over and come right back out. Then I can reassure all these gents that you’re a man of your word and maybe they’ll give you that horse.” Not that she really thought he’d willingly let her back outside once he had her in there.
There were a few moments of tense silence, and then Guy finally answered. “All right, have it your way. Come on in, but only you, and you’d better not try any tricks.”
Resisting the urge to look back and draw support from Riley, Cassie squared her shoulders and started forward. If she turned around and saw that passion in his eyes, she might not be able to go through with this.
She finally reached the livery door. It was a large, two-panel affair, with the panels sliding in opposite directions. She grasped one with both hands and began opening it.
“Only far enough for you to step inside,” Guy called out. She realized he’d move farther back into the interior.
She followed his instructions and slipped through the narrow opening.
“Now close it.”
She did so and the space was immediately shrouded in shadows. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but she moved forward, toward the sound of his voice. Then she spotted them, man and child standing in the middle of the spacious building. Guy held a gun in one hand and the collar of Pru’s dress in his other.
“Pru, sweetheart, are you okay?”
The little girl nodded. Her sniffles, though, told a different story.
Cassie was within a few feet of them now. And as expected, Guy put a halt to her progress.
“That’s far enough. You wanted to see her? Well, here she is, fit as a fiddle, just like I said.”
Cassie smiled, trying to disguise the bile rising in her throat. “I told them you wouldn’t hurt your own little girl. You’re not that kind of man. Why, anyone can tell how truly deep your love for her is by looking at how you risked getting caught by taking her with you, rather than leaving her behind and running off on your own.” It was the one thing she couldn’t figure out. If he’d slipped away as soon as he intercepted that telegram, he’d probably have been able to disappear cleanly.
“You think I’d leave my daughter, my daughter, in the hands of my do-gooder, self-righteous stepbrother? No, and if I could have, I would have grabbed the boy, too. And I will someday, mark my words. Riley will never have anything that’s rightfully mine, no matter how jealous he is of me.”
The man was truly mad. Cassie knew now that he would never willingly let Pru go.
But right now she had a part to play. She frowned petulantly. “Must you wave that gun around?” She gave a delicate shiver. “I have a strong distaste for such instruments of violence. Surely a grown man such as yourself can control one little girl without it.”
“The gun’s not for little girls or women.” His sneer made it clear he was speaking of her. “It’s to protect myself against those men out there.”
She nodded, as if in agreement. “Before I go and tell the others that Pru is okay, can I at least give her a hug?”
He rolled his eyes and then nodded. “Make it quick.”
Was he really planning to let her leave, after all? Cassie knelt before Pru, heartbroken by the fear and despair she saw in the little girl’s eyes. “You are so, so brave,” she said, as she brushed hair back from the child’s face. “Your uncle Riley and Noah and Mrs. Flan agan all send their love to you.”
“I want to be back with them,” Pru said in a voice that trembled.
“I know, sweetheart. And you will be. You need to just hold on a little longer.”
Guy laughed at that—an ugly, hateful sound.
Cassie embraced the girl in a gentle hug, and pitched her voice so that only the child could hear. “When I say the word,” she whispered, “run to the door, just as fast as you can. Your uncle Riley is waiting on the other side.”
“That’s enough,” Guy growled. “And I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think you’ll be heading back outside, after all. I like the idea of having two things Riley wants. He might even trade the boy for you, if he’s properly motivated.”
Cassie gave Pru a tight squeeze, then released her. She yanked Guy’s hand, surprising him enough to have him release the child’s collar.
“Now!” Cassie yelled, and still in a stooped position, rolled into Guy, catching him at the knees and causing him to fall backward.
She scrambled to her feet, pleased to note Pru was already halfway to the door. This was going to work! And she hadn’t had to use the gun. But before Cassie could get way, Guy grabbed a fistful of her hem and yanked hard, pulling himself up into a sitting position. Calling her a vile name, he raised his gun and, to her horror, pointed it toward Pru rather than her.
Desperate to stop him, Cassie reached in her pocket for the derringer.
A moment later, a shot rang out through the stable.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Riley shoved the door to the livery open with an almost superhuman force. Where were Pru and Cassie? Who had fired that shot? More importantly, who had it hit?
The first thing he saw was Pru, just inside the door, lying facedown. His knees nearly buckled. No. Please, God, no.
Then she moved and looked up. When she saw Riley, her face split into the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen, and she scrambled to her feet and ran to him. “Uncle Riley, Uncle Riley.” He stooped down to catch her and she latched on to his neck. “I ran and ran, just like Miss Cassie told me to, but then I heard the gun and I tripped.”
“It’s okay, kitten, you did just fine.”
He stood, his eyes scanning the interior over Pru’s shoulder. Where was Cassie? Now that he knew his niece was safe, he frantically searched for some sign that she was okay, too. But other men had swarmed the stable—the sheriff, his deputy and a half dozen other deputized men. Riley couldn’t see past them.
Then he felt a touch on his shoulder and looked around to see Claypool standing there, hands out to take Pru.
Riley gently disengaged his niece’s arms from around his neck. “Pru, honey, this nice man here is Mr. Claypool, a friend of mine. Would you go with him for a moment while I look for Cassie a
nd make sure she’s okay?”
Pru nodded and allowed herself to be transferred to the other man’s hold. Then she pointed behind Riley. “She’s okay, Uncle Riley. Look!”
He spun around and there Cassie was, apparently unharmed, making a beeline for him. He saved her some steps and met her halfway.
He caught her up in an embrace and without preamble kissed her soundly. This time the emotions that poured from him were relief and victory and exultation. Somehow, against all odds, both his girls were safe.
When they finally parted, he took Cassie’s face in his hands. “You did it. You saved Pru and came out of it whole.”
“Which is more than I can say for Guy.” There was more than a hint of amusement in the sheriff’s voice.
“What do you mean?” Riley glanced from the sheriff back to Cassie and saw her face turning beet red in embarrassment.
The lawman laughed. “That shot we heard that got you charging inside like a bull after an interloper? That wasn’t Guy’s gun we heard, it was Miss Vickers’s derringer.”
Riley stared at her incredulously. “You shot Guy?”
“He’d pointed his gun at Pru. I had to do something to stop him.”
“She stopped him, all right. Shot his big toe right off.”
“I just aimed for his foot. It seemed the least gruesome of my possible targets.” She lifted her chin. “And it worked.”
Riley grinned, deciding she was quite beautiful when she was embarrassed.
She frowned at him and the sheriff both. “This is not funny, gentlemen. I don’t take what I did lightly.”
“No, ma’am,” the sheriff said meekly.
But Riley heard the man chuckle again as he walked off.
He linked his arm with Cassie’s, not wanting to let her go so soon after he’d discovered her again, and turned to Claypool. “What do you say we take these two lovely ladies out of this stable and find them somewhere more comfortable to relax?”
* * *
The sheriff told them that they would have a couple hotel rooms free of charge for the night, compliments of the town council. Cassie asked Riley to order some food to be sent upstairs for Pru, and took the girl upstairs to settle her in. She carried with her the small carpetbag Mr. Claypool had retrieved from the buggy, and set it on the bed. She opened it and pulled out two things—a hairbrush so that she could brush the tangles from Pru’s locks, and a surprise she’d packed as an act of faith that they would get Pru safely home.
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