Hired Gun

by Bobbi Smith

  Trent was ready to try to dive out of the way.

  Out of nowhere, Mason suddenly appeared, his gun drawn. “Hold it right there!”

  Sykes was shocked that anyone else was around, but he wasn’t about to stop—not now. “Like hell!”

  Mason had no doubt the man meant to kill Trent, and he knew it was up to him to stop him. He fired just as Sykes got off a shot in Trent’s direction. Mason’s bullet found its mark, hitting Sykes in his shooting arm and knocking the gun from his grip.

  Trent had gone for his own gun as he dove for cover, and he was relieved when Mason’s shot took Sykes down.

  Mason immediately raced forward, keeping his gun trained on the wounded would-be murderer.

  “You all right?” Mason called to Trent.

  “Thanks to you,” Trent answered. He quickly got to his feet and, gun in hand, came to help Mason.

  Mason had already picked up Sykes’s gun and shoved it in his waistband, and he was now standing over him, his own gun in hand. The man he’d known until now as Tucker was clutching his bleeding arm, cursing him. “He deserves to die!”

  “Shut up!” Mason ordered.

  Hatred gleamed in Sykes’s eyes as he glared up at the two men. He was livid, and in one last desperate effort, he went for Mason’s gun. But Mason was ready. He pistol-whipped him, and Sykes fell back to the ground, unconscious.

  Mason stood over the unmoving Sykes, shocked by all that had happened.

  Trent turned to Mason and told him seriously, “That was one good shot. Thanks.”

  “Larissa told me earlier that she thought she’d recognized Sykes from the night of the fire in town, and then when I saw him sneaking over here, I wondered what he was up to, so I came after him,” Mason explained.

  “I’m glad you did,” Trent said. “You saved my life.”

  They heard shouts coming from the direction of the house and weren’t surprised when they spotted Faith and Abbie running their way, followed by Hank and Will and a number of the other ranch hands who’d heard the gunshots, too. They were all armed and ready for trouble.

  “We’re over here!” Mason called out.

  They found Trent and Mason standing over the unconscious man, guns drawn. All were shocked.

  “What happened?” Faith asked, going straight to Trent.

  He put an arm around her as he quickly explained. “Mason just saved my life. Tucker’s real name is Sykes. He’s Matt Sykes’s father. He came here looking for me, wanting revenge.”

  Faith began to tremble as she realized how close Trent had just come to being killed. She clung to him, never wanting to let him go, as she looked over thankfully at her brother. “Thank God you got here in time.”

  Mason quickly explained what Larissa had told him.

  Abbie spoke up. “So he was the one who killed Cal and started the fire in town?”

  Trent nodded. “He was the one.”

  “What do you want to do with him?” Will asked as he noticed Sykes starting to stir.

  “Let’s get him out of here. Tie him up and we’ll take him into town tonight. Sheriff Fike will be glad to know we’ve found Cal’s killer,” Mason said.

  “We’ll let the law deal with him now,” Trent said, satisfied that Sykes would get what he deserved.

  Will and Hank quickly took charge. They dragged Sykes to his feet and bound his wound to stop the bleeding. That done, they tied his wrists together behind him, so he wouldn’t be able to escape on the trek to town.

  “You coming with us?” Will asked Trent and Mason.

  “Yes.”

  Both men wanted to make sure Sykes was safely locked up in the jail.

  Trent turned to Faith. “We’ll be back.”

  Faith only nodded as she watched Trent walk away with her brother. She had always considered herself a strong woman, but at that moment she was having her doubts. The long weeks of worrying about Mason and Abbie had taken their toll on her—and now the shootout had left her feeling completely devastated.

  If Sykes had shot Trent . . .

  The thought that Trent could have been killed tore at her.

  She loved him.

  They were going to be married.

  And tonight he could have been taken from her.

  A painful shudder racked her as she drew a deep breath and struggled to calm the fears that were tormenting her.

  “Faith, What’s wrong?” Abbie asked.

  “Trent could have been killed.”

  Abbie was quick to reassure her. “But he wasn’t. He’s fine. Everything is going to be all right.”

  Faith finally voiced her concern, “But what if Trent decides not to stay here on the ranch and keeps working as a hired gun? I’ll never know where he is or if he’s safe. . . .”

  She didn’t know if she could live with the constant terror once they were married. She loved Trent and didn’t want to be apart from him.

  “Then you have to tell him how you feel,” Abbie advised.

  “I know.”

  Nothing more was said as they returned to the house. Abbie gave Faith a hug before going to bed.

  For Faith, though, there would be no rest. She was going to wait up until Trent returned. It would be hours, but she didn’t care. She had to talk to him. She had to let him know how much he meant to her and that she couldn’t bear for him to keep working as a hired gun. Uneasiness racked her, for she feared he might leave and never come back.

  “Faith?”

  The sound of his voice close by jarred her, and her heartbeat quickened as she spun around to find Trent coming into the house.

  “I thought you were going into town.”

  “I am. They’re waiting for me down by the stable,” he told her. “I just had to see you before we rode out.”

  Looking death in the face as he had just done had made him realize what was most important in his life. It was Faith. He closed the distance between them and took her in his arms to gaze down at her.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” All the torment she was feeling shone in her eyes as she looked up at him. “You could have been killed tonight.”

  “I know.”

  She could no longer hold back the tears that had been threatening. She began to cry.

  Trent held her to his heart until, at last, she quieted; then he bent to her and claimed her lips in a gentle, cherishing kiss. They clung together, needing each other, loving each other. When they finally moved apart, he smiled tenderly down at her.

  “How would you feel about being married to a rancher?” he asked, his gaze meeting and holding hers.

  Her eyes widened in surprise—and heartfelt joy. “You could give up being a hired gun? You could be happy here on the ranch?”

  “Yes,” he answered. “As long as I’m with you.”

  “Oh, Trent.” She threw her arms around him and kissed him again. “We are going to be so happy!”

  “I know, love. I know.” His voice was deep with emotion as he held her to his heart.

  One Month Later

  Trent and Jake were standing in front of the altar in church, waiting. When the music began, both men turned to look down the center aisle and saw Mason starting forward with Faith on one arm and Abbie on the other.

  It was time for the double wedding everyone had been anticipating.

  Faith and Abbie looking stunning in their wedding gowns, and both Trent and Jake smiled as they watched their brides coming toward them.

  Those seated in the pews looked on in delight as they passed by.

  Reverend Prescott came to stand with Trent and Jake. When Mason reached them, he helped Faith and Abbie to lift their veils and then handed Faith over to Trent’s keeping and Abbie to Jake’s. He then took a seat in the front pew with Rose and Tom as the double ceremony began.

  “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman”—the reverend addressed Faith and Trent first, before turning to speak to Jake and Abbie—“and this
man and this woman, in holy matrimony.”

  All listened with reverence and joy as the ceremony continued. The minister spoke of unconditional love and the commitment needed to make a marriage work. Then it was time for the couples to take the vows that would bind them together as man and wife.

  “Do you, Trent Marshall, take this woman, Faith Ryan, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, until death do you part?” he asked.

  “I do,” Trent answered solemnly.

  “Do you, Faith Ryan . . .” He turned to Faith and repeated the vow.

  “I do,” she told him.

  “Do you have a ring?”

  Trent took out the gold band and slipped it on her finger.

  “I now pronounce you man and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”

  The minister then turned to Jake and Abbie.

  It was their turn.

  All remained quiet in church while they took their vows and pledged their undying love for each other. Jake slipped the wedding ring he’d bought onto Abbie’s finger.

  “I now pronounce you man and wife,” he told them. “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, and congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. McCullough. Gentlemen, you may kiss your brides.”

  Trent and Jake didn’t need any more encouragement than that.

  Trent turned to Faith and kissed her. It was a loving exchange.

  Jake smiled as he bent to Abbie and gave her a soft kiss, too.

  The moment all four had dreamed of had come to pass.

  They were married.

  The music began again, and they proceeded out of church to greet all their guests outside. A reception was held in the church hall, and everyone gathered there to celebrate the beauty and wonder of the day.

  Mason claimed Faith for a dance early on. He was feeling a little sad, for he knew things would never be the same again out at the Lazy R. Over the last few weeks, with the help of the ranch hands, they’d built a small house for Faith and Trent, and he knew the main house was going to seem empty without his sisters around.

  “I’m going to miss having you and Abbie with me,” Mason told Faith as they danced.

  “But just think of it,” she teased. “You’re going to have the whole place all to yourself for the first time ever. Don’t you remember how many times, growing up, you told us you couldn’t wait until we got married and moved out? Well, it’s finally happened.”

  He laughed at the memories. “You’re right. There were a lot of days when I wanted to be an only child.”

  They both were smiling.

  “It’s going to be good having Trent working with us.”

  “We’re going to be more successful than ever,” Faith assured him, knowing the future looked bright for the Lazy R.

  Mason danced with Abbie next, and she realized she was going to miss him as much as he was going to miss her.

  “I love you, Mason,” she told her brother.

  “I love you, too.”

  When the song ended, Mason escorted her back to Jake.

  “You take good care of Abbie,” he told him.

  “Don’t worry. I will,” Jake promised, gazing down at his new bride.

  When the reception ended and it was time to go, Faith and Abbie were both excited and a little nervous.

  This was a beginning for them as well as an ending.

  They changed out of their wedding gowns for the trip to their new homes. Once they were both ready, they gave each other a hug and bade Mason good-bye before joining their husbands outside. Mason walked out with them and stood there watching them as they drove off—Abbie and Jake to Jake’s ranch to start her new life, and Faith and Trent to the new house on the Lazy R.

  Trent was driving the carriage at a comfortable pace back toward the ranch. Faith was puzzled when he reined in and stopped once they were out of town, though. She looked over at him questioningly, and when she saw the look on his face, she understood completely.

  Trent had been wanting a moment alone with Faith since they’d taken their vows, and he’d never gotten the chance—until now. Now that they were alone at last, he turned to her and embraced her. His was a hungry kiss, and Faith responded fully, letting him know she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  “Let’s go home,” Faith said breathlessly when they ended the embrace.

  “That’s a real good idea,” he told her, slapping the reins on the horse’s back to move him along.

  When they finally reached the house, one of the hands who’d stayed behind came out to take the carriage from them so they could go inside right away, and Trent was grateful. He walked with Faith to the door and then lifted her up in his arms. She linked her arms around his neck and kissed him as he carried her over the threshold.

  Trent didn’t stop just inside the door, though. He carried her straight into the bedroom and laid her on their bed. He’d thought she would let go of him when he put her down, but Faith kept her arms around him and pulled him down on top of her.

  “Kiss me, Trent,” she whispered.

  But instead Trent unlinked her arms from around his neck and moved away from her, leaving her puzzled and a little hurt as he started from the bedroom.

  “Where are you going?” Faith asked, her feelings of rejection obvious in the tone of her voice.

  He gave her a wicked grin. “I think I’d better close and lock the door, don’t you?”

  She blushed a bit and couldn’t help laughing. She’d been so caught up in wanting to be with him, now that they were finally home and husband and wife, that she’d forgotten little things like closing doors for privacy.

  “That’s why I married you,” she told him.

  “And why is that?” he asked, stopping in the bedroom doorway.

  “Because you’re so smart,” came her answer. “Hurry.”

  “I will.”

  And he did.

  Trent returned quickly and joined her there on the wide comfort of their bed.

  He didn’t speak.

  There was no need for words.

  He didn’t need to tell her how much he loved her. He wanted to show her, and he spent the rest of the night doing just that.

  With infinite tenderness, he began to kiss and caress Faith, slowly introducing her to the joy of loving intimacy.

  He wanted her.

  He needed her.

  But he also wanted her first time to be special—a gift, the gift of their love for each other.

  As their passions flamed to life, they stripped away their clothes and came together in a searing embrace. Trent’s body was burning with his need for Faith, but he also knew he had to be patient. He wanted to take his time and show her how beautiful their loving could be. With each kiss and caress, he stoked the fire of their need for each other, until at last they could bear being apart no longer.

  “Love me, Trent—please,” she begged, pulling him down to her for a heated kiss.

  He obliged.

  They sought the heights of ecstasy, giving and taking, pleasing and cherishing.

  They loved.

  They reached passion’s peak together and knew the beauty and bliss that came from being husband and wife—from being as one. Afterward, they collapsed back on the bed, savoring the exquisite excitement that had just passed between them.

  Faith had never known such rapture.

  “You’re smiling,” Trent told her as his gaze went over her, visually caressing her silken curves.

  “I know,” she said in a sultry voice, reaching out to him again. “You make me smile.”

  “Good,” he growled as he moved over her to make her his again.

  It was much later when she finally fell asleep in Trent’s arms.

  Trent lay awake long into the night, holding Faith close and knowing that he had finally found the peace he’d been searching for. Here with Faith he knew true love, and he was going to do everything in his power to protect he
r and care for her. It was the least he could do after all the love she’d shown him.

  Faith was his love. She was his life, and he was going to spend the rest of his days proving it to her.

  Trent closed his eyes, at peace and in love.

  Faith came awake slowly. She opened her eyes to find Trent asleep beside her. She let her gaze caress him—his broad, powerful shoulders and wide, hard-muscled chest. He was male beauty personified, and he was hers.

  She smiled, oh, so glad that Dottie had stopped him that night in town and made him dance with her. For that she would always be grateful to her friend.

  Unable to resist any longer, Faith shifted closer and softly pressed her lips to his. Trent awoke instantly and pulled her down to him, deepening the exchange.

  The loved long into the night, celebrating the beauty of the life they had found together. They would live happily ever after—that was Mashall’s new law.