Deadlier Than the Rest

by Shirleen Davies

  North of Salt Lake, present day

  Meggie stirred, waking from her dream, and pulling the blanket tightly around her. She felt chilled and coughed several more times, causing her lungs to burn. Her glassy eyes looked around the small, dingy shack. She could hear the slight pounding of rain, see the water dripping through the porous roof but made no effort to move. The pallet was dry, she was warm. All she wanted to do was drift back to sleep and her dreams of Dodge.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Grace burst through the back door of the restaurant kitchen just as Connor had made the decision to go back in and drag her out. She wasn’t safe from Proctor and the others. He had to convince her of that.

  She slammed into him. Connor placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her, and keep her from stumbling back.

  “Let go of me!” Her face was red, her violet blue eyes had turned a deep blue and appeared to be sending sparks his way.

  He dropped his hands. Grace lost her footing, falling backwards, and landing on the hard wooden step with a thud. Instead of jumping up and responding, she surprised Connor by taking a deep breath, and lowering her head into her hands. Connor watched her struggle with something then sat beside her, taking a hand from her face and encasing it in his two larger ones.

  “Where were you going?” he asked when she finally lifter her eyes to meet his.

  Her voice had lost much of its defiance but her features told him she’d lost none of her determination to do things her own way. “I don’t know. Jasper told me to leave. Said you were right and I needed to hide until those men had been arrested, or…”

  He moved his arm around her shoulders and drew her to him, holding her close, not letting go of the hand he held in his lap.

  “He’s right, you know. Those men are vicious killers and don’t care if their victims are men or women. You are their way to finding me—that’s all you mean to them, Grace, nothing more.” He tightened his hold on her and placed a kiss on her fiery red hair. “I’ll take you to Ruth’s. Either my friend Mr. Jericho or I will stay with you until we’re sure the threat has passed. We’ll make sure you are safe.”

  Her eyes searched his. “Why would you do that? Why would you place yourself and your friend in danger because of me, someone you know so little about? You could just leave.”

  He glanced away, looking up and down the dirt alley behind the restaurant, searching for hidden dangers before returning his gaze to hers.

  “You are an innocent in the history I have with those men. I can’t just walk away and leave you unprotected.”

  “Oh,” she whispered and realized in that moment that is wasn’t the answer she wanted or hoped to hear. She shifted away and prepared to stand, but he held her still.

  “You’re right that I don’t know much about you, but I want to change that. I came to Salt Lake to find my sister, except I find my thoughts are consumed with you.” He took a breath and stood, reaching out a hand to help her up. “It’s frustrating, and damn inconvenient, but that’s the way it is.”

  The disgust on Connor’s face caused her to smile as she took his hand. She knew how he felt since she felt the same about him. He was as distraction, a nuisance, interfering in her plans to get Meggie and leave. At the same time, she wanted to stay, get to know him, find out if the experiences with Jeremiah were coloring her judgment about men, especially this man.

  They didn’t speak on the way to Ruth’s. He helped her off Crusader, looking around once more before escorting her into the house. Jericho stood by a window looking out.

  “About time you got here.” Jericho glanced at the woman. “I stopped in to introduce myself to Mrs. Dix and Grace, and learned Grace had gone to Jasper’s.” He gave the young woman a pointed look. “Ruth got a message from one of her sons that she was needed at the ranch. She left a few minutes ago. I was just about ready to ride to the restaurant when I saw you two. Ruth said you can stay as long as you want. She said you’re welcome to use her other horse and buggy.”

  Grace looked up at the large man. He was tall and broad, perhaps in his fifties with a thin scar that ran from his left ear to left edge of his mouth.

  “Grace, this is Mr. Jericho. He’ll be watching out for you when I’m not here.”

  “Ma’am,” Jericho touched the front rim of his black bowler, a style he favored to the more common western hats of the region.

  “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Jericho.” She laid her coat on the nearest chair and walked into the kitchen. “I’ll make us some coffee,” she called over her shoulder as she reached for the old pot and tin of grounds.

  Jericho walked up to Connor. “What are your plans?”

  “I need to speak with Fred and Roy to arrange plans to return to the Moser farm. I’ll be back this evening. I’m counting on you to watch out for Grace while I’m gone.” Connor stood at the window, peering out, but saw no movement or indication they’d been followed from the restaurant.

  “I won’t let anyone near her. Find Meggie and don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.” Jericho turned when Grace walked into the room with cups of coffee. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “Please, call me Grace. I have a feeling we’ll be fine friends by the time this is over.” She smiled at Jericho as she handed a cup to Conner. Grace watched him wrap his hands around it and thought of what he’d said about wanting to get to know her better. He was looking for his sister, she was trying to free a friend. Perhaps they could work together to do both for the young women who were important to them.

  “I need to leave for a while, Grace. Mr. Jericho will stay here. Do as he says.” He pinned her with a look meant to indicate how serious her compliance was. “I’ll be back in a few hours.” He finished his coffee and handed her the empty cup.

  ******

  Charleston, South Carolina, several years before

  Dodge had ordered Meggie’s belongings be moved upstairs into a bedroom next to his. He knew the implications of his actions, knew she’d be looked upon in a different, and unflattering way, by many.

  They’d spoken for hours the night he’d gone to her. He’d spent the previous days at his men’s club in Charleston, deciding what to do. His feelings for Meggie were strong, but were they strong enough to break with tradition, create scandal, and marry a woman of such low rank. Dodge had intended to marry as a convenience, for the sake of having an heir, not for love. Meggie had changed all that. Dodge was unsure how this would play out, but he had no intention of being too far away from her ever again.

  Several weeks passed. Few visitors came to the Delaney mansion and Dodge received only a rare invitation to a social event in Charleston. Word had gotten out that his relationship with Meggie had changed. He was being ostracized in a complete, if civilized way.

  He’d arranged for a seamstress to prepare a selection of dresses for the few parties that included them. They walked, rode horses, and fell more in love each day. Dodge knew he had to make a decision. It wasn’t fair to Meggie to keep her as a mistress in his own home when his feelings for her were so strong, so total. He’d gone to town and selected an engagement band. He’d had it inscribed, Always, D. They would have a quiet supper at home and he’d propose.

  “May I escort you downstairs?” Dodge asked and looped Meggie’s arm through his as they made their way down the wide staircase. “You look beautiful tonight.” He had leaned over to whisper in her ear and place a kiss on her neck. Her bright smile and sparkling green eyes sent a fierce longing through him. He’d rather be pulling Meggie into his room to make slow, passionate love. Tonight, however, was important. Her answer would determine the future for both of them.

  He’d planned a special meal with candlelight and her favorite foods.

  “Are we celebrating something?” Meggie asked as she looked at the tempting spread in front of her.

  “Perhaps.” Dodge watched as she placed a forkful of meat into her mouth. He smiled at her perplexed expression and focused on his supper.

  They to
ok their dessert in a small parlor. Dodge knew this was Meggie’s favorite room with its comfortable chairs and fireplace. She loved to curl up with a book in the evenings and read while he worked on business proposals.

  Dodge placed his plate aside and walked to Meggie’s chair, looked down, and then knelt before her. He took her hands in his and placed a kiss on each palm before holding them to his heart.

  “I love you, Meggie, and want to marry you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  Dodge could tell he’d shocked her by the stunned expression on her face. Tears welled in her eyes at the same time a broad smile brightened her face. She pulled her hands from his grasp to swipe the tears which threatened.

  “I love you so much, Dodge. Yes, I will marry you.” She threw her arms around his neck but stopped at a sudden noise from the other room.

  Their heads rose when they heard pounding at the front door. They could hear Dodge’s butler answer the door, and what sounded like a cordial conversation turn to shouts in a matter of seconds. Dodge began to rise when he heard a shot ring out, and then the closed doors of the parlor burst open to reveal several armed men, all hidden behind masks.

  “Stay where you are,” the tallest of the men hissed while pointing his pistol at Dodge’s chest.

  “What do you want?” Dodge growled back. His guns were in the office. He’d seen no need to have them near him this night.

  “Your safe, where is it?”

  “In my office. I’ll show you, but you will promise not to hurt the lady.” Dodge glared at the intruder and wondered as to the safety of the rest of his staff.

  The gunman nodded and indicated with his pistol for Dodge to proceed him out of the parlor. Dodge walked to the picture which hid a wall safe, pushed it aside, and worked the combination. He reached in and pulled out a box, which he dropped on the desk behind him.

  “There. Take all of it and get out.” Dodge glanced behind the man holding a gun on him and saw Meggie being held against an average height man with thick arms, a gun pointed at her head. “We won’t follow. Just take the money and leave.”

  “Oh, I know you won’t follow, as we’re taking the lady with us,” the gunman replied and started to step back.

  “No!” Dodge yelled and began to follow the robber.

  One shot rang out. Dodge felt a sharp pain before looking down to see a red bloom of color appear on his shirt. His gaze swung to Meggie, seeing her panicked eyes, hearing her scream, but unable to stop himself from falling forward onto his desk, then slipping to the floor.

  North of Salt Lake, present day

  Meggie tossed and turned, burning up below the blanket cocooned around her. Hard coughs racked her body. She tried to sit up and reach out for the water skin, but her fingers fumbled with the pouch and she found herself unable to close her hand around it. She fell back to the pallet, coughing until her lungs burned and there was no strength left to fight the savage hacking.

  She wrapped the blanket tight and thought of Dodge and the last time she’d seen him, covered in blood, and falling to the floor of his study. The robbers had taken her with them that night and sold her to a man with a promise that he’d get her out of the state. Edgar Skanks had taken her west, toward Kansas and Colorado. Most nights he kept her tied to his peddler’s wagon. Days were spent driving the horses that pulled his rig. Meggie didn’t care. Dodge was dead. She had nothing left to care about and little will to live. As long as Skanks provided food, she ate. If he hadn’t, she knew her will to survive would have dried up like the hope she’d lost when Dodge was killed.

  Earlier that morning the rain had been dripping through the openings in the roof. Now it was dark. Had she missed a whole day, she wondered before drifting back into a restless sleep.

  ******

  Salt Lake, present day

  It was dark when he rode into Ruth Dix’s property. Fred and Roy wanted to ride out the following morning to stake out the farm, watch for Meggie. He’d agreed to meet them at Jasper’s then ride north.

  “Mr. Jericho,” he nodded to his friend who stood at the entrance to the kitchen, gun drawn even though Connor was certain the man knew who was walking through the door. “How were things here?” He threw his hat on a chair but kept his gun belt on.

  “Quiet.” Jericho holstered his gun. “She went to her room an hour ago.”

  “Why don’t you bed down, too? I’ll keep watch tonight.”

  “Wake me if you hear anything. Coffee’s still hot,” Jericho said and walked down the hall to an empty guest room.

  Connor entered the kitchen, poured some coffee, and walked to the front room. He sat next to a window, his back to a wall. His thoughts drifted to Meggie, wondering if they’d find her tomorrow, and if so, would she even remember him. He’d never considered that his sister might like her life, not want to leave with him. It had been eight long years, half a lifetime for someone who’d disappeared when she was sixteen.

  He looked up at the sound of a door being opened and footsteps walking down the hall. Grace appeared a moment later. She stood at the entrance to the front room, staring at him as if deciding whether or not to enter.

  “Hello, Grace.” Connor shifted on the small divan and took in the sight of her. She wore the same dress she’d been in all day with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her hair was disheveled and her feet were bare. She was beautiful.

  “How long have you been here?” Grace asked as she walked toward him.

  “Not long.” He reached out a hand to her. She grasped it and let him pull her to him until their knees touched. “You’ve been sleeping.”

  “I didn’t think I could sleep. The back room is cold and a little damp from the rains.” She shivered and pulled the quilt tighter.

  Connor tugged her hand until she sat down next to him on the divan. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, and rested his chin on the top of her head. He could feel her relax, meld to him. She rested a hand on his stomach. He moved his hand up and stroked her hair then cupped the back of her head and tilted her face to his. He looked into her sleep filled eyes. She didn’t glance away but held his gaze. Grace didn’t resist when he dipped his head to hers and took her lips in a long, passionate kiss.

  She moved into him, turning to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him to her. He angled his mouth over hers, outlined her lips with his tongue, coaxing her to open. When she did, he thrust in, enjoying the taste and feel of her as he explored in leisurely strokes. Her heavy sigh encouraged him, as did the heat that engulfed his body, pulsing through him.

  Connor lifted her, positioning her on his lap, and deepened the kiss. He unbuttoned her dress and pushed the material aside. She tensed when his lips moved over her through the sheer chemise, the new sensation causing heat to form and spread through her already sensitized body. She gripped his head in both hands, holding him to her.

  “Connor,” she said in a low, husky voice, and arched toward him.

  He lifted his head to stare into her glassy, deep violet eyes, knowing he needed to end this before passion overtook them. He had to concentrate on the danger Proctor presented, not on the desirable woman in his arms. “You are so beautiful, Grace. I want you, but not here, and not tonight.” He placed another kiss on her already swollen lips, and reluctantly pulled her dress together.

  Grace knew he was right to stop. She’d never felt anything like the sensations that exploded through her at his touch. She continued to watch him until he shifted her on his lap, tucked her head on his shoulder and rested his chin, once again, on the top of her head. She snaked an arm up around his neck, sighed, and closed her eyes.

  He held her for a long time, watching her sleep. Her breaths came in short, labored bursts, and he wondered for the hundredth time who she was. If she’d lived in Salt Lake as long as she’d said surely there would be other friends besides Ruth Dix. Ruth and Jasper were the only two people she spoke of as friends, which made no sense for a woman who’d been he
re for years.

  Her natural passion surprised him. He didn’t know if she was experienced or an innocent. His guess was somewhere in between. For the first time it occurred to him that she may have been married and he wondered if she would have told him or kept it hidden. There was much about this woman he didn’t know and for the first time in his life he wanted to.

  Connor pulled back the curtain to peer out. It was dark and he saw no movement indicating that Proctor had located them. Connor needed to concentrate on taking care of the men who pursued him, and finding Meggie. After that he could focus on Grace and his growing attraction to the red-haired vixen who had proven to be a considerable temptation.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Meggie’s head pounded as her feverish body was racked once again by a burst of painful coughing. The coughs had grown worse through the night, leaving her with little energy and even less ability to continue her journey. She knew it must be a few more miles to Salt Lake, much too long a journey on foot in her present condition. Her stomach growled but she felt none of the usual hunger pangs that were common upon waking.

  Meggie shifted on the hard pallet, causing her head to spin from the effort. Chills gripped her as she slid back under the blanket and tried to curb her dizziness before attempting to stand. Her eyes ached and her mouth was dry. She tried to reach for her water skin but it was too far of a stretch and she fell back to the pallet, covering her mouth as another surge of coughs consumed her. Meggie rolled into a ball and wished for sleep. She drifted off hoping she’d wake to a clear head and healed body.

  “I know I saw someone go in here, George.” Meggie’s sleep clouded brain could just make out a woman’s voice. The light coming through the roof openings told her it must be late afternoon.

  “That was a couple of days ago, Agnes. They’re probably gone by now.”

  “I just saw one person. That’s all.”

  Meggie could hear the creaking of boards then a gasp. “George, look.”

  “Is it a man or woman, Agnes?”