by Bobbi Smith
Under normal circumstances, Alyssa would have found the situation amusing and thought the challenge good for Emily, but not right now. There was too much danger to be considered. She would have to caution her sister about that.
Turning away from the window as Hawkins and Brown came out of the stable, she knew it was time to rouse her mother and Emily so they could be on their way. They wanted to be ready to ride as early as possible.
After feasting on a hearty breakfast and quickly loading up, they were on their way barely an hour after sunrise.
Slade met them about three miles on the other side of the station. He spoke briefly with Rob, checking to make sure everything had gone smoothly overnight, then tied his horse to the back of the conveyance and climbed inside.
"Good morning," he greeted Alyssa, Loretta and Emily as he sat down. "Rob says everything went fine last night."
"What about you? You didn't have any trouble?" Alyssa asked, concerned.
"No, it was quiet." The only trouble had been trying to keep his thoughts about her under control, and that kind of trouble he could stand.
Alyssa was so glad to see him that she wanted to kiss him. Instead, she played the sedate young woman, impressing even herself with her acting skills, for she certainly didn't feel the least bit sedate when Slade was around.
The traveling seemed endless that day. They were making good time, though, and would reach the next way station early in the afternoon, far ahead of schedule.
"What do you think?" Rob asked Ken and Slade when they stopped to rest the team at midday. "Shall we stop early at the station or keep going and camp out tonight?"
"Let's keep going," Slade said. "The sooner we reach Black Springs the better."
"Ken?" Rob looked to the other man.
"I agree with Slade. Let's keep moving. I'm sure there's a good, defensible campsite somewhere farther up ahead."
They were off again, moving at top speed, anxious to cover all the ground they could. They picked up what supplies they needed at the station and continued on. It was about an hour before dusk when they found a protected clearing just off the trail.
Though Loretta was concerned, Alyssa volunteered to sleep beside the campfire while her mother and Emily took the coach.
"It'll be all right, Mother. Don't forget I just made the trip up here unchaperoned," she told her with a smile.
"And I was concerned then, too!" Loretta responded with a wry smile.
"Well, Rob and the others are here to protect me, so I don't think you have to worry."
There was no delicious dinner this night. They cooked their own meal over the campfire. It wasn't gourmet fare, but it was filling.
Slade was relieved that he didn't have to leave Alyssa tonight. Worrying about her the night before had been hellish. Tonight, he would keep her close at hand.
"I need to move around a bit," Alyssa said, standing and stretching after she'd finished her meal. The long hours cooped up in the coach had taken their toll on her and left her feeling cramped. It was still light out, so she figured she'd be all right.
"Don't wander too far," Rob cautioned.
"I'll go with her," Slade announced, taking advantage of the perfect opportunity to be alone with her for a while.
They walked off to a rock formation far enough away that no one could overhear their conversation. Alyssa leaned back against it and looked up at Slade. She was thrilled to have a moment with him during which they could talk openly.
Slade gave her a wicked grin. "I'm tempted to sneak off behind this rock with you and not come back until morning."
She returned his conspiratorial smile. "It sounds wonderful. If I'm going to be kidnapped by a gunslinger, I want it to be you."
"I'd be happy to oblige, but if I even think about trying it, Rob will be right over to check on us."
"He's a good man," she stated.
"A very good man." Slade took a step closer, aching to kiss her. It had been much too long since he'd last had the chance to hold her in his arms and taste of her sweetness.
"You don't suppose we could move just a few steps farther this way and watch the sunset from over here, do you?" she asked, noticing that there was a clear spot just beyond the rock where they could steal a few moments without an audience.
"I'd love to watch the sunset with you."
The moment they'd shifted out of sight of those sitting by the campfire, Slade caught Alyssa up in a warm embrace. His mouth claimed hers in a wild exchange, and she showed no shyness in returning his passion. It seemed she had been waiting for this moment for an eternity, and she gloried in having him near.
Kiss followed hungry kiss. Slade could not get enough of her. She was a fire in his blood. A thirst that could not be quenched. He had never felt this way about a woman before. No other female had ever enthralled him the way Alyssa did. She was beautiful and smart, and he never wanted to let her go.
Caught up in the rapture of their loving, they savored their temporary haven of intimacy. They forgot momentarily that others were keeping watch over them. There was only the sunset, and the heat of their need.
Rob had been eating when Slade and Alyssa went off on their own. As long as he'd had them in sight, he hadn't worried. When they first disappeared behind the rocks, he did not immediately become concerned because he knew they both were armed. But when they didn't reappear after a few moments, he grew troubled, and the silence that ensued only deepened his concern.
He had agreed to take the first watch tonight, so he didn't say anything to the others as he went to check on them. They were all busy getting ready to bed down. Loretta and Emily had already climbed into the coach to seek what comfort they could find there, and Hawkins and Brown were spreading out their bedrolls in hopes of getting at least some sleep.
Rob carried his rifle with him, fearful of what he might find, for as he drew nearer to the rocks, he could hear no conversation. He frowned, listening carefully, wanting and hoping to hear them talking, but there was only silence. His hold on his weapon tightened. He feared the Dakota Kid had somehow overpowered Slade and hurt Alyssa.
Tense, his nerves stretched taut, Rob quietly moved past the rocks. He wasn't sure what he expected to find. He had prepared himself for danger or a confrontation with the Kid. And so he was completely taken aback by the sight that greeted him-the sight of the woman he loved in the arms of another man.
Rob took a step backward as if struck a physical blow by the vision of Alyssa blissfully returning Slade's kiss. They were completely unaware of his presence and so he silently backed away, trying to deal with the heartbreak of learning the truth of her feelings.
He had thought he and Alyssa might have a future together. He had thought that she would be open to his courting after a respectful amount of time for her mourning, but obviously he'd been wrong-very wrong. Alyssa didn't love him, and from the looks of things, she never would. He wasn't the man for her.
The pain of acknowledging the truth of her feelings for Braxton stabbed at him as sharply as any blade. He moved away, giving them privacy, not wanting them to know that he'd seen them together.
Right now, he had a job to do and that was to get her back to town without incident. No matter how she felt about him, he still loved her, and he would do everything he could to ensure her safety. He could do no less.
It was only a short time later when Slade and Alyssa returned to the campsite. No one else had been concerned about their absence.
Later, when Hawkins relieved him and it was his turn to rest, Rob didn't sleep. He lay staring up at the stars, thinking of what might have been and wishing that somehow things could have been different.
Slade's kisses had only served to make Alyssa all the more miserable. She wanted to be with him, always, and they'd practically had to tear themselves apart when it was time to return to the campsite. They'd realized that their need for each other was so powerful that if they hadn't stopped then, they wouldn't have stopped at all.
"
I told Ken to make sure your bedroll was between his and mine," Slade told her as they walked slowly back, each taking great care not to have any physical contact with the other.
"I guess I can't get any better protection than that-spending the night in between two Pinkertons."
"That's the way we're looking at it," he said with a grin.
They reached the fire and spread out their bedrolls. The temptation of knowing they were so close and yet couldn't reach out to each other kept them from sleeping soundly that night.
The following afternoon when they stopped to rest the horses for a while, Rob managed to get a moment alone with Slade. He'd had a lot of time to think about what he was going to say to him, and he'd purposely waited until now to say it. He'd wanted to make sure he wasn't speaking to him in anger or out of jealousy.
Not that he wasn't jealous of Slade's relationship with Alyssa. He was, and he was angry, too. He'd wanted to be the man in Alyssa's life, the man she cared for, but things hadn't worked out that way. He was going to have to accept that reality, for he knew he couldn't change it. But when he spoke of the situation to Slade, he wanted the other man to know that his interest in their relationship was out of concern for Alyssa, and not for any other reason.
"Braxton, I need to talk with you," he said tersely.
Slade followed him as he walked away from where the others were gathered. "What is it?"
Rob turned on Slade and looked him straight in the eye. "I've got something to say to you, and it needs to be said in private."
"What?"
"It's about Alyssa-"
"What about her?" Slade was cautious, wondering where the conversation was going.
"Let me put it this way-I care about Alyssa. She means a lot to me, but it's obvious to me now that she doesn't feel the same way about me."
"I don't understand."
"I saw the two of you together last night."
Slade was surprised. He hadn't realized that Rob had come upon them when they'd stolen their few minutes alone. He didn't say anything, but waited for him to go on.
"I just want you to know, Braxton, that if you ever hurt her in any way, I will personally see to it that you are very sorry."
Slade realized how deeply Rob cared for Alyssa. She had a champion in her sheriff, and he respected the other man all the more for it.
"You don't have to worry, Rob. I would never do anything to cause Alyssa any pain."
Rob glared at him, studying him, trying to read him to see if he was hiding anything. But Slade was facing him forthrightly. There was no hidden meaning behind his words.
"She's a very special woman," Rob said.
"Yes, she is. I love her."
"You'll do the right thing by her." It was a statement of fact, not a question.
"As soon as all this is over with the Kid, I intend to propose to her."
Rob nodded slowly, approvingly. If he couldn't marry her, at least he was glad it would be Slade. "She could do worse."
Slade smiled at him, sensing that the tension was easing between them. He respected Rob and hoped the lawman respected him. "She could probably do better, but I'm hoping she won't want to try."
They stood there, sizing each other up for a moment, before moving apart.
Rob felt better for having championed Alyssa, yet he still wished there had been some way she could have loved him as he loved her.
Slade walked away from Rob, glad to know that there was no hostility between them over Alyssa. They still had too much danger to face ahead of them. He wanted Rob by his side as a friend, not an enemy.
Zeke smiled at the Kid as they broke in the back door of the Mason home in Black Springs. "That was easy, wasn't it?"
"Keep quiet. We don't want anybody to know we're here," the Kid said as they crept inside.
"There ain't nobody around."
"And we want it to stay that way."
They lit one candle and made sure to stay away from the windows as they checked out the deserted home and memorized the floor plan. When the time came to pay the lady judge back, they wanted to be prepared. Until then, they didn't want anyone to know what they were up to.
"I'm thinkin' we should just make ourselves at home here and enjoy their hospitality 'til they show up.
"That would be entertaining," the Kid agreed, speaking in a low voice. "Can you imagine the look on her face if she found us relaxing all comfortablelike in her house?"
"I'd enjoy that, but not nearly as much as I'd enjoy havin' some of her. I've had a hankering for her ever since that first night we were in town and I saw her dance with Braxton."
"He's damned lucky nobody recognized him and tried to take him in right then."
Zeke shrugged his indifference, glad that the other man was dead now. "Either way, his luck finally ran out."
The Kid nodded in the darkness. "I miss all three of them. They deserved better than what they got, and I intend to see that Judge Alyssa Mason suffers for all the trouble she caused."
"I'll be glad to help you with it."
"I knew you would be."
They finished going through the house. Zeke found Alyssa's bedroom and lingered a little too long in there for the Kid's peace of mind.
"Let's get out of here," he ordered, eager to be gone.
"Damn, but I'd like to sleep in her bed tonight," Zeke said, going through her bureau drawers and handling her more intimate things.
"Go ahead and take something of hers if you want it. It'll just let her know that we've been here and could have done anything we wanted to."
Zeke took a silken garment from her lingerie drawer, and then they left the house.
They would keep watch, and wait. When the time was right, they'd meet up with Alyssa Mason and have some fun with her-fun that only they would enjoy. And Zeke intended to enjoy himself with her the most.
When they finished with the lady judge, the Kid was going to make sure that the word got out around the territory that it didn't pay to mess with him. He wanted the lawmen and other judges to see what was done to Alyssa Mason, so they would know that he would stop at nothing in seeking revenge. He wanted to put fear of the Dakota Kid in them.
The coach rolled into Black Springs early on their fourth day of traveling. They were all relieved to have made it home without incident.
Once more, fearful of being seen, Slade had left them on the outskirts of town. He planned to stay to the back roads and meet them at Alyssa's house as soon as possible. They had to decide the best way to keep watch over her, now that they were back.
Alyssa was smiling as she climbed down from the coach in front of her house. They were home. The three women started inside, but Rob stopped them.
"Let me go in first."
"You think they may have been here?" Loretta asked, worried.
"It's hard telling where the Kid might be, but we're just going to be careful."
"Rob!" Ken's call came from around back.
They rushed to the rear of the house to see the back door standing slightly ajar, the lock forced.
"I found it this way," Ken told them, his gaze seeking out Emily. He noticed how she'd gone pale at the discovered intrusion.
"Oh, God!" Loretta cried, terrified. She clutched at Emily, her belief that they could get back to leading a normal life destroyed.
"Easy, Mrs. Mason," Rob said, trying to soothe her as he drew his gun. "You ladies stay out here with Hawkins and Brown, while Ken and I take a look around."
He gave his deputies a look that told them to stand close guard and was about to go inside when Slade appeared, coming out from behind their small barn. Slade had made good time once he'd separated from them, and he'd been waiting and watching for their arrival from his hiding place. He'd wondered why there seemed to be a commotion around back, and then he saw the frightened looks on the women's faces.
"What is it?" He rested his hand on his gun, ready for trouble should it come.
"Somebody broke into the house," Alyssa exp
lained quickly.
She wanted to go straight to him, to be held in the shelter of his embrace, and the thought amazed her. She was used to being independent and taking care of herself, but now she liked having Slade's protection. Even so, she knew she had to be strong and not show any weakness before her mother and sister. If they thought she was afraid, it would only make things worse.
"You think they might still be inside somewhere?" Emily asked, looking at Ken, her eyes wide with fear.
Ken wanted to tell her that there was nothing to worry about, that everything was fine, but it would have been a lie.
"It doesn't look like it, but we'll make sure," Ken told her.
It was the first time she'd spoken directly to him since he'd kissed her at the way station. She'd taken great pains to ignore him since then, and he had to admit that at first he'd been glad. It had allowed him to concentrate on business, but when she'd begun flirting with Hawkins, he'd found himself annoyed. He'd forced himself to focus on his job, but it had been tough. The only good thing was that now when she really was afraid, she'd look to him for comfort and not to Hawkins.
"You wait here. We'll be right back," Rob said.
Drawing their guns, Slade, Rob and Ken disappeared inside. They began a careful search room by room. It was Slade who discovered that the outlaws had gone through Alyssa's personal things in her bedroom.
"Rob," he called. "Look at this."
Rob saw the open drawers and Alyssa's underthings strewn haphazardly about. He swore under his breath.
"Zeke Malone did this." Slade was certain of it.
"How do you know?"
"The Kid only cares about his revenge. But Zeke-" Slade explained about the night before the robbery. "We've got to make sure he never gets the chance to lay a hand on her." His tone was fierce.
"Don't worry." Rob was angry, too. "We'll put a guard on the house around-the-clock."
"You won't have to. I'm going to stay here," Slade stated. "I can't very well move around town with her, but I can damn well guard the house."
