Carefully, he slipped off her shirt then untied the ribbons of her chemise and slipped the garment slowly down her body. His lips followed where the flimsy material had been, across her breasts, lower over her stomach, until he reached her thighs. She tightened her legs. “Don’t,” he rasped.
Mary wasn’t sure what he was doing, but she decided to trust him. She relaxed. Then Carter showed her a kind of pleasure that she hadn’t known existed. She whimpered and groaned and then he was back. Their kisses were frenzied now as if they both knew they might never be together again. His hands began a lust-arousing exploration of her soft skin.
Carter’s kisses were promises of things that might never be, but Mary knew, in this moment, that the rest of the world could go away and leave them both alone because she never wanted to lose him.
But she also realized that she would lose him if she ended up dangling at the end of a rope. So she held nothing back. She gave as much pleasure as she received.
In one swift move, she rolled on top of Carter, placing feathery kisses on his neck, on his chest, and then she moved lower until she heard his gasp at her touch.
Mary knew she was in control, and she liked seeing the dazed look in Carter’s eyes when she tasted him.
When Carter could stand no more, he yanked her back up so he could devour her mouth. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her. He kissed her urgently as the flames of passion burned within her.
Enough. He wanted her now. All of her.
Carter lifted Mary’s hips and guided her up and onto his rigid erection. She gasped as he filled her. His hands caressed her breasts as she moved up and down.
Mary felt his heat deep inside her, throbbing and moving with her until red hot desire built to bursting and they found the tempo that bound their bodies together.
Exploding in a downpour of fiery sensation, Mary’s world spun out of control and she called Carter’s name.
Carter felt her release and then he sought his, holding her firmly as he thrust up and spilled his seed into her warmth. He reached for Mary and pulled her down to lie within his arms.
The room was quiet except for the heavy breathing of the couple who had found happiness, if only for tonight.
Chapter Nineteen
The next morning Carter and Mary started riding up the mountain to Gregory Gulch. The view was lovely and the ride much more pleasant than the last time she had ridden down this road. There were wildflowers scattered all over the ground and growing out of small cracks in the rocky walls of the mountains.
Even though Mary knew where she was heading and why, she felt at peace this morning.
She knew Carter cared for her, and that was more than she’d ever thought possible.
Mentally, she gave herself a hard shake as Gregory Gulch came into view. Main Street loomed ahead, if it could be called that Mary knew she had to get her mind off what lay ahead. She had to take it one day at a time. If she could survive the whorehouse and the orphanage, she could survive anything—she hoped.
The mining town hadn’t changed much. The rough wooden sign said they were in Gregory Gulch. However, it dangled by one chain so Mary had to turn her head sideways to read it. Everything in Gregory Gulch appeared peaceful—or maybe a better word was dead.
Log cabins lined both sides of the street that was muddy from rain. Everything was barren and lifeless brown. Each cabin looked like the next, though some didn’t have windows.
No one was outside as they started up the street. Most everyone would be in the mines this time of day. Mary had almost forgotten what a normal mining day was like: up at the crack of dawn and working until late in the afternoon. Her throat clogged with emotion as a vision of Big Jim smiling at her brought his memory fresh into her mind. He was a good man, and he hadn’t deserved to die.
Slowly, they approached the small jailhouse. The door stood open and the windows had been thrown open since it was a warm spring day. They stopped in front and tied their horses to the hitching post. Mary drew a deep breath of fresh air and started up the steps.
Carter touched Mary’s arm outside the door. “Everything will turn out all right,” he said, trying to assure her.
She gave him a small smile, then ducked quickly into the office. It was better to just get it over and done with.
Marshal Forester, who had been sleeping at his desk, reared back in his chair and jerked awake. He licked his dry lips then lowered his chair to the floor with a hard thud. “Sorry, folks. You caught me checking my eyelids for holes,” he said with a smile. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Marshal Carter Monroe,” Carter said, extending his hand. He shook the man’s hand. “I’ve brought in Mary Costner.”
Mary noticed that Carter hadn’t referred to her as a prisoner, but considering the charges that was little consolation.
Surprise registered on Forester’s face, then his gaze settled on Mary. “I guess there is no need for an introduction, although you sure had me fooled.”
Mary wasn’t sure what the marshal meant by that. He wasn’t smiling. “I beg your pardon?”
“I never figured you for a girl. You sure looked like a boy to me,” Forester said with a chuckle. Then he shoved slowly out of his chair and retrieved the keys. “Guess you know I have to lock you up.”
“I thought being mistaken for a man was safer,” Mary said with a smile. She had always liked Marshal Forester, and she hoped he hadn’t judged her beforehand. Dreading the thought of being behind bars again, she watched as he unlocked the door.
“And you were right” He opened the door and stood back.
Mary stopped before entering the cell. “I didn’t kill Big Jim,” she said simply. She wasn’t sure why she wanted the marshal to know that, but she did.
Forester closed the door without comment Then he asked, “Can you tell me what happened?”
Mary shook her head. “I wish I could, but the fact is I don’t remember anything about what happened that night”
“You know that doesn’t sound good,” he pointed out needlessly.
Mary stood on the other side of the bars, her hands dosed around the cold iron. She looked squarely at Forester. “I know how it sounds. Why do you think I ran?”
The marshal nodded. “I see what you are saying. I can tell you, I’ve met your family. They’re real nice people. As a matter of fact, Thunder has been looking for you.”
Mary smiled. “He found me. He’ll be along shortly.”
“You know M-Mary—” Forester chuckled. “Can’t get used to calling you Mary instead of Mark, even though you don’t look one bit like Mark anymore. Anyway, I tend to believe you, but I should tell you, the men in town are still looking to blame somebody. And so far that somebody is you.”
“In that case, I had better stay around to keep an eye on her,” Carter said. “Just in case there’s trouble before Thunder gets here. He should be here anytime, but we’re not sure when. After he arrives, I’ll leave.”
Mary gaped at Carter, but he didn’t seem to notice. As usual, he wasn’t paying her any attention. She couldn’t believe that he had already anticipated leaving her, and that hurt. Did he realize that having him near her would be a comfort? Then again, maybe he didn’t care.
Forester strode back to his desk and tossed the keys down. “Good. I heard the judge is in Appleton, so that’s where her trial will be held.”
“Figures,” Carter said with a frown. “Wish we had known that before we came here.”
“Well, it’s too late to head back today,” Forester told him as he picked up his tan-colored Stetson and settled it on his head. “You can spend the night and go back to Appleton tomorrow. Let’s go get some grub. We can bring Mary back a plate when we’re done.”
Carter glanced at Mary, then the marshal. “Will she be safe?”
Forester nodded. “It’s too soon for word to have gotten out that Mary is back in town, so I think she’ll be all right for now. I want you to fill me in on what you know.”
&n
bsp; Mary watched them leave, then settled wearily down on the hard cot. Carter hadn’t even bothered to tell her good-bye. That certainly showed how much he cared about her. And she didn’t like the way he had referred to her as “she”—like he really didn’t know her at all.
Mary wrapped her arms around herself, gazing at the closed door. She remembered the tenderness in Carter’s deep voice and the way he’d held her last night It was strange how the air seemed to vibrate whenever Carter was near, and when he was gone the world seemed so colorless. Without him, nothing was the same. She felt empty. Sighing, she sank down on the bunk to wait, but she was so tired from the little sleep she’d gotten the night before, she soon fell asleep.
Much later, Mary was awakened by men shouting. Slowly, she pushed herself up off the bunk, rubbing her eyes as she tried to remember where she was. It didn’t take long to see the bars and remember she was once more in jail. However, this time the front door was open, and she saw the flicker of torchlights in the street and heard what sounded like an angry group of men. She strained to hear what was going on.
“Let’s lynch her!” someone in the mob shouted.
Mary gasped and her heart seemed to stop beating. Out of pure reflex, she jerked back from the bars. It was a lynch mob. And they wanted her!
Screwing up as much courage as she could, she looked again. Thank God! Marshal Forester and Carter stood on the porch between her and the seething crowd.
“Yeah!” everyone shouted. “Get out of the way, Forester. She done and killed Big Jim. We have our own justice up here. She needs to hang! And if you ain’t gonna do it, we can take care of it ourselves.”
Mary recognized that voice and the small hairs on the back of her head seemed to stand on their own. It was John Wiley, somebody she’d thought was a friend.
Carter spoke next “I suggest all of you return to your homes,” he said calmly. “Mary will stand trial for the crime. If she is found guilty, she will be punished.”
“Who the hell are you?” another man shouted from the back of the crowd.
'“I’m a U.S. Marshal. And I should warn you that I can arrest most of you for forming a mob,” Carter told them, his voice showing all the authority he had with his badge.
“We want justice now!”
“So you think she’s guilty?” Carter asked.
“Sure, who else could have killed Big Jim?” Wiley asked.
“I think any of you could have killed him,” Carter pointed out reasonably, “just to gain his half of the claim. Mary already had the money.”
Tears filled Mary’s eyes as she listened. Carter was actually taking up for her. Defending her.
Wiley turned to the crowd. “There’s only two of them. We can take them real easy.”
“I’d think twice about that,” Forester warned. “All of you could end up in jail.”
Mary gripped the bars so tightly that her knuckles were white. The mob was right. They were big and there were only two lawmen standing between her and that mob. She shivered in dread. It sounded as if everybody in town hated her. These were men she’d seen every day, men who she’d thought liked her. Now they sounded like a pack of angry dogs over a carcass, waiting for the first one to make his move.
What if they overran Forester and Carter?
“Or dead,” Carter added to Forester’s remark. He pointed his gun towards Wiley. “You first There may be more of you, but I assure you, I’m going to take a half dozen of you with me before I go down.”
“And if Carter doesn’t take you down, Marshal Forester and I will take care of the rest of you,” Thunder said from the back of the group. “As for myself, I can take you down the easy way with a gun, or I can take your scalp with my knife.”
There was a lot of mumbling among the men.
“So what’s it going to be, boys?” Forester asked.
Mary could hear the crowd mumbling, but they seemed to be backing up because the torchlights were dimming. She eased her grip on the bars and forced herself to breathe.
It must be over.
A few minutes later, three men sauntered in through the door. Thunder came over to her. “How you feeling, kid?”
“Scared.”
“I can see why. Mobs are always scary. And very unpredictable.”
“Do you think they will come back?” Mary asked.
Thunder looked at Forester for the answer.
“I don’t think so,” Forester assured Mary, then he asked Thunder, “Did you hear that they will have the trial in Appleton?”
“Yes, I did,” Thunder said. “I stopped today and spoke with the judge.” He looked at Mary. “Your trial is in two days. The only problem is I’m not sure Delaney will be here in time for the trial.”
“Who’s Delaney?” Forester asked.
“He’s a doctor from back east who has studied hypnotism. I think that he can help with our case.” Forester drew his brows together in confusion. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“We believe that could be the reason why Mary can’t remember anything,” Thunder explained.
“I’ve heard about such before. Just never seen it,” Forester explained, then looked at Carter. “Have you?”
“Nope. Sounds weird to me,” Carter said.
Thunder folded his arms across his chest. “I know this is a long shot and I might not be able to find Delaney, but I’m going to try.”
Carter nodded. “I’m all for trying anything, but I think we should head out in the morning.”
Thunder nodded. “I agree, but first I’d like Mary to take a look around the cabin again to see if being there brings back any memories. We can go there in the morning before we head to Appleton.”
Mary felt faint and slumped down on the cot. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to go back to the cabin when she was trying so hard to forget the gruesome, bloody sight As she curled up on the small cot she prayed sleep would come soon.
The next morning, Carter and Thunder were preparing to leave when the front door swung open. Mary was out back using the outhouse, so they figured it was Marshal Forester returning from the post office.
Sure enough, Marshal Forester and another gentleman strolled inside. The other man was tall and beady eyed.
Carter disliked the man immediately.
“Before you leave this morning,” Forester said, “I thought you’d be interested in what this gentleman, John McCoy, just told me.”
“John McCoy, as in Big Jim’s brother?” Thunder asked.
Forester nodded.
Carter noticed that McCoy’s face had gone completely white.
“So what’s up, McCoy?” Carter asked.
“I’d heard the girl was dead, so I’ve come to collect my brother’s mine,” McCoy said defensively.
“What makes you think that she’s dead?” Carter asked. He wanted so much to lock this man up that it hurt, but the only witness that could swear to McCoy taking Mary from jail in Windy Bend was now dead, so unfortunately Carter didn’t have anything on the man.
“I was passing through Windy Bend when I heard it”
“Sounds convenient to me,” Thunder said.
“Who are you?” McCoy asked.
Thunder.”
McCoy involuntary took a step back. “What are you trying to say, mister? I’m the next of kin.”
“I’m ready,” Mary said, walking back into the room. She stopped upon seeing McCoy and frowned like she was trying to remember the man.
“As you can see”—Carter held out his hand— “Mary is still very much alive.”
“So I see.”
“Mary, do you recognize this man?” Thunder asked.
“I...” She hesitated and finally said, “Something ..
McCoy reached up, but Thunder caught his arm, pinning it behind his back. “No sudden moves. Maybe you’d better get out of here while you can. I’ll see you in court in Appleton.”
As soon as McCoy left, Carter looked at Thunder. “We have to get that man.�
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Thunder frowned. “I know. But it’s going to be difficult I need hard evidence.”
“Who was that man?” Mary asked. It seemed that both men had forgotten she was still standing there.
“That was John McCoy,” Thunder grated out Mary gasped, but quickly got control of herself. “He doesn’t look anything like his brother.”
“Let’s get going,” Carter said. “Forester, we’ll see you in a couple of days in Appleton.”
“I’ll be there.”
Goosebumps rose on Mary’s arms when she saw the log cabin. She reached for the doorknob, but before she turned it she glanced at Thunder. “I don’t want to do this,” she said, her voice trembling.
“I know, kid,” Thunder said. Then he touched her arm. “But I need you to show me what you remember, so I can picture it when I defend you.”
Mary nodded, then pushed through the door. The cabin she’d once called home was dark and musty when she stepped inside. They lit a couple of lamps, and then Mary felt panic sliding over her like a cold, dead hand, touching her face. Faint images of that night flashed before her, but nothing clear. “I—I remember Big Jim going to the door and opening it... then nothing.” She walked around the room with tears trickling down her cheeks. Could she possibly have done this?
She paused in front of the fireplace where a large bloodstain was on the floor. She stood staring at the spot.
Carter and Thunder walked around the room looking for any kind of clue as to what had happened. In a few minutes, Carter stepped out, holding something in his hand. “Wasn’t this Big Jim’s room?”
Mary nodded.
“I found something,” Carter said. He held up a green plaid coat.
“Oh my God,” Mary whispered. “That’s the coat I saw at the opera house, but I couldn’t have seen it there if it was here.” Her voice rose as she remembered something else. “However, I don’t recall ever seeing Jim in this coat or anything like it.”
Whispers on the Wind Page 21
