A Promise in Defiance: Romance in the Rockies Book 3 (36 page)

Delilah hated only one
thing about leaving Defiance: she would never see Logan’s grave again. But
then, maybe that’s how he would have wanted it.

A summer breeze
caressing her face, she knelt down and laid some bluebells on the fresh dirt. Mary
Jean and the others had left a variety of wildflowers, but no one else knew
Logan had preferred these. She left something else as well. Her desire for revenge
and every bit of anger and greed she’d come to this town with was dead now too.
She wanted to honor Logan’s last request. She would get to know God. If she was
fortunate, He would give her the peace Logan had spoken of. 

Determined to put one
foot in front of the other without weeping, Delilah strode down the hillside
back to town. At the stagecoach office, she waited on a bench and studied the
ticket that said she was heading to Dodge City. Good idea or not, it was at
least a jumping-off point.

Billy had said her
mother was still there. The chance to see her again and heal a deep, deep wound
gave Delilah a hope she hadn’t felt in a long time.

The bench moved and she
looked over at Marshal Beckwith settling in. His eyes glittered at her from
beneath his hat. “Goin’ somewhere?”

“Dodge City.”

She stared across the
street, but the marshal kept his eyes on her. She didn’t ask why. She didn’t
really care. He’d get around to it.

After a moment, he
stretched his legs out and crossed one dusty boot over the other, watching the
traffic instead. “You order Smith to blow up the mine?”

“Yes.”

He was silent a long
time before speaking again. “I figure a trial will just keep the wound open and
those men’ll still be just as dead.” He swung his gaze back to her. “A healing
needs to start. And you’ve got your punishment. Livin’ with what you did.”

She tried to hold her
face still but felt the tick in her brow. “Yes.”

He stood, rested his
hands on his cartridge belt. “I don’t reckon I’ll ever see or hear from you
again.”

“No one will.”

He nodded curtly and
ambled off down the boardwalk.

 . . .
you’ve
got your punishment. Livin’ with what you did
 . . .

If he only knew.

The thunder of a
stagecoach, not hers, rumbled down the street and came to a stop in front of
her. A light rain last night had settled the dust and cooled the air. She liked
summers in these high mountains.

The door banged open
and Matthew of all people squeezed through the small opening and jumped to the
ground. Shaking golden blond hair out of his eyes, his gaze landed on Delilah.
He grinned broadly and dropped his bowler on his head. “Well, come to meet me?
How’d you know I was on this stage?”

She had hoped to
disappear before he arrived. Not because she was afraid of him. She simply
wanted to be done with everything about her old life, the things she could walk
away from, anyhow. Huffing in disgust, she rose. “I didn’t. I’m taking the next
stage out.”

His brow wrinkled in
shock. “What?”

“I’m through. I’m done.
I’m leaving.”

An angry flush crept
into his cheeks. “You can’t leave. I sold everything to come here. I’m gonna
run the lumber mill, you run the saloon. That was the deal.”

“Well, I’m making a new
deal.” She reached into the reticule hanging from her wrist, pushing aside a
substantial amount of cash, and grasped the key. “Here. I was going to mail it
from the next town.” She shoved it against his chest and he took it, out of
shock more than acceptance. “You get to run ’em both. The Crystal Chandelier is
all yours now. I don’t want any part of it.”

“What the . . .”
His mouth hanging open, Matthew gawked at the key, then Delilah. “What
happened? McIntyre and that preacher running you out? You don’t have to leave
now that I’m here.”

Mercifully, the two o’clock
stage from Mineral Springs thundered in from the other end of town. She picked
up her lovely violet skirt, eager to shake off this town’s dust. “What
happened? Delilah Goodnight died in Defiance, that’s what happened.”

McIntyre laid a hand on
the batwing and forced himself to refrain from a weary sigh. Rebecca had been
right. She’d seen a man disembark from the stage coach who looked like Matthew.

Those mountain-sized
shoulders were unmistakable. Carpetbag in one hand, saddlebags slung over a
shoulder, he stared down at the bloodstain on the floor. A trail of drops led
to the door. He scratched his head then had to rearrange his bowler.

“Hello,” he called, and
waited.

McIntyre pushed his way
in. “They’re all gone. Except Otis. He’s here somewhere.”

Matthew whirled around.
A nasty smile of recognition slowly crept across his mouth. “McIntyre. I didn’t
expect to run into you so soon.”

Delilah’s mysterious
partner. McIntyre would have never guessed it, but why the ruse? “What brings
you back? I thought it was abundantly clear you are not welcome here.”

Matthew slung his bags atop
a nearby table. “I told you I liked Defiance. You said yourself there’s plenty
of opportunity here. So I’m here to stay. I’ve bought the lumber mill. I own
this place. Probably buy a few more businesses or some claims. I’m ready to
make some money. Turn Defiance upside down and shake free some of that gold
dust.”

“Your timing may prove
to be rather poor, especially since I have closed the mine.”

“Closed?” The word came
out as almost a growl.

Not information he
wanted, McIntyre guessed. He twisted the knife a little deeper. “Yes, and
miners are leaving by the droves. I’ve even heard it whispered the creeks are
playing out.” He pulled a cheroot from his pocket. “But what may interest you
more is that in a few days Defiance will be an official, incorporated town.

“As the interim mayor,
Ian has said the first things he’d like to see enforced are the Red Light
Abatement Act and the public nuisance laws.” McIntyre glanced around the empty
saloon and smiled. “If I were you, I would familiarize myself with them. The
fines can be downright exorbitant. Enough to put a man out of business.”

He lit the cheroot,
crushed the match under his toe, and sauntered out of The Crystal Chandelier.

<<<>>> 

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A Promise in Defiance
, I cannot tell you how much I would
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Thank you
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children thank you!

On a serious
note, I hope that if you’re a new follower of Jesus Christ, you’ll hang in
there with Him even when things don’t go your way, even when your past jumps up
and bites you. He knows what you’ve done. He knows what you will do. More
importantly, He knows what
He
will do. God has a plan and it is always
in your best interest. Believe that! He loves you.

If you don’t
know Jesus, it’s so easy to meet Him! Please follow this link to discover the
simple steps to salvation and a relationship with Christ. You’ll never regret
it.
http://peacewithgod.net/

Finally, if you’ve read a few of my books, you know I
have a heart for the American Indian, especially the youth. Their suicide rate
is
twice
the national average; domestic violence, unemployment, and
alcoholism are common in over 70% of the homes. The statistics go on and on.
One school is trying to make a difference. I hope you’ll check out, pray for,
even donate to the American Indian Christian Mission School (
http://www.aicm.org/
), a wonderful,
well-respected organization that is reaching Native Americans one young person
at a time.

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Promise in Defiance!