Deborah Camp (18 page)

The owl hooted again, and Cassie knew in her gut that this clandestine journey could only mean trouble. Maybe Drew had seen some cattle down and wanted to see about them before sunrise. Or he could have seen a pack of coyotes or wolves roaming about. Maybe those horse thieves were back and he’d caught sight of them. Realizing that she was getting herself worked up, she clutched the chair arms and rocked furiously for nearly an hour before she heard the jangle of riggings and spurs outside.

Jumping up from the rocker, she went to fling open the door and stare up into Drew’s startled expression.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking past her into the house.

“That’s what I want to ask you,” she said, moving aside to let him enter. She looked out and saw Ice leading two horses into the barn. “Where have you and Ice been at this hour? Oleta said you left without telling her a dagblamed thing.”

“I told her to watch over Andy.” He removed his hat and hung it on a peg by the door. “From the way you and Monroe were getting on, I figured you might spend the night over at his place.”

“If I cared about your opinion, I’d slap your face, but I don’t.” She spun away from him so that she wouldn’t be tempted to change her mind and wallop him upside the head. “So where have you been?”

“Rounding up some strays.”

She faced him again. “After midnight?”

“They’re from the Bar Q ranch. You know it?”

“Will Quentin? What’s his cattle doing way over here?”

“They were herded here by a couple of men wearing neckerchiefs over their faces.” He scrubbed his own face with his hands and sat wearily on the sofa. “I saw them when I was riding home with Andy, but I couldn’t give chase, what with the baby and all.”

“They herded the cattle here on purpose? That’s more than a day’s ride when you’re herding cattle. Why would somebody—?” She pressed her lips together as an answer clouded her mind. “This has to do with you. Somebody’s trying to get you in trouble again, get you sent back to prison.”

“That’s how I see it. Of course, you might see it different. Maybe you think I’m up to my old tricks and trying to lie my way out of it.”

She flung her braid over her shoulder. “Don’t talk foolishness to me, Drew Dalton. If you were given to lying, you’d do a better job of it. You saw the men? What did they look like? Anybody you—now, why are you staring at me like that?” she demanded, her train of thought derailed by his slowly emerging lopsided grin and the soft, teasing light in his eyes.

“Never mind,” he said, shaking his head and looking down at his boots. “You tickle me sometimes is all.” He cleared his throat, and when he looked up at her again, the smile was gone and his eyes were dark blue and serious. “Me and Ice herded the cattle into the holding pen. I’m taking them back to the Quentin ranch tomorrow.”

“And what will you say to Will? Or are you hoping to sneak the cattle back onto his land?”

“I’m no sneak. I’ll tell Quentin what happened, that’s all. He’ll believe me or he won’t. All I can do is tell the truth.” He rested his arms along the back of the sofa. “I don’t know who the men were who brought them here. Their faces were covered up and it was dark. Now that I know somebody is out to ruin me, I’ll be on the prowl and I’ll catch them red-handed.”

She sat in the rocker across from him. “You think the same ones who got you in trouble before are behind this now?”

“I don’t know. Could be.”

“Why, Drew? Why would anyone want you to go to prison so bad?”

“Maybe to get me out of the way so they can get this land.”

“But that wouldn’t get them this land. They would have to get through me first.”

“Maybe that doesn’t pose much of a problem to them. You don’t seem to understand that a widow woman with a baby is no barrier to any man who is determined. Some men might even see you as an added bonus. He gets the land and a good-looking woman to cook and clean for him.”

“As if I would!” She folded her arms under her breasts and crossed one leg over the other in a defensive posture. “I’d die first.”

“That’s the other option,” Drew said, his blue eyes as ominous as a stormy sky.

“You trying to scare me?”

“No, I’m trying to make you see reason and quit living in a dream world. You wouldn’t have a prayer against any ruthless man who decided he wanted this place for his own.”

“I have legal rights.”

“Dead people lose their rights. You’d better start using your head, Cassie, and realize you’re a sitting duck out here.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” She shoved up from the chair and paced to the fireplace. “But I’m not going to hand over this ranch without a fight, by gum! And I’m not going to be scared off it either.”

“I’m not trying to scare you off.”

“The hell you aren’t!”

“I’m not,” he insisted. “I’m just trying to make you understand that you can’t hold onto this land by yourself. You need me.” His jaw tightened and a muscle
fluttered like a pulse. “And now I need you.”

Everything went still inside her, and she looked at him—really, looked at him. In the dim lantern light, she could see that he was deadly serious and that this admission had cost him dearly. His mouth was a tight line, and she sensed the crumbling of his pride. She was confounded and bewildered, unsure of how to respond. Finally she took a deep breath and asked him the obvious.

“Why do you need me now?”

“Because trouble’s coming. Could already be here if Will Quentin doesn’t believe me. I’m going to need you in my corner. Whether you believe me or not, I need you to act like you do so folks around here won’t be so ready to lynch me or run me out of the county.”

She sat again in the rocker, her knees trembling and an odd little thrill stealing through her. Drew Dalton was asking her to believe in him, to support him. She never thought she’d see the day when he asked her for anything. And now this.

“You’re well liked around here and I’m not. That was clear tonight at the dance. If you stand by me, they’ll give me the benefit of the doubt for a spell. That might be the time I need to find out who’s trying to get me killed or thrown back into prison.”

“They might stand by you, too, if you’d let them.” She sighed, knowing in her heart it would take more than that. Drew would have to prove himself to their hard-headed neighbors.

He ran a finger under the handkerchief knotted around his wide neck. “Are you with me or against me?”

“I’m not against you. Never have been. Of course, I’ll stand with you. Those men who rustled cattle and left them on my land have put me in hot water, too. I’ll
ride with you to the Quentin place and explain this mess to him.”

“No, you stay here.”

“I will not!”

“There’s work to be done,” he said in a calm voice. “You stay here and run the ranch. Otherwise, Tee and Gabe will laze around with no boss to oversee them. You know it’s true.”

“They’re not that bad,” she murmured, but knew he had a point. The men tended to slack off when no one was around to check on them. “You go ahead and take Ice with you,” she said, realizing that she was acting as if this was her idea instead of his. “I’ll stay here and run the ranch.”

“Good thinking,” he said. His eyes crinkled at the corners and his lips twitched against a grin. “We’ll leave at first light. Should be back in a couple of days.”

“You know Quentin well?”

“We’re not chums, but I’ve known him since I was a boy. What about you?”

She shook her head. “I heard about him from A.J. Is he a fair man?”

“If you’re asking if I think there will be trouble, I don’t know. All I can do is show him the truth and hope he recognizes it.” He glanced up at the loft. “Did you have a good time at the dance?”

She shrugged, eyeing him carefully. “It was nice to get out and about.”

“I guess you danced with every man who asked you.”

Cassie balled her hands into fists. “I reckon I did.”

“I thought you’d want to dance all night with Roe.”

“Why deprive so many men of the pleasure of my company?”

He frowned.

She frowned back at him. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re talking like a tart.”

She flinched, his words sinking like talons into her heart. Was she? Did her way of speaking reveal more to him than she wanted him to know? Or was he jealous and lashing out blindly?

“I’m turning in,” he announced abruptly.

He climbed up to his bed in the loft. Cassie shuffled off to her own, her thoughts weighing her down. Maybe she should just tell him about her past. It was stupid for her to hide herself, hoping to be thought of as a lady. Stupid, childish, cowardly.

But she knew she wouldn’t confess—especially to Drew Dalton. She’d fought hard for her self-respect and the respect of her neighbors, and she’d fight just as hard for Drew’s respect. If she told him about her former saloon work, if she told him that she used to sell herself to men, then he’d never look at her with anything but disgust on his face. And he sure wouldn’t want her as his partner.

Groaning, she squeezed her eyes shut as other worries came to the fore. She flung herself onto her bed and snuggled with Miss Tess, her trusty doll. Someone was trying to send Drew packing, but who? She closed her eyes against the beginnings of a headache. Lord, the list of suspects was damned near endless!

Drew was gone before Cassie or the sun had left their beds. Disappointed that he’d made tracks before she could talk to him again, Cassie found herself in a sour
mood all day while she worked the herd alongside T-Bone and Gabe. By the time she and T-Bone rode back to the house with the last rays of the sun warming her back, she had to admit that she missed Drew and was worried that he suspected she might not be a decent sort after all. He’d been around his share of saloon tarts, and he probably recognized another one when he saw her.

“He’s no fool, that one,” she mumbled to herself as she slid out of the saddle.

“You talking to the horse or yourself?” T-Bone asked, giving her a funny look.

“Myself.” She handed the reins over to him. “Put up Sweet Pea for me, will you?” Pressing a hand to the small of her back, she twisted from side to side. She felt T-Bone’s measuring gaze and faced him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just wondering why you’ve been so grouchy all day. You feeling okay?”

“I’m worried about Drew, that’s all. I hope Will Quentin is a reasonable man …” Her voice trailed off as she caught the sound of a galloping horse. She spotted Gabe on his yellow mustang racing toward them. “Wonder what’s got him in such an all-fired hurry?”

T-Bone strode forward, reaching out to place a hand on the mustang’s sweaty neck and make a grab for the reins. “What’s wrong now?”

“You’ll never guess who I seen out by Two Forks Creek,” Gabe said, breathing heavily, his face red with excitement.

“I don’t want to guess. You tell me,” Cassie said.

“The sheriff and two deputies! They was looking at the break in the fence—the one you and Drew found and patched—and all them tracks. The fresh ones, too.
The ones made by that bunch from the Bar Q.”

A bolt of alarm rocked Cassie back on her heels. “Did you talk to them? Did you ask them what they were doing on my land?”

“They’re coming here to the house to talk to you,” Gabe said, still trying to catch his breath. “I think somebody’s told them about them cattle being here. That’s what I think.”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “Well, that’s obvious, isn’t it? Even baby Andy could have figured that one out.” Whipping off her hat, she slammed it against her thigh in agitation. “Who’s been shooting off his mouth, that’s what I’d like to know.”

“Weren’t me,” Gabe said. “I ain’t been anywheres near the sheriff, and I didn’t know nothing about them cows until this morning, when you told me and Tee how Drew and Ice was taking them back to the Bar Q.”

“I’m not accusing you of anything,” Cassie said. “But somebody sent the sheriff here. He wouldn’t just pick this ranch out of the blue to look for lost cows.”

“Maybe he would,” T-Bone said softly. “What with Drew being back here and all.”

Cassie turned on him. “You think Drew rustled those cattle? If so, then pack up now. I won’t have anyone working for me who is against him.”

T-Bone narrowed his eyes in a cagey squint. “Lord, gal, you sure have changed your tune! Did I say I thought he took those cows? Don’t you go putting words in my mouth, Cassie Dalton. You’d better simmer down before the sheriff gets here, or you’ll make him think you’re covering up something. Which you ain’t,” he added quickly.

Realizing she’d overreacted, Cassie reached out and
tugged T-Bone’s shirtsleeve in a gesture of supplication. “Sorry, partner. I didn’t mean to jump on you with both spurs. I’m edgy, that’s all.”

“Looky there,” T-Bone said, gazing at the horizon. “Here comes the law.”

Cassie ran a hand over her hair, smoothing back wayward strands, then put her hat back on. She tucked her hands in the waistband of her split skirt and walked forward, giving a nod in greeting to the sheriff and his two deputies.

Amos Nelson wore a big brass star pinned to his red shirt. He’d been sheriff for as long as Cassie had been in the county, and he was respected and well liked. A man in his fifties, he sported a luxurious white mustache and long sideburns. His hair was white and curly but thinning at the crown. That’s why he hardly ever took off his hat. He touched the brim now, returning Cassie’s silent greeting. He was flanked by two young deputies, neither one much older than Cassie.

“Gabe told me y’all were taking a look-see at my land,” Cassie said, getting right to the point. “What’s the problem, Sheriff Nelson?”

“I got a report this morning that there were some stray cattle on your land.”

“Who told you that?”

“Oh, just a couple of cowhands.”

“Anybody I know?”

“I doubt it. They’re drifters. They told me they saw some men herding Bar Q cattle through a break in your fence. I thought I’d better check it out. I see you have a wobbly fence post out by the creek and some fresh prints in that area.” The sheriff pushed his hat back off
his forehead to reveal small but probing dark eyes. “You know anything about that, Mrs. Dalton?”