Gunslinger (20 page)

“Ranger?” Tate said. “Texas Ranger? The Rangers have no cause to interfere in our business. Everything Pa did was legal.”

“Shut up!” Calvin bit out. “You don’t know a damn thing.”

Randy and the Ranger reined in beside the Talbots. Randy slid from the saddle and gave his report to Logan. “Sorry we’re late. We were delayed by the weather. And Captain Danson was waiting for an answer to a telegram he sent. I told him everything that you told me to say, Desperado.”

“You arrived in plenty of time, Randy. I’m glad you’re here, Captain Danson,” Logan said, offering his hand to the Ranger.

Captain Danson shook Logan’s hand. The ranger was a man of around forty with a sun-baked, weather-beaten complexion. “So you’re Desperado Jones. I’ve wanted to meet the fastest gun in the West for a long time. What’s going on here, Mr. Jones?”

“The name is Logan, Captain. Logan Ralston. Desperado Jones no longer exists. How much did Randy tell you?”

“Enough to bring me to Trouble Creek.” He directed his gaze at the Talbots, singling out Calvin. “You must be Calvin Talbot. Our office has received numerous complaints about your land dealings. Several ranchers reported that they were cheated out of their land, that you used underhanded methods to force them to sell to you at rock-bottom prices.”

“I’ve done nothing illegal,” Calvin protested.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Danson said as he studied Calvin through keenly intelligent brown eyes. “That’s why I’m here. I’ve been authorized to investigate your transactions with area ranchers.”

“All my land dealings have been aboveboard,” Calvin claimed.

“There’s been talk about the railroad building a spur line clear to Dodge City,” Danson revealed. “Rumor had it that the spur would pass through Trouble Creek. It’s no coincidence that the land you purchased lay in the railroad’s proposed path, is it?” Danson charged. “I think you might be interested in a telegram I received before I left Amarillo.”

He removed the telegram from his pocket and handed it to Calvin. Calvin briefly scanned the telegram, glanced at Danson as if he wanted to say something, then reread it.

“No! This can’t be true,” he cried after the second reading. “I’ve put all my cash into those properties. The railroad
has
to come through Trouble Creek.”

“What’s it say, Pa?” Tate asked.

“Here, read it for yourself.” He handed the telegram to Tate, his scowl deepening.

“The railroad ain’t coming through Trouble Creek!” Tate exclaimed. “They’re gonna bypass the town and hook up with the Denver City Railroad in Amarillo. That means we’re left with land we can’t use. We’re land poor.”

“I’m not even sure you’ll keep the land after my investigation is concluded,” Danson revealed. “The ranchers claim you used illegal means to force them to sell out to you. Complaints have been building for some time against you, Mr. Talbot. Even if Randy hadn’t arrived when he did, I would have showed up here sooner or later to look into the claims.”

Logan sent Calvin a mocking grin. “Seems to me that all your machinations have brought you nothing but trouble with the law, Talbot. Your son is going to be in even bigger trouble when Captain Danson investigates the ambush Tate planned for me a few weeks ago.”

“Randy told me about that,” Danson said. “I’d like to talk to Marshal Townsend before I begin the investigation. Randy said you were shot and left for dead, Desper…Mr. Ralston.”

“Townsend!” Tate spat, throwing caution to the wind. “He skipped town the same day he learned Desperado was alive, the yellow-bellied polecat.”

“You’ve said enough, Tate,” Calvin hissed. “You never did know when to keep your mouth shut.”

“Sorry, Pa,” Tate apologized.

“I’m Chloe Sommers,” Chloe said when no one saw fit to introduce her. “Would you like to come inside, Captain? There’s coffee on the stove. You and Randy must be cold and hungry. It won’t take long to rustle up something to eat.”

“Thank you, Miss Sommers, coffee and a bite to eat sounds mighty good. There are questions I’d like to ask you and Mr. Ralston about that shootout in the street, and now is as good a time as any.”

“Desperado killed a man in cold blood,” Tate blurted out. “That wasn’t a shoot-out, that was plain murder.”

“I suppose you have witnesses to prove that, Mr. Talbot,” Danson said.

“I said shut up, Tate,” Calvin warned. “Sometimes my son talks too much, Captain,” Calvin said more reasonably. “Of course there were witnesses.”

“As soon as I finish here, I’ll want to meet them,” Danson advised.

“We’ll just mosey on back to town,” Calvin said, edging toward his horse. “I’ll be in my office if you want me, Captain.”

“Just wait a damn minute,” Tate said. “I ain’t going nowhere without my wife.”

Chloe faced Tate squarely, hands on hips, her lips a belligerent scowl. “I’m not your wife and never have been, Tate Talbot. If you don’t get off my land, you’re going to be mighty sorry.”

Calvin pushed Tate none too gently toward his horse. “Mount up, Tate. You never were too bright. Must have taken after your mother.”

“Don’t leave town,” Danson warned.

No answer was forthcoming as they mounted and rode away.

Chloe ushered Danson through the house and invited him into the kitchen. Randy was also invited inside but he opted to return to the bunkhouse with the hands. “They’ll be anxious to hear about my adventures,” he explained. “Especially the part about my stumbling into an Indian village.”

Logan and Danson sat at the kitchen table and conversed quietly while Chloe prepared food for the Ranger. She set a plate of ham and potatoes in front of Danson, pulled up a chair and joined them.

“Did you tell Captain Danson about the ambush Tate planned for you, Logan? And why it had been arranged in the first place?” she asked.

“I explained that the only way Talbot could get his hands on the Ralston spread was to kill me and have Tate marry you. So he challenged me. But Tate never intended to draw against me, for he knew he would lose. Instead, he resorted to trickery. I saw the man on the roof and suspected foul play. Actually, there were two men hidden from view, both with their sights on me. They would have killed me before I had a chance to draw on Tate if I hadn’t spotted them first.”

He said nothing about Chloe shooting one of the men, and the guarded look he gave Chloe warned her not to reveal her part in the shoot-out.

“I assume you have witnesses,” Danson said around a mouthful of ham.

“Chloe and two hands from the Ralston spread saw the whole thing. If that’s not good enough, ask Mr. Baker, the lawyer. He was a witness to the shooting. They were all standing on the landing outside the lawyer’s office and had an unrestricted view. There might even be some townspeople willing to speak out against the Talbots now that you’re here to protect them.”

“What about the town marshal? Didn’t he try to stop the shoot-out?”

“Ha!” Chloe snorted. “Townsend is Calvin Talbot’s man. Calvin got Townsend appointed marshal even though he had little experience for the job. He spent his days drinking in the Devil’s Den saloon and his nights carousing with whores. He was a coward and Calvin’s lackey.”

Danson’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “You don’t mince words, Miss Sommers.”

“That’s one of the things I find so endearing about my fiancée, Captain,” Logan said. “By the way, you’re invited to the wedding if you’re still in town.”

“Logan Ralston,” Chloe chided, “if you’re planning a wedding any time soon, I should be the first to know about it.”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” he said with a grin.

“I want to personally thank Reverend Tully for what he did for you,” he went on. “Since he was so helpful, I was going to ask him to perform the ceremony at his earliest convenience. Perhaps Mr. Baker will consent to give the bride away, if that’s agreeable to you.”

“When is all this going to take place?” Chloe wanted to know.

“I think the weather is going to hold for a while. How does next week sound? I want to invite the whole town to the church. Afterward they can all come out to the house for food and drink. We can get Juanita back and hire a woman from town to help with the preparations.”

“You’ve got everything all planned, haven’t you?”

“Sounds like it to me,” Danson said, suppressing a chuckle.

“I have but one request, and only you can grant it.”

Chloe’s brows rose. “Name it and I’ll think about it.”

“Can you please wear a dress when we stand up in church? I don’t care for myself, I love you in trousers, but you might shock the preacher, not to mention the congregation.”

Danson rose abruptly, his lips curved in amusement. “I think that’s my cue to leave. If I need to question you further, I’ll ride out. And about the wedding. I’d be proud to attend.”

Danson took his leave. Chloe started to clean up the kitchen. She let out a startled gasp when Logan came up behind her, grasped her around the waist and pressed a kiss on her nape. Then he turned her to face him, and her gaze flew up to meet his when she felt his erection pressing against the softness between her legs. She brought her hand between them and touched him.

“What brought that on?” she asked coyly.

“Thinking about our wedding. I pictured you without your trousers and gunbelt. The thought of you in a dress was so arousing I couldn’t help myself. You didn’t answer my question, honey. Will you honor my request?”

“A dress,” Chloe whispered wistfully. “I can’t remember when I wore a dress last.” Suddenly she frowned, finally recalling when she’d last worn a dress.

“What is it? Did you remember something?”

Chloe buried her head against his shoulder. “I remembered when I last wore a dress. It was the night I went to the dance with Tate. The night he—” She shuddered, the memory still vividly painful. That night she’d removed her ripped and soiled dress and vowed never to let a man take advantage of her again. The following day she’d ridden into town and bought a supply of boys’ trousers and silk shirts. And a pair of six-shooters.

“Forget about that night, honey. Think about your future with Logan Ralston. I promise that no man will ever hurt you again.”

He lifted her face so he could look into her eyes. They were misty with tears. He touched her lips with his and tasted her tears.

“Are those tears of joy or sorrow?”

“I have nothing to be unhappy about,” she said, giving him a watery smile. Her arms tightened around him. “I have everything I want right here in my arms. Make love to me, Logan. I want to put the past behind me.”

He swept her into his arms and took the steps two at a time. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, love.”

“I’ll remind you every day for the rest of our lives.”

Logan closed the bedroom door behind them and turned the key in the newly repaired lock. Then he undressed her, worshiping her with his eyes and mouth as each piece of her clothing fell away.

“Let me undress you,” Chloe whispered as she carefully removed his coat and vest and undid the buttons on his shirt.

When she didn’t move fast enough to suit him, he aided her by removing his gunbelt and peeling his trousers down to the tops of his boots. Then he sat on the edge of the bed and finished the task. Chloe had already joined him on the bed, touching him intimately while he struggled with his clothing.

“If you don’t stop that, this will end before it gets started.”

“I love touching you,” Chloe said with a hint of mischief. “Your body is so different from mine.”

“Thank God,” Logan said, rolling his eyes heavenward.

“Will our loving change after we’re married?”

“It’s bound to,” Logan teased.

Chloe reared up on her elbows and glared at him. “Explain yourself, Mr. Ralston.”

He flashed his dimple at her and said in that sexy-as-hell voice, “Our loving can only get better. You know what they say. Practice makes perfect.”

Chloe flopped back down on the mattress. “If it gets any better I’m likely to die from pleasure.”

Logan laughed. “You’ll only die a little. Each time we make love will be like a glimpse of heaven. Now shut up and let me love you.”

Their loving was slow and sweet at first. Logan took his time to arouse her, paying special attention to her sensitive breasts. But when he finally slid inside her wet center, his gentleness gave way to fierce need as he penetrated her with strong, deep strokes, wringing a cry from her and sending hot blood singing through her veins. His loins pumped against hers, giving her everything he was capable of giving, accepting her passionate homage in return.

Sweat drenched their bodies, love filled their souls, and then the end came in a firestorm of heat that fused them together, body and soul.

“If that didn’t make a baby, then I don’t know what will,” Logan gasped against her mouth.

“Baby?” Chloe asked. She was still dazed, her body vibrating with the aftermath of passion.

Logan rolled to his side. “You want children, don’t you? We’ve never talked about it.”

“Do you?”

Chloe let her breath out in a long, slow sigh. He was silent so long, she feared his answer would be negative. Whatever was she going to do if he didn’t want children?

“I’d love to have children with you,” he said after a long pause.

Chloe knew he’d given her the perfect opening to tell him about the baby, but she was too tired. There was plenty of time to give him the happy news, she decided as she slid effortlessly into sleep.

Chapter Nineteen

The next day dawned cold and clear, with no sign of snow on the horizon. After breakfast Logan announced that he was going to town to call on Reverend Tully. Chloe decided to remain at the ranch since there was much to be done now that the hands had returned. Logan kissed her lingeringly and rode off.

Chloe decided not to accompany the hands when they rode out to repair fences and round up strays. She busied herself with chores in and around the barn, thinking about her baby and imagining Logan’s pleasure when she told him she was expecting.

Around midday she heard wagon wheels and walked out into the yard to greet Juanita as she drove the buckboard through the gate. Rowdy sat beside her, looking pale but much better than the last time Chloe had seen him. She hurried up to greet them.

“Mr. Ralston stopped at the hotel and told us it was safe to return,” Juanita explained as she jumped from the seat and went around to help Rowdy.

“I’m glad,” Chloe said, genuinely happy to see the pair. “I’ve missed you. I’ll help you bring Rowdy into the house.”

“No need for that, Miss Chloe,” Rowdy said. “I’m well enough to bunk in with the boys now.” He gave Juanita a shy smile. “Maybe Juanita can check up on me once in a while.”

“If that’s all right with Senorita Chloe,” Juanita said.

Chloe recognized a budding romance when she saw one. “Of course Juanita can continue to supervise your recovery. She can help you settle in now, if she’d like.”

“Oh,
sí”
Juanita said, glowing happily.

Chloe watched them walk off together to the bunkhouse, then returned to the house to fix herself some lunch. Logan returned just as she was about to sit down to a cold lunch of leftover roast beef.

“I’ll set a plate for you,” Chloe said, greeting Logan with a lusty kiss.

“Ummm, if that’s the kind of welcome I can look forward to, I’ll make a practice of leaving more often. Did Juanita and Rowdy return?”

“They arrived a short time ago. Rowdy seems to be recovering well.”

“Juanita takes good care of him. Did you see the reverend?”

“I did. How does Saturday sound? Reverend Tully is free to perform the ceremony on Saturday, and I told him that would be fine. I also took the liberty of posting invitations to the townspeople in various locations around town. The post office, telegraph office, bank and barbershop.”

“Saturday. That’s only four days away.”

“Too soon?” Logan asked.

She shook her head. “No, I’m more than ready. I’ll need to make a trip to town, however, to purchase provisions for the reception and to ask Mr. Baker to give me away. Then I’ll need to find someone to help Juanita prepare food for the reception.”

“We’ll take the buckboard into town tomorrow,” Logan said. “I don’t want you going alone. Not while the Talbots are still around. I spoke with Captain Danson today. He’s been interviewing witnesses to the shoot-out. He said everyone who had seen it corroborated my version of what happened. He told me I have nothing to worry about from the law.”

“Thank God,” Chloe said with a sigh. “What about Marshal Townsend?”

“Gone. He lit out of town, just like Tate said.”

“And the Talbots?”

“They’re still around, but I wonder for how long. Captain Danson is investigating their dealings with ranchers who sold land to him. He’s going to ask Thadeous Baker to relinquish those documents pertaining to Talbot’s transactions. Talbot could go to jail if Danson proves he had anything to do with the cattle rustlings and strong-arm methods used to frighten ranchers.”

“The Talbots deserve everything that’s coming to them,” Chloe said with asperity.

They finished their lunch and Logan rose to leave. “Where are the hands working?”

“In the south pasture, repairing fences.”

“I reckon I’ll ride out to help. But first I’ll stop by to see Rowdy.”

“Send Juanita back to the house,” Chloe said. “I want to tell her about the reception and the extra work it will entail. Maybe she knows of someone in town willing to help.” Suddenly she looked thoughtful. “Can we afford it? There isn’t much money left in the bank.”

“There is plenty of money,” he said cryptically. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

“I have something to tell you, too,” she called after him.

Logan entered the bunkhouse, gave Juanita Chloe’s message, and approached Rowdy’s bunk.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, searching Rowdy’s face. He thought Rowdy lacked his usual color but seemed to be well on his way to recovery.

“Much better. I’ll be pulling my weight around here in a day or two.”

“Don’t rush it. Things are slow right now. I plan to buy cattle to fill out our herd soon. That’s when you’ll be needed.”

“Desperado…I—”

“Call me Logan, that’s my name now. Spit it out, boy. What’s on your mind?”

“I owe you an apology. I didn’t like you at first. I thought you were out to hurt Miss Chloe and didn’t trust you. Truth is, I wanted to be like you and knew I never could be. I envied your…relationship with Miss Chloe. We all knew what was going on between you two. There was a time I wanted to kill you.”

“What changed your mind?” Logan asked curiously.

“I guess it was getting to know you, and realizing you really cared for Miss Chloe. I was jealous, if you want to know the truth. But since meeting Juanita I realize that what I felt for Miss Chloe was infatuation. It was all wishful thinking with no substance. I’ll leave if you say you no longer want me here.”

“I guessed what your problem was long before you realized it yourself,” Logan said. “I don’t hold grudges, Rowdy. You’re welcome to stay. Taking that bullet was rough on you. I’m sorry it happened.”

“Much obliged, Desper…Logan. You won’t be sorry.”

“By the way,” Logan said in parting, “Chloe and I are getting married Saturday. I hope you’re well enough to attend.”

“Depend on it,” Rowdy said.

Logan smiled all the way to the south pasture.

The next day Logan hitched the horses to the buckboard for their trip to town. With Juanita’s help, Chloe had prepared a list of provisions needed for the reception. Juanita had given her the name of a poor Mexican family with daughters in need of work, and Chloe hoped to hire them to help with the reception.

They set out shortly after breakfast, turning down the muddy main street of Trouble Creek two hours later. Chloe had been so intent upon her list and wedding plans that she had not told Logan about the baby. But Logan hadn’t forgotten to explain about the money his father had left for him in the bank. By the time he finished telling her how he intended to fix up the house and restock their herd, they were pulling into town.

Logan parked the buckboard in front of the general store. “I have some business at the bank,” he said as he lifted her to the ground. “Buy whatever you need and have it loaded in the buckboard. Tell Mr. Potter I’ll pay for the purchases when I’m finished at the bank. Buy yourself something pretty to wear,” he added in parting.

Chloe made her purchases with time to spare. Logan returned to pay for them and they went together to the lawyer’s office. Mr. Baker didn’t seem surprised to see them.

“I wondered when you two would come back to be married,” he said jovially. “I couldn’t believe Chloe had married that no-good Tate Talbot. It’s all over town how Chloe and Reverend Tully outfoxed the Talbots.” He shook his head. “It makes me hopping mad when I think how that unholy pair tried to force Chloe into marriage. This isn’t the first time they defied the law to gain their own ends.

“That Texas Ranger fellow was here yesterday to question me about their dealings. I gave him plenty of information and the documentation he requested. I hope that pair gets what they so richly deserve.”

“We all feel that way, Mr. Baker,” Chloe said. “Their illegal dealings have gone on too long.”

“Right. But enough of that. Let’s get down to important matters. I reckon you’re eager to get hitched.”

“I hope you won’t mind, Mr. Baker,” Logan explained. “But we owe Reverend Tully a great deal and I’ve asked him to marry us in the church. Our wedding will take place on Saturday. We’re here because, well, Chloe has something to ask you.”

Chloe took up where Logan left off. “I don’t have a father, Mr. Baker. Ted was the closest thing to a father I had and he’s dead. I wonder…that is, will you give me away?”

A wide grin split the old man’s craggy features. “Why, that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever asked me to do. I’d be right proud to give you away. Tell me the time and I’ll be there with bells on.”

“Ten o’clock Saturday morning,” Logan said. “Don’t be late. Nothing is going to stop us this time.”

“You can count on me.”

They took their leave and walked to the cafe for lunch. Then they returned to the buckboard. The supplies had been loaded inside and covered with a tarp they had brought along for that purpose. Logan lifted Chloe onto the unsprung seat and leaped up beside her. “Didn’t Juanita give you the name of a family who might be willing to help with the preparations for our reception?”

“She did. The Lopez family lives in a small house on the street behind the Devil’s Den.”

Logan grasped the reins and set the team into motion. They located the house with little difficulty. Senora Lopez answered Chloe’s knock. Chloe stated her business, explaining that Juanita had sent her. Senora Lopez called her two daughters, Lolita and Maria, and Chloe explained again what she wanted. Both girls promptly agreed to help Juanita prepare the wedding feast. The senora thanked Chloe profusely when Chloe mentioned the pay each girl would receive for two days’ work. They promised to be at the ranch bright and early the following morning.

Their business concluded, Logan drove the buckboard out of town. The weather still held. The sun was dipping low in the sky, but to Chloe the day was still bright with promise. Never had she been so happy. Logan must have been of the same mind, for he put his arm around her and hugged her. Then he smiled, and kept smiling.

Chloe smiled back. This was the man she’d always known existed beneath the rough exterior of Desperado Jones. This was the man she’d fallen in love with, not the man with the violent reputation. The legend of Desperado Jones was a sham, invented in part by Desperado himself to instill fear in his enemies. No man in his right mind wanted to tangle with the legendary gunman with a lightning draw. The fear he had inspired had probably saved Desperado’s life on more than one occasion. That plus his skill to draw faster and shoot more accurately than any other man.

“What are you thinking, love?” Logan asked when she remained silent for a long time.

Her green eyes sparkled. “I’m wondering—” Her sentence ended in a surprised gurgle when she felt cold steel pressing against her neck.

“What’s the matter?” Logan asked when he felt her stiffen.

“I…we’re not alone,” Chloe managed to say.

“Who—”

“Stop the wagon,” a voice from behind them ordered. “Don’t try anything if you want your whore to live.”

“Tate Talbot!” Logan rasped. “Where in the hell did you come from?”

“I hid beneath the canvas. What took you so long? I was about to suffocate under there.”

“What do you want?”

Ignoring Logan, he sent Chloe a purely evil grin. “I want
her
. Just once before I leave. Pa is already packed and ready to light out before that blasted Texas Ranger arrests him. Pa just learned that the railroad intends to buy land in the Oklahoma panhandle. The Oklahoma spur will complete the line from Amarillo to Dodge City. Pa intends to head up there and buy up land. There’s still money to be made, and the Texas Rangers can’t touch us there.”

“Shouldn’t you be with your father now?” Chloe asked in an effort to distract him.

“This won’t take long,” Tate said. “Empty your gunbelts, both of you. Toss your guns back here.”

When Logan’s right hand inched toward his gun butt, Tate cocked his own gun and warned, “I swear I’ll shoot if you try anything funny. Chloe owes me a wedding night, but if I have to kill her I will. Neither of us will have her then. It’s your choice.”

“Don’t shoot,” Logan rasped as he removed his guns and tossed them behind him into the wagon bed.

“You next, Chloe,” Tate ordered.

Chloe hesitated but a moment before tossing her guns to join Logan’s.

“Now what?” Logan asked.

“Get down. Real easy like. My gun is still pressed against Chloe’s neck and my finger is mighty itchy.”

Logan climbed down from the buckboard, casting about for a way to take Tate without endangering Chloe’s life.

Tate pulled a rope from beneath the canvas and tied Chloe’s hands behind her with his free hand. Then he pulled her down into the wagon bed and rolled her up in the tarp.

“Don’t hurt her,” Logan warned. “There’s nowhere you can run, no place you can hide if you harm her.”

“Shut up, Jones,” Tate growled as he climbed down from the buckboard. Obviously he had come well prepared, for he held another rope in his free hand. “Walk over to that tree,” he ordered, pointing to a sturdy tree a dozen yards from the buckboard. “Don’t try to be a hero. I’d just as soon shoot you as look at you. The only thing holding me back is the thought that I could be hanged for murder.”

Logan did as he was told, casting furtive glances over his shoulder at Chloe, who was struggling in vain to escape from beneath the canvas. He would have jumped Tate and taken a chance at getting himself killed if it wasn’t for Chloe. His death wouldn’t help her. He needed to live for her sake.

“Hug the tree,” Tate said. When Logan complied, Tate began twisting the rope around Logan’s wrists, securing him to the tree. Then, for good measure he wound the rope around Logan’s body.

Logan couldn’t move, could scarcely breathe. Never had he felt such overwhelming fear for another human being. He loved Chloe completely, and the thought of Tate hurting her made his blood run cold. He knew what Tate intended. He wouldn’t kill Chloe, but he’d make her wish she were dead. Rape was a horrible thing for any woman to endure, and Chloe had already suffered Tate’s brutality once.