Her Montana Man (28 page)

“Where?” Jonas barked.

“He told me there was a miner’s cabin due north of that fork in the trail. He said you can see Bear Paw

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Ridge from the front of the cabin.”

Jonas backed away and flipped the knife closed. “If she’s hurt in any way, you’re answerin’ to me.”

He stalked from the room.

Royce got to his feet in a rage. If Jonas got to Luther, the idiot would tell everything. Holding his neck,

he yanked open a drawer and took out a gun.

onas barely paused at the campsite, shouting the location to Warren and Pool, then pushed the black as

hard as he dared. Nearing the general location, he studied the ground. Within minutes, Jonas spotted

horse droppings.

He followed trampled weeds near the crest of a hill. Dismounting and hobbling the horse, he grabbed his

rifle and walked nearly to the top then crawled the rest of the way. Outlining himself against the sky on a

hilltop wasn’t smart if anyone was on the other side.

In the valley below, a wagon sat beside a rustic cabin. There was no sign of life, no livestock of any kind

and no smoke rising from the stone chimney. By all appearances the place had been abandoned for some

time. But the wagon was a giveaway.

He checked the chamber in his rifle, then watched the cabin and surrounding woods for a long time. He

was about to go down and investigate when the sound of falling rocks caught his attention.

From the north, a rider made his circuitous way down the hillside, following a deer trail probably, and

rode out into the open toward the cabin. Following on a tether was the bay Jonas had tied to the tree.

Sure enough, the bag was draped across Vernon’s saddle.

Riding down on him now would only put the women in danger. Jonas contemplated his next move.

Warren and more men would be moving in soon. But once Luther got inside, anything could happen.

Jonas took careful aim. He could pick him off easily from here. He wasn’t a murderer, though, so he

focused on putting the bullet in Luther’s shoulder. Right there.

A shot rang out, and the bullet hit the corner of the cabin. Jonas lowered the barrel, searching for where

the shot had come from.

How the hell had Dunlap gotten so close without Jonas hearing him? Royce slid from a horse and ran

behind a stack of firewood.

Luther jumped from the horse and walked beside it using the animal as a shield, then shoved aside a bar

on the cabin door. Apparently not taking any chances on losing his means of escape, he must have

tethered or hobbled the lead horse because it didn’t move away from the front of the cabin.

“What are you doing?” Royce shouted.

Luther ducked inside, but his head and shoulders appeared around the doorway. “I’m making up for

your lousy pay.”

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“You idiot, you’re making a mess of everything!” Royce shouted.

“So you’re going to kill me yourself?” Luther returned. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

Royce fired, the shot hitting a wood shingle and sending it sailing.

Luther laughed uproariously and returned fire, nicking a log and sending Royce scrambling. “I hope you

brought reinforcements!”

“You can’t stay in there forever,” Royce called.

“And you can’t last a night out there,” Luther returned.

“There’s bears and snakes in those woods, you know.”

Royce looked behind him, and then caught himself.

The grass rustled behind and below Jonas, and he turned to discover Warren and several of the other

men silently making their way up the hillside. They must have heard the shots.

Warren signaled for quiet and came up beside Jonas.

Jonas ducked down to talk to him. “Vernon has the women inside, I’m sure. Dunlap rode in and shot at

’im. I missed a good shot myself when he did that.”

The marshal watched the exchange between the two men for a moment. “We couldn’t get lucky and one

of them shoot the other.”

“Dunlap couldn’t hit the side of a barn if you helped ’im aim.”

“Those are the scariest ones,” Warren remarked.

Another shot rang out.

“Let’s try to get someone to surrender.” The marshal crawled to a better position behind a rock.

Leaning around it, he called, “We’ve got you surrounded! Lay down your guns and we won’t shoot.”

“Look there, you stupid fool, you’ve involved the law,” Royce shouted.

“If you want these woman alive, ride out!” Luther called.

“You can’t get past us,” Warren returned. “Send them out, and we won’t shoot you.”

“How about you let me get on my horse and give me a head start?” Luther called. “And do something

about that idiot Royce! Then I’ll let them go.”

Warren looked at Jonas and Jonas nodded. They could ride him down once the women were safe.

“Okay!” Warren called. He turned to Uriah. “Go get Dunlap’s gun.”

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Uriah worked his way down the hill.

“Our guns are on you, Dunlap,” Warren called. “Give up the .45.”

Infuriated, Royce studied the hill behind him, his gaze flickering back to the doorway, and finally he

tossed the revolver onto the ground.

Uriah scrambled out of the brush and picked it up.

“Get on your horse!” the marshal called to Luther.

“Don’t follow me, or I’ll turn around and shoot your ladies.”

“All right!” Warren called.

The door closed. It seemed an eternity before it opened again and Luther came out with Eliza Jane in

front of him, his arm across her neck, and Nadine following. Both women’s hands were tied, and it

looked as though they were bound together at the waist, as well.

“Let my fiancée go,” Royce called.

“Shut the hell up,” Jonas said softly, alerted to worse trouble.

“Don’t you worry, my dear. I’ll take care of this.” Royce moved out from behind the woodpile and

approached Luther as he neared the horses.

“Stay back!” Jonas called.

Eliza Jane’s gaze shot to Jonas at the top of the hill.

“Get back,” Luther told him. “You don’t give two bits about this woman, and you’re not fooling

anybody.”

Royce raised the barrel of a gun.

“Where’d he get that?” Warren asked.

Royce fired.

All movement happened at once after that.

Nadine slumped to the ground, a red stain spreading across her chest.

The rope tying her to Eliza tightened, pulling Eliza down with her.

Vulnerable now, Luther raised his gun and shot Royce, then made a dash for the horses.

Royce fell back spread-eagle in the dust.

Jonas was over the top of the hill and down to the clearing in seconds, as Warren and others ran for

their horses to follow Luther.

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Jonas kept his rifle aimed at Royce as he ran past. The man wasn’t dead yet, but his eyes were twitching

and blood rolled from the corner of his mouth.

Eliza Jane was on her knees. She’d wadded up her skirt hem and pressed it to the wound in Nadine’s

shoulder.

Seeing that Eliza was all right, Jonas took the material from her and held it away to look at the bullet hole

under Nadine’s collarbone. “It’s your shoulder,” he said to her. “We’ll get you to Doc’s and you’ll be

okay.”

She gave him a weak smile, though he knew how badly she was hurting. “Eliza Jane said you’d come for

us.”

Jonas took a pocketknife from his hip pocket and sliced the rope at her wrists. He then removed Eliza

Jane’s bindings and held both of her hands. “Did he hurt you?”

Eliza Jane shook her head, pulled her hands free and reached for him.

Nothing had ever felt as good as her breasts crushed to him and her arms around his waist. He buried

his face in her hair and gave his heart permission to beat again. If anything had happened to her…if he’d

lost her…He couldn’t bear to think of it.

“Is Tyler all right?” she asked against his chest.

“Ada’s takin’ care of him. He’s fine.”

Pool and Yale showed up. “We’ve got horses hooked to that wagon. Let’s get Miss Nadine in the bed

careful-like.”

Eliza pulled away from Jonas so he could rise and help them. She turned to look at Royce where he lay

motionless. Getting to her feet, she got up and walked toward him.

Eliza couldn’t make herself kneel at his side. She stood over him. She’d been present at the deaths of

both her parents and her sister, and the memories of her pain in those moments were vivid.

Looking at Royce, watching the life drain from him, she felt nothing. He’d carved away any bit of caring

or sympathy she could ever have felt where he was concerned.

“Well,
my dear,
” she said, wondering why she bothered, but unable to stop herself. “Just so you know,

I wasn’t planning to stick around. I was leaving. And I sold my shares of the company to finance my

trip.”

Something flickered in his eyes, and he struggled to bring her into focus.

“Yes,” she continued. “Your new partner would have been Jonas Black. I almost regretted not being

around to witness your reaction. But now I will be around. And let’s see, your shares will go to my

father’s next of kin. I guess that would be…me.”

He blinked and tried to speak, but only coughed up more blood.

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Jonas walked up beside her.

“I know you had Forest killed,” she said.

Royce blinked again.

Jonas looked from her to Royce.

“Jonas isn’t really interested in running the brickyard,” she continued. “I did a good job of it before, so I

guess I’ll handle it until Tyler’s old enough. I’ll make investments and improvements and turn a handsome

profit. I’ll spend money on the workers’ quarters. Jonas can help there.”

She turned and looked at the man she spoke of. “Jonas is a good man. The best man I’ve ever known.

In fact…I’m going to ask him to marry me.” She reached for Jonas’s hand and looked back down at

Royce. “And if he says yes, we’ll have children. More sons I hope. And you…you will be dead.”

Jonas put his other hand on her shoulder. “You ready? The men will take him now.”

She turned away. “Luther said there’s a pile of stones up on that ridge somewhere. That’s where he

buried Forest.”

Jonas met her gaze with sympathy.

“Royce paid Luther to kill him. He didn’t leave me. He loved me, just like he said.”

Love shone from the look he gave her. “Of course he did.”

Eliza didn’t turn back around. “That man can’t ruin any more of my life. He stole everything from me.

Everything. The man I loved. My child.”

He glanced beyond her. “He can’t steal anything anymore, Eliza Jane.”

She closed her eyes and tears escaped anyway. She brought her hands up to cover her face. As much

as she hated the weakness, she cried. “I’m free. I’m finally free.”

“You’ve suffered enough,” he told her. “Can’t let the past get in the way of your future. I know what I’m

talkin’ about.”

She took the hand he offered, and he led her up the hillside. They searched for half an hour, until the men

in the clearing below were gone and the birds sang again.

And finally Jonas cleared the brush away from a pile of stones. A pile that wasn’t a natural slide, but a

deliberate grouping about the length of a man.

Jonas removed his hat.

Eliza knelt by the weathered rocks. “I’m so glad I know the truth,” she said softly. “I’m so sad you died

like this. I’m sorry. And I’m sorry I didn’t believe in you.”

Jonas swallowed hard and raised his face to the sunlight. Any man would be lucky to have this woman

love him.

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After a few minutes of silence, she stood and turned to him. “I’m ready. Let’s go home.”

Jonas led her down to the clearing where he’d left his horse and handed her his canteen. “Where’s home

gonna be?” he asked.

Her gaze touched the hillside, then his face. She took a drink and handed back the canteen. “I have a

perfectly good home that my father built from bricks from the first kiln. Of course I’d need a husband to

live there with me.”

“Will I do?”

“Will you marry me?”

Jonas hung the canteen on the saddle horn and took off his hat. “Tried askin’ you that a hundred times.”

“A hundred and one might be the one.”

He took her hand and kissed her fingers, laid his palm along her dirty cheek. “I love you with a love so

fierce and strong I can hardly stand it sometimes. When I believed I had to let you go, I thought I’d never

take a deep breath again or sleep a night without achin’ for you.

“Marry me and I’ll never let you go. I’ll love you and Tyler, and be a good father t’ the boy.”

Eliza placed her hand on his cheek and her other arm around his neck, drawing him to her for a kiss she

hoped showed him he held her heart and she trusted him with it.

The sun warmed their heads and shoulders, and their hearts beat in a rhythm as ancient as the mountains

that towered above them.

“I’ll marry you,” Eliza told him on a sigh. “A woman never knows when she might need a hero.”

ISBN: 978-1-4268-2540-8

Copyright © 2008 by Cheryl Ludwigs

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or