Not the Marrying Kind (39 page)

Had she ever been able to count on him?

Physically, he appeared strong, but his weak
leg held him back. He’d never been able to work as long or as hard
as he would have liked. Emotionally, he’d let her down, too. Lies,
deception, trickery. How could she forgive him for what he’d
done?

But he loved her. In every sense of the
word, Joshua Barron had given himself to her. He’d taken pleasure,
yet he’d given pleasure in return. He’d allowed her into his heart,
had shown his vulnerabilities, had asked for her trust.

Deep down inside, she knew—in that intuitive
way only women can know—she could always count on Joshua when it
mattered most.

Maybe the real question was whether or not
he could count on her.

Forgive him, Kat.

She turned to Benjamin. Had he spoken? He
eyed her curiously, and she shook her head. “Never mind,” she said
in a quiet voice. “I thought you said something.”

“What’s going to happen to Joshua?” Benjamin
asked, sinking to the ground. The kid was plumb tuckered out. So
was Kat. They couldn’t risk stopping, but neither of them could
find the strength to go on.

She dropped down beside him. “He’ll be all
right. I’m sure of it.”

“What about you, Miss Kat? Are you going to
be all right?”

How much it said about Benjamin and his
spirit that he would show more concern for others than for
himself.

“Yes. And you’re going to be fine, too.”

A ray of afternoon sunlight streamed down
upon them, spreading its warmth through the rocky crags and
crevices. Kat welcomed it, and in that singular moment of hope,
warmth, and light, she knew the truth.

Joshua would come back to her. She knew in
her heart that her father, Reverend Kendrick, and even Marshal Long
were wrong about him. She knew, too, that somehow she and Benjamin
would survive this ordeal. Something in her heart told her so.

Skidding rocks bounced down at them from
above. Covering their heads with their arms, Kat and Benjamin
ducked and curled up against the hard earth. Whoever had been
following had slipped ahead of them and come around from the other
side. A giant of a man now stood looking down upon them. By
stopping to rest, for even a moment, they’d been caught in a trap.
She blamed herself.

“Benjamin! Look at me, boy!”

He huddled closer to Kat. “It’s my
father.”

“I said look at me!” John Brooks shouted
again, his voice echoing off the cliffs.

Kat closed her eyes and said a silent
prayer.

“I’m coming down, boy, and when I lay hands
on you, you’ll wish you’d never run away. I’ll make damned sure you
never run again, you hear me?”

Still holding on to Benjamin with one hand,
Kat scrabbled to grab anything she could grasp hold of. But for
what? Tossing twigs wouldn’t stop the boy’s father. Although she
felt a lot like the biblical David facing the giant, she doubted
even a well-thrown stone would stop the Goliath who loomed above
her.

Surely God hadn’t brought her and Benjamin
this far only to leave them clinging to life on a craggy hillside.
He must have a miracle with their names on it…somewhere. She heard
the heavy thud of boots as Brooks came toward them.

Before he’d taken more than a few steps, a
shot rang out, ricocheting off one of the huge boulders with a
metallic
ping
. It hadn’t been meant to kill or even to
wound, only to startle, and perhaps to stop John Brooks.

Who had fired the shot?

Shaken by the unexpected gunfire, Kat forced
her eyes open. She saw their savior at the same time she heard his
voice.

“Stop right there, Mr. Brooks. Next time I
pull this trigger, I’ll aim first.”

Benjamin’s eyes gleamed. “Cody?” he
whispered.

How in God’s name had he found them? And how
had he ever managed the climb? Kat bowed her head. She knew a
miracle when she saw it.

“What the hell?” Brooks stopped. “I don’t
know who you are, but this doesn’t concern you.”

“Don’t take another step,” Cody warned.
Golden rays of sunlight glinted from the barrel of the long rifle.
“Maybe you don’t know who I am, but I know who you are.”

“Put that rifle down.”

“Nope. I’m not finished with it yet. Not
finished with you yet, either.”

“I’ve come to get my boy.” Brooks took
another step. Another blast from the rifle stopped him in his
tracks. “Now listen, fellow, you’ve got no right—”

Together, Kat and Benjamin clung to one
another, both too frightened to utter a word.

“You’re the one who’s got no right, Brooks.
You’re the one who killed that man.”

“You’re talking crazy.”

“Folks say I’m crazy, all right. But not
this time.” Cody brought the rifle to eye-level and sighted down
the barrel. “You killed a man back in Missouri, then shot up my
cousin when he tried to stop you from getting away.”

Kat’s ears pricked up. She didn’t understand
everything she heard, but she understood enough to know she’d been
right to believe in Joshua’s innocence.

Brooks let out a derisive laugh. “I don’t
know where you’ve come up with this little tale.”

“From my cousin. Joshua Barron. You remember
him, don’t you? I’m sure you remember how you pinned the killing on
him, made it look like it was all his doing. You probably remember
Maddie Marlowe, too.”

“Who?”

“Don’t play stupid, Brooks.” He lowered the
rifle a few inches. “You paid her to testify against Joshua. She
finally told the truth. That’s why they let Joshua out of prison.
Of course, you already know that. That’s why you came out west in
the first place. Looking for her, maybe looking for my cousin,
too.”

“Nobody’s going to believe a thing you
say.”

“Well, in that case, reckon I’ll just have
to shoot you dead and be done with it.” Cody raised the rifle
again.

“No, wait! Don’t shoot.”

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t.”

“I’ll give myself up. I swear.”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

Kat lifted her head just enough to get
Brooks in her line of sight. He raised his hands, bringing up a
pistol.

“No!” She cried out. Heedless of her own
safety, she grabbed the first rock she could lay her hands upon and
hurled it toward the man. It struck him in the knee, probably not
hard enough to do any real damage, but enough to distract him. He
lost his balance and tumbled face first to the ground. The pistol
flew from his grip, skidding down the mountainside to land a few
inches from Kat.

“It’s true,” she whispered. “The bigger they
are, the harder they fall.”

But this was not the time for philosophical
musings. Already Brooks was stirring. She grabbed the pistol and
pointed it toward him.

“You stay real still there,” she warned. “I
might be a female, but I’m a damned fine shot, and I’m mighty
quick.”

“And if she misses, I guarantee, I won’t.”
Cody’s maniacal laughter rang out. “But I’d lay odds on her. She
won’t miss.” He lowered his rifle long enough to remove the rope
coiled loosely around his neck. He tossed it up the hill toward Kat
and Benjamin. “Tie his hands. Real tight. His legs, too.”

Benjamin caught the rope. He glanced toward
his father, then shrank back. Kat could smell the boy’s fear.

“I’ll do it,” she said, taking the rope from
him. “Cover me, Cody.” Keeping a cautious hold on the pistol, Kat
crawled upward, inching her way toward Brooks. At this point, all
the fight had left the man. Like a sudden summer storm, his bluster
had blown out, leaving behind an eerie calm. Much like Joshua had
done a short time before, he now held up his hands. He remained
silent as Kat bound his wrists together with a sturdy hitch
knot.

“Well done, Miss Kat.” Cody gave her a
thumbs-up sign.

“How did you find us? How did you get to
us?”

“I’ve lived out here in these hills long
enough to know my way around.” He grinned. “Took the short way.” He
jerked his head toward the north. “A bit rough, though. I don’t
recommend it.”

Kat stared at the rocky terrain over which
Cody had come. Yep. A miracle. No other way to explain it.

Another hour of silence followed as the odd
party descended. Two men, one hobbled, one bound, a woman in a
ragged wedding dress, and an ashen-faced boy of fourteen made their
way slowly and carefully down the mountain, through the pines, and
back again to the little town of Sunset.

Upon their arrival, the townsfolk quickly
forgot the scandalous excitement of Kat’s wedding-that-wasn’t. Talk
turned instead to Cody Bradford and his heroic exploits. How he’d
pulled it off was beyond anybody’s belief, but Kat knew. Faith,
prayer, and a damned lot of luck.

* * * *

Later, as the sun sat low in the sky, Kat
slumped in a rickety old chair on the wooden porch of the marshal’s
office. Somebody had brought the chair out for her, but she
couldn’t remember who. Maybe it was her father.

He’d come to sit beside her for a time, had
told her he didn’t know when he’d turned into such a meddlesome old
man. Then he’d nodded, kissed Kat’s cheek, and whispered a few more
words of apology.

It wasn’t enough really, but it would do. At
least he knew he’d done wrong, and he’d try to make amends.

Now, her parents had gone back to the ranch,
taking Benjamin with them. John Brooks had asked that they be
appointed as guardians for the boy. Might be a somewhat awkward
arrangement at first, all things considered, but Kat suspected
Benjamin was too good-hearted to hold a grudge against Pa. Besides,
he’d be close to Emily Sue. That would be incentive enough to make
him forgive anybody.

Kat felt more alone than ever before in her
life, even more alone than she’d felt after Robb died. She could
hear people moving around inside the marshal’s office, and now and
then she heard their voices talking, but she couldn’t comprehend
what was said. Too much was going on inside her own head. She
couldn’t make sense of anything quite yet.

Hell, at that point, she couldn’t have told
anybody her own name had they asked. Still dazed by all that had
happened since morning, she didn’t know exactly who she was, where
she was, or what time it was. Truthfully, she didn’t much care.

In the back of her mind one question nagged
at her. What would happen now?

That one question quickly multiplied, giving
rise to more. When would Joshua be free again? Would Benjamin be
all right? What would happen to his father?

Finally she faced the biggest question.

What will I do now?

She would go home, of course.

Even as painful shards of memories pricked
her heart, she knew the things that still mattered most in life
were forgiveness, family, and love—most likely in that order. Her
father had been a real jackass. He’d conspired against her, lied to
her, and had done his damnedest to hurt the man she loved. But he’d
done it because of her, because of his duty to protect her, because
of his love for her. Misguided or not, her father had done what he
truly thought best. In the larger scheme of things, Kat couldn’t
fault him too much for that.

As for Joshua, he’d been right in the thick
of it with her father, willing to trade her off in return for the
Rocking P Ranch. Forgiveness wouldn’t come easy. It would take a
little time.

The door of the marshal’s office opened.
Joshua stepped out onto the porch. At first Kat thought he might
simply walk past her and keep on going. Maybe her future would be a
whole lot easier if he did. Her heart leaped to her throat when he
stopped beside her chair. She wrung her hands, wishing she could
hide the sudden nervousness that came over her.

“Kat, I’m sorry.”

“About what?” She couldn’t look at him.
She’d give in too easily if she did. Quickly, she averted her gaze
and pretended to be totally engrossed by the delicate patterns of
beading on her ruined wedding dress.

“About everything, I reckon. Well, no, not
quite.”

Surprised, Kat jerked her head around. “What
do you mean?”

Joshua grinned. “I’m not sorry you ruined
that fancy wedding gown. And I’m sure as hell not sorry your
wedding got called off.”

“Yeah, best thing that ever happened.” She
shrugged. “As for the dress, I don’t reckon I’ll have much use for
it anyway. I’m not the marrying kind, you know.”

When she tried to look away once more, he
knelt down and lifted her chin, making her face him.

“Listen, Kat, I’m truly sorry for what I
did. It was wrong for me to go along with your father’s little
plan, but at the time…”

“It sounded like a good idea.” She nodded
and let out a slow breath. “And at the time, we hardly knew each
other. You thought I’d make a good wife for Cody, and you actually
thought you were doing me a favor.”

“Something like that, yeah.” He kept his
gaze directly on hers, unwilling to lower his head. “Sounds pretty
stupid now, I guess.”

“Most of all, you wanted the ranch. Well,
you got it.” She pushed herself up from the chair and turned to
walk away.

“Kat, wait! That’s not all I want, and you
know it.”

“Oh? You’re a free man. Your name’s been
cleared, and you’ve got a deed to one of the finest ranches in the
territory. What else could you possibly desire?”

“None of it means anything unless I have
you.” He came after her, moving as quickly as he could.
Fortunately, she slowed down long enough for him to catch up and
put his arms around her. “You belong on the ranch, Kat. That’s how
this all began, you know. You didn’t want to leave. Now, I’m asking
you to stay.”

“You want to hire me? Sure, why not.”
Sarcasm dripped from her icy words. “I could run the place for you,
be your cow boss. I’ve got a little experience, you know.”

“No, that’s a man’s job, honey. I’ve got
something else in mind for you, something more suited for a
woman.”