The Outlaw Takes A Bride (The Burnett Brides) (33 page)

Tucker leaned back and shook his head, completely stunned that his brother had become a bank robber. Tucker had even said that if he weren’t his own brother, he would have been watching him closely.

The marshal nodded his head. “Yes, Tanner. I didn’t even know that was his real name until today.”

“But I thought he was caught over a year ago?” Tucker asked.

“He was. When we found out Tanner knew Sam Bass, we offered him a deal to keep from sending him to prison. He joined the Bass gang and has been working with me to bring them in, though he’s hardly been cooperative until today.”

A trickle of fear crept down Tucker’s spine. The Bass gang was one of the most notorious, cold-blooded gangs in Texas history.

“Today I noticed some changes in Tanner that haven’t been there before. He suddenly wanted to get this job done.”

“So where has Tanner gone now?” Tucker asked suddenly very afraid.

“He’s gone alone after Sam Bass and his gang. If he were my brother, I’d be going after him to help him.”

Tucker couldn’t get out the door fast enough after the marshal left. He pulled some extra guns out of the cabinet behind his desk and loaded down his saddle pouch with ammunition. Unlocking a drawer, he pulled out the guns he had put away since he’d become a law-abiding citizen and took out the six-shooters he’d had made during his gun fighting days. These were the ones he had used when he’d been down in Tombstone, trying to prove he was faster than fast, when he’d thought his life would end with the next man who met him in the street.

He strapped on the holster and checked the weight of the guns. They still felt good—lightweight, balanced smooth, and with a trigger as quick as greased lightning.

Slamming the door, he turned the lock in the cabinet and grabbed his saddlebags, along with the two rifles.

Thirty minutes later, he was scouring the town to find his brother Travis. Whether or not Travis went with him didn’t matter. Tucker could not let Tanner face Sam Bass alone.

No matter what he’d done, this was Tanner’s chance to get his life back, and Tucker could not turn his back on him now.

Tucker pulled his horse to a halt in front of the doctor’s office and jumped down. The wagon from the ranch sat out in front of the doctor’s house. He wrapped the reins of his horse around the hitching post and bolted up the steps to the door.

He pounded on the man’s front door, wishing he’d hurry. A servant opened the door, and Tucker strode through the open door.

“Is Travis Burnett here?”

“Just a minute, sir.”

“Travis?” Tucker called, not waiting for the servant. The rap of boots sounded on the wooden floor, and then suddenly Travis stood before him. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Tanner. We’ve got to go help him.”

“What’s the matter? Where is he?”

“I’ll tell you on the way, but he needs our help. He’s about to face Sam Bass and his gang alone. We need to help him.”

Travis frowned. He turned to look behind him, and the doctor had followed him. “Doc, would you go check on Rose and tell her I’ll be home as soon as possible.”

The old doctor nodded. “I’ll go out to the ranch and see her. You boys be careful going after that Bass character. He’s done more than his share of killing in this area.”

Tucker walked out the door, Travis following him. “I brought you a horse. Doc can take our wagon home, or we’ll get it later.”

“Thanks!” Travis said.

“I also took the liberty of bringing these along for you.” He handed his oldest brother a holster with two six-shooters fully loaded and ready to go. “I know you aren’t one for wearing guns, Travis, but this time we’re going to need all the firepower we can get.”

Travis strapped on the holsters and then approached his horse. He swung a leg up and over the saddle, mounting the Appaloosa. The doctor came out on the porch and watched the preparations.

“You boys be careful.”

“Doc, make sure my wife is okay, and tell her I wouldn’t let anything keep me away from her and our baby.”

“Don’t worry, son. She’ll be just fine.”

Tucker vaulted up on his horse, and the two of them rode for the edge of town.

“So why in the hell is Tanner going after the Bass gang?” Travis questioned.

“Our brother is the Dixie Bank Robber who was caught about a year ago. When they found out he knew Sam Bass, they told him the charges would be dropped if he helped bring in Sam.”

“Why in the hell didn’t he tell us?”

“Because he’s stubborn as a mule, like you,” Tucker said.

Travis glared at Tucker. “No, he’s sneaky like Mother.

***

Tanner lay in the darkness, trying to sleep, knowing that he needed his rest. It had taken him only two days to catch up with the Bass gang. He’d ridden his horse hard, he’d slept little, and now he’d found them. He lay on his back, looking up at the stars in the night sky, thinking of Beth and the fact that he’d left her.

Was she angry that he’d gone without saying goodbye? He knew that if he had to say farewell, he never would have left, so he’d snuck out in the middle of the night like a thief. Damn it, she was better off without him. He had to remember that with Tucker she had a future, a home and a family that would love her.

She would also have a husband who could help her realize she was a good courageous woman, who was worthy of her, who wasn’t wanted by the law and could be by her side without looking over his shoulder, expecting to be taken away at any moment.

The snap of a twig had him reaching for his gun. He listened again and heard a horse snort, the sound muffled but not far off. He pulled his gun out of its holster, cocked the hammer back, and waited pretending to be asleep.

Crunching leaves alerted him that someone was near.

“I ought to kick your butt like I did when you were a kid you son of a bitch!” his brother Travis said in the darkness.

Tanner immediately recognized his voice and sat straight up just as his two brothers walked into camp. His bedroll slipped and the two revolvers were still in his hand though they were pointed downward.

“What for?”

“For leaving without a word.”

Tanner shrugged and put his guns back in their holsters. “I got an urge to leave, so I left.”

“Bullshit!” Travis exclaimed.

“We know everything, Tanner. We know why you’re here,” Tucker said.

Tanner glanced up at them and studied their faces closely. “What is it you think you know?”

“Federal Marshal McCoy came to my office the morning you left. He told me everything.”

“Remind me to kick his ass the next time I see him,” Tanner said.

“Not me. That could get me jail time,” Travis exclaimed.

“So what are you doing here?” Tanner asked.

“Well, usually brothers help each other out. You know, watch your back and all that blood-related stuff,” Travis said. “Otherwise, I’d be home with my sick wife.”

Tanner ran his hand through his hair. “It’s not worth one of you getting hurt for my mistakes.”

“Nobody asked your opinion,” Travis said.

“Look, we’re here to help. You can either do it with our assistance or we’ll tie you up and let you watch us take care of them,” Tucker said.

Tanner shook his head. “I appreciate the help, but I doubt very seriously I’ll survive this shootout, and Mother doesn’t deserve to lose all of her sons.”

Tucker looked at Travis. “I guess that’s one way to avoid Mother’s matchmaking tendencies from now on.”

“Nah, she’d follow you to the grave and pick out an angel for you,” Travis replied.

“Look, I’m serious. Sam is an excellent marksman. I’m going in alone,” Tanner insisted.

Travis looked at Tucker. “See, I told you. He’s like Mother. Stubborn to a fault.”

Tucker shrugged. “Could be.” He glanced at Tanner. “So, tell us what is the plan. What are we going to do to bring the Bass gang to justice?”

“You’re going home, and I’m going to rejoin them in the morning,” Tanner replied.

“I don’t think so. How many men does he have?”

“I’m serious. Mother needs someone to take care of her.”

Travis and Tucker burst out laughing.

“You’ve been gone way too long. Our mother is quite capable of taking care of herself. It’s the rest of the world we need to warn about that woman,” Tucker said.

“But Travis has Rose, and you have Beth. I don’t want to be responsible for your death and possibly making your wives widows.”

“Well, Tanner, Beth is getting ready to leave town, so I’m all alone. Now, Travis we need to watch over carefully because he’s about to become a daddy.”

“What do you mean, Beth is leaving town?” Tanner exclaimed.

Tucker smiled and glanced at his older brother. “Should we tell him? I mean, after all, he’s the one who left her.”

Tanner’s heart just about stopped. Had something happened to Beth? “Tell me what? What’s wrong with Beth?”

“Beth came to me the morning you left and told me she couldn’t marry me. Which I was glad to hear, since Mother was the one who arranged the marriage, not me. Travis and I took her to town just before we found out about you and your problems. She’s catching the next stage out of town.”

“She’s leaving town? She has no place to go. I’ve half a mind to finish what we started the other night in the bam,” Tanner said, clearly agitated.

Tucker smiled. “Hey, she doesn’t want me. She ended the arrangement, not me.”

Travis smiled. “If you let us help you, maybe we can get you back to town before she leaves. That way you two can settle your differences, and you can quit looking at her like she’s naked.”

Tanner frowned at his older brother. “I don’t.”

Travis smiled. “You do.”

“Well, Tucker was supposed to marry her,” Tanner replied hotly.

“Sorry, big brother, but she doesn’t want me.”

Tanner ran his hand over his face. “I left her for you, Tucker. She has no place to go. She has no one.”

Travis smiled. “Not anymore she doesn’t. She has you, just as soon as we can settle this problem with the Bass gang.”

“She doesn’t want me, Tanner, and I’m glad,” Tucker replied.

“You don’t love Beth?” Tanner asked Tucker.

Tucker laughed. “No! She’s a beautiful, very nice woman, but Mother wrote those damn letters, not me.”

“So where is Beth?”

“She’s at the El Paso Hotel, waiting for the next stage. So we need to get this problem of yours taken care of and get back to town. I have my own situation brewing,” Travis said.

A sense of relief filled Tanner. Tucker didn’t want to marry Beth, the Bass gang was down the road and his brothers had come to help him.

Tanner smiled. “I don’t know what to say, guys. I’d forgotten what it felt like to have brothers who stood by you. Thanks!”

“You’re welcome. Now are you going to congratulate me on being a daddy, or am I going to have to kick your butt?” Travis asked.

Tanner rode into Round Rock with Sam Bass and his gang of outlaws, intent on robbing the bank of the small town. He glanced around, looking for Travis and Tucker, knowing that they were waiting for the gang. Sam and his boys had spent the previous weeks robbing every stage between here and Fort Worth. When Tanner had caught up with them, their saddlebags were filled with twenty-dollar gold pieces that had been destined for Wells Fargo and a New York Bank.

Now they were on their way to Mexico and a life of ease, according to Sam. But first they had received word of one more gold shipment that had been destined for a small bank in the town of Round Rock—one last bank, before they headed for the border.

Alone, Tanner had joined up with the group of outlaws, determined to discover their plans and then leave word for his brothers. He’d managed to leave a note in Belton and Georgetown for them regarding Sam’s intentions. And now, as they rode into Round Rock, Tanner scanned the street, looking for his brothers.

The street was quiet, with few people strolling on the wooden sidewalks and even fewer businesses open to customers. They were expected, and his brothers had seen to it that the town was prepared.

“Where the hell is everybody?” Sam said as they rode into town, their horses’ hooves stirring up a small cloud of dust on the main street.

There were five outlaws, counting Tanner, and he knew the odds were against his surviving. Even with the sheriff’s help, they were outnumbered. He could die, without ever seeing Beth again, a wanted man with little chance of ever clearing his name.

“Maybe it’s a holiday of some sort,” Seaborn Barnes said riding next to Sam.

“It’s too damn quiet,” Sam stated glancing up and down the street as they halted their horses in front of the local saloon.

The outlaw glanced suspiciously at Tanner. When he’d joined them in Waco, there had been a reluctant welcome from the members of the gang, and Tanner knew he was looked upon with distrust. After all, he’d been missing well over a month while they had continued their robbery spree.