Ana Leigh (22 page)

Kate laid out the plan, and the girls hurried to their rooms to put their uniforms back on.

Kate paused before leaving. “I know this will work. Zach will be okay, honey.”

“I’ll be going with him, Kate,” Rose said.

“I know.” She smiled softly. “I’ll miss you.”

They reached for each other, and Rose hugged her tightly. In a world that had turned chaotic, she clung to Kate for solace.

“I’ll never forget you, or what you and the girls are doing for Zach.”

“When this is all over, come back to us, Rose,” Kate whispered. Then she turned and left.

Rose changed quickly into her split skirt and blouse, exchanged her shoes for a pair of boots, then stuffed a few of her items into Zach’s saddlebags.

Tears glistened in her eyes as she stood by the window and watched the small, white-aproned army march down the road to do battle. After they passed, she climbed out, praying it wouldn’t be too late to save the man she loved.

Chapter 22

R
ose hurried down the back street, darkened now under the mantle of a night heavy with the smell of a coming rain. Distant flashes of lightning and the faint rumble of thunder heralded the approaching storm, and she quickened her step.

The street was deserted, the doors and windows of the houses closed and bolted, as if sealing out the sights and sounds of the grievous injustice occurring at the barn would shut it out of the occupants’ consciences.

She passed behind the Long Horn. Laughter rose above the discordant pounding of a piano, the only sound other than the sporadic gunfire that echoed through the night.

An amber light glowed dimly from the telegraph office—a painful reminder to her of what had brought Zach to the spot. And as she passed the office, she caught a glimpse of the outline of the barn. Her heart leaped to her throat.

Rose’s jagged nerves were jarred by the sudden screeching of two cats fighting in the shadows. She jumped back in alarm when one dashed across her path, followed by a larger black one.

She wasn’t superstitious, but why did this sign of bad luck happen now—when so much was at stake? A wave of apprehension washed through her as she remembered the gypsy’s foreboding message.
I zaw za face of death.

She reached the barn and slinked along the side of it, hugging the shadows and hoping no one would spot her.

“Hey, pretty lady, whatta you doin’ here?”

Distressed, she recognized Bull’s voice. She’d been discovered already—and now there was little she could do to help Zach.

“This ain’t no place for you gals. You could get yerselves shot.”

Oh, thank God.
He wasn’t talking to her. Her spirits rose as she heard Kate reply, “We felt so sorry for you fellows, Bull, that we thought perhaps you’d all like a cup of coffee and piece of apple pie.”

Peering through the darkness, Rose located the small group clustered in a circle about a hundred feet away.

“Uh-huh!” Joe exclaimed.” That sure would be pleasin’. My mouth’s waterin’ just thinkin’ about it.”

Flashing a dimpled smile, Melanie tilted her curly head at a captivating angle. “And there’s no charge for it, Joey.”

“How come you gals are being so nice to us?” Bull asked. “You never even wanted us in your restaurant before.”

“We were only following orders, Bull,” Kate said. “Why, in our eyes you fellows are heroes, the only ones protecting us from that ruthless killer in that barn.”

“I’m afraid to even lie down and close my eyes until that killer’s behind bars,” Aubrey added with a shudder.

“And if I had my say-so, you men would never have to pay for another meal again in a Harvey restaurant.” Andrea’s remark appeared to please them, because they hooted with approval.

“Gotta admit, hot coffee, apple pie, and the pleasure of good company is mighty temptin’. But we’ve got a desperado holed up in that barn. We all jest can’t up and leave.”

Rose felt like screaming. Bull was taking his newly found leadership role more seriously than she’d anticipated, and they were running out of time.

“Oh, fiddle-faddle!” Melanie exclaimed, grasping Cain’s hand. “You all don’t have to stay back to guard one li’l ole prisoner, do you?”

Cain nodded. “Reckon, she’s right, Bull.”

“Yeah, Bull, it’d be a shame to let that pie go to waste,” Pike added hopefully.

Kate linked her arm through their leader’s. “Oh, come on, Bull,” she coaxed. “Don’t be such a spoilsport. Coffee’s on the stove.”

“Hmmm, this calls for some ponderin’,” he said, stroking his chin. “Reckon it don’t make no sense for all of us to stay here—MacKenzie won’t even know we’re gone. Joe, you stay put. There’s only one way out of that there barn. If MacKenzie so much as sticks his head out that door, get off three quick shots as a signal and we’ll come arunnin’.”

“That ain’t fair, Bull. Why do I have to stay behind? I like apple pie same as the rest of yuh.”

“Tell you what, Joe. I’ll bring you back a piece myself. How about that?” Kate said.

“Reckon that’ll have to do,” he said with a pout. “ ’Pears like I ain’t got no say in it.”

The minutes felt like hours as Rose waited for Kate’s return. The sheriff and his posse could ride in at any minute.

As soon as she saw Kate coming down the street, Rose picked up Zach’s saddlebags. Now that the time had come to execute the most difficult part of the plan, she was suddenly calm and in complete control.

Plate in hand, Kate reached Joe, and Rose began to move cautiously closer to them. As she sneaked up behind him, Rose heard Joe say, “This sure is fine-tastin’ pie.”

“I’m glad you like it, Joe,” Kate said, watching Rose’s approach.

Rose drew a deep breath and with all her might swung the saddlebags at Joe’s head. The plate slipped out of his hands and he fell unconscious to the ground.

“Good heavens, did you kill him?” Kate put her head to Joe’s chest, then looked up, relieved. “He’s still breathing.”

“He’ll be okay; it just knocked him out.” Rose opened the saddlebags and dug out bandannas and the pieces of rope they had cut earlier. “Hurry and tie up Joe while I get Zach.”

Rose ran to the barn door and called out, “Zach, it’s Rose.” She knew if she tried opening it without warning, he’d likely shoot her by mistake.

“Rose! What in hell are you doing down here?”

“Open the door; it’s safe to come out.”

She wanted to fling herself into his arms when he slipped the bar and stepped outside. “What happened? Where are the others?” he asked.

“I’ll explain it all later. Right now we’ve got to get out of here.” She ran back to Kate, who had bound and gagged Joe, and was now sitting against a tree in the process of binding her own ankles together. Rose knelt beside her. “I hate to do this to you, Kate.”

“Just go ahead and get out of here.” She thrust up her arms and Rose quickly tied her wrists together. “Good luck, you two.”

Rose and Kate exchanged a long look, then Rose tied the gag on her mouth. “Can you breathe okay?” Kate nodded. “Thank you for everything.” She kissed Kate on the forehead, then turned away.

“What next, General Lee?” Zach asked.

“Grab those saddlebags and come with me. I passed a hitching post that had some horses tied to it. We can take two of them and get out of here.”

“They hang horse thieves you know,” he said lightly.

“Have you got a better idea?”

“Not at the moment.” He picked up the saddlebags. “Let’s go, Rosie.”

As they hurried away, Rose noticed that he was limping. “What’s wrong with your leg?”

“It’s nothing.”

When they reached the hitching post, Zach recognized the horses. “These are Lazy R mounts. That’s the sorrel Tait always rode. Take that black; it’s a better horse than the other three,” he said as he climbed up on Tait’s sorrel.

“Where are we headed?” she asked.

“West.”

They galloped out of Brimstone and within seconds were swallowed up by darkness.

Shifting to get more comfortable, Kate glanced over at Joe. He’d regained consciousness in time to see Rose and Zach ride away, and was now struggling to free himself. Kate did the same to keep up appearances.

After about fifteen minutes Joe succeeded in freeing his hands, and he’d just finished untying Kate when the rest of the gang returned from the restaurant.

Bull’s lips narrowed in a disgusted line when Joe told him of Zach’s escape. “How could he have gotten out of that barn without you seein’ him?”

“He had help, Bull—two people rode off on the west road. I only got a glance, but it looked to be a woman with him.”

“Most likely that Dubois gal,” Pike said.

“Them two’s been together all this time. You dumb idiot! Why wasn’t ya watchin’ like ya wuz supposed to be doin’?”

“I wuz till I set down to eat my pie.” Joe looked around and picked the pie up off the ground, brushed it off, then proceeded to eat it.

Bull tramped over to Kate. “I suppose yer gonna tell me you didn’t see who wuz with him either.”

“It all happened so quickly, Bull, I really don’t know.”

“I think ya do. Yer coverin’ up for your murderin’ girlfriend, ain’t ya?”

“Bull, you knowed as well as I that gal never killed—”

Bull smacked him across the mouth. “Shut up, Joe.”

“Hey, Bull,” Cain said, running up to them. “ ’Pears like MacKenzie rode off on Tait’s sorrel. And the black that Pike wuz riding’s gone, too.”

“Shit!” Bull looked furious and turned his wrath on Kate. “Ya know more than yer tellin’ me, so start talkin’ or that face of yours ain’t gonna look so pretty when I’m done with ya. Where are they headed for?”

Fear rose in Kate, as chilling as a blast of northern air in winter. These men were murderers—and she had angered the worst one of them.

“I’ve told you everything I know, Bull. This all has been very distressing to me. I’m going back to the restaurant.” Kate turned to leave, but Bull grabbed her arm.

“Ya gonna be more
distressed
, sister, if ya don’t tell me where they’re headed.”

She cried out in pain when he twisted her arm, forcing her to her knees. “I swear I don’t know. They didn’t say. Please stop, you’re hurting me.”

“I’ll break your damn arm if you don’t tell me.”

“Let her go, Bull. Can’t you tell she’s tellin’ the truth?” Joe yelled. “Who cares about MacKenzie anyway? He don’t mean nothin’ to us.”

“He killed Tait,” Cain said.

“So what? I never liked Tait either,” Joe argued. “ ’Sides, Tait was a damn fool to think he could outdraw MacKenzie. We all seen how fast he is.”

“Yeah, well, MacKenzie prodded him into drawin’,” Pike declared in defense of his dead leader.

Snarling, Bull shoved Kate to the ground. “This is wastin’ time. Let’s get movin’. MacKenzie’s got a big enough head start on us as it is.”

Kate lay still, too petrified to move as they continued to argue.

“Why risk our asses goin’ after him?” Joe asked. “Let’s just clear out like we planned.”

“You ain’t figured it out yet, have ya? The money Tait took from Rayburn’s safe wuz in the saddlebags on the sorrel MacKenzie rode off on. We gotta find him.”

“But you ain’t got no horse, Bull,” Joe said.

“No,
you
ain’t; ’cause I’m takin’ yours.”

“What am
I
gonna do?”

“Steal one, if yur comin’ with us.”

Relieved that Bull hadn’t put a bullet into her, Kate got to her feet as the gang hurried to their horses. If she was any judge of human nature, Zach MacKenzie would have no problem evading this gang. But Bull had raised a good question: just where
was
he headed when he and Rose rode away? He could have chosen any direction, so why west?

She brushed herself off and was on her way back to the restaurant when the sheriff and his posse rode up.

“Howdy, ma’am,” the sheriff said. “Ain’t it pretty late for you to be out walkin’ the streets, Miz McDermott? Especially with the recent murders.”

She considered the sheriff not much better than the gang that had just left. “It’s a lot safer now that Tait’s gang of outlaws have left.”

“What gang?”

“That other
posse
you deputized. Sheriff Bloom, how could you give Jess Tait and his gang of outlaws a legal right to shoot innocent people!” Her eyes blazed with indignation. “They admitted that Tait killed Stephen Rayburn and stole money from his safe.” She put her hands on her hips and stamped her foot in the dust. “And you . . . you’ve been out trying to hunt down an innocent man and woman. While you were gone, Tait tried to kill Zach MacKenzie: the only man in this town willing to stand up against that lying bully, and accuse the real murderer. Fortunately Tait failed, and Zach shot him before he had a chance to try it again. Then, thanks to your blunder, your
deputies
tried to shoot Zach, but he managed to take cover in that old barn down the street. Are you following me?” she asked, making no attempt to conceal her anger. She paused to take a breath.

“Reckon so. MacKenzie’s down in the barn now,” he said.

“I didn’t say that. He escaped, and those scoundrels took off after him because he rode off on Tait’s horse.”

“They were just doing their duty. Horse thieving’s a serious crime in these parts, Miz McDermott.”

“Oh-h-h, you’re impossible!” She was so angry she shook her fist at him. “You don’t seem to care about murder or cattle rustling, but stealing a horse is a major crime. For your information, Sheriff Bloom, duty had nothing to do with it. Those cutthroats rode after him because Tait left the money he stole from Rayburn in his saddlebags. Now, just what do you intend to do about it?”

“Go down to the Long Horn and have a drink. Me and the boys have been riding most of the day. We’re hungry, thirsty, and tired.”

Kate was on the verge of screaming with frustration when Charlie Jenkins, the telegraph operator, ran up to them.