Defiant (10 page)

“It is special—now that you’re here,” she breathed.

“Would you like to dance?”

She nodded, unable to speak in her excitement.

Clint reached out to take her hand and lead her onto the dance floor.

At that one simple touch, Rachel’s heartbeat quickened, and when Kane took her in his arms, her breath caught in her throat. It was pure ecstasy being so close to him. She lifted her gaze to study the hard, lean line of his jaw and to admire his rugged good looks, then she closed her eyes and gave herself over to the sensuality of the moment as they began to move together to the melody.

“Have you been enjoying yourself tonight?” Clint asked, wanting to start a conversation and distract himself from his all-too-intense physical
awareness of her. She was far too tempting for his peace of mind.

“It’s been fun,” Rachel said. “And I needed some fun after everything that’s happened to me this week. Between the incident at the saloon when you had to rescue me, and the robbery attempt on the stage, it’s been a scary week.”

“I’m just glad you’re safe. I heard the talk about the attack on the stagecoach.”

“After what had happened at the Last Chance, my mother insisted I carry a gun when I had to make the unexpected trip to San Ramon.”

“Your mother’s a wise woman.”

“I was thinking the same thing that afternoon when the gunmen started shooting at us. But it was terrible when the posse brought in the dead outlaw, and I realized that I might have been the one who killed him.”

Clint understood her emotional torment. “You are a brave woman, Rachel. You did what you had to do to save not only yourself but the others, too.”

She lifted her gaze to his, and he could see the depth of her pain and uncertainty reflected there.

“I keep telling myself that.”

“I heard down at the saloon that the posse didn’t have much luck tracking the outlaws.”

“I know. I couldn’t believe Pete came back so quickly. I thought the posse would keep after them for a while.”

Clint found it interesting that Rachel felt the same way he did about the posse’s efforts. “Sheriff Reynolds must have had his reasons.”

“I guess. I just hope I never see those outlaws again.”

“Would you recognize them if you did?”

Rachel was thoughtful. “I honestly don’t know. I don’t remember much of anything about that day, except thinking how hard it was to get off a shot when we were being bounced around so much. It all happened so fast, yet at the time, their attack seemed to go on forever.”

Rachel frowned, deep in thought. “But, you know, now that you mention it, there was something. The second gunman . . .”

“What about him?”

“His horse was a roan, and it had an unusual marking on its chest.”

“Would you recognize the horse if you saw it again?”

“I think so. The marking sort of looked like a star, I guess. Yeah, now that I think about it, it did look like a star. Funny that I didn’t remember that sooner.”

“Our minds work in mysterious ways.” Clint was glad she’d remembered that much. It was something for him to go on.

They fell silent as they continued to move about the dance floor, allowing themselves to just enjoy the moment.

Rachel’s spirits were soaring. Kane was actually there dancing with her.

“When Michelle told me you’d checked out of the hotel the other day, I thought you’d left town for good.”

“I had to take care of some business, but I’m back now.”

“Will you be staying around long this time?” Rachel asked hopefully.

“For a while yet.”

“I’m glad.”

Clint looked down at Rachel, and their gazes met and locked. For a moment, all time and reality seemed suspended. There were no other couples dancing near them, no hubbub of voices and music surrounding them. There were only the two of them, moving to the subtle rhythm of the dance.

And then the music stopped.

And they were forced to move apart.

“Thank you,” she breathed, deeply regretting that the dance was over.

“We’re not done yet,” Clint said, unwilling to part company with her just yet. He took her hand again as the musicians began another tune.

She laughed in delight. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Clint drew her back into his arms. They hadn’t been dancing long when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

“Mind if I cut in, McCullough?” Pete asked. He was smiling at them, but it was a cold smile.

Clint did mind. He wanted to keep dancing with Rachel and never let her go, but he knew he had no choice in this social setting.

“Rachel, thank you.”

He handed Rachel over to the lawman, nodding to her as he strode away.

Rachel watched Kane go as she pretended to enjoy dancing with Pete. She regretted the lawman’s interference. Being in Kane’s arms had been heavenly, but she knew there had been no way to refuse the sheriff’s invitation without making a scene, and that would never do. She managed to smile at Pete as he squired her about.

Pete didn’t know what a gunman like Kane McCullough was doing in Dry Springs, but one thing he did know: McCullough had no business being with Rachel. Pete had had his eye on the preacher’s daughter for quite a while now, and if he had his way, ultimately she was going to be his. Pushing all thoughts of McCullough aside, Pete relaxed and concentrated on wooing the lovely woman in his arms.

Clint lost himself in the crowd of onlookers. He stood quietly watching Rachel and the lawman dance together. There was something about Sheriff Reynolds that left him on edge, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.

Clint tried to tell himself he was only reacting this way because of Rachel, and, in part, he knew that was true, but the fact was, it troubled him that the lawman had given up so quickly on tracking down the outlaws. The trail had been there for the posse to follow. The storm he’d encountered had been far ahead of the posse and it had been moving off in the opposite direction. If the sheriff and his men had been serious about hunting the gunmen down, they would have stayed on their trail for at least another half day
until they’d discovered it had been washed out. Only then would they have turned back.

Clint was frowning when he finally made up his mind what he was going to do. Captain Meyers could help him with his concerns about the sheriff. Clint would ride to the next town and send the captain a wire from there, requesting any information he had on Pete Reynolds. He wanted to find out everything he could about the sheriff of Dry Springs. He had seen how violent the lawman could be in the way he’d pistol-whipped Ed, and he’d noticed how the townsfolk were a bit uneasy around him. Clint knew it didn’t bode well for his efforts to locate the Tucker Gang if Reynolds proved to be as bad a lawman as he was beginning to believe.

It was getting late when Nick finally made it to the dance. He had been looking forward to attending the dance all day, for he was eager to be with the ladies, but Sheriff Reynolds had had other plans for him. Just as the evening’s activities were all set to begin, the sheriff had sought him out and ordered him to stay on the streets and keep watch, just in case anything happened around town.

Nick realized there was always the possibility of trouble occurring when there were this many people in town, and with the recently attempted stage robbery, everybody was still a little on edge. But even so, the sheriff’s ordering him to work on the night of the big dance had annoyed him.

But it was his job.

Nick had just hoped as he walked the deserted streets of Dry Springs that if he was ever relieved of his duties, it wouldn’t be too late to have a little fun.

It was after eleven when Pete finally sought Nick out and told him he’d take over for him.

Nick didn’t waste any time getting to the dance. He was anxious to see which girls were still in attendance, and he was pleased when he spotted Michelle and Rachel right away.

“Evening, ladies,” he greeted them. They were both pretty, but he knew better than to pursue Rachel. Pete had made that perfectly clear to him several times.

“We were wondering what happened to you,” Rachel told the handsome deputy.

“I was keeping an eye on things around town. Sheriff Reynolds and I wanted to make sure everything was peaceful tonight.”

“You did a fine job. It’s been a wonderful evening, and now that you’re here, it’s even better,” Michelle said, giving him an inviting smile.

“Would you like to dance, Michelle?” he invited.

“I would love to dance with you,” she answered quickly, not worried about seeming too eager. He had finally come! That was all that mattered.

Michelle slipped her hand into Nick’s and followed along as he drew her out to join the other couples.

Rachel was smiling as she watched her friend dancing with the man of her dreams. She understood
how it felt, for she had felt the same way while dancing with Kane.

Rachel glanced around, looking for Kane, but saw no sign of him. She wondered where he’d gone. She kept up her spirits by reminding herself that he had told her he was going to be in town for a while and they would be seeing each other again.

Equally gratifying was the memory of a very handsome young man asking her to dance right after Kane had released her. She grinned, remembering young Jacob’s invitation. Eve had brought him to the festivities, and he’d told his grandmother that he had to dance with Miss Rachel before they went home. It had been a wonderful moment for both of them, and she’d made sure to kiss him on the cheek when their dance had ended.

Rachel sighed in contentment as she watched Michelle in Nick’s arms.

It had been a memorable night for everyone.

Chapter Ten

Late Monday afternoon Rachel was returning to town in the family’s buggy. She had driven her mother to the Franklin ranch earlier that day after getting a desperate request for help from Ron Franklin. He’d sent a note to her father telling him that his wife, Mary, had just given birth to twins, and it had been a difficult delivery. The babies were sickly, and Mary was weak and not doing well. The doctor had been out to the ranch but had said there was little he could do.

From the sound of the missive, Rachel’s parents had had no doubt that Ron was frantic, trying to tend to his wife and their four other children along with the sick babies. Anne had decided to go out to the ranch and help him, and Rachel had gone along. They’d reached the ranch and learned, happily, that Mary seemed to be improving. Even so, Anne had decided to stay on for a day or two to take care of the newborns.

Rachel had started the long drive home to let
her father know that her mother would be staying on at the Franklin ranch for a while. She hadn’t been worried about making the return trip by herself. It was still daylight, and she did have the gun with her.

Rachel had been enjoying the drive through the quiet countryside until she noticed black clouds starting to build in the western sky. For a while, she’d believed she could outrun the storm, but then the wind picked up in near violent gusts, and she knew it was going to get ugly. As the distant, ominous rumble of thunder echoed around her, she realized she was in trouble. Slapping the reins on Buster’s back, she urged him to an even faster pace. Fast as Buster was, though, he wasn’t fast enough. The black clouds began to roil overhead, and crashing lightning split the storm-darkened sky.

Rachel grew more nervous as they raced toward town. When a jagged lightning bolt crashed earthward and struck a nearby tree with fiery fury, Buster panicked. He had been hard to manage before the lightning strike, and now he was completely out of control. He reared up in absolute terror as the deafening roar of thunder echoed around them.

Rachel almost lost her seat in the buggy, but somehow she managed to hang on as Buster charged off the road and raced wildly across the uneven ground. She worked at the reins, fighting to bring the terrified horse under control, but he was out of his mind with fear. He raced over the
rocky terrain and didn’t even pause when the buggy tipped over.

Thrown from her seat, Rachel landed hard on the unforgiving ground. She lay winded, struggling to catch her breath. Realizing how dangerous the storm might be, she knew she had to find some kind of shelter fast. Shaken and still a bit dazed, she managed to get up and start after her runaway horse and buggy.

Buster had continued his panicked flight, dragging the buggy behind him. When the buggy got hung up on some rocks, it brought him to a halt. As the lightning and thunder continued, he grew even more wildly desperate. He twisted and bucked, trying to break free of the restraining harness and buggy, but his struggle was to no avail. He was trapped.

Rachel finally managed to reach the top of the hill. It was then that she saw Buster caught among the rocks down below. She was thankful he’d gotten trapped that way, for it gave her the chance to catch up with him.

Even so, Rachel knew there was no way she would ever be able to right the buggy by herself. The only way she could get out of the storm would be to unhitch Buster and ride him into town. True, she was wearing a dress and it wouldn’t be very ladylike, but with the bad weather almost upon her, she didn’t care much about how she looked. She’d seen some bad storms in her time, but this one was one of the most intense she’d ever been in.

Knowing she had to act fast, Rachel ran down to Buster and began to talk to him in low, calming tones. He stilled and stood shaking as she set to work unhitching him from the buggy. Just as she finished and was holding him by the reins, there was a violent gust and another frightening bolt of lightning split the sky. The thunder echoed violently around them.

Buster reared frantically. Rachel tried to hang on to him, but he was too powerful for her. He tore free of her grip and galloped off, leaving her stranded with only the broken remains of the buggy for shelter as the torrential downpour began.

Rachel knew she was in serious trouble. It was almost dark, and there was no way she could get to safety on foot in this kind of thunderstorm. She offered up a quick prayer for help and sought what shelter she could find from the buggy.