Defiant (5 page)

“There’s lots of praying going on in here, Reverend,” one of the drunken gamblers called out to him, chuckling. “We always pray when we’re playing poker.”

“Gambling is a sin!”

“But sin is fun!” another drunk yelled back.

The crowd in the saloon hooted in raucous laughter at his remark, but Reverend Hammond and his followers were shocked by the gamblers’ decadence and their refusal to listen to the Word.

Though the people in the saloon were laughing, Rachel sensed the growing tension and knew it was time for the church group to leave. God gave mankind free will, and these men and women were making their own choices about how to live their lives. Even so, she knew how determined her father was to try to preach to them. She inched closer to her mother’s side, wishing the night were over and they were back home safe and sound.

“Go on, preacher man. Get out of here now, while you still can,” Trey told him, taking another threatening step toward him.

Reverend Hammond looked up at the bartender, his expression serene. “God loves you.”

“Reverend—” Trey ground out, not above physically removing him from the saloon.

“I think I need some redemption,” Ed said loudly with a sly grin. He shifted in his chair and was able to reach out and snare Rachel around the waist. He pulled her forcefully down on his lap. “Come here, girlie. I want you to save me.”

Rachel was caught unawares. Shocked by his actions; she struggled to break away from him as he planted a wet, slobbery kiss on her neck.

“Rachel! You let my daughter go!” Anne erupted in fury at the sight of her daughter being
so manhandled. She charged toward the gambler to try to free Rachel, but another drunk grabbed her and held her back.

“Why do you want me to let her go? She’s saving me,” Ed sneered, enjoying having Rachel on his lap. The more she fought him, the better he liked it. “Aren’t you saving me, honey?”

“Stop!” Rachel cried out, fighting off his hands as he tried to grope her.

The reverend saw what was happening.

“Unhand my daughter!” Reverend Hammond demanded. He rushed toward the gambler in a father’s fury, but two of the other drunks in the saloon blocked his way.

“Go away, old man.” Ed ignored her father’s shouts as he tried to force Rachel to kiss him. “Come on, you little angel—give me some salvation and I’ll make a
big
donation to your church—”

“Why, you!” Rachel slapped him, disgusted by his vile behavior.

Ed was a mean drunk, and a woman rejecting him right there in front of God and everybody infuriated him.

“Why, you little—!” He drew back, ready to hit her. He was all set to drag her upstairs and teach her a lesson.

Clint knew what Ed was about to do, and he’d had enough. He’d tried to stay quiet and let the situation work itself out, but there was no way he could sit by and let an innocent fall into the hands of a man like Ed.

“Let her go,” Clint commanded quietly.

“Hell, no!” Ed answered, mindless now with anger and arousal.

Clint stood up, ready to confront him. “I said, let her go.”

“Mind your own damned business.”

Clint drew his gun. “She is my business. Get your hands off of her—now.”

Ed froze at the sight of the gun pointed straight at him. “What are you getting so riled up about? She’s just a whore like the rest of them.”

“No. She’s not,” Clint said in a voice that was so calm it was deadly. He reached over and took Rachel by the arm, drawing her off the other man’s lap.

“What are you doing? Do you want some of that, too?” Ed asked Clint, still leering at Rachel.

Clint ignored his remark as he glanced down at the young woman to make sure she was all right. She was trembling, and he could see she was close to tears. He understood her fear.

“Leave now, while you can,” Clint directed in a low voice, releasing her arm.

Rachel was stunned. She looked up at the tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired stranger who’d just rescued her. She had no idea who he was, but she was thankful for his help. Too upset to speak, she only nodded in response and hurried toward her father.

Clint still had his gun drawn as he watched her cross the room, so everyone else in the saloon eased off.

Rachel’s mother and father rushed to embrace her. Her father cast one last condemning look around the room, then led his shaken daughter and wife from the den of iniquity. The rest of his flock followed him.

Clint remained standing with his gun drawn until they were all safely out of the saloon. Only then did he holster his gun and sit back down at the table. He looked over at Ed, who was glaring at him in obvious fury.

“A pair of fours,” Clint said, picking up his hand and laying it out on the table for the rest of the players to see. His easy tone hid the tension that filled him as he awaited the dealer’s response. He wasn’t sure what Ed might do.

The others in the game folded.

Ed finally relaxed a bit and managed a smile. He spread out his cards.

“Three jacks,” he announced.

Ed was raking in his winnings as Sheriff Pete Reynolds entered the saloon.

“I heard there was trouble down here,” the lawman stated, his hand resting on his holstered sidearm as he looked around the room. “What happened?”

Trey quickly told him what had gone on. “Ed was just funning around with the preacher’s daughter. He didn’t mean her no harm.” Trey had decided to make light of Ed’s part in the confrontation. After all, Ed was a regular customer. Then he pointed at Clint. “He was the one who drew his gun.”

The sheriff turned and eyed both men at the table with open interest. He walked slowly over to them.

“I understand you haven’t been behaving yourself, Ed.” Sheriff Reynolds came to stand beside him.

“The preacher was here trying to save souls, so I just thought I’d give him something to pray about.” Ed was feeling confident that he was in no trouble with the law.

“Stand up,” the lawman ordered.

“What? Why?” Suddenly leery, Ed did as he was ordered. He didn’t want to be on Sheriff Reynolds’s bad side.

Without warning, the sheriff drew his gun and violently pistol-whipped him. The force of the blows knocked Ed backward into his chair, and the chair crashed over onto the floor.

Ed was bloodied and battered by the lawman’s unexpected assault. He wasn’t about to fight back, though. He’d seen Sheriff Reynolds in action before and knew better than to try anything. This sheriff was one violent man.

Clint was shocked by the sheriff’s assault on Ed, and he understood now why the whole town feared the man.

Sheriff Reynolds turned his attention to the stranger, his gun in hand. “You’re new here in town, aren’t you?”

“I just rode in this morning,” Clint answered, wondering why Reynolds was still holding his gun.

“Well, know this: I don’t put up with any gunplay here in Dry Springs.”

“I’ll remember that,” Clint answered, meeting the lawman’s cold-eyed regard straight on.

“You planning to stay around awhile or are you just passing through?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Dry Springs is a nice, quiet town, and we like it that way. What’s your name, friend?”

Clint wondered about the lawman’s belief that Dry Springs was nice and quiet. From what he’d seen, it was no wonder the Tucker Gang wanted to meet up there. Clint wondered, too, if word of his “new” reputation had reached the sheriff yet. “My name’s McCullough. Kane McCullough.”

He noticed no change in Sheriff Reynolds’s expression.

“Well, welcome to our town, Mr. McCullough. Enjoy your stay.”

“Thanks. I intend to do just that.”

The lawman turned and walked away.

“Sheriff, you need to go talk with that damned preacher man !” Trey shouted at him angrily as he was leaving the saloon. “I don’t want him coming back in here again causing more trouble.”

“I’ll go pay him a visit right now, Trey,” Sheriff Reynolds assured him.

“You’d better. It could get real ugly if he keeps this up!”

Clint watched the lawman leave the saloon, then turned his attention back to the poker game.

Bleeding from the sheriff’s assault, Ed got up
and left the Last Chance. Another man took over dealing for him, and the other players stayed on to finish the game. This wasn’t the first time there had been trouble in the Last Chance, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

Clint anted up and hoped he’d be dealt a better hand this time. As he continued to play cards, the young woman named Rachel slipped into his thoughts. He hoped she was all right, and he hoped her father had learned from his experience tonight. The preacher could keep praying all he wanted, but some men in the world were beyond redemption.

Sheriff Pete Reynolds was angry as he made his way through the streets of Dry Springs. The thought that Reverend Hammond had put Rachel at risk infuriated him. The preacher was a fool. No man in his right mind would want his innocent daughter exposed to the ugliness that was life in the saloons.

Pete thought of the lovely young woman he’d been trying to woo and smiled to himself. Rachel was a real looker. He understood why Ed had grabbed her, but Rachel wasn’t that kind of girl. He was glad the other man had broken things up before she’d gotten hurt in any way, but he still didn’t like the stranger being so fast to use his gun.

The name McCullough sounded vaguely familiar, and he wondered where he’d heard it before. There weren’t any new wanted posters around,
so he wasn’t an outlaw on the run, but something about that name bothered him and he knew he’d have to keep an eye on the man if he decided to stay around.

Pete headed toward the Hammond house to speak with the minister. He didn’t care that it was late. He was going to set him straight on a few things—and check on Rachel.

Chapter Five

Reverend Hammond gathered his followers together in front of their church. He blessed them and led them in a concluding prayer.

Anne Hammond clung to her daughter as they prayed with him. In her heart she was truly frightened by what had happened that night. She knew her husband believed sinners could be redeemed, but the man who had accosted Rachel seemed beyond redemption to her.

“Let’s go home,” Martin told his family as everyone began to move off.

“Let’s,” Anne agreed, her fear turning to anger.

Rachel was nineteen and a young woman now, but to Anne she was still her precious daughter—a gift from God—and she was going to make sure Rachel was never caught in a situation like that again. She knew her husband would object to what she was going to do, but she didn’t care. Her daughter had to be protected. That was all that mattered.

Anne was ready to take Rachel aside when they reached the house, but when they finally did get home, they found Eve Carson, a longtime family friend and member of the congregation, waiting anxiously for them on their front porch. Anne and Martin knew something had to be terribly wrong for the frail, elderly widow to have come out to see them at this time of the evening.

“Reverend Hammond, thank heaven you’ve finally come home,” Eve said desperately as they came up the steps to the porch. “I have to speak with you.”

“Come inside,” he invited, ushering her into the house. He lit the lamp in the parlor and directed her to a chair. “What is it, Eve? How can I help you?”

Martin was deeply concerned now that they were in a lighted room, for he could see her more clearly and realized she’d been crying.

“This came for me today.” Eve held out a telegram for him to read.

Martin took the missive from her and read it quickly. Sorrow filled him at the tragic news she’d received from the doctor in San Ramon. Her son and daughter-in-law had died of a terrible fever, and now her seven-year-old grandson, Jacob, was orphaned and alone.

“I’m so sorry.” Martin reached out and took her hand, offering what comfort he could.

Anne and Rachel had followed them into the parlor, and Martin handed them the wire so they would understand what had happened.

“Jacob needs me. I have to go to him. I have to bring him here to live with me,” Eve sobbed.

“From the sound of the telegram, the doctor will take care of him until you can get there. How soon did you want to leave?”

“I’ll have to go tomorrow. I’ll take the morning stage,” she answered. “I can’t leave poor Jacob there in San Ramon all alone. Not after this.”

“You really should have someone travel with you,” Anne suggested, concerned about Eve’s delicate health. She knew the widow wasn’t a strong woman.

“They were my only family. There is no one to travel with me, but that doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I get to Jacob as quickly as I can,” Eve said fiercely.

“I’ll go with you,” Rachel said, glancing toward her parents for their approval. She had always been fond of the elderly lady and wanted to help her.

“You will?” Eve looked up hopefully toward Rachel and her parents. “Are you sure?”

“That will be fine,” her father said.

“Oh, thank you, Reverend—Anne. Thank you.” The depth of her emotion was obvious.

“Have you checked on when the stage heads out?”

“It leaves at nine o’clock.”

“I’ll come by your house and pick you up at eight-thirty,” Martin promised her.

“I’ll be ready.” Eve was still numb from the devastation of her loss, but she felt as if a great
weight had been lifted from her, just knowing Rachel would be accompanying her.

“Now, let me walk you home. It’s too late for you to be out alone,” the reverend said.

Anne and Rachel both hugged Eve before she left.

Rachel was ready to go up to her room to pack for the trip. She knew they would be gone at least three days. She was just starting up the steps when someone knocked on the front door.

Anne answered it to find Sheriff Reynolds standing there.

“Evenin’, Mrs. Hammond.” Pete looked inside and caught sight of Rachel standing on the stairs. His gaze lingered on her. “Rachel—it’s good to see you’re all right. I was just down at the Last Chance and heard what happened.”

“Please come in, Sheriff Reynolds,” Anne invited.

“Thank you, and you know you can call me Pete,” he said.