Moon Racer (31 page)

Abby moved to her knees as fear tore at her mind.
"Did Brent go with him? He can't have gone alone!"

"Brent went to get Quince, and they will both be
going into town. Even if Mr. Montgomery is hiding,
he can't escape all three of them."

Abby slid out of bed. "I have to go to Jonah.
Someone has to help him. He doesn't know how
evil that man is!"

"Get back in bed, Abby. Brent and Quince will
help him. You have to rest for now."

Abby was so exhausted, she nodded while Crystal
pulled the sheet up and tucked it about her chin.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about.
I believe your major can take care of the banker."

Abby turned her face into her pillow. "I want to
know the moment Jonah comes back. I don't care
what time it is, Crystal."

Crystal blew out the lamp and sat down in the
chair beside Abby's bed. "Are you sure he'll come
here?"

"I'm sure. Promise me."

"I promise. I'll just sit here beside you until you
fall asleep."

"It can't be comfortable for you. You must think
of the baby."

"Me and this baby are just fine. It's you we are
worried about for now. You need to sleep."

Abby closed her eyes. There didn't seem to be a
place on her body that didn't ache. She wanted
Jonah, and then she could sleep.

Jonah didn't bother knocking on the door, but
shoved it open with such force it vibrated against the
wall. He walked through the three rooms until he
came to the bedroom, where a woman was huddled
in the bed, looking at him with frightened eyes.

"Where is Edmund Montgomery? And don't tell
me he isn't here, because I saw his horse out front."

The woman's dark eyes darted to the door just
behind Jonah as if she were trying to signal him-he saw the fear reflected there and dodged just as
Edmund swung a chair at his head.

Jonah sidestepped the older man and faced him with
fists tight. "You might want to ask the lady to leave.
She might not like what I'm going to do to you."

"Arrogant pig!"

"I'm not a woman, Montgomery. How brave are
you when you are facing someone stronger than
you?"

Jonah grabbed Edmund by the shirtfront and
slammed him against the wall. He didn't give him
time to recover before he slammed his fist into his
stomach, and the man doubled over. As Edmund
slumped to the floor, his mouth hanging open,
Jonah lifted him up and drove his fist into his face
with all his strength.

He hit him again and again, anger and rage
driving him.

Someone caught his arm and held it. Jonah was
ready to hit whomever it was when Quince spoke.
"He's had enough for now. I sure wish you'd saved
a piece of him for me, though."

Brent bent down to examine the banker. "He's
out cold. It'll be a long time before he can show
that battered face in Diablo. Looks like you
broke his nose."

Jonah reached into his pocket and tossed money
to the woman still huddled in bed. "That's just in
case he hasn't paid you, ma'am. And you did warn
me that he was behind that door."

The three men walked out of the house, mounted
their horses, and rode silently into the night.

They didn't see Kane slither behind a tree with a
smile curving his thin lips. Seeing Edmund get
beaten by the major was just too good to pass up.

When Jonah dismounted, he hurried toward the
house.

"We need to talk," Brent told him.

"Later."

Brent caught Jonah's arm. "Now."

Jonah shook his hand off. "I am going into that
house, and I'm going to see Abby. When I am
satisfied she is all right, then we'll talk."

Quince smiled as he leaned against the porch post
watching Jonah push past his brother. "You heard
the man, Brent-he said later."

Abby saw Jonah's silhouette in the doorway, and
she slid out of bed and threw herself into his arms.
"I had to see you before I could go to sleep."

He nodded at Crystal, and she vacated the chair.
"I'll take care of her now, ma'am." He sat down
with Abby on his lap and pulled the cover off the
bed to wrap it around her.

"I'm here now." He pushed her hair aside and
touched her cheek tenderly with his lips. "I won't
leave you tonight. Go to sleep, sweetheart."

Brent and Quince had come into the hall and
were standing at the doorway. "He can't stay in
there with her," Brent told his brother.

Crystal took her husband's hand. "Honestly,
Brent, do you think she's going to come to any
harm from him?"

"No," he conceded as he heard Jonah talking in whispers to his sister. "But we'll be staying the
night here just the same."

Quince squared his hat on his head. "Well, I'm
going home. I'll be back in the morning."

Abby curled up against Jonah and burrowed her face
against his throat. The strength of his arms sheltered her
while the heat of his body brought her comfort and held
her fear at bay. He helped her forget Edmund
Montgomery, and the smothering evil that had touched
her. "Don't leave me, Jonah. Stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere." His lips touched her
brow. "Close your eyes and sleep. I'll be here."

When Brent came back to check on his sister an
hour later, he found both her and Jonah asleep in the
chair. The major's booted feet were propped on the
bed, and he held Abby snugly against his body as if
he would never let her go.

Brent tiptoed out of the room.

If he had to let Abby go, he couldn't be giving
her to a better man.

Jonah awoke and tried to move his cramped body,
but Abby moaned in protest. He touched his lips
against her cheek, and her arms slid around his neck.

His lips slid to her ear and then to her neck.
"Marry me, Abby," he said softly, not really sure she
was awake. "You are already mine. You have been
since our first meeting. Say you will be my wife."

"Yes," she murmured, her head falling against his
chest, her tangled hair spilling over his arm. He
dipped his head, touching his lips ever so softly to
hers. She groaned and snuggled closer to him and
fell asleep once more.

Jonah sat there in wonder. Had she just agreed to
marry him?

He touched his lips to each bruise, wishing he
could hit Montgomery again.

He doubted the cowardly banker would come
anywhere near Abby now, but he wanted to make
sure-he wanted her where he could protect her.

The sun had barely touched the horizon when Jonah
stood and placed Abby on the bed. She curled
against her pillow and sighed in her sleep. He
stretched his cramped muscles and made his way to
the kitchen.

Frances had her hands in dough, making the
morning biscuits, and she glanced up at him with a
twist to her mouth. "Well, I hear there was quite a
to-do last night." She nodded toward the coffeepot,
indicating he could pour his own coffee. "I suppose
you are going to marry Abby, since you spent the
night in her room."

He poured a cup of the steaming brew and sat
down at the table. "Yes, I am going to marry her."

She rolled out the dough and slapped itIwith the
palm of her hand. "I suppose you asked her?"

His lips curved into a smile. "Yes." He frowned.
"And I think she said yes, but I'm not sure she was
fully awake at the time."

"I wondered when you'd realize you wanted
her."

He took a sip of coffee. "I'm not sure when the
notion struck me. It could very well have been the
day she knocked me off my horse."

Frances paused as she pinched off bits of dough.
"She did what?"

Jonah grinned. "If she didn't tell you about it, I'll
let it remain a mystery."

Frances dipped the biscuits in hot bacon grease,
arranged them in a pan, and shoved them in the
oven. She then stood back and gave him her full
attention. She had never seen him with his hair
mussed, and she kind of liked the idea that he could
be just like any other man.

You slept in the chair all night."

"Yes, I did."

She glanced at his hands and saw the knuckles
were red and raw. "I heard you got in a fight. I'll
doctor your hands."

Jonah smiled. Frances never asked; she ordered.
"Yes, ma'am."

She filled a washbasin with hot water she had
boiling on the stove, cooled it down a bit, and
nodded for him to dunk his hands. After she was
satisfied the blood was washed away, she dried
them and applied ointment.

"They are going to be sore for a few days." She
looked down at him. "But I'd wager they aren't half
as painful as Edmund Montgomery's wounds are."

"Nothing gets past you, does it?"

"Hardly ever."

Frances sighed inwardly, knowing Abby was
going to be taken care of. She had known almost
from the beginning that these two were right for
each other-it had just taken them a little longer to
find out.

The ranch was stirring to life when Jonah returned
to the house after talking to Navidad. He'd already
had coffee; now he was ready for breakfast. Quince
rode up just as Jonah reached the porch, and the two
men went in together.

"I asked your sister to marry me."

"I figured you would after last night."

Frances had heard them coming and placed two
full plates of eggs and bacon on the table in front of
them. Jonah was eyeing the golden-brown biscuits
the housekeeper had just removed from the oven.

Quince buttered a hot biscuit. "I've already eaten,
but I never can resist your cooking, Frances." He
took a bite and swallowed before he asked Jonah,
"Is it true you bought the Taylor ranch?"

"I knew when I saw that ranch that it was where I
wanted to live. I think I bought it with Abby in
mind, and perhaps to thwart Montgomery."

"It's a mighty fine spread. One of 'the best. I
heard you were tearing most of the old house down
and building a new one."

"No. I'm just adding on. The old structure is
sound."

"What about your army career?"

"I still have two years to serve, and then I plan to
retire. Abby and I will spend as much time at the
ranch as we can until then, assuming they don't
assign me to another fort miles from here or in
another state."

Quince didn't like the notion of Abby being too
far away from the family. "Is that a possibility?"

"I shouldn't think so. There's a lot of work to do
at Fort Fannin."

Frances was humming as she went about her
work, and Quince turned his attention back to
Jonah. "I wanted to talk to you about my sister last
night, but it didn't seem like a good time. How is
she?"

"She slept fretfully. She was badly shaken by
what happened."

"I'd like to kill that son of a-"

"Quince!" Frances warned him. "There'll be no
such talk in my kitchen."

He nodded and smiled at Jonah. "You see how
she orders us all around. And we all do exactly what
she says because she puts the fear of God in us."

"Humph," Frances said, leaving the room with a
laundry basket on her hip. "As if anyone listens to
me."

Quince took a drink of coffee and set the mug
back on the table. "I guess this is the part where I
ask you what your intentions are concerning my
sister?"

Jonah looked straight into his friend's eyes. "I'm
going to keep her safe and see that she's never
unhappy."

"After last night I don't think there's any doubt of
my sister's feelings for you, and it seems to me you
care for her. Do you?"

"I want her so much I hurt inside when I'm not
with her. I want to spend my life with her. If you
hadn't stopped me last night, I would have killed
Montgomery for what he did to her. Does that
qualify as love?"

Quince grinned and clapped Jonah on the back.
"You'll probably bring an air of respectability to
our family. When's the wedding?"

"I hope as soon as possible. I wanted to ask Abby
if she would consider having the wedding at our
ranch. I could have Chaplin Moody from the fort
perform the ceremony."

Quince frowned, watching him closely. "Is there
any need to rush into this?"

"No reason other than that I miss her every day
she isn't with me. But I will leave it up to Abby to
decide the date."

"My father won't be back from New Orleans for
several weeks."

"Is it necessary to wait for him?"

"Not to me. Probably not to Abby, but you'll
have to ask her." Quince stuck out his hand, and
Jonah shook it. "You are never going to know a dull
day with my sister as your wife."

"Don't I know it!"

"Welcome to the family."

Abby had slept late. She sat up slowly, her body
aching with each movement she made.

In the vague recesses of her mind, she seemed to
remember sleeping in Jonah's arms and his asking
her to marry him.

Had she only dreamed it?

She filled the basin with water and bathed,
scrubbing vigorously everywhere Edmund had
touched her.