Sunrise Ridge (Redemption Mountain Historical Western Romance Book 3) (12 page)

Abby had no desire to pull Noah into whatever this might be, but had little choice. They needed to open the bank, yet both women felt unsafe given Abby’s concerns about who might be standing outside.

“All right, Mrs. Phelps. Please, do not open the doors until we return.”

“Hurry, Abby,” she nodded, watching as Abby dashed out the back.

She turned toward the livery, knowing Noah would already be working. At least the men outside the bank wouldn’t be able to see her going for help. In some ways, she felt foolish. What if they were nothing more than newcomers wanting to open accounts? Except the one looked so similar to the man her father intended to fire and Sheriff Evans wanted to arrest before he and two of his men left the ranch. They’d never been spotted again around Splendor and, as far as Abby knew, had no reason to return.

She continued to run, kicking up dust, until she spotted Noah shoeing a horse. He dropped the foreleg and stood as she approached, noticing a look close to panic on her face.

“What is it?” he asked, reaching out to grip her shoulders.

She took a breath and looked up at him. “There are four men outside the bank. Mr. Clausen hasn’t arrived, and neither Mrs. Phelps nor I recognize them…except one. He might be…” Abby’s voice trailed off as she thought once more about the former ranch foreman, Parnell Drake.

“Might be who, Abby?” Noah prompted.

“Do you remember Parnell Drake?”

“You mean your father’s man who took off?”

“Yes.”

“I remember him. Why?”

“I think he may be one of the men waiting for the bank to open.”

Noah didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his gun belt and buckled it around his waist before reaching for his rifle. “Let’s go.”

“It’s best to go through the back.” Abby took off the way she came, Noah following.

Entering the bank, Noah took a position between Sally and Abby, his rifle cocked and resting in his arms. He’d forgotten how much a part of him this rifle had been for so many years. Even now, it felt like an extension of his body rather than a tool he used when needed. He nodded at Sally to go ahead and open the doors.

The men shuffled in, all four noticing Noah right away. The man Abby recognized as Parnell Drake walked up to her, no hint of recognition on his face. She glanced at Noah and nodded once, her signal it was the man she suspected.

Noah took a step closer, shifting his stance and readying his hands.

“I want to deposit some money,” he drawled, his eyes darting between hers and Noah’s.

“Of course. Do you have an account with us, Mr...?”

“Drake. Parnell Drake.”

Her heart slammed in her chest as her face stilled in an attempt not to show her reaction.

“Let me get your information, Mr. Drake,” she said, proud her voice didn’t betray how she felt. She checked through a file, pulling out his account information, then wrote out a receipt.

“Here you are, Mr. Drake.”

“Thank you.” He slipped the paper in his pocket, then shot another look at her. “Have we met?”

“No. I don’t believe we have.”

His eyes narrowed on her a moment before he motioned for his men to follow him out.

Noah paced to the door and looked out, noting the four gather their horses and ride south, away from town. As he turned, the door flew open. Clausen stopped at the sight of Noah holding a rifle and wearing a gun belt. He glanced at Sally, her face white as a sheet, and Abby, standing rigid behind the teller bars.

“What’s going on?”

“Just a customer who made the women uneasy,” Noah replied. “Let’s go into your office and I’ll explain.”

“I’m so glad you were able to get Mr. Brandt to come here. I didn’t like the look of any of those men, Abby.” Sally wrung her hands in front of her, looking toward the door as if she expected them to return at any moment.

“Parnell Drake, the man who made the deposit, has always frightened me. He worked as a foreman for my father for several months before strange activities began—accidents, injuries, cattle stampedes. All of it directed at Pelletier men. Thank goodness no one was killed. At first, the sheriff thought the actions were done on orders from my father.” Abby’s gaze darted to Mr. Clausen’s office, wondering when Noah would reappear. She wanted to thank him, let him know how much his presence meant to her and Mrs. Phelps. “It seems Mr. Drake may have been behind it all. He took off with two of his men before the sheriff had a chance to question him.”

“Well, it’s good you recognized him. I still have a bad feeling about this.”

“So do I, Mrs. Phelps.”

Abby’s head turned at the sound of Noah walking out of the office. His eyes locked with hers, his face devoid of expression as he strolled past her toward the door.

“Mr. Brandt.”

He turned, the corners of his mouth tilting upward. “Noah, remember?”

She bit her bottom lip, her eyes lighting up. “Thank you, Noah.”

He walked to within a foot of her, never breaking eye contact as he lifted her chin with a finger. “Anytime, Abby. If you ever need help, all you have to do is ask.” He continued to stare a moment longer before dropping his hand and walking out.

Noah lay awake, tossing and turning, unable to get images of Abby out of his mind. No matter how he tried, everything about her—her unique smell, the way she talked, her mannerisms—couldn’t be erased, as if they were branded on his skin. He threw off the covers and paced to the window, looking out on a clear sky lit with a partial moon.

It had taken every bit of willpower he possessed not to reach out and pull her to him before leaving the bank. Her lips trembled when she came to ask his help, and he knew it had taken courage to face him. When he’d left her with Suzanne, their parting had been awkward, strained, neither knowing what else to say. Two weeks later, after mulling over Gabe’s words, he knew precisely what he should have said.

“Damn fool,” he muttered to himself as he stoked the fire in his small stove and started coffee. Deciding he might as well work, Noah pulled on pants and slipped into a flannel shirt.

Noah heated the metal needed for a tool one of the ranchers ordered, then began to pound. With each downward thrust, he ticked off all the reasons he should ignore his doubts and go after Abby. Court her, do everything any man would do if he wanted a woman.

In the past, his hesitation in voicing his intentions had been due to several reasons, the main one being her wealth. Raised to believe the man supported his family, Noah’s pride had never allowed him to accept marrying a woman worth many times more than him. Nor someone used to social status and well-placed friends, neither of which he could offer.

Separating herself from her father changed everything. Abby had made it clear, more than once, she wanted a life independent of him and his wealth. She held no love for his manipulations or behavior toward those he believed to be beneath him. Her decision to make her own way altered Noah’s previous uncertainties about pursuing her. Over the past weeks, he’d thought of her declaration in Moosejaw and had come to the conclusion it didn’t make sense. He’d stake his life on the belief she still loved him.

This time he didn’t have to worry about Tolbert objecting. All that need concern him was Abby. If she agreed to let him court her, all her former protests would amount to nothing. If she didn’t, he’d be no worse off.

He set the hammer down and straightened. She wasn’t going anywhere, not with her job and room at the boardinghouse. He let out a breath, knowing he had time to decide the best approach, maybe even talk with Dax or Luke and get some ideas on how to do it right. He chuckled at the thought. Neither would be considered a stellar example on how to court a woman, but at least they had more experience than him. He crossed his arms and stepped away from the anvil, feeling a reprieve from the depression plaguing him the past few weeks. A slow grin spread across his face. Perhaps his future wasn’t as bleak as he first believed.

Chapter Ten

Big Pine

“I’ve got two fellas in town looking into the cattle rustling around here.” Sheriff Parker Sterling sat forward, leaning his arms on his desk.

“Deputies? U.S. Marshals?” Gabe asked, rocking his chair back on two legs.

“Nope. Best I can tell, they’re bounty hunters looking for one man in particular—Parnell Drake.”

Gabe’s chair slammed forward. “Drake? You certain?”

“Yep. That’s the name Coulter gave me.”

“Cash Coulter is the bounty hunter?”

“Him and Beau Davis. Got here close to two weeks ago and have been talking to every rancher with missing cattle. They stopped in yesterday to see if I’ve had any more reports. Appears the rustling seems to have stopped—at least for now. Coulter thinks they may have moved on.” Sterling sat back and crossed his arms. “I believe he may be looking for Drake for more than rustling. You know anything about that?”

Gabe
did
know more about Cash and Drake’s history, but he wasn’t prepared to share it with the sheriff.

“You’ll have to ask him. Do you know where they’re staying?”

“Up the street at The Imperial Hotel. Best place in town.”

Gabe took off toward the hotel. He needed a place to stay, and where better than the same hotel as Cash and his partner. Besides, the hotel stood a block away from the saloon where Dolly worked. He’d leave a message for Cash, grab supper, then go for a few drinks and whatever else struck his fancy.

“Nothing more out here. I’m telling you, Cash. The rustlers have moved on, probably taking the cattle with them.” Beau swung into the saddle and turned toward town. “It’s time to move on.”

“West?” Cash asked.

“From the tracks, yes. I’m guessing they have at least a hundred head and more than a week’s head start.”

“Seems it would be hard to hide a hundred head.” Cash pulled off his hat, shaking his overlong blonde hair, then settled the hat back down.

Beau looked around, focusing on the mountains to the west. “Not with all the open land surrounded by mountains. We’d need a lot more men to find them in this vast territory. I’d head south if it weren’t for these tracks. Clearly, someone’s moving cattle and they’re not going in the direction local ranchers drive their herds.”

A circle
, Cash thought as he looked in the direction of Splendor. Somehow, he always knew he’d be heading back to the small town where his friends owned a ranch. He just didn’t think it would be so soon.

“Let’s get cleaned up and have supper. We’ll head out at first light.”

The sun had set by the time they put up their horses and entered the hotel. Both were dusty, tired, and hungry, but neither would turn down a drink or a game of cards.

“Message for you, Mr. Coulter.” The desk clerk held out a piece of paper. “The gentleman is staying in the hotel.”

Cash read the message quickly, then looked up. “Is he in now?”

“I don’t believe so. He mentioned having supper, then going to the saloon—in case you came looking for him.”

“Someone you know?” Beau asked.

“Gabe Evans, a friend. He’s the sheriff in Splendor.”

“He say why he’s in Big Pine?”

“No. He’ll be at the saloon down the street. We can meet up with him after supper.”