When All My Dreams Come True (27 page)

Morgan cleared his throat. “Ah, Bobbie? I’d like to ask you some questions, if you don’t mind. Coop and the other man aren’t talking.”

She closed her eyes. Annie squeezed her shoulder. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, then nodded her agreement.

Morgan smiled and moved to stand behind Doc’s shoulder. “Good for you.” He winked. “First of all, do you know the man with Coop?”

“Coop called him Will. He never mentioned a last name.”

“Have you ever seen him before today?”

She nodded. “He’s the one who ran into me in Pueblo.”

Jace gasped. “That’s right. He almost knocked Bobbie down. He
and Sonny almost got into a fight. Maybe that explains why they knocked Sonny out up in the mountains. A bit of revenge.”

Bobbie looked back at Morgan. “He also admitted he’s the one that attacked me the night I stood watch on the cattle drive.”

“Why are they after you, Bobbie? I don’t understand,” Morgan said.

Bobbie sighed. “They’re your bank robbers, Morgan.”

Silence filled the room. She could even hear the kitchen clock ticking. Jace collapsed onto the chair behind him and covered his face with his hands.

“How do you know that?” Morgan said. “Did they admit it to you?”

Bobbie nodded. “That and I saw them behind the bank the day I opened my account. That’s why they wanted to kill me. They thought of me as a witness.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that, Bobbie?” Morgan’s wiry brows pulled together. “Why didn’t you say something before now?”

She looked Morgan in the eyes. “Because it was only speculation on my part. I had no proof.” She fought to control her anger. “If I’d said something, I’d have been no better than the person who spread the rumors about me.”

Jace stood. “Excuse me.” He left the room.

Morgan watched him leave, then turned back to her and nodded. “I understand. Thank you, Bobbie. Ah, maybe we can talk more later about the details?”

“Sure,” she said, and Morgan moved to leave. “There’s one more bank robber out there, Morgan.”

He stopped and turned back, his eyebrows high on his forehead.

She held up three fingers. “I saw three men behind the bank that day.”

“Would you recognize the third man? Can you describe him?”

“I never saw him. Only the head of his horse. The bushes hid him.”

“All right. What about the color of his horse?”

“Dark. Because they were in the shadows, I couldn’t really tell.” Bobbie shrugged. “At a guess, dark chestnut or bay.”

“Thank you, Bobbie. If you remember anything else, will you let me know?”

“Yes,” she said and turned on her side.

“I’m finished here.” The doctor dug in his bag and pulled out a small packet of powder. “If you have trouble sleeping—”

She shook her head. “I don’t want it.”

The doctor looked up at Annie, and Bobbie followed his gaze. Annie lifted her hands helplessly.

Doc placed the packet on the table beside the bed. “Just in case you change your mind.” He stood and followed Morgan out the door.

Annie sat on the bed. “Are you all right?”

The question made tears sting Bobbie’s eyes. She nodded.

“You did great. I’m proud of you.”

She attempted a smile. “Go, Annie. Go be with your family.”

Annie leaned close. “You, Bobbie McIntyre, are a part of my family, and I intend to stay right here with you until you fall asleep.”

Her battle with her tears ended. They rolled down her temples into her hair. She sat up, and the two embraced. “Thank you, Annie.”

“You’re welcome. Now, lie back and get some sleep. You look exhausted.”

Annie pulled the chair Jace vacated next to the bed and sat on it with a look of determination. Bobbie reached for Annie’s hand and soon drifted off.

   TWENTY-ONE   

J
ace rose from the table when Morgan tapped him on the shoulder and motioned for him to follow. Morgan didn’t stop walking until he stood next to his horse.

“She said there’s one more man out there, Jace.”

“There’s three of them?”

Morgan nodded. “You might want to keep her close to the ranch, keep someone nearby. I know she won’t like that, but if Coop and his friend were after her, this man might be too.”

“Consider it done.”

“I’ll get Coop off by himself and let him know Bobbie talked. Maybe that’ll loosen his tongue.”

Jace shook the sheriff’s hand. “Thanks, Morgan. Let me know if I can do something.”

“Just take care of that little girl in there.”

Jace walked back to the house.
Little girl
. He may have thought as much the day she arrived, but he could think of her only as a woman now. His woman. He stopped at the thought, and then nodded. Yes, he wanted her all to himself. He wanted her heart as well as her help.

“Jace?”

Beans lumbered toward him, a large pot clutched in his hands.

“I figured Annie didn’t have no time to cook. Here’s some stew and biscuits. It ain’t no feast but at least it’ll fill your bellies.”

“Thanks, Beans. I appreciate that.” Jace climbed the porch steps and held the door open. Beans set the pot on the table and peeked toward Bobbie’s door. “She all right?”

“I think so. I’m waiting for Annie to let me know for sure.”

Beans nodded, clapped him on the shoulder, and slipped out the door.

Jace slumped down into the chair he’d vacated earlier. He propped his elbows on the table and cradled his head in his hands. What a mess he’d made with his mistakes.

Something bumped his arm. He opened his eyes and looked down. Sara had tucked her head between him and the table and peered up at him. Their eyes met, and she broke into a toothy smile. He scooped her into his lap, buried his face in her dark locks, and took a deep breath. She allowed the embrace for only a few moments before she squirmed, turned, and pointed to the pot on the table. He chuckled. This was something he could handle.

Sara clapped her hands when he placed a full bowl of stew in front of her. She took her first bite as Pete and Ben entered the kitchen.

Pete smiled. “I thought I smelled food.”

Jace dished up two more bowls for Pete and Ben.
What’s taking Annie so long? Is something wrong with Bobbie?

After they were done eating, Pete cleaned the kids’ hands and faces before chasing them through the house on their way to bed. Jace heard them laughing and squealing all the way up the stairs. He smiled. Dad used to do the same thing with him and Annie. Life was so easy as a child. Now, it wore him out.

Pete returned and sat across from him. They waited for Annie to appear, which she did a few minutes later.

“The kids have already been fed and are up in bed,” Pete said.

Annie sat in the chair closest to Jace, then reached to put her
hand on his arm. “Bobbie’s going to be okay. But it’ll take time for her to get over what happened.”

The three of them sat in silence for a while. He couldn’t take it any longer. He had to tell them what had happened.

“It’s my fault. She wouldn’t have been hurt if it weren’t for me.”

Pete and Annie stared at him.

“Why, Jace?” Annie said. “What makes you say that?”

He remained silent for a moment as he worked up the courage to say the words. “I was up on the butte with David, overlooking the area where Sonny and Bobbie were hunting. We saw Bobbie with the two men. David wanted to rush down right away to help her, but I wouldn’t let him.” He stopped and shook his head. “I saw Bobbie down there with them, and all I could think about was that letter to Morgan describing the woman and her two accomplices.” Tears welled in his eyes. “If I’d rushed down there right away like David wanted to, that man wouldn’t have had a chance to touch her.”

Annie reached over and squeezed his arm. Jace drew a deep breath. “How can I ever face her again? I doubted her innocence. My hesitation allowed them to hurt her.”

“You need to talk to her about it, Jace,” Pete said. “You won’t begin to feel better until you do. Until you confess it, it will nag at you until you’re miserable.”

Jace nodded and took a few deep breaths, trying to regain control of his emotions. “You’re right. But I’m going to wait until she recovers from this first.”

“Don’t wait too long, Jace.”

“I won’t.” He stood to leave, but then stopped. “Do you need me to stay and help tonight, Annie?”

“No. I’ll be fine. I want to stay with her in case she can’t sleep and needs to talk. Pete’s here if I need any help.”

Jace nodded, relieved he could delay facing Bobbie, ashamed he felt that way.