During their dinner stop, Brianna found that she was still wary of David, but not nearly so much as she had been. She gave up on building her own fire and instead helped cook over his. When their fingers accidentally touched, her heart did a funny little dance, and a tingling sensation shot up her arm. No man had ever elicited that reaction from her, and though she was at first puzzled by it, she soon came to accept that it was physical attraction. She’d heard women whisper and titter about how certain men made them feel, but for Brianna, it was a new experience.
Even so, her blood went cold when she caught David watching her with a gleam of interest in his eyes. During her short stint as a barmaid in Boston when Daphne was an infant, she’d learned firsthand how strong men were, and he was more muscular and solid than most. It made her intensely uneasy to think that he might go back on his word and decide to exercise his conjugal rights. She tried to stay close to Daphne during the rest break, convinced that only
a completely unconscionable person would force his attentions upon a woman in the presence of a child.
She no longer considered escape to be an option. The farther they rode, the more harshly it was driven home to her that she lacked the know-how to survive out there. She and Daphne would wander in circles until they starved to death. When she thought back to that first night when she had tried to hire a horse, she was almost glad her plan had been foiled. Never mind that David had the look of a scoundrel. Thus far he’d proved himself to be a good man, and he’d been kindness itself to Daphne. Unless he suddenly showed her a different side to his nature, she had to gamble that she and the child were better off in his company than they would be on their own.
Shortly after they’d enjoyed their midday meal and gotten back on the horses, Brianna saw three riders on the horizon ahead of them. Paxton held up a hand to signal her to stop. Then he dismounted and carried Daphne back to her.
“She can sit with you for a spell. I’m going to ride out to meet them alone.”
After settling Daphne on the bay in front of her, Brianna cupped a hand over her eyes and squinted into the distance. “Who are they, do you think?”
David ruffled Daphne’s hair. “I have no idea, but when I’m out like this, I prefer to introduce myself to strangers when my favorite ladies are a safe distance back.”
For an instant, Brianna recalled her fear that Paxton meant to meet his cohorts out here and hand Daphne over to them. Panic bubbled into her throat, but then she met his steady, deep blue gaze. He’d seemed so sincere last night and again by the fire this morning, projecting himself as a man who planned to deal fairly with her and wanted only to be a good father. She had been on an emotional seesaw since meeting him, thinking him to be a devil one moment, then questioning her own reasoning the next.
Calling upon her practical nature, which had always stood her in good stead, she elected to set her doubts aside. She had nothing to lose. If those men riding toward them were his partners, she and Daphne would be in
terrible trouble no matter what she did. She needed to keep a clear head and put her faith in David. If he meant to betray her, then he might at least suffer a twinge of guilt afterward for breaking her trust.
David checked his Colts to be sure they were loaded, and then he drew his Henry rifle from the boot to do the same. He could feel the tension that rolled off Brianna. Well, he didn’t want to alarm her, but better that than to get caught with his guard down.
He almost mounted back up, but something, a feeling deep in his guts that defied explanation, suddenly made him decide against it. Brianna would have a far better chance of getting away and finding a town if she was on trusty old Blue.
Retracing his steps to the bay, he said. “Brianna, I want you to switch horses.” He pointed to a nearby rock. “Use that as your mounting block. Put Daphne on his back first, then you get on behind her.”
“But
why
? Blue is your mount.”
Again, David felt reluctant to frighten her or the child, but she needed to do as he said. “You’ll be better off on him if we get separated. Lucy’s tethered to his saddle, so you’ll have all the supplies with you.” He glanced at Daphne. “It’s just a precaution in case those fellows get any shady notions into their heads. Most likely, they won’t.”
He handed Brianna the Henry. Her lips went as white as sun-bleached bed linen. “I haven’t a clue how to use this.”
“You’ll figure it out right quick.” He smiled for Daphne’s sake. The child’s eyes had gone round with alarm. “I’m going to mosey ahead on foot to meet them. Keep an eye out. They’re probably friendly fellows, but if not—” He broke off without finishing, but he saw in Brianna’s eyes that she understood. “No worries,” he added. “I’ll be right back. If something happens, go and just keep going. Leave the bay behind, and I’ll catch up with you. Okay?”
She nodded, her green eyes clinging to his. “All right.”
“Once you get well away, give Blue his head and tell him to take you home. He’ll make a beeline for No Name, but in the doing, he’ll come across railroad tracks. When he
does, follow them. They’ll lead you into a town.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the roan. “Our marriage document is in the saddlebag along with plenty of money. Book passage on the train to Denver. Make sure the animals are comfortable in a stock car. When you get there, you’ll find contact information and a telephone number for my brother Ace in the same bag. He’s a good man, and you can trust him. If you’ve never used a telephone, somebody in Denver will show you how. Tell Ace you’re my wife, and he’ll send a couple of railcars to pick up you and the animals.”
David yearned to tell her more—first and foremost that she’d need to ride for a goodly distance before she relaxed, and even then she’d need to keep looking over her shoulder, but he had to think of how his warnings might impact the child. He’d also run out of time. The men were closing in at a fairly quick pace.
As he turned to meet the oncoming riders, Brianna called out, “Be careful, David.”
He spun to walk backward a moment. “I’m always careful. Hurry up and switch horses, Shamrock. I want you ready, just in case.”
David’s guts squeezed when he’d walked far enough to get a good look at the men. He’d been right to be cautious. They were a rough-looking trio. He hoped Brianna was on Blue and prepared to bolt. This could get ugly. He felt sure he could take three fast guns, but he also knew more than one man had gone to meet his Maker thinking that.
The riders drew up twenty feet away, taking close measure of David as he stepped off another five feet to get within talking range. One was a huge man in bloodstained leathers that stank so badly David’s nostrils burned. The other two wore ordinary garb, equally filthy and streaked with crimson gone dark with time. Maybe they had skinned and gutted an animal, but David suspected their victim or victims had been the two-legged variety. They were bearded and yellow toothed, their eyes as hard and shiny as wet agates. Each was well armed, with rifles and side shooters. He knew their kind, ne’er-do-wells who’d sell their sisters for two bits and slit their mothers’ throats for a dollar.
“Howdy,” he said, trying to muster a friendly tone.
All three men looked behind him at the woman and little girl. The big lout in leather licked his lips. A tingle of warning shot up David’s spine. He weighed his chances and decided he’d dive and roll if this went south. His only hope was to become a moving target and count on his Colts to do the rest. Ace had made him practice with six-shooters for hours, and David knew he was accurate and lightning fast—no brag, just fact. They might take him, but at least two of them would go down in the attempt.
“I don’t want any trouble,” he said. “I’m just passing through with my family.” He flipped back the tails of his duster so they could see his badge and his guns. “Name’s David Paxton, marshal of No Name.”
He saw each man study his stance, and then they looked him dead in the eye. A man showed his colors when visual contact was made. If David blinked or acted nervous, they’d figure him to be an easy mark. With long practice, he had learned to keep his gaze steady and his body relaxed. A gunman with any sense realized then that he wouldn’t give up without a fight. Men like these, seasoned to violence though they were, usually had a yellow streak. If they decided he could take at least two of them out before he went down, they might ride on and toss the dice another day.
“We ain’t lookin’ for no trouble, neither,” the big guy said. He gave Brianna another long stare. “Mighty fine-lookin’ woman you got there. Mighty fine.”
David saw no point in denying the obvious. “Yep, and any man with a wife that fine doesn’t hesitate to put his life on the line to protect her.”
The hulky one, apparently the leader of the group, leaned sideways to spit in the dirt next to his sorrel’s front hooves. “No need for that. Like I said, we don’t want trouble.”
David turned as the men nudged their horses forward. “Cut my family a wide berth. I’ve got an itchy trigger finger.”
They nodded and crossed the narrow stream to ride in a broad circle to the south. David stared after them until they disappeared over the rise, which happened pretty fast.
Then he strode back to where Brianna waited with Daphne on Blue.
“Is all well?” she asked.
Concern filled David when he saw that she had tears in her eyes. As for her question, he couldn’t answer with any certainty. Those lowlife bastards had made his skin crawl. He also knew the prairie and had seen a whole herd of bison suddenly appear out of nowhere. Three men could just as easily remain hidden to stage an ambush. Brianna wasn’t an accomplished rider yet, but she’d managed to keep her seat for the last two days. He decided to let Daphne remain with her on Blue.
“You can put the rifle back in the boot for now. If you need it later, it’ll be handy there. I’ll take the lead and ride the bay.”
“You don’t want Blue back?”
David didn’t want Daphne to be in a dither all afternoon so he kept his response short. “What I said earlier still stands. I prefer that you stay on Blue.”
The remaining color in her face drained away. She studied the horizon. “Whatever you say. You’d be better with the rifle, though, in case it’s needed.”
David wanted to keep his hands free, and there was no boot on the bay’s saddle. Besides, if those no-accounts came back and she had to make a run for it, she’d require a weapon to protect herself and the child. “You keep it. I’ll have no way to carry it.”
David mounted the bay. He was concerned about letting Daphne ride double with someone as inexperienced as Brianna, but if those sourdoughs came barreling at them from out of nowhere, he’d be hard put to fight them off with a child in his arms. Not to mention that David had a bad feeling the polecats would be aiming for him, not the females. He didn’t want his daughter to be caught in the line of fire.
Brianna accepted his decision without protest, but David saw the doubtful look in her eyes. He had to leave her wondering. If he spelled out his concerns, Daphne would be frightened all afternoon. For a long moment, they just locked gazes, then David clicked his tongue to the bay, determined to cover as much ground as possible before the
light waned. He heard the clip of Blue’s hooves fall in behind him and bit back a grim smile. His Shamrock had the makings to be a fine life partner—as smart as a whip, with twice the bite if you crossed her. She’d be a good woman to have at his back once he taught her how to shoot that Henry and hit her target.
Brianna caught herself squeezing her arm too tightly around Daphne. David rode just ahead of her now, Lucy bringing up the rear. She was acutely conscious of the rifle in the boot just behind her right hip. She stared at David’s broad back. At this distance, even a novice with guns would be unlikely to miss such a large target. Surely he realized that, yet he’d insisted she keep the weapon.
If she lived to be ninety, she’d never forget that moment when he’d left her in charge of the horses, the mule, and all his possessions. He’d given her the opportunity to run. She could have left him afoot and unable to give chase. He wasn’t a stupid man. He must have considered that possibility. Yet he’d put his faith in her, not because she’d done a thing to deserve it, but because he’d been willing to die to keep her and Daphne safe. No woman with good sense could fail to be touched by that.
Brianna also felt deeply ashamed. She had been suspicious of this man at every turn, thinking the very worst of him. And all the while, he’d been a fine man with good intentions who simply had his facts all wrong. She wouldn’t be forgetting that anytime soon. Maybe she hadn’t earned his trust, but he’d definitely earned hers.
“Are those bad men going to come back and try to hurt us, Mama?”
Daphne’s voice was little more than a squeak, a telltale sign of how scared she was. Brianna gave her a quick hug. “You have nothing to worry about, little miss. Papa will keep us safe.” With a start, Brianna realized she’d just referred to David as the child’s father, something she’d tried to avoid doing the entire trip. For reasons beyond her, it felt right. “He’s a marshal. I think he’s fast with those guns and knows how to handle bad men. We both need to remember that and do exactly what he tells us if anything happens, all
right? No questions, no arguments. Will you promise to do that?”
“I promise,” Daphne replied, her voice a bit stronger. “But what about you, Mama? You haven’t minded him very good so far.”
“Don’t you worry about me. From now on, when he says jump, I’ll ask how high.”
Daphne giggled. “Papa will be very surprised!”
Keeping his eyes peeled, David settled back in the saddle, hoping against hope that they’d seen the last of those slime suckers. But a prickle at the back of his neck told him otherwise. He couldn’t explain it. It was just something he felt—as if the air around him was fraught with lightning that might strike at any moment. He scanned the horizon as he rode and kept a sharp watch on the bay’s ears. Horses had monocular vision—blind directly ahead but with a clear view off to the sides as far back as their rear haunches. If the gelding caught movement, he’d give a sign. David just hoped all that came near them were prairie creatures, not three ruffians in bloodstained clothing.