“I would have done the same if I’d been alone. Don’t go burdening yourself with that. I’ve shot fancy with my six-shooters before, and I’ll do it again. Maybe next time, I won’t be so lucky. That’s up to God, I reckon. All I know is, I’ve never pulled the trigger unless the man at the other end of my Colt gave me no choice.”
She dipped her chin in a nod. “Thank you, David. You went out there, prepared to die, and you saved me and Daphne from untold suffering.” When she looked over at him, her eyes were so deep and beautifully green that he could have dived in headfirst. “I can’t express my gratitude with words.”
David thought a kiss might do it, but he figured now wasn’t the time to make that move, even though he allowed himself a long look at that sweet, tempting mouth. “Express your gratitude by answering my question. Clever evading, Shamrock, but I’m not dumb as a post. Who made you so wary of men?”
Her face drew taut. He saw her larynx bob. “It wasn’t only one man, David. It has been nearly
every
man. Except for an elderly fellow who helped me once, I’ve never met one yet who wouldn’t do me dirty if he got the chance.”
David studied her lovely features and searched the shadows in her eyes. He sensed that he’d taken her as far as she could go until she knew him better. “Oh, yes, you have, Shamrock. Yes, you have.”
She blinked and peered up at him. “I’m sorry? I’m not following.”
He dipped his head and pressed his lips to her forehead. “You
have
met a man who won’t do you dirty. You’ve met me.”
He decided to leave it there, let it simmer in her mind. He pushed to his feet and turned to extend a hand to her. “Up you come. It’s long past bedtime for both of us.”
He half expected her to struggle erect by herself, but instead a slight smile curved her mouth and she placed her hand in his. Maybe he was out of his mind, but for him, it was one of the sweetest gifts he’d ever received. Her trust. Even though he knew it came with limitations, it pleased him. He braced to lift her slight weight, held on until she caught her balance, and resisted the urge to kiss her forehead again even though what he really wanted was a long, deep drink from those soft, moist lips.
“Good night, Shamrock. Sleep easy. I’ve got a very lucky penny in my possession. I have it on good authority that it saved my ass tonight. I guess it can again.”
She glanced heavenward. “We should place all our hope in God, not objects.”
“I totally agree,” he told her, then patted his shirt pocket. “But it never hurts to have some reinforcement. I don’t think there’s any harm in having a little magic in our lives. A penny that means nothing can add some sparkle to this dreary old world.”
He started to turn away, but she reached out to grab his hand. David turned his palm to fold his fingers over hers. To him, the touch was electric. He couldn’t tell by her schooled expression how she felt, and he guessed she wanted it that way. She was clearly unsettled by the physical attraction building between them, and maybe she always would be.
“In your dreams, remember how grateful I am to you for protecting us tonight,” she whispered tremulously.
He gave in to his earlier urge and bent to press a quick
kiss to her lips. Honeyed sweetness came away on his mouth. “Shamrock, it was my honor. And if it comes down to it, I’ll do it again.”
As David watched her move away, he realized that he’d never given anyone a more heartfelt promise.
T
“Take off the coat and wear this today. It’s not much, but it’ll give you cover.”
“But then you’ll have nothing clean to wear.”
Dark blond hair lifting in the breeze, he shrugged off her protest. “I can get our clothing washed in town. Even if there’s no real laundry, there are usually a couple of women who make extra money doing people’s wash.”
Brianna sent him a wondering look. “Town?”
He patted one pocket of his duster. “A place near here called Clapboard Flats. I have some business with the marshal there.” His blue gaze held hers. “If I take you and Daphne along, can I trust you not to cause me trouble by demanding to see a judge or telling some stranger I kidnapped you?”
Only desperation had made her consider doing that. Now that she knew for certain he had no nefarious plans, the biggest problem she faced was his steadfast belief that he was Daphne’s sire. Until he came to accept the truth, he had the upper hand legally. The marriage document in his saddlebag gave him inalienable rights, not only as Daphne’s father, but also as Brianna’s husband, and her chances of prevailing against him in a custody battle were slim. She couldn’t provide
the little girl with a home, and she presently didn’t even have a job. Any judge would assess her situation and rule in David’s favor. Her smartest course of action was to accept the present circumstances and wait until David came to realize his mistake. Until then, she had nothing to gain by causing trouble and everything to lose, namely her daughter.
“You needn’t worry on either count, David. I give you my word.”
Brianna expected him to say her word wasn’t worth much, but instead he merely nodded. “Good. A real bed will be welcome, and the animals deserve a rest, too.”
Brianna glanced at the horses. “What will you do with the extra mounts?”
“If I can learn the identity of those men, I’ll try to sell them and split the proceeds between their families. If not, I’ll see if the livery stable will take them, I guess.”
“I found another one!” Daphne called.
Brianna turned to see her daughter emerge from a thicket holding a rock almost larger than she was. David loped over to relieve the child of the burden. “Sweetheart, don’t lift rocks this heavy. You’ll hurt yourself. Besides, we’ve found enough.”
Daphne scampered after him as he lugged the stone over to the copse. “But, Papa, it’s extra pretty with red in it! It’ll make our monuments more special.”
Brianna stripped off the coat and donned David’s shirt, which was red with a stand-up collar and white buttons down the front.
Monuments. What would that man dream up next?
Rather than upset Daphne with the truth—that he’d killed three men—he’d told the child that he wanted to build monuments to commemorate how lucky all of them had been last night. Now, according to David, whenever they passed this way, they’d remember how God had watched over them and kept them safe.
Brianna followed them into the small clearing. To her, the mounds of rock looked like graves, not monuments, but David had the child thoroughly convinced. In time, Daphne would think back and recognize it for the gargantuan lie that it actually was, but for now, David was protecting her from the harsh realities.
“Not
there
, Papa. Put it here.”
David narrowed an eye at the child. “It’s heavy, and I’m not moving it again.”
“I’m sure.” Daphne beamed a smile when the rock was situated to her liking. Then she stepped back to survey their handiwork. “That is
perfect
.” She turned a sparkling gaze on Brianna. “That one’s yours, Mama. After lengthy debate, we decided you should have the prettiest rocks because you’re the prettiest of us all.”
Brianna suppressed a shudder. “How thoughtful,” was all she could think to say.
A slight frown pleated the little girl’s brow. “Papa, why did we hide our beautiful monuments behind these bushes?”
Thrown by the question, David sent Brianna an imploring look. She came to his rescue with, “Because these monuments are our special secret. We don’t want just any old body to come along and see them.”
“Oh.” Daphne brightened again. “I like having a special secret!”
Minutes later, they had broken camp and mounted up. Daphne once again rode with David. Lucy and one of the extra horses were tethered to Blue’s saddle. Brianna brought up the rear on Acorn, with the other two surplus animals trailing behind him.
David cut across the stream. Brianna had no idea what direction they were going. Judging by the position of the sun, she guessed north. It didn’t really matter to her, though, not anymore. She would never be truly lost with David as a guide. He seemed to possess some unerring instinct to find his way that she sorely lacked.
When they came upon railroad tracks, they followed them. In what seemed like no time, they rode into Clapboard Flats. The community was larger than Glory Ridge, with two short business streets surrounded by houses on small plots of land. Clothing flapped on clotheslines. A black and white dog tore out from his yard to bark at them but kept a respectful distance from the horses. Shielding her eyes from the sun, Brianna saw two hotels, a restaurant, a bathhouse, and the usual stores. David drew their small
caravan to a stop in front of the marshal’s office. Leaving Daphne on Blue, he looped the reins over the hitching rail, employing a peculiar knot Brianna had never seen.
When she tried to duplicate it with Acorn’s leads, she ended up shrugging in defeat. David stepped over to do it for her. She tried to pay attention, but the breadth of his hands and the grace of his thick fingers distracted her. His wrists were nearly twice as wide as hers, dark brown from the sun and dusted with gold hair. Remembering the strength of his grip, she got a funny, fluttery feeling way low in her belly.
“You got it?” he asked.
What Brianna
got
was that she’d somehow waded into trouble up to her chin. She didn’t mind coming to admire and respect David Paxton, but these other feelings—silly, female feelings—were unwise. Eventually, he would want his freedom to resume that life he’d told her about last night. She had a very bad feeling that it included a woman. David was . . . well, extraordinarily handsome. It hit her every time she looked at him. She surely wasn’t the only female to have recognized it.
Oblivious of her mental turmoil, he said, “It’s a simple, quick breakaway tie. Pull on this, and you’re ready to go.” He demonstrated the technique, the reins fell away from the post, and then he redid the knot. “If the horse pulls back, it tightens.” He jerked on the leather, and sure enough, the reins cinched on the wood. “You’ll see men throw a double loop without tying any kind of knot to really secure the animal. I think that’s foolish and unsafe for the horse.” He fixed his gaze on her face. “You okay, Shamrock?”
Brianna couldn’t think how to respond. She was wishing she could perfect that knot to keep him tethered. They’d reached civilization now. Probably sooner than later, he’d investigate her story about Boston and learn that every word she’d spoken by the stream had been the absolute truth. The thought of watching David walk away, of never seeing him again, filled her with inexplicable sadness.
“I’m right as rain.” The moment she spoke, Brianna realized she was even starting to talk like him. “Just a bit tired, I suppose.”
He went to lift Daphne from the horse, swung her into Brianna’s waiting arms, and then led the way into the lawman’s office. The marshal, a young fellow with a shock of sandy hair, glanced up from his desk. Brianna barely glanced at him. Her gaze was glued to the Wanted posters affixed to the wall behind him. David, she realized, was looking at them, too, and the tick of his jaw muscle told her she’d guessed right. Three of the likenesses were of the men he’d killed last night. Each of them, wanted dead or alive, had a 250-dollar reward on his head.
“Well, well,” David said softly as he flipped back his duster to reveal his badge. “I’m Marshal David Paxton, out of No Name.” He reached across the desk to shake the other man’s hand. “I had a run-in last night with those three gents.”
The lawman turned to look. His expression went grim as he returned David’s regard. “You kill ’em?”
David glanced meaningfully at Daphne. “Let’s just say they realized the error of their ways and hightailed it to a better place.” He reached into the pocket of his duster and plopped a knotted blue handkerchief on the desk. “You got any idea how to get in touch with their next of kin?”
The other marshal nodded. “I know where they harkened from. It should be easy enough to locate family.”
“Good.” David patted the bundle. “Divide it three ways so their relatives can divvy up their shares.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ve got their mounts and gear outside. Nice animals. You know anybody in the market for good horses and tack?”
“I reckon I can find some interested parties.” The marshal of Clapboard Flats arched both eyebrows at David. “Normally, before I send a telegraph for reward money, I require—” He broke off and slanted a thoughtful look at Daphne, perched on Brianna’s hip. “Proof, I guess is the word, that they did indeed hightail it off to a better place.”
David leaned over the desk, grabbed a piece of paper and pencil, and jotted something down. “There’s the location if you’re bent on proof. You’ll find three beautiful monuments there.” Winking at Daphne, David added, “But keep it a secret. My little girl doesn’t want just any old body
to know where they are.” Hooking a thumb over his shoulder, David went on to say, “Personally, though, a man’s horse, saddle, and personal possessions are usually enough proof for me.”
“Point taken.”
David nodded. “I’ll trust you to handle everything. I’d like the reward money sent to their families as well. When the horses are sold, same goes.”
“You have my word. It’s a fine thing for you to do. Most folks would want the rewards for themselves.”
“I have no real need of it, and their families might.” David turned to take Daphne from Brianna’s arms. “We’ll head over to the livery. I’ll cover the costs for the extra three horses tonight, but you’ll need to make other arrangements with the owner until they’re sold. He can take the cost of boarding them out of the sale proceeds, I reckon.”
Brianna followed David from the dim office out into the bright morning. Birds sang sweetly from the eaves of the buildings. A light breeze carried the scents of grass and wildflowers. Her eyes burned with the sting of repressed tears. She wanted to grab David’s arm and apologize to him once again for the accusation she’d made last night. He was no thief. He’d kept nothing from those men for himself, and he’d even turned down the reward money, which, in her opinion, tallied up to a small fortune.