Abby was awake when Jonah left in the earlymorning hours. She heard him moving about in his
room, and she recognized his bootfall as he moved
down the hallway. She heard him open the screen
door and let himself out and then close it softly
behind him.
Every nerve in her body screamed for her to run
to him so she could feel his arms around her just
one last time. But she lay stiffly against her pillow,
willing herself not to move.
She heard Patricia's soft voice and the mumble of
Jonah's deeper tones; she didn't want to hear any
endearments they might exchange, so she clamped
her hands over her ears.
There was no one she could go to for advice. If
Iona were alive, she would empty her heart to her. There were Glory and Crystal, but if she confided in
either of them, they might urge her to talk to her
brothers, and she would never do that.
She dressed and left the house, the gray, windy
day doing nothing to lift her spirits. The first drops
of rain fell just before she entered the barn. She
stopped short when she saw her father saddling his
horse, with his dog, Catfish, jumping about his feet.
"I expected you up earlier," Jack said as he took
her saddle from her and placed it on her pinto. "I
didn't think you would let the major leave without
saying good-bye."
"I didn't want to see him."
Her father slipped the bit between her pinto's
teeth and handed her the reins. "Didn't you?"
She looked up into his face. "I don't know what
you mean."
"This is the first time I've ever known you to be
untruthful."
"In what way?"
"Abby, Abby it's at times like this that I wish
your mother were here."
She gave him a shake of her head. She didn't
want to talk about her mother with him. Their
attention was drawn to the dog, who was chasing
one of the barn cats. When he cornered it, he
wagged his tail and bounced around as if he wanted
to play. The cat would have none of it and skittered
up the ladder to the hayloft.
"Don't you think I've noticed the looks that pass
between you and Jonah?" her father asked. "Hell, I'd
have to be blind not to see the tension between the two of you." He gripped her shoulders. "I've never
seen a man look at a woman the way he looks at
you."
She felt a deep and sudden concern. "Did anyone
else notice? I mean, Patricia or Jonah's father?"
"They may have missed it. They don't know you
as well as I do, and as a father I may have been
watching closer than anyone else."
"I would never want to hurt Patricia."
He leaned against the stall and looked at her. "If
she loves Jonah, she's going to be hurt plenty. I saw
the stiff way he said good-bye to her this morning,
and I also noticed that she was crying when she
went into the house."
Abby put her hand over her mouth, and her father
folded her into his arms. "I don't know what to tell
you, Abby. But I'd warn you to be careful where
the major is concerned. He's not like you and me."
She heard the patter of rain on the roof, and she
felt the comfort of her father's arms around her. "I
know, Papa; he once told me that very thing."
"Then you should believe him."
"I'll never see him again. I can't."
He planted a kiss on her brow. "If only it were
that easy. But you can't walk away from your
feelings, Abby. You have to face them. I had plenty
of time to face mine in prison."
"How did you deal with what you... with what
you did to... with Mama's death?"
He breathed deeply and let it out slowly. "All I can
tell you is that I miss her when I get up every morning,
and when I go to bed every night. I will miss your mama until the day I draw my last breath on
this earth."
"How do I face this, Papa?"
"You're a Hunter-you'll face it head-on, and not
huddled in your bedroom trying to avoid the truth."
He let his arm drop. "I have a meeting with Edmund
at the bank. Then I'll be gone fora few days."
She was on the verge of telling him about the
threats Edmund had made to her, but the banker was
capable of hurting her father just as he might hurt her
brothers. "Why do you like Mr. Montgomery?"
Her father drew on his rain poncho and studied
her for a moment. If he thought her question odd, he
didn't say so. "I don't know for sure. Maybe it's
because he reminds me of a time gone by-a time
that can never be again. You may not know this, but
he loved your mama, too. He thought she would
marry him, but she loved me-you might say I took
her away from him. Anyway, I'm grateful to him
because he was the only person in all of Diablo who
welcomed me home when I returned."
No-she could not tell her father about the indecent
things Edmund Montgomery had said to her.
"You aren't going to borrow money from him
again, are you?"
"That's nothing for you to be concerned about,
Abby. Look after that mangy dog while I'm away."
She nodded as he swung into the saddle and rode
out of the barn.
Later Abby rode out herself, the rain mingling
with her tears.
Abby sat on the porch step talking to Patricia and
General Tremain. She noticed that every gesture
Patricia made was feminine. She walked like a lady;
she spoke like a lady. No wonder Jonah had chosen
her to be his wife.
Abby suddenly had the urge get rid of all her
trousers. She wanted to be poised; she wanted to be
ladylike-she wanted to be more like Patricia.
Abby was deep in thought, and it took her a
moment to realize General Tremain had been
speaking to her.
"Since your father said he'd be away for a long
stretch, I wonder if you would consider taking us to
the ranch."
She blinked in confusion. "What ranch would
that be?"
"Why, my son's ranch-surely you know about it.
I don't know what he was thinking when he bought
land here in Texas. I always supposed he would return
home when he retired. If you ask me, I believe
someone took advantage of him and sold him a parcel
of worthless land. I want to find out for myself"
"I don't know what you are referring to."
He sat down on the steps beside Abby and
unfolded a piece of paper on his lap. "This is a map
Jack drew up for me." He stabbed his finger against
the markings. "And this would be the land my son
bought. Have you any notion where it is?"
She frowned and took the paper, identifying the
location by tracing creeks and rivers. "If I am not
mistaken, this is the Taylor ranch." She looked up at
him. "But why would Mr. Taylor sell his ranch?"
"Because he found someone with money who was
unsuspecting enough to buy his worthless property."
"Your son is not a person anyone could take
advantage of, General."
"I'll decide that for myself when I see the land."
Abby remembered Jonah telling her he would
like to try ranching; she hadn't taken him seriously
at the time. "General Tremain, this property isn't
worthless. After the Half-Moon Ranch, the Taylor
ranch is one of the most prized properties in this
part of Texas."
He looked doubtful. "Will you take me there?"
"Yes, of course. I'll have Christmas hook up the
buckboard." She looked at Patricia. "You might
want to change into something more practical. It's a
dusty ride."
"I wasn't thinking of going. I'd rather Jonah be the
one who showed it to me." Patricia backed toward
the door with something like terror in her eyes. "I
didn't know he would want to settle here in Texas."
"I think it might be best if you wait," the general
stated. "My son probably bought it for you as a
wedding present."
Abby nodded in agreement. "If Patricia isn't
going, perhaps you would prefer to ride horseback."
"Pd relish a good ride in open country, Miss
Hunter."
"Then we'll start first thing in the morning."
It promised to be a beautiful day. The bloodred sun
touched the eastern sky, dappling the land with an
ethereal beauty.
Abby rode up to the house on her pinto, leading a
sorrel for the general. He had just come out on the
porch while she was checking her rifle to make sure
it was loaded. After she was satisfied it was, she
shoved it into her saddle holster.
He lifted an eyebrow at her after he was
mounted. "Are you a good shot, Miss Hunter?"
She smiled. "Good enough."
He laughed, looking forward to the day ahead. "I
just bet you are."
The ride was uneventful and they traveled in
companionable ease. Abby found Jonah's father
inquisitive and intelligent, and to her surprise she
was actually enjoying herself.
"Tell me what you know about this ranch."
"I've never actually been to the ranch house, but
I've heard it is very grand. At one time Mr. Taylor
was a wealthy man."
They forded several creeks, and at last they came
to the Guadalupe. "This river actually runs through
the Taylor ranch, giving it a constant source of
water."
He nodded, glancing down at the clear water that
rushed by. "Is it ever dry?"
"It's low in years of drought, but to my
knowledge it's never been dry."
He took out the map and studied it intently. "I
think I can find the place from here. Let's see if I
can."
She watched him turn his mount and ride down
river rather than in the direction of the ranch house.
"We have to head west, General."
"Not according to this map." He reined in and
looked at the map again. "Look. Right here is the
house, and here's the river."
"Yes, but you just forded the river, and you are
holding the map upside down."
His brow furrowed in a frown. "You said you
hadn't been there, and yet you question my
judgment."
"It isn't your judgment I question, General, it's
your sense of direction. Out here distance is
deceptive because of the many hills and woods. It's
easy to become disoriented by the sheer size of the
wilderness."
She pointed to the west. "That is the direction of
the Taylor ranch."
"I don't agree."
"You will be lost if you go downstream."
He clamped his jaw. "I certainly know how to
read a map!" he said imperiously, reminding her of
his son.
"You can come with me, or you can go by
yourself-it's entirely up to you. But when you get
lost, don't blame me."
No one had ever spoken to him in that tone
before. He felt his anger flare, and then he
considered for a moment. "We'll try it your way,
but if you are wrong, I want an apology."
She smiled. "Agreed. And if I'm right, I'll never
speak of it to anyone."
Abigail Hunter was like no woman he'd ever
known. She was damned pretty, and she had a head
on her shoulders as well. She had spirit and spunk, and he liked the stubborn streak in her-it reminded
him of himself.
Why hadn't some man snapped her up and
married her?
Jonah walked into the trading post with Sergeant
MacDougall on one side of him and Grant on the
other side. He now had enough evidence to take the
Indian agent into custody.
The place was permeated with the smell of rotten
meat, and Jonah's boots crunched against the filthy
floor littered with broken glass. The shelves were
spilling over with salt pork and range beef, no doubt
meant for the Indians but denied them by
Williamson's unscrupulous greed.
Norman Williamson was standing behind a counter
of sorts; it was honed out of logs that still had the bark
on them. A pile of wolf pelts lay on top.
"To what do I owe this honor, Major?" he asked,
folding his arms over his chest and leaning against
the wall. "You don't often come down to my level,
so there must be a reason you're here now."
"I can't reach far enough down to touch your
level, Williamson."
The man's dull brown hair was worn long, and it
looked unkempt and unwashed. He wore a fringed
buckskin shirt and trousers and fringed boots laced
up to his knees. He was a large man and muscular,
with a wide chest.
"Don't go too far, Major. I've been tolerant of
you so far." His amber-colored eyes looked almost
wolfish. "But even I have my limits."
"You have already reached your limit. I'm here
to arrest you in the name of the government of the
United States of America. You will be transported
to Fort Worth, where you will be brought up on
charges of cheating the Indians and robbing army
payrolls."
-Norman Williamson's face whitened, and he
sank down onto a chair. "You can't do that you
don't have the authority to arrest me, and you don't
have anything to arrest me for."
"Ah, but I do. We have traced the stolen payrolls
to you and three other men. They were glad to tell
us all they knew and to return their portion of the
money." Jonah nodded at MacDougall. "I don't
think he is foolish enough to hide the money here,
but search anyway."
MacDougall saluted. "Yes, sir. With the greatest
of pleasure, sir."
Williamson looked at the ranger with uncertainty
and fear. "He can't do this, can he?"
"Yeah, he certainly can," Grant said. "You should
have looked ahead to this when you started working
outside the law and cheating the very people you
were hired to help. You got careless, Williamson;
you left too many trails that led back to you."
Jonah saw the fright in Williamson's eyes. "Put
the cuffs on him, Grant."
"Sure thing, Major. It's always a pleasure to do a
service for the United States government." He
grinned. "This is the part of my job I like best. Looks
like you aren't going to have to worry where your
next meal is coming from, Williamson. The govern ment, being kindly and all, will probably agree to
feed you for the rest of your natural life."
The man's face went even whiter as Grant
handcuffed him. The ranger was enjoying himself
too much.
"It might go easier for you," Jonah said, propping
his booted foot on a chair, "if you agreed to tell us
who your accomplices are."