“Well, boys, tomorrow night we’ll be sleeping in some real beds,” Dan Cooper announced as he handed Slick the bottle of whiskey the men were sharing around the campfire.
“If Seth’s got everything set up right,” Slick Meade agreed, taking a deep drink. He hoped their friend had made comfortable arrangements for them.
“He will have. All he had to do was show up and get married. How hard was that to manage?” Ted Wilkins laughed.
“I wonder what his ‘little lady’ looks like? I ain’t never seen no mail-order bride,” John Harris said drunkenly. “Think he’ll be wanting to share her with us?” John was a fool when he was sober, and he only got more stupid when he was drunk.
Dan looked over at him in disgust. “Don’t even think about trying anything with Seth’s wife. We’ve got to keep things quiet around here. We don’t want anyone besides Seth to know where we are.”
“All right, all right,” John said, still having enough sense left to know he had to shut up whenever Dan talked to him that way.
Dan took the bottle back and enjoyed another deep drink. “Yeah, I think we’ll stay here for a week or two and just take it easy for a while.”
“Sounds good to me,” Slick agreed.
They continued to drink for a while longer, then Dan ordered, “John, you go keep watch tonight.”
“Why do I have to do it?” he whined. “There ain’t nobody going to bother us here. We’re safe.”
“You’re going to do it because I said so,” the outlaw leader answered, giving him a dirty look across the campfire.
John shut up. He staggered to his feet and grabbed up his rifle. He knew better than to argue with Dan, especially after they’d all been drinking. He moved unsteadily up the hillside. He picked a spot among the rocks where he could keep an eye on things but where he would be well enough hidden from view that he could also fall asleep for a while without Dan seeing him.
Dan, Ted and Slick shared a few more rounds from the bottle and then were more than ready to bed down around the campfire. They’d been riding hard these last days to put as many miles between them and the site of the stage robbery as they could. Now, safe on the Circle D, they were going to let their guard down and get some much-needed rest.
Under the cover of darkness, Lane and Grant rode across the long miles to the outlaws’ camp. They knew they had to be cautious. Cooper and his men hadn’t stayed alive this long by being careless.
“There—” Grant pointed out the faint glow of the outlaws’ campfire in the distance.
“We’d better leave the horses here and go the rest of the way on foot,” Lane said. “I’m sure he’s got a lookout posted somewhere who’s keeping an eye on things.”
The two Rangers reined in and left their horses behind, bringing their rifles and a rope with them. They’d already decided to try to take the outlaws that night. They would definitely have the advantage over them by attacking at night and catching the gang off guard.
Lane and Grant stayed together as they silently approached the canyon. When they’d moved in near enough that they could see the outlaws sleeping around the campfire, Lane also spotted the lone gunman positioned among the rocks on the hill just above the campsite. He pointed the man out to Grant, and they knew what they had to do. They had to take care of the lookout first. Positioned as he was, he would have clear shots at them if they tried to go into the camp.
John was disgusted and resentful as he struggled to stay awake. He knew there was no one around. Seth had taken care of everything. Being sent up there to keep watch was just a waste of time, so he put his rifle down and leaned back, trying to get comfortable against one of the big rocks. It wasn’t easy, but he managed to relax a little bit, and relaxing that little bit was all it took. Drunk as he was, John passed out.
Lane and Grant split up, each circling around to close in on the man keeping watch. They moved in silently and were glad to see that the outlaw appeared to be sound asleep. Grant was closer to the sleeping man, so Lane drew his gun and kept watch over the gang at the campsite, while Grant went to take care of the lookout. He moved in quickly and knocked the man unconscious before he even had a chance to stir. Grant disarmed him, gagged him, and bound his wrists and ankles with the length of rope he’d brought along.
That done, the two Rangers were ready to take on the real trouble—Dan Cooper and the rest of his killers. Cautiously, with their guns drawn, they made their way down to the campsite. They knew how cold-blooded Cooper was, and they couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. Lane and Grant moved apart and stayed back in the shadows of the night. They didn’t want to give any of the outlaws a clear shot if one of them did happen to wake up.
Dan stirred and opened his eyes to stare off into the darkness. He was feeling uneasy. He didn’t know why. He just sensed something was wrong, and he hadn’t managed to stay alive this long by not trusting his instincts. He rolled over and sat up, wanting to check on John and make sure he was awake and keeping watch.
“John!” he called up to the lookout.
John didn’t reply, but a voice did come to him out of the night.
“He won’t be answering you, Cooper. And don’t go trying anything. We’ve got you surrounded,” Lane said in a harsh voice.
“Ted—Slick—” Dan yelled.
The other two gunmen sat bolt upright at his shout. They drunkenly groped for their guns among their blankets, but they immediately went still when Grant ordered them to stop.
“One more move, and you’re all dead men—” Grant called out.
“What do you want?” Dan demanded, but he knew they were dead men, no matter what, and he wasn’t about to surrender to anyone. He didn’t know who’d tracked them down. It could be the law or bounty hunters, but either way, he was going to put up a fight. Dan still had one hand under his blanket, and he carefully slid his gun from its holster.
“We’re Texas Rangers, and we’re going to take you in,” Lane said slowly.
Dan jerked his gun free and fired in the direction of the voice as he scrambled to try to escape into the night. “Run, boys! We ain’t got no cover!”
Slick and Ted tried to get off some shots to cover their attempted escape, but the liquor had slowed their reaction time. Lane and Grant fired first. Their bullets found their marks, and the two men collapsed and lay still.
Dan was firing wildly as he tried to make it to the rocks to hide.
Lane aimed and fired a shot in his direction. Lane saw the outlaw leader fall, but then Cooper got back and kept going. Lane had always heard he was a hard man, and he knew he was facing a deadly enemy.
“You check them,” Lane told Grant. “I’m going after Cooper.”
Grant ran to Slick and Ted, and he was glad to find their shots had hit the mark. These two killers wouldn’t be hurting anyone ever again. Certain that they were dead, he followed after Lane to back him up. He was determined to help Lane find the cold-blooded murderer who ran the gang. The gunman was still out there somewhere, and he and Lane were not going to let him get away.
Lane stayed low as he moved through the darkness. The outlaw leader was wounded, for Lane could see the trail of his blood on the ground as the lowlife tried to crawl away among the rocks. Wounded or not, Dan Cooper was still a dangerous man, so Lane took no chances.
In all his life, Dan had never been this desperate before, and he cursed John under his breath as he sought some kind—any kind—of hiding place.
They had thought they were safe on the Circle D with Seth in charge.
They had thought Seth was going to take care of everything.
Dan had no doubt now that something must have happened to Seth.
The fact that the two men after him were Rangers convinced him of that and made him even more frantic. He knew if he wanted to stay alive, he had to move and move fast. Bleeding heavily as he was from his shoulder wound, it wasn’t easy, but he found the strength to keep going. He was just glad he could still handle his gun. He dragged himself onward, knowing the cover of night was his only protection right now—that and his revolver.
But Lane was too good at tracking. He was closing in on Dan, and when he caught sight of the man wiggling into a tight space between some rocks, he shouted out, “Give yourself up now, Cooper.”
“Never!” the outlaw screamed back, firing blindly in the direction of the Ranger’s voice.
Lane said no more. He climbed over several of the boulders and positioned himself to be ready and waiting when the outlaw came crawling out of the narrow space. Lane realized the gunman might decide to hide in there, but it didn’t matter.
Either way, he had the upper hand—Dan Cooper was trapped like the animal he was, and Lane was going to make sure the killer didn’t escape.
Dan huddled in the hiding space.
He wasn’t used to being afraid.
He was always the one in power.
He was always the one in control.
Anyone who defied him—died!
Rage burned within the outlaw. How had the Rangers found him? How had they known to come to the Circle D? He thought back to the night when he’d won the ranch in that card game and wondered who had told the law about his plan. He swore right then that if he lived through this night, he was going back to that saloon to find the ones responsible and make them pay.
The thought made the outlaw smile evilly, but first he had to survive this night. He leaned back against the boulder and drew a ragged breath. He knew he wasn’t safe there. He had to keep moving. Drawing on what little strength he had left, he started to crawl out the opening. He was going to try to make a run for it while it was still dark.
Dan had just crawled out when he felt the cold steel of the Ranger’s gun pressed against the back of his neck.
“Don’t make a move, Cooper.” Lane was glad his plan had worked. He had the outlaw right where he wanted him. He could see the gunman starting to shake in fear, and he smiled coldly to himself. If Dan Cooper was frightened now, he could just imagine how scared he was going to be when he saw the hangman’s noose after his trial. “Now drop your gun real easy like.”
Dan did as he was told, but even as scared as he was, he told himself he still had a chance to escape. The Ranger had been a fool not to shoot him right then and there. If he was that stupid, Dan was sure he could regain the upper hand. He still had the derringer he carried hidden on him all the time, and as soon as he got the opportunity, he was going to teach this fool a lesson. You didn’t mess with Dan Cooper.
“Now, get up, but don’t make any fast moves,” Lane ordered.
Dan slowly managed to get to his feet and turned to face the man who’d trapped him there. He stared up at the Ranger holding the gun on him and knew he faced a formidable opponent.
“Let’s get on back down to the campsite,” Lane directed, motioning for the outlaw to move ahead of him, back the way they’d come.
Dan knew the other Ranger was somewhere close by. He couldn’t afford to wait to try to escape. He had to do it right then, for he knew there was no way that he could get away from both of them.
Dan turned as if obeying the Ranger’s order, but at the same time, he acted like he was stumbling so he could grab the derringer hidden in his boot. He managed to get the gun and spun around to fire.
But Lane hadn’t relaxed his guard at all. He was expecting trouble from the outlaw and remained on guard. He saw the gun in the killer’s hand, and he fired.
Lane watched in disgust as the gunman collapsed.
“Grant!” he called out
“I’m right here!” Grant said, running up behind him. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.”
“You got Cooper?”
Lane nodded toward the dead outlaw. “He won’t be killing any more innocent people.”
Lane holstered his gun.
Their job was done.
Lane and Grant dragged Dan Cooper’s body back to the campsite and then brought John Harris down from where they’d left him tied up.
At first light, they were going to ride into town and turn John Harris and the other outlaws’ remains over to the law.
Destiny didn’t sleep well all night. She tossed and turned, consumed by her fear for Lane’s safety and by the turmoil deep within her over her hidden past. Her torment continued to deepen as she tried to figure out the right thing to do, and finally, with the dawn, she made her decision. She would tell Lane the truth about her past. He deserved no less from her. She couldn’t go on living a lie, loving him as she did.
Destiny stayed in bed until she heard Steve and Caroline up and about. She gave them their privacy, and when Steve left the house, she got dressed and went downstairs to see if there was anything she could do to help her friend.
“How are you this morning?” Caroline asked when Destiny appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Did you manage to get any sleep?”
“Not really,” she answered honestly. “I was too worried about Lane.”
“He’s a very special man. Steve and I were just talking about him. Now that we know the truth, we were wondering what’s going to happen to the Circle D.”
“You’re right…Who owns it now? The outlaw won it in a card game, but…” Destiny realized how complicated the situation really was.
“I know. It’s so confusing. And Lane is a Ranger—they’re always on the move, so he probably couldn’t take over even if he found a way to buy it on his own.”
“But he’s so good at ranching.”
“Yes, he is. Steve and the boys have really come to respect and admire him since they’ve been working for him. I just hope the ranch doesn’t end up getting auctioned off and being bought by some fool. We already had one fool for an owner with Chuck.”
“Is he the one who lost the Circle D in that card game to Dan Cooper?”
“Yes. He was no ranching man. He was downright stupid, and then to lose this beautiful place in a poker game…” Caroline paused to look out the window as the morning sun cast its glow upon the land. “Well, that just shows you what kind of man Chuck was—losing it to an outlaw like Dan Cooper.”
“We were both very blessed that Lane showed up when he did,” Destiny said. “Why, if the real Seth Rawlins had been here, who knows what would have happened to all of us when Dan Cooper showed up—”
“I know, and I keep thinking, too, of you ending up married to a vicious killer through no fault of your own.” Caroline turned back to look at her.
“Sometimes I think Lane is my guardian angel—It’s amazing how we ended up together, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. The way Steve and I met was far from being that romantic. We’ve known each other practically our whole lives.”
It had been so long since Destiny had had a close girlfriend, she was truly enjoying this time with Caroline. A part of her longed for Caroline’s womanly advice on what to do about her own secret, but she resisted the desire to tell her. She kept her true identity to herself. She would tell Lane when the time was finally right.
“And Caroline—” She decided to bring up another dilemma that was haunting her. “You know the reverend in town real well—What do you think he’s going to say about our wedding vows?”
Caroline could tell Rebecca was deeply troubled, and she hurried to reassure her. “I’m sure he’ll say you two are married, no matter what names you used.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes, but we can always talk to him as soon as Lane gets back just to make sure.”
Destiny nodded and looked up, her gaze meeting Caroline’s.
“When Lane gets back…” Destiny repeated, finding herself praying once again that he would be back—and soon.
To distract herself, she got busy helping Caroline, but even so, Lane never left her thoughts.
With each passing mile spent in the hot, filthy stagecoach, crowded against other passengers who were loud and obnoxious, Bryce’s disgust and fury with Destiny grew. She had rejected him in favor of marrying a complete stranger and coming to live in this godforsaken land. His outrage over her insult was intense, and his need for revenge burned inside him. He noticed Raymond watching his face, and he turned to glare at him.
“What are you looking at?” Bryce demanded in a snarl.
“Nothing,” Raymond said and hastily looked out the window of the stage. His days of traveling with Bryce had been awkward and strained, and as they drew ever closer to the moment when they would finally catch up with Destiny, he wondered what was going to happen. It was obvious Bryce wanted revenge, but Raymond wasn’t sure just what his ’revenge’ would prove to be, and he certainly couldn’t ask.
Bryce stared unseeingly at the elderly woman sitting across from him in the stagecoach. His thoughts were consumed by what he was going to do to Destiny when he found her. The trip had taken longer than he’d hoped, and there was a good chance she would already be married to the stranger. The thought that she’d given her virginity to someone else enraged him, but he told himself that ultimately, that didn’t matter. What mattered was revealing her disguise and getting her back to St. Louis with him. He would still marry her, and, once they were married, he was going to take great pleasure in forcing her to his will every day of their married life. She was going to learn just how dangerous it was to defy him. No one who did ever got away with it. His reputation as a vicious adversary was proof of that.
Bryce noticed that the old woman was watching him, giving him a slightly uneasy, tentative smile, and he actually allowed himself to smile back at her. It was his first smile in a long time, but he had reason to smile. He was soon going to get his revenge.
Raymond didn’t notice anyone else on the coach. He was caught up in worrying about what was to come. The stagecoach was getting close to Bluff Springs. It wouldn’t be long now before they would actually be coming face to face with Destiny. He tried to keep himself from trembling as he imagined what Bryce was going to do. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be pretty. Raymond didn’t really care what happened to Destiny. He just hoped he could get out of his debt to Bryce and go on with his life.
Marshall Westlake sat at his desk in his law office, staring at the other lawyer sitting before him. There was a determined look in his eyes as he waited for the man to answer. “Well?”
Stanley Atkins seemed decidedly uneasy. “Well…”
“I asked you a question, Atkins. Did you witness Mrs. Sterling’s signature on the new will?”
Stanley decided there was no point in stalling. Westlake had a reputation for getting to the truth, and there was no way for him to cover it up any longer. “No, I did not witness her signature on the will.”
“Then, would you agree with me in saying this document is a forgery and not the true will of the Sterling estate?”
“Yes.”
“Good. The Sterling estate belongs to Destiny Sterling. Isn’t that right? Raymond Howard has no control of the family’s fortune.”
“Yes.”
Marshall stood up and showed the man from his office. He wanted nothing more to do with him. Now he just had to find a way to locate the missing Sterling girl and set things straight.
It took Lane and Grant a while to reach town, but they arrived just as the businesses of Bluff Springs were opening their doors. They went straight to the sheriff’s office and turned John Harris and the other outlaws’ remains over to the lawman. They watched in satisfaction as the sheriff locked the lone surviving member of the gang in the jail cell. When that was done, the sheriff sent his deputy to get the undertaker.
“I can’t believe you did this, boys!” Sheriff Langston declared as they waited for the undertaker to show up. “When the word gets out that you’ve brought the Cooper Gang in, folks in these parts are going to celebrate! Why, did you hear about the stage robbery the gang just pulled off? They killed everybody on the stage and stole the payroll that was being transported.”
“We’ve got the payroll,” Lane informed him, throwing the outlaws’ saddlebags on his desk. Lane and Grant hadn’t known what the outlaws had robbed, but they’d known it had to have been a big job to get that much money. “You might want to have the banker lock those up for now.” He gestured to the cash-filled saddlebags.
The lawman looked at the two Rangers standing before him. “We’ll do just that as soon as the deputy gets back with the undertaker.”
A half an hour later, when the deputy had returned and the undertaker had taken the outlaws’ bodies away, the sheriff was ready to head to the bank with the Rangers.
“Come on.” He picked up the saddlebags. “Let’s go see the banker, and then we’ll stop by the saloon on the way back, and I’ll buy you a drink. This deserves some celebrating.”
Lane and Grant smiled. “That sounds like a fine plan.”
Sheriff Langston left his deputy in charge, and the three men went to secure the cash from the outlaws’ last robbery. After stopping at the bank and filling out the necessary paperwork, they headed for the saloon and went to stand at the bar.
The bartender was always the first to know the talk around town, and when he saw them come in, he yelled out to those already there drinking, “Hey, everybody! Here they are! These are the Rangers who brought in the Cooper Gang!”
Though it was still early in the day and the bar wasn’t crowded, the cheer that went up was a loud one.
“Your drinks are on me,” the bartender told Lane and Grant as he poured them each a healthy glass of whiskey. “And you, too, Sheriff.”
“Thanks,” Lane said as he picked up his glass.
“We appreciate it,” Grant agreed.
“No, thank
you,”
the bartender said, his tone growing serious. “Our lives will all be a lot safer now that those killers aren’t running free.”
Some of the other men in the saloon heard his remarks and called out their agreement with him.
The sheriff enjoyed one drink with the Rangers before leaving to return to work.
Lane and Grant took their glasses and went to relax for a few minutes at a quiet table.
“We need to send a telegram to the captain before we head back to the Circle D,” Lane remarked thoughtfully. His mood was growing troubled as he tried to sort out his future.
“What’s bothering you?” Grant asked. He knew his friend too well not to notice the change in him.
“Well,” Lane began, looking up at him, “I’ve got a lot to straighten out when I get home.”
Grant grinned. “Your little lady?”
He nodded in response.
“What are you thinking?”
“It may be time for me to quit being a Ranger. After these last weeks living on the Circle D, I’ve found that I miss ranching.”
“You don’t think that little gal of yours has anything to do with this, do you?” Grant asked, troubled that Lane would think about quitting. He was a good and honorable man, a fine Ranger.
“I know she does,” Lane admitted. “And there is one more stop I have to make besides the telegraph office—”
“Where is that?”
“I need to go by the church and speak to the reverend.”
Grant frowned. “Why?”
“I want to find out if our marriage is real. Since I was lying about my name, the ceremony may not be valid. I don’t want to make things any harder on Rebecca than they already are.”
“It’ll be interesting to see what he has to say. What are you going to do if he tells you you’re not really married to her?”
Lane’s expression was serious as he answered, “I’ll have to ask her to marry me all over again and get her back to the altar as fast as I can.”
“Good luck.”
Both men laughed.
“What about the ranch? What’s going to happen to the Circle D? Cooper won it—Seth was just acting the part of owner.”
“I know. I’ve never heard that Cooper had any relatives, so it’ll depend on what the sheriff wants to do. He’ll probably auction the place off.”
“Have you got enough money to buy it?”
“I’ve got some cash put away.”
“Then talk to the sheriff about it, and seriously think about buying the Circle D. I’ve heard the ranch hands talking about you. They respect you, and they liked how you were running things.”
“I think, first, I’d better talk to Rebecca.”
“You’re a wise man, Lane Madison.” Grant laughed.
“That’s why I’m going to stop by the church right after we send that telegram.”
“What are we waiting for?”
“Let’s get going.” Lane wanted to return to the ranch as quickly as possible. He knew Rebecca was worrying, waiting to hear what had happened, so the sooner they got back, the better.
They finished their drinks and headed out.
A short time later, Lane was at the church waiting to speak with the reverend. Grant had decided to wait outside so that Lane could speak privately with the minister.
“Good afternoon—Ranger Madison—” the reverend greeted him warmly. “What can I do for you today?”
“I see you’ve already heard about who I really am and why I was here—to catch the Cooper Gang?”
“Yes, word came to us right away. You did a very brave thing.”
Lane just nodded. “I have a serious question for you—”
“Yes?” He waited expectantly.
“It’s about Rebecca—and our marriage—”
“What about it?”
“Well, since I didn’t use my real name when we were married, is our marriage valid, or should we take our vows again?”
“I believe your marriage is a real one. You both stood before the Lord and took your vows. You are man and wife. But if you would like to take your vows again using your true name, I’d be more than happy to oblige, and I can issue a second marriage certificate with your real name on it. That would be best in the eyes of the law.”
“I thought so.”
Lane thanked him for his counsel and went out to join Grant.
“Let’s go home,” Lane said.
“What did the preacher say?” Grant asked.
“I’ve got a wife waiting for me,” Lane responded.
They were both smiling as they rode out of town.