As Lane and Grant approached the ranch house, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day.
“Have you made up your mind? What are you going to do?” Grant asked. Lane had been quiet for most of the ride to the Circle D, so Grant had known he was doing some serious thinking.
“I think I have,” Lane said as they reined in on top of a low rise near the house. He stared down at the scene below, and in his heart he knew this was where he wanted to be.
“So you’re going to get serious about ranching, are you?” Grant glanced over at him.
“First, Rebecca and I have to talk. I’m sure she’s going to have a few things to say about everything that’s just happened, but I want to make our marriage work, and I want to stay here. The Circle D is a good ranch, and the hands are hardworking. They love the place, too, and if I can keep things going, it’ll be good for all of us. What about you?” Lane knew he’d have to send another telegram to the captain once he and Rebecca had decided on their future.
“I’ll move into town later today to wait for my next assignment.”
“You’re welcome to stay here and work with me,” Lane offered, slanting him a sidelong grin.
“It’s good to know I’ve got a job waiting for me if I need another one.”
They started down toward the house.
“They’re back!”
Destiny was up at the main house when she heard the ranch hand’s call. She quit what she was doing and rushed outside to watch as Lane and Grant rode up. She didn’t hesitate, but ran straight to Lane.
Lane saw her coming, and he had to smile when he saw she was wearing her holster. He quickly dismounted. He wasted no time sweeping her up in his arms and holding her close.
“You’re here…” She sighed, looking up at him with tears in her eyes.
He didn’t speak. As he looked down at her innocent beauty, he was so overcome with emotion he was robbed of words. Instead, he just bent down to her and kissed her.
The ranch hands had started to gather round, and they were all laughing and carrying on about the boss kissing his woman right there in front of them.
Lane was laughing when he broke off the kiss.
“Did you get the gang?” Steve asked, joining the other men with Caroline by his side.
“We got them,” Lane answered, his tone turning serious. He didn’t go into detail about everything that had happened. He didn’t want to talk about it in front of the women. He and Grant would tell the men later how the shoot-out had gone down.
It was the good news everyone had been hoping to hear, and they all congratulated Lane and Grant. The hands knew the future of the Circle D was in doubt, but they were glad the Rangers were safe.
Steve looked at Lane as the commotion quieted down. He put into words what everyone was wondering. “So, what happens to the ranch now?”
“We’re not sure just yet. We’ve still got a few things we need to straighten out in town.” And Lane knew that wouldn’t happen until he’d had his chance to talk with Rebecca. “I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve got things figured out.”
“Well, boys, I guess we’d better get on back to work,” Steve directed.
The men moved off as the foreman had ordered.
Caroline took Rebecca aside to give her a quick hug.
“Everything turned out just fine,” Caroline said, her eyes twinkling with excitement for her friend.
“Thank God,” Destiny replied, her tone heartfelt as she returned Caroline’s hug.
“I’ll talk to you later,” Caroline told her, and she went on back to finish her own chores.
Destiny looked over at Lane, who was still deep in conversation with Grant. “I take it you two could use something to eat?”
“That sounds great,” both men answered.
They started up to the house.
Caroline paused on her way back to her own home to watch Rebecca and Lane together. She hoped with all her heart that they could find a way to remain on the Circle D.
As Destiny walked inside, she took off her holster and set it on the hall table. She smiled at Lane and Grant. “Now that you’re back, I don’t have to worry about wearing that all the time.”
“No, you just have to worry about feeding two hungry men,” Grant teased.
“How does breakfast sound?”
Lane knew how good she’d become at cooking breakfast, and even though it was early afternoon, he told her, “That sounds real good to me.”
“Me, too,” Grant added.
Destiny got right to work. She had learned during their time together how much Lane liked his fried eggs and bacon.
“I’ll have to send another wire when I get into town later this afternoon and find out where I’m headed next,” Grant told Lane as they finished the meal.
“Like I told you, you’re more than welcome to stay here,” Lane said.
“No, there’s always more work to do for the Rangers. Although I have to tell you, with a good cook like Rebecca around, I’m tempted to stick around.”
Lane walked Grant from the house as Destiny washed the dishes and tidied up the kitchen. He returned, more than ready to set things straight between them.
Destiny was relieved and happy that Lane had come back safely, but now she had to face what the future held for her. She had made her decision, and she knew she had to be honest with him. She had to tell him the truth about her past, and the sooner the better. As she waited for him to return, she felt increasingly nervous about what she had to say, so she kept busy, cleaning up the kitchen.
“Rebecca—”
She turned quickly to find him standing there in the kitchen doorway, watching her.
“Come here, woman.”
She didn’t hesitate. She went into his arms and kissed him, clinging to him tightly. “I’m so glad you’re back safe. I was so worried about you…”
“It’s over.”
“Good.”
He kissed her again, and then, wanting to let her know about his conversation with the reverend, he put her from him. It wasn’t easy, but they had to talk. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
“I know,” she said tentatively.
Lane heard the uncertainty in her voice and was sure it had to do with him. He figured she probably thought he was going to return to his old job as a Ranger, that he would just ride away and never look back. He wanted to put those fears to rest right away. Taking her by the hand, he went into the parlor and drew her down beside him on the sofa.
“When Grant and I were in town, I stopped at the church to talk to Reverend Moore—”
“Oh—” She swallowed nervously, unsure of what was coming next.
“I wanted to know whether our marriage was a real one or not, since I lied about my name when I took the vows.” He saw the pain in her eyes as she looked up at him, and he hurried to reassure her. “He said we were man and wife in the eyes of God, but it might be a good idea to take our vows over again so that there are no legal issues.”
He opened his arms to her, and she went into them, clinging to him for a long moment.
Destiny had always felt safe and protected in his embrace, but she knew this might be the last time he ever held her this way. Once he found out the truth, his feelings for her might change completely. She had to tell him about Bryce, and she had to tell him now—before he started believing they had a future together…
Since he was a Ranger, Destiny suddenly wondered what he would do when he learned she had attacked a man. Would he arrest her and try to take her back to St. Louis? The thought was terrifying, but she couldn’t go on lying to him any longer.
“Lane—” His name was choked from her.
He heard the distress in her voice and held her back away from him to look down at her. “What’s wrong, love? If you’re worried about what kind of life we’re going to have, I’ve already been giving it some thought, and I…”
“No—Wait—Listen—” Utterly miserable, she pulled herself free of his embrace and got up.
The look on her face seemed to be one of sheer desperation, and Lane had no idea what was wrong. “What is it? What happened while I was gone?”
Destiny fought for control over her chaotic emotions. “What happened is that I realized I can’t go on living a lie with you.”
“Oh.” Lane immediately thought she was furious with him because he’d lied to her. “Rebecca, I’m sorry I had to lie, but it was the only way I could do my job. I had to—”
“That’s what I mean!” The words rushed from her. “You’re a lawman!”
Now, Lane was really confused.
She went on, not waiting for any response from him. “You’re a Texas Ranger—and I…I’m on the run!”
“Rebecca—” He was completely bewildered by her confession. He got up to go to her.
But Destiny put up her hand, and she backed away from him.
“No—Stop, Lane—I have to tell you this. I can’t lie to you anymore.”
“Lie to me anymore? You’ve been lying to me? What are you talking about?”
She looked him straight in the eye as she confessed, “My name isn’t Rebecca Lawrence!”
“I don’t understand—”
“My name is Destiny Sterling, and the law back in St. Louis is after me…for murder…”
Lane went still as he tried to come to grips with her revelation. He’d been caught off guard a number of times in his life, but this was a complete shock to him. He was quiet for a minute, watching her, trying to assimilate what she had told him.
“Tell me what happened,” he said quietly, sitting back down on the sofa to listen to her story.
Destiny was trembling as she began to tell him everything. “After my mother died, my stepfather had control of my family’s money, and he gambled a lot…He must have gambled it all away. He owed another businessman a lot of money from gambling, and this fellow agreed to cancel his debt if I married him. I barely knew him, and I didn’t really like him. He was rich, but…” She looked up at Lane, her torment evident in her expression and the desperate look in her eyes. “I tried to tell my stepfather ‘no,’ but he said I had to either marry Bryce or marry
him
!”
At that memory, she began to cry.
Lane couldn’t stop himself. He went to her and took her in his arms, drawing her back to sit with him again. He could feel her shaking as he held her by his side. “Go on.”
“I told him I’d go see Bryce, so he took me to his house and then left me there!” The memories came flooding back. “Bryce pushed me down on the sofa and tried to rape me—I told him to stop! I begged him to stop! But he wouldn’t. I was so scared I grabbed a vase that was on the table nearby, and I hit him on the head with it…”
She began to sob as she revealed the terrible secret she’d kept hidden all this time.
“What happened next?” Lane knew reliving the ordeal was hard for her, but he urged her to go on.
“He was bleeding, and I pushed him off of me…He just lay there on the floor! There was blood everywhere…I ran away. There was nothing else I could do…There was no one I could go to—I had to get away! He was dead. I killed him.” She collapsed against Lane as she finally gave vent to her horror at what had happened that night.
“Are you sure he was dead?” Lane asked quietly.
“He wasn’t moving—I hit him so hard the vase shattered—”
Lane said nothing for a moment. He held her in his arms, cradling her against him as she surrendered to the painful memories of her past.
Lane realized how terrible that night had been for her, but he also knew that what had happened to her was not her fault. She had acted in self-defense when she’d hit the man who was trying to rape her. And Lane wasn’t quite sure he believed this Bryce was really dead.
“We’ll take care of this,” he said in a quiet voice, wanting to reassure her.
“But how?” she asked, looking up at him in confusion.
She could think of no way to solve her problem. After all, Bryce was dead.
“We’ll go back to St. Louis, and we’ll find out what really happened and clear this all up.”
“But I killed him…”
“No. You acted in self-defense.”
“Don’t you have to arrest me?”
He looked her straight in the eye as he told her, “You don’t know for sure that this Bryce is dead. You might have just knocked him unconscious when you hit him. We need to go back and learn the truth.”
“But you don’t know how evil my stepfather is, and if Bryce is still alive…”
“I’m a Texas Ranger, Destiny,” he said, speaking her real name for the first time. “It’s going to be all right.”
“Oh, Lane…” She collapsed against him and wept, safe in the haven of his arms. It had never occurred to her that Bryce might have been just knocked unconscious that night.
“Easy, love. I’m here. No one will ever hurt you again,” he vowed to her.
Anger filled him as he thought about her stepfather and what he’d tried to force her to do. Yes, they were going back to St. Louis, and he was going to set things straight for her.
No one was ever going to take advantage of her again.
He was going to see to it.
It was late that afternoon when Lane and Grant walked out of the stage office.
“So, do you think you can be ready to leave for St. Louis that soon?” Grant asked. He’d been surprised when Lane had decided to ride back into Bluff Springs with him, but during the trip to town, his friend had confided in him about Destiny’s past, and then he’d understood.
“I should be able to get everything ready in two days. The most important thing I have to do now is to find out from Sheriff Langston what he plans to do about the Circle D. Steve and the boys are worried about their future on the ranch, and I want to set their minds at rest.”
“So you have made your decision?” Grant glanced at his friend.
“Yes. As soon as I get back from St. Louis and everything is straightened out, I’ll be taking up ranching full time.”
“When are you going to tell the captain?”
“I’ll have to send him a wire and let him know I’m going to St. Louis, but I won’t tell him the rest until I’ve gotten everything worked out.”
“I’ll miss working with you,” Grant said.
Lane smiled at him. “I already told you, you can stay on at the Circle D.”
They both laughed.
“I don’t think I’m ready to settle down.”
For a moment, Grant wondered if the day would ever come when he would think about having a wife and family, but as quickly as the thought came, he pushed it away. Being a Ranger was his life. There was nothing else he wanted to do.
They started over to the sheriff’s office.
“Afternoon, Lane—Grant—” the lawman greeted them, a little surprised to find the two men back in town so soon.
“How’s Harris doing?” Lane asked.
“The doc came over and patched him up. He’s resting real quiet back there. He ain’t been giving me any trouble.”
“Good,” Grant said.
“I have something for you,” Lane began, and he took a large amount of cash out of his pocket and handed it over to the sheriff. “This is most of the cash I found on Seth Rawlins after our shoot-out. I’m not sure if it’s gambling money or part of some cash from a robbery, but I wanted to turn it in.”
“You said ’most’ of the cash?”
“Yes. I took out enough to give the ranch hands their back pay when I first got here, but the rest of the money is all there.”
“I appreciate your honesty,” Sheriff Langston said. “I’ll make sure it’s taken care of.”
“Thanks, and I have one other thing I need to talk to you about.”
“What is it?”
“What’s going to happen to the Circle D now? I know Dan Cooper won the ranch in a card game from the previous owner. Seth Rawlins was just acting the part of the owner. It was Cooper’s, and as far as anyone knows, he has no family.”
“I see—” The sheriff was thoughtful. “You know anybody who’d be interested in buying it?”
“I would,” Lane declared.
“I can see about auctioning it off. Let me talk to the judge and find out what I can arrange.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“So you’re planning to stay on here in Bluff Springs?”
“Yes. I’d like to make this my home.”
“Good. We need upstanding folks like you in these parts. I’ll let you know what the judge has to say about the ranch.”
“Thanks.”
Lane and Grant stopped outside to say their goodbyes, and then Lane rode for home.
Lane was anxious to get back, knowing how upset Destiny had been when he’d left her. He hoped the time she’d had alone had given her the peace she needed to be ready to face what was to come. Their trip back East to find out the truth about her past wasn’t going to be easy for her, but together they would do it.
After Lane had left to go into town with Grant, Destiny had stayed up at the house, needing some time alone to think things through. She had never dreamed she would tell anyone about her past. She’d believed she was going to have to keep the horror of it locked deep within her forever, but now Lane knew everything.
Destiny stared sightlessly out the bedroom window. She wasn’t sure quite how she was supposed to be feeling at this moment. Her emotions were torn, and her thoughts were in turmoil. A part of her was flooded with relief—the relief that she had been honest with Lane and he’d been so supportive of her.
Once she’d learned he was a lawman, she’d feared he would condemn her and possibly even want to arrest her and take her in, but instead, he’d immediately defended her, wanting to find out the truth of what had happened that night in St. Louis. Until that moment, she’d never considered that Bryce might have survived—that he could still be alive—and she’d never thought of her action as self-defense. She’d only known that she had been alone in the world and had done what she’d had to do to survive.
Destiny went to sit on the edge of the bed, wondering what was going to happen when they returned to St. Louis. Her feelings of guilt over what she’d thought she had done to Bryce were still with her, but if they discovered he was alive, and she had only knocked him unconscious—that would change everything.
She thought, too, about seeing Raymond again, and just the thought of being near him sickened her. Compared to a true man like Lane, Raymond was nothing more than a weasel—a disgusting excuse for a man who had only used her mother, marrying her for her money.
Destiny didn’t know how she’d been so blessed to end up married to such a wonderful man, but she offered up her thanks that Lane had come into her life, and she prayed that they would be able to work everything out once they returned to St. Louis.
It was almost sundown when Lane rode in. He told himself he was home, and it felt good. He took care of his horse down at the stable and went straight on up to the house.
Destiny had been busy cooking their dinner and hadn’t heard Lane ride in. She did, however, hear him come through the front door, and she stopped what she was doing to hurry to meet him. Without a word, she went into his arms and drew his head down for a kiss.
“That sure was a nice welcome home,” he told her with a grin when they finally moved apart.
“I’ve been waiting for you, and your dinner is almost ready.” She took him by the hand and drew him into the kitchen. “Go wash up, and it’ll be time to eat.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he teased as he went into the washroom.
As they ate their dinner together, he told her what he’d learned in town.
“I checked at the stage office, and we can plan on leaving for St. Louis two days from now.”
“So soon…” The news was unsettling.
Lane’s gaze met hers gravely as he told her, “The sooner the better. We need to find out what really happened that night.”
“I know…” She gave him a tenuous smile.
“I also spoke with the sheriff about the ranch.”
“Did he have any idea what’s going to happen to it?”
“Sometimes, when there are no heirs to a piece of property, the land is auctioned off. Sheriff Langston said he thought that would probably be the case with the Circle D.”
“But who’s going to buy it?”
Lane met her questioning gaze. “We are.”
“We are?” Hope blossomed within her.
“I have some money put away, and I’m hoping I can get a loan from the bank.”
“So we’re going to stay here?” Her heart lightened at the news.
“Yes.”
“What about the Rangers?”
“After we get back from St. Louis, I’ve decided to quit. I’ve got a wife now. It’s time for me to settle down, don’t you think?” he asked her.
“Oh, Lane—”
Destiny got up from where she was sitting and went to him. Lane drew her down on his lap and kissed her deeply.
“I made you a peach cobbler for dessert,” she said when they ended the kiss.
“I can think of something a whole lot sweeter that I’d like to have right now…”
She said no more but gave him a sensuous smile and kissed him again. They made their way quickly upstairs to the bedroom and wasted no time enjoying their dessert.
Bryce and Raymond climbed down from the stagecoach at the way station where they were going to spend yet another night.
“How much farther is it to Bluff Springs?” Bryce demanded of the stage driver.
“We should be there some time tomorrow,” the driver answered.
At the news, Bryce turned and walked away. He could smell the food that was being cooked for their dinner that night, and the odor disgusted him. He was certain the beds were probably lice-infested, too. The thought of spending another night sharing a crowded room with the other men who were traveling in the coach angered him even more. The only positive thought he had was that this was their last night on the road.
Destiny slipped back into his thoughts then. Tomorrow, they would find her. Tomorrow, she would be his. He was looking forward to seeing the look on her face when she spotted him for the first time. He couldn’t wait. She was going to learn what happened to anyone who dared to defy him.
That thought alone brought him some satisfaction. He stayed outside as long as he could, not wanting to be in the same room with the other men if he could avoid it. When he finally bedded down in the crowded room, he told himself it wouldn’t be for much longer.
Raymond had stayed away from Bryce ever since the stagecoach had stopped for the night. He had sensed the other man’s surly mood, and he didn’t want to risk a confrontation with him. He’d heard the answer the driver had given Bryce about how much longer it would be until they reached Bluff Springs, and he was thrilled that this horrible trek would soon be over. Of course, they would have to travel back to St. Louis, but at least on the return trip, Bryce would be in a much better mood, for he would have Destiny with him.
Raymond lay awake most of the night in the hot, smelly bedroom, listening to the other men snoring as he tried to imagine what was going to happen when the stagecoach finally reached Bluff Springs. He wondered what kind of reaction they would get when they started asking around about Destiny and the man who’d sent for her. He knew the man’s name was Seth Rawlins, so he hoped they wouldn’t have too much trouble locating him. Getting Destiny away from Rawlins might prove to be difficult, but he figured Bryce would find a way to make it happen. He always got what he wanted, and Destiny would be no different.
Marshall Westlake finally managed to find the small shanty of a home where Sylvia, the Sterlings’ former maid, was living with her daughter. When he’d stopped by the Sterling house to speak with the servants, trying to get more information on Destiny, the maid who was working there now told him how the other woman had quit after her run-in with Raymond.
It was late as he knocked on the door, but Marshall knew this conversation was too important to put off another day.
“Who is it?” a feminine voice called out to him from inside.
“I’m Marshall Westlake. I’m the deceased Mrs. Howard’s attorney,” he announced.
Sylvia had no idea why the lawyer was at her home, but she knew he was an honorable man from all that Miss Annabelle had told her over the years. “Mr. Westlake—please come in…” She quickly opened the door for him.
“Thank you.” He stepped inside.
“What is it? What can I help you with?”
“It’s about Destiny Sterling and her mother’s will,” he began. “I need to find out where Miss Sterling has gone.”
“Please, have a seat. I’ll tell you everything I know—”
Marshall sat down on the worn sofa to listen to her story. It was much later that night when he got ready to leave Sylvia. She had told him all that had happened, how her employer had attacked her and threatened her and her young daughter.
“I appreciate your confiding in me,” Marshall told her, knowing how dreadful the situation must have been for her.
“Can you find a way to help Destiny? Can you keep her safe from those terrible men?”
The lawyer looked down at her, his mood serious as he contemplated how to handle the information she’d just given him. “I’ll do everything I can. I promise.”