The Badger City Gang [Bride Train 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (18 page)

“No insult intended,” said Sin, looking down his nose, “but you look like a fresh-faced kid who can barely tell what end of a pistol to hold. Does Rusty look any meaner?”

“None taken,” replied Gideon. “Means I’ll look forty if I live to sixty. But Rusty’s another kettle of fish. How he looks depends on how he’s feeling. If he’s shining up to a lady he’s all smiles, smooth and cozy. But make him mad and he’s like to put a bullet through your hat without blinking.”

“A hat? That dinna do much damage,” sneered Gillis.

Gideon scratched the side of his jaw. “Well, that depends if the bullet goes through the brim, the band, or just sails right through the top. If Rusty doesn’t like you or your hat he’ll nail you through the band, right into your head. If he likes your hat and not you, he’ll flip it off your head with the first shot and nail you in the heart with the second.”

“How can we be sure Rivers will want you, lookin’ the way you do?” Ranger chewed on a match as he stared Gideon down.

Gideon thought fast. His heart thudded as if he was facing all of them in a quick draw. He had to tell them for this to work. Zach was going to be mighty angry when he found out, but Gideon didn’t know what else to do. He rolled out his shoulders and straightened up. Secrets always got out, even if the truth hurt like the dickens. Pa always said it was best to tell someone the bad news before they found out elsewhere. That way you could say what you wanted heard. It didn’t make it any easier to do, though. He hitched up his pants and cleared his throat.

“I’ll tell him Uncle Peyton and his Badger City Gang taught us everything they knew. That’d make him think we were against law and order.”

“Ha!” Ranger barked a laugh and slammed one fist into his other hand. He then held his palm out to Trace, who grunted in annoyance but dropped a silver dollar into it. “I knew Peyton McInnes had to be Zach’s uncle.” He dropped the dollar in his pocket with a look of great satisfaction, as if he didn’t get the drop on his big brother often enough.

“He could believe you, or he could shoot you on sight,” growled Trace. “He’d have no reason to keep you alive.”

Gideon swallowed hard. If Rivers was anything like Peyton, he wanted money. “If I have to, I’ll tell him Peyton hid some of the gold from his last robbery. He won’t kill me until I say where the stash is. Of course, it’s a lie,” he added.

“You sure about that, son?” asked Barstow.

“If my uncle had any gold left, he wouldn’t have run off to Texas and hid behind my father. He’d have taken the money and run off without a second thought.” Gideon shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “Rivers won’t know it’s a lie.”

The sheriff stuck a toothpick between his lips. He switched it around in his mouth while he stared at the floor. Everyone stayed quiet as he thought things out. Zach said the man was fairly new to town, but was well respected. Nothing Gideon saw changed that opinion.

“If you open your mouth about hidden gold, you’ll be buying a peck of trouble,” said Barstow finally. “Trouble that won’t stop until you stomp out every rumor. Be easier to keep a gambler from a saloon.”

“I won’t say anything unless I have to,” said Gideon.

He looked around the room. Narrowed, judging eyes stared back. These men were his neighbors. Walt said they were hard men, ones to ride the river with. This was his chance to prove the McInnes men belonged in Tanner’s Ford.

“You’re more your father’s son, than your uncle’s,” said Barstow after a moment.

“Rivers is a coward,” said Ross, accepting Gideon’s offer to help. “By the time you get to his yard he’ll have one man with a rifle high in the barn, another couple hidden nearby. If you can knock them down, you’ll be helping us before we get there. Luckily, he has something against dogs and won’t allow any on the place.”

“You’ll be facing ten to sixteen men,” said Ranger.

Gideon nodded. A big part of winning was the confidence that came from knowing you were one of the best. He and Rusty could take on a gang of sidewinders and come out on top. Either that, or they’d die. Not having dogs setting up a howl when the posse rode in would help.

“We need to nail Rivers soon, before he heads into the city,” continued Ranger. “When can you head out?”

“Where’s this ranch?” asked Gideon.

“Halfway to Road Agent Rock, on the Bannack City road,” replied Ben. He hunkered down and drew a quick map in the floor dust with his knife. Gideon committed it to memory, along with the comments about gulches and other cover that could be used, by both sides.

Sheriff Barstow settled his gun belt. He took the measure of the other men. “Gather what you need and meet me on the road to Bannack City tomorrow before dusk. We’ll come in from the west. They’ll be watching the house, not the setting sun.”

“We’ll get our wagonload of supplies home and talk with Zach tonight. We’ll head overland and get to Rivers’s cabin well before sunset tomorrow. That’ll give us just enough time to work things out before you arrive.”

“Oz has to be part of the posse,” said Ross. He turned to Gideon. “Sarah, the woman of the Circle C, was held with Molly. Not at the mayor’s place, but I expect he’s got something to do with what happened to both women. Oz is half blind in one eye so he couldn’t help rescue Sarah. It’s burned his ass ever since. He needs to do this.”

Barstow pointed to Ross. “You know the land and people better than me, so you head this up. I’ll go in with my badge once you’re ready and call Rivers out. With your men surrounding the place, and Rivers thinking Gideon and Rusty are behind him, we might have a chance of catching him.”

“I want him alive,” growled Ross. “He’ll die slow and painful.”

“I said, I’m coming, too.”

Kate pressed her lips together and stared at the three men. Though each was more than a foot taller than her, they sat on benches while she dished up breakfast. She was going to prove she could be just as much a mule as any of them. This was her chance to prove she was a strong woman who could be more than a cook, housekeeper, and bedmate. She was
not
going to be left behind while they had an adventure. Not when her being a small female was an advantage!

She’d listened, making breakfast like a good little wife while they sat at the table and made plans. They were going to ride up to the ex-mayor’s cabin and ask to be hired, as a way of distracting the bad men until the sheriff and his posse arrived.

She’d read enough adventure books to know the plan was flawed. Their arrival wasn’t a big enough distraction for men as horrid as they described. But, since there were so few women in these parts, seeing her ride up would be a major distraction, for the leader and his men.

“No, you’re staying put!” yelled Zach, again, as if an increase in volume would change her mind.

“That ranch is no place for a decent woman,” added Gideon quietly. She squirmed a bit, knowing he wanted to keep her safe, but that wasn’t good enough.

“You said the mayor kept a young girl for months and then hurt her.” Rusty nodded, eyeing her as if she was about to pull a trick on him. “If he thinks you’re bringing him another young woman, he won’t pay as much attention to you. Just seeing me will distract him, and his men, and then—”

“No, Kate,” said Rusty. “The man is not only a killer, he likes young girls, whether they want him or not. His men would be worse. I’ll not take a chance that you’ll be next.”

She slammed the pan of eggs on the table. They jumped.

“I am not going to sit here doing nothing when I can help! I can distract them, something none of you can do.” She stuck her fists on her hips and glared. “If you want me to be part of this ranch, then let me have an equal share of the action. Otherwise, I’m leaving!”

Zach shoved his bench back. Jaw clenched, he grabbed the pan of eggs and stomped around the table. He slid some on each plate. She got two, while the others got four each. He stomped back to the stove and slammed the pan down before returning to sit. He shoveled his food into his mouth while sending out silent waves of fury.

Obviously the arrogant man was so used to being in control that he couldn’t stand it when someone stood up to him. But this was too important to let his indignation stop her from helping. As a woman, she had to do everything she could to stop such a beast from preying on more girls. She was
not
going to back down, no matter how much Zach pouted!

“How could we explain why you were with us?” Rusty took a handful of warm biscuits and dropped them beside his eggs. He passed the basket to Gideon, who dumped the last three on his plate. Seeing the empty basket, Zach snatched one from his brother.

“Thank goodness at least one of you is ready to listen to me!” Kate ignored Zach’s muttered growl. “You could tell them the truth, only change it a bit.”

“Keep going,” said Rusty. He wiped up the last of his eggs with a biscuit.

“You kidnapped me from the Bride Train, but realized I was more trouble than I was worth. Before you touched me, you remembered hearing that Mr. Rivers paid gold for young, pure women.”

Zach was shaking his head before she finished talking. “It won’t work. And even if it did, we’d never put you in danger.”

“Rusty and Gideon would be there, and the sheriff and his posse will be right behind. They could sneak up better if all the men were looking at me.” She pressed her lips together, fighting to think of something more to add. “You could boast about my cooking. If he’s lived there for a while without a woman, he might want decent food.”

“Uh, Kate?” Gideon cleared his throat. “You’re a good cook. Great, even. But the mayor’s not gonna want you at the stove. He’ll want you in his bed, straight off.” He winced. The tips of his ears turned a few shades pinker. “Maybe he won’t even wait for a bed.”

“Yeah,” added Rusty with a sour expression. “He’d take you and use you, Kate. Only when he was finished would he make you cook.” His words were soft, but cold as he stared her down. “And then he might throw you to his men. A dozen or more of them. You think you could survive that?”

Kate’s heart pounded at his threat. She shivered and looked at the floor, thinking it over. She might get hurt, but the McInnes men and the posse would protect her as best they could. The other women the mayor had hurt had had no protection.

“That proves my point,” she whispered. “You said this was the only chance to catch him. Yes, I might get hurt, but it’s nothing compared to what that young girl, and who knows how many others, went through. How can I sit by and let him escape to hurt more young girls?”

“Dammit, Kate!” Zach jumped to his feet, his face a mask of fury. The bench crashed to the floor behind him. He grabbed the empty basket and threw it across the room. “I don’t want you going anywhere near that bastard! If you got hurt—”

“But I won’t!” She yelled back. She made sure she had his attention before continuing. “I won’t be alone,” she said quietly, holding her head high. She had to tilt her head back to look him in the eyes. “I’m a strong woman who can pretend to be what he wants.”

She clenched her fingers into fists to stop her body shaking in fear. No, not fear. Terror. It would be like facing down a pack of rabid wolves. But she had to do it.

“If Rivers and his men are eager to see and touch me, they’ll be distracted. That will let the posse get into place safely. All that matters is getting this monster caught before he hurts anyone else.”

“Even if you’re safe, Zach doesn’t want anyone else looking at you, Kate,” said Rusty. He frowned and sighed heavily. “Neither do Gideon and me.”

Kate looked from Zach, to Rusty, and then Gideon. Zach flinched and looked away. One corner of Rusty’s mouth came up in an exasperated half smile. Gideon sighed, barely shaking his head.

“I am willing to give up my modesty to stop this man.” She spoke quietly, with authority. “None of you are my father, husband, uncle, or brother. You have no right to tell me what I can, or cannot do.”

“But Kate—”

“I deserve respect,” she said, raising her voice, “and that means treating me as an equal partner. If I’m worth your respect, you will let me take my chances. If not, then you can take me into town and I’ll find somewhere else to live.”

“She’s right,” said a calm, deep voice into the silence.

Kate gasped and looked at the open door. The McInnes men jumped to their feet and pulled their guns. A very tall, very dark man leaned one shoulder against the frame of the open door. White teeth shone in a broad smile. He slowly held his hands out, fingers spread but relaxed. His skin, along with his hawk-beak nose and long, straight black hair, said he was an Indian. He seemed to take the measure of all three men, unworried he might be shot.

“You fool, you near got nailed,” groused Gideon before holstering his gun. “Back off, boys, this is one of those MacDougals I told you about. He was with the sheriff in town.”

“Good morning, ma’am.” The man politely touched a finger to his hat in greeting. “My name’s Ross MacDougal. I’m from the MD Connected, three ranches to the west, near the end of the valley.” He grinned even wider. “You’re going to fit in well with the women around here. They don’t let their men push them around, either.”

He had a slight accent, perhaps just a softening of vowels. He was a very attractive man, especially when he smiled. It changed his face from terrorizing to friendly. His easy manner and welcoming words made her quickly relax. After all, he was a neighbor and her first visitor other than Walt.

“Come in and share our meal,” she said. “These three have eaten all the biscuits, but I can make more if you’ll join us.”

“I’d never turn down the offer of a good meal,” he said. He waited for Zach’s nod of agreement before he entered the cabin. It seemed to immediately shrink.

Zach held out his hand. The two men grasped palms and stood, eye to eye, for a few moments. From the way the tendons stood out in their arms and necks, they were gauging each other’s strength. Ross nodded as if confirming something and released his grip.

“I’m Zach McInnes, and this is Miss Katherine Mason. You met Gideon. That’s our cousin, Rusty.”