The Gunfighter and the Heiress (21 page)

Van said goodbye to his tormented past and tucked away the good memories in his heart. He mourned the clan he had loved. It struck him suddenly that all the bandits he had brought to justice weren't the only ones locked
away.
He
had been a prisoner of his past and he had built confining walls around himself because of his anger and resentment.

He smiled faintly, knowing that he had learned much about himself through Natalie. The mentor had become the student. The time had come for
him
to look forward, not backward.

It had required great courage for Natalie to strike off into the unknown and the unfamiliar to create a life that made her happy.

“And I hope you do find happiness, sunshine,” he murmured as he lifted up his face and arms to the Great Spirit that watched over the Earth, the seas and the endless blue sky. “I will remember you always….”

N
atalie tossed aside her yellow gown, which had suffered irreparable damage during her abduction and escape. When she sank into the bathtub in Crow's suite, she expelled a weary sigh. She was more than ready to wash away the unpleasant ordeal with the Harpers and put the experience behind her.

An hour passed and Crow never appeared. She wondered if that was significant. Then another hour passed and she took it as a sign. Crow had concluded his assignment. He was ready to move on to the next job that awaited him. Natalie knew it was best to part company without awkward farewells. Besides, she was in no mood for another dressing-down because she had disobeyed Crow's orders in Phantom Canyon.

The man didn't seem to understand that she loved him wholeheartedly. Therefore, she was compelled to provide whatever reinforcement needed when he faced lopsided odds. He could scold her a dozen different ways but she would protect him if she could. Always.

Natalie stepped into the stylish lavender gown she had
stashed in her satchel. Her next order of business was to purchase a ticket for the morning stagecoach headed to Dodge City.

It is best if I'm gone when Crow returns,
she told herself sensibly. If not, she might become overly sentimental and blurt out her affection—as she'd nearly done this morning. She predicted that confessing her love would make Crow uncomfortable. She would be humiliated while he fumbled about, trying to overcome his blunt, straightforward manner to attempt to let her down as gently as he could.

Natalie packed her satchel and tattered carpetbag. She smiled slightly, remembering how gentle and considerate Crow had been when she fell apart after the ordeal with Marsh. However, he had been biding his time until they were in the privacy of his suite. He hadn't minced words when he jumped down her throat for sneaking off at night to lure Marsh and his death brigade away from him.

The familiar signal rap at the door assured her that Bart had arrived, not Crow. It had been more than three hours and still there was no sign of him. Pasting on a smile, she opened the door for Bart.

He stared at her and then at the luggage by the door. “You're leaving?”

“I have time to catch the coach to Dodge City. This is the day I planned to leave,” she reminded him. “If Crow still wants the divorce—”

“He doesn't,” Bart cut in then glanced around the sitting room. “He isn't back yet?”

Natalie shrugged casually, though her heart ached. “No, but it's better this way. I paid him in full for his services. If either of you need to get in touch with me, you can contact my lawyer in New Orleans. I will send him telegrams
until I return home to check on my estate and shipping business.”

She walked over to the small desk to jot down the information Bart needed. “You will be generously compensated for seeing that Marsh receives severe punishment for his crimes.”

“I'll do it for free,” he assured her without hesitation.

“Nevertheless…” Her voice trailed off as she handed him the lawyer's name and address and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She inhaled a determined breath as she picked up her luggage. “It has been a pleasure knowing you, Bartholomew. Please let me know through my lawyer what happens with Marsh and the Harper brothers' court trials and sentencing.”

Bart took the luggage from her hands and accompanied her down the hall. “I'll go with you to purchase your coach ticket. I'm going to miss your misadventures, Nat,” he said teasingly. “They were more interesting than most of my court cases in Wolf Ridge. But I have to say that I hope the next phase of your grand adventure, as Van calls it, isn't plagued with so many mishaps.”

On the way down the steps, Natalie kept hoping Crow would suddenly appear so she could savor the sight of him one last time. On the other hand, not seeing him was easier. She wouldn't have to pretend that going her separate way wasn't killing her, bit by excruciating bit.

“Will you be returning to Wolf Ridge immediately?” she asked as they hiked down the street to the stone-and-timber depot that sat on the east side of town.

“Doubt it. Van is headed to the reservation to make certain Lieutenant Suggs faces criminal charges. I thought I might be of help.”

Natalie didn't mention that she had made a mental note to do what she could to improve the conditions for Teskee,
Chulosa and their clans. Besides, arranging to send supplies would keep her occupied. She definitely needed to keep busy so forgetting Crow would become easier with each passing day.

The clatter of hooves and jingle of harnesses demanded her attention. She glanced east to see the stagecoach roll toward the depot, bringing a cloud of dust with it. Attendants scurried forward to replace the team of horses for the next leg of the journey across no-man's-land to Kansas.

“You have your dagger and derringer, right?” Bart questioned as she pivoted toward the depot to purchase her ticket. “You'll need them in that rowdy town. Or so Van says. I haven't been to Dodge yet.”

She nodded and patted the pocket sewn into the side seam of her lavender gown. “I haven't been to your town of Boston,” she remarked. “Are there sights I might like to see after my tour of the West?”

Bart's expression sobered. “Of course, Nat. Much history was made there. High society is alive and well there, too.”

She didn't have time to ask, but she sensed from his comment there were drastic reasons why Bart had pulled up stakes and moved to Texas. The sparkle had disappeared from his alert green eyes in nothing flat. She suspected she would loose the sparkle in her eyes, too, when someone mentioned Crow.

Which made her wonder if the tortuous memories Bart had stashed away from the world had something to do with a woman who meant a great deal to him.

When she returned from purchasing her ticket, the Rangers were waiting with Bart. After a quick round of fare-thee-wells, Bart assisted her into the coach.

“Be careful, Nat,” Bart warned.

She leaned out the window to smile playfully at the four
men. “And miss all the excitement I'm used to? Where is the fun in that?”

Bart snickered. “Ah yes, I forgot. You live for thrills and danger these days, don't you?”

The Rangers and Bart were still smiling at her when the stagecoach pulled away, taking Natalie to her future. She glanced out the window to wave her final goodbye, then looked toward canyon country. Still, Crow was nowhere in sight.

It doesn't matter, she told herself as she settled back on the padded seat to share the confined space with two men who looked to be wastrels or gamblers, judging by the cut of their clothes.

She carried with her the image of Crow for he had taken up permanent residence in her heart and in her soul. He had turned out to be a little
too
perfect as a husband. Letting go of her deep-seated feelings for him was going to take the longest time, she predicted.

Natalie frowned pensively, wondering if putting a hundred miles between them would make the lonely ache in her heart easier to bear. But honestly? She doubted one mile or a thousand miles would make the slightest difference.

 

Van rode Durango into town and caused a commotion because of his war paint and clothing. But once the bystanders on the street realized who he was, they went their own way. Leaving his gelding at the livery, with instructions to brush him down and give him an extra portion of feed, Van headed for the hotel. The cleansing ritual he'd performed at the creek in Phantom Canyon served as a bath, but the war paint had to go.

Van stopped in his tracks when he opened the door to his suite and felt the empty silence sweep over him. When
he walked into the bedroom to pour water into the basin so he could wash his face, he saw the discarded yellow gown draped over the end of the bed. Natalie's luggage was gone. Had she moved back to the single room he had rented for her when he thought she had lied to him about the money and jewels she carried with her?

Van scrubbed off the war paint, then quickly changed into his everyday clothing. He strode down the hall to check on Natalie. She deserved another lecture for poking her head above the boulder to blast away at Willy when Van already had the situation well in hand. Damn it, she could have gotten her gorgeous head shot off, since all three Harper boys had been packing pistols. But had she listened to his instructions? Had she ever? She just kept thumbing her nose at his commands.

The thought annoyed him as he rapped loudly on the door. He was met with silence. “Natalie? Open the door so I don't have to break it down.”

“She isn't there.”

Van spun around to see Bart exit from his suite. “Then were the hell is she? Getting into more trouble?”

Bart shook his head, then readjusted his wire-rimmed spectacles. “She took the stagecoach to Dodge over an hour and a half ago. Since we skipped breakfast this morning I thought you and I might have lunch together.”

“She's gone?” The word echoed around the hollow place that suddenly opened inside his chest.

“The Rangers stopped to say goodbye and we put her on the coach. I'd say that is about as gone as a woman can get.”

She had time to tell everyone else fare-thee-well, but not me?
he thought, incensed.
Is that all I am to her? A paid employee whose services are no longer needed?

His pride stinging, Van swore under his breath. He
should be relieved she was gone. He'd gotten along just fine without that misfit plunging from one mishap to another. He'd come to her defense—without hazard pay, mind you. Though being kidnapped by the Harpers really wasn't her fault, he did admit. She'd been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Lunch sounds like a good idea.” Van lurched around and moved swiftly toward the staircase. “I'm starving.”

Bart fell into step beside him. “I'd like to accompany you to the reservation. I might be of help with formal charges against the theft ring preying on your clan.”

“Glad to have the company.” Maybe Bart's presence would ease the frustration of Natalie riding off, as if there was nothing left between them.

There isn't,
he reminded himself.
How did you think this was going to end? She wants to see the world and you have seen far too much of it. She is practically royalty and you come from lowly beginnings. You should be glad she's gone.

When they veered into Caprock Café Van ordered a double plate of food. Bart arched an amused brow when two plates of steak and potatoes arrived.

“You think extra food is going to satisfy your hunger?” Bart inquired.

He dug in like a field hand. “I was up all night tracking the Harpers and I spent the morning performing purging rituals,” he explained between bites. “Nothing wrong with a healthy appetite.”

“Certainly not, but I can tell you from personal experience that the gnawing ache won't go away as easily as you might expect.”

Van halted with his fork in midair when he noted the tormented expression in Bart's eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“Did I ever tell you why I left Boston?”

“No, did I ever tell you how I survived the army massacre when most of my family didn't?”

“No, and I'd like to hear about it when you're ready to discuss it.”

Van frowned curiously. “Does that mean we're discussing Boston over lunch?”

Bart nodded. “Watching Nat leave town brought back memories of a decision I've begun to question lately.”

“Is there a moral to this story that has something to do with a woman?” Van questioned warily. “If you're trying to apply it to Sunshine's departure, then forget it. You know as well as I do this is best. She's who she is and we both know what I am. So…case closed, as you are so fond of saying when you wrap up a trial.”

“Nice closing argument.” Bart pursed his lips. “But you're making the same mistake I did.”

“Really? Then you and I have more in common than I do with Nat.”

Bart sipped his coffee, then eased back in his chair. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared somberly at Van. “I was in love with my older brother's fiancée.”

Van grimaced. “This doesn't sound good.”

“You're right. It turned out badly. My brother put me in charge of escorting Elizabeth to social functions while he was called away to New York to argue a high-profile case that took more than six weeks. The more time we spent together, the closer we became.”

Bart glanced over Van's shoulder, staring into space. It was a moment before he continued. “She fell in love with me, too. We both felt we had betrayed Thomas, who had everything to offer Bet. I was an upstart attorney looking to open my own practice and I knew I couldn't be a
partner in my brother's law firm. Seeing him with Bet and pretending I didn't love her would have been too painful.”

Van continued eating and wondered how it would feel to ache for a woman who was slated to marry his broth-er—not that he had one, but he figured it was like his friendship with Bart. He also knew what betrayal felt like because there was a time not too long ago that he thought Natalie had betrayed his trust and used him. Those feelings had cut to the quick.

Bart expelled an audible sigh. “I had to leave Boston. I was determined to outrun the bittersweet memories and find a place to settle that was unlike my home in the east.”

“And Wolf Ridge was the best you could do?”

“It was the end of the tracks. Hundreds of miles from my former life and the only woman I've ever really wanted. I couldn't shame my family or cause a scandal that might affect them and my brother's prestigious law practice.” He leaned forward, forearms on the table, and stared directly at Van. “It's been eight years but when I close my eyes I can still see her face. I remember her smile, her scent and her touch. I'm telling you here and now that if you have feelings for your wife you had better do something about it…. Do you?”