The Gunslinger’s Untamed Bride (12 page)

Regi’s words were little consolation. Her only friend thought her harsh.

Stop thinking about it.
Once they recovered her money she could start to put things right, and Juniper could go back to dominating the mountainside.

She reached for the saddle, her strained thigh muscles burning as she lifted a foot into the stirrup. A groan escaped her lips.

“Are you hurting?”

She turned, shocked to find Juniper directly behind her, his pale blue eyes full of concern. Instantly she wanted to rage at him.
Of course she was hurting!
She spent her days in a cool, cushioned office, not blazing through the hillside on horseback.

“I’ll survive.”

“Here, let me h—”

“Would you just
stop?
” she spat, stepping aside to dodge his helpful hands.

His shocked expression only made her feel worse and increased her anger.

“I was—”

“Being considerate. I know.
I get it.
Juniper Barns, the dashing lawman.”

“I wasn’t trying to—”

“And
humble,
” she added, laughter uncurling from her throat. “My God, Prince Charming could take lessons.”

She stepped up and shifted into the saddle, ignoring the pain. “All you need to worry about is recovering our money. Can we just do that?”

“Sure,” he said, shaking his head as he turned away.

Harsh.
Seemed Regi was right, and this was one of those times when life required her to be harsh.

She didn’t know how else to react to Juniper, or to the flurry of emotions he caused by simply standing there.

As the day wore on, Lily realized she might have wanted a horseback view the day before, but not at the pace they’d been keeping. In these lower hills every new stretch of land seemed nearly identical to the last; massive ripples of grass were spotted by rocks, oak trees and cattle. By the time the sun began sliding away from its noontime position, her canteen was bone-dry and her energy sapped. With every dragging moment, she knew Juniper Barns would have her eating her words yet again:

“By tomorrow afternoon I won’t be interested in clean beds and warm baths. I’m not planning a weekend stay on your foster parents’ ranch. I want to recover my money and get back to The Grove.”

Sore, tired and starving, nothing sounded more splendid than a full meal, a warm bath and a soft bed. Provided she managed to stay in the saddle long enough to reach the Double D Ranch. It wouldn’t have mattered if her cash box dropped from the sky and into her lap at this very moment. She doubted she could ride another five miles to save her life. It wouldn’t take more than a good gust of wind to knock her flat on the ground.

Regi rode beside her, his shoulders slumped, looking as worn-out as she felt. Juniper rode a few yards ahead of them, and didn’t appear to be fatigued in the slightest. Poised and alert, he seemed ready to tackle a bear or any other danger that might come their way.

A tall wooden arch came into view. A sign hanging above the wide dirt road announced the entrance to the Double D Ranch. Yet she saw no sign of a house, barn or anything else to indicate a ranch nearby.

“It’s around the next hillside,” he said, motioning ahead of them as they rode beneath the archway.

Lily heaved a sigh of relief. She hoped to have a few hours of rest before Günter arrived. It was time he shared their plan for recovering her cash box. Juniper must have discussed them with his deputy after she’d ridden out with Reginald. She urged her horse on and rode in close beside him.

“Juniper?”

He turned his head, surprise lighting the features shaded by the brim of his hat.

Dear Lord.
She clearly looked as weary and ragged as she felt.

“Lily?” he said.

“The thief’s ranch is close?”

“You see where that ridge ends?” He motioned to a long rise of flat terrain trailing off into the distance. “And the taller one spiking up just beside it?”

“Yes.”

“The Chandler homestead is in the middle of that gap.”

Lily nearly winced. Miles and miles of hilly ground stood between them and
that gap.
“How far is that?”

“Likely just over ten miles from Jed’s house.”

Juniper glanced again at Lily as her tired eyes roved the landscape. He wondered if sheer exhaustion had her relaxed in the saddle and calling him by his first name. She hadn’t said but five words to him all day and hardly looked in his direction. He wasn’t about to complain. He’d been trying to do the same. It didn’t take but a glimpse of her bright hair for him to recall the only other time she’d addressed him so informally. The gentle sway of her body in the saddle only reminded him of those smooth curves pressed flush against him.

He forced himself to look away, toward the ranch coming into view. She’d be safe with Jed and Rachell. His foster parents wouldn’t hesitate to invite her and Reginald into their home. Hopefully she’d be tucked into a bed and sound asleep by sundown—giving him the opportunity to recover her cash box.

“Günter will be meeting us here?” she asked.

“Likely late tonight or in the morning.”

“Are you sure we should wait?”

We?

She either had more gumption than any woman he’d ever met, or she didn’t have a clue as to what they were dealing with. Either way, she clearly wasn’t going to make this easy on him. “Lily, I’m not taking you into a den of outlaws, and I don’t plan to charge in without some backup.”

“What happened to them just being lumberjacks with good intentions? If that’s the case, why can’t we just reason with them?”

“Those lumberjacks are traveling with men who come from a family of outlaws. I don’t know if it was a Chandler who killed your guard, but—”

“Mr. Dobbs,” Lily said, her brow pinched in a frown.

“Right. Point is, when tensions run high the loudest voice tends to dominate. Based on what we heard from Emma, that voice is one of the Chandler boys.”

“There’s more than one?”

“Two that I know of for sure. Cousins.”

“When did you learn this?”

“I knew we had two men by the name of Chandler on a cutting crew. I didn’t realize they were from the same Chandlers who once lived near the Double D until Emma mentioned the valley with flat-topped ridges.”

Lily glanced at Reg, who’d ridden up beside her, before looking back at Juniper. “They could be gone by morning.”

“Those men worked a full shift on the mountain, then rode as hard as we did. They’re just as worn-out and hungry as we are.”

Lily didn’t look convinced, her eyes revealing a mind fast at work as she chewed on her lower lip. “When Günter arrives, I want to be included in your plans.”

“My plans start with food, a bath and a bit of rest. Hungry and exhausted is no way to start an ambush.”

“Are you sure it’s wise to take us along?” asked Reg.

“No,” Juniper answered with quick honesty.

“We’re not lawmen, after all,” he said to Lily.

“You convince her of that,” Juniper said, “and I’ll forfeit my two-months’ worth of back wages.”

“I want to see them held accountable.”

“As do I,” said Reginald, “but we all serve our…” His voice trailed off as his gaze locked on the ranch up ahead, a maze of fences spreading out from a massive two-story house and a cluster of outbuildings. “Now that’s more like it.”

Juniper shared his enthusiasm, increasing their pace, anxious to see his family. They stayed on the main road, riding past the Darby house and beyond a wide stretch of barns and stables, toward the entrance to Jed’s home farther out on the open field.

“Who lives in the first house?” Lily asked as the farmhouse disappeared behind the barns and stables separating the two properties.

“Jed’s partner and his family.” Juniper hoped Ben’s son, Jake, was around and in the mood for some late-night possum hunting. He could use an extra gun on his side.

Part of the tension coiled inside him relaxed as he turned onto the path toward Jed and Rachell’s house. Coming home always seemed to ease the raw loneliness buried in the shadows of his heart. Jed’s place stood farther out from the ranch, another two-story house of similar size. The wide covered porch faced the tall peaks of the Sierras. The only other structures in the yard were a stable and a chicken coop. Isaac stepped from the stable as they rode into the yard.

“June!” Twice the height of most seven-year-olds, he barreled toward him with the size and speed of a bull calf.

“Hey, sprout,” Juniper greeted, dismounting in front of the house. “You keep growing at this rate and you’re going to be eight feet tall and too big for the barn.”

“Won’t, neither,” he said, laughing as Juniper ruffled his wavy black hair.

“Juniper?”

He turned to see Rachell standing on the porch. Her face lit with a smile as she rushed down the steps.

“It’s about time,” Rachell said, grabbing him up for a tight squeeze.

He returned her embrace. “Work’s been hectic.”

“April!”
May’s voice rang out from somewhere inside the house. “June’s home!”

“You gonna stay for a while, June?” Isaac asked from beside him.

His answer was cut off by a high-pitched squeal from inside, just before his sisters raced out the front door. April leaped past the steps in a flutter of plaid skirts, her long auburn braids trailing behind her as she ran toward him.

“June!”

He opened his arms as she launched herself at him. Laughing, he hugged her, then lowered her to the ground. Lord, it did feel good to be home. May was next. Juniper planted a kiss on the top of her head. Her black hair, usually bound in braids, spiraled down her back in loose silky coils.

“What’s with the new hairstyle?” he asked, touching one of the ebony candlestick curls.

“May has decided she’s too old for braids,” said Rachell.

“
Mother.
Don’t tell June such things. He and Daddy will lock me in the hayloft until I’m eighteen.”

“More like twenty-five,” Juniper amended.

Everyone gazed curiously at the guests standing behind him.

Lily realized belatedly that she was the only one still sitting in a saddle and quickly dismounted. She’d been distracted by Juniper’s exuberant welcome and the sight of him surrounded by his family.

“Rachell, this is Miss Lily Carrington and her cousin Reginald Carrington. They’re the new owners of McFarland’s lumber camp.”

“Madam.” Reginald gave a regal bow. “These lovely ladies must be your sisters.”

The girls giggled, and Lily resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“My daughters,” said Rachell. “April and May.”

“Ah, the fairest of months of spring,” Reginald said, pressing a hand to his chest:
“When the red-cheeked, dancing girls, April and May, trip home to the wintry, misanthropic woods…even the barest, ruggedest, most thunder-cloven old oak will at least send forth some few green sprouts, to welcome such gladhearted visitants.”

“Melville,” said the girl with ebony curls, her gray eyes alight with recognition.

“Melville?” said her sister, her amber eyebrows pinching inward.

“You know, April. The book
Moby Dick,
” her sister explained.

“Oh. Yeah.”

April, May and June.
The combination sent a shiver across Lily’s skin. She glanced at the woman who was clearly Juniper’s foster mother. Had she intentionally named her daughters after him?

“Have you had a rough journey?” Rachell asked, her gaze skimming over Lily’s ravaged dress.

“To say the least,” said Juniper. “We ran into quite a bit of trouble.”

“A mountain of trouble,” Reginald agreed.

Rachell’s eyes widened with concern.

“Juniper’s taken good care of us,” Lily said, forcing a reassuring smile, glancing only briefly at Juniper’s look of surprise.

“We could all use a meal and a warm bath,” he said. “And Miss Carrington is in need of a fresh change of clothes.”

“Certainly,” said Rachell. “I just pulled some bread from the oven and I have plenty of dresses. We seem to be about the same size.”

“I’m truly grateful.”

“Happy to help,” she said with a smile. “Please, come inside. I left supper cooking on the stove and had just started a pot of tea.”

“My dear woman,” Regi said, following her across the wide porch, “if you have sugar to go with the tea, I may just weep at your feet.” The girls giggled beside him.

“I’ll take care of the horses,” Juniper said from behind them.

Halfway up the steps, Lily stopped. She turned as he took a step back. Despite wanting to be rid of him all day long, she suddenly didn’t want to let him out of her sight. She didn’t want to be alone with his family.

“I’m not leaving,” he assured her. “I’ll come inside after I’ve finished.” The gentleness in his tone suggested he recognized her distress. “You go on in and get something to eat.”

“Hey, June,” said Isaac, yanking on his sleeve. “You got a hole in your boot.”

Lily stiffened.

Juniper chuckled and dropped his hat over Isaac’s black hair. He draped his arm over the boy’s shoulders and started toward the horses. “Another example of why a man shouldn’t be dangling guns from his britches.”

“You shot yourself in the foot?”

“Pretty much, sprout.”

“I want to help!” His youngest sister rushed past Lily.

“Come on then,” Juniper called back, he and Isaac already gathering the horses.

April looped her arm through his as all three walked toward the barn.

I really don’t want to be here.

Lily dragged in a deep breath and went inside. Her gaze swept over a grand front room beautifully decorated with lace and floral drapes, the deep greens, golds and browns matching the rich tapestry of the furniture. Polished oak tables supported an array of exquisite vases, each filled with fresh spring flowers.

Her mother had always loved fresh wildflowers. Lily had loved gathering them for her from the meadows around their home.

Her gaze moved to a massive stone fireplace taking up the entire end wall. The sound of Regi’s voice and the heavenly scent of fresh bread drew her through the dining room, beyond the long table and a wide curio cabinet displaying very fine china. She glanced twice at the crystal chandelier hanging from the high, polished wooden ceiling.