The Gunslinger’s Untamed Bride (17 page)

Anyone else who’d hunted him down…? She frowned, the reminder tightening the ache in her heart. “Yes, well, clarity doesn’t always reveal what we’d like to see. I’m certainly not used to seeing my own errors with such clear distinction,” she said, glancing down at her hands. “I’ve made some bad judgments in my handling of the payroll, but I know I can benefit the men at Pine Ridge. I have the resources. And at the risk of sounding arrogant, I’m good with numbers and finding weak points in a business and ways to fix them. I can make that camp productive. I want to set things right.”

“You will.”

She looked up, surprised by the certainty in his tone. “Not without
you.
I was up at that millhouse. Jim Grimshaw won’t be swayed on anything without your approval. If you leave, they’ll think I ran you off.”

“Well, you have fired me several times over the past couple days.”

“And what difference has that made?” she demanded. “Besides, nothing’s official unless it’s in writing.”

His lips twitched with a grin. “In that case,” he said, tugging on his hat, “I’ll get the payroll to The Grove office and pull in the staff. They know who’s owed what and will make it available to those still in the area.”

Lily smiled. Relief poured through her, shaking her, draining the last of her energy.

Juniper turned away and swung up into the saddle. “Com’ere,” he said, reaching down for her.

She grabbed his arms as he lifted her onto his lap. Too exhausted to worry about proximity or propriety, she leaned back, resting her head against his shoulder as his arm came around her. He tucked her skirts beneath her legs to keep them from flapping. His hand spread wide over her hip, holding her securely against him as he guided her horse toward the shack, and she really didn’t mind his touch.

“Are you going after the men who got away?”

“Lily,” he said in a dark tone.

“I’m just curious.”

“We have their identities. Charges will be filed against them. They’ll be caught.”

“Good.”

“Does that mean you’re ready to step back and let the law handle the criminals?”

She shifted, allowing her arms to slide around his waist as she leaned more snuggly against him. “Yes. I believe I’ve had my fill.”

His other arm tightened around her, hugging her close, and she was fairly certain his lips brushed the top of her hair.

“Good,” he said, the gruffness of his whisper stirring warmth in regions of her spirit so recently awakened, sensations she’d only felt with Juniper.

She wanted to ask him why he’d kissed her earlier this evening. Had he only meant to distract her, or had he been overwhelmed by the same stir of passion that continued to draw her to him?

Then again, maybe she didn’t really want the answer. No matter his reasons, she didn’t need to be contemplating his kisses, certainly not while enjoying the strength and warmth of his embrace. Right now she needed strength, not passion.

As the lights of the house drew near, Lily leaned up, forcing her exhausted body to cooperate. Only Jed stood outside in the yard. He mounted his horse as they approached.

Juniper reined in her horse and gently eased Lily to the ground.

“Everything okay?” Jed asked, staring her straight in the eyes.

“Yes. Thank you for coming after me.”

“Not a problem,” he said. “I’m just glad neither of you was hurt.”

Juniper dismounted and held the horse steady for her as she turned into the saddle.

“I’ll see you back at the ranch in a day or two,” he said, handing her the reins.

“You’ll be careful?”

A firmness seized his expression. “I’ll be careful,” he agreed, and took a step back.

Jed rode in close beside her. “Let’s get you home, darlin’.”

J
uniper wasn’t sure how long he stood there in the cool night air staring into the darkness Lily had ridden through. He wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened, but something had changed between them. He’d felt it in the way she had relaxed against him. The tender way she’d looked at him before she rode out—it scared the hell out of him.

He expelled a hard breath and tried to shake off the shudder of ill emotion.
She’s probably still in shock.

Focus on your job,
he silently advised himself as he walked back to the house. The one that had just been reinstated. The best thing he could do for the both of them was to get her off the mountain as soon as possible. With a shooter still on the loose and more men to round up, he had to keep a clear head.

He entered the back door and found Jake in the kitchen peering through a half-opened doorway to the front room. Juniper could hear Kyle’s voice on the other side, and figured it was time he gave his cousin a hand.

“Hold up,” Jake said in a low whisper before he could push the door open. “Kyle’s still getting them warmed up for you.”

Juniper leaned in to peer through the gap.

“Understand Sheriff Barns is well acquainted with y’all,” Kyle was saying. “I, on the other hand, don’t have any such affliction. We do things a little different out here.”

Juniper eased the door open just enough to see all six prisoners. Their blindfolds removed, Kyle touched the tip of his bowie knife to Calvin’s chin, using the sharp point to tilt his face up. “Sheriff Barns wants to hear you spout names. I’m just as willing to hear you scream for your mama.”

Calvin trembled and looked on the verge of wetting himself.

Juniper resisted the urge to groan as he stepped back. “Your brother sure has a knack for theatrics.”

Jake choked back a laugh. “We’re all damn lucky he didn’t turn con.” He strode toward the table. “Check out that loot,” he said, drawing Juniper’s attention to the open strongbox. “I can’t believe your boss lady was traveling with all this cash.”

“McFarland had put her in a bind.”

“I’m not so sure it wasn’t the other way around. That little lady is something else,” Jake said with a note of humor in his voice.

“Yeah,” Juniper agreed, while wondering what he’d gotten himself into. The burning in his gut told him he should have cut bait and run while he had the chance.

Moonlight touched on the silhouette of six men sitting in saddles. Juniper secured a seventh horse to the end of the line, a double load draped over the horse’s barrel.

Jake and Günter rode toward the train of horses. They’d be taking their prisoners to the nearest jailhouse while he and Kyle packed up the payroll.

“Hey, Juniper,” Calvin said, looking back at him. “When you see Emma, will you tell her not to worry about me?”

“I might as well tell a river to flow uphill.”

Calvin’s frown deepened, and Juniper couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for him. His hands bound to the saddle horn, his feet tied to the stirrups, the kid was a pathetic sight and still didn’t have a clue as to the kind of trouble he was in. Prison life was hard on the toughest of men, and Cal still had a lot of growing up to do. June imagined that was about to happen right quick. Armed robbery was guaranteed to garner a prison term.

“I’ll tell her I’ll do all I can to get you a reduced sentence,” he added. “Lord willing, you’ll be home by Christmas.”

“That long?”

“Hell,” grumbled Fred Sullivan, a man in his thirties sitting on the horse ahead of Calvin. “On account of Billy Chandler, a man was kill’t. We’ll all be lucky not to hang.”

Calvin’s eyes surged wide.

“After all this foolery,” said Juniper, “y’all better be praying Miss Carrington will feel some compassion for your families and be willing to plead your cases to the judge.”

“Bes’ pray hard,” Kyle said, moving in beside him. “The way I heard it, she wasn’t treated too kindly the other day.”

“He’yah!” Günter shouted, prompting the train of horses into motion. Jake rode in behind them.

Kyle turned toward their own mounts. A third horse had been loaded down with the strongbox. “We bes’ get movin’ if we’re going to reach your little mountain town by sunup.”

“It’s not
my
town,” Juniper said, feeling more than a little agitated as he watched men he considered his friends being led off to an uncertain fate.

“Uh-huh,” said Kyle. “And Lily Carrington ain’t your gal.”

Juniper sent him a look that made most folks pale in his presence. “She’s not.”

Chuckling, Kyle mounted his horse. “Get a move on, cousin,” he said, opening his carbine rifle, making sure it was loaded and locked before dropping it into the scabbard at the side of his saddle. “All this cash is starting to make the back of my neck itch.”

It was nearly nine o’clock in the morning when Juniper and Kyle shut the door on the tall safe in the back room of The Grove office, both men heaving a sigh of relief as the lock clicked into place.

“We’ll get started on this straight away.” Otis Baker, a stout, balding, workhorse of a man, stood in the doorway. A meticulous accountant, he didn’t take guff from anyone. The day Carrington’s notices had arrived announcing another pay hold, he had tossed the leaflets onto the boardwalk, loaded his shotgun and made it known that their new employer’s empty coffers weren’t his doing or his problem—
it had become Juniper’s.

“We can have payments tallied and sorted by late this afternoon,” Otis said as they walked into the front room, “and start easing some of the strain on the folks around here.”

“Thank goodness.” Dory Baker dropped a box onto a long counter and tucked a strand of silvery-gray hair behind her ear before pulling out a stack of files. “The way tempers have been flaring in town, I’ve been leery to leave my house these past few weeks.”

“Some of the money is still missing,” Juniper said, “but with so many moved on, there should be plenty to cover the back wages of those still on our roster.”

“You got some cash locked up over at the sheriff’s office. After Jonas was arrested, folks came forward straight away.”

“We’ll make sure Griggs brings it over, and we’ll send a wire to get one of Carrington’s men down here to go over the numbers with you. If need be, me and my men will wait for our wages until the rest of the funds are recovered or replaced.”

“You’re a good boy, Juniper,” Dory said, placing her slender hand on his arm, her blue eyes twinkling.

Kyle’s lips slid into a smirk, and June had to fight not to reveal the same reaction. Dory was a tad biased. He’d recruited the older couple from San Francisco two years ago. They’d been longtime acquaintances of Jed’s and had just retired from their own accounting practice and were looking to relocate in the Sierras. They’d been extremely helpful in straightening out McFarland’s payment system.

“I’m not hurting for cash,” he admitted, having built up a considerable savings while working on the Double D. “If my deputies complain, they can come see me about the matter.”

“Folks will likely be storming the doors once they catch word we’re stocked up,” Dory said, her usual smile replaced with a look of concern.

“That’s why I’m here,” said Kyle. “To help keep everything running in an orderly fashion. Günter should be along by the time you open your doors.”

“If we’re all settled, I’ll head on back to my folks’ ranch.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to rest a while?” Dory asked. “Breakfast is still on the stove at our house and you’re welcome to a guest room.”

“Not a bad idea,” Kyle put in. She’d already offered Kyle a bed to snooze on while the couple readied the payroll.

Juniper had to get back to Lily. “Thank you, but I have other business to attend to.”

Kyle walked him out. “You should get some sleep before heading back down into those hills,” he said for a second time.

“Won’t do any good,” he said. He couldn’t close his eyes without seeing her, and he wouldn’t be able to relax until he was back at the ranch. If he happened to nod off in the saddle, his horse would get him home. “I left Scout over at the livery a couple days ago. He knows the way home without any prompting.”

Kyle gave a nod.

“Thanks for your help, Kyle.”

“Anytime. And I’m not going anywhere soon, not until I bring in Billy Chandler. Your two deputies ought to be able to handle this town by tomorrow. I’ll head up to Pine Ridge and have a look around.”

“We’ll meet you there.”

Kyle gave him a measuring glance. “You’re really going to take her back up to that camp?”

“Lily has a mind to settle the camp herself and I have no right to stop her.”

“The hell you don’t. You’re the sheriff. What happened to laying down the law?”

“She’s owns Pine Ridge. Only reason she was so cooperative last night is because she was shaken up.”

Kyle chuckled and shook his head. “Is that what you think?”

Juniper didn’t answer. “I’ll give her a day at the camp. Can you contact some local lawmen for me, arrange a carriage and a few guards for her trip home? I want her protected all the way to ’Frisco.”

“I’ll set it up,” said Kyle.

“Lily’s my main concern.”

“I noticed.” Kyle’s goading grin tightened the muscles in his neck. “You were guarding her the way my sisters would hover over a new Christmas kitten.”

“She’s my employer and she was in shock.”

“You’re sweet on her.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Give it up, June. You were ready to pound me into next week just for talking to her. I’d wager you’ve already kissed her.”

Juniper tensed and Kyle laughed.

“It was that bad, huh?”

“Shut up,” he grumbled, not proud of the lack of restraint he’d shown where Lily was concerned. “I’d feel best if you’d be the one to ride along, make sure she gets back to San Francisco. I know you want to be there when we bring in Chandler, but I’d see this as a personal favor.”

“So will I,” Kyle said, annoyance replacing his smile. “I’m a U.S. marshal, not a goddamn lady’s attendant. You’ll
owe me
for that one.”

“I’ll owe you, then,” he said, more than appreciative of Kyle’s begrudging agreement. “We’ll be in Pine Ridge day after tomorrow. I’ll take Lily and her cousin up through the south entrance. Once the men catch word that their pay is ready, there’ll be a stampede coming down that main road. I want to avoid any more unwanted confrontations.”

“Good idea, so long as your lovely boss won’t mind the added hours of travel.”

“On that I’m not giving her a choice.”

“’Course that also gives you two another day alone. Sure you want that extra day of temptation?”

“There’s no temptation. Her cousin will be with us, not that it would matter. When Lily has her wits about her, she hates me.”

“Uh-huh. You keep telling yourself that.”

Muttering a curse, he turned away from Kyle’s annoying grin and led his horse toward the livery so he could fetch Scout. He damn well would!

She hates me.
And he had no business wanting anything else from a woman he had nothing to offer but a past full of painful memories.

The grass cold against her bare feet, Lily tightened the belt of the long white wrapper Rachell had lent her and walked farther into the yard. Thin clouds darkened the face of the moon, shielding some of its light. Despite her exhaustion, she hadn’t been able to sleep. She’d hardly slept the night before. Visions of bloodshed haunting her every time she closed her eyes, she’d wished for the warmth and comfort of Juniper’s touch.

Tired of spending another night staring up at a dark ceiling for hours, she’d come out here to sit on the porch swing and watch the stars for a while…but even the swing stirred troubling memories, images of a life she’d too-long forgotten.

Chilled by the light breeze, she continued across the yard and stepped into the darkness of the barn. She reached for the box of matches she knew was tucked above the eave just inside the doors. She lit a lamp and carried it toward the stall housing the horse she’d ridden from The Grove. “Hello, sweet girl,” she said, then glanced up at the lamp hook so high on the post, she wouldn’t come close to reaching it.

Using an upturned pail, she stepped up and hooked the lantern’s handle into place. The horse nudged her before she could step down.

“Lonely?” Lily asked. She stroked the horse’s dark mane. “I’ve been surrounded by company all day.”

As far as she could tell, Jed hadn’t told anyone about her venture the night before. His silence didn’t ease the emptiness she felt in Juniper’s absence. While she enjoyed visiting with his family, their kindness didn’t stop the flood of memories that often took her by surprise.

Jed had stayed home the entire day, doing chores around the house and constantly checking up on her, or creating an excuse to kiss his wife. They reminded her so much of her own parents, constantly doting on each other. Sitting in the kitchen with Rachell and her girls, talking and laughing as she helped them peel apples for pies, had brought back memories of sitting in her Missouri kitchen, helping Geneva and her mother with supper. Watching Rachell, full of energy and smiles as she buzzed around the kitchen, had also spawned a trickle of troubling images.

Lily was struck by a sharp contrast between Rachell and her mother. While her mother was always smiling, she lacked energy. Rose Palmer had been easily taxed. As far as Lily could remember, her mother could tolerate little activity, becoming winded by a walk not much farther than across the yard. While she’d enjoyed strolls through the meadows with her husband, she would often come back in his arms.

As a child, Lily had spent little time wondering about her mother’s frequent exhaustion, which now struck her as odd. Geneva had always been there to run the house, much like a grandmother, taking care of most of the chores and tending to Mother when she’d needed a rest. A woman of normal health didn’t nap several times in a day.

Your mother’s a delicate sort of flower.

Her father had said those words often enough. A simple explanation for a child. Lily had a notion her mother had been far more than simply delicate. There had been days when her mother had been too tired to get out of bed at all. Yet she couldn’t recall anyone ever saying outright that Mother was sick. Everyone had seemed to simply accept her frailty.