The Lawman's Surrender: The Calhoun Sisters, Book 2 (18 page)

“Where?”

“Never mind.” Feeling like an idiot, she refused to look at him. “I thought someone was watching us. I guess I was wrong.”

He squeezed her hand. “Don’t you worry about it,” he said softly. “Being on the trail this long tends to make people jumpy. But we’ll be in Denver in a couple of days, and then you can relax.”

“Oh, sure I can,” she retorted as they stepped out into the sunshine. “I find being tried for murder so relaxing!”

He chuckled, and the sound warmed her heart. The tension between them lately had done away with most of their easy banter, and she had missed his dry sense of humor.

She smiled up at him, then noticed a flash of blue out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and met the gaze of the blond man who had been watching the telegraph office. This time there was no mistake. He was definitely staring at them.

“Jedidiah,” she whispered. She didn’t dare break eye contact, lest the fellow slip away again.

“What is it?” Jedidiah stopped and pulled her to the side of the walkway.

“He’s back. The man who was watching us.”

She felt him tense beside her. “Where?” he asked, following her gaze.

“Right there. The blond man with the blue shirt who’s standing by the sheriff’s office.”

She knew the moment he spotted the man, because he jerked with surprise. Then a slow smile crossed his face.

“I’ll be damned,” he said.

The man in the blue shirt lifted a brow at Jedidiah, then turned and entered the sheriff’s office. Jedidiah took her hand and started after him.

“I take it you know him?” Susannah asked.

“Yup.”

That one word was all the answer she got. The rest of her questions remained unanswered as Jedidiah led her into the sheriff’s office.

The blond man was hanging his hat on a peg on the wall when they entered. He paused in the motion, then turned to face Jedidiah, slowly crossing his arms across his chest.

“Afternoon, Jedidiah,” he said.

“Nate.” Jedidiah gave a nod of acknowledgement. “So, where’s the real law in this town?”

“You’re looking at him.”

Jedidiah looked Nate up and down. “Like I said…”

Nate scowled. “I ought to put a hole in you for that.”

“You’d best learn to shoot then.”

“You first.”

Jedidiah narrowed his eyes at Nate, and Nate did not look away. Silence reigned for a long, charged moment. After a minute or so, Susannah shook her head in amazement. I it took a man of fortitude to hold Jedidiah Brown’s gaze.

Suddenly Jedidiah grinned and broke the eye contact. He held out a hand. “You always were more reckless than smart.”

Nate laughed, reaching out to firmly shake Jedidiah’s hand. “I learned everything I know from you, you sorry son-of-a-gun.”

“Don’t be blaming me for your bad habits.” Still smiling, Jedidiah turned to Susannah. “This is Nate Stillman, an old friend of mine. Nate, Susannah Calhoun.”

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” Nate took the hand Susannah extended and only held it a moment longer than necessary when he got a good look at her face. A flicker of appreciation lit his very blue eyes for a brief instant, then he released her hand and turned to Jedidiah. “Loralee sent me a wire, said you might be coming through. What are you doing in this neck of the woods?”

“Escorting Miss Calhoun to Denver.”

“Most people take the stage.” Nate’s teasing remark held a question.

“It’s a long story,” Jedidiah replied, and Susannah breathed a sigh of relief. She had a feeling that Nate’s gentlemanly demeanor towards her might undergo a change should he discover she was accused of murder.

“Aren’t they all,” Nate drawled. “Can you stay a spell, or do you have to move on?”

“What do you have in mind?” Jedidiah asked.

Nate grinned. “Things have changed since I last saw you,” he said proudly. “I got myself a bride.”

“You got married?” Jedidiah stared. “By all that’s holy, who would have you for a husband?”

“The orneriest female in Colorado, that’s who. Her name’s Darcy. We got married last autumn.” Nate kept a straight face, but his eyes sparkled with mischief. “I was planning to ask you to stay to supper, but I don’t know how the wife would feel about a no-good saddle bum like yourself setting his feet beneath my table."

Jedidiah gave a bark of laughter. “You’re just worried I might steal her from you.”

Nate arched his brows. “My Darcy knows a real man when she sees one—which is why she’d never look twice at you.”

“If that’s true, I’m wondering how in heaven she came to marry up with
you
.”

“Ouch! That was nasty, old friend.” Nate made a face as if he were in pain.

“We’d be pleased to stay for supper,” Jedidiah said with a grin, “if only so I can meet this brave woman who took you on.”

“Just don’t get her mad,” Nate said with an exaggerated shudder. “She’d make mincemeat out of both of us.”

Jedidiah burst out laughing, and Susannah watched him with a fond smile tugging at her lips. Never before had she seen Jedidiah so open and relaxed. The next few hours promised to be very interesting indeed.

Chapter Thirteen

Darcy Stillman was not at all what Susannah expected.

Nate had led them down the main street to a pretty white house that stood at the edge of town. Flowers lined a stone walkway, and a white picket fence surrounded the front yard and disappeared around the corner of the house.

Jedidiah glanced at Nate. “This is your place?” he asked with disbelief.

“Yup.” Proudly, Nate surveyed his home. “It used to be the mayor’s house, but he built a bigger place farther out, so I bought it from him. Makes it convenient in case I need to get to town in a hurry. Come on in.”

They followed Nate into the house. He hung his hat on a peg in the foyer. Directly in front of them was a staircase leading to the second floor. To their right was a hallway with a shiny wood floor and the doorway to what seemed to be a parlor. Susannah caught a glimpse of pretty white and blue china sparkling on the shelf of a china cabinet and comfortable rugs spread out before a large fireplace. A rocker and a sturdy cushioned chair faced the fire.

“Nate, is that you?” a feminine voice called from somewhere in the house.

“It’s me, darlin’,” Nate called back. “I brought some company for supper.”

“Who is it?” A woman came down the hallway. She couldn’t be more than five feet tall, yet with a buxom figure any woman would envy. Her red-brown hair caught the sunlight as she came into the foyer, a friendly smile curving her Cupid’s bow mouth. Her dark eyes warmed as she looked at her husband. “Nate, aren’t you going to introduce me?”

“Of course I am. This here is Marshal Jedidiah Brown—I’ve told you about him. And this is Miss Calhoun.”

“So this is the famous Marshal Brown.” Darcy held out her hand with a pleased smile. “Nate has talked about you often. I’m so glad you came by.”

Jedidiah’s lips curved in that charming smile that always made Susannah’s heart skip a beat. Bending over Darcy’s hand, he brushed his lips gallantly across her knuckles. “Had I known Nate had married so delightful a lady, I would have come to visit sooner.”

“Oh, my.” Darcy gently tugged her hand away. “Mr. Brown, you’ll turn my head with such compliments.”

“I’m just telling the truth.” Jedidiah stood, continuing to smile. “If Nate doesn’t treat you right, you let me know about it and I’ll knock some sense into his head.”

“That will be the day,” Nate retorted.

“Behave, Nathaniel,” Darcy said mildly, “or I might just take Marshal Brown up on his offer.” She turned toward Susannah. “Hello, Miss Calhoun. I’m Darcy Stillman.”

“Please, call me Susannah.”

“Susannah it is. And you can call me Darcy.”

“Jedidiah and Miss Calhoun are on their way to Denver,” Nate said. “I asked them to stay to supper.”

“That’s a wonderful idea.” Darcy looked at Jedidiah. “Will you be staying the night with us, Marshal Brown?”

“Jedidiah. And I hadn’t thought about it…”

“Do stay,” Darcy entreated.

Jedidiah frowned. “I don’t know if that would be the wisest thing, ma’am.”

Darcy pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips. “Jedidiah, please excuse me if I speak plainly. Since Susannah is obviously wearing a disguise—your wig is crooked, dear—I am assuming that you are trying to avoid attention. How better to do that than to stay in a private home? How long has it been since you’ve had a proper bath? Or slept in a real bed?”

“Ah…” Jedidiah glanced at Nate, who raised his hands in a position of surrender.

“You’re on your own, friend.”

“If you can’t remember, Marshal, then it has obviously been too long,” Darcy said sharply. “Come, Susannah. I’ll show you to a room where you can wash up. And let’s do get rid of that awful wig. It really doesn’t suit your complexion. I do hope you have something to change into, for I fear my gowns won’t suit. You’re so delightfully tall.”

“I do have something in the wagon,” Susannah replied, bemused at the smaller woman’s commanding presence.

“Excellent. Nate, please fetch our guests’ things from their wagon, but first show the marshal to the guest room so he can wash up. I’ll take care of Susannah.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Nate replied.

Darcy sent him a dark look, obviously sensing something in his tone that rankled. “Don’t you start with me, Nate Stillman. This poor woman is worn out, and I intend to see that she gets a bath, a good meal and a decent night’s sleep before Jedidiah drags her back out on the road. It’s the Christian thing to do. Now you go fetch her things from that wagon, or there will be no supper in this house tonight.”

Turning her back on her husband, Darcy took Susannah’s arm. “This way, Susannah. I expect you’d love a nice hot bath about now.”

“It sounds like heaven,” Susannah agreed. She glanced at Jedidiah.

“Far be it for me to disagree with our hostess,” he said. “You go on up. I’ll go with Nate to fetch our things and be back shortly.”

“Now you’re talking sense,” Darcy said approvingly. “Nate will show you where to wash up when you get back. Come on, Susannah.”

With a last glance backwards, Susannah allowed Darcy to lead her up the stairs. Nate’s voice drifted up to them as the two men left the house.

“Didn’t I tell you not to make her mad?” Nate was saying as he passed through the door. “We had a lucky escape, my friend.”

Jedidiah’s reply was lost as the door swung shut.

“So, can you tell me what’s going on?” Nate asked later.

Having retrieved the gear, they had ascended to the second floor of Nate’s house, where Jedidiah relinquished Susannah’s change of clothing to Darcy. Then Nate had shown him to a tiny yet elegant guest room, where Jedidiah proceeded the strip the dusty shirt from his back and make use of the soap and water on top of the bureau. In a corner of the room, Nate lounged in a chair that looked more ornamental than functional, and seemed as if it might break under his weight at any moment.

Jedidiah sponged off his upper body, gladly ridding himself of the scents of mud and sweat.

“If you can’t tell me,” Nate said in reply to Jedidiah’s silence, “it’s all right. I just wanted to know if you needed any help.”

“You are helping.” Soaping his face, Jedidiah picked up his razor and started to scrape the day’s growth of beard from his jaw.

“I owe you, Jedidiah. If there’s anything else I can do…”

Jedidiah paused and met his friend’s gaze in the mirror. “Son, you’re doing more than you know. I’m just worried that we might bring trouble on you by accepting your hospitality.”

Nate sat up straight in his chair. “That’s what I was afraid of—you
are
in trouble.”

Jedidiah chuckled and resumed shaving. “When am I not?”

“I’m the sheriff of this town, Jedidiah. If there’s trouble headed my way, don’t you think I should know about it?”

Jedidiah humphed in grudging acknowledgment. “You’re an uppity youngster, you know that?”

“I’m twenty-nine years old—hardly a youngster.” Nate grinned mischievously. “Of course, everyone must seem like a youngster to an old man like you.”

“Like I said—uppity.” Jedidiah wiped the last of the lather off his face and reached for his clean shirt. “Still, you do have a point. And you know how to keep your mouth shut when it’s warranted.”

“This has something to do with Miss Calhoun, doesn’t it?”

“Yes.” Jedidiah tucked the tails of his shirt into his trousers. “She’s been accused of murder, and it’s my job to escort her to her trial in Denver.”

“Murder!” Nate exclaimed. “But—”

“She says she didn’t do it, and I believe her.” Jedidiah stared steadily at Nate. “If you have a problem with this, just say so, and we’ll leave.”

“No problem.” Nate leaned back in his chair. “You just caught me by surprise, is all. You haven’t been treating her like a prisoner, so I thought maybe she was some rich man’s daughter, and you were escorting her to Denver or something like that. Murder was the last thing I expected to hear.”