Authors: Noelle Marchand
“No.”
“Lorelei.”
Her dark blue eyes filled with mirth. A smile tugged at her lips, and she shook her head as she approached him. “You realize that half the people in the café have their faces pressed against the glass, don’t you?”
He frowned. “What happened to the other half?”
“They already had front-row seats.”
“Have lunch with me,” he repeated.
She looked over his shoulder toward the café thoughtfully. “Why?”
“You’re here. You’re hungry. I’m here. I’m hungry. It seems like a good idea.”
Her gaze lifted to meet his. “Silas said that people think we’re getting serious about each other.”
“That’s good,” he said, feeling his stomach rumble in protest of the delay. Then his eyes narrowed, and he looked at Lorelei closely. “When did he say that?”
She tugged on his arm and stepped past him. “Let’s eat.”
“Lorelei,” he protested, but she had already walked into the café.
Her gaze met his, then danced away as Maddie showed her to his table. Maddie took Lorelei’s drink order but didn’t leave to fill it immediately. Instead, the woman grinned. “That was quite a hello you received.”
Sean looked at Maddie in amazement. Now, how had she heard that? Perhaps the door hadn’t closed behind him before he’d said it. Lorelei laughed. “I’m getting used to it. That wasn’t the first time I was hallooed today.”
He frowned. “It wasn’t?”
She shook her head. “I think it was the third.”
“Oh, my.” Maddie laughed. “Sean, it looks like you may have some competition.”
“Let me at them,” he growled and more people in the café than just Maddie laughed.
He shook his head. That was one of the perils of living in a small town where everyone was so interconnected. There wasn’t enough room to mind your own business, so you often ended up minding others’. No wonder Mr. Wilkins had been so adamant that he marry Lorelei.
“Now, what can I get you two to eat?”
They both ordered the special. After Lorelei received her drink, they were left alone for a while. Lorelei glanced up at him with a smile. “Do you know what I did today?”
Everyone seemed to go back to their own meals, but he leaned forward and lowered his voice slightly just to be safe. “You mean besides meeting Silas Smithson without so much as a word to me?”
She shook her head. “No, besides that.”
“I have no idea.”
“I mailed the letter to the Brightlys,” she said softly. “I feel optimistic about it. After all, they’re good people. They shouldn’t mind helping us, should they?”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
She nodded. “The postmaster said it should only be a few days until I hear back.”
They both stopped talking as Maddie made her way toward them with their food. After they said grace, Sean gave Lorelei a few minutes of uninterrupted eating before he pinned her with the question she should have answered long ago. “So why didn’t you tell me you were meeting with him?”
She glanced up at him, then back at her food. “We arranged it yesterday at church. I told him I couldn’t talk to him then, so he asked to meet me today. My parents wanted me to leave right after that, so I didn’t have time to tell you.”
He nodded. “I see why you didn’t tell me then. Why didn’t you tell me earlier today?”
She lowered her fork, admitting, “I was working on the letter but I did follow your advice. We met in a public place in the daytime just like you said we should.”
“I’m glad to hear it, but next time you have to let me know so I can at least be in the general area. I mean it, Lorelei. If something happens, I need to be able to help you.”
“I’m meeting him Thursday at two o’clock in front of the courthouse. He wants to go over some final details. You are more than welcome to be in the general area then.”
“Thursday at two.” He chewed thoughtfully for a moment. “What happens at the bank around that time?”
She glanced up curiously. “Nothing. It’s usually pretty quiet.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“You mean?”
“I mean I have a lot to do.”
“
We
have a lot to do.”
“That, too.” He needed to go over Lorelei’s role in this, but as soon as they finished, he’d head over to the courthouse and talk to the judge about swearing in as many temporary deputies as he could find. He’d put Jeff on watch at the train station. Most important, he also needed to prepare Mr. Wilkins and the new manager now that the threat seemed imminent.
His whole plan hinged on being prepared in advance. That’s why Lorelei’s information was so valuable. He wanted to have the tellers and the deputies lying in wait for the gang so they’d have the benefit of surprise, not the other way around. He was pretty sure he’d be able to find a lot of eager volunteer deputies. This was Peppin, after all. They wouldn’t go down without a fight because they plain refused to go down at all.
* * *
Lorelei did her level best to pay attention to the book she was pretending to read and not try to scan the courtyard for Sean. He’d told her he would be in the vicinity but refused to tell her where. She sighed.
Very comforting, Sean.
She’d been instructed to act as though she was totally oblivious to the fact the robbery might actually be happening today. She could act that way, but just the possibility of the holdup becoming a reality had her body strumming with nervousness. The waiting wasn’t helping, either.
Where in the world is Silas, anyway? I’ve been waiting at least ten minutes already.
She made it through the next few pages of her book before she realized someone was approaching. Silas strolled toward her bench as if he didn’t have a care in the world. She closed her book and offered him a smile. “Hello, Silas.”
He carefully returned her smile. “Lorelei, it’s a beautiful day for a walk. Join me.”
“Certainly.” She slipped her arm into his, then glanced at him curiously when he pinned it to his side. She surveyed his expression carefully. He seemed uncharacteristically lacking in emotion. “Is something wrong?”
He shook his head. “No. Everything is going according to schedule.”
She allowed him to continue to lead her along the sidewalk away from the center of town. “Do you have some information you want to share with me then? Perhaps a final date so that I can be ready?”
He watched her for a long moment. A strange mix of emotions settled in his eyes. They were filled with pity, amusement and a bit of derision if she wasn’t mistaken. “No, I’m afraid not.”
“I don’t understand. Why did you insist on meeting me today?” The sidewalk abruptly ended, causing her to stumble.
Silas caught her arms in his hands until she regained her footing, then pinned her with his stare. “You’re going to cooperate, aren’t you, Lorelei?”
Her eyes widened. “Yes, of course. I told you I would.”
He seemed much more like the Silas she knew when he smiled his approval. “Good. Follow me.”
She had little choice since he kept his grasp firmly on her arm and pulled her behind the courthouse. The rail yard stretched behind a big iron fence to the right. The sight of the large bay stallion tethered to the fence caught her attention. Waves of dread slowly filtered through her stomach as Silas made a beeline toward it. “Get on the horse, Lorelei.”
She swallowed nervously. “Why?”
His voice was calm. His eyes were deadly. “If you don’t, I’m going to have to kill you.”
“You wouldn’t—” She bit her lip as she suddenly found herself staring down the barrel of his gun. Her heart pounded in her chest. She daringly lifted one eyebrow and shrugged nonchalantly. “No need to be nasty about it. Put that thing away and give me a boost.”
He put his gun away, but not before she saw a flicker of respect in his eyes. She waited until he met her gaze again. “It’s happening today, isn’t it?”
He gave her a hard stare, then cupped his hands for her boot. “We don’t have time for this. Drape your skirt across the saddle horn and sit sidesaddle.”
She did as he said. He untethered the horse and swung up behind her before turning the horse abruptly. As they rode out of town, Lorelei didn’t dare look behind her to see if Sean might be following. Instead, she closed her eyes.
Lord, I’ve been trying to do the right thing. Please, protect me and the rest of the town. Show me how I can stop this before someone gets hurt.
* * *
Sean waited until he felt he had a good sense of the direction Lorelei and Silas Smithson were heading before he cut through the alleyway toward the livery. Joshua Stone and Jeff Bridger looked up questioningly as Sean stepped out of the alley into the doorway of the livery. Sean gave them an abrupt nod. “Today is the day just like we thought.”
“Your mount is saddled and waiting like you asked,” Mr. Stone said.
“Thank you. Jeff, gather the others and get into position. Mr. Stone, notify Mr. Wilkins. Make sure everyone is armed and ready.”
Jeff frowned. “Where are you going?”
He swung onto his mount, then glanced down at the two men he knew he could count on to carry on without him. “They took Lorelei. I’m going to get her back.”
As he rode out of town, he muttered a prayer. “All right, Lord, I know I haven’t been the best at asking for help or advice. I reckon You must not hate my plans entirely since You let me think of them, but this one is too important for me to do by myself. The town needs You, Lorelei needs You and I need You to see to it that this plan goes off without a hitch. I’m surrendering this to You, Lord. Please, protect us all.”
Chapter Eighteen
T
he ride was shorter than she expected. Silas reined in his horse about a quarter mile outside of town. They stopped in front of a small railroad supply shed that had obviously been built and abandoned five years ago when the railroad swept through town. She eyed the building dubiously. Silas helped her dismount before grabbing her arm in that tight grip of his and forcing her inside the shed.
Despite the bright sunlight outside, the inside of the small building was dim. The only square of sunlight in the room burst through a busted window along the back wall. Once her eyes adjusted, she met Calhoun’s gaze with a smile she didn’t feel. “It looks like your waiting is over, Mr. Calhoun.”
He grunted around the pipe in his mouth and said nothing else at first. He just continued to watch her. It was only when she glanced away that he spoke to Silas in that rough voice of his. “The others should be here any minute.”
“What others? I thought you were just waiting for your boss.”
Mr. Calhoun grinned slowly. “The boss and rest of the gang, Missy.”
“The rest of the gang,” she echoed, wondering how many that meant. She hoped Sean was prepared for more than they’d planned. He’d refused to tell her anything about his role and what he’d done to prepare for it, so that if questioned, she could honestly say she didn’t know.
Silas moved past her to stand by the window. The air suddenly filled with the sound of horse hooves and strange wild yips. Mr. Calhoun stood from where he sat on an old crate and walked toward the door muttering, “Bunch o’ wild ne’er-do-wells, the lot of them.”
He stood outlined in the door for a long minute while the whoops and yelps grew louder. Finally, he yelled, “All right, all right. We know you’re here. Shut your traps.”
The sounds only increased in volume until the first man burst through the door. She immediately recognized him as one of the men who’d pestered her on the way to mail the letter to the Brightlys. “Calhoun, you old coot, you’re cranky as always, I see. Remind me why the boss keeps you around.”
“Because I’ve got more sense than the rest of y’all put together,” he said wryly, then glanced behind him. “Except for maybe Smithson here.”
She knew the instant the younger man caught sight of her because he gave a slow whistle. “Who’s that?”
Another man burst into the shed. He took one look at Lorelei and stopped short. A lecherous grin tipped his mouth, and he elbowed the other man. “Lookee there. You see what I see, Jake?”
Jake looked her over slowly. “Looks like a woman to me, Owen.”
She straightened her shoulders and sent them a haughty glare meant to put them in their place. “That’s funny. From here it looks like two fools.”
Jake grinned. “You can call me whatever you want, honey, as long as I get to look at you.”
Owen pinned her with his lazy smile as he sank onto a nearby crate. “Look all you want. Just don’t touch her. I claimed that little gal when I saw her on the sidewalk. Ain’t that right, Miss Wilkins?”
She ignored him and turned toward Silas, who was still staring out the window. “It looks like there’s a lot you didn’t tell me, Silas.”
Calhoun hooted. “Now that’s the truth.”
She lifted her brows inquiringly. “Are there any other surprises, gentlemen?”
Silas suddenly turned to face her. His eyes were dark, hard and unflinching. His mocking smile sent chills through her body. “You might be surprised to know that I didn’t believe your little act for a moment. I will congratulate you on your valiant effort, though.”
Chills tripped down her arms. She swallowed. “What are you talking about?”
“The only reason I kept you around was to get the layouts of the bank and feed the wrong information to that sheriff of yours.” He stepped toward her threateningly. “Do you really think that I wanted your help?”
“So the plans we made…”
Calhoun grinned. “That was funny. You planned a nice little robbery all by yourself, didn’t you? We might have to use that plan on the next town we hit.”
“I see,” she said thoughtfully, then frantically tried to think of a way to get herself out of this mess. She tilted her head and gave a dry laugh. “Well, you had me fooled. I almost thought you were a gentleman.”
“You thought Silas was a gentleman?” Jake laughed in disbelief. “He’s just like the rest of us only he wears fancier clothes because we send him in to scout places out. I always say, you can dress up a donkey so he looks like a horse but inside he’s still—”
“Shut up, Jake,” Silas growled.
Jake rolled his eyes, then sat down on a crate with a thud.
“When is the boss getting here?” Owen asked.
“He’s riding over now,” Calhoun said from where he leaned next to the door.
Lorelei hated to bring the focus back to herself, but she needed to know what she might be up against. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you planning to do with me?”
Owen leaned forward with a leer. “Now, there’s a question I’d like to answer.”
She sent him a scathing glare. “I wouldn’t care to know that answer. Besides, I was asking you, Silas. After all, you could have just let me remain oblivious to all this. I wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone anything about your real plans. What’s the point of taking me captive?”
A new man entered the shed. All of the others sat up in attention. The mood immediately became more serious as he took stock of everyone. He was tall and thin but about as well dressed as Silas. His hands rested at his holster. His light brown gaze stopped when it met hers. “You’re our insurance. Your pa owns the bank. He’ll be much more cooperative if he knows we’ve got you.”
He turned to address his men. “I’ve been thinking. We’d better not take her with us at first. We don’t want the locals to get any ideas about saving her before everything is done. Someone will need to stay behind with her, then join the rest of us in about twenty minutes. By that time, we should have what we need.”
“How will he believe we have her if she isn’t with us?” Silas asked.
“We’ll take proof.”
Calhoun frowned. “What kind of proof?”
“Something she’s wearing,” Jake offered.
“Her dress,” Owen quietly suggested with a smirk.
“You don’t have time for that,” she said to the boss as she removed her hat. “You can take this. Papa knows it’s mine.”
He wavered for a moment, as though unwilling to accept her direction. Suddenly snatching the hat from her hand, he bellowed, “Everyone mount up. I’ll go over assignments outside.”
The door closed behind the last man with a bang. Lorelei knew they’d probably send Silas back in to guard her, but she didn’t plan to sit around and wait while her father’s bank was robbed. Her hand strayed to the small derringer Sean had insisted she strap to her leg. She sank onto a nearby crate and hid the gun beneath the folds of her skirt while she waited for her guard to come back in.
“Lord, please help me get out of here,” she whispered to herself as she heard the others’ horses ride away.
The door opened slowly, then closed with a decided slam. She glanced up. Instead of meeting Silas’s dark eyes, she was confronted with Owen’s lecherous grin. She stared back at him. She slowly rose to her feet, hiding the derringer behind her. “Where is Silas?”
Owen leaned back against the door to watch her. “The boss wanted him to go with the gang since he knows his way around town. I guess that just leaves you and me.”
“Unfortunately,” she murmured.
He threw his hat on a nearby crate and began to pace measured steps toward her. “The way I figure it, we’ve got about fifteen minutes all to ourselves. What do you reckon we could do in fifteen minutes?”
“I plan to sit right here and wait until it’s time to leave,” she said as her hand tightened around the gun.
“That’s too bad because I’m planning on having a little bit of fun,” he said, reaching toward her.
She jerked away from him, pulled the derringer from behind her back and pointed it straight at his heart. “Stay where you are or I’ll pull the trigger.”
He pulled his gun with a lighting-quick speed that took her breath away. Her little derringer looked awfully harmless compared to his Colt. The amusement on his face told her just how serious he was taking her threat. “That’s a nice little pistol you have there, Miss Wilkins. Hold it out to the side so I can get a good look at it.”
She braced herself, then squeezed the trigger. Light exploded off the end of her gun. He roared as the bullet ripped across his left shoulder. She darted past him. A sharp cry of pain rent from her lips as he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her body. The gun slipped from her hand. He shoved her against the wall. “I’ll teach you not to fool with me.”
She gasped for breath as she struggled against him to no avail.
Dear God in heaven have mercy,
she thought frantically just before his filthy laugh sounded in her ear.
* * *
Sean rushed toward the shed as a gunshot rang out. He prayed he wasn’t too late. Lorelei’s sharp cry of pain sounded inside. He pushed through the door and saw a man pin her against the wall. Fury filled his stomach. He drew his gun.
His finger twitched over the trigger, then stalled. He flipped the gun over to hold the barrel. The man’s putrid laughter filled the air as Sean walked up behind him. Without hesitation, he lifted the gun and crashed the handle onto the man’s head. He dropped like a boulder in a river. Sean eyed him to make sure he was really knocked out before he glanced at Lorelei. She was still staring at the man in disbelief. Slowly, her gaze lifted to his.
Her dark blue eyes were wild and stunned. They filled with tears an instant before she launched herself into his arms. He caught her tightly to his chest. That’s when he knew why he’d been fighting so hard to win the heart of a woman so reluctant to give it. He loved her. He’d been intrigued since that moment ten years ago when she’d announced their fates were intertwined. He’d hated watching her court Lawson until he’d resigned himself to it. He’d done a pretty good job of burying his feelings over the years, but they’d always been there waiting to be unearthed. With her in his arms, he lacked the will and the desire to deny their existence any longer.
“Just like breathing,” he murmured.
“What?”
He glanced down at her and shook his head. He couldn’t tell her. She wouldn’t believe him anyway. It was best to keep his discovery to himself for now. He lifted her over the prone man to settle onto a crate close to the door with her in his lap. Her whole body seemed to tremble. Her arms clung tightly around his neck, which was fine with him because he wasn’t about to let her go. He pressed a kiss against her hair. “Did they hurt you?”
She shook her head against his shoulder. “Not yet.”
“I wish I could have slugged him.”
She leaned back to look up at him. “Oh, Sean. It was awful. Silas knew I was pretending the whole time.”
Sean placed a stilling finger on her lips. “Do you hear that?”
She was quiet for a long moment as the sound of approaching horses’ hooves filled the shed. Her eyes widened. She whispered, “Someone is coming.”
They hurriedly stood to their feet. Sean drew his gun again, then motioned to her. “Get behind me.”
She brushed the tears from her cheek. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not going to hide from these brutes.”
“Lorelei,” he chastened in frustration.
“This is my battle, too.” She sent him a hard look, then picked up what he recognized as her derringer off of the ground. She spread her boots apart just enough to find her stance. Pursing her lips in concentration, she trained her gun toward the door.
They quieted in time to hear the hoofbeats come to a stop outside the shed. Someone dismounted. He tried not to let himself tense as the footsteps neared. The moment the door opened and the man stepped inside Sean commanded, “Hands in the air where I can see them!”
Silas’s hands crept cautiously toward the ceiling with his right hand already holding a gun. The man’s gaze swept the room quickly before returning to Sean. “What’s going on here?”
“First, throw your weapon outside nice and easy. Don’t give me a chance to shoot you because I’d sure like to,” he said calmly.
Silas followed his directions, then lifted his hand to the ceiling again. “Is Owen dead?”
Sean shook his head. “I haven’t checked but I’d say he’s just unconscious for now.”
“He tried to accost me,” Lorelei interjected.
Silas lowered his head slightly. “I’m sorry, Lorelei. I was coming back to help you.”
Sean narrowed his gaze. “Why do that after putting her in danger in the first place?”
“I had to in order to finish the job. You see, we’re all on the same side here.”
Lorelei shook her head. “Oh, no, we aren’t.”
“Yes, we are. I’m an undercover Texas Ranger.”
“Prove it,” Sean demanded over Lorelei’s gasp.
“I have to get the papers out of my boot.” At Sean’s nod, he leaned over and pulled off his shoe. Using a knife he pulled from his pocket, the man wedged the heel open and removed a folded piece of paper. He dropped the knife on the ground away from him, then held out the paper for Sean to take.
Sean glanced at Lorelei. She nodded and kept her gun trained on Silas as Sean holstered his and examined the paper in his hand. He glanced up at Silas. “It looks legitimate.”
“It
is
legitimate,” he said as he tucked the paper in his pocket. “I’ve been working with this gang for almost five months. I gained their trust so I could gather the evidence I needed. As soon as they get the money from the bank, I’ll be ready to arrest them. I allowed Lorelei to become involved because she would have botched the whole thing otherwise.”
“Thanks a lot,” she said wryly.
“I was trying to keep you safe.” He stomped his foot back into his shoe.
“You left her at the mercy of one of your gang members,” Sean objected. “I don’t think that qualifies as keeping her safe.”
Silas’s gaze was defiant. “My priority was to finish the job. She involved herself in this. If something had happened, it would have been as much her fault as mine.”
Sean grasped him by the front of the shirt and stared down at him. “Let’s get this straight. You could have told Lorelei no in the beginning. You could have come to me, the local law enforcement, to explain your assignment. Instead, you allowed this to progress until you placed her in a position where she could have been hurt or killed. If something had happened to her, it would have been as a result of your negligence, not your duty. Do you understand?”