When a Texan Gambles (32 page)

She pressed farther into the tree as a black shadow passed between her and the edge of the tree line. He was almost close enough to touch. A thin man. She could hear the soft swish of his leather coat and see the fringe dance between her and the camp’s fire.

Holding her breath, she realized she was almost close enough to smell Reed. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry. It was almost as if he strolled in the darkness, waiting for something.

She heard the click of his knife as he tapped the blade. For a moment she thought he might have seen her running and was playing with her now, knowing she hid somewhere near. But as he continued to wait, she realized all his attention was focused on the camp.

Reed was doing the same thing she was doing. He was waiting in the safety of the trees until trouble started.

Without letting Reed out of her sight, she watched Jacob ride toward the camp, his head low, his body loose as though he were almost asleep in the saddle.

“Hello the camp!” he finally yelled. “All right to ride in?”

The two men who’d been arguing by the fire stood. “Come on in, slow and easy, mister,” one answered as all three men in camp readied their guns.

Jacob moved closer. “I saw your fire and thought you might be the couple I’m looking for. A man and his wife on their way to Fort Worth.”

The two men by the fire seemed to relax, but the third man on the edge of the light stood ready.

“We’re just a few wranglers heading back home,” the man who’d spoken before said.

Sarah knew little about wranglers, but these men were not dressed like men who herded cattle. They wore no chaps, and the wool of their trousers would never take the rough work around cattle.

If Jacob noticed he didn’t comment as he climbed from his horse. It was considered good manners to offer any stranger who came in unarmed a cup of coffee, if not supper.

Not one of the three men offered.

Jacob checked his saddle. “Well, I’ll be moving on.”

All three men waited for him to leave. They weren’t looking for trouble, but they weren’t inviting any in. Silence stretched.

Finally the only man who’d spoken said, “I think I saw a couple camped a few miles back. You might want to check before you stop, stranger.”

Jacob nodded and lifted his rifle from the saddle. “Raise those hands nice and easy, boys. I’m a Texas Ranger and I think it’s about time you came with me.”

The two men did as he asked, but the third went for his gun. A gun fired from the shadows and the lookout fell. Jacob kept his rifle steady on the two remaining outlaws.

Sarah searched the area where the shot must have come from, but she couldn’t see Sam. When she looked back, the thin shadow of Reed had also vanished.

“I didn’t come alone.” Jacob motioned with his rifle for the two by the fire to keep their hands high.

Sarah heard movement in the trees several yards away. Suddenly Sam stepped out, his hands in the air. A moment later the thin man moved behind him, a gun shoved against Sam’s back. “Drop that gun, Ranger, or your friend will not take another step.”

Jacob swore and lowered his rifle.

In horror Sarah watched as Sam was herded into camp.

“We’ve been waiting all day for you two boys to show up.” Reed laughed. “I knew if I stopped looking for you, you’d find me. And this spot had too many hiding places near to pass up.”

“Come on in, boys!” he yelled.

Men, well armed, materialized from around the camp. If she would have tried to get another ten feet closer to the fire, she would have almost stepped over one. She counted six.

The two men who’d been arguing at the camp earlier quickly grabbed Jacob’s weapons and tied his hands behind his back.

“You’ll never get away with this.” He shoved at the men who tried to hold him.

“Oh, but I will,” Reed answered. “All we have to do is toss your body in the river. You’ll float for miles, and no one will even be able to guess where you were shot. Since there’s no scene of the crime, lawmen will all think someone else will handle the details.”

“That’s not the way the Texas Rangers work. Someone will come after you.”

“Me!” Reed yelled. “By the time they find your body, I’ll have witnesses that put me nowhere near this river.”

“You can’t murder us and get away with it.” A bit of nervousness flickered in Jacob’s voice, but Sarah noticed Sam hadn’t said a word.

She lifted her rifle. If any man tried to open fire, she’d down one, maybe two, before they could hit Sam and Jacob.

“You, I
can
kill.” Reed laughed. “One Ranger in the state, more or less, won’t matter, but the great Sam Gatlin is another story. My name will be whispered with respect in every saloon in the state when folks know I downed the legend.”

Sarah couldn’t believe Sam wasn’t making a sound. In fact, he seemed to be just listening, as if he had only passing interest in the conversation.

“Shot him in the back, you mean,” Jacob hissed.

Reed eased Sam’s guns from their holster. “I’m not going to shoot him in the back, I’m going to face him and kill him while he’s armed.” He motioned for two of his men to move closer. When they each held one of Sam’s arms, Reed ordered, “String him between those two trees, boys. Pull his arms out tight.”

The moment Reed pulled the gun from Sam’s back, Sam shot into action. He grabbed the man on his left and sent him flying into the fire. The man on his right put up a fight, but he was no match for Sam. Within a few blows he lay flat out on the ground, moaning in pain.

Reed fired one shot between Sam’s legs. Sam froze. Reed pointed his gun at the Ranger. “Go along nicely, Sam, or I’ll kill your friend before you can make it two steps toward me.”

Sam hesitated as if debating.

“Do what you must, Sam!” Jacob shouted. “I’m dead anyway. Take any chance you have.”

One of the men holding Jacob slammed the butt of his gun against the Ranger’s mouth.

Jacob jerked so violently the man stumbled and fell. He jumped up, embarrassed that a tied-up Ranger could get the better of him. Swearing, he hit Jacob again, hard enough this time to drop the Ranger to his knee.

Reed smiled, obviously enjoying watching the Ranger bleed. “Tell you what, Gatlin, I’ll let the Ranger go after my men rough him up a bit, if you’ll face me in a fair fight.”

Sam stared at him. “A fair fight?”

“As fair as I’m ever going to offer you. I want to start with your hands away from your guns. You let my men tie one hand to each of those trees. When I yell, my man will cut the rope on your left hand. We draw.”

“You know I’m right-handed,” Sam commented.

“I know, that’s why I’m giving you a gun in your right holster. You beat me, left hand having to pull your right gun, and I figure I’m too slow to live anyway. I’ll leave orders for none of my men to interfere and to leave the Ranger breathing. Fair enough?”

“Fair enough.” Sam stepped between the trees and lifted his arms shoulder high. Hesitantly outlaws stepped forward to tie his hands, pulling him between the two trees.

Sarah fought back tears as she stared at the man she loved and tried to decide how to help.

One of the men Sam had fought and burned in the campfire hurried forward once the bounty hunter was tied. He slammed his fist into Sam’s face several times.

“That’s enough, Roy,” Reed ordered. “I want to get on with the gunfight.”

Roy doubled back and slammed his fist into Sam’s face one more time before backing away.

Sarah lifted the rifle, trying to decide which man to shoot first. She knew she only had one shot, maybe two before the outlaws filled both Sam and Jacob full of lead. Both men were bleeding, Jacob from the mouth and Sam from cuts over his left eye and along his cheek.

“Is there anything you want to say before I order the rope cut?” Reed shouted. “The second it falls we both have the same time to pull our guns. You’ll just be reaching a little farther than me. And when I’ve killed you, I’ll be the legend and you’ll just be one dead bounty hunter.”

Sam stared at Reed. “I’ve got a guardian angel you haven’t counted on. She can make a rope dance with one bullet.”

Reed laughed, commenting to his men that the legend must have already been hit one too many times in the head. He ordered them all to stand back as Roy held the knife above the rope that bound Sam’s left hand.

Sarah raised her rifle. Reed moved his fingers an inch above his weapon and prepared to draw.

“Now!” he shouted.

Roy slit the rope the exact second Sarah fired into the rope that bound Sam’s right hand. With lightning quickness Sam drew, downing Reed even before the outlaw’s gun was clear of its holster.

He whirled around to the other men. “Touch your weapons, boys, and you’re dead.”

All of their bravery drained out of them as blood spread across Reed’s chest.

Sam shoved Roy toward the others, pulling guns and tossing them away as he moved. “Untie the Ranger,” he ordered.

Sarah stood prepared to fire if any man moved.

Jacob rubbed his wrist, then collected his guns. “Thanks.” he glanced at Sam. “I owe you one.” He moved to tie the remaining members of the gang while Sam stood guard.

Sam looked over his shoulder and saw Sarah step out of the shadows. “I thought I told you to stay put where you’d be safe.” His voice was a growl, but a smile lifted the comer of his mouth.

“But, Sam—” Jacob yelled.

“Stay out of it, Ranger!” they both yelled back.

“If I’d have listened, you’d be dead right now,” she whispered when she neared.

“If you’d listen, you’d be pregnant right now,” he answered.

TWENTY-EIGHT

THE DEPUTIES FROM FORT WORTH JACOB HAD SWORN would meet them at Reed’s camp showed up about the time all the outlaws were tied. They agreed to take the men into Fort Worth while Sarah pestered both Jacob and Sam until they allowed her to treat their wounds.

“For such strong, big men, you both sure whine when it’s time to patch you up,” she complained until they both let her work.

Sam didn’t miss the way the Ranger looked at Sarah while she leaned close to him and cleaned the cuts on his face. He couldn’t blame the man for staring at her, hell, he’d been around her for two weeks, and her beauty still crept up on him and took his breath away sometimes.

When Sarah went down to the river to wash up, Jacob looked at him. “You don’t deserve her, you know.”

“We’ve had this conversation before.”

“I know, but I might just tell you every time I see you so you don’t forget.” Jacob flinched as he tried to smile. His lip had finally stopped bleeding, but it was swollen almost double in size.

“I’m not likely to forget.” Sam kept Sarah in his sight even as he talked. “When I married her, it was more to get her out of that jail than anything else, but now ...”

“You don’t know how you’d live without her,” Jacob finished the sentence.

“Something like that,” Sam answered. “But I can’t stay. Even if I tried to settle down with her, there would always be some Reed looking for me. I got a place not too far from here that I can set her up in. She’ll have all she needs, and I’ll check in on her from time to time.”

“She’ll hate it,” Jacob offered.

“Why would she hate it? She hasn’t seen it yet. In fact, she doesn’t believe it’s real. She thinks it’s like a fairy tale I tell her about now and then.”

“She’ll hate it if you’re not there.”

Sam frowned. “So you think I should let her go and she’ll find some nice ‘stay around’ farmer to marry next. I don’t know if I could do that.”

“It’s too late anyway.” Jacob stood and stretched. “She’s already made up her mind that you’re her man. Hell if I know why. You’re not even nice to her half the time, and the way you snap at her, she should have shot you and not the rope.”

“Thanks a lot. If she’d have missed that rope we’d both be dead.”

“I know,” the Ranger mumbled. “All I could think about when I was tied up was that you’d better survive for Sarah’s sake.”

“What are you hinting at?” Sam studied the younger man closely. “You think I should get out of the business?”

“You can‘t,” Jacob answered. “Legends may die, but they don’t just walk away. Folks don’t let them.”

Sarah returned and the conversation died. Sam leaned back against his bedroll and tried to find an answer, but there wasn’t any. They were all too tired to eat. Jacob bedded down across the fire from Sam and Sarah. He turned his back to the fire and was snoring within minutes.

Sarah giggled softly at Sam’s side. “The Ranger may have trouble finding a wife if she knows he snores.”

Sam pulled her covers over her shoulder. “Men like him are better off staying single.”

She rolled to face him. “Men like him? You’re a man like him.”

“That’s right,” Sam answered.

She was quiet for a while, then whispered, “Sam, are you sorry you married me?”