Where the Heart Leads (23 page)

“And Pa will be with us.” Junior could picture it—they’d get a nice manor house somewhere pretty, maybe down south where the weather was hot and they’d never have to worry about getting cold. Steak to eat every day. Servants to wait on them.

Yeah, he liked that picture. But it looked even better with Pa sitting beside him, Pa playing checkers with him, and Pa going out to the stables to look at their fancy horses. Junior’s eyes burned again, because it meant so much.

“Glad you agree.” Giddy held open the gunnysack so Junior could get more food. “Are you paying attention? You’re supposed to be our lookout.”

“Sorry, Giddy.” Junior grabbed a handful of something warm in the bottom of the sack—a piece of mostly eaten chicken. He shoved it in his mouth and returned to his post.

He could see a lot of the valley from here. If the deputies were out tracking, Junior would see them. He was going to keep his eyes sharp.

“You’ve been quiet, Aumaleigh.” Daisy slipped into the kitchen, carrying a stack of dessert plates. “We’ve missed you out there.”

“I just didn’t want to leave any work for Iris, this being her wedding night.” Aumaleigh finished wiping down the counter. “Let me take those. You go out with the others.”

“No. I’d rather stay in here with you.” Daisy looked exhausted. Dark circles bruised the delicate skin beneath her eyes. The color had drained form her cheeks. “Maybe I’ll have some tea.”

“I steeped some for you. Ginger tea.” Aumaleigh set the plates in the wash water and fetched a clean teacup. “I made it for your mother when she was expecting you.”

“The doctor confirmed it this morning, but with the shooting and the wedding, I wanted to wait.” Daisy gratefully took the soothing cup of tea. “I like to think Ma would be happy to see where we’ve all wound up.”

“I know she would love Beckett and Hailie.” That Aumaleigh knew for sure. Love for her sister-in-law warmed her right up. “She was so ecstatic when she was expecting you girls. She treasured every minute.”

“That sounds like Ma.” Daisy leaned against the counter and took a sip of tea. “If it’s a girl, we’re going to name her Laura.”

“After your mother. She would have been so pleased. May your baby be just as sweet.”

“I know she will be. If it’s a boy, we have no idea about names. I don’t like Pa’s first name, and Beckett doesn’t like his father’s first name.”

“If I’d had a son, I would have named him William.” She plunged her hands into the water and began cleaning the plates. “I just always liked that name. It seems strong and kind at the same time—” —
just like Gabriel.
She bit her bottom lip before the words popped out.

“I can picture you sitting sewing on your wedding dress and making up your mind about future baby names.” Daisy took another sip. “Seeing Gabriel again must bring up old feelings.”

“Too many.” Aumaleigh sighed, slipping a couple plates into the rinse water. Maybe she should have kept that thought to herself too. “But I made my choice back then. I didn’t marry him.”

“And you told me you regretted it ever since. What were the exact words? Let me think.
When I had the chance, I should have said yes.
That’s what you said. You also said he told you that he would love you until he drew his dying breath.” Daisy set down her cup. “What if that has been true all along?”

“Gabriel stopped loving me long ago.” Of that she was certain.

“He named his daughter after you. There’s only one reason to do that. Believe me, I know.” Her hand drifted to her stomach, a mother’s pure love shone on her face. “What if this is your second chance?”

What if? It was the one question she’d fought to keep out of her head because it hurt too much. She was not the girl she used to be. She felt every wrinkle. The time for romance in her life had passed…right? She shrugged. “He wants to be friends.”

“Go ahead and tell yourself that. I don’t believe it. Not for one minute.” Daisy’s chin went up, stubborn. “Don’t forget we all love you, Aumaleigh. You’re part of this family now and we look out for our own. If Gabriel tries to break your heart again, he will answer to me. I’ll send Magnolia with her snake stick after him.”

“That would put true fear into anyone,” Aumaleigh quipped, breaking the moment, and they laughed together. The conversation turned to other things, but something had crept into her heart.

It felt suspiciously like hope.

“Giddy! Giddy, wake up.” Junior shook his brother’s shoulder hard.

Giddy gave one final snore before bolting up on the bunk. “What? Huh?”

“Someone’s comin’.” He grabbed the gunnysacks from his bunk and stuffed them into the water bucket that had been left in the shack. “They’re comin’ fast. We gotta go.”

“What do you mean?” Giddy grabbed his revolver and drew. “We’ll sit in the woods waiting for ‘em. When they come up the trail,
bang, bang.
We’ll have us a few dead deputies.”

He hopped from the bunk, looking eager about it.

Junior wished his brother wasn’t like that. He’d seen him like this before. There had been times—more than a few—when it had been better not to ask. But now that they were living together, he had to wonder. “Have you ever killed a man before?”

“Haven’t you?” Giddy looked down the nose of his .45, lining up his sites and pretending to shoot. “There was a time or two I had to even the score. Make ‘em pay for what they’d done to me. This ain’t about that sheriff, is it? He’s dead by now. Guess that would make four notches on my belt.”

Giddy buckled on his gun belt, scuffed across the floor in his boots. “I’ve got a spot all scouted out with a good view of the trail. How many would you say are coming? Two, three?”

“A dozen.” Junior’s feelings stung. He didn’t appreciate his brother talking harsh about the sheriff like that. What about Iris? Was she crying? Was she sad she was never able to get married? The thought of her heartbroken broke him up inside.

Maybe he was more than a little sweet on her. Very sweet.

“You’re wrong.” Giddy seemed sure about it. He stalked outside to check for himself. It sure seemed like he had it all figured out.

Junior went straight into the woods, heading up into the higher foothills. It was dark, and there were wild things out here. An owl hooted overhead. Something moved quick and predatory through the undergrowth on a faint trail ahead of him. Stars flickered between the trees. His foot caught on an exposed tree root and down he went. Bam! His knee hit a rock, the bucket flew from his hand and he caught himself with his palms. Stickers dug into his flesh, into his hands, and he bit back a curse of pain.

Sound carried in the night, in the quiet. The rolling clunk, clunk, clunk of the metal bucket rolling downhill sounded as loud as cannon fire to his ears. He pushed himself up, pulled the stickers out of his skin and adrenaline spiked through him. At least the deputies weren’t close enough to pounce.

“Aw, they’re all the way down the road. You chicken-livered coward.” Giddy grabbed him by the armpits and yanked him up. “You’re running away like a little girl.”

“Do you know who lives in this town?” Junior pulled a few stickers out of his arm. “Zane Reed, that’s who. He’s close with the sheriff. They’re friends. Everyone in town knows that. Who do you think that is leading the pack?”

“So what?” Giddy sounded all brave. “I’m not afraid of no bounty hunter. Besides, we’re gonna be long gone by the time he gets here. C’mon.”

No argument there. Junior didn’t have time to bemoan the loss of the bucket and gunnysack blankets. He followed Giddy into the dark. The forest surrounded them as they climbed and climbed some more, keeping to the shadows as they circled McPhee land. By the time he was breathing hard and the back of his throat was dry, Giddy stopped and crouched low.

“There’s that stupid bounty hunter. If only we weren’t so far away.” Giddy carefully pushed the needles of an evergreen bough aside just enough to frame the men dismounting midway up the trail to the cabin. Giddy pointed his finger like a gun at the bounty hunter. “Bang, bang.”

Junior shivered. “C’mon, let’s keep going. I don’t want to get caught by that man.”

“Don’t worry.” Giddy eased the tree branch back into place. “We won’t.”

They headed into the hills, stopping to cover their trail before splashing through the river and into the night-swept meadows of the neighboring ranch. They kept going until dawn.

Gabriel pulled Barney to a stop and leaned back in his saddle, taking in the view. The Rocking M was an impressive ranch in the early morning light, part valley, part hillside and rimmed by an emerald forest and towering mountains. He shouldn’t be surprised, knowing Aumaleigh’s parents had built it. They had been two people driven by money and by appearance—and ruthless enough to succeed at all costs.

Good for Aumaleigh for winding up with all this. She deserved it. He swung down, took a moment to pat his weary horse. They’d been going all night. His mind drifted to the past, to how hard they used to work Aumaleigh. Not her brothers, just her.
A son is to carry on your name, your legacy,
Winston McPhee used to say.
But a daughter, she’s only good for what you can get out of her.

The back door of the two-story log house swung open, and Aumaleigh bustled out, whistling as she reached up to ring the dinner bell. The melody carried on the wind, rising above the chatter of birds busily building nests and the whinny of a gelding leaning over a wooden corral closest to the house.

“Oh, goodness, Phil, you are a demanding horse!” Aumaleigh called out, looked toward the whinnying horse and jumping when she saw him instead. “Gabriel! You startled me. What are you doing sneaking around my ranch?”

“I’m up to no good.”

“Typical.” She smiled at him, wiping her hands on her flowered apron. She looked pretty as the morning, standing in the golden-hued sunshine with the wind tousling her hair. It was sleek and dark, curling around her heart-shaped face, a face he knew so well. “It’s feeding time. The cowboys are on their way.”

“Feeding time? You mean for the animals?”

“Sometimes I call them that.” She pulled something out of her skirt pocket—a carrot. She swished toward him, following the path the sun made as if it were shining just for her.

“Hey, I heard that, Aumaleigh!” A cowboy hollered across the way. “We’ve worked hard not to be animals. We’ve improved our ways.”

“Yeah, now we wipe our feet,” another cowboy called out, leading the way across the yard. “We don’t spit tobacco in the house anymore.”

“That’s because if you do, I’ll take my wooden spoon to you, John. I won’t hesitate.” Aumaleigh tossed him a caring smile. Her manner was easy, her nature kind. You could see how much she respected the men who worked for her.

And how much they respected her.

“Hey, Gabriel.” John stopped to greet him. “It was good to have you riding with us last night.”

“It was good to come along. Thought I’d get home, grab some shut eye and be ready to ride again tonight.”

“We’d be glad to have you.” John’s gaze cut sideways to pretty Aumaleigh waltzing up to the corral, sweet talking the whinnying gelding. “It’s a worry those men were hiding out here on the ranch. Makes you think they were up to no good here.”