Where the Heart Leads (6 page)

And that would have made a chunk of the Rocking M Ranch his and Giddy’s. It was their inheritance, which was the same as their property. Think how hard Pa had worked for that old bat, Maureen, wearing his fingers to the bone while she lied and cheated him, keeping all that money to herself? And most of it was Aumaleigh’s.

For now.

“Have a good day, Ma’am.” Those words nearly killed him. He fisted his hands, staring at the tear in his boot. His sock poked through. It was getting worse.

“Say, you’re walking without your crutch.” Aumaleigh had turned back to him, studying him from the height of her buggy seat. “Good for you. It must be wonderful to be on the mend. Do you know Oscar? He’s been in the same situation you are.”

“I’ve seen him around,” Junior frowned. Oscar had been the reason he’d feigned having a lame leg, getting the idea after seeing how Rose had taken sympathy on the man. Although it had been a mistake. He’d been wrong in thinking that gaining sympathy would be the way to get in good with the McPhees.

It never got him any closer to their money, and now he was torn. Torn up inside because of Iris.

“Oh, hi there, Wade.” Aumaleigh called out to the deputy.

Junior bowed his head. The lawman offered a friendly hello as he rode by. And reminded him something was up. That bad feeling in his gut was still there.

Something wasn’t right.

The uppity old McPhee woman drove away. Funny how she didn’t drive a sparkling new buggy or a fine-stepping horse. No, her vehicle was in good repair but had a lot of miles on it, and her mare was old and slightly sway-backed. Certainly nothing of quality.

She’s filthy rich.
Giddy’s words troubled him. It had to be true if she had the ranch. And just because he’d developed a soft spot for Iris didn’t mean he had one for the rest of the McPhees.

He and Giddy were gonna get Pa’s fair share one way or another.

That Aumaleigh was gonna regret pulling a fast one on Pa. Just you wait and see.

“What’s going on there, young fellow?” A sociable voice interrupted his thoughts.

He blinked, realizing he was standing in the middle of the boardwalk in plain sight of the horde of lawmen gathering in front of an empty store front, that was in the middle of a remodel. The sheriff led the pack of a dozen men, riding fast and hard out of town.

Heading in the direction of their miserable little cabin.

Junior’s blood went cold.

“Did you come by thinking we’d be open?” the chubby postman asked amiably. “We’re closed for a few more hours yet. I’m just slipping out to get me some coffee. Come back closer to opening time and I’ll let you in early. Mostly because I’ll be heading off to Rose and Seth’s wedding.”

“Right, thanks,” Junior said absently, walking off, staring at the tail end of the horses carrying the lawmen out of sight.

Giddy was at home alone. Junior took off, running across the street, even knowing the shortcut through the hills wouldn’t get him there in time. But he had to try and save his brother.

“Hey!” The postman shouted out after him. “Your leg is healed! Good for you!”

Junior kept running.

“For a while there, I wasn’t sure this day was gonna happen.” Gabriel kept his voice low as they stood at the front of the church.

“Neither did I,” Seth confessed, looking fine in his suit and tie. The boy didn’t look nervous. No, he looked absolutely certain.

Gabe knew how that felt. He’d once stood before an altar, more than ready to take his vows and looking forward to the life to come. That was one adventure he wouldn’t have missed for the world.

“You’re going to do just fine, you and Rose.” Gabriel knew it beyond all doubt. “From here on out and this day forward, your only job is to love her. Just love her. That’s all. That’s everything.”

“That’s my plan.” Seth gave a wide grin. “Glad you could be here, Uncle Gabriel. But you didn’t have to move out here and buy a place just on my account.”

“Now you’re teasing me, kid.” Gabriel chuckled and shook his head. He caught sight of the full church behind them as folks settled into the last available spaces on the pews.

That’s when the ground shifted and the sunlight falling through the stained-glass windows brightened. Aumaleigh McPhee stood behind the archway, giving the bride one last hug before making her way down the aisle.

“Wow, she’s more beautiful than ever,” Seth breathed. “I can’t believe my eyes.”

“I know how you feel.” Air wedged sideways in Gabriel’s chest.

How did Aumaleigh get more stunning over time? She wore a blue dress the same shade as her bluebonnet eyes. Her porcelain, heart-shaped face was dear to him, but time had changed it, drawn tiny lines around her eyes and softened the high cut of her cheekbones and the point of her chin.

Maturity looked good on her. She was more sure of herself, almost stately as she took her place in the second aisle on the bride’s side of the church, next to some ladies he didn’t know. Pain clutched his chest. She wouldn’t look his way.

She had to have seen him. He was hard to miss standing front and center alongside the groom.

The minister cleared his throat. “Are we ready to start?”

“Yes,” Seth answered and took Rose’s hand in his.

Gabriel blinked. He’d missed Rose walking down the aisle, he was likely to miss more if he kept watching Aumaleigh. The past was so long ago. But was it long enough?

If he’d been able to get over her refusing to marry him, couldn’t she move past it too?

He would have to figure out a way to help her do that.

Junior leaned against the rough bark of the Ponderosa pine, breathing hard. He pressed his hand against the stitch in his side. His lungs burned. Sweat rolled down his face. He hadn’t pushed himself that hard in a long time, and it was all for nothing. He was too late.

Down below through the boughs of evergreens, he could see Pa’s cabin. A ring of horses surrounded the building, standing patiently while two armed deputies patrolled the grounds. What were the chances Giddy had heard them coming and gotten out in time?

Maybe next to none.

There he was—that blasted sheriff strolling out the cabin door. “The fireplace is going. The cup of coffee is still steaming.”

“Yep, we just missed them.” A big, brawny man strolled out. It was one of the McPhee sister’s husbands, the former bounty hunter. “There’s only one set of tracks out the back door. I’ll grab a few men and follow them.”

“Take as many as you need.” The sheriff frowned. “But don’t you have a wife waiting for you? She’ll want you to dance with her at Rose’s reception.”

“Dancing isn’t my strong suit.”

Whatever the men said next was lost on Junior. The back of his neck prickled—like he wasn’t alone. His hand flew to his holstered revolver before he recognized his brother creeping through the underbrush.

“Shh!” Giddy held a finger to his lips. “I covered my tracks but one sound and it’ll give us away.”

“Right,” Junior whispered back, so long it was less than a whisper. “Glad to see you, Giddy, I thought—”

“Shh.” Giddy didn’t even seem to care. His attention zeroed in on the men below. “There they are, the rats. That’s our stuff now. They have no right.”

Giddy’s hands shook and he fisted them, like a man doing his best to stay in control. “I could just—just—”

That bad feeling was back, burrowing in Junior’s guts. “C’mon, we gotta go.”

Self-preservation kept him hiding in the shadows, leading the way among the ferns and moss, running while they had a head start. There was no going back. The sheriff was gonna figure out who they were, and he was going to see all the stolen stuff.

Now he was a man on the run, and Giddy too. How were they gonna make Pa proud now?

The wedding service was over and she hadn’t had a single run-in with Gabriel. So far, so good. Aumaleigh grabbed the silver serving tray. There was only the meal left to go. She could do this. She just had to stay on the opposite side of the manor house from him, and she’d be fine.

“Aumaleigh!” Nora Montgomery waltzed over with the importance of a woman who was sure of her position in life. Her gown was the latest design and her jewelry ostentatious. “Goodness, you are always the little worker bee, aren’t you? Then again, some women are simply made for work. I hear you bought yourself the darling little place on River Road.”

Aumaleigh decided to let the insult slide by. “Yes, I moved in yesterday.”

“How charming for you. Of course, with the income your ranch must make, you should have gotten something much more in line with your stature. I suppose your mother was right. You were always best suited for small things.” Nora swiped a ham and cheese biscuit off the tray. “We’ll be family soon. I suppose Tyler’s will be the next wedding. If only your niece wasn’t so pedestrian. Perhaps you could talk some sense into her. She insists on getting married in town, and as nice as this house is, it’s hardly the Deer Springs Hotel.”

“Nora, I’m not going to try to manipulate Magnolia for you. It’s not going to happen. I’m sorry.”

“You’re not sorry!” Nora pushed a lock of carefully coiffed hair out of her face. Diamonds glittered as she whirled around. “I don’t know what that girl did to get her hooks into my son, but I’m going to do my best to get her to let go —”

“Nora.” Aumaleigh lowered her voice, surprised to hear the threat ringing there. But she wasn’t sorry for it. “You have given my sweet niece a lot of grief, and if you do anything to stand in the way of Magnolia and Tyler’s happiness, I will make you regret it.”

“Your mother was always right about you.” Nora’s lovely face pruned with an ugly emotion. “No wonder you’re alone at your age. You get what you deserve.”

“Be careful, Nora. You just might wind up with what you deserve.”

With a disdainful noise, the elite woman stalked off, perhaps in search of more upper-class and sophisticated folks to speak with.

“Don’t listen to her.” A familiar smoky baritone seemed to rumble through her. “She’s wrong.”

“I know.” It took all her strength to turn around and face the one man she’d vowed to avoid. “Gabriel. Are you enjoying the party?”

“The food is tasty, and dinner hasn’t even been served yet. The kids look happy, don’t they?” He took a biscuit off the tray.

She wanted to fall through a hole in the floor and disappear. Where was a rotten floorboard when you needed one? “I think Rose and Seth are going to be very happy together. After all, he is the kind of good and gentle man who would never break Rose’s heart.”

“I agree. And Rose seems like the kind of young lady who would never hurt Seth.” Gabriel’s gaze pinned hers. His eyes were the same stormy gray. “I get the feeling that we aren’t talking about the kids anymore.”

“Of course we are,” she denied. “What else would we be talking about?”

“How about the reason you seem so angry with me?”

Ooh! The calm and sincere way he spoke riled her up again. Anger welled up until she could barely breathe. The nerve of him! “I’m hardly angry with you. After all these years, why would I be?”

Any moment now a bolt of lightning was going to strike her dead. Horribly, utterly dead.

“My mistake.” He took a bite of the biscuit. “Hmm, you made this, didn’t you? I’d know your cooking anywhere.”