3

Cole was going to live.

Justin was a while believing it, but finally he did.

And then, as if he hadn’t had enough shocks for one day, he had to stand there and listen to Sadie announce she was marrying Heath Kincaid. The parson showed up as if Sadie had sent a telegram through the air asking him to come out.

They were married at Cole’s bedside.

Justin witnessed the vows. They hit him hard, as if he’d never heard them before, and he had a few times—but not for a little sister. “In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, as long as we both shall live.” These were fierce promises to make. The vows were eternal. Heath and Sadie—smiling all the while—swore before God to keep them.

His baby sister. He remembered Sadie vaguely as a baby. Justin was three when she was born. She’d been the most delicate, pretty little thing. Everything in him had known this was someone he was bound by God to protect.

Then she’d gotten older and become a torment, and he’d been too big to fight back against the little imp. Cole had been known to say the same thing about Justin.

With his throat tight, confused about whether to fight the wedding or celebrate it, he instead stood silently.

Heath had saved Pa’s life in an avalanche. And he’d taken a bullet for Sadie, even if it was just a scratch. And he’d just caught the man who’d brought a lot of trouble to the Bodens’ door.

Heath was a top hand, smart, loyal, honest, and fearless as a grizzly bear. A good Christian man. Of course, Justin was fine with his sister marrying the coyote.

But Sadie was too young to get married, and good as he was, Heath wasn’t good enough for her. Justin had yet to meet anyone who was.

He wished Ma and Pa were here. They’d be the ones asking questions and guarding Sadie. But they weren’t here, and much as Justin didn’t like it, he had no say over what an adult woman—sister or not—did when it came to choosing a husband.

But he saw Sadie’s happiness, and Heath had brought her home safe when Justin abandoned her to save Cole. So Justin welcomed Heath to the family with some grace.

As if he had any choice in the matter.

Finally, the sheriff came and pestered Justin until he left his sister alone with her new husband, and his brother alone with Doc Garner and his pretty, clumsy little nurse, Angie.

Justin knew Angie way better than he should. He’d met her the day she came to town, stepped off the train, and collapsed in his arms. He’d never forgotten how she’d felt and was overly aware of her ever since.

He went to question their prisoner. Justin had locked him in the cellar, and it’d been quite a while. Maybe the varmint would be ready to talk.

“Bring him up.” Sheriff Joe Dunn was giving orders.

Justin had taken more orders today than he had in his whole life. Ma and Pa were exceptions to that, who’d always bossed him around. But as a rule he was a man to take charge and proud of that, because someone had to run this ranch, especially now with Pa being hurt.

Justin was ready to have a long, brutal talk with this prisoner, who was in on the shooting of Cole and most likely all the recent troubles that had beset the Boden family.

After he dragged the man up from the cellar, Justin saw Sadie and Heath eating in the kitchen. He badgered Heath to come and talk to their prisoner. Finally Justin had to face facts.

Heath and Sadie were much too busy.

Their prisoner had been untied when they put him in the cellar. There was only one way out of there—a sturdy trapdoor in the kitchen floor, and it was solidly locked. Justin probably should have asked the sheriff to put this outlaw in shackles, but a real cranky part of Justin hoped the low-down back-shooting vermin tried to escape. It would be Justin’s great pleasure to stop him.

They walked with him to Pa’s office, and there was no escape attempt. Instead he sat down, crossed his arms, and looked between Justin and the sheriff. “What are you folks up to? I haven’t got a dollar to steal, and my horse is a broken-down old nag. If you’re thieves, you’re picking on the wrong man.”

“You shot my brother today, nearly killed him. You can polish up your lies while you spend the rest of your life burning in Yuma.”

The man’s eyes shifted as if looking for a way out, but then he steadied himself and instead of running he fought his expression into lines of indignation. Leaning forward in his seat, he said, “You attacked me, mister. I wasn’t doin’ nuthin’ wrong, just riding along—”

“You’re wasting time,” Justin cut him off. The man had been given too much time to concoct his lies. “Who are you working for?”

Justin wasn’t waiting for Sheriff Dunn to ask a question. “Who hired you to kill Chance Boden?”

The man jerked his head back like Justin had slapped him. “I ain’t got no idea in the world what you’re talkin’ about.”

“No one has been on that trail for years. I’d never heard of it, and I live ten minutes from there, and you expect me to believe you were just riding along.”

“I expect you to believe the truth!” The man sounded weak. Justin glanced at Joe, a man nearly as old as Pa. He’d been the lawman in Skull Gulch for as long as Justin could remember. He was relieved to see distrust in the lawman’s eyes.

“What’s your name?” Joe finally asked a question. He was better at this than Justin was. Start at the beginning. It made sense.

“Folks call me Arizona Watts. I’m just passin’ through. I never shot nobody.”

“So you have no job, no acquaintances in the area.”

“Nope, don’t know a soul. A man’s allowed to wander.”

Heath’s voice came from behind them. “I was with Dantalion when he died.”

Justin didn’t let the surprise voice distract him. He was looking right at Watts and saw the color drain from his face at the mention of Dantalion.

“He told me he was trying to catch up with you, Watts. He was dying, and he wasn’t hiding a thing from me.”

“No! I’ve never heard of the man.”

Sheriff Joe said, “A dying man’s word carries a lot of weight with me.” He narrowed his eyes at the prisoner. “And I know Heath and the Bodens mighty well, and I don’t know you a lick. Are you going to tell me what you were up to and who you’re working with? Or should I just lock you up until the circuit judge comes by?”

Justin knew Heath was lying, trying to trick Watts into a confession. Heath had given a quick rundown of all that had happened when he went back for Sadie. Dantalion took his secrets to the grave.

“Dantalion had one thousand dollars in gold in his pockets and a letter saying he was getting paid that much for attacking the Bodens.” Heath watched the man like a cat watched a cornered mouse. “How much was he paying you?”

“A thousand dollars? That lying cheat. He told me he’d give me twenty-five for every Boden I killed.” Watts’s mouth clamped shut so fast they all heard the snap.

“That enough to keep him locked up for good, Sheriff?”

“More than enough.” Joe looked at Watts. The old sheriff had slowed down, and his belly was round. He had thick white hair and eyebrows so bushy he oughta comb them. But he was a wise man and tough enough to keep peace in Skull Gulch for the last thirty years. Pa claimed him as a good friend.

“Near as I can tell, Watts,” Sheriff Joe said, “you haven’t killed anyone yet. But not for lack of trying. In New Mexico Territory, attempted murder is enough to lock you up for the rest of your life or even hang you if the jury’s in a foul mood. But if we could have a name, we might look for the man behind this crime and go easy on you. You knew Dantalion, is that right?”

Watts looked up, sullen and angry, and all he said was, “No jail will hold me, and it won’t be because I have to break out. I’ll walk right out the front door, and you’ll apologize as I go.”

He said it with such assurance that Justin felt a chill run down his spine. There weren’t many people with the power this man claimed.

The sheriff’s eyes narrowed again as he studied the man. He asked him a few more questions, but Watts sank into complete silence and wouldn’t be budged.

A quiet movement from behind him made Justin turn to see Heath was gone. But he’d come through. That Kincaid was a mighty handy man to have around.

Justin was going to have to get used to the idea of him, especially since the man was now his brother.