18

“Cole, you shouldn’t be out of bed!” Justin shouted loud enough to shake dirt down off the barn rafters.

The men were saddling up, getting ready for the day. Not a one of them missed Justin and Cole scrapping. And that was just how Justin and Cole had planned it. They wanted to make sure everyone heard them making the day’s arrangements.

“I told you, I’m fine.” Cole headed for his horse, kept in a stall inside until it learned to get along with the other horses. It had been living in town with Cole, and the feisty stallion hadn’t quite found the right herd yet.

Justin grabbed Cole’s arm hard enough to stop him in his tracks and made a fist. “If you’re well enough to be out here riding, you’re well enough to take a punch.”

Cole turned to face him, his eyes flashing rage.

Justin almost smiled, but then caught himself. That’d ruin everything.

“I have to ride out to the mines today.” Cole yanked his arm free of Justin’s grip. “It’s been a week.”

“We’ve had reports brought in. Go study them.”

“The last I heard from them was Monday. It’s been a full workweek since then, and someone should have checked in. I’m worried that they didn’t. Something must’ve gone wrong. I’m well enough to—”

“Just shut up for a minute,” Justin snarled. Fighting with Cole was his favorite pastime.

“I plan to take it slow, so I’ll be gone all day—”

“I said quiet down!” Justin said. “I’ll go.”

“You’ve got a full day’s work.”

Justin looked around at his men. “I can head out to the mine after the noon meal. I don’t have to take it slow, so I can make a fast run, get the report you’re so worried about, and still be home by supper.”

Cole didn’t respond. Instead he glared at Justin and breathed hard through clenched teeth. He knew good and well he wasn’t up to the long ride. But their plan had included Cole losing this fight, so anyone with bad intentions would know exactly where Justin would be riding. And that he’d be alone.

“Fine, but I want your word you’ll get out there and back today.”

“Even if I have to ride long after dark, I’ll get back here. Anyway, it’s a shorter ride from here because you’ve been starting from town. I’ll cut nearly two hours off your time.”

“I checked Pa’s office this morning and Monday’s reports weren’t there. Where’d you put them?”

Justin dragged his Stetson off his head and whacked himself in the leg, as if Cole’s question made him half-crazed with impatience. “I tucked them away. Let’s go, I’ll have to get them for you.”

He looked up at Alonzo. “Get the men started. I want to bring the cattle up from the east pasture, and I want a head count on the closest herd to the south. I’ll catch the cowhands heading south and help with that before I ride for the mine.”

Alonzo was in charge because John had ridden with Heath, Sadie, and Angie. As if it took all three of them to get Angie safely to town. All the more reason for Justin to keep busy, so he wouldn’t think about how much he’d wanted to escort her in.

“Here he comes!” Heath ducked low, not wanting to give his position away.

“That’s Windy.” Sadie hissed the words. She was a good partner and knew how to keep quiet and stay out of sight.

Heath looked at her and saw the hurt of betrayal. He hesitated to say more. But he needed her to get beyond hurt feelings and be ready if this turned into a fight.

He pulled her close and whispered, “He can’t have any business on that trail, Sadie. Justin sent him along with the drovers to bring the cattle closer. Here he is, as if he dropped back to return to the ranch, and then instead of going back he’s heading up that old trail.”

“The same one where we fought Dantalion.”

All the sadness vanished from Sadie’s expression, replaced by fury. “He’s trying to find Dantalion and report Justin’s trip to the mines this afternoon. They’re planning to waylay him and kill him.”

Windy—that was the only name Heath had ever heard him called—vanished into the woods. Heath inched his head up. When he saw no sign of their prey, he grabbed Sadie’s hand and headed through the woods toward the trail Windy had taken. He’d been in some tight spots in his life, but he’d never tried to catch an outlaw and hold a woman’s hand at the same time.

Marriage changed a man.

Heath’s instincts were to get Sadie far away to somewhere safe, but he knew how his wife felt about that and knew just how tough she was. She’d wanted to go, and he respected her enough to see that she’d be a mighty big help if he needed one.

They followed Windy along, he on horseback, they on foot. But the trail was so winding and treacherous that Heath figured they could keep up well enough, and it was hard to trail a man when you’re seated high on horseback. They stayed after him for ten minutes, reached the top of the incline, then started down. He wasn’t far ahead.

“What will he do when he can’t find his partner?” Sadie kept up so well, Heath had to hustle or she’d leave him behind.

“They must have some signal they send each other. Windy will send the signal—or maybe he already did somehow. He may think he’s meeting Dantalion.”

Heath came around a curve and saw Windy dismount. With a darting grab, he tugged Sadie back behind the cover of trees. He noticed how she was tugging him back just as hard. She’d seen Windy the same time he did, or maybe a second sooner. They’d all but walked right into him no more than twenty paces ahead now. They crouched behind scrub trees and watched. But of course Dantalion wasn’t coming, he being dead and buried, after all. And Windy could have no reason to have come up this trail but a traitorous one.

There was no sense waiting another minute.

With a squeeze of Sadie’s hand, Heath let her go and drew his gun silently. He didn’t cock it; Windy would hear that. He heard Sadie arm herself, too. Heath didn’t protest. For one thing, she’d do as she pleased, so why waste his breath? And for another thing, when a body went to chasing down an outlaw who had a rifle in his saddle scabbard and a gun in his holster, well, being armed seemed like a right fine idea.

Windy hadn’t impressed Heath as being all that sharp. The man didn’t look around him, didn’t seem aware they were close or worry anyone was following. But then he’d fooled them all into thinking he was loyal, so Heath took him seriously.

He caught Sadie’s eye and nodded for her to go into the woods to the right. He wanted them coming up from two directions. With a single nod of agreement she melted silently out of sight.

He really loved that woman.

Slipping into the woods to his left, he inched forward, choosing every step to avoid snapping twigs or crushing dead leaves. With each pace forward he closed the distance. Meanwhile, Heath kept a sharp lookout for anyone else coming to meet Windy. It’d be reckless to rule out other conspirators.

Two more long paces and Heath had his quarry within grabbing distance. Windy was facing away. A quick look and Heath saw Sadie barely visible in the underbrush across the trail. Their gazes met, and Heath held up a hand, hoping it kept Sadie in hiding. He nodded at their target, holstered his gun, drew in a deep breath, focusing on Windy while never forgetting the man was armed.

He hurled himself forward and slammed into Windy’s back. They landed hard on the trail.

Windy gave a startled shout, then attacked as fast and hard as a striking snake, landing an elbow against Heath’s cheek. He was a skinny man and none too tall, but he was wiry and quick. He struck again and then raked a spur down Heath’s leg.

He’d nearly gotten free when Heath clobbered him in the side of his face, then flipped the wriggling fool onto his back and plowed another fist into his chin.

Windy lay flat on his back, and Heath let out a sigh of relief to have the man subdued. He was sitting on top of him and he moved to disarm the man, letting go with one hand to reach for his pistol. The second Windy was free, he brought a roundhouse punch straight into Heath’s gut. Heath tumbled backward. Dazed, Heath scrambled to grab the thrashing, kicking man again before he could get to his gun.

But Windy didn’t reach for his gun. Instead he sprinted forward and leapt onto his horse. Heath’s hand flew to his six-shooter and drew it even as he swung around. A shot rang out and blasted into a tree just inches behind Windy’s head. Sadie had joined the fray.

Windy spurred his horse, jumping into a gallop. He bent low over his horse’s neck as another bullet missed him by a hair. Vanishing downhill, away from the ranch, he rode around the closest of a hundred curves in the trail.

Heath ran forward, Windy’s gun peppering his back trail. Heath threw himself flat on his belly just as he rounded the curve. He had his gun out and aimed just as Windy reached the next curve and was out of sight again.

Footsteps pounded behind him, so Heath rolled onto his back, expecting another attack. Instead he saw Sadie standing there in her blue skirt. She had her smoking gun gripped tight, aimed straight at . . . nothing. No one was there.

She said in disgust, “I missed him. I had two clear shots.”

Heath jumped up and dashed down the trial. “We might be able to get him from above. You can see the lower parts of the trail from up there,” he said, pointing. He rushed forward and then realized, this high up, no part of the lower trail showed. He’d be running for a long way, and by then Windy would be gone.

Gasping for air and still reeling from Windy’s blow, Heath turned to see his wife only a few paces behind him. “You are the best kind of woman there is, Sadie Kincaid.”

She grinned, then gave him a sassy nod. “Don’t you ever forget it, Heath Kincaid.”

As he stood, breathing hard, Sadie’s eyes focused on his cheek, and she reached up. He caught her hand before she could touch the bruise. It was bound to pain him if she did.

“You’re hurt.” Sadie closed her fingers around his hand. “I won’t touch it. I don’t want to make it feel worse.”

Heath said, “I reckon I’ll have myself a beauty of a black eye come morning.”

She smiled, her eyes brimming with kindness. “I’ll still love you, Heath, even if you spend a few days not being so pretty.”

“I appreciate that, Mrs. Kincaid.” He looked in the direction Windy had ridden. The frustration was like a maddening itch, but on foot there was no chance of catching him.

“Let’s go home.” He turned toward the uphill stretch of the narrow path. “We may not have him, but we identified the coyote and he’s gone from the ranch for good.”

It wasn’t a very satisfying end to their trap, but there was nothing to be done about it now. They headed down the heavily wooded, twisting trail to the ranch yard.

Heath and Sadie entered the house through the kitchen door. Once there, Heath turned toward his tough little wife. “Now, I need to thank you properly for saving my life.” He then dragged her into his arms.