Eliza walked into the dining room at the appointed time and then stuttered to a halt. What was John Brady doing having breakfast with Ben?

She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her brother’s life depended on how well she conducted herself in public this morning. So she squared her shoulders and smiled, then walked across the Driskill’s half-filled dining room as if she owned the place.

“Miss Gentry,” someone called, and she looked over to see Governor Ross motioning her toward him.

“Good morning, Governor,” she said when she reached his table.

After a few excruciating minutes of pleasant small talk, Eliza returned to her path to the table where Ben and Mr. Brady were waiting.

She tried not to look around. Ben had told her the kidnappers had planted a man in this room to watch her. If she failed to convince him, her brother would be lost to her forever.

“Mr. Brady,” she said with what she hoped would be a smile. “Ben didn’t tell me you would be joining us this morning.”

“I’ve come from your father’s ranch,” he told her, green eyes watching her far too closely for comfort. “Your parents are heartbroken.”

Eliza let out another long breath and toyed with the napkin on the table in front of her. Tears threatened, but somehow she held them back.

“Red and Papa knew one another before he married Mama, so of course he would be devastated to lose him,” she finally said.

“Red is going to be fine,” the security detective said.

Eliza closed her eyes and gave thanks, then opened them again. “I’m so very glad to hear this. He looked like he was dead. His eyes were closed, and I didn’t have time to check to see if he was breathing, but—”

“Why is that?” the detective asked.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Why didn’t you have time to check on a man who was like a second father to you?” He leaned back in his chair. “You must have had to leave in an extreme hurry.”

“Good news on old Red,” Ben interjected. “He never liked me much, but I couldn’t find fault with him on the trail. He always treated me like everyone else.” He paused. “What was the problem?”

“Apoplectic episode of some kind is what the doctor thinks. He’s supposed to get better.” Mr. Brady’s gaze collided with hers. “Was it always the plan to have Red drive you out to the far side of the ranch and then leave him there to run off with this man, or did that just evolve in the moment?”

“Do not answer him,” Ben snapped, pounding his fist on the table.

Eliza gasped and several diners looked over in their direction. A waiter came running. “Is there a problem, Mr. Barnhart?”

“I think our guest was just leaving,” he said. “The only problem will be if he doesn’t.”

“Then there won’t be a problem.” Mr. Brady pushed back from the table and stood. “You can always go home, Miss Gentry.”

“That’s Mrs. Barnhart, isn’t it, dear?”

She looked up into those kind green eyes—those familiar eyes—and she knew she couldn’t fool him. Yet she tried.

“As of this morning, yes.”

Ben’s triumphant expression lasted until the security detective had disappeared out into the lobby. Only then did he wipe the smile off his face.

“Excellent performance, Eliza.” He reached over to take her hand and then lifted it to his lips. “Anyone who was watching would see how very much in love we are.”

Her stomach turned a flip but she kept her smile in place. “Who is watching, Ben? Have you figured it out?”

“Not yet, but my men are on it. The only way I was able to negotiate on your behalf was to convince them I was your husband,” he reminded her. “If your father had agreed to their demands, you wouldn’t have been the next one kidnapped and we wouldn’t be sitting here now.”

“That doesn’t sound like something Papa would do, Ben. I’m not sure I believe it. He loves us so. Why would he possibly jeopardize the life of the son who is named after him? It just makes no sense.”

Ben released her hand and shifted positions. “Darling, I can’t speak for what your father would do. I can only tell you what I was told he has done.”

“I suppose so.” She offered him a smile. “I don’t know how your men managed to stop the kidnapping, but I am grateful.”

“As am I.” Ben squeezed her hand. “I cannot imagine a world without you in it, my love.”

“How long will we have to pretend?” she asked.

“As long as it takes,” was Ben’s cryptic response. “Now, I have some things to attend to. I’ve arranged a suite for you next to mine. There’s a door between them so you can easily find me if you need me.”

“Why would I do that?”

He chuckled. “All right. Well then, there’s a door between our suites, and that ought to convince anyone who wonders why a newly married husband and wife would have separate rooms.”

Eliza relaxed a notch. “As long as it is only the kidnappers we are trying to convince. I would be horrified if anyone actually thought we were married.”

His expression fell. “I’m going to try not to take offense, Eliza. Would being married to me be the worst thing in the world?”

“No, of course not,” she said. “The worst thing in the world would be to lose my brother. I would do anything to save him.”

Ben’s smile returned. “That’s what I’m counting on.”

Even on a swift horse, the ride back to the Gentry ranch seemed far too slow. When he finally arrived, Wyatt found the ranch swarming with activity. The sheriff had come and gone, leaving a man behind just in case.

Wyatt made his way through the gamut of cowboys and lawmen who milled around on the lawn. “You there,” someone called, and he saw it was Red.

The older man waved him over, and though he wanted desperately to speak with William Gentry, he honored the ranch foreman’s wish and detoured to the porch adjacent to the bunkhouse.

Red was seated in a rocker that had obviously been brought over from the main house. A bowl of soup sat beside him, and coffee steamed in one of Mrs. Gentry’s fine china cups.

“What’s the news on Miss Eliza?” he asked, his eyes alert but his voice slow and measured. “And stop staring to try and figure out what kind of palsy I’ve ended up with. Doc says other than the fact I might not be able to smile even and the ladies will think my left eye is winking at them, I’ll be just fine.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I just came from speaking with Eliza.” At the older man’s surprised expression, he continued. “She’s alive and well, and when I left them she was having breakfast with Ben Barnhart at the Driskill Hotel.”

Red looked away and muttered a string of words that he never would have said in front of a female. Then he looked back at Wyatt.

“Did he take her?” Wyatt asked.

“His wasn’t the voice I heard. That belonged to someone else. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t behind it though.” He paused, his expression pained. “If I could’ve just stopped them. I was there, but—”

“Don’t, Red. It couldn’t be helped.”

“I heard that man tell Eliza it was good I’d died of natural causes because otherwise he was going to have to shoot me.” He looked up at Wyatt. “I’d have shot him first if I’d had the chance.”

“Wasn’t supposed to happen that way.” Wyatt nodded toward the ranch house. “Have you spoken to the boss?”

“Not since I finally convinced the doc to quit pestering me and go home.” He shifted positions. “Don’t plan to until that circus over there goes home. Will has his hands full already. He don’t need me underfoot. Go on and tell him what you know.”

With a nod, he bid Red goodbye and headed for the ranch house. The sheriff’s deputy met him at the door and refused to allow him inside.

“He will want to see me,” Wyatt told him.

The deputy returned a few minutes later and motioned for Wyatt to follow. He found Eliza’s parents in the parlor with Justine. Mrs. Gentry rose but remained in place as her husband stalked over to Wyatt.

The girl ran across the room to launch herself into his arms. “Did you bring Eliza back?” she asked, her eyes wide beneath the brim of a straw hat that was meant for a much older person. “I miss her terribly.”

“No, Justine, I’m afraid I didn’t.”

The child slid down and ran back to her aunt. Then she buried her face in Mrs. Gentry’s skirt and began to wail.

“You have news.” A statement, not a question, from William Gentry.

“I have.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Excuse us, dear.”

Wyatt followed the rancher into his office and waited once again until the door was closed and the older man was seated behind his desk. “Did you find her?”

With anyone else, he might have given a gentle answer, but Wyatt knew this man too well to do that. “She’s with Ben Barnhart at the Driskill Hotel. They were having breakfast when I left.”

The color in his face drained. “Barnhart wanted to be sure he was seen with her.”

“They claim to be married, sir.”

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, dropping his hands into his lap. After a few minutes he opened his eyes again. “Do you believe them?”

“I haven’t decided.”

He swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. “Did she look happy?”

Wyatt had to think about it. “Not particularly. But that might have been due to the circumstances. She did run off. That has to make a person a little bit nervous. She was relieved that Red wasn’t dead.”

Mr. Gentry let out a long breath. “How did this happen?”

Wyatt shifted positions and studied his hands. Finally, he looked up. “I’ve tried to piece it all together, and I don’t know yet. It just doesn’t add up.”

“No, it doesn’t.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how I will tell her mother.”

“Why don’t you hold off on that, sir? Keep her home and don’t let anyone come to the ranch who might pass on gossip.” He shrugged. “I have a feeling all the facts will come out if given time.”

A knock at the door interrupted any response. The same deputy who had escorted Wyatt in walked over to Mr. Gentry and whispered something.

“Put a hat on him and hide his face as best you can. I’ll speak with him out there.” He gestured out the window to a table and chairs on the back porch. “Whatever you do, do not let my wife know he is here.”

Once the deputy was gone, Mr. Gentry turned to Wyatt. “My men intercepted Ben Barnhart at the gate. He wants to see me.”

“And you’re meeting him outside there,” Wyatt supplied as he looked over the situation.

The window was flanked by curtains that were currently open to allow sunlight in but could be closed. The windowpanes were thick, but the sash could be raised to allow anyone in the office to hear what was happening on the other side clearly.

“I’ll expect you to be listening,” Mr. Gentry said. “Now tell me how I need to handle this and what you think I need to ask him.”

“What is it you want from him?” he asked out of habit.

“I don’t want a thing from him except my daughter,” he snapped. “I just want Eliza home again.”

“You understand they very well may be married,” Wyatt said carefully. “How will you handle that if it’s true?”

The older man’s expression went cold. “I will always love my daughter, but if she has chosen a Barnhart over this family, then I don’t know how I will forgive her.” He paused. “Or if I can.”

“Are you sure about that, sir?”

He shook his head. “You were there, son. You know the kind of man Ben Barnhart is. He killed your father, and you yourself said he’s very likely involved with counterfeiters and who knows what else. Would you have me welcome him into my family?”

Wyatt took a deep breath and set aside all the reasons he agreed with William Gentry to offer a word of warning. “She is your daughter, sir. Your flesh and blood. What if she realizes she has made a mistake and wants to come home?”

He looked over at the map of the Chisholm Trail. “Sometimes living with your mistakes is the best way to learn. Now what else do I need to make sure I say or do?”

By the time Wyatt had finished briefing Eliza’s father, the deputy had returned. “They’re bringing Barnhart around to the back so the missus doesn’t catch sight of him. Want me to have someone keep an eye on him while he’s with you?”

“I want to speak with him privately,” he told the deputy, “but it wouldn’t hurt to have eyes on Barnhart from a distance. If you’d do that yourself, I’d be much obliged.”

The deputy nodded. “I will, sir.”

Once the lawman had departed, William Gentry walked over to the window and opened it, then focused his attention on Wyatt. A look passed between them. No words of instruction were necessary. He knew what to do.

Eliza’s father stepped around the desk to walk toward the door. Then he stopped short and turned around.

“Something wrong?” Wyatt asked.

Mr. Gentry pressed past him to return to his desk and leave his pistol there. A look passed between them. Then Eliza’s father shook his head and walked toward the door.