Joshua Gable. The words carried on the lethal wind, cold and dark. Youre a dead man.
His blood iced at the sight of Reed Hamilton, a dark presence more shadow than substance in the thick haze of snowfall. He held loaded revolvers in each hand aimed, dead center, at Joshuas heart.
Joshua didnt hesitate. He drew.
Chapter Two
Claire Hamilton couldnt make the nausea go away, nor the way her head kept feeling as if it were swinging to the right and then the left, like a tree branch caught in the clutches of a spring tornado. Not even the burning nastiness of Mrs. Adelaide Gables whiskey could clear her head.
Of course, if shed known it was liquor, she never would have taken a swig. Shed thought the elderly widow had handed her water.
Your color is coming back some, my dear.
Mrs. Gable gave a grandmotherly pat on the side of her face, which was more of a slap. Claires eyes watered.
The elderly lady grinned. Thats more like it. Its always good to have a bit of fight in you. Now stand up. Ive got you.
Mrs. Gables gruff kindness heartened her. She was in agony from being around so many people. From having to accept condolences that did not come across as sincere. How could they? Shed done her best, but surely her bruises could only be so well disguised.
Anybody whod met Ham didnt particularly like him. Decent folk, anyway.
She was grateful for the older womans help. Her quiet assessment was knowing, though she couldnt guess that it wasnt grief that troubled her, but a miscarriage. Mrs. Gables grip was surprisingly strong for a woman of her advanced years, but then Adelaide Gable was no typical lady. Everyone knew that. Shed raised her sons after the death of her husband and had the respect of nearly everyone in the county. Her bright green eyes had seen a lot in her life and she seemed omniscient.
Heres the doc, in case youd rather stay clear of him. Mrs. Gables rough whisper was loud enough to carry over to Hams mother.
It was a fine thing that her mother-in-law was preoccupied by her own grief and distracted by her own circle of comforters. She was quieter now, after having tried to hurt Joshua. The doctor had come. He was on the far side of the crowd surrounding Opal and she could not see him directly, but he was essentially only a few steps away.
She was supposed to be resting, and surely that would be the first thing out of the doctors mouth, well-meaning and all. He could easily come to her and ask how she was feeling. What if he mentioned the miscarriage?
The sorrow was blacker than any shed known, and while she was not grieving her husband, she was mourning her baby. She felt as if some vital part of her had been cut out and she was empty as a forgotten cup gathering dust.
No, she could not take the doctors kindness. Memories of his face swam before her eyes, how concerned hed been. How his was the only kindness shed known aside from Joshuas that night, and she could not open her heart. It was too raw, and if Opal overheard, then think of the outcry she would make.
Claire knew the only way she would be all right was if she didnt dwell on her loss.
It was better to keep her real grief to herself. And that gave her the strength to pick up her right foot, despite the sharp pain in her lower stomach.
Its only from emotional upset and being up too long, she told herself but feared it was worse. She resisted the urge to lay her hand on her stomach, as if minimizing the movement of her torso would bring less pain.
But such a movement would surely be noticed by one of Hams brothers. Rick was watching her beneath the brim of his stained hat, his black eyes as inhuman as a rats. Just like her husbands eyes had been.
Its almost as if hes still watching me. She shivered and slid her hands into her coat pockets and kept them there. She limped through the worsening storm, looking like the grieving widow they all expected her to be.
A sudden shout rang through the snow-thick air. What was going on? She became aware that there was some scuffle. A crowd had gathered around so that she couldnt see. She could barely focus on the ground in front of her, as flakes clung to her lashes and the downpour pounded so hard the snow closed in like a shroud.
Her big toe stubbed what felt like a rock, and she stumbled. Adelaides grip tightened on her wrist, keeping her upright. Pain sizzled like lightning up her leg, into her groin and into the very center of her belly.
She needed to get home. Everything would be all right if she could reach the sleigh and get the horses headed home. In a storm like this they would hurry there on their own, without a lot of guidance from her.
Alone, shed be able to close her eyes, rest her head. Thats all she needed.
Then the deputy ran past and folks started yelling. Two gunshots fired, popping overhead like thunderclaps. Then she saw the shadows of two men through the snowy mist. One was facedown on the ground, felled by a wide-shouldered man who had his back to her.
She took a step closer and knew it was Joshua Gable. She could make out only his impressive silhouette. Shrouded with white, covered with snow shadow, he was no less awe-inspiring. His over-six-foot height was matched by his strong, working-mans musculature. He held his attacker down with one boot dug into the smaller mans back and cradled a Colt .45 in one hand, cocked and with his finger resting on the trigger.
A truly powerful man.
Joshua! Adelaide polarized with fear for her grandson. Oh, you must excuse me, dear. Thats my boy, and hes in trouble!
Claire hardly realized the elderly lady was talking. Shed forgotten Mrs. Gable was even holding on to her. Her entire being seemed to focus on the smoking revolvers gleaming black in the pure snow, fallen from the downed mans grip. She recognized the elaborate ironwork on the handle. That was Reeds gun.
Reed had thought to attack a Gable? What, was he drunk, too? As if in answer, the powerful scent of the cheapest whiskey wafted up on the cutting wind. Reed was a coward, and even she could glance at the boot tracks already filling with snow to see that Reed had come up on Joshua from behind. Reed could have killed him.
The deputy was there, at Joshuas side, and the men began to argue. Heated words melded together like flames in a growing fire and all she could hear were the hard brutal threats and accusations. Onlookers became involved, and Hams other brother, Rick, shouldered in, reaching to draw his gun.
In a flash, Joshua reached out and yanked the revolver from Ricks holster. The crowd hushed, but they shouldnt be surprised by Gables agility. Claire had seen him in action before.
Dont remember, she commanded, taking a wobbling step sideways and leaning heavily against a tree trunk. Her forehead rapped on the thick limbshe didnt notice it. Haze misted her vision and everything went white. Gasping, feeling strangely sick, she rested and counted the thrum of her heartbeats loud in her ears.
No one knew of that night. Only she and Joshua.
As if he could sense that she was thinking about him, his shoulders tensed and he turned toward her enough that he could see her over the impressive ledge of his shoulder. There was no looking around to find her in the murky snowfall. His eyes snapped to hers as if by destiny.
Look away, every instinct within her shouted. But logic told her the whiteout conditions would keep others from noticing. She indulged a long moment while their gazes remained bound.
Was he sorry? she wondered. Was he wishing hed never met her and Ham on the road that dark night? Look at the trouble it had caused him.
The deputy leaned close to speak with him, a somber matter judging by the tight lock of the lawmans jaw. Coop Logan had come often to her and Hams high country ranch, not that she saw him. When he did ride up to the house, he didnt come to the front door like decent company but kept to the back door.
Mostly, he waited at the corner where the hill sloped steeply downward and out of sight to the prairie below. Ham would make his way from the house or the barn. What they spoke about or the purpose of the lawmans calls, she couldnt say. She wondered if he would arrest Hams brothers, as he obviously ought to, for drawing and firing guns on innocent people.
Well, perhaps not so innocent, she remembered with a painful wince. And she felt the punch of it move through her and reflect in Joshua Gables face. A muscle worked in his jaw and he gave a barely noticeable nudge of his head toward the street, where her horses and sleigh waited.
He wanted her to go home. First, she had something to say to the deputy. She grabbed Logan by the forearm and yanked down the hand holding metal cuffs.
My brothers-in-law are in the wrong and you know it. She spoke loudly, scolding him, and she was surprised how her voice carried high above the others, silencing them. Theyve been drinking. Everyone here can smell it. They must have been at it all night. Or worse.
This is hardly a matter for a woman. The lawman said the last word with contempt. Gable here is holding a gun on your brothers
Former brothers-in-law, she corrected. An important distinction in her mind. I am no longer part of that family. Let Mr. Gable go.
Im afraid I cant do that. I have some questions I need to ask him.
And not Reed? Look at him. Even I can see he tried to shoot Mr. Gable in the back.
Joshua stepped forward, cutting between her and the deputy. Mrs. Hamilton, it would be wise if you left this to me. Go home. You must need rest.
His words were not condescending, but they were not kind. Not that he could be in front of these men. She and Joshua were two people who did not know each otherexcept for the night Ham died.
The last thing she wanted was for anyone to start wondering about how she knew Joshua. Especially the deputy. She could not ever risk putting this man in danger, not the only man whod ever stood up for her.
She eased back, already forgotten by the lawman and Hams brothers arguing. Pain spasmed like a fist, opening and closing low in her abdomen and the pain traversed down the front of her thighs.
Time to do as Joshua asked, she figured as she walked carefully through the uneven accumulation of snow. Breathing carefully, she felt only the worst of pain when her shoe slipped or the snow gave beneath her heel.
It looked as if Adelaide Gable had joined the fray and the deputy was forced to deal with the real wrongdoers.
That was a change around here. Not that she was going to get used to it. Claire stopped to swipe the snow from her lashes. The street wasnt far. She could make out the dark humps of horses and vehicles ahead. And a bright flash of red where shed tied her team.
Trouble. Shed lived with Ham long enough to know the impending feel of it. Easing onto the street, she came close enough to see Hams mother being helped into the sleighClaires sleigh. And the matched bay horses gave nervous sidesteps beneath their blankets.
Those are my horses now, she thought, feeling rage roll through her. Rage that shed kept contained during the funeral. Rage shed held back instead of grabbing the nearby shovel, left by the grave diggers, to beat the casket with all her strength. That man had made her lose her child. Hed tormented her from the moment shed stepped away from the church, a hopeful and dreamy new bride.
And his family had cheerfully made her miserable days since even more unbearable. And to think that woman, that greedy mother of his, was helping herself to the horses Claire had saved more times than she could count due to Hams careless treatment of them.
A new woman rose within her like the leading edge of a blizzard. She was no longer a modest and obedient wife but a widow of her own determination. She grabbed Thors bridle by the bit and held him firm. Where do you think you are going?
Opal had the audacity to look insulted. Home. Im not well.
Here you go, Mother. The youngest Hamilton, a sister a few years older than Claire, was quick to slide in beside her mother and seize control of the reins. Claire, scat. Youre in our way.
Youre in my sleigh. And these are my horses.
My dear brother would not want these fine animals to fall to you. Annabelle lifted her dainty chin. Shed married well and had the attitude to prove itand the avarice. It seemed to taint her sneer as she narrowed her small black eyes. You are nothing but a mistake Ham never should have made. Move aside or Ill run you down.
You will do no such thing. Thor obeyed her, and well he should, since they were friends, and she held his bridle hard, pulling downward.
Annabelle gave the thick reins a resounding smack. The big gelding whinnied and shied, as Claire knew he would. She spoke low to him, keeping him in place, and by association, his smaller brother, Loki, who was harnessed to him.
Release the horse! Annabelle demanded. Or I shall get out and be forced to
What? I have shoveled out Hams horse barn twice daily since I married him. While Opal moaned in her grief, renewed by the sound of Hams name being spoken, Claire bent, despite difficulty and the pain in her midsection.
She unbuckled the single strap that held the whiffletrees to the traces and forcefully met Annabelles eyes. Come and get them if you can.
She wasnt surprised Hams family turned into vultures, only that they were trying to take what they could so soon.
Claire stepped up onto the sturdy tracing between the horses and, with a snap, yanked the leather straps from Annabelles kid-gloved hands. Ignoring her fierce, angry shouts and Opals sobs, she eased onto Thors back and sent him and Loki into a fast walk.
Pain jolted through her. It was far too much pain. You need rest, kindly Doc Haskins had said. Complete bed rest. No stress or strain. No housework and no ranch work. No upset of any kind.
She was only supposed to be up for the funeral. But now she wished shed never come. She had thought saying goodbye to Ham would give her the chance to cast off the painful memories as well, but it had not worked.
At least she could go home now. The thought of her own bed and the soft flannel sheets made her moan with longing. Exhaustion settled like lead into the marrow of her bones. She had to escape, not only her relatives, but everything.
Sadness overwhelmed her, and to her disappointment, there was no quick escape. Already the swarm of the funeral crowd was buzzing close to the streets, and she drew Thor and Loki to a halt.
Why was everyone stopping? She strained to see over the big covered surrey in front of her. A sled had skidded off the road into the ditch at the crossroads that made up the trading post, the only civilization aside from the church on this remote corner of the county. The vehicle and team had caused a blockage on the only place where the two main roads through the county intersected. They were already receiving help from others nearby, although the traffic wasnt likely to begin moving anytime soon.