“Courtney!”
She stopped, groaning when she saw Reed Taylor crossing the street toward her. Of all the luck. Another few yards and she’d have been safely inside the hotel.
Mattie and Pearce stopped too, but with a long-suffering look, Courtney nodded them on, then waited for Reed to reach her. He did quickly. In fact, she noted, he must have rushed out of his saloon the moment he saw her, for he’d come out without his coat or hat, most unusual for a man who prided himself on dressing impeccably at all times.
His grooming wasn’t up to par, either. His blond hair was mussed, and he hadn’t yet shaved. His disheveled state made him no less handsome, however. Courtney doubted anything could detract from Reed’s appearance. The combination of dark green eyes, aquiline nose, and engaging dimples was lethal. And he was a big man, tall and thick-set—strong. She always thought of strength when she saw Reed. He was a winner, a very successful man. Yes, strong.
Courtney sometimes wondered if she wasn’t crazy to let his faults determine her feelings about him. But they did. He was the most bullishly stubborn, hardheaded man she had ever met. She just didn’t like him. That didn’t show in the gaze she turned on him, though, for Courtney was far too well brought up for that.
“Morning, Reed.”
He came right to the point. “You haven’t received me since that trouble in Handley’s store.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Were you that upset?”
“Well, of course I was.”
And she had been. But the other fact was that she was preoccupied with finding someone to take her to Texas. She was packed and ready to go. And Berny Bixler had a wagon and a sturdy horse for sale. She lacked only an escort.
But the trouble in Handley’s served as an excuse to put Reed off. A simple “I don’t want to see you” just didn’t work with Reed.
“I couldn’t believe it when Gus told me. I didn’t get back from Wichita until that night,” Reed told her. “It’s damned fortunate that Chandler fellow was there.”
“Chandos,” Courtney corrected softly.
“What? Yes, well, whatever. I meant to thank him for coming to your assistance, but he took off too early the next morning—which is probably just as well. The man was too quick to draw his gun at the slightest provocation.”
Courtney knew what he was referring to. After being up half the night, she had slept late that following morning, thus missing the second shoot-out. It seemed Jim Ward’s friend had challenged Chandos in front of the hotel. According to old Charley, the fellow hadn’t stood a chance against Chandos’s lightning-quick draw. But the gunman’s wound was to his gun hand. Chandos hadn’t killed him. After that, Chandos tied the man up, collected Jim Ward’s corpse, and rode out of Rockley with the dead man and the live one in tow.
“It was not your place to thank the man on my behalf anyway, Reed,” Courtney said. “I tried to thank him myself, but he didn’t want thanks.”
“I just wish I could have been there to help you, honey,” Reed replied warmly. Then, in the next breath, and with equal enthusiasm, he said, “But my trip was successful. I was able to secure a prime location over in Buffalo City. The fellow who told me about it was right. Thanks to the railroad, another town has sprung up practically overnight, this one around that old whiskey peddlers’ camp. They’ve already rechristened it Dodge City, after the commander of the nearby garrison.”
“Another cowtown in the making?” Courtney remarked dryly, no longer amazed by Reed’s single-minded self-centeredness. “Then you’ll be moving there instead of Wichita?”
“No, I’ll find someone to run the Dodge saloon for me. Wichita will still be the home base, as I planned.”
“How enterprising of you. Why not keep your place here in Rockley too, instead of tearing it down?”
“I’ve considered that. If you think it’s a good idea—”
“Don’t, Reed,” Courtney cut in quickly. Good grief, the man’s hide was so thick, sarcasm didn’t penetrate. “Whatever you decide has nothing to do with me.”
“Of course it does.”
“No, it does not,” she said firmly, then added,
“You might as well know, I’ve decided to leave Rockley.”
“Leave? What do you mean? Of course, you’ve wanted to return East, and I can’t blame you. The only reason I put down stakes in Rockley was because of you. But there’s nothing for you back East, honey. Sarah’s told me—”
“I don’t care what Sarah has told you.” Courtney’s voice rose against his patronizing attitude. “And where I go is none of your concern.”
“Of course it is.”
God sakes, he made her want to scream. But it had always been like this. He could never take no for an answer. Her frank refusal to marry him had simply been ignored. How did a person get through to such a man?
“Reed, I have to leave. Mattie and Pearce are waiting for me at home.”
“They can wait,” he said, frowning. “Listen to me, Courtney. About this notion of yours about leaving. I simply can’t allow you—”
“You can’t allow!” she gasped.
“Now, I didn’t mean it quite that way.” He tried to pacify her. Lord, she was something when her eyes lit up like that. It happened so rarely, but when it did, she aroused him like no woman ever had. “It’s just that I’m pulling up stakes in about two weeks, and I thought we could get married first.”
“No.”
“Honey, it’s a damned long ride between here and Wichita just to continue courting.”
“Good.”
His frown grew more pronounced. “You have never given me one good reason why you won’t marry me. Oh, I know, you say you don’t love me—”
“Oh, you’ve heard me say that much?”
“Honey, you’ll learn to love me,” he assured her, his dimples appearing. “I’ll grow on you.”
“I don’t want you to grow on me, Reed, I—”
She suffered through his unexpected kiss without any undignified struggles. It wasn’t distasteful. Reed knew an awful lot about kissing. But the only thing he stirred in her was exasperation. How she would have liked to slap him for his boldness. But the scene they were causing was bad enough without compounding it.
When he released her, she stepped back. “Good day, Reed.”
“We will marry, Courtney,” he said as she walked past him.
Courtney didn’t acknowledge those words, which had sounded like a threat. Perhaps she ought to put off leaving until after Reed moved to Wichita. She didn’t really think he would try to stop her, but where Reed was concerned, a person just never knew.
She was so preoccupied that she nearly ran into the gunman. In fact, he reached out to stop her from colliding with him. He was standing in the entrance of the hotel, blocking the doorway. Why hadn’t she noticed him? God sakes, had he seen her kissing Reed? His eyes gave away nothing of his thoughts, as usual.
The blush crept embarrassingly into her cheeks anyway. She glanced to the side to see if Reed was still watching her, but he had gone back to his saloon.
“I—I never thought to see you—” she began, stopping when he flipped a wad of paper at her.
“Can you fill that in an hour?”
She opened the crumbled paper and briefly scanned the contents. Her heart skipped a beat. It was a list of supplies, a detailed list.
Slowly, her eyes rose to his. “Does this mean you’ve changed your mind?”
He stared at her for several long moments. She was so easy to read, hope and excitement in her catlike eyes.
“One hour, lady, or I ride out alone,” was all he said.
Chapter 12
MATTIE knocked only once before opening the door. “So he came back?”
Courtney glanced over her shoulder. “What? Oh, Mattie, I forgot about you and Pearce waiting. I’m sorry. But don’t just stand there, come in and help me!”
“Help you with what?”
“What’s it look l
ike?” Courtney said impatiently.
The younger girl’s eyes widened as she took in the sight of the room in utter shambles. Clothes were scattered everywhere, petticoats and gowns draped over the chair, the bed, the bureau, everywhere.
“You want me to help you mess up your room?”
“Silly. I can’t take my trunk because there’s no mention of a wagon on the list, just a horse with all the trappings. Here, see?” Courtney handed the list over.
Mattie’s eyes widened. “So he’s going to take you to Texas? But I thought you said—”
“He changed his mind. He’s a man of few words, Mattie. He just handed me the list and asked if I could fill it in an hour. Oh! Come on, I don’t have much time. I still have to go to Handley’s for the saddlebags and supplies, and buy a horse, and—”
“Courtney! I can’t believe you’re willin” to travel all the way to Texas without a wagon. You’ll have no privacy. You’ll have to sleep on the ground.“
“I’ll have a bedroll,” Courtney said cheerfully. “See, there’s a bedroll on the list.”
“Courtney!”
“Well, I don’t have much choice, do I? And look at all the time we’ll save without a wagon to slow us down. I’ll get to Waco much sooner than I thought.”
“Court, you’ve never even ridden a horse for one entire day, much less weeks. You’re gonna be so sore—”
“Mattie, I’ll manage, really. And I don’t have time to argue. If I’m not ready, he’ll leave without me.”
“Let him. God sakes, Courtney, that man’s in too much of an all-fired hurry. He’s gonna race you across the plains. Your blisters will have blisters. In two days you’ll wish you were dead and beg him to bring you back. Wait for someone else to take you.”
“No,” Courtney said, her chin set firmly. “Others coming through Rockley might say yes, but will I trust them? I trust Chandos. You said yourself that he’s perfect for the job. And there’s something else, Mattie. I have the feeling Reed might try to stop me.”
“He wouldn’t dare,” Mattie said indignantly.
“Yes, he would dare. And not many men would stand up to Reed.”
“And you think Chandos would? Yes, I guess he would, all right. But—”
“Mattie, I have to get to Waco. Chandos is the best man to get me there. It’s as simple as that. Now, are you going to help me? I’m running out of time.”
“All right.” Mattie sighed. “Let’s see what’s on this list—are you going to buy pants and shirts? He has those on here.”
Busy sorting through her gowns, Courtney shook her head. “I’m sure he only put that on the list because I can’t ride in a dress. But I have that mohair skirt that I altered for riding, so that’ll be fine.”
“You’re sure that’s his reason? Maybe he wants you to look like a man. You forget the country you’ll be traveling through.”
“Don’t start on the dangers, Mattie! I’m scared enough.”
“Maybe you better buy at least one pair of pants just to be safe.”
“I suppose I could, but Mr. Handley’s going to think I’m crazy. And I don’t have enough time for all that.”
Mattie stared at the carpetbag Courtney was stuffing two gowns into. “I know he says to bring only a few clothes, Court, but you can get one more dress in there. Why not? You’re gonna need an extra sack for all the food anyway, and you’ve still got the saddlebags. You’re gonna be cramped on your horse, but there’s no way around that.”
“Oh! Mattie? You know horses better than I do, and he says I need a good horse. Could you buy the horse for me?”
“There’s not much to choose from over at the stable. If there was time, well, we’ve got a beauty out at our place.”
“There’s no time, Mattie. He said an hour and he meant an hour.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Mattie grumbled. “Then I’ll meet you in front of Handley’s. Does Sarah know yet?”
Courtney handed over some of her stash of bills, grinning at her friend. “Are you serious? If she knew, she’d be in here giving me her long list of dire predictions.”
“Why don’t you leave without tellin” her? You’d save yourself a sore ear.“
“I can’t, Mattie. After all, she has taken care of me these last years.”
“Taken care!” Mattie cried indignantly. “Worked you to the bone, you mean!”
Courtney smiled at Mattie’s outspokenness. She had picked up some outlandish sayings from her friend over the years, things she herself sometimes said without thinking. At least she no longer blushed at the outrageous things Mattie said, like she used to do.
Realizing how long it might be before she saw Mattie again, Courtney said, “I’m going to miss you, Mattie. And I want you to have anything you wish from whatl have to leave behind.”
Mattie’s eyes widened. “You mean… all these pretty dresses?”
“I’d rather you had them than Sarah.”
“Well, shoot, I don’t know what to say. I mean—I’ll miss you, too.”
She ran out of the room before she started crying. No sense in that. Court was determined to go.
Tears misted in Courtney’s eyes too as she hurriedly finished packing and dressed in her riding outfit.
Before she left the hotel, she ran into Sarah. She had wanted to save her good-byes until the last minute, after she’d finished buying the other things she would need, but that was not to be.
“So you didn’t let go of that fool notion about going to Waco?” was Sarah’s response.
“No, Sarah,” Courtney said softly.
“Little fool. If you die out there on the prairie, I’ll be damned if I’ll mourn you.”
“I’m not going alone, Sarah.”
“What? Who’s going with you?”
“His name is Chandos, and he’s the one who—”
“I know who he is!” Sarah hissed. Then, unexpectedly, she began to laugh. “Oh, I see. All that ridiculous nonsense about your father was just an excuse so you could run off with that gunslinger. I always knew you were a tramp.”
Courtney’s eyes flashed angrily. “You knew no such thing, Sarah. But believe whatever you like. After all, if my father really is alive, that makes you an adulteress—doesn’t it?”
In the brief moment that Sarah was rendered speechless, Courtney walked out of the hotel. She was afraid that Sarah might follow her, but she didn’t.
There was no sign of Chandos in the street, or of his horse, so Courtney still had a few minutes before the deadline. Quickly she bought what she needed. She was able, too, to say goodbye to a few of the folks who had been kind to her, because Lars Handley, Charley and Snub, and the Coffman sisters were all in Handley’s store.
Mattie came in before she was done, “He’s waitin”, Courtney.“
She looked out the window. Chandos was there, mounted on his horse. She felt a little tingle of fear race along her spine. She barely knew this man, yet she was going away alone with him.
“He brought along an extra horse,” Mattie continued, subdued. “It’s all saddled and ready. He did it—even picked out the saddle. Guess he figured you wouldn’t find a good mount here. I bought old Nelly for you, though. Got her real cheap.” Mattie handed over what was left of Courtney’s money. “She’s nothin” to ride, but she’ll make a good packhorse, so you won’t be cramped riding.“
“Then don’t sound so unhappy.”
“Do I?” Mattie became defensive. “You’re leaving… Oh, that’s not all. I don’t know. Chandos, he shook me up, I guess, the way he just took over at the stable, and without sayin” anything. You’re right, he is a man of few words. And he—he scares the shit out of me.“
“Mattie!”
“Well, he does. What makes you so sure you can trust him, Court?”
“I just trust him, that’s all. You’re forgetting he already saved me once, from that terrible Jim Ward. Now he’s willing to help me again.”
“I know, I know. But I can’
t figure out why.”
“It doesn’t matter. I need him, Mattie. Now, come on and help me tie everything to old Nelly.”
When the two girls came out of the store, Chandos made no acknowledgment. He didn’t even dismount to help them secure Courtney’s bags to the packhorse. Courtney hurried, not so much because of him as because she didn’t want Reed to see what she was doing. She sent nervous glances down the street toward his saloon, hoping she and Chandos would be able to leave before there was a scene.
After the two friends embraced for the last time and Courtney mounted, Chandos said, “You get everything on the list?”
“Yes.”
“I suppose it’s too late now to ask if you know how to ride?”
He said it so dryly that Courtney laughed. “I can ride.”
“Then let’s ride, lady.”
Picking up old Nelly’s reins, he headed south. Courtney had no time to do anything more than return Mattie’s wave.
They reached the end of Rockley almost instantly, and with a heartfelt sigh, Courtney said good-bye to that chapter of her life.
It didn’t take long for her to get used to staring at Chandos’s back. He simply wouldn’t ride beside her. She tried to catch up to him a few times, but he always managed to stay a good length ahead of her, no farther than that but not close enough to talk. Yet he was always aware of what she was doing. He never looked back, but each time her horse lagged, Chandos slowed. He kept the exact same distance between them all the time. This reassured her.
It shouldn’t have. A few moments later Chandos stopped to dismount, then walked purposefully toward her. She looked at him curiously. It was only nearing sunset, and she hadn’t thought they would make camp so early.
Then she felt a twinge of alarm, for his face was set, his eyes coldly determined.
Without a word, he reached up and dragged her off her mount. With a startled cry, she fell into him, her boots slamming against his shins. He didn’t flinch. An arm snaked tightly around her waist, his other hand shot out and clenched her buttocks.