Carol Finch (8 page)

“All right. We’re decent,” Galen called out a few minutes later. “Now what is so blasted important?”

Gideon burst back into the room to see Sarah unwrapping
the bandage on Galen’s arm. He was still bare-chested, but he’d donned a pair of breeches.

“Your idiotic little brother stole the key to your cuffs again and turned my prisoner loose,” Gideon reported tersely.

Galen leaned over to open the drawer to the bedside table. “You’re right. He did.”

Gideon’s accusing gaze landed on his attractive sister-in-law, who looked everywhere except at him. “In addition, someone around here, as if I don’t know who, uncuffed my prisoner the day before yesterday so she could bathe and change into a borrowed set of clothing.”

Galen’s lips twitched as he glanced at his wife. “Nice of you to be considerate of Lori.”

“Thank you, dear,” she murmured.

Gideon howled in outrage. “You are undermining my authority!”

Sarah pivoted to meet his accusing stare. “I couldn’t very well let the poor woman wear the same clothes she had to use for several days, could I?” She glanced at Galen. “Your big brother didn’t show her the slightest consideration.”

“She’s a prisoner!” Gideon shouted in frustration.

“I don’t know what’s come over you, Gid,” Sarah chided, hands on hips. “As much as I love you, I want to rail at you for being so insensitive and purposely snide to that poor woman.”

“That
poor woman
killed her former lover,” he reminded her harshly.

“I don’t believe that. I happen to like Lori and I’ve heard a few of the details that put her on the run.”

“Of course you believe her,” Gideon muttered sourly. “You’re compassionate and Glenn is gullible. She did her damnedest to earn your trust. Believe me when I tell you that criminals will do and say whatever necessary to gain
sympathy from anyone who will listen and help them escape.”

Just look at how
he’d
stumbled and fallen two nights past when that alluring witch offered him whatever he wanted for her precious freedom. Damn it, he wasn’t sure who made him more furious. Him or her. And he’d be damned to hell if he fell for that trick of seduction again. Once he recaptured her—and he would recapture her, he vowed fiercely—he would show no mercy whatsoever! Furthermore, she was never going to tempt him past his resistance again!

Sarah tilted her chin to a belligerent angle that reminded him a little too much of Lori. “I trust my intuition,” she declared. “She is innocent.”

Gideon rolled his eyes. “Spare me from female intuition.”

“It is also the Osage’s deep sense of knowing,” she contended. “You would sense it, too, if you weren’t so busy trying to convict Lori of wrongdoing without listening to the details of the incident.”

He arched a dark brow. “Did she tell you the entire version of her story? Is that what convinced you?”

“No, she told it to Glenn who told it to me.”

“Secondhand lies,” he grumbled. “Glenn is infatuated with her. Of course, he’s going to believe what she tells him.” He tapped himself on the chest. “
I
have the necessary details. The Widow Burgess claims Lori shot and killed her lover. Then she ran. Fugitives don’t usually run unless they’ve committed a serious crime and don’t want to get caught. That’s all
I
need to know and the rest is up to Judge Parker.”

“How reliable is the witness?” Galen asked as Sarah placed a poultice and a clean bandage over his wound.

“Not you, too?” Gideon groaned in dismay. “You’re a lawman. I expected you to side with me.”

Galen glanced at Gideon then at Sarah. “Would you fetch me a drink, please, love?”

She smiled wryly. “Why don’t you simply say that you’d like a private word with your brother?” She shot Gideon an annoyed glance as she passed him on her way to the door. “I have a few more words for you, too, Gid. None of them are very nice and all of them have to do with your inconsiderate treatment of a woman.”

“For the last time, she’s a prisoner!” Gideon crowed as Sarah walked away.

He huffed out a breath as Galen grinned and shook his ruffled head.

“Hell and damn, surely you’ve logged in enough years in law enforcement that you know better than to believe the absurd tale of a rejected marriage proposal and a bushwhacker in the underbrush. I checked her pistol. She fired a shot.”

“And you can
prove
she killed her supposed lover with that bullet?” Galen challenged. “Not that she returned fire or hunted game while in hiding?”

“Circumstantial, I will admit,” Gideon retorted. “But people don’t usually end up with a sizable bounty on their heads and murder accusations following them around if they aren’t
prime
suspects
seen
at the scene of a crime.”

Galen settled himself against the headboard then regarded Gideon astutely. “You wanna know what I think?”

“Not particularly, but since you like to spout your opinions I’ll probably have to listen to you anyway,” Gideon said, and snorted.

Galen ignored the taunt. “I think that you don’t want to believe Lori because you are extremely attracted to her and you aren’t comfortable with that.”

“Where the hell did that come from?” Gideon demanded indignantly, agitated to the extreme that his brother had hit too close to the truth.

Galen grinned broadly. “It’s like Sarah said. Our tribe acquired a deep sense of knowing that has passed from generation to generation. You know what you sense and feel, Gid. You are fighting it.”

“This is ridiculous,” Gideon sputtered. “My instincts are shouting that she charmed Glenn into setting her free then convinced him to accompany her cross-country. She’ll probably convince him to fight me when I catch up to them. Pitting brother against brother is the ultimate betrayal, in my book. That tells me that she’s capable of anything.”

Galen sighed audibly as he eased onto the edge of the bed. “I better go with you so you don’t kill Glenn.”

“You are staying here,” Gideon insisted. “Sarah can’t handle all the chores of chopping wood, herding livestock and cleaning barn stalls while you and Glenn are gone.”

Galen staggered slightly then plopped back to the bed. His face turned white as salt. “Okay, so maybe I don’t feel up to a long, fast ride across rugged terrain. For certain, I don’t want to leave my wife alone.” He stared intently at Gideon with narrowed green eyes. “But you have to promise me that you won’t go off half-cocked and shoot Glenn for becoming Lori’s knight in shining armor.
Swear
it to me, Gideon.”

Gideon muttered and growled for a half minute then said begrudgingly, “I swear I won’t shoot my foolish, love-smitten little brother for falling under that conniving witch’s spell.”

“And promise you won’t shoot the lovely witch,” Galen insisted, flashing another wry grin. “Also promise to be more sensitive or Sarah will come after you with a loaded gun.”

“Fine,” Gideon said, and scowled. “I’ll treat her like the damn Queen of Sheba.”

Galen chuckled as he stretched out on the bed. “I’d like to be there to see that.” He flicked his wrist dismissively. “Better get going, Gid. I don’t know when they left, but they might be way ahead of you by now.”

Gideon pivoted on his heels. “Take it easy until I get back. I don’t want to return to find your wound infected and you delirious with fever again.”

“I’ll do my best not to inconvenience you, dear brother,” he teased as Gideon strode off.

Sarah was waiting beside the front door with extra food for Gideon’s journey.

“For me? How thoughtful. I thought you considered me the enemy,” he said as he accepted her generous offering.

Her lips twitched. “These are for Lori and Glenn. I know you are an experienced survivalist and you can take care of yourself.” Her expression turned somber. “Treat her as you would treat me, Gideon.”

Gideon dropped a kiss to her cheek. “Your expectations for me are too high, Sarah. You’re just too kind to admit it.”

“You look for the worst in people, Gid.”

“And you always look for the best in people, even if there is no good to be found,” he countered.

“I see the good in
you,
” Sarah was quick to assure him. “This family would have had its home and property stolen out from under it by swindlers who constantly prey on our people, if not for your vigilance. I know you have a good heart, but dealing with hardened criminals, like the ones who destroyed my family, warped your perspective. I also think that you are afraid of trusting your feelings for Lori.”

Gideon groaned in frustration, but Sarah followed him
when he tried to walk away. “Galen has told me how your mother let herself fall for a man’s poison words, only to discover that he wasn’t what he seemed when she married him. You had to stand up to him when he tried to abuse your mother and brothers. You also had to go after him when he shoved aside your mother and let her die without getting medical attention. I think you are afraid of making the same mistake as your mother, but Lori is nothing like your stepfather.”

Gideon swore under his breath and kept right on walking. “Just take care of Galen and don’t strain yourself trying to work so Galen won’t have to. I’ll take care of everything when I drag Glenn and my prisoner back home.”

“Do not shoot your brother,” she called after him as he hurried off to saddle Pirate.

“Why does everyone think I’m capable of shooting my idiotic little brother?” he asked the world at large.

G
lenn kept glancing sideways at Lori at regular intervals. She presumed he was checking to see how well she was holding up while crossing the rugged terrain of rock-strewn and timbered hills.

“You don’t have to worry about me keeping the pace. Remember, my father was in the military,” she reminded him. “He trained me to ride and to become self-reliant.”

Glenn walked his horse through the shallow creek then paused to take a break. “All the same, I don’t plan to be as inconsiderate of your needs as Gid.”

“Could we speak of something more pleasant than Gideon?” she requested as she dismounted. Thoughts of her shameless surrender to Gideon’s surprisingly gentle caresses kept assailing her when she let her guard down. She did not need to hear his name mentioned aloud.

“Whatever you wish, honey,” Glenn said accommodatingly.

“I’ll see to my needs since we’ve stopped to rest.”

“Don’t wander off too far,” Glenn cautioned. “This area is heavily populated with panthers.”

“I became acquainted with one while I hid in a cave.”

Lori walked into the bushes to grant herself privacy. She contemplated sneaking away from Glenn and forcing him to return home. He would speak the truth when he told Gideon that she’d run off. Perhaps Gideon wouldn’t be too hard on Glenn and blame her since he had such a low opinion of her. Heavens, she seemed to be Gideon’s favorite scapegoat.

He believed everything that went wrong was her fault.

Right there and then, Lori decided that she’d leave Glenn behind—for his own good. She would escape while he was hunting game for their next meal. Then, she’d hide out until he gave up and went home.

Or until Gideon came looking for him.

She winced at the unpleasant prospect.

“Lori? Are you okay?” Glenn called out anxiously. “You’re still there, right?”

“I’m fine.”

A moment later, she walked into the clearing and noticed Glenn’s gaze roaming appreciatively over her. She had been the recipient of unflattering masculine stares on many occasions. Glenn’s interest was respectful and flattering and he didn’t make her uncomfortable. She sincerely hoped the handsome young Fox brother didn’t have romantic inclinations toward her, just admired feminine scenery, as men were prone to do.

Kind and likable though he was, there was no magic, no irresistible attraction. Even if there were, the prospect of having Gideon as her brother-in-law didn’t bear thinking about. In his eyes, she would never be worthy of Glenn’s affection.

She noticed Glenn had glanced over his shoulder for the
umpteenth time. Though he insisted he wasn’t concerned about confronting Gideon, she knew he must be apprehensive. And he had every right to be. Lori had seen Gideon in action when he sneaked up on Pecos Clem Murphy. Even the wily outlaw’s clever trip wires and booby traps hadn’t fazed Gideon in the least.

Sly as a damn fox, that’s what he was, she mused. Nothing got past Gideon. He was exceptionally skilled at his profession. Honestly, she was more than a little surprised Glenn had been able to sneak her away from the barn.

She shrugged off the thought and decided the weariness of Gideon’s tedious forays in the wilderness to capture fugitives had caught up with him. The reassurance of being home for the first time in weeks allowed him to sleep soundly.

Either that or the satisfaction of making her a slave to her forbidden desire for him had him sleeping like a baby.

Lori bit back a smirk. She tried to imagine that hard-edged lawman as an infant—and couldn’t. She would’ve sworn wolves or rattlesnakes had raised him, if she hadn’t met his family.

The unexpected sound of a horse’s shrill whinny jerked her back to the present. Her horse pranced skittishly and Glenn’s Appy gelding tossed its head uneasily. A wild scream pierced the air and Lori knew immediately that a panther was prowling nearby. Instinctively she bounded onto Drifter, urging him toward the sound, not away from it. She wanted to make sure an unsuspecting traveler didn’t become the victim of attack.

“Lori, wait!” Glenn muttered as he raced behind her.

She paid him no heed. She guided Drifter through the trees then skidded to a halt. She looked over the cliff to see six spectacular Pinto and Appaloosa horses. They were staked beside a hastily constructed lean-to made of
cottonwood striplings and rope. The makeshift cabin was butted up against the steep creek bank. More horses were tethered in a grove of willow trees.

Her gaze shifted from the squatter’s quarters to the prize livestock that undoubtedly belonged to the Fox family.

“I’ll be damned. They’re here,” Glenn remarked as he rode up beside Lori. “Those nesters stole our horses and set up housekeeping on our reservation land.”

He glanced speculatively from her to the horses. Clearly, he was trying to decide whether to rescue the herd or escort her home. Lori wasn’t allowing him to make a choice. The herd came first. She could take care of herself.

When the panther screamed again, Lori jerked to attention. She scanned the adjacent bluff that overlooked the stream. She spotted the oversize mountain lion lurking among the rocks and trees on the ledge. He switched his tail as he stalked closer to the string of edgy horses.

Lori presumed the hastily built shack was unoccupied since no one darted outside to protect the frightened horses from the black panther. If she could discourage the cat, Glenn could rescue the horses without gunplay. She could send Glenn home and she would be on her way in the opposite direction before Gideon showed up.

Before she could voice a suggestion, Glenn slid his rifle from its scabbard on the saddle and took aim at the panther. He took a shot and dropped the cat in its tracks, leaving it dangling half on and half off the overhanging cliff.

To her dismay, two men clambered from the lean-to, their rifles at the ready. Lori gasped when she recognized the two men Widow Burgess had sent to capture her. Sonny Hathaway and Teddy Collins glanced around wildly, looking for a target to return the unexpected gunfire. Lori bounded from the saddle and took cover the instant before two gunshots simultaneously exploded overhead.

Glenn slid from his horse to take aim at the scraggly-looking horse thieves. “Damn scoundrels,” he muttered. “If the army would roust these squatters off our reservation, like they’re supposed to do, we wouldn’t have so many murders and thefts.” He took a shot and hit Sonny Hathaway in the leg. “That’s for Galen, you bastard,” he snarled vindictively as Sonny dragged himself into the lean-to. Then he took Teddy Collins’s measure on the sight of his rifle.

Lori made a pact with herself to sneak away as soon as Glenn had the situation in hand. The last thing Lori needed was for Glenn to interrogate the two men sent to apprehend her. No doubt, their story would be in direct contrast to hers.

And damn these men! she fumed. They must have anticipated that Maggie Burgess would shut down the stage station and ranch after she’d lost her husband and then her foreman. They had turned to thievery for their new career.

“Fetch my ammunition from the saddlebag,” Glenn ordered after he fired off another shot that sent Teddy diving behind a boulder for cover.

Lori scrunched down to waddle toward Glenn’s Appaloosa gelding. She didn’t relish the idea of getting her head blown off…not before she cleared her name. Using a tree as her shield, she bounded up quickly to fish into the leather bag. She retrieved extra cartridges then she grabbed the spare pistol she found in the saddlebag.

“If you use that on my little brother, I’ll make you damn sorry, hellion. Put your hands over your head.
Now!
”

Lori nearly leaped out of her skin when Gideon’s menacing snarl erupted behind her. “Who’d have thought my luck could turn so sour so quickly?” she grumbled.

She lifted her arms then slowly turned to meet piercing blue eyes that glittered dangerously.

His vicious scowl condemned her to the farthest reaches of hell and she understood why outlaws feared him. He looked as formidable as the devil himself. Worse, maybe.

He aimed his Peacemaker at her heart and said, “No one outruns the long arm of the law. Not even you, hellion.”

Lori swore he’d pull the trigger if she made the slightest move. So she stood as still as stone and wondered if he’d shoot her anyway.

Furious, Gideon held Lori at gunpoint. He predicted she’d planned to put the pistol to Glenn’s head while he focused on his shoot-out with the man huddled beside the lean-to.

Gideon had been in a royal bitch of a mood all morning. He was infuriated with his kid brother for obstructing justice and he was outraged with Lori for seducing Glenn into helping her escape. He was certain she’d used her feminine wiles on Glenn, the same way she’d tried—and nearly succeeded—in using them on Gideon.

Had she offered her lush body in exchange for her freedom and to gain escort through unforgiving terrain? Had Glenn yielded completely to temptation, while Gideon had scraped together enough willpower to pull away before he buried himself in her silky warmth?

The thought of his brother taking the woman Gideon lusted after left him battling an unfamiliar emotion. It shouldn’t matter that Lori had been intimate with Glenn, he told himself sensibly. She was a clever courtesan who used her ample charms to lead a man into trouble. To her, bedding one Fox to influence his opinion and bend him to her will was as good as another. No doubt, she would have
tried to seduce Galen, too, if he could serve her devious purposes.

“Gideon, glad you’re here,” Glenn shouted as they approached him.

“I’ll bet,” Gideon scoffed at his brother.

“The other thief crawled into the lean-to after I shot him in the leg,” Glenn reported. “If you’ll keep this man pinned down, I’ll circle around to attack his blind side.”

Glenn tossed him the rifle and Gideon caught it with his free hand.

“I’ll go with Glenn,” Lori volunteered eagerly as she inched away from the horse.

A wild shot zinged over Gideon’s head. He ducked then launched himself at Lori before she could turn the confiscated pistol on him. She yelped in pain when he wrenched the weapon from her hand and cast it aside.

“You don’t have to hurt her,” Glenn protested.

Damn the kid, thought Gideon. Obviously, he’d slept with this devious siren once or twice. Now he considered himself her valiant protector. The tormenting image of Glenn touching Lori as intimately as Gideon had, shot across his mind like a lightning bolt. The last shred of his good disposition went up in smoke.

“By all means, forgive my rough handling, hellion,” Gideon said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lori sneered at him. Not to be outdone, he sneered back.

When Glenn darted sideways, without giving Gideon the chance to reject the plan to attack the thieves’ blind side, he was forced to provide a distraction and keep the gunman pinned down. While he fired rapidly, he caught movement from the corner of his eye.

Hell and damn! That cunning little vixen had dived beneath Pirate, using him as a shield, before she bounded to
her feet. She knew Gideon wouldn’t shoot his well-trained horse.

His one and only trusted friend in this world, he mused. He sure as hell couldn’t count on his family. They had turned traitor after Lori drew them under her evil spell.

To his fury, Lori clung to Pirate’s side so he couldn’t get a clear shot at her. He refused to ask himself if he
would have
taken the shot, if his horse hadn’t been in the way. That would signify that she mattered to him. He’d shoot
himself
in the foot before admitting that!

Gideon swore colorfully when Lori nudged Pirate forward, mounting up while the horse was at a trot. He hated that she’d left him between the proverbial rock and hard spot. If he chased that murdering spitfire, he couldn’t provide cover for Glenn who would become a moving target and likely get himself shot.

“Damn it to hell!” Gideon growled as he turned his attention to the horse thief pinned down behind a boulder. His gaze leaped back and forth between the thief and Glenn. Gideon noticed his little brother excelled in sneaking up on people. The frizzy, red-haired thief fired at Gideon, unaware that Glenn was twenty feet behind him and closing in fast.

With brotherly pride, Gideon watched Glenn launch himself through the air to knock the unsuspecting thief off balance. The man yelped loudly then lapsed into unconsciousness after Glenn hammered him on the back of the head with the butt of his pistol. Then Glenn wheeled toward the lean-to. He jerked away from the doorway the instant before the other thief took a shot at him—missing him by only a few inches.

Glenn dived in low and fast. When the second shot went over Glenn’s head, Gideon smiled. The kid had learned to come in low, since most gunmen aimed for the heart.
Who would have thought his kid brother had paid so much attention when Gideon and Galen taught him to survive a gun battle.

His smile faded, wondering when Glenn would announce that he planned to put his life on the line to protect the Osage people from white invasion. Or Glenn might decide to become a Deputy U.S. Marshal. Gideon would’ve preferred that one Fox brother take up ranching exclusively and marry a sweet, unassuming woman.

Someone completely unlike Lorelei Russell.

He jerked to attention when Glenn reappeared from the dark interior of the makeshift shack. He dragged the second unconscious thief outside and dumped him beside his sprawled cohort. Since Glenn had the situation in hand, Gideon bounded to his feet. He vaulted onto Lori’s horse to chase her.

When he reached the edge of the cliff, he realized she’d circled the hill and was crossing the meadow. His first instinct was to take her measure with the rifle. He hesitated, unable to bring himself to fire at her.

If it were any other fugitive, riding any other horse, Gideon wouldn’t think twice about shooting at horse and rider. But the conniving minx knew he wouldn’t shoot down his own horse!

Growling in exasperation, refusing to let Lori escape on his prize stallion, Gideon stared speculatively at the rugged slope that separated him from Lori. Then he studied the strawberry roan he had confiscated. Drifter wasn’t as muscular, sturdy or sure-footed as Pirate, but he was an exceptionally fine animal nonetheless.