Katie Rose (36 page)

“Taken up opium smoking, too, preacher man? You are the oddest minister I’ve ever seen. Drinking,
cursing, smoking, and wearing a gun. One might think you’re not what you appear.”

Emily felt Thomas stiffen. “What the hell do you want, Emmet?”

“I reckon same thing you do,” Emmet answered coldly. “Just give me that China girl.”

“No!” Emily gasped, determined to throw herself at this rotten, two-bit outlaw and scratch his eyes out, if that were the only weapon she had. But Thomas held her firmly behind him.

“The girl is of no use to anyone, Emmet,” Thomas said firmly. “She’s an addict. There’s nothing she can tell anyone, even if she wanted to. Now why don’t you head on out of here before the law arrives.”

Emmet’s grin grew broader and he glanced back over his shoulder. It was then that Emily saw Jake, covering his partner with his own gun. The glint of the rifle showed clearly between the green canvas tents. Emmet turned back to Thomas, his voice rough.

“I don’t give a damn what that China girl is or isn’t, and I don’t care if ten lawmen show up. Git outta my way, preacher man. Or you and your little lady will have to die, too.”

Panic suffused Emily as she felt Thomas reach for his gun. Two simultaneous explosions filled the air, and Emily tumbled to the dirt under Thomas’s weight.

Slowly, Emily lifted her head. Her heart pounded with relief. Emmet was sprawled in the dirt like a broken doll. His peg leg lay beside him, fractured in
the fall, and he stared up at the heavens, directly into the sunlight.

Her gaze swung quickly to Thomas. His face was turned away from her, but his body was motionless. Panic choked her as he lay perfectly still, almost as if …

“Thomas!” Emily cried out.
Oh, God, please don’t let him die.…
The words pounded in her brain like a refrain. She tried to move, tried to force her body into action, but her limbs seemed frozen with shock. She had succeeded in getting to her knees when Thomas rolled suddenly to his feet.

“Stay the hell down! There’s one more!” he shouted hoarsely.

Gunfire filled the air. Emily shrieked in terror. The sounds died as quickly as they’d come. Silence followed. Then she saw the sheriff walk slowly out into the open. He held his weapon aloft. “It’s all right. He’s dead.”

Emily looked past him and saw Jake’s body slumped against the tent. Thomas stood, moving cautiously toward Emmet’s body, lying less than ten feet away. The sheriff kept his gun trained on the outlaw as Thomas kicked Emmet’s gun out of reach. He sank down next to the bloody form. But he didn’t have to touch the man to know his condition: Emmet Colter was finally dead.

“Well, you saved the townsfolk the trouble of hanging him,” the sheriff said grimly. “Been after these two for quite a spell. The good citizens of this town will sleep better tonight.”

Thomas rose and turned to look for Emily. On her knees, Emily shakily accepted his hand. Her eyes fell on the soft red stain slowly oozing through his shirt. “Thomas, you’re hurt! Why didn’t you say something? We have to get you to a doctor right away!”

He stared down at her, his harsh expression softening. “It’s just a flesh wound,” Thomas replied, though he stopped to wrap his arm with his handkerchief. His gaze drifted toward the tent. “We have to get China Blue to safety. Jake wasn’t the only member of Emmet’s gang. They may disperse now that Emmet’s dead, but we can’t take that chance.”

“I’ll take care of it,” the sheriff said. “Your woman’s right. Get yourself to a doctor. We don’t need gangrene setting in.”

Thomas nodded, then put his good arm around Emily. Together they walked back toward the entrance of the camp. Putting Emily onto his horse, Thomas swung up behind her.

Neither of them spoke for a long time. Emily relaxed into his arms, feeling drained. The depth of her feelings for Thomas nearly overwhelmed her, especially now that she’d been confronted with the thought of losing him. She finally understood his fears for her safety. If he was half as scared for her as she was for him, it must be unbearable. Somehow, in the midst of all this, they had found something more priceless than gold.

Wordlessly, Thomas pulled her closer to him. The sun set lower, splashing the sky with crimson, scarlet,
and amber. A lone hawk circled above, and the cottonwoods sighed in the wind. Emily felt warm and secure. Emmet was dead. And the man who held her had risked his life to save her.

Altogether too soon, the horse stopped at the hitching post in town. Reluctantly Emily slipped from the mount, shivering after the warmth of Thomas’s body. But instead of following her, he remained stiffly on the horse.

“Thomas? Are you all right?”

She waited for him to answer. He turned to her slowly. His face was pasty white and his eyes were glassy. Sweat beaded his brow. Her eyes fell to his sleeve and she gasped as she saw the vivid red blood.

“No,” Thomas said, then slid from the horse into the dirt.

Pain. That was all he felt when he awoke.

Thomas grimaced, feeling the torturous needles pricking at his arm, racking his brain, making him feel like crawling back inside the darkness. Recollection came slowly to him. There had been a gunfight. Emmet. Had to get Emily home safely. Then … the darkness.

His arm throbbed hotly and he frantically reached out to touch his hand, sighing with relief when he felt the limb still attached.

“You almost did lose it, my friend, but we managed to save your gun hand. Good thing your lady friend got you straight here. A hell of an infection set in. Never seen anything like it.”

Thomas opened his eyes finally and saw the doctor grinning down at him. Beside him were the sheriff and Emily. Emily looked incredibly scared. Her eyes were tired, as if she’d been sleepless a long time, reminding him all at once of her dangerous masquerade as an opium addict. That thought brought back his ire and he glared at her, but for once she didn’t seem interested in defending herself. Instead she smiled, as if welcoming his wrath.

“How long have I been here?” He sat up, looking around at the unfamiliar room.

“Three days,” the doctor told him. “You had a high fever. Your lady friend there tended you all day and night. That’s a good woman you’ve got there.”

“I’m aware of that.” Thomas’s eyes met Emily’s. To his delight, he saw her blush profusely. Knowing that she’d nursed him back to health made him decide to let her off the hook. For now. She was trouble, all right, a whole package of it. But she also had character and depth, loyalty, and love. What more could a man ask for?

Emily leaned over and felt his forehead. “He feels much better,” she pronounced. Her hand moved down to hold Thomas’s good one tightly. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“You and he did all the work.” The man beamed. “I have to say I wouldn’t want to be on the opposite end of your gun. You hit the notorious Emmet Colter almost before he drew.”

“That was mighty fine shooting,” the sheriff agreed. “In fact, if you ever want to consider a
deputy position, it’s yours. I could use a man with aim like yours.”

“Then it’s all over.” Thomas collapsed back onto his pillow.

“Yes. Might as well tell both of you now, we found their hideout this morning. It was just up Ridge Mountain. As soon as they heard about Emmet, the rest of the boys all ran scared. We found someone there, though.”

Emily and Thomas stared at the sheriff in confusion. “Miss Lizzie,” the sheriff answered their unspoken question. “She was tied up in the outlaw’s den. Claims to have been kidnapped, but that’s not the way we see it. Apparently she’s been involved with Jake all along.”

“Lizzie?” Emily repeated, stunned. She turned swiftly to Thomas. “Do you think that’s what China Blue was trying to tell us? She drew an L in the sand, remember?”

“Makes sense.” Thomas shrugged. “You never think a woman could do something as brutal as this, but some women don’t care about anything except their man.”

Emily shook her head, far from satisfied. “So has Lizzie confessed to the killings?”

“She hasn’t said much yet, but we’ll get it out of her. I have to say, I agree with Thomas. Lizzie certainly had motivation. She was in love with one of these outlaws, she knew about the money, and had easy access to Rosie and your pa. I remember the night of the murders, being clearly struck that your
pa expected someone, someone he must have known. She probably set him up, then either by herself or with the help of these outlaws, killed them both.”

“What about Sung He?” Emily asked. “How is she doing?”

The doctor smiled. “That story, at least, has a happy ending. She’s in another physician’s care, and shows every sign of recovering from her addiction. She needs help, but she has her grandfather, and the deepest motivation to get well. And she has you both to thank for her life, for it’s apparent Emmet meant to kill her if the opium didn’t do it first. By the way”—he turned to Emily—“how did you get in that opium den?”

“I think that conversation is better saved for another time,” Emily said quickly, avoiding Thomas’s eyes.

The sheriff chuckled, watching the exchange. “Yes, I’d like to hear about it as well, but we can discuss it when Thomas is better. I think we can say the case is pretty much wrapped up. Except for the gold.”

Emily shook her head. “I wish I were convinced of that. Still, I do feel safer knowing that Lizzie’s behind bars and Jake and Emmet are dead.”

“And I feel better knowing your case is closed,” Thomas said firmly. He tightened his grip on her hand. “After all, I plan to make an honest woman of you. I understand that detecting is part of your soul. If you want to consult, and I mean consult, that’s fine. What I don’t plan to do is spend the rest of my
days worried about you traipsing into opium dens, chasing down outlaws, or investigating murders. Is that clear?”

The sheriff and the doctor exchanged a look, and the two men bowed out of the room, leaving Emily and Thomas alone.

“Thomas!” Emily cried. “Do you mean you really want to marry me?”

“I don’t see anyone else here I’d like to marry,” Thomas said with a grin, then his face turned serious. “Emily, I love you. I think I’ve loved you from the first day we met. I never realized how much until I was facing down Emmet, and knew I could lose you forever. I don’t have much to offer at this point, but I can start over, make a new life. Maybe I’ll accept the sheriff’s offer. I don’t care about the gold anymore, or Wells Fargo. I see now that nothing matters as much as what we have between us. If you feel the same way, then yes, I want to marry you.”

Emily’s answer was a squeak of delight. Thomas chuckled, gently disengaging himself so that he could see her face. “Does that mean yes?”

“Oh, yes, Thomas.” She sighed, plastering kisses all over his face. “Yes.”

Emily was exhausted when she returned to Shangri-La. Thomas had insisted that she go home, seeing the effects the last three days had had on her. When Emily tried to protest, he had become obstinate, advising her that she still hadn’t accounted for her presence in the opium den, and that she shouldn’t push her luck. Emily had smiled, given him a quick kiss, and promised to return in the morning.

The door to her house opened easily, and she reminded herself for the thousandth time that she had to be more careful about locking up. Yet now that Emmet was dead, she had nothing really to fear. The peace of mind the man’s demise brought made her feel a little guilty, but grateful all the same.

Leaving her shoes at the door, she started up the steps in her stockinged feet. Even though she was exhausted,
she couldn’t stop the bubble of joy that welled up inside of her.

Thomas wanted to marry her. The idea made her feel like singing. If she had a whit’s strength left, she would have done just that. Giddy, she couldn’t wait to share her news with Rosie. Perhaps the two of them could celebrate after she’d gotten some rest. Rosie, she was certain, would have some grand ideas about the wedding, and even grander ideas about the honeymoon. Emily could just imagine her bridal advice, which was certain to be much different from the normal mother-daughter talk. Suppressing a giggle, Emily dashed into her room.

And found Lynette standing at her bureau, rifling through her clothes. She froze when Emily burst in, then glanced down at the hand that was still in the drawer.

“Lynette, what are you doing in my room? And why are you going through my things?” The question wasn’t accusatory, but firmly worded just the same.

Lynette stammered for a moment, then she lifted her head high and stared Emily down. “I was missing an earring, and I thought maybe you picked it up by mistake.”

Her voice rang clear, but Emily knew a lie when she heard one. It didn’t take a lot of detecting to figure out that something was wrong here.

“I see,” Emily said. “Well, I suggest you pack your things, because I won’t be needing a boarder any longer. Especially one I can’t trust. I would like your room vacated within the hour.”

Lynette didn’t speak for a moment, and Emily was startled by the hard glint of hatred in her eyes. It was gone quickly, replaced by the subservient expression the seamstress normally wore.