Lady of the Gun (31 page)

"I hate you," she said, still
gasping for air.

Brett laughed at the lack of conviction in her voice
. "You wound me, madam."

"I will wound you," she said, and
instantly grabbed a bit of his chest between her teeth.

"Cass, y
ou wouldn't," he said, already knowing it was too late.

Cass bit down on his f
lesh with just enough pressure to leave a mark.

"O
uch! That's childish," he accused.

"And tickling me for an hour is mature?"

Brett rubbed the spot where she'd bitten him. "Exaggeration is also childish. I only tickled you for a minute."

"
When I'm being tickled, a minute feels like an hour."

"
I’ll remember that next time""

"You're planning a next time?"

"Yes, and next time I'll tickle you for two minutes."

"No ..,"

"Yes, I will. If I'm going to be wounded for doing it, I'm going to make sure it's worth my while."

"Brett Ryder, I warn you, I always give back more than
I get."

"I've noticed," he said, his voice once
more a sexy growl.

"Mmmm," she purred.

Chapter Fifteen

Walking back toward the barn
a while later, Cass could see most of the wagons had gone. Only a few stragglers were still standing around exchanging the last stories of the evening. "Looks like it's about over," Cass said, glancing up at Brett as he walked beside her.

"
Looks like. And look at your new barn. Pretty nice, if you ask me."

Cass did
look at the barn. It was bigger than the one that had burned, and its new wood glistened in the moonlight. "Now all I have to do is paint it."

"
How about pink?" he said, reminding her of her childhood prank.

"Not a
bad idea," she agreed, grinning.

When they'd j
ust about reached the new structure, Cass turned her head at a sound. "What was that, Brett?” She slowed her walk.

Brett listened. "I d
on't hear anything."

"
Wait a second." She put her hand on his arm and stopped walking. "There, hear it?"

Brett strained to hear. "I
’m not sure. It sounds like a cat meowing.  It might be Mirabelle.”

"No. Believe me, if Mirabelle were meowing you'd know
it. She makes her desires very well known. No, this is ..." She waited again. "Brett, someone's crying." She started toward the back of the barn. "This way."

Seconds later Cass saw a figure i
n the dark. Someone was curled up, leaning against the barn. “'Who's there?" she said as she approached. Hearing quick sniffling sounds, she knew that the person was trying to quit crying before being discovered. "Who is it?" she asked as she hurried forward. "Rosie?" she ventured, kneeling. "Is that you?"

"Rosie?" Brett echoed,
lowering himself to sit beside her.

"I'
m fine," Rosie said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"Why are you out here crying? Did someone hurt you?"
Brett demanded.

"No, No one hurt me. I
’m fine," she said.

"Why are you crying?" asked Cass.

Rosie didn’t answer right away. She looked nervously from one face to the other. "I fell," she finally answered.

"You fell?" Brett said in a disbelieving tone.

"Yes. I was walking in the dark and I tripped," she embellished.

"You fell, or you were pushed?" Brett inquired,

"Nobody pushed me. I told you I fell, and I did," she said.

"Are you sure, Rosie?" Cass asked.

Rosie nodded, wiping her eyes again. "I'm clumsy."

“
Did Ramsey hurt you, Rosie?" Brett bluntly asked.

"No! I would never say anything bad about Ramsey," she
protested, her eyes growing wide in the moonlight.

"Even if he did something bad?" Cass urged gently.

"He didn't. I fell," she said defiantly.

Brett sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hand. "
How can we help you if you aren't willing to help yourself?"

Rosie looked down at her hands folded around her knees.
"I fell," she whispered.

"A
ll right, you fell," said Cass. "Let's go to the house and see what damage your
fall
caused."

Rosie let herself be helped up, groaning a little when she
put her weight on her right foot.

"Your foot?" Cass asked.

"No, my hip," Rosie answered. "I landed on my hip."

"I'll have a look at it in the house," said Cass. "If it looks
serious we'll have Doc examine you in town."

Cass and Brett helped Rosie into the house and to Cass's
room. "Leave us alone now, Brett," Cass told him. "I'll let you know," she whispered as he left the room.

Turning to face Rosie, she was astonished at how bad the
girl looked. The right side of her face was bruised and swollen, and her eyes were sunken, her skin sallow. "Rosie, what's happened to you?" she asked, a concerned frown creasing her brow.

"I fell," said Rosie, her eyes not meeting Cass's.

"I mean, what's happened to bring you to this?"

Rosie raised her eyes, and a tiny spark of defiance flared
for second before it vanished. "I don't know what you mean," she answered.

"
Someone hit you, Rosie. He hit you hard enough to knock you down." She stepped closer and brushed a fingertip gently across the bruised cheek, seeing Rosie flinch from even such tender contact. "You don't deserve to be treated this way, Rosie. You deserve so much better than this."

Rosie looked into Cass's eyes. "Why are you being so
nice to me?"

"You and I grew up in the same town. We w
ent to the same school. You know me. We used to play together. We were friends. But even if I didn't know you, I'd feel the same way. No woman, no person, deserves to be treated the way someone is treating you."

"But you killed all th
ose men," Rosie said accusingly.

Cass sighed. "The men I killed deserved what they got.
They were the men who murdered my family. I've never harmed anyone who was innocent, Rosie. And I would never harm you."

Rosie looked sideways at her. "Are you telling the truth?"

Cass nodded. "I want to help you, Rosie."

"I ...He.."

Cass held her breath waiting, hoping Rosie would say who'd hit her.

"No, I
can't," she blurted. "He'd kill me for sure if I told on him."

“
But, Rosie…" Cass pleaded.

"No!" Rosie interrupted. "I can't. You don't understand.
You're not afraid of anything. He won't hurt you." She began to shake.

"Calm down, Rosie. It's all right
. I won't ask you again tonight." She put her arm around Rosie's shoulders. "It's all right," she repeated.

Brett knocked. "Can I come in?" he called through the
door.

"Not yet.
We'll be out in a minute," Cass replied. She then addressed Rosie. "You'd better lift your skirt so I can look at your hip. Then you can wipe off your face."

Rosie nodded. Turning toward the bed, she leaned on the
footboard and began to lift her skirt.

Cass was horrified at the sight of Rosie's legs. They were
covered with bruises in every stage of healing, some looking several weeks old, others brand new. But it was her hip that caused Cass to gasp. A huge purple bruise the size of a frying pan was forming over the hip joint. "Oh, my God, Rosie. You'd better get Doc look at this," she advised.

“
Do you think so?" Rosie whimpered. "I don't think anything's broken."

"He
might suggest a poultice or some medicine for the pain," Cass told her. "Anyway, I’ll have Brett hitch up the wagon so we can give you a ride back to town."

"What about the people I ca
me with?"

“
I noticed their wagon was gone when we came in the house."

"They left without me?"

"I'm sure they thought you'd gone with someone else. But I'll see to it you make it safely back to town."

Rosie straightened, dropping her skirt. "Thank you,"
she murmured.

"Y
ou're welcome," Cass replied. "Wash your face. I’ll be waiting in the living room for you when you're finished."

Rosie nodded.

Cass met Brett in the hallway as she left her room.

"Did she tell you what happened to her?" he questioned
hurriedly.

"No. She wouldn't tell me. But someone
has beaten her up pretty badly."

"Damn it," hissed Brett.

"I think she wanted to tell me about it, but she's too afraid. She thinks he'll kill her if she tells."

"I tend to agree with her."

"Brett, we've got to do something. You should see her legs. She's getting beaten regularly," she said, her voice full of pity.

"What can we do?
I can't arrest the bastard if she won't tell me who he is."

"I know." Cass led the way back into the living
room. Sitting down in her uncle's favorite chair, she rested her chin on her hands, leaning forward, her elbows on her knees. "I told her we'd give her a ride into town. Will you please hitch up the wagon?"

"Of course," he said. "Do you think if you tried again?"

Cass shook her head. "She began shaking when I tried to get her to talk."

Sighing, Brett left the house to take care of the wagon.
His gut feeling told him the man was Ramsey, but like Cass in her quest; he had no proof.

Two hours later the doctor finished his examination of Rosie and walked out to question Cass and Brett. "Who did this to her?"

"We don't know. We tried to get her to tell us, but she
wouldn't," said Cass.

The doc shook his head in disgust. "Well, whoever he is,
he should be horsewhipped."

"I agree, Doctor. If you can get her to tell you who it
was, I'll be happy to oblige."

"I'm afraid she's not going to tell anyone anything for a
while. I gave her something to help her to sleep. She needs to rest."

"We thought so too," said Cass. "Is there anything else
we can do?"

"No. Just leave her here. I'll see s
he gets home in the morning." He turned to go back to the examination room. “It's too bad she won't tell us who did this to her."

Cass nodded and started to
leave with Brett. "Thanks, Doc," she said.

Brett had just stepped outside when Cass heard the doctor
call her back. "Wait for me, Brett," she said. "The doctor wants something else."

Brett nodded and took another step out onto the sidewalk.
"I'll wait for you in the wagon."

Cass closed the door behind him a
nd turned to face the doctor. "Yes? What is it?" she asked.

"Well, Cassidy, I question the wisdom of what I'm about
to do…. but, well, you being Rosie's friend . . ."

"Yes, Doc?" Cass asked.

"I really wish you'd try to find out who beat her."

"'We'
ve tried. She won't tell."

The doctor rubbed his
chin. "You've got to try again," he finally said.

"Why? What aren't you telling me about Rosie?"

"Cassidy, I have to trust your discretion in this." He glanced back to the curtain that hid the door to the examination room where Rosie slept. "I think Rosie's pregnant. I'm not positive. Rosie may not even realize it yet. If she is, she's just in the beginning weeks, but you can understand how dangerous this situation is for her. Another beating and she might lose this child."

Cass stared in wide-eyed surprise at the curtain. Rosie
was pregnant? She looked back to meet the doctor's eyes. “I'll do what I can, Doc," she promised.

"And you'll use discretion? Rosie's unmarried...," He
left the implication dangling.

"I wouldn't hurt Rosie for the world, Doc. She's my
friend," Cass said, and she knew in her heart it was true.

"Thank you, Cassidy. Now I'd better go check on my
patient."

Cass nodded and left the office
.

"
What else did the doc want?" Brett questioned as she climbed up into the wagon beside him.