Marshal of Hel Dorado (32 page)

 
    
What were they doing here?

 
    
She followed his gaze, a stone inside her
chest tumbling away from her bruised heart.

 
    
Sam.

 
    
The Marshal stood next to a string of
horses talking to Quanto. Awareness flooded through her, heat storming over the
icy regret at leaving him. As if aware of her gaze, he looked toward her and
her heart cantered to a faster beat.

 
    
Disapproval shrouded any smile, but even
the turned down lines of his mouth were a sight to her. She dropped back into
the saddle, but Wyatt caught her reins before she could nudge Dawn back into
motion. She jerked her gaze to him and saw seriousness etched into his quiet
face.

 
    
“Quanto is sending you back with the gold.
You may have to face a trial, but the Kanes have promised you safe passage.”
For a man of few words, he packed caution, advice and admonishment into the
simple sentences. “The law doesn’t know about our brothers and we will keep it
that way.”

 
    
Unease threaded through her belly, but she
nodded. She would carry that secret to the hangman’s noose if she had too.
Wyatt’s teeth flashed in a brief smile.

 
    
“Don’t worry, Scarlett. Quanto wants them
to do the right thing. Returning the gold is the right thing. Returning your
reputation and your safety is of greater importance. There is a bounty on your
head, so you will stay close to our brothers and to the Kanes.” His mouth
twisted.

 
    
“Particularly the Marshal.”

 
    
Was Wyatt actually telling her to spend
more time with Sam?

 
    
“Don’t misunderstand me.” He tilted back
the hat, revealing his mismatched brown and one blue eyes. “You’re not going to
hang. You’re not going to prison. You’re not paying this penalty. Our brothers
will remove you if not and we will not be kind in how we do so. But until then,
you
will
cooperate.”

 
    
Scarlett laughed shakily. She didn’t want
to hang and she certainly saw no joy in living in a cell, but that was not the
intent here. “And the Marshal agreed?”

 
    
“Yes.” Wyatt nodded once. “Quanto has
chosen to believe him, so I will believe him as well. Or I would not trust you
to his keeping.”

 
    
“You’re not going are you?” Her stomach
dropped away. As fearful as Wyatt was, his presence offered greater security
than all of her brothers combined.

 
    
He shook his head once. “I will not leave
Quanto and it is not safe for him to travel such a great distance.”

 
    
“Wyatt?”

 
    
Her elder brother met her inquisitive gaze
evenly.

 
    
“This isn’t goodbye, is it?” She wasn’t
certain where the question came from, but something in his manner, the gentle
way he held her hands on the reins and the unexpected sweetness in his firm
tone frightened her more than usual.

 
    
“It is possible that you may choose to stay
in Dorado. You may find that you are offered opportunities there you cannot
find on our mountain. If you choose to stay, know that you have my blessing and
if you ever need me, I will come.”

 
    
Tears sparkled in her eyes. He was saying
goodbye. She turned her hand over under his and squeezed his fingers. “I will
come back.”

 
    
“Perhaps,” he eased his hand away and
stroked cool fingers down her cheek. “Just be happy.”

 
    
“Wyatt?” She called, but instead of
answering, he gave her mare a gentle slap on the rump and Scarlett was forced
to focus or risk being dumped as the mare trotted down the path towards the
waiting wagons. At the foot of the path, she reined the mare in and looked
back.

 
    
Wyatt was gone.

 
    
“Let’s go Scar!” Rudy called from the back
of the third wagon. “You can lift and carry too! Ow!” His words broke off as
Ike thumped him and sent him sprawling out of the wagon.

 
    
Laughter drifted on the breeze, but
Scarlett ignored her brothers, finding Sam’s gaze still rested on her. She
nudged Dawn forward, her attention on Quanto and Sam.

 
    
Cody caught the mare’s reins, halting her
progress. He offered her a hand to help her dismount and she studied his
upturned face. The blisters around his mouth had healed, but the skin was still
pink and heated. She couldn’t see his chest for the doe leather shirt, but she
imagined it was similar.

 
    
“Peace?” He said quietly, hand still
extended.

 
    
Swinging her leg over, she took his hand
and slid out of the saddle and into a hug trusting the humanity in his brown
eyes.

 
    
“I’m sorry.” His arm looped around her and
gave her a firm squeeze.

 
    
“Me too, I swear I didn’t mean to hurt
you…in any way.” She wrapped her arms around him tight. He chuckled, peeling
her off and tapping her nose with gentle admonishment.

 
    
“Yes well, you’ve always been a bit of a
brat.” His tone lightened the harshness of the words. Relief flooded through
her. This was her Cody.

 
    
“Am not.”

 
    
“Are too.”

 
    
“Hey, Cody…these crates don’t carry
themselves.” Jimmy waved at Scarlett and returned the rude gesture Cody sent
him.

 
    
“Go talk to Quanto,” Cody nodded to where
their father waited with the Marshal, but caught her arm before she could walk
away. He dropped his voice. “Don’t choose the Marshal, Scar, okay? You just met
him. You don’t really know him and he’s not good enough for you.”

 
    
His fingers were tight on her arm and
yellow edged around his irises. She covered his hand with her own. “Sam is a
good man, Cody. I like him. But I am not choosing anyone.”

 
    
“Promise?”

 
    
“Cody.” Quanto’s voice cut between them and
they both looked at their father’s placid expression. “Let Scarlett join us and
go help your brothers.”

 
    
“Yes, sir.” Cody released her, but mutiny
tightened his jaw and he gave her a firm look before leading the mare away.

 
    
Scarlett sucked on her lower lip, watching
him go. She didn’t like the hurt that flashed through his eyes or the anger she
sensed under the surface.

 
    
“Scarlett.”

 
    
She couldn’t put off Quanto’s soft summons
any longer. Wiping her damp palms against her pants she walked towards him, her
gaze skipping to Sam’s. The intensity in his stare was unnerving. It was almost
physical the way he looked at her, a tangible caress against her skin and
increased the weight of his star secreted away in her pocket.

 
    
“Father.” She chose to address Quanto,
surprised by the husky tenor of her voice. She cleared her throat and stole
another look at Sam. He tipped his hat politely, aware of her scrutiny, but
said nothing.

 
    
“Daughter.” Amusement creased his aged face
and he took her hand in his. “Your brothers are loading up the gold they took,
the Marshal and his brothers will escort you all back to Dorado. From there,
the gold will be passed into the keeping of the bank until the Army can send
for it.”

 
    
She nodded slowly, but Quanto held up a
hand staving off any comment she might make.

 
    
“You will be returning in the Marshal’s
custody as well.”

 
    
Scarlett’s gaze shot to Sam’s, but she
could read nothing in it.

 
    
“Father?”

 
    
“The Marshal and his family have promised
you sanctuary. He has given me his word and
I
will hold him to that. You will cooperate and trust your brothers. They will
ride with you and be there if anything goes wrong.” The order in his voice was
firm and brooked no arguments.

 
    
Swallowing back the lump in her throat, she
heard the same farewell that filled Wyatt’s tone. Were they really just sending
her away?

 
    
“You have always longed for adventure,
Scarlett.” Quanto squeezed her hands gently, lifting both to his lips and
kissing them. It was a sign of trust and affection. Even as her heart raced and
her stomach twisted into knots, he trusted her to keep the sting of her fire at
bay.

 
    
“And now you shall have it.”

 
    
Scarlett glanced at Sam again. The man had
remained curiously silent throughout the exchange. “You trust him, Father?”

 
    
“In this, we are of the same mind. I trust
his word and I believe he is a good man.”

 
    
It wasn’t an endorsement, but it soothed
her jittery emotions. “I will make you proud.”

 
    
“You always have, sweet child. You always
have.” With that, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled her to his side
with an arm around her shoulders. He turned his gaze to Sam and the Marshal
straightened under his regard. Some silent, curious silent message passed
between the two men. “Marshal, I am trusting you with something precious. Do
not disappoint me.”

 
    
“Yes, sir.” His voice was the same warm
warble of syllables she remembered and her stomach twisted in fresh knots.

 
    
“Well, you two get reacquainted. I’m going
to have a word with your brothers.” Quanto kissed her temple once more and then
strode away, leaving Scarlett to stare after him.

 
    
She huffed a long sigh and looked to Sam
slowly. His measured gaze met hers evenly with just the barest hint of a smile
playing around the corners of his mouth.

 
    
“Miss Scarlett.”

 
    
She could tell nothing of his feelings from
his words.

 
    
“Marshal.”

 
    
“Sam.”

 
    
Her lips twisted and she grinned a little.
“Only if you are not so angry you are going to spank me again.”

 
    
“Have you done something worthy of spanking
this time?” His tone was mild, his expression almost amused.

 
    
“Maybe.” Another grin bloomed through the
tension in her stomach. He was as handsome as she remembered, the dark hat
hiding most of his summer wheat hair and it was the first time she’d ever seen
him clean-shaven. His skin was sun-warmed to nearly golden. A bandana tied
around his throat dipped to where his shirt was unbuttoned three from the
collar, revealing equally golden colored skin on his chest.

 
    
“Why do I suspect you use maybe when you
mean yes?”

 
    
“Maybe.” She repeated and delighted in the
quick grin that turned his mouth upwards.

 
    
“Scarlett, this is serious. I have to be
able to trust you on the ride back. You mustn’t try to run away again, even if
your brothers encourage it. I know they aren’t fond of this plan, but I need
you to let me do this, to trust me to clear your name. “

 
    
Her expression sobered. “I will do as
Quanto asked.”

 
    
“No,” Sam shook his head. “I understand
loyalty and trust, but you need to do this because it’s the only way to clear
your name, to give you back your freedom. Can you trust me long enough to let
me help?”

 
    
She didn’t answer immediately, turning
instead to watch Quanto make his way through the line of wagons, pausing to
speak to each of her brothers. He laid his hands on their shoulders and they
gave him their full attention, as she had. They would do anything for their
father.