The Reluctant Outlaw (Love Inspired Historical) (20 page)

He had almost reached his destination when he noticed a pair of men engaged in a heated argument. He urged Lucky to the opposite side of the street. This late at night, the men were likely to be drunk. And whenever alcohol was involved, an argument could quickly turn deadly. The last thing Evan needed was to get caught in the crossfire.

Wary, he watched them carefully. Light from the lamp-post illuminated their faces. There was something oddly familiar about the shorter man. Evan racked his brain. Who was he and where had he seen him before?

He was young, possibly early twenties. Light hair. Angular jaw. Ears that stuck out a bit too far…

Evan straightened in the saddle. Randy Roberts. Cliff Roberts’s son.

Something told him he needed to stop and talk to Randy. With a silent petition for wisdom, Evan halted Lucky and dismounted. The other men paid him no mind, so intent were they on each other. He approached them with caution.

“Randy Roberts? Is that you?” he called out in a friendly voice.

The blond man turned startled eyes on Evan, while the other man scowled. Evan’s gaze noted that the man’s
hand moved to his weapon. To Evan’s surprise, neither man appeared to be under the influence.

“I haven’t seen you in months!” Evan walked closer. “How’ve ya been?”

Randy’s brow furrowed. “Do I know you, mister?”

“Not exactly.” He nodded to the other man before turning his full attention to Randy. “But I know you. I work for your father.”

A curtain fell over his features. “My father and I haven’t spoken in nearly a year.”

“What do ya want, stranger?” the other man growled. “We’ve got business here.”

“Cliff is in a heap of trouble, Randy,” Evan tried to appeal to the young man’s sense of duty, if he had any. “He needs your help.”

A worry line appeared between his brows. “What kind of trouble?”

“Forget it, kid,” the man said. “Like you said, you haven’t seen your old man in months. Why should you care?”

Evan watched as various emotions danced across Randy Roberts’s face. Somehow, he had to get Randy alone.

“Look, I just want to talk to you for a little while about your dad.” He shot a glance at the other man. “Alone.”

Randy hesitated. Then he looked at his partner. “If my father is in trouble, I need to know about it. We can talk tomorrow.”

“This won’t wait,” the other man bit out.

“Look, if the law comes down on my father, it could affect what we’ve got going here. And I don’t think you want that.”

He shot Evan an irate glance. “I’ll be around tomorrow afternoon. You’d better be where I can find you.”

Randy watched without a word as the other man walked away. Then he turned to Evan. “Silver Creek Café is around the corner. We can talk there.”

The café was practically empty, not surprising considering the late hour. Evan led the way to a table in the far corner, ordering two coffees when the waitress stopped for their order.

Across from him, Randy sat on the edge of his seat, his expression a mix of concern and resignation. “So what’s the charge against my father?”

For a brief moment, Evan considered lying in order to get his information. But he’d had enough of deceit. He would be honest and hope the young man would cooperate.

Leaning back, his arms crossed, Evan shrugged. “There isn’t any. Yet. Truth is, I’m not here to talk about Cliff. I need information, and I figure you might be able to help me get it.”

Randy stiffened in anger. “Has the law caught my father or not?”

“Nope. He’s still a free man.”

“Then I’m out of here.”

When he made to rise, Evan spoke. “Don’t you want to hear what Fitzgerald’s up to these days?”

At that name, Randy froze halfway out of the seat. The waitress appeared then with two steaming cups of coffee, her gaze curious. Evan passed her enough money to pay the bill plus a little extra.

“At least stay and drink the coffee,” he suggested after she’d walked back to the kitchen. “I can fill you in on what’s been going on since you left.”

Randy sat with a huff. He was holding the warm mug between his palms but not moving to take a drink. “I disliked that no-account on sight. Never did understand
why my father took up with him. Before that, we stuck to stealin’ money. Maybe a horse here and there. The first time I watched Fitzgerald shoot a man, my gut told me it wouldn’t be the last.” Bitter regret hardened his young features. “Tried to reason with my father, but he wouldn’t budge. So I left.”

“Why didn’t you take Art with you?”

“Art?” His brows drew together. “He’s still with you? He told me he was leaving after the next robbery. Needed money to get home.”

Evan wondered what had happened to those plans. The next time he saw the young man, he’d be sure to ask. He didn’t like to think he’d been intimidated into staying, but that could’ve happened.

“If you see Art again, tell him to come and find me,” Randy said.

Evan agreed that he would, then gave him the short version of the events of the last eleven months. “He’s trailing me now. Wants revenge for what my friend Juliana did to him.” He told Randy how she threw hot grease in Fitz’s face in order to escape.

A glimmer of amusement entered his hard eyes. “I like the way she thinks.”

“Yeah, well, she’s alone right now. And Fitz is still out there.”

“Which begs the question, why are you here and not with her?”

Evan inhaled sharply. “My brother was shot and robbed not far from here. I have reason to believe someone in Cliff’s gang is the shooter. I think you might know who that man is.”

“No.” He shook his head vigorously. “I’m not a squealer.”

“Randy.” Evan leaned over the table, crowding the
younger man as anger surged. “I don’t think you understand the seriousness of this situation. An innocent man was gunned down in cold blood. Someone must pay.”

“Look. I’m sorry about your brother, but I won’t talk.” He clamped his lips shut in defiance.

Trying to rein in his emotions, Evan leaned back against the hard wooden chair and glared at him. “Fine. But when I go to the authorities about Cliff and his gang, I’ll conveniently remember you as one of the former members.”

He barked a laugh. “Right.
You’re
gonna go to the law. And what about the bounty on your head? Think they’re gonna overlook your crimes just for information? Information you can’t prove?”

Slipping his hand in his pants pocket, he held up the sheriff’s badge. The color drained from Randy Roberts’s face and he slumped in his chair.

Evan smirked. “Still don’t feel like talkin’?”

Juliana ached all over. Weak sunlight filtered through the curtains down below, which meant the storm was long gone. And so was the mysterious intruder, if, in fact, there had ever been one. She struggled to her feet, every muscle in her body protesting the movement.

Down in the kitchen, she started a fire in the stove and put on a pot of water for coffee. While waiting for that to boil, she went to the windows and peeked out. Looked the same as it had the day before. Nothing out of the ordinary.

What she saw had probably been a shadow. A trick of light. Perhaps she needed spectacles.

Sitting at the table with her coffee and a biscuit left over from the night before, her thoughts strayed to Evan. She prayed for his safety and swift return.

The ache in her heart was so great that she was seriously considering marrying him, despite everything. At this point, she couldn’t imagine life without him. The mere thought of him dropping her off at her mother’s and leaving her behind filled her with sorrow.

The biscuit, which had tasted so delicious the night before, now felt like sawdust in her mouth. Her appetite had fled. Resigned to the long day ahead, she gathered her dirty dishes.

She was elbow deep in dishwater when she heard heavy footfalls on the front porch. She stilled. Had Evan changed his mind and come back for her? Hope surged within her breast.

The door burst open with such force it banged against the inside wall. The man in the doorway was not Evan. Lenny Fitzgerald’s evil presence filled the doorway, his soulless eyes boring into her.

Her heart sank. Her gun was six feet away. On the table.

He spotted it and grinned. Then he slammed the door behind him and advanced toward her.

Her last thought before her piercing scream rent the air was that Evan would never know how much she loved him.

P
eace. Sweet, glorious peace. The need for justice no longer smoldered like a cantankerous ulcer in his gut.

Evan stood on the boardwalk in front of the sheriff’s office and watched Randy Roberts melt into the bustling morning crowd. He took a deep breath.

James,
he thought,
you’re finally going to get the justice you deserve.

Thank You, Father,
he humbly prayed. If it hadn’t been for Randy’s testimony, Evan would still be on the hunt for evidence. Still living a lie. He’d be headed for Gatlinburg right now.

Instead, a dozen or so sheriff’s deputies, armed and carrying arrest warrants, were on their way to the little cabin outside Juliana’s hometown. They would also be hunting Fitzgerald.

He flashed back to Randy’s statement. Seemed his instincts had been right all along. Fitzgerald and another man Evan had never met, Harold Greene, were there the night of James’s murder. Both men had fired their pistols. Both were guilty of murder.

It had been tough, sitting there in that stale, dusty office and listening to Randy recount the events of that
night. He relived every emotion his brother must’ve experienced. Shock. Anger. Disbelief. The need to fight back.

But he’d sensed God’s presence, helping him work through the fresh wave of grief and pain. Again, he reminded himself that God would handle the wicked. Evan’s job was done.

Approaching his mount, he swung up in the saddle and pointed Lucky toward home.

Once on the open trail, he lifted his face to the cheerful morning sun and tried to imagine Juliana’s surprise when he arrived home unexpectedly. Lord willing he’d get home by late afternoon. He wondered if she’d still be angry or if she’d be pleased to see him.

One thing was for sure—he had to convince her to marry him. He wanted to share his life with her. While he wasn’t ready to admit that he loved her, he had his doubts about whether he’d ever be able to ride away from her.

Because he was eager to get home, time dragged. Seemed he was checking the position of the sun every twenty minutes. He stopped only a handful of times, when he felt Lucky needed a rest and a drink.

Finally, at about four o’clock, he rode onto his cousin’s land. As he neared Luke’s house, he decided he’d forgo a visit. Time enough tomorrow to let Luke know about his return. He was impatient to see Juliana.

But then he spotted Thomas barreling into the yard on his chestnut. Evan was suspicious at once. The young man wouldn’t be here unless there was a problem.

Yanking on the reins, he turned his horse around. By the time he’d reached the cabin, Thomas and Luke were waiting for him.

“Evan!” Luke shouted. “What are you doing back here?”

Evan ignored the question, his gaze focused on Thomas, who was red-faced and winded. Evan steeled himself for bad news. “What’s wrong?”

“Mr. Harrison,” he panted, “I can’t find Miss O’Malley anywhere.”

“Why were you looking for her in the first place?” he demanded.

The young man’s eyes widened. “I wasn’t. I walked past the cabin on my way to the barn and noticed the door ajar. I thought that was unusual, so I called for her. I called and called and she didn’t answer.”

“Did you go inside?” Evan said, trying to keep a firm rein on his emotions. There had to be a logical explanation. “Maybe she was taking a nap.”

“I didn’t want to, it being your home and all—”

“Just get to the point,” Evan interrupted.

“Yes. And she wasn’t there.”

“What about the loft? Did you check up there?”

“Well, no, I didn’t.”

Evan had heard enough. While it was entirely possible she could’ve gone up to the loft to lie down, he didn’t think that was likely. And she would’ve heard Thomas calling her. Something was very wrong.

“Let’s hope she decided to go swimming.” He strode past Thomas toward Lucky.

“I checked the water. She wasn’t there, either.”

“I’m coming with you,” Luke called out, already on his way to the barn to saddle his horse. “Go on ahead, I’ll catch up.”

When Evan rode into the yard and saw the door standing wide open, an odd feeling washed over him. This couldn’t be good.

“Juliana? Are you in here?”

He stormed into the cabin. The air was still and silent. “Juliana?”

As he turned to go back out the door, his gaze fell on a smattering of dark spots on the floorboards near the base of the washstand. Strange. He rounded the ceiling-high cupboard and stopped, his mouth falling open when he spied the mess.

Dishes lay in a heap on the floor. Everything else in the room was in order except for this one spot. He snapped his mouth shut. Dread flooded his soul. It was as if she’d dropped the pile of them and had left in a hurry.

One question burned in his mind. Had she left of her own free will or had she been forced?

Evan searched the entire cabin with an urgency born of desperation. Nothing was out of place, not a pillow or quilt disturbed. He ran out into the front yard, yelling her name in hopes that she had merely to run to the out-house. Or perhaps she’d heard an animal in distress and had gone to check it out.

A shiny object on the bottom step caught his eye, and he lunged for it. Holding it in the palm of his hand, his stomach did a nosedive. It was his mother’s silver clip, the one Juliana often wore in her hair. Surely it wouldn’t have come undone by itself!

Had she dropped it there intentionally for him to find? Or had it fallen out during a struggle?

Panic was quickly setting in. The one suspicion he couldn’t ignore was that Fitzgerald had followed them here and bided his time until Juliana was alone and unprotected to make his move.

She wasn’t in the barn. Or the shed. Nor was she anywhere near the animal pens.

Dear God, no. Please. I can’t lose her. I can’t face—
He broke off midprayer, incapable of finishing the thought.

He squeezed his eyes shut. If he lost her now, he would never recover.

Unbidden, a verse he’d learned long ago came to mind.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind.

Help me, Father. Lead me to her. Keep her safe.

Feeling slightly more in control of his emotions, Evan tried to think rationally. If Fitzgerald had indeed taken her, where would he go? What would he do?

He knew Fitzgerald well enough to figure he’d want to see Evan suffer. If Fitz thought he could get to Evan by hurting Juliana, he’d do it in a heartbeat. Which meant he wouldn’t go far. He’d wait until an opportune time to show himself. After that, it was anybody’s guess what he’d do.

Luke and Thomas rode up in a hurry.

“Anything?” Luke asked, his horse prancing from side to side.

“No.” Evan scanned the grounds, on the look out for anything out of the ordinary. “I think I know what happened. And this is what we’re gonna do about it…”

Juliana was living her worst nightmare. Slumped against a tree, she strained at the tight ropes binding her wrists. The gag in her mouth smelled of stale sweat and alcohol, making her stomach roil with nausea.

She kept a wary eye on her captor. Crouched down behind a bush, gun drawn, he kept watch on the cabin. So far he hadn’t hurt her. But what would he do when he realized Evan wasn’t coming back any time soon? Shuddering with the possibilities, she pleaded to God for mercy.

Lenny Fitzgerald hated Evan and wanted to make him suffer. And he wanted revenge for what she’d done to him.

Evan, my love. Why didn’t I tell you how I felt?

The realization he might never know made her want to weep. Filled with profound sadness, she ducked her head and blinked back a rush of tears. She couldn’t let Fitzgerald see her weakness. It would only make things harder for her.

Too bad she couldn’t change the past. If only she’d thought to put the gun belt on that morning. If only she’d told Evan about her strange experience yesterday afternoon. If only—

A voice calling in the distance split the silence. She whipped up her head.
Thomas,
she thought,
the hired man.
He’d no doubt come to the cabin for something and found the mess in the kitchen. What would he do when he couldn’t find her? Would he go to Luke Harrison’s place or wait around for her to come back?

Her captor glared at her over his shoulder. Angry red welts marked his face where she’d burned him. “Looks like loverboy came back. Good. I didn’t want to wait around here much longer.”

Juliana gave a quick prayer, asking God to protect the unsuspecting Thomas.

The voice grew closer. He was calling her name over and over again. Odd. She wouldn’t have thought he’d be all that frantic. After all, he didn’t know her. Maybe he was afraid Evan or Luke would blame him if something happened to her. She hoped that wouldn’t be the case.

“There he is!” he growled.

Her captor leapt up, startling her. Before she could react, he seized her arm in a bruising grip and, hauling her up, began dragging her away from the dense stand
of trees. Without her bonnet to shade her eyes, the sun’s rays temporarily blinded her.

Ignoring her whimpers of protest, he forced her to stand in front of him. Repulsed at being held against his foul body, she tried to inch away. He bit out a curse and wrapped his beefy arm around her neck, nearly cutting off her air supply. She started to struggle once more, but instantly stilled when she felt the tip of a gun barrel pressed against her temple.

Icy shards of fear skittered down her back.
Oh, God, no! Not like this!

“Harrison!” he bellowed, jarring her eardrum. “Is this what you’re looking for?”

Was Fitzgerald blind? Thomas Latham was shorter than Evan, not to mention a whole lot leaner. He didn’t have the muscular frame Evan did. Juliana squinted, trying to get a better view.

“Let her go, Fitz,” an achingly familiar voice carried across the field. “This is between you and me.”

Juliana stiffened in alarm. It couldn’t be. Evan was long gone by now! Wasn’t he?

Gun aimed in their direction, his long, confident strides ate up the distance. The clothing told her that it was indeed Evan—he’d been dressed all in black. But what was he doing here? Hope and fear warred with one another. What if Fitzgerald shot and killed him before her very eyes?

Fitzgerald snorted. “Nope. I’ve been watching the two of you long enough. This girl’s caught your fancy, and I’m gonna enjoy watching your face as I put a bullet through her skull.”

His words chilled her to the bone. This was a man who’d killed before and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. She meant less than nothing to him.

“Besides,” he growled in a voice filled with hatred, “she scarred me for life. I owe her.”

He jammed the barrel hard against her temple and spots danced before her eyes. She blinked hard, trying to clear her vision. Her heart was racing like a runaway wagon.

There was no doubt in her mind her very life was on the line. There was a gun pointed to her head, and the man with the finger on the trigger was not in possession of a conscience.

“You have to admit you weren’t that good-looking to begin with,” Evan drawled, goading him. “I doubt a few scars are gonna make that much difference.”

“You always were so sure of yourself, Harrison. But I told Cliff I didn’t trust you. Something was off from the beginning. Looks like I was right.” He slid the hammer back with a click.

Juliana moaned through the gag in her mouth. Evan’s hard gaze flew to her, and he faltered. Alarm flashed across his face.

Fitzgerald caught the look. He let out a cruel laugh. “Not so sure of yourself now, huh? How does it feel now that I’ve got the upper hand?” He jerked her roughly to one side. “Throw down your weapon.”

Evan fought for control. Loathing and rage churned in his gut. His sole desire in that instant was to blow a hole through Fitzgerald’s chest.

This man had already stolen his brother away from him. And now Juliana was a hairsbreadth away from death. One false move could prove disastrous.

Her eyes begged him not to do it. He had no choice. Every muscle in his body tense and ready to spring into action, he warily tossed the gun on the ground.

Please, God. Help us save her. I wasn’t there to save James. But there’s still a chance here.
Were Luke and Thomas in position? He couldn’t make his move until they were. He’d have to keep him talking.

“Kick it over here,” Fitz commanded.

Again, Evan did as he was told.

“Get down on your knees.”

A muscle twitched in his jaw, and his mouth hardened to a grim line. His movements slow and calculated, he eased down onto his knees, palms up. “Okay, you have me where you want me. Let her go.”

His mouth contorted into a sneer. “Why would I do that? She’s my ace.”

“What are you going to do?” Evan said, his eyes cold as a winter snow. “Kill us both? What will that get you besides more time in a jail cell?”

“If I’m going down, I’m bringin’ you with me,” he spat. “You and me are on the same side of the law.”

“Yeah, about that…” He cocked his head to one side, his eyes narrowing.

“Stop!”

Evan jerked his head to the left and spotted Art jogging across the field, his gun aimed at Fitzgerald. Dread curled through his bones. The boy was likely to get himself killed.

“Don’t do this, Fitz!” Art pleaded. “Miss O’Malley doesn’t deserve this! And Roberts will kill you if you shoot Harrison!”

“Go back to your post, you idiot.” Fitzgerald dismissed him. “This is my business, not yours.”

Art stiffened. “I may be young, but I’m not an idiot. And, unlike you, I have a heart. Now let her go.”

“I don’t think so.” Fitz trained his gun on Art.

Juliana cried out. Evan’s gaze flew to her. She strug
gled against Fitz’s tight hold, her fingers clawing the arm he held around her neck.
What was she doing?
He stiffened, ready to hurl himself at the other man.